Chapter 9 9. Delayed Explosion

While flying in the narrow aisle, Lu Bing kept holding Uncle Larry's hand, talking nonchalantly.Everything in the spaceship felt new to her.How far is it from Earth now?Can you see the Great Wall?What kind of metal is this spacecraft "burning"?Is it easy to maneuver?However, before old Larry could answer, she had skipped to the next question. Old Larry couldn't help turning his head to see that Lu Bing's face was filled with brilliant light, which reminded him of the beautiful, tricky, happy and hearty little girl fifteen years ago, and his heart felt hot.This "cute Lu Bing" has been rarely seen these days. Since that disaster, there has been an invisible pressure pressing on her all the time, making her twisted and deformed, and her actions often make people sad.At this moment, the former girl seemed to be briefly revived.

After arriving in the living cabin, she was still like a restless dolphin, jumping around in the cabin, pestering Uncle Larry, asking him to introduce the negative pressure device for bathing, the sealed toilet and the kind of candles that can burn into a spherical flame .Old Larry didn't understand the last sentence: "What do you mean by candles burning into balls?" Lu Bing was shocked all over, and she realized now that the question she asked casually popped up from the depths of her mind, dug out from her memory.She turned around in the air and stared blankly at old Larry. Her face was pale and her lips moved: "Uncle Larry, it's not the first time I've been in space! I've been here once!"

Uncle Larry suddenly opened his mouth wide, ecstatic: "You have recalled..." But he suddenly stopped, he looked at Lu Bing, as if he didn't dare to meet her eyes, and quickly looked away.There was so much sadness and pity in his eyes, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Bing'er, I should go to work, you should rest here first." Then hurriedly turned and left. Tang Shilong didn't know where to go, but Lu Bing had no time to think about him right now.She frantically stared at the familiar facilities around her, eagerly recalling.Slowly, a scene emerged in front of my eyes.A 16-year-old girl is surrounded in the middle - right here, in this living pod.Several crew members flew towards him slowly, like a group of wingless angels.Brother Lu Gang (the hair on his lips had just grown black at that time) was smiling happily, holding a small cake in his hand.The electric light went out, and the 16 candles burned into small balls, which were round and round, not the usual shape with a round bottom and a pointed top.So she had been staring at these candles in amazement then.

Over the years, she has been seeing this scene in her dreams, and she has always regarded it as a warm dream. Now that she recalled it, it was true.And she knew why the candlelight was round, it was because the updraft of the air would not be caused in a gravity-free environment.Brother Lu Gang told her, yes. She remembered that there was still a small flaw in this birthday party in space. When she finished making her wish and raised her head to blow out the candles, the 16 small flames danced and went out one by one.Later, it was Lu Gang's brother who told her that in a weightless environment, the still candlelight burns out the oxygen in a small area around it and then extinguishes itself.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you have made a wish, it will definitely come true!" Brother Lu Gang laughed. These scenes were so vivid, and chewing on the suddenly revived memory made her feel a kind of bitter sweetness. She really wanted to go down this memory path and continue to search for the scenery of the past.But a stern alarm suddenly sounded in the depths of her consciousness, ordering her to turn around quickly, there was an evil calamity in front of her! She hesitated.She likes brother Lu Gang, and has liked him since she was a child.She likes to lie on her brother's back and blow his ears, like to look at his protruding muscles, and like to push her breasts that have begun to plump on his back, and then she saw Lu Gang timidly withdrawing his gaze from her cleavage, That's clearly not what a brother should be.

Hostility gradually filled his chest.She saw her father also appearing suddenly from behind, grabbed her, and kissed her with his whiskers, and she cried out angrily.Then the shape of Dad's face began to change... As usual, as soon as the memory got here, her consciousness screamed and fled in all directions, and when she calmed down, only a few fragments remained in Famu's head. Don't think about it.She said wearily, Lu Gang is still my elder brother, my own elder brother, he cannot be my husband in this life.The boat of my life is ready to moor in another harbor.Only then did she think of Tang Shilong.I haven't seen him for a long time. Just now he seemed to say: "I'll go to each cabin," and left.How did he go for so long and leave her here alone?

She shouted angrily: Tang Shilong!Shilong!Where are you drilling?No reply. After old Larry left, Tang Shilong didn't delay for a minute.Avoiding Lu Bing's sight, he took out a tool bag and a powerful blasting gun from the small suitcase he had just brought with him from the Moth, quietly slung it behind him, and slipped out of the living cabin.Originally, he was worried that he would talk to Lu Bing, but now that Lu Bing was in a state of fascination, and seemed to be recalling her first space trip, he just took the opportunity to slip away.Lu Bing has been in space?If so, this matter should have left a very vivid impression on her, how could she forget it.It seems that her amnesia is really serious, and she must have suffered some major blow.

But right now there is no time to think about it, he has to act according to the original plan.Before coming, he had already learned as much as possible about the structure of this Russ-style spaceship.So it slipped into the cargo hold smoothly, found the control panel of the feeding mechanism, and began to check.The godfather Cabaleru once said sharply: "According to my estimation, Uncle Sam will never let the delivery people go home safely, and will definitely kill people. Of course, he will not act before the nuclear bomb is dropped. So, very There may be an explosive device linked to the feeding mechanism. Find it first after boarding the spaceship!"

He took out a high-capacity pocket flashlight from the tool bag and began to search carefully.Soon, a newly installed bomb was found in a pile of pipelines, and several colored lines were drawn from the small cylinder to connect with the circuit of the feeding mechanism. In the bomb's activator, a tiny red dot was glowing.He pondered for a while before making the move. Generally speaking, this device is quite simple. Maybe the Americans think that no one will come here to search for it, and there will be no bomb experts on the spacecraft.After he figured out the ins and outs of a few wires, he took out his miniature air gun and fired it.A thin blue flame emerged from the muzzle of the gun, inserted through the gap in the wire, and quickly melted the insulating surface of the red wire.He took out another wire with clips on both ends, and slowly fed it in through the wire bundle.He did so with extreme caution, as a single accidental contact could detonate it.Although he has already been well-trained in bomb discharge, working in a weightless state is another matter entirely. He feels light all over his body, and his hands always seem to have no support.Finally, the small clip tightly clamped the two places of the red line, and the safety bypass was connected.

He wiped his sweat and took out the special wire cutter.It was a thin round rod about the thickness of a pencil, surrounded by insulating rubber. He carefully brought the round rod to the side of the red wire, pressed the rear, and a pair of small clamps protruded from the end.He carefully snapped the wire with the pliers.The little red dot went out. Now everything is fine.He wiped his sweat and stood up.But before he could catch his breath, another red dot suddenly began to flash rapidly, and there was a continuous hissing sound from the bomb timing device.The bomb has been activated!What he just dismantled was just a fake device!

