Chapter 5 chapter Five

Sha Jia took several mouthfuls of food, as if she was looking for a suitable explanation, when suddenly her chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and she said to herself, "A loyal person." Saja shrugged at the somewhat trite word, as if expecting Orwell to laugh.Although Orwell didn't smile, he felt very surprised and asked, "Is it loyalty to the army? Where does this loyalty come from?" "Not to the army. The army is just a tool to protect society. The object of loyalty is bigger...human beings. Understand? Human beings." What does this emphasis mean?Orwell was lost in thought.

"You respect those who are loyal to humanity." "right." Saja looked at Orwell with curiosity in his amethyst-colored eyes.She is also selecting, based on Orwell's answer. In terms of meaning alone, what Shajia said was the same as the highest priority order given to Orwell by the messenger.However, as a human being, it is impossible for her to have the same purpose as the intellectual body.Her thirty or forty years of experience—for some reason, Orwell was reluctant to search a database for her age—gives the sentence a fuller meaning.For Orwell, who had only been in contact with her for a few minutes, it was impossible to guess the true meaning of the word "loyalty" in her mouth.

Orwell looked back at Shajia staring at him, and gave the only answer he could give at the moment. "I don't understand you." "what?" Shajia smiled wryly as if discouraged, with contempt mixed in his tone: "Oh, you don't like this kind of topic, do you? Well, it really shouldn't be said during dinner." "I did not mean that." "Okay, don't force yourself. In that case, focus on eating. Look, here comes the Valencia crab." The conversation could not continue, and the two fell into silence.Soon Shajia changed his tone and began to talk about the relationship between the spiciness of traditional food in various places and the distance from the sun, but before it fully unfolded, the after-dinner snacks came.As soon as the meal was over, the two broke up without agreeing to meet next time.

For about a fortnight after that, Orwell also got to know some other men and women.Conversations with them never freeze, and that's because there's nothing to think about.Under normal circumstances, the conversation always revolves around the battle with ET, and Orwell, who is an intellectual, can answer such topics on the spot.Of course, when alone, what I think of is still the short conversation while tasting Valencia crab-it should be a high-quality delicacy, but it tastes flat in your mouth. What exactly does Shajia mean by "human beings"?Does that have the same meaning as the "human being" whom I need to protect but still haven't really felt?

On one of those days, Orwell was dragged by Alexander, who was also a courier, to see the abandoned ships in the vacuum area outside the central government.Alexander went with a human girl named Miumira.She is going to find something. "It's a library ship, keeping hundreds of thousands of ancient documents before the 21st century. Can you believe it? Paper books! That kind of thing can survive this war." "I won't go." "Don't say that, Orwell. Books are such a heavy thing that you must come to help carry them. Don't you, Miumilla?" "The two of us can do it too."

The brown-skinned girl smiled, and Alexander, who was tall and big, blushed.It is said that Miumira, a young girl, wants to become a children's writer. Alexander met her at a literary exchange meeting.Orwell didn't want to be the light bulb very much, but Alexander begged him to stay on the non-verbal communication channel, and Orwell had to reluctantly go along. Three men arrive at the hulk.There are many ancient books kept in vacuum to prevent oxidation.Speaking of it, it is indeed difficult for humans to enter this ship, and Orwell and his body have been strengthened, and they only need to wear a simple breathing device to enter the library.They quickly find the ancient children's book that Mymira needs.

Now that the things were found, Alexander and the girl sat side by side, discussing with ecstasy what to take back.Orwell had nothing to do, so he left the two of them to walk around in the boat. Paper books are fragile, hard to keep, and terribly low-density databases.In the vacuum room, boxy yellow fibers piled up layer upon layer like ruins.No, this is the relic.The ship itself is probably the descendant of the ancient building known as the British Museum. Alexander was drawn to such things, and thus had a natural intimacy with human beings who liked them—a point Orwell could understand, but still not interested in.Books, knowledge included, are but one aspect of human worth.It is inappropriate to determine the value of human beings by one aspect.

Orwell wondered as he wandered the dimly lit outer corridors.Suddenly, he found a figure in front of him.The man was pulling many books from the bookshelf and stacking them on the moving cart.For some reason, from that action, Orwell always felt that the man was not so much pulling books from the bookshelf, but pulling them directly onto the car, which was obviously not the way to treat precious ancient books. "Hey - get down!" Orwell heard shouts. Immediately afterwards he was caught in a fierce gun battle.Bullets flew from behind, and those who were attacked in front began to fight back.The sharp piercing sound intertwined around.Someone behind him shouted: "Get down, bastard! Don't you want to live?!"

