第十一回：春蠶到死絲方盡
Chapter 11
“In Spring the silk
worms perish, spinning to the moment of death”
第二天一早，文祥還在床上高臥，胡妁就興沖沖地來了。「快走！我給你介紹一位好朋友！」
Early the next morning, while Wen Xiang
was still lying in bed, Hu Shuo arrived bubbling enthusiastically, “Let’s
go! I’ll introduce you to a good
friend of mine!”
文祥伸個懶腰，說：「老實說，我對什麼新朋友興趣不大。倒是昨天尊者一席話，加上這房子懸在半空中，讓我一夜沒睡好覺！」
Stretching lazily, Wen Xiang said, “To
tell you the truth, I’m not particularly interested in new friends. Thanks to what the sage said
yesterday, plus the fact that this hut is suspended in mid-air, I didn’t sleep
well last night!”
胡妁說：「你以為我就睡得好了？要知道，我已經活了六十年了！老天，幾乎是白活的！我把尊者說的話轉述給一位老友，談了一個晚上，他說非要認識你不可！」
Hu
Shuo said, “Do you think I slept well?
Hey, I’ve been alive for 60 years!
Jesus, it’s almost like having lived my life in vain! I spent all night telling an old friend
about what the sage said and he said he insisted on meeting you!”
文祥覺得奇怪：「認識我？該去認識尊者才是！」
Wen Xiang thought this was
odd. “Meet me? He should meet the sage!”
胡妁說：「你是糊塗還是來頭太大了？不要說聆聽尊者開示，一般人修了幾十個輪迴，連親一下尊者腳趾的機會都沒有！」
Hu
Shuo said, “Are you goofy or do you come from a high-ranking background? Even those who’ve practiced
for dozens of reincarnations never even get a chance to kiss the sage’s feet,
much less receive any guidance from him!”
文祥淡淡地說：「那有什麼了不起？」
Wen Xiang said coolly, “So?”
胡妁說：「對你或許沒什麼，我可是活了六十年，第一次有此殊榮！」
Hu Shuo said, “Maybe it’s
nothing to you. But for me, this
was the greatest honor I’ve received in all my 60 years.”
文祥知道又說錯話了，除了感情外，自己從來沒有看重過什麼。這種疏離的態度，恐怕別人要疑心自己太過驕傲了。
Wen
Xiang realized he’d said something wrong again. Aside
from love, he’d never valued anything else. This kind of detachment would probably
cause others to suspect he was too arrogant.
文祥慚容滿面，忙說：「胡小姐，我不是這個意思，請妳原諒。這幾年來，我很少與人交往，也不太在意身邊發生的事情。我已經有點思想麻痺了，有時我自己都在懷疑，活著究竟是為了什麼？」
Wen
Xiang was embarrassed. He hurriedly
said, “Ms. Hu, that’s not what I meant.
Please forgive me. I haven’t
had much contact with people these last few years and I’m not too interested in what’s
happening around me. My thinking
has become slightly numbed. Sometimes I even wonder what’s the purpose
of living.”
胡妁問：「你找到答案了沒有？」
Hu Shuo asked, “And have you
found the answer?”
「很不幸，我還在尋找。」
“Unfortunately, I’m
still looking.”
「那我比你幸運，我認為我已經看到了。」
“I’m luckier than
you. I think I’ve found it.”
「啊？能不能分一點給我共享呢？」
“Oh? Could you share a little bit of it with
me?”
「這就是我急著來找你的原因，」胡妁停了一會，試探地問道：「抱歉，你昨天告訴我說在開會前沒有事情的，是不是另外還有節目？」
“That’s why I was in a hurry to see
you.” Hu Shuo stopped for a
moment. Then, speaking tentatively
she said, “I’m sorry. Yesterday you
told me you didn’t have anything to do before the celebration. Do you have other things to do?”
「啊！沒有，我只是怕有朋友來找我。」
“Oh, no. I’m just worried my friends might come
looking for me.”
「那有什麼關係，反正電腦會通知。」
“So? The computer will notify you anyway.”
「麻煩就在那位朋友反對用電腦。」
“The problem is that
that particular friend objects to the use of computers.”
「反對用電腦？怎麼可能？」
“Objects to using the
computer? How could that be
possible?”
「是呀！我實在不知道該怎麼辦？」
“Yep! I really don’t know what to do.”
胡妁想了一想，問：「那你打算留下來等他？」
Hu Shuo thought for a moment
then asked, “So you were planning to stay here and wait for your friend?”
文祥說：「也不是，我只是在想有什麼方法能保持聯繫？」
Wen Xiang said, “Well,
no. I’m just wondering how we can
keep in touch.”
胡妁說：「這個簡單，我們在門上裝個答錄影機就是。」
Hu Shuo said, “Simple. Let’s just set up a video answering
machine at the door.”
其實這也是一項電腦服務，卻與電腦沒有直接的關係。胡妁啟動服務目錄，選了答錄影機，將位置設定在門口，功能是問答錄影。
Actually,
though this was also a service provided by the computer, it had no direct
relationship with computers. Hu
Shuo activated the service catalogue and selected a “video answering
machine”. She set “location” for
the front door and selected “video intercom” for the function.
兩人走出房門，見門上有一個小窗，窗內有個文祥虛擬的影子。胡妁對影子說：「請問文祥先生在不在？」
As
the two of them walked out the door, a small window could be seen on the
door. Inside the window was a
virtual image of Wen Xiang.
