Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.09 第9章 前往与助救 -3
第9章 前往与助救 –3
Chapter 9: Heading to Rescue – 3
「这张弓比较容易拉一点，子藏你应该可以轻松射出七八十码的距离。 去试试吧。」
“This bow is a bit easier to draw. ZiCang, you should be able to shoot about 70–80 yards without problem. Give it a try.”
杨子藏点头，拿弓而出。 沐小雨三人拿著肉干，与姚启明等人有说有笑的转上这二楼的大阳台。
Yang Zicang nodded, took the bow, and stepped out. Mu Xiaoyu and the other two, carrying dried meat, chatted and laughed with Yao Chiming and the others as they stepped onto the large balcony on the second floor.
三个新来的人瞥见屋内满堆满的矿物与武器后，刘明露出惊叹的目光。
The three newcomers caught a glimpse of the minerals and weapons piled up inside the room. Liu Ming let out an exclamation of amazement.
「这些石头还会发光，好厉害。 等下，该不会有辐射吧。」
“These stones even glow. That’s incredible. Wait… they’re not radioactive, are they?”
身材壮硕结实的姚启明笑道：
The burly and robust Yao Chiming chuckled.
「放心好了，它们都是这个世界的珍贵产物，制作好些物品都需要它们蕴含的能量。」
“Don’t worry, these are all precious products of this world. Many items require the energy they contain to be crafted.”
赵雪美看著杨子藏道：
Zhao Xuemei looked at Yang Zicang and said:
「子藏先生，你要试用弓箭吗？ 这种武器… 不算很好。」
“Mr. ZiCang, would you like to try using a bow? This kind of weapon… isn’t very good.”
既然都说不好… 对枪械与弓箭类的远端武器，杨子藏已经有些降低期待了。
Since she had already said it wasn’t good… Yang Zicang had already lowered his expectations for ranged weapons like guns and bows.
「我先试试。」
“Let me give it a try first.”
杨子藏来到阳台边缘，拉弓搭箭，瞄准了远方的空旷地形。 那里草木荒废，散布著些垃圾。
Yang Zicang walked to the edge of the balcony, drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at an open area in the distance. There, wild grass and weeds lay neglected, strewn with trash.
[分配时序，300年。]
[Allocate Chronos, 300 years.]
[因为我是伟大的四边形，所以可以四倍增幅时序，1200年！]
[Because I am the great Quad, I can quadruple-amplify Chronos—1200 years!]
箭苗上冒出一抹淡金色的虚影，宛若晃动的雾气，又如虚火。
A faint, pale golden phantom emerged from the arrowhead, like swaying mist or an ethereal flame.
「啧啧，随便一箭都是一千年，真是羡慕啊。」
“Tsk, tsk, casually firing an arrow a thousand years—how enviable.”
猎怪者联盟的几人就没有不露出羡慕眼光的。
Everyone in the Monster Hunter Alliance couldn’t hide their envious glances.
杨子藏的指头绷紧。
Yang Zicang’s fingers tightened.
[轨迹调度！]
[Trajectory Adjustment!]
指头松开的瞬间，金色箭苗迅速划过长空。
The moment he released his fingers, the golden arrowhead streaked across the sky in a flash.
嗖！
Whoosh!
附近一些建筑内的人似有所感，他们透过窗户望向那道由金转黑的箭苗残影，都露出啧啧惊叹之声。
Some people in nearby buildings seemed to sense it; they peered through windows at the afterimage of the arrow shifting from gold to black, all letting out admiring sighs.
「哪个家伙在显摆时序？」
“Which idiot is showing off Chronos?”
「这速度好快，好像是猎怪者联盟的人。」
“That speed is crazy fast—looks like it’s from the Monster Hunter Alliance.”
此刻，在墙垛后的杨子藏刚射出这道箭矢，便收到心间传来的感知资讯。
At this moment, Yang Zicang, having just shot the arrow from behind the battlement, immediately perceived the information relayed to his mind.
他愕然转头看向几人。
Stunned, he turned to look at the others.
