Chapter 4 third chapter

Emiko took a sip of whiskey, waiting for Kanika to signal that it was her turn to be humiliated.She wished she was drunk.A part of her was still very much against it, but the rest—the body in the midriff-showing mini jacket and tight square skirt, holding a glass of whiskey—had lost the strength to resist. Then she began to think again: Did there ever be a part of herself that resisted?Is the part that maintains the illusion of self-esteem the part that wants to destroy itself?Could it be this body of hers; a body made of cells and artificial DNA—bringing a stronger, more practical desire—that was what kept her alive, the belief in survival that kept her alive?

Here she sits now, listening to the whipping of clubs and the weeping music of the Thai double stringed instrument, while the girls writhe in agony under the glow worms while men and whores look on Applause.Wasn't it the will of this body that she endured all this?Is it because she lacks the will to commit suicide, or is it because she is too stubborn to allow such a will to arise? Raleigh used to say that everything is a cycle, like the tides on the beaches of Ko Samet, or like that thing about men with beautiful girls.Raleigh patted the girls' bare bottoms and laughed at the new foreigner's jokes.He told Emiko that no matter what those people were going to do to her, money was all that mattered, and there was nothing new under the sun.Maybe he was right.None of Raleigh's requests had been his own, and none of the things Cannica had come up with to hurt her and make her cry; except that she was forcing a clockwork girl to cry and moan.At least it was a novelty.

look!She is almost indistinguishable from a human being! In the past, Mr. Iwato always said that she was better than a real human being.He'd touch her long black hair after sex, say he's sorry the new humans don't get more respect, and say it's too bad her movements will never be fluid.But what did she have to complain about?Doesn't she still have perfect eyesight, perfect skin and genes to ward off any disease and cancer?At least her hair would never turn gray and she wouldn't age as quickly as he did, despite the surgeries and medicines and ointments and herbs he was using to preserve his youth.

He stroked her hair and said, "Although you are new, you are really beautiful. Don't be ashamed." Emiko slipped into his arms, "No, I'm not ashamed." But that was in Kyoto, where new humans are common, and they serve humans well, sometimes with a fair amount of respect.Although, they are not considered human beings there, at least she will not be threatened like she is in this barbaric civilization.Of course, the new humans are not the devils that the non-believers will encounter as preached by the Grahamists, nor are they the soulless creatures that Buddhist monks imagined escaped from hell, nor are they incapable of obtaining souls, even nirvana and A creation that cannot participate in karma and reincarnation, let alone the enemy described in the scriptures that those wearing green headbands believe in.

The Japanese are very realistic.Aging societies need young workers in every way, and even if they are bred in test tubes in laboratories and raised in nurseries, that is no sin.The Japanese are so realistic. Isn't that why you're sitting here?Isn't it because the Japanese are so realistic?Even though you look Japanese and speak with their accent, and even though Kyoto is the only place you can call home - you're not Japanese. Emiko covered her head with her hands.She wondered if she'd get an appointment, or if she'd be alone all night; and then she wondered which of the two she'd prefer.

Raleigh said there was nothing new under the sun, but tonight, Emiko pointed out that she was a new human, a new human that had never existed before.Rowley laughed and said she was right, she was special, and maybe that meant anything was possible.Then he patted her on the bottom and told her to get on stage and show how special she was tonight. Emiko put the wet bar ring on her finger.Warm beer, sweaty smooth rings—smooth like the girls and the men in the bar, smooth like her skin.Her skin was oiled to make it look shiny, smooth as butter when a man touched it, soft like real skin—maybe softer.While her pauses are as bizarre and eye-catching as a flashbulb, her skin is more than perfect.Even her enhanced eyesight had trouble seeing the pores of her own skin.So tiny, so delicate, the most beautiful skin.But this skin was made for the climate of Japan and the weather-controlled environment of the rich, not for here.Here, although she felt very hot, she only sweated very little.

