Chapter 5 chapter Five

Soapy spent the next few hours on the dark passage closest to the ruined home, near the first branch lane.Because there, if Pop came back, Soapy could hear him; if the police showed up, Soapy could slip away. Soapy hid there and dozed for a while, but woke up with a start before falling asleep.When he awoke, he felt as if he had been watching for a week, so he wanted to see what time it was, so he went home, got a candle and lit it.However, their only common "eternity card" clock has been smashed.The boxed radioactive source in the clock would certainly continue to count the passage of time, but its work would no longer be beneficial.Soapy stared at the broken clock for a long time, and finally forced himself to turn his thoughts to the practical problem at hand.

If Dad is safe and sound, he will definitely come back.But the problem now is that the police have taken him away.Would they just ask a few words and let him go? No, they certainly wouldn't do that.As far as Soapy knew, Papa had never done anything to harm Sargon, but Soapy had also known for a long time that Papa was more than just a beggar with no malice.Soapy never understood why Dad did so many things that didn't qualify him as an "innocent old beggar", but he also knew that the police must have known about those things, or had been aware of them.About every year, the police would throw some stink bombs into the caves that attracted their attention, with the purpose of "emptying" those who were active under the ruins, but that would only allow them to sleep temporarily in other places for a few nights.But this time, they engaged in an armed attack.Their purpose was to catch Dad, but also to search for something.

The principles of the Sargon Police are ancient, older even than the idea of ​​justice.They take it for granted that once a person has committed a crime, they have the right to use strong methods to extract a confession...the methods are so cruel that the person caught is eager to tell everything before the interrogation.But Soapy was sure that from Papa the police would get nothing that the old man didn't want to confess. It appears that the interrogation will continue for a long time. Maybe they're torturing Dad right now.Thinking of this, Soapy was at a loss, like an ant on a hot pan.

He had to save Dad from the police. How to save it?Can a mayfly shake a tree?Baslim was probably being held in the backyard of the district police station, where ordinary prisoners were usually kept.But Soapy felt that Dad was not an ordinary prisoner. If that was the case, maybe Dad had been transferred to other places, and he might even be taken to the highest judicial institution. Soapy could also go to the local police station and ask where Papa was taken, but considering the reputation of the Sargon police, Soapy never thought of it.Besides, if Soapy showed up at the police station as a close relative of a criminal on trial, he would be put in another room and the police would torture him with the same diabolism to tell him what they wanted, or Ask him to confirm what Dad was forced to confess.

Soapy was no coward, but he knew that a man could not scoop water with a knife, and had to resort to indirect means to rescue Pop.He couldn't claim the "right" to see Dad, because he didn't have that right.The thought never entered his mind either.Bribery is a way, people with star dollars in their pockets can do this, but Soapy only has 20 cents, so what can he use to bribe him? Once he realized that the police were unlikely to release Pop, Soapy came to the conclusion that he had to go undercover.But the strangest things were possible, and there was always a glimmer of hope that Pop would persuade the police to let him go with his smooth tongue alone.So Soapy left a note, put it on a shelf they used as a letter-box, and went away.

It was night outside when Soapy's head came out of the ground.He couldn't judge the time, and didn't know whether he had slept under the ruins for half a day or a day and a half, so he had to change his plan.He had planned to go to Inga the grocer first, and ask her what she knew.But now that there were no police around, as long as he could escape the eyes of the night patrol, he was free to move about.But where?Who could or would break the news to him? Soapy has dozens of friends and hundreds of acquaintances, but because of the curfew, those acquaintances will not come out at night. He can only see them during the day, and he basically does not know the addresses of these people.But there is one place that has no curfew, and Pleasure Street and its adjoining motels never close.In order to allow lingering extraterrestrial visitors to have a place to conduct business activities and accommodation, the bars, casinos and other places for outsiders near the spaceport are never closed.A commoner, even a freed slave, could spend the night there without fear of being arrested as long as he didn't leave the place between curfew and dawn.