Addressing the shadow, Hu Shuo asked, “Is Mr. Wen Xiang in?”
那個虛影說：「我現在不在，請貴客留下聯絡方式！」那聲音維妙維肖，兩人聽了都笑了出來。
The
virtual image said, “I’m not here at the moment. Please tell me how to contact you!” The voice was so much like Wen Xiang’s
that both of them laughed.
「怎麼樣？這樣放心了吧？」
“How’s that? Now there’s no need to worry.”
文祥看了半天，最後笑著說：「看自己說自己不在，怪彆扭的。」
Wen Xiang regarded it for
sometime and at last said with a chuckle, “It’s a strange
feeling to see yourself saying you’re not in.”
胡妁的那位朋友姓李，叫不俗，是個不修邊幅的人。一張長長的馬臉，兩道濃濃的眉毛，滿臉連腮的鬍子，剩下來的空間全給粗大的五官塞滿了。連他的聲音都好像擠塞在喉嚨裡，有如狂風颳枯枝，沙沙啞啞的。
The
last name of Hu Shuo’s friend was Li and his first name was Busu. He was indifferent about his
appearance. He had a long, horse
face, thick eyebrows, and was bearded up to his cheekbones. The remaining area was crammed with his
rough, bulky 5 sense organs. Even
his voice, coarse, like that of a strong wind rustling dry branches, seemed to
have been stuffed down his throat.
「不公平！」李不俗把文祥上上下下打量了一番，禁不住叫屈起來了：「不公平！我哪點比不上你？偏偏活佛就不來找我！」
“It’s not fair!” As Li Busu carefully looked Wen Xiang
over from head to toe he couldn’t
resist complaining. “It’s not
fair! In what way am I inferior to
you? Why didn’t the Living Buddha
seek me out?”
「就憑你成天抱怨，活佛耳朵都要聾了！」
“The way you complain
all day long would deafen the Living Buddha!”
「聾了？那我抱怨的聲音再大一點！」
“Deafen? Then I’d make my complaints even
louder!”
「李兄，你真的想見活佛？」文祥心想，說不定自己還可以賣一點面子。
“Li, do you really want to meet the
Living Buddha?” Wen Xiang thought
perhaps use his influence on his behalf.
「我想見活佛？」李不俗大笑起來。
“You think I want to
see the Living Buddha?” Li Busu
laughed loudly.
「你不是剛剛還在抱怨嗎？」
“Weren’t you just
complaining?”
「是呀！我是抱怨活佛怎麼不來找我！」
“Yes! But I was complaining that the Living
Buddha did not come to me!”
「為什麼活佛要來找你？」文祥越來越糊塗了。
“Why should the Living
Buddha come to you?” Wen Xiang’s
bewilderment was increasing.
「救他呀！讓他成佛呀！」李不俗笑道。
“So I could save him,
make him a Buddha!” Li Busu
laughed.
胡妁知道文祥是個死心眼，忙插口說：「老李，你怎麼一見面就開玩笑，人家對你一點都不瞭解！」
Hu Shuo knew Wen Xiang could be
obstinate so she hurriedly interrupted, “Li, this is the first time you’ve
met. Why tease him? He doesn’t know you at all!”
「是嗎？」李不俗瞪了胡妁一眼，說：「妳為什麼不先給我美言幾句？」
“Oh, yeah?” Li Busu looked intently at Hu Shuo and said, “Why didn’t you first put in some nice words for me?”
「美言？」胡妁忍不住笑了起來：「你夠美嗎？」
“Nice words?” Hu Shuo couldn’t resist laughing. “Are you handsome enough?”
李不俗歎氣道：「我本來自以為很美的，昨夜被妳那阿彌陀佛一唸，我今天決定要出家做和尚了。阿彌陀佛！」
Li
Busu sighed, “I used to think I was a good looking guy. But last night after you carried on
about Amitabha, I’ve today decided to become a monk. Amitabha.”
「做和尚？哼！」胡妁啐道：「我還以為你昨天已經成佛了！」
“A monk?
Huh!” Hu Shuo snapped, “Yesterday I thought you were already
a Buddha!”
李不俗搖搖頭，說：「不錯！『明心見性，立地成佛』。只是我偏偏神魂顛倒，神佛不分。老實說，一時之間想通很容易，要做到明心見性卻難！難！難！」
Li
Busu shook his head and said, “You’re right! ‘Find thy true self and one immediately
becomes a Buddha’. It’s just so
happens that I’m a bit confused; can’t tell an immortal from a Buddha. To tell the truth, it’s easy to accept
something in an instant. But to
find thy true self, that’s very, very, difficult!”
文祥大有同感：「我沒有想過要成佛，昨天聽尊者一席話，表面上簡單得要命，可是再自我檢討一下，才發覺連一成都做不到！」
Wen Xiang also felt the same
way. “I’ve never thought about
being a Buddha. After hearing what
the sage said yesterday, at first it seemed terribly easy. But after
self-examination, I found that I couldn’t accomplish even 10 percent of it!”
李不俗搖頭說：「我和你正相反，這些道理好像很難，可是我都做到了！」
Li Busu shook his head and
said, “I’m just the opposite. These
theories seem very difficult but I’ve accomplished them all!”
「那不是很好嗎？」
“Isn’t that good?”
「不好，每次做到了，馬上又糊塗起來。」
“Nope. Every time I succeed with one, I’m
immediately confused again.”