She sometimes wondered if she would be cooler if she were another animal, like a fluffy, thoughtless Cheshire cat.This is not because the pores will expand more efficiently and the skin will be more permeable if she becomes a Cheshire cat, but because she will become thoughtless and stop thinking.She doesn't need to be aware that she's trapped in a smotheringly perfect skin—some goddamn scientist tweaked her genes while she was still in a test tube to make her skin so smooth, and her It's so hot inside. Kanika grabbed her by the hair. Under the sudden attack, Emiko gasped for breath.She wanted to ask for help, but the other customers clearly had no interest in her, and they were staring at the girls on stage.Emiko's colleagues are serving customers.With a glass of Khmer whiskey in hand, they sat on the laps of their customers and stroked the chests of the men with their other hands.And in any case, they had no friendliness for her; even the relatively well-meaning customers who liked a clockwork man like her would never bother with that.

Raleigh was talking to a foreign man, and he smiled and laughed, but his old eyes were fixed on Emiko, to see how she would react. Kanika tugged at her hair again, "Bai!" Emiko obediently scrambled off the bar stool and lumbered toward the circular stage in her clockwork fashion.The men in the room laughed, pointing at the clockwork man from Japan and laughing at her unnatural pace.It's a quirky custom she's brought over from her hometown, where she was raised to bow her head when she walked. Emiko tried to distract herself from what was about to happen.Her training required her to be calm about such things.In the nursery where she was born and trained there were no illusions about the possible versatility of a new human being, even an improved one.They decided that new humans should only be used for service and should not raise any questions.She walked to the stage with a cautious step, like a high-end courtesan.Those subtle touches of personal style have been genetically cultivated and refined over decades to enhance her beauty and distinction.But it's wasted on the audience in front of them, all they notice is the clockwork movement.She is a joke, a plaything from a foreign land.A clockwork man.

They told her to rip off all the clothes herself. Kanika patted the water onto her glistening skin.Emiko with water droplets on her body exudes a charming brilliance.Her nipples hardened.Glowing worms contort their bodies above her head, emitting a phosphorescence that attracts mating mates.The men laughed lewdly at her.Kanika slapped her ass and made her bow to them.Kanika slapped her again, so hard that she felt burning pain, it was telling her to bow down even deeper, to pay her respects to these tiny men who claimed to be the heralds of a new age of expansion. The man is content. The men waved to her, laughing wildly, and ordered more whiskey.Laughing silently in his corner, Rowley, the "lovable old man," is always happy to teach newcomers the ways of the old world—someone who is very interested in the myths of transnational speculation.Kanika motioned Emiko to kneel down.

A foreigner just inches from Emiko watched her carefully.The man had a black beard and the bronzed complexion of a face typical of sailors who have long served on clipper ships.Emiko met his eyes.The man's eyes were eager, as if he were looking at an insect through a magnifying glass: fervent and fascinated, but at the same time intimidating.She had an urge to lash out at him, to force him to look at her in person, to see her in person—instead of seeing her as a piece of genetic junk.But she didn't do that, she just bent deeply obediently and touched her forehead to the teak stage, while Kanika told the audience in Thai about Emiko's life: She was a wealthy Japanese plaything; and now she was theirs.A toy for them to play with and even destroy.

