Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen Hours to go

This news had a huge impact on me, and an unspeakable excitement seized me! ... I feel that the end of the matter is drawing near ... may it be as civilized and human as it wants! Until today, I keep a diary every day. From now on, it is important to write down what happens every moment, every minute and every second.Who's to say I can't know Thomas Roche's last secret. , I don't have time to write it down? ...if I die in battle, God forbid that an account of the five months I spent in the cave on Cup-Cupped Island be found on my body! First, Gail Karage, Engineer Sokol, Captain Spud and several other pirates came to the seashore outside the island.I would give anything if I could just follow them, hide among the rocks and watch the ships on the distant ocean...

An hour later, more than 20 people stayed and continued to monitor, and the others returned to Bihaifu.Since the days are so short at this time of day, don't worry about what's going to happen until tomorrow.Since they were not planning to land, the attackers were a perfect equal after presuming the defensive posture of the "Cupped Cup" island, but the property was not yet secured.Naturally, Rousseau thought, it was impossible to contemplate a night raid. They were busy setting up launch pads by the sea before dark.Six launchers are transported from the aisle to pre-selected locations.

After doing this, engineer Sokol came to the laboratory to find Thomas Roche.He wanted to tell him what had happened...told him that a fleet had come near the island of Cup Covered...told him that his Lightning would be used to defend the island? ... It is certain that more than 50 missiles are ready and are about to start the destruction work.Each missile is loaded with several kilograms of explosives and a propellant that ensures the missile has a longer trajectory than any other missile. As for the deflagration, Thomas Roche has produced a certain number of test tubes, and - I know very well - he will not refuse to help Gail Carage and the pirates!

In the preparations, night fell.It was a little dark inside the cave, because only the lights in Bihaifu were on. I go back inside, and it does me good to show up as little as possible.Wouldn't the Sokol engineer's suspicions about me be revived at this moment when the fleet approached the "Cupped" island? ... But will the ships you see keep going in this direction? …will they sail past Bermuda and disappear into the distant ocean? ...for a while this doubt crossed my mind... no... no! . . . and besides, from Captain Spard's position--I just heard him talking to himself--the ship is still within sight of the island, that is certain.

Which country's fleet are they? ... Could it be that the British, anxious to avenge the destruction of the Sward, undertook this expedition alone? ...Are cruisers from other countries also involved? . . . I don't know anything. . . I can't know a little bit about it. . . Alas!Why does it matter? ... What matters is the destruction of this island, even if I am crushed to pieces under its ruins, even if I die like valiant Captain Davin and his gallant crew! Under the supervision of Engineer Sokol, the preparations for the defense proceeded calmly and methodically.Apparently, these pirates were confident that as long as the attacker entered the danger zone, they would be wiped out.They absolutely trust "Rosh Lightning".They were sure that these warships could do nothing to them, so they considered neither the difficulty nor the imminent threat! ...

I speculate that they will set up a launcher in the northwest of the beach, and the bombers will launch missiles to the north, west, and south.As for the east side of the island, we know that there are natural barriers of hidden rocks, which line the islands in front of Bermuda. About nine o'clock I ventured out of the house.They paid no attention to me at all, and perhaps I could slip through the darkness unnoticed.what!If only I could get across the corridor to the sea and hide behind some rock! ...if only I could stay there till dawn! ...why wouldn't I succeed?Now that Gail Karage, Engineer Sokol, Captain Spud, and the pirates are all outside...

At this time, the lakeside was deserted, but the entrance to the corridor was guarded by the Malay servants of the Earl of Kotikas.I walked out of the house, without making up my mind, towards Thomas Roche's laboratory, my thoughts fixed on this fellow man! ... After thinking about it, I don't think he knows that a fleet is coming near the "Cupped Cup" island. Maybe at the last moment, Engineer Sokol will suddenly let him face his revenge! ... At this time, I suddenly had an idea, I want to make Thomas Roche responsible for his actions, and at this critical moment, expose to him the true colors of these people who are trying to make him help others.

Yes... I'll try it, and I hope I can arouse a patriotic feeling in the soul of this man who fought against the injustices of the world! Thomas Roche is still locked up in the experiment, he must be alone, because no one is allowed in while he is preparing the deflagration,  … I walked towards the lab, across the shore, and saw the tugboat still moored by the pier. Arriving at the aisle of the experiment, I thought it prudent to sneak into the first few rows of stone buildings and reach the laboratory from the side—so that I could see whether anyone was staying with Thomas Roche. After entering the stone building, a beam of strong light shone over and landed on the other side of the lake.It was shot through a narrow window in the laboratory.

