In the afternoon classroom, sitting by the sunlit window, yet the brick wall beneath the windowsill seemed to let in drafts; gusts of cool air pierced the heart and spleen. In front, the teacher scolded students who were not studying attentively; the atmosphere was oppressive. Returning home, wanted to be alone for a while, but soon visitors came calling, inviting to a party. At the hotel where the party was held, an old man with white hair, possibly a relative of the hotel owner, nitpicked about improper behavior, wasting food, and so on.
午后的教室里,坐在阳光的窗边,而窗台下面的砖墙却似乎透风,一股股凉风似乎要穿透心脾.前面老师斥责着不用心学习的学生,气氛令人压抑.回到家中本想一个人安静一会儿,可是紧接着又有客人登门拜访,邀请参加聚会,在聚会的酒店又有一个可能是酒店所有者亲属的白发老人,吹毛求疵地指责行为不端,浪费食物等等,
Suddenly, a surge of inexplicable anger rose, and said, "It's not like I wanted to come; you invited me." Then I snapped back a few more words and left.
顿时一股无名火,道,"又不是我要来的,你们邀请我来的,"又怼了几句离开了.
After a while, a short-haired woman who looked like a head waitress, wearing a red-and-white striped T-shirt and a black pencil skirt, led a group of people to confront me: "What did you just do? Look how upset you've made my father-in-law; he's about to collapse."
过了一会儿领班模样的一名短发女子,红白条纹T恤黑色包臀裙领着一帮人又来质问,"你刚才都做了什么?看你把公公气得人都快不行了."
Sighing, thought that since he was so old and I was the younger generation, I might as well go and bow to him to apologize and calm things down. So I headed to the kitchen to look for him.
唉,寻思着他偌大年纪,自己年经晚辈,去向他鞠躬道歉平息了事端算了.于是便向后厨寻找,
"Have you seen where the old gentleman went?"
"见到公公去哪了吗?"
"Take a look in the basement."
"你看一下地下室."
I went around the chef's dishes, down to the basement, then through the garage door to the outside of the building, but didn't see him. I asked two employees who were standing watch at higher spots, and they pointed toward the main road.
绕过厨师的菜品,经过地下室,又通过地库车门来到建筑外,也没见人影.看见两个高处放风的员工又问,他们指向大路.
Walking down along the roadside, there was no one in sight, only the quiet green trees by the road.
沿着路边走下去,空无一人,只有路边静静的绿树.
Suddenly, a bus parked by the roadside started up and charged diagonally toward this direction. To avoid being dragged under the wheels, braced hands against the bus's front windshield. The friction between palms and the glass actually sent body flying sideways...
突然路边一辆大巴由静止启动斜刺里冲来,为了避免卷入车底,双手急撑大巴前风挡玻璃,手掌与玻璃的摩擦力居然使人横飞起来...
Li Haojun packed his bags, sat down calmly, and recalled several messy dreams from early morning, unable to understand their meaning.
李皓珺收拾完行装,淡定坐下,回想着清晨杂乱的几个梦,不明缘由.
"Are you ready?" Qin Wenjing asked.
"准备好了吗?"覃文静问,
"Ready," said Li Haojun, picking up his backpack and following her out the door.
"好了,"说着李皓珺拎起背包,跟在她身后走出门.
Qin Wenjing walked ahead in dark navy narrow-leg dress pants, red high heels, and a black PU asymmetric-lapel peplum-waist little jacket. She wore a red baseball cap with a single ponytail trailing from the back, red lips, frog-eye sunglasses, teardrop-shaped ruby drop earrings, and a small black silk scarf wrapped around her neck.
覃文静走在前面,藏青色窄裤脚西裤,红色高跟鞋,上身黑色PU非对称翻领荷叶腰小夹克.头戴红色棒球帽后面顺出单马尾,红唇蛤蟆镜双耳泪滴形红宝石吊坠儿,颈部缠绕一条黑色小丝巾.
Following Qin Wenjing to the roadside, they found John already waiting there. He was driving a fixed-wing flying car; clearly, the old man was a fan of nostalgia. They greeted each other, and the three set off.
跟着覃文静来到路边发现约翰已经等在那里了,他开的是固定翼飞行汽车,显然老人家玩的是情怀.各自打了招呼,三人上路.
After driving along a straight, open stretch of road, John took off. Li Haojun and Qin Wenjing sat in the back, where space was rather cramped, so he simply wore his backpack on his chest.