Then, Kanika grabs Emiko's hair and pulls her head up.Emiko was panting, her kneeling body bent into an arch.She caught a glimpse of the bearded man, who watched in amazement at the sudden act of violence and the humiliation she had endured.A flash of light illuminates the crowd, and cages of glowworms hang from the ceiling.Kanika pulled her hair back hard, forcing her tits to be on display for the crowd.As the arc of her body bent back became larger and larger, her two thighs involuntarily separated in order to maintain balance.The back of her head touched the stage, her body arched perfectly.Kanika said something to the crowd, and the crowd burst into laughter.Emiko's back and neck ached like hell.She could feel the crowd staring at her, their eyes literally touching her body, molesting her.She was completely exposed to these gazes. A large amount of liquid was poured on her body. She tried to stand up, but Kanika held her down and poured more beer in her face.There was a gurgling sound in Emiko's throat, and she felt like she was about to drown.Finally, Kanika let go of her, and Emiko jumped up immediately, coughing.The white foam from the beer trickled down her face, down her neck and breasts, and down her lower body. Everyone was laughing wildly.A girl named Ah Cheng had already poured fresh beer for the bearded man, and he himself was laughing, taking advantage of the girl.Emiko's body convulsed with panic as she kept coughing up fluid from her lungs as everyone laughed at her.She is nothing.Just a goofy marionette with ridiculous pauses—moving and stopping, moving and stopping—without the graceful style she had been trained by Misumi-sensei in the nursery.Now there is no so-called elegance or prudence in her movements, only the body shaped by her DNA is displayed roughly for everyone to watch and laugh at. Emiko continued to cough, the beer in her lungs making her want to retch.Her limbs twitch and wave, allowing all to see her true nature.Finally, she regained her normal breathing and suppressed those abnormal movements.She assumed a calm posture again, knelt on the stage, and waited for the next humiliation. In Japan, she is a miracle; but here, she is nothing, just the most ordinary clockwork person.The men laughed at her erratic posture, and even put a look of disgust on their faces whenever they saw her.In their view, she was a creature that should not exist.If it were possible to throw her in a digester, the Thais would no doubt be more than happy to do so.If she were standing in front of them with an employee of an agro-based company or another calorie oligarch, it was hard to tell which one the Thais would throw into the digester first.There are also foreigners here.She wondered how many of these people had joined the Grahamists and had sworn to destroy everything like her; her very existence was an affront to nature.Now, however, they sat here contentedly, watching her humiliation with great interest. Kanika grabbed her again, already unrobed and clutching a jade-encrusted dildo.She pushed Emiko face down to the ground. "Take her hand," she said.The men came forward hungrily and grabbed Emiko's wrist. Emiko cried out in pain as Kanika spread her legs and thrust his cock inside her.Emiko turned her head away, waiting for the next insult; Kanika saw that she wanted to escape, and twisted Emiko's face with one hand to force her to look up, so that the men could see the effect of Kanika's "service". The men urged Kannica, counting in Thai: Neung (one)! Song (two)! Sam (three)! Si (four)! Kanika satisfies them and picks up the tempo.The men watched the show, sweating and clamoring to be paid to have a moment.More people pressed down on Emiko's ankles and hands, allowing Kanika to do whatever she wanted.Emiko's body writhed, trembled, and spasmed like clockwork, the kind of response Kanika was good at eliciting.The men were laughing and talking about the devilish rhythm, the strobe lights. Kanika's fingers