第22章
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The earpiece of the phone is silent for a long while，and then I hear another long sigh.
“You still don’t get it.Do you play games？”
“A long time ago.Do you mean arcade，handheld，or consoles？”
“Whatever.If your character attacks a big boss，the game’s algorithms usually summons all available forces to its defense，right？”
“You mean the NPCs？”
“That’s right.”
“But I didn’t do anything！All I did was to suggest a stupid fucking marketing plan！”
“You misunderstand.”Master Deta’s voice becomes low and somber，as though he’s about to lose his patience.“You’re not the player who’s attacking the boss.You’re just an NPC.”
“Wait a second！You are saying…”Suddenly my thoughts turned jumbled and slow，like a bowl of sticky rice porridge.
“I know it’s hard to accept，but it’s the truth.Someone，or maybe some group，has done things that threaten the entire program—the stability of our universe.And so the system，following designated routines，has invoked the NPCs to carry out its order to eliminate the threat and maintain the consistency of the universe.”
“But I did everything on my own！I just wanted to do my job and earn a living.I thought I was helping him.”
“All NPCs think like that.”
“So what should I do？Lao Xu wants me to go work for him.How do I know if this is…Are you there？”
Strange noises are coming out of the earpiece，as though a thousand insect legs are scrabbling against the microphone.
“When you are confused…hiss…the teacher helps…Enlightened…hiss…help yourself.All you have to do…hiss…and that’s it…hiss…Sorry，your VIP account balance is insufficient.Please refill your account and dial again.Sorry，…”
“Fuck！”I hang up angrily.
“What’s wrong with you，screaming like that？If you frighten me and cause me to miscarry，are you going to assume the responsibility？”My wife’s voice drifts to me slowly from the bedroom.
In three seconds，I sort though my thoughts and decide to tell her everything.Of course，I do have to limit it to the parts she can understand.
“Tell Lao Xu that your wife is worried about earning good karma for the baby.She doesn’t want you to follow him and continue to do unethical work.”
I’m just about to argue with her when the phone rings again.Lao Xu.
“Have you made up your mind？USTC’s quantum lab is making rapid progress！Their machine is tackling the NP-completeness problem now.Once they’ve proved that P=NP，do you realize what that means？”
I look at my wife.She places the edge of her palm against her throat and makes a slicing motion，and then she sticks her tongue out.
“Hello？You there？Do you know what that means—”I hang up，and Lao Xu’s voice lingers in my ear.
Every program has bugs.In this universe，I’m pretty sure that my wife is one of them.Possible the most fatal one.
7
I still remember the day when Lailai was born：rose-colored skin，his whole body smelling of milk.He’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.
My wife，still weak from labor，asked me to come up with a good name.I agreed.But really，I was thinking：It really makes no difference what he’s named.
I’m no hero.I’m just an NPC.To tell the truth，I’ve never believed that all this was my fault.I didn’t join Lao Xu；I didn’t come up with some outrageous idea that would have caused the whole project to fail；I didn’t prevent that stupid quantum computer from proving that P=NP—even now I still don’t know what that means.
If this is the reason that the universe is collapsing，then all I can say is that the Programmer is incompetent.Why regret destroying such a shitty world？
But I’m holding my baby son，his tiny fist enclosed in my hand，and all I want is for time to stop forever，right now.
I regret everything I’ve done，or maybe everything I haven’t done.
In these last few minutes，a scene from long ago appears in my mind：that guy wearing the army coat on the pedestrian overpass.
He’s staring at me and my wife，and like some stuck answering machine，he says，“The Quadrantid meteor shower will come on January 4.Don’t miss it…”
No one is going to miss this grand ceremony for going offline.
I play with my son，trying to make him laugh，or make any sort of expression.Suddenly，I see a reflection in his eyes，rapidly growing in size.
It’s the light coming from behind me.
[1] The koan behind the verses is attributed to Zhaozhou Congshen(C.E.778-897),a Chan(origin of the Japanese “Zen”)Buddhist master,sometimes considered the greatest master of the Tang Dynasty.In the koan,a monk repeatedly asks the meaning behind Master Zhaozhou’s visit,and each time Master Zhaozhou replies:“The cypress tree in the courtyard.”
[2] This is a quote from the Diamond Sutra.
Mrs.Griffin Prepares to Commit Suicide Tonight
by A Que，translated by John Chu
When LW31，a domestic model robot，brought Mrs.Griffin’s dinner into her bedroom，it found her preparing to commit suicide.She was trying to tie a rope to the pendant lamp，but，at her age，her eyes were too weak and her hands were no longer steady.She tried again and again but she couldn’t loop the rope around the lamp.
“Do you need any assistance，Mrs.Griffin？”LW31 set down Mrs.Griffin’s meal tray，then walked to her side.
