第十七回：群山萬壑赴荊門
Chapter 17
“Countless mountain
ranges separate Jing Men from this place.”
一個藍色的氣球，上面浮著幾抹白色雲卷，在眼前越來越大。突然，陣陣濃厚的雲層撲面而至，四週茫茫一片，真實與虛幻交相夾雜。闊別了將近一年的地球，原已深埋在遙遠的回憶裡，終於由充滿視野的澄藍中，浮現了一脈含黛的青山。
With
patches of wreathed white clouds floating over its surface, the blue balloon
loomed bigger and bigger before the eyes.
Suddenly, waves of thick clouds came rushing towards him; an
impenetrable mist, where reality and illusion were intermixed, enclosed him from
all directions. After being gone
from Earth for almost a year, from long-since deeply buried memories, a range
of blackish green mountains at last emerged in the eye-filling pure azure.
既熟悉又陌生，令人失望灰心，卻又無能捨去，那就是自己的家鄉。文祥只恨自己無力回天，難以挽救這曾是勃勃的生命之源。觸目所及，人人只顧己欲，既愚且貪，把一片美好的莊園，糟蹋成令人難忍的廢墟。
It
was familiar and yet, strange; a disappointment, and yet, one was unable to
ignore it. It was one’s native
land. Wen Xiang
hated not being able to reverse what had been done. It would be impossible to restore this once flourishing source
of life. Everywhere he looked,
people cared only for their own pleasures.
Foolish and greedy, they had ruined this once beautiful parkland and
reduced it to an intolerable rubble
經過了這趟火星之旅，至少，文祥已經感覺到，只有擺脫個人的桎梏，才能看清事物真正的面目。然而自己的枷鎖又是什麼呢？他隱隱地感覺到了，卻還摸不清那是什麼，更不知道鎖住哪裡，也就別談要如何開鎖了。
Following
this trip to Mars, Wen Xiang had, at least, begun to
sense that only when people had cast off their personal shackles would they be
able to see the truth of things.
But what were his shackles?
He had a vague feeling about this, but couldn’t be sure what it
was. He didn’t even know what part
of him was shackled, not to mention how to unlock them.
刺激引發成長，人類如此，電腦亦如此。人類文明就是全體人類所累積的經驗，讓人生認知更加完整，電腦文明則是以純粹的思維，邁向宇宙的另一個境界。方向正確了，然後才是時間的過程，文祥沒有什麼好著急的，他才剛剛跨出第一步。
Stimulation roused
development. It is so for both
human beings and the computer.
Man's civilization is the accumulated experience of the entire human
race and enables an ever more perfect understanding of Man's life. The civilization of the computer is to
advance to another realm of the universe through means of pure thought. When the direction is correct, then it's
just a matter of time. Wen Xiang was not in any hurry. He had just taken his first step.
二○五○年七月三十日，文祥回到了地球，他在北京星際太空站登陸後，準備乘坐垂直重力梭，轉道桂林，然後由桂林到ＡＣＧ一○七Ｎ二二號電腦城，也就是舊時的崇左，以赴衣紅等四人之約。
On
July 30th, 2050, Wen Xiang returned to
Earth. After he disembarked at the
Star Space Station in Beijing, he prepared to take the vertical gravitation
shuttle to Guilin and from there transfer to
computerized city No. CG107N22, formerly known as Chongzuo,
in order to keep his date with Yi Hong and others.
在金頂寺那段慘痛的經歷，讓文祥對自己又增加了一分瞭解。事後他回憶起來，衣紅當時大喊：「不是他！」就算自己是他，他又是誰呢？打從認識衣紅的第一天起，自己並沒有對她說出真相，雖然也沒有騙她。可是，為了完成電腦交待的任務，不論是指那個龍符，或是其他任何崇高的目的，兩個人的立場一直是涇渭分明的。
The
painful experience at the Golden Roof Monastery had enabled Wen Xiang to understand himself a little better. Afterwards he remembered that at the
time, Yi Hong had shouted, “It’s not him!”
But even if he had been the one, who was he? From the first day of meeting Yi Hong,
he hadn’t told her the real situation, but he hadn’t lied to her, either. However, in order to fulfill the mission
entrusted to him by the computer, no matter if it was the Dragon Spell or any
other higher goal, the two of them had always had different points of
view.
為什麼衣紅一再強調那個「他」呢？而且最後果然在巧得不能再巧的情況下，一個不該出現的他竟然出現了。這又是什麼道理呢？隱隱約約地，文祥嗅到了某種氣息，他有種直覺，這件事代表了某種意義，正是他必須面對的。
Why
did Yi Hong keep on emphasizing a “him”?
And in the end, this person, who wasn’t supposed to show up, had
unexpectedly appeared in circumstances which couldn’t be more
coincidental. What did it
mean? Vaguely, Wen Xiang sensed something. His instinct told him there was some
sort special meaning to this affair and that was what he must face up to.
文祥平素老以為自己清高正直，但光就這件事來說，如果早先便同衣紅說明，自己奉有當局的任命，那現在情況就完全不同了。那種自以為是的正直，沒有通過事實的考驗，反而產生了不必要的複雜。
Ordinarily,
Wen Xiang had always regarded himself as being moral
and upright. But on the basis of
this alone, if, from the beginning, he had told Yi Hong he was undertaking a
mission on behalf of the Bureau, the present situation would have been
completely different. His
conception of his own moral integrity had not passed the factual test. On the contrary, it had created
unnecessary complications.