went between Emiko's legs.Feeling even more ashamed, Emiko tried to turn her face away - the men huddled around, listening to Emiko moan with wide-eyed eyes.Kanika sniggers knowingly, says something to people, fingers move faster, Emiko is betrayed by her body, groans, cries, arches, behaves in the way the test-tube scientist has designed it to—regardless How much she despised herself, and couldn't control her reaction. The scientist didn't even give her a trace of resistance.Then, she cums. The audience applauds and laughs at her grotesque genetically engineered twitches.Kanika imitated her movements, as if to say, "Look, look at this monster!" and then knelt, leaned over Emiko's head, and hissed that Emiko was useless and worthless, that the dirty Japanese The devil finally got the treatment he deserved. Emiko wanted to tell her that self-respecting Japanese people would not be reduced to playthings like this, that what Kannika was playing with was nothing more than a disposable Japanese toy, a fundamentally insignificant thing created by Japanese ingenuity. Gadgets, disposable, like the weaver grips that Panasonic makes for rickshaws—but Emiko just made things worse when she answered that earlier, so she just kept silent, and the abuse was quick anyway will end. Although she is a new human being, there is indeed nothing new under the sun. The yellow card coolies turned the fans with wide blades to send fresh air into the club.Sweat trickled down their faces and streamed down their backs like glistening streams.Although they are desperately consuming calories, the afterglow of the afternoon sun still makes the club as hot as an oven. Emiko stood by a fan, trying to cool herself as best she could.She was taking a break from serving drinks to customers, so she hoped not to be discovered by Kanika. Whenever Kanika saw her, she would drag her to a place where all the men could watch her closely, and let her walk in the traditional Japanese clockwork fashion.To accentuate that stylized movement, Kanika would turn her back and forth, and men would joke about her loudly, many of whom wanted to buy her after their acquaintances had left. In the center of the main hall, the men invite young girls in square skirts and cropped jackets onto the dance floor, dancing in slow steps across the parquet floor; this time, the band plays tunes from the shrinking era.These are all pieces Raleigh scoured from memory and adapted to fit traditional Thai instruments.The pieces had a strange nostalgia from the past, as strange as his ginger-haired, round-eyed children. "Emiko!" She couldn't help shivering.It was Raleigh's voice, beckoning her to his office.She walked across the bar, and the men watched her weird pauses.Kanika, who was rubbing hands with her male companion, raised her head.She gave a faint smile as Emiko walked past her.When Emiko first came to this country, she heard that Thai people have thirteen different kinds of smiles.She suspected that Kannika's smile might be malicious. "Come on," said Raleigh impatiently.He led her through a curtain behind which the girls changed into their overalls; then through a door. Three generations of records hang on the wall of his office.There are yellowing photos of Bangkok still powered by electricity; another shows Raleigh himself in the traditional garb of a savage tribe farther north.Raleigh made Emiko sit on a cushion on top of the table where he did his private business.Another guy has already entrenched here, this is a tall man with pale skin, blond hair and blue eyes, with a scary scar on his neck. The man was very surprised when she entered the room. "Jesus and Noah, you didn't say she was a clockwork man," he said. Raleigh smiled, and sat on his own cushion, "I didn't know that, so you're a Grahamist." Hearing this taunt, the man almost laughed. "It's a risk to keep her... You're dancing with rust, Raleigh. White Shirt could rush in at any moment and take you away." "As long as I