Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.08 第8章 前往与助救 -2
第8章 前往与助救 –2
Chapter 8: Journey to the Rescue – Part 2
暴怒的老鼠贴身攻击，这一棍直接甩在它变得怪异的头颅上。
The enraged rat lunged at close range, and the heavy blow landed squarely on its twisted, grotesque skull.
嘭！
Thud!
粘稠的液体飞溅，老鼠庞大的身躯站立原地，随后往下直直压来。
Viscous fluid splattered, and the rat’s massive body stood frozen for a moment before crashing down with crushing weight.
[我收获了 39.4N，这都是强大的双…]
[I gained 39.4N—this all owes to my formidable bio-limb…]
男孩被这堆巨肉压住，他强忍刺鼻臭味，喘著粗气从怪物身下吃力爬出，眼神有些涣散地道：「谢谢，大家…」
Pinned beneath that mountain of meat, the boy gritted his teeth against the stench, gasping as he struggled to crawl out from under the monster. His glazed eyes muttered weakly: “Thank you, everyone…”
他主动切断了联系，Moexl自动分配了时序。
He severed the link at once, and Moxel automatically reassigned control to Chronos.
随后，梁喜吃力抬头，看向黝黑的通道交接处。
Then, tilting his head with immense effort, Liang Xi stared toward the crossroads of the dark tunnel.
想了下后，他闭目感应了下还若有若无的联系，身上的曲折光线遵循著杨子藏的公开气息，延伸进身旁虚空。
After a pause, he closed his eyes to sense the faint, lingering connection, while jagged rays of light bent along the public signature of Yang Zicang, stretching into the void beside him.
「大哥哥，在死之前，我要告诉你、一个秘密…」
“Big brother, before I die… let me tell you a secret…”
……
另一边。 来自那孩子的感应画面消失了。
Elsewhere. The vision from that child had vanished.
[应选者归还了我的投资，并分予了 80%红利，共计约 206.8N。]
[Elect returned my Invest, apportioning 80% as a dividend, totaling approximately 206.8N.]
这最后的战斗，只在电光石火之间，随后杨子藏就感知到了反馈。
The final skirmish had blazed through in a flash, and Yang Zicang instantly sensed its echo.
他脑袋蒙了下，五十六年？
His mind reeled—fifty-six years?
这就得到了五十六年？
He had simply earned fifty-six years?
「那个弟弟好厉害，我居然分到了十一年零三个月！ 太夸张了。 这是真的吗？」
“That kid is amazing, I actually got eleven years and three months! That’s insane. Is this for real?”
沐小雨有些激动。
Mu Xiaoyu was a bit excited.
她是见杨子藏选择了投资，于是自己也跟著投，没想到仅仅三十年就赚了这么多！
She had seen Yang Zicang choose to Invest, so she followed suit. She never imagined that in just thirty years, she would earn this much!
张扬呵呵一笑，说道：「我也赚到了接近四个月的时间呢。 唉，就是那孩子，不知道后面怎么办。」
Chang Yang chuckled softly and said, “I also made close to four months of time. Sigh, but that kid… I wonder what he’ll do next.”
见杨子藏似乎在思考什么，没回应两人，他看向身旁头发花白的刘阳。
Seeing that Yang Zicang seemed lost in thought and didn’t respond to them, he turned to look at Liu Yang, whose hair was already graying beside him.
「一寸光阴一寸金，我算是明白了。」
“An inch of time is an inch of gold—now I truly understand that.”
「靠。」 刘阳将脸转到一边去。
“Damn it.” Liu Yang turned his face away.
刘阳想到，这儿所有人中，就只有自己最短命。
Liu Yang thought that among everyone here, he was the one with the shortest lifespan.
眼看身旁两个家伙已经投资两次，自己每次却只能赚到几天。
He watched the two people beside him invest twice already, while every time he tried, he only managed to earn a few days.
不过能增加几天的时间也很好了，说不定转机就在那几天之中。
Yet even gaining a few days of time was better than nothing—maybe the turning point lay within those few days.