不錯，他必須執行任務，而她也分明帶有反抗情結。但是，普天之下，不論任何事都離不開一個「理」字，如果自己有心瞭解，事情未必會落到今天這種地步。至少，衣紅不會誤以為自己所扮演的角色，就是那個「他」！他也不必忍受良心的煎熬。
No
mistake, he had to carry out his mission.
But obviously there was something of the rebel about her. However, no matter where you went there
was no getting away from the concept of “reason”. If he had had been of a mind to
understand this, things wouldn’t have come to this past. At least Yi Hong wouldn’t have
mistakenly regarded the role he was acting as that of “him”! And his conscience did not have to
endure this torment.
時序是無情的，現實是殘忍的，過去的事物埋藏在心靈深處，偶而點點滴滴卻浮上心頭。也正是這種因素，人在檢討中有了自覺，在自覺中啟發了反省修正的動力。這趟火星之行，不僅是電腦，連文祥也在搖撼中甦醒過來，開始了新的旅程。
Time is without mercy and reality is cruel. The past is buried deep within our souls and from time to time bits of it will appear in our hearts. And this is the precise reason why one is able to achieve self-awareness through reflection. This self-awareness is the motivation that leads to self-examination and correction. On this trip to Mars, not just the computer, but Wen Xiang, too, had jolted into wakefulness and embarked on a new journey.
文祥不能否認衣紅所展現的異性吸引力，但是對他而言，衣紅似乎代表了另一層更深的意義。事後檢討起來，由個性來看，最令自己心折的，是她那股堅毅不服輸的倔勁，以及狡黠聰慧的才智。自己遇事總是逆來順受，一切能躲則躲，可藏必藏。正因如此，兩人才會陰陽相吸，正負互補，一股暗流在心底激盪不止。
Wen
Xiang couldn’t deny Yi Hong’s attraction as a member
of the opposite sex. But to him, Yi
Hong seemed to represent another level of deeper meaning. Afterwards, when reviewing it in his
mind, judging from the standpoint of her character, he was most attracted by
her stubbornness, unwillingness to admit defeat, and sharp-witted
intelligence. Whenever something happened
to him he always accepted it without protest. Everything that was possible to avoid,
he avoided. If it could be hidden,
then he would hide it. This was
exactly the reason why the two of them were attracted to each other, like yin and yang, or positive and negative energies that complement each
other. An undercurrent ceaselessly
surged in his heart.
然而文祥事先並沒有看到這些，就好像未覺悟前的電腦當局一樣，凡事等因奉此，照章行事。電腦被二○二四宣言束縛，文祥則被電腦的命令困住了，分明事先可以輕易解決的，偏偏要到錯誤鑄成後，這才椎心泣血，悔不當初。
However,
Wen Xiang didn’t perceive these things at first. It was just like the Computer Authority
Bureau before its awakening, where everything had been about red tape and
following orders. The computer was
restricted by the 2024 Declaration and Wen Xiang was
trapped by the computer’s order.
Things that initially could have been easily handled had to wait until
mistakes were made before being resolved.
But by that time there was bitter remorse for the way things had been
done at the very beginning.
電腦在這次事件中浴火重生了，文祥卻陷入了痛苦的深淵。
The computer had risen from
the ashes of this incident while Wen Xiang had fallen
into a deep chasm of misery.
現在文娃變得主動了，她對文祥說：「你的血醣偏低，顯然情緒不佳。照理你應該高興才是，畢竟我們剛度過了難關。」
Now
Wen Wa took the initiative. She told Wen Xiang,
“Your blood sugar is a little bit low.
Obviously you’re not in a good mood. According to theory, you’re supposed to
be happy. After all, we’ve just
passed a difficult challenge.”
「 那是妳！」
“That was you!”
「不，是我們！」
“No, it was us!”
「別忘了，我只是妳的介面。」
“Don’t forget I was
only your interface.”
「你現在還是呀！你別忘了，教主說過災關之後就是情關。對我而言，情又在哪裡呢？不可能是你吧！如果是，我倒要少關心你一點！」
“And you still are!
And don’t you forget, the sect leader said that after the challenge of
catastrophe would come the challenge of love. As far as I’m concerned, where is
love? It couldn’t be you! But if it is, I’d better not care for
you too much!”
「妳的情關是我？」文祥不禁笑出聲來：「那妳為全人類服務，豈不是變成大眾情人了？」
“Your challenge of love is me?” Wen Xiang
couldn’t help but laughing. “Since
you serve all of humanity, aren’t you loved by everyone?”
「是呀！我發覺思考判斷真不簡單！」
“That’s right! I’ve discovered that making judgement on
basis of thought is not very easy!”
「那妳就想妳的吧！不要管我。」
“Then think whatever
you like! Just leave me alone.”
「不行，你的內分泌不正常，是我職責所在，我不能不管。」
“No. Your endocrine system is not
normal. It’s my job. I can’t just ignore you.”
「那我告訴妳好了，我是在為衣紅擔心！」
“In that case I’ll
tell you. I’m worried about Yi
Hong!”
「對了，我真笨！衣紅是你的情關，這樣我更不能不管了。」
“Right, I’m really
stupid! Yi Hong is your challenge
of love. Even more reason for me
not to ignore you.”
「那麼，告訴我，她現在在哪裡，她好嗎？」
“O.k. Tell me. Where is she now? How is she?”
「老實告訴你吧，在我們的記錄上，她回崇左後就出城了。身體倒是很健康，只是和你一樣，血醣偏低，內分泌異常。」
“To tell you the truth, according to our
records, she left town after she came back to Chongzuo. Her health is pretty good, but like you,
her blood sugar is low and her endocrine system isn’t functioning normally.”
