Chapter 7 Chapter Seven: The Green Wooden Box in the Study Room

The white she-wolf ran ahead, and Babi followed. He didn't realize how late it was, but only knew that most of the night had passed.The street was empty, with the occasional car speeding by, most of the traffic lights were off, leaving only the suggestive yellow signal light on the street corner, indicating the intersection of Central Avenue and the highway, while Babi followed White Wolf Running after, crying anxiously, "Hi, wait a minute! Tell me, where are we going?" She nimbly dodged the swishing car—the driver didn't seem to see them.She continued to run with the same brisk pace, and looked back at Babi, her red tongue was hanging out, and her canine teeth were white and shiny.

"We're going to see your old friends, Sam and Nora." Babi thought the smile in her voice was not kind. "We can't hurt them." He immediately protested violently, "How can they be enemies?" "They are enemies because they are men, men," the white she-wolf told him, "very dangerous enemies. They brought back that big green wooden box from Asia, Quinn and Monrik." "They are my friends." Babi insisted, and muttered in a low voice, "What's in that box?" While running, the female wolf narrowed her eyes carefully, looking cautious.

"Anything that's an immediate threat to our kind—that's all we know," she said. "The box's still at Sam's, though. He'll get the Foundation tomorrow. He came out to put the box, and set up sentry posts to prevent us. Therefore, we must give him a blow to the head, and we will go in tonight to see what is going on and destroy them. Adjust our weapons." Babi trembled uncontrollably as he ran. "What kind of weapon?" he dared not ask aloud. "What could hurt us?" "Things made of silver," White Wolf said, "daggers made of silver, and bullets made of silver—I'll tell you why when I have time. However, the things in the water tank must be better than silver." Instruments are deadlier, and there is not much time left tonight!"

They ran past yellow traffic lights and down streets filled with all kinds of strong smells—sulphur from industrial areas, the acrid stench of burning garbage in incinerators, the smell of bread from bakeries, mixed with the smell of the river. There is a stench from the food processing factory opposite, and the smell of sweat coming from the buildings. The she-wolf turned off the highway and ran across the corner of the campus toward the Foundation's spacious compound, near where Sam's house was.The fallen leaves spread on the grass, like a soft cushion, Babi felt that his paws were very comfortable to step on, and the small sound made at the same time made him very happy.A fresh scent of orchard flowers penetrated into his nostrils. It felt so strange that he almost forgot about his mission tonight and the danger in front of him.

The grass and paths trampled by the students during the day still have human body odor, which is foul and disgusting.The smell of the she-wolf running beside him was so pleasant and refreshing.The smell of hydrogen sulfide in the chemical laboratory was unbearable, and the fresh and refreshing feces smell of the Department of Agriculture's dairy cow test field on the highway. The building of the foundation is a nine-storey tower-like white concrete building, which stands tall and stands out against the surrounding grass and shrubs.Babi stayed in front of the building for a while, unable to figure out the real purpose of Dr. Monrik's dedication to his life-he built this scientific research castle in spite of his old age and frailty, and visited the ruins of the cradle of mankind. Searching for archaeological treasures, traveling thousands of miles, transporting the excavated things back here for research, what is he doing.

The white roof was shrouded in a paint smell, Babi couldn't tell what it was, like a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil, plus another smell that he had never smelled before.There was a flash of blue light in the windows on the highest floor of the building, and a blue light suddenly appeared from there, which made him back away in fright. It must be the arc light of the electric welding.A force rushed through his body, and he was vigilant.The knocking sound of the carpenter's hammer "bang bang" is dull and long. The she-wolf ran with him, listening carefully with her ears closed.

"They're still working tonight," she said. "It's bad enough that we've got to take on old Monrik and the others in an open contest. He's the one who won't give us the time to choose the best way. I'm afraid we've revealed our intentions too much, you see. , Sam they have turned the top floor into a strong fortress, he must know what we want to do, we must get that box, we must get it tonight!" At the mouth of the wind, Professor Smitley's collie began to bark. "What's the matter?" Babi asked puzzled. "People don't seem to see us, but dogs are always so scared."

Ai Pulu howled sharply in the direction of the dog barking. "Most people can't see us," she told Babi. "Real people can't see us. But dogs have a special feeling for us, a special hatred, so to speak, that primitive people first domesticated. Those dogs must be our enemies, those dogs must be as cunning and hateful as Monrique and Sam." They came to the white bungalow on Pine Street that Sam had bought for Nora the year they married.Babi still remembers drinking a lot at their moving party, probably trying to drown his sorrows and numb his unspeakable loss.The she-wolf led Babi around the house, and the house and garage were quiet.They listened carefully, sniffed, and watched for movement.Babi heard thin, even breathing from an open window.He smelled little Patty again, from the sand in the back yard, where little Patty played.

