Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.10 第10章 前往与助救 -4
第10章 前往与助救 –4
Chapter 10: Advance and Rescue –4
姚启明将硬弓递到了杨子藏手上，让他感受了下它的实沉。
Yao Chiming handed the heavy bow to Yang Zicang, letting him feel its weight.
「这弓能射出多远时序？」
“How far can this bow shoot, Chronos?”
「五十码。 加上子藏你本身的二十米距离，打击范围应该能够得著桥上的怪物。 只不过…」
“Fifty yards. Add that to ZiCang’s own twenty-meter range, and the strike radius should reach the monster on the bridge. But…”
「只不过什么？」
“But what?”
「算了，一会还是我来射这弓好了。 你帮我加速和瞄准就行。」
“Forget it—I’ll just shoot this bow myself later. You can help with acceleration and aiming.”
姚启明看向不断拿手抚摸长弓的杨子藏。
Yao Chiming looked at Yang Zicang, who kept stroking the long bow.
「拉动这弓，一次就需要三十年时序，不是增幅过后的那种，而是本金，也就是真正的寿命。」
“To draw this bow, it costs thirty Chronos per shot. Not the amplified kind—principle, real lifespan.”
杨子藏几人暗自乍舌。
Yang Zicang and the others were secretly stunned.
拉动一次弓弦，三十年寿命就没有了。
One pull of the bowstring, thirty years of life gone in a flash.
｛姚队长，你们商量好了吗，那家伙拥有接近普通人的智慧了，它堵在路上像是在等什么。｝
{Captain Yao, have you made up your minds? That thing’s nearly as smart as a human now. It’s blocking the road like it’s waiting for something.}
远方传递画面的人再次心灵通讯催促著。
The scout relaying images from afar urged via telepathic communication again.
姚启明道：
Yao Chiming said:
「我们准备把极恶弓带来。」
“We plan to bring out the Bow of Malice.”
｛极恶弓？ 那东西射不远不说，还吃时间…｝
{The Bow of Malice? That thing has short range and devours time…}
姚启明宽慰道：「你们放心，我这里有位实力很强的人，可以更大的激发这弓的力量。」
Yao Chiming reassured