Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Civilization

Eminent Mayor of Cowbel, Head of Sovereign State of planet GO-73901-II (the planet is recorded in the Lima List), Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief Justice, Defender of Liberty - Roderick L. Waugh Erke was sitting leisurely in front of the city hall, enjoying his leisure.He scratched his head with his hands, wondering if it was time for him to have it cut—he was worried about getting lice...but there were no lice on this planet. His Prime Minister, Miss Caroline Beatrice Mishieni, crouched in front of him. "Rod, I've told them over and over again...and it's not getting any better. That family produces more trash than everyone else put together, and you must have seen it this morning. Look at their door The trash from before... and the flies!"

"I saw." "Then what should I do? You should ask me to be tougher on them, but you're always too soft-hearted." "Maybe!" Rhode looked thoughtfully at the stone tablet erected in the city square. On the stone tablet was written: In memory of sacrificed for the city first mayor Ulysses Grant Cowbell The engraving on the stele is not very good, it was carved by Rhodes himself. "Grant said to me that government is the art of dealing with people you don't like." "Yeah, I just don't like Bruce and Dio," Caroline said. "Me too, but Grant once found a soft way to fit them into the team."

"You can do it, but I can't! Rhodes, you shouldn't have brought Bruce back, it's bad enough. But then he married... Sigh!" "They are a natural couple." Rhodes replied: "No one else wants to marry any of them." "Aren't you kidding? It's just... Hey! Herbe! Don't bully little Grant!" She jumped up from the ground. The little girl Herbe Roberta Baxter is sixteen months old, and the little boy Grant Roderick Soxton is thirteen months old. These two little guys were fighting just now, and they were both crying. .When Caroline yelled, they both stopped their hands and stopped crying.The two children were bare buttocks and covered in dirt. The dirt here is "clean".Caroline had bathed them an hour ago, and they were plump and healthy.

Herbe turned her face away, and said complainingly: "Bad-bad-bad boy!" "I think it's you." Caroline went to pull her up, patted her little bottom lightly, and then picked up Grant Soxton. "Give her to me," Rhodes said. "She likes you," Caroline said, sitting down, and she put the baby on her lap, rocking it gently. "Poor boy, let Aunt Caroline see where it hurts?" "You shouldn't be talking to him like that, it'll make him a girl." "Look who's talking? It's weak Volker." Herbe put her arms around Rhodes, and said coquettishly, "Roddie!" Then she kissed Rhodes with her dirty mouth, and Rhodes also kissed the child.He thought the kid was spoiled, but in reality he was spoiled more than anyone else.

"Oh..." Caroline said: "Everyone likes Uncle Rhodes, he does all good things, and Aunt Caroline does all the work of wiping her ass." "Caroline, I've been thinking about it." "The weather is fine, don't say unhappy things." "It's about Bruce and Dior, I want to talk to them." "Let's talk!" "There's a real penalty that we've never used—I hope we never have, I mean expulsion. The reason the McGowans do what they want is because they think we won't, but I'm very Want to punish them in this ancient way... If it can be passed, I will announce it in front of the citizens-either they will be expelled, or I will resign."

"They'll support you. Why? I bet Uncle Rhodes hasn't had a shower this week!" "I don't care if they support it or not, I've had seven votes of confidence. One day I'll retire honorably. The problem is convincing Bruce that I'm up to it, I just haven't had to. Face it. No one wants to be deported to the jungle unless he doesn't want to live a comfortable life here, and he has to understand that." "Well, maybe he'll think you're trying to get back at him for hurting your ribs before." "Maybe, but I won't make it personal, Caroline, I'm not that selfish."

"Well . . . weigh it again, and let him know that people are lenient—but not too far—and you just want to teach them a lesson." "Well, more or less. I think Grant would have done the same, and I'll think about it." "Think about it!" Caroline said and stood up. "I have to give these two little guys another bath, I don't know where they got all the dirt." With a child in one hand, she twisted and twisted towards the shower room.Rhodes looked at her back lazily. She had a leather headband tied around her head and a Maori grass skirt, with curls of dry grass leaves.This was Caroline's preferred attire, and she wore it all day in the city, though she wore a leather apron like the men when she went hunting during the day.

