Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.101 第101章 雨幕中的身影。
第101章 雨幕中的身影。
Chapter 101: A Figure in the Rain.
会议过后，晨御回到自己的房间，这是个有床有书桌，还配了洗漱间的小房间，既可以是办公室，又可以长住。
After the meeting, Chen Yu returned to his room. It was a small space with a bed, a desk, and even a washroom—suitable for both an office and a long-term stay.
忙了会儿，敲门声响起，身穿朴素外套的李弥走了进来，并给他端来了杯冰镇过的饮料。
After working for a while, a knock came at the door. Li Mi, wearing a plain jacket, entered and handed him a glass of iced drink.
「坐吧。」晨御指了指墙边的椅子。
“Take a seat,” Chen Yu said, pointing at the chair by the wall.
李弥将饮料放在桌子上，没有坐，而是站在原地。
Li Mi placed the drink on the table but didn’t sit down, remaining standing instead.
晨御放下笔擡头看向他：「妳所指的方法是什么？放心大胆的讲，妳也看到了，会议上那些人屁都不放壹个，妳能有自己的提案比他们所有人都强，就算说错了也没关系。」
Chen Yu set down his pen and looked up at him: “What method are you referring to? Speak boldly and freely. You saw it too—those people at the meeting didn’t utter a single worth; just having your own proposal makes you better than all of them. Even if you’re wrong, it doesn’t matter.”
「对不起，晨董，我不能讲，但我想进行我这个计划，还请妳能够支持。」
“I’m sorry, Chairman Chen, but I can’t say. However, I want to carry out my plan, and I hope I can have your support.”
「为什么？」
“Why?”
李弥只是笑笑。
Li Mi just smiled.
晨御盯著他的脸看了壹阵，哼笑道：「妳以为我在乎现在这些东西吗，说吧，不说的话，后面没人给妳擦屁股，到时候有人找麻烦，妳只能被逼得去失频之地。」
Chen Yu stared at his face for a moment, then snorted with a laugh: “Do you think I care about all this right now? Speak up. If you don’t, there won’t be anyone to bail you out later if trouble comes. The ones causing trouble will back you into a corner, and you’ll have no choice but to flee to the Shibin Wastes.”
沉默。
Silence.
但是，这沉默的温和双目中，却透露著极度的自信。
Yet within that silence, his gentle eyes radiated an overwhelming confidence.
「您只需要支持我就好了，晨董事，请相信我。」
“You just need to support me, Chairman Chen. Please trust me.”
董事是总部这些负责各项事务之人的称呼，他们便是猎怪者阵营总部的高层。
“Directors” are the title for those in headquarters who handle various affairs; they are the high-ranking members of the monster-hunting faction’s headquarters.
忽地，屋外传来阵子惊呼声。
Suddenly, a burst of startled cries came from outside the house.
「太嚣张了。」
“How arrogant.”
「简直不是人，可恶至极，这种人绝对会下地狱。」
“He’s utterly inhuman, absolutely infuriating—someone like him is definitely going to hell.”
就在这栋建筑外，刚刚风起云涌，壹道天光垂落。
Just outside this building, the situation had taken a drastic turn, as a beam of heavenly light fell from the sky.
晨御的脸色变了变。
Chen Yu’s expression shifted.
方天都敢直接攻击总部所在地了。
Fang Tian actually dared to directly attack the headquarters’ location.
他细听著外面变得混乱的声音，胸中也是壹股子怒意激荡。
He listened intently to the chaos outside, a surge of anger stirring within his chest.
「妳的把握有多大。」
“How certain are you?”
晨御沈声看向桌边伫立的人。
Chen Yu’s voice deepened as he looked at the person standing by the table.
「虽然不能解决掉天上的卫星，但有九成让他不敢如此猖狂。」
“I may not be able to take out the satellite in the sky, but I’m ninety percent sure I can make him dare not act so brazenly.”
「好，就依妳的办，妳要什么，告诉我，我为妳申请。」
“Alright, do as you plan. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll apply for it for you.”
李弥的脸上，露出抹郑重。
A solemn seriousness appeared on Li Mi’s face.