For a split second he could almost hear his own heartbeat, and he had seen a blinding white light as he and the ship were blown to pieces, floating in the cold hell of outer space.But he forced himself to calm down.After all, he had nowhere to go.This is a spaceship, and there won't be a single survivor after it explodes.In addition, he firmly believes that Uncle Sam will not let the bomb detonate so easily. You know, there are 2,250 nuclear bombs on board! In other words, there should still be a buffer period between now and the detonation of the bomb. He took a long breath to calm his beating heart, and began to search carefully again.Soon he found the real bomb and its delayer in the lower part of the fake bomb, and started the procedure just now. After the recoil nozzle in front of the Noah's Ark spewed out a stream of flames, the huge spaceship completely lost its speed and stopped in space 200 meters away from the waste mountain.It was a very nice stop. A huge mountain of waste material appeared ahead, dominating the entire field of vision.Countless black containers are hooked to each other, forming a huge cubic network.The containers are spaced from each other so that outer space can effectively cool the boxes so that radioactive waste heat does not build up to dangerous levels.The dual gravitational forces of the earth and the moon lock them here, but they are not absolutely still. They oscillate slightly in this center, and the cubic grid also fluctuates slightly because of this, just like a piece floating up from the depths of hell. Bobo trembled and sighed.This ghostly black grid conjures a macabre presence in its ugliness and bulk. This is exactly the huge pile of feces left by human silkworms when they devour green leaves and build beautiful cocoons. Noah's spaceship turned its belly on the waste mountain, and Banks had donned his space suit with propulsion and stayed in the decompression rudder to stand by.Lu Gang ordered: "Uncle Larry, open the cargo compartment." Uncle Larry pressed the button, and the two doors on the belly of the spaceship slowly opened, like the wings of a beetle. "Feeding!" Banks has entered space from the decompression chamber, and the jet propulsion port of the spacesuit emits a small orange flame, which is very gorgeous in the dark sky.After Larry presses the feeding button, the spaceship will spit out the containers one by one and send them to the correct position, and then they rely on their own slight inertia to make the automatic hooks collide, and Banks only needs to do some appropriate actions beside him Correction. But this time the ship was silent.Larry immediately reported to Lu Gang: "Captain Lu Gang, the feeding mechanism is malfunctioning!" The captain quickly replied: "The cargo door is temporarily restored! Banks returned to the spaceship and immediately eliminated the mechanism failure!" Banks slid quietly into the decompression chamber, the decompression chamber door closed, and the huge cargo door slowly closed.Lu Gang watched all this gloomily on the screen.The flight has been so smooth that he almost forgot the foreboding feeling before takeoff.But now, that premonition has been revived. Several people gathered in the maintenance cabin and brought tools. Old Larry whispered guiltily: "Why did something go wrong? It was checked repeatedly before take-off." Lu Gang comforted him: "Uncle Larry, don't worry. The feeding mechanism is very simple, and I don't think there will be too much trouble." Banks also took off his spacesuit and hurried over, and a group of three people prepared to go to the cargo hold.At this time, Black, who stayed in the command cabin, suddenly called: "Captain Lu Gang, a call from Mr. Yao Yunqi was transferred from the ground control room. He said there is an urgent situation. Do you answer the phone?" Lu Gang said impatiently: "Wait until I finish checking." He slid a step forward and suddenly stopped!His alertness snapped.Although Yao Yunqi's character is cowardly, he is not a fool, he will not tell his lovelorn at this moment.So, could what he was going to say have something to do with Tang Shilong?It is too coincidental that Tang's hero saves the beauty and meets in space.Now, this big worm has entered the spaceship, could he come here on purpose?Lu Gang shuddered, changed his mind, and said, "Turn the phone over immediately!" After a two-second delay, Yao Yunqi's voice came from 380,000 kilometers away: "Captain Lu Gang, can you hear me? A private detective I hired has already found out that Tang Shilong is a member of the Colombian drug cartel Cali Cartel." Important person. He approached Lu Bing this time to get close to the Noah's Ark, and he was preparing to take some kind of action. I don't know the auspicious circumstances. Detective Mr. Di Ming was assassinated and his life is dying. Captain Lu Gang, you must be careful!" Then it was replaced by another calm voice: "Mr. Lu Gang, I am Chen Bing from the National Security Council of China. According to Mr. Di Ming's information and our investigation, the purpose of Tang Shilong's trip is the so-called nuclear waste in the cargo hold of the spacecraft. There