Mrs.Griffin put her hands on her waist.She caught her breath then handed LW31 the rope.“Help me tie this rope to the pendant lamp.”
LW31’s waist spun on its axis.The upper half of its body rose until it hit the ceiling.At the same time，he asked，“What are you planning to do，Mrs.Griffin？”
“I want to commit suicide.”
“Oh，in that case，I should tie both ends.”LW31 nodded its head and said no more.
It tied both ends of the rope to the lamp’s curved pendant holder，tugged on it with both hands and judged the knots sufficiently secure.It turned its head to her.
“Mrs.Griffin，the rope has been tied.You may commit suicide now.”
Panting with each step，Mrs.Griffin walked to just under the pendant lamp.LW31 brought her a chair.Trembling，she climbed the chair，feeling as though everything around her was rocking and swaying.Seeing this，LW31 stabilized her on the chair.Even though it’d been in continuous service for sixty-five years now and many places on its body have been corroded with rust，its mechanical arms were still steady.One hand pushed down on the chair and the other supported her at the waist.
Mrs.Griffin stood still.She stretched her head then then strapped the loop of rope around her neck.
“Wait，wait，Mrs.Griffin.I would like to ask you.”As it had always been，LW31’s voice was the smooth surface of water in an ancient well.“Why did you pick hanging as the way to commit suicide？”
“Because it’s effective…and，to anyone who finds me，a hanging corpse won’t look so horrible.”
“Oh.”
LW31 raised its head.It was a black glass cover.Knives had cut facial features that formed a smiling face.But time had rendered them indistinct to the point where the smile seemed odd and harsh.
It said，“Actually，Mrs.Griffin，you’re as mistaken as those who had thought the Earth was the center of the universe.As a matter of fact，hanging is the most shameful way to commit suicide.Once you kick away the chair，your bodyweight will crack your trachea and your cervical vertebrae will shift.It’s not like in the movies.You won’t have a chance to struggle.You’ll die in a split second.The problem is what happens after you die.”
Mrs.Griffin firmly shook her head.“Don’t try to convince me.I won’t change my mind.”
“After you die by hanging，your eyeballs will jut out like light bulbs，and your face will grow red from suffocation.As for the state of your body，if no one takes down your body within ten hours，the blood vessels in your face will break apart.Your head will be like a tomato，cracked to bursting.The most unseemly is your bodyweight will cause anal prolapse.Urine and feces will overflow…”
After two minutes of this，Mrs.Griffin climbed down from the chair.She sat on her bed，sobbing.
“Why do you want to commit suicide？”LW31 approached her，uncertain.
“It came to me all of a sudden.Everyone who ever loved me is dead，leaving my life friendless and wretched.The idea to commit suicide tonight，it just grew stronger and stronger in my mind…no one’s left who loves me.What’s the point of living？”Mrs.Griffin took a digital photo frame out of her pocket.Her aged fingers swipe across it and the transparent display transformed into pictures of people，one after another.“It’s been twenty-five years since my child died.Now，I can’t bear even one more day of life.”
“Why don’t you tell me about those people who loved you，Mrs.Griffin？”LW31 said.“Once you finish telling me about them，then I can help you commit suicide.”
The endless night painted the world outside the window black.Mrs.Griffin stopped crying.Her fingers pressed the photo’s display，freezing it on a picture of a young husband and wife.
She set down the phone in a daze.A burst of secret pain went through her.Maybe the kid in her belly kicked.
He didn’t come home until the small hours of the morning.It was a cold night and he exhaled icicles with each breath.His hands cold and his feet cold，he dug himself under the bed covers.He huddled up for a while before he could do anything else.
She was still awake.“Back so late again？”
Slowly，his body relaxed in the warmth.The chill faded and he grew sleepy.He answered，his words indistinct，“Yeah，overtime.Also，this week’s pay，three hundred fifty points，I’ve already deposited…”
He didn’t finish his sentence.Instead，he shut his eyes and fell into a heavy sleep.
She，however，couldn’t sleep.This wasn’t the first time he’d lied.
For five months now，he’d come home late every night，usually reeking of alcohol，only to fall asleep as soon as he got into the bedroom.She’d ask him and he’d just say“overtime.”However，he was just an ordinary delivery trunk driver for an AI company.How was he always working overtime？She’d just called his boss and found out the company didn’t have overtime.Not to mention，five months ago，he’d gotten a raise.Five hundred points，not three hundred fifty.
The time and money he hid became her hidden worry.She was a proud woman，though，and never forced the truth from him.With every lie he cast，her heart cooled a little.
He went to work as usual.She convalesced at home.Her fetus was already nine months old.
Her home was cramped and dark.Often，she’d bring out a chair to sit by the curb.The street was lined with plum trees.In the cold weather，each twig exploded with a row of red flowers.She sat under a tree，waiting for him to return home.Car after car，suspended on tracks in mid-air，scratched her gaze as they came and went.