胡妁不耐煩了：「老李，我好心給你介紹朋友，你卻來打禪機！」
Hu Shuo was impatient. “Li, I meant well when I introduced you
to a friend, but you start talking about subtleties!”
李不俗說：「這樣吧！昨天聽妳一席言，我頓悟今是昨非。我得到一個左道消息，就在上次我帶妳去的那個風火洞中，現在有人正在開小會。老實說，我是騎牆派，誰是誰非我不管，如果你們有興趣，我倒可以帶路。」
Li
Busu said, “Tell you what! After I
heard what you said yesterday, I suddenly realized my errors. I’ve heard a rumor. Right now some people are having a
meeting in the
胡妁說：「管別人開會做什麼？」
Hu Shuo said, “Why should we
care about someone else’s meeting?”
李不俗說：「這個會與妳可能無關，卻與紅教的盛會大有干係。」
Li Busu said, “Maybe this
meeting has nothing to do with you.
But it has a lot to do with the grand celebration that’ll be held by the
Nyingmapa.”
胡妁說：「那我們趕快通知尊者。」
Hu Shuo said, “Then let’s notify the sage.”
李不俗搖搖頭說：「不好，我說過這只是左道消息。」
Li Busu shook his head, “No,
I said it was a rumor.”
胡妁對文祥說：「那我們去看看再說。」文祥是無可無不可，便點頭同意。胡妁又對李不俗說：「阿彌陀佛！總算你回頭是岸了。」
Hu Shuo said to Wen Xiang, “Then
let’s go take a look and see what happens.” Wen Xiang had no feelings one way or the
other, so he nodded in agreement.
Hu Shuo said to Li Busu, “Amitabha!
You’re finally seeing the light.”
李不俗說：「未必！我說過，我有時剛剛明心見性，馬上又拿起屠刀了。」
Li Busu said, “Not
necessarily! As I said before,
sometimes just when I find my true self, I immediately again take up the
butcher’s knife.”
三人便離開咖啡廳，走出酒店，乘磁浮梭到了市區外緣。那裡有一個公園，此時遊人不多，李不俗領著二人繞來轉去，小心地躲開閒人，最後走到一個不起眼的亂石堆前，停了下來。四顧無人，李不俗悄聲地對二人說：「待會千萬不要出聲，只要悄悄地跟著我，保證沒事。在洞中行走千萬要小心，這些石塊沒有經過磨損，非常尖銳。」
The
three of them left the café, walked out of the hotel, and boarded a magnetic
levitated shuttle to the outskirts of the city. There was a park there, but at this hour
there weren’t many people around.
Li Busu led them back and forth, carefully avoiding any loiterers. At last they arrived at a heap of
ordinary-looking jumbled rocks and stopped. After looking about to make sure no one
was around, Li Busu whispered to them, “Don’t make a sound. Just follow me quietly and we’ll be
fine. Be careful when we’re walking
in the cave. These rocks have not
been worn smooth so they are very sharp.”
說罷，他便側身從一塊突石邊繞了進去，二人也緊跟著進入山洞。
When he had finished, he
edged past a protruding rock and entered the cave. The other two followed closely behind
him.
這風火洞是個地下洞窟，與地球上的地洞大不相同。地球洞窟多半是在地層變革下，一些生物屍體沉積後，其碳酸鹽形成的石灰質夾雜在地層當中。再經過雨水滲透，將其中水溶性的碳酸鹽溶解，流入地下水道，最後形成深長的洞窟。這種洞穴多半噓竇嵌空，乳柱交絡，常有蟲豸藏匿其間。
The
火星上沒有石灰岩，也沒有長時期的侵蝕及風化作用。因此這裡的洞窟都是火星溫度降低時，由於星球重力不大，氣體逃逸的速度快，岩漿迅速冷卻所形成。在岩漿瞬間凝固時，岩塊之間遂留下崩裂的縫隙，風火洞便是由這種連續間隙迴環疊構而成。
On
Mars there is neither limestone nor long-term erosion and the weathering of
rocks. Because gravitation on Mars
is not great, air swiftly escapes.
Therefore the caves on Mars were formed when a drop in temperature
caused instant cooling of the lava.
When the lava suddenly froze, cracks broke out between rocks.
甫由光明進入黑暗，眾人眼前一團漆黑，伸手不見五指，想不到文祥右腕那串佛珠，卻漸漸發出淡淡紅光，照得三尺之內凹凸分明。李不俗見了，大為欣羨。
Stepping
from light into darkness, they were unable to see a thing. They couldn’t see their hands before
their faces. Unexpectedly, the
string of prayer beads on Wen Xiang’s right wrist slowly began to emit a light
red glow, clearly revealing everything within 3 feet of them. The sight of this filled Li Busu with
wonder.
李不俗駕輕就熟，在那些嵌裂透漏的縫隙中鑽來轉去。由於洞隙不僅多，而且交錯間雜，看上去都是一個樣子。沒轉上幾次，胡妁與文祥就失去了方向感。
Li
Busu was familiar with the route so they made rapid progress. He turned this way and that through open
crevices. Not only were the holes
numerous, they formed an intersecting network and consequently all looked the
same. After a few turns, Hu Shuo
and Wen Xiang lost their sense of direction.
