Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 116 Thought Storm

   "Yes, not only persist, but I will get out alive." Verak closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage.

When Keating heard Veraker's words, his movements froze, and he pressed it again two seconds later: "I've seen too many people like you who are unwilling to be imprisoned here. Their initial ambitions, they eventually failed I was wiped clean by the cruelty of reality."

  Verak did not say anything more on this topic to prove that he is different from others. He knows how difficult it is to escape from prison, how unreliable it is to say it, and how terrible time is. In a place that traps all that's left of him, anything time-sensitive is vulnerable.

  He must hold a torch that is not limited by time and space, use it to dispel the darkness, illuminate the darkness, move forward boldly on the road of thorns, and gain the courage to persevere.

  He thinks he has this torch.

   "But I think you will persevere." Keating said abruptly.

  Verak was stunned instead.

   After Keating finished speaking, he was powerless to refute. After all, Keating had seen too many people, and he had no reason to think that he was the exception, so he kept silent, planning to use the future results to give himself an answer for Keating.

   But Keating actually said the words of approval for the first time.

   "...Why?" Veraker was puzzled, he was curious about what Keating based on thinking he could persevere.

"You are the first person who can smile naturally in front of me after being tortured. Those people before either just kept silent, or tried to ask me about the whereabouts of the gold with even crazier methods." Ki Ting explained the reason for such an evaluation, "But I just said that I think you will persevere. Whether you will be able to do so is still unknown, and jailbreak is even more unknown."

   "Yeah." Verak chuckled and said for a long time, "Mr. Keating, I have to find a way to get out of this cell."

  Keating refused to tell the whereabouts of the gold, so it was impossible to leave here with him in a fair manner, and he had to choose the only way to escape from prison. To escape from prison, he must understand the terrain and obtain the opportunity to get out, both of which can only be achieved by being transferred to other cells.

"It's a very difficult road." Keating's eyes flashed with worry, "You have seen them too. Every day, all their energy is spent on work and life, with no strength or thought. To break out of prison. They wear down their souls first and turn them into empty shells, and finally they are not even empty shells, just a corpse."

   "But you can only hope to escape if you go to another cell." Verak sighed, "I know that the difficulties we will face will not be limited to this, but I don't want to consider so many factors."

   "I have to go out anyway, right?"

   "Well, I have to go out."

   Keating didn't speak again.

Following Keating's massage, Verak slowly moved his neck. The neck that was originally stiff and painful to the slightest touch became numb, and he could gradually move up and down, left and right: "My neck is much better, Thank you."

"I can't do anything about your wound." Keating continued to press, "This wound is troublesome to the outside world, and it is even more difficult in this prison where the medical and mental care conditions are below the prescribed standards. If Lecter tomorrow You still have to make such a deal with you, you have to refuse, or let the wound worsen for two days, anything may happen."

   "Understood, Mr. Keating." Verac also had some self-knowledge. If there was such a deal tomorrow, he would definitely have to reject it.

  The time flickered to eight o'clock in the evening.

  The prison guards brought dinner. Today's dinner is oatmeal and oatmeal cakes.

After half a day's rest, Verak's hands subsided a little, and he was able to move around more or less, so he didn't bother Keating to feed him when he was eating. Instead, he barely drank the porridge with a spoon, and gnawed on the oatmeal with difficulty. .

"Give me the oatmeal cake." Keating asked for the oatmeal cake in Veraker's hand, tore it into small pieces for him, then tore off his own cake, and stirred them into Veraker's oatmeal together, "Eat like this It's more convenient for you."

  Verak's jaw is injured, and his biting and chewing will affect the wound, so it is a good choice to tear the pancake into pieces and soak it soft, and drink it with oatmeal.

   "Your pie..." Veraker witnessed Keating giving himself the only pie he had.

  Keating took a sip of the porridge with a spoon and drank it: "I'm old, and I don't need to eat so much when I sit here all day, but you didn't eat at noon, and you still have injuries on your body. Eating more will also help you recover."

