第七回 可憐後主還祠廟
Chapter 7: The bungling royal heir's family
shrine still remains
文祥對這些事一點興趣都沒有，但是衣紅一夥人卻聽得入了迷。他們雖然喜歡看書，但書上都是一些死知識，從來沒有聽過這樣生動的辯論。加以平素老以為歷史只是過去的資料，從沒有用心學過。今天總算開了眼界，都興奮不已，扯著文祥問東問西。
Wen Xiang was
not at all interested in such matters.
But these topics fascinated Yi Hong and her crowd. Though they liked to read, to them books
contained nothing but useless knowledge.
They had never witnessed such a live and spirited debate. Moreover, they had always viewed history
as mere data from the past and had never given it any heed when they were
students. Today their horizons had
finally been broadened and they were quite excited. They tugged at Wen Xiang, asking
question after question.
對這些政治史，文祥也是一知半解，他被問急了，只好說：「誰叫妳不相信電腦？妳們這些問題，電腦都有詳實的資料，如果有興趣，還可以看記錄影像。」
Wen Xiang's
grasp of political history was shaky, at best. When questioned to the point of
exasperation he said, “Hey, who told you computers couldn't be trusted? Detailed information on all your
questions can be found on your computer.
If you’re interested, you can even view the recorded news images as
well.”
frustrating
「誰能相信電腦？」衣紅嘟著嘴說。
“Who can trust
computers?” Yi Hong muttered.
「那就奇怪了，妳怎麼又相信我呢？」
“That’s strange. Then why do you trust me?”
「因為你是人哪！」
“Because you’re
human!”
「可是，我告訴你們的一切，都來自電腦呀！」
“But everything I told
you came from the computer!”
「真的？」褲白顯然不相信。
“Really?” Ku Bai
remained unconvinced.
「當然是真的，不然我又不是那個時候的人，怎麼知道那些事？」
“Of course. How else would I know about such matters
since I'm not from that era?”
衣紅半晌無言，過了一會，才懊惱地說：「我們以後怎麼再相信你呢？」
Yi Hong fell silent. But a
bit later she said in annoyance, “How can we ever trust you again?”
文祥急了，抓住衣紅的手說：「我看，假如我們算得上是朋友的話，這個問題，我們得好好討論一下。」
Alarmed, Wen Xiang seized Yi Hong’s hand and said, “Well, If we’re
friends, we’ll have to have a good talk about this matter.”
風不懼說：「沒那麼嚴重，來，找個地方聊聊也好。」
Feng Buju said, “It’s not that serious. Come on, let’s just find a place to
talk.”
四人走到一個雅座前，褲白又把左非右也找了來。大家正要坐下，左非右說：
「先別慌，讓我把景色點綴一下如何？」
As the 4 of them
walked over to a pleasant seating area, Ku Bai asked Zuo Feiyo to join them as
well. Just before they sat down,
Zuo Feiyo said,
“Hey, wait. How about
letting me modify our surroundings first?”
衣紅首先反對：「又是那套電腦製造的幻境！」
Yi Hong was the first one to object. “Another computer-created illusion!”
左非右說：「妳看看吧！這裡有哪樣不是電腦的幻境？」
Zuo Feiyou said, “Look around you!
Can you see anything that isn't a computer-created illusion?”
衣紅東瞻西望，最後指著燦爛的星空說：「你們看！大自然是真實的，那些星球是真實的，它們像鑽石一樣，多美麗！」
Yi Hong looked around.
Finally she pointed at the sparkling stars in the sky and said,
“Look! Nature is real. Those planets are real. They're like diamonds. How beautiful they look!”
左非右說：「錯了，如果妳真在太空中，就會知道這些星沒有那麼明亮。那是電腦為了讓我們欣賞，特意用電離屏放大的效果。」
Zuo Feiyo said,
“Wrong. If you were really in
space, you'd know those stars actually aren't that bright. In order for us to enjoy the stars, the
computer uses the ion screen to enhance the effect.”
衣紅覺得受騙了，怪道：「你騙我！」
Yi Hong felt she had been deceived and said accusingly, “You’re lying!”
左非右說：「我只是非右，絕對不敢騙妳。」
Zuo Feiyo said, "Hey, it’s me, Feiyo. I’d never lie to you.”
風不懼也說：「左兄說得不錯，這點情是我們應該領受的。在這裡吃的喝的，連我們的生命，都已經交給電腦了。我們反對電腦，並不代表我們否定電腦。」
Feng Buju also
said, “Zuo was right. We should
accept this favor. What we eat and
drink here, even our lives, are in the hands of the computer. Because we oppose computers doesn’t mean
we reject them.”
左非右高興地說：「我也反對電腦，但是要反對它，先得利用它！找出它的缺點來，這是孫子兵法說的『知己知彼，百戰百勝！』紅姐，妳總該先瞭解妳的敵人吧！」
Zuo Feiyo said happily, “I, too, object to computers. But before you oppose them, you have to
use them and determine their weakness.