驶过一段开阔地平直公路,约翰升空了.李皓珺覃文静坐在后排,空间比较局促,索性把背包背在了胸前.
John glanced in the rearview mirror and asked, "Is Ethan doing well?"
约翰看了眼后视镜,问,"伊森还好吧?"
"Very well, thank you," Li Haojun replied. Since Qin Wenjing had explained that she and John had no relationship, Li Haojun naturally no longer felt antagonistic toward him.
"很好,谢谢,"因为覃文静说明过自己和约翰没有关系,李皓珺自然对他也不那么针对了.
Then John asked Qin Wenjing, "Is your little friend all better now?"
接着约翰又问覃文静,"你的小朋友好了吗?"
Qin Wenjing just smiled without speaking, and Li Haojun couldn't very well answer, so he changed the subject and asked,
覃文静笑眯眯的不说话,李皓珺也不好回答什么,就岔开话题,问,
"John, is the place we're going safe? Sorry, I don't remember anything, so I have to ask you — what should we be careful about?"
"约翰,咱们要去的地方安全吗?抱歉我什么都不记得了,只能问你,我们需要注意些什么吗?"
"Careful about what? I notice you only brought one parachute. What about her?" John said.
"注意些什么?我注意到你只带了一个降落伞,她怎么办?"
"Haha, I think with the two of us combined weight, one parachute should be enough," Li Haojun joked.
"哈哈,我想我们俩的重量,我想一个降落伞够了."
"What about me? What do I do?" John complained jokingly.
"那我呢?我怎么办?"约翰开玩笑地抱怨,
"Then you'll just have to get us all there safely," Qin Wenjing chimed in.
"那你不会把我们都安全送到地方,"覃文静在一旁搭话.
After the laughter, John calmed down and said to Li Haojun, "Don't be nervous. Even though we're going to a free zone, it's not like bandits are everywhere. It just has its own unique ecosystem. Just don't meddle in other people's business and avoid getting drawn into unnecessary disputes."
说笑完,约翰平静下来对李皓珺说,"不用紧张,虽然我们去的是自由区,也不是盗匪遍地,只不过它有它独特的生态圈而已.到时候不要管闲事,不要卷入不必要的争端就好了."
With the hum of the engine, the aircraft gradually climbed above the clouds. The azure sky and blindingly white clouds formed a stark contrast, and the increased solar radiation pouring into the cabin overwhelmed the already weak engine cooling.
伴随着发动机的嗡嗡声,飞行器逐步爬升到云层上方,湛蓝的天空和耀眼的白云形成强烈的对比色,更多的太阳辐射照入座舱,让本来孱弱的引擎制冷不堪重负.
The two in the back took off their jackets.
后排两人都脱下了外套.
The direct sunlight made Qin Wenjing's skin look even fairer, while the greenhouse effect inside the cabin flushed her cheeks, adding a touch of seduction.
阳光的直射让覃文静的皮肤看起来愈加白净,而机舱的温室效应则让她脸颊泛起绯红,更添几分魅惑.
Li Haojun admired her for a long while. Qin Wenjing said nothing, just tilted her face up and smiled at him. Suddenly Li Haojun thought it might not be fair to John, the single dog driving in front, to show off their affection, so he gave Qin Wenjing a knowing look. They smiled at each other and turned to look out their respective windows, but their hands remained clasped below. Li Haojun sensed that John must have noticed the atmosphere in the back, but he didn't react at all, just focused on flying.
李皓珺欣赏了她好一会儿,覃文静也不说话,就是仰着脸笑眯眯地看着李皓珺.忽然李皓珺觉得这样给前面驾驶的单身狗约翰撒狗粮也不太好,便给覃文静使了个眼色,相视一笑,两人各自看窗外的风景了,但是下面的手还拉着.李皓珺觉得约翰应该是注意到后面刚才的气氛了,但是他并没有任何反应,只是专心驾驶.
As they neared their destination and descended through the clouds, they could see the bay. After the great earthquake on the U.S. West Coast, the original San Francisco area had lost most of its land, leaving only scattered high and low areas along the coast and a floating city built on the foundations of existing structures.
随着接近目的地,降低高度,穿过云层已经可以看到海湾.美国西海岸大地震后,原本的旧金山区域失去了大部分土地,目前只剩海岸边零星高低和以原有建筑基础构建的水上城市.