With so much free time，she counted on her memories to pass the days.She’d first met him under this plum tree.Back then，she was still the daughter of a wealthy family.She was set for life.Designer clothes and expensive jewelry covered her from head to foot.She drove a luxury car.As she passed through，the red plum tree caught her attention.Or，rather，the man standing under the tree did.The red plum stood out against snow covered ground.He stood out like a bunch of plums against the snow of the boundless sky.
She stopped her car then walked to his side.He smiled，warm laugh lines filling his face.He broke off a branch，giving it to her，saying，“I was just wondering whether there was anything this winter more beautiful than these plum blossoms.But now that I’ve seen you，I know my answer.”
Right then，she fell in love with him.
Just like a classical romance，this love ran into her parents’violent disapproval.Her father had intended to arrange a business marriage for her.He flew into a rage，scolding her and beating her.He took away her purse and car，froze her card，then shut her inside their house.But it was no use.She was determined to marry him.Finally，with a wave of his hand and with an exhausted sigh，her father said one thing to her：Get out，and stay out.
She spent a long time before she adapted to married life.He drove a truck，delivering robots everywhere.The work was hard and the pay was low.She’d lived in luxury since she was a child，but for him，she threw herself into the oil，salt，soy sauce，and vinegar of a ordinary life.Once，when she was learning to cook，she cut her finger by accident.The spreading blood scared her into tears.He heard her cry and went into the kitchen.Holding her，he said over and over again，“You don’t have to be in the kitchen.I will.Don’t hurt yourself again.”
But，now，he’d changed.He’d learned to lie and hide money.Sometimes，his body carried the scent of alcohol and perfume.Everyone knew what this meant.She’d given up her youth and riches，her fingers now smoked yellow，the corners of her eyes now wrinkled.In exchange，she received only the sight of his back receding into the distance.
The more she thought about it，the more it weighed on her mind.At the foot of the plum tree，she collapsed into tears.
After his shift，his boss called him in.“Yesterday，your wife called me.She said you always come home extremely late.Her stomach is so large now.It’s not easy.Go home earlier and keep her company.”
He hurriedly nodded his head.“Yes，yes，of course.”
After he left work，he didn’t go home.Instead，he went the door of a nightclub in the middle of the city.
Someone had been waiting too long for him.“What took you so long？Quick，Boss Wang is already drunk.Drive him home.”
Obsequiously，he bowed again and again.He got into the flying car，started its engine，then flitted to his assigned location.This is what he did every night.
He drove the nightclub’s customers，delivering them home.He had to beg for a lot of favors before he got this second job.Just one delivery paid at least ten points.Most of those bosses had drunk too much and stank of alcohol.Sometimes，in the embrace of a woman whose clothes were drenched with the spray of perfume，they didn’t go home.Their destination was a guest house.He didn’t mind.He just wanted to be paid.
He didn’t tell her about this second job.He wanted the money to be a pleasant surprise.
Five months ago，as he was signing for his freight，his boss told him，“This is LW’s latest domestic robot.It can do all sorts of household chores.”
He laughed.“What about taking care of a baby？”
The boss snorted.“Not just babies.This robot has a long term of service.It can take care of someone from birth all the way until death.”
This sentence moved his heart.
She was clumsy and not very good at household chores，to say nothing of raising a child.If she had a robot to help her，he wouldn’t spend every work day worrying about her.After that，he asked how much it cost.Twenty thousand Alliance points.This was not a small number.
So，for these few months，he was always busy outside the house.According to his calculations，in five months，he’d saved three thousand points from his wages.Add to that the hundred extra points he earned every night and he’d now saved eighteen thousand points.Their child would be born soon.He needed to earn money more quickly.
Tonight，he took a couple，man and a woman，to a hotel.On the road，she tittered as the man’s hands never stopped caressing her.He paid no attention to them，focused on his driving.The hotel wasn’t far.Its neon lights flickered below them.
Some people.The woman was a little shy，after all.She pushed aside the man’s hand when he reached for her skirt.
The man was not happy.He roared，“What is there to be afraid of”
Despite those words，the man raised his head and looked around.His gaze fell upon the photo on the car window.
It was of a couple，a man and a woman.Their happiness together shone on their faces.She rested her head on his shoulder.He looked at her with a mild expression.In the background was a cluster of plum blossoms in full bloom among the ice and snow.
The man，staring blankly，asked：“This photo…”
Like the man，he raised head and looked at the photo.With an irrepressible joy，he said，“That’s me and my wife.She’s beautiful，yeah？I’m a lucky man.She’s pregnant.It’s a girl.She’ll grow up to be just as beautiful.”
“Then why aren’t you at home with her？”
“I have to make money so that I can buy her a present：a robot.So she won’t have to work every day.”
The man stayed silent.
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