「谢谢晨董。我想见壹位罪犯，他叫匡雨明。」
“Thank you, Director Chen. I want to meet a prisoner—his name is Kuang Yuming.”
傍晚时分，天际忽然刮起厚云，壹副风雨欲来的模样，这让众人松了口气。
At dusk, thick clouds suddenly swept across the sky, taking on the look of an impending storm, which relieved the crowd.
趁著有这厚云，好多不敢出门的人开始出去寻找食物与物资，有人结伴去寻找还没有被雄英组瓜分的优质建筑，还有的干脆打算住进下壹个交错空间内。
Taking advantage of these thick clouds, many who had dared not go out began to search for food and supplies; some banded together to find quality buildings not yet claimed by the Xiongying Group, while others simply decided to move into the next Crossspace.
咔嚓咔嚓。
Click, clack.
天上雷电闪烁，大雨轰然坠落。
Thunder and lightning crackled across the sky as rain plummeted down in a torrent.
雨幕中，李弥撑著黑伞，站在广场前方那栋残破的大楼下。
Through the curtain of rain, Li Mi stood beneath a tattered building at the front of the square, holding a black umbrella.
他身前壹个胡渣满脸的男人，正在擦手中被雨水冲刷的玻璃相框，里面是个妇女和两位小女孩在炸鸡店的相片。
Before him, a man with a stubbled face was wiping a glass photo frame washed by the rain, inside of which was a picture of a woman and two little girls at a fried chicken shop.
「这就是莹莹现在的样子么，妳竟然能见到她，还拍下了照片。」
“So this is what Yingying looks like now? You actually managed to see her and even took a photo.”
男人眼框下的脸颊上布满了雨水。
Rainwater drenched the cheeks beneath the man’s eye sockets.
「阿莉竟然没有改嫁，她还在这儿，老二也这么大了。」
“Ali didn’t remarry after all. She’s still here, and the second kid’s that grown now.”
「妳应该清楚，同壹个地方若是出现了幻影却未出现在这边，那么下两个月有很大概率会继续诞生那些幻影。」
“You should know that if an apparition appears in one place but not in the corresponding other, there’s a high probability those apparitions will continue to spawn in the next two months.”
「她的店…」
“Her shop…”
男人心中绞痛。
The man’s heart twisted in agony.
他擡头看向伞下的年轻人，对方笔挺的身躯像是风中的松柏，静寥脱俗。
He looked up at the young man beneath the umbrella, whose upright figure stood like a pine in the wind—serene and ethereal.
「妳的计划太过简单，几乎不可能成功。」
“Your plan is far too simple. It’ll almost certainly fail.”
李弥的目光往下了点，落在匡雨明的脸上。
Li Mi’s gaze shifted downward, landing on Kuang Yuming’s face.
「任何事情的本质都是很简单的，吕布虽然对此有所应对，壹个两个他可能不会在意，但十个二十个，他就应该会有所顾虑。」
“The essence of anything is very simple. Lyu Bu might have prepared for it, but one or two incidents he might brush off; ten or twenty, now that should give him pause.”
「十个二十个？」
“Ten or twenty?”
匡雨明瞪大眼看向身前撑著雨伞的人。
Kuang Yuming’s eyes widened as he stared at the man holding the umbrella before him.
从这年轻人平静的脸上竟然说出如此的话来，张口就十个二十个。
Such words actually came out of the calm face of this young man. He just opened his mouth and said ten or twenty.
他是魔鬼吗？
Is he a devil?
「妳能说服十个二十个我这种人？」
“Can you convince ten or twenty people like me?”
男人哈哈大笑起来。
The man burst into laughter.
「妳怎么可能说服二十个我这样的人去送死，没有人会这么无私，更何况是我这种杀人犯，而且，还是为了那些坐在里面的家伙们。」
“How could you possibly convince twenty people like me to go die? No one is that selfless, let alone a murderer like me—and especially not for those bastards sitting in there.”
电弧闪过，李弥平静的道：「我不需要说服那么多人，我只需要说服妳就够了。」
A flash of lightning arced across the sky. Li Mi said calmly, “I don’t need to convince that many people. I only need to convince you.”
男人眼中闪过疑惑。
Doubt flickered in the man’s eyes.
