Chapter 32 Chapter Twenty-Four

Panting, Seldon faced a tree, clasping his hands tightly around it.He stared at the sky, waiting for the flying object to reappear, just in time to hide on the other side of the trees like a squirrel. The tree is cold to the touch and has rough bark, making it uncomfortable to hold, but it provides cover.Of course, if the opponent uses a heat source tracker to search for his whereabouts, this cover may not be enough.However, the icy tree trunks may also be able to mask the heat. Under his feet was hard, dense soil.Even in this moment of hiding, even as he tried to see his pursuers clearly and remain invisible, he couldn't help wondering: how thick would this layer of soil be?How long did it take to accumulate?In the warmer regions of Trantor, how many domes have forests growing on their backs?Are the trees uniformly confined to the dry trenches between the domes, leaving the higher areas for moss, grass, and undergrowth?

He saw the flying object again.It wasn't a hyperspace ship, or even an ordinary jet, but just a jet helicopter.He could see the dim glow of the ion tail, erupting from the vertices of a pentagon.The ions neutralize the pull of gravity, allowing the wings to soar high like a large bird.This is an aircraft that can hover in the sky and is used to explore the surface of the planet. Fortunately, clouds saved him.Even if they use a heat tracer, it can only point out that some people are down there.The jet helicopter had to do a brief dive below the continuous cloud cover to know how many humans were there, and whether that might include the specific object the crew was looking for.

Now, the jet-helicopter flew even closer, making it even more impossible to escape Seldon's observation.The rumble of the engine gave away whereabouts, and they couldn't turn it off as long as they wished to continue the search.Seldon was familiar with the jet-helicopters, for they were common means of transport, many privately owned, whether in Helicon, or on any world without domes and cloudy skies. What use might jet-helicopters be on Trantor?People in this world all live under the dome, and there are almost always low-altitude clouds floating in the sky—only the government owns a small number of such aircraft, the purpose of which is to hunt down the wanted criminals lured to the dome.

Why not?Government military and police personnel cannot enter the university campus, but Seldon may not be on the campus now.He's on the dome, which probably isn't under the purview of any local government.Imperial flying machines may have the absolute right to land on any dome and question or take anyone they encounter there.Hummin hadn't warned him about this, but it might just have happened to him. Now the jet-helicopter was closer, scouting in the open, like a blind beast trying to sniff out the location of its prey.Would it have occurred to them to search the group of trees?Are they going to land, send out an armed soldier or two, and turn the whole wood over?

If so, what should he do?He was unarmed, and his agility was useless in the face of the severe pain caused by the nerve whip. But it doesn't try to land.If they didn't find these trees suspicious... that is…… He suddenly had a new idea: What if it wasn't a killer aircraft at all?What if it was just part of a weather experiment?Meteorologists certainly want to test the upper atmosphere, too. Are you a fool to hide from it? The sky is getting darker and the clouds are getting thicker.Or, more likely, night is coming. Temperatures are getting colder and will continue to drop.Was he going to stay here and freeze because the presence of a perfectly harmless jet-helicopter triggered delusions he never knew existed?He had a strong urge to leave the woods and go back to the weather station.

After all, how did the guy that Hummin was terribly afraid of—Demerzel—know that he was going to be on the dome at this hour and throw himself at them? For a while, it seemed a foregone conclusion.Shivering with cold, he stepped out from behind the tree trunk. But then he hurried back to where he was, as the craft reappeared, even closer than before.He didn't see it doing anything resembling meteorological research, and it didn't act like it was sampling, measuring, or experimenting.If they were doing such work, could he see it?He didn't know exactly what instruments were on board the jet-helicopter, or how they worked.If they were indeed doing meteorological research, he probably wouldn't be able to tell either.But can he venture out?

Anyway, what if Demerzel really knew he was on the dome?All it takes is for a special agent working at the university to report the matter to him immediately.At first, it was Li Song Ruanda, the beaming, smiling little Oriental, who suggested that he go up to the dome and have a look.He made the suggestion with considerable effort, but the subject had come up unnaturally—or at least out of the blue—in their conversation.Is it possible that he is a government agent and has managed to inform Demerzel? And Reagan who lent him a sweater.The sweater had come in handy, but why hadn't Reagan told him earlier that he needed a sweater so he could get one for himself?Is there anything special about the one he's wearing now?It was a simple purple, and the others wore the colorful colors of Trantor.Anyone looking down from a high altitude would see a monochromatic blob moving in a riot of colour, and immediately knew which one they were looking for.