Soapy didn't worry about the danger in that direction, and he didn't intend to let anyone see it anyway.Although there were people patrolling there, he knew the habits of those policemen.They operate in pairs, stay only on illuminated streets, and only leave their patrol routes to deal with illegal and riotous activities.But there was an advantage there, for Soapy who wished to inquire about news: gossip was often hours faster there than elsewhere, and he could hear things that were omitted or concealed by the regular press. There must be someone on Happy Street who knows about Papa's situation.

Soapy climbed over the wall and entered the low-class and noisy nightclub area, then slid down a drainpipe from the roof, entered a dim courtyard, and came out to Happy Street.He found a place out of the streetlights to rest and looked around to see if there were any policemen or anyone he knew.There are many people on the road, but most of them are foreigners.He basically knows the bosses and employees on this street, but he is unwilling to enter any of these places, for fear of falling into the hands of the police.Soapy wanted to find a trustworthy person and call him into the shade of the yard to talk.

But Soapy saw neither the policeman nor any familiar face.Just then, Aunt Singham came across the street. Among the many fortune-tellers on Pleasure Street, Auntie Singham has the best conscience.She never said things like bad luck to her customers, she always said they were lucky.If her words don't come true, there will be no customers to complain about her, and her warm words always give people confidence.Some people said behind her back that she was doing well, mainly because she was tipping off the police.But Soapy didn't believe what those people said, because Pop didn't believe in gossip.Anyway, Aunt Singham was a source of information, so Soapy decided to try his luck—even if she went to tip off, at most, he would inform the police that Thorby was still alive and not caught...These policemen Already know.

The corner on the right of Soapy is the Aerospace Harbor Nightclub. On the road outside the door, Auntie is laying a small rug. She wants to grab a fortune-telling booth there before the show is over and the audience crowds out of the door. Soapy glanced at all the roads, and walked quickly along the base of the wall to the door of the nightclub. "Hi! Auntie!" Singam looked around, startled, then calmed down.She didn't even move her lips, but he could hear clearly: "Slip away, child! Hide now! Aren't you crazy staying here?" "Auntie...where did they get Daddy?"