由於洞內戶竇環轉，沒有軒曠之處，共鳴聲不大。加上風聲尖銳，不時由石隙中呼嘯而過。三人腳步聲雖沙沙不絕，倒是與環境融而為一。
Because
the caves were convoluted there were no lofty or spacious
areas, nor were there any loud echoes.
In addition, from time to time the sharp sound of wind would whistle
through the stone cracks. Although
the scuffling sound of their footsteps never ceased, it became one with the
surroundings.
胡妁最怕密閉空間，三人愈是深入，她心中愈是緊張。到後來，她終於忍不住了，往前抓住李不俗的手，輕聲說：「還有多遠？」
Hu
Shuo had a dread of being trapped in a closed space. As the three of them went deeper in the
cave, she became increasingly nervous.
Finally, unable to stand it
any longer, she moved
ahead and grabbed Li Busu’s hand, whispering, “How far is it?”
李不俗大驚，回身一把掩住胡妁的嘴巴，一面仔細聆聽，還好沒有什麼動靜。這才放手，慎重地對胡妁搖搖頭，並抓起她的手，放在她的嘴巴上。
Startled, Li Busu turned and
covered Hu Shuo’s mouth with his hand, listening closely. Fortunately, there was not the slightest
stir. Only then did he remove his
hand and shake his head sternly at Hu Shuo. Taking her own hand, he placed it on her
mouth.
又走了幾個轉折，漸漸聽到嗡嗡的人聲。再走一會，在縫隙窾漏中，竟有絲絲晃動不停的光影投了過來。
After rounding a few more bends,
they gradually began to hear the hum of human voices. After walking a little further there
were rays of wavering light seeping through the crevices.
李不俗掩在一塊大石後面，前面傳來的人聲已經非常清晰。文祥與胡妁跟過去探頭一看，前面是個圓聳明豁、可容二三十人的空穴，顯然經過人力開鑿，中間一片甚是平坦。約有二十多個人圍坐在地，四週豎著二十餘支篝火。那火把很像舊時的煤氣燈，火焰略帶青色，向上急噴而出，看上去溫度極高。
Li
Busu hid behind a large rock. The
human voices coming from ahead was now very clear. Wen Xiang and Hu Shuo followed Li Busu and
stuck their heads out to look.
There was a round, lofty, and well-lit hollow with a capacity to seat 20
to 30 people. It had seemingly been
hollowed out by manpower. An open
area in the middle was quite flat.
There were some 20-odd people sitting in a circle on the ground,
surrounded by over 20 torch-lamps.
These torches closely resembled old-fashioned gas lamps, their
bluish-tinted flames shooting upwards.
The temperature appeared to be very high.
正在說話的是一個白種女子，她金黃的長髮垂肩，眉目清秀，看上去約有二十來歲。她的神態極為堅定，說話時常用手拂開散落的秀髮。只聽她說：「成敗當然不是重點，但是摩爾那批人怎麼辦？」
A
Caucasian woman was talking. Her
blond hair came down to her shoulders.
Her beautiful, delicate face which made her look like she was in her
20s. She was elegant and poised. As she talked, she kept brushing the
loose hair away from her face. All
they could hear were her words, “Whether we succeed or not doesn’t matter. But how about Moor and his people?”
坐在她右側的是一個中年白種人，他也是一頭金色長髮，一身太空勁裝，他說：「珍妮！別管摩爾了，他們有他們的計劃，我們有我們的方法。」
Sitting
to her right was a middle-aged Caucasian.
He also had long blond hair and was dressed in a fashion modeled after
astronauts. He said, “Jenny, forget
about Moor. They have their own
plan and we have ours.”
珍妮說：「沒有摩爾的混碼器，我們的方法絕不可行！」
Jenny said, “Without Moor’s
scrambler, there’s no way our plan can work!”
哈瑞笑著說：「貝西！妳告訴她！」
Harry laughed and said,
“Betsy! You tell her!”
在圓圈的另一邊，貝西斜躺在一個壯漢懷中，懶洋洋地說：「唉呀！哈瑞，這有什麼好說的？你又不是不瞭解珍妮！她只想著摩爾那玩意！」
On
the other side of the circle, Betsy was lying in the arms of a muscular
man. She spoke lazily, “Oh, Harry,
what’s there to tell? You know all
about Jenny! All she cares about is
Moor's 'what-d'ye-call-'it!'”
珍妮一聽大怒，手一抬，一點黃光直撲貝西而去。
When
Jenny heard this, she was furious.
Raising her hand, a dot of yellow light shot towards Betsy.
那壯漢不慌不忙，兩隻手指一挾，一粒黃色彈珠在他掌心上溜溜地轉。他一面把玩，一面輕蔑地說：「珍妮，不是我說妳，憑這種玩意，也想和當局作對……」話還沒說完，那彈珠突然爆炸，一股刺鼻欲嘔的臭氣，立時向四方激射。壯漢首當其衝，懷中的貝西也避之不及，二人連翻帶滾地躲開，一時又吐又嘔。鄰座諸人盡遭波及，頓時亂成一團。
The
muscular fellow leisurely seized it between two fingers. A yellow marble rolled around in his
palm. As he played with it, he
disdainfully said, “Jenny, I’m not giving you a lecture, but if you think you
can use this toy to take on the Authority…” Before he could finish, the marble
abruptly exploded, and a harsh nauseating stench spread throughout the
area. The muscular man was the
first to be attacked so there was no time for Betsy, who was in his arms, to
duck. They scrambled and rolled
about on the ground to get away.
