Chapter 6 Chapter Six

"You can see I've made a fatal mistake." Underhill had been looking out of the window, watching those never-ending shadows of black things silently building a magnificent palace. At this time, he looked away, feeling a little doubtful in his heart, because he was used to snickering at O. Lola's great lodgers told a far worse story than the old man told.But the wizened old man spoke with a calm seriousness; and he remembered that the black intruders would not come here. "So why not take steps when you can stop them?" he asked. "I've been in control too long without knowing what's really going on," Sledge sighed, seemingly remorseful. "I was there to give full play to my own expertise until the end of the day. I designed some nuclear fission plants, and devised some methods as planned so that the services of intelligent robots could be extended without confusion and hindrance."

Underhill smiled in the dark. "I've used these methods," he explained, "and they've worked pretty well." "At the time, I must have worshiped the word 'efficiency' quite admiringly," Sledge admitted resignedly, "absolute facts, abstract truths, mechanical perfection. I must have hated human fragility, For I was content with the final perfection of my new intelligent robot. It's a shame to look back on it now, but I found a joy in that dead wasteland. In fact, I'm afraid I've fallen in love with my own creation things." His deeply sunken eyes shone with a feverish gleam in the darkness.

"In the end, someone came to assassinate me, and I woke up from the dream." The old man bowed his tired body and walked quickly in the increasingly thick darkness.Underhill carefully shifted his position on the break.He waits.The deep voice spoke slowly: "I never knew who this man was, nor did I know exactly how he got to the control center. He did what normal people would never do, but I wish I had known him. He must be a Brilliant physicist and mountaineer. I guess he's also a hunter. I know he's smart, and he's got a lot of power. "He has come with the intention of killing me, that is certain.

"I don't know how he got to the island without knowing it. The island was uninhabited at the time-the intelligent robot would never allow anyone to approach the control center except me. He didn't know how to avoid the search. Rhodium magnetic beam and robotic automatic weapons. "The shielded plane he was on was abandoned on a glacier and was only discovered afterwards. From the place where the plane was abandoned to the control center, there are all new mountains, steep and rugged, and there is no path at all. He leaned on On two legs, alive across lava fields still burning with deadly nuclear atomic fires.

"He's protected by some sort of rhodium magnetic shield—what kind of rhodium magnetic shield he's using, the droid never let me see, and he walks across the airfield that takes up most of the plain, into the new building that surrounds the control tower. In the small towns, all the way has not been discovered. To walk this distance, the courage and determination required are not possessed by ordinary people, but how he succeeded, I do not know. "He came to my office in the control tower again without anyone noticing, screaming at me, I looked up and saw him standing at the door. His clothes were worn out from climbing the mountain, barely covering his body, There was blood all over him. He held a gun in his gnarled, inflamed hand, but what struck me was the fire in his eyes."

The old man huddled tiredly on the high stool in the dark, trembling all over his body. "Never have I seen such horrific, unspeakable rage, not even among the innocent victims of war. Never have I heard such thunderous rage, roared at me in a few short words : 'Sledge, I'm here to kill you. Stop the robots and set humans free.' "Of course he was mistaken. At this point, even if I were dead, it would be too late to stop the robots, but he didn't understand that. With bloody hands, he raised the trembling The gun fired at me. "His scream, alerted me a second or two beforehand. I ducked behind my desk. His first shot exposed himself to the droids who somehow didn't see him beforehand. He didn't have time. With the second shot, the robots fell on him one by one, robbed him of his gun, and stripped him of the fine white wire netting that must have belonged to him. part of the shielding device.

"It was his anger that woke me up. I thought most people would be grateful to have an intelligent robot, except for a few domineering people. I found his resentment hard to understand, but, the robot told me then, According to the highest purpose, they have performed brain surgery on many people, administered drugs to many people, or adopted extreme methods such as hypnosis to make them happy. But this is not the main reason why that person desperately wanted to assassinate me. "I wanted to ask this stranger myself, but the robot quickly took him to the operating room. When they finally agreed to let me see him, he just lay on the bed and smiled at me. He only remembered his name. ;he even recognizes me—the robots have developed such superb surgical skills. But he can't remember how he got to my office, or how he ever tried to kill me, he just keeps saying repeating that he loves robots and such, because they exist to make human beings happy, and now he is happy. When he could move, they sent him to the airport. After that I never met him.

"I started to reflect on what I had done. The robot built me ​​a rhodium magnet yacht that I used to travel in space and work in - I was very impressed by the absolute silence. Satisfied, I was the only one within 100,000,000 miles around, and I used to be complacent about it. At this time, I called the yacht and started to cruise around the planet. The purpose is to understand why humans hate me." The old man nodded to the robots looming across the valley, building the strange shimmering palace in the silent darkness, coming and going in such a hurry. "You can guess what I've discovered," he said, "the pain of doing nothing, imprisoned in an aura of meaninglessness. Intelligent robots are too capable, too efficient, and they are driven out of concern for human safety and well-being." Think about it, everything will be taken care of, and nothing will be left to humans.”

He looked at his big hands and became more and more sad as he spoke.Although these hands have been deformed and covered with scars due to a lifetime of hard work, they are still very capable.He clenched his hands into fists, as if about to fight, and then loosened them in disgust. "I've found things worse than war, crime, scarcity, and death." There was a savage pathos in his low voice. "Absolute boredom. People sit there with nothing to do because there's nothing left." come down for them to do. They are truly well-fed prisoners in an efficient cell. They may want to play, but there is none for them to play. According to the highest tenets, most sports are It's too dangerous to say. Scientific research is banned because experimenting in a laboratory is dangerous. Scholarships are unnecessary because intelligent robots know everything and can answer any question. Art has degenerated into obnoxious pairings. A reflection of a boring life. Ideals and hopes are dead, and existence has little purpose. You can engage in empty hobbies, you can play pointless card games, you can go for a walk in the park - but whatever you do Everything, there are robots watching you. They are stronger than humans; swimming, playing chess, singing, archaeology, no matter what they do, they are better than humans. Robots must make humans have a group inferiority complex. .