This is what Sun Zi said, ‘If you know yourself and know your enemy,
you’ll win every battle’! Elder
sister Hong, "You’ll must get to know your enemy!”
衣紅滿心不願，橫眉豎眼地說：「喂！你這人是怎麼搞的？一下子叫我衣妹，一下子叫紅妹，又是紅姑娘、衣小姐的！現在怎麼又叫我紅姐了？」
Every part of Yi Hong was unwilling, and with an angry expression she
said, “Hey, what’s up with you?
You’ve been calling me Young Sister Yi, or Young Sister Hong; Miss Hong,
or Miss Yi! How come you now refer
to me as Elder Sister Hong?”
左非右伸伸舌頭，說：「妳還沒有批准我該怎樣稱呼妳呀！說不定下次我會叫妳姑奶奶哩！」
Zuo Feiyo licked his lips and said, “You've never told me which name I
should use when addressing you!
Maybe next time I’ll call you grandmother!”
衣紅說：「胡說！你就叫我衣紅！」
Yi Hong said, “Nonsense!
Just call me Yi Hong!”
左非右連忙鞠了個躬，說：「衣紅！」又覺得不對：「這麼叫很彆扭。」
Zuo Feiyo hurriedly bowed and said, “Yi Hong!” But somehow it doesn't feel right. “It seems awkward.”
文祥說：「我建議大家兄妹相稱，比較自在。」
Wen Xiang said, “I suggest we address each other as brother and sister
according to our age. It’ll be more
natural.”
風不懼說：「這樣最好，不過最好都用實際年齡。」
Feng Buju said, “That's the best way, but we’d better use our real age.”
衣紅說：「有誰不說出真年齡，我都叫他弟弟！」
Yi Hong said, “Whoever doesn’t give his real age, I shall address as
'little brother!'”
左非右說：「怎麼算真實年齡？」
Zuo Feiyo asked, “How do we calculate our real age?”
衣紅說：「從出生那天算起。」
Yi Hong said, “From your date of birth.”
文祥說：「我三十六歲。」
Wen Xiang said, “I’m 36.”
左非右慨然說：「我一定最大，老實說，我雖然沒有整容，卻在四十年前，自願供臨床試驗，注射過皮質素。」
Zuo Feiyo said ruefully, “I must be the eldest. To tell you the truth, though I've never had plastic surgery, some 40 years ago I volunteered to take part in an experiment where I was injected with an RNA.”
一聽到「皮質素」，文祥立刻聯想起一件事。在本世紀初期，人造基因有了重大的突破，生物工程蔚為風尚。在二○一九年，還曾發生過一件轟動世界的妙事，在一個地方性足球比賽中，出現了一支球隊，全隊連球員帶職員，一共二十五個人，每個人都長得一模一樣，無法分別。
As soon as Wen
Xiang heard “RNA” he was quickly reminded of a past event. In the early period of this century,
there had been a breakthrough in synthetic genes and bioengineering became very
popular. In 2019, an event took
place that shook the world. In a
regional soccer match, all 25 members of one of the teams looked exactly alike,
even the staff members. No one
could tell them apart.
原來在上個世紀末，有一位大亨花了大把鈔票，用自己的基因，培養了幾十個化身。他們全住在一個偏僻的山區，有特定的生活環境，直到時機成熟了，才同時出來亮相。這真是一個令人觸目驚心的景象，如果希特勒再世，很可能幾十萬的希氏親軍，此時已經統治地球了。
Towards the end of the last
century, a wealthy man, by using his own genes, spent a fortune to produce
several dozen replicas of himself.
They all lived in a remote mountain area in a made-to-order
environment. They had waited for
the opportune time to appear in public.
It was a terrifying sight.
If Hitler had been re-born, hundreds of thousands of his clones would be
dominating Earth this very moment.
更可怕的是，在中國的苗疆，有人「養蠱」成功，一時之間人人談蠱變色。蠱原是一種民間傳說，理論上，它是一種帶病毒的獵食性昆蟲，在獵食的同時，會散佈自身的毒素。在遺傳基因的技術下，人更可以任意選用各種最強的毒素，就算蟲屍已化做飛灰，仍舊能致人於死地。
An even more alarming incident took place in the Miao region
(Note 1) of China, where someone successfully bred “Gu”. For a period of time, everyone was
frightened at the very mention of “Gu”. “Gu” was originally a folk
legend. According to theory, “Gu” is a predatory virus-carrying insect,
which spreads this virus while feeding on its prey. Genetic technology would enable man to
choose any one of a number of the most lethal viruses and use them as he
pleased. Even if the insect was
dead and withered, the virus could still kill.
「難道你……」文祥記得有件慘案，但並沒有把握，又怕傷害到左非右。
“You were …” Wen Xiang remembered one terrible
incident but he wasn’t sure. He
didn't want to offend Zuo Feiyo.