「真是神箭手啊。」 楚强笑著道：「怎么样，是不是时序又回来了。」
“What a marksman!” Chu Jiang chuckled. “So? Has Chronos returned?”
杨子藏迟疑的点点头：「好像不到三十多米，时序就返回来了。」
Yang Zicang nodded hesitantly. “It feels like Chronos came back less than thirty meters out.”
「应该就是三十米。 这还是这把弓的帮助，否则这支携带时序的箭苗最远只会带它到达二十米的距离。」
“It should be exactly thirty meters. That’s thanks to this bow; otherwise, this arrow carrying Chronos would only take it twenty meters at most.”
「这就是这把弓的作用，能增加十米的时序打击距离。」
“That’s what this bow does—it extends Chronos’s effective range by ten meters.”
「难怪，原来是这样。」
“No wonder. Now I get it.”
杨子藏看了眼手上的这张木弓。
Yang Zicang glanced at the wooden bow in his hand.
它帮自己延长了十米的时序打击范围，如果不是它的话，自己的远端攻击范围只有二十米。
It had extended his Chronos attack range by ten meters; without it, his long-range attack coverage would only be twenty meters.
在地铁通道内的时候，自己还真的在赌啊。
Back in the subway tunnel, he really had been gambling.
恰好那两个怪物，它们都没有超过这个范围，特别是巴士怪物，几乎就是贴著最远距离吃到了自己的四千多年时序打击。
As luck would have it, those two monsters never exceeded that range—especially the bus monster, which took the brunt of his over four thousand years of Chronos strike almost at the maximum range.
「也对，不然随便一发上万年的时序箭矢，就能远距离灭掉存在威胁的对手了。」
“Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Otherwise, a single arrow infused with tens of thousands of years of Chronos would wipe out any threatening opponent from a distance.”
虽然很不情愿，但他还是很快就叹息著接受了现实。
Reluctant as he was, he soon let out a sigh and accepted the reality.
「哈哈，不用灰心。 我的意思是，主要手段还是要靠近身武器。 如果以后搞得到手枪的话，你配一把也是好的，在短距离内你就近乎于无敌了。」楚强道。
“Haha, don’t lose heart. What I mean is, your main move should still rely on close-combat weapons. If you ever get your hands on a pistol in the future, it’d be a good addition—you’d be nearly unstoppable in short-range combat,” Chu Jiang said.
一旁的姚启明也点点头：
Beside him, Yao Chiming nodded in agreement.
「不过，手枪很难搞，制作它会有些危险。 目前市面上流通得比较多的还是弓箭。 来，我给你们看个好东西。」
“But pistols are hard to come by, and producing them can be dangerous. For now, what’s more common on the market are bows and arrows. Come on, let me show you something cool.”
他转身带著众人往屋子里走去。
He turned and led the group toward the house.
穿过扇屋门后，杨子藏一行人见到了摆放在玄铁般武器架上的一柄弯刀。
After passing through the screen door, Yang Zicang and the others beheld a curved blade resting on a weapon stand that gleamed like dark iron.
他从架子上取下，拖在手上郑重地说道：
He took it down from the stand, hefted it in his hands, and said solemnly,
「这是总部奖励给我们的一位队员的武器，你可以感受下。」
“This is a weapon awarded to one of our team members by headquarters. You can feel it.”
杨子藏将这至少二十来斤重的弯刀接过后，手上一沉。
As Yang Zicang took the curved knife, which weighed at least over twenty jin, his hand sank from the weight.
双手拖起，杨子藏试著将时序注入刀身，却没有成功。
Holding it with both hands, Yang Zicang tried to infuse Chronos into the blade, but failed.
「咦？」
“Huh?”
[它不觉得我是它的主人，可恶啊。]
[It doesn’t acknowledge me as its master. Damn it.]
杨子藏双手握住刀柄挥了挥，心灵反馈中传来道讯息，这刀已蕴含五十年时序。
Yang Zicang gripped the hilt with both hands and swung it. A message came through in his mental feedback: this blade already contained fifty years’ worth of Chronos.
