Chapter 23 Luo Ying

Luo Ying became more and more hesitant, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.The square was filled with enthusiastic teenagers jumping and jumping, exuding a kind of passionate enthusiasm that perhaps hadn't been seen for a long time.Usually the square is solemn, quiet and solemn, but at this time it is lively, noisy and noisy.The flags fluttered high with singing, and the carnival-like children laughed and cursed loudly. Luo Ying stood aside, some moments wanted to sing impulsively with the people around her, and some moments wanted to persuade them to disperse and go home.They reminded her of laughing and singing parades with the Regressionists in the past. She liked that vitality, but at this moment, she couldn't let herself be so excited and selfless.She still feels uneasy.They were encouraged by her brother's passionate words, but now they sing and dance as her own idea, which makes her feel that something is wrong.She couldn't tell, but she just felt that it wasn't right.

She understands that excitement is contagious, you don't need to know the reason for the excitement, you just need to know the feeling.Along the way, they will continue to draw in the teenagers they met one after another and notified by someone. Now there are hundreds of people besides the Mercury group, scattered in the square, and they are scattered in a large group. They are full of enthusiasm, like usual and dances and creativity The contestants were as excited as they were, surrounding Longge and Chenia in the center, waving huge display boards in their hands. "Reform! Freedom!" they sang.

Where is my brother? Luo Ying was hesitating, when suddenly she saw a dozen or so people in uniform coming out of the side door of the Senate, walking towards the children, spreading out to both sides of the square as they walked.She couldn't hear what they said to the people in front of them, but she could see the teenagers gradually swarming over.She couldn't see clearly, so she quickly passed through the side and went around to the front of the crowd. "What's wrong?" She tried to ask the people around her. No one paid attention to her question, the scene was noisy, and everyone's attention was distracted by various situations.But when Luo Ying walked forward, many people automatically made way for her.She guessed it was because of the skirt she was wearing, which made her look like a person from a foreign land, and it didn't take much effort to pass through the crowd.She saw that the two sides facing each other at the front were not talking harmoniously. The adult's face was cold, while the young man's emotion was warm. Side to side impact.There seemed to be pushing, there was rowdy, there was chaos with new people joining in.She was getting more and more worried.Someone shouted, and the square was like a piece of boiling water.Someone started shoving each other, shouting came out, and more people were angered.

Just when everyone's enthusiasm reached its peak, the door of the chamber suddenly opened. Everyone turned their gazes over, only to see that the slowly opened door was empty, revealing the solemn and noble inner door.The ground is bright but there is no one there, and the two doors are like an open cave, revealing a cooling breeze.Everyone was quiet for a while. After a while, a figure appeared on the steps and greeted the people below. "Luo Ying, come here." It's Rainey. Luo Ying froze for a moment.She didn't expect to see Rui Ni here, nor did she expect that Rui Ni would call herself out of the crowd in this way.She looked around, and all around looked at her.She looked again at Rainey, who had a serious and calm face.She nodded, and walked up the steps holding her skirt.For a moment, no one spoke.Their gazes silently followed behind her, she walked between the pillars, and slowly turned back to the bottom.

"Everyone wait for me for a while," she said. When the voice came out, there was a kind of cold softness that even she didn't expect, and it seemed empty when it floated over the square.She didn't have time to see the reaction below, because Reni had already turned around and walked into the foyer of the chamber, she hurriedly followed, and the door of the chamber slowly closed behind them. Rui Ni walked in front of her all the way, did not speak to her, and did not stop until a small lounge. He turned to look at her, pushed open the door, and let her in first.The small room is empty and clean, with a row of glass cabinets placed by the window, a painting on one wall, and a small table and two fiberglass soft seats on the other wall.

Rui Ni didn't speak in a hurry, and motioned Luo Ying to sit down.Luo Ying didn't sit down.Just after walking out of the hustle and bustle, she entered such a cold and quiet place. Looking at the slanting transparent sunlight, she felt that her ears were still ringing, her body was light and light, and she was a little out of touch with reality. "Dr. Rainey," she asked, "what are you doing here?" "I'm an archivist now. Such an important meeting requires all possible archival storage." Luo Ying nodded.She wanted to say something more, but didn't know what to say.