「是的，就是我。」左非右神色自若，只是輕輕地歎了一口氣，說：「我也是近幾年才看開的，這件事誰也怪不得。」
“Yes, I’m the
one.” Zuo Feiyo’s facial expression
remained calm. He sighed and said,
“It was only in recent years that I've been able to put it all behind me. No one was to blame.”
衣紅好奇地問：「原來你還有一段精采的故事，為什麼沒告訴我們？」
Yi Hong asked
curiously, “So you have an interesting story. Why haven’t you told us?”
「要聽故事？」
“You want to hear a
story?”
「當然。」
“Of course.”
左非右堅決地說：「那麼，一切要由我作主。」
Zuo Feiyo said firmly, “In that case, I'll be the one in charge."
衣紅也答應得痛快：「沒問題。」
Yi Hong said without hesitation, “No problem.”
當下，左非右從身邊取出兩面很小的鏡子，交錯成十字形，放在桌面中央。又取出一個小盒子，上面還有小鍵盤。左非右鍵入了幾個指令，四週突然大放光明，眼前竟然變成了道地的苗疆風光。
Zuo Feiyo then took out two tiny mirrors, placed one on top
of the other in the form a cross, and lay them in the middle of the table. Next, he produced a small box with a
little keyboard. Zuo Feiyo keyed in
some commands and a bright light suddenly surrounded them. An authentic vista of the Miao area came
into view.
原來左非右除了把真實幻境改換為實境外，還應用了多重感應的效果，個中的技巧很複雜，有這種能耐的人不多。幻境只能供個人幻想，是純主觀的世界；實境也只是增加了味、嗅、體覺三種因素。這三種感覺因素必須有特殊的設備，不似視聽刺激，僅由微波載波，就可以傳達。
In addition to changing
Illusory Reality into Reality, Zuo Feiyo employed the Multi-sensory
effect. This technique is
complicated and only few people have been able to master it. Illusion can only provide personal fantasies,
so it is a subjective world. And
Reality is nothing more than adding 3 senses: taste, smell, and touch. Special equipment must be used to insert
these 3 sense elements. It is
unlike audiovisual stimulation, which can be simply transmitted by microwave.
多重感應的難度更大，除了要自己設計，還要能融合主觀與客觀，使參與的人感受如一。這種設備與技巧，電腦並不提供，而能動手自行設計的人，更是少之又少。
A Multi-sensory
effect is even more difficult.
Aside from designing one’s own program, the programmer must be able to
combine subjective and objective feelings, so that participants will be able to
identify themselves with the created surroundings. The computer
does not provide this kind of equipment or technique, and only a very few
people can design this kind of sensory effect.
本來大家以為左非右只是玩玩真實幻境那一套，沒想到他竟然有這種本領，一時人人對他刮目相看。
At first, everyone thought Zuo Feiyo was going to play with Illusory
Reality. They'd never known that he
possessed this rare talent.
Everybody was now very impressed.
這個景色設計得也相當不俗，眼下是一個香茅草搭建的涼亭，僅是茅草那股清香，就已令人心曠神怡。涼亭中央是個流光生輝的黃玉圓几，承載桌面的圓柱，筆直插入地表，似是整體渾成。另有五張凳子，上面舖著細緻的滇蓆，圍在圓几四週。
The design of this scene was extraordinary. Before them stood a pavilion made of
citronella grass. The mere
fragrance of this plant made them feel refreshed and spirited. In the middle of the pavilion was a
round table made of topaz from which flowed a soft light. The round pillar supporting the tabletop
was inserted straight into the earth's surface, so they seemed to be a single
entity. 5 stools covered with
carefully woven mats from the Yunnan region were arranged around the table.
亭子建在一處三面孤懸、斜倚翠壁的高臺上，旁邊有幾棵合抱的老松，偃仆盤曲、蒼勁欲飛。台外崇巖連嶂、高拔插雲，山環成塢，中有梯田竹樓。這時正值申酉之交，遠處炊煙裊裊，山嵐靉靉，亂雲疊浪之間，一切隱約可見。
The pavilion, open on 3 sides, was situated on a high
platform and backed against a green cliff.
Next to it, several old pine trees two arms in circumference grew
horizontally with winding and twisting branches. They gave an impression of strength so
great they seemed capable of flight.
Beyond the platform, high mountains formed an unbroken barrier, their
peaks disappearing into the clouds and enclosing a valley. In the valley, terraced rice paddies and
bamboo buildings could be seen. It
was around 5 o’clock in the afternoon.
Smoke from cooking fires curled upwards and the mountain mists were
brilliant. All this could be hazily
glimpsed through the intertwining clouds.
更令人稱奇的是，空氣中流佈一股清涼爽沁，彷佛身在水簾之間。再加上山風不時相送，衣裾微颺，人人為之動容。
Even more
amazing was the cool and refreshing air penetrating the entire atmosphere. It was like standing near a
waterfall. From time to time a
gentle breeze from the mountains would flutter their clothes. Everyone was visibly moved.
褲白看得呆了，半晌，大叫一聲：「哇塞！這是你設計出來的嗎？」
Ku Bai was awed. After a
moment, he exclaimed, “Wow! Did you
do that?”