pay, the Ministry of Environment doesn't care. The people patrolling around here are not the tigers of Bangkok. They just want to get some money and sleep well at night." Raleigh said with a smile, "Look at it from another angle, give It costs her more to buy ice than to bribe someone at the Ministry of Environment." "ice?" "Problems with the pore structure. She's always overheated." He scowled. "I wouldn't have bought her if I had known." The room smelled of opium, and Raleigh was filling his pipe.He claimed that it was opium that kept him young and vigorous, but Emiko suspected that he was probably sailing often to Tokyo to receive the same treatment as Mr. Iwato.Raleigh sends opium to the lamp.The opium hissed and burned, and he turned the fused ball back and forth with the needle, picking out the tar until it was sticky.Then he quickly rolled it into a ball and stuffed it into a pipe.He held his pipe over the lamp and took a deep breath of the smoky tar.He closed his eyes and offered the pipe to the pale man. "Thank you, I don't smoke." Raleigh opened his eyes and laughed a few times, "You should try this stuff. It's one of the few plants that is not affected by the plague. It's lucky for me. At my age, it's hard for me to imagine How can you live without this thing?" The man didn't answer.His pale blue eyes were fixed on Emiko.She had a very uncomfortable feeling, as if the cells in her body were being disassembled one by one.It wasn't that he was stripping her naked with his eyes—it happened to her every day: men's eyes were like sharp darts, piercing her skin, coveting and despising her flesh—but this man's eyes But it was calm and detached, and if there was hunger in it, at least he concealed it well. "Is that her?" he asked. Raleigh nodded, "Emiko, tell this gentleman about our friend that night." Emiko looked at Raleigh with some embarrassment.She was sure she had never seen the pale blond foreigner in the club, at least not in the special.Nor had she ever sent him whiskey on the rocks.She searched hard in her memory.No, if she had met him, she would have remembered.His face was sunburned, conspicuous in the dim light of candles and opium lamps.His eyes were also very pale and uncomfortably pale.She should remember him. "Say it," urged Raleigh, "tell him what you told me. That white shirt. That lad you went out with." In general, Raleigh takes the privacy of its patrons quite seriously.He even talked about building a hidden staircase for regular customers, just so that they wouldn't be seen when they entered and exited the Phunchi Building.But now, he asked her to reveal so many secrets. "The boy?" She tried to stall for time, terrified by Rowley's eagerness to expose a guest, let alone a white shirt.She glanced at the stranger again, curious about his identity, she wondered what he was holding on to Papa-san. "Speak." Raleigh waved his hand impatiently with an opium pipe in his mouth.He leaned over to the opium lamp and took another drag on the cigarette. "He's a white shirt," Emiko began, "with a bunch of officials..." He was new.His friends brought him here.They laughed loudly, urging him to hurry up.These people were drinking for free, because Raleigh knew it was better not to take their money, and their kindness was worth more than the wine.The young man was drunk, laughing loudly and making fun of her in the bar.Later, he returned here privately and alone. The pale man frowned, "They will do that with you? Like you...?" "Yes." Emiko nodded, she didn't show her inner thoughts at all for his contemptuous attitude, "White shirts and Grahamists can do it." Raleigh chuckled softly, "Sex and hypocrisy are always on the scale." The stranger gave Raleigh a piercing glance, and Emiko wondered if Raleigh saw the disgust in those pale blue eyes, or if he was so addicted to the high of opium that he couldn't notice it at all. .The pale man leaned forward, keeping Raleigh out of the conversation. "So, what does this