"Which hole do you go into, and then cover the hole, they are posting a reward for arresting you!" "Catch me? Don't be silly, Auntie, no one will put a reward on me. Tell me, where did they keep him? Do you know?" "They're not off." "'They didn't close' what?" "You don't know? Oh, poor boy! They killed him." Soapy was too shocked to speak at this.Though Baslim had said that he would die one day, Thorby never took it seriously.Even now, he couldn't imagine the fact that his father was really dead and left him forever. Thinking about it, Soapy didn't hear what she said next, but heard her repeating: "The spies are here! Run away!" Soapy looked back and saw two policemen coming.Time to leave!But he's stuck here, there's no way to escape, the gate of the nightclub is in front... If he sneaks in, the management will know what kind of person he is when they see the clothes he's wearing Yes, they will definitely call the police. But Soapy had nowhere to go, so he turned his back on the police and walked into the narrow foyer of the nightclub.There was no one in the foyer, there was a performance going on inside, not even a seller.But as soon as he entered the door, he saw a shed ladder. There was a box on the shed ladder, which contained transparent letters, which were used to replace the actor's name on the sign.Immediately after seeing the letters, Soapy had an idea that would make Baslim proud of his pupil—he picked up the shed ladder and the box, and came out again. Soapy didn't look at the two policemen coming, put the ladder under the banner illuminated by the small light at the entrance, and quickly climbed up the ladder, with his back to the police.Most of his body was exposed in the bright light, but his face was above the light and hidden in the shadows, and he began to fiddle with the names of the actors slowly. The two policemen stopped behind Soapy.Soapy steadied himself, fiddling with the letters in the box with the composed, weary attitude of an old employee.At this time, he heard Aunt Singam shouting: "Good evening, captain." "Good evening, Auntie. What nonsense are you talking about tonight?" "Yes, I'm going to talk nonsense again! I saw a beautiful girl in your future, her fingers are as nimble as a bird. Let me look at your palm again, and maybe I can read her name Woolen cloth." "Then what will my wife say? But I don't have time to chat tonight, auntie." The team leader glanced at the worker who was changing letters, rubbed his chin and said, "We're going to wait for old Baslim's That little bastard, I wonder if you've seen him?" Finished.He looked at the words being replaced above his head, his eyes flashed. "If I saw it, would I still gossip here?" "Mmm..." The team leader turned around and said to his companion, "Luo Ri, go ahead and check the Ace Nightclub. Don't forget the toilet. I'll keep an eye on the street here." "Okay, Captain." After the companion left, the old policeman turned to the fortune-teller and said, "Auntie, it's really sad. Who would have thought that a lame old Baslim would be involved in anti-Sargon espionage activities?" "Yes." She leaned forward and asked, "It is said that he was frightened to death before the beheading, is it true?" "He had prepared the poison and knew what was going to happen. So he took the poison and killed himself before pulling it out of the hole, so the leader was very annoyed." "Everyone is already dead, why cut off his head?" "Come, come, auntie, the law must be enforced. They did cut off his head, and I don't like doing that kind of thing." The captain sighed, and went on. "Auntie, this is a sad world. Think about that poor child, who was spoiled by that old guy... Now, the captain and the commander above are counting on interrogating that child. Those questions were meant to be asked by the old man. Guy's." "What good would that do them?" "It may not be beneficial." The squad leader poked the dirt in the ditch with his baton, "But if I were that child, when I knew the old man was dead but didn't know how to answer those questions, I'm going to fly off right away, away from the city. Find a farmer. Actually, any farmer needs motivated, cheap hired labor, and generally doesn't care about things in the city. But since I'm not that Then, boy, if I see—if I do see him, I'll catch him and drag him to the Captain." "Perhaps at this time, he is hiding in the bean field and shaking with fear." "It's possible, but it's better than losing your head." The team leader looked at the street and shouted, "Okay, Luo Ri, follow me right away." Just as he was about to leave, he turned to Soapy again. He glanced in the direction of the man, and then said, "Good night, Auntie. If you see him, let us know." "I will call you. Salute to Sargon." "Hail to Sargon." Soapy continued to pretend to be at work, trying to maintain his composure as the two policemen slowly moved away.At this time, the customers came out of the nightclub slowly, and the aunt began to tell fortunes again. She always said that the customers could get promoted, get rich and have a bright future, and all these words were for one coin.Soapy was just about to come down to carry his things back into the hall before slipping away when a hand grabbed his ankle. "what are you doing!" Soapy froze for a moment, and immediately realized that he was the owner of the store, and he was angry because he found that the sign on it was messed up.Soapy didn't look