Chapter 29 Chapter Twenty Eight

"We found another one." Kanya woke up.It's A Pai, standing at the door of her office.Kanya rubbed his cheek.She had been sitting at her desk trying to finish another report while waiting for a message from Rathana.But now, the back of his hand is covered with saliva, and he doesn't know where the pen fell.She fell asleep and dreamed of Jaidy, sitting there mocking her every excuse. "Are you asleep?" Pai asked. Kanya rubbed her cheeks again, "What time is it?" "The sun has been out for two hours." A Pai waited patiently for her to wake up.The man had scars all over his face and his qualifications were older than her, but now, Kanya was the superior.A Pai is the white shirt of the older generation, who admires Jaidi and his ways, and he and his cohort of old people remember the Ministry of the Environment that used to be admired rather than mocked.He's a good guy and all the bribes he takes will let Kanya know.A Pai may be corrupt, but she knows him well, and she trusts him.

"We found another one," he repeated. Kanya sat up straight. "Who else knows?" Appai shook his head. "You sent the body to Latana?" He nodded. "No deaths flagged as suspicious. It took a lot of work to find, like finding a crow in a coal pile." "Unmarked?" Kanya gasped, then let it out in an annoyed hoarse voice, "These people are so incompetent. Plague outbreaks always start like this, but everyone seems to forget. They're always so easy to forget." A Pai nodded slightly, listening to the female boss venting her anger, all the large and small bumps on her face seemed to be staring at her.Another helminthic victim, Kanya can't remember whether he was infected with genetically modified weevils or mutated ghost bacteria.A Pai only said: "So, this is the second one?"

"The third one." Kanya paused, "What's the name? Is there a name?" A Pai shook his head, "They are all cautious." Kanya nodded gloomily. "I want you to go around the city and see if anyone has reported their relatives missing. Right now we have three missing people. Photos are taken." Appie shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?" "Perhaps forensics will find something that connects them," he suggested. "Yes, very well. You did that by the way. Where's Ratchana?" "She sent the body to the pit. She asked you to meet her."

Kanya frowned, "Of course." She tidied up the documents on the table and let A Pai continue to search in vain. All the way out of the office building, she kept thinking about what Jaidy would do if he encountered this situation.That person is always inspired.Jaidy would stop in the middle of the street with another brilliant idea in his head, and they would set off, running across the city, searching for the source of the pollution.The result was the same every time: Jaidy was always right.And now, there is no Jaidi in this kingdom anymore, she is in charge.Thinking of this, Kanya couldn't help feeling a strong sense of self-loathing.

I was bought.I got paid, she thought.I was bought. When she first entered the Ministry of Environment compound as Akarat's spy, she was shocked to find that some of the Ministry's small privileges were very lucrative.One example is tribute at street stalls, who often substitute illegal fuel for expensive biogas from legitimate sources.Patrolling at night is also very pleasant, and sleeps very soundly after work.Everything is so easy.Even with a boss like Jaidi, life is still relaxed and happy.And now, with her bad luck, she had to work hard, and the work was extremely important.Not to mention she has to serve two masters.The life of one servant and two masters has been too long, and she doesn't even know which one is the real master.

Someone else should take your place, Jaidy, someone more qualified for the job.Our incompetence will bring down the kingdom.We are not virtuous enough and we are not following the right path.And now, the plague came again. It is not others who must stand up to fight the plague, but herself.She has to be like Phra Sevub without having his strength and moral superiority. Kanya strode across the yard, nodding and frowning at the other officers he passed along the way.Zaidi, what made me take your place?How can my dirty hands take the fruits of your life's work?This arrangement is really unpredictable.Could it be the spirit of the Cheshire cat who wants to see more carrion in the world?Does it want our dead bodies to pile up in the streets?

People in gas masks jumped up to salute her as she pushed open the crematorium doors.She had a gas mask, but she didn't wear it on her face, just dangling it around her neck.It was no good for a police officer to show fear, and she knew the mask wouldn't save her, and she put her trust in the Phra Sevub amulet. After the flying dust dissipated, a big pit appeared in front of her.In the red soil, several huge potholes were lined to prevent the water below from seeping out.It was damp down there, but the ground was scalding hot from the sun.The dry season never seems to end.Will the rainy season come this year?Will it save them, or overwhelm them?Some gamblers have stopped betting on anything else and are calculating daily odds on when the rainy season will come.Because of the vast variability in the climate, not even the Environment Ministry's own modeling computers can tell when the rainy season will come each year.