Rui Ni took a glass of water for Luo Ying and put it gently on the table. "I'll keep it short," he said, "and don't keep them out there too long." Luo Ying nodded. "Do you know why I called you in?" Luo Ying shook her head. "To show you this." Rui Ni said, walked to the wall, slowly lifted the cover of a glass display case, carefully took out an object, put it in the palm of her hand, returned to Luo Ying, and spread it out in front of her eyes. Luo Ying looked down, it was a brooch.Ordinary golden wire weaving, in the shape of an orchid, with two stained glass inlaid on the top, exquisite but obviously not expensive.She looked back and forth for a long while, but she couldn't see anything unusual.

"Whose brooch is this?" "It's an old woman." "Who is she?" "Just a very ordinary retired old lady." Rainey said with a long sigh, "There is nothing special about her, but she died on a special occasion. Almost ten years ago, It was here that she died in an accident in the square in front of the Senate. Since that day, this brooch has been kept as a memorial of that incident." He paused again when he said this, "It's still two weeks away. It's been exactly ten years since one month." Luo Ying vaguely sensed something from Rui Ni's tone, her heart began to sink slowly, and her lips became dry. She didn't want Rui Ni to continue talking, for fear that she would not dare to listen to what he said. But more in his heart, he still hoped that Rui Ni would continue to talk and tell all her questions.All frightening secrets have a special attraction, and the faster her heart beats, the less she wants the story to stop.

"How...how did she die?" she asked. "Air leak." Rui Ni said calmly, "An air valve in the square was damaged, and the air in the square began to leak. In this case, the network warning will be automatically transmitted, and the safety door near each air valve will be automatically dropped. Most of the square is isolated from the outside world to ensure the safety of the main body of the space. At the same time, the connection passage between the square and other areas will naturally drop the isolation door to prevent large-scale air leakage. However, on the day of the tragedy, the brooch’s The owner was walking through the square, and just approached the damaged air valve at the exit of the passage, and was caught off guard by two falling isolation doors, and the air rushed out. Just a brooch."

Luo Ying's face turned pale. "What... happened that day?" "There was a violent rally in the square that day. It was more intense and larger than yours. The organizers were more experienced, capable, and resourceful. A large number of glass house models were built on the square, one after the other, lined up on the grass. The mechanical car was high and turned into automatic operation mode. Two sparkling lights were installed on the top, like two eyes, majestic. There were a lot of people who came to the rally that day, all adults, and their emotions were very high, and the slogans they shouted were much more neat than yours. Later, the security guards were dispatched. They were all daily inspectors who looked at the system, but they also behaved that day. Bad. Maybe someone said arrogant or harsh words, the two sides quarreled, and gradually turned into a chaotic crowd. Two young people who were attending the rally died in the collision."

