Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Plaintiff

Fafu tried his best to control his anger: "Let's end this farce." He had been waiting, his eyes were sharp and expressionless, until everyone sat down in this anti-climax, he finally spoke.At this moment, Yu Ke lowered his head, closed his eyes tightly, and was struggling to explore his painful mind.Varona pulled him towards her, tried to rest his head on her shoulder, and stroked his cheek. Abel trembled: "Why do you say this is a farce?" Fafu replied: "Isn't it? At first I would have agreed to meet with you only because you threatened me with special means. Even so, if I had known that this meeting was to try me, and a traitor and a murderer would play the prosecutor I would still categorically say no to the dual role of jury and jury."

Abel frowned, and said in a coldly formal tone: "This is not a trial, tycoon. Dr. Jands is here today to retrieve a member of the Bureau of Analysis. This is his right and duty. I am here today." , to protect Trantor's rights during this time of turmoil. And this man, idiot, I think he is the missing space analyst, there is no doubt about it. If you agree to return this man to Dr. Jands, In order to conduct a further physical examination of him, including physical characteristics, we can immediately end this discussion. We will naturally ask for your further assistance in finding the culprit of the mind modification and helping us establish a security system to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Repeat. After all, the Bureau of Analysis is an interstellar agency that has never had anything to do with regional politics."

Fafu said: "That's a good point! But the obvious facts are still obvious facts, and your plan is really obvious. If I give up this person, what will happen? In my opinion, the Bureau of Analysis will try to ask it All you can ask. It claims to be an interstellar agency and has nothing to do with regional politics, but it's true that Trantor donates two-thirds of its annual budget, isn't it? I don't believe any rational observer of politics, Would consider the Space Analysis Bureau to be truly neutral in the galaxy today. The information it discovers from this man will certainly serve the interests of the Trantor Empire.

"And what will those messages be? That's obvious, too. The man's memory will slowly come back, and the Bureau of Analysis will issue a daily bulletin. Bit by bit, he will remember more and more necessary details, starting with me. my name, then what I look like, and then everything I say. The Bureau of Analysis will solemnly declare me guilty and demand compensation, and Trantor will have to take over Sack for a while and find someone else , a temporary takeover becomes a permanent occupation. "There is a limit to any blackmail, beyond which the blackmail automatically fails. Your blackmail ends here, Mr. Ambassador. If you want this man, let Trantor send a fleet."

"Why use force?" Abel said. "I do notice that you have been careful not to deny the implications of the space analyst's last words." "There is no implication that I need to clarify with denial, he remembers two words, or he just says he remembers, so what?" "Isn't there any point in this?" "Not at all. In Sark, the surname Fafu is the common surname. Even if we assume that this so-called space analyst is telling the truth, he has a chance of hearing it in Florence for a year. He came to When Sac was on the spaceship that picked up my daughter, he had a better chance of hearing the surname Fafu on the way. These two words penetrated into his weak memory, what could be more natural than this? Of course, He may not be honest, and the bits and pieces that this person confides in may well have been rehearsed."

Abel couldn't think of what to say.He looked at the others, Janz frowned deeply, and slowly rubbed his chin with the fingers of his right hand; Sting was smirking and muttering to himself; the mayor of Florence stared blankly at his knee . It was Yu Ke who spoke next, he broke free from Varona's arms and stood up abruptly. "Listen to me." His pale face was contorted, his eyes reflecting the pain within. Fafu sneered, "I think I'm about to reveal a little more." "Listen to me!" Yuke said again, "We were sitting at a table, and there was medicine in the tea. We had an argument, I don't remember why. Then I couldn't move, I could only sit there; I can't talk, I can only think. Space, I'm drugged. I want to yell and run away, but I can't. Then, another man, Fafu, walks up. He's been He was yelling at me, but now he stopped, he didn't have to do that anymore. He walked around the table towards me, standing in front of me like a mountain. I can't say anything, I can't do anything, I can only try He raised his eyes and looked at him."

After Yu Ke finished speaking, he still stood there silently. Shamlin Janz said, "The other one is Fafu?" "I remember his name is Fafu." "Well, is he the one?" Yu Ke didn't turn his head to look, he said, "I don't remember what he looks like." "are you sure?" "I've been trying." He burst out. "You don't know how difficult it is. It hurts! It's like a red-hot needle, deep in! In here!" He held his head in his hands. Janz said softly, "I know it's hard, but you gotta try. Can't you see it, you gotta keep trying. Look at that man! Turn your head and look at him!"