Orwell didn't get down.Judging from the sound of bullets piercing through the air, he knew that at least one of them was using a non-lethal lightweight bullet.Orwell started the fight and ran with his body functions.Whether in terms of action or reaction, the enemy should be ahead.He ran fifteen meters faster than a human sprinter, and kicked his opponent over before he even had time to prepare to escape. The gunshots behind him stopped, and the footsteps gradually approached.Orwell, who turned his head, saw the surprised expression of Shaka Kayanischia in his eyes. "How do you..."

"A messenger is a warrior." "It's not about this... why are you here?" "There's something wrong with coming here. Well... I was dragged here by a friend who likes to read." Shajia was wearing a light protective combat suit.Not only has a gun, but also handcuffs.Orwell handed the subdued man to her and asked, "It's strange that you are here." "What's so strange? The scrap ship is also under the jurisdiction of the supply factory. I rushed here when I received the news of the theft." "Scrap..." "Well, including the books here, they are all precious waste products. The books on a single row of bookshelves are enough to buy a water-containing asteroid. Don't underestimate it."

Looking at the ancient book full of bullet holes, Orwell couldn't help but have a different idea, but he didn't say it, and said another thing. "By the way, the human beings you mentioned don't include book thieves like this?" "What human?" Saja frowned in surprise. Orwell, who was a little discouraged, said: "It's the object you want to be loyal to." Shajia's expression of confusion gradually turned into surprise. "Oh, are you talking about that day? Why suddenly—" "I've been thinking about it. Ever since that day—always." "What does '—straight' mean? Didn't you say you didn't understand?" "Because I didn't understand, I kept thinking. I think that question is closely related to a question that is most important to me, so I couldn't answer it lightly at that time." "Then... if that's the case..." At this moment, the thief suddenly struggled, and Sha Jia was almost dragged down. "First... first hand this guy over to the police..." "I've already notified the police, and I'll be there in five or six minutes. But this guy has a laser knife, and it's dangerous for you to press it like that." Orwell stretched out his hand, lifted the man's arm and shook it a few times, and a knife fell out of his cuff.This time, the man finally calmed down, as if he had completely given up.Sha Jia kept blinking, a little dazed.Finally she came to her senses and shook her head. "Thank you...it seems a little bad if he comes to do this."' "Not a little bit for me." "yes?" The big eyes twinkled with a smile.Orwell, who discovered this, said: "I knew it was you from the sound, so I didn't get down." "What if I hit you? That's not good." Hearing this, Orwell also smiled.Shajia nodded with a smile. The second time I ate at a hot pot restaurant.The two ate and talked without stopping.Contrary to the last time, the person who kept asking questions was replaced by Shajia.What exactly is a messenger?do what?What are you thinking?Orwell answered one by one within the scope permitted by the obligation of confidentiality.The courier is the messenger who informs the human comrades in arms about the ET crisis.Do your best to support the battle at the destination.This is basically what I think about every day. After the hot pot was removed, when Sha Jia squinted her slightly drunk bright eyes and whispered, the atmosphere changed a bit. "Leave those things alone... I want to know, what kind of person are you?" Orwell pondered for a moment, and said seriously: "I have no dissatisfaction, no fear, and no sympathy for the enemy. I also don't need payment or compensation. Even so, I don't want to be simple. Because there is an order that must be obeyed. I want a fundamental reason." "With someone you like, you've found that reason?" "There are messengers like that, but it's not me. Protecting people around me, protecting friends, protecting Triton, protecting human civilization-this alone doesn't convince me. What I want to know is, why on earth do I have to do this?" "The answer to this question... I don't know either. Probably since the birth of human beings, many soldiers have thought about this question." "But don't you know?" "It's impossible for me to know." Shajia shrugged slightly, and Orwell couldn't help raising his voice: "You respect those who are loyal to mankind..." "Well, yes. However, how to be loyal to human beings, I can't answer, and I don't think this is a question that can have a fixed answer. There are also various levels of loyalty. Some people take on the task of a commander, and some Distributing stationery to war orphans, someone piloting a supply ship on a major shipping line. Either way, in their own eyes, it's a devotion to humanity. Of course there are people who don't—either out of ignorance or on purpose, knowing that People who are not good for the overall situation, but are self-interested. As I said, I hate people like that. But—" Orwell frowned, and Shajia's smile deepened, and he leaned closer and said, "What I didn't say before is... this is actually not what I really think." "What's the meaning?" "Actually, I'm very tired of this kind of unfounded worry. I only think about lofty ideals every day. It's tiring and dangerous, so