它的每一击，都会产生五十年时序的攻击强度，不需要额外的时序补充！
With every strike, it would produce the attack intensity of fifty years of Chronos, without needing any additional Chronos replenishment!
好东西！
What a treasure!
「这种武器是经过特殊处理的，只有完全掌控它的人才能注入时序。 而且它自动附带了五十年的时序，每一次挥动都会造成同样的伤害，不会被抵消完毕。 它是我们这里最贵重的装备。」
“These weapons undergo special treatment. Only someone who has fully mastered them can inject Chronos into them. Moreover, it comes with an automatic fifty years of Chronos, and every swing delivers the same damage, which won’t be fully neutralized. It’s the most valuable piece of equipment here.”
「这可真是宝物。」
“This truly is a gem.”
不用多说，杨子藏已经感受到了它的珍贵。
There was no need for further explanation—Yang Zicang had already sensed its preciousness.
自己说起来是数千年时序，但都是打消耗，之前一次撞击就少几百上千年，三四下就见底了。
For him, he might ostensibly possess thousands of years of Chronos, but it was all for consumption. A single clash previously had cost him hundreds or thousands of years, and after just three or four swings, it would be depleted.
但有了这把刀就不一样了。
But with this knife, everything changed.
对面时序高又算什么，一刀不够，就来十刀。
What did it matter if the opponent had high Chronos? One slash wasn’t enough? Then take ten more.
「不过，这刀虽然珍贵，但和你获得的铠甲相比，就又逊色很多了。」
“However, as valuable as this knife is, it still falls far short compared to the armor you obtained.”
几人看向杨子藏带来的破损了领子部位的铠甲。
The others looked at the battered armor Yang Zicang had brought, its collar damage plain to see.
「张飞可是鼎鼎大名，没想到载在你的手上。 估计雄英组那些人这会儿已经疯了吧。 杨子藏，接下来你要小心他们的报复，那些人都是选择与怪物为伍的一批人，性情已经被怪物们影响了。」
“Zhang Fei was a legend, yet you managed to take him down. I reckon those Heroic Elite folks are losing their minds right about now. Yang Zicang, watch out for their retaliation—they’re a bunch who’ve chosen to walk with monsters, and their temperaments have already been twisted by those beasts.”
「雄英组是什么人？ 我那时候差点以为我穿越到了什么三国世界。」
“What’s this Heroic Elite group all about? Back then, I almost thought I’d stumbled into some Three Kingdoms universe.”
脸圆圆的女孩咯咯笑了声道：
The round-faced girl let out a tinkling laugh:
「那是群喜欢用代号来代替姓名的家伙，不光有张飞关羽，还有鲁智深、小红帽，他们的首领叫吕布。」
“They’re a bunch who prefer code names over real ones. They’ve not only got Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, but also Lu Zhishen and Little Red Riding Hood—and their leader is Lyu Bu.”
小红帽和吕布… 杨子藏感觉头有点疼。
Little Red Riding Hood and Lyu Bu… Yang Zicang felt a headache coming on.
「总之，那些红色Moexl的人都小心点，他们可不听总部的话。」
“In short, be careful around all those Red Moxel folks—they don’t answer to headquarters.”
几人看向说话的楚强。
Everyone’s eyes turned to Chu Chiang as he spoke.
「怎么样，有兴趣加入我们了吗。 只要你加入我们猎怪者联盟，以后再有这种好武器，会优先提供给你。」
“So, what do you say? Interested in joining us? If you come aboard the Hunter’s Alliance, we’ll prioritize gear like this for you in the future.”
沐小雨三人看向杨子藏。
Mu Xiaoyu and the other two looked at Yang Zicang.
「我…」
“I…”
见到青年犹豫的神情，赵雪美有些紧张：
Seeing the young man’s hesitation, Zhao Xuemei grew anxious:
「你要是能加入我们，我们会给你最犹的待遇，说明你成长。」
“If you choose to stand with us, we’ll offer you the best treatment to help you grow.”
「我还什么都不懂，我想再考虑考虑。」
“I still don’t understand much of anything… I’d like some time to think it over.”