are ulterior secrets hidden in it. Please be careful and report the situation on board to us in time!" Lu Gang said gloomily: "Okay, I see. Thank you!" Anger rose in his heart, and he wanted to find Tang Shilong immediately and cut his neck off.But he tried to hold back his urge.He knew that Tang Shilong must be a formidable opponent and must have weapons.Unfortunately, there are no weapons on board, not even a dagger. He was looking for a suitable weapon in the tool bag, when Lu Bing appeared at the entrance of the passage: "Hey, Uncle Larry, did you see Tang Shilong?" Lu Gang was shocked and asked, "Isn't Tang Shilong in the living cabin? Is he not with you?" Lu Bing gave him a hard look, and for some reason, that deep-rooted hostility revived again, and she replied coldly to her brother: "He's not here, as soon as Uncle Larry leaves, he's gone." Lu Gang looked at her and felt a pang in his heart.Just now, the happy Lu Bing was revived for a short time, and now she has transformed again, and her eyes have the same indifference, contempt, and teasing like cat and mouse.But Lu Gang didn't bother to think about these things. He said briefly: "Tang Shilong is a terrorist. Let's find them separately. Be careful, he must be armed." Lu Bing was very shocked. Looking at the crowd, she didn't want to believe what her brother said, and she couldn't believe it, but the gloom of the crowd explained everything.The secretive lover turned out to be not 007, but a heinous drug dealer!The crew members were all looking for the right weapon, and they knew they would face a bloody battle of disparity in strength.Lu Bing felt the hostility growing around him. In the final analysis, she was the one who brought this scourge onto the spaceship. They didn't regard her as Tang Shilong's accomplice, and they were already worthy of her.She shouted angrily from her chest: "I'll go find him! I'll settle accounts with him!" Lu Gang hurriedly said: "Bing'er, don't be self-willed! You are not his opponent, you can stay here." Lu Bing didn't even look at his brother, and just flew towards the entrance of the passage.Lu Gang hurriedly chased after her and wanted to hold her back, when Tang Shilong appeared at the entrance of the passage: "Don't look for it, I'm here." He said with a smile, holding a strangely shaped pistol in his right hand, with a hole in the muzzle. The thickness of the wine cup. "Hey, you stay there honestly, you, Mr. Captain, Uncle Larry, Mr. Banks, and Miss Lubing, don't act rashly. Do you recognize the weapon in my hand? This is a kind of Very powerful blaster, only 10 grains, not very accurate. But it's enough to blow a person's head off, and drill a hole in the hull of the spaceship by the way. So as long as I press the trigger, we will be finished at the same time You mustn't force me to do this, do you understand?" Several people gathered together under the pressure of pistols, and Lu Gang hid the multi-purpose hammer he had just obtained by his side. Lu Bing didn't move, she frowned, looking blankly at her lover who had bowed to her more than ten minutes ago, old Larry hurriedly pulled her back. "Okay, that's good, don't be afraid, everyone, you'll even thank me when I'm done. See this Geiger counter?" He gestured at the counter in his left hand, "Isn't it always normal? Tell you, those men tampered with it when it was loaded, and I restored it, listen." He turned the counter on and it immediately squeaked clearly.Tang Shilong smiled and said: "Did you hear that? It barks more happily in the cargo hold, like a chattering lark. Do you know what's in the cargo hold? What stuff did you work hard to send to Lagrange? Yes 2,250 nuclear bombs, the largest hydrogen bomb has an explosive yield of more than 100 million tons. These 2,250 nuclear bombs are enough to destroy the earth once. Captain Lu Gang, those two kind American gentlemen, Mr. Frost and Mr. Rogers, did not tell you this situation." As the seventh McLaren F-1 rolled into this western Washington, D.C., parking lot in front of the building, Mr. Cole, 75, hurried into a secret meeting room on the second floor.Heavy purple velvet curtains were drawn over the windows, and four guards were scattered across the aisle.The 6 people who had already taken the seat nodded to him. He saw that apart from Brown, Robert, the former Secretary of State, and James were present at the meeting today.Zelani, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; William.Wolfe, former chief justice; Mather, chairman of an arms concern; Herbert, former director of the CIA.He sat down in the vacant seat next to Herbert, and his secretary, Miss Charlie, poured coffee for him, stepped out gently, and closed the heavy oak door.Mr. Brown said: "Okay, now the meeting. Today you will face a very difficult topic. Since Mr. Cole and Mr. Herbert did not attend the meeting last time, I will briefly introduce it and review the well-known historical situation. ...because I think the minutes of today's meeting are going to be given to that young man," he said, referring to President Whitham, 35. "As you know, after the global convention on the elimination of nuclear weapons takes