Reprinted from the self-knowing sci-fi chicken column
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/113420710
Author: Chen Mo LRY
Ji Nian left very suddenly. For two nights, he was still berating those who would only imitate the ostrich to deceive him when danger came, but he was still prepared to stay alone all night. His wife didn't understand why he had to stick to his post, but Ji Nian said , One has to do something in life.
She did not expect that it was the last conversation with her husband.
When he met Ji Nian again, he lay peacefully on the hospital bed. He was originally strong, but now he was so thin that he could see the raised ribs even in white clothes. The doctor told her that Ji Nian's muscles were atrophied, and he was tortured to death by the virus alive. His wife was crying bitterly beside the bed. She could still think of Ji Nian's smile, the kind of smile that could make people feel warm even when she was exercising her duty of guarding and guarding the night alone.
·sentinel
Human beings in this world have been planned for the future since birth. When to study, when to get married and have children, what kind of industry to engage in, and even when to enter the soil, all have become a step-by-step experience. All human beings silently abide by this strict hierarchy system. , it is one of the few moments when they feel novel when they receive the next stage of their life plan issued by the manager, but there is one professional exception, that is the sentinel.
Since the end of the biological war, every city has declared its independence. In the following decades, there has been no war in the world. The mutant creatures left by the biological war outside the city border make every city dare not slack, even if there is a city built around it. The high wall of the city must be overlooked by someone to guard against possible attacks by mutant creatures, and act as a night watchman to protect this land.
At the age of 18, everyone will receive two choices from the manager, one is to continue walking towards the planned happy life, and the other is to become a sentinel. Compared with ordinary human beings who have only three hours of free time per day, sentinels have a very high degree of freedom. As long as they can ensure the safety of the city and report regularly, even if they are entertaining in the city, the managers have no opinion, and the sentinels can still be there. In the days to come, whoever you choose to spend the rest of your life with, and truly live a lifetime, the only price is that the job will accompany you for the rest of your life.
But even so, very few people choose to become sentinels. There was a disaster seventeen years ago, and it was a civet cat that was raised free-range in a restaurant. In name, it is free-range, but it is actually the prey that the restaurant owner hires people to catch outside the city. Under the hierarchical system, everyone is unhappy that they are bound, and eating a bite of meat that others have never eaten has actually become the capital of bragging. The boss doesn't understand why these people have such ignorant thoughts, and he doesn't care. Anyway, this kind of legal venting behavior can bring huge profits to the hotel. What does it matter if you hire people to hunt and take a little risk?
Thinking of this, the boss even slaughtered a civet to serve food to the guests, and said with a smile that he has been patronizing my business for so many days, this dish should be given to you.
·Nightmare
The City Central Hospital received a strange patient. He claimed that he had been coughing continuously for several days and had bloodshot sputum in his sputum. Now it is more serious. Symptoms such as fever and fatigue also appeared on him. After taking the medicine, I didn't see any improvement, so I couldn't stand it anymore, so I came to the doctor for help.
The attending doctor thought hard, this is a disease that has never been seen before, it is very similar to conventional pneumonia, but it is more than that, and it is very contagious. After hesitating, he contacted one of the current sentinels. After the sentinel got the news, he immediately reported the situation to the manager of the area. However, the manager of the area did not pay attention to the disease itself, and strictly prohibited the sentinel from spreading news to avoid unnecessary panic. .
The area managers still underestimated the contagiousness of the disease. In just a few days, more and more patients with abnormal conditions occurred in the central hospital. The sentinel reported several times, but they were all ignored by the other party. The law enforcement officers sent by the area managers were secretly and closely monitoring, and there was no chance for any action.
Finally, the original patient died. The sentinel felt that the incident was deviating in an uncontrollable direction and began to investigate the recent movements of the deceased. The sentinel recognized at a glance that the prototype of this dish was a civet cat.
This is not something that should be present in the city.