Except for this place, the south bank of Haihu Lake was completely dark, while on the opposite bank, some rooms in Bihaifu were brightly lit, and the light continued to shine on the stone wall to the north.On the dark surface of the lake, through the opening of the cave-domed, a few bright stars shone.The sky was clear, the storm had calmed down, and there was no more violent wind swirling in the "covered cup" island. After reaching the laboratory, I climbed the rock wall, climbed to the window, and saw Thomas Roche... He is alone in the lab.Only three-quarters of his head was exposed, clearly illuminated by the bright light.Although his face was thin, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.But at least his expression is very serene and calm, revealing rationality and calmness.No!He was no longer a patient in Building Seventeen, no longer a madman in a sanatorium.I wondered if he was completely cured, and was there no need to fear that he would lose his mind in the last attack? ...

Thomas Roche had just placed two glass test tubes on the work table, and he held the third test tube in his hand. He held it under the light and carefully observed the transparency of the liquid in the test tube. For a moment, I wanted to rush into the lab, grab these glasses, and smash them...but didn't Thomas Roche have time to make others? ...better to stick to the original plan. I opened the door and went and said: "Thomas Roche..." He didn't see me, and he didn't hear what I said. "Thomas Roche..." I called again. He raised his head, turned around, and looked at me...

"Ah! it's you, Simon Hart!" he said calmly, even a little coldly. He knows my real name and surname.Engineer Sokol had told him that the guardian of the sanitarium was not called Guyton, but Simon Hart. "You know?..." I said. "I also know the purpose of your serving by my side... yes! You want to pry out the secrets that others are unwilling to buy from me!" Thomas Roche doesn't know anything, and in view of what I'm going to say to him, that's probably all the better. "You have failed, then, Simon Hart, in this," he went on, shaking the test tube, "no one has ever succeeded . . . and no one ever will!" As I expected, Thomas Roche did not disclose the composition of the explosives! I stared at him for a while, then said: "You know who I am, Thomas Roche . . . but do you know whose house you live in? . . . " "Living in my own house!" he exclaimed. yes!That's exactly what Gail Karaj made him believe! ...the inventor considers Cup Covered Island to be his home...the wealth accumulated in this cave belongs to him...if anyone comes to attack Cup Covered Island, it is to take his money...he will defend it ...he has the right to defend it! "Thomas Roche," I said again, "listen to me..." "What are you going to say to me, Simon Hart? . . . " "The cave where the two of us were brought here is occupied by a band of pirates..." Thomas Roche didn't wait for me to finish (I don't even know if he understood me) when he exclaimed violently: "I'll tell you again, the wealth piled up here is the price of my invention...they belong to me...they bought 'Rosh Lightning' at my request...while elsewhere people refused my request...even In my own country...and yours...I cannot allow others to exploit me!" What is there to say about these rhetoric? ...but I continued: "Thomas Roche, do you remember the sanatorium?" "Nursing home...the place where the guard Gaton was ordered to listen to my words...to steal my secrets...and then put me under house arrest..." "This secret, Thomas Roche, I never intended to steal the benefits you enjoyed from it...I would never accept such a mission...but you were sick at the time...your sanity was hurt...it shouldn't be Let such an invention be lost...yes...if you revealed the secret to me in the time of your illness, you still retain all the benefits and honors!" "Really. Simon Hart!" Thomas Roche said haughtily, "honor and profit...isn't it too late for me to say this!... You forget that they threw me into a In the dark and small cell... Excuse that I'm mad... Yes! Excuse, because my reason has never deserted me; not even for an hour, and all that I have done freely has fully proved it... ..." "Freedom! . . . You think you are free, Thomas Roche! . . . Are you not framed more tightly within the walls of this cave than within the walls of a sanatorium!" "I'm in my own home!" Thomas Roche retorted, the anger in his voice becoming more and more obvious, "I can go out whenever I want! . . . ... This cave is my home! ... Count Atticus gave it to me with all the riches in the cave! ... Woe to those who come to strike it! ... I have enough what could destroy him, Simon Hart!" As he spoke, he frantically shook the glass tube in his hand. Then I said loudly: "Count Atticus has deceived you, Thomas Roche, as he has deceived others! . . . Under this name hides a villain of all crimes, who has ravaged the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic! . . . It is a crime The monstrous bandit... he is the shameless Gail Karaj." "Gail Karaj!" Thomas Roche repeated. I secretly wondered if this name could evoke