Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.07 第7章 前往与助救 -1
第7章 前往与助救 –1
Chapter 7: Going to the Rescue – Part 1
「感谢大家之前的说明。」
“Thanks for your help earlier.”
杨子藏看著两人，「之前一些帮我的人已经永远的离开这个世界了，接下来，我们一定要替他们好好活下去。」
Yang Zicang looked at the two of them, “Some of those who helped me before have already left this world forever. From now on, we must live well on their behalf.”
「我们没有帮什么忙。 不过你说的是对的，这对那些人来说真的是无妄之灾。 对了，你的能力是什么，丢石子吗？ 威力好强啊！」
“We didn’t do much. But you’re right—this was really an unwarranted disaster for those people. By the way, what’s your ability? Throwing stones? That was incredibly powerful!”
「喂，别随便打听别人的能力好不好，你这不是泄露别人底牌吗？」 张扬用手肘捅了捅刘明。
“Hey, don’t just casually pry into someone else’s ability, alright? Aren’t you revealing their trump card?” Chang Yang elbowed Liu Ming.
刘明扣了扣脑袋，哈哈笑道：
Liu Ming scratched his head and laughed heartily:
「不好意思，我老糊涂了。 对了，咱们一路跑，都还没互相介绍呢，你怎么称呼？」
“Sorry, I’m getting old and muddled. By the way, we’ve been running all this way without introducing ourselves. What should we call you?”
变回青年的他笑道：「杨子藏，藏东西的藏，虽然是个多音字，但大家都喜欢这么叫我。」
Having reverted to a young man, he chuckled: “Yang Zicang. The ‘cang’ in ‘storage’—even though it’s a polyphonic character, everyone likes to call me that.”
「哈哈，好，我叫刘明，他叫张扬，这位美女姓沐，名小雨，以后我们可得靠你保护了啊。」
“Haha, good. I’m Liu Ming, he’s Chang Yang, and this beauty is Mu Xiaoyu. From now on, we’ll be counting on you to protect us.”
「大家都是一起经历过生死的人，谈不上什么保护，有机会你们也可以获得Moexl。」
“We’ve all been through life and death together. There’s no talk of protection. When the chance comes, you might get a Moxel too.”
这话让三人期待起来，谁不想拥有这样奇异的能力！
These words filled the three with anticipation—who wouldn’t want to possess such an extraordinary ability!
杨子藏暗暗算了下。
Yang Zicang calculated in his mind.
不算本身寿命，自己还有接近589年半的额外时序，四倍增幅下来就是两千三百多年。
Not counting his own lifespan, he still had nearly 589 and a half years of extra Chronos, which, when quadrupled, amounted to over two thousand three hundred years.
不知道自己这种实力在这个世界排不排的上号。 但对于那个所谓联盟来说，应该随便都可以用投资的方式制造出来一个强大存在。
I don’t know if my current strength ranks at all in this world. But for that so-called alliance, they could probably create a powerful being at will using the Invest method.
猎怪者联盟，还有废都…
The Monster Hunter Alliance, and the Ruined City…
忽然，一道微弱的线条折来。
Suddenly, a faint line came bending in.
｛谁能帮帮我。｝
{Who can help me.}
[我感受到了对寿命，对时序的渴望。]
[I can feel a thirst for lifespan, for Chronos.]
感知画面中，是个身材中等的十四五岁半大小子。 他的一只眼眯着，手中拿著根铁棍，在一个类似地下坑道般的地方一瘸一拐地往前蹦著，似乎是废弃的大型地下管道。
In his perception, the figure was a teenage boy of medium build, about fourteen or fifteen years old, squinting one eye while clutching an iron rod, limping and hopping forward in a place like an underground tunnel—seemingly some abandoned large-scale subterranean pipeline.
怎么会有这样的地方？ 杨子藏有点疑惑。
How could there be a place like this? Yang Zicang found it somewhat puzzling.
在那男孩身后，涌现出一堆团暗淡的灰雾，有什么东西在缓慢的靠近。
Behind that boy, a mass of dim gray mist surged, with something slowly approaching inside.