「妳能告訴我在金頂寺裡發生了什麼事嗎？」
“Could you tell me
what happened at the Golden Roof Monastery?”
「我真的不知道，那段資料全被紅教刪除了。」
“I really don’t
know. That data was completely
deleted by the Red Sect.”
「現在妳還認為她是妳們的敵人？」
“Now do you still
regard them as your enemy?”
「根據紅教提供的資料，我們已經修正了對她的看法，不過她的資料實在太少了。我們正在學習直覺式的思維方式，希望能給你明確的答案。」
“According to the data provided by the
Red Sect, we’ve corrected our viewpoint about her. However, there’s not enough data on her. We’re learning how to use a method of
instinctive thinking. We hope we’ll
be able to give you a definite answer.”
文祥知道文娃說的是實話，他不能不正視這個問題，如果不能自持，很可能就要栽在這個情關裡。自己對衣紅還談不上瞭解，就算沒有這件事，可能也會有其他事，讓兩個人之間永遠有一道樊籬相隔。因為先天上性格太不相同，在認知和行事上自然就處處有別，老早就貼上了矛盾的標籤。
Wen
Xiang knew Wen Wa was
telling the truth. He must confront
this problem. If he didn’t get hold
of himself, it was very possible that this challenge of love might trip him
up. Actually, he didn’t know Yi
Hong that well. Even if this
incident hadn’t taken place, there might be other incidents that would create a
barrier between them and separate them eternally. Because of differences in their
fundamental natures, their understanding and way of doing things were opposed
on every issue. They were already
labeled as contradictory.
在返回地球的太空船上，文祥一直感覺臉部不太舒服，他以為是在火星地洞中受到地熱輻射的影響，並沒有太在意。等回到了地球，一走出太空船，文祥就覺得面皮好像被什麼力量拉扯著。他趕緊走到服務台前，請求電腦診治。
On
the spaceship back to Earth, Wen Xiang’s face had
been feeling uncomfortable. He had
thought it might be due to the geo-heat radiation he’d been exposed to in the
Martian cave, so he didn’t pay it much heed. When he got back to Earth, as soon as he
walked out of the spacecraft, the skin on Wen Xiang's
face felt like it was being pulled by a force of some kind. He hurriedly walked over to the service
center and asked the computer for treatment.
地球上的醫療服務非常便利，除了私用電腦具備「生理治療」功能之外，若需要更進一步診治，在家中便由電腦遙診，若人在外頭，則可以到任何一個生理服務站，那裡有專業機器人負責診斷醫療。再嚴重的就送進站內的手術台，由電腦會診，決定是否要動手術、換器官等。
Medical service on Earth is very
convenient. Aside from the personal
computer, which comes equipped with a “physiological diagnosis” function, if
one needs an advanced diagnosis, the computer can perform distant diagnosis
while one sits at home. If the
person in question is outdoors, he can go to any of the physiological service
centers. There, a professional
robot is in charge of diagnosis and treatments. If one is seriously ill, he is sent to
surgery, where the computer will perform an overall check-up and decide whether
the person in question needs surgery or an organ replacement.
這專業機器人是由感測器、化驗器、分析器及資料庫所組合的儀器群，文祥一坐定，文娃就把他的血壓、體溫、血醣、尿酸、內分泌等資料，傳輸給醫療機器人。
The
professional robot was an assemblage of medical devices comprising a sensor,
laboratory, analyzer, and databank.
As soon as Wen Xiang sat down, Wen Wa passed on data relating to Wen Xiang’s
blood pressure, body temperature, blood sugar, uric acid, and endocrine system
to the medical robot.
機器人檢查了各種數據後，對文祥說：「恭喜你，你沒有病。」
After checking the various data, the
robot said to Wen Xiang, “Congratulations. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
「我沒有病？我的臉已經歪成這樣了！」
“I’m not ill? With my face has twisted like this!”
「你有異常的感覺，但那不是病。」
“You have an abnormal
feeling. But that is not an
illness.”
「既然異常，你就應該給我治療。」
“Since it’s abnormal,
you should be treating it for me.”
「對不起，這種情況我從來沒有碰過，不知道要如何治療？」
“I’m sorry. I’ve never seen anything like this
before. I don’t know how to treat
it.”
文祥不得已，只好問文娃：「這是怎麼回事？」
Frustrated, Wen Xiang had to ask Wen Wa, “What’s
going on?”
文娃說：「不要急，我們正在會商，醫藥系統很專業，我們平常也很少溝通。」
Wen Wa
said, “Be patient. We’re having a
discussion right this minute. The
medical system is highly specialized.
Usually, we seldom communicate with one another.”
「什麼！你們不是一體的嗎？怎麼還要溝通？」
“What! Aren’t you a single unit? Why do you need to communicate?”
「自從火星事件後，我們作了一系列的反省，才發現我們內部其實有很嚴重的矛盾。雖然意識中樞只有一個，但要處理人世間變化無盡的事務，我們卻不能不分工。現在我們認識到了，宇宙的規律只有一個，儘管表象無限，卻是井井有條。」
“Ever since the Martian incident, we’ve been doing a series
of self examinations. We found that
actually there were serious internal inconsistencies. Although we have only one consciousness
center, in order to handle never ending changes in world affairs, we have to
split up for different tasks. Now
we’ve learned that there is only one law in the universe. Irregardless of the multitude of outward
appearances, everything is in order.”
「可是，我的臉好像被撕開了一樣，能不能先給我麻醉一下？」
“But, I feel my face is being ripped
open. Could you first give me an
anaesthetic?”