With the reduction in land and population, the old city lost not only its former prosperity but also the Silicon-era implementation of personal responsibility for actions and consequences, which eradicated the populations that survived by dependency and transfer payments without creating anything, yet whose behavior destroyed the wealth-creation mechanism. The pendulum of extreme left seemed to swing to extreme right. There were no welfare benefits here, because there was no longer a sizeable economic base. People had to learn self-reliance, as if returning to the state of the early European settlers on the East Coast of North America. But the difference was that technological progress had largely excluded ordinary people — they didn't even have a ticket to get in, and it was hard to have the kind of high hopes for a grand future that existed centuries ago.
随着土地和人口的减少,原来那座城市失去的不仅是昔日的繁华,而是硅基时代对个人行为与后果责任制的实施,根绝了不创造而寄生的依赖转移支付生存,却又在行为上摧毁创造财富机制基础的人群.极左的钟摆似乎摆到了极右,这里没有福利,因为不再有规模的经济基础,人们只能学会自力更生,似乎回到了欧洲早期开拓者登陆北美东海岸的状态,但是,不同的是,科技的进步让普通人基本被排除在外了,根本没有入场券,再也难有几个世纪前那种对远大前程的期待.
John's flying car landed in San Mateo County, where the original hills were still there. Outside the landing area, there was only simple commercial scale. The original Silicon Valley industries had developed to a stage of detachment from the mass market, seeming more like the monopoly of corporate power. And the once-booming financial derivatives market had been regulated and restricted following the global financial market collapse.
约翰的飞行汽车降落在了圣马特奥县,原本的那些山地还在.在飞行汽车降落场地之外只有简单的商业规模,原本的硅谷产业已经发展到了脱离大众市场的阶段,似乎更像是大企业权力垄断.而原本的繁华的金融衍生品市场,也随着那场全球金融市场崩塌而被监管和限制.
To reach the meeting place, they needed to take San Francisco public transit — now only a single cantilevered light rail running over these waters.
到达会面地点需要乘坐旧金山公共交通,现在只有单悬臂轻轨行驶在这片水域之上.
Qin Wenjing only carried a small shoulder bag. Li Haojun put down the parachute and shouldered his backpack, which contained the application agents. John, always trendy, though in cowboy attire, was fully equipped this time: double holsters with silver antique-style revolvers, a belt of ammunition, and brass-shelled silver-bullet rounds. This cowboy had no horse, but from the trunk of his car he released a metal robotic dog, its entire body polished stainless steel with no paint, carrying a storage bag on its back, with the wooden stock of a long gun protruding from one side.
覃文静只是携带了随身挎包,李皓珺放下降落伞,背上双肩包,里面是应用药剂.而约翰比较潮流,虽然一直是牛仔装扮,但是这次装备齐全,双挎银色仿古工艺左轮手枪,腰盘子弹袋,黄铜弹壳金属银弹头.这个牛仔没有马匹,但是他从汽车行李箱放出来一只金属机械狗,全身不锈钢镜面抛光无涂漆,身背储物袋,一侧露出一支长枪的木制枪托.
Soon the light rail train arrived. It had only three cars, was driverless, and the body color was still silver with orange decorative stripes on top and bottom, but badly corroded by seawater, covered in rust.
不一会儿轻轨列车到了,只有三节车厢,无人驾驶,车身颜色依然是银色底色上下橙色装饰条纹,但是在海水的腐蚀下已经锈迹斑斑.
The three boarded. There were only a few scattered passengers, all elderly, likely local residents. The train left the hilltop; below was nothing but open water. The original residential areas were now submerged. Some original residents refused to leave, either living on boats anchored somewhere, or raising their existing buildings so that some lightweight houses could still stand above the sea.
三人上车,只有零星乘客,都是老年人,可能是当地居民.列车离开山顶,下面都是汪洋,原本的住宅区现如今已经被淹没在水下.有些原住民不愿意离开,或者住在船上找个锚系点.有的在原有建筑上加高使得一些轻型房屋还能支撑在海面之上.
As the train passed, one could see their lives. Reaching the light rail stations required boats, but few people got on or off at any stop. Most of the people living here were elderly, unwilling or unable to leave. But there were also a few children; no one knew where their future would lead.
列车驶过可以看到他们的生活,到轻轨车站只能靠船只,但是每一站鲜有人员上下.多数是老年人在这里生活,他们不愿离开,或者没有能力离开.但也有少量孩童,不知他们的未来会走向何方.