It has been three months since the deceased was admitted to the hospital. The sentinel no longer cares about the surveillance, and takes the risk of being illegally tortured to pass on the situation to his colleagues. And they will soon face the same danger, the most urgent task is how to protect the citizens.
· Suicide
The area managers teamed up with other managers with a history of shady history to block the sentinels. They could not stand the investigation, but the sentinels who came from all directions finally broke into the office and dumped the situation, although the top management took a measure. A series of measures were taken, but it was too late. The incident caused more than 8,000 cases of illness and nearly 1,000 deaths. In peaceful times, such consequences would be a shame for any city.
Although the area manager was sentenced to death and died in the most painful way, when people found the original sentry, he had lost his breath, and in addition to the scars, there were also traces of being tortured by illness.
Since then, those Sentinels who participated in the action chose to leave their jobs one after another and returned to their originally planned life. The Sentinels who did not take action no longer believed in the manager and were ready to spend their lives like this. This incident caused a sensation in the city, and the profession of sentinel has since been regarded as a gate of hell.
On the first anniversary of the death of the sacrificed Sentinel, several sentinels committed suicide. They cut their wrists and sat side by side in front of the Sentinel's tombstone, overlooking the near-vacuum train passage in the high-tech city and the advertising hot air balloons suspended in the air. , In the days when they became sentinels, they often dealt with dark corners, and they had never seen such a beautiful city, such a harmonious atmosphere as if nothing had happened.
Sentinel's funeral was held in a hurry and ended in a hurry. Everyone was immersed in the status quo of prosperity and happiness. Sentinel's short life was like a flash in the pan.
No one knows how they went to die, but they must have experienced unimaginable difficulties when they broke through a year ago, because under the neon lights, a line of red letters written in blood is particularly dazzling— —
What are we holding on to? !
· Ji Nian
The suicide incident was wildly reported by the media. Some said it was a failure of the Sentinels to fight for power with the administrators. There are not many ways to survive. The forces of the CCP have infiltrated since childhood and wanted to attack our city.
Ji Nian happened to be eighteen years old, and he was still faced with two choices: step-by-step and sentinel. Ji Nian also read these reports. Unlike ignorant netizens, he was only angry about this incident. In his eyes, only black and white were clear. , he was angry at the miserable situation brought about by knowing but not reporting it, at the slander of the hero, and for the first time in his life, he also broke out foul language:
"Everything is an outer city force, which outer city? The fucking moon?"
Under this bloody trend, Ji Nian chose to be a sentinel. Fortunately, his parents were enlightened. Although they were dissatisfied with the result, they still supported Ji Nian.
On the first day of entering the sentinel institution, Ji Nian noticed something strange. Except for the old sentinel who volunteered to watch the gate, there was no one at the entrance of the institution. He asked where the old sentinel went, and the old sentinel threw it out without looking at it. A portable electronic device, Ji Nian has entered the job.
Ji Nian asked again, and the old sentinel answered impatiently, "Go out!"
"go out?"
"Otherwise? Watching here like a fool? What's there to guard against? If you want to guard against it, you have to ask someone to listen, right? They don't listen, and only dead people pay attention. !"
Ji Nian was stunned. He didn't expect the resistance of the Sentinels to be so great. The sacrifice and suicide incidents of the Sentinels still shook their beliefs.
The sentinels couldn't see anyone all day long, and the old sentinel had a hard time getting someone to speak. It was inevitable that he would complain a little. He knew in his heart that his tone was heavy, so he took Ji Nian to visit the facilities of the institution. The temporary restroom of the sentries was over, Ji Nian received his equipment and started cleaning.
At night, the sentinels returned one after another. Seeing that there were still newcomers in this despised profession, they couldn't help asking for help. Only then did Ji Nian understand that each sentinel had its own area and was responsible for guarding against possible local dangers, both inside and outside the country. They must be strictly guarded. Including the old sentinel and Ji Nian, there are only eight sentinels in total. The old sentinel was one of the people who participated in the breakout operation back then. They didn’t want the old sentinel to be in love again, so they simply suggested that he watch the gate. Son, all day long and blowing the wind, let me know if you want anything, just bring it back at night.
