Chapter 16 Chapter Fourteen

"Lock the door!" "Close the damper on the fireplace!" "Never enter a dark place!" "Stay away from the crowd!" "The one who wears clothes is the enemy - shoot!" We were supposed to find and kill the Titans all over the country within a week.I don't know what else we can do.In addition to continuous publicity.The country was also divided into four parts from the air to search for landing flying saucers.Our radars are on high alert for unknown pulses.Military branches, from airborne troops to missile bases are ready to destroy any unidentified objects that land.

But nothing happened.The troops did nothing.The whole incident was like lighting a damp firecracker, which "sizzled" but didn't go off. In those uninfected areas, people shed their clothes willingly or unwillingly.On physical examination, no parasites were found.They followed the news, anxiously waiting for the government to declare the crisis over, but nothing happened.Therefore, both ordinary people and local officials have begun to wonder whether it is necessary to walk around the streets in sunbathing clothes.We kept shouting "Wolf is coming", but the wolf didn't come.

Infested area?Reports from affected areas were not substantially different from those from other areas. Our stereo TV and other media do not cover those areas.That kind of thing wouldn't have happened in the old days of radio; Washington Station's signal could cover the whole country.However, the wavelength of stereoscopic TV is too short, so a relay switch must be established, and local channels must be transmitted by local TV stations; this is the price we pay for opening various channels and providing high-resolution images. In infected areas, slugs have taken over local stations; the warnings have not been heard.

In Washington, we have every reason to believe that the warnings have been heard.But the reports that came back — like the report from Iowa and the report from California — they were almost identical, and the governor of Iowa was the first to send a message back to the president, pledging his full cooperation.He reported that Iowa police were already patrolling the highway.They stopped all pedestrians and asked them to take off their shirts.And at the request of the president, during the crisis, flying over Iowa is prohibited. The governor repeatedly addressed voters, asking them to take off their shirts, as seen on the televised televised broadcast.The governor faces the camera.And I wanted him to turn around.But they immediately switched to another camera.We only see close-ups of the back, while the governor's voice rises, encouraging all citizens to cooperate with the police.

If there was ever a home for slugs in the United States, it was Iowa.Could it be that they have evacuated from Nong Iowa State and gathered in densely populated central cities? We gathered in a conference room next to the President's Office.The President kept the old man by his side all the time, and I was always on the sidelines, and Mary was still watching closely.Security Secretary Martínez and Air Force Gen. Rexton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were also there.There are other people in the President's cabinet, but they are not important. The President looked at the Iowa TV feed and turned to the old man. "What do you think, Andrew? I think we should quarantine Iowa."

The old man snorted. General Rexton said: "My thinking is that they have gone underground. However, I don't have much time to assess the current situation, so I can't make a precise judgment. We may have to put every inch of land in the suspicious area. Sort it all out." The old man snorted again. "Click through Iowa, and search piles of jade stalks next to each other? I don't think it will work." "Besides that, is there any other way, sir?" "Analyze your enemy. It cannot go underground, it cannot live without a host." "Okay—assuming that's the case, how many parasites do you think there are in Farmville?"

"Hell, how do I know? They don't think of me as a confidant." "Suppose we make a top estimate. What if—" The old man interrupted him. "You have no basis for an estimate. Can't you guys see that the Titans have won another game?" "yes?" "You just heard what the governor said; they showed us his back — or someone else's back, did you notice he didn't turn around for the camera?" "But he turned." Someone said, "I saw him turn." "I do have the impression that I saw him turn around." The president said slowly, "You mean that Governor Parker himself was also controlled?"

"Yes. You only saw what others wanted you to see. The camera cut before he was fully turned; almost no one noticed it, and everyone was used to it. I have no doubts, Mr. President, The news in Iowa is all fake." The president thought about it.Secretary Martinez shook his head flatly and said, "Impossible. Even the governor's news is fake - a good stuntman can do it. Remember the inaugural address in the crisis of 1996 when the president-elect was Bedridden with pneumonia. Even if such a video is fake, we have a lot of Iowa video. How do you explain the scene on Des Moines Avenue? Don't tell me you can fake hundreds of people naked Footage of spines rushing to the streets. Can your parasites hypnotize the public?"