The train had a stop at Knowles Hill. After that, the area beneath the light rail gradually appeared more prosperous, with more young people coming and going, and simple commercial venues. There were more passengers on board as well — young people with avant-garde dress, and middle-aged professionals in sharp suits. Further ahead was the original Union Square area of San Francisco. Many of the former skyscrapers still stood, and around them a new floating prosperous city had gradually formed, though its scale was incomparable to the past. Yet the former bustle and refined lifestyle seemed not to have left that place or the people there.
列车在诺尔斯山丘有一站,之后轻轨下方逐渐看起来更繁华一些,可以看到更多的年轻人往来,简单的商业交往场所.车上乘客也多了点,有衣着形象前卫的年轻人,也有西装笔挺的中年职业人士.再往前就是原来的旧金山联合广场区域,曾经的那些摩天建筑很多还在,并且以它们为核心逐步形成了新的水上繁华城市,只是规模早已不可与往日同于.不过曾经的繁华与精致的生活似乎并未离开那里和那里面的人.
John, Qin Wenjing, and Li Haojun got off at Union Square station.
约翰,覃文静等三人在广场站下车,
"You two go ahead, I'll bring up the rear," John said.
"你们前面走,我殿后."约翰说.
"Okay," Qin Wenjing agreed, leading the way. Li Haojun followed closely behind, turning to smile and nod at John. He understood that John was protecting their safety.
"好,"覃文静答应着,在前引路,李皓珺紧随其后,回头对约翰微笑点了点头,他清楚约翰是在保护他们安全.
Lightweight urban construction no longer allowed vehicle traffic; sidewalks extended along the original buildings. This area was no longer the high-end financial and commercial district of the past, but primarily focused on entertainment. Brain-computer interface technology, led by Realm of Mindscape, drove virtual entertainment catering to people with particular preferences. In that virtual world, they could experience any sensation — things unattainable, unreachable, or even illegal in the real world.
轻量化的城市建筑已经不允许车辆行驶,人行道依据原有建筑延申.这个区域已经不再是原来高大上的金融商业,而是主要以娱乐为主了,以智梦神域为主导的脑机接口技术引领的虚拟娱乐技术满足某些特殊癖好的人的需求,在那个虚拟的世界里他们可以体会任何感觉,那些在现实世界中无法得到,无法企及,甚至无法律允许的内容.
Of course, besides the brain stimulation and enjoyment brought by new technology, the primitive desires that have existed for millennia also persisted, and mechanical geisha had joined the scene. However, the red-light district's former color palette had evolved into space-tech silver.
当然了,除了新科技带来的脑部刺激与享受,几千年来所具有的原始欲望也在并存,并且也有了机械姬的加入.不过以往的红灯区的色调已经演变成太空科技银.
In contrast, the lives of ordinary people along the street remained unchanged: street performers with instruments, and beggars.
与此对比的路边普通人的生活依旧,有街头表演,器乐.也有乞讨的.
Soon they arrived at Realm of Mindscape Technology. It was now a landmark building. Its formidable strength had allowed it to build a small plaza in front of its corporate tower. Around the plaza were simple shops and services like Ricky's Clothing, commercial equipment repair and supplies, McDonald's, Domino's, and Starbucks Realm of Mindscape Plaza, faintly evoking memories of that bygone prosperous era.
一会智梦神域科技公司到了,现在它是地标建筑,其雄厚实力支撑了在其公司大楼建筑前面设置了一个小广场,广场周边有里奇服装,商用设备维修与耗材,麦当劳,达美乐,星巴克神域广场店等一些简单的吃用服务,依稀勾起曾经那个繁华时代的回忆.
What caught Li Haojun's attention was an elderly woman selling flowers at the edge of the plaza — not bouquets, but potted flowers: kalanchoe, tulips, and cut roses. The old woman was very old, her face gaunt. She sat by the plaza, leaning against a small handcart, presumably having brought the flowers from somewhere else. There were also beggars on this street, and at her age she could have begged, but she didn't.
而吸引李皓珺注意力的是广场边缘有一位老奶奶在卖花,不是花束,而是带土的花卉,有长寿花,郁金香,扦插的月季.老奶奶很大年纪了,面容消瘦,坐在广场边背靠一个手拉小车,看来是从别处用小车把这些花卉拉过来的.这条街上也有乞讨的,以她的年龄完全可以,但是她没有.
Entering the lobby of Realm of Mindscape via the steps, they informed the reception desk and found that the technicians from NeoMemo had already arrived. Their team also had only three people, but the other two, in suits and of burly build, seemed like bodyguards. They introduced themselves. The technical service person from NeoMemo was Steven Park, with monolids, a small black mustache, a stern expression, and dressed very casually — a gray hooded collar jacket, denim five-shorts, and sneakers.