Instantly they were retching and vomiting. All those sitting near them were
affected. Chaos suddenly erupted.
珍妮笑得打跌，連呼：「狗屎！狗屎！」
Jenny laughed so hard and
she fell over. She screamed, “Oh,
shit! Shit!”
壯漢罵道：「婊子養的！」
The strong man cursed,
“Dirty bitch!”
珍妮說：「這只是給你們一個警告，等中了香彈，你們連叫饒都來不及了！」
Jenny said, “That was just a
warning. Wait until the scented
marble gets you. You won’t even
have time to beg for mercy!”
壯漢還在叫罵，總算那貝西識相，捂住鼻子，一把將他拉到洞外去了。這時洞內臭氣瀰漫，人人掩鼻不迭。哈瑞皺著眉頭，歎氣說：「也難怪別人瞧我們不起，除了自己臭自己，我們還能做什麼？」
The
muscular fellow continued to bellow.
But fortunately Betsy was tactful.
Covering her nose, she dragged him from the hollow. By this time the offensive smell filled
the entire area. Everyone kept
their noses covered. Harry frowned
and sighed, “No wonder others are contemptuous of us. Aside from stinking one another, what
else are we good for?”
珍妮說：「都是貝西！她憑什麼罵我？」
Jenny said, “It was all Betsy’s
fault! What makes her think she can
swear at me?”
「有人敢罵妳嗎？算了吧！我們解散算了！」
“Who would dare swear
at you? Never mind! Let’s just get out of here!”
「解散就解散！嚇倒誰了？」
“So be it! Who cares?”
珍妮站起身來，回頭拿起火炬就往洞口走去，哈瑞和其他幾個人，也無精打采地站了起來。
Jenny stood up. She turned around, picked up a torch,
and began moving toward the cave entrance.
Harry and a few of the others listlessly got to their feet.
這時，一個面目白淨，鷹鼻鷂眼的小個子，坐在地上大聲說：「我們果真又被摩爾說中了，烏合之眾就是烏合之眾！每開一次會，就吵一次架！不成氣候到這個地步，還想成大事？我看還是回去做小偷算了！」
At that moment, a small hawk-nosed
fellow of fair complexion and sparrow-eyes, was seated on the ground, from
which he said loudly, “Moor was right about us. We’re nothing but rabble! Every time we meet we wind up
quarreling! We’re so callow yet
still hope to accomplish great deeds?
I think we’d better go back to being thieves!”
哈瑞忿忿地說：「尼克，你在說誰？」
Harry was annoyed, “Nick,
who’re you talking about?”
尼克說：「說誰有什麼關係呢？問題在我講得對不對？」
Nick said, “Does it
matter? The question is, am I’m
right or not?”
珍妮已經走到半路，聽了這話又回過頭來，平靜地說：「尼克，你說我們烏合之眾是對的！說我們每開一次會就吵一架那就錯了，我們是隨時在吵，天天在吵，誰也不服誰！要說我們不成氣候，不妨等著瞧！至於小偷嘛，你自己去做吧！」
Jenny
had already gone halfway, but when she heard this she turned back and said
quietly, “Nick, you’re right about us being a bunch of rabble! But if you say we quarrel every time we
meet, you’re wrong. We’re liable to
quarrel at any moment, we quarrel everyday. Nobody listens to anybody! As for being callow, let’s wait and
see! As for being a thief, you go
right ahead!”
尼克說：「唉，只可惜最後一次機會就這樣浪費了，可惜呀可惜！」
Nick said, “Ai, it’s just a
pity we’ve wasted our last chance.
Really a pity!”
珍妮說：「不要危言聳聽好不好？都長生不老了，最後一次多得不得了！」
Jenny said, “Stop trying to attract
attention by being so alarmist.
We’re immortals. We’ll have
many last chances!”
尼克問：「妳是真不知道，還是裝著不知道？」
Nick asked, “You mean you
really don’t understand or just pretending you don’t?”
珍妮詫異地說：「難道你還知道什麼我不知道的事？」
Jenny was surprised, “Do you
mean to say you know something I don’t know?”
尼克說：「妳真不知道河圖洛書再度問世？」
Nick said, “You truly don’t
know that the Hetu Luoshu (Note 1) has
once again surfaced?”
珍妮說：「我當然知道，又怎樣？」
Jenny said, “Of course I
do. So?”
尼克說：「又怎樣？以後再也沒有機會了！」
Nick said, “So? So in the future there’ll be no more
chances!”
珍妮哼了一聲，說：「憑那些小道消息？你也太蠢了！」
Jenny snorted, “Those
rumors? You’re really stupid!”
尼克大叫：「小道消息？算了吧，妳們回去做夢吧！我們另起爐灶！」
Nick replied loudly,
“Rumors? Forget it. You guys go home and dream on! We’ll start all over again!”
哈瑞急問道：「河圖洛書怎麼又扯上最後一次機會了？」
Hurriedly, Harry asked,
“What’s the Hetu Luoshu got to do with
having a last chance?”
尼克說：「據說在公元前二千九百五十年，也就是距今整整五千年前，在中國的洛水，有龍馬馱書而出。後人根據這本書裡的符號，設計了中國歷史上第一本書易經，這本出自洛水的書又稱河圖洛書。」
Nick said, “It is said that
in 2950 B.C., which is exactly 5,000 years ago, a dragon-horse emerged from the
River Luo in
哈瑞笑了，說：「不錯，這些話珍妮早告訴我們了，誰都知道河圖洛書不過是十進位的矩陣對稱排列表，又怎樣呢？你相信這些廢話？」
Harry
laughed and said, “Right. Jenny
already told us this. Everybody
knows that Hetu Luoshu is nothing but
a symmetric
matrix table employing the decimal system.
