Chapter 29 Chapter Twenty Nine
It takes three days to climb up.It shouldn't have taken that long, but it's standard procedure.On the first day, I arrived at Hank's branch and spent the night in the detention room.The next morning, Deputy Security Officer Ma Shu on the middle floor finally came down to pick her up and escorted her up the fifty floors to his sub-station.
When climbing the stairs the next day, she was a little dazed.People passing by glanced at her, and then quickly passed by her, as if avoiding her.At this moment, what she was worried about was not her own safety, but other people's.Some people might get into trouble because of her.
Ma Shu's attitude was just like Hank's, always looking for something to talk to her about.Juliet had always had the urge to tell them that they hadn't figured out who the enemy was, that the demons were already on a killing spree.However, she still refrained from speaking out.
When she arrived at the sub-station on the middle floor, she was taken into the detention room again.This cell is very similar to the one below, with a cinder-block wall and no images.Before Ma Shu had time to lock the door, she slumped on the camp bed and lay unconscious for several hours, waiting for the dark, the dawn, and the new deputy security officer under Peter to pick her up and detain her. Finish the last trip.
She kept looking down at her wrist, always forgetting that Hank had confiscated the watch.Maybe he doesn't even know how to wind a watch.At the end of the day, the watch will be completely broken, beyond repair, and turned into an ornament, a completely useless thing, except for the beautiful strap.
Thinking of the watch, she suddenly became more sentimental for some reason.She rubbed her bare wrist, suddenly eager to know what time it is.At this time, Ma Shu suddenly ran back and told her that someone came to see her.
Juliet immediately flung her legs to the edge of the bed and sat up on the bed.Are you from the Mechanical and Electrical District?Who climbed the stairs to the middle floor to see her?
Unexpectedly, the person who appeared on the other side of the iron fence turned out to be Lucas.At that moment, her emotions were like a torrent breaking the embankment, and she could no longer control it.She felt her neck stiffen for a while, trying not to cry out, her tight chest seemed to be about to explode.He gripped the fence, putting his whole head on the railing, the iron bars against his temples.He smiled sourly.
"Hey," he said.
Juliet could hardly recognize him.When I saw him earlier, the light was very dim, and we met in a hurry in the stairwell.He looks handsome, eyes look older than his actual age.His hair was brown and sweaty, and his hair was pushed back almost flat against his scalp.Probably because he rushed down the stairs in a hurry.
"You really shouldn't come." She spoke slowly and in a low voice, afraid that she might cry.What really makes her most sad is that someone sees her current appearance, especially, she has begun to feel that that person is someone she cares about.She couldn't be more ashamed.
"We're figuring it out," he said. "Your friend is looking for co-signers. Don't give up."
She shook her head. "It's no use," she said to him. "Don't get your hopes up." She went to the fence and grabbed the iron bars, but her hands were a few centimeters below his. "We've never met before, why bother?"
"Why do you say such things—"
He turned his head away, a tear running down his cheek. "Are you going to send someone out to clean the lens again?" He said hoarsely, "Why?"
"They have a purpose," said Juliet. "No one can stop them."
Lucas slid his hand down and grabbed her hand.Juliet tried to reach out to wipe the tears from her face, but she couldn't free her hand, so she had to bow her head and wipe the tears with her shoulder.
"I was going up to find you that day—" Lucas shook his head and took a deep breath, "I wanted to go up to meet you and ask you out—"
"Don't do this," she said, "Lucas, don't do this."
"I've already told my mother about you."
"Oh, my God, Lucas—"
"But why did you do this?" He shook his head and shouted, "How did this happen? You can't go out!"
After a while he looked up at her again, when Juliet saw the frightened look in his eyes, and suddenly realized that he was more frightened than she was.She wrenched one hand out of his grasp, then wrenched his hand away, pushing him away. "Forget all that," she said, "I'm sorry, but you should go to someone else. Don't be like me, don't wait—"
"I have found the person in my heart." He said sadly.
Juliet turned her head away, afraid to look at him.
"Let's go." She said softly.