He jumped in front of the white wolf, whimpering in his throat. "Don't hurt them!" he was excited. "I don't know what's going on. It's child's play. They're my friends—Sam, Nora, and their Patty. Yes, Sam's a bit Too much. But, they are still my best friends." The she-wolf bared her teeth, revealing her blood-red tongue. "Sam and Norah?" Her green eyes looked at him contemptuously. "But they are very dangerous." She said, her body tightened a bit, her exquisite ears were erected, and her nose was raised to sniff the wind. "The things in that box must be much stronger than our little spells and witchcraft, otherwise, they would never dare to despise us like this."

Babi is still blocking Aipuru's way, preventing her from passing. "But, I don't think we have to hurt them now," she said. "They are both real human beings, so they won't realize that we Here, unless, we want them to know. Now we have to get the contents of the box and destroy it." "Okay then." Babi reluctantly agreed, "as long as we don't hurt them—" A hot dog smell rushed into Bobbi's nostrils.Suddenly there was a dog barking in the house. The she-wolf jumped back in surprise, and the gray wolf fur on the back of Babi's neck stood up, feeling an uncontrollable shock.

"That's Patty's puppy," he said. "She named the dog Jimmy Cricket." The female wolf said viciously: "Tomorrow she will call it a dead dog." "Don't kill Jimmy!" cried Bobby. "Patty's going to die of grief." The glass door slammed. A white fuzzy thing flashed and ran to the backyard, and Jimmy yelled desperately.The she-wolf jumped away nimbly and dodged it.It rushed towards Babi.Babi raised his front paws and resisted. Jimmy the dog bit Barbie with his sharp little teeth.This bite awakened the ferocity lurking deep inside him, and the pity for little Patty was washed away without a trace. He folded his body, then jumped up, took hold of the small ball of hair, and shook it vigorously back and forth, until Jimmy's weak screams could not be heard at all, and then he threw it on the sand pile at once, and licked the hard canines. Smell of dog hair. The white wolf was shaking all the time. "I didn't know they had a dog," she whispered uneasily. "Nora and the boy were out when I came to scout out what Sam was doing at night. The dog must have gone out with them, too." Her slender body was still trembling. "I don't like dogs. They helped humans conquer us." She said and ran to the back door. "We are moving faster now, the night time has passed a lot." Babi took control of himself, trying to forget how Patty would cry. "What's the matter during the day? Is it dangerous?" asked Babi. The white wolf ran back in a hurry: "I forgot to tell you, you must not transform during the day, and don't transform at dawn. Because when we transform, strong light will hurt us, and the light of the sun is even more deadly. .” "Why?" Barbie asked anxiously. "How can light be harmful?" "I've thought about it, too," she told Babi. "I was talking to one of our guys, who was quite well known in the physics world. He told me about his theory. It sounded pretty good. Makes sense—but we'd better find a chest." As she spoke, she raised her dexterous and slender front paws, and opened the glass door. Babi walked in front to lead the way, and they entered the hot room through the back door.Nora always kept the house in order, sweeping everywhere.The house smelt of rice and bathroom cleaner, of Sam and Norah and the kids, and of the puppy Bobby had just killed. They walked through the kitchen and stopped in the small aisle to listen. The clock on the wall was ticking, ticking, and the motor of the refrigerator suddenly started.The noise startled them.In addition to the "hum" of the motor, Babi heard Sam's regular snoring and Nora's thin breathing.From the child's room, there were Patty's restless rustling on the bed, and vague sleepy voices: "Jimmy, come back quickly, Jimmy!" The she-wolf rushed to the door of the child's bedroom, whispering hoarsely, and Babi followed closely behind the she-wolf, very worried about Patty.Fortunately, Patty didn't really wake up.The she-wolf came back to Babi again, looking triumphant. "Oh, Sam's asleep! I reckon he's tired enough. It's very kind of you to kill that puppy. He must be hoping the dog'll wake him up if we come. Now, Go find the green box—in his study." Bobby trotted to the door of Sam's study, straightened up, reached for the doorknob with his front paws, but it wouldn't open.He didn't know what to do, turned around and looked at the white wolf. The white wolf stood still and listened to the movement, and howled lowly towards Patty's bedroom, and Babi also heard Patty talking in his sleep again.To protect the children, not to be sorry to Sam and Nora, sincerity to friends and love to Patty drove Babi to give up this ridiculous plan and leave with her before the she-wolf might hurt them.However, the impulse of human nature is fleeting, and the new life form that makes him excited has the upper hand. "I'm looking for Sam's key," Bobby volunteered. "It's in his trouser pocket—" "Don't worry, fool!" Babi