Rui Ni narrated steadily and calmly, while Luo Ying listened intently without blinking her eyes. "So," she asked cautiously, "who was the initiator of that day?" "It's your parents." Luo Ying took a deep breath, the worry in her heart was finally verified, and she felt a huge emptiness. "Then what happened next?" "Later, they were punished. Not only them, the main personnel involved that day and the security guards who went to maintain order were punished to varying degrees, but only your parents were punished the most." Luo Ying felt that her face was turning pale: "Isn't it because of the electronic solution for Uncle Arthur?" "No." Reni shook his head solemnly, "They were punished for this incident. Removing the semi-abandoned Deimos is a great punishment, and only events that cause death can lead to such punishment. No deaths occurred, neither against the studio nor the gift plan. The Chief Sheriff and his subordinates who were in charge of maintaining law and order that day were also punished. They are still on Deimos. This is a predictable The incident, so it can be handled not so badly. Arthur’s departure was after this incident. Because your parents were punished, he decided to return to the earth. Your father brought the plan out when he left the optoelectronic laboratory. gave it to him." When Luo Ying heard the name of Deimos, the photos of her parents' remains in her room appeared in front of her eyes, showing their young and carefree faces before they died.They floated before her eyes like translucent clouds, like luminous apparitions.The brooch in Rainey's hand still shone like a needle piercing the mists of time.Her vision blurred. "Did Grandpa punish you?" She looked up at Rui Ni. "Yes." Rui Ni nodded, "but it's not. The punishment decision is the general decision of the three justices and the review system, and your grandfather is only responsible. At that time, your grandfather's own problems were more important. At that time, he had just Served as governor for a month. This is the first major crisis he encountered. As governor, his sons and daughters took the lead in opposing the system of the entire country, and he failed to maintain order, causing chaos and death, and he himself bears the responsibility that cannot be shirked .In the eyes of many people at the time, your grandfather himself should take the blame and resign, or should be impeached." "Impeach?" "He is the Governor-General who just took office, and the reorganization of the parliament has not yet been completed, and his position is completely unstable." "Then what happened next?" "The parliamentary debates that year were very intense, and the scene was almost out of control. Although your grandfather had the power to stabilize the overall situation, it was far from enough. If Juan hadn't come forward in time and forcefully that time, his position would have been in jeopardy." "Uncle Juan?" For a moment, Luo Ying thought of the old photos she saw in her father's study. "Yes." Renee nodded, "At that time, he was also the chief of the flight system. He didn't do anything special, but announced that he would not be loyal to anyone other than your grandfather during the parliamentary debate. This had a great impact, because This meant a possible mutiny. At that time, Juan’s prestige in the flight system was very high. Although he had just taken office, he was almost unanimously approved. This has never happened in the Air Force since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Your grandfather was also from the Air Force. On the day of the vote for impeachment, the Air Force sent a plane to patrol the sky. As a result, the impeachment failed. You can view this incident in any way you want, but your grandfather stabilized the position of the governor with this background. Many years have made people quite critical." Luo Ying listened in a daze, and muttered to herself: "...I don't know these things at all." Luo Ying thought of Grandpa's face in the holographic photo, calm and painful.She guessed the scene at that time.She didn't know which emotion occupied the main position in Grandpa's heart at that time: the pain of being opposed by her children, the pain of punishing her children, or the pain of being criticized and criticized... She tensed up in her imagination, because She suddenly realized that it was her parents who brought all these pains to grandpa, and these pains finally came back to them. "My brother knows all these things, doesn't he?" "should know." "Then...why did he support our actions this time?" "This question..." Reni hesitated for a while, as if he wanted to say something but didn't say anything, "Let's finish what we just said first. Do you know what the theme of the action initiated by your parents is?" Luo Ying shook her head. "For every family to have a house," Rainey said, "a house for every couple." "what?" "That's right, it's the current housing policy. Although your parents' actions were stopped, this proposition was later submitted to a bill and finally passed, which is the current policy." "Could it be..." Luo Ying hesitated, "Isn't it like this before?" "It used to be based on a person's research achievements and status." Reni sighed, as if he had seen the distant past. "When the city was first established, there were not enough supplies. Everyone lived in a dormitory, and only outstanding people lived in dormitories. Researchers can build their own houses, which are quantified based on performance. This policy was nothing at first, but it has accumulated a lot of disadvantages after 30 years of implementation. Some people have not been able to apply the technology, and they will not be able to get a house for a lifetime, so people begin to generally attach to the system leader. , to curry favor with the elders in order to incorporate their own technology into the project. As a result, the power has been expanded, the housing is uneven, and the taste of scientific research has begun to change.” "But why did I feel that every family had a house when I was a child?" Rennie smiled: "That's because the community you live in is a community where the founding fathers and elders are concentrated, and they are already outstanding people who have obtained houses." "Then Mom and Dad..." "They're for Arthur." "Arthur? With Aunt Janet?" "Yes. Arthur didn't have any system status, so he never met the criteria for housing applications. Your parents were very unhappy about this. They saw too much injustice of abuse of power, and seeing such a close friend