In the second stage of his life, he was a politician and served as president of the EU for two years. Hines was recognized as a prudent and experienced politician, but his term in office was not marked by many challenges that tested his political skills. The nature of the EU’s work at the time, which was largely transactional coordination, meant that his qualifications to face a major crisis stacked up rather poorly compared to the other two men. Still, the choice of Hines evidently took into account both his scientific and political credentials, a perfect combination that was quite rare indeed.
希恩斯人生的第二阶段是作为政治家，曾任过一届欧盟主席，历时两年半。希恩斯是一名公认的稳重老练的政治家，但他在任时并没有遇到很多的挑战来展示自己的政治才能，同时从欧盟的工作性质来说，更多从事的是事务性的协调工作，对于面对超级危机的资历，他与前两位相比相差甚远。但希恩斯的人选显然是考虑了他在科学和政治上的综合素质，而把这两者如此完美结合的人确实不多见。
Say slowly raised her right hand, and he watched as it pointed to a spot not in the first row.
萨伊缓缓抬起了她的右手，罗辑的目光跟着那只手移动。发现它并没有指向第一排。
“It’s my Hubble!” shouted Albert Ringier, clapping his palms together. The tears brimming in his eyes reflected the distant blazing ball of fire that rumbled for a few seconds before passing on. He and the cheering crowd of astronomers and physicists behind him ought to have been watching the launch from a VIP platform closer in, but a damn NASA official said they lacked proper qualifications for access, because the object being sent heavenward did not belong to them. Then the official had turned back to the group of uniformed, ramrod-straight generals and, groveling like a dog, had led them past the sentry post to the viewing platform. Ringier and his colleagues were forced to remain at this far-off spot where, in the previous century, a countdown clock had been built across a lake from the launch site. It was open to the public, but on this late night, there were no other observers apart from scientists.
“啊，我的哈勃！”艾伯特·林格双手合十喊道。他两眼盈满的泪水映照着远方突现的那团耀眼的巨焰，轰鸣声几秒钟后才传过来。本来，他与身后这群发出欢呼的天文学和物理学同事们应该在更近的贵宾看台上看发射的，但那个狗娘养的NASA官员说他们没资格去那了。因为这即将上天的东西已经不属于他们。然后那人转向那群军服笔挺的将军们，像狗似的献媚着，领他们通过岗哨走向看台。林格和同事们只好来到这个远得多的地方，与发射点隔着一个湖泊，这里有一个上世纪就立好的很大的倒计时牌，向公众开放，但现在是深夜，除了科学家们外，看的人也没几个。
She was pointing at him.
萨伊的手指向了他——
“The Fourth Wallfacer: Luo Ji.”
“第四位面壁者：罗辑。”
Viewed from this distance, the blastoff looked like a sped-up sunrise. The floodlights did not follow the rocket as it lifted off, leaving its massive body indistinct except for the spurting flames. From its hiding place in the dark of night, the world burst forth into a magnificent light show, and golden waves whipped up on the inky black surface of the lake as if the flames had ignited the water itself. They watched the rocket ascend. When it passed through the clouds, it turned half the sky the kind of red only found in dreams before it disappeared into the Florida sky, the brief dawn once again swallowed up by the night.
从这个距离上看，发射的景象很像日出的快镜头，火箭上升后，聚光探照灯并没有跟上，所以巨大的箭体看不太清。只见到那团烈焰，隐藏在夜色中的世界突然在它那壮丽的光芒中显现，本来如墨水般黑乎乎的湖面上荡漾着一片灿烂的金波，仿佛湖水被那烈焰点燃了。他们看着火箭上升，当它穿过薄云时，半个天空都变成了梦幻里才能见到的那种红色，然后，它消失在佛罗里达的夜空中，它带来的短暂黎明也被漫长的黑夜所吞噬。
The Hubble II Space Telescope was a second-generation model, its diameter enlarged to 21 meters from its predecessor’s 4.27 meters, which enhanced its observational capability by a factor of fifty. It used a compound lens technology consisting of lens components manufactured on the ground and assembled in orbit. To put the whole lens into space required eleven launches, and this was the final one. The assembly of Hubble II in the vicinity of the International Space Station was nearing completion.
哈勃二号空间望远镜是哈勃空间望远镜的第二代，它的直径由后者的4.27米扩大到21米，其观测能力提高了五十倍。采用了镜片组合技术，把在地面制造的镜片组件在空间轨道上装配成整镜。要把整组镜片送入太空，需进行十一次发射，这是最后一次。与此同时，哈勃二号在国际空间站附近的装配已接近完成。
“You pack of thieves! You’ve stolen another thing of beauty,” Ringier said to the tall man beside him, the only one in the group unaffected by the sight before them. George Fitzroy had seen too many of the launches, and spent the entire process leaning against the countdown clock smoking a cigarette. He had become the military’s representative after Hubble II’s requisition, but since he wore civilian clothes most of the time, Ringier didn’t know his rank and never called him sir. Calling a thief by his name worked just fine.
“你们这群强盗，又夺走了一件美好的东西！”林格对旁边那位身材高大的男人说，他是在场的人中唯一没有被这景象打动的。这类发射他见得多了，整个过程中他只是靠在倒计时牌上抽烟。乔治。斐兹罗是哈勃二号空间望远镜被征用后的军方代表，由于他大多数时间穿着便服，林格不知道他的军衔，也从没称他为先生，对强盗直呼其名就行了。
In two months, it would be able to turn its gaze to the depths of the universe.
两个月后，它就可以把自己的视野指向宇宙深处。
“Doctor, in wartime the military has the right to requisition all civilian equipment. Besides, you people didn’t grind a single lens component or design a single screw of the Hubble II. You’re just there to enjoy its success, so it’s not your place to complain.” Fitzroy yawned, as if it was tiring work dealing with this pack of nerds.
“博士，战时军方有权征用一切民用设施。再说，你们这些人并没有给哈勃二号研磨一块镜片组件、设计一颗镙钉，你们都是些坐享其成的人，要抱怨也轮不到你们。”斐兹罗打了个哈欠说，应付这帮书呆子真是件苦差事。
“But without us, it wouldn’t have any reason to exist! Civilian equipment? It can see the edge of the universe, but you shortsighted types only want to use it to look at the nearest star!”
“可没有我们，它就失去了存在的意义！民用设施，它能看到宇宙的边缘，而你们这些鼠且寸光之辈，只打算用它盯着最近的恒星看！”
“Great,” Ringier said. Though his face was indistinct in the darkness, Fitzroy could sense the schadenfreude in Ringier’s expression, which made Fitzroy as uncomfortable as the acrid odor that now wafted over from the launch platform and filled the air.
“哦，很好。”林格说，他的脸在夜色中模糊不清，但斐兹罗能感觉到他幸灾乐祸的表情，这像空气中正在充满的某种刺鼻的味道一样使他难受，这味道是风从发射架那边吹过来的。
Fitzroy said with a sigh, “It’s worse than that. The public thinks that it will be able to see the Trisolaran Fleet.”
斐兹罗叹口气说：“现在更糟的是，公众甚至认为哈勃二号能看到三体舰队。”
Ringier groaned and nodded, then shook his head with a sigh. “But what do you want Hubble II to see? You’ve got to be aware that it won’t be able to see the Trisolaran planet.”
林格哼着点点头，然后又叹息着摇摇头：“可是你们希望用啥勃二号看到什么呢？你肯定知道它根本不可能观察到三体行星。”
“Like I’ve said before, this is wartime. A war to defend all humanity. Even if you’ve forgotten that you’re an American, you at least remember you’re human, right?”
“我说过，这是战时，保卫全人类的战争，就算您忘了自己是美国人，至少还记得自己是人吧。”
“Doctor, you ought to know the consequences.”
“博士，你应该知道这事的后果。”
“And you find this acceptable?”
“你认为这很好？”
“If the public has placed its hope in Hubble II, then they probably won’t believe the enemy really exists until they have seen the Trisolaran Fleet with their own eyes.”
“如果公众对哈勃二号抱有这样的期望，那他们很可能要等到亲眼看见三舰队的照片后才真正相信敌人的存在！”
“You’ve explained it to the public, right?”
“你们没有向公众解释过吗？”
“Of course we’ve explained it! We’ve held four press conferences, and I’ve repeatedly explained that although Hubble II is orders of magnitude more powerful than the largest telescopes currently available, there’s no way it can detect the Trisolaran Fleet. It’s too small! Detecting a planet in another star system from our Solar System is like detecting a mosquito on a lamp on the East Coast from the West Coast, but the Trisolaran Fleet is only as big as the bacteria on one of that mosquito’s legs. How much clearer can I be?”
“当然解释过！为此开了四次记者招待会，我反复说明：虽然啥勃二号空间望远镜的观察能力是现有的最大望远镜的几十倍，但它绝对不可能看到j体舰队。它们太小了！从太阳系观测宇宙中另一颗恒星的卫星，就像从美国西海岸观察东海岸一盏台灯旁的一只蚊子，而三体舰队只有蚊子腿上的细菌那么大。我把事情说得够清楚了吧？”
“But what else can we do? The public will believe whatever it wants. I’ve been in this job for a while now, and I haven’t seen any major space project that they haven’t misinterpreted.”
“但公众就愿意那么想，我们有什么办法？我在这个位置已经时间不短了，还没看到有哪一项重大的太空计划没被他们想歪的。”
“That’s pretty clear.”
“够清楚了。”
“Is this a private negotiation of terms?”
“我们是不是私下里谈谈条件？”
“I said long ago that the military has lost all credibility as far as space projects are concerned.”
“我早说过，在太空计划方面，军方已经失去了基本的信誉。”
“But they’re willing to believe you. Don’t they call you a second Carl Sagan? You’ve made a mint off those popular cosmology books of yours. Give us a hand. That’s what the military wants, and now I’m formally passing on their request.”
“但他们愿意相信体，他们不是称你为第二个卡尔。萨根吗？你那几本宇宙学科普书可赚了不少钱，请出来帮帮忙吧，这是军方的意思，我正式转达了。”
“There aren’t any terms! It’s your duty as an American. As a citizen of Earth.”
“没什么条件！你是在尽一个美国公民，不，地球公民的责任。”
“You’re doing quite well at twelve point five percent right now, and no one can say if those allotments can be guaranteed in the future.”
“现在的八分之一比例已经不错了，谁也不知道以后能不能保证这个比例。”
“Assign me a bit more observational time. I don’t need much. Bump me up to twenty percent, okay?”
“把分配给我的观测时间再多一些，要求不高，比例提到五分之一怎么样？”
Fitzroy waved a hand in the direction of the launch pad, where the dissipating smoke left by the rocket smeared a dirty patch across the night sky. Illuminated by the launch pad lights, it looked like a milk stain on a pair of jeans. The odor had grown more unpleasant. The rocket’s first stage was fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and shouldn’t have had that odor, so something nearby had probably been burnt by the stream of flames diverted by the launch pad. Fitzroy said, “I’m telling you, all of this is definitely going to get worse.”
斐兹罗挥手指指发射架方向的远方，火箭留下的烟雾正在散开，在夜空中涂出脏兮兮的一片，被地面发射架上的灯光一照，像牛仔裤上的奶渍，那股子难闻的味道更重了。火箭首级使用液氢和液氧燃料，应该不会有味道，可能是焰流把发射架下导流槽附近的什么东西烧了，斐兹罗接着说，“我告诉你，这一切肯定会越来越糟的。”
As for what went on during the rest of the session, Luo Ji had absolutely no idea. All he knew was that after standing there for a while, he was led off to a seat in the middle of the first row alongside the other three Wallfacers. In a haze, he had missed the historic moment of the announcement of the launch of the Wallfacer Project.
以后的会议都有些什么内容，罗辑全然不知，他只知道在站了一会儿后被人领着走下了主席台，同另外三位面壁者一起坐在了第一排的中央，他在迷茫中错过了宣布面壁计划启动的历史性时刻。
Luo Ji felt the weight of the slanted cliff face pressing down on him, and for a moment he was paralyzed. The hall was totally silent, until a voice behind him said softly, “Dr. Luo, if you please.” He stood up stiffly and walked with mechanical steps to the rostrum. On the short journey, it was like he had returned to a child’s sense of helplessness and wanted someone to hold his hand and guide him forward. But no one extended a hand. He ascended the platform and stood next to Hines, then turned to face the assembly and the hundreds of pairs of eyes focused on him, eyes that represented six billion people from more than two hundred countries on Earth.
罗辑感到主席台上倾斜的悬崖向他压下来，一时僵在那里，会场里鸦雀无声，直到他后面低低地响起一个声音：“罗辑博士，请。”他才木然地站起来，迈着机械的步子向主席台上走去。在这段短短的路上，罗辑仿佛回到了童年，充满了一个孩子的无助感，渴望能拉着谁的手向前走，但没有人向他伸出手来。他走上主席台，站在希恩斯的旁边，转身面向会场，面对着几百双聚集在他身上的目光，投来这目光的那些人代表着地球上二百多个国家的六十亿人。
Some time later, when the session seemed to have ended and people, including the three Wallfacers sitting to Luo Ji’s left, had begun to disperse, a man, perhaps Kent, whispered something into his ear before leaving. Then the hall was empty except for the secretary general, still standing on the rostrum, her petite figure in far-off opposition to his against the sloping cliff.
不知过了多长时间，会议似乎结束了，人们开始起身散去，坐在罗辑左边的三位面壁者也离开了，一个人，好像是坎特，在他耳边轻声说了句什么，然后也离去了。会场空了，只有秘书长仍站在主席台上，她那娇小的身影在将倾的悬崖下与他遥遥相对。
“Why me?” he asked.
“为什么是我？”罗辑又问。
“I’m just an ordinary man.”
“我只是个普通人。”
“No one solicited my opinion in advance. I was totally in the dark about this.”
“没有人预先征求过我的意见，我对这事一无所知。”
“You may.”
“可以。”
“In the face of this crisis, we are all ordinary people. But we all have our own responsibilities.”
“在这场危机面前，我们都是普通人，但都有自己的责任。”
“That’s right.”
“是的。”
“You need to find your own answer to that,” she said.
“这需要您自己找出答案。”萨伊回答。
Say laughed again. “Doesn’t your name mean ‘logic’ in Chinese?”
萨伊又笑了笑：“您的名字叫LOGIC？”
“Dr. Luo, I imagine you have some questions.” Say’s gentle feminine voice echoed in the empty hall like a spirit descending from the heavens.
“罗辑博士，我想您有问题要问。”萨伊那轻柔的女声在空旷的会场里回荡，像来自天空般空灵。
“Has there been some mistake?” Luo Ji said. His voice, sounding similarly ethereal, didn’t feel like his own.
“是不是弄错了？”罗辑说，声音同样空灵，感觉不是他自己发出的。
From the rostrum, Say gave a laugh that clearly meant, Do you really think that’s possible?
萨伊在主席台上远远地笑笑，意思很明白：您认为这可能吗？
“I refuse,” he said firmly, without even thinking over what Say had just said.
“我拒绝。”罗辑断然地说，并没有细想萨伊上面那句话。
“Then you should be able to work out that it would have been impossible to solicit the opinions of the people undertaking this mission before it was handed to them.”
“那您就应该能想到，这种使命在被交付前，是不可能向要承担它的人征求意见的。”
The swiftness of this reply, right on the heels of his refusal, left him at a loss for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “I reject the position of Wallfacer, I reject all the powers granted it, and I will not undertake any responsibility you force upon me.”
这回答来得如此快，几乎与罗辑的话无缝连接。一时间反倒令他不知所措起来。他发呆了几秒钟后说：“我放弃面壁者的身份，放弃被授予的所有权力，也不承担你们强加给我的任何责任。”
The simple, immediate reply to his statement, light as a dragonfly touching on the water, shut down his brain’s ability to think and made his mind a total blank.
简洁的回答仍然紧接着罗辑的话，像蜻蜒点水般轻盈迅捷，令罗辑刚刚能够思考的大脑又陷入一片空白。
He continued onward, past the Foucault Pendulum at the entrance that showed the rotation of the Earth, and ran into Shi Qiang, Kent, and a group of black-suited security personnel who looked inquiringly at him. In their eyes he saw a new respect and awe. Even Shi Qiang and Kent, who had always behaved naturally toward him, made no attempt to mask their expressions. Luo Ji passed through their midst, saying nothing. He walked through the bare lobby, occupied as on his arrival only by black-clothed guards. As before, whenever he passed one, they spoke softly into a radio. When he came to the exit, Shi Qiang and Kent stopped him.
罗辑转身继续走去，在那个挂在会场出口处的能显示地球自转的傅立叶单摆旁，他遇到了史强和坎特，还有一群身着黑西装的安全保卫人员。他们用询问的目光看着他，但那目光中更多的是罗辑以前从未感受过的敬畏和崇敬，即使之前对他保持着较为自然姿态的史强和坎特，此时也毫无掩饰地把这种表情显露出来。罗辑一言不发，从他们中间径直穿过。他走过空旷的前厅，这里和来时一样，只有黑衣警卫们，同样的，他每走过他们中的一个，那人就在步话机上低声说一句。当罗辑来到会议中心的大门口时，史强和坎特拦住了他。
“You may.”
“可以。”
“You may, Dr. Luo. You are free to do anything.”
“可以，罗辑博士，您可以做任何事情。”
“So am I free to leave?” was all he could ask.
