On her morning run, Liana spotted her younger sister sitting quietly alone in the holographic experience room. It was rare to see her so still. Curious, Liana approached and saw her wearing a sensory acquisition device. She wasn't in full immersion mode but was instead gazing around the room, as if lost in music.
莉安娜早晨跑步的路上,看到妹妹一个人在全息体验室安静地坐着,她很少那么安静,莉安娜好奇地走过去,只见她头戴感知获取设备,并没有使用全沉浸模式,而是望着四周,好像在听音乐一样.
"What are you doing?" Liana asked.
"你在做什么?"莉安娜问,
"Interact with him,"
"和他互动,"
"How do we interact?"
"怎么互动啊?"
"Pretend to be a stranger and see how he reacts."
"假装陌生人,看他会怎么反应,"
"How will he react?"
"他会怎么反应呢?"
He was different in different periods.
"不同的时期他是不一样的,"
Oh, so you know all about his past?
"哦,那你了解他的所有过去了吗?"
"Yes, would you like to try it?" Lydia said, taking off the helmet and handing it to her sister.
"是的,你要试试吗?"说着,莉迪娅把头盔摘了下来,递给了姐姐,
Liana sat beside her, put on the helmet, and reviewed his life timeline. She noticed an emotional fluctuation during his childhood and became curious—what could it have been? Such a young age, yet such a significant emotional upheaval.
莉安娜坐在了她的身边,戴上头盔,查看了他的人生进度,发现小的时候有一处情绪波动,便很好奇,到底是什么呢?那么小的年纪,那么大的情绪波动,
Liana activated the helmet experience and moved toward the scene, only to find the world before her blurred and the ground beneath her feet trembling with a thudding vibration. Clinging to his mother's thigh, he screamed desperately, "Stop hitting her! Stop hitting her!" He feared his father would hurt his mother badly. But her tiny frame couldn't stop anyone. All she could do was scream until it felt like she'd emptied every last breath from her lungs, her chest heaving so hard her back pressed against her front. Her hoarse voice could no longer muster a louder cry to halt them. The ground beneath her feet still trembled, and her small body swayed between them like a leaf caught in the wind...
莉安娜打开头盔体验,移动到那里,只感到眼前世界模糊,脚下的地面在咚咚地震颤,他抱着妈妈的大腿,拼命地呼喊,别打了,别打了,他担心爸爸会把妈妈打坏了.但是他幼小的身躯无法阻止任何一个人,只能拼命地呼喊,喊到似乎已经呼出了肺中所有的空气,到了前心贴后背的程度,而嘶哑的嗓子,再也喊不出更大的声音阻止他们,脚下的地面依然在颤抖,他小小的身体被过些在他们中间如同树叶一样摇摆...
Liana opened her eyes, removed her helmet, and looked at Lydia, asking,
"Have you experienced it all?"
莉安娜睁开眼睛,摘下了头盔,看着莉迪娅问,
"你都感受过了吗?"
"Yes," Lydia replied flatly.
"是的,"莉迪娅回答的很平淡,
"It's like poison," Liana said, setting down her helmet.
"这好像毒药一样,"一边说着,莉安娜一边放下了头盔,
"So that's why he needs soul healing, right?" Lydia asked.
"所以他才需要灵魂疗愈是吗?"莉迪娅问,
"Yes, but he could overcome those things. The main issue was the passing of loved ones he cared about, and..." Liana paused, noticing Lydia smiling at her.
"是,不过这些他还能够跨越,主要是后来他在乎的亲人离世,和..."莉安娜说着停了下来,看到莉迪娅,正在看着她笑,
"Alright, don't let this low-energy mood get to you," Lydia advised her younger sister.
"好啦,你不要被这种低能量的状态影响到,"莉迪娅嘱咐自己的妹妹,
"I won't," Lydia replied, taking the perception-gathering helmet back into her hands.
"我不会的,"莉迪娅回答着,又把感知获取头盔拿回到手里,
Today, Liana will hold a video conference with other rotating duty races to discuss their respective areas of responsibility. Although Earth's ascension has long been widely celebrated, and its occurrence is indeed supported by observational evidence of the solar system entering different material-energy bands, it still falls short of the legendary utopian golden age. The involvement of different interstellar races has only added to the complexity of the world. For the individuals involved, this cataclysmic shift presents an opportunity to elevate themselves through the stark contrasts it creates, confronting challenges head-on.