some associations in him, and whether it could remind him who this person was, however, I saw that this trace of memory disappeared immediately. "I don't know Gail Carage," said Thomas Roche, pointing to the door and ordering me out, "I only know Count Atticus..." "Thomas Roche," I added, with a last effort, "Count Atticus and Gail Carage are the same man! . To be punished, to facilitate new crimes. Yes... the chief of the pirates..." "Pirates...," Thomas Roche exclaimed, the more nervous he became, the more furious he became. "Pirates are those who dare to come to my hideaway and threaten me. It is these who ride the 'Sward' No one trying to do this, because Sokol told me everything...these are the people who want to take what belongs to me from my house...and this is the price my invention deserves..." "No, Thomas Roche, those who locked you up in this stone cave on the Isle of the Covered Cup and used your ingenuity to protect themselves are pirates, and once they get all these secrets, they will kill you !..." Thomas Roche interrupted me...he doesn't seem to listen to what I have to say anymore...he thinks along his own train of thought instead of mine, the utterly obsessive desire for vengeance is subtly exploited by Engineer Sokol up.All his hatred was concentrated in this one thought. "The bandits," he added, "are those who reject me and refuse to listen to me...they treat me unjustly...oppress me with contempt and rejection...drive me from one country to another, And I brought them something superior, invincible, and powerful! . . . " yes!We're all tired of hearing the same story about the inventor, the cold, jealous man refusing to experiment with his invention, refusing to buy it for his estimated price... I know this well... and know what's going on here Written without exaggeration... Seriously, this is not the time to argue with Thomas Roche... I understand what I say to this wounded soul, to this heart that grows hatred in disappointment, to this man who has been deceived by Gail Carage and his associates heart, have no influence on the man who has been deceived by Gail Karage and his associates! ... I had hoped that by telling him the real name of Count Atticus, I would expose the band of robbers and their leader to him, free him from their control, and make him realize that they were driving him to the abyss of evil... I was wrong! ...he doesn't believe me! ... Atticus or Gail Caraj didn't matter to him! ... Isn't he, Thomas Roche, the owner of the "Cupped Cup" island? ... Was he not the master of the wealth accumulated by these twenty years of murder and robbery? ... He has been deeply hurt, his moral sense has degenerated, and he has no concept of responsibility for his own actions. The horrific end happened hours later. Besides, Thomas Roche doesn't even look at me... seems to have forgotten my existence, and seems to have forgotten the conversation between us.He started to prepare again, not noticing that there was another person staying here... There is only one way to prevent the terrible disaster...to throw himself on Thomas Roche...to keep him from doing his evil things...to stun him...to kill him...yes! ……kill him! ...it's my right...it's my responsibility... I don't have a weapon, but I glimpse a few tools on the engineer's work case...a pair of shears, a hammer...who's going to stop me from smashing the inventor's head? ... When he died, I smashed the test tube, and his invention died with him! ... warships can get close to the island... land on the shore of the "cup-covered" island...defeat the island with cannons! ...Gael Karaj and his minions will be wiped out...so many crimes can be punished for this murder, why should I hesitate? ... I go to the work case...a pair of steel shears rest on it...my hand reaches for it... Thomas Roche turned around. It's too late to attack him... There will be a fight... And the fight will still be loud... The pirates will hear the shouts... Eight more pirates come from this side... I even heard them stomp The sound of footsteps on the sandy shore... If I don't want to be seen by them, I have to slip away... However, trying one last time to rouse the inventor's trapped emotions, I said to him: "Thomas Roche, the warships are approaching... They are here to destroy this bandit!... Maybe one of them is flying the French flag?..." Thomas Roche looked at me... he didn't know that Cup Covered Island was about to be attacked, I just told him... the wrinkles on his forehead deepened... his eyes brightened... "Thomas Roche, do you dare to fire at the flag of your country... the tricolor?" Thomas Roche raised his head, shook his head nervously, but made a gesture of contempt. "What! . . . Is that your country? . . . " "I have no country, Simon Hart!" he cried, "no country for disheartened inventors! . . . They want to rob me of my property . . . I will defend myself . . . Let the people who are here let them go! . . . " Then, he hurried to the door of the laboratory and slammed the door open: "Get out . . . get out! . . . " he kept saying, so loudly that anyone at the lake might hear. I couldn't waste any more time, so I left.