Ratchana stands on the edge of a large pit.Greasy smoke rose from the burning corpses below.A few crows and vultures circled the sky, and a dog somehow found its way into the yard, hiding by a wall to see if it could steal a bite of meat. "How did that thing get in there?" Kanya asked. Ratana looked up and saw the dog. "I found it myself." She said flatly, "As long as we leave something edible, it will eat it." "You found another body?" "Same symptom." Latana's standing posture was a little stooped.At their feet, flames crackled and crackled.A vulture begins to glide downward.A uniformed police officer fired a cannon. The explosion sent the vulture flying, but it lingered in the air.Latana closed her eyes, but opened them again immediately.There seemed to be tears in the corners of her eyes.She shook her head, as if trying to steel herself.Kanya looked at her sadly.By the time this latest plague is over, both of them may be gone.

"We should warn everyone," Ratchana said, "to General Pracha, and to the palace." "You are already sure?" Ratchana sighed, "It was found at another hospital. On the other side of town, at a street clinic. The doctor there thought the man had overdosed on amphetamines. Pai found him by accident. He was I was going to Bangkok Charity Hospital to find evidence, and I got the news while chatting with someone on the way." "I discovered it by accident." Kanya shook his head, "He didn't tell me this. How many people have this disease outside, hundreds? Thousands?"

"I don't know. The only good news is that there is no evidence yet that the disease is contagious." "It's just not found yet." "You must go to Gibson and ask him to advise us. Only he knows what monster we are dealing with. His children are here to torture us, and he will recognize them. I have put the new case The report is ready. With the material of the three cases, he will recognize it." "There is no other way?" "We have only one other option, and that is an immediate city-wide quarantine. In that case, there will be riots immediately, and there will be nothing left for us to save."

The endless rice seedlings stretch out in all directions, emerald-like emerald green, dazzling green under the tropical sun.Kanya has been in the cesspool of the City of Angels for too long, and the sight before her gives her a moment of relief, a sense of hope in the world, a sense that these rice seedlings will not be infected by some new strain of rust, turned rust red; spores engineered not to float over from Burma take root here; rice seedlings are still growing in paddy fields, dams are still keeping seawater out, and His Majesty Rama XII The designed water pump is still working. As Kanya rode by, the tattooed farmer saluted her respectfully.Judging from the marks on their arms, most of them had been forced to labor for a year.Others have markings showing that they would go to the city at the onset of the rainy season to raise dams to protect against heavy rains.When she was still in the country, Kanya herself had this mark on her body, until Akarat's agents gave her the mission to go to the core of the Ministry of Environment. After riding on the ridge for an hour, her goal finally appeared in front of her eyes.First the barbed wire, then the guards and their dogs, then the walls studded with shards of glass, caltrops, and bamboo spears.Kanya follows the road to avoid triggering a roadside trap.Technically, it's just a rich man's residence atop a man-made concrete hill and the ruins of an expansion-era high rise. Considering how many lives have been lost in the last century, it seems incomprehensible that so much labor could be brought together for such a foolish goal—to build such a rockery for one person.You know, at that time, the dam needed to be repaired, the fields needed to be plowed, and the war swallowed up a lot of manpower.And this is just a rich man's other business.The land originally belonged to His Majesty Rama XII, and officially it remains the property of the royal family until now.If an airship flew overhead, all the people on it could see was a