Yu Ke turned to face Fafu Tycoon, he stared for a moment, then turned his head. "Do you remember now?" Janz asked. "No no!" Fafu sneered: "Has your man forgotten his lines? Or if he only remembers my appearance in the next scene, the story will be more believable?" "I've never met or spoken to this man before," Chandzi said in exasperation. "We have no plot to frame you. I'm tired of your accusations in this regard. All I'm looking for is the truth." .” "So, can I ask him a few questions?" "Please." "Thank you for your kindness, I'm sure of that. Hey, you - Yuke, whatever your real name is..."

He speaks to a Florentine as a tycoon. Yu Ke raised his head and replied, "Your Excellency." "You remember someone coming up to you from the other side of the table and you were sitting there drugged and immobilized." "Yes, sir." "The last thing you remember, is this person looking down at you." "Yes, sir." "And you look up at him, at least trying to do that." "Yes, sir." "sit down." Fools can do as they say. For a while, Fafu did not take any action.His lipless mouth was perhaps a little tighter, and the jaw muscles bulged a little under the bluish-black beard on his cheeks and chin.Then, he slid off the seat.

slide down!It was as if he was kneeling behind his desk. But he walked out immediately, obviously landing on both feet. Chandler felt dizzy.The man who had been so handsome and imposing in his seat suddenly, without warning, was transformed into a poor dwarf. The deformed legs struggled to move underneath, carrying the disproportionate torso and head forward.He blushed, but his eyes still shot out the original haughty gaze.Sting laughed wildly, and Fafu's eyes immediately turned to him, forcing him to swallow his laughter.The others were all dumbfounded, and they all sat in their places silently.