左非右腆靦地說：「我哪有這個本事？亭子是資料庫中借調的。我只是把座標軸定好而已，這風景一本自然，不巧此刻雲霧太大，要等一下才看得到全景。」
Zuo Feiyo said shyly, “I don't have that kind of skill. I borrowed the pavilion from the
database. All I did was to set the
coordinates. The scenery is
natural, though. Unfortunately, the
fog is too heavy right now. We’ll
have to wait a bit before we can see the entire view."
文祥說：「妙極了，這樣就好，唉！太久了！大概有好幾年了，我都沒有機會享受這種自然風光！真感謝你，讓我一溫舊夢。」
Wen Xiang said, “Oh no, this is great. It’s been so long! It's been years since I last had a
chance to enjoy this kind of natural scenery! Thank you so much for letting me revisit
my old dreams.”
風不懼說：「做夢？夢中哪有這種氣息？左兄，你這香氣是那種字號？」
Feng Buju said, “Dreams? You
won't find a fragrance of this kind in your dreams. Zuo, what's the serial number of this
aroma?
左非右連忙說：「不！不！這些氣息絕對是真的，可別小瞧了這點氣息！就為了它，我不採用虛擬實境的假氣味，自行設計了分子攝取器。這些空氣分子是從你們家鄉原野上收集來的，經過分子分析，得到化學式，在現場再合成的。」
Zuo Feiyo hurriedly said, “No!
No! These aromas are
absolutely authentic. Don't dismiss
this aroma! In order to achieve it
I by-passed the synthetic essences used in Virtual Reality and designed my own
device for collecting molecules.
These air molecules were collected from the open countryside around your
hometown. After analyzing the
molecules, chemical formulas were obtained. I used these formulas to synthesize them
on the spot.”
衣紅閉著眼睛，深深地吸了一口氣，好像整個人都沉浸在感覺中，良久才說：「你們用心聞聞看，是不是有白沙瀑的味道？」
Yi Hong closed her eyes and took a
deep breath. She seemed completely
absorbed in her feelings. After
some time, she said, “Sense the air with your heart. Don’t you feel it smells like the White
Sand Waterfall?”
風不懼也闔上眼，吸了口氣，停了一會，說：「是的，好像偏千頁崖的一邊。」
Feng Buju closed his eyes and inhaled. After a moment he said, “Yes, it's like
one side of the Qian Ye Cliff.”
左非右有些詫異：「白沙瀑？附近還有瀑布？褲白，你怎麼沒有告訴我？」
Zuo Feiyo was a little surprised. “White Sand Waterfall? There was a waterfall nearby? Ku Bai, how come you didn’t tell me
about it?”
褲白說：「我不喜歡水。」
Ku Bai said, “I don’t like water.”
風不懼笑道：「原來你是問他的，上次他在瀑布下洗澡，差點淹死了。」
Feng Buju laughed. “So you got your information from
him. The last time he took a bath
under that waterfall he nearly drowned.”
衣紅說：「左哥，能不能麻煩你把座標向西邊移一點，我最喜歡那個瀑布了。」
Yi Hong said, “Elder brother Zuo, could I trouble you to move the
coordinates a little to the west? I
love that waterfall.”
左非右一聽衣紅改口叫他左哥，不禁大喜，立刻說：「沒問題，我這個視角可以任意改變，妳只要告訴我往哪裡動就行。」
When Zuo Feiyo heard Yi Hong address him in a different way he was
delighted. He promptly said, “No
problem. I can change the angle of
view as I wish. Just tell me which
way to go.”
說著，左非右重新鍵入指令，面前的景物隨著移動，衣紅不時在旁指揮。感覺上就像在一個透明的雅座裡，連人帶桌椅，直向一個越來越近、高掛在卷壁間的瀑布投去。
Zuo Feiyo keyed
in new commands while he was speaking.
The scenery before their eyes also began to shift. Standing next to him, Yi Hong was giving
directions to Zuo. They seemed to
be standing in a see-through booth.
Together with the table and seats, they were heading straight towards a
waterfall suspended from a high cliff.
這個瀑布景觀很特殊，下面有個深潭，潭邊有兩峰亭亭夾立，青萼巉岏，攢沓而東，直向盡頭延伸。兩排山谷像鋏子一般，把一根細長的白玉簪，正正地插在當中。
The scenery
around this waterfall was very unique.
Below a deep pool was enclosed on both sides by two straight and lofty
peaks. Crowded and pointed green
calyx stretched endlessly towards the east. Two valleys stretched out on either side
like a pair of pincers, enclosing an upright, slender and long clasp of white
jade inserted right in the center.
再往裡進，湯湯嘩嘩、鳴玉濺金，瀑布像一條銀龍，竟自活了起來。山頂是個缺口，恰似有一整塊白玉嵌合其間，接著，抖出來一片瑩透的水晶細簾。倒捲下去，敲擊到一塊塊橫突的蒼石峭岩，立刻激起漫天雪花，灑下串串珠絡。
As they moved
toward it, the rumble of the waterfall sounded like clinking jade or clanking
metal. The waterfall resembled a
silver dragon that had come to life.