down, and said, "What's the matter? Didn't you pay me to replace the plate?" "I told you to do it?" "Oh, yes, that's what you said. You called me..." Soapy looked down, looking very surprised, and said suddenly, "You're not the one who told me to work." "Of course I'm not. Come down." "I can't get down, you're holding my feet." The man let go.When Soapy came down, he stepped back and said, "I don't know what idiot would call you..." In the middle of speaking, Soapy's face just turned to the light, "Hey, so you are the little beggar !" The man was about to reach for it when Soapy ran away.Soapy rushed left and right in the crowd, only to hear shouts behind him: "Come on the police, come on the police!" At this moment, Soapy ran into the dark yard before, rushed forward with all his strength, and grabbed a stick. The drainpipe climbed up to the roof like walking on flat ground, and stopped after turning over dozens of roofs. Soapy sat down against one of the chimneys, took a breath, and began to think. Dad is dead.He couldn't die, but he really died.Old Captain Poddy wouldn't have said that if he didn't know the truth.Alas... alas, by this time, Pop will be nailed to the tower with the heads of the other victims.A horrible scene appeared in Soapy's mind. He had a nervous breakdown and couldn't control his tears. After a long time, he raised his head, wiped the tears from his face, and stood up. Dad is dead, what should he do now? In any case, Dad finally didn't let them ask a word.Thinking of this, although Soapy was in pain, he was also proud of his father.Pop was always a smart guy, and though they caught him, Pop had the last laugh. Now how to do? Aunt Singham had warned him to hide.Captain Podi also said, it's very simple, leave this city.These words are indeed golden words.If Thorby wanted to live to be Boddy's age, he had better get out of town before dawn.But Pop wanted him to get up and fight, not sit still and wait for the spies to arrive.Now that Papa was dead, he didn't have to do anything else for Papa—wait! "When I'm dead, you're going to meet someone and send him a letter. I can trust that you won't mess it up or forget it?" Yes, Dad, you can trust me!I haven't forgotten - I'll deliver the letter!For the first time, Soapy remembered why Dad had to go home so early more than a day ago: it was because the Sisu Free Trade Ship entered the port, and the captain's name happened to be one of the names listed by Dad. "Give it to the first captain who comes," that's what Dad said. "I didn't screw it up, old man. I almost did, but I remember. I'm going to get it done, and I'm going to make it!" Soapy knew perfectly well now that the letter must be old. The last and most important thing that Dad must take out.Didn't they say that Pop was a spy.Well, he'll help dad with that. "I will definitely do this well, Dad, you will definitely win!" For the "treasonous" heart he had sprouted, Soapy didn't feel the slightest guilt.As a slave, being transported here is already against his will, so he has no "loyalty" to Sargon at all.Baslim had never instilled Soapy's awareness in him.His deepest feelings about Sargon had been superstitious fears, and even then they had been swept away by a strong vengeance.Now, he is neither afraid of the police nor Sargon himself, he just wants to escape from their clutches and fulfill Baslim's last wish.Later on... well, if they caught him, he hoped he could finish the job before he was beheaded. Let's hope that Sisu Free Trade Ship is still parked in the spaceport. Oh, that ship must stop there!The most important thing now is to find out whether the ship has left, and then—no, the most important thing is to stay away from this place before dawn.Only by keeping this stupid head can I do something for my father, so avoiding these stalkers is the top priority. What's happening now is that every cop in the area is after him.He wanted to flee to a safe place immediately to find out if the Sisu was still parked in this ghost place. Perhaps the best course of action would be to try to get to the docks, where he was unknown, and he could slip in and hide for a while, then back out and take the long way to the spaceport to find Sisu No.Oh no, that would be stupid, he didn't know the place, and he might be caught before he got there.Here, at least, he knew every house and most of the people in the street. But he has to get help from others, because he can't just go to the street and stop the visitor from space to ask questions.So, who is the best friend who can risk getting caught by the police and can help?Is Ziji okay?Don't be stupid, Qi Ji will report him in order to get the report fee, that guy can sell his mother for twenty cents.Ziggy's idea is that self-interest is the first, last and always consideration, and anyone who doesn't is a fool. So who else?Soapy ran into a conundrum: Most of his friends were peers with limited social connections and abilities.Also, it was night and Soapy didn't know where most of them lived, but in the daytime he mustn't be wandering the streets waiting for someone to show up.He knew the addresses of some friends, but they lived with their parents. He didn't know anyone who not only could be trusted, but also the parents around him could keep the secret.Whenever there is a situation, many citizens at the bottom of the society like Soapy will only try their best to keep themselves and stand by the police. It seemed