white shirt tell you?" Is the look of fascination flashing in his eyes?Did she pique his curiosity?Or was it simply what she had to say that interested him? Even though it wasn't her intention, Emiko still felt a urge deep in her genes kick in, she wanted to please him.For the first time since she was abandoned, she felt this way.Something about the man reminded her of Mr. Iwato.Despite his pale blue eyes like pools of acid and his face as pale as that of a kabuki, there was something majestic about him.The sense of authority was palpable, and oddly, it comforted her. Are you a Grahamist?she thought.Are you going to throw me in a digester after you've used me?She wasn't even sure she cared about that.He's not pretty, and he's not Japanese.He is nothing.Still, his fearsome eyes possessed the same power as Mr. Iwato.Hold her tightly. "What do you want to know?" she asked in a low voice. "The white shirt mentioned something about gene cracking." The foreigner said, "Do you remember?" "Yes. I think he might be very proud. He brought a bag of fruit of the latest design and gave it to all the girls as presents." The foreigner seemed more interested.It makes her feel warm. "What does that fruit look like?" he asked. "I remember it was red. It had... hair on it, long hair." "Green hair? About this long?" He used his fingers to measure the length of about one centimeter. "Very thick?" She nodded, "Yes, that's it. He called them Ngaw. He said it was made by his aunt. His aunt will be protected by the Child Queen - Her Highness Somdeok Chao Phraya." Receive her and reward her for her service to the kingdom. He is very proud of his aunt." "He went out with you?" the man said. "Yes. But that was later, when his friends were gone." The man shook his head impatiently.He didn't care about the details of the affair: the nervous look in the boy's eyes, how he approached Mama-san, how Emiko was sent upstairs, where she waited, and he returned after a while so as not to let anyone else Notice the connections. "What else did he say about his aunt?" he asked. "All he said was that his aunt worked for the Ministry of the Environment." "Didn't say anything else? Didn't say where she works? Where is the experimental field? Didn't say anything like that?" "No." "That's it?" The foreigner gave Raleigh an annoyed look, "That's why you called me here?" Raleigh seemed to just wake up. "That Fran," he prompted, "tell him about that Fran." Emiko had no choice but to express her doubts. "Sorry?" She recalled the young white shirt, babbling about his aunt.It's all about his aunt who will get a bonus, and a promotion in her position for her contribution in making Ngaw... no mention of Farang. "I do not understand." Raleigh put the bong aside and frowned, "You told me that he mentioned the Franc Gene Breaker." "No," she shook her head, "he didn't mention anything about foreigners. I'm sorry." The foreigner had an annoyed expression on his face, "Call me next time you have any valuable news, Raleigh." He reached for his hat and made a gesture to stand up. Raleigh glared at her angrily, "You said there was a French gene breaker!" "No..." Emiko shook her head, "Wait a minute!" She held out her hand to stop the foreigner from leaving, "Wait a moment. Khun, please wait a moment. I understand what Mr. Raleigh said." Her fingers brushed his arm.The foreigner quickly bounced away after being touched by her, hiding out of her reach, with a look of disgust on his face. "Please," she begged, "I didn't understand just now. The lad didn't mention Fran, but he mentioned a name...probably Fran's name." She cast her eyes on Raleigh for confirmation , "Do you mean that? That strange name. It may be a foreign language, right? Not Thai, nor Chinese or Hokkien..." Raleigh cut in: "Tell him everything you told me, Emiko. That's what I want you to do. Tell him all. Every detail. Like you give me after you've spent the night alone with a guest. As said." So she did.The foreigner