那东西仿佛在享受这孩子的恐惧似的，既不放弃追赶，又不加速，只是偶尔窜出一道类似黑鞭的东西抽在他身上。
That thing seemed to be savoring the child’s fear, neither giving up the chase nor speeding up, occasionally lashing out with something like a black whip that struck his body.
他身外只有两根不断变幻的线条，那Moexl只是个角度符号。
Outside his body were only two constantly shifting lines; that Moxel was merely an Angle Symbol.
「你们看到了吗？」 杨子藏看向身旁道。
“You all saw that, right?” Yang Zicang looked to those beside him.
「有些模糊。」
“Somewhat blurry.”
「似乎离我们很远。」
“Seems like it’s far from us.”
｛谁能，给我一百年，我就能打过这个怪物，它只是只老鼠而已。 求求你们，谁能…｝
{Who can—give me a hundred years, and I could defeat this monster; it’s just a rat. Please, someone…}
啪！ 又一道鞭痕抽在男孩身上，将他背脊打出血痕，身后的灰色烟雾中传出来类似人类的笑声，不过声音非常尖锐、怪异。
Snap! Another whip-like mark struck the boy’s body, slashing a bloody streak across his spine. From the gray smoke behind him echoed a sound resembling human laughter, though it was sharp and bizarre.
这次杨子藏看清楚了，那是老鼠尾巴，这尾巴好长啊，想必怪物一定比人还高大！
This time, Yang Zicang saw it clearly—that was a rat’s tail, incredibly long, suggesting the monster must be taller than a man!
等了几秒，这孩子身上只有两道微弱的光点汇聚，那代表有两个人给他投资了，但数量很小。
After waiting a few seconds, only two faint specks of light gathered on the child, indicating that two people had Invested in him, though the amounts were negligible.
｛如果有人给我投资，我把赚到的时序，百分之八十都分给你们！｝
{If someone Invests in me, I’ll give you eighty percent of all the Chronos I earn!}
啪！ 小孩一个踉跄摔倒在地，他恐惧地转头，看向烟雾中人立而起的灰暗轮廓。
Snap! The child stumbled and fell to the ground. He turned his head in terror, staring at the dim silhouette rising upright in the smoke.
｛不会有人给你投资的，阿梁。｝
{No one is going to Invest in you, A Liang.}
一道心声传来，杨子藏好奇的听著这声音，居然还有人能够在这里面说话。
A telepathic voice came through, and Yang Zicang listened curiously—surprised that someone could speak within this space.
名为阿梁的男孩面色一变，他希冀的道：｛是，是罗鑫队长吗？｝
The boy named A Liang’s expression changed drastically, and he asked hopefully, {Is that you, Captain Luo Xin?}
｛是我。｝
{It’s me.}
男孩咬了咬牙道：
The boy gritted his teeth and said,
｛罗鑫队长，如果你能帮我杀死他，我把所有赚到的时序都给你。｝
{Captain Luo Xin, if you can kill it for me, I’ll give you all the Chronos I ever earn.}
｛你走不出来的，杀死这只老鼠后，还有另一只，杀死另一只，还有更多的、数百上千的怪物。 你为什么要去那里呢？ 你只是个被宝物传言所蒙蔽的贪心之人罢了。 那地方，根本不是你这种人可以去的！｝
{You can’t escape. Kill this rat, and there’ll be another one; kill that one, and hundreds, thousands more monsters will swarm in. Why would you go to that place? You’re just a greedy fool blinded by rumors of treasure. That place is far beyond the reach of someone like you!}
啪！
Slap!
又一道鞭痕打在男孩背上，这次老鼠尾巴一搅，将他的脚腕拴住，猛地一抖。
Another lash struck the boy’s back. This time, the rat’s tail coiled around his ankle and whipped it abruptly, sending a violent tremor through him.
砰！ 梁喜被这巨大的力道摔得七晕八素，手中的铁棒也被震落。
Bang! Liang Xi was thrown dizzy by the immense force, and the iron rod in his hand was knocked loose.