compound without any particularity, a luxurious residence of some branch of the royal family.But in fact, this is a prison, a cage where tigers are locked.The guards and their dogs are not only guarding the outside world, but also guarding the people in the courtyard. Kanya showed the guards his credentials.The huge bulldog growled and tried to break free from the chain around its neck.Much larger than any canine in nature, this beast was designed on the same principles as Clockwork Man.They are hungry, ferocious, and perfectly adapted to their tasks.They were twice her body weight, with powerful muscles and sharp teeth.Such horrible things originally only existed in Gibson's fantasy, but he brought them into the real world. The guards were translating the ciphertext with hand-cranked decoders.Wearing the black uniforms of the Queen's direct service, they looked stern and intimidating.Finally, they waved her through.Kanya rides between the bared dogs.The bike would never be able to outrun these guys, and the realization made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. At the gate, another group of guards verified her identity again, and then led her to a square paved with marble, where there was also a swimming pool as blue as sapphire. Three transgender people sat on a bench, talking and laughing in the shade of the banana tree.They gave her a friendly smile, and Kanya smiled back.They are very beautiful, but they are in love with a Farang, which shows that they are really stupid. "I'm Kip," said one of the transgender men. "The doctor is getting a massage." She nodded toward the blue swimming pool. "You can wait for him by the pond." There is a strong smell of the sea here.Kanya walks to the edge of the steps.Below her feet, the waves beat in waves, foaming white.A fresh breeze blows, making people feel fresh and clean, which is very different from the stink that has accumulated in Bangkok's seawall. She took a deep breath, enjoying the salty wind.A butterfly fluttered over and landed on the railing around the swimming pool.The jewel-like wings close and then slowly open, repeating several times, to fully display the butterfly wings that shimmer with cobalt blue, gold and black light. Kanya moved closer, observing the butterfly perched on the railing.She held out her hand cautiously.The butterfly seemed startled, but allowed her to hold it in her closed palm.It must have felt tired after flying such a long distance, just like herself.It came from other continents, passed through high mountains and dense jungles, and landed between hibiscus flowers and paving stones, so that Kanya could wrap her hands around it and feel its beauty carefully. Kanya clenched his fist, then let go, letting the remains of the butterfly drop to the ground.The wings and body were all broken.It's a man-made pollinator, most likely from one of PureCal's labs. Clockwork beings have no soul, but their beauty is unmistakable. The sound of splashing water came from behind.Kip changed into her bathing suit, and she swam underwater, then surfaced, pulling her long black hair back, smiling, and turning back into the water again.Kanya watched her swim.Blue swimsuit, brown limbs, every movement is so elegant.This is a pretty girl, a life to behold. After a while, the devil finally came to the pool in a wheelchair.He was much worse than the last time she had seen him, with cyanotic scars stretching from his throat to his ears.An accidental infection, but he survived.He was in a wheelchair, pushed by an assistant, with a thin blanket over his thick legs. His condition does not appear to be contained.She always thought that the so-called illness was just a rumor, but now she saw it with her own eyes.This man is very ugly.Not only because of cyanosis, but also because of his violent temper.Kanya shuddered.Kanya figured he'd be happy if the devil did go to his afterlife, a corpse they could burn.And until then, hopefully, the drug will stop the spread of his disease-causing organism.He has a lot of hair on his face, thick eyebrows, a broad and fat nose, and two