刘阳感慨道：
Liu Yang mused aloud:
「难怪阿梁那小子敢去那种地方，虽然危险，但仅仅两只老鼠怪物就能获得这样多的时序，真是赚啊。」
“No wonder that brat Liang dares to go to a place like that. Dangerous as it is, just two rat monsters yielded so much Chronos—it’s truly lucrative.”
「这是因为只有咱们投资，而且他又愿意分出八成的时序，要是有别人参与，随便来个几十年，咱们的红利就少得很了。」
“That’s because we’re the only ones investing, and he’s willing to split eighty percent of the Chronos. If others joined in and threw in a few decades, our dividends would be pitifully small.”
「不过，他受了那么重的伤，不知道还能坚持多久。」
“But with injuries that severe, I wonder how much longer he can hold on.”
杨子藏忍住了心中的想要去说明的想法，自己目前什么都还不懂。
Yang Zicang suppressed the urge to explain, knowing that he still understood nothing at this point.
那个罗鑫队长的话虽然残酷，但他说的是对的，在这里，首先要学会的是理智。
Captain Luo Xin’s words were harsh, but he was right—here, the first thing one must learn is rationality.
自己哪怕想要帮助这些人，也要有足够的实力才行。
Even if he wanted to help these people, he needed to be strong enough first.
不过…
But…
[我选择了长期投资，时间直至月底，时序减少 100N。]
[I chose the long-term investment, lasting until the end of the month. Chronos reduced by 100N.]
杨子藏决定再给梁喜一百年的寿命保底。
Yang Zicang decided to give Liang Xi a baseline guarantee of another hundred years of life.
忽然，几人感觉到一股阴冷气息自遥远地方弥漫开来，扩散天地。
Suddenly, the few of them sensed a chilling aura spreading from a distant place, permeating heaven and earth.
地面隐隐震动，四人回头望去，只见上一个地铁站所在之处，出现一道浓烈的黑色喷泉般的东西，它顶天立地，宛如四五十层高楼。
The ground trembled faintly. The four turned to look back and saw, at the site of the previous subway station, a dense black geyser-like entity shooting up. It towered between heaven and earth, as tall as a forty- or fifty-story building.
怪物通体张开无数双赤红色的眼睛，扫视著周围。
The creature’s body was covered with countless blood-red eyes, all scanning the surroundings.
「是那个上一层地铁站孕育的怪物！」
“It’s the monster bred in the subway station above!”
众人心惊胆颤。
Their hearts quaked with terror.
没想到这怪物如此恐怖！ 巴士跟它相比，只是小巫见大巫。
They hadn’t expected the monster to be so horrifying! Compared to it, the bus was just a minor fry.
杨子藏瞬间出现个感觉，要是自己在售票厅培育Moexl，百分之百会被那怪物吞噬意志！
Yang Zicang instantly felt that if he cultivated Moxel in the ticket hall, he would be one hundred percent certain to have his will devoured by that monster!
「快跑！」
“Run!”
「被它发现铁定会死。」
“We’re dead if it spots us.”
四人大惊，再次充满慌张情绪的奔跑起来。
The four panicked and started running again, overwhelmed by a renewed sense of dread.
……
「姚队长，不知道那位孕育出四边形Moexl的人，会不会来。」
“Captain Yao, I wonder whether the person who gave birth to QuadMoxel will come.”
宛若堡垒般高大厚重的岩石房屋中，一位身穿小西装，打扮得宛若职业女性的靓丽女生抱著本资料夹，望著门外的道路，有些忧心的道。
Amid a lofty, rock-hewn house as stout and towering as a fortress, a striking girl, dressed in a tailored suit like a career woman, clutched a folder in her arms and gazed out at the road beyond the door, her tone laced with worry.
「雪美，你已经问了好几遍了，虽然他是四边形，但也不用一个小时问四遍吧。 还是说，你还想著那个赵安龙？」
“Xuemei, you’ve already asked that several times. Even if he’s a Quad, does he need you nagging once every quarter-hour? Or still dwelling on that Zhao Anlong, are you?”