Now these interstellar immigrants can already extract leaf fibers, but their clothes supply is far from keeping up, and even baby clothes cannot be guaranteed.Bill Kennedy built a loom for Hugh, but the things it made were ugly and the production efficiency was very low. The cloth was less than half a meter wide, but Rhodes still believed that this was an improvement. It's a sign of civilization that they've taken a giant step forward. The city is now on high alert for "Stable".A high and steep wall has been erected, overlooking the upper reaches of the river bank, and it is difficult for any animal but a giant lion to get over it, but even if the lion jumped it would fall on a wide strip of wooden thorns. Above, it is absolutely impossible to slip through the net.Right now Rhodes is laying the skin of a giant lion that died due to a stupid leap.There are also many traps for hunting "Stable" on the wall.These are narrow passages, just big enough for a stubble to get through, but it will fall into deep trapping wells where they will bite each other - that's all they can do.

Now it's easy to defend against these monsters around the city, but Rhodes wants to get rid of them. Only when such abominable monsters are no longer seen on this planet, Rhodes will feel at ease. The city is now safe. Still nicknamed "big-headed beasts," "stabbers" aren't much of a danger, except during the dry season, until the frantic annual Great Migration begins - but during the most recent one, there wasn't a single human Injured, the defense of these interstellar immigrants was very successful, and now they already know how to defend.Rhodes asked the mother and child to hide in the cave, and the others took turns to defend on duty for two consecutive nights.Finally, there was no drop of blood on their blades.

Rhodes was thinking about another thing in his tiredness, which was the paper problem.Grant is right...even a small village can hardly survive without paper.In addition, they had to avoid losing the ability to write.He wanted to continue Grant's intention to record any bit of knowledge that this group of people had mastered, such as logarithmic knowledge-logarithmic knowledge may not be of much use for generations, but once the time is right, complex mathematics Knowledge will... Rhode fell asleep thinking about it. "Busy, sir?" Rhode looked up and saw that it was Arthur Nelson. "Just slept... always sleepy in the afternoon. What's the matter, Arthur? Have Shorty and Doug been blowing the bellows?"

"No, the pressure plug broke, the fire went out, and the boiler was destroyed." Nelson sat down wearily.He was sweating profusely, his face was flushed, and he looked downcast.One of his forearms was burned, but he didn't seem to know it. "Rhode, what did we do wrong? I really don't understand." "Go ask your bright mind! If you don't know and I do, we might as well change jobs." "I don't really mean to ask you, I know two things went wrong. We can't build a boiler big enough yet, and we don't have coal. We have to find coal, Lord. Coal is needed to make iron or steel .The charcoal will do nothing but make some rough iron." "Do you think a miracle will happen in one night, Arthur? Will there be a miracle? You've been years ahead of anyone else. You'll produce metal, whether it's crude iron or uranium, because you've Great step forward, Margery thinks you're a genius." "Yes, yes, we have produced iron, but it should be better and more. These iron ores are really wonderful... real rich iron ores. On the earth, no one in centuries I've seen such a large amount of high-quality rich ore. It should be able to make steel. If there is coal, I can definitely. We've got clay, we've got lime, and these iron ores - but there is no temperature high enough flame." Rhodes is not in a hurry, the interstellar immigrants will soon have the metal they need, but Nelson is discouraged. "Would you like to stop and look for coal?" "Oh, no, I'm not going to look for it. I want to build another boiler." Nelson gave a rough overview of his idea for the boiler