At the top, it looked as if the opening was inlayed with a huge piece of
white jade. From there a lustrous
and transparent crystal curtain spilled downwards. In its downward fall it struck against
sections of protruding rugged stones, instantly spuming in every direction, and
flinging downward strings of pearls.
山崖上，一條條銀蛇競走，半空中，一道道白光乍吐。頃刻間，寒碧可鑑的平潭，迸濺起丈許水花。轟隆之聲，彌天亙地，競起的雪濤，沒有一刻平息。
On the cliff, silver snakes
pursued one another in midair, tongues flickering like the flash of
lightning. In the wink of an eye,
the looking-glass surface of the azure pool erupted in splashes 10 feet high. The deafening roar filled the entire
space, and waves of white water surged endlessly forward.
不僅幾個人看得呆了，連在附近休憩以及走道上來往的閒人，也都圍了過來。
It wasn't a mere few people who were transfixed. Those resting nearby and even passers-by
crowded around to look.
衣紅興奮極了：「左哥，我能不能跳下去游泳？」
Yi Hong was thrilled. “Elder
brother Zuo, can I jump in for a swim?”
左非右還沒回答，褲白已經嚇得臉色如土：「不可以游泳！左哥，千萬別讓她游，她一下水，我就慘了！」
Before Zuo Feiyou could answer, Ku Bai’s face turned white. “No
swimming! Zuo, don’t let her do
it. As soon as she jumps into the
water, I’ll be in trouble!”
風不懼也說：「別胡鬧了，我們不是來渡假的！」
Feng Buju also said, “Cut it out.
We’re not here on vacation!”
衣紅嘴巴一嘟，說：「風哥總是一副老和尚的面孔。」
Yi Hong pursed her lips and said, “Feng always looks like an old monk.”
風不懼說：「師父就是怕妳不聽話，才把面具讓我帶來的。」
Feng Buju said, “The Master was afraid you wouldn’t behave, so told me
to look like a monk.”
五個人正要坐下，一位白人卻不請自來，他一屁股坐下來，大方地說：「各位，請不要客氣，坐呀！坐呀！」
As the 5 of them
prepared to sit down, an uninvited Caucasian showed up. He sat right down and then graciously
said to the others, “Please, have a seat.”
眾人面面相覷，原來是那位實信會牧師，約翰格里生。
They all looked at one another.
It was the preacher from the True Believers, John Garrison.
左非右禮貌地說：「先生，我們正在開會。」
Zuo Feiyo said politely, “Sir, we’re in the middle of a meeting.”
約翰理所當然地說：「好極了，我先自我介紹，我叫約翰格里生，朋友都叫我約翰。噢！我的上帝！這裡風景真好！可是又不像虛擬實境，管他呢！做夢就做夢吧！能享受時就要盡情享受！」
John, speaking as though it was the most natural thing in the world, said, “That’s great. Let me introduce myself. My name is John Garrison. My friends call me John. Oh, God All Mighty! It’s a beautiful view! It doesn’t feel like Virtual Reality. The heck with it! If this is dream, let it be. One has to enjoy life while they can!"
文祥說：「這不是夢境，我們是在去火星的太空船上。」
Wen Xiang said, “This is no dream.
We’re on a spaceship to Mars.”
約翰笑道：「呵呵呵！在太空船上！下次做夢該去木星了！」
John laughed, “Ha, ha, ha!
On a spaceship! The next
time I dream I should try Jupiter!”
文祥說：「真的，你不是在夢中，記得吧，我們前天還見過面。」
Wen Xiang said, “Believe me, you’re not dreaming. We met the day before yesterday. Remember?”
約翰根本不理會他，一邊享受著徐來的清風，一邊熟練地指揮著：「把噪音關掉！風再加大一點，香味也不夠濃！」
John ignored him. As he
enjoyed the gentle breeze, he gave orders with great ease. “Turn off that
noise! Make the breeze a little
stronger. The fragrance isn't
strong enough!”
文祥知道他已遁入幻境，還想把他喚醒：「約翰！這不是噪音，我是文祥，你不是做夢！這是真實的世界。」
Wen Xiang realized John was stuck in an illusion, but he wanted to wake
him up. “John. This is not noise. I’m Wen Xiang. You’re not dreaming! This is the real world.”
約翰給他這麼一喊，有點糊塗了，他定睛掃了一下面前幾個人，又看看眼前的風景。搖搖頭，繼續說：「把這些都關掉！電腦怎麼老當機？唉！這種空氣才叫空氣，總算讓我做到這麼美妙的夢了，我要繼續做下去！」
Hearing Wen Xiang’s shouting, John was confused. He fixed his eyes on the people in front
of him and looked around. He shook
his head and continued, “Turn everything off! Why the computer is often down? Ah!
This is how air should be.