「行了，赵安龙如果能成功回来，是我们的绝大助力。」
“Enough. If Zhao Anlong can return safely, that’ll be a tremendous boon to us.”
姚启明站起身来，他的黑瞳宛若墨玉般璀璨光洁，精光汇聚。
Yao Chiming rose to his feet; his black pupils shimmered like flawless ink jade, refracting beams of intense light.
在他身旁，另一个稍微有些胖胖的女孩坐在椅子上，拿手撑著脸颊，略显无聊地盯著外面的流云，刚刚就是她怼了赵雪美一句。
Beside him, a slightly plump girl sat with her cheek propped in her hand, wasting her eyes with a weary stare on the rolling clouds beyond the window. Moments before, she had sniped that very remark at Zhao Xuemei.
姚启明道：「在那种强敌环绕的情况下，楚强还敢动用一千年的时序为他投资，就是为了表达我们的善意。 那个小伙子也没有辜负我们的厚望，不愧是四边形，天生就比大部分人多一两倍的时序增幅，唉。」
Yao Chiming said, “Faced as he was with powerful enemies closing in from all sides, Chu Chiang still dared to invest a thousand Chronos into bestowing his Investiture upon the lad, all so he could make plain our goodwill. And that young man has not disappointed our high expectations—truly fitting a Quad who, by nature, boasts double or even triple the Chronos Amplification of most people. Sigh.”
赵雪美露出思索神色，说道：
Zhao Xuemei wore a thoughtful expression, and spoke:
「从他的几次选择看来，这人的人品还是不错的。 哪怕不来，我们至少也会与他结下一个善缘。 到时候让楚强多跟他联系联系，告诉他一些变强的方法，没准他会同意去探寻下安龙哥的下落。」
“Judging from his choices so far, this person has good character. Even if he doesn’t come, we’ll at least forge a positive bond with him. We can have Chu Chiang stay in touch and share some tips on how to grow stronger—maybe he’ll agree to look into Anlong Ge’s whereabouts.”
她目光沉著地看向脸略圆的女孩，声音清澈如水地道：
Her gaze steady and composed, she fixed her eyes on the slightly round-faced girl, her voice flowing clear as water:
「冯彩琳，没有安龙哥，就没有今日的猎怪者联盟，不要因为他仅是失去消息半年，就忘了他曾经对我们做出过的贡献。」
“Feng Cailin, without Anlong Ge, there would be no Monster Hunter Alliance as we know it today. Don’t let his half-year disappearance make you forget the contributions he once made to us.”
「好好好，我的错，你继续问吧，希望在第十遍前，那个四边形能来。」
“Alright, alright, my bad. You go ahead and ask. Let’s just hope that Quad shows up before the tenth round.”
话还没说完，她见到雪美脸上露出惊喜的表情。
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Xuemei’s face light up with a look of surprise.
「难道来了？」
“Is he here?”
冯彩琳也站起身到门口望了一眼，正如楚强所说的，果然是四个人。
Feng Cailin also stood up and glanced out the door—just as Chu Chiang had said, there were indeed four people.
这让屋子内几人都惊喜不已，姚启明也松了一大口气，只要这小子能来，就已经成功了一半了。
Everyone in the room was overjoyed, and Yao Chiming breathed a huge sigh of relief. As long as the kid showed up, half the battle was already won.
……
杨子藏随著记忆中的左明路地图奔跑而来，途中见到了许多地球上不存在的奇怪区域，就在身后不远处，便有栋漆黑的古老高楼。
Yang Zicang sprinted forward, following the map of Zuo Ming Road etched in his memory, passing countless strange regions along the way that didn’t exist on Earth. Not far behind him loomed a pitch-black, ancient high-rise.
那栋漆黑高楼就像是中世纪的建筑，却又比那个年代的建筑更为高大、厚重，散发著浑厚的气息。
That black high-rise resembled a medieval structure, yet it was taller and more imposing than the buildings of that era, exuding a profound, heavy aura.