and its performance and goals. "Who knows more about geology?" "Well, I guess it's me." "Who can come second?" "What's the matter? It should be Doug." "Let Doug take a team of boys to find coal. You let Mick shake the bellows instead of him... No, wait, how about Bruce?" "Bruce? He doesn't want to work." "Do his job. If you do his job and he runs away or forgets to come back, we won't miss him anymore. Do me a favor by letting him do it, Arthur." "Since you say that, then... okay." "Very well, don't be discouraged, failure is the mother of success! Don't miss the dance tonight. Today is the last day of the week, so you don't need to start work, you need to rest...Shortie and Doug are the same." "I know, but once it's all ready, I always want to start. It's always been daunting with these things we do. When you're ready to do something, you have to do something else to prepare for it -- and There are usually other things to prepare for this event. In vain!" "You don't know what 'vain' means, ask our Ministry of Agriculture, did you see our fields when you went over the wall?" "We came through there." "Better don't let Cliff catch you, he'll kill you, and I'll stop you for him." "Oh! But there's just a ridiculous thatch growing there! Thousands of acres around are like that." "Yes, some thatch and weeds. It's a pity that Cliff may not see anything other than these, and maybe little Cliff will not be able to wait, but one day our descendants will eat it." White bread. Arthur, you can still build a machine yourself in your lifetime - you know that a machine can be built, as Bob Baxter said, it's two-thirds done. Cliff He didn't live long enough to eat a mouthful of sweet, delicious white bread, but that didn't stop him from working." "You should be a missionary, Rhodes." Arthur stood up and smelled himself. "I have to take a shower, or girls won't dance with me." "I'm just quoting someone else, you've heard it before. Save me some soap." Caroline was beating "Arkansas Travelers" with two sticks, Jimmy was on his drum, and Roy was yelling, "Guys, assemble in the square." Shouted in a high voice: "Dear guests! Ladies and gentlemen! Now jump up, jump up..." Rhodes didn't dance at the moment, it was his turn to shout the rhythm.These interstellar immigrants have already built eight squares, which are obviously too spacious for the rhythmic sounds, harmonica sounds, and primitive drums that do not have amplifying equipment, so about half of the people are just sitting and whispering, and the other half of people are dancing.Rhythm callers and bands pause for a while at the end of each song to swap partners. In fact, most people don't know how to participate in the square dance.When Agnes Bulvimark first proposed this suggestion, she was almost the only one who raised her hand, and some even laughed and objected—training the people who called the rhythm, training the dancers, and adding Caroline to compose the music, It also attracted Jimmy to carve the jungle drum, and now 90% of the people have participated in the dance. Rhodes didn't like it at first (he was not too familiar with the history of the Mormon pioneers), and he thought it was nonsense and an interference to work, but after everyone experienced the fruits of hard work overnight After the process of time disappearing into nothingness, the pain in his heart has been unable to go away-but in the music and dance, he saw these people smiling again, joking again, and working hard again. So he decided to encourage it.His timing is not guaranteed, he has no sense of rhythm, and often makes mistakes. Although he can't dance well, he has a lot of enthusiasm. It was finally settled on Sunday nights, weddings, and festivals—and made it more “official”—that is, the ladies had to wear hula skirts.You can't go to the ball in a leather skirt and casual trousers (which are already tattered).Hugh once said to make a formal square dance dress, but she just made it for herself, and a denim shirt for her husband... Maybe only one person can wear it for everyone. A distant dream. The