今天莉安娜要和其他轮值执勤种族开一个视频会议,商议各自的分工范围.虽然一直以来的地球扬升被广为传颂,并且它的发生也确实存在太阳系进入不同物质能量带的观测基础,但是它依然不是传说中的盛世乌托邦,尤其是不同的星际种族的介入,增加了世界的复杂性.对于参与其中的个体,更多的是利用这个巨变的机会,在巨大的反差对比中,提升自己,应对挑战.
Despite the principle of non-interference, meddling has never ceased. Different races and factions have always pursued their own overt and covert agendas, influencing Earth's civilization from ancient times to the present day.
虽然有着不干涉的原则,但是干涉从来没有停止过.不同的种族,势力都有着自己明的暗的诉求,对地球文明的影响从古至今.
At the conclusion of the video conference, a representative from the Sirius branch raised an objection to Liana, stating,
"Several days ago, we detected that you extracted a Chinese individual from Earth. That person was originally our star seed. You had no right to take him away."
在视频会议的最后,来自天狼星种族分支的一个代表向莉安娜提出了抗议,说,
"几天前我们探测到你们提取了地球上的一个中国人,那个人本来是我们的星际种子,你们没有权力把他带走."
Liana had already turned to leave when she heard this, and feeling rather displeased, she turned back and said,
"If he's one of your own, why didn't you treat him right? Why did you throw him into that hellish family of his?"
莉安娜本来都转身要走了,听到这话她有些不高兴,又转了回来说,
"既然是你们的人,那你们为什么不好好对待他?把他丢进那个地狱一样的原生家庭?"
The other person stubbornly insisted,
"That's his own life plan. You should respect his personal choice."
对面还很嘴硬,说,
"那是他自己的人生规划,你要尊重他的个人意志."
"Fine, respect his personal choice," Liana said, raising her eyebrows.
"好啊,尊重他的个人意志,"莉安娜眉毛一扬,说,
"By 2025, he had already announced..." Liana started to say, "that he would be working for us," but then realized the evidence in her hands didn't support that claim. She quickly changed her words and said instead,
"2025年他已经宣布..."莉安娜想说,为我们工作,但是一想自己手里的证据不是那样表述的,随即就改口说,
"He's with us now." He then presented the evidence, and didn't forget to add the other person's line:
"和我们一起了."随即展示了证据,然后还不忘补上对方的那句,
"You must respect his personal will." Then he stormed off, flinging his sleeves behind him.
"你要尊重他的个人意志."然后愤然挥袖离去.
Through the starship's porthole, Liana gazed down upon the blue planet. White clouds scattered across the azure sea, sunlight illuminating Earth's thin atmosphere as well as the starship's windows and cabins. Having lived in low Earth orbit for many years, her significantly longer lifespan compared to humans made her feel as though she were observing ordinary lives unfold from a godlike perspective. Her heightened perception allowed her to sense the joys and sorrows of different people throughout their lifetimes, as if she herself had lived those lives. Yet, vaguely, the sensations of these lives always seemed somehow unreal.
透过星舰的舷窗,莉安娜俯视这颗蓝色的星球,白云在湛蓝的海上斑驳分布,阳光照亮地球那层纤薄的大气,也照亮了星舰的舷窗和舱室.自己已经在地球低轨道生活了很多年,因为寿命比地球人长很多,所以仿佛是在以上帝视角俯视普通人走过一生.又因为自己的感知能力很强,可以感受到不同的人一生中的喜怒哀乐,仿佛自己也活过了他们那样的人生.只是,隐约之中,似乎这些生命的感受总觉得不那么的真实.
Below, the cities on Earth glowed brightly while the countryside remained dim. What would it feel like to spend a lifetime there?
下面,地球上的城市灯火通明,乡村暗淡,在那里度过一生会是什么样的感觉呢?
Liana sat in her room, accessing his memories through the combat situational awareness device she wore. Instead of searching for a specific memory to view, she let her current mental state's consciousness frequency match recommend one.
莉安娜在自己的房间里,通过佩戴的作战态势感知设备接入了他的记忆.莉安娜没有搜索要浏览哪一段记忆,而是选择通过自己的目前的精神状态的意识频率匹配,推荐了一段.
That was his childhood—a northern winter in an industrial city. Paper mills, chemical plants, and metallurgical factories lined the river that cut through the town. Most people who lived here depended on these factories for their livelihoods.