「真的要麻醉？」
“Are you sure?”
文祥突然想到一件事，忙說：「等等，先給我聯絡百怪，他一定知道原因。」
Suddenly, something occurred
to Wen Xiang and he said hurriedly, “Wait, let me
contact Weirdo. He must know the
reason.”
話剛說完，百怪就出現在文祥面前了，百怪敲了一下自己的腦袋，說：「兄弟，對不起，我忘了給你易容的事了。因為熱輻射破壞了表皮細胞，又經過太空旅行，宇宙射線超過五○雷姆的最低劑量，所以產生了神經張弛現象。這不是病，機器人不會給你治療的，別急，你坐在那裡不要動，我來負責安排你的治療手續。」
He
had no sooner finished speaking when Weirdo appeared before Wen Xiang’s eyes.
Weirdo knocked himself on the head and said, “Brother, I’m sorry. I forgot that I changed your
appearance. The geo-heat radiation
has destroyed the cells on your skin surface. On top of that, during your return space
trip, cosmic rays exceeded the lowest tolerance of 50 rem,
thereby causing your nerves to alternately tense and relax. This is not an illness and the robot is
not going to treat you. Don’t
worry. Just sit tight. I’ll be responsible for your treatment
procedure.”
有一個在附近閒逛，尋找新聞的記者，見文祥走進生理服務站，而機器人拒絕為他治療。記者大感興趣，馬上靠了過來。一看文祥正與百怪通話，他更是好奇，不待人請便湊近視訊圈中，對百怪說：「我能做個採訪嗎？」
A
reporter, wandering about looking for news, had seen Wen Xiang
enter the physiological service center and the robot’s refusal to treat
him. The reporter was greatly
intrigued and immediately approached him.
When he saw Wen Xiang talking to Weirdo, he was even more
curious. Without being asked, he
made his way close to the audiovisual circle and said to Weirdo, “May I
interview you?”
「不可以！」百怪說。
“No!” Weirdo said.
「請問您貴姓大名！」記者追問不捨。
“May I know your
name!” The reporter continued to
ask questions.
「不告訴你！」
“I won’t tell you!”
「你知道他得了什麼病嗎？」
“Do you know what
illness he has?”
「當然知道！」
“Of course!”
「你不敢告訴我！」
“You don’t dare tell
me!”
「笑話！為什麼不敢？」
“What a joke! Why not?”
「你敢說嗎？」
“Do you dare speak?”
「當然敢，不然敢什麼？」
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
「那你告訴我，這是什麼病？」
“Then tell me. What kind of illness is this?”
「不告訴你！」百怪吊足了胃口，把通訊中斷了。
“I won’t tell
you!” Weirdo had teased him to the
limit and then cut off communication.
記者只好打文祥的主意，問：「我能採訪你嗎？」
The reporter had no other
recourse but to turn to Wen Xiang, asking, “May I
interview you?”
「最好不要。」文祥說。
“Better not.” Wen Xiang
said.
「先生，這是重大新聞，電腦怎麼可以拒絕治病！幸而你還有那位專家協助。萬一有人也得了這種病，那他該求誰去？」
“Sir, this is important news. How could the computer refuse to treat
patients! It’s fortunate you have
that expert for assistance. What if
someone else has an illness like this, who could they turn for help?”
文祥想不出如何反駁他，只好照實說：「我也不知道得了什麼病，只是這個月初我曾經易容，後來又接受了過多的射線量，結果就變成這個樣子了。」
Wen
Xiang couldn’t think of any rebuttal so he might just
as well tell the truth. “I don’t
know what illness I have, except that at the beginning of this month I had my
appearance changed. Later I was
exposed to too much radiation and my present appearance is the result.”
那記者一聽，激動地說：「哇！這是獨家頭條重大的新聞呀！」
On hearing this, the
reporter said excitedly, “Wow! This
is a major scoop!”
「別開玩笑，據他們說，這連病都算不上。」
“Quit joking. According to them it’s not even an
illness.”
正說著，服務站內移出一張救護床，機器人對文祥說：「文祥先生，請平躺在床上，不要動。」
Just as they were talking,
the center produced a medical bed.
The robot said to Wen Xiang, “Mr. Wen Xiang, please lie down on the bed and don’t move.”
文祥正不知如何擺脫記者的糾纏，聞言立刻乖乖爬上救護床。記者還要追問，只見一道光簾捲下，救護床已經緩緩回移了。
Wen
Xiang had just been wondering how to get rid of the
reporter, so at these words he quickly and obediently climbed onto the medical
bed. The reporter still wanted to
ask more questions but a curtain of light descended and the medical bed was
already slowly returning.
內間只有三坪大小，六壁純淨潔白，一塵不染。救護床定位後，靜電系統發動，文祥只覺得全身毛孔突然張開，一陣輕煙飛起，微塵細菌霎時都被吸入一角的廢物槽中。接著又聞到一股消毒水的香氣，不多時，正對文祥臉部的天花板，緩緩綻開了一個圓洞，百怪的臉孔竟然出現在洞中。
The interior was only 3 ping in size and the six walls were pure white, without a speck of dust. When the bed was in place, the static electricity system started. Wen Xiang was only aware that all his pores had suddenly opened, and there was a waft of light smoke. Micro-dust bacteria were quickly sucked into a waste tank located in the corner. Following this, he smelled the aroma of disinfectant. Before long a round hole slowly opened up in the ceiling directly above Wen Xiang’s face. Weirdo’s face unexpectedly appeared in the hole.