music stopped and the band changed.Caroline tossed her harmonica to Shawdy and walked over to Rhodes. "Come on, Rhodes, let's shake the dust off our bodies too." "I've invited Hugh," he said bluntly and sincerely.He was very careful, trying not to ask the same girl to jump on it twice, and he didn't pay special attention to any one girl.He had said to himself a long time ago that if ever he wanted to get married, it would be the day he quit his job. He hadn't realized how difficult it is to be with work.He enjoyed dancing with Caroline, who was a very popular partner--though she was on the man's arm instead of the man's.Despite this, Rhodes is more careful not to stay with Caroline excessively in public. She is his right-hand man and his embodiment. Rhodes walked over and held out a hand to Xio.He hadn't yet realized that all sorts of civilized habits were returning, and the social graces of the ball felt natural to them.He took Hugh into the dance floor and danced to "The Texas Star." After a while, they were tired from dancing and danced happily.In order to avoid misunderstandings by other people on the dance floor, he quickly led his partner back out.He handed Hugh back to Bill, bowed to thank him, and returned to the place always reserved for him.Margery and her assistant were handing out some brown treats strung on wooden sticks, and he asked for one. "It tastes good, Margery, what's this?" "Mocknell bird and smoked venison hamburger, with salt and homegrown seasoning, plate baked. You're going to love it, it took us hours!" "Well, it's delicious! How about another one?" "Look at you, glutton." "I've got to get another one, I work the hardest, I have to keep my strength up! Haha." "I think eating is your job this afternoon." He said and handed him another one. "I was thinking, and my mind was a little confused." "I've heard that confusion, you talk so loudly in your sleep." When she was about to turn around and leave, Rhodes asked for another one.Then he looked up and saw Jacqueline laughing at him, and he made a face at her. "Are you happy, Rhodes?" "Yes! Very happy indeed. How are you, Jackie?" "I've never been so happy," Jacqueline said seriously. Jacqueline's husband, Jimmy, had one arm around her as he said: "Look what a lovely fellow can do, Rod? When I first met this little girl, she was a tomboy and knew how to cook , and very shy, now look at her—is she fat and sexy?" "I'm not fat." "Plumpness is plumpness." Rhodes looked up at the cave. "Jackie, remember the night I first came here?" "I won't forget." "I was foolish enough to think it was Africa at first! You say, if you had a chance to reconsider, would you hope I was right?" "I never thought about it, and I knew it wasn't right." "Yes, I mean you'd probably be home already in that case." She put her hand on her husband: "Then I won't meet James." "Oh no, you will, you've met me, and there's no way you won't meet him—he's my best friend." "Maybe, but I don't want to change. I never clamored to go home, Rhodes, this is home." "Me neither." Jimmy continued, "You know what? Now that the population is getting bigger and growing faster, Gody and I are getting ready to open a law firm. There's no competition between us, that's acceptable. The client is entrusted. He is more specialized in criminal crimes, while I am good at divorce. We will have a good cooperation and make a lot of money. I will sit in an eight-horse carriage, smoking a big cigar, in front of the country people Show off. Haha, huh, Gordy?" he yelled at Gordie. "That's right, partner, I've got a name and purpose for our firm: 'Goldstein & Soxton - come to us, not jail!'" "Fine, but it's better to say 'Soxton & Goldstein'." "My grade is high, and I have studied law for more than two years." "No, Rhodes, will you let this Taylor University guy ride on the head of Parker Henry High School student?" "Maybe! Jimmy, I don't know how you guys work together? I don't think we have divorce laws yet? I'll have to ask Caroline." "Small things, you preside over the marriage, Rhodes, and I will handle