rejected by the system. So I began to yearn for an absolute equalization of fairness." "And we..." Luo Ying said softly, "but we are against this." "You want to build yourself, you want to exchange. You want freedom, and you are against the average." Rainey continued calmly, "This is actually not new, it was like that before the war. Before the war, houses were completely built or traded by themselves. At that time, the camps belonged to different companies, and everyone or every group had to raise their own tools or buy them from large companies. This is a continuation of the tradition of the earth, which is not new. However, Mars is different from the earth after all. The resources of Mars are very, very Scarce, and almost impossible to use directly. Only a few companies that have mastered several key casting and smelting technologies have the ability to build, so they rely on this monopoly to increase the cost of living and control the market. At that time, almost everyone with brains and abilities Scattered individuals have realized that in this state, a person can obtain a good life not by relying on his own talents and wisdom, but by relying on resources, so they use their lives to vow to build a country and give everyone a platform so that In the end, life does not depend on capital, but on talent.” "That is to say," Luo Ying gradually understood, "Mom and dad are against grandpa, we are against mom and dad, but what grandpa is against is what we stand for?" "It can be said that." Rainey's voice was still very calm, "Freedom, talent and average, maybe all attractive words will always be followed by a certain generation." "Another generation against?" Luo Ying lowered her head, feeling empty in her heart.She didn't know where to go now.Actions have no results, the world is not perfect and there are always flaws, eternal overthrow and restart.Where to go next, she didn't know.Her family has paid so much for this, but is there any sign of improvement in this world?If so, where is the direction?If not, what should one do?She feels that the world has become empty, she seems to be standing on the edge of the empty universe, looking forward to no end, looking around there is no heaven. "Doctor Rui Ni," Luo Ying looked at Rui Ni, with a faint sadness in her heart, "do you know, I was not very keen on this action at first, and I thought about whether to participate for a long time. Finally, I decided to participate , because I don't know what else to do, where else to find the feeling I'm looking for. I want to find a kind of vitality, a kind of surging power to release myself, a kind of... meaning. I want to make Something that I feel is worth putting my heart and soul into. Just looking for that feeling. As for the thing itself, I don’t think about it that much. I don’t even think about whether it’s the right thing to do. I just want to burn my life very simply. , and feel that burn." Rini nodded, "I think I understand." "Do you think this is childish?" "No way," Rainey said, "not at all. I think a lot of people have that hope in their hearts. You remember that feat fetishism you guys talked about? It's not really an unusual thing. " "Because you love grandeur?" "Not only that. There is also a greater tendency to complete yourself." Reni sighed softly, "Many people also want to find the feeling and meaning that you want to find to intoxicate yourself. They just want to be in the Make yourself meaningful in such a distant illusion. Without this hope, no incitement and control will work. It is impossible to build a stable circuit system without many people who want to integrate themselves into the circuit. People do not Not all are indulging in those great achievements, but need to create some great things in order to find a sense of personal existence in it.” "But it doesn't really make sense, does it?" "It depends on how you define meaning." Luo Ying thought for a while and asked, "Then what should I do now?" "It's up to you," Rainey said. "I'm just telling you the stories. The final decision is yours." Rui Ni walked to the door and gently opened the small golden door of the lounge. The door frame had complicated lace and a circle of rock patterns, and a whole piece of crystal clear mirror was set in the center. Luo Ying saw herself in the mirror, with a white high-waisted pleated skirt, the hem of the skirt dragging the floor, a garland of artificial branches woven with white flowers inlaid on her head, long black hair hanging down to her waist.She saw herself pale and lost, just as she had seen herself in the mirror two months earlier.At that time, she hoped that she could become clear and strong, but after so many things had passed, she seemed to be more confused and pale now.She walked towards the mirror, towards herself.Walking to the door, she stopped and looked at Rennie, who nodded to her, and she reached out to touch herself in the mirror, as if touching another time and space. The short corridor seems to have walked for a century.Step by step, she stepped on the centuries-old ground, and her toes could feel the coldness of glass and colored metal.The corridors on both sides have round rose glass, which screens the sunlight in geometric patterns, and the stained windows are illuminated by light into holy paintings. The door is solemnly closed, and the sound outside the door is completely isolated. Before opening the door, Rui Ni suddenly stopped her, and after thinking for a while, he said: "There is one more thing, I think I should tell you as well. Do you still remember the patient who jumped to his death in the hospital you mentioned last time?" ?" "Well, what happened to him?" "His name is Jenkins, and I know him. Do you remember what I was punished for?" "Remember." "I was punished ten years ago. The chief executive at the time was Jenkins. He was a self-willed and power-loving person who was not keen on system management. He was only interested in cultivating a personality cult team. When I was punished, he was The head of the system. Before the mine car accident, the management of the mine car production line was actually very chaotic, and no one paid attention to safety inspections. The car would have an accident sooner or later. Fuzzy, the Senate kept his position. However, he did not learn his lesson and improve the supervision of mine car production. The situation of the system has not changed qualitatively for a long time, and there are still great hidden dangers in safety. One year later, it finally happened Major accident. He was