effect in 2022, our country still maintains a large secret nuclear arsenal. Mr. Cole and Mr. James here participated in the decision-making at that time. I don't think we need to blame us for this at all. Because it was impossible to implement absolutely reliable supervision of the Iron Curtain countries at that time, once they lay an ambush when destroying nuclear bombs, it will seriously threaten our democratic system. But things have changed since then. First, 18 years There are various indications that other countries, including the original Iron Curtain countries, have indeed destroyed their nuclear weapons. Second, the earth is already too fragile after the greenhouse effect, and using nuclear bombs will completely destroy it, and there will be no winner. Therefore , these nuclear bombs have become hot but worthless potatoes. They are all secretly stored at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site, and now a new seismic zone runs right through it. An earthquake two months ago exposed them. Dangerous. In order to avoid causing a storm in the world, the last meeting decided to rent a private spaceship Noah’s Ark to transport them to outer space, and then let this secret disappear forever with a bang.” With a wry smile, he went on: "We sent our best people to deal with this. Unfortunately, old Mike, the war god of the military - known to many in this room - after he was fired, offered to send money to the drug traffickers. He betrayed this secret. In order for him to be fired, I even applied for a subsidy of 12,000 US dollars. The world is really messed up. As an elite in the military, his moral sense should not be so fragile. According to the just received It is reported that the terrorist Tang Shilong has boarded the Noah's Ark under the personal plan of the Colombian drug lord Cabalero. They will definitely use the weapons on this ship to blackmail us, and we must decide on countermeasures as soon as possible." The news was too heavy, and everyone's faces were gloomy. Cole, 75, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the oldest current member of the C Committee, known for his awe-inspiring sagacity, said bitterly: "I'm really blushing at this stupid decision. You are mobilizing people. , to send a nuclear bomb into outer space, and want to keep it a secret, isn’t this a daydream? The United States of America has been the center of the world for two centuries, and how many American politicians have dominated the world stage. In recent years The national power of the United States has been weakened, but has the IQ of politicians also declined?" This statement disparages everyone who attended the previous meeting, although outwardly, they did not respond.Brown said coldly: "Mr. Cole, I'm afraid I don't have time to listen to your reproach. Let's get back to business." "I'm afraid we don't have much choice. I think we can only do three things. First, try to collect as much money as possible from our country's scarce financial resources to prepare for the blackmail of terrorists. Second, order the space defense system to be fully activated. Once their conditions are too harsh - which is very likely - to intercept the spacecraft and prevent it from flying into near-Earth space where it can accurately drop bombs. Will work with us to deal with terrorists. Third, if a compromise cannot be reached, destroy the terrorists before they detonate the nuclear bomb, preferably in outer space. As far as I know, according to the safety design of the nuclear bomb, the explosion of the spacecraft does not necessarily trigger Nuclear reaction, so that we will only face a problem of nuclear contamination rather than nuclear annihilation." Herbert frowned and said: "This will make our country a target in the first place." Cole said with a grim smile: "This is not necessarily a bad thing. This secret must not be able to keep it - do you still expect to keep it secret? Will Cabellelu keep it a secret for us? If so, I am very happy that the aging Sam Uncle will go to the world stage to be the protagonist again, even if it is a villain this time." Several people at the meeting frowned. They were very disgusted with the term "villain protagonist", but they had no opinion on Cole's three suggestions.James said: "I have nothing to add. I think a decision must be made quickly. We are facing the most critical moment in history. Maybe 10 minutes of hesitation will lead to nuclear disaster, and let us play the villains in the history books. ’” he prodded Cole lightly, “we should let President Whitham make the most decisive decision.” "Well, then, let's vote on that," Brown said. The seven people hit the small hammers in front of them one by one.Brown said: "All passed, I immediately passed these information to Whitham. We have not established contact since he took over as president." A special cabinet meeting is being held in the Cabinet Room of the West Corridor of the White House.Twelve children sat around the long, shiny black conference table, with solemn faces, most of them were 12-15 years old, there were 7 boys and 5 girls.The Great Seal is carved on the east wall of the meeting room, and