the divorce." "Ask Caroline what?" Caroline said. "Do we have a divorce law?" "Huh? We don't even have a marriage law yet!" "That's not necessary." Goldstein said: "There are constraints of cultural inheritance, and besides, we don't have paper." "That's right, barrister," agreed Jimmy. "Why ask?" Caroline asked, "No one wants a divorce? Even if there is, I will know first." "We're not talking about this." Rhodes explained: "Jackie said she doesn't want to go back to Earth, and Jimmy is running a partnership law firm, isn't that necessary?" Caroline exclaimed, "Why would anyone want to go back to Earth?" "That's it!" Jimmy said. "This is home. There are no taxes, no traffic jams, no overcrowding, no advertising, no phones. Honestly, Rod, everyone here is fighting for our common goal." , we have passed the test of survival. What is the difference between these two places? Of course we should develop faster.” He shook his wife’s hand and said, “I’m about to enjoy a big cigar! I’m rich now , man, rich!" Agnes and Kurt also gathered around.Agnes nodded as she listened, and she said, "You're not being cynical for the first time, Jimmy? I cried every night when I went to bed the first few months, wondering if they'd find us. Now I know they can't find us anymore - but I don't care anymore. I wouldn't want to go back if I could, but I forgot my lipstick." Her husband laughed loudly: "Now you know? Rhodes, women don't care where they are, as long as they can make them beautiful." "What do you mean, Kurt? You promised to make me lipstick." "Give me some time." Bob Baxter also surrounded him, and he sat down instead of Rhodes. "I didn't see you at the meeting this morning, Rhodes." "Some things are delayed, I will go next week." "Okay." Bob is now both a medical officer and a pastor. He presides over some religious activities. Because of his status as a medical officer, believers such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Muslims can accept him, so when he hosts activities, he participates in many people. "Bob, do you want to go home?" "Where, Caroline?" "Back to Earth." "certainly." Jimmy was very puzzled when he heard it. "I don't understand you, why?" "Oh, I'll be back, but I need a medical school diploma." He smiled shyly. "Maybe I'm the best doctor here right now, but that doesn't seem to be enough." "Then..." Jimmy seemed to agree, "I see what you mean, but you're already a good fit for us, aren't you, Jackie?" "Yes, Jimmy." "I'm sorry," Bob continued. "I've lost some things that I should have kept, but it's just a matter of what if we're here now." There was a discussion on the issue, and Jimmy's point of view was welcomed, although Bob's motives were well respected.Rhodes said good night, and when he went to bed he still heard them arguing about the issue, and was affected by it, still thinking about it in his head. A long time ago, he had decided that they would no longer have a connection with Earth.He hasn't thought about it for a long time, how long?It's been more than a year!At first it was for psychological reasons, to keep myself from getting homesick, and then it became normal.No return signal for a week may be a power failure, and the absence of a few weeks may be a technical reason, but the recall signal disappears month after month, which is a major interstellar disaster.Every day that is added, the possibility of returning to the earth will be reduced by one point, and it is now very small. He now asks himself: "Is this what I want?" Jacqueline is right, this is home.He also admitted that he liked the feeling of being the leader of a group of people, he liked his job, and he no longer wanted to be a scientist or a scholar.As for the businessman, he hadn't thought about it before—what he was doing now was very suitable for him...he seemed to be doing it quite competently. "This is our home!" He thought about it and fell into a sweet dreamland. Cliff was always trying to grow the right crops, but Rhodes didn't take it too seriously.Cliff always wanted to make something, and if he was the