thick lips that are like rubber.Those lips formed a hyena smile when they saw Kanya. "Ah, Madam Jailer." "I'm afraid it doesn't count." Gibson glanced at Kip, who was playing in the water, "Yes, you guys gave me some nice looking girls, but that doesn't mean I'm not a prisoner." He looked up, "Well, Kanya, I have Haven't seen you in a while. Where's your upright boss, my favorite Warden? Where's our scrappy Captain Jaidy? I don't want to deal with assistants—" He stopped abruptly, staring Looking at Kanya's collar patch, he narrowed his eyes. "Ah, I see." He leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on Kanya. "I knew someone would take care of him, it was just a matter of time. Congratulations on your promotion, Captain." Kanya forced himself to keep his expression the same.When I came to see him before, it was Zaidi who dealt with this devil all the time.They'd go into the office, and Kanya would just have to stay by the pool and wait, watching the creatures the Doctor had chosen for fun.Jaidy kept his lips tightly shut when he returned and said nothing. There was only one time, when they left the yard, that Jaidy almost said it, almost said what was going on in his head.He opened his mouth and said: "But..." Then he stopped, and the unformed words fell away from his lips. Kanya got the feeling Jaidy was still talking to Gibson at the time.More appropriately, it was an unending battle of words, like a sepak takraw match, where both sides fought and defended each other.A battle of words and words.Another time, Zaidi frowned when he left the compound and said, "It's too dangerous to keep him." At that time, Kanya replied with some confusion: "But, he no longer works for Agro-based Company." Jaidi turned his head and looked at her in surprise, as if he had just realized that he had spoken his mind . This doctor is a legend, a murderer who can stop a child from crying at night.Before meeting him for the first time, Kanya had expected him to be in chains, instead of sitting contentedly scooping out the flesh of a papaya from Isle of Angrit, grinning , the juice dripped down from the corner of his mouth. Kanya has never been able to figure out whether it was guilt that drove the Doctor to Thailand, or some other bizarre reason, such as the attraction of shemale, the reality of his own imminent death, or simply being kicked out by his colleagues.The Doctor doesn't seem to have any remorse, is indifferent to the harm he has caused the world, and even talks about La Vita and Domingo with a smile, and talks about how he destroyed Dr. Michael Ping's ten years of hard work. A Cheshire cat crosses the square without a sound, interrupting Kanya's thoughts.It jumped lightly and landed on the doctor's lap.Kanya took a step back in disgust, and the Doctor scratched the cat's ears.The fur on its legs and body began to change color, gradually merging with the blanket covering the old doctor's legs. The doctor smiled, "Don't be too attached to the naturally occurring life, Captain. Come, take a look." He leaned forward, making a cooing sound.The shimmering Cheshire cat straightened up, meowed, and licked his chin lightly with its tongue. "A hungry little beast," he said, "is a good thing. Hungry enough, they could replace us entirely, unless we devise another, better carnivore hungry enough to feed on them .” "We analyzed the situation," Kanya said. "If that were the case, the food web would only suffer more damage. New superpredators would not make up for the damage already done." Gibson snorted, "Ecosystems have been damaged since humans started sailing and first set fire to the African savannah. What we are doing now is only accelerating this process. What you said The Food Network is just nostalgia, that's all. The so-called nature..." He looked disgusted, "we are nature. Every little tinkering is nature, every little improvement in biology is nature. We are This way, the world belongs to us. We are its gods. Your problem is that you don't want to use your potential to use it for this process." "Like Nongji Company? Like You-Texas Company? Or