She stood motionless, feeling him still in front of her through the iron railing.The young man knew everything about the stars, but he knew nothing about her.After a while, she heard him sobbing, and she wept secretly.Later, she finally heard his footsteps receding, so heavy.
That night, she slept another night in the cold camp bed.It was already the second night, and no one told her why she was arrested, or what she did to cause so many people to suffer because of her.The next day, she continued to go upstairs again. Along the way, she encountered countless strangers pointing and pointing at her, talking about why someone went out to clean the lens so soon, and she could only go up step by step in a daze, as if The walking dead. Later, she finally came to the top floor.She passed in front of Peter Berning, past her old desk, past the crunching old crumbling chair of Deputy Security Officer Manes, and entered the holding cell. Juliet felt that in the past three days, the daze and shock seemed to form an invisible hard protective shell around her.Everyone was yelling loudly, but she felt that those voices sounded very far away. Everyone squeezed to get closer to her, but she felt that they seemed to be far away. She sat on the cot and listened to Peter Berning's confession of treason.He was holding an evidence bag in his hand, and inside it was the flash drive. At first glance, it looked like a goldfish that had dried up due to lack of water.Not sure how they managed to get that thing out of the incinerator.The edges of the flash drive were charred black.In addition, there is a roll of printing paper, but more than half of it has rotted.Moreover, they also made a list detailing the search history on her computer.She knew in her heart that most of the materials they found were from Horston, not hers.Still, do I need to explain it to them?What's the point?Just what they have in their hands is enough for her to go out and wash the lens several times. As Peter pronounced her guilty, an inquisitor stood beside him in black overalls.This kind of battle clearly meant to sentence her to death on the spot.Juliet knew in her heart that someone had already decided all this, and she knew who it was. She seemed to hear Peter mention Scott, but she didn't pay attention to what he said.Maybe they found the email in his account.Perhaps they intended to lay his death upon her if necessary.Anyway, there is no proof of death, and when both of them are dead, all the evidence will be annihilated. She didn't bother to continue listening to what they had to say.She turned to look at the image on the wall.A small tornado gradually formed on the flat ground and slowly moved towards the sand dunes, but it dissipated as soon as it hit the slope, just like the countless people who went outside to clean the lens, gradually corroded by the wind, and finally disappeared. Bernard never showed up.Is he afraid to face her, or is he too proud?Juliet may never guess.She looked down at her hands and saw a trace of dirt remaining between her nails.She knew in her heart that she was going to die, but it didn't matter.Before her, too many people have faced the same fate, and there will be more in the future, but she is just one of them, now in progress.She is like a cog in a machine, constantly turning, and the teeth are constantly worn out, until one day, the gear is finally polished, and then she seems to be broken into countless pieces, causing serious damage to the machine.Then, she would be dismantled, thrown away, and replaced with a new one. Pamela brought her something to eat from the great dining room, and the piping hot bowls were placed outside the iron bars.It's her favorite oatmeal and french fries.Throughout the day, the courier continued to deliver letters to her, all from the mechanical and electrical department.She was relieved that none of her friends came to see her in person.These letters are enough. Juliet's whole body seemed to be numb, unable to cry, unable to sob and tremble.She can only cry.Looking at the words and sentences in the letter, she felt a burst of warmth in her heart, and tears fell on her thighs involuntarily.Knox simply said sorry.It's not difficult for her to imagine that he would rather show it with actions, would rather kill someone on the spot, rather than write a letter saying that he will regret it for the rest of his life.In the bunker, even if it is just intent to kill, it is enough to be sent out to clean the camera, but Juliet knows that he will not hesitate.As for the letters written by other people, they just entrusted everything to faith, and just quoted some words from some holy books in memory, saying that they would reunite in the kingdom of heaven in the future.Shirley, who knew her best, wrote to tell her about the current condition of the generator, and that a new centrifuge