that one of Papa's friends had to be chosen. He quickly ticked off Dad's friends one by one.On the whole, Soapy wondered whether Pop's relationship with his friends was a fraternal friendship or a mere general acquaintance.In the end he decided that the only person he could make contact with and possibly help with was Aunt Schaum, because she had protected him and Pop once they were driven out of the cave by the stink bombs.She was always kind to Soapy, and gave him cold drinks. It was almost dawn, and he must go to her at once. Near the gate where the crew of the spaceport came in and out, on the other side of Pleasure Street, Mama Saum kept a bar and inn.Half an hour later, Soapy climbed over many roofs, twice over the courtyard, once through the street under the lights, and came to the roof of Aunt Shaw's Bar.He dared not go directly into her house, and if there were many witnesses, she had no choice but to call the police.Before making a decision, he thought about going in through the back door and then squatting in the trash can to hide, but the noise in the kitchen of the bar was too dangerous. It was nearly daylight when Soapy reached the roof of her house.He found the entrance and exit that are usually found on the roof of every house, but the door is firmly locked and cannot be opened by empty-handed burglars. He went to the back again, thinking to find a place to go down, and at least try the back door.It was almost dawn, and he had to find a place to hide quickly.He looked down at the back and saw a loft vent on either side, nearly as wide as his shoulders and as high as his chest—but they led in. Both vents are blocked with partitions.A few minutes later, a scraped and bruised Soapy kicked one of the panels in, and the next thing was the almost impossible task of squeezing through the vent and then climbing down the hole.No sooner had he squeezed his ass into the hole than the loincloth caught on the side spikes of the fender, and he was stuck there like a cork, unable to advance or retreat.The lower half of the body has been hung in the attic, but the head, chest and arms are still exposed like monsters.By this time the sky was much brighter. Crawling his feet in front of him for a while, coupled with the strength of will, Soapy finally tore off the cloth and got in, but was hit by the wall and almost fainted.He lay still for a moment, took a breath, and then casually returned the shutter to its original position.The baffle can no longer stop small animals such as cockroaches, but it can still fool the eyes of people four floors down.The fourth floor, until then, he realized that he almost fell from the fourth floor just now. The attic is small and is used for wiring and plumbing.Soapy knelt down and groped for the sunroof which he could climb up from under for repair or inspection.He believed that there must be such a place in the attic, but he couldn't find it after touching it.Soapy wondered now whether such a house would have such a skylight?He knows that some houses have them, but he doesn't know much about the facilities in the houses because he rarely has the opportunity to live in the house. He didn't find the skylight until the sun shone through the vent.The skylight hole was originally at the front end of the street.And locked from below. However, skylight holes don't snap like roof attic vent doors.He looked around, found a large iron nail left by a worker, and used it to pry a knot in the plank.After a while he pried a hole out and stopped to look down through the hole.Below is a room with a bed and a figure on the bed. Soapy thought that there was no other hope now, but to persuade the man below not to call the police, but to find Mrs. Shaw for him.Fortunately, there is only one person.He turned his head and groped through the scar to find the skylight latch.He was glad to have broken a nail in unlatching the window.He gently opened the trap door. The man lying on the bed was motionless.Soapy moved his body down slowly, grasping the edge of the wall with his fingertips, and slowly lowered his body, landing as softly as possible. The man lying on the bed sat up suddenly and pointed the gun at Soapy. "You take a lot of time," she said. "I've been listening to it for almost an hour." "Mother Shaw don't shoot!" She leaned forward and looked carefully: "It's Baslim's child!" She shook her head and said, "Son, you are crazy...you are more dangerous than the fire on the cushion! You What do you think, why did you come here?" "I don't know where else to go." Shawn frowned and said, "It's a compliment... If I had a choice, I'd rather have a bad sore." She got out of bed in her pajamas, and walked to the window with bare feet, Peeping out the window on the street below, "There are spies here, there are spies there, and they searched every entertainment place on this street three times in one night, scaring my customers... boy, since the factory riots Since then, the mess you have caused is the biggest one I have ever seen. Why don't you do something good and just die peacefully?" "You don't want to hide me, Mother?" "Who says I don't want to? I never betray anyone on purpose, but I don't like to do things that hide people." She stared at Thorby with wide eyes. "How long have you not eaten?" "Well, I forgot." "I'll get you something to eat. I don't think you can afford it, can you?" She fixed Soapy with sharp eyes. "I'm not hungry. Aunt Schaum, is