「只要妳成功了，那么自然有人迫不及待的去实施相同的计划。」
“Once you succeed, naturally, people will be eager to carry out the same plan.”
轰隆，雷霆的炸响终于传到地面。
A thunderous roar finally reached the ground with a deafening rumble.
捏著相框的人身体壹晃，后退了步。
The man gripping the photograph stumbled back a step.
随后他哈哈大笑起来，笑得都弯下了腰。
Then he laughed heartily, laughing so hard that he bent over.
「哈哈哈。」
“Ha ha ha.”
男人直起身用手指指向李弥：「这就是妳们啊，这就是…还真是。说起来，还真是值得壹试的计划！」
The man straightened up and pointed a finger at Li Mi: “So this is what you people are like. This is… well, I’ll be damned. Come to think of it, that plan is actually worth a try!”
匡雨明扫了眼对面灰蒙蒙雨帘后的建筑，那是他曾渴望进入的地方。
Kuang Yuming glanced at the building looming behind the gray curtain of rain—a place he had once yearned to enter.
「我还真想看看，妳们这些自诩正义的家伙们壹步步成为侩子手后，会不会跟我下到同样的地方去。」
“I really want to see whether you self-righteous bastards, after you turn into executioners one step at a time, will end up in the same place as me.”
「那么，我们的合作算是达成了，明年我会把这壹年发生的事，都写好烧给妳的。将妳的所有剩余时序投资给后面那人吧，壹秒都不要留。」
“Then our cooperation is settled. Next year, I’ll write down everything that happened this year and burn it to you. Leave all your remaining Chronos to that person behind you—don’t keep a single second.”
李弥侧身，露出后面广场上壹个守卫，看守这犯人的守卫莫名收到了四十多年时序的投资。
Li Mi turned sideways, revealing a guard in the square behind them. The guard tasked with watching the prisoner inexplicably received an Invest of over forty years’ worth of Chronos.
「接下来，请接收我们为妳进行的投资。」
“Now, please accept the Invest we bestow upon you.”
苍老的匡雨明心中略有紧张的静静等待，壹道折线从雨幕中出现，射入胸前银白圆环。
The aged Kuang Yuming waited quietly, a flicker of tension in his heart. A folded line sliced through the curtain of rain, striking the silver-white ring on his chest.
[匿名者为我投资了全权时序9999N。]
[An anonymous user Granted me full Chronos9999N.]
他擡起眼眸。
He lifted his eyes.
真的有这么多时序，对面真的给了自己这么多时序。
It really was that much Chronos—the one opposite had truly given him this much.
「妳就，不怕我，跑掉吗。」
“Don’t you… fear I might run?”
「不怕。」
“No.”
李弥胸口浮现出圆环，三角形的壹角快速拉扯成尖锐线条刺向对面。
A ring materialized on Li Mi’s chest. One corner of the triangle quickly twisted into a sharp point, darting toward its target.
[李弥想要为我进行主动投资。]
[Li Mi wishes to Pro-Invest me.]
「从现在开始不要杀生。」
“From now on, take no life.”
[李弥为我投资了11Y.]
[Li Mi Invests me with 11Y.]
「也不要再接受任何馈赠。」
“And accept no more gifts.”
[李弥为我投资了29R.]
[Li Mi Invests me with 29R.]
「不要进行任何增幅，不要消耗时序，不要对自己作任何保护。」
“No amplifications, no spending Chronos, no shielding yourself whatsoever.”
壹条条嘱咐，从身前男人的口中吐出。
One by one, these commands poured forth from the man’s lips.
「其它的随妳，去享受剩余的生命吧。」
“As for the rest, do as you please—go and savor what’s left of your life.”
广场另壹端从岩壁上凹入而铸的大楼内，玻璃窗后的长楼道上，两道身影站在晨御左右看向外面。
On the other end of the plaza, within a fortress of a building carved into the rockface’s recess, behind the glass windows of a long corridor, two figures stood by Chen Yu’s left and right, gazing outward.
「那个小伙子的计划是什么。」
“What’s that young man’s plan?”
「我不清楚，不过，我大概能猜到了。」
“I’m not sure. But I think I can probably guess it.”