And what about Crozia?She should have come to the dome to study meteorology and act as an assistant to those meteorologists.How could she have time to come to him, chat with him leisurely, quietly draw him away from the crowd, isolate him, and make him easy to catch? So what about Dors Venabili?She knew he was coming to the dome, but she didn't stop it. She should have come with him, but she was very busy today. It's a conspiracy, there's no question it's a conspiracy. Now he has convinced himself.Never want to leave the shade of these trees again. (He felt like two blocks of ice in his feet, and stomped a few steps but it didn't seem to help.) Would the jet helicopter never go away?

Just as he was thinking this, the rumble of the engine suddenly increased, and the jet helicopter re-entered the clouds and disappeared without a trace. Seldon listened intently, not letting go of the smallest sound, and finally made sure it was gone at last.However, even after he was sure of this, it was not certain that this was a ruse to bring him out.Time slipped away slowly every minute and every second, and the night gradually fell, but he still stayed where he was. Finally, when he felt that if he did not venture out, the only possibility would be to freeze and lose consciousness, he finally stepped forward and carefully left the shelter of the woods.

After all, it was already dusk at this time.They couldn't detect him anymore unless they used a heat tracer, but if they did, he could hear the jet-helicopter turning back.He waited outside the woods, counting in his heart, planning to hide in the woods as soon as he heard the slightest sound.However, once he was detected, he couldn't imagine what it would be useful to hide. Seldon looked around, trying to find the meteorologists, who were equipped with artificial lighting, but there was no other light. He can still see the surrounding scenery clearly now, but after another quarter of an hour, half an hour at most, he will see nothing.With no light at hand and a cloudy sky overhead, darkness will surround you and you will be blind.