跟他一起来的三人明显有些没想到杨子藏会拒绝。
The three who came with him were clearly caught off guard by Yang Zicang’s refusal.
这可是难得的机会。
This was a rare opportunity, after all.
刘明想说什么，却被张扬轻轻拍了下手腕，眼神示意他不要多嘴。
Liu Ming wanted to say something, but Chang Yang gently patted his wrist, signaling him with a look not to meddle.
明眼人都看得出来这些人很看重这小子。
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that these people held this young man in high regard.
自己三人能跟著他一起，实属走运。 这个时候能谨慎就尽量谨慎点，不要替别人做决定。
The three of them were fortunate just to be able to follow him. At a time like this, it’s best to tread cautiously and not make decisions on others’ behalf.
张扬等人现在才知道，那个能倒悬著奔跑的人，实际上非常强。
It was only now that Chang Yang and the others realized the man who could run upside down was actually extremely powerful.
而杨子藏，却一拳就打废了他。
And yet, Yang Zicang had crippled him with a single punch.
真是撞大运，跟著他的活命机会肯定更大。
They had hit the jackpot—sticking with him surely meant a better chance of survival.
「这样吧，这半个月你们先暂时住在这里，等你清楚我们的事情之后，再做决定也不迟。」 楚强道。
“How about this—you can stay here for the next half month. Once you understand our affairs, it won’t be too late to decide,” said Chu Jiang.
姚启明想了下也开口挽留：
Yao Chiming thought for a moment and chimed in to keep him around:
「这几天我们每天都可以给你五百年时序以上的投资。 朋友，在其它地方，真没有这么容易获得寿元投资的机会，你可以好好考虑考虑。」
“In the coming days, we can offer you an investment of over five hundred years of Chronos each day. Friend, you won’t easily find such a chance to acquire Chronos elsewhere. You should give it serious thought.”
「好。 不论以后加不加入，我以后都会补上这份说明的恩情。」
“Alright. Whether I join in the end or not, I’ll repay this kindness for your explanations someday.”
「耶！」 听到杨子藏终于松口了，已经跑了半天的沐小雨开心得蹦了起来。
“Yeah!” Hearing that Yang Zicang had finally loosened up, Mu Xiaoyu, who had already been running all day, leaped with joy.
如果不在这里落脚，她都不知道去哪儿找晚饭吃。
If they didn’t settle down here, she had no idea where she’d find dinner.
几人又在这里转了转，听姚启明关于一些普通武器与材料的讲解。
They lingered here for a while longer, listening to Yao Chiming’s explanations about some common weapons and materials.
正在这时，楚强像是接到了什么信息一样，露出凝重神色。
Just then, Chu Chiang seemed to receive some kind of message, his expression turning grim.
「发生了什么事？」 姚启明看了过来。
“What happened?” Yao Chiming looked over.
「二组回来的路上，出现了只实力很强的恶魇，把路断掉了，附近没人敢给他们投资。 似乎怪物蕴含著些许血脉残留。」
“On the way back for Team Two, a powerful nightmare blocked the path. No one nearby dared to Invest them. It seems the monster carries a trace of bloodline remnants.”
姚启明急道：「什么？！ 那恶魇没觉醒血脉吧。 我就说当时该把异度空间全部清理干净的。」
Yao Chiming exclaimed anxiously, “What?! That nightmare hasn’t awakened its bloodline, has it? I told you we should have cleared out that entire dimension back then.”
「应该没有，不然他们根本来不及联系我们。」
“Probably not, or they wouldn’t have had time to contact us.”
楚强凝眉，「这个时候抱怨也没什么用，等以后我们找机会把那里面全部清理干净好了。」
Chu Chiang furrowed his brows. “There’s no point complaining now. We’ll find a chance later to clean all of it out thoroughly.”
杨子藏好奇的看向两人，楚强转过头来凝重的看向自己：
Yang Zicang looked at the two curiously, and Chu Chiang turned to him with a heavy gaze.
「不好意思，子藏，我想麻烦你件事，这会估计只有你能帮我们了。」
“Sorry, Zi Cang, I need to ask you for a favor. I think you’re the only one who can help us now.”