｛我之所以浪费时序在这里进行公开心灵对话，就是想要告诉一些刚活下来的新人，不要被这种人给骗了。 不要以为可以投资，寿命就是曾经世界可以交易的代金券。｝
{The reason I’m wasting Chronos on an open telepathic dialogue here is to tell some newcomers who’ve just survived not to be fooled by people like him. Don’t think ‘Invest’ is the same as trading vouchers from your past life.}
附近几十里，还存活的人们听到这消息，很多头脑发热的人一惊，炙热情绪恢复了不少。
For dozens of miles around, the surviving people who heard this news were jolted—many with hot heads had their fervor cooled drastically.
｛这个世界的危险无处不在，你们的任何一次投资行为，都可能血本无归，并且，会影响到自己的未来。 因为有时可能只是差那么1年，原本能反败为胜的你就会被怪物吞噬掉，成为它们的粪便。 在这里，学会的第一件事不是投资，而是清醒，是压抑冲动、保持理智。｝
{Danger is everywhere in this world. Every time you Invest, there’s a chance of losing everything, and it could affect your future. Because sometimes, it’s just that one year short—the edge you might have needed to turn defeat into victory will be stolen by a monster that devours you, turning you into its excrement. In this place, the first thing to learn isn’t Invest—it’s clarity. It’s about suppressing your urges, keeping your sanity.}
很多人都在心中暗自记下了这个名字，他们心想这或许是个好人。
Many people secretly took note of this name, thinking to themselves that he might be a good person.
｛啊！ 为什么！｝
{Ah! Why!}
梁喜咬牙切齿，他已经恨透了这个非但不投资自己，反而还公开讲话的人。
Liang Xi gnashed his teeth in fury, utterly hating this man who not only refused to Invest him but also spoke out publicly.
杨子藏听闻小孩说仅需一百年时，已经动了投资的念头，但听这罗鑫的话后，他才意识到，自己想得还是太简单了。
When Yang Zicang heard the child say it would only take a hundred years, he had already been tempted to Invest, but after listening to Luo Xin’s words, he realized he had still been thinking too simplistically.
听上去，这孩子所在的地方极其危险，一百年的投资，根本不足以让他离开那个地方，甚至只够他打出一击而已。
It seemed that the place where this child lived was extremely dangerous; an investment of a hundred years would not be enough to get him out of there—it might only suffice for a single strike.
若是被抵消，他赚到的时序恐怕都不够填补消耗的本金，毕竟他的Moexl只是个角度符号，想必只能一倍增幅而已。
If that strike was nullified, the Chronos he earned probably wouldn’t even cover the principal consumed, especially since his Moxel was merely an angle symbol, likely capable of only a doubling multiplier.
｛为什么你们都是三角形，哪怕是双线型也有人保护，仅自己… 仅自己…｝
{Why do you all have triangles? Even those with dual lines have someone to protect them… only I… only I…}
听著小孩带著哭腔的委屈声音，杨子藏深吸一口气。
Hearing the child’s tearful voice filled with grievance, Yang Zicang took a deep breath.
妈的，老子都是死过一次的人了。
Damn it, I’ve already died once myself.
他感受著自己的589年时序，心中一横，分出150年。
Feeling his 589 years’ worth of Chronos, he steeled himself and set aside 150 years.
就当白鸳那里的赔偿打水漂吧，横财要用掉，是这个道理。
Might as well consider the compensation from Bai Yuan as money down the drain; windfalls have to be spent—that’s the way it is.
[我想要投资他。]
[I want to Invest him.]
杨子藏心中做著抉择。
Yang Zicang wrestled with the decision in his mind.
「投！ 但只对应这个怪物的危机。」
“Go ahead! But only against this monster’s crisis.”
……
暗淡的地下坑道内，烟雾中的怪物似乎玩腻了，它发出类似笑著般的吱吱声，从雾气中走了出了。
Within the dim underground tunnel, the monster in the smoke seemed to grow bored. It let out a chittering sound akin to laughter, emerging from the haze.
怪物双爪如铁，寒芒闪动，对著男孩一爪挥下。
The monster’s claws were as hard as iron, glinting coldly, as it swung one down at the boy.
男孩已经绝望，这一瞬间他想到了许多，就在一个月前，自己还在假期学彩绘，谁会想到，仅仅只是三十天后，自己会死在老鼠怪物的爪下。
Hope had drained from the boy; in that instant, his mind raced. Just a month ago, he was on holiday learning spray-painting art—who could have guessed that only thirty days later, he would meet his end under the claws of a rat monster?