like Red Star High-fat Company?" Kanya shook his head, "How many people have they killed after realizing their potential? What consequences, your calorie employers have shown us: death." "Everyone is mortal." The doctor waved his hand disdainfully, "But you will die because you are too attached to the past. All of us should accept genetic modification. Compared with protecting the old version of humans from rust , it is much easier to engineer a human body that is completely immune to rust. It only takes one generation for us to fully adapt to this new environment. Your children can all be the beneficiaries. Despite this, you refuse to accept it. You are stubborn They refuse to follow the footsteps of environmental changes and are obsessed with 'human nature', but they don't know that human nature itself will gradually change with the passage of time and changes in the environment." "Rust disease is our environment. Second generation tuberculosis, genetically modified weevils, Cheshire cats, they've all adapted to this environment. It's up to you to comment on whether these things are natural evolution or not. But our environment has changed Well, if we still want to remain at the top of the food chain, we must evolve. Or, we can refuse to evolve, and go down the same path as the dinosaurs and cats. Evolve, or die. This has always been the principle of nature .You white shirts want to be your man's arms and stop the irresistible change." He leaned forward, "Sometimes I really want to shake you hard. If you let me, I can be your god, transform you, make you Fully attuned to the Eden that is calling us." "I am Buddhist." "We all know that clockwork creatures don't have souls." Gibson grinned. "They don't reincarnate. They have to find their own god to protect them. They need to pray to this god and ask him to bring them death." and salvation." His mouth opened wider, "Maybe I can be this god, and you wind-up children can pray to me for my salvation." His eyes sparkled, "I admit, I Definitely wish there were more worshippers. Jaidy, like you, is always suspicious of everything. Not as bad as a vegetarian, of course, but far from devout enough to please the gods." Kanya frowned. "When you die, we will burn you to ashes and melt you with chlorine and lye. No one will remember you." The Doctor shrugged, unmoved. "God must suffer." He leaned back in his chair, showing a sly smile, "Tell me, do you want to burn me to death right now? Or, are you willing to throw yourself down in front of me and once again show your faith in my wisdom? " Kanya tries to suppress his distaste for the man.She pulled out what she needed from a pile of documents and handed it over.The Doctor reached for it, but did nothing, not even opening the file, just glanced at the cover. "What's wrong?" "It's all here," she said. "You haven't knelt down yet. You don't have the same attitude towards your father, do you? It must be much more respectful. Let alone the respect for this city." "My father is dead." "Just because Bangkok is bound to be flooded doesn't mean you don't have to show a lot of respect for it." Kanya fought back the urge to whip out his baton and beat the man up. Her resistance just made Gibson smile. "So, can we chat for a while?" he asked. "Jaidy is always willing to chat with me. No? I can see from your expression that you're disgusted with me. Maybe you think I'm a murderer." ? Bad guys who kill children? You don't want to have dinner with someone like me?" "You are a murderer." "I am your murderer, I am your tool. And where will this put you?" He observed her with a smile.Kanya felt that this person was cutting her open with his eyes, lifting up her internal organs one by one for careful examination: lungs, stomach, liver, heart... Gibson smiled slightly, "You want me to die." On the pale face covered with spots, the two thick lips parted, and the eyes flashed with madness and excitement, "If you really hate me so much, you Should have pulled out the gun and shot me." Kanya didn't respond.He raised his hand in disgust and waved it in the air. "Damn, you're