Ji Nian was fascinated and blurted out: "May I ask what happened in the past?"
As soon as the words fell, all the sentinels were stunned. Ji Nian consciously lost his words. The events of seventeen years ago are still difficult to solve. It should not be opened and mentioned. He was about to apologize, and the old sentinel left. He came in, raised the jug and took a sip, sat opposite Ji Nian, and the voice in his mouth brought him back to that nightmare...
·alarm
The duty of the sentry is very simple. To sum up, it is to prevent problems before they happen, but the key point is the word "prevention". It is a difficult problem how to behave to let others know that the danger is approaching immediately. layer processing to get to the point.
In his spare time, the sentinel would also have two drinks with ordinary citizens and friends. He was distressed about this, and told his friends, who laughed: "It's a shame that you are still called a sentinel, but you don't even know how the sentinel spreads news."
The sentinel is an honest man, scratching his head: "Do you have any good methods?"
My friend said: "Most of the alarms nowadays are news directly projected on the retinas of citizens, but as you said, reporting takes time. sentinel……"
The sentinel listened carefully, and the friend took a sip of wine: "Just yell!"
Roar?
The sentinel wondered: "It's like a wolf is coming, but what if others don't believe it?"
The friend's conversation changed: "Do you know the transmission mechanism of urban legends?"
"Yes, it is passed from person to person."
"That's right, then you make something. Once the thing starts, it indicates that danger is coming, isn't it? As for whether you believe it or not, I'll go and 'make a rumor', saying that you should run away when you see this thing, and pass it on by word of mouth. It's alright."
The sentinel suddenly realized that after returning to the institution, he discussed with his colleagues that this was a good idea. The most important thing is that the whole process did not violate the rules at all.
Gradually, each sentinel was equipped with a modified whistle, and its amplification effect reached that any adult can make people within a radius of three kilometers hear it very clearly. If people want to stay away from it, it can have a warning effect. The rumor that the whistle represents an alarm spreads like wildfire among the citizens, and the citizens who have been numb for a long time feel new to the rumor. Over time, almost everyone knows the foreshadowing of the whistle.
When the time came when the sentinel was staring at the civet cats that were made into vegetables on the table, he first used the computer with holographic projection to release news inside the sentinel, and then he kicked open the door of the restaurant, walked outside, and looked at each and everyone immersed. Citizens on the route of life.
He blew the whistle.
·disaster
"That's why he was lynched by the area manager for causing panic?"
"That's right, I've often wondered, it would be nice if those guys weren't put to death by the top management, so I could take them on the road myself." The old sentinel wiped a beard that was soaked in wine, "No one can Bullying obedient people, isn't it?"
The old sentinel swayed away, leaving Ji Nian thoughtful.
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, Ji Nian has been in this position for the 16th year.
In the past 16 years, Ji Nian was most impressed when a fire broke out in a residential building in another area one day. Ji Nian went to support him. Although the firefighting drone was in place, the rescue mat was laid, and the rain bomb had penetrated into the clouds, But the fire was raging, and there was no sign of it going out. He saw a man kneeling in front of the fire crying and roaring something. Ji Nian leaned in to hear it. It turned out that the man's child had not had time to escape and was still trapped in the fire.
Ji Nian didn't hesitate, and rushed into the fire in full view of the crowd, using the instrument to search for signs of life while avoiding the falling concrete blocks. He found the child on the third floor, but the signs of the child's life were very weak. Time broke out of the window and fell on the rescue pad. Ji Nian and the man jumped into the ambulance and went to the hospital together. Unfortunately, the child could not be rescued.
Life disappeared from Ji Nian's hands, and before he could say anything, the man knocked him down with one punch, mounted him and beat him frantically.
"It's all you, it's not you who jumped down, my son won't die!"
"You have to pay for his life, murderer!"