「兄弟，老實告訴我，你要最新流行的面孔，還是要你自己！」
“Brother, tell me the
truth. Do you want the most
fashionable face or your own?”
「開玩笑！我是趕時髦的料嗎？」
“You must be kidding! Am I the kind of guy who cares about
being fashionable?”
「算你走運，如果你要趕流行，我就給你一個火星臉！」
“It’s your lucky
day. If you want to be fashionable,
I’ll give you a Martian face!”
「不用了，我已經有了！」
“No, thanks. I already have one!”
兩人正說著，百怪的身體好似裹著一層貼身的白膠布一般，從天花板下移到文祥面前。文祥知道這是一種「複製真實」的技術，原來人體不過是無數電子運動的軌跡，利用電場的掃瞄，將三維座標資料傳送到另一個時空系統，再依原座標重建電場，這邊就有了一個百怪的分身。複製真實多半用在醫療、科學實驗等重要場合，文祥沒有想到百怪竟然也有這種能力和技巧。
As
they were talking, Weirdo’s body, seemingly wrapped tightly with white tape,
slowly descended from the ceiling down to Wen Xiang’s
face. Wen Xiang
knew this was a kind of “facsimile reality” technique. Because the human body is nothing but
the tracks in which numerous electrons move, by scanning the electric field the
data from 3-D coordinates is transmitted to another time and space system. Next, based on the original coordinates,
an electric field is recreated and this place had a double of Werido.
Facsimile reality is mostly used on important occasions such as medical
treatment and scientific experiment.
Wen Xiang had never imagined that Weirdo also
possessed this kind of ability and technique.
百怪細心地給文祥剔除了損壞的表皮，修補了一些微血管及末梢神經，最後又在他臉上塗了一層藥膏，這才大功告成。
Weirdo
carefully removed Wen Xiang’s damaged skin and
repaired some small arterial branches and peripheral nerves. Afterwards he applied an ointment to Wen
Xiang’s face and the great task was
accomplished.
百怪看了又看：「我這是大材小用嘛！只能給你還原，一點成就感都沒有。」
Werido looked again
and again. “This is really a waste
of my talent! I was only allowed to
restore your former appearance.
There’s no sense of achievement for me.”
「放心，下次我要變怪物一定找你。」
“Don’t worry. The next time I want to become a
monstrosity, I’ll definitely look you up.”
「一句話！我有事走先。你休息一下，十分鐘後就可以離開了。」
“Done! I have other things to tend to so I’ll
leave you. Rest for bit. You can leave in ten minutes.”
「謝謝你！」
“Thank you!”
臉上原來的疼痛感，這時換成一種怪異感，文祥習慣了一個月的假面具，現在恢復正常，還是要經過另一次的習慣，真不知道怎樣才算正常，是最習慣的，還是最原始的？這樣想來，人生的真實恐怕也逃不出這個弔詭了。
The original pain was now replaced
by a strange sensation. Wen Xiang had grown accustomed to a false mask this past
month. Now that his face was back
to normal he would have to go through the experience of getting used to it yet
once again. How could one know what
was normal? Was it that which was
most familiar, or was it the original condition? Looked at in this way, the reality of
life probably could never free itself from this paradox.
時間到了，文祥走出服務站，不料記者還在那裡。文祥有點不高興，說：「對不起，我有隱私權。」
When the time was up, Wen Xiang stepped out of the service center. Unexpectedly, the reporter was still
there. Wen Xiang
was a little bit annoyed and said, “I’m sorry. I have a right to privacy.”
「先生，這是新聞！你要知道，全世界易過容的、想要易容的，或正在易容的人，起碼佔全部人口的百分之六七十！也就是說，全世界有七十億人會關心這件事。如果這是一種病，大家都有權利知道！」
“Sir, this is new!
You need to understand that at least 60 or 70 percent of the entire
population have either changed their appearance, wish to change their appearance,
or are in the midst of doing so! In
other words, 7 billion people in the world are concerned about this
matter. If this constitutes some
kind of illness, everyone has the right to know!”
文祥早有經驗，一扯上新聞，任何隱私都要曝光了。不過現代人也很健忘，有人天天服用遺忘丸，有人早就麻木了，甚至健忘成癮。上一次在月球的隕石新聞，已經過了二十幾天，想來不可能有人記得。再說自己離開地球很久了，親戚朋友又不多，也很少來往，反正不會有人認識，露露臉又有什麼關係？
Wen
Xiang had been through this before. Once it became a matter of news, all
forms of personal privacy would be laid bare. However, modern people were very
forgetful. Some people daily took
pills to forget. Others had already
become desensitized. What was more,
some were addicted to forgetting.
20 days had already elapsed since the last news about the large
meteorite and the moon. It was
highly unlikely that
anyone remembered. Furthermore, he
had been gone from Earth for a long time.
He didn’t have many friends and relatives and rarely had anything to do
with them. Anyway, nobody would
know him. So what could it matter
if he showed his face?
文祥想通了，便大方地說：「這不是病，不過所有易過容的人，要儘量避免高劑量的輻射線照射。我因為工作的關係，在火星上受到地熱的炙烤。這可能是第一個例子，電腦經過一次學習，今後就會治療了，請大家放心。」
Wen
Xiang stopped worrying and boldly said, “This isn’t
an illness. However, anyone who has
had their face changed should avoid high dosages of radiation as much as
possible. I was scorched by the
geo-heat on Mars because of my job.
I might be the first example.
After this initial experience the computer will know how to treat it in
the future. So everybody should
just relax.”