all so shy! Kip is the only one of you worth anything." His eyes turned to the girl who was swimming, staring at her seriously, as if fascinated, "Come on, kill Me. I am willing to die. I am only alive because you let me live this way." "Not for long." The Doctor looked down at his immobilized legs and laughed, "Not for long, of course. So, what would you do if Agro-based and its ilk attacked after that? What would you do if the spores came from Burma? Float over there, what will you do? Float over from the shore of India? Will you all starve to death like the Indians? Will you let your rotten flesh fall off like the Burmese? The reason why my country is still one step ahead of the plague is all because of me and my rotting mind." He waved his hands at his legs, "Would you like to rot with me?" He pulled the blanket away, Showing scabs all over his legs, and skin pale as a fish maw from blood loss and inflammation, "Would you like to die like this?" There was no joy in the smile on his face. Kanya looked away. "You deserved it. You deserved it. Your death will be painful." "Fate? Are you talking about fate?" The doctor leaned forward, his brown eyes rolling around, his tongue twitching in his mouth, "Then, what kind of fate is it that connects your whole country with me, or with me? Are you connected with my festering body? Why do you want to keep me alive despite everything, even ignoring saving other people? What kind of karma is this?" He grinned, " I've thought about this karma that you often talk about. Maybe it's the retribution for your arrogance that is riddled with holes, making you have to lick the seed bank that leaked from my fingers Knowledge. Or, you are my tool, so that I can enlighten and save the world through you. Who knows? Maybe I will be reincarnated as the right hand of Buddha, just because I am so kind to you." "It's not what you think it is." The Doctor shrugged. "I don't care. Give me another bitch like Kip. Give me a bitch, give me a wind-up man. Anything, I don't care. Whatever you give me, I'll I will swallow them all in one gulp, and I have only one condition: don't bother me. I will never waste a single bit of thought on your rotten country." He threw the document into the swimming pool, and the papers scattered on the water.Kanya gasped in horror and almost jumped into the water to retrieve them, but she forced herself to stand still.She would not allow herself to be manipulated by Gibson.The people in the calorie company are like this, they like to play with their opponents and manipulate them.She forced herself to look away from the soaking paper and stare at him. Gibson smiled slightly, "What? Don't plan to fish them up?" He nodded to Kip, "My little fairy will help you. It would be a real sight if you two little fairies were playing in the water together. " Kanya shook her head, "Fill it yourself." "You know, nothing makes me happier than when a man of integrity like you comes to me and begs me. A woman of conviction," he leaned forward, eyes narrowed, "a man who is truly The one who judges the results of my work." "You are a murderer." "My research is beyond the established field. What they do with my research results is none of my business. You have a spring pistol. If you kill someone who shouldn't be killed with it, can you say Is it the pistol maker's fault? I create tools that change lives, and if someone uses those tools to do what they set out to do, that's their problem, not mine." "I have this kind of thinking because the Nongji Company has given you enough money." "Agro-based companies pay me a lot of money because I can make them rich. My thoughts belong to me." He looked at Kanya carefully, "I think you must have a clean conscience, after all, you are one of the well-known and honest officials of the Ministry of Environment Well, as spotless as your uniform. Like it's just been sterilized." He leaned forward. "Tell me, do you take bribes?" Kanya opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out.She could feel Jaidi's spirit floating behind her, waiting to hear what she would