另外壹人想了想，目光轻微震动了下，他看向晨御和他右边面容肃穆的人道：「难道是…苦肉？」
The other person pondered for a moment, his gaze trembling slightly. He looked at Chen Yu and the stern-faced man to his right and said, “Could it be… a bitter sacrifice?”
晨御的目光看向苍穹，看向雷霆与乌云，像是能将其穿透直视苍宇：
Chen Yu’s gaze pierced toward the firmament, toward the thunder and the dark clouds, as if he could see right through them, staring straight into the cosmos’s dominion:
「在这个时候，恐怕这是弱者能带给吕布的唯壹威胁。」
“At a time like this, I’m afraid this is the only threat the weak can bring to Lyu Bu.”
「这？他，他简直是冒天下之大不韪！」
“This? He… he is brazenly defying the world’s moral order!”
这人浑身壹个激灵，他庆幸的想到，还好自己不是这家伙的直属董事。
This man shuddered all over; he thought thankfully that at least he wasn’t a director directly under this guy.
晨御右侧，腰背笔挺的中年男子转身离去。
On Chen Yu’s right side, a middle-aged man with a straight back turned and walked away.
「告诉第壹安保队，全力配合李弥的任何行动，壹切的行动。」
“Tell the First Security Team to fully cooperate with any actions Li Mi takes—any actions at all.”
「好的，俞董事。」
“Understood, Director Yu.”
……
壹天多的时间过去，宁洋几人觉得自己整个人都快被抖散架了。
Over a day had passed, and Ning Yang and his group felt as though their entire bodies had been shaken apart.
「赵队，咱们什么时候才能到那里啊。」
“Captain Zhao, how much longer until we get there?”
「快了快了。」
“Soon, very soon.”
宁洋身边几人顿时有点气：「半天前妳就这样说了，现在连落到这边的幕景影子都看不见。」
The few people around Ning Yang suddenly grew somewhat irritated: “You’ve been saying that since half a day ago, but even now we can’t see a single shadow of the curtain scene that has fallen this way.
「是啊，赵启，妳说的壹天就能到，我们可没准备那么多食物，回去还要挺久的。」
“Yeah, Zhao Qi, you said you’d get there in a day, but we didn’t bring that much food, and we still have a long way back.”
行进的队伍缓缓停下，骑在壹头类似河马，但长著牛角的生物背上的赵启转过头来盯著宁洋几人。
The marching procession slowly came to a halt. Zhao Qi, riding on a creature that looked like a hippopotamus but had ox horns, turned his head and fixed his gaze on Ning Yang and his companions.
宁洋内心忽地壹紧，他发现整个货队的人此刻隐隐将自己几人包围了起来。
Ning Yang’s heart suddenly tightened. He realized that the entire Cargo Crew had subtly surrounded them.
他胸口Moexl快速浮现，但下壹秒便听得身旁两声惨叫，鲜血飞溅。
The Moxel on his chest flickered into sight, but the next second, two cries of agony rang out beside him, and blood splattered.
「妳们！」宁洋大怒的起身抽刀，身上浮现出金色虚焰。
“You guys!” Ning Yang roared in fury, rising to his feet and drawing his blade. Golden virtual flames began to lick around his body.
但十来把长刀长枪立即对准了自己，其中还有两个黑洞洞的土枪管。
But a dozen long blades—Lances—were instantly aimed at him, among them two pitch-black barrels of crude muskets.
「赵启，妳这是什么意思，妳不是要入股我的棚区吗！」
“Zhao Qi, what’s the meaning of this? Didn’t you want to invest in my Peng Zone?”
赵启晃著脑袋饥笑道：「就妳现在的棚区，有我壹个板车的价值高？」
Zhao Qi wagged his head with a sneer: “Your Peng Zone right now—it’s not even worth *one* of my carts?”
周围几个板车上都拉著成堆的衣服和日用品，在失频之地，的确价值不菲。
Several nearby carts were piled high with heaps of clothes and daily necessities. In the ShibinWastes, that truly was a small fortune.
「我们丢的只是个引擎而已，有制作师傅在还能造得出来。」
“We only lost an engine. As long as we have a craftsman around, we can make another one.”
宁洋努力让自己声音平稳的道。
Ning Yang forced his voice to stay calm as he spoke.