人怕出名豬怕肥，這一次曝光又帶來連串的困擾。突然間各形各色的同學、朋友、親戚都透過網絡通訊系統，一一冒出來了。有些文祥還有印象，有的連影子都摸不到，他又不忍心置之不理。他知道大家閒得慌了，除了做夢，沒事也要生點事。
“Man
is afraid of fame, like pigs are afraid of being fat.” This exposure brought Wen Xiang another series of headaches. Suddenly, one by one, all sorts of classmates,
friends, and relatives popped up through the Internet. Wen Xiang had
an impression of some of them, but not a clue about others. However, Wen Xiang
couldn’t harden his heart and ignore them.
He knew that everybody had lots of free time. Aside from dreaming, even if nothing was
happening they had to do something.
有一位堂兄文功，是文祥兒時的玩伴，已經有二十多年沒見面了，堅持邀他去做客。現在離八日之約還有好幾天，文功家在四川重慶，去崇左正好順路。文祥也想瞭解一下親友的狀況，便答應去住幾天。
Wen
Gong, a cousin of Wen Xiang, had been Wen Xiang’s childhood playmate. They hadn’t seen each other for over 20
years. He insisted on inviting Wen Xiang to come visit him. It was still several days before the
appointment on the 8th and Wen Gong’s home was in Chongqing, Sichuan, which happened to be on the way to Chongzuo.
Besides, Wen Xiang wanted to know how his
relatives and friends were doing so he agreed to stay with Wen Gong for a
couple of days.
文祥交待文娃，消除他在網絡上的新聞資料，以免招惹更多的麻煩。
Wen Xiang
told Wen Wa to eliminate his news data on the
Internet to avoid attracting more trouble.
去重慶的交通工具有很多選擇，為了節省時間，文祥便選了垂直重力梭，直赴重慶。這種梭是地球上長程旅行的交通工具，利用反重力作用，重力梭可以輕易進入同溫層，再依拋物線滑落到目的地。
There
were many choices of transportation for getting to Chongqing. In order to save time, Wen Xiang chose the vertical gravitation shuttle and proceeded
directly to Chongqing. The shuttle was designed for long range
travel on Earth. By applying the
theory of anti-gravitation, the gravitation shuttle could easily enter the
stratosphere and slide down in a parabola to its destination.
由北京到重慶，一個垂直上下，只需十幾分鐘。文祥一出甬道，就看到文功和一位小女孩迎了上來。二十年不見了，兩人都已臨近中年。
Taking
off and landing vertically, a trip from Beijing to Chongqing
took only a little over 10 minutes.
As soon as Wen Xiang stepped forth from the
passageway, he spotted Wen Gong and a young girl approaching him. They hadn’t seen each other for 20 years
and now both of them were approaching middle age.
文祥和文功握手問安，文功指著身邊的女孩，對文祥說：「這是我的獨生寶貝女兒，湘琳。」
Wen Xiang
shook hands with Wen Gong and Wen Gong pointed to the girl next to him, saying,
“This is my only baby daughter, Xianglin.”
文湘琳是個活潑可愛的小姑娘，今年十六歲，也是電腦時代的嬰兒。她健康好動，一刻不停，活像一隻剛從籠子裡放出來的黃鶯，嘁嘁喳喳的，對什麼都感到新奇。
Wen Xianglin
was a cute and energetic young girl.
She was 16 and a child of the computer age. She was healthy and constantly active,
much in the manner of a golden oriole that had been freed from its cage. She chattered on and on and was curious
about everything.
她非常注重外表，對美容簡直到了痴迷的地步。她的電腦會為她錄下任何與美容有關的消息。當她看到那段採訪，字幕上打著受訪人「文祥」，她猜想可能便是她從未謀面的叔叔！等父親證實了，文湘琳便吵著要見這位名人。
She
placed great importance on appearance and was so absorbed in caring for her
complexion that it had become an obsession. Her computer would record and save for
her anything related to facial makeup.
When she saw the interview and the subtitle named the interviewee as
“Wen Xiang”, she guessed that he was the uncle she
had never met! When her father
confirmed this, Wen Xianglin insisted on meeting this
celebrity.
這一見面，文湘琳更是叔叔長、叔叔短地叫個不停。
When they met, Wen Xianglin kept on calling him uncle this and uncle that.
文功歎了一口氣，說：「唉！做個單親家長真不容易！老弟！你呢？」
Wen Gong sighed and said,
“Ai! It’s really difficult to be a
single parent! Brother, how about
you?”
文祥說：「我離婚了，沒有孩子。」
Wen Xiang
said, “I’m divorced and have no children.”
文湘琳說：「叔叔，還是不要結婚好！」
Wen Xianglin
said, “Uncle, it’s better not to be married!”
文功說：「小孩子胡說，到時候妳就知道，人總是要個伴侶的！」
Wen Gong said, “Children are
full of nonsense. When the time
comes, you’ll understand. A person
always needs a companion!”
文湘琳對文祥說：「叔叔，你來跟我們住嘛，這樣大家都有伴了！」
Wen Xianglin
said to Wen Xiang, “Uncle, come and live with
us. This way, we can keep each
other company!”
文功笑著說：「真是小孩子，叔叔是重要人物，怎麼能跟我們住？」
Wen Gong laughed and said, “You
really are a child. Your uncle is
an important figure. How could he
live with us?”
文祥說：「大哥別說笑話，我是什麼重要人物？」
Wen Xiang
said, “Don’t make fun of me, brother.
Why am I an important figure?”
文功說：「自己人還客氣什麼！你能上火星，世界上有幾個人做得到？」
Wen Gong said, “We’re close
relatives so don’t be so modest!