I've finally come across a beautiful dream. I want to go on dreaming!”
衣紅覺得大煞風景，對左非右說：「我看暫時收了吧，不然他不會醒的。」
Yi Hong felt John was spoiling their meeting, so she turned to Zuo Feiyo
and said, “Let’s put it away for the time being. Otherwise, he’ll never wake up.”
風不懼搖頭說：「唉，你們不覺得這個人很可憐嗎？他的要求是多麼單純！我希望能有那麼一天，當我找到了我的美夢時，能夠一夢不醒。」
Feng Buju shook his head, “Don’t you feel sorry for this guy? His wish was so simple! I hope someday when I find my wonderful
dream, I can keep on dreaming and never have to wake up.”
約翰聽了，覺得非常奇怪，舉起左腕，嘴對著電腦大聲說：「我叫你把噪音清除，怎麼無效了，是不是又把幾個夢給混了？」他楞了一會，似乎是在聽耳中電腦講話，然後說：「我早跟你說過，這種設計不合理！你是我的奴隸，如果你不能告訴我，我在哪裡，我要你有什麼用？」
When John heard this it struck him as very strange. He lifted his left wrist and said loudly
into his computer, “I told you to get rid of the noise, how come you haven't
done it? Did you get the dreams
mixed up again?” He stood silent
for a moment. He seemed to be listening to the computer talking in his ear,
then he continued. “I told you long
ago. This kind of design is not
reasonable! You’re my slave, if you
can’t tell me where I am, of what use are you?”
在場諸人都知道約翰在抱怨什麼，人既需要電腦的服務，偏又怕電腦控制了一切。在二○二四宣言中，就充滿這種矛盾的情結。人類議會明確規定，電腦只能提供資訊，為人服務。至於其他各種超過常識的認知判斷，電腦一概不能涉入。
Everyone present knew exactly what John was complaining about. Mankind needed the services provided by
the computer, but at the same time they feared the computer would take
over. Many clauses in the 2024
Declaration contained inconsistencies of this type. The Human Council made it clear that the
computer could only provide information to serve man. As for judgements that went beyond
common sense, the computer was not allowed to interfere.
就以當前的情況而論，電腦當然清楚什麼是真實，什麼是夢境。但是礙於規定，電腦就是不能說破。這種奇特的現象要追究到二○年代，那時社會賢達所關心的，是造夢的道德及法律責任。有人曾提出這樣的問題：如果在夢中亂倫，或者是搶劫銀行，從法律的觀點看，算不算犯罪？
At present, the
computer could certainly distinguish between reality and dream. However, regulations prohibited it from
revealing the truth. This unusual
phenomenon originated back in the 20s.
At that time, the committee members were concerned about the morality
and legal responsibility of dream creation. Some one once brought up this question:
if, while dreaming, a person committed incest or robbed a bank, would that be
considered a crime in eye of the law?
表面上看來，這是個幼稚的問題，人怎麼能為夢中的行為負責呢？但進一層深究，它卻是一個極為深奧的哲學課題。其中涉及人性、行為及現實後果等的互動關係，對人性而言，亂倫、搶奪等行為都是本能，如果容許人做這種夢，連帶的就必須容忍這種本能。
Superficially, this was
an elementary question. How could
people be responsible for their behavior while dreaming? However, when examined closely, it was
actually a profound philosophical topic.
The interaction between human nature, behavior, and consequences in the
real world were involved in this question.
For human beings, incest or robbery is instinctive behavior. If people were permitted dreams of this
nature, it goes without saying that these instincts should be tolerated.
所謂做夢，就是放縱人的本能，任其赤裸裸地活躍在大腦記憶中。除了基督教強調原罪外，任何文明社會，都不可能將個體的夢境視做行為認知的準則。
The purpose of dreaming
is to unfetter human instinct and allow it to follow the dictates of primal
memory. Aside from the Original Sin
emphasized in Christianity, any civilized society could never regard individual
dreams as codes for actual behavior.
因此前述的問題當然不算犯罪，如果要算，在夢中人將永遠充滿罪惡感、無助感與挫折感。這一來，做夢不僅不是享受，反而變成痛苦的淵藪。
Therefore, the answer
to the above question is "no".
It is not a crime. If it was
counted as a crime, dreamers would feel guilty, helpless, and forever
frustrated. If this were to happen, dreaming would not only cease to be a
luxury, but would become the very fount of misery.
然而在現實世界中，行為與後果是形影相連的，犯罪的定義，就是個人的行為，導致不利於他人或社會的後果。而人的行為來自心理的認知，在過去，夢是殘缺的、片斷的、短暫得不至於影響人的認知。今人既然刻意要做預設的夢，這種夢境就必須真實，這表示人必然會受到夢中事件的影響，因果相循，便有造成個人心理認知偏差的可能。
However, in the
real world, action and its consequences are closely linked. The definition of crime is personal
behavior that negatively affects others or society. But human behavior comes from an
understanding of the human psyche.