Yu Ke opened his eyes wide, watching him approach step by step. Fafu said, "Am I the one who walked around the table to you?" "I don't remember what he looked like, sir." "I'm not asking you to remember what he looks like. Can you forget that?" He spread his arms and compared his figure. "Can you forget what I look like, the way I walk?" Yu Ke said pitifully: "It seems I shouldn't forget, sir, but I don't know." "But you were sitting, he was standing, and you were looking up at him." "Yes, sir." "He looked down at you. In fact, he stood in front of you like a mountain." "Yes, sir." "At least you remember that? Are you sure?" "Yes, sir." The two are now face to face. "Did I look down at you?" Yu Ke said, "No, Your Excellency." "Are you looking up at me?" Sitting Yu Ke and standing Fa Fu faced each other parallel to each other, staring at each other. "No, sir." "Could I be that one?" "Impossible, sir." "are you sure?" "Yes, sir." "Do you still say that the name you remember is Fafu?" "I remember that name." Yu Ke stubbornly insisted. "So, whoever he is, he's using my name as a cover?" "It should be like this." Fafu turned around, walked back behind the desk with majestic, slow and strenuous steps, and then climbed onto his chair. He said: "I have never allowed anyone outside to see me standing in my adult life. Is there any reason for this meeting to continue?" Abel was embarrassed and annoyed.So far, the meeting has been extremely self-defeating.Regardless of the stage, Fafu always manages to prove that he is right and that the other side's allegations are wrong.Fafu had succeeded in portraying himself as a victim, blackmailed by Trantor into attending this meeting, and being the subject of false accusations.Those allegations immediately collapsed under his refutation. Fafu would surely spread his own recollection of the meeting, spread it across the galaxy, and he wouldn't even have to twist the facts too much to make it excellent anti-Trantor propaganda. Abel was hoping to mitigate the damage, and the mind-altered space analyst was useless to Trantor now.From now on, any "memory" of his, no matter how real it may seem, will be ridiculed and regarded as absurd.The world will see him as an instrument of Trantorian imperialism, and a broken one at that. He hesitated, and it was Janz who spoke first. "In my opinion, there's a very good reason not to adjourn the meeting," Chandz said. "We haven't yet identified who used the mind-transforming device. You accused Sting Tycoon, and Sting accused you. Even Both of you are mistaken, it is true that both of you are innocent, and you both still believe that the perpetrator is one of the five big tycoons. So, who is it?" "Does it matter?" Fafu asked. "I'm sure this has nothing to do with you. If Trantor and the Bureau of Analysis hadn't intervened, the matter would have been settled by now. I'll find the traitor eventually, don't forget." Well, no matter who the mind reformer is, his original intention was to monopolize the thistle trade, so I'm unlikely to let him run away. Once the mind reformer is identified and disposed of, your people will return it unscathed You. That's the only offer I can make, and a very reasonable one." "What will you do to that person!" "That's purely our own business and has nothing to do with you." "But it does concern me," Chandz said stoutly. "It's not just a case of a space analyst being murdered, there's a bigger issue involved that I'm surprised hasn't been brought up. .The idiot is not mind-altering just because he's a space analyst." Abel isn't sure what Chandz's intentions are, but he decides to help.He said softly, "Dr. Chands was referring, of course, to the space analyst's original warning transmission." Fafu shrugged his shoulders: "As far as I know, no one thinks this is important until now, including Dr. Janzi who has been tracking down for a year. However, your people are here, Doctor, ask Ask him what the hell happened." "Of course, he won't remember." Qiangzi retorted angrily, "Mind reformation is most effective for intellectual chains of reasoning, and this person may never be able to recover the quantitative memory of work." "So it's gone," Fafu said, "and what can we do?" "One very clear thing, and that's the whole point. There's one more person who knows the details, and that's the psychic reformer. He may not be a space analyst himself, he may not know the exact details, and yet, Yuke, in his sanity, was Talked to him. He should have inquired a lot, enough to allow the Bureau of Analysis to continue research on the original track. If he did not inquire enough, he would not dare to destroy his sources of information. However, for the sake of seriousness , I still want to ask Yuke, do you remember?" "I just remember that there was a crisis, and it was related to the atomic flow in space." Yu Ke murmured. Fafu said: "Even if you find out the answer, what use is it to you? How many of the amazing theories that those pathological space analysts keep putting forward are reliable? How many of them think they understand the mysteries of the universe, but actually But it's so sick that it's almost impossible to read the instrument data?" "Perhaps you are right. Are you afraid that I will find out?" "I am opposed to any gossip, whether true or false, that may affect the thistle trade. Do you agree with me, Abel?" Abel's heart was up and down.Fafu was conspiring to take advantage of the position so that the outage of Jiji due to his own coup could be blamed entirely on Trantor's actions.But Abel was a good gambler, and he raised the stakes calmly and quietly. He said, "I disagree, and I suggest you listen to what Dr. Jands has to say." "Thank you," Janz said. "Okay, you said just now, the wealthy tycoon, whoever was the mind reformer, must have killed the doctor who examined Yuke. This means that Yuke stayed in the During Florina's time, that person has been monitoring Yuke in some way." "How about it?" "There must be traces of that surveillance." "You mean, you think those locals would know who's watching them?" "Is not it?" "You're not from Sak," said Fafu, "that's why you're making this mistake. I assure you that the locals play it safe; they don't approach the tycoon, and if the tycoon approaches them, they know they should both." Eyes on their toes. They don't even know they're being watched." Qiangzi was so angry