姚启明等三人一起迎了出来。
Yao Chiming and the other two came out to welcome them together.
「这里就是猎怪者联盟？」
“Is this the Monster Hunter Alliance?”
杨子藏望了眼这四层高的建筑，它的三层与四层缩小了一圈，在第二层露出圈大阳台，岩石围墙还做出了城垛的形状。
Yang Zicang glanced at the four-story building, its third and fourth floors tapering inward, with a broad balcony encircling the second floor, and the rocky walls even shaped into battlements.
「欢迎你们的到来。 没错，这里是我们队伍的驻地。 目前大伙儿都外出了。 等晚上，咱们一起为你庆祝庆祝。」
“Welcome to you all. Yes, this is our team’s base. Everyone else is out right now. Tonight, we’ll celebrate together for you.”
「欸，在，庆祝，之前…」刘明划动了下干涩的喉结，吃力道：「咱们这儿，有没有，水…」
“Hey, uh, before the celebration…” Liu Ming moved his dry throat with effort and said, “Do you guys have any water… around here?”
……
半小时后，杨子藏在二楼的平台见到了刚从第四层楼下来的瘦高青年。
Half an hour later, Yang Zicang saw the tall, lean youth who had just come down from the fourth floor on the second-floor terrace.
「终于见到了，能孕育出四边形Moexl的你。」
“Finally, I get to meet you—the one who nurtured QuadMoxel.”
这青年虽然干瘦，但筋骨看上去充满力量，声音有著不合年纪的沉稳，仿佛经历过许多事情。
Although the youth was gaunt, his sinews seemed filled with power, and his voice carried a steadiness beyond his years, as if he had been through many things.
他充满笑意的道：
He said with a smile,
「容我自我介绍一下，我名楚强。 在来到这里之前，是个电路设计师。 现在是团队的后勤人员。」
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Chu Chiang. Before coming here, I was a circuit designer. Now, I handle logistics for the team.”
「你好，我是杨子藏。」
“Hello, I’m Yang Zicang.”
两人伸出手握了下。
The two reached out and shook hands.
「如果没有你的一千年的说明，我恐怕已经死了，我由衷的感谢你的支援。」 杨子藏道。
“Without your help a thousand years ago, I would likely be dead. I sincerely thank you for your support,” Yang Zicang said.
「不客气。 作为新人，你能做到这种程度才真是出乎我的意料。 要不是因为总部的约束，我还真不会撤走那一千年的时序。」
“You’re welcome. As a newbie, it’s truly beyond my expectations that you could go this far. If it weren’t for the constraints from the headquarters, I wouldn’t have withdrawn that millennium of Chronos.”
「总部？」
“Headquarters?”
「猎怪者阵营总部。 实际上，呵呵，算了不说这个。」
“The monster hunters’ camp headquarters. Actually, heh, let’s drop it.”
杨子藏点点头，「你们也有你们的难处，我知道的。 我也没有真的杀掉他。」
Yang Zicang nodded. “You have your difficulties, I understand. And I didn’t really kill him either.”
只要不处于兴奋状态，心间那Moexl蕴含的负面情绪对自己的影响并不算太大。
As long as he wasn’t in a state of excitement, the negative emotions contained in the Moxel within his heart didn’t have too much influence on him.
此刻杨子藏想到自己当时对白鸳的强烈杀意，心中也有些担忧，它对自己情绪的影响是如此的强烈，要是以后的战斗中被影响，很容易出现不理智的情况。
At this moment, recalling his intense bloodlust towards Bai Yuan, Yang Zicang felt a flicker of worry inside. The thing’s influence on his emotions was so powerful; if it affected him during a fight, it could easily lead to irrational behavior.
杨子藏抬起头看了眼天际苍穹，又看向身前之人。
Yang Zicang lifted his head to glance at the sky above, then turned his gaze forward to the man before him.