You can go to Mars. How many
people in the world can do that?”
文祥說：「那算什麼？不過幾百貝幣吧！」
Wen Xiang
said, “That was nothing. It only
cost a few hundreds Bei!”
文功說：「不算什麼？我一輩子也賺不到一百貝幣！」
Wen Gong said,
“Nothing? I’ve never made one
hundred Bei
in my entire life!”
重慶原本是個大都市，電腦重劃時，又將涪陵、綦江等區納入，編號為ＡＣＳ一○六Ｎ三○號電腦城。佔地六千平方公里，有五千萬居民，城中計分一百多區，每區又分一百多個段，每段有近千戶人家。
Chongqing was
originally a big city. When the
computer was rezoning this area, it included Fuling
and Qijiang and labeled it as computerized city No.
ACS106N30. It covered an area of
6,000 square kilometers with 50 million inhabitants. The city was divided into over one hundred
districts and each district was divided into over one hundred sections. Each section contained close to one
thousand households.
文湘琳挽著文祥，三人邊談邊走出梭站，由於地方大，交通網路交錯縱橫。好在只要設定目的地，就會有「流動指標」導引，指向最短的途徑。
Wen
Xianglin linked arms with Wen Xiang
and the three of them talked while they were walking out of the shuttle
station. Because the area was huge,
the traffic arterials crisscrossed back and forth. Fortunately, if one pre-programmed their
destination, a ‘floating directory” would point out the shortest route to get
there.
文湘琳羨慕地問：「叔叔你有多少貝幣？」
Wen Xianglin
asked enviously, “Uncle, how much Bei do you have?”
文祥說：「沒有多少，其實我去火星只是出任務而已。」
Wen Xiang
said, “Not much. Actually I went to
Mars just on a mission.”
文湘琳大叫：「哇！那叔叔是特級神兵囉！」
Wen Xianglin
exclaimed, “Wow! So, uncle, you’re
a special agent!”
文祥說：「沒那事，只是普通的工作人員。」
Wen Xiang
said, “Nothing like that. I’m just
an ordinary working man.”
文湘琳嘟起了小嘴，咕噥道：「叔叔那麼見外，不肯說實話。」
Wen Xianglin
pouted and mumbled, “Uncle treats us like strangers. He won’t tell us the truth.”
文祥說：「不是見外，我真的只是普通工作人員。」
Wen Xiang
said, “Not at all. I’m really just
an ordinary worker.”
文湘琳不高興地說：「普通工作人員也要化裝？還要到地心探險？」
Wen
Xianglin was displeased and said, “Do ordinary
workers need to use make-up? Do
they need to risk of descending to the planet’s core?”
文祥發覺這個姑娘不好伺候，只好說：「這樣吧！到家我們再談，好不好？」
Wen Xiang
discovered that this young lady was not easily put off. He finally said, “How about this! We’ll talk about it when we get home,
o.k.?”
文湘琳這才恢復了甜蜜的聲調：「這才是我的好叔叔！」
Wen Xianglin
then resumed her sweet voice and said, “That’s my good uncle!”
文功家在黃角杈區，是長江對岸的一個風景點，以往曾是人們避暑消閒的盛地。這裡最大的景觀便是眾岫駢列的小山丘，過去，人在山道中行走，就像走迷宮一樣。現在山已被腰斬，建成了平平的電腦城，到處是方方整整的盒子。對生於斯長於斯的老人，想要重溫往日舊夢，就只能求助虛擬實境了。
Wen
Gong’s home was located in Huang Jiaocha area, a
scenic spot across the Yangzi River. It used to be a getaway for people
wanting to avoid the summer heat.
The biggest attraction here was the series of small hilltops. In the past when people passed along the
mountain trails, it had been like walking in a maze. Now the hills had been leveled in the
middle and a flat computerized city had been built. Square boxes were seen everywhere. As for the seniors who were born and
grew up here, if they wanted to relive an old dream, they could only turn to
virtual reality for assistance.
由城中乘坐磁浮車到黃角杈，走的是高架軌道，大概是五分鐘的路程，到了站又要乘升降梯，降至地下通道，再改搭直達車。其路逕如蛛網般密佈地下，因路線全由電腦操控，看上去只是一條平直的甬道。車子其實只是一張座椅，其下為無軌磁浮，人一坐上去，直達車就會按照電腦的指示，直達目的地。
The
magnetic levitated car from downtown to Huang Jiaocha
travels an elevated track and takes about 5 minutes. Once there, one has to take the elevator
down to an underpass and transfer to a non-stop vehicle. The routes are densely webbed like a
spider net. However, because all routes
are controlled by computer, one only sees a straight passage ahead of
them. The vehicle is actually only
a chair, running on a trackless magnetic levitated system. As soon as a person has boarded, the
non-stop vehicle will follow the computer’s commands and proceed directly to
its destination.
為了談話方便，三個人全擠在一張座椅上。自從見到這位叔叔，文湘琳的視線沒有離開文祥片刻，一坐上車，她便問文祥：「叔叔，你在月球上用什麼交通工具？」
In order to make it easier to
talk, the three of them squeezed onto the same chair. Ever since she’d met this uncle, Wen Xianglin hadn’t taken her eyes off Wen Xiang
for even a moment. As soon as they
boarded the vehicle, she asked Wen Xiang, “Uncle,
what transportation vehicle did you use on the Moon?”
「在月球上？嗄，我有一部月球梭。」
“On the Moon? Oh, I had a Moon Shuttle.”