In the past, dreams were fragments, broken bits. They were so brief they didn't interfere
with man's understanding. Today,
since man deliberately sought to have designer dreams, these dreams must be
realistic. It means that person is
certain to be influenced by events occurring in his dreams. The rule of cause and effect might
therefore cause man's understanding to go astray.
人生最引人入勝之處，就在沒有任何「人」知道人生的真假，只能根據事件的連續性猜測判斷。然而，經過一代一代、迢迢長路的摸索，總會有些漏網的訊息。當人有了判斷真假的能力後，就被稱為「真人」。也只有真人知道怎樣克慾制己，才能更進一步，進入「神、仙、佛」的真實境界。
The most
fascinating thing about human life is that no one "person” can distinguish
between what is real and what is illusory in life. They can only base conclusions on the
course of events. However, over
generations of groping, bits of understanding have come down to us. Only when man acquires the ability to
discern truth from illusion, will he be regarded as a “Zhen ren”, human in the
true sense of the word. (Note 2) Only an immortal understands how to overcome
desire and exercise self-control required to ascend to the authentic realm of
“Gods, Immortals, or Buddha”.
人生不能說破，夢境亦然。如果電腦可以提醒人們，何時是夢，何事為真，則不啻承認電腦高人一等。此外，這還存在一個技術問題，如果電腦真能告訴人們真偽，電腦就必須有絕對正確的判斷力，而這種能力，連人自己都付之闕如。
The truth of life may not be revealed. The same applies to dreams. If the computer could remind people when
they were dreaming and when they weren't, that would be an admission of
computer superiority to man.
Furthermore, there is a technical problem. If the computer was really able tell
people what was real and what was not, the computer would need to be capable of
unerring judgement. Even man
doesn't have this ability.
由法律問題，辯證到人生問題，大家莫衷一是。討論到最後，倒是逐漸取得了共識，首先是犯罪的再定義，其次是執行的方式。其先決條件是：為了要使夢境與人生的標準一致，在夢中的犯罪行為亦應制止。
Arguments about a question of law turned into the problem of life, with
everyone holding different views.
As a result, in order to achieve a consensus, it was first necessary to
re-define the term “crime”. Next in
importance was the manner of application. The basic rule was that in order
to unify standards in dreams and in life, criminal activity should be
prohibited in dreams.
以亂倫為例，當一個父親與女兒通姦時，有幾種可能性：一是一男一女之間純生理性的行為，這種行為不算犯罪。一是因感情的依戀，導致生理的需求，這種行為可以疏導，也不算犯罪。只有第三種，父女之間的性行為，完全基於親子關係者，才是犯罪。
Take incest for
example. When a father has illicit
sexual relations with his daughter there were several possibilities: first, it
was simply a physical relationship between a man and a woman. This action was not counted as a
crime. Second, it was an obsession
that led to physical need. Such
behavior could be treated with counseling so it was also not a crime. The third kind was strictly a sexual
intimacy between father and daughter.
This constituted a crime.
這是因為夢中有取代的功能，父親如果喜歡女兒，可以把女兒的形象、性格等，複製為身份不是女兒的對象，那種性行為就不能稱做亂倫了。但若父親要與女兒做愛，唯一的原因，只是對方是他的女兒，這當然是亂倫，而且屬於心理偏執狂！
This is because
substitutions can be made in dreams.
If a father likes his daughter, he can transfer his daughter’s image and
characteristics to someone else.
Sexual activity of this nature is not viewed as incest. However, if a father wants to make love
to his own daughter, and the sole reason the other party happens to be his
daughter, this of course is incest.
It is also a kind of monomania!
偷、搶等行為亦同，今日的社會，能量無限供應，物質複製易如反掌，任何人都不需要偷雞摸狗，當然不再有犯罪的動機。萬一有人以搶奪、殺戮為樂，自然需要制止，只有在這種情況下，才算是犯罪。
Theft and robbery are
the same. In today’s society, there
is a limitless supply of energy.
Material objects can be duplicated with ease. If people no longer need to steal, of
course the motivation to commit a crime will have ceased to exist. Should there be people who find robbing
or killing others enjoyable, they, of course, must be stopped. Only a situation of this sort is
considered a criminal act.
結論是，一旦人有了犯罪行為徵兆，不論是真實人生或夢境裡，電腦都可主動加以制裁，輕者暫使失去知覺，若涉及群眾因素，尚可集中拘禁。
The conclusion is that once people display criminal
tendencies, whether in real life or in their dreams, the computer would
automatically punish them. A light
punishment would be loss of consciousness.
If many people were involved, they would be locked up together.
除此之外，既然電腦並沒有絕對正確的判斷力，為了避免錯誤發生，造成不必要的困擾，特別明文規定，絕對禁止電腦提供判斷性意見。
Aside from this,
since the computer can not judge with absolute accuracy, in order to avoid
making mistakes that might cause unnecessary trouble, it was agreed in writing
that the computer would be absolutely prohibited from giving judgmental
opinions.