was about to go to the bedroom when he was grabbed by the neck by the she-wolf. "You will either wake them up or fall into their trap. His keys must be on a silver key Circle, we are poisoned if we touch it, the buckle on the box is covered with silver, I saw it. I don't know what other weapons Sam has on hand - what other deadly things they dug up on the ruins of the old battlefield , the things that defeated our ancestors in the first place. We don't need the key, though," Babi looked at the lock on the study door, blinking his eyes puzzled. "Stand still," said the she-wolf to him, "I think I'll have to tell you a little more about transfiguration, as long as Sam doesn't wake up now, of course. Our energies are very precious and very useful, but Limited, and punitive. If you don't follow through, it's easy to self-destruct—" The springs of the bed in the bedroom creaked, and Ai Pulu was taken aback. She turned around vigilantly to check, her eyes were shining green, and her beautiful ears were erect.Babi heard Nora's sleepy voice. He might hurt Nora if he had to. Thinking of this, a chill of fear spread through his whole body. "Sam?" Nora's voice said, "Sam, where are you?" The bed creaked again.She must have felt Sam beside her, and she mumbled again, "Good night, Sam." Then, the sound of breathing in the bedroom became even again, and Babi asked in an uneasy whisper, "Why don't we need a key?" "I'll tell you," said the white wolf, "but first let me tell you about our theory of free-transformation, so that you don't self-destruct, Babi, you must understand the danger .” "Silver?" he said. "And daylight?" "The theory I'm going to talk about is very general," the she-wolf told him. "I don't know much about physics and can't speak so many technical terms, but my friend put the theory in plain language. The main content of this is very clear. He says that what lies between mind and matter is probability," Babi was startled, and remembered the content of old Dr. Monrick's lecture. "Living things are as small as matter," she went on, "mind is an independent entity, a kind of energy junction, that friend said. This energy junction is produced by the vibration of atoms and the electrons of objects. Yes, but through the atomic probability, the vibration of the atom is controlled, my friend has a lot of technical terms, but it probably means this." "The energy network in a living object is supported by the object itself: usually this energy network is an integral part of the life carrier and can survive for a long time after the life of the object ceases. My friend is a very Conservative scientist, he won't call this life energy network a soul, he says people can't prove it yet." Her green eyes smiled slyly, as if she knew more than she let on. "However, this life form in us is far more prominent than real human beings - my friend has done experiments and proved this. Our life forms are more variable and less dependent on life. The material form of the carrier. And in such a state of free deformation, he said, we can separate the life energy network from the life carrier, that is, our body, and use the probabilistic link to combine with other arbitrary atoms. In this way For one thing, the atoms in the air are easier to control. That's because oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are all in the same atomic form, he says, and the bonds that exist in our bodies are made of those atoms. That's the danger. where." "Something made of silver?" said Barbie. "And daylight? I just can't figure it out—" "The tremor rate of daylight can disrupt, even destroy, the thought network," she told him, "because the tremor rates of the two are contradictory. Of course, under normal circumstances, our bodies can play a protective role.But when we exist in free form, that is, when we transform, there is no protection.So, never deform in sunlight. " "I won't." Babi said tremblingly, "Then how can something like silver hurt us?" "It's still atomic tremors," said the she-wolf softly. "When we transform, ordinary matter can't be a real obstacle, so we don't need Sam's key. Doors, walls, they look like they are real." , yes. But the main constituents of the essence are oxygen and carbon, and the web of our minds can catch the atoms in tremors and penetrate them. It is as easy as through air. For many other substances, we can As a vehicle, it requires little effort. Silver, however, is a deadly exception—and our enemies know it well." "Heh—" Babi gasped, "Why?" As Babi listened, he couldn't help thinking of Rowena, her big silver bracelets and rings, her silver brooches and silver beads, and the silver collar on her big yellow dog's neck. Thinking of this, Babi was so frightened that all the gray hairs on his back stood up, and his body trembled uncontrollably. "Different elements have different numbers of atoms, and the tremor period of the electricity is also different." The she-wolf went on to explain, "My friend explained all these, but I can't remember the terms. In short, the tremor of silver is In particular, there is no probabilistic correspondence