“那我可以走了吗？”罗辑只能问出这几个字。
Luo Ji turned and walked out past the rows of empty seats. The ease with which he was able to discard the Wallfacer identity and its responsibilities did not give him the slightest shred of comfort or release. Filling his mind now was an absurd sense of unreality, as if all of this was part of some postmodern play devoid of all logic.
罗辑转身走去，穿过一排排的空椅子。刚才异常轻松地推掉面壁者的身份和责任，并没有令他感到丝毫的解脱和安慰，现在充斥着他的意识的，只有一种荒诞的不真实感，这一切，像一出没有任何逻辑的后现代戏剧。
He looked back at the exit and saw Say watching him from the rostrum. She seemed small and helpless against the cliff, but when she saw him looking back, she nodded and smiled at him.
走到会场出口时，罗辑回头看看，萨伊仍站在主席台上看着他，她的身影在那面大悬崖下显得很小很无助，看到他回头，她对他点头微笑。
“No, I don’t. Get out of my way,” Luo Ji said, keeping his eyes straight ahead.
“不需要，走开。”罗辑两眼看着前方回答。
“It may be dangerous outside. Do you need security?” Shi Qiang asked.
“外面可能有危险，需要安全保卫吗？”史强问。
“Very well. We can only do as you tell us,” Shi Qiang said as he moved aside. Kent did the same. Luo Ji went out the door.
“好的，我们只能照你说的做。”史强说着，和坎特让开了路，罗辑出了门。
And so Luo Ji the Wallfacer walked as if sleepwalking through absurd fantastic reality. In his trance, he had lost the capacity for rational thought and was unaware of where he came from, much less where he was going. Unwittingly, he walked onto the lawn and came to a statue. When his gaze passed over it, he noticed that it was of a man hammering a sword: Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares. It had been a gift to the UN from the former Soviet Union, but to his mind the powerful composition formed by the hammer, the bulky man, and the sword being bent beneath him imbued the work with hints of violence.
面壁者罗辑就这样梦游般地走在荒诞的现实中，恍偬中丧失了一切理智的思维能力，不知自己从哪里来，更不知要到哪里去。不知不觉间，他走到了草坪上，来到一尊雕塑前，无意中扫了一眼，他看到那是一个男人正在用铁锤砸一柄剑，这是前苏联政府送给联合国的礼物，名叫“铸剑为犁”。但在罗辑现在的印象中，铁锤、强壮的男人和他下面被压弯的剑，形成了一个极其有力的构图，使得这个作品充满着暴力的暗示。
The cool air hit him in the face. It was still nighttime, but the outside was clearly lit by the bright lamps. The delegates to the special session had driven off, and the few people left in the plaza were tourists or locals. The historic meeting had not yet made the news, so no one recognized him, and his presence did not attract any attention.
清凉的空气扑面而来，天仍黑着，但灯光很亮，把外面的一切都照得很清晰。特别联大的代表们都已乘车离去，这时广场上稀疏的人们大多是游客和普通市民，这次历史性会议的新闻还没有发布，所以他们都不认识罗辑，他的出现没有引起任何注意。
And then the man with the hammer was smacking Luo Ji savagely in the chest with a fierce blow that sent him tumbling to the ground and knocked him out before he even hit the grass. But the shock passed quickly, and soon partial consciousness returned amid pain and dizziness. He had to shut his eyes against the blinding flashlights that were all around him. Then the rings of light receded and he could make out a circle of faces over him. In the black cloud of haze and agony he recognized Shi Qiang the moment he heard his voice:
果然，罗辑的胸口像被那个男人猛砸了一锤，巨大的冲击力使他仰面倒地，甚至在身体接触草地之前，他已经失去了知觉。但休克的时间并不长，他的意识很快在剧痛和眩晕中部分恢复了，他的眼前全是刺眼的手电光，只得把眼睛闭上。后来光圈从他的跟前移开了。他模糊地看到了上方的一圈人脸，在眩晕和剧痛产生的黑雾中，他认出了其中一个是史强的脸，同时也听到了他的声音。
“Do you need security protection? We can only do as you tell us!”
“你需要安全保护吗？我们只能照你说的做！”
Luo Ji nodded weakly. Then everything happened in a flash. He felt himself lifted onto what seemed like a stretcher, and then the stretcher was hoisted up. He was surrounded by a tight clutch of people, as if he was in a narrow pit with walls formed by human bodies. The only thing visible out of the mouth of the pit was the black night sky, and it was only from the motion of the legs of the people surrounding him that he could tell he was being carried. Soon the pit vanished, as did the sky above him, replaced by the lit ceiling panels of an ambulance. He tasted blood in his mouth and then emptied his stomach in a bout of nausea. Someone beside him caught his vomit — blood and what he had eaten on the plane — in a plastic bag with a practiced hand. After he vomited, someone strapped an oxygen mask to his face. When he could breathe easier he felt a little better, although his chest still hurt. He felt his clothes getting cut off at the chest, and imagined in a panic that fresh blood was spurting from a wound, but that didn’t seem to be right, since no bandaging seemed to be taking place. He was covered in a blanket. Not long after that, the vehicle stopped. He was carried out, and the night sky and the lit ceilings of hospital corridors passed over him, then the ceiling of an emergency room, and then, moving slowly overhead, the glowing red slit of the CT scanner. Faces of doctors and nurses occasionally popped into view and caused him pain with their inspections and manipulation of his chest. Finally, when he could see the ceiling of the ward overhead, everything settled down.
罗辑无力地点点头。然后一切都是闪电般迅速，他感到自己被抬起，好像是放到了担架上，然后担架被抬起来。他的周围一直紧紧地围着一圈人，他感到自己是处于一个由人的身体构成四壁的窄坑中，由于“坑”口上方能看到的只有黑色的夜空，他只能从围着他的人们腿部的动作上判断自己是在被抬着走。很快，“坑”消失了，上方的夜空也消失了，代之以亮着灯的救护车顶板。罗辑感到自己的嘴里有血腥味，他一阵恶心翻身吐了出来，旁边的人很专业地用一个塑料袋接住他的呕吐物，吐出来的除了血还有在飞机上吃进去的东西。吐过之后，有人把氧气面罩扣在他的脸上，呼吸顺畅后他感觉舒服了一些，但胸部的疼痛依旧，他感觉胸前的衣服被撕开了，惊恐地想象着那里的伤口涌出的鲜血，但好像不是那么回事，他们没有进行包扎之类的处理，只是把毯子盖到他身上。时间不长，车停了，罗辑被从车里抬出来，向上看到夜空和医院走廊的顶部依次移去，然后看到的是急救室的天花板，CT扫描仪那道发着红光的长缝从他的上方缓缓移过，这期间医生和护士的脸不时在上方出现，他们在检查和处理他的胸部时弄得他很疼。最后，当他的上方是病房的天花板时，一切都安定下来。
“One broken rib and minor internal bleeding. It’s not serious. You’re not badly injured, but you need rest due to the bleeding,” the bespectacled doctor looking down at him said.
“有一根肋骨断了，有轻微的内出血，但不严重，总之你伤得不重，但因为内出血，你现在需要休息。”一位戴眼镜的医生低头看着他说。
This time Luo Ji didn’t refuse sleeping pills, but took them with a nurse’s help and quickly fell asleep. Two scenes alternated in his dreams: the rostrum of the UN assembly hall looming above him, and the man from Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares swinging a hammer into him over and over. Later, he came to the quiet patch of snow deep in his heart and entered the simple, exquisite cabin. The Eve of his own creation stood up from the fireplace, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears… Then he woke up and felt tears in his own eyes and a spot of wetness on the pillow. They had dimmed the lights for him, and since she didn’t appear while he was awake, he fell back to sleep in the hope of returning to the cabin. But this time he slept without dreaming.
这次，罗辑投有拒绝安眠药，在护士的帮助下吃过药后，他很快睡着了。梦中，联合国会场主席台上面那前倾的悬崖一次次向他倒下来，“铸剑为犁”的那个男人抡着铁锤一次次向他砸来，这两个场景交替出现。后来，他来到心灵最深处的那片宁静的雪原上，走进了那间古朴精致的小木屋，他创造的夏娃从壁炉前站起身，那双美丽的眼睛含泪看着他……罗辑在这时醒来了一次，感觉自己的眼泪也在流着，把枕头浸湿了一小片，病房里的光线已为他调得很暗，她没有在他醒着的时候出现，于是他又睡着了，想回到那间小木屋，但以后的睡眠无梦了。
When he woke next, he knew that he had been asleep for a long time. He felt refreshed, and although there was still intermittent pain in his chest, he could believe now that his injuries weren’t serious. When he tried to sit up, the blond nurse didn’t stop him, but simply adjusted his pillow for him to lean on.
再次醒来时，罗辑知道自己已经睡了很长时间，感到精力恢复了一些，虽然胸部的疼痛时隐时现，但他在感觉上已经确信自己确实伤得不重。他努力想坐起来，那个金发碧眼的护士并没有阻止他，而足把枕头垫高帮他半躺着靠在上面。
“I’d like to see him.”
“我想见他。”
“Does the ETO want to kill us?”
“是ETO要杀我们吗……‘
“And the other three?”
“他们三个呢？”罗辑问；
“Probably. The assailant has been detained. It’s a good thing we set up a snake-eye behind you.”
“应该是吧，凶手已经被捕了，幸亏我们在你后面布置了蛇眼。”
Shi Qiang knew immediately who he was referring to. “They’re fine. They weren’t as careless as you, walking out alone.”
大史马上就明白他指的是谁，“都很好，他们没有你这么轻率，一个人走到外面。”
Shi Qiang waved a hand. “This happened because we fell down on the job. We didn’t take timely and effective protection measures. We have to do what you say. It’s over now, though.”
史强摆了下手：“出了这事，应该算是我们的失职吧，当时，我们没有采取最有效的保卫措施，我们只能听你的，现在没事了。”
“How are you feeling? I’ve been shot three times while wearing a bulletproof vest. This shouldn’t be anything serious,” he said.
“感觉怎么样，穿防弹衣中枪我有过三次，应该没有太大的事。”史强说。
“Da Shi, you saved my life,” Luo Ji said weakly.
“大史，你救了我的命。”罗辑无力地说。
“A what?”
“什么？”
After a while, Shi Qiang came in and sat down by his bed.
过了一会儿，史强走进了病房，在他的床前坐下。
“A precise radar system that can quickly determine the shooter’s position from the path of the bullet. The assailant’s identity has been confirmed. He’s a professional guerilla in the ETO militia. We never imagined he would dare to attack in a downtown area like this. His actions were practically suicidal.”
“一种很精密的雷达系统，能根据子弹的弹道迅速确定射手的位置。那个凶手的身份已经确定，是ETO军事组织的游击战专家。我们没想到他居然敢在那样的中心地带下手，所以他这次行动几乎是自杀性质的。”
“Who? The assailant?”
“谁，凶手？”
“Sure. But that’s not within the scope of my authority. I’m only in charge of security protection. I’ll put in a request.” Having said this, Shi Qiang turned and left. He seemed more careful and cautious now, different from the lackadaisical image he used to project. Luo wasn’t used to it.
“好的，不过这不在我的权限内，我只负责安全保卫，我去请示一下。”史强说完，起身出去了，他现在显得谨慎而认真，与以前那个看上去大大咧咧的人很不同，一时让罗辑有些不适应。
“They’re on their way over, so you’ll have to wait for a while. Why don’t you have something to eat? It’s been a day since you ate on the plane. I’ll set it up.” Then he went out again.
“他们正在过来，还要等一会儿，你先吃点儿东西吧，离飞机上吃饭已经过去一整天了。我先去安排一下。”史强说完，起身又出去了。
Luo Ji nodded.
罗辑点点头。
Luo Ji wanted to tell him that he’d like to change venues. He even started to get up, but then the thought struck him that a sickly appearance better suited his purpose, so he lay back down again. “I’ll see him here.”
罗辑本想说换个地方，井起身下床，但转念一想，这副病怏怏的样子更合自己的意，就又在床上躺了下来：“就在这儿吧。”
The assailant was brought in right after Luo Ji had finished eating. He had a handsome European face, but his most prominent feature was his slight smile, a smile that seemed so plastered on it never went away. He was not in cuffs, but when he entered, two people who looked like professional escorts sat down on chairs, and two others stood at the doorway. They were wearing badges that identified them as PDC officers.
罗辑刚吃完饭，凶手就被带了进来，他是一个年轻人，有着一副英俊的欧洲面孔，但最大的特征是他那淡淡的微笑，那笑容像是长在他脸上似的，从不消退。他没有戴手铐什么的，但一进来就被两个看上去很专业的押送者按着坐在椅子上，同时病房门口也站了两个人，罗辑看到他们佩着的胸卡上有三个字母的部门简写，但既不是FBI也不是CIA。
Shi Qiang quickly returned and said, “You may, either here or somewhere else. The doctor says walking isn’t an issue.”
史强很快回来了，对罗辑说：“可以了，就在这儿见呢，还是换个地方，医生说你起来走路没问题的。”
“I’m already free of it. I submitted my refusal to the secretary general, rejecting the Wallfacer position and all of its rights and responsibilities, and she agreed on behalf of the UN. Of course, you didn’t know this when you were trying to kill me. The ETO wasted an assassin.”
“我已经解脱了，我向联合国秘书长拒绝了面壁者使命，放弃了所有的权力和责任，她也代表联合国答应了。当然，这些你在杀我的时候一定还不知道，ETO白自浪费了一个优秀杀手。”
“Sorry I didn’t kill you, sir. I thought you wouldn’t be wearing a vest to a meeting like this. Never imagined you would be so scrupulous with protecting your life. Otherwise I’d have used armor-piercing bullets, or simply aimed for your head. Then I would have completed my mission, and you would be freed from yours, this unnatural mission no normal person can shoulder.”
“抱歉没杀了您，本来我认为在这样的会议上您是不会穿防弹衣的，没想到您是个为了保命不拘小节的人，否则，我就会用穿甲弹，或干脆朝您的头部射击，那样的话，我完成了使命，您也从这个变态的、非正常人所能承担的使命中解脱了。”
“You’re sorry for trying to kill me?” Luo Ji raised his head off the pillow to look at his attacker.
“抱歉杀我？”罗辑从枕头上转头看着凶手说。
He tried to look as close to death’s door as possible, but the assailant saw through him. “Doctor, surely it’s not as serious as all that?” He smiled as he said this, a different smile appearing over his permanent one like an ephemeral oil slick floating on water. “I’m very sorry.”
罗辑尽可能做出一副奄奄一息的样子，但凶手立刻揭穿了他：“博士，好像没有这么严重吧。”凶手说这话的时候笑了笑，这是另一种笑，叠加在他那永远存在的微笑上，像浮在水上的油渍，转瞬即逝，“我很抱歉。”
The smile on the assailant’s face grew brighter, like a monitor whose brightness had been turned up. “You’re a funny man.”
凶手脸上的微笑变得鲜明了，就像调高了一个显示屏的亮度：“您真幽默。”
“What do you mean? I’m telling you the honest truth. If you don’t believe me –“
“什么意思？我说的都是绝对真实的，不信……”
“I believe you, but you’re still a funny man,” the assailant said, the bright smile still on his face. It was a smile that Luo Ji noted in passing but that would soon be imprinted on his consciousness as if by liquid metal, marking him for life.
“我信，不过，您真的很幽默。”凶手说，仍保持着那鲜明的微笑，这微笑罗辑现在只是无意中浅浅地记下了，但很快它将像灼热的铁水一般在他的意识中烙下印记，让他疼痛一生。
He shook his head and, with a sigh, lay back down on the bed. He did not speak.
罗辑摇摇头，长出一口气仰面躺着，不再说话。
The assailant said, “Doctor, I don’t think we have much time. I presume you did not call me here purely to tell this infantile joke.”
凶手说：“博士，我们的时间好像不多，我想您叫我来不仅仅是要开这种幼稚的玩笑吧。”
“I still don’t understand what you mean.”
“我还是不明白你的意思。”
The two cast an inquiring glance at Luo Ji, who waved a hand at them, and then the assailant was led out.
那两人用询问的目光看着罗辑，罗辑冲他们摆摆手，凶手便被带了出去。
“If that’s the case, then your intelligence does not qualify you to be a Wallfacer, Dr. Luo Ji. You’re not as logical as your name suggests. My life really has been wasted, it appears.” The assailant looked at the two people standing on alert behind him and said, “Gentlemen, I think we can leave.”
“要是这样，对于一个面壁者而言，您的智力是不合格的。罗辑博士，您太不LOGIC了，看来我的生命真的是浪费了。”凶手说完抬头看看站在他身后充满戒备的两个人，“先生们，我想我们可以走了。”
Luo Ji sat up in bed and thought over the assailant’s words. He had the odd feeling that something wasn’t right, but he didn’t know what it was. He got out of bed and took a couple of steps: no impediments apart from the dull pain in his chest. When he went to the door and looked out, the guards armed with rifles sitting beside it stood up immediately, and one of them spoke into the radio on his shoulder.
罗辑从床上坐起来，回味着凶手的话，有一种诡异的感觉，肯定有什么地方不对，但他又不知道是哪里不对。他下了床，走了两步，除了胸部隐隐作疼外没什么大碍。他走到病房的门前，打开门向外看了看，门口坐着的两个人立刻站了起来，他们都是拿着冲锋枪的警卫，其中一人又对着肩上的步话机说了句什么。
Luo Ji saw a bright and clean hallway that was completely empty except for two more armed guards at the very end. He shut the door, went over to the window, and drew back the curtain. Looking down from this height he saw that guards armed to the teeth were posted all over the hospital entrance, and two green military vehicles were parked out front. Apart from the occasional white-clothed hospital staffer hurrying in or out, he saw no one else. Looking more carefully, he noticed that on the roof of the building opposite were two people surveying the surroundings through binoculars next to a sniper rifle, and he was instinctively certain that similar snipers were on the roof of his own building.