Thinking of the dire consequences of being swallowed up by darkness, Seldon knew that he must try to get back to the dry ditch that had brought him here as soon as possible, and then go back the same way.He hugged his arms tightly to keep warm, while heading towards the direction of the dry ditch in his mind. Of course, there may be more than one dry ditch around the woods, but he vaguely recognized some berry shoots that he had seen when he came here. They were no longer bright red, and they were almost black fruits.He could delay no longer, and must assume that his judgment was correct.Guided by the weaker and weaker light and the plants under his feet, he climbed up the dry ditch as quickly as possible. But he couldn't stay in the ditch forever.He had come to what he thought was the tallest dome in the vicinity, and had found another ditch just perpendicular to the direction he was going.According to his calculations, he should turn right now, then sharply left, and then just follow that road straight to the dome where the meteorologists were. After turning left, Seldon raised his head and could just see the outline of a dome embedded in the slightly brighter sky.It must be it! Or, this is just his wishful thinking. He has no choice.It can only be assumed that this is not the case.He walked as fast as he could toward the dome, keeping his eyes on the summit so that he could keep going as straight as possible.As he approached, the dome seemed larger and larger, its outline against the sky becoming less and less clear.If he was not mistaken, he would soon be up a gentle slope, and when it became level he could look down on the other side and see the meteorologists' lights. In the darkness, he couldn't tell what was lying on the road.He wished so much that at least a few stars shone a little light, and he wondered if that was what it felt like to be blind.He waved his arms as he walked, as if they were two antennae. The temperature dropped by the minute, and he would stop occasionally to blow warm air on his hands and tuck them under his arm to keep warm.On a whim, he wished his feet could do the same.Now, he thought, if it was raining, it would be snow, or worse, ice beads. Keep going...keep going, there is no other choice. Finally, he finally found that he seemed to be going down.If it wasn't wishful thinking, he had passed the summit of the dome. He stopped.If he had passed the summit of the dome, he should have been able to see the artificial lighting of the weather station.He'd see those meteorologists going around with lights, flickering and dancing like fireflies. Seldon closed his eyes, as if to acclimatize them to the dark and try again, but it seemed silly.When he closed his eyes, they were no darker than when they were open; and when he opened them again, they were no brighter than when they were closed. Perhaps Reagan and the others had left, taking not only their lighting equipment, but all the lights of the instruments.But it is also possible that Seldon climbed another dome; or that he followed the detour around that dome so that he now faces in a different direction; Going in the wrong direction. What should he do? Suppose he was facing the other direction.There was also a chance of seeing light to the left or right - but it didn't.If he had chosen the wrong ditch, it would be impossible for him to go back to that forest now and look for another dry ditch. His only chance now was, assuming he was facing the right direction, that the weather station was almost directly in front of him.Only those meteorologists were gone, leaving it in the dark. So go ahead.The chances of success may be small, but this is the only chance he has. According to his estimate, it took a total of half an hour to walk from the weather station to the top of the dome.Half of the distance was accompanied by Crowzia, and the two walked leisurely without taking a step.And now, in the eerie darkness, his pace was a little faster than a leisurely stroll. Seldon continued to drag his heavy feet, walking feebly forward.If only he knew what time it was, of course he had a timing belt on him, but in the dark... He stopped.He wore a Trantor timing belt, which displayed Galactic Standard Time (like all timing belts) and Trantor local time.Timing belts usually work in the dark, and phosphorescent devices allow people to tell the time in a dimly lit bedroom.At least, Helicon's timing belt definitely has this function, why not Trantor timing belt? He looked at the timing belt with hesitation and worry, and touched the switch that converts electrical energy into light energy. The timing belt immediately emitted a faint light, telling him that the current time is 1847.As night had fallen, Seldon knew it must be winter—how long had it been since the solstice?What is the inclination angle?How long is a year?How far is his position from the equator at this time?He couldn't even find half of the clues to these questions, but the important thing was that there was a visible light in front of his eyes. He is not blind!For some reason, the faint glow of the timing belt revived his hope. His spirits lifted.He was going to keep going in that direction, for another half an hour.If he encounters nothing, he will continue walking for another five minutes, never more, just five minutes.If he still didn't encounter anything, he had to stop and think about it.But that would be thirty-five minutes later.Before that, he walks with all his attention and uses his will to keep himself warm (he wiggles his toes and can still feel them). Seldon walked forward with shambling steps, and half an hour passed quickly.He paused, then continued walking hesitantly for another five minutes. Now he has to make a decision.With nothing in sight, he could be anywhere, far from any exit from the dome.Conversely, he could be standing three meters to the left or right of the weather station—or even closer; he might be within arms length of the dome exit, but it wasn't open. What should we do now? Is there any use in shouting?Except for the whistling wind, he was surrounded by utter silence.If there were birds, beasts, or insects in the dome plants, it would not be at this season, this evening hour, or this place.At this time, only the biting cold wind kept hitting. Perhaps he should have kept shouting all the way.In cold air, sound can travel far.But will anyone hear him? Would those in the dome hear his cry?Are there any instruments designed to detect sound or movement on the dome?Will there be someone on guard inside? This seems like a ridiculous idea.If there were, they should have heard his footsteps, shouldn't they? However…… He still opened his mouth and shouted: "Help! Help! Can anyone hear me?" His cry was half stuck in his throat, with a bit of embarrassment.It seemed a foolish thing to shout into the boundless darkness of the void. However, he felt that it would be even more foolish to hesitate in such a situation.A wave of panic crept into him, he took a deep breath of cold air, and began screaming again, making it as long as possible.Then he took another breath and screamed again with a different pitch.Then try again. Seldon paused from shouting and turned his head breathlessly to look in all directions, though he could see nothing, not even hear the echo.There was no other way but to wait for dawn.But in this season, how long is the night?How cold will it get? He felt as if he had been pricked by a cold needle on his face, and then again soon after. Those were ice beads falling in the darkness like ink, and he couldn't find any cover at all. He thought, if the jet helicopter had found me just now and taken me away, the situation would have been better.Maybe I'll be a prisoner, but at least I'll feel warm and comfortable. Or, if Hummin had never intervened, I might have returned to Helicon long ago; living under surveillance, yet enjoying warmth and comfort.The only thing he longed for now was warmth and comfort. But at the moment all he can do is wait.He huddled himself into a ball, no matter how long the night was, he would never dare to fall asleep, he was quite aware of this.He took off his shoes, rubbed his frozen feet, and then hurriedly put them back on. He knew he had to repeat it all night, rubbing his hands and ears to keep his blood flowing, and never let himself fall asleep.He thought so, but closed his eyes involuntarily.Amidst the continuous hailstones, he fell asleep. After thinking everything through carefully, he closed his eyes unknowingly, and then began to doze off, gradually falling asleep, while the ice beads kept falling.