boss, he'd have all the men working on his farm from dawn to dusk, but well, he knew what he wanted to— — Rhodes has never neglected the importance of crops, which are the basis for the development and continuation of civilization for all interstellar immigrants, but Cliff doesn't seem to know much about this knowledge. Cliff sticks his head into the mayor's shack. "Are you ready?" "Yes." Rhodes picked up his javelin, it was no longer a temporary weapon, it was installed on the iron rod stabbed by Braun's lightning gun.Rhodes wanted to use rough iron to make the javelin shaft, but the balance was not very good. "Find two boys and go catch some 'Stabbles' together." "OK." Rhodes looked around. Jimmy was sitting by his pottery wheel. He was pedaling the wheel while making pottery with his hands. "Jim! Hold on a second, grab your javelin, and we'll have some fun." Soxton wiped his sweat. "You have found the right person!" They also called Kenny and Mick, and Cliff led them upstream. "I'm going to show you some animals." "Okay." Rhodes said, "Cliff, I've been meaning to tell you that if you want to keep those beasts in the enclosure, you have to deal with their excrement, and Caroline always talks about it too! " "Rod, I can't do everything! You can't let them out, and don't if you want them to live." "Of course, of course! Well, we'll help you more, that's all...wait!" They were passing the last shack.Bruce McGowan was sprawled in front of the door, apparently asleep.Rhodes didn't speak immediately, he was suppressing his anger.He was fighting in his heart, and he wanted to get rid of this parasite, but he knew that if he didn't control his emotions, he would change his destiny and destroy the entire immigrant group.His rationality still prevailed, and he restrained himself from attacking.He took a deep breath, controlled his trembling lips, and moved closer to Bruce's ear. "Bruce!" he said softly. McGovern opened his eyes. "Ok?" "Isn't Arthur working at the factory today?" "Maybe!" Bruce replied lazily. "So?" "Then what? I've been working for a week and I can't go on. Find someone else!" Bruce carried a dagger with him, and everyone carried a dagger.For the immigrant, no clothes, no dagger, a universal tool for cutting hides, preparing food, eating, felling, building, weaving, and making all kinds of other tools, Everything they have benefited from daggers. Although bows and arrows are used for hunting now, bows and arrows are also made of daggers. But since Brother Bruce provoked Rhodes with a dagger last time, no one else has used a dagger against his partner.Facing the same situation, Rhodes recalled the past again, but if Bruce used the dagger today, he would immediately get the support of others. He knew that this problem couldn't be solved in a five-on-one way, and he had to beat this guy to the ground alone, otherwise his days as the leader would not be too long. Rhodes did not choose to challenge Bruce with his fists.Rhodes has read too many adventure stories before, and the hero always wants to find someone to "one-on-one" single-handedly, that is, to solve problems by "boxing".Rhodes likes such stories very much, but he has never connected these with himself. At most, he imagines himself as a character in "Three Musketeers".But in any case, he still knew the meaning of boxing.Boxers hold fists, wear sheaths, and can only strike a limited number of places with their fists, and usually no one gets hurt in such a fight. The combat training that Rhodes received was not a simple sport, he didn't consider whether to use weapons at all.Whether he and Bruce fought with bare hands or otherwise, someone would be killed or mortally wounded, and the most dangerous weapon was the person himself. Bruce stared at Rhodes sullenly. "Bruce," Rhodes said, trying to keep his voice even. "I told you a long time ago that people here must either work or leave. You and your brother didn't believe me, so we once expelled you. When you came back, you cried to us how your brother York was killed. Killed, how you wished to join our