罗辑看到明净的走廊里空荡荡的，但在尽头也有两个荷枪实弹的警卫。他关上门，回到窗前拉开窗帘，从这里高高地看下去，发现医院的门前也布满了全副武装的警卫，还停着两辆绿色的军车，除了偶尔有一两个穿白衣的医院人员匆匆走过外，没看到其他的人。仔细看看，还发现对面的楼顶上也有两个人正在用望远镜观察着四周，旁边架着狙击步枪，凭直觉，他肯定自己所在的楼顶上也布置着这样的警卫狙击手。
“And if I asked you to dismiss all of the security, what would happen?”
“如果我让你们把这些警戒撤了，会怎么样？”
“Call him in!”
“叫他来！”
“We would do as you asked. But I advise you not to do so. It’s dangerous at the moment.”
“我们会照办，但我建议你不要这样做，现在很危险的。”
Kent came in shortly after Shi Qiang left. His manner had returned to the gracious demeanor of a UN official.
大史出去后，坎特很快进来了，他又恢复了联合国官员那副彬彬有礼的表情。
The guards weren’t police. They looked like military. He called for Shi Qiang.
这些警卫不是警方的人，看装束都是军人。罗辑叫来了史强。
“Then… where’s Kent?”
“那个……坎特呢，”
“What department are you with? What are you in charge of?”
“休是什么部门的？负责什么？”
“The hospital is still under heavy security, correct?” he asked.
“这医院还处在严密警戒中，是吗？”罗辑问。
Shi Qiang’s face remained expressionless, like a rubber mask. “These are the orders we were given.”
史强的脸上没有任何表情，像是一个橡胶面具似的，“给我们的命令就是这样。”
“Outside.”
“在外面。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“But I’m no longer a Wallfacer. I’m just an ordinary citizen, so even if my life is in danger, the duty ought to fall to the ordinary police. Why should I still enjoy this degree of protection from planetary defense security? And to have them dismissed or recalled if I so desire? Who gave me that power?”
“可我现在不是面壁者了，只是一个普通公民，就算是有生命危险，也应是警方的普通事务，怎么能享受地球防务安全部门如此级别的保卫？而且我让撤就撤，我让来就来，谁给我这种权力？”
“I belong to the Planetary Defense Security Department, and I’m in charge of your safety.”
“我属于国家地球防务安全部，负责你的安全。”
“To the entire world.”
“向全世界发布了。”
“If there’s nothing else, then I’ll be going. Rest well. Call for me at any time,” Kent said, and then started to leave. Just as he stepped through the door, Luo Ji called for him to stop.
“如果没有别的事，我走了，您好好休息吧，可以随时叫我的。”坎特说，然后转身走去，刚走到门口，罗辑就叫住了他。
“And my refusing to be a Wallfacer?”
“那我拒绝做面壁者的事呢？”
“The Planetary Defense Council is the specific agency in charge of the direction and execution of the Wallfacer Project. The supreme leader is the PDC’s rotating chair. The UN secretary general exercises no direct leadership over the PDC.”
“面壁计划的具体指挥和执行机构是行星防御理事会，最高领导人是PDC轮值主席，联合国秘书长对PDC没有直接的领导关系。”
“I’m in charge of your day-to-day liaisons.”
“我负责您的日常联络。”
“It’s in there too, of course.”
“当然也在新闻里。”
“I want to see the secretary general.”
“我要见联合国秘书长。”
“Then what are you still doing here?”
“那你还在这里干什么？”
“What are you doing now?”
“你现在在这里干什么？”
“Dr. Luo, I wanted to wait to see you until you had recovered.”
“罗辑博士，我本想等您的身体恢复后再来看您。”
Luo Ji looked at him blankly. Kent seemed to be wearing the same rubber mask as Shi. He was unreadable.
罗辑茫然地看着坎特，后者也像是藏着和大史一样的橡皮面具，什么都看不出来。
“It was quite simple. ‘After the conclusion of the UN special session, Luo Ji declared his refusal of the Wallfacer position and mission.'”
“很简单：在本届特别联大结束后，罗辑声明拒绝了面壁者的身份和使命。”
“But I’m not a Wallfacer anymore!” Luo Ji shouted. Then he asked, “Has the media announced the Wallfacer Project?”
“可我已经不是面壁者了！”罗辑大声说，然后问，“面壁计划的新闻发布了吗？”
“I’m your day-to-day liaison with the Planetary Defense Council.”
“我负责您与行星防御理事会的日常联络。”
“What did it say?”
“是怎么说的？”
“Dr. Luo, I’d wanted to visit you in the hospital yesterday, but you see…” She gestured to the pile of papers on the desk, whose only personal touch was a finely crafted bamboo pencil holder.
“罗辑博士，我本来昨天就打算到医院去看您的，可您看……”她指了指堆满文件的办公桌，那里唯一能显示女主人个人特点的东西仅是一只精致的竹制笔筒。
All along the way to the secretary general’s office on the thirty-fourth floor of the Secretariat Building, Luo Ji remained under security so tight he was practically shut up in a movable safe. The office was smaller than he had imagined, and simply furnished, with a fair bit of space taken up by a UN flag standing behind the desk. Say came around the desk to welcome him.
联合国秘书长的办公室在秘书处大楼的三十四层，罗辑一路上仍处于严密的保护下，简直像被装在一个活动的保险箱中。办公室比他想象的要小，也很简朴，办公桌后面竖立着的联合国旗帜占了很大空间，萨伊从办公桌后走出来迎接罗辑。
Luo Ji thought this over. “I’d still like to see the secretary general. I ought to have that power.”
罗辑想了想说：“我还是见秘书长吧，我应该有这个权利。”
“Very well. Wait one moment.” Kent left the room, but soon returned and said, “The secretary general is waiting for you in her office. Shall we be off, then?”
“好的，请等一下。”坎特转身走出病房，很快回来了，他说，“秘书长在办公室等您，我们这就动身吗？”
Say nodded but said nothing.
萨伊点点头，没有说话。
“Ms. Say, I have come to reiterate the statement I made to you at the close of the meeting,” he said.
“萨伊女士，我是来重申我会议结束后对您的声明的。”罗辑说。
“I want to go home. If I am in danger, please notify the New York Police Department and have them be responsible for my safety. I am just an ordinary citizen. I don’t need PDC protection.”
“我要回国，如果现在我面临危险的话，请代我向纽约警察局报案，由他们负责我的安全，我只是一个普通公民，不需要PDC来保护我。”
It took just an instant for Luo Ji to comprehend the true nature of his status as Wallfacer. Like Say had said, before the mission was handed down, the ones who would undertake it could not have been consulted. And once the Wallfacer mission and identity were granted, they could not be refused or abandoned. This impossibility was not due to any individual’s coercion, but because cold logic, as determined by the project’s very nature, meant that once someone became a Wallfacer, an invisible and impenetrable screen was immediately thrown up between them and ordinary people that made their every action significant. And that was what the smiles directed at Wallfacers meant:
仅一瞬间，罗辑就悟出了面壁者这个身份的实质。正如萨伊曾说过的，这种使命在被交付前，是不可能向要承担它的人征求意见的；而面壁者的使命和身份一旦被赋予，也不可能拒绝或放弃。这种不可能并非来自于谁的强制，而是一个由面壁计划的本质所决定的冷酷逻辑，因为当一个人成为面壁者后，一层无形的不可穿透的屏障就立刻在他与普通人之间建立起来，他的一切行为就具有了面壁计划的意义，正像那对面壁者的微笑所表达的含义：
Say nodded again. “That certainly can be done, but I advise you to accept your current protection, because it is more specialized and reliable than the NYPD.”
萨伊又点点头：“这当然可以做到。不过我还是建议您接受现在的保护，因为比起纽约警方来，这种保护更专业更可靠一些。”
“Please answer me honestly. Am I still a Wallfacer?”
“请您诚实地回答我：我现在还是面壁者吗？”
Say returned to her desk. Standing beside the UN flag, she smiled slightly at Luo Ji. “What do you think?” Then she motioned for him to take a seat on the sofa.
萨伊回到办公桌后面，站在联合国旗帜下，对罗辑露出微笑：“您认为呢？”同时，她对着沙发做着手势请罗辑坐下。
My god!
天啊！
The slight smile on Say’s face was familiar. He had seen the same smile on the face of the young assailant, and in the future he would see it in the eyes and on the face of everyone he met. The smile would come to be called “the Wallfacer smile,” and it would be as famous as the smile of the Mona Lisa or the grin of the Cheshire cat. Say’s smile calmed him down at last, the first time he had been truly calm since before she had stood on the rostrum and announced to the world that he was a Wallfacer. He sat slowly down on the sofa, and by the time he got situated, he understood everything.
罗辑发现，萨伊脸上的微笑很熟悉，这种微笑他在那个年轻的凶手脸上也见过，以后，他也将会在每一个面对他的人的脸上和目光中看到。这微笑后来被称为“对面壁者的笑”，它将与蒙娜丽莎的微笑和柴郡猫的露齿笑一样著名。萨伊的微笑终于让罗辑冷静下来，这是自她在特别联大主席台上对全世界宣布他成为面壁者以来，他第一次真正的冷静。他在沙发上缓缓地坐下，刚刚坐稳，就明白了一切。
His heart surged with a towering fury such as he had never before experienced. He wanted to shout hysterically, to inquire after Say’s mother and the UN’s mother, to inquire after the mothers of all of the delegates at the special session and on the PDC, to inquire after the mothers of the entire human race, and finally to inquire after the nonexistent mothers of the Trisolarans. He wanted to jump up and down and smash things, to sweep aside the documents, globe, and bamboo pencil holder on Say’s desk, and then tear the blue flag to shreds… But in the end he understood where he was and who he was facing, controlled himself, and stood up, only to fall heavily back upon the sofa again.
一股从未有过的冲天怒火涌上罗辑的心头，他想声嘶力竭地大叫，想问候萨伊和联合国的母亲，再问候特别联大所有代表和行星防御理事会的母亲，问候全人类的母亲，最后问候三体人那并不存在的母亲。他想跳起来砸东西，先扔了萨伊办公桌上的文件、地球仪和竹节笔筒，再把那面蓝旗撕个粉碎……但罗辑终于还是明白了这是什么地方，他面对的是谁，最终控制了自己，站起来后又重重地把自己摔回沙发上。
How are we supposed to know whether or not you have already started work?
我们怎么知道您是不是已经在工作了？
He now understood that the Wallfacers had a mission far weirder than any in history, its logic cold and twisted, yet unyielding as the chains that bound Prometheus. It was an unliftable curse impossible for the Wallfacers to break under their own strength. No matter how he struggled, the totality of everything would be greeted with the Wallfacer smile and imbued with the significance of the Wallfacer Project:
罗辑现在终于明白，面壁者是历史上从未有过的最诡异的使命，它的逻辑冷酷而变态，但却像锁住普罗米修斯的铁环般坚固无比。这是一个不可撤销的魔咒，面壁者根本不可能凭自身的力量打破它。不管他如何挣扎，一切的一切都在对面壁者的微笑中被赋予了面壁计划的意义：
How are we supposed to know whether or not you are working?
我们怎么知道您是不是在工作？
“But there’s got to be a reason why I was chosen!”
“但选择我总是有原因的！”
“Why was I chosen?” Luo Ji began, hands covering his face. “Next to the three of them, I have no qualifications. I have no talent and no experience. I’ve never seen war, much less led a country. I’m not a successful scientist. I’m just a university professor who muddles through by throwing together crappy papers. I’m someone who lives for today. I don’t want kids of my own, and I could care less about the continuation of human civilization… Why was I picked?” By the end of this speech, he had jumped up from the sofa.
“为什么选择我？比起他们三个。我没有任何资格。我没有才华，没有经验，没见过战争，更没有领导过国家；我也不是有成就的科学家，只是一个凭着几篇东拼西凑的破论文混饭吃的大学教授；我是个今朝有酒今朝醉的人，自己都不想要孩子，哪他妈在乎过人类文明的延续……为什么选中我？”罗辑在说话开始用两手捂着头，说到最后从沙发上跳起来。
Say’s smile vanished. “To tell you the truth, Dr. Luo, we’re baffled by this too. And that’s the reason you have access to the fewest resources out of all of the Wallfacers. Choosing you is the greatest gamble in history.”
萨伊脸上的笑容消失了。“罗辑博士，说句实话，我们对此也百思不得其解，正因为如此，在所有面壁者中，您所能调动的资源是最少的。选择您确实是历史上最大的冒险。”
“Yes, but only indirectly. No one knows the real reason. Like I said, you have to find your own answer.”
“是的，只是间接的原因，真正的原因谁都不知道，我说过，您要自己去找出来。”
“Then what about the indirect reason?”
“那间接的原因是什么？！”
“I’m sorry. I’m not authorized to tell you. But I do believe that you’ll know when the time is right.”
“对不起，我没有授权告诉您。但我相信，适当的时候您会知道的。”
Luo Ji sensed that they had reached the end of their conversation, so he turned to leave, only realizing when he reached the door that he hadn’t said good-bye. He turned around. Like in the assembly hall, Say nodded at him with a smile. Only this time, he knew the meaning behind that smile.
罗辑感到，他们之间能说的话已经说完了，于是转身向外走去。走到办公室门口才想起来没有告辞，他停住脚步转回身来，像在会场那次一样，萨伊对他点头微笑，不同的是他这次理解了这微笑的含义。
She said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you again. But in the future, your work will be conducted within the framework of the PDC, so you will report directly to the PDC rotating chair.”
萨伊说：“很高兴我们能再次见面，但以后，您的工作是在行星防御理事会的框架内进行，直接对PDC轮值主席负责。”
“You don’t have any confidence in me, do you?” Luo Ji asked.
“您对我没有信心，是吗？”罗辑问。
“Then you’re right.”
“那您是对的。”
Again with no good-bye, he walked straight out of the office. Relapsing to the state he had been in just after being declared a Wallfacer, he walked aimlessly. At the end of the hallway, he entered an elevator and rode it down to the hall on the ground floor, then exited the Secretariat Building and came once more to the United Nations Plaza. He was surrounded by security guards the entire way, and though he pushed them impatiently a few times, they stuck to him like magnets and followed him wherever he went. It was daytime now, and Shi Qiang and Kent walked up to him in the sunny square and asked him to either go back inside or enter a vehicle as quickly as possible.
罗辑仍然没有告辞，径直走出办公室。他又回到了刚被宣布成为面壁者时的状态，浸无目标地走着。他走到走廊尽头，进入了电梯，下到一楼大厅，然后走出秘书处大楼，再次来到联合国广场上。一路上，一直有几名安全保卫人员簇拥在他周围，他几次不耐烦地推开他们，但他就像一块磁铁，走到哪里都把他们吸在周围。这次是白天，广场上阳光明媚，史强和坎特走了过来，让他尽快回到室内或车里。
“I said that choosing you was a huge gamble.”
“我说过，选择您是一次重大的冒险。”
“No. Right to have no confidence in me.”
“不，对我没有信心是对的。”
“Right to have gambled?”
“冒险是对的吗？”
“It’s not that. They’ve cleared the vicinity, so it’s relatively safe here. But there are lots of visitors who all recognize you. Crowds are hard to handle, and you probably don’t want that either.”
“不是，他们清理了周边，这里现在比较安全了。但游人很多，他们都认识你，大群人围过来就不好办了，你也不希望那样吧。”
“I’m never going to see the sun again my entire life, am I?” he asked Shi Qiang.
“我这一辈子都见不得阳光了，是吗？”罗辑对史强说。
Luo Ji looked around him. At least for now, no one paid any attention to their small group. He headed toward the General Assembly Building and entered quickly for a second time. His goal was clear and he knew where he had to go. Past the empty balcony, he saw the colorful stained-glass panel. Turning right, he entered the Meditation Room, closing the door to keep Shi Qiang, Kent, and the guards outside.
罗辑向四周看了看，至少现在还没人注意到他们这一小群人。他起步朝与秘书处大楼相连的会议中心走去，很快进去了，这是他第二次进入这里。他的目标明确，知道自己要去什么地方，经过那个悬空阳台后，他看到了那块色彩斑斓的彩色玻璃板，从玻璃板前向右，他进入了默思室，闭上门，把跟来的史强、坎特和警卫们都挡在外面。
When he saw the oblong slab of iron ore for a second time, his first instinct was to dash himself into it headfirst and put an end to everything. Instead he lay down on the stone’s smooth surface, whose coolness drained off some of the irritation from his mind. With his body, he felt the hardness of the ore and, weirdly, thought of a problem put forth by his high school physics teacher: How can you make a marble bed as soft as a Simmons mattress? The answer: Dig out a depression in that marble the exact size and shape of a human body. Then when you lie in that depression, the pressure will be evenly distributed and it would feel incredibly soft. He closed his eyes and imagined that the warmth of his body was melting the iron ore beneath him and forming that kind of depression… Gradually, this calmed him. After a time, he opened his eyes and looked up at the bare ceiling.