say.Goosebumps appeared on her skin.She forced herself not to look back. Gibson smiled. "Yeah, of course you'll take it. You guys are all the same. Sores on top of your head and pus out of your feet." Kanya's hand slides to the pistol at his side.Seeing her movements, the doctor smiled and said, "What? You want to threaten me with a gun? Do you want to take bribes from me? Do you want me to lick you personally, or let my fake girl try?" His Staring coldly at Kanya, "You've already taken my money. My life is about the same, and full of pain. What more do you want? Why don't you take my girl too?" Kip was stepping on the water in the pool, looking over expectantly, the waves washing over her body.Kanya looked away.The Doctor laughed. "Sorry, Kip. We can't offer a bribe that this man likes." His fingers drummed on the chair. "Well, how about a boy? I have a twelve-year-old boy in my kitchen." , he must be happy to dedicate. Keeping the white shirt happy is always the most important thing." Kanya glared at him, "I want to break your bones." "Come if you want, but hurry up. I'm just worried that I can't find a reason to refuse you." "Why do you keep working for the Agro-based company?" The doctor narrowed his eyes, "Why do you serve your master like a dog? For the same reason, they gave me what I need most: money." The sound of the slap carried like a bell to the other side of the pool.The guards ran towards this side, but Kanya had withdrawn his hand and waved away the guards, "We are fine, there is no problem." The guards paused, a little at a loss as to what to do or whom to listen to.The doctor touched his broken lip, looked thoughtfully at the blood on his hand, and looked up. "It looks like you've touched the wound... What parts of you have been sold? What percentage?" He grinned, showing his blood-stained teeth from Kanya's beating, "So, you are a farmer? People from the Kei company? Or their accomplices?" He looked into Kanya's eyes, "Are you here to kill me? To end the pain I caused them?" He looked at her, those eyes that knew everything The eyes seem to be able to see into the depths of her soul, "It's just a matter of time. They must know that I am here and that I am working for you. Without my help, Thailand would not have such a good development, and it would be impossible to develop a tomato Coplant and Ngaw. We all know they are after me. So, are you the hunter who came after me? Will my life end at your hands?" Kanya frowned, "No, you still have value." Gibson leaned back heavily in his chair, "Ah, of course. But I will always be useful. The beasts and plagues we designed have a nature called evolution. They are not mechanical machines driven only by external force, they have their own hunger and thirst , there is a natural need for evolution. They must constantly mutate and adapt to the environment, so you must always keep me. What will you do when I die? We brought the devil into this world, and nature has become some kind of us The unknown. It has truly become nature shaped by us. And how poetic it would be if we were swallowed up by our own creations!" "Fate." She murmured. "That's right!" Gibson leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Kip, get those papers up. Let's see if we can figure out anything." His fingers tapped on his crippled legs. Beating the drums, seems to be thinking.Then, he gave Kanya a sly grin, "Let's see how close your baby kingdom is to death." Kip swam slowly back and forth in the pool, gathering the papers and lifting them out of the water.Water dripped from the paper and rippled around her.Gibson looked at her with a smile on his lips. "Lucky for you, I like Kip. If it weren't for that, I would have killed you all." He nodded to the guard. "The captain must have samples on his bicycle. Go and get them. We'll have to analyze them in the lab." Kip finally got out of the swimming pool and put the wet stack of papers on the doctor's lap.He gestured to her and asked her to push him towards the door of the villa.The Doctor waved for Kanya to follow. "Come on. It won't be long." The