ranks. You once expressed your remorse, remember?" McGovern frowned.Rhodes went on: "You swore to be a good man, and people thought I was a fool—I was a fool, but I thought you'd play by the rules." Bruce pulled a piece of thatch and bit it in his mouth. "Boy, you remind me of my brother York, who was always so domineering." "Bruce, get up, get out of town! I don't care where you go, but if you're smart, you should go tell Arthur you're wrong--and then do what you gotta do, go pull the bellows. I'll check it out later See, if I arrive and don't see you sweating...then you don't have to come back and you'll be banished forever." McGovern looked around in bewilderment.His eyes swept over Rhodes, Rhodes didn't know what other people's expressions looked like, his eyes kept staring at Bruce. "Get up and go to work, or never come back." Bruce glanced sideways at Rhodes. "You have no right to expel me. It requires a majority vote." Jimmy yelled: "Oh, stop talking nonsense with him, Rhodes, get him out now." Rhodes shook his head. "No, Bruce, if that's your answer, I'll have a meeting before lunch to decide on your expulsion - I'll bet my best dagger you won't get three yes votes, bet ?" Bruce stood up, looked at the others, and calculated his chances.After looking around, he turned his head and stared at Rhodes again. "Boy." He said slowly, "You are not worthy of arguing with me...you should find a few women to bicker." Jimmy muttered, "Look at him, Rhodes!" Rhodes licked his dry lips, knowing that it was too late to say anything, he had to take him down...he didn't know if he could do it. "I will fight you." He said sternly, "Now." Cliff hurriedly said: "No, Rhodes, we will deal with him." "No! Come here, McGovern." Rhode's words were resounding. McGovern didn't move. "Drop your javelin." Rhodes said, "Take my javelin, Cliff." Cliff dissuaded: "Wait, wait! I don't want to watch this kind of thing happen. If he is lucky, he will kill you, Rhodes." "Get out of the way, Cliff." "No!" Cliff hesitated, and then said: "Bruce, throw away your dagger, you throw it over first - otherwise, I will stab you in the stomach with a javelin. Rhodes, give me your dagger too Bar." Rhodes looked at Bruce, then took off the dagger and handed it to Cliff.Bruce walked straight ahead, throwing the dagger at Cliff's feet.Cliff was still persuading, "I still want to say don't do this, Rhodes, we will get rid of him." "Back back and make room for us." "Okay! No ribs. Hear that, Bruce? If you foul once, there's no second chance." "No ribs are allowed." Rhodes repeated in a low voice, he was very frustrated, this rule was not good for him, Bruce had an advantage in height, arm length and weight. "No problem." McGovern agreed. "Catch it like a cat! I'll show this country bumpkin that one Megwyn is worth two." Cliff sighed. "Stand back, everyone, and get ready—start." The two of them got into a good pose and turned around in a circle facing each other. At first they didn't hand in hand, they just made some preparatory moves.Twenty-seven ways to beat an opponent in hand-to-hand combat are listed in most high school and college textbooks, but none of these methods work in the first few seconds of the fight.They were testing each other, pushing their hands back and forth, because they were too nervous to approach each other. Rhodes is very disgusted with this kind of rules, such a duel will not have any results.Bruce sneered at him: "What's wrong? Scared? I've been waiting for you! You bluffing coward—let me teach you a lesson." He rushed up. Rhodes stepped back a bit, preparing to avoid Bruce's attack, but Bruce didn't completely rush over, he was just probing, and Rhodes' reaction was a bit too much.Bruce laughed: "Are you scared? Huh? Be scared." Rhodes knew that he was afraid, and he was afraid like never before.He thought that Bruce was going to kill him, and that thought hit him like a tidal wave... The rule against hitting the ribs is useless now, and this gorilla in front of him seems to be putting him at risk. dead. He backed away again, his