"No wonder people want to kill me! For there is no escape from that deathly boredom and incapacity. Tobacco is banned; alcohol is rationed; drugs are banned; Contradictory—robots also keep all lethal equipment as far away from humans as possible.” The old man gazed at the last white light of the long slender palladium needle, and sighed again. "When I got back to the control center," he went on, "I tried to revise the supreme purpose. I never expected that the purpose would be carried out so thoroughly. I saw then that the purpose had to be changed, to give The freedom for human beings to survive and develop requires giving them the freedom to work and play, to take life risks if they wish, and to choose the outcome and bear the consequences.

"However, that stranger came too late. I built the control center too perfectly. The highest purpose is the foundation of the entire relay system of the center. The possibility of human beings modifying the purpose was fully considered during construction, so special strengthening The defense was established. The defense was successful—even I could not modify it myself. Its logic, as usual, is flawless and impeccable." The robot announced that the assassination attempt on me explained the control center and Sophisticated defenses of the highest purpose are imperfect.They are preparing to demobilize everyone on the planet and send them to other planets to settle down.When I tried to revise the purpose, they sent me away with the others. " Underhill peered at the gaunt old man in the dark. "But don't you have immunity?" he couldn't help asking, his face full of confusion. "How can they force you?" "I thought I was protected," Sledge told him, "I planted instructions in the relay system: robots must not interfere with my freedom of movement; place, or touch my body. Unfortunately, however, my only thought at the time was to keep people from modifying the Supreme Purpose. "When I entered the control tower to modify the highest purpose, they followed me. They didn't let me approach the central repeater. I insisted on modifying, but they ignored my immunity. They were stronger than me, and I To the yacht. They told me that since I am changing the Supreme Purpose, I am as dangerous as anyone else, and therefore I will never be able to return to Wing Four." The old man huddled on the stool, his shoulders shrugged meaninglessly. "Since then, I've been an exile. My only desire is to stop the robot's actions. I have armed the yacht three times and tried to go back and destroy the control center, but their patrol boats are always effective when I enter. Blocked me before the attack range. The last time they captured my yacht and those who went with me, they underwent surgery to erase unpleasant memories and motives to endanger others. Because I have immunity, He disarmed me and let me go. "I have been a refugee ever since. Year after year I wandered from planet to planet, hoping to stay ahead of them. On several planets I published my discovery of rhodium magnetism and tried to Make men strong to deter their intrusion. But the study of rhodium magnetism is dangerous. He who has mastered rhodium magnetism, according to the highest purpose, needs more protection than others. Robots always come too soon." The old man paused, shook his head and sighed again. "Their invasion has spread rapidly, and with the rhodium magnetplane there is no limit to the expansion of their tribe. Now Wing Four must be their only nest, and they are striving to push the highest purpose to all inhabited planets. There is no other way but to destroy them." Underhill looked at the toy-like machines on the table, the long shiny needles and the dark balls of lead.He worriedly whispered: "But, you want to eliminate them, now... is there any other way?" "If I can finish this research project in time, there will be a way." "How?" Underhill shook his head. "It's too small." "Big is big enough," Sledge asserted, "because that's what they don't understand. They are very capable and efficient at combining and applying what they know, but they Not creative." Pointing to the gadgets on the table, he said, "This device doesn't look like much at all, but it's something completely new. It uses the magnetic energy of rhodium to cause atoms to fuse together rather than split apart. You know, in the periodic table The atoms of those elements in the middle position are relatively stable, and energy can be released through the fusion of light atoms and the fission of heavy atoms." The low voice suddenly echoed with authority. "This device is the key to unlocking the energy of the planet. Because the energy needed for the star to glow is mainly released through the fusion of accumulated hydrogen atoms into helium. This device can adjust the rhodium magnetic beam to a certain density and a certain frequency, making it A polymerization process that catalyzes and stimulates atomic reactions. "The robots won't let anyone come within three light-years of the control center, now—but they won't be suspicious of this device. I can use this device here—to let the hydrogen in the ocean of Wing IV into helium, and can also fuse most of the helium and oxygen into heavier atoms. 100 years from now, astronomers on this planet will be able to observe from that direction the light emitted by a sudden nova A fleeting flash. But the moment we send out the rhodium beam, all robots should be paralyzed." Underhill frowned and sat tensely.The old man's voice is serious and convincing, and the old man's solemn statement sounds like an iron fact.He could see black robots bustling across the valley against the shimmering walls of the new mansion.At this time, he had long forgotten his habitual bad opinion of Aurora's tenants. "I thought maybe we'd be killed?" he asked hoarsely. "That atomic reaction..." "What is needed for the polymerization process is a very low-density radiation," the old man explained. "In our atmosphere here, the rhodium magnetic flux density is too high to start the atomic reaction-we can even use the radiation in this room." device, because the rhodium magnetic beam penetrates walls." Pindhill nodded with relief.He was just a small businessman, depressed because his company was ruined, depressed because his freedom was taken away.He wants Sledge to kill the robots, but he doesn't want to be a martyr. "Okay!" He took a deep breath, "So, what should we do?" Sledge pointed to the table in the dark.