the American flag and the presidential flag are hung on both sides. Above the fireplace, President Washington, dressed in old fashioned clothes, is looking at the children seriously. President Whitham sat to one side with a broad smile on his face.These 12 "America's Most Outstanding Teenagers of the Year" jointly sent a letter to the President some time ago, wanting to hold a "If I were President" event.Whitham happily obliged.They were allowed to use the cabinet room for half a day and promised to participate in the discussions in person.Now it is Keynes who is speaking. The 14-year-old boy is neatly dressed, with a black bow tie on his neckline and his hair pushed back. He said solemnly: "If I were president, I would take environmental protection as the last priority of this term." Important goal. I remember that we often complained that Brazilians do not understand environmental protection and do not cherish the only "lungs of the earth" - the Amazon rainforest. Seeing the rainforest being burned piece by piece, we are all filled with righteous indignation. However, poor countries hold us angry When energy consumption is too greedy—a city of Robinson consumes as much energy as the entire country of India!—we keep shrugging our shoulders and doing nothing. Why? Just because we start out richer than them, we should Is it always a head above the poor countries? Now that we have tasted the taste of environmental degradation, we have also tasted the taste of poverty, maybe this can help us reflect.” Whitham looked at the boy in amazement and slammed an exclamation point under his name.The following speaker is a girl named Nia. According to the background introduction, she immigrated to the United States from Belarus with her parents 10 years ago. She is a typical Slavic beauty in a beautiful dress, with bright eyes and a sweet smile.She said: "If I become president, I will definitely make friends with people all over the world, true friends, not fake friends wrapped in political cloaks. President Whitham, please don't make fun of my naivety." She said sharply: "Actually, I often don't understand the naivety of adults, such as: why do we have to manufacture weapons? Do we have to fight? Nuclear weapons have been destroyed now. This is a clear and good thing, but, I think The President must remember that before the dismantling of nuclear weapons, there were so many politicians, generals, and newspaper columnists who babbled against each other, citing one reason after another. Mr. President, I think God must be funny when he looks at these wayward and arrogant children Angry again!" Whitham smiled bitterly, shook his head, and wrote down "God's gaze" and "adult childishness" on the pad. The 12-year-old August, the "interim president" who presided over the meeting, scanned the venue with serious eyes and asked, "Who will speak next?" "Can I say a few words?" Patricia said with dark hair.Zhang Wenwan smiled and said that she is of Chinese descent and is 14 years old this year. "After the sudden change of the greenhouse effect, the dark psychology and atmosphere can be felt everywhere in American society. The edification I received in the United States is that human beings are heading towards the end of the world. Although it is slow, it may last hundreds of years, a thousand years, but in general it is unstoppable. I went back to China not long ago and met my great-grandfather, and I think the way of thinking of this old oriental man may be beneficial to us. In his eyes, human development has always been wave-like, with ups and downs, great chaos followed by great order, and great order followed by great chaos. Therefore, the decline of civilization in the past 20 years can always be reversed. These words It had a great impact on me, and when I look at the world from then on, I can see the bright sunshine again!" Whitman listened with interest.At this time, Martin, the chief of staff of the White House, hurried over and whispered in his ear, "Davis, Mr. Brown, please see him. He hopes to see you as soon as possible." Of course Whitham knows this Mr. Brown and the political reality in the United States: the seven old men of Committee C have always been the godfathers of American politics.But deep down in his heart he is rather tired of these arrogant old men, and he also keenly sees that in the evolution of political power, especially in the past 20 years of social change, the authority of these godfathers has begun to decline .At least, he won't obey them in everything like the previous president did.He nodded: "Mr. Brown, please wait for me in the office, I will be there later." Martin said eagerly: "Mr. President, please go at once, Mr. Brown said the situation is very urgent!" He didn't dare to say what Mr. Brown said. When Brown heard that the president was holding a "If I were president" activity with 12 children, he disapproved very much and said sarcastically, "I have very urgent matters. The 'Scout Show' could be postponed for a few days." Whitham saw Martin's embarrassment, he snorted dissatisfiedly, and quietly exited the conference hall. The president stared angrily at Mr. Brown opposite. There