with which we are powerless against silver, and cannot open channels in silver objects. Moreover, the electronic vibrations of silver will conflict with the vibrations we emit, destroying our apparition mode. So, silver is a great poison, Willy. Silver is a weapon that kills us, remember it!" "I will remember." Babi promised in a low voice, full of lingering fear. He shook his gray wolf fur body vigorously, trying to shake off the lingering fear.The white she-wolf listened alertly to the even snoring in the room, then childishly raised one of her front paws to greet Babi, who hurried towards her. "I won't forget," he said, "but I want to know who your physics friend is." The she-wolf smiled sarcastically at Babi, Lu Shan's bright red tongue: "Jealous, Babi?" There was tenderness in her voice. "I just want to know." He continued to insist, "I also want to know who this expecting Son of Darkness is." "Really, Baby?" The she-wolf's bright red tongue fell out again, and she smiled even more happily. "You will know," she seemed to promise, "when you prove your ability, you Got it, but by now, I think you understand our free shape state, and the potential dangers of being in it, don't you. Well, before Sam wakes up, let's get to work." She trotted all the way to the door of the study. "Here, now you understand. Let me help you through this door," she said softly. "My friend taught me how to smooth out the electronic irregular vibrations of the heaviest element in wood, otherwise the paint on the door might It's an obstacle." Her green eyes were fixed on the lower part of the door—Baby remembered the theory of probability that old Dr. Monrik had taught in class.There is quite a lot of space in all matter. The doctor explained that it is only because of the irregularity of the atomic vibration that the black lamp will not leak from the seemingly solid table.Nothing in the universe is absolute, only probabilities are real.According to the theory of Ai Pulu's unknown friend, the network of thought is bounded by probability. "Wait a minute." The she-wolf ordered softly, "Come, follow me." The lower half of the door of the study she was staring at began to disintegrate, disappearing into nothingness like smoke.For a moment, Bobby saw the screws holding the door hinges, and the rest of the frame, as if they were being viewed under an X-ray.Then, the metal part also disintegrated, and the female wolf's slender body quietly slipped through the disintegrated door. Bobby struggled to follow.He felt he was meeting some resistance from the original wood of the door.As he walked through the door, he could feel something lightly scratching his fur.He entered the study and stood still, howling uncontrollably as if he was about to suffocate.The white she-wolf hurried over to help him. There was something deadly in the house. Babi sniffed around, looking for danger.The room smelled musty of paper, dried ink, and glue on the spine, camphor in the closet next door, sweet tobacco on Sam's desk, and musk from the rats that had nested behind the bookcases. smell.But the strange, strong stench that Bobby smelled, which frightened him, came from the iron-banded green wooden box next to the writing desk. The stench that hit his nostrils, like something rotting that had been buried underground for a long time, reminded Bobby of the obvious ominous atmosphere in the foundation tower, which made him panic, but he couldn't understand why.Standing beside him, the female wolf suddenly stopped howling, her eyes flashed hatred, and at the same time she looked nervous and fearful. "It's what's in that box." The she-wolf's voice was very weak, "What Monrik dug up in Alashan, in the tomb of our predecessors—is the weapon that destroyed our kind, and now Sam plans to use it again These weapons. We must find a way to destroy it tonight." But Babi was trembling all over, and backed away in fear. "I don't feel well," he said uneasily. "I can hardly breathe. The smell must be poisonous. Let's get out." "Babi, don't be a coward." The she-wolf raised her lips and suggested to Babi sneeringly, "The things in the box must be stronger than dogs, and stronger than sunlight and even silver that our kind can deal with. We must Destroy it, or we'll all be doomed again." Saying that, the female wolf leaned down, her white wolf fur stood on end, and slowly approached the huge surgery box.Babi was full of doubts, and reluctantly followed_Portu.The unpleasant smell kept drilling into his nostrils, and he staggered, staggered, and trembled. "Pull the padlock!" he groaned, "Sam must have guessed—" Then he noticed that the she-wolf squinted her eyes, staring at the recessed side of the green-painted box. Oh, he remembered the probability that the she-wolf could control atoms.The wooden part of the box was blurred, revealing the metal part that bound the box.The screws disintegrated, the wide iron hoop disintegrated, and then, the thick lock buckle also disintegrated.The she-wolf howled low, shaking with rage. "Silver!" She panted heavily, leaning against Babi's body trembling. The decomposed