  Villac held a full lunch box: "...Thank you..."

   "Hurry up and eat." Keating continued to drink the porridge slowly.

  Verak had been hungry for a long time, and now that the pancakes and porridge were mixed together, he simply poured the food in the lunch box into his mouth, and ate voraciously.

  At 8:10, the prison guards took away the lunch box. After eating and drinking enough, Verak, who felt that his physical strength had recovered a lot, shook his hands: "I will carry you to take a bath later."

   "Forget it today." Keating shook his head, and took out the book to read again, "You are injured and can't touch the water, and it will be troublesome if it is infected and suppurated."

   "Thank you..." Verak thanked.

   "I will never kill a person just to get someone to take a bath for me." Keating read the book.

  Verak sat on the prison uniform, leaning against the wall: "What book are you reading?"

"On the origin of species by natural selection, that is, the preservation of superior races in the struggle for existence," Keating replied, "A book written by the Wellands, which presents the theory of biological evolution in a very coherent manner. I find it hard to believe, but There's no denying he writes well."

   "I don't understand very well." Verak shook his head, not understanding what the book was about.

   "A book that subverts cognition, do you want to read it?" Keating asked, "I have also read this book many times."

  Verak raised his hands to indicate the wound: "I can't see it now."

   Keating saw that Veraker was bored now, so he moved his body and turned to face him: "Let me give you a general introduction."

"Okay." Verac felt that the name of this book was very long, and he only remembered the four words 'Origin of Species'. It was much more interesting than the "Crafting" Keating gave him before, because Keating described When he mentioned "subverting cognition", he was very interested in this type of book after being overturned by "Theory of Equality".

"This book was published in the capital of Wellland six or seven years ago, but the translation into Bresci and Dunman happened not long before I was imprisoned... The author puts forward a very subversive idea in the book. From the point of view of sex, that is, the species of organisms in nature are not constant, but gradually evolve from low to high..." Keating explained the book.

  Verak listened with gusto.

  The scientific principles in it simply opened up his new world and overturned the theory that humans were created by God.

   "That's about it. I think it will be the most controversial book in the world today." Keating spent about twenty minutes telling Veraker the contents.

   "My God..." Verac didn't know how to evaluate this book, "It's really subversive, and it's hard to accept for a while..."

   "Don't think so much." Keating put away "On the Origin of Species Based on Natural Selection That Preserves Superior Races in the Struggle for Survival" and drank his saliva. "Just take a look at it while passing the time."

   "You brought these books in by yourself?" Verak asked.

Keating gave a "hmm" and said, "These books were also brought over when I was arrested. At my request, they did not confiscate them. But...these were only a few books with me at the time. Now I’ve watched it dozens of times over and over.”

   "Didn't you go to them for some other books?"

   "Thinking too much. It's good to keep these few books, how could I get others." Keating smiled and shook his head.

  Verak thought of something, he sat up straight: "You told me a book, I will tell you a book too."

   "What book?" Keating didn't care. He had read too many books, and he didn't feel that Verac could tell him what he didn't know, or refresh him.

   "Theory of Equality." Verac said.

   "The Equality Theory?" Keating thought about it for a while, making sure he hadn't heard of it. "Who wrote it?"

   "Francis, he's from Brescia." Verac didn't mention Chris, because he's putting on Chris's identity now, and it would be awkward to talk about "Equality".

   Keating shook his head again: "I haven't heard of it."

   "You were already in prison when he became famous, and this book was just published not long ago. It's normal for you not to know." Verac said.

   “Does this book have anything to do with equality in your organization?” Keating asked. The Equality Association and "Equality Theory" are too difficult to keep people from being connected.

  Villac didn't want to cover up anything, he just wanted to talk about "Equality" with Keating openly, and express the most advanced viewpoints and ideas.