were only the two of them in the empty conference room. It bears the presidential seal, and the gray-green carpet has the American eagle embedded in it. "Is this the solution you are considering for the aftermath?" After listening to Brown's briefing, he looked at Mr. Brown in the high-backed swivel chair, unable to restrain his contempt.He suddenly remembered what the child said just now: the childishness of adults.More properly, it should be the intolerance of politicians.When politicians are obsessed with a certain belief, they often do the most unreasonable things-but they still feel good about themselves, thinking that everyone in the world should be grateful for their wisdom. Look at how stupid they were on the matter, it's time to take him to the Cabinet Room and let those kids test his IQ. Mr. Brown read the president's displeasure and hostility, but he held it back.He is indeed to blame for the development of the situation to this point.He said as calmly as possible: "Of course, these opinions are only for your reference when making decisions. I am sorry that I could not inform you of the situation earlier." An attendant came over and said softly: "The hotline of the head of state of China." Whitham made an apologetic gesture to Brown, hurried to the secret room, closed the door tightly, and picked up the white telephone.The other party spoke fluent English with an Oxford accent: "Hello, Mr. President." "Hello, Your Excellency Chairman." The other party said straightforwardly: "Your Excellency, I heard that your predecessors left you a large nuclear arsenal?" Whitham swallowed, and said with difficulty: "I just found out about this..." "It's not easy. In a country that advocates freedom of the press, it's not easy to keep 2,250 nuclear bombs secret for 10 years! Then I will send the Chinese security department to learn from you." These words made Whitham's face feverish, Fortunately, the other party did not intend to take advantage of the tongue, and continued coldly: "According to the information of the National Security Council of China, this batch of nuclear bombs has been loaded into the Noah's Ark aerospace plane and has taken off. But we have learned that, Are you aware that the Colombian Cali cartel has sent a cadre aboard the craft?" "We have just been informed, thank you for your briefing, Your Excellency." The other party stared at him sadly on the videophone, and said in a heavy voice: "What is this drug trafficker doing on a spaceship full of nuclear bombs? I think you must know. Frankly speaking, I wish this stone fell on the moving stone." But we are rational partners in a civilized society after all. Your Excellency, a catastrophe is at hand, and I solemnly promise you that the Chinese government will support you in overcoming the crisis by all means. All means, including Intelligence forces, conventional armed forces, and space defense forces." Whitham said sincerely, "Thank you." "Coincidentally, the captain of the Noah's Ark and the terrorists who sneaked into the ship are both Chinese or Chinese, which puts a heavier burden on our shoulders. The information about the two will be sent over immediately, and it may be helpful to you Help. The relatives of the terrorist Tang Shilong in China have also been gathered, if you need them during the psychological offensive, please contact us." "Thanks, bye." He returned to the White House office with a gloomy face. Brown looked at him questioningly, and he said briefly: "The head of state of China has notified the same news, and the time to take action must be counted. Mr. Brown, I am sorry that I cannot send you, Go your own way. Mr. Martin, notify the cabinet to come to the meeting as soon as possible, and issue a presidential order to put the space defense force on the first alert. Also, apologies to the children, I can not participate in their discussions." Under the hateful eyes of several people, Tang Shilong clicked the blasting gun and continued with a smile: "There is another secret. A powerful explosive device has been installed on your spaceship, which is connected with the feeding mechanism. Once the feeding mechanism is activated, 4 hours later, that is, on your way back, the spaceship will turn into brilliant sparks with an explosion. I disconnected the power supply of the feeding mechanism, and worked hard to eliminate two Bomb. So, everyone here should be grateful to me. Captain Lu Gang, believe me or not? You should know a theorem: Terrorists are more reliable than politicians.” He giggled: “If you don’t believe me, I I can take you to see the scene." Lu Gang looked at Uncle Larry, thinking of the sultry eyes of the 200-year-old carving spirit, and suddenly remembered a passage from Frost: "We all have the trump card to make the other party keep their promises. If we mess up the payment, you can do whatever you want." Let Mr. Pinto reveal the inside story of this secret transaction..." Why "Let Mr. Pinto publish it" instead of "You can publish it if you want"?Frost was talking to himself at the time, and it would have been easier if he had said "you."It must be that he subconsciously didn't intend to bring