Ji Nian couldn't hear any sound. He did nothing wrong. The doctor also said that the final cause of the child's death was smoke suffocation, which was none of Ji Nian's business, but the man still punched him with the greatest strength.
Since then, the passionate young man has disappeared, replaced by a person who is smooth and slightly lazy.
At the moment, Ji Nian is in the hospital and is worried about one thing.
The doctor took off his mask and said solemnly, "It's almost the same."
Ji Nian hesitated: "And that time seventeen years ago?"
"Yes, although the symptoms of this patient are similar to the one seventeen years ago, the results of the sample analysis are very different. I have never seen such a virus before. It is a new type of virus, but... the infectiousness is just as strong."
The doctor's hands trembled a little. He also learned the news ten minutes ago. Seventeen years ago, he was the attending doctor for that patient. Seventeen years later, he welcomed almost the same patient.
Ji Nian thought for a while: "I see, I'll go investigate his recent whereabouts first."
The city was brightly lit at night. On the way to the law enforcement agency, Ji Nian planned to use Skynet to investigate. At the same time, he passed the news to every sentinel. Everyone opposed his actions, but they were all worried that Ji Nian would meet. As sacrificed as the sentinel, Ji Nian rejected their good intentions, saying: People have to do something in their life.
Before he could continue to think, a sharp pain came from the back of his head, and he didn't know anything.
·blow
As soon as Ji Nian woke up, he found himself on an iron chair, his hands were handcuffed to the small table, the iron chair and the ground were completely welded, and he could not break free no matter what.
A beam of strong light hit his face, he subconsciously blocked it with his hands, but he forgot that he was handcuffed, so he lowered his head: "Who are you?"
"Looks like he's awake." Someone walked up to him, and Ji Nian opened his eyes slightly by the light, surprised that the other party was wearing the clothes of a law enforcement officer.
"Make a mistake, brother, we can be considered a family professionally."
The marshal turned off the strong light and turned on the lights in the room. Ji Nian blinked and looked at the other party. The marshal tapped the iron table with his fingers: "You can't tell me, do you understand?"
Ji Nian was stunned for a moment, then got a little angry: "Do you all monitor the sentinels?"
"You can't say that, Mr. Ji, we are also acting according to orders. The only requirement of our district managers for you and us is that the city is stable. Now it's December, and the New Year is coming. I think at this time, no one wants to shrink in The family is anxiously celebrating the New Year." The law enforcement officer approached Ji Nian, his sharp eyes were like a knife, "Don't let what happened seventeen years ago repeat, from now on, forget everything you know, can you do it? Everything It's all for the happiness of the people, you understand?"
Ji Nian didn't answer, and sneered: "Dignified law enforcement officer, just extorting a confession from the sentry? At least let me act as a hand?"
The marshal was silent for a while, untied the handcuffs, and poured Ji Nian a glass of water. Ji Nian seemed to be interested: "I don't want to cause trouble either. In the past sixteen years, I have seen too many things. You may not believe it. I originally wanted everyone to change their minds about the sentinel, but it turned out to be a Old Youzi, I think if the parallel universe theory comes true, then I in another world will definitely agree to all your requests."
The law enforcement officer saw that he could solve the problem smoothly, and motioned him to continue.
"But the problem is that I have seen too many things in the past ten years. Once I saved a child, he died of smoke suffocation, and it has nothing to do with me, but his father beat me up that time. I haven't been able to get up for a few days, so I'm thinking, sometimes let things go their way, I don't get involved, and everything is happy."
As Ji Nian spoke, a smile appeared on his face just like the magistrate.
"I know that you are doing it for my own good and for the sake of the people. That's right, your plan is indeed the best choice for maintaining stability. Just live like this and leave the mess to someone else. At most, you will be blamed for decades. , but, people have to do something in life, so..."
Ji Nian's smile suddenly disappeared.
"No, I don't understand."
He took out the whistle and put it to his lips.
He became the whistleblower.
(Finish)
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