So what? You believe in such
rubbish?”
尼克不慌不忙地說：「那麼你一定也聽說過，當今的智慧電腦，是根據《易經》的結構設計的！」
Nick
said quietly, “Then you must have heard that today’s AI computer is designed
along the lines of the ‘Yi Jing’
structure!”
哈瑞說：「你是說，照五千年前的那個河圖洛書設計的？」
Harry said, “You mean, it
was designed according to the Hetu Luoshu
of 5,000 years ago?”
尼克說：「這我就不知道了，但是姜森先生跟我說，目前的智慧電腦有個非常重大的缺點，就是判斷力不足。他研究不二老人遺留下來的文件，發現那老頭原來是有意這樣做的，很可能是不讓電腦有判斷力！」
Nick said, “That I don’t know. But Mr. Johnson told me that there was a
major flaw in the present AI computer.
The flaw is that it lacks judgement. He has been studying the documents left
by Buer Lao and discovered that the old man did it on purpose. It’s possible he didn’t want the
computer to have the power of judgement.”
哈瑞說：「你越說我越不懂，這又與那張圖有什麼關係？」
Harry said, “The more you talk
about it, the less I understand.
What does it have to do with that Hetu?”
尼克說：「道理很簡單，姜森相信不二老人已經把判斷模組設計完成，而且就在電腦中樞裡邊，只要一組密碼，就可以開啟判斷的功能！」
Nick said, “It’s simple. Johnson believes that Buer Lao had
already finished the design of a decision module and that it’s right there in
the CPU. All it takes is a set of
passwords to activate the judgement-making function!”
哈瑞也猜到了，緊張地問道：「姜森說這個圖就是密碼？」
Harry had also thought of
that. He asked nervously, “Johnson
said this Hetu contains the
passwords?”
尼克說：「姜森說，不二老人很神秘，和牛頓一樣，相信宿命、重視象數。因此河圖洛書可能只是個象徵，當它再度出世時，表示一個新的時代即將到臨。以他的判斷，很可能就是開啟判斷功能的訊號，電腦如果得到了，把預設的程式打開，就會有自己的判斷能力，到那時……」
Nick said, “Johnson said Buer Lao was
very mysterious. Like Newton, he
believed in destiny and gave great importance to the study of the eight
diagrams. Therefore, Hetu Luoshu is
possibly just a symbol. When it
comes out again, it will herald the coming of a new era. In his judgement, it’s a signal for
activating the judgement-making function.
If the computer obtains this, it’ll open the pre-set program and possess
judgement-making ability. By that
time…”
珍妮插口說：「這只是他的臆測，你怎麼隨便就相信了？」
Jenny interrupted, “That was just a
guess on his part. How could you
believe him so easily?”
尼克說：「妳記得摩爾上次說的話吧？他已經知道為什麼電腦判斷力不足，目前只是不想去碰那組密碼而已。」
Nick said, “Remember what Moor said last
time? He already knew why the
computer lacks judgement. He just
doesn’t want to have anything to do with passwords right now.”
這一席話聽得人人動容，他們大部分是高級科學家，擁有各種專業技術。他們相當清楚智慧電腦的缺點在哪裡，正因如此，他們才不服氣，認為人類竟然甘願受那沒有判斷力的「智慧」電腦箝制，簡直是不能忍受的恥辱。尤其是摩爾曾經當他們的面，證明了電腦很容易受騙，更堅定了他們的決心。
Everybody
was visibly affected by these words.
Most of them were highly trained scientists among whom could be found
every manner of professional skills.
They knew quite well where the flaw lay in AI. That’s why they couldn’t accept the fact
that human beings were willing to allow the computer, which had no sense of
judgement, to suppress them. It was
an intolerable humiliation. This
was especially so when Moor demonstrated right before their eyes how easy it
was to deceive the computer. They
became even more determined.
在理論上，給智慧電腦裝一個判斷模組，應該不是難事，連小貓小狗都有判斷力，為什麼智慧電腦會沒有呢？尼克說的不錯，電腦一旦有了判斷力，不論是高是低，對人類的未來而言，都將是墜入深淵，再無翻身的機會了。
In
theory, it is not difficult to install a decision module for AI. Even little kittens and puppies are able
to judge. Why didn’t the AI have
it? Nick was right. Once the computer obtained this ability,
whether for good or for bad, man’s future would be doomed. There would be no more hope for human
beings.
所有的人都靜了下來，慢慢的地走回原位，又圍成一圈。只有珍妮，猶自抱著火把，站在那裡垂首沉思，看樣子是陷入了長考。
Everyone
fell silent. They slowly returned
to their seats and again formed a circle.
Only Jenny, torch in hand, remained standing there, her head bowed in
thought. She seemed sunken in deep
meditation.
洞內靜悄悄地，除了眾人的呼吸聲，就剩下石縫中傳來的嘶嘶風聲。
The cave was still. Except for the sound of breathing, the
only sound to reach them was the rasping of the wind coming through the cracks.