had been installed in the refinery.And she also said that thanks to Juliet, the situation in the mechanical and electrical district will be maintained stably.Seeing this, Juliet finally sobbed softly.The letter was written with charcoal sticks, and she rubbed the writing on the paper with her fingers, and the charcoal powder stuck to her fingers, as if in this way, the wishes of her friends could be conveyed from her fingertips to her heart. Later, she finally received a letter from Old Walker.Of all the letters, this was the only one she couldn't understand.The sun went down, night gradually enveloped the cruel and desolate land, the wind gradually calmed down, and the sand and dust gradually disappeared.She watched it again and again, racking her brains to figure out what the hell he was talking about.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she found that the floor beside the bed was full of letters again.Apparently more letters were pushed in from under the bars throughout the night.Juliet turned her head to look at the darkness around her, and suddenly felt someone was outside.He was standing just outside the iron fence.She moved, and he stepped back immediately, the ring on his hand hit the iron rod and made a "clang".She quickly got up from the bed and rushed to the front of the fence, grabbing the railing.She had just woken up, her legs were sore and weak, her hands were shaking, and she squinted her eyes to watch the figure gradually disappear into the darkness. "Dad—" she called out, reaching out her hand from between the iron rods. But he didn't come back.The tall figure quickened his pace and walked away, as if swallowed by the vast, empty darkness.At this moment, there is only one phantom left before Juliet's eyes, the phantom of childhood memories from long, long ago.
The next morning, the sunrise was very different from usual.The dense cloud layer cracked a crack very rarely, and the brilliant golden sunlight penetrated the crack, forming beams of light in the sand and dust, slowly moving towards the nearby sand dunes, and crossing one sand dune after another. Juliet lay on the bed with her head resting on her hands, watching the dark world outside gradually brighten.She hadn't eaten the bowl of oatmeal outside the fence. It was cold now, and a scent wafted out, filling the entire detention room.It suddenly occurred to her that the people in the information area had been busy for three days and three nights to help her make protective clothing.The materials and accessories of the protective clothing are all delivered from the material area.The protective clothing is designed to be effective for just long enough for her to clean the lens, and then she no longer has any protection. For the past three days, she climbed the stairs in handcuffs, and felt only pain day and night, and a sense of helplessness.In those three days, she didn't really feel the urgency that she was going out to clean the lens.Until now, this morning, she was finally facing her fate.She is very sure that she will never wash the lens.She knew that everyone who went out had said the same thing before, but for some reason, the moment they stepped out the door to meet the god of death, they all seemed to sense some supernatural power, and then their whole person changed, obediently Wash the lens clean.But she is different.Is it necessary to clean the lens for those people in the upper bunker?In the past, people in the electromechanical area were sent out to clean the lens, and she was not the first.However, she will definitely be the first to refuse. Peter escorted her out of the detention room and towards the yellow gate. At this time, she also said that she would not wash the camera anyway.A technician from the information section was waiting for her inside the airlock, making the final adjustments to her hazmat suit. Juliet listened to his explanation with a blank face, looked at the protective clothing, and immediately found that the design of the protective clothing was flawed from head to toe.She can make a better set with her eyes closed.At that moment, she suddenly felt a little regretful. When she was in the ground for a few days, why did she have to work overtime to repair the pump to prevent the water from being flooded, and was busy pumping oil and maintaining the generator.If she had known that the protective clothing was so bad, she should have used that time to make one herself.She looked carefully at the gaskets and gaskets, found that they were the same ones used in the pump below, and immediately understood that they were designed to be easy to break.The surface of the protective clothing was wrapped with layer after layer of heat-resistant tape, and she knew at a glance that it was another deliberately designed rotten tape.The technician kept assuring her that the tapes were