罗辑再次看到了那块呈规则长方体的铁矿石，第一个想法是一头撞上去一了百了，但他接下来做的是躺在石头那平整光滑的表面上。石头很凉，吸走了他心中的一部分狂躁，他的身体感觉着矿石的坚硬，十分奇怪地，他竟在这种时候想起了中学物理老师出过的一道思考题：如何用大理石做一张床，使人躺上去感觉像席梦思一样柔软，答案是把大理石表面挖出一个与人的身体背部一模一样形状的坑，躺到坑里，压强均匀分布，感觉就十分柔软了。罗辑闭上双跟，想象着自己的体温融化了身下的铁矿石，形成了一个那样的坑……就用这种方式，他使自己渐渐冷静下来。过了一会儿，他再次睁开双眼，望着朴素的天花板。
Luo Ji felt himself getting snared once again in a logical trap, and once again was convinced that he could not extricate himself.
罗辑再一次思考自己所陷入的逻辑陷阱，也再一次确定自己绝对无法从这个陷阱中自拔。
So he turned his attention to the power in his hands. The least of all the Wallfacers, Say had said, but he would certainly be able to make use of a terrifying amount of resources. Most importantly, he didn’t have to justify his use of them to anyone. In fact, an important part of his mandate was to act in such a way as to keep others guessing, and furthermore, to do as much as possible to engender misunderstandings. Never in human history had there been such a thing! Maybe the absolute monarchs of old had been able to do whatever they wished, but even they ultimately had to account for their actions.
于是，他把注意力转向自己因此拥有的权力，虽然如萨伊所说，他是四个面壁者中权力最小的一个，但他能够使用的资源肯定依然是相当惊人的。关键是，他在使用这些资源时无须对任何人做出解释，事实上，他职责中很重要的部分就是使自己的行为令人无法理解，而且，更进一步，还要努力使人产生尽可能多的误解。这是人类历史上从未有过的事，古代的专制帝王也许可以为所欲为，但最终还是要对自己的行为做出解释的。
The Meditation Room had been designed by Dag Hammarskjöld, second secretary general of the UN, who believed that the UN ought to have a place for meditation removed from the history-making decisions of the General Assembly Hall. Luo Ji didn’t know whether any head of state or ambassador to the UN had actually meditated here, but surely when Hammarskjöld died in 1961 he never imagined that a Wallfacer like himself would be daydreaming here.
默思室是第二任联合国秘书长，瑞典人达格，哈马舍尔德提仪设立的，他认为在决定历史的联合国大会堂外，应该有一处让人沉思的地方。罗辑不知道是否真的有国家元首或联合国代表在这里沉思过。但1961年死于空难的哈马舍尔德绝不会想到默思室里会有他这样一位面壁者在发呆。
“Oh, Dr. Luo. I heard you had some minor problems, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get in touch with you.”
“啊，您好，罗辑博士，听说您有些小麻烦，我就没有急着与您联系。”
If all I’m left with is this peculiar power, why not make use of it?
既然现在我剩下的只有这奇特的权力了，那何不用之？
He got off the hard bed of stone, opened the door, and asked to see the chair of the PDC.
他从这坚硬的石床上下来，打开门，要求见行星防御理事会主席。
“Of course.”
“当然。”
The incumbent chair, a Russian named Garanin, was a burly, white-bearded old man. The chair’s office was one floor below the secretary general’s. He was sending off a few visitors, half of them in uniform, when Luo Ji entered.
本届PDC的轮值主席是一名叫伽尔宁的俄罗斯人，一个身材魁梧的自胡子老头。PDC主席的办公室比秘书长的低了一层。当罗辑进去时，他正在打发刚来的几个人，这些人中有一半是穿军装的。
Luo Ji thought to himself, and sat up. After a short time thinking it over, he decided what his next step would be.
罗辑对自己说完这句话便坐了起来，只想了很短的时间，便决定了下一步要做的事。
Looking at the paper, Luo Ji asked, “Mr. Chair, have you ever had a dream?”
罗辑看着面前的白纸问：“主席先生，您有过梦想吗？”
“I don’t need a general staff department.”
“我不需要什么参谋部。”
“What are the other three Wallfacers doing?”
“另外三个面壁者在做什么？”
“May I have a pen and paper?”
“我能用一下纸和笔吗？”
“They’re busy setting up general staff departments, a task I’d advise you to get on with immediately. I’ll send some advisors to assist you in the initial stages.”
“他们都在忙着组建自己的参谋部，我劝您也尽快着手这个工作，在开始阶段，我会派一批顾问协助您。”
“Oh? If you think it would be better that way… If you do have the need, one can be set up at any time.”
“啊，如果您觉得这样更好的话……如果您需要，随时可以组建。”
“Wrong! The land beneath the snowcaps must not be cold. It’s a subtropical climate. This is important! In front of the mountains there’s a broad lake, and the water is even bluer than the sky, as blue as your wife’s eyes…”
“错了！雪山下面的地区不能冷，是亚热带气候，这是关键！在雪山的前方，有一片广阔的湖泊，水是比天空更深的那种蓝，像您爱人的眼睛……”
Garanin shook his head with a wry smile. “I just flew in from London yesterday. I worked the entire trip, and when I arrived I slept less than two hours before I had to rush to work. When today’s regular PDC meeting finishes, I’ll have to fly overnight to Tokyo… My whole life is rushing around, and I’m at home no more than three months out of the year. What’s the point of that kind of dream for me?”
伽尔宁苦笑着摇摇头，“我昨天刚从伦教飞来，飞机上一直在办公，到这里后刚睡了不到两个小时，就又急着来上班。今天的PDC例会结束后，我就要连夜飞到东京去……我这辈子就是奔波的命，每年在家的时间不超过三个月，这种梦想对我有什么意义？”
“For instance, have you ever dreamt of living in some perfect place?”
“比如，您是否幻想过自己住在某个很美的地方？”
“What sort?”
“哪一方面的？”
“In my dreams, I’ve got lots of those places. I’ve chosen the most beautiful.” Luo Ji picked up the pencil and began sketching on the paper. “This isn’t colored, so you’ve got to imagine it. See these snowcapped mountains here? They’re steep like the swords of the gods or the tusks of the earth, and they shine a satiny silver against the blue sky. Utterly dazzling…”
“可我有自己的梦想之地，有好多个，我选了最美的一个。”罗辑拿起铅笔，在纸上画了起来，“这儿没有颜色，您需要想象：看，这是几座雪山，很险峻的那种，像天神之剑，像地球的长牙，在蓝天的背景上，银亮银亮的，十分耀眼……”
“Ah,” Garanin said, watching with careful attention. “That’s a very cold place.”
“嗯嗯……”伽尔宁很认真地看着，“这是个很冷的地方。”
“And who will its master be?”
“谁会是这里的主人呢？”
“My wife’s eyes are black.”
“我爱人的眼睛是黑色的。”
“Live out my days in peace.”
“安度余生。”
Luo Ji waited for Garanin to say something rude, but the chair simply nodded gravely, and said, “After an audit by the commission, we will carry this out at once.”
罗辑等着伽尔宁出言不逊，但后者严肃地点点头：“委员会审核后，我们就立刻去办。”
“What are you going to do there?”
“你到那里去干什么？”
“Myself.”
“我呀。”
“Well, the lake water is a blue so deep it looks black. That’s even better. Surrounding the lake are swaths of forest and grasslands, but remember that there have to be both, not just one of the two. This is the place: snow peaks, a lake, forests, and grasslands. And everything is in its untouched, primeval state. When you see the place, you would imagine that man had never set foot on the Earth. Here, on the grass beside the lake, build a house. It doesn’t need to be large, but it should be fully equipped for modern living. The style can be either classical or modern, but it should complement its natural surroundings. And the necessary facilities — fountains, a swimming pool — should be provided so that its master can live the comfortable life of the aristocracy.”
“啊，那湖水就蓝得发黑，这更好。湖的周围，要有大片的森林和草原，注意，森林和草原都要有，不能只有一样。这就是这个地方了；雪山、湖、森林和草原，这一切都要处于纯净的原生态，当您看到这个地方时，会幻想地球上从来没有出现过人类。在这儿，湖边的草地上，建造一个庄园，不需要很大，但现代化的生活设施应该齐全，房子的样式可以是古典的也可以是现代的，但要和周围的自然环境协调。还要有必要的配套设施，比如喷泉、游泳池什么的，总之，要保证这里的主人过上舒适的贵族生活。”
Garanin smiled, winked, and made an “okay” sign. “The world is big enough to have a place like that. Besides, to tell you the truth, I’ve seen it before.”
伽尔宁又像刚才那样眨着一只眼笑笑，同时做了一个“0K”的手势：“地球很大，应该有这种地方的。而且，说真的，我就见过。”
“You and your commission won’t raise any questions about my motivation?”
“您和您的委员会不对我的动机提出质疑吗？”
“Do you really believe the place I described exists?”
“您真相信世界上有我说的那种地方？”
“That’s wonderful, truly. And make sure that I can live a comfortable aristocrat’s life. This is part of the Wallfacer Project.”
“那真是太好了，请您相信，保证我在那里舒适的贵族生活，是面壁计划的一部分。”
Garanin shrugged. “The commission can question the Wallfacers in two areas: use of resources exceeding the set scope, and harm caused to human lives. Apart from these, all questions are in violation of the spirit of the Wallfacer Project. And truth be told, Tyler, Rey Diaz, and Hines have left me disappointed. Looking at their strategizing over the past two days, you can tell immediately what they are up to with their grand strategic plans. You’re different from them. Your behavior is baffling. That’s what a Wallfacer should be like.”
伽尔宁耸耸肩，“委员会对面壁者可能的质疑主要在以下两个方面：使用的资源数量超过了设定的范围，或对人类生命造成伤害。除此之外，任何质疑都是违反面壁计划基本精神的。其实，泰勒、雷迪亚兹和希恩斯很让我失望，看他们这两天那副运筹帷幄的样子，那些宏伟的战略计划，让人一眼就看出他们在做什么。但你和他们不同，你的行为让人迷惑。这才像面壁者。”
Garanin nodded gravely.
伽尔宁严肃地点点头。
“Oh, and one other thing. When you find a suitable place, never tell me where it is.”
“哦，还有。如果找到了合适地方，永远不要告诉我它在哪里。”
Garanin nodded again, seemingly pleased this time. “Dr. Luo, you’ve got another trait that satisfies my notion of being a Wallfacer: Your project requires the smallest investment of the four, at least for the time being.”
伽尔宁又点点头，这次显得很高兴：“罗辑博士，您除了像我心目中的面壁者外，还有一个最令人满意的地方：这项行动是四个面壁者中投入最小的，至少目前是如此。”
No, you can’t say where it is! Once I know where I am, then the world becomes as narrow as a map. When I don’t know, the world feels unlimited.
不不，别说在哪里！一知道在哪儿，世界就变得像一张地图那么小了；不知道在哪儿，感觉世界才广阔呢。
“Go on.”
“您说吧。”
“Then you’ll be a blessing to all my successors. Money is a real headache… The specific departments in charge of executing this may consult with you on some details. The house, in particular, I think.”
“那您将是我所有继任者的恩人，钱的事真是让人头疼……往后具体的执行部门可能要向您咨询一些细节问题，我想主要是关于房子的。”
“If that’s the case, then mine will never have the largest investment.”
“如果是这样，那我的投入永远不会多。”
“Oh, the house,” Luo Ji said. “I forgot one very important detail.”
“对了，关于房子，我真的忘了一个细节，非常重要的。”
Luo Ji imitated Garanin’s wink and smile. “It needs a fireplace.”
罗辑也学着伽尔宁眨着一只眼笑笑：“要有壁炉。”
After his father’s funeral, Zhang Beihai went with Wu Yue one more time to the carrier dry dock, where construction on Tang had been suspended entirely. The welding sparks had vanished from the hull, and there were no signs of life anywhere on the giant ship lying in the noonday sun. The overarching impression it gave was one of the passage of time.
父亲的葬礼后，章北海又同吴岳来到了新航母的建造船坞，“唐”号工程这时已完全停工，船壳上的焊花消失了。在正午的阳光下，巨大的舰体已没有一点儿生气，给他们的感觉除了沧桑还是沧桑。
“Your father was one of the wisest generals among the navy’s top brass. If he were still with us, I might not have gotten so thoroughly stuck,” Wu Yue said.
“你父亲是海军高层中最睿智的将领，要是他还在，我也许不会陷得这么深。”吴岳说。
Zhang Beihai said, “Your defeatism is built on a rational basis, or at least it’s your own reasoning, so I don’t believe there’s anyone who can truly cheer you up. I’m not here to apologize, Wu Yue. I know you don’t hate me over this.”
章北海说：“你的失败主义是建立在理性基础上的，至少是你自己的理性，我不认为有谁能真正让你振作起来。吴岳，我这次不是来向你道歉的，我知道，在这件事上你不恨我。”
“It’s dead,” Zhang Beihai said.
“它也死了。”章北海说。
“I’d like to thank you, Beihai. You got me out.”
“我要感谢你，北海，你让我解脱了。”
“Victory or defeat is not for us to see.”
“不论是失败或胜利，我们都看不到。”
“You can return to the navy. Working there should suit you quite well.”
“你可以回海军去，那里的工作应该很适合你。”
Wu Yue shook his head slowly. “I’ve submitted my discharge application. What would I do if I went back? Construction on new destroyers and frigates has stopped, and I no longer have any place in the fleet. Sit in an office in Fleet Command? Forget it. Besides, I’m not a good soldier at all. A soldier who’s only willing to engage in a winnable war is unqualified to be one.”
吴岳缓缓地摇摇头，“我已经提交了退役申请。回去干什么，现有的驱逐舰和护卫舰建造工程都下马了。舰艇上已经没有我的位置。去舰队司令部坐办公室吗，算了吧。再说，我真的不是一名合格的军人，只愿意投身于有胜利希望的战争的军人，不是合格的军人。”
“But you have faith in victory, Beihai. I envy you, really, to the point of jealousy. Faith like yours is the height of happiness for a military man these days. You truly are your father’s son.”
“但你有胜利的信念，北海，我真的很羡慕你，羡慕到嫉妒，这个时候有这种信念，对军人来说是一种最大的幸福，你到底是章将军的儿子。”
“Administrator, start up a Stable Era. Can’t you see we’re holding a meeting?” shouted a voice.
“管理员，调出一个恒纪元来。没看到要开会了吗？”有声音喊道。
A low rumble came from the direction of the shipyard, and Tang slowly started to move. To vacate the dock, it had to take to the water ahead of schedule and be towed to another dock for demolition. When Tang’s sharp prow split the seawater, Zhang Beihai and Wu Yue sensed a trace of anger in the massive hull. Quickly, it entered the sea, tossing up huge waves that caused the other boats in the port to rock, as if paying tribute. Tang crept slowly forward in the water, quietly enjoying the sea’s embrace. In its brief and aborted career, this giant ship had at least met the ocean once.
一阵低沉的隆隆声从船坞方向传来，“唐”号缓缓地移动起来，为了腾空船坞，它只能提前下水，再由拖轮拖往另一处船坞拆毁。当“唐”号那尖利的舰首冲开海水时，章北海和吴岳感觉它那庞大的舰体又有了一丝生气。它很快进入海中，激起的大浪使港口中的其他船只部上下起伏起来，仿佛在向它致意。“唐”号在海水中漂浮着，缓缓前行，静静地享受着海的拥抱，在短暂而残缺的生涯中，这艘巨舰至少与海接触了一次。
“So do you have any plans?”
“那你以后有什么打算，”
“No. I feel like my life is over.” Wu Yue pointed at Tang in the distance. “Just like that, over before it even launched.”
“没有，我感觉自己的一生已经结束了。”吴岳指指远处的“唐”号，“像它一样，还没起航就结束了。”
In the virtual Three Body world, it was the dead of night. Apart from scraps of starlight, all was immersed in an inky blackness, so that even the horizon was invisible, and the empty land and sky blended together in the dark.
虚拟的三体世界处于深深的暗夜中，除了稀疏的星光外，一切都沉浸在墨汁般的黑暗里，甚至连地平线都看不到，荒原和天空在漆黑中融为一体。
“I am not alone,” he said. “This is the core leadership of seven speaking.”
“我不是一个人，”秦始皇说，“这是核心领导层的七人在说话。”
The world flashed. Suns flew across the sky, and soon time returned to normal. One stable sun illuminated the world.
世界快速闪烁起来，太阳不时在空中穿梭而过，很快，时间进度恢复正常，一轮稳定的太阳照耀着世界。
Another voice in the darkness said, “Then increase the speed and find some stable daylight. It won’t take too long.”
黑暗中的另一个声音说：“你加快时间进度，找到一段稳定的白昼就行了，用不了太长时间的。”
The administrator’s voice seemed to come from the sky itself. “I can’t do that. The era is run randomly along the core model and can’t be set externally.”
管理员的声音仿佛来自整个天空：“这我做不到。纪元是按核心模型随机运行的，没有外部设定界面。”
The sun shone in the wilderness on a group of people, some familiar faces among them: King Wen of Zhou, Newton, Von Neumann, Aristotle, Mozi, Confucius, and Einstein. Sparsely distributed, they faced Qin Shi Huang, who stood on a rock with a sword across his shoulders.
阳光照着荒漠上的一群人，他们中有些熟悉的面孔：周文王、牛顿、冯·诺伊曼、亚里士多德、墨子、孔子、爱因斯坦等等。他们站得很稀疏，都面朝秦始皇，后者站在一块岩石上，把长剑扛在肩上。
“You shouldn’t be talking about a new leadership before it’s been finalized,” someone said, and a clamor rose among the rest.