"The content written in this book is the meaning of our organization's existence." As soon as "Theory of Equality" was mentioned, Verak's face became more serious, "From the purpose of our organization to the ultimate goal of our organization. Never The idea that is taken seriously by those with vested interests, and the reasons why countless people sacrifice their lives for it... are all in it."

"I'm curious, what is it that makes you, a young master of a big consortium, give up everything you have, dare to put life and death aside, and fight against the government." Keating has read other books and has almost recited it by heart. He talked about a book he hadn't read, and it was such a book stained with countless hot blood and exuding a strange charm, he was happy to listen to it.

"Then let's start with the first chapter 'Understanding Inequality'." Verac smiled slightly, and introduced "Theory of Equality" to others as a member of the Equality Society. This feeling is hard to describe, "The foundation of the current world, From any point of view, there is only the credo of equality and nothing else. Yet it is ironic that inequality still reigns supreme in society.”

  At nine o'clock, the other working prisoners came back to rest, and the deserted basement floor became lively again.

  In cell 208, Veraker narrated the content of "Equality" logically and clearly, while Keating sometimes frowned and meditated, and sometimes swallowed his saliva.

  The two seem to be cut off from the outside world.

"...one can erase it, one can laugh at it, but it can never be truly erased or damaged by being trampled upon; because it is right, it is sacred, it represents ideals to which men aspire, It symbolizes the future of divine revelation, it has gained the upper hand in theory and principle, and it will eventually win in objective fact one day, it is indelible, and it will last forever. (Note: 1)” I don’t know how long it has passed Only then did Verack finish the first chapter of "Equality" exhaustively.

   Keating didn't speak.

   There was a brief silence in the cell.

   "This is the content of the first chapter." Verak broke the silence, got up and took a sip of water, "If you are interested, I can tell you about the content of the subsequent chapters when I have time."

"Do you have anything to do now?" Keating didn't say whether "Equality" is good or bad, what is the content, he just stared at Verac, "It's only nine o'clock, I think we can finish the first chapter before the break." Finish listening to the content of the second chapter."

   "...time is enough." A smile gradually appeared on Verak's face.

  He didn't know what kind of impact "Theory of Equality" had on Keating. At least Keating had aroused curiosity now—just like him who read the first chapter ignorantly at the time.

  Some people had huge doubts in their hearts, and they tried to understand and solve the doubts.

   "Then let me tell you about the second chapter of the Theory of Equality, that is, 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity'..." Verac talked about the follow-up content.

   Keating listened solemnly without saying a word.

During the period, the musician Ross next door came to say hello to Veraker, asking him about his injuries, and how Lecter abused him in the morning. Keating.

  The prisoners finished their bath.

  The light went out.

   The uproar died down.

   Snoring everywhere.

  In the dark cell, Keating, who was sitting on the bed, and Veraker, who was sitting on the ground, remained motionless.

   "That's it." Verak didn't know what time it was, and finally finished the second chapter.

   Keating still didn't speak, and Verac asked, "What do you think of this book?"

   "It's too early to talk about opinions. After you tell me all the following content, I will have a good chat with you." Keating's voice was very low. He looked into Verak's eyes, Verak couldn't see him, but he could clearly see the light in Verak's eyes, "How is this young man named Francis now?"

   "He has already sacrificed." Verak said.

   "It's a pity." Keating sighed, feeling sorry for Francis' death.

  Verak silently nodded slightly in the dark. He wished countless times to have the opportunity to meet Francis and Chris and have a good chat with them.

   "...rest early." Keating reminded, "Don't forget you still have a lot of tests tomorrow."

   "Okay." Verak got up and climbed onto the bed, "When I come back alive tomorrow, I will tell you the third chapter. Good night."

"Good night."

  —

  Note 1: This paragraph quotes the original text of "On Equality" written by Pierre Leroux.

   I recommend Jiannan Shaochun's "Crafting is a Disease", the best novel I've read recently.

  (end of this chapter)