顺着台阶走进智梦神域大厅,告知前台后发现新诺记忆的技术人员已经到了.他们也是只来了三个人,但是另两个人西装革履身材魁梧,似乎是保镖.大家互相介绍了一下,新诺记忆的技术服务人员是史蒂文·朴,单眼皮小黑胡,面容冷峻,穿着很随便,上身灰色连帽护领,下身牛仔5分裤运动鞋.
Then the group followed the management of Realm of Mindscape to the central control room, handed over the agents, and Steven began adjusting the agent ratios while monitoring the brainwave response data of long-term immersion users. The monitoring showed that some users had good device compatibility, others average. In terms of user emotional data, some were happy, some sad, some excited, some calm. Li Haojun reflected with emotion that the same joys and sorrows — some people simply cannot accept themselves in the real world.
随后一行人随智梦神域管理人员来到中心控制室,交接了药剂,史蒂文开始调节药剂配比,观察长期沉浸用户脑波响应数据.从数据监视可见有人与设备契合相应较好,有人一般,从用户情绪数据来看,有的愉悦有的悲伤,有的兴奋有的平和.让李皓珺感慨的是同样的喜怒哀乐,有些人就是无法接受现实世界之中的自己.
After completing the scheduled work, both parties left. Passing through the lobby, they still saw customers coming to the front desk for inquiries. Most were seeking short-term services, temporary entertainment. Some brought doctor's prescriptions for psychological treatment. Others paid to have university courses written into their brains in immersion mode — was that cheating? Technological progress gives humans more options, and these options inevitably become double-edged swords, depending on individual choices.
完成了既定工作内容,双方人员分别离开.经过大厅时还看到不时有顾客来前台咨询.多数是接受短期服务的,临时娱乐一下.也有拿医生处方来接受心理治疗的.还有自费在沉浸模式中把大学课程写入大脑的,这算不算作弊呢?科技的进步给了人类更多选项,而这些选项不可避免地成为双刃剑,取决于个人的选择.
Leaving Realm of Mindscape, it was already past noon. The three went straight to Domino's to order pizza for lunch. Through the glass window, Li Haojun saw the old flower-seller still there, ignored by everyone. This plaza was already a crowded area, but everyone was in a hurry. Without saying anything to the other two, Li Haojun stepped out alone, approached the flower seller, squatted down, and asked the prices. They were two dollars, three, five dollars — he really didn't know what such small amounts could do anymore. Li Haojun took all the roses — he liked roses — and also picked two tulip bulbs. The old woman patiently packed them in a shopping bag she'd picked up elsewhere and handed them to him.
离开智梦神域公司,已经过午,三人直接到达美乐订了披萨吃午餐.透过玻璃窗李皓珺看到卖花的老奶奶依然在那里,无人问津.这个广场已经是人流较多的地方了,但是都是行色匆匆.什么也没跟另外两个人说,李皓珺独自离开,来到卖花人面前,蹲下询问价格.都是2美元,3,5美元的价格,真的不知道这点钱还能用来做什么.李皓珺收下了所有的月季,他喜欢月季,又选了两个郁金香球茎.老奶奶耐心地用别处捡来的购物袋装好,交给他手里.
Carrying the newly bought flowers back to the pizza shop, Qin Wenjing said nothing, just looked at Li Haojun and smiled. John tipped his cowboy hat and laughed, "Good lad."
拎着刚买的花回到披萨店,覃文静不说话,就是看着李皓珺笑.约翰掀了一下牛仔帽笑道,"好小伙."
Li Haojun smiled shyly, put down the flowers, ordered another pizza box and two drinks, and carried them back to the old woman.
李皓珺腼腆地一笑,放下花卉,又点了一盒披萨两杯饮料,端着走向老奶奶.
Through the glass window, John and Qin Wenjing watched Li Haojun as they ate. He shared the food with the old woman, pointing at different flowers and asking her something. The afternoon sunlight, somewhat yellowish, refracted through the high-rise glass and spread across this small plaza, suffusing it with the song of flowers.
透过玻璃窗,约翰和覃文静一边吃,一边看着李皓珺.他和老奶奶分享着食物,一边指着不同的花卉,询问着些什么.午后的阳光略显昏黄,几经高楼玻璃的折射,铺洒在这小小的广场上,晕染着花之歌.
(Translated by DeepSeek)