the latest and best, and she almost couldn't help but expose him to his face.He helped her zip her up, put her gloves on, put her shoes on, and explained what was in what size pocket. Juliet thought of those strange words in Old Walker's letter: don't be afraid.do not be afraid.do not be afraid.It's time to laugh.The truth is a joke, there are good things. The technician started checking her gloves and the Velcro on the zipper to see if it was properly attached.At this moment Juliet's thoughts were full of old Walker's letter.Why did he mention what supplies?Did she remember wrongly?She can't remember anymore.The technician began to tape the seams of her shoes, replacing one shoe with another.Looking at his actions, Juliet suddenly found it ridiculous.It's just superfluous, it's better to just bury her in the soil of the soil farming area, so that her body is at least somewhat useful. Finally, the technician finally helped her put the helmet on, apparently carefully.He first gave her the helmet to hold by herself, and then helped her adjust the connecting ring at the neckline.She looked down at the visor on the helmet, saw her reflection, saw how hollow and old her eyes were.She didn't expect her eyes to be so old.However, at this moment, she felt that her heart was older than her eyes.Later, the helmet was finally put on, and from the inside, the visor was a dark pane of glass that darkened the entire room.The technician kept reminding her that later it would be filled with argon gas and burnt to sterilize.He told her to get out as soon as possible, otherwise she would die more painfully inside. With that he went out and closed the yellow gate.She saw the dial of the door lock start to spin, as if two invisible hands were turning it. Juliet began to consider whether it would be better for her to stay in and let the fire burn to death, rather than go out and give herself a chance to repent.She was afraid that she would be like those people, who would be obsessed with cleaning the camera as soon as she went out.How would they react when the news spread down the stairwell to the M&M section that she would rather stay inside and be burned?Maybe someone will be proud of her and appreciate her tenacity.Maybe someone would be terrified to see her burnt to black.Maybe someone would think that she was too timid to even step out of the door, wasting a great opportunity to see the outside world with her own eyes. Argon began to fill the airlock, and her hazmat suit began to shrink.High-pressure argon is sufficient to keep the poisonous gas out.For some reason, she started walking towards the gate involuntarily.The door made a "hiss", and the plastic protective cover was immediately pressed against the pipeline and against the low stool. At that moment, she knew that everything was about to end.Then the door opened, and the bunker cracked like a pod, and she vaguely saw the outside world in the mist. She stretched out one leg and stepped through the door opening, and then her body squeezed through, and Juliet finally stepped out into the outside world.At this moment, she decided to go out, because she suddenly wanted to experience what she would see through the small glass visor on the helmet.Eight inches wide and two inches high... At that moment, she suddenly figured it out.
That night, she slept another night in the cold camp bed.It was already the second night, and no one told her why she was arrested, or what she did to cause so many people to suffer because of her.The next day, she continued to go upstairs again. Along the way, she encountered countless strangers pointing and pointing at her, talking about why someone went out to clean the lens so soon, and she could only go up step by step in a daze, as if The walking dead. Later, she finally came to the top floor.She passed in front of Peter Berning, past her old desk, past the crunching old crumbling chair of Deputy Security Officer Manes, and entered the holding cell. Juliet felt that in the past three days, the daze and shock seemed to form an invisible hard protective shell around her.Everyone was yelling loudly, but she felt that those voices sounded very far away. Everyone squeezed to get closer to her, but she felt that they seemed to be far away. She sat on the cot and listened to Peter Berning's confession of treason.He was holding an evidence bag in his hand, and inside it was the flash drive. At first glance, it looked like a goldfish that had dried up due to lack of water.Not sure how they managed to get that thing out of the incinerator.The edges of the flash drive were charred black.In addition, there is a roll of printing paper, but more than half of it has rotted.Moreover, they also made a list detailing the search history on her computer.She knew in her heart that most of the materials they found were from Horston, not