wooden box has a lining, which is inlaid with white metal, and cannot be decomposed.There is no link between the atoms of silver and the web of thought. The foul-smelling thing was still in the box. "Babi, your old friends are very smart!" the she-wolf howled hoarsely, shaking her front paws, "I know this wooden box is very heavy, but I never thought that there is a layer of silver lining inside. I see, now We have to find the key and unlock the padlock. If that doesn't work, we have to burn the house down." "No!" said Babi tremblingly, "you can't do it while they're sleeping!" "You poor Nora!" said the she-wolf without concealment, "then why did you sit and watch Sam marry her?" The she-wolf bared her bright red tongue and sneered grimly, "Fire is a last resort, "The atomic tremors of silver will kill us," she told Babi. "Let's find the key first." They crawled towards the door, towards the direction of the snoring, and suddenly—Babbi felt his whole body tremble, and the whole house seemed to tremble.In a sudden panic, the she-wolf whimpered and ran away from Babi to Sam's shaking desk.The noise like a war drum suddenly stopped, and Babi realized that it was the phone ringing. "Which idiot is calling now?" The white wolf hissed hastily.Babi heard Sam lying on the bed, muffled sleepily.The room that was quiet just now was like a closed net, he really wanted to run away immediately.If the phone rings again, Sam will definitely wake up. The door of the study is locked. Babi greets the she-wolf, and rushes to the dark and empty place desperately: "Let's get out of here—" The white wolf has already curled up his body, jumped up slightly, and jumped onto Sam's writing desk. Before the phone rang again, he carefully picked up the receiver with his dexterous front paws. "Hush!" she ordered, but her voice was gentle. "Listen!" The atmosphere in the small study was suddenly tense, and the "tick, tick" sound of the clock on the desk was extremely ear-piercing.Babi could hear Sam Quinn's sleepy voice, which seemed to be asking questions, and then, snoring again.The "hum" of the engine of the kitchen refrigerator stopped, and Bobby could hear a small but urgent voice in the receiver. "Sam?" It was Rowena Monrick's voice. "Sam Quinn—can you hear me?" Bobby heard an uneasy murmur from the bedroom, and then, Sam Quinn again, tired but restless. Snoring, "Nora, is that you?" The voice on the desk receiver came again, shrill with fear, "Where is Sam? Tell him to call me, okay, Nora? I'll call him Mind you - tell him off, it's about Babi." The white wolf crouched next to the receiver, her front paw stretched out very long, as if she wanted to smash the receiver with one palm.Her ears pricked up to listen, her squinting green eyes held hatred. "Who?" The faint voice on the receiver looked frightened. "Sam?" The voice sighed softly. "Nora? Why don't you—talk—" There was a shrill cry from the receiver, and Babi was really afraid that it would reach the bedroom.Rowena over there must be freaking out too, "click" With a sound, she hung up the phone.White Wolf put down the receiver and looked back to Babi. "Damn that old widow!" White Wolf gasped softly. "She knows too much—she went blind and saw too much. I'm afraid that once she knows Tell Sam. It will make the contents of that green box more powerful." Her long ears pressed against her neck, and she howled again. "Now we have another job, Bobby," she said softly to Bobby. "I think we'd better get Rowena Monrique and Sam Quinn off before she gets in touch with her." kill." "We can't hurt an old and blind old lady!" Babi protested vehemently. "Besides, she's my friend." "Your friend?" the white she-wolf said sarcastically, "Baby, you still have a lot to learn." Suddenly, something seemed to block the she-wolf's throat, and her voice suddenly changed. Very low and vague, "Once you become what you are now, she will betray you—" As she spoke, she swayed and collapsed on the carpet. "Ai Pulu?" Babi touched the she-wolf's mouth anxiously, "What's the matter with you, Ai Pulu?" "—Oops!" Babi had to prick up his ears to hear the weak voice of the she-wolf, "Now I understand why your old friend Quinn went to sleep without locking the back door. That green wooden box It's the bait—he guesses we can't get the box open. The damn thing in that box is a deadly trap." Babi almost forgot, the strong unpleasant smell when he first entered the study room, when he first smelled it just now, he really couldn't bear it.But now he raised his nose and sniffed hard again, it seemed that it was not as strong as before, it seemed to smell much better, there was a wonderful feeling of drowsiness, he sniffed hard again. "Stop smelling it!" the she-wolf said feebly, "It's poisonous. Quinn put it here to poison us." The floor was shaking constantly on the floor, and the voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible, "We The chest must be abandoned—go and visit your dear friend Rowena, if we get out of here alive—” The ground was limp and motionless. "Ai Pulu!" Babi called her name, "Ai Pulu!" The she-wolf remained motionless.