punished and banned from office for life." "That is to say, he is the one who ruined your life?" "It's too heavy to say that it hurt me. I can only say that I am a responsible person." Luo Ying stared blankly at Rui Ni, her heart was at a loss.The hated man died in front of them, and they cried out for him.She didn't know what to make of it.That person's self-willedness made Renee punished for life, but he went crazy and died, and won their sympathy with a weak attitude, making them feel sorry for that tragic scene. "Why is he crazy?" she asked Rainey. "Because he can't stand people not calling his name anymore," Rainey replied quietly. After he finished speaking, he patted Luo Ying's shoulder, and his broad palm gave her solid strength as before.She looked up at him sadly, and he nodded to her without speaking.He pressed the start button of the door for her, and the heavy metal door slowly slid open to both sides.Luo Ying looked out the door, the sunlight in the square was like a golden ocean, dazzled her eyes. She looked at that patch of sunlight, a brilliant blank, with nothing in front of her. It took a while for her eyesight to recover. She looked around and saw that there were still teenagers gathered under the steps, standing or sitting in circles, chatting loudly, and the atmosphere was still intense.Seeing her coming out, they all stopped for a while, their eyes focused on her in unison, waiting for her to speak.She took a few steps down to where they could hear her voice clearly, but Rainey didn't follow, she could feel him standing behind and watching her from afar. "Let's all go back today." She cleared her throat and said. Her voice is light and soft, although it is not loud, it can be heard far away.Floating around the breath-holding square.Everyone looked at her, and for a brief moment no one responded. "Go back." Luo Ying said again, "I will explain the reason later." The square began to commotion, people looked at each other in blank dismay, talking a lot, and their voices became weaker and stronger. "Shouldn't you give a general reason?" someone asked her loudly. "Because..." Luo Ying didn't see the person who asked the question clearly, so she hesitated and said, "Because...history." "What does it mean?" "I'll explain it later." Luo Ying said again. Seeing that everyone was still restless, she went up two more steps, raised her voice, and asked everyone in the most earnest tone: "Please listen to me once, I will explain to you when I go back. Let's go back today, Let's all go back, okay?" She finished speaking with a little sadness, and waited quietly for everyone, feeling sad that the play had come to an abrupt end.The show is in the midst of intoxicated excitement, she is like a spoiled gatekeeper, she suddenly lights up the lights in the auditorium, everything wakes up, the stage changes from a story to a set, the fascinated feelings are cut off, and everyone has great dissatisfaction .She could see everyone's dissatisfaction, and she could see how much the swelled interest was unwilling to end without a cause.But she has no other choice, she can only be loyal to her heart, she can't rush forward blindly without her own approval, so she can only disappoint the fun.She waited for everyone's reaction, and everyone was waiting.At that moment, the sad silence in the square was like a sea. Standing on the steps, she gently raised her hands and put them together on her lips.The white dress and Roman pillars made her look like an ancient priest girl. She felt that she was far away from her own voice, which slowly floated like bubbles in the sun. Then she saw her voice work in the hearts of the boys.They started to move slowly.After a short period of commotion, they began to slowly disperse in all directions, slowly packed up their things, and slowly left the not-so-wide square one after another, and left from the surrounding paths.Luo Ying has been standing on the steps, without saying anything, until the noise of the whole square sinks slowly with the sun, until it becomes solitary. She is tired and she wants to go home.Rainey asked her if she would like to enter the chamber to observe the debate, and she shook her head and did not want to go in.She asked Chania and Thorin to listen for her, but she herself just wanted to lie down and press everything into a dream. ※※※ When Luo Ying came home, she habitually opened the mailbox and checked the mail.She didn't expect much at first, and just wanted to read it before going to sleep, but a new email with a flashing icon attracted her attention, making her sleepless all of a sudden. It was a mail from Earth. Luo Ying read the letter, read it twice, and sat on the window sill after reading, hugged her legs and pillowed her knees, and looked at the sunset outside the window.On this day, the sand was flying wildly, and the horizon was blurred into a blend of gold and black. The setting sun was almost invisible, and it looked extremely sad in the dust and smoke of flying sand and rocks. She suddenly felt very tired, tired of all kinds of intense running.She doesn't know if there is an end to those running, where is the end, whether the end of one group of people always enters the starting point of another group of people.She suddenly didn't want to go anywhere, she just wanted to see how all this happened, as if she was being carried away by a wind of fate, she didn't want to be blown by the wind, she just wanted to stand still and watch blankly.This is the first time she has lost her enthusiasm for wandering around, and she just wants to sit quietly until the end of time. At this moment, she remembered what she had asked Rui Ni in the hospital, and she seemed to understand a little bit. Dr. Rainey, what is your happiness? Sobriety, and the freedom to be sober. Luo Ying looked at the sky and began to miss Anka, and every time she was troubled and helpless, she missed him especially.The boundless wind, sand and setting sun enveloped her like a curtain, and she was like a lonely solo actor, sitting alone on the ground in a vast theater without audience.She wanted to see the darkness clearly, and wanted to hold another stable hand in the surging curtain of wind and sand.She misses Anka terribly. Then she remembered that she had not seen Anka for several days.He took no part in their actions at all, nor did he show his face.She didn't know what he was up to.She jumped off the windowsill and came to the screen to contact him, but the terminal of the call was always a series of busy tones that did not answer.