hers.Still, do I need to explain it to them?What's the point?Just what they have in their hands is enough for her to go out and wash the lens several times. As Peter pronounced her guilty, an inquisitor stood beside him in black overalls.This kind of battle clearly meant to sentence her to death on the spot.Juliet knew in her heart that someone had already decided all this, and she knew who it was. She seemed to hear Peter mention Scott, but she didn't pay attention to what he said.Maybe they found the email in his account.Perhaps they intended to lay his death upon her if necessary.Anyway, there is no proof of death, and when both of them are dead, all the evidence will be annihilated. She didn't bother to continue listening to what they had to say.She turned to look at the image on the wall.A small tornado gradually formed on the flat ground and slowly moved towards the sand dunes, but it dissipated as soon as it hit the slope, just like the countless people who went outside to clean the lens, gradually corroded by the wind, and finally disappeared. Bernard never showed up.Is he afraid to face her, or is he too proud?Juliet may never guess.She looked down at her hands and saw a trace of dirt remaining between her nails.She knew in her heart that she was going to die, but it didn't matter.Before her, too many people have faced the same fate, and there will be more in the future, but she is just one of them, now in progress.She is like a cog in a machine, constantly turning, and the teeth are constantly worn out, until one day, the gear is finally polished, and then she seems to be broken into countless pieces, causing serious damage to the machine.Then, she would be dismantled, thrown away, and replaced with a new one. Pamela brought her something to eat from the great dining room, and the piping hot bowls were placed outside the iron bars.It's her favorite oatmeal and french fries.Throughout the day, the courier continued to deliver letters to her, all from the mechanical and electrical department.She was relieved that none of her friends came to see her in person.These letters are enough. Juliet's whole body seemed to be numb, unable to cry, unable to sob and tremble.She can only cry.Looking at the words and sentences in the letter, she felt a burst of warmth in her heart, and tears fell on her thighs involuntarily.Knox simply said sorry.It's not difficult for her to imagine that he would rather show it with actions, would rather kill someone on the spot, rather than write a letter saying that he will regret it for the rest of his life.In the bunker, even if it is just intent to kill, it is enough to be sent out to clean the camera, but Juliet knows that he will not hesitate.As for the letters written by other people, they just entrusted everything to faith, and just quoted some words from some holy books in memory, saying that they would reunite in the kingdom of heaven in the future.Shirley, who knew her best, wrote to tell her about the current condition of the generator, and that a new centrifuge had been installed in the refinery.And she also said that thanks to Juliet, the situation in the mechanical and electrical district will be maintained stably.Seeing this, Juliet finally sobbed softly.The letter was written with charcoal sticks, and she rubbed the writing on the paper with her fingers, and the charcoal powder stuck to her fingers, as if in this way, the wishes of her friends could be conveyed from her fingertips to her heart. Later, she finally received a letter from Old Walker.Of all the letters, this was the only one she couldn't understand.The sun went down, night gradually enveloped the cruel and desolate land, the wind gradually calmed down, and the sand and dust gradually disappeared.She watched it again and again, racking her brains to figure out what the hell he was talking about.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she found that the floor beside the bed was full of letters again.Apparently more letters were pushed in from under the bars throughout the night.Juliet turned her head to look at the darkness around her, and suddenly felt someone was outside.He was standing just outside the iron fence.She moved, and he stepped back immediately, the ring on his hand hit the iron rod and made a "clang".She quickly got up from the bed and rushed to the front of the fence, grabbing the railing.She had just woken up, her legs were sore and weak, her hands were shaking, and she squinted her eyes to watch the figure gradually disappear into the darkness. "Dad—" she called out, reaching out her hand from between the iron rods. But he didn't come back.The tall figure quickened his pace and walked away, as if swallowed by the vast, empty darkness.At this moment, there is only one phantom left before Juliet's eyes, the phantom of childhood memories from long, long ago.