doctor squinted his eyes and looked at a slide, "I'm surprised that you guys thought it was an inert variant." "Only three cases." The doctor looked up, "It's just the data now." He smiled, "Life has its own algorithm. Two will become four, ten thousand will become a plague. Maybe it has turned all People are all infected, we just haven't found it yet. Maybe it's a plague that will end human existence. Asymptomatic, like poor Kip." Kanya glanced at the shemale, and Kip smiled gracefully back.There was no change in her skin, nothing abnormal about her body.She will never have the same disease as the doctor.But then again... Kanya subconsciously took a step to the side. The doctor smiled. "Don't be afraid. You have that disease too. Ultimately, death is an inevitable ailment of life." He peered at the sample through a microscope. mark," he said with a sudden look of disgust, "meaningless, just a stupid mistake made by some idiot. Not worth my wits at all." "So things are going well?" "Plagues that happen by chance can kill just as quickly." "Is there a way to stop it?" The Doctor picked up a loaf of bread, covered with green mold.He looks at this thing. "There are many creatures in the world that are good for us, but there are also many that are deadly." He handed the bread to Kanya, "Taste it." Kanya backed away.Gibson grinned, took a bite himself, and handed it over again, "Trust me." 坎雅摇摇头，强迫自己不要念出那段祈求帕·色武布赐予幸运和清洁的迷信祷辞。她摸着自己的护身符，想象那位圣者坐在莲花宝座上的样子，同时迫使自己不要对博士的挑衅做出任何反应。 博士又吃了一口面包。他咧嘴笑着，面包屑从嘴边掉下来，“只要你敢吃一口，我就把答案告诉你。” “我不会吃你碰过的任何东西。” 博士大笑道：“你做过的事情比那严重得多。你小时候接受过的每一次注射，每一次预防接种，每一次服用的药剂。”他将那片面包递过来，“这一次不过是更为直接罢了。你肯定不会失望的。” 坎雅朝显微镜点点头，“那东西究竟是什么？你还需要做更多的测试吗？” 吉布森摇摇头，“那个？什么都不是。一次愚蠢的突变，毫不出奇的结果。我们在实验室经常见到的东西，垃圾。” “为什么我们之前没有见过它？” 吉布森露出不耐烦的表情。“因为你们不像我们那样培育死亡，你们从来不会对自然敲敲打打。”老人眼中短暂地闪现出兴趣与激情，对于恶作剧和掠夺的兴趣，“你们完全不知道我们在实验室中达到了什么高度。这东西不值得我浪费时间。我还以为你带来的会是什么有点挑战性的东西，比如说从平博士和雷蒙德博士那里弄来的东西，或者穆罕默德·宋萨利亚。那些才是挑战。”这一刻，他仿佛入了迷，眼中的嘲弄不见了，“啊，那些才是值得我出手的对手。” 我们的生命掌握在一个游戏玩家手里。 在这一瞬间，坎雅完全理解了博士。他才智超群，达到了他所在领域的巅峰。他有强烈的妒忌心与好胜心。他发现自己再也找不到对手，于是转换阵营，投到泰国这边，以寻找可能的刺激。对他来说，这一切只是智力练习。如果斋迪与一名他能轻易击倒的对手打一场泰拳比赛，他同样会自己设置障碍，把双手捆在背后，只凭两条腿和对手搏斗。 我们被一个反复无常的神掌握着。他之所以站在我们这一边，只是为了好玩。如果我们不能为他带来智力上的挑战，他会闭上眼睛，倒头大睡，全不在意我们是死是活。 这个念头令人惊骇。眼前这个人只为竞争活着，他就像在参与一场以整个地球为棋盘的进化比赛。他把自我想象成一个巨人，对抗其他数十名巨人，把他们从天空击落下来，然后放声大笑。但所有巨人都有陨落的一天，到那时候，泰国又能指望什么呢？想到这些，坎雅不由得浑身上下直冒冷汗。 吉布森注视着她，“你还有别的问题要问吗？” 坎雅摇摇头，赶走心中的恐惧，“你确定吗？你已经知道我们该怎么做了？你只需要看看就知道？” 博士耸耸肩，“如果你不相信我，那就回去采用你们的标准方法吧。教科书只会把你们引向死亡。或者，也有一个简单的方案，把你们的工厂区烧成白地，可以从根源上解决这个问题。”他咧嘴一笑，“对于你们白衬衫而言，这种办法既直接又有效，是环境部最钟爱的措施。”他挥了挥手，“就目前而言，这件垃圾的生存能力还不是很强。它在迅速突变，但它的结构让它很容易遭到毁灭，并且人类也不是它最理想的宿主。它需要被揉搓到黏膜组织上去才能存活，比如说鼻孔、眼睛、肛门，某个可以缩短它与血液和生命的距离的地方。某个它可以繁殖的地方。” “这么说我们是安全的。它并不比肝炎病毒或发绀病更危险。” “但它比这两种东西更容易出现变异，”他再度看向坎雅，“这一点你应当注意。你想找到的制造这种致病生物的人肯定有化学水浴设备，这样他们才能培植生物产品。一家属于高发公司的工厂，一间为农基公司服务的设施，一座发条生物的制造厂。诸如此类的所在。” 坎雅瞥了一眼那些人为制造的大型犬类生物，“发条生物会携带这种病毒吗？” 博士伸出手，拍拍一只警犬，逗弄着它，“只要是鸟类或哺乳类，都能携带。拥有水浴的设施肯定会是我首先要去找的地方。如果这里是日本，我的首选会是发条人的保育院，但任何一处生产生物产品的设施都有可能是病毒的最初源头。” “你指的是哪一类发条生物？” 吉布森呼出一口气，似乎被激怒了，“不是种类的问题，而是在何种程度上暴露于病毒环境的问题。只要出自被污染的培养池，它们就有可能是携带者。如果你们任由这件垃圾自行变异，它很快就会开始在人类之间传播。那样的话，它的最初起源也就无关紧要了。” “我们还有多少时间？” 吉布森耸耸肩，“这不是铀的半衰期，也不是一艘快速帆船的载重量，没法精确计算。不断喂它，很快就会把它的胃口撑得更大。如果你在一个人口密集、气候潮湿的城市培养这一类病毒，它必定会存活下来。至于应不应该对这件事忧心忡忡，你们自己决定吧。” 坎雅厌恶地转过身，向大门走去。 吉布森在她身后喊道：“祝好运！我很想知道你们的诸多敌人中，哪一个会首先打倒你们。” 坎雅无视他的挑衅，头也不回地冲到户外的清新空气中。 基普走过来，用毛巾擦拭头发，“博士帮上忙了吗？” “他给了我足够的信息。” 基普柔声笑了，“我以前也是这样想的。但我现在知道了，他绝不会第一次就把所有的信息都说出来。他会留下一些不说，留下的都是最关键的。他喜欢有人陪他。”她的手指碰了碰坎雅的手臂，坎雅不得不强迫自己不要畏缩。基普看出了她的心思，但只是优雅地笑了笑，“他喜欢你。他想让你再回来。” 坎雅哆嗦了一下，“那么，他恐怕要失望了。” 基普用大而湿润的眼睛盯着她，“我希望你不要太快死掉。我也喜欢你。” 离开这个大院时，坎雅看到了斋迪。他站在海边，看着一波波的浪花。仿佛感觉到了她的注视，他转过身来，对她微微一笑，然后闪烁着光芒消散在空中。又一个无处可去的灵魂，她想。也许斋迪并不想投胎转世，他只想这样一直缠着她。如果博士的说法是正确的，也许他会以某种不会惧怕任何瘟疫的生命形式回到这个世界上，某种尚未存在于人们思想之中的生物。也许斋迪能够转世的唯一希望就是投到某个发条生物的躯壳里。 坎雅将这个念头砸得粉碎。这是个邪恶的想法。她希望斋迪投生到某个绝不存在任何发条生物或锈病的天堂。尽管他不曾达到涅槃的境界，不曾完成他僧侣的修行，甚至没有真正信仰过佛陀，但至少他不用愤怒地注视着这个他曾经如此尽职尽责地守护过的世界，看着它被无处不在的发条生物这种全新的怪胎撕得粉碎。 斋迪死了。但也许这是任何人所能期望的最好结果。也许，如果她将发条手枪的枪口塞进嘴里、扣动扳机，她会比现在更幸福。也许，如果她不是住着宽敞的大房子，没有背负着背叛的罪孽…… 坎雅用力摇了摇头。眼下能确定的只有一件事，那就是她必须履行自己的职责。她的灵魂无疑将被再次送回这个世界，最好的情形是转生为人，最可怕的是转生为其他什么东西，狗或者蟑螂之类。毫无疑问，她会一次又一次地接受这命运。她的背叛已经注定了这一切。但她必须参与这场战斗，直到清除自己的罪孽。如果以自杀的方式逃避战斗，她必定转生为某些更加丑陋的生命。像她这样的人，没有任何办法可以逃脱。