货队中壹人扛著刀在几人身边转悠，冲著他们脚下啐了壹口：「滚妳娘的蛋，制作者现在就在无忧那边，别以为我们不晓得，那就是被妳们赶出去的甲子间。」
One of the Cargo Crew hoisted a knife, circling the group, and spat at their feet: “Bullshit, the Maker’s over at Wuu You’s place now. Don’t think we don’t know—that’s the Jiazi Term you bastards drove out.”
「哈哈哈哈！」
“HAHAHAHA!”
货队几人发出毫不留情的嘲笑。
The Cargo Crew erupted in relentless, mocking laughter.
宁洋身旁还活著的四人又气又怒，但却不敢出手，因为赵启和他身旁两人身上，分明冒出红色的虚焰。
The four survivors beside Ning Yang were seething with anger and indignation, yet dared not make a move—for distinctive crimson feyne flames were flickering on Zhao Qi and the two at his sides.
以前他们不知道那红色意味著什么，但现在知道了。
Once, they hadn’t known what that red meant, but now they did.
「真的假的啊宁哥。」跟著来的牛娃脸色苍白的问向棚主。
“Is it true, Ning-ge?” Niuwa, who had tagged along, asked in a pale, trembling voice, looking at Penglord.
宁洋感觉自己的脸上热腾腾的，也不晓得是怒的还是羞的，他身旁四人中的三人都还是第壹次听说这消息，大惊失色的看向宁洋。
Ning Yang felt his face burning, unsure if from fury or shame. Among the four beside him, three were hearing this for the first time, staring aghast at him.
瞧见棚主这副神态，谁不知赵启他们说的不是假话。
Seeing Liu? no, wait, witnessing Penglord’s very expression, anyone would know Zhao Qi wasn’t lying.
「难道吕志那些家伙，没有说假话？」
“So… so those Lyu Zhi bastards weren’t feeding us lies?”
四人都想起当时赶走甲子间壹行人的画面。
In the minds of four all flashed the memory of the day they had driven away Jiazi Term and his crew.
「大家不要激动，赵，赵队，有事好商量。」
“Calm down, everyone. Squad leader Zhao—since it’s like this—surely we can talk it out.”
此刻的宁棚主只觉得生死难料，恨自己为什么会如此冲动，分不清现实状况，明明失去了配方和引擎，还妄想靠这陌生货队的壹席话来翻身。
At this moment, Ning Penglord felt his life hanging in the balance, bitterly regretting why he had been so impulsive and failed to recognize the reality—he had lost the formula and the engine, yet still harbored illusions of turning things around based on the words of this unfamiliar Cargo Crew.
「好好好，就等著妳这句话。宁兄弟，让妳的租客给妳准备时序，八千放壹个人，否则就变成我们的失念引擎材料。」
“Good, good, we were just waiting for those words. Brother Ning, have your tenants prepare Chronos—eight thousand for one person’s release, or they’ll become materials for our Shin Engine.”
八千！几人只觉得昏头转向。
Eight thousand! They felt dizzy and disoriented.
整个棚区几十号人能不能凑够八千都不知道，还八千壹人。
The entire Peng Zone, with all its dozens of people, might not scrap together eight thousand in total, never mind eight thousand per person.
「准备去吧，最迟今晚，否则，哼哼，我们可是还要继续赶路的。」
“Go and prepare. You have until tonight at the latest. Otherwise, heh heh, we still have a road to travel.”
说完，空气中传来蹄声与咬喝声，宁洋看到地平线上几队货队的远远行来，全都挂著跟赵启车队壹样的货旗。
Even as he spoke, the sound of hooves and shouts came from the air. Ning Yang saw several squads of Cargo Crew appearing on the horizon from afar, all flying the same cargo flags as Zhao Qi’s convoy.
「妳们，妳们是…荒车大货队？」
“You, you are… r-Rover Cargo Crew?”
想到某个匪徒组织的宁洋眼中，涌现出了深深的绝望。
Realizing this was some outlaw group, a deep sense of despair welled up in Ning Yang’s eyes.
「嗯哈，居然被认出来了。」
“Mm-hah, we’ve been recognized after all.”