[我获得了杨子藏的 150N 临时投资，他希望这份时序只为应对当下的危机。]
[I have received a 150N temporary Invest from Yang Zicang; he wishes this Chronos be used solely to counter the present crisis.]
嗙！ 男孩被利爪掀翻出去。
Bang! The boy was flung back by the sharp claws.
[时序减少 20N。]
[Chronos decreased by 20N.]
痛，好痛… 浑身仿佛要散架似的，但这痛感在快速褪去。
Pain, such searing pain… His entire body felt like it was falling apart, yet the agony quickly began to fade.
小孩子的反应灵敏，即便被袭击，他也能熟练地在滚动的时候就顺势握住震落的铁棒，转身的瞬间往后挥舞过去，撞向跃来的硕大老鼠。
A child’s reflexes were sharp. Even under attack, he skillfully seized the iron rod that had shaken loose in his roll, swinging it backward the moment he turned, striking the immense rat charging at him.
这动作看得杨子藏心疼，不知道这孩子来这个鬼地方多久了，像是已经习惯了这些打架身法。
The sight made Yang Zicang’s heart ache; he wondered how long this boy had been in this godforsaken place, having already grown accustomed to these fighting moves.
[我获得杨子藏转投沐小雨的 30N 投资。]
[I have received a 30N Invest transferred from Yang Zicang to Mu Xiaoyu.]
[我获得杨子藏转投张扬的 1N 投资。]
[I have received a 1N Invest transferred from Yang Zicang to Chang Yang.]
[我获得杨子藏转投刘明的 3Y 投资。]
[I have received a 3Y Invest transferred from Yang Zicang to Liu Ming.]
梁喜精神大震，这瞬间他眼泪都快要涌出来，这个世界还是有好人的！
Liang Xi’s spirit soared—in that instant, tears nearly welled up in his eyes. This world still had good people!
砰！ 钢爪与铁棒相接触。
Bang! The steel claw clashed against the iron rod.
那皮鞭一样的尾巴荡来，劲风带起空气的嗡鸣。
The whip-like tail swept in, its violent whir cutting through the air.
「啊！」
“Ah!”
梁喜接近疯狂般将手中铁棒挥舞，他选择用自己小小的身躯硬抗接下来的一击，将大部分时序运转手上，将铁棒往上一举。
Liang Xi, almost driven to madness, swung the iron rod with all his might. He chose to brace his small body against the coming blow, diverting most of Chronos into his hands as he raised the rod upward.
但这一击被大老鼠敏捷的侧身躲避，尾巴荡来，如绳索般将他捆住。
But this strike was nimbly evaded by the huge rat with a twist of its body, its tail lashing out like a rope to coil around him.
噗！ 钢爪在他身上留下巨大的抓痕，鲜血飞溅，梁喜被尾巴缠住往上荡去。
Slash! The steel claw carved a massive gash across his body as blood sprayed into the air. Entangled by the tail, Liang Xi was swung aloft.
杨子藏身旁三人通过他主动分出的丝线连结，看著对方的画面。
The three men beside Yang Zicang, connected through the strands they had voluntarily shared with him, watched the scene unfold from his perspective.
原本他们还在想不知自己什么时候才有这样的「东西」，但很快便被「阿梁」的惨状所惊。
At first, they had wondered when they might ever obtain something like “that,” but quickly they were jolted by the horror befalling “Ah-Liang.”
几人看得心中发紧，杨子藏心中闪过丝后悔，但这念头又迅速被按压下去。
Their hearts tightened at the sight, and a flicker of regret passed through Yang Zicang’s mind—but he swiftly suppressed it.
「子藏哥，这孩子好可怜，看著他我就想我弟弟。」
“Brother Zicang, that kid is so pitiful. Looking at him reminds me of my little brother.”
沐小雨咬著下嘴唇道。
Mu Xiaoyu bit her lower lip as she spoke.
「你弟弟会在地球好好生活的。」
“Your brother will live a good life back on Earth.”
四人一边往左明大道42号赶去，一边通过感知视角关注著那半大小子。
The group of four hurried toward No. 42 Zuo Ming Avenue while monitoring the half-grown boy through their perception.
