Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

It was two months ago that Dr. Schechter transformed Joseph Schwartz with a synaptic amplifier.During this period, the physicist underwent a radical change.In fact, his appearance has not changed much, maybe he is just a little more hunchbacked and thinner.The main change came in his demeanor—becoming absent-minded and fearful.He lives in his own inner world, and he no longer deals with even his closest colleagues.Even the most unscrupulous person could see that he was showing reluctance in every way. He had only one person to confide in, Paula, perhaps because she had also been inexplicably withdrawn for the past two months.

"They've been watching me," he often said, "I just feel it. Do you know what it feels like?... In the past month or so, there have been a lot of personnel changes in the institute. Those who left, It’s all that I like and find believable... I’m never alone for a minute, there’s always someone around me, and they don’t even let me write reports.” Sometimes Paula felt sympathy for him, and sometimes she laughed at him.She said again and again: "But what do they object to when you do this? Even if you experiment on Schwartz, it is not a great crime. At most, they will only treat you Call for a reprimand."

But his face turned yellow and haggard, and he murmured: "They won't let me live, my 60th limit is coming, they won't let me live." "After you've made such a contribution, bullshit!" "I know too much, Paula, and they don't trust me." "Know too much of what?" He felt exhausted that night and wanted to unburden himself, so he told her everything.At first she didn't believe it at all, and in the end, when she finally accepted the truth, she could just sit there in cold terror. The next day, Paula traveled to the other side of the city and used the public communication wave to communicate with the State Guest House.She deliberately covered the microphone with a handkerchief, expressing that she wanted to talk to Dr. Bel Avardan.

He is not there.They figured he might be in Bueno, a city some six thousand miles away, but then again he hadn't been following his itinerary exactly.Yes, they did think he'd end up back in Chicago, but they didn't know exactly when.Would she like to leave her name?They'll find out for her. She hastily cut off the call, and pressed her tender cheek against the glass partition, feeling a comfortable coolness.Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked so disappointed. Fool, fool! He once helped her, but she drove him away ferociously.He bravely faced nerve whips and even more terrifying threats, just to win back the dignity of a small earth woman and save her from being insulted by an outsider, and she actually abandoned him in the end.

On the morning of the next day after the incident, she immediately sent one hundred points to the State Guesthouse, but it was returned intact without a single word attached.At that time, she wanted to go to him and apologize to him in person, but she didn't dare to do that.The State Guesthouse is a place that only outsiders can set foot in. How could she break in?She never even looked at the building carefully, always just glimpsed it from a distance. And now, she is even willing to go to the administrator's mansion, go... go... At this point, only he can help them.He is an outsider who can treat people on Earth as equals, and she never guessed his true identity until he confessed it himself.He's so big, so confident, he'll know what to do.

Someone has to know what to do, or the entire galaxy is in ruins. Of course, there are many outsiders who deserve what they deserve, but are there no exceptions?What about the old, the weak, women and children?What about those with good hearts?What about the ones like Alvardan?What about those who have never heard of Earth?After all, they are all human.Whatever justification the Earth may have—no, ever had—for such a horrific act of revenge, it will forever be drowned in an endless sea of ​​carrion and blood. Unexpectedly, Aiwadan's phone call fell from the sky.Dr. Schechter shook his head and said, "I can't tell him."

"You have to tell him," said Paula roughly. "Here? That's impossible, otherwise we're going to end each other." "Then send him away, and I'll take care of it." There was a burst of ecstasy in her heart, of course, it was only because countless sentient beings had a glimmer of life.She remembered his handsome, wide-eyed smile, how he had calmly forced an Imperial Army colonel into submission, and had to bow his head and make amends to her—to her, a woman from Earth.She was able to stand there and accept the colonel's apology. Bel Avardan can do anything!

Of course, Alvadan had no knowledge of this arrangement.He just thought Schechter's attitude was just that -- rude and disrespectful, just like everyone else he'd met on Earth. He was taken into a drawing-room, repelled by the excessively empty and lifeless adjoining office, where he was evidently an unwelcome intruder. He chose his words carefully, and said: "Doctor, if I hadn't been professionally interested in your synaptic amplifier, I would not have dreamed of forcing others to do so. You must meet me in person. I heard that you and other Earthlings Very different, not hostile to people from the galaxy."