“你不应该在这里谈论新的领导层，那是还没有最后确定的事情。”有人说，其他人也骚动起来。
“Enough,” Qin Shi Huang said, struggling to raise the sword. “Setting aside the leadership controversy for the moment, we shall turn to more pressing matters. We all know of the launch of the Wallfacer Project, humanity’s attempt to use closed-off, private strategic thinking to resist sophon surveillance. Since the Lord’s transparent mind cannot possibly thread that labyrinth, humanity has regained its edge through this plan, and the four Wallfacers pose a threat to the Lord. In accordance with the resolution of the previous offline meeting, we must launch the Wallbreaker Project immediately.”
“好了，”秦始皇吃力地举了一下长剑说，“领导权的争议先放一放，我们该做些更紧急的事了！大家都知道，面壁计划已经启动，人类企图用个人的全封闭战略思维对抗智子的监视，而思维透明的主绝无可能限免这个迷宫。人类凭借这一计划重新取得了主动，四个面壁者都对主构成了威胁。按照上次网外会议的决议，我们应该立刻启动破壁计划。”
“Okay. I don’t know how long this will last,” the administrator said.
“好了，我也不知道能维持多久。”管理员说。
Qin Shi Huang extended the sword and, as if conferring knighthood, touched it to Von Neumann’s shoulder. “You are the First Wallbreaker,” he said. “You are Frederick Tyler’s Wallbreaker.”
秦始皇把长剑伸出，以册封骑士的方式搭在冯·诺伊曼的肩上，“你，破壁人一号，弗雷德里克·泰勒的破壁人。”
Von Neumann knelt down and placed his left hand to his right shoulder in a salute. “I accept the mission.”
冯，诺伊曼单腿跪下，把左手放到右肩上行礼：“是，接受使命。”
At those last words, silence reigned, and no one voiced any objections.
听到最后那个词，众人安静下来，没有人再提出异议。
Qin Shi Huang touched the sword to Mozi’s shoulder. “You are the Second Wallbreaker. You are Manuel Rey Diaz’s Wallbreaker.”
秦始皇把长剑搭在墨子的肩上，“你，破壁人二号，曼努尔·雷迪亚兹的破壁人。”
Then Qin Shi Huang said, “We will appoint a Wallbreaker for each Wallfacer. Like the Wallfacers, the Wallbreakers will be authorized to tap all of the organization’s resources, but their greatest resource will be the sophons, which will render the Wallfacers’ every action utterly exposed. The only secret will be their thoughts. The Wallbreakers’ mission, then, is to analyze the Wallfacers’ open and clandestine actions, with the help of the sophons, and decipher the true nature of their strategic aims as early as possible. The leadership will now appoint the Wallbreakers.”
辜始皇接着说：“对于每一个面壁者，我们将指定一个破壁人。与面壁者一样，破壁人将有权调用组织内的一切资源，但你们最大的资源是智子，它们将面壁人的一举一动完全暴露在你们面前，唯一成为秘密的就是他们的思想。破壁人的任务，就是在智子的协助下，通过分析每一个面壁者公开和秘密的行为。尽快限免他们真实的战略意图。下面，领导层将指定破壁人。”
The sword touched Aristotle’s shoulder. “You are the Third Wallbreaker. You are Bill Hines’s Wallbreaker.”
长剑又搭在亚里士多德的肩上，“你，破壁人三号，比尔·希恩斯的破壁人。”
Aristotle did not kneel either, but shook his robe and said thoughtfully, “Yes, I’m the only one who can break his wall.”
亚里士多德也没跪下，抖抖长袍，若有所思地说：“是，他的破壁人也只能是我了。”
Mozi did not kneel, but stood straight and nodded haughtily. “I will be the first to break a wall.”
墨子没有跪下，站得更直了，高傲地点点头，“我将是第一个破壁的。”
“I don’t think hibernation is necessary,” Aristotle said. “I can complete the Wallbreaker mission before we finish our normal lifespan.”
“我认为冬眠是不需要的，”亚里士多德说，“在我们正常过完一生之前，就可完成破壁使命。”
Qin Shi Huang returned the sword to his own shoulder and swept his gaze across the crowd. “Good. We now have Wallbreakers. You, like the Wallfacers, are the elite of the elite. The Lord be with you! Assisted by hibernation, you will start the long journey to the end of days together with the Wallfacers.”
秦始皇把长剑扛回肩上，环视众人说：“好了，破壁人已经产生，与面壁者一样，你们都是精英中的精英，主与你们同在！你们将借助冬眠，与面壁者一起开始漫长的末日之旅。”
Mozi nodded in agreement. “When I break the wall, I will face my Wallfacer in person, and I will savor how his spirit collapses in anguish and despair. Devoting the rest of my life to this is well worth it.”
墨子赞同地点点头，“破壁之时，我将亲自面见自己的面壁者，我将好好欣赏他的精神如何在痛苦和绝望中崩溃，为了这个，值得搭上我的余生。”
The final Wallbreaker likewise stated his intent to break their Wallfacers in person. Von Neumann said, “We will unmask the last traces of every secret that humanity harbors from the sophons. This is the final thing we can do for the Lord, for afterward there will be no reason for us to exist.”
其他两位破壁人也都表示在最后的破壁时刻将亲自去见自己的面壁者，冯，诺伊曼说：“我们将揭露人类在智子面前所能保守的最后一线秘密，这是我们能为主做的最后一件事，之后，我们也没有存在的必要了。”
“What about Luo Ji’s Wallbreaker?” someone asked.
“罗辑的破壁人呢？”有人问。
“Luo Ji is his own Wallbreaker. He needs to find out what threat he poses to the Lord,” Qin Shi Huang said.
“罗辑的破壁人就是他自己，他需要自己找出他对主的威胁所在。”秦始皇说。
“Do we know whether or not he is a threat?” someone asked.
“我们知道他对主的威胁是什么吗？”有人问。
The question seemed to touch something in Qin Shi Huang’s mind. He planted the sword into the ground and fell deep in thought. The sun suddenly sped up its descent to the Earth, lengthening the shadows until they extended to the horizon. When it had set halfway, it abruptly changed direction and rose and fell a few times along the horizon, like the gleaming back of a whale cresting out of the black ocean, pulling the vast wilderness and the small group of people that made up this stark world back and forth between light and darkness.
这话似乎触动了秦始皇心中的什么东西，他把长剑拄在地上沉思着。这时，空中的太阳突然加快了下落的速度，所有人的影子都被拉长，最后一直伸向天边。在太阳落下一半后，突然改变运行方向，沿着地平线几次起落，像不时浮出黑色海面的金光四射的鲸背，使得由空旷荒漠和这一小群人构成的简单世界在光明与黑暗中时隐时现。
“I don’t know, but the Lord knows, and Evans knew. Evans taught the Lord how to keep this secret, and he’s dead. We can’t know.”
“不知道，但主知道，伊文斯也知道，伊文斯教会了主隐瞒这个秘密，而他自己死了，所以我们不可能知道。”
“We don’t know that either. Only one thing is clear,” Qin Shi Huang said, looking up at the canopy of the sky as it changed from blue to black. “Out of the four Wallfacers, he is the only one in direct contest with the Lord.”
“这我们也不知道，只有一点是清楚的，”秦始皇仰望着在蓝黑问变幻的天幕说，“在四个面壁者中。只有他，直接与主对决。”
“So of all the Wallfacers, is Luo Ji the greatest threat?” someone hesitantly asked.
“所有的面壁者中，罗辑是不是最大的威胁？”有人小心翼翼地问。
Work meeting, Space Force Political Department
太空军政治部工作会议。
“Comrades, by an order announced yesterday by the Central Military Commission, I am now serving as commander of the Political Department of the Armed Forces. I accepted the appointment one week ago, but only now that we are seated together do I feel conflicted. I have suddenly realized that in front of me is the most beleaguered group of people in the space force, and now I am one of your number. I didn’t realize this before, and for this I apologize to you.” He opened the document in front of him. “This portion of the meeting will be off the record. Comrades, let us have a candid exchange of views. Let us be Trisolarans for once and open our thoughts to each other. This is crucial for our future work.”
“同志们，昨天军委的命令已经公布，由我兼任军种政治部主任。一个星期前我就接到了任命，但直到现在我们坐在一起，才有了一种复杂的感觉。我突然发现，自己面对的，是太空军中最艰难的一批人，而我，现在是你们中的一员了。以前，没有体会到这一点，向大家表示歉意。”说到这里，常伟思推开了面前的文件。“会议的这一部分不做记录，同志们，我们推心置腹地交流一下，现在。我们都做一次三体人，让大家看到自己的思想，这对我们以后的工作很重要。”
Chang Weisi stayed silent for a long while after opening the meeting, something he had never done before. He swept his eyes across the two rows of political officers at the conference table, then looked into the infinite distance while gently tapping his pencil on the tabletop, a light tapping that seemed to mark time for his thoughts. At last, he pulled himself out of his reverie.
宣布开会后，常伟思长时间地沉默着，这是以前从未有过的。他的目光穿过会议桌旁两排政治部军官，看着无限远方，手中的铅笔轻轻地顿着桌面，那哒哒的轻响仿佛是他思维的脚步。终于，他把自己从深思中拉回来。
“Our duty is to build in our forces the faith that we will be victorious in the future war. So, do we have that faith ourselves? Please raise your hands if you do. Remember, we are speaking our minds.”
“我们的职责，就是使部队对未来的战争建立必胜的信念，那么，我们自己有这种信念吗？有的请举手，记住，我们是在谈心。”
Chang Weisi’s gaze lingered on the face of each officer for a second or two, but they remained silent. Then he stood up and paced along the table behind the row of seated officers.
常伟思的目光在每一位军官的脸上都停留了一两秒钟，他们沉默着，没有人说话。常伟思站起来，绕过会议桌，在一排正襟危坐的军官后面踱着步。
No one raised a hand. Nearly everyone was staring at the table. But Chang Weisi noticed one man’s gaze was fixed straight ahead: Zhang Beihai.
没有人举手，几乎所有与会者的眼睛都看着桌面。但常伟思注意到，有一个人的目光坚定地平视着前方，他是章北海。
He went on, “Do you believe that victory is possible? By possible, I mean not an accidental few tenths of a percent, but an actual, meaningful possibility.”
常伟思接着说：“那么，认为有胜利的可能性呢？注意，我说的可能性不是百分之零点几的偶然，而是真正有意义的可能性。”
Zhang Beihai stood up, but Chang Weisi motioned for him to sit down. “This is not a formal meeting,” he said. “It’s just a heart-to-heart chat.”
章北海站起来，常伟思示意他坐下：“这不是正式会议，我们只是谈谈心。”
Zhang Beihai raised a hand. His was the only hand raised.
章北海举起一只手，也只有他一人举手。
“First let me thank all of you for your honesty,” Chang Weisi said, and then turned to Zhang Beihai. “Excellent, Comrade Zhang. Tell us, on what do you base your confidence?”
“首先谢谢同志们的坦诚。”常伟思说，接着转向章北海，“很好，章北海同志，谈谈你是如何建立这种信心的。”
Still standing at attention, Zhang Beihai said, “Commander, I can’t answer your question sufficiently in just a few words, because building faith is a long and complicated process. First of all, I’d like to make note of the mistaken thinking among the troops at the present time. We all know that prior to the Trisolar Crisis, we had been advocating for the examination of the future of war from scientific and rational perspectives, and a powerful inertia has sustained this mentality to the present day. This is particularly the case in the present space force, where it has been exacerbated by the influx of a large number of academics and scientists. If we use this mentality to contemplate an interstellar war four centuries in the future, we’ll never be able to establish faith in a victory.”
章北海仍然立正站着：“首长，您的问题我一两句话说不清楚，毕竟，信念的建立是一个漫长而复杂的过程。我在这里首先想指出的是目前部队中的错误思潮。大家知道，在三体危机之前，我们一直主张用科学和理性的眼光审视未来战争。这种思维方式以其强大的惯性延续到现在，特别是目前的太空军，有大批学者和科学家加入，更加剧了这种思潮。如果用这种思维方式去思考四个世纪后的星际战争，我们永远无法建立起胜利的信念。”
“What Comrade Zhang Beihai says is peculiar,” a colonel said. “Is steadfast faith not built upon science and reason? No faith is solid that is not founded on objective fact.”
“章北海同志的话很奇怪，”一名上校说，“坚定的信念难道不是建立在科学和理性之上的吗？不以客观事实为基础建立的信念是不可能牢固的。”
“Then let’s take another look at science and reason. Our own science and reason, remember. The Trisolarans’ advanced development tells us that our science is no more than a child collecting shells on the beach who hasn’t even seen the ocean of truth. The facts we see under the guidance of our science and reason may not be the true, objective facts. And since that’s the case, we need to learn how to selectively ignore them. We should see how things change as they develop, and we shouldn’t write off the future through technological determinism and mechanical materialism.”
“那我们首先要重新审视科学和理性，要明白，这只是我们的科学和理性。三体文明的发展高度告诉我们，我们的科学只是海边拾贝的孩子，真理的大海可能还没有见到。所以，我们在自己的科学和理性指导下看到的事实未必是真正的客观事实，既然如此，我们就应该学会有选择地忽略它，我们应该看到事物在发展变化中，不能用技木决定论和机械唯物论把未来一步看死。”
“Excellent,” Chang Weisi said, and nodded at him to continue.
“很好。”常伟思点点头，鼓励他说下去。
“We must establish faith in victory, a faith that is the foundation of military duty and dignity! When the Chinese military once faced a powerful enemy under extremely poor conditions, it established a firm faith in victory through a sense of responsibility to the people and the motherland. I believe that today, a sense of responsibility to the human race and to Earth civilization can encourage the same faith.”
“胜利的信念是必须建立的，这种信念，是军队责任和尊严的基础！我军曾经在极端困难的条件下，面对强敌，以对祖国和人民的责任感建立了对胜利坚定的信念；我相信，在今天，对全人类和地球文明的责任感也能支撑起这样的信念。”
“But how are we supposed to go about specific ideological work?” asked an officer. “The space force is made up of complicated parts, which means that its ideology is complex. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
“但具体到部队的思想工作，我们又如何去做呢？”一名军官说，“太空军的成分很复杂，这也决定了部队思想的复杂，以后我们的工作会很难的。”
“I think that for the time being, at least, we should start with the mental condition of the troops,” Zhang Beihai said. “Big picture: Last week I visited troops from the air force and naval air force that have just been brought under our branch, and I discovered that day-to-day training for these forces is incredibly slack. Small picture: Problems with military discipline are cropping up with increasing frequency. There was supposed to be a total switch to summer uniforms, but lots of people in headquarters are still wearing their winter uniforms. This state of mind must be changed as quickly as possible. Look, the space force is turning into an academy of sciences. Of course, we can’t deny that its present mission is that of an academy of military sciences, but we ought to be conscious that we are an army, and we’re an army in a state of war!”
“我认为，目前至少应该从部队的精神状态做起。”章北海说，“从大处说，上星期我到刚归属奉军种的空军和海军航空兵部队调研，发现这些部队的日常训练已经十分松弛了；从小处说，部队的军容军纪也出现越来越多的问题，昨天是统一换夏装的日子，可在总部机关居然有很多人还穿着冬季军装。这种精神状态必须尽快改变。看看现在，太空军正在变成一个科学院。当然，不可否认它目前正在承担一个军事科学院的使命，但我们应该首先意识到自己是军队，而且是处于战争状态的军队！”
Zhang Beihai, I know you have faith. With a father like that, it would be impossible for you not to. But things are definitely not as simple as you say. I don’t know what you base your faith on, and I don’t even know what else your faith encompasses. Just like your father. I admired him, but I have to admit that in the end I couldn’t figure him out.
章北海，我知道你是有信念的，你有那样的父亲，不可能没有信念，但事情肯定没有你说的那么简单，我不知道你的信念是如何建立的，甚至不知道这种信念中还包含着什么更多的内容，就像你父亲，我敬佩他，但得承认，到最后也没有看透他。
Chang Weisi flipped open the document in front of him. “Research on space warfare theory is in full swing at present, but one problem has already cropped up: The study of interplanetary warfare needs to be founded on a certain level of technological development, no doubt about it. But right now, basic research has only just begun, and technological breakthroughs will occur far in the future. This means our research has no support. Headquarters has revised the research plan in light of the circumstances, and has divided unified research on the theory of space warfare into three parts, to cater to the possible technological levels that the human world may reach in the future. Namely: a low-tech strategy, a mid-tech strategy, and a high-tech strategy.
常伟思翻开了面前的文件，“日前，太空战争理论的研究全面展开，但很快遇到了问题：星际战争研究无疑是要以技术发展水平为基准的，但现在，各项基础研究都刚刚开始，技术突破还遥遥无期。这使得我们的研究失去了依托。为了适应这种情况，总部修改了研究规划，把原来单一的太空战争理论研究分成独立的三部分，以适应未来人类世界可能达到的各种技术层次，它们分别是：低技术战略、中技术战略和高技术战略。
The conversation went on for a while longer, and then Chang Weisi returned to his seat. “Thank you. I hope that we will be able to continue having frank conversations. Now, let’s move on to the contents of the formal meeting.” As he spoke, he looked up and once again saw Zhang Beihai’s steady gaze, which revealed a determination that warmed his heart a little.