let's think about it more happily—all of this is to end the war." Sha Jia smiled and happily drank the wine in the glass. "Yes, war is just a process. Cursing and so on is only limited to the war period. I don't know in the future. You can make the world whatever you want." Orwell didn't know what to say, so he could only stare at her—should he sigh sincerely, or be dumbfounded?Everything she said at the moment was clearly anti-war by official standards.Too frivolous, even for Orwell's own feelings.Whether mankind wins or is destroyed, this war is just a process that has to be endured—it is unbelievable that she would say such a thing. But despite this feeling, Orwell also had a strong desire to take such thoughts into his heart. From this day on, he and Sha Jia became good friends. The more I get to know Sha Jia, the more I feel that she is very strange, just like interacting with a kaleidoscope.Colleagues in the workplace, soldiers and military family members who visited the supply factory, various departments of the military organization, government agencies and private enterprises, no matter where she knew people.She even has acquaintances in the shops near the supply depot and the playgrounds she frequents.It's amazing how many people I know.Her expression is extremely rich, laughing and cursing, constantly changing, and no matter where she is, she has a stronger sense of presence than anyone else. Her mind is very flexible, and she can participate in any conversation after listening to it for five minutes, and she has unique insights.She will strongly satirize self-righteous people, but if she encounters someone who says something insidious and slanderous, she will defend decisively even if she knows it will be detrimental to her.When asked for her opinion, she expresses her thoughts clearly and constructively.At the same time, she is also a very good confidant. She can not only enjoy silence with the few words when necessary, but also bring up topics that are ignored by everyone when everyone is unanimous.In the 26th century, there are still women who are passive and conservative, but this girl gives people a completely different feeling. When Orwell accompanied Saga to social events, he was always accepted by everyone very smoothly.Although Orwell occasionally felt that he was just a foil for Shajia, he still established a good relationship with everyone.When interacting with people, the infinite knowledge possessed by artificial intelligence often does not play any role, which Orwell deeply felt.The people Sha Jia met and liked were all talented people, each with a witty remark.Facing them, even the knowledgeable and rote memorization of the artificial intellectual body did not show any surprises.Orwell knew that he was flawed and was willing to make up for it, so he could maintain a humble posture instead of talking loudly. However, what made Orwell feel really stupid from the bottom of his heart was when friends around Shajia asked him such a question: "Does she let her hair down when she sleeps?" For some reason, whether it's a formal occasion or not, Shajia doesn't let her long hair down.Among the crowd, her high bun like an ancient cavalry helmet is very eye-catching. But Orwell also knew that what they really wanted to ask was not this question, but their own attitude towards her. When this question was asked many times by different people, Orwell also had to start thinking about it.Of course, there is no law that stipulates that intellectual bodies and human beings cannot fall in love.That ban was repealed three centuries ago.Shajia himself does not appear to treat humans and intellectual bodies differently.It shouldn't be a problem with her. Since Orwell began to have ideas, Shajia's attitude has also undergone incredible changes.She, who usually expresses her true thoughts to Orwell without any scruples, sometimes appears hesitant to speak.Orwell had been invited to her house several times before for dinner, but not now.When I was with him, I stopped talking about human beings and things to protect, and only talked about the people around me, food and fashion trends and other meaningless things. If it were an ordinary man, he would be anxious because a woman no longer cared about him, but Orwell was an intellectual with a keen sense.When she was with Shajia, even if she didn't want to, she would detect her heartbeat and face.So he knew that it was not a simple estrangement, but because he had a special interest in himself, which in turn caused her own confusion, so she treated herself like this. There is no more difficult problem than this.From the moment he realized this problem, Orwell thought about it for more than half a month.Ironically, the biggest problem is Orwell's own mood.The impulse that drives the human male is precisely what Orwell lacked.On the contrary, as a messenger, he has a very practical mission. Can such a self love? Will this feeling be real? Finally, something gave him a push.One night, in a bar where close friends gathered, a young non-commissioned officer of the fleet, a young man who Orwell admitted was very popular, asked in a half-joking tone: "Do you know that Shajia doesn't have a boyfriend now?" ?" The emotional turmoil that arose at the moment of hearing the question confuses Orwell himself.Before he could figure out why, he blurted out: "As far as I know, it doesn't seem to be." "Really? That's great, thanks."