過了很久，珍妮才抬起頭來，對一個短髮青年說：「若伯森！你快去請三位長老來！快！」那青年聽了，拔腳就跑。珍妮大喝道：「慢慢走，放自然一點！」
After
a long while Jenny raised her head again.
Addressing a shorthaired young man she said, “Robertson! Go and ask the three Elders to come
here! Quick!” As soon as the young man heard this, he
took off at a run. Jenny shouted,
“Slow down! Act more natural!”
若伯森好像省悟過來了，調整了一下呼吸，慢步走出洞外。
Robertson appeared to grasp her
meaning. He adjusted his breathing
and slowly walked out of the cave.
珍妮也回到座位上，對眾人說：「老實說，我一直不相信我們能有什麼作用，每次來開會，總懷著一點期望。但是，一次一次只看到我們的無能、自私、愚昧、輕狂，所以今天我不要三位長老來參加。」
Jenny went back to her seat and said to
others, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t believe we could do anything to make a
difference, but every time I’ve attended our meetings, I’ve always hoped. However, time and time again, I saw that
we’re incompetent, selfish, stupid, and impetuous. That was why I didn’t want the three
Elders to come to the meeting today.”
貝西說：「珍妮姐既然對我們沒有信心，現在為什麼又要冒這個風險呢？」
Betsy said, “Since sister Jenny
has no confidence in us, why are you taking this risk now?”
珍妮一聽貝西改稱她「姐」了，也報以善意的微笑，說：「其實我們一點風險都沒有，這種秘密結社不過是一種促進人性團結的行為。」
When
Jenny heard Betsy call her “sister” she gave her with a friendly smile in
return and said, “Actually, we’re not taking any risks. This kind of secret society is merely an
activity to promote collaboration among humans.”
貝西不解：「妳是說，我們這樣做電腦不管，還是不知道？」
Betsy didn’t understand, “Are you saying
the computer doesn’t care what we’re doing, or that it’s unaware?”
珍妮說：「電腦怎麼可能不知道？我們是在利用電腦所缺乏的判斷力，只要我們的行為沒有觸犯它認定的有害範疇，那就一點危險都沒有！」
Jenny
said, “How could the computer not know?
We’re just using what the computer doesn’t have: our judgement
ability. As long as we don’t do
anything that has been declared harmful, we’re in no danger at all!”
哈瑞說：「妳怎麼知道觸犯了沒有呢？」
Harry said, “How do you know
whether or not we’re violating any rules?”
珍妮說：「這太容易了，電腦的模式是固定的，只要它認定有害，就一定會處置。只是所謂的處置，除了重刑犯送到金星監獄外，其他都不足道介。我們曾仔細地觀察記錄，把它的處理模式詳細整理分類，作成我們的『行動手冊』。」
Jenny said, “It’s very simple. The computer has a fixed method. As long as it affirms that something is
harmful, it will deal with it. But
this so-called ‘dealing with it’, aside from sending the most dangerous
criminals to the prison on Venus, other punishments are so trivial they are not
worth mentioning. We’ve made a
thoroughly documented study that categorizes in detail the manner in which
these problems were handled. This
serves as our ‘operation manual’.”
哈瑞終於懂了：「萬一電腦有了判斷力呢？」
Finally Harry
understood. “What if the computer
acquires the ability to judge?”
珍妮說：「我們只好永生做夢去了！」
Jenny said, “Then we’ll just
dream on forever!”
尼克激動地說：「姜森就是這樣說的！他還說不論這個傳言是真是假，但絕對是我們最後一次，而且唯一的一次機會！」
Speaking
with feeling, Nick said, “That was what Johnson said! Furthermore, he said that no matter if
this rumor was true or not, it would definitely be our last and only chance!”
貝西說：「什麼機會？難道憑我們這幾塊料，就能推翻電腦王國？」
Betsy said, “What chance? Do you mean to say just the few of us
can overthrow the computer empire?”
珍妮說：「這是我的錯，我沒有告訴你們。我們的目標不是推翻電腦，而是要阻止這個河圖的出現，或者毀掉它！」
Jenny said, “This is my
error. I didn’t tell you. Our goal is not to topple the computer,
but to either stop the appearance of this Hetu,
or else destroy it!”
「好哇！這才好玩！」有幾個人聽了，興奮地大叫。
“Oh, great! This
is fun!” Upon hearing this, some
people exclaimed with enthusiasm.
珍妮正色說：「這正是我所擔心的，如果大家存著好玩的心理，還能成事嗎？」
Looking serious Jenny said, “This is
exactly what I’m worried about. If
everyone regards it as mere fun, will we be able to succeed?”
尼克說：「這點我的看法不同，假如把這件事當做尋寶，大家一定都有興趣，一定會更投入，成功率必然更高。」
Nick said, “I don’t
agree. If we treat this matter as a
treasure hunt, everyone will be interested. They’ll become even more deeply
involved, thereby improving our chances for success.”
珍妮還要開口，就聽得若伯森在外頭喊道：「長老到！」
Jenny was going to say
something, but Robertson was shouting outside, “The Elders are here!”
大家一聽，立刻都站了起來。珍妮首先鼓掌，一時洞內掌聲如雷。
Upon hearing this, everybody rose
to their feet. Jenny was the first
to begin clapping. For a moment,
the applause resounded like thunder within the cave.