sat down again and listened suspiciously to her story.She told it all.How nervous that young man was, how he didn't dare to look at her, and how he couldn't turn his eyes away from her afterwards.How he talked about his problem with not being able to get an erection.How he watched her undress.How he talked about his aunt.He was trying to show he was important in front of a prostitute, a new human prostitute, and she thought that behavior was so weird and stupid, how she concealed this feeling from herself.Then she finally got to the point, which made Rowley smile, and the pale man's eyes widened involuntarily. "The lad said that a man named Gi Bu Sen gave them the blueprints, but that man was very unreliable. This time his aunt saw through the man's tricks and managed to crack Ngaw. Throughout the process, Gi Bu Sen Sen did almost nothing, and the final credit is his aunt's." She nodded, "That's what he said. This man named Gi Bu Sen lied to them, but his aunt saw through the man's trick. " The man with the scar on his neck was staring at her.Grim blue eyes, corpse-pale skin. "Gi Bu Sen." He murmured, "Are you sure that's the name?" "Gi Bu Sen. I'm sure." He nodded, lost in thought again.Raleigh's opium lamp crackled softly in the silence.In the street below, a late-returned water seller was hawking in the distance, and his voice came through the blinds and mosquito nets, seeming to interrupt the foreigner's meditation.His pale blue eyes stared at her again. "If your friend comes here again, I'd be interested to know what he said again." "He looked a little ashamed after it was over." Emiko touched a bruise on her face that was covered up with makeup, "I don't think he might..." Rowley interrupted her: "Sometimes they come back, even if they feel guilty." He gave her a sneaky wink, and she immediately nodded to confirm his statement.That lad won't be coming again, but it would be good for everyone if the foreigner could be made to think he would.Both Foreigner and Raleigh will be happy.Raleigh was her master, and she was bound to assent, firmly. "Sometimes," she forced herself to say, "sometimes they come back, even with shame." The foreigner looked at them both, "Why don't you get her some ice, Raleigh?" "It's not time to ice her, and she's going to be on stage soon." "I am responsible for all losses." Raleigh obviously wanted to stay here, but he was smart enough not to object.He forced a smile, "Of course. You two talk." He looked at her meaningfully as he left.Emiko understood that Raleigh wanted her to seduce this foreigner, seduce him with the clockwork man's unique sexual method, and then listen to what he would say before reporting to Raleigh.Raleigh required all girls to do the same. She moved closer to the foreigner so he could see her bare skin.His eyes flicked over her body, sliding along the curve of her thighs to the body covered by the square skirt, observing the outline of her buttocks on the square skirt.He looked away.Emiko concealed her frustration.Did she get his attention?Is he nervous or disgusted?She has no clue.With most men, she can easily tell what they're thinking.Their thoughts are written on their faces, and their performances are similar.She thought he might think the new humans were disgusting, or maybe he liked the young man better. "How do you survive here?" asked the foreigner. "The white shirt should have thrown you into a digester." "Bribe. As long as Mr. Raleigh is willing to pay, they'll ignore it." "You've got to have a place to live, and Raleigh pays for it, too?" She nodded, and then he said, "It's expensive, I suppose?" She shrugged. "Mr. Rowley's ledger shows how much I owe him." Speaking of Raleigh, Raleigh arrived and brought her ice.As soon as he entered, the foreigner said nothing, but waited impatiently for Raleigh to place the glass on the low table.Raleigh hesitated for a moment, but the man with the scar ignored him, so he could only mutter something like "It's fun" before