The next morning, the sunrise was very different from usual.The dense cloud layer cracked a crack very rarely, and the brilliant golden sunlight penetrated the crack, forming beams of light in the sand and dust, slowly moving towards the nearby sand dunes, and crossing one sand dune after another. Juliet lay on the bed with her head resting on her hands, watching the dark world outside gradually brighten.She hadn't eaten the bowl of oatmeal outside the fence. It was cold now, and a scent wafted out, filling the entire detention room.It suddenly occurred to her that the people in the information area had been busy for three days and three nights to help her make protective clothing.The materials and accessories of the protective clothing are all delivered from the material area.The protective clothing is designed to be effective for just long enough for her to clean the lens, and then she no longer has any protection. For the past three days, she climbed the stairs in handcuffs, and felt only pain day and night, and a sense of helplessness.In those three days, she didn't really feel the urgency that she was going out to clean the lens.Until now, this morning, she was finally facing her fate.She is very sure that she will never wash the lens.She knew that everyone who went out had said the same thing before, but for some reason, the moment they stepped out the door to meet the god of death, they all seemed to sense some supernatural power, and then their whole person changed, obediently Wash the lens clean.But she is different.Is it necessary to clean the lens for those people in the upper bunker?In the past, people in the electromechanical area were sent out to clean the lens, and she was not the first.However, she will definitely be the first to refuse. Peter escorted her out of the detention room and towards the yellow gate. At this time, she also said that she would not wash the camera anyway.A technician from the information section was waiting for her inside the airlock, making the final adjustments to her hazmat suit. Juliet listened to his explanation with a blank face, looked at the protective clothing, and immediately found that the design of the protective clothing was flawed from head to toe.She can make a better set with her eyes closed.At that moment, she suddenly felt a little regretful. When she was in the ground for a few days, why did she have to work overtime to repair the pump to prevent the water from being flooded, and was busy pumping oil and maintaining the generator.If she had known that the protective clothing was so bad, she should have used that time to make one herself.She looked carefully at the gaskets and gaskets, found that they were the same ones used in the pump below, and immediately understood that they were designed to be easy to break.The surface of the protective clothing was wrapped with layer after layer of heat-resistant tape, and she knew at a glance that it was another deliberately designed rotten tape.The technician kept assuring her that the tapes were the latest and best, and she almost couldn't help but expose him to his face.He helped her zip her up, put her gloves on, put her shoes on, and explained what was in what size pocket. Juliet thought of those strange words in Old Walker's letter: don't be afraid.do not be afraid.do not be afraid.It's time to laugh.The truth is a joke, there are good things. The technician started checking her gloves and the Velcro on the zipper to see if it was properly attached.At this moment Juliet's thoughts were full of old Walker's letter.Why did he mention what supplies?Did she remember wrongly?She can't remember anymore.The technician began to tape the seams of her shoes, replacing one shoe with another.Looking at his actions, Juliet suddenly found it ridiculous.It's just superfluous, it's better to just bury her in the soil of the soil farming area, so that her body is at least somewhat useful. Finally, the technician finally helped her put the helmet on, apparently carefully.He first gave her the helmet to hold by herself, and then helped her adjust the connecting ring at the neckline.She looked down at the visor on the helmet, saw her reflection, saw how hollow and old her eyes were.She didn't expect her eyes to be so old.However, at this moment, she felt that her heart was older than her eyes.Later, the helmet was finally put on, and from the inside, the visor was a dark pane of glass that darkened the entire room.The technician kept reminding her that later it would be filled with argon gas and burnt to sterilize.He told her to get out as soon as possible, otherwise she would die more painfully inside. With that he went out and closed the yellow gate.She saw the dial of the door lock start to spin, as if two invisible hands were turning it. Juliet began to consider whether it would be better for her to stay in and let the fire burn to death, rather than go out and give herself a chance to repent.She was afraid that she would be like those people, who would be obsessed with cleaning the camera as soon as she went out.How would they react when the news spread down the stairwell to the M&M section that she would rather stay inside and be burned?Maybe someone will be proud of her and appreciate her tenacity.Maybe someone would be terrified to see her burnt to black.Maybe someone would think that she was too timid to even step out of the door, wasting a great opportunity to see the outside world with her own eyes. Argon began to fill the airlock, and her hazmat suit began to shrink.High-pressure argon is sufficient to keep the poisonous gas out.For some reason, she started walking towards the gate involuntarily.The door made a "hiss", and the plastic protective cover was immediately pressed against the pipeline and against the low stool. At that moment, she knew that everything was about to end.Then the door opened, and the bunker cracked like a pod, and she vaguely saw the outside world in the mist. She stretched out one leg and stepped through the door opening, and then her body squeezed through, and Juliet finally stepped out into the outside world.At this moment, she decided to go out, because she suddenly wanted to experience what she would see through the small glass visor on the helmet.Eight inches wide and two inches high... At that moment, she suddenly figured it out.