The remark was clearly self-defeating, as Dr. Schechter immediately retorted: "Listen, whoever tells you that is dead wrong. He shouldn't think a stranger can be particularly nice. It's an earthling..." Alvadan pursed his lips tightly and half turned away. "Please understand, Dr. Alvardan," he whispered again hastily, "I'm really sorry if I've been rude, but I really can't..." "I understand quite well," said the archaeologist in a cold tone, although he didn't understand at all. "Farewell, Doctor." Dr. Schechter smiled faintly: "My work pressure..."

"I'm very busy too, Dr. Schechter." He walked to the door, full of anger towards the earth race.Unconsciously, he thought of some sayings circulating on his home planet, such as "politeness on earth is like dryness in the sea", "Only things that are worthless and worthless, people on earth will give generously Here you are" and other proverbs. When he heard a rush of footsteps behind him and a warning "shh", his arm had cut off the photoelectric beam and the front door had opened.Suddenly there was a piece of paper in his hand, but when he turned his head away, only a red shadow flashed, and a figure disappeared.

He didn't open the piece of paper in his hand until he got into the rented ground car, and there were some scrawled words on it: "At eight o'clock tonight, try to find the Grand Theater and make sure you're not being followed." He frowns desperately at the piece of paper, reads it back and forth five times, and stares at the whole paper for a long time, as if expecting the invisible ink to suddenly appear.He looked back unconsciously, but there was no one on the street.Then he raised his hand, ready to throw this muddled piece of paper out of the window, but after a moment of hesitation, he stuffed it into his vest pocket. If there had been any trifle in him that night, and he had failed to follow that scribbled instruction, there could be no doubt that the whole thing would have ended there, and perhaps trillions of lives would have ended with it.However, he happened to be fine with nothing. Moreover, he happened to be still muttering in his heart, wondering if the person who sent this letter... At eight o'clock, he was driving slowly through the long line of vehicles along the winding road, apparently bound for the Coliseum.He once asked for directions, and the passerby stared at him suspiciously (apparently there is no earthling who is not suspicious all the time), and replied casually: "You can just follow the other cars." It seems that the other vehicles were indeed going to the theater, because when he arrived at the destination, he found that all the vehicles were swallowed by the underground parking lot one by one.So he left the line and drove slowly across the theater, waiting for something he had no idea. From the pedestrian ramp, a slender figure suddenly rushed out, rushing all the way to his car window.He was startled, and looked at the man intently, but the man opened the car door with a quick movement and sat in. "I'm sorry," he said, "but..." "Hush!" The man bent down on the seat, "Have you been followed?" "Should I be followed?" "Don't joke, drive straight ahead, and turn when I say turn... My God, what are you waiting for?" He could hear the voice.Then, the man pulled down the hood again, revealing hazel hair, a pair of black eyes staring at him closely. "You'd better get moving," she said softly. He did as he said, and for the next fifteen minutes, she didn't say anything except occasionally lowering her voice and uttering a few words to indicate the direction.He looked at her secretly, thinking to himself: She is more beautiful than he remembered, so a burst of joy burst into his heart.Strange to say, he felt no resentment now. They stopped, or it should be said that according to the girl's instructions, Avadan stopped the car.They stopped at a corner of a residential area, but there was no one around.After waiting carefully for a while, the girl gestured to move forward again, and they slowly moved forward in a lane.The driveway ended with a gentle slope, and finally, they entered the private garage on the gentle slope. The garage door closed behind them, and now the small lights in the car were the only source of light. Paula stared at him gravely, then said, "Dr. Alvardan, I'm sorry I have to do this in order to have a private conversation with you. I know that my place in your heart has hit rock bottom..." "Don't think so," he said awkwardly. "I have to think that. I want you to believe that I am fully aware of how narrow-minded and mean-spirited I was that night. I don't even know how to apologize..." "Please don't," he looked away from her, "maybe I was a little too slick that day." "This..." Bora paused for a while before regaining his basic composure, "I brought you here not for that matter. Among the outsiders I met, only you can be called kind and noble—— I need your help." Aivadan suddenly felt cold all over his body, was it only for this reason that he took so much trouble?He condenses that thought into a nonchalant "Oh?" "No," she yelled back, "not for me, Dr. Alvardan, but for the galaxy. Not at all for myself, not at all!" "What's the matter?" "First—I don't think anyone is following us, but in case you hear anything, can you...can you..." She lowered her eyelids, "put your arms around me and...then... You know." He nodded and said jokingly, "I'm sure I can adapt to the situation without any difficulty. Do you have to wait for something to happen?" Paula blushed immediately: "Please don't make fun of this matter, or misunderstand me. Only by doing so, others will not be suspicious of our real intentions. Only in this way can we hide it from others." Aivadan said softly, "Is the matter really that serious?" He looked at her with puzzled eyes, she looked so young and so weak.From a certain point of view, he felt that something was wrong.He was very proud of the fact that he had never acted irrationally in his life.He is a man of rich emotions, but he has always been able to overcome his emotions with reason.Now, however, he has an irrational urge to protect this girl just because she seems vulnerable. She said: "It's serious. I'm going to tell you something, and I know you'll never believe it at first, but I want you to try to believe it. I want you to believe that I'm sincere, and most importantly, After I tell you, I want you to decide to stand with us and fight with us to the end. Would you like to try? I'll give you fifteen minutes, and if after fifteen minutes you don't think I'm trustworthy, Or if it's not worth your trouble, I'll leave immediately, and let this matter go." "Fifteen minutes?" He pouted his lips suddenly, unconsciously showing a smile, then took off his watch and put it in front of him, "Okay." She folded her hands on her knees and stared straight ahead.But looking out the windshield, all that could be seen was a hollow wall in the garage. He stared at her thoughtfully—her jawline was round and soft, softening the determination she tried to show; her nose was straight and finely lined; What a typical feature of earthlings. He noticed that she was glancing at him from the corner of her eye, and she quickly looked away. "What's the matter?" he said. She turned her head to face him again, biting her lower lip with two rows of teeth: "I was watching you just now." "Yeah, I can see that. Do I have ashes on my nose?" "No." She smiled lightly, and this was the first time she smiled since getting in the car.He gradually became aware of many details of her unconsciously, for example, every time she shook her head, her hair seemed to float gently in the air. "It's just that since—that night, I've been wondering why you don't wear lead-filled clothes if you're an outsider. That's what fooled me in the first place. Usually, outsiders look like a bag of potatoes." "And I don't look like it?" "Oh, not like." Her voice burst into enthusiasm, "You look—look like an ancient marble statue, but you are alive and warm... Sorry, I was too rash. " "You mean, you think I'm going to think you're an earth woman who doesn't know how to measure. You should stop being so suspicious, or we can't be friendly... I don't believe in superstitions about radioactivity. I have measured the radioactivity of the earth's atmosphere, and Tested on animals in the lab. I'm almost sure that under normal circumstances those radiations wouldn't harm me. I've been here for two months and I haven't had any discomfort yet. My hair hasn't fallen out, He tugged. "I don't have a colic in my stomach. I don't believe it's going to hurt my fertility, though I admit I'm a bit defensive in that regard. But lead-filled panties, you see, You can't tell from the outside." When he finished speaking in a serious tone, she smiled again. "You're kind of crazy, I think," she said. "Really? You wouldn't believe how many very bright, very famous archaeologists have said that - and at length." She suddenly returned to the subject and said, "Will you listen to me now? Fifteen minutes are up." "what you think?" "Ah, I think you're probably out of your mind. If you weren't, you wouldn't be sitting here after what I've done." He said softly: "Do you have the impression that I have to exert great effort to force myself to sit next to you? If you think so, then you are wrong... You know, Paula, I I've never seen, I'm really sure, I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you." She raised her head quickly, her eyes full of horror: "please don't say that, I didn't want that. Don't you believe me?" "I believe in you, Paula. Whatever you want, just tell me. I will believe in you and help you." He believed in his own words. At this moment, even if he was asked to overthrow the emperor , Ai Vadan will also gladly obey.He'd never loved anyone before, and his thoughts stopped suddenly at the thought, he'd never used the word. in love?With an earth woman? "Have you met my father, Dr. Alvardan?" "Dr. Schechter is your father? . . . Please call me Belle, and I'll call you Paula." "I'll try to do that if you wish. You must be very angry with him, I suppose." "He's not