that his whole body visibly trembled.Despotism was so ingrained in the minds of these tycoons that they felt nothing wrong or ashamed to talk about it openly. Janz held back his breath and said: "Ordinary natives may be, but we have an unusual native here. I think he has proved to us quite thoroughly that he is not a respectful Florentine. To So far, he has said nothing about the discussion, and now it's time to ask him a few questions." "That local man's testimony is worthless. In fact, I'm going to take this opportunity to make another request that Trantor deliver him to the Sac Court for a fair trial," Fafu said. "Let me talk to him first." Abel interrupted kindly: "I think it wouldn't do any harm to ask him a few questions, Fafu. If he appears uncooperative or unreliable, we might consider your extradition request." Before that, Terrence had been staring at the fingertips of his clasped hands, and now he raised his head. Chands turned to Terrence and said to him, "Since Yuke was found in Florina, he's been in your town, hasn't he?" "yes." "Were you in town all this time? I mean, did you take any extended business trips?" "The mayor does not travel on official business, their official business is in the town." "Okay. Take it easy and don't get excited. I suppose it's part of your business to know about any tycoon who might be in town?" "Of course, they will let me know when they want to pick." "Have they been here?" Terrence shrugged. "Come here once or twice, purely as a matter of routine, I assure you. Tycoons don't let thistles get their hands dirty, and I mean raw thistles." "Be respectful!" Fafu roared. Terrence looked at him and said, "Are you capable of making me respect you?" Abel quickly smoothed things over: "Let's let this person talk to Dr. Janz, Fafu, you and I are just bystanders." Janz admired the mayor's arrogance, but he still said, "Please answer my question and don't comment casually, mayor. Let me ask you, which tycoons have visited your town in the past year? " Terrence was still angrily: "How do I know? I can't answer that question. A tycoon is a tycoon, and a local is a local. I may be a mayor, but to them, I'm still a local. I won't wait Ask for their names at the mouth of the town. "Anyway, I'll get a letter, that's all. It's addressed to the 'mayor'. It says that there will be a tycoon visit one day, and I will make the necessary preparations. Then, I have to make sure that the factory workers wear put on their best clothes; the mills are tidy and working; Just in case the tycoon wants to see the local dancing for entertainment on a whim; maybe a few beautiful girls..." "Never mind that, mayor," Janz said. "You never have to worry about it, but I do." Having had experience with the State Department's Florentines, Janz found the mayor as refreshing as ice water.He secretly made up his mind that whatever influence the Bureau could wield would be used to keep the mayor from falling into the hands of the tycoon. Terrence continued, his tone calmer: "That's my job anyway. When they came, I lined up with the others. I didn't know who they were, and I didn't talk to them." "Were there any such inspections the week before the city doctor was killed? I guess you know what week that happened." "I think I've heard it on the news screens. I don't remember any tycoons coming to inspect it, but I wouldn't swear it." "Which tycoon does your land belong to?" Terrence pulled back the corners of both sides of his mouth: "The wealthy tycoon." Sting spoke suddenly, which made people a little surprised. "Oh, really!" he said. "You're asking a question in that way, Dr. Jands. Can't you see that it's not going to get anywhere? Really! Don't you think that if you ask Fu wants to keep a close eye on that guy, will he take the trouble to go to Florence to watch him? What's the use of the police? Really!" Qiangzi looked a little embarrassed: "For something like this, the entire world's economy, and perhaps even its survival, are all tied to the information in a certain person's brain. Naturally, this mind reformer will not rest assured that he will hand over the job of guarding to the police. .” Fafu interrupted: "Even if he has washed that head clean?" Abel pursed his lower lip and frowned at the same time.He saw that this gamble would be the same as the previous ones, and he would lose to Fafu again. Janz tried again, and asked Terrence hesitantly, "Is there a particular patrolman, or group of patrolmen, who are always hanging around?" "I never knew, they were just uniforms in my eyes." Qiangzi turned his head to look at Varona, as if he was about to rush over suddenly.He noticed that Varona's face had turned pale and her eyes were wide open. "What's the matter with you, miss?" he asked. But she just shook her head wordlessly. Abel thought sadly, there was nothing he could do, the situation was over. At this moment, Varona stood up, her legs trembling slightly.She said in a hoarse and thin voice, "I want to tell you something." "Tell me, miss, what's the matter?" said Janz. Varona gasped and spoke, every wrinkle on her face and every nervous twitch of her fingers showed obvious fear: "I'm just a country woman, please don't be angry with me, I seem to understand only One thing. Does my stupidity really matter? I mean, like you say?" "I think he was very, very important, and I think he still is," Chandz said softly. "Then it must be like you said, whoever put him in Florence wouldn't have dared to look away for even a minute, right? Beaten, or stoned by children, or sick and dead, so what to do. Yu can't just be left alone in the field helpless, or he might die before being found, right? They won't Assume that luck alone will make him safe." Now she was speaking more and more fluently. "Go on." Qiang Zi looked at her. "Because there is someone who really watched Yuke from the very beginning. He found Yuke in the field, and then arranged for me to take care of him, protect him from accidents, and know his condition every day. He even knew the doctor's because I told him. It's him! It's him!" Amid high-pitched screams, she pointed her finger firmly at Merlin Terrence, the mayor. But this time, even the fervent superhuman concentration collapsed.When he suddenly turned his head to look at the mayor, he couldn't help propping his arms straight on the table, lifting his thick body an inch from the seat.