the spaceship back. This was a slip of the tongue by Frost.Lu Gang gritted his teeth and said, "No, I believe it. I knew from my mother's womb what those gentlemen who are sons of bitches are!" Tang Shilong smiled and said: "Okay. Up to now, we have a solid foundation for cooperation. Captain Lu Gang, don't unload these precious cargoes, we return to the earth and hover over the United States, and then give those Yankees a big knock A sum of money, knock it 10 billion! They will not be reluctant. You know, only a 5 million-ton nuclear bomb exploded 4,500 meters above the center of the United States, and the electromagnetic pulse formed is enough to destroy the communications and computer systems of the entire United States. Cause hundreds of billions of losses. Or, throw those two megaton-equivalent hydrogen bombs on the east coast of the United States, and the resulting 800-meter tsunami can wipe out dozens of coastal cities. Under this extremely deterrent prospect, The Yankees are bound to give in. When I get the money from Uncle Sam, my organization will pay your freight, and what's more, ten million dollars each, double the captain, how about it?" Lu Gang looked at his crew. They had all recovered from the initial shock, and accepted Tang Shilong's solution smoothly amidst their hostility against the Yankees.Especially Banks and Black, the temptation of 10 million US dollars made their eyes shine, and they were eager to try.Only Lu Bing didn't seem to hear these words. From the beginning to the end, she kept staring at Tang Shilong, looking like a vicious cat guarding the cubs. Lu Gang seemed to say unintentionally: "I heard that nuclear weapons have dual nuclear buttons, and the two sets of codes must match to detonate." Tang Shilong laughed and said somewhat coquettishly: "You can rest assured that we have hired the best nuclear bomb expert in the United States, Mr. God of War Mike. Frankly speaking, it was the God of War who revealed information about the nuclear bomb to us. " Lu Gang said darkly: "I believe what Mr. Tang said just now, and I also believe that terrorists have higher morals than politicians. But I am still a little worried. After the ransom is paid, will Mr. Tang or you的组织也对我们啪啪一通呢？” 唐世龙看看其它船员，他们的眼睛中都闪着疑惧的光。他笑道：“鲁刚船长，我可以拿我同冰儿的爱情发誓。有一点非常巧合，我是先在七星岩的酒吧里结识并迷上了令妹之后，才接到组织的指令。这点缘分十分难得，我一定珍惜它。我一定为你们包括令妹争到这笔钱，等拿到钱，我就带上令妹，离开我的组织，浪迹天涯，我会让冰儿过上公主般的生活。” 大家都向鲁冰望去，她惨然一笑，用手扶着舱壁慢慢向唐世龙移过去，她的目光迷离，象是在梦游中。唐世龙皱着眉头看着她，想命令她停下来。鲁冰低声问：“世龙，你真的爱我？” “当然。但这会儿你不要过来。” “你真的爱我，不是利用我，把我当成工具？” “是的，我可以发誓。但你快停住，不然我就要开枪了！” 但鲁冰忽然双脚一蹬舱壁，不顾一切地向唐世龙扑过去，她的凶恶表情使唐十分吃惊。他已经开始扣下手枪的板机，但想起一声巨响后这颗漂亮多情的头颅将被炸掉，血肉横飞，不由停顿了一下。就在这个刹那的停顿中，鲁冰已经扑过去，抱着他的胳臂猛咬。唐世龙疼得大叫一声，用力扯住她的头发，用枪托在头顶敲了一记。鲁冰惨叫一声，脑袋无力地歪到肩上。 鲁刚暴怒地冲上去，他要从恶棍手里夺回妹妹，把她掩在自己宽厚的背后。 但在无重力环境中不可能象地面上那样敏捷，没等他动手，唐世龙已及时地转过枪口：“不要乱来，不要乱来，我的好船长。”他用手枪顶着鲁冰的脑袋说，“你千万不要逼我干出懊悔终生的事。冰儿！冰儿！”他低头唿唤两声，鲁冰没有回音，他苦笑道：“我真的很抱歉，我不愿让冰儿一根毫毛受伤，但是，如果你们逼我这么做的话，我会把所有的人包括鲁冰小姐，包括我自己送到地狱里去。鲁刚船长，你该比你妹妹多一点理智吧。” 他又低头看看鲁冰，在他的目光中流露出几分真情。船员们刚才都冲了过来，这会儿不得不停住，征询地望着鲁刚，鲁刚沉默了很久，终于说道：“按他的吩咐做，返航。” 唐世龙喜出望外地喊道：“这就对了，我的好船长！咱们联起手敲美国佬的肥脑袋！” 鲁刚厉声喝道：“快把冰儿给我，为她包扎！” 唐世龙稍为犹豫后爽快地把鲁冰推过来。老拉里抱着她，轻声唤着，让班克斯拿过急救包为她包扎伤口。鲁刚也焦灼地唿唤着。 少顷，鲁冰悠悠醒来，眼前的一切还都躲在雾中。她神思恍惚，不知道发生了什么事情。但她知道不是好事，她竭力想躲避它。过去，她一直在鲁刚哥哥的庇护下做任性的妹妹，能令周围的世界按她的意愿转动。现在这场童年的幻梦醒了，她永远失却了那种魔力……她终于恢复了神志，两颗豆大的泪珠从眼角溢出，悬荡在空中。唐世龙低声说：“冰儿，对不起，是你逼我干的，那不是我的本意。” 但他的枪口仍警惕地指着众人。鲁冰仇恨地瞪着他，然后苦楚地转过脸去。 唐世龙没有在她身上多费心思，他笑嘻嘻地说：“船长，到指挥舱去吧，咱们俩操纵飞船返航。至于你们诸位，”他的笑容里含着阴冷的光，“请听从船长指挥，不要打其它的主意。挪亚方舟号是我们唯一的生存之地，不要逼我毁了它。” 鲁刚按唐世龙的要求打开通话器，对地面控制室说：“这里是挪亚方舟号，投料机构发生故障，正在排除，估计需要5个小时，待排除后再恢复通话。” 地面上传来汉斯先生的声音，他一直守候在控制室里：“老虎，需要我帮你判断故障吗？” “好，祝你们顺利。” 鲁刚关上送话器，他面色阴沉，不拿正眼看旁边的唐世龙。唐世龙定定地看着他，把手伸过来：“老虎船长，我真心希望成为你的朋友。我们都厌恶这个虚伪的社会，憎恨那些戴白手套的白人绅士，希望咱们联手把这事办好。你不要把我对鲁冰的感情看成纯粹的阴谋，我确实爱她，发誓决不会亏待她。好不好？” 他的目光中确实有真诚，但鲁刚没有伸手。他冷冷地说：“我不敢高攀。我知道你们得到的100亿美元最终会变成海洛因、可卡因去坑害百姓。” 唐世龙并不生气，缩回手说：“好的，至少咱俩在对付山姆大叔这一点上是一致的。点火吧。” 通话器的红灯亮了，是地面控制室想要通话。鲁刚打开送话器，听见地面控制室急切地说：“挪亚方舟号，鲁刚船长。美国总统要与你们通话！” 鲁刚看看唐世龙，平静地说：“美国总统？我有这个荣幸吗？” “对，是美国总统惠特姆阁下。我现在就把他的电话转过去。” 唐世龙迅速按断通话键，严厉地说：“暂不要说破真相，能拖一刻就拖一刻，等飞船定位在美国上空时再挑明！” 鲁刚冷冷地翻他一眼，打开通话键。两秒钟之后，送话器里传来了清晰的声音：“鲁刚船长吗？我是美国总统惠特姆。我们知道恐怖分子唐世龙已进入你们的飞船，请他与我通话。” 鲁刚看看唐世龙，笑着说：“他已经不能说话了。中国国家安全委员会及时揭露了他的真实身份，在搏斗中我们把他击毙了。这是5分钟前的事。” 短时间的停顿。这不仅是38万公里所造成的信号延迟，鲁刚能从话筒中感到总统的惊喜：“仁慈的上帝！这真是个意外的好消息。谢谢你，美国谢谢你。真可惜，你们没有开启图象传送系统，我不能亲眼看见你们的胜利。” “不必客气，受人钱财与人消灾，我们拿了弗罗斯特先生的运费。” “你们有伤亡吗？” “还好，只有我妹妹头部受了轻伤。” “飞船设施有损坏吗？” “没有，一切安然无羔。总统先生，还有什么问题吗？如果没有，我就要启动投料装置了。” 唐世龙兴高采烈地拍拍鲁的肩膀，他很佩服鲁刚能这么平静地向美国总统射出恶意之箭。尽管语气平静，鲁刚的眼睛里却射出狞恶的光芒。 惠特姆通话时，一个五人小组在他后边紧张的分析着，他们都是最著名的心理学家，用电脑祥尽分析着鲁刚的音调、语气、频率、是否有短暂的迟疑等。然后迅速打出了综合判断：“鲁刚的谈话为自主型，受他人控制的可能性低于10％，未发现向我们传送受到威胁的暗示。” 惠特姆迅速扫视这个结论。那么，也许一场弥天大祸真的会弭于无形？这样的幸运过去也有过。但他的直觉不相信事态会如此顺利。一个顾问递过一条建议：“同意投料。” 惠特姆略微迟疑一下，决定还是按自己的想法去干。他喊道：“鲁刚先生，暂不要投料，留在拉格朗日点待命，美国政府将尽早派专家去作安全检查。既然恐怖分子已经插手，我们一定要做到万无一失。” “总统阁下，你不是开玩笑吧，要我们在这儿呆几天？在这个荒凉的拉格朗日墓场上？” “不，不是开玩笑。你们的所有损失我们都会给予补偿。” 通话器里沉默片刻，传来鲁刚恶毒的大笑声：“总统先生，到底是为了什么原因，你们不敢说吗？还是让我来说出真相吧。那位弗罗斯特先生让挪亚方舟号运送的核废料实际是2250颗氢弹，足以把地球一半人送进地狱。你们还在投料机构里设置了延迟爆炸的炸弹，准备让几个辛辛苦苦的送货人在回程中送命，你们这些狼心狗肺的畜生！” 他在向38万公里之下的美国总统泼洒仇恨之雨时，仿佛看到自己受苦受难的先辈们正在天国默默地看着他。几代人的仇恨经过积淀、浓缩，在一个中国人的血液中被永久保存下来，成为他最基本的记忆。“你们这些道貌岸然的强盗，你们用火枪屠杀印弟安人，夺去他们的家园；你们把赤身裸体的男女黑奴展示在看台上，象牲口一样拍卖；你们屠杀澳州土人、南美玛雅人、印度人、埃及人，用肮脏的鸦片榨干中国人的血汗。你们干尽了天下最卑鄙的勾当。等你们有了钱，可以洗净血迹戴上白手套时，你们就人模狗样地大讲什么民主、人权、自由和博爱。现在你们还有什么可说的？