谈话又进行了一些时间，常伟思坐回自己的位置上：“谢谢大家，希望以后我们能够一直这样坦诚交流。下面，我们进入正式的会议内容。”常伟思说着，一抬头，又遇上了章北海的目光，沉稳中透着坚毅，令他感到一丝宽慰。
“Work is currently in progress to define these three levels of technology, as well as to define a large number of index parameters in every major scientific discipline, but the core parameter will be the speed and range of a ten-kiloton-class spaceship.”
“目前，对三个技术层次的界定工作正在进行，将在各主要学科内确定大量的指标参数，但其核心的参数是万吨级宇宙飞船的速度和航行范围。”
“The Low-Tech Level: Spacecraft speed achieves fifty times the third cosmic velocity, or roughly eight hundred kilometers per second. Spacecraft are not equipped with life support. Under these conditions, the craft has a combat radius limited to the inner Solar System. That is, within Neptune’s orbit, or thirty AU from the sun.”
“低技术层次：飞船的速度达到第三宇宙速度的50倍左右，即800公里/秒左右，飞船不具备生态循环能力。在这种情况下，飞船的作战半径将限制在太阳系内部，即海王星轨道以内，距太阳30个天文单位的空间范围里。”
“The Mid-Tech Level: Spacecraft speed achieves three hundred times the third cosmic velocity, or forty-eight hundred kilometers per second. Spacecraft are equipped with partial life support. Under these conditions, the combat radius of the craft extends beyond the Kuiper Belt, and includes all space within one thousand AU of the sun.”
“中技术层次：飞船的速度达到第三宇宙速度的300倍左右，即4800公里/秒，飞船具有部分生态循环能力。在这种情况下，飞船的作战半径将扩展至柯伊伯带①以外，距太阳lO00个天文单位以内的空间。”
“The High-Tech Level: Spacecraft speed achieves one thousand times the third cosmic velocity, or sixteen thousand kilometers per second, which is five percent of the speed of light. Spacecraft are fully equipped with life support. Under these conditions, the combat radius extends to the Oort Cloud, with preliminary interstellar navigation capabilities.”
“高技术层次：飞船的速度达到第三宇宙速度的1000倍左右，即16000公里／秒，也就是光速的百分之五；飞船具有完全生态循环能力。在这种情况下，飞船的作战航行范围将扩展至奥尔特星云②，初步具备恒星际航行能力。”（注：①太阳系边缘含有许多小冰晶的盘状区域，距太阳30—100天文单位。②包围太阳系的球体云团，布满大量不活跃的彗星。）
“Defeatism is the greatest threat to the armed forces in space, so political and ideological workers will shoulder an extremely important responsibility in the space force. Political departments in the military will participate fully in the study of space warfare theory to eradicate the stain of defeatism and guarantee the correct direction of research.”
“失败主义是对太空武装力量的最大威胁，所以太空军的政治思想工作者肩负着极其重大的使命，军种政治部要全面参与太空军事理论的研究，在基础理论领域清除失败主义的污染，保证正确的研究方向。”
“Those of you present today will become members of a space warfare theory task force. Although there will be some overlap among members of the three branches, the research institutions are independent, and will tentatively be known as the Institute for Low-Tech Strategy, the Institute for Mid-Tech Strategy, and the Institute for High-Tech Strategy. At today’s meeting, I’d like to hear from each of you which one you would choose, as a reference for the Political Department’s next round of work appointments. Let’s share our selections.”
“今天到会的同志，都将成为太空战争理论课题组的成员。三个理论分支的研究虽然有重合的部分，但研究机构是相互独立的，这三个机构名称暂定为低技术战略研究室，中技术战略研究室和高技术战略研究室，今天这次会议，就是想听听各位自己的选择意向，作为军种政治部下一步工作岗位安排的参考。下面大家都谈谈自己的选择吧。”
Of the thirty-two political officers at the meeting, twenty-four selected low-tech and seven selected mid-tech. Just one officer chose high-tech: Zhang Beihai.
与会的三十二名政治部军官中，有二十四人选择低技术战略研究室，七人选择中技术战略研究室，选择高技术战略研究室的只有章北海一人。
“We haven’t even mastered controlled nuclear fusion. Sending a ten-thousand-ton warship to five percent of the speed of light? Ten thousand times faster than the truck-sized spacecraft humanity has today? It’s not even science fiction. It’s fantasy!”
“现在连可控核聚变都没有掌握，把万吨战舰推进到光速的百分之五？让这些庞然大物比现在人类那些卡车大小的飞船还要快上一千倍？这连科幻都不是，是奇幻吧。”
“My choice is the only hope for victory. That’s the only level of technology that gives humanity any chance of building an effective defensive system for the Earth and Solar System,” Zhang Beihai said.
“我选择的是胜利的唯一希望，只有达到这一技术层次，人类才有可能建立有效的地球和太阳系防御系统。”章北海说。
“Looks like Comrade Beihai wants to get into science fiction,” someone said, to scattered laughter.
“看来，北海同志是立志成为一名科幻爱好者了。”有人说，引出一些笑声。
“But don’t we have four more centuries? We’ve got to keep potential progress in mind.”
“不是还有四个世纪吗？要用发展的眼光看问题。”
“But progress in fundamental physics is impossible.”
“可是物理学基础理论已经不可能再发展了。”
“We haven’t even tapped one percent of the potential applications of existing theories,” Zhang Beihai said. “My feeling is that the biggest problem right now is the technology sector’s approach to research. They’re wasting too much time and money on low-end technology. In propulsion, for example, there’s no reason at all to work on the fission drive, but right now they’re not only throwing huge amounts of R&D at it, they’re even putting the same amount of effort into studying next-gen chemical propulsion! We should focus our resources on studying fusion engines, and move directly to the development of media-free fusion engines, leapfrogging media-based fusion. The same problem exists in other areas of research. Sealed ecosystems, for instance, are a necessary technology for interstellar spacecraft, one that is not particularly dependent on fundamental theory, but research in this area is very limited.”
“现有理论的应用潜力可能连百分之一都还没有挖掘出来。”章北海说，“我感觉，现在最大的问题是科技界的研究战略，他们在低端技术上耗费大量资源和时间。以宇宙发动机为例，裂变发动机根本就没有必要搞，可现在，不但投入巨大的开发力量，甚至还在投入同样的力量去研究新一代的化学发动机！应该直接集中资源研究聚变发动机，而且应该越过工质型的，直接开发无工质聚变发动机也很有限。”
“The Wallfacers?” someone asked in wonder. “Are they going to interfere in space force work?”
“面壁者？”有人很吃惊地问，“他们要干涉太空军的工作吗？”
Chang Weisi said, “Comrade Zhang Beihai has posed at least one question worthy of attention: The military and scientific communities are all busy starting their own work, but there is insufficient communication among them. Fortunately, both sides are aware of the situation and are organizing a joint conference, and the military and the scientific communities have each established special agencies to strengthen communication between the two sides and establish a fully interactive relationship between space strategy and scientific research. The next step is to dispatch military representatives to the various research areas and to involve a large group of scientists in studying the theory of space warfare. Again, we can’t sit and wait for technological breakthroughs. We ought to form our own ideological strategy as soon as possible and then promote it in every field. “Next, I’d like to talk about another layer of relationships: that between the space force and the Wallfacers.”
常伟思说：“章北海同志至少提出了一个值得重视的问题：目前军方和科技界都在忙于全面启动自己的工作，相互之间沟通不够。好在双方都意识到了这种状况，正在组织一个军方和科技界的联席会议，同时军方和科学院已成立专门机构，加强双方的交流，使太空战略研究和科技研究形成充分的互动关系。下一步，我们将向各研究领域派出大量军代表，同时，也将有大批科学家介入太空战争理论研究。还是那句话：我们不能消极等待技术突破，而应该尽快形成自己的战略思想体系，对各领域的研究产生推动。这里，还要谈谈另一层关系：太空军和面壁者之间的关系。”
“There’s no sign of that at the moment, although Tyler has proposed paying an inspection visit to the military. But we ought to realize that they do have that power, and any interference that does take place may have unanticipated effects. We need to be mentally prepared for it. When such a situation does occur, we should maintain a balance between the Wallfacer Project and mainstream defense.”
“目前还没有这个迹象，只有泰勒提出要到我军进行考察。但我们也应该清楚，他们在这方面是有一定权力的，如果干涉真的出现，可能对我们的工作产生意想不到的影响。应该有这方面的思想准备，在这种情况真的出现时，应保持面壁计划和主流防御之间的某种平衡。”
After the meeting, Chang Weisi sat alone in the empty conference room smoking a cigarette. The smoke wafted into a beam of sunlight shining through the window and seemed to catch fire.
散会后，常伟思一人坐在空荡的会议室中，他点上一支烟，烟雾飘进一束由窗户透人的阳光中，像是燃烧起来一样。
Whatever happens, at least it’s begun, he thought to himself.
不管怎么样，一切总算开始了。他对自己说。
For the first time, Luo Ji felt that a dream had come true. He had imagined that Garanin was only boasting — of course he could find a stunning, untouched place, but it was certain to be quite different from the place in his imagination. But when he got off the helicopter, it was like he had stepped into a dream world: the distant snow peaks, the lake in front of him, the grassy plain and forest beside the lake, all of it laid out exactly as he had sketched it for Garanin. And he hadn’t dared permit himself to imagine such an immaculate environment. Everything seemed to have sprung out of a fairy tale. There was a slight sweetness to the fresh air, and even the sun seemed to be cautious, sending the softest and most exquisite part of its glow into this place. The most incredible thing was the small estate beside the lake and the villa at its heart. Kent, who was traveling with him, said the house was built in the mid-nineteenth century, but it looked older, and the passage of time had made it blend in with its environment.
罗辑第一次体会到了梦想成真的感觉。他本以为伽尔宁的承诺是吹牛，当然能找到一个原生态的很美的地方，但与他的想象中的所在肯定有很大差别。可是当他走下直升机时，感觉就是走进了自己的梦想：远方的雪山、面前的湖泊、湖边的草原和森林，连位置都和他给伽尔宁画出来的一样。特别是这里的纯净，是他以前不敢想象的，一切像是刚从童话中搬出来一样，清新的空气有淡淡的甜味。连太阳都似乎小心翼翼，把它光芒中最柔和最美丽的一部分撒向这里。最不可思议的是，湖边真的有一座以一幢别墅为中心的小庄园。据同行的坎特说，这幢建筑建于十九世纪中叶，但看上去更古老些，岁月留下的沧桑已使它与周围的环境融为一体。
“Don’t be surprised. Sometimes people dream of places that really exist,” Kent said.
“不要吃惊，人有时候会梦到真实存在的地方。”坎特说。
“Does anyone live here?” Luo Ji asked.
“这里有居民吗？”罗辑问。
“The former master of the house bids you welcome. He is proud to have a Wallfacer living here.” Kent went on to tell him that the estate contained more than just the facilities he had requested: stables with ten horses, because the best way to get to the mountains was by walking and riding; a tennis court and a golf course; a wine cellar; and, on the lake, a motorboat and a few sailboats. Beneath its old exterior, the house had been fully modernized. Every room was equipped with a computer, broadband, and satellite television, and there was a digital projection room as well. In addition to all of this, Luo Ji had noticed a helipad when he arrived. It was clearly not built at the last minute.
“别墅的原主人向你问好，他很荣幸能有一位面壁者住在这里。”坎特说，接着他告诉罗辑，除了他要求的那些设施外，庄园里还有更多的东西：一个有十匹马的马厩，因为到雪山方向散步，骑马最好；还有一个网球场和一个高尔夫球场，一个酒窖，湖上有一艘机动游艇和几只小帆船。外表古老的别墅内部很现代化，每个房间都有电脑，宽带网络和卫星电视等一应俱全，还有一间数字电影放映室。除此之外，罗辑来时还注意到那个直升机停机坪显然不是临时建的。
Kent led him into the house. With his first glance at the spacious European-style living room, Luo Ji saw a fireplace, with fruitwood stacked neatly next to it that gave off a fresh fragrance.
坎特领着罗辑走进别墅，宽大的欧式风格的客厅里，罗辑一眼就看到了那个壁炉，旁边整齐地摆放着生火的果木，散发出一股清香。
“No one in a five-kilometer radius. Beyond that there are a few small villages.”
“方圆五公里内没有，再向外有一些小村落。”
Luo Ji guessed that the place might be in northern Europe, but he didn’t ask.
罗辑猜想，这个地方可能在北欧，但他没有问。
“The man’s got money.”
“这人很有钱吧？”
Kent took Luo Ji on a tour of every room in the house. He noticed that the original owner had good taste and had furnished every room with a sense of elegant tranquility. A considerable portion of the books in the library were old Latin editions. The paintings were mostly in the modernist style, but they did not seem out of place in rooms with a rich classical atmosphere. One thing in particular that struck him was the total absence of landscapes, the mark of a mature aesthetic sensibility: hanging landscape paintings in a house situated in the Garden of Eden would be as pointless as pouring a bucket of water into the ocean.
坎特带着罗辑察看别墅的各个房间，罗辑看到这里的原主人有不俗的品位，每个房间的布置都给人一种高雅的宁静感。书房里的书相当部分是拉丁文的旧版。房间里的那些画，大多是现代派风格的，但与这古典气息很浓的房间并无不协调之感。罗辑特别注意到这里一幅风景画都没有，这是很成熟的审美情调：这幢房子就坐落在绝美的伊甸园中，风景画挂在这里就像往大海中加一桶水那样多余。
“Not just money. He doesn’t want to disclose his identity, but you would probably recognize his name if I told you. He donated the land to the UN, a far larger gift than Rockefeller’s. Just so you’re clear, the land and all of the real estate on it belong to the UN. You only have right of residence. But you’re not getting nothing. When the owner left, he said that he had taken away all of his personal belongings and that whatever is left is yours. These paintings alone must be worth quite a bit.”
“岂止有钱，他不愿透露身份，否则我说出他的名字你可能知道。他已经把这块土地赠送给联合国，比洛克菲勒送的那一块大多了。所以现在要明确，这块土地和其上的不动产都属于联合国，你只有居住权。但你也得到了不少：主人临走时说，他自己的物品已经都拿走了，这别墅里剩下的东西都送给你了，别的不说，这几幅画大概就很值钱。”
Then Kent came in and introduced a few people: the housekeeper, cook, driver, groom, and boat master, all of whom had been in the previous owner’s service. When they had gone, Kent introduced him to a lieutenant colonel in civvies, who was responsible for security. After he left, Luo Ji asked Kent where Shi Qiang was.
这时，坎特领进来几个人并对罗辑做了介绍，他们是管家、厨师、司机、马夫、游艇驾驶员等等，都是曾为以前的主人服务的。这些人走后，坎特又介绍了一位负责这里安全的穿便装的中校军官，他走后，罗辑问坎特史强现在在哪里。
Returning to the living room, Luo Ji sat down on the deliciously comfortable chair in front of the fireplace. He stretched out his hand and brushed against an object, which he then picked up and inspected. A churchwarden pipe, the kind with a long, thin stem, used indoors by the leisure class. He looked toward the wall and its empty shelves and imagined what had been taken down.
回到客厅后。罗辑坐到壁炉前那张十分舒适的摇椅上，一伸手从旁边的小桌上摸到了一样东西，拿起来一看是一个烟斗，有着欧式烟斗很少见的又长又细的斗柄，是有闲阶级使用的室内型。他看着墙上一处处的白色方框，想象着那些刚刚摘走的都是些什么。
“He’s handed over your security detail and has probably returned home.”
“他已经移交了你的安全保卫工作，现在可能回国了吧。”
“Let him take the place of that guy just now. I think he’ll do a better job.”
“让他来代替刚才那个中校，我觉得他更胜任。”
Kent agreed and left to make the call.
坎特答应去联系一下，转身出去了。
“Then bring in Chinese guards to replace the ones here.”
“那就把这里的警卫人员都换成中国人。”
“I feel the same way, but he doesn’t speak English. It would be hard for him to do his job.”
“我也有这种感觉，但他不懂英语，工作不方便。”
Screw the Wallfacer Project.
去他妈的面壁计划。
Luo Ji also left the room and walked across the manicured lawn onto a pier leading out into the middle of the lake. He held the railing at the end and gazed at the reflection of the snowcaps in the lake’s mirror surface. Surrounded by sweet air and sunshine, he said to himself, “Compared to life today, what does the world four centuries from now matter?”
罗辑也走出了房间，穿过修饰得十分精致的草坪，走上一座通向湖中的栈桥，在栈桥的近头，他扶着栏杆，看着如镜的潮面上雪山的倒影，周围是清甜的空气和明媚的阳光。罗辑对自己说：与现在的生活相比，四百多年后的世界算什么？
“How did that bastard get in?” the researcher at the terminal said softly.
“怎么能让这个杂种进入这里？”终端前的一名研究人员低声说。
“It’s pretty dull, isn’t it? I expect you’re disappointed, Mr. President,” Dr. Allen, director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, said to Rey Diaz as he led him past the rows of computer terminals.
“平淡无奇是吗，大概让您失望了吧，总统先生？”洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室主任艾伦博士领着雷迪亚兹走过一排排电脑终端时说。
“Wallfacers are naturally free to enter,” his neighbor answered quietly.
“面壁者当然可以进来。”旁边另一位低声回答。
Two objects caught Rey Diaz’s eye as being not entirely dull. They looked new, with large displays and consoles with lots of fine knobs. He headed over to take a closer look, but Allen pulled him back. “That’s a game machine. The terminals here aren’t for gaming, so we brought in two machines for relaxation.”