the Sisu Free Trade Ship still in the spaceport?" "Huh? I don't know. No, I remember. It was in the—earlier last night. A few people from the boat came here. What's the matter?" "I have a letter for the captain. I must see him, I must see him!" Mother Shaw snorted angrily: "First of all, he woke a respectable working woman from a nap at night. Bumped in, and made her life and her arms and legs meet very hard. Secondly, he is unkempt, bruised, and bloodstained, and will no doubt have to be washed with my clean towel, at the present laundry cost... Besides, he has not eaten, and has no money to pay for it... Now he asks me to run errands for him, isn't that deceiving too much?" "I'm not hungry...it doesn't matter if I wash or not. But I must see Captain Clauser." "This is my bedroom, don't try to give me orders here. Look at you, tall, and not much beaten--I know that old thing you live with. You can only Wait here, wait for some crew member of the Sisu to come here later today, and then I will ask him to send a note to the captain for me." She said, turning and walking towards the door, "in the big tank There's water, and towels on the towel rack, so clean yourself up." She went out. It's really comfortable to wash.Soapy found some styptic powder in her dresser and sprinkled it on her wound.Mama Chaum came back, threw down two slices of bread with a large piece of meat in between, put down a bowl of milk in front of him, and went away without a word.Soapy hadn't thought he'd have enough to eat since his father's death, but now he did have good food again.Today, when he saw Aunt Shaum for the first time, he felt that a stone fell from his heart. She came in again, and said, "Go in after you've eaten your last morsel of bread. Customers are talking about the police going from house to house." "Ah? Then I have to get out of here. Run away immediately." "Shut up, listen to me, let me in." "Where are you going?" "In there." She pointed to a place. "Hiding in there?" What looked like a seat in an indoor bay window was actually a box in the corner.Its shortcoming is that it is too small: the width is the same as that of a person, but the length is only one-third of a person. "I don't think I can shrink that small." "The police will think the same. Hurry up." She lifted the lid of the box, took out some clothes, went to the next room, and opened the other end of the box connected to the next room, like opening a sliding window , revealing a hole through the wall. "Put your feet in and don't think you're the only one who needs to lie still." Soapy lay down in the box, on his back with his legs outstretched in the hole, reckoning the cover was only inches from his face when it was lowered.Mama Shaw put some clothes on top of him to cover him. "what do you think?" "That's true. Is he really dead, Madam Schaum?" "He's dead, boy. What a pity." Her voice became softer. "Are you sure?" "I knew him well, so I was as suspicious as you. So I went to the tower and saw it was him. But I can tell you, boy, he had a smile on his face, as if he had won them over... He did beat them. They don't like dying before arraignment." Mama Shaum sighed again. "If you want to cry now, do so, but softly; if you hear Come in, don't even breathe." The lid of the box slammed shut.Soapy lay in it, wondering if he could still catch his breath, but he saw at once that there must be vents in the box, for the air in it, though not very fresh, was passable.He turned his head to the side so that the clothes would not cover his nostrils. Then, he actually cried for a while, and then fell asleep. At some point, he who was sleeping soundly was awakened by voices and footsteps.He was about to sit up when he remembered that he was in a box.At this time, he heard the lid of the box above his face being lifted and closed again with a bang, which made his ears ringing.Only a man's voice said: "There is nothing in this room, Captain!" "Let's see." Soapy recognized Poddy's voice. "You forgot to check that skylight over there. Get the ladder." "Captain, there's nothing on it, it's just a place for ventilation." This was the voice of Aunt Shaw. "I said, 'Let's see.'" A few minutes later he spoke again: "Pass me the torch. Mmm... you're right, Mamma... but he's been here." "what?" "One of the upper panels is broken, and the dust on it has been moved. I think he must have come in there, and passed through your room." "Oh, that's all right! It seems that I was almost killed by him in bed! Would you like to call the police to protect me?" "You're not hurt. But you'd better get that barrier fixed, or snakes and stuff will crawl in." After a pause, he added, "I see, he's doing everything he can to stay in this place, But I found that the search was too tight, so I went back to the ruins. It would be nice if that was the case, and we could smoke him out with the stench before dark." "Do you think it's safe for me to go to bed?" "He won't pay attention to your old fat." "Good mouth! I wanted to give you something to drink to moisten your throat." "Really? Well, let's go down to your kitchen and have a good talk about drinks. Maybe what I just said is not right." Soapy breathed a sigh of relief when they heard them leave the room and remove the ladder. . After a while Mama Shaw came back murmuring, opened the lid and said, "You can stretch your legs out, but be ready to jump back in anytime. Three pints of my best beer. Police!"