「这到底是什么地方，你们清楚吗？ 我在路上见到许多城市中不存在的建筑，还有地形。」
“What exactly is this place? Do you know? Along the way, I saw buildings and landscapes that can’t exist in any city.”
楚强道：「我猜，这里已经不算是地球了。 至于是哪里，我们并不是很清楚，但应该会在未来逐渐知晓答案。」
Chu Chiang said, “I guess this area is no longer Earth. As for where exactly it is, we’re not entirely sure, but I think the answers will gradually be revealed in the future.”
「为什么如此肯定会逐渐知道？」
“Why are you so certain that they’ll gradually become known?”
杨子藏敏锐的发现了楚强话中透露出来的资讯。
Yang Zicang keenly caught the information embedded in Chu Chiang’s words.
他笑了下，说道：
He smiled slightly and said:
「有途径可以逐渐解密，如果你加入我们猎怪者联盟，我会给你分享这些资讯。 而且，还有很多东西可以与你共用，比如能诞生更大力场的资讯，比如武器，以及疗伤的物品等等。」
“There’s a way to gradually decode it. If you join our Monster Hunters Alliance, I’ll share that information with you. Besides, there’s plenty else we can share—things like information to generate stronger force fields, weapons, healing items, and so on.”
他眼神灼灼，望向杨子藏，等待著年轻人的答复。
His gaze burned intently as he looked at Yang Zicang, waiting for the young man’s response.
「武器，疗伤物品？」
“Weapons? Healing items?”
「你可以来跟我试用一下。」
“You can give it a try with me over here.”
楚强推开厚重的金属门，屋子中出现一排排货架似的东西，上面放置著各种奇形怪状的东西，有矿石、树木，还有怪物的鳞甲。
Chu Chiang pushed open the heavy metal door, revealing rows of racks inside, laden with all sorts of bizarre objects—ores, timber, and scales from monsters.
这些架子都被一层淡白色的光芒笼罩著。
These racks were all cloaked in a faint, pale white glow.
「有手枪吗？ 我似乎比较适合远端武器。」杨子藏看著这玲琅满目的东西道。
“Got any handguns? I seem to lean more toward ranged weapons,” Yang Zicang said, eyeing the dazzling array of items.
谁知楚强却摇摇头，他笑道：
But Chu Chiang shook his head with a smile.
「我看见你用石子秒杀张飞了，大概是因为四边形的缘故，你的Moexl能力真的很强。」
“I saw you take down Zhang Fei with a pebble. Probably thanks to your Quad, your Moxel ability is really formidable.”
「普通两三道线的地铁站Moexl，最多给自己加加速或是减速对方而已，你的却能影响物品，甚至是好几个其他人。 但，如果你想用子弹达到这那种效果，恐怕会失望。」
“An ordinary two- or three-line metro station Moxel can at most boost your own speed or slow down an opponent, but yours can affect objects—or even multiple other people. However, if you’re hoping to achieve that same effect with bullets, you might end up disappointed.”
杨子藏心中一紧：「为什么？」
Yang Zicang’s heart tightened. “Why?”
「这样吧，我给你拿个东西你试试就知道了。」
“Tell you what, let me grab something and you can try it out yourself.”
楚强往更里面的房间走去，他扭开房门进入后，很快拿出一副木制的弓箭，以及一根看上去非常普通的秃头箭苗。
Chu Chiang walked into an inner room, twisted the door open, and soon emerged with a wooden bow and an arrow shaft that looked utterly ordinary, its head bare.
「用过弓吗？」
“Ever used a bow before?”
杨子藏摇摇头。
Yang Zicang shook his head.
自己对打篮球很在行，但弓箭，除了小时候的玩具弓，真家伙别说摸了，见都没见过。
He was adept at basketball, but when it came to the bow and arrow—aside from toy ones in his childhood—he had never even seen a real one, let alone touched it.
干瘦的男人将这柄半人长的木制弓箭递给他，并将一只箭苗递了过来。
The gaunt man handed him this half-man-tall wooden bow, passing along with it a single arrow shaft.