他被怪物当成破布般在地上乱丢，发出沉闷响声，脸上鲜血直流。
He was tossed around the ground like a ragdoll by the monster, landing with a dull thud, blood streaming down his face.
此时男孩已经没有了动静，但他依旧死死握住手上的铁棒。
The boy had now gone still, but he still gripped the iron rod in his hand tightly.
｛不用担心… 我还有… 本金…｝
{Don’t worry… I still have… my principal…}
｛我还能活… 至少七八十年…｝
{I can survive… at least another seventy or eighty years…}
他没有昏死，这心声即是在给投资者们报信，也是在给自己鼓励。
He hadn’t lost consciousness; this inner voice was both a signal to the Investors and a pep talk to himself.
这残酷的世界啊…
Such a cruel world…
杨子藏心中一口郁气。
A lump of frustration lodged itself deep in Yang Zicang’s chest, a bitter weight of sorrow in his heart.
梁喜被怪物尾巴拖动著往巨大铁管的另一边走去，那里出现另一只略小些的怪物身影。
Liang Xi was being dragged by the monster’s tail toward the other side of the massive iron pipe, where the silhouette of another slightly smaller monster appeared.
那直立起来有一米三四高的老鼠吱吱叫著，眼中露出道欣喜光芒。
The rat, which stood about one meter thirty or forty tall when upright, let out a series of squeaks, a glint of joy flashing in its eyes.
尾巴甩动，梁喜被怪物丢向体型小些的怪物。
With a flick of its tail, the monster hurled Liang Xi toward the smaller creature.
刘明叹息口气：
Liu Ming let out a sigh.
「原来它是为那家伙抓食物，难怪没有直接将这小子吞掉。」
“So it was catching food for that one. No wonder it didn’t simply swallow the kid right away.”
沐小雨再次紧张，她的这次投资，又可能会尽数归零，而自己也将失去人生最宝贵的三十年。
Mu Xiaoyu’s nerves tightened once more. This Investigation of hers could very well be completely reset to zero, and she would lose the most precious thirty years of her life.
杨子藏紧张的看著这一幕，这是个好机会，不知道装死的梁喜能不能把握得住！
Yang Zican nervously watched this scene—it was a perfect opportunity, but he didn’t know if Liang Xi, who was pretending to be dead, could seize it!
忽地，梁喜身上皮肤迅速老化，还是半大小子般的身躯已经出现了老人斑，头发也快速变白。
Suddenly, the skin on Liang Xi’s body aged rapidly—his still half-grown frame had already developed age spots, and his hair quickly turned white.
丢出他的老鼠目光中露出丝疑惑，随后猛然暴怒地冲去！
The rat that had thrown him flickered with a trace of doubt in its eyes, then violently charged forward, consumed with rage!
「呃啊！」 梁喜怒目圆睁，疯狂地看向即将接住自己的小怪物。
“Ahh!” Liang Xi’s eyes blazed wide with fury as he frantically stared at the small monster about to catch him.
噗！ 铁棒直接穿透了那小怪物的胸膛，他抱著怪物翻滚而下，那巨大老鼠如一团黑云轰然砸下。
Pfft! The iron rod pierced straight through the small monster’s chest. As he tumbled down with the creature in his grasp, the colossal rat crashed down like a black cloud.
男孩心中感知到心念。
The boy perceived a thought in his mind.
[我收获了 45.2N，因为我是双线型…]
[I harvested 45.2N, because I am a dual-thread model…]
嘭地声沉响，自己背后被巨大力道砸在地上！
With a dull, heavy thud, his back was slammed against the ground by a tremendous force!
这次自己运用了时序的防御，变得年老的男孩将身旁带著污秽的铁棒一抽，如甩棒球棍般在地上扭转身躯一棒子敲去。
This time, he had activated Chronos’s defense. The aging boy yanked out the grimy iron rod at his side, twisted his body across the ground like swinging a baseball bat, and swung it in a vicious blow.
「所有！」
“All!”
所有怪物、自己以及他人的寿命，全部汇聚到这一击。
The lifespans of every monster—himself and others alike—all converged into this single strike.