在若伯森之後，有三位老者魚貫進入，為首的一位已有七八十歲，白髮白鬚，兩眼炯炯，不嚴而威。一身白色連帽罩袍，除了面龐外，全身都遮掩在罩袍下。另一位身著黑袍，黑髮黑鬚，跟在白袍長老左後方。還有一位褐髮褐鬚褐袍，跟在右後方。三人的位置恰成一正三角形，步伐整齊一致。他們最引人注目的地方，是胸前各掛著一個純金鑲紅寶石的十字架，起碼有三十公分高、五六公斤重！
The
three Elders filed in behind Robertson.
The first one was about 70 or 80 years old. Both his hair and beard were white. His eyes were piercing and dignified without being
harsh. He was wearing a white
cowl. Apart from his face, his cowl
covered him entirely. The second
one was wearing a black cowl. Both
his hair and beard were dark. He
walked behind the White-cowled Elder, and to his left. The other one had brown hair and beard and
wore a brown cowl. He walked to the
right rear. The three of them
happened to form a perfect triangle as they advanced in step. The most eye-catching thing about them
was that each of them had a cross made of solid gold and inlayed with rubies,
suspended on their chests. These
crosses were at least 30 cm long and must have weighed about 5 or 6 kilos!
白衣長老一進來，略一環視，待掌聲停止後，扯起尖銳的嗓門，問道：「今天到底有幾個人參加會議？」
As soon as the white-cowled Elder
came in, he looked around. After
the applause had stopped, he raised his high-pitched voice and asked, “How many
people are here for the meeting?”
珍妮忙說：「一共是三十四人！」
Jenny quickly replied, “All
together, 34 people.”
白衣長老厲聲說：「不對！是三十七人！」
The White-cowled Elder said
sharply, “That’s not right! There
are 37!”
珍妮解釋說：「連長老在內才是三十七人！」
Jenny explained, “Counting
the Elders, there’s only 37!”
白衣長老說：「連我們就是四十人了！」
The White-cowled Elder said,
“If it includes us, it’s 40!”
哈瑞立刻四下張望，說：「那一定有外人混進來了！快找！」
Harry immediately looked
about him, saying, “Then there must be outsiders among us! Find them!”
白衣長老一擺手，說：「不必找，我保證他們不出三分鐘，就會自動前來報到。」接著，三位長老保持三角形位置，各自舉起十字架，放在嘴上吻了一吻，然後向天拱禮。其餘諸人都垂手肅立，直到長老們在珍妮身邊坐定了，大夥才一一坐下。
The
White-cowled Elder waved and said, “Never mind. I promise you that in less than three
minutes, they’ll come out to announce their presence.” Following this, while remaining in their
triangular formation, each of the three elders raised his cross to his lips. Then kissing their crosses, they saluted
heaven with their hands folded. The hands of the
others hung by their side and they stood in silence. It was not until the Elders sat down
next to Jenny that the others took their seats.
白衣長老對尼克說：「姜森可好？」
The White-cowled Elder
said to Nick, “How’s Johnson?”
尼克起立欠身說：「謝謝長老，姜森要我代為致敬。」
Nick got up and made a gesture in
greetings. “Thank you, sir. Johnson asked me to give you his
regards.”
白衣長老說：「不客氣。你結婚沒有？」
The White-cowled Elder said,
“You’re welcome. Are you married?”
尼克說：「結婚十年了，只是沒有孩子。」
Nick said, “I’ve been
married for 10 years. But we don’t
have children.”
白衣長老歎口氣說：「豈止是你！所以我一再說，電腦就是魔鬼！放心，上帝只是考驗我們，大家要有信心。」
The
White-cowled Elder sighed. “Not only
you! That’s why I say it, again and
again. The computer is the
Devil! But never fear. God is only testing us. We must have faith.”
眾人異口同聲說：「阿門！」
Speaking as one voice, the
audience intoned “Amen!”
三位長老一出現，李不俗心裡就開始打鼓，他早聽說過這三個老人非常厲害。及至長老猜出他們在場，還說三分鐘之內一定會現身，他就知道不妙了。
As
soon as the 3 Elders appeared, Li Busu had butterflies in his stomach. He had heard that these three old men
were very shrewd. When one of them
guessed they were present and said that they would appear within 3 minutes, he
knew they were in trouble.
他正在尋思對策，胡妁忽然覺得全身發癢，用手一摸，竟是一些蠕動不已的小蟲。胡妁嚇得花容失色，張口就要大叫，李不俗正打算叫二人趕快離開，回頭一看胡妁神情怪異，連忙伸出手去，一把將她的嘴巴掩住。
Just as he was considering their options,
Hu Shuo suddenly began to itch all over. Brushing herself, she found wriggling
worms. Hu Shuo’s face turned pale
with fear and she opened her mouth to scream. As Li Busu was on the verge of telling
them to hurry up and leave, he saw Hu Shuo’s odd expression. He quickly reached out and covered her mouth with his hand.
不掩還好，他手一伸出來，李不俗才發現自己手上爬滿了蜈蚣，身上也開始發癢，彷彿千百萬隻蜈蚣附身，不停地在各處鑽來鑽去。火星上怎麼會有這些昆蟲呢？胡妁與李不俗明知這只是幻境，但是那種萬腳鑽身的感覺，卻是如假包換。
It’d have been better if he hadn’t. As soon as he stretched out his hand, Li Busu found his own hand and arm crawling with centipedes. Then his body began to itch. It felt like millions of them were crawling back and forth all over his entire body. How could there be centipedes on Mars? Hu Shuo and Li Busu knew this was only an illusion.