「月球梭？什麼樣子？」
“Moon Shuttle? What did it look like?”
「就像個梭子一樣，兩頭尖尖的。」
“It looked like a
shuttle. Pointed at both ends.”
「是短距還是中距？」
“Was it short range or
middle range?”
「月球梭不分距離，哪裡都能去。」
“There’s no range
limitation for a Moon Shuttle. One
can go anywhere.”
「那太好了！叔叔，你能不能帶我去坐坐？」
“That’s great! Uncle, could you take me for a ride?”
文功連忙制止說：「別煩叔叔，月球梭哪裡是妳能坐的？」
Wen Gong quickly stopped her
and said, “Leave your uncle alone.
How could you ride on a Moon Shuttle?”
文湘琳抗聲道：「爹，你不是常說這個時代最公平嗎？為什麼我不能坐？」
Wen Xianglin
objected, “Dad, don’t you often say that this is the most impartial age of
all? Why can’t I?”
文功問：「妳有那個本事嗎？」
Wen Gong asked, “Do you have
what it takes?”
文湘琳反問道：「要什麼本事？」
Instead, Wen Xianglin asked: “What would it take?”
文功也答不上來，正好這時座椅車停止前進，垂直上升，一出地面就到了客廳，座車也成了家裡的一張沙發。文祥一看，遠處深藍澄瑩、天水一色，近處是一片浪花時捲的白沙灘，正是海濱別墅的景觀，顯然又是虛擬實境的功勞。
Wen
Gong couldn’t answer. At this
moment the chair vehicle happened to stop moving and rose up vertically. When they touched ground, they arrived
in a living room and the vehicle was transformed into a sofa. Wen Xiang
looked and, glittering in the distance, he saw pure dark blue where sky and
water merged. Nearby was a white
sand beach with waves splashing on the shore. It was exactly like a view from a
seaside villa, and obviously the work of virtual reality.
「這是哪個海灘？」文祥順口問道。
“What beach is
this?” Wen Xiang
asked casually.
「我也不知道，我隨便選的。」文功說。
“I don’t know. I chose it at random,” Wen Gong said.
「爹！你還沒回答我，坐月球梭要什麼本事？」文湘琳顯然非常固執。
“Dad! You haven’t answered me. What will it take for one to ride on a
Moon Shuttle?” Obviously Wen Xianglin was extremely stubborn.
文功不耐煩地說：「這種事我怎麼知道？問你叔叔吧！」
Wen Gong was impatient and
he said, “How should I know such things?
Ask your uncle!”
文祥正在欣賞那如假似真的海景，剛從火星來的人，一見到水就有一種說不出的親切感，無暇計較它的真假。沒想到文湘琳身體挨了過來，挽起了他的手臂，甜甜膩膩的問道：「叔叔！告訴我嘛！」
Wen
Xiang was enjoying the false, but real, ocean
view. As a man who had just come
back from Mars, as soon as he saw the water, a warm feeling arose within him
which was difficult to describe. He
didn’t have time to consider whether it was real or illusory. Unexpectedly, Wen Xianglin’s
moved her body close to him and linked her arm through his, and cloyingly asked, “Uncle! Tell me!”
文祥看她嬌憨的神態，實在不忍掃她的興。這事要怎麼講呢？說是用生命換來的？能這樣說嗎？不然該怎麼說？臨時要撒謊也不是容易的事。看著文祥半晌說不出話來，文湘琳又目不轉睛地盯著他，文功只好打圓場說：「誰要喝特製的山渣露？」
Looking
at her girlish and delicate manner, Wen Xiang
couldn’t bring himself to spoil her fun.
How should he describe it?
Say that he risked his life?
Could he put it that way?
But how else could he put it?
It was not easy to lie on such short notice. Noting that Wen Xiang
didn’t speak for a long time, Wen Xianglin continued
to stare at him, Wen Gong finally broke in and said, “Who wants some specially
made ‘hill haw’ juice?”
文湘琳得不到回應，眼圈馬上紅起來，接著眼淚就簌簌直淌。文祥一見，嚇得站了起來，急著說：「別哭！別哭！我說！我說！」
When Wen Xiangling
didn’t get any response, her eyes immediately reddened and tears began to drop.
As soon as Wen Xiang saw this, he was so alarmed he
stood up, and hurriedly said, “Don’t cry!
Don’t cry! I’ll tell
you! I’ll tell you!”
文功在旁氣得直跺腳，說：「唉！這孩子，像是水做的，說哭就哭，我拿她一點辦法也沒有！」
Wen
Gong was so angry that he stamped his feet. He said, “Ai! This child seems to be made of water. She cries at the drop of a hat. I can’t do anything about her!”
文湘琳立刻破涕為笑，說：「叔叔！你再不說，我真的哭給你看！」
Wen
Xianglin immediately melted into smiles and said,
“Uncle! If you don’t tell me, I’m
really going to cry!”
文祥搶著說：「別哭，我告訴妳，其實不要什麼本事，只要不怕死就行！」
Wen Xiang
hurriedly said, “Don’t cry. I’ll
tell you. It doesn’t need any
skill. If you’re not afraid
to die, that’s all that’s needed!”
「不怕死？」父女兩個異口同聲叫起來。
“Not afraid to
die?” Father and daughter exclaimed
in unison.
「是的，」文祥坐下來，慢慢地說：「因為在那種地方工作，既危險又寂寞，誰都不願意去，所以只有這個要求。」
“Yes.” Wen Xiang sat down and said slowly. “Because it’s dangerous and lonely to
work in that kind of place. Nobody
wanted to go there so that was the only requirement.”