「怎么了？」
“What’s wrong?”
……
很快他就知道了。
Soon, he found out.
一道感知视角出现在杨子藏眼前。
A sensory perspective appeared before Yang Zicang’s eyes.
那是个黑暗的长洞窟，高耸的漆黑石桥下是深不见底的黑暗深渊，隐隐有惨烈的嘶吼传上来。
It was a long, dark cavern. Beneath a towering obsidian bridge stretched an endless, pitch-black abyss, from which faint, agonized roars rose up.
四个背著刀剑与长弓的人，带著十来名神色慌张的男女与小孩，聚集在个近佰平的圆台上。
Four figures carrying blades and longbows gathered on a nearly hundred-square-meter circular platform with over a dozen men, women, and children, all wearing panicked expressions.
他们身前的石桥对面，是一只从下方爬上来的十来米长的蠕虫般的怪物，长著巨大的口器，将一团充满腐蚀性的绿色液体喷到众人的必经之路上。
On the opposite side of the stone bridge before them, a worm-like monster, over ten meters long, crawled up from below, its enormous maw spewing a mass of corrosive green liquid onto the path they had to cross.
「那是哪儿？」
“Where is that?”
这场景根本就不像是正常世界该出现的东西。
This scene simply didn’t look like something that should exist in the normal world.
「是被称之为‘多余‘的世界，未稳定前被称之为交错之地，清理掉里面的主要怪物后，就叫做异度空间。」
“It’s called the ‘Surplus’ world—before it stabilized, it was known as the Intersecting Lands. After clearing out the major monsters inside, it’s now referred to as the ‘Heterospace’.”
楚强道：「这座城市很多地方会出现隐秘的特殊地形。 在十几年前，人们刚开始在这里苏醒时，将这地方当成了地球，因此他们称呼那些地方为『多余世界』。」
Chu Chiang said, “Many parts of this city harbor hidden, peculiar terrains. When people first began awakening here over a decade ago, they mistook this place for Earth, so they called those spots the ‘Surplus Worlds’.”
楚强笑了下，像是在自嘲。
Chu Chiang chuckled, almost as if mocking himself.
「后来他们才知道，多余的不是那些怪异地方，而是我们。」
“Later, they realized it wasn’t those eerie places that were surplus—it was us.”
「多余的，是我们？」
“Surplus… is us?”
「那些怪物遍布的地方才是这个世界的真实面。 我们的地球城市，不过是投入这里的某种类比形象罢了。 不过，因为已经这样称呼它们了，也就没有更改。」
“Those monster-infested regions are the true face of this world. Our Earth-like cities are nothing but simulated projections cast into it. Still, since they’ve been called that all along, the name stuck.”
｛他能行吗，那可是 b 级异度空间。｝
{Can he handle it? That’s a B-grade Heterospace.}
楚强心中传来姚启明的心灵感应画面。 他看了眼就在眼前的姚启明一眼，心中默道：
Chu Chiang received a mental image from Yao Chiming’s telepathic transmission. He glanced at Yao Chiming nearby and silently thought to himself:
[这正是可以看清杨子藏Moexl真正能力的时候。 除了二十米时序打击范围，其它我们一无所知。]
“This is the perfect moment to see just how capable Yang Zicang really is. Besides his twenty-meter Chronos strike range, we know nothing else.”
阳台上，姚启明暗自点头后进入旁边房间，吃力的举起把人高的硬弓出来。
On the balcony, Yao Chiming nodded to himself before stepping into an adjacent room. He struggled to lift a bow as tall as a man, bringing it out with difficulty.
「这次真是要靠你了，兄弟。」 他对著杨子藏道。
“I’m really counting on you this time, brother,” he said to Yang Zicang.
这弓浑身犹如长著鳞甲般，充满怪异气息。
The bow’s entire body seemed covered in scales, exuding an eerie aura.
仅仅只是看上一眼，杨子藏都感觉到一丝憎恨情绪出现在心间。
Just one glance made a trace of hatred well up in Yang Zicang’s heart.