約翰的怨言正代表了人生的無奈，電腦不能提供客觀佐證，人自己又無從判斷。從表面上看來，他遇到的只是一個夢境與另一個夢境的混淆。而真正的意義，卻涉及到人生的本質問題，只要不能確定眼前事物的虛實，人就永遠分不清人生的真假。
John’s complaints summed up the frustrations of life. The computer can not provide an
objective explanation and there's no way people can make judgements on their
own. He appeared to be confusing
one dream with another. The true
meaning of this touches on the question of what life is all about. As long as one remains uncertain if what
they see is real or illusory, they will never be able to distinguish what is
authentic in life from what is counterfeit.
大家都很同情他，卻都無計可施。文祥突然想到，約翰既是傳教士，說不定可以用宗教信仰來打動他，於是他問道：「約翰，你為什麼不勸勸這些人信教呢？」
Every one felt sorry for him but they didn’t know what to
do. Suddenly, it occurred to Wen
Xiang that since John was a missionary, maybe it would be possible to persuade
him by means of religion. He then
asked, “John, why don’t you try to convert these people?”
只見約翰面帶訝異，自言自語道：「奇怪，這到底是真還是夢？我記得原先設定夢中不談宗教的。」
There was a look of
disbelief on John's face and he mumbled to himself, “Strange. Is this the real world or a dream? I remember my dreams were programmed to
not talk about religion.”
文祥一聽大喜，這正是最好的切入點，便說：「約翰，你沒有做夢。告訴你，我不信教，因為宗教只是人類文明進程中，一個在泥地上舖設石塊的原始階段而已。」
Wen Xiang was delighted to hear this. This was a good start. “John, you’re not dreaming. Tell you what, I don't believe in any
religion. Religion is only a
primitive stage in the progress of civilization.”
約翰更迷惑了：「糟了，這將是一場噩夢，我記得跟人辯論過。」
John was even more confused. “Oh, no. This is turning into a nightmare. I remember I was arguing with some
people.”
這時佇足圍觀的人更多了，群眾中有一個身材高大的男子，身著黑色罩袍，只有一張臉露在外面。文祥想起，他正是約翰稱為「惡魔」的神秘人。
At this moment, more and more people gathered to watch. Among the crowd was a tall man shrouded
in black robe which revealed only his face. Wen Xiang recognized him as the
mysterious man John had referred to as the “Devil”.
那人走到約翰前面，約翰一看到他，立時魂飛天外，夢也逃得無影無蹤，他大叫一聲：「糟了，上帝呀！魔鬼來了！」馬上站起身來，拔腿就跑。
That man walked over to John.
As soon as John saw him, he was scared out of his wits and his dream
vanished without a trace. He
shouted, “Oh, no. God All
Mighty! Here comes the Devil!” He at once leaped to his feet and fled.
風不懼見約翰走了，馬上對左非右說：「能不能隱藏起來？太招搖了！」
When he saw John leave, Feng Buju quickly said to Zuo Feiyo, “Can't you
make this less obvious? It's
attracting too much attention!”
左非右這才想起，舉起右手打了左臉一個嘴巴，說：「當然可以，用船上現成的設備就可以了。」
At this point Zuo Feiyo remembered.
He lifted his right hand and slapped himself on the life side of his
face, saying, “Of course. The
equipment aboard ship will do.”
他又輸入了幾行指令，只見光影一閃，甲板上又恢復了常態。在外人看來，只是衣紅等幾個人圍坐一處，在電腦障眼法下，任誰都不知道個中別有洞天了。
He keyed in some
more commands. There was a flash of
light and the deck returned to its original state. Outsiders could only see Yi Hong and the
rest of them sitting in a circle.
Thanks to the blindfold produced by the computer, nobody knew a
different world was hidden within.
實際上，在那兩面鏡子的有效半徑內，那種感覺依舊。左非右對四人說：「我已把有效範圍設在半徑兩公尺之內，大家千萬要記住，一是不要離開這個範圍，再就是，不要讓其他人走近。」
Actually, within
the effective radius range of the two mirrors, the feeling remained the
same. Zuo Feiyo told the other
four, “I’ve set the effective radius range to 2 meters. Remember, you mustn't leave this area
and don't allow others to come too near.”
衣紅抱怨說：「早先為什麼不這樣？」
Yi Hong complained. “Why didn’t you do that in the first place?”
左非右說：「紅妹，這叫不經一事，不長一智。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Little Sister Hong, this is called ‘Learning from
experience.’”
衣紅眼睛一瞪：「咦？誰授權你叫我紅妹來著？」
Yi Hong glared at him, “Hey, who said you could call me 'Little Sister
Hong?'”
左非右得意地說：「紅妹妳呀！妳剛才先叫我左哥的！」
Zuo Feiyo said with great satisfaction, "You did! Just now you addressed me as ‘Elder
brother Zuo.’”
風不懼說：「快說故事吧，你到底參加了什麼試驗？」
Feng Buju said, “Let’s get on with the story. What experiments did you take part in?”