在全世界销毁了核武器之后，你们还暗藏着这么多的核弹，是不是准备在自由女神象前来一场喜庆焰火？” 他嘎嘎地笑起来，刻毒地说：“这点小事就由我和唐世龙——他正长命百岁地站在我身边——代劳吧，我们正在返航，我们会把鲁斯式飞船悬停在美利坚的上空，到华盛顿，啪，放一颗；到纽约、西雅图或旧金山，啪，放一颗。那一定是世界上最绚丽的礼花，哈哈！” 唐世龙恼怒地瞪着鲁刚，他已命令鲁刚先不要说明真相，但鲁刚根本没把他的禁令放在眼里。现在阻止已经来不及了。另外，他心里一直不愿承认一点事实：尽管鲁刚是在他的枪口下，但不知为什么，他对这个强悍的中国汉子一直心存畏惧，不愿把两人的关系搞僵。现在，鲁刚对美国佬的仇恨感染了他，他庆幸地想，在这种心境下，鲁刚会死心踏地和他一同干的。于是他也高高兴兴的接过话筒：“谢谢总统阁下的关心，我没有死。如果你们不愿接受这些礼花，就请准备钞票吧，具体数额和付款办法，我的组织会同你们联系。顺便说一句，核武器的启爆方法我们已完全掌握，不必对此抱什么幻想。” 美国白宫通信室里人们面面相觑。事态发展急转直下，甚至超过了最悲观的估计——他们没想到鲁刚成了恐怖分子的同道，而且是死心塌地的同道！这些美国人都患有轻微的健忘症，他们忘了正是美国人在飞船上安了定时炸弹，也忽略了一点正常的人情世故：一旦飞船上的人知道实情，他们不会为此感恩戴德的。 一个内部电话机响了，助手拿起话筒，交换台说：“恐怖组织的电话，要求总统本人接听。” 助手看看总统，总统点点头，说：“接过来吧。” 话筒里传出一个平静冷酷的声音：“总统阁下，我是卡拜勒鲁。我有两个条件，第一，按我提供的名单，立即释放目前关在美国监狱里的24个人，第二，我要100亿美元的赎金。这两个条件没有任何讨价还价的余地。不要抱什么幻想，总统阁下。人员名单和赎金交付的具体方法即刻用传真送去。” 未等这边回答，对方已挂上电话。 网络打印机开始吐出一长串人名，有哥伦比亚的洛比欧。阿佩尔森、阿方索。 查理维、犹尔弟诺……也有亚洲金三角的坤坎，这些全是美国从世界各国引渡的著名毒枭，他们的刑期多在100年以上，很多人已是白发苍苍、老态龙锺的老家伙了。下面又打出：“赎金的要求及交付方法：100亿赎金中，要求以现金支付20亿美元，以国库黄金支付20亿，剩余的以珠宝和名画支付……” 下面列出了美国各大博物馆中可用来充作赎金的名画及文物。“上述钱物必须于三日内备妥，集中在华盛顿，交付方法另行通知。” 助手把这张长长的打印纸送给惠特姆，总统苦笑着看了一眼便转过头去。他无须再看，因为他根本没打算向这次的讹诈屈服。也许，他的强硬对抗会造成比100亿更大的损失，但至少能保住一个国家最后的尊严，如果失去了这点尊严，这个国家就不会存在了。 几乎在卡拜勒鲁来电的同时，交换台又转来一个中国的紧急电话：“总统阁下，我是中国国安会的陈炳，受我国主席之托提一点建议。事态紧急，请千万慎重从事。依我们对鲁刚的了解，考虑鲁刚一向的思想脉络，他不大可能真的与恐怖分子联手；以他的性格，也决不会受恐怖分子摆布。事态尚有转机，请注意寻找他和唐世龙之间的缝隙。” 通信室一片死寂，所有人都看着惠特姆总统。他的额角已津出细密的汗珠，紧锁眉头，紧张地思索着，然后他咬咬牙，再次摁下同飞船联络的通话口，开始唿叫鲁刚。 格林威治时间清晨3时40分。 柯尔。瑞德先生被急骤的电话铃声惊醒，窗外一钩残月，常青藤的枝叶在窗户上游动。今天是他和妻子的银婚纪念，在爱丁堡的乡居中举行了舞会，孩子们也都赶回来了。晚上威士忌喝得多了一点，现在头还疼着呢。 他勉强睁开睡眼，伸出手按断了电话。一定是报社的值班编辑打来的，但他这会儿不想放弃睡觉。电话铃又响了，响得不屈不挠，毫无顾忌，妻子贝蒂也抬起头来。瑞德轻声咒骂着，无可奈何地摸起话筒：“柯尔。瑞德，请问是哪一位？你是在哪一个时区？这儿可是清晨3点。” 电话中是一个年轻人亢奋的声音：“非常抱歉，非常抱歉。瑞德先生，你是《镜报》的主编吗？我好不容易才查到你在爱丁堡的电话号码，我有急事找你。” 瑞德的职业本能马上被惊醒，酒也醒了一半。他预感到年青人要提供什么重要消息。他答道：“对，我是镜报主编。你有什么事请讲。” “我是一个业余无线电爱好者，叫詹姆士。卡恩。半个钟头前我收到一段奇怪的对话，信号是加密的，但只是最普通的加密方式，解密太容易了。你猜是谁的对话？是美国总统惠特姆和一个叫鲁刚的恐怖分子对话！鲁刚的飞船上装着几千颗氢弹，正在对惠特姆进行讹诈！” 瑞德皱着眉头说：“慢一点，请慢一点。那位鲁刚是谁？什么飞船？请你冷静一点，从头讲起。” 这个年轻人笑了：“我太激动了，我想谁听到这样的消息也不会不激动。好，现在我从头讲起。”他绘声绘色地叙述了刚才的通话情况，然后说：“从他们的对话中推测，那位鲁刚船长正驾着一艘鲁斯式飞船返回地球，船上是美国妄图偷偷卸到拉格朗日墓场的几千颗核弹。现在，大毒枭卡拜勒鲁已经控制了飞船，准备把它悬停在美国上空进行讹诈。对这个消息你有什么感想？我已经给《每日电讯报》的主编打过电话，他大概认为我还没有睡醒。他说即使有这样的对话，也会使用最严格的保密方式，不会让一个毛孩子破译，你相信我提供的情报吗？也许挪亚方舟号作为一艘民用飞船根本就没有什么秘密通信手段？” 瑞德对这个天方夜谭似的消息也很怀疑，但他的直觉告诉他，正因为如此荒诞，反倒可能是真实的。历史上一次著名的失败他记忆犹新。1971年，那时中美两国似乎是势不两立的仇敌。一位记者在巴基斯坦拉瓦尔品弟的机场上无意中看见，美国国务卿基辛格刚刚坐上一架飞机。一位爱炫耀的机场工作人员说：知道他是到什么地方去吗？他是秘密前往北京。这位记者急电发回这条消息。但他的主编生气地回电说：“先生，你昨晚的酒醒了吗？” 此后，当中美两国同时宣布尼克松将访华的消息后，这位主编懊悔无及。瑞德不想重蹈这样的错误，他摁下录音键说：“卡恩先生，请再重述一遍，要尽量准确和祥细。” 随后他打电话给编辑部，让值班编辑立即核查，是否有一艘挪亚方舟号民用飞船在近日升空。那边两分钟后给出肯定的回答：“已经确认，挪亚方舟号空天飞机于9月30号在哈马黑拉发射场上天，前往拉格朗日墓场运送核废料，这次升空没有向新闻界宣布，货主的身份也是保密的。” “好，我现在发过去一段录音，请按录音的内容立即在电讯网络中发一条快讯，并要上明天报纸的头版。” 他在网络中把卡恩的电话发过去，两分钟后，电话急骤地响起来，话筒中值班编辑的声音都变了：“可靠吗？瑞德先生，这条消息实在……过于爆炸性了！” 柯尔知道他的话意：这条消息太重要了，如果失实，镜报将成为世界的笑柄。 他简捷地说：“发吧，一切后果由我承担。” 妻子早已悄悄站在他身后，看着他做完这一切，才担心地问：“会是真的吗？” 他叹口气，没有说话，仅握住老妻的手。在这当儿他想起那个欢欣雀跃的年青人卡恩。他无意中窃得这个消息，却根本没有理解这桩灾难的含意。几亿人死于核火焰的前景啊，他竟然还把它看成一件趣事。 这些既敏锐又浅溥的年青人！ 几分钟后，《镜报》向电讯网络中的250万订户送去了最新报道： “500亿吨当量的核弹正在我们头上游弋……科学技术的发展使人类的生存之线越来越细弱，这个论点今天又有了一个新的例证。人类已经进入了一个道德上无序的时代：政治家的无耻和欺骗，恐怖分子的贪婪，飞船船长的冲动……这一切综合起来，使地球的存亡竟然系于一两个中国人的一念之中。让我们祈祷上帝唤醒他们的良知，如果上帝的法力对这些东方人无效，那就祈祷孔夫子快点醒来吧。” 这份快讯发出后15分钟内，世界上一半以上的国家元首收到了有关此事的紧急通报，包括俄罗斯首相瓦西里耶夫，德国总理鲁道多夫，日本女首相佐佐木更子，英国首相罗杰斯特……有不少人是在床上被拖起来的。随之，美国白宫内的热线电话吵成一团，各国元首亲自打电话询问这件事的真伪和如何善后，惠特姆只好命令白宫办公厅主任去对付他们。 只有中国国内相对平静一些。得益于姚云其的执着和陈炳的敏锐，中国国家主席最早知道了有关的细节。中国的太空防御系统，包括轨道拦截卫星，电磁轨道炮都作好了一级战斗准备。 华盛顿西100公里，在那幢绿树掩映的小楼里，C委员会的7名成员，还有弗罗斯特都在听着电波中鲁刚和惠特姆的对话，他们已经监听了将近5个小时。 不久前，布朗从白宫回来，向大家讲了同总统谈话的情形，包括惠特姆的不满。 听完后所有人都默不作声。 对事态发展他们已失去了控制能力，只能听天由命了。 电波中传来鲁刚刻毒的咒骂时，柯尔在牙缝里丝丝地骂了一声：“这个该死的中国人。” 他身后的赫伯特苦笑道：“不必骂他，如果是我，我也会这样干的。” 之后他们又沉默下来。秘书恰莉小姐惊惶地进来，报告说互联网络中已经有了此事的最新报道，这个消息使他们的脸色更加沉重了。弗罗斯特摇摇晃晃地站起来，脸色灰败，苦笑道：“布朗先生，我要走了，我在这儿已经无事可作了。” 布朗连眼珠都没有转过去。弗罗斯特慢慢走出去，关上沉重的橡木门。两分钟后，传来一声闷哑的枪声，屋里的人都把目光转向门口，警卫匆匆冲进来说：“弗罗斯特先生自杀了！就在盥洗室里！” 静场片刻，布朗才叹息道：“无论如何，他死得象一位绅士。恰莉小姐，请为他找一位牧师，把他安葬在阿灵顿国家公墓。” 挪亚方舟的指挥舱里。长达5分钟的停顿后，才传来惠特姆总统的唿喊：“鲁刚先生，不要冲动，千万不要冲动！”他诚恳地说：“鲁刚先生，可惜我们不能对面谈心，但我面前有你的全部资料，是中国政府送来的。有你的成长史，有你的趣闻逸事和音容笑貌。我对你已经有很深的了解。我知道你一生耿直仁爱，嫉恶如仇，你曾资助过不少孤儿和鳏寡老人，每次遇见地铁道口的行乞者，都要留下钱财。我知道你刚才的话只是一时的愤激之言，你决不会把亿万生灵推入地狱之门。你会吗，鲁刚先生？” 鲁刚恶狠狠地说：“我会的！”但他在心底承认，这个狡猾的美国佬准确地击中了他的弱点。 “鲁刚先生，我的顾问为我拟定了十条谈话策略，但我觉得，对付你的最佳策略只有一条，那就是开诚布公。也许下面所说的你不会相信，”他苦笑道：“身为美国总统，这一切我是不久前才知道的。不，不，我不是推卸责任，既然我坐上了这个位子，那么这个国家的一切荣耀和罪恶都和我密不可分。坦露这一点，同时也向世界坦露了一个总统的无能。我只想以此证明我的诚意。我想还有一件小事能证明这一点：当你说恐怖分子被击毙时，我并没让你启动投料机构——其实那是最好的解决办法，所有令人脸红的秘密会在一刹那间化为灰烬，世界舆论会顺理成章地把爆炸归罪于恐怖组织。但我阻止了你们，我不想让几个无辜者送死。我没说错吧。” 鲁刚讥讽地说：“对，你似乎对另一种选择也有片刻犹豫。” 他似乎从电波中感到总统的脸红。实际上总统朝那位顾问瞟了一眼，顾问的脸刷地变红了。总统说：“对，这正是我的一个顾问所提的建议，很庆幸我没有采纳。鲁刚先生，你今年35岁，2005年7月28日生。我们的年令相差无几，我是美国历史上最年轻的总统。因此，我不想继承先辈的罪恶，希望你也不要继承先辈的仇恨。这两者都不是好的遗产，尤其是在这个日渐衰亡的地球上。鲁刚，我的朋友，你能听进去我的肺腑之言吗？” 鲁刚在送话器外恶狠狠地骂了一句：“这只狡猾的狐狸。”他不得不承认这个美国佬完全占了上风，不是为别的，只是基于他的真诚。自己的满腔怒火就这么轻易地被平息，他觉得自己扮演了一个轻信的傻瓜。 唐世龙冷冷地盯着他，摆弄着手里的武器。他想提醒鲁刚这会儿谁是飞船的主人，但他的心里不免有些慌乱。看来，这位老虎鲁刚不是一个屈服于枪口的人，那么他不听话时怎么办？一枪崩了他？船员们决不会同自己合作的。他能独自驾小飞蛾上天，却不能单枪匹马把挪亚方舟号开回去。 惠特姆说：“鲁刚先生，让我们冷静下来，心平气和地处理这件事，怎么样？我不想为美国某些人的卑鄙行为向你道歉，在这种时刻，无论什么样的道歉都太轻太淡。我只有恳求鲁刚先生听从良心的召唤，以亿万苍生为念，作出自己的选择。当然，你有什么要求也请提出来，我们尽量满足。” 鲁刚默默把监视屏幕打到生活舱，船员们一直在听着他同惠特姆的谈话。班克斯目光阴沉，小兔子也是满脸的不情愿。他们不愿放弃唐世龙许诺的1000万元，这样的机会一生不会有第二次了。他们可以拿这笔钱为父母买套房子，供养孩子读书，给妻子治病……在这个日渐穷困的世界里挤占一个位置，那是他们祖祖辈辈的梦！而且，说到底，是那些不要脸的杂种先对他们干下卑鄙的事，拿这笔钱不会良心不安的。鲁冰孤独地缩在角落，当她抬头扫向镜头时，她目光的怨毒几乎使鲁刚打了一个寒颤。老拉里很平静，但鲁刚相信他绝不会对1000万元无动于衷，孟加拉国被淹没后，他的很多亲人实际已沦于