very polite." "He can't help it, he's been watched all the time. In fact, he and I have pre-arranged him to send you away and I'll see you in the evening. This is our residence, you know . . . you I know," her voice suddenly lowered, "the earth is about to rebel." Alvadan couldn't help but feel amused. "No!" He opened his eyes wide, "All the people on Earth?" Unexpectedly, Paula was furious: "Don't laugh at me. You said you would listen to me carefully and believe me. The earth is about to rebel, and this is a serious matter, because the earth can destroy the entire empire." "Can the earth do this?" Alvadan tried his best to suppress a burst of wild laughter, and said softly, "Pola, how is your reading of the Milky Way theory?" "Don't lose to anyone, teacher, but what's the relationship between the two?" "The two are certainly related. The Milky Way has a volume of several million cubic light years, contains 200 million inhabited planets, and has a total population of about 500,000,000,000. Is that right?" "Since you say that, I think you are right." "That's it, trust me. And Earth is just a planet with a population of twenty million and very few resources. In other words, every Earthling has to deal with 25 billion galactic citizens. Well, two hundred and fifty With a huge disparity of one billion to one, what kind of harm can the earth cause?" For a moment, the girl seemed to be sinking in a vortex of doubts, but then she floated up. "Bell," she said firmly, "I can't answer that question, but my father certainly can. He didn't tell me the crucial details because he said it would put my life at risk. But he'll say it now, Just go and meet him with me. He mentioned that Earth has a way of wiping out all life beyond Earth. He must be right, and he's always been right." Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and Alvardan really wanted to reach out and touch her. (Hasn't he touched her before, and hasn't been frightened by it? What's the matter with him?) "Is it past ten?" Paula asked. "It's over," he replied. "Then he should be upstairs now—as long as they haven't arrested him." She looked around and shuddered unconsciously, "Now, we can go directly into the house from the garage, please follow me ..." She had just touched the button to control the car door when she suddenly froze and said in a hoarse whisper, "Someone is approaching... oh, hurry up..." She couldn't say the following words.Alvadan effortlessly remembered her previous instructions, and immediately stretched out his arms.In the next moment, she became the soft jade in his arms.Her trembling lips pressed against him like an endless ocean of sweetness. At first, for about ten seconds, he rolled his eyes as far as he could, trying to see the first light coming through the crack in the door, and at the same time he listened intently for the sound of approaching footsteps.But not long after, he was overwhelmed by intense excitement. There were only countless twinkling stars in front of his eyes, and he could only hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Her lips left him, but he chased after her.His arms gradually tightened, causing her to melt in his arms, and finally, even their heartbeats became one. After a while, the long kiss finally ended.They rested for a while, their cheeks still pressed together. Alvardan had never been in love, and this time, he was not surprised by the idea. What about the earth woman?The whole galaxy is also inferior to her. He said with dreamy joy: "It must be the sound of passers-by." "No," she whispered, "I didn't actually hear anything." He pushed her an arm's length away, but her gaze didn't flinch. "You ghost spirit, are you serious?" he asked. Her eyes flashed brightly: "I just want you to kiss me, and I don't regret it." "Do you think I will? Then kiss me again, this time for no reason, just because I want it." It was another long kiss, and then she broke free from his embrace suddenly, and began to straighten her hair and adjust her collar with a serious and careful movement: "I think we'd better go inside now. Turn off the lights , I have a penlight." So he followed her out of the car.In the darkness, only her flashlight was shining like beans, and she became an extremely blurred shadow. "You better hold my hand, we have to go up a flight of stairs," she said. He whispered behind her: "I love you, Paula." It was so easy to say, and it sounded so appropriate.He said it again: "I love you, Paula." But she replied softly, "You just met me." "No, I've waited my whole life, I swear! I've waited my whole life. Paula, I've been thinking about you and dreaming about you for the past two months, I swear." "I am an Earth woman, sir." "Then I'll be an earth man, see if I can do it." He took her and gently bent her wrists up so that the light of the flashlight fell on her face.I saw her face flushed and tears streaming down her face. "Why are you crying?" "Because when your father tells you what he knows, you will know that you cannot love a woman from Earth." "You can also see if I can do this."