那是他的童年,北方的冬季,一座工业城市,有造纸厂,有化工厂,冶金厂,工厂沿着穿城而过的河流修建,大多数生活在这里的人也依赖这些工厂生活.
After elementary school dismissal, the entire class was invited to a classmate's home for his birthday celebration. Each student received a slice of birthday cake—it was also the first time he had ever tasted birthday cake.
小学放学后,全班同学都被邀请去了一个同学家里,参加那个同学的生日庆祝,并且每个人都分到了生日蛋糕,那也是他第一次吃到生日蛋糕.
As the celebrations concluded and everyone headed home, the sun had already dipped below the western hills, leaving only a final streak of crimson across the horizon. This was also the first time he'd ventured so far and returned so late. Unfamiliar with the surroundings, he jogged along the path he'd taken earlier, hoping to reach the familiar environment before nightfall.
当庆祝结束,大家各自回家,此时太阳已经落在西山之后,天边只剩最后一抹红霞.这也是他第一次出来这么远,这么晚回家,这边的环境不太熟悉,他就沿着来时的路一路小跑,希望在天黑之前,能够回到那个他所熟悉的环境.
Just before the last streak of crimson faded from the horizon, he returned to the familiar highway-railway crossing. Crossing the tracks, the paper mill's compound wall lay to his left, the middle school playground fence to his right. Snow blanketed the road, but along the edges, patches of ice had been worn clear by students skating back and forth. He ran and skated along these sections, delighted because it meant he could get home faster.
还好在最后那抹红霞从天边隐去之前,他回到了自己熟悉的那个公路铁路交叉口,跨过铁路,左边就是造纸厂的大院围墙,右边是中学的操场围墙,路面被白雪覆盖,但是路边都是一条条被学生们往来打出溜露出来的冰面,一段段,一边跑一边滑行,他很开心,因为这样就能更快到家了.
Beyond the paper mill's gates lay the road to the factory housing complex. Thick snow blanketed the green shrubs within the roadside fences. Night had fallen completely, with only the lights from each household spilling through windows onto the pavement. Occasionally, the scent of fried scallions from someone's dinner drifted down the street, or the aroma of fried hairtail from another home. He ran all the way, thinking of his grandmother. He feared she was worrying about him and longed to be back in her arms as soon as possible.
越过造纸厂的厂门就到了工厂住宅小区的道路,路边围栏里的绿化灌木都被厚厚的白雪覆盖着,天已经全黑了,只有各个家庭的灯光透过窗户洒在路面,街上不时飘来谁家做晚饭油爆葱花的味道,或者谁家在煎带鱼的味道.他一路跑着,心里想着奶奶,怕她为自己担心,也想快点回到她的身边,
Looking back at the path I'd run along, the dark night chasing behind was gradually swallowing it up. Only the small lamp by my side illuminated the road beneath my feet.
回头望望自己跑过来的路,暗夜追在身后已经渐渐将它们吞噬,只有身边这一点灯火,照亮脚下的路.
A gust of north wind swept through, shaking loose the snow from the roadside willows. In the dark night, snowflakes scattered across the path ahead. As I moved forward, they reflected yellow and white crystalline glints from different angles, like fairies guiding the way through the darkness.
一阵北风吹过,路边柳树上的积雪被摇曳吹落,暗夜里雪花散落在前进的路上,随着自己的移动,它们不时从不同的角度反射出黄色白色的晶莹,仿佛是暗夜里引路的仙子,
Just past the next intersection, he'd almost be home. His heart seemed to have sprouted wings already, soaring toward the only refuge in the dark night.
再转过前面的路口就快要到家了,他的心似乎早已插上了翅膀,飞向那暗夜里的唯一归宿.
Liana emerged from the immersive memory, curious why this particular segment had been selected. Rising to her feet, she walked to the window and gazed out at the view. The starship orbited Earth at roughly eight thousand kilometers per second, yet even a vessel thousands of meters long appeared as a mere speck against the vast cosmic backdrop.
莉安娜结束这段沉浸回忆,有些好奇,为什么会匹配到了这一段.她起身走到窗前,望着窗外景致,星舰以大约八千米每秒的速度环绕着地球飞行,可是即便是上千米长的星舰,在浩瀚的宇宙背景中,也只是沧海一粟.