雷迪亚兹看到两个稍微不那么平淡无奇的东西，那玩意儿看上去很新，有一个很大的显示屏，控制台上还有许多精致的手柄，他凑过去细看，艾伦轻轻把他拉了回来：“那是游戏机，这里的终端和电脑都不能玩游戏，所以放了两个让大家休息时放松。”
“I’m no longer president,” Rey Diaz said severely, as he surveyed his surroundings.
“我已经不是总统了。”雷迪亚兹正色说道，同时四下张望。
“This is our nuclear weapons simulation center. Los Alamos has four of these centers, and Lawrence Livermore has three.”
“这里就是核武器模拟中心之一，这样的中心洛斯阿拉莫斯有四个，劳仑斯利弗莫尔有三个。”
Rey Diaz noticed another two not-entirely-dull objects. Transparent and structurally complicated, they contained a bubbling liquid. Again, he started over to take a look, and this time Allen shook his head with a smile and did not stop him. “That one’s a humidifier. The climate is dry in New Mexico. The other one’s just a coffee machine. Mike, pour Mr. Rey Diaz a cup of coffee… No, wait, not from that. I’ll brew you a cup of top-shelf roast in my office.”
雷迪亚兹又看到另外两个不太平淡无奇的东西，结构造明且很复杂，里面有液体在动荡，他又过去看，这次艾伦笑着摇摇头，没有制止他，“那个是加湿器，新墨西哥州的气候很干燥；那个，只是自动咖啡机而已……麦克，给雷迪亚兹先生倒一杯咖啡。不，不要从这里面倒，去我办公室里倒上等咖啡豆煮的。”
The only thing left for Rey Diaz to do was to examine the blown-up black-and-white photographs hanging on the wall. He recognized the skinny man wearing a hat and smoking a pipe as Oppenheimer, then Allen directed his attention back to the bland terminals.
雷迪亚兹只好看墙上那些放得很大的黑自照片了，他认出上面一个戴礼帽叼烟斗的瘦子是奥本海默，但艾伦还是指给他看那些平淡无奇的终端机。
“These displays are obsolete,” Rey Diaz said.
“这些显示器太旧了。”雷迪亚兹说。
“But behind them is the most powerful computer in the world, operating at thirty petaFLOPS.”
“但它们后面是世界上最强大的计算机，每秒可以进行五百万亿次浮点运算。”
“Excellent.”
“很好。”
The engineer lowered his voice. “We’ve suspended the output module,” he said, and glanced at Rey Diaz.
工程师的声音压低了些：“输出模块我们暂停了。”说着看了一眼雷迪亚兹。
An engineer came up to Allen. “Doctor, the AD4453OG is operational.”
这时，一名工程师来到艾伦面前：“博士，AD44530G模型这次走通了。”
Rey Diaz brushed the paper from his head and shoulders, and said, “You run nuclear tests every day, but to you it’s as easy as playing a video game. It’s not like that for us. We don’t have supercomputers. We’ve got to do real tests… We do the same things, but the poor always end up being the nuisance.”
雷迪亚兹拂着头上和肩上的纸片说：“你们每天都在进行核试验，这事儿对你们来说就像玩电子游戏那么方便，但我们就不行了，我们没有超级计算机，只能试真的……干同样的事，惹人讨厌的总是穷人。”
“This is a simulation center tradition. When the first atom bomb was exploded, Dr. Fermi tossed torn paper into the air, and according to the distance the pieces drifted in the shock wave, he was able to accurately compute the yield of the bomb. Now we do the same thing for every simulation we run.”
“这是模拟中心的一个传统。当年第一颗核弹爆炸时，费米博士曾将一把碎纸片撒向空中，依据它们在冲击波中飘行的距离准确地计算出了核弹的当量。现在当每个模型计算通过时，我们也这么做一次。”
Then Rey Diaz heard tearing sounds and saw the people at the terminals ripping paper apart. Assuming that they were destroying documents, he muttered, “Don’t you even have a shredder?” But then he noticed that they were tearing up blank copy paper. Then someone shouted, “Over!” and everyone cheered and tossed the shredded paper into the air, making the cluttered floor even more like a garbage dump.
这时，雷迪亚兹听到了一阵嘶嘶啦啦的声音，他看到终端前的人们手中都在撕纸，以为这些人是在销毁文件，嘟嚷道：“你们没有碎纸机吗？”但他随后看到，有人撕的是空白打印纸。不知是谁喊了一声：“Over”所有人都在一阵欢呼声中把撕碎的纸片抛向空中，使得本来就杂乱的地板更像垃圾堆了。
“Run it,” Allen said, then turned to Rey Diaz: “See, we’ve got nothing to hide from the Wallfacers.”
“运行。”艾伦说着，转向雷迪亚兹，“您看，我们对面壁者没有什么隐瞒的。”
Rey Diaz leaned in to take a closer look at the terminals, but saw only scrolling data and shifting curves. When he finally did locate some graphics, they were so abstract he couldn’t make anything out. When he leaned toward another terminal, the physicist seated in front of it looked up and said, “Mr. President, if you’re looking for a mushroom cloud, it’s not there.”
雷迪亚兹依次凑近几台终端细看，上面只有滚动的数据和变幻的曲线，好不容易看到图形和图像，也是抽象的一团，看不出是什么。当雷迪亚兹又凑近一台终端时，坐在前面的郝名物理学家抬起头说：“总统先生，您想看到蘑菇云吗，没有的。”
“I’m not the president,” Rey Diaz repeated, as he accepted the coffee Allen handed him.
“我不是总统。”雷迪亚兹在接过麦克递来的咖啡时重申道。
“Mr. Rey Diaz, no one here is interested in politics.”
“雷迪亚兹先生，这里的人对政治都没有兴趣。”
Allen said, “Then we ought to talk about what we can do for you.”
艾伦说：“那么，还是谈谈我们能为您做什么吧。”
Allen stared at him for a moment, and then bent his head in thought. “That will require some time.”
艾伦盯着雷迪亚兹看了好一阵儿，低下头思考了一会儿：“这需要时间。”
“Design a nuclear bomb.”
“设计核弹。”
“The PDC will send you the completed technical requirements before long, so I’ll just brief you on the key points. Large yield, the largest possible. As large as you can make it. Two hundred megatons at an absolute minimum.”
“PDC会很快把完整的技术要求递交给你们的。我只谈最关键的：大当量，最大的当量，能做到多大就做多大。我们给出的最低底限是两亿吨级。”
“Of course. Los Alamos may be a multidisciplinary institution, but I suspected you wouldn’t be here for any other reason. Can you give me any specifics? What type? What yield?”
“当然，虽然洛斯阿拉莫斯实验室是多学科研究机构，但我猜到您来这儿不会有别的目的。能谈具体些吗？什么类型？多大当量？”
“Of course we do. We have models for everything from five-hundred-ton shells to large twenty-megaton bombs, from neutron bombs to EMP bombs, but the explosive yield you’re asking for is far too large. It’s more than ten times the world’s largest thermonuclear device. It would have to have a totally different trigger and staging from a conventional nuclear weapon, and it might even require an entirely new structure. We don’t have a model that fits.”
“当然，这里从五百吨级的核炮弹到两千万吨级的巨型核弹、从中子弹到电磁脉冲弹，都有数学模型，但您要求的爆炸当量太大了，是目前世界上最大当量热核炸弹的十倍以上。这个东西聚变反应的触发和进行过程与普通核弹完全不同，可能需要一种全新的结构，我们没有相应的模型。”
“Don’t you have mathematical models?”
“你们不是有数学模型吗？”
They spoke some more about the general planning of various research projects, and when it came time to leave, Allen said, “Mr. Rey Diaz, I know you have the best physicists on your staff at the PDC. I assume they’ve told you about the applications of nuclear weapons to space warfare?”
他们又谈了一些此项研究的总体规划，临别时，艾伦说：“雷迪亚兹先生，我知道，您在PDC的参谋部中有最优秀的物理学家，关于核弹在太空战争中的作用，他们应该告诉了您一些事情。”
“Very well. In space warfare, nuclear bombs may be low-efficiency weapons, since nuclear explosions produce no shock wave in the vacuum of space and only negligible pressure from the light they generate, so they don’t produce the mechanical impact found in explosions in the atmosphere. All their energy is released in the form of radiation and electromagnetic pulses, and, at least for humans, radiation and EM shielding on spacecraft is a fairly mature technology.”
“好的，在太空战争中，核弹可能是一种效率较低的武器，在真空环境中核爆炸不产生冲击渡，产生的光压徽不足道，因而无法造成在大气层中爆炸时所产生的力学打击；它的全部能量以辐射和电磁脉冲形式释放，而即使对人类而言，宇宙飞船防辐射和电磁屏蔽技术也是很成熟的。”
“You’re permitted to be redundant.”
“你可以重复。”
“And if the target is directly hit?”
“如果直接命中目标呢，”
“My studies were in nuclear energy, which is why I like nuclear bombs. I’ve got a good feeling about them.”
“而且，我就是学核能专业的，所以我喜欢核弹，对它的感觉最好。”
“But those weapons aren’t combat ready. Nuclear bombs are humanity’s most powerful mature weapons. And as for the performance issues you mention in space combat, ways can be found to improve them. Adding a medium to create a shock wave, for example, like putting ball bearings in a grenade.”
“但你说的这几种武器都还无法投入实战。核弹毕竟是人类目前最强有力和最成熟的武器，至于你所说的它在太空中的打击效能问题，可以想出改进的办法，比如加入某种介质形成冲击波，就像在手雷中放钢珠一样。”
“That’s a different thing altogether. In that case, heat will be a decisive factor, and the target may be melted or even vaporized. But one bomb of a few hundred million tons will probably be as big as a building, so I’m afraid it won’t be easy to score a direct hit… In fact, the mechanical impact of nuclear weapons doesn’t measure up to kinetic weapons, their radiation is less intense than particle beam weapons, and their thermal destruction can’t compare to gamma-ray lasers.”
“那就是另外一回事了，这时，热量将起决定作用，很有可能把目标烧熔甚至汽化。但一颗几亿吨级的核弹，很可能有一幢楼房那么大，直接命中恐怕不容易……其实，从力学打击而言，核弹不如动能武器；在辐射强度上不如粒子束武器，而在热能破坏上更不如伽马射线激光。”
“That’s an intriguing idea. Your STEM background shows through.”
“这倒是一个很有趣的设想，您不愧是理工科出身的领导人。”
Allen laughed. “I almost forgot: It’s ridiculous to discuss issues like this with a Wallfacer.”
“呵呵，不过我忘了，同一名面壁者这样讨论问题是很可笑的。”
The two men stopped on the quiet path through the woods they had been walking along. Allen said, “Fermi and Oppenheimer walked down this road countless times. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, most of the architects of the first generation of nuclear weapons spent the rest of their lives mired in depression. They would be gratified if they knew the mission that humanity’s nuclear weapons are now facing.”
这时两人停住脚步，他们正走在一条幽静的林问小路上，艾伦说：“费米和奥本海默在这条路上走过无数次：广岛和长崎之后，第一代核武器研制者们大都在忧郁中度过了后半生，如果他们的在天之灵知道人类的核武器现在的使命，会很欣慰的。”
The two men laughed, but Rey Diaz quickly grew serious and said, “Dr. Allen, like everyone else, you’re treating the Wallfacer strategy as something mysterious. The most powerful combat-ready weapon available to mankind right now is the hydrogen bomb. Focusing on that is only natural, isn’t it? I believe my approach is the correct one.”
两人大笑起来，但雷迪亚兹很快止住笑，很认真地说：“艾伦博上，你同其他人一样，把面壁者的战略神秘化了。人类目前所拥有的能够投入实战的武器中，最有威力的就是氢弹和宏原子核聚变。我把注意力集中到两者之一上，不是很自然的吗？我认为自己的思维方式是正确的。”
Keiko Yamasuki woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone, the sheets beside her cool. She got up, dressed, and went out the door. At first glance she saw her husband’s shadow in the bamboo grove in the yard, as usual. They had homes in England and in Japan, but Hines preferred his Japanese home. He said that the moonlight of the East calmed his heart. There was no moon tonight. The bamboo and his kimono-clad figure lost their dimensionality and looked like paper cuttings hung beneath the stars.
山杉惠子在深夜醒来，发现身边空着，而且那里的床单已经是凉的。她起身披衣走出房门，和往常一样，一眼就在院子里的竹林中看到了丈夫的身影。他们在英国和日本各有一套房子，但希恩斯还是喜欢日本的家，他说东方的月光能让他的心宁静下来。今夜没有月光，竹林和希恩斯的身影都失去了立体感，像一张挂在星光下的黑色剪纸画。
“No matter how frightening they might be, weapons are a good thing… Just to let you know, the next time I come, I hope I won’t see you throwing scrap paper around. We should make a tidy impression on the sophons.”
“武器，不管多可怕，总是好东西……我现在想说的是，下次来不希望看到你们扔废纸片了，我们要给智子一个整洁的印象。”
“No one can. I say an ultimate victory plan doesn’t exist.” She took two steps forward but was still separated from Hines by a few stalks of bamboo. The grove was their place for contemplation, and the inspiration for most of their previous research had its source here. They rarely brought intimacy to this sacred place, but always addressed each other courteously, as befitted an atmosphere seemingly imbued with Eastern philosophy. “Bill, you should relax. Doing the best you can is enough.”
“没人能够想出来，我觉得能够最终取得胜利的计划根本就不存在。”山杉惠子说，她又向前走了两步，但仍与希恩斯隔着几根青竹，这片竹林是他们思考的地方，以前研究中的大部分灵感都是在这里出现的，他们一般不会把亲昵的举动带到这个圣地来，在这个似乎弥漫着东方哲思气息的地方他俩总是相敬如宾，“比尔，你应该放松自己，尽可能做到最好就行了。”
Hines heard Keiko Yamasuki’s footsteps but did not look back. Strangely, Keiko wore the same shoes in England as in Japan. Even in her hometown she never wore geta. But it was only here, never in England, that he could hear her footsteps.
希恩斯听到了山杉惠子的脚步声，但没有回头。很奇怪，惠子在英国和日本穿的鞋都是一样的，她在家乡也从不穿木屐，但只有在这里，他才能听出她的脚步声，在英国就不行。
“My love, you haven’t slept properly for days,” she said. Her voice was soft, but the summer insects stopped chirping and peace flooded like water over everything.
“亲爱的，你已经失眠好几天了。”山杉惠子说。尽管她的声音很轻，竹林中的夏虫还是停止了鸣叫，如水的宁静笼罩着一切。
She heard her husband sigh. “Keiko, I can’t do it. I can’t think of anything. Really, I can’t come up with anything at all.”
她听到了丈夫的一声叹息。“惠子，我做不到，我想不出来，我真的什么都想不出来。”
“Keiko, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about. Here’s what I’ve decided to do: Even if I can’t come up with a plan, I can help other people think of one.”
“惠子，这正是刚才我所想的，我决定要做的是：既然自己想不出那个计划，就帮助别人想出来。”
He turned around, but in the darkness of the grove his face was indistinct. “How is that possible? Every step I take consumes a massive amount of resources.”
希恩斯转过身来，但在竹林的黑暗中，他的面孔仍看不清，“怎么可能，我每迈出一小步，都要消耗巨大的资源。”
“What other people? The other Wallfacers?”
“你说的别人是谁？其他的面壁者吗？”
“No, they’re not much better off than I am. I mean our descendants. Keiko, have you ever considered this fact? The outcome of natural biological evolution requires at least twenty thousand years to manifest itself, but human civilization has just five thousand years of history, and modern technological civilization just two hundred. That means that the study of modern science today is being done by the brain of primitive man.”
“不是，他们并不比我强到哪里去，我指的是后代。惠子，你有没有想过这样一个事实：生物的自然进化要产生明显的效果需要至少两万年左右的时间，而人类文明只有五千年历史，现代技术文明只有二百年历史，所以，现在研究现代科学的，只是原始人的大脑。”
“Then why not adopt this approach?” Keiko’s answer came swiftly. She had obviously been thinking about the question. “Choose a direction that, even if you’re unsuccessful, will do something beneficial while it is being carried out.”
“那为什么不这样呢，”惠子的回答接得很快，显然她早就思考过这个问题，“选择这样一个方向，即使最后不成功，在执行过程中也是做了有益的事。”
“We’ve been doing brain research, and we ought to put more effort into expanding it to a scale that can tackle a planetary defense system. If we work hard for a century or two, we might be able to increase human intelligence and allow the science of the future to break out of the sophons’ prison.”
“你知道，我们一直在做脑科学研究，现在应该投入更大的力量做下去，把这种研究扩大到建设地球防御系统那样的规模，努力一至两个世纪，也许能够最终提升人类的智力，使得后世的人类科学能够突破智子的禁锢。”
“What will it take? Do you have even a rough idea?”
“怎样做，你有大概的设想吗？”
“I mean intelligence in the broadest sense of the word. Not just the traditional meaning of logical reasoning, but learning ability, imagination, and innovation as well. And also the ability to accumulate common sense and experience while preserving intellectual vigor. And enhancing mental endurance, so that a brain can think continuously without fatigue. And we can even consider the possibility of eliminating sleep. And so forth.”
“我说的智力是广义的，除了传统意义上的逻辑推理能力外，还包括学习的能力、想象力和刨新能力，包括人在一生中在积累常识和经验的同时仍保持思想括力的能力，还包括加强思维的体力，也就是使大脑不知疲倦地长时间连续思考——这里甚至可以考虑取消睡眠的可能性……”
“You want to use technology to accelerate the brain’s evolution?”