"I know they can't," the old man admitted. "If they can, we'll have to throw in the towel and admit that humans have been replaced by them. But why do you believe those videos are from Iowa?" "Huh? Hell, sir, the tape was on an Iowa TV channel." "And what does that prove? Did you see the street signage? Those shots looked indistinguishable from any typical street in any downtown business district. Never mind the announcer telling you what city this is: think for yourself Where is that?" The minister couldn't close his mouth in shock.I had the photographic memory that a detective should have, and I went over the picture in my mind—but not only could I not tell what city it was, but I couldn't even tell what part of the country it was.It could be Memphis, or Seattle, or Boston -- or neither.Except for special cases like Canal Street in New Orleans, or downtown Denver, the business districts of American cities are as uniform as the signs of barbershops.

"Don't worry about it," the old man continued, "I can't tell where it is, I'm looking for landmarks. The answer is simple. Des Moines TV took images of people with bare backs in other uninfected cities, and replaced them with Their commentary rebroadcasts. They cut out everything that could go wrong...and we believe it. Gentlemen, the enemy knows us. Very well. Outwit us in any action we take." "Aren't you overly nervous, Andrew?" said the president. "There is indeed another possibility. The Titans have moved to other places." "They're still in Iowa," the old man said in a low voice, "but you can't prove that with that." He pointed to the stereo cart.

Secretary Martinez looked embarrassed. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "You mean we don't get proper reports from Iowa, as if it's an enemy territory." "This is true." "But when I got back from Alaska, I stopped in Des Moines, just two days ago. Everything was fine there. Look, I believe the parasite you're talking about exists, even though I haven't seen it. But we Gotta find out where they are and get rid of them, not make up some fancy stuff here." The old man looked tired, and so did I.I thought to myself how many ordinary people would take it seriously if the upper echelon thought it was too much. The old man finally replied: "Control a country's communications and you control the country; it's common sense. You'd better act now, Mr. Minister, or you won't have any communication facilities to use." "But I just—" "You're going to get rid of them!" said the old man roughly. "I told you, they're in Iowa--and New Orleans and a lot of other places. I did what I had to do. You're Secretary of Security." ; you come and root them out." He stood up and said to the President, "Mr. President, I've survived long enough for a man my age. When I don't sleep well, I lose my temper. Allow Do I back down?" "Of course, Andrew." The old man didn't lose his temper, and I think the President knows that too.He didn't lose his temper; he made others lose his temper. Before the old man could say good night, Secretary Martinez interjected, "Wait a minute! You've made these dogmatic statements. Let's check." He turned to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Rexton!" "What are your orders?" "That new position near Des Moines, named after a man, what is the name of the fort?" "Fort Barton." "Yes, yes. Well, don't delay any longer. Get the command line—" "Bring video." The old man interjected. "With video, sure. Let's see -- I mean let's see what's really going on in Iowa." The general looked at the president asking for instructions, then walked to the stereo TV and connected to the security headquarters.He called the officer of the watch at Fort Patton, Iowa. After a while, the stereoscopic TV showed the internal situation of the military communication center.A young officer appeared on the screen.His rank and unit designation can be seen on his hat, and he is bare-chested. Martinez turned to the old man triumphantly, "Did you see that?" "I saw it." "Come and check, Lieutenant." "Yes, sir!" The young officer--don't look respectful, kept looking from one famous face to another. "Stand up and turn around," Martinez continued to order, "Huh? Ah, yes, sir." He looked confused.But the order was carried out - he almost moved out of sight.We see his bare back, up to the ribs - no higher. "Damn it!" Martinez yelled, "Sit down and turn around." "Yes, sir." The young officer's face seemed to turn red.He leaned back on the table and said, "Wait a minute, I'll widen the angle of view, sir." The picture suddenly disappears, and the entire screen is filled with colorful clutter.But the young officer's voice could still be heard on the voice channel. "Okay—is that clearer, sir?" "Hell, we can't see anything!" "Can't see? Please wait, sir." We can hear his heavy breathing.The screen suddenly returned to normal.I thought Fort Barton was reconnected.But this time it was a major who appeared on the screen, and the place looked bigger. "High Command," said the man in the picture, "I'm Major Donovan, Communications Watch Officer." "Major," Martinez suppressed his anger, "I'm on the phone with Fort Barton. What happened?" "That's right, sir; I've been monitoring. There's a little technical glitch on that channel. We'll get you back on right away." "Well, hurry up!" "Yes, sir." The screen rippled, then went blank. The old man stood up again. "Call me when you get that 'little technical barrier' out of the way. Now, I'm going to sleep."