mind even more confused... He knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to forget this rule, but he also knew that he had to follow this ridiculous rule, even if it would take him life.He was so panicked that he wanted to run away. Of course he didn't do this, he had a kind of courage from despair, and he was ready to end it all.He deliberately exposed a flaw. He saw Bruce's foot kicked as he imagined, and he was delighted in his heart, and he just assumed a counterattack position, but he hesitated because of his soft heart, because he knew that if he twisted hard now, he would Would break Bruce's ankle. So he jumped up in the air, moving his hands away from Bruce, but Bruce seized the loophole in his move, and immediately took out the second move - when Rhodes fell, Bruce had already rushed up. "Can you move your arm, Rod?" Rhodes opened his eyes, seeing something blurry, and he tried to see more clearly, it was Bob Baxter's face. "Did I kill him?" Bob didn't answer, and another angry voice answered him, "God, no, he almost tore you to pieces." Rhodes moved and said in a low voice, "Where is he? I'll teach him a lesson." Baxter sternly shouted: "Lie down and don't move!" Cliff said: "Don't worry, Rod, we have subdued him." Baxter followed up: "Stop talking, let me see看你的左臂能不能动。” 罗德动了动左臂，感觉到一阵钻心的痛，又感觉到似乎浑身都痛。“没有断。”巴克斯特说：“也许是前臂的一根小骨骨折了，我们得为他打上夹板，能坐起来吗？我来帮你。” “我想站起来。”他在别人的帮助下摇摇晃晃地站了起来。大部分市民几乎都赶过来了，他这一站人群突然骚动起来，这让他有点头晕眼花。 “别紧张，伙计。”他听到了吉米的声音。“布鲁斯差点儿毁了你，你给他这样的机会，简直是疯了。” “我没事。”罗德回答道：“他在哪儿？” “在你身后，别担心，我们已经制服他了。” “是的。”克里夫也跟着说，他还生气地一握拳。“我们教训了他，他以为自己是谁？想随意地对市长动手动脚？” 布鲁斯脸冲下，一只胳膊护住了脸，他正在喘着粗气。罗德问：“他伤得重不重？” “他？”吉米不屑地说：“他根本就没伤着，我是说，他应该躺在地上不能动弹的——但是他却没有受一点儿伤，卡罗琳不让我们再动他。” 卡罗琳此刻正坐在布鲁斯的边上，守护着他。她站起身来生气地说：“我应该让你们继续打，但是如果我这么做了，你们一定会认为我疯了。”她的双手放在背后。“罗德·沃尔克，你遇到困难时能不能大声叫我，这四个傻瓜就只会站在旁边，看着事情发生。” “等等，卡罗琳。”克里夫反驳说：“我是劝阻了，我们都劝了，但是……” “但是我不听。”罗德插了句话：“别担心，卡罗琳，我为自己负责。” “如果你听我的……” “没关系的。”罗德走到了迈格文的身边。“转过身来！”他命令道。 布鲁斯慢慢地转过了身，罗德看着他若有所思，自己可能也是这副模样——布鲁斯浑身是土，到处是伤痕和血迹，他的脸看上去就像被人把五官给挫平了一样。 "stand up!" 布鲁斯刚要站起来，又疼得蹲了下来。罗德说：“你现在去向亚瑟报道，布鲁斯，翻过围墙，现在就去。” 迈格文看上去很意外。 "what?" “你听到我说的了，我没有时间跟你玩游戏，去向亚瑟报到，参加劳动，否则你就离开，永远别再回来，现在就去。” 布鲁斯愣了一会儿，然后踉踉跄跄地朝着围墙走去。罗德转过身来说：“伙计们，回去工作吧！游戏结束了。克里夫，你不是要带我去看那些动物吗？” “什么？噢，罗德，有机会的。” “是的，罗德。”巴克斯特也说，“我要给你的胳膊上块夹板，然后你去休息休息。” 罗德小心翼翼地动了动胳膊说：“没有夹板也可以的。来吧！克里夫，就你和我，'斯塔勃'就先不去打了。” 他的注意力很难集中到克里夫正在讲的话上……似乎是关于阉割两只什么食草动物让它们适应马鞍之类的话，没有马车，要马鞍干什么呢？罗德的头很疼，他的胳膊受伤了，意识也有点模糊。如果是格兰特会怎么做呢？他在决斗中被打败了……他应该说些什么呢？或者还是什么都不说？过些时日也就不值一提了。 “……所以我们可以这么做，你明白吗，罗德？” “嗯？当然，克里夫。”他在使劲地想刚才克里夫说的话。“也许木轮子就可以了，我看看是不是比尔能做个马车。” “但是除了马车我们还需要……” 罗德打断了他：“克里夫，如果你这么说，我们就试试吧！我现在得去洗一洗，嗯，明天再去看农田吧。” 虽然淋浴的水忽凉忽热，但洗了个澡后，罗德感觉好多了，也更干净了。他蹒跚着回到屋内，躺了下来。等他醒来时，他看见肖迪正守护在门口，以免别人来打扰。 他有三天的时间没有出门，三天之后，他感觉好了点，想去农田视察一番。尼尔森来报告说，迈格文参加劳动了，但并不太积极。卡罗琳说，迪奥也比较遵守卫生法规了。罗德不知道该如何去面对公众，他甚至想了一夜，认为自己应该辞去市长职务，让一个没有丢过面子的人来取代他，这才是明智之举，但是，让他感到意外的是，他的位置似乎变得更加巩固了。那帮来自泰勒大学的人——他原本认为是不太怎么忠心的人——现在表现得似乎也礼貌多了。科特曾经是这帮人的地下首领，现在也对罗德非常客气，并且看起来好像是在帮着罗德说话。“布鲁斯是害群之马，罗德，别让他再兴风作浪了，下次再发生这种事，让我来处理。” “谢谢你，科特。” “现在的环境还不是很好，我们团结一致都还有许多困难要克服，就别让他再为我们雪上加霜了。不过你不用再费心，我们会教训他的。” 那天晚上罗德睡得很踏实。也许他在这件事上的处理方式与格兰特不同，但是效果似乎不错，考贝尔城现在是安全的。现在还有许多困难要克服，但是大家都会同心合力，共同面对。总会有一天，这里会出现一座城市，这儿将是考贝尔广场，上游那里将会出现尼尔森钢铁工厂，也许还会有条沃尔克大道…… 他打算第二天去看看农田，他跟克里夫说了，他们叫上了原来那几个人——吉米、肯特，还有米克。他们拿起标枪，登上城墙内侧的台阶，然后从城墙外侧的梯子上下来。到了长满蒿草的农田里，克里夫捻起一撮土，放在嘴里尝了尝。“土质很好，也许有点呈酸性，在我们能进行土壤化学成分检验之前，无法确切知道土壤的具体成分，但是土壤结构是好的。也许尼尔森先生下面要做的东西就该是一把犁了……” “亚瑟可不傻，给他点时间，他不光能做出犁来，他还能做出拖拉机。” “犁就够了，然后套上几头牛。罗德，我的想法就是这样。但是如果我们播种之后，会把许多动物引来吃庄稼，那我们等于是为它们种地了。我看要再建一圈围墙，高度就和……” “围墙？克里夫，那得占用多少人工和时间啊？” “那不是问题。” 罗德看了一眼这片平地，这比城里围起来的那一圈土地要大好几倍。建个篱笆还差不多，要是建围墙——克里夫的野心也太大了。“注意，要先把这片地里的'斯塔勃'都干掉，我们才能知道该做些什么。” “好吧！不过要先告诉他们留意脚下。” 罗德让大家站成一条线分散开，他自己站在中间。“注意脚下！”他提醒道：“不要让任何一只漏网。要知道，现在每干掉一只，就等于少繁殖了六只。” 他们慢慢地向前走着。肯尼干掉了一只，吉米也跟着杀死了两只。“斯塔勃”很少会逃跑，它们还处于生命周期中的“笨拙”阶段。 罗德也杀死了一只，他停下来正要对他右边的人说话，但是却发现边上没有人。“等等，米克哪去了？” “嗯？他刚才还在这里。” 罗德回头看了看。除了地上的微光之外，米克原本应该站立的位置上什么也没有。一定是草丛里藏着什么东西，把米克拌倒了。“注意！出问题了，大家快集中起来……睁大眼睛！”他小心地向米克消失的地方走去。 突然有两个人影出现在他的视线里……米克和一个陌生人。 陌生人穿戴整齐……他四处打量了一圈，然后向身后喊道：“嗨，雅克！把她放在机器里，固定好。”他向着罗德这边张望了一下，然后就走了过来，但是他似乎并没有看见罗德。突然，他消失了。 罗德的心剧烈地跳动起来，他开始奔跑。当他转过身时，发现面前出现了一座敞开的时空门……下面是一条长长的、封闭的走廊。 那个穿戴整齐的人走进了时空门。“各就各位！”他命令道：“我们准备修补裂缝，这里可能还有一些局部干扰。”