leaving again.She watched Raleigh leave thoughtfully, wondering what the foreigner in front of her had got hold of him.The icy water in front of her was freezing and looked very inviting.The man nodded, and she reached out to grab the cup and drank it.A spasm of pleasure.She hardly felt anything before the glass was empty.She pressed the cold glass to her cheek. The scarred man looked at her. "So you weren't designed for the tropics," he said.He leaned forward, carefully observing every inch of her exposed skin, "Your designer modified the pore structure like this. It's really interesting." His interest made her cringe involuntarily.But she mustered up the courage to move closer to him. "This is to make my skin more attractive and smooth." She pulled the square skirt over her knees, revealing part of her thighs, "Do you want to touch it?" He glanced at her, questioning in his eyes. "Please." She nodded in agreement. He reached out and stroked her body lightly. "It feels good," he murmured.His voice gave her a burst of satisfaction.His eyes were wide open, like a child seeing something new.He cleared his throat. "Your skin is hot," he said. "Yes. As you said, I wasn't designed for this climate." Now, he began to examine every part of her body.His eyes looked at her hungrily, as if he was using his eyes to satisfy his desire for her.Raleigh will be delighted. "That makes sense," he said, "Your type must only be sold to elites...they have a way to control the microclimate." He nodded to himself, and continued to look at her, "For them It should be worth it." He looked up at her. "Sanxiaji? So you belong to Sanxiaji? You are definitely not a diplomat. Considering the royal family's religious position, the government will never send clockwork to this country..." His gaze matched hers Then, "You were abandoned by the three-down machine, right?" Emiko tried her best to suppress the sudden sense of shame.他就像是把她剖成了两半，在她的内脏中追查她的来源，显得毫无人情味，而且无礼，就像研究二代结核病的医学技术员在对死者进行尸检一样。她小心翼翼地放下手中的玻璃杯。 “您是基因破解者吗？”她问，“为什么知道这么多关于我的事情？” 他的表情立刻变了，一瞬间就从瞪大眼睛的狂热神情转变为微笑着的狡猾神态。“我更乐意说是业余爱好。”他说，“如果你愿意的话，可以认为我是个基因记录者。” “真的吗？”她故意表现出一丝轻蔑，“您不是中西联合体的人？不是为某个公司服务的？”她倾身向前，“不是那些卡路里寡头的人？” 她用很低的声音说出最后一句话，效果很好。那男人一下子弹了起来。他脸上的微笑还在，却像是被冻结了一样。他像猫鼬观察眼镜蛇那样盯着她，眼中露出严肃的神情。“真是有趣的想法。”他说。 尽管她有些羞耻，那种带着防备的目光还是让她感到高兴。如果她足够幸运的话，也许这个外国人会杀了她。至少那样她就可以休息了。 她等待着，等待他的攻击。没有人会容忍新人类的不敬。三隅老师对惠美子的教训是，绝不能露出一点点反抗的意思。她教惠美子遵从人类的意愿，向他们磕头、鞠躬，对自己的地位表示心满意足。这个外国人试图打探她过去的遭遇，这才使得她失去控制，说出那样的话，但尽管如此，惠美子仍然对此感到羞耻。三隅老师一定会说，这不是她出言刺激这个男人的借口。这已经不重要了，事情已然发生，而惠美子的灵魂早已死去。她乐意付出任何代价来满足这个人的要求。 那男人却只是说：“告诉我那天晚上你和那个小伙子之间发生的事。”他的眼中已经没有了愤怒，取而代之的是像岩户先生那样难以捉摸的神情，“告诉我一切。”他说，“马上。”命令的语气像鞭子一样抽打着她。 她想反抗，但新人类基因却迫使她服从命令，她表现出的反叛行为给她带来了异常强烈的羞耻感。他不是你的主人，她反复提醒自己。但即使如此，他那种发号施令的语气却让她感到自己必须去取悦他。 “他是上个星期来的……”她开始从头讲述她和那个白衬衫共度的那一夜。她尽量在故事中填充好每一个细节，为取悦这个外国人而尽心尽力地讲述着，就像从前她为岩户先生细心地弹奏三弦琴一样，像一只极其希望取悦主人的狗。她想叫他去吃染了锈病的食品然后去死，但这不符合她的天性，因此她只是顺从地讲述着那晚的经过。 他要求她重复一些细节，并提出更多的问题，回到她以为他已经忘掉的线索。他毫不留情地在她的讲述中挑挑拣拣，并强迫她做出解释。他提问题的技巧很好。从前，当岩户先生想知道为什么某艘船没有按时到达的时候，他也是这样质询下属的。这个外国人像一只基因修改象鼻虫一样刨开所有的借口，直指问题的本质。 最终，他满意地点点头。“很好。”他说，“非常好。” 惠美子感到一阵快乐的浪潮席卷了她，并因此暗中鄙视自己。那个外国人喝完了杯中的威士忌，把手伸到口袋里，掏出一沓钞票，站起来的同时从中抽出几张。 “这些是给你的，别让罗利看到。我走之前会跟他把账结清。” 她觉得自己应该表示感激，但实际上，她觉得自己被玩弄了。这个男人用问题和语言来玩弄她。他跟那些伪善的格拉汉姆教徒和环境部的白衬衫没什么不同。那些人侵犯她这种新奇的生物，与她这种不洁的生物性交，并被由此带来的快感所奴役。他们本质上都是一样的。 她用双手接过钞票。她所接受的训练告诉她，她应当有礼貌，但他这自鸣得意的赠品让她感到愤怒。 “这位慷慨的先生，您认为我用这些钱能做些什么呢？”她问道，“买一件漂亮的首饰？出去吃一顿大餐？我只是一件财产，您还记得吗？我是属于罗利的。”她将钱扔到他的脚下，“有钱还是没钱，对我来说毫无区别。连我本人都是属于别人的。” 男人的一只手已经放在推拉门上，又停了下来，“既然如此，你为什么不逃跑呢？” “能逃到哪里去？我的进口许可证已经过期了。” 她苦笑着说，“要不是靠着罗利先生的人脉关系，那些白衬衫早就把我活埋了。” “你不想逃到北方去，找那里的发条人？”那人问。 “什么发条人？” 那人微微一笑，“罗利没跟你说起过吗？许多发条人聚集在深山里。都是从煤炭战争中逃出来的，也有被释放的发条人。” 见她面无表情，他继续说：“那边有好几个村子，就在丛林边上。在清迈以北，湄公河的另一边。那里物产贫瘠，各种基因改造生物把那里祸害得不成样子。但那里的发条人没有主人，不属于任何人。煤炭战争还没结束，但如果你真的对自己的现状如此厌恶，除了罗利之外，去那里是一个不错的选择。” “真的吗？”她倾身向前，“你说的那些村子是真的吗？” 他微笑着，“信不过我的话，你可以去问罗利。他本人亲眼见过那些村子。”他停顿了一下，“不过话说回来，我想他大概不会告诉你这事，这对他没有好处，这只会促使你挣脱他的缰绳。” “你说的是真话吗？” 皮肤苍白的陌生人随手扣上帽子，“至少与你告诉我的一样真。”他拉开推拉门走了出去，只留下惠美子一个人。她的心怦怦直跳，突然间，她又有了活下去的冲动。

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