“你想借助技术加快人脑的进化？”
“Intelligence is a vague term in our field. What in particular –“
“对我们这个专业来说，智力一词有些空泛，你具体是指……”
“No. Not yet. Perhaps the brain can be connected directly to a computer, which can use its computing power to amplify human intelligence. Or maybe we can achieve a direct interface between human brains and blend different people’s thoughts. Or inherit memories. But whatever avenue we ultimately take to increase human intelligence, we must first begin from a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of the human brain.”
“没有，现在还没有。也许可以把大脑与计算机直接联接。使后者的计算能力成为人类的智力放大器；也许能够实现人类大脑间的直接互联，把多人的思维融为一体；还有记忆遗传等等。但不管最后提升智力的途径有哪些，我们现在首先要做的是从根本上了解人类大脑思维的机制。”
“And that’s precisely our area of interest.”
“这正是我们的事业。”
“Bill, you’re wonderful!”
“比尔，这真的太好了！”
“Love, I’m truly happy. I’m ecstatic! There’s just one thing. As a Wallfacer, don’t you think this plan is a little…”
“亲爱的，我真的很高兴，我太高兴了！只是，作为面壁者，你这个计划，太……”
“We can continue in the same career as before. The difference will be that we can tap huge resources to do it!”
“我们要继续这项事业了，与以前一样，不同的是现在能够调动巨量的资源来干这事！”
“So think about this for a moment: If we turn neuroscience and thought research into a world engineering project, and can invest an inconceivably enormous amount of money in it, how long will we have to wait for success?”
“让我们设想一下，把脑科学和思维研究作为一个世界工程来做，有我们以前无法想象的巨大投入，多长时间能取得成功呢？”
“A little indirect? Maybe. But think about it, Keiko. Human civilization ultimately comes down to humans themselves. If we start by elevating humans, doesn’t that make this a far-reaching plan? Besides, what else can I do?”
“太间接了，是吧？但惠子，你想想，人类文明的一切最终要归结到人本身，我们从提升人的自身做起，这不正是一个真正有远见的计划吗？再说，除了这样，我还能做什么呢？”
“About a century, more or less.”
“一个世纪应该差不多吧。”
“Let’s be a little more pessimistic and say two centuries. Then the highly intelligent humans will still have two centuries left, and if they use one century to develop fundamental science and another to turn those theories into technology…”
“就让我们更悲观些，算两个世纪，这样的话，高智力的人类还有两个世纪的时间。如果用一个世纪发展基础科学，再用一个世纪来实现理论向技术的转化……”
“Even if it fails, we’ll have done what we wanted to do.”
“即使失败了，我们也是做了迟早要做的事情。”
It was day three of the PDC’s first Wallfacer Project Hearing. Rey Diaz and Hines had spoken about the first phase of their respective projects, which were put to preliminary discussion by representatives of the PDC permanent members.
行星防御理事会第一次面壁者听证会已经进行了三天。泰勒、雷迪亚兹和希恩斯三位面壁者分别在会议上陈述了自己的第一阶段计划，PDC常任理事国代表对这些计划进行了初步的讨论。
“Keiko, come with me to the end of days,” Hines murmured.
“惠子，随我一起去末日吧。”希恩斯喃喃地说。
Rey Diaz and Hines had both submitted their plans at the previous hearing, but Tyler had delayed his first disclosure until this session, leaving representatives particularly eager for details.
在原安理会会议厅的大圆桌旁坐着各常任理事围的代表，而三位面壁者则坐在中问的长方形桌子旁，他们是泰勒、雷迪亚兹和希恩斯。
“Yes, Bill. We certainly have the time.”
“好的，比尔，我们有的是时间。”
“Luo Ji still hasn’t arrived?” asked the annoyed US representative.
“罗辑今天还没来吗？”美国代表很不满地问。
The insects in the grove seemed to have grown accustomed to their presence and resumed their musical chirping. When a soft wind blew through the bamboo and the stars in the night sky flashed through the gaps between the leaves, it was as if the insect chorus was issuing from those stars.
林中的夏虫似乎适应了他们的存在，又恢复了悠扬的呜叫。这时一阵轻风吹过竹林，使得夜空中的星星在竹叶间飞快闪动，让人觉得夏虫的合唱仿佛是那些星星发出的。
“He won’t be coming,” said Garanin. “He declared that his seclusion and nonparticipation in the PDC hearing is part of his plan.”
“他不会来了。”PDC轮值主席伽尔宁说，“他声明，隐居和不参加PDC听证会，是他的计划的一部分。”
“He’s a deadbeat, a waste!” Rey Diaz said.
“这人就是个懒惰的废物！”雷迪亚兹说。
At this, the attendees whispered among themselves. Some of them seemed annoyed, while others flashed cryptic smiles.
听到这话，与会者们窃窃私语起来，有的面露愠色，有的露出含义不明的笑容。
Hines said, “I’d rather express my regard for Dr. Luo. He knows himself and knows his own abilities, so he doesn’t want a pointless waste of resources.” He turned graciously to Rey Diaz. “I think Mr. Rey Diaz should learn something from him.”
希恩斯说：“我倒是想在此表达对罗辑博士的敬意，他有自知之明，清楚自己的能力，所以不想无谓地浪费资源。”他说着，温文尔雅地转向雷迪亚兹，“我认为雷迪亚兹先生应该从他那里学到些东西。”
“Then what are you?” Tyler asked rudely, even though his mosquito swarm plan relied on Rey Diaz’s super hydrogen bomb technology.
“那你算什么东西？”泰勒仰起头问。
Everyone could see that Tyler and Hines were not defending Luo Ji, but that their enmity toward Rey Diaz was far deeper by comparison.
谁都能看出来，泰勒和希恩斯并不是为罗辑辩护，只是与后者相比，他们对雷迪哑兹存有更深的敌意。
Garanin rapped the gavel on the table. “First of all, Wallfacer Rey Diaz has spoken out of order. I remind you to show respect to the other Wallfacers. Similarly, I remind Wallfacers Hines and Tyler that your words are also inappropriate for this meeting.”
伽尔宁用木槌敲了一下桌面：“首先，面壁者雷迪亚兹的话是不适宜的，提请您注意对其他面壁者的尊重；同时，也请面壁者希恩斯和泰勒注意，你们的言辞在会议上也是不适宜的。”
Hines said, “Mr. Chair, what Wallfacer Rey Diaz has demonstrated in his plan is nothing but the crudeness of a soldier. Following in the footsteps of Iran and North Korea, his country fell under UN sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program, and this has given him a twisted complex for the bomb. There is essentially no difference between Mr. Tyler’s mosquito swarm program and Rey Diaz’s giant hydrogen bomb plan. Both are disappointments. The two straightforward plans will have their strategic intent exposed right from the start. Neither exhibits the canniness that’s the strategic advantage of the Wallfacer Project.”
希恩斯说：“主席先生，面壁者雷迪亚兹在他的计划中所表现出来的，只有一介武夫的粗鲁。继伊朗和北朝鲜后，他的国家也因发展核武器受到联合国制裁，这使他对核弹有一种变态的情感；泰勒先生的宏聚变计划与雷迪亚兹的巨型氢弹计划没有本质区别，同样令人失望。这两个直白的计划，一开始就将明确的战略指向暴露出来，完全没有体现出面壁者战略计谋的优势。”
When the hearing ended, the Wallfacers went to the Meditation Room, their favorite place in UN Headquarters. It now seemed to them that this room designed for silence was built especially for Wallfacers. Gathered there, they waited in silence, each of them feeling that they would never be able to exchange thoughts until the final war came. The slab of iron ore lay silently in their midst, as if absorbing and collecting their thoughts and silently bearing witness.
听证会结束后，面壁者们来到了默思室，这是联合国总部里他们最喜欢的地方，现在想想，这个为静思而设的小房间真像是专门留给面壁者的。聚在这里，他们都静静地待着，感觉着彼此那末日之战前永远不能相互交流的思绪。那块铁矿石也静静地躺在他们中间，仿佛吸收和汇集着他们的思想，也像在默默地见证着什么。
Tyler shot back, “Mr. Hines, your plan is like some sort of naïve daydream.”
泰勒反击道：“希恩斯先生，您的计划倒更像一个天真的梦想。”
Hines said softly, “Have you heard about the Wallbreakers?”
希恩斯低声地问：“你们听说过破壁人的事吗？”
Tyler nodded. “The ETO just announced it on their public Web site, and it’s been verified by the CIA.”
泰勒点点头，“在他们的公开网站上刚公布，CIA也证实了这事。”
The Wallfacers lapsed into silence again, each one conjuring in his mind an image of his own Wallbreaker. It was an image that would appear countless times in their nightmares, for the day a Wallbreaker actually appeared would likely spell the end of that Wallfacer.
面壁者们又陷入沉默中，他们想象着自己的破壁人的形象，以后，这形象将无数次出现在他们的噩梦中，而当某个破壁人真实出现的那一天，很可能就是那个面壁者的末日。
When Shi Xiaoming saw his father enter, he edged toward the corner, but Shi Qiang simply sat down quietly next to him.
当史晓明看到父亲进来时，胆怯地向墙角挪了挪，但史强只是默默地坐在他身边。
“Let’s talk about you first.”
“先说你的事吧。”
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hit you or curse at you this time. I don’t have the energy.” He brought out a pack of cigarettes, took out two, and offered one to his son. Shi Xiaoming hesitated before accepting it. They lit up and smoked for a while in silence. Then Shi Qiang said, “I’ve got a mission. I’ll be leaving the country soon.”
“你甭怕，这次我不打你也不骂你，我已经没那个力气了。”他说着，拿出一包烟，抽出两支，把其中的一支递给儿子，史晓明犹豫了一下才接了过来。他们父子点上烟，默默地抽了好一会儿，史强才说：“我有任务，最近又要出国了。”
“What about your illness?” Shi Xiaoming looked up through the smoke and gave his father a worried look.
“那你的病呢？”史晓明从烟雾中抬起头，担心地看着父亲。
Shi Xiaoming’s expression turned pleading. “Dad, there’s going to be a heavy sentence for this –“
史晓明露出哀求的目光：“爸，这事儿要判很重的……”
“Any other crime, and I’d be able to work it out for you, but that’s not how this is going to work. Ming, we’re both adults. We need to be responsible for our actions.”
“你犯的要是别的事儿，我可以为你跑跑，但这事儿不行。明子啊，你我都是成年人，我们都为自己的行为负责吧。”
Shi Qiang said, “I’m half to blame. I never had any concern for you when you were growing up. I came home late every night, so tired I’d just have a drink and then go to bed. I never went to a parents’ meeting at school, and I never had a good talk with you about anything… It’s the same thing again: We have to be responsible for our own actions.”
史强说：“你的罪也有我的一半，从小到大，我没怎么操心过你。每天很晚才回家，累得喝了酒就睡，你的家长会我一次都没去过，也没和你好好谈过什么……还是那句话：我们自己做的自己承担吧。”
Shi Xiaoming bowed his head in despair and took a silent draw on his cigarette.
史晓明绝望地低下头，只是抽烟。
Tears in his eyes, Shi Xiaoming ground the cigarette back and forth repeatedly on the edge of the bed, like he was extinguishing the latter half of his life.
史晓明含泪把烟头在床沿上反复碾着，像在掐灭自己的后半生。
“Prison is like a criminal training course. Forget about reform when you go in, just don’t get mixed up with the other prisoners. And learn how to protect yourself a little. Take these –” Shi Qiang placed a plastic bag on the bed. Inside were two cartons of ordinary Yun Yan cigarettes. “And if you need anything else, your mother will send it to you.”
“里面是个犯罪培训班，进去以后也别谈什么改造了，别同流合污就行，也得学着保护自己。”史强把一个塑料袋放在床上，里面装着两条云烟，“还需要什么东西你妈会送来的。”
Shi Qiang went to the door, then turned and said to his son, “Ming, you may still meet your dad again. You’ll probably be older than me at that point, and then you’ll understand what’s in my heart right now.”
史强走到门口，又转身对儿子说：“明子，咱爷俩可能还有再见面的时候，那时你可能比我老了，到时候你会明白我现在的心的。”
In an era where anxiety had taken hold of everything, Luo Ji was now the world’s most laid-back man. He strolled beside the lake, took a boat out into the water, had the chef turn the mushrooms he picked and the fish he caught into tasty delicacies, browsed through the library’s rich collection, and when he tired of that, went outside and golfed with the guards. He rode on horseback through the grassland and on the forest path in the direction of the snow peak, but he never reached the foot of the mountain. Oftentimes, he would sit on a bench on the lakeside and look at the mountain’s reflection in the water, doing and thinking nothing as an entire day passed unknowingly.
现在，在这个一切都紧张起来的时代，罗辑却成了世界上最悠闲的人。他沿湖边漫步，在湖中泛舟，把采到的蘑菇和钓到的鱼让厨师做成美味；他随意翻阅着书房中丰富的藏书，看累了就出去和警卫打高尔夫球；骑马沿草原和林间的小路向雪山方向去，但从来没有走到它的脚下。经常，他坐在湖边的长椅上，看着湖中雪山的倒影，什么都不想或什么都想，不知不觉一天就过去了。
Through the small window in the door, Shi Xiaoming watched his father exit the detention center. From the back, he looked quite old.
史晓明从门上的小窗中看着父亲走出看守所。他的背影看上去已经很老了。
He felt like the boat in the water, floating quietly with its sail furled, ignorant of where it was moored and not caring where it floated. Now and then when he thought about his former life, he was surprised to discover that in the short space of a few days, he could no longer recognize it. This state satisfied him.
罗辑感觉自己就像是湖中的那艘落下帆的小船，静静地漂浮着，不知泊在哪里，也不关心将要漂向何方。有时想起以前的生活，他惊奇地发现，这短短的几天竟使得自己的前半生恍若隔世，而他也很满足这种状态。
He was particularly interested in the wine cellar. He knew that the dust-covered bottles lying horizontally on the racks held nothing but the best. He drank in the living room, he drank in the library, and sometimes he drank on the boat; but never too much, just enough to keep him in that perfect, half-drunk, half-sober state, and then he would take out that long-stemmed pipe left by the previous owner and puff away.
罗辑对庄园里的酒窖很感兴趣，他知道窖中整齐地平放在格架上的那些落满灰尘的瓶子中，装的都是上品。他在客厅里喝，在书房中喝，有时还在小船上喝，但从不过量，只是使自己处于半醉半醒的最佳状态，这时他就拿着前主人留下的那个长柄烟斗吞云吐雾。
He was alone during this time, with no connection to the outside world. Kent was in the manor, too, but he had his own small office and rarely bothered him. Luo Ji had only spoken once to the officer in charge of security, to ask that the security detail not trail along behind him, and if they absolutely had to, to make sure that he could not see them.
这几天，罗辑总是一人独处，与外界没有任何联系。坎特在庄园里也有自己的一间小办公室，但很少来打扰他。罗辑只与负责安全的军官有过一次对话，要求在自己敬步时那些警卫的士兵不要远远跟着，如果非跟不可也尽量不要让自己看见。
He never went online here, but he sometimes watched television, skipping over the news and watching programs that had nothing to do with current events or even the present day. This sort of content was still possible to find, although it was growing increasingly rare in the last ebbs of the Golden Age.
他在这里从不上网，但有时看看电视，对时事新闻一概跳过。只看与时局甚至与时代无关的节目，虽然现在电视上这样的内容越来越少了，但作为黄金时代的余渡，还是能找得到。
Even when it rained and the living room grew chilly, Luo Ji never had the fireplace lit. He knew it wasn’t yet time.
尽管下过一场雨，客厅里有些阴冷，罗辑却一直没有让人点着壁炉，他说还不到时候。
Late one night, he got carried away by a bottle of cognac that, from the label, was thirty-five years old. Wielding the remote, he skipped past the several news stations on the high-definition television, but one English-language news item caught his eye. It concerned the salvage of a mid-seventeenth-century wreck, a clipper that had sailed from Rotterdam to Faridabad and had sunk off Cape Horn. Among the objects that divers had retrieved from the wreck was a small, sealed cask of fine wine that experts speculated was still drinkable. Not only that, but after three centuries in storage at the bottom of the ocean, its taste would be unparalleled. Luo Ji recorded most of the program, and then called for Kent.
一天深夜，一瓶从标签上看是三十五年前的干邑又使他飘飘欲仙，他手拿遥控器在高清电视上跳过了几则新闻，但很快被一则英语新闻吸引住了。那是有关打捞一艘十七世纪中叶的沉船的，那艘三桅帆船由鹿特丹驶向印度的法里达巴德，在霍恩角沉没。在潜水员从沉船中捞出的物品里，有一桶密封很好的葡萄酒，据专家推测，那酒现在还可以喝，而且经过三百多年的海底贮藏，口感可能是无与伦比的。罗辑把这个节目的大部分都录下来，然后叫来了坎特。
“That amount is nothing to the Wallfacer Project. Buy it. It’s part of the plan.”
“这点钱对于面壁计划算不了什么，去买吧，这是计划的一部分。”
Kent went to make a call. Two hours later he told Luo Ji that the price of the cask was astonishingly high: Bidding would start at three hundred thousand euros.
坎特立刻去联系，两小时后他来告诉罗辑，说那桶酒的预计价格高得惊人，起拍价就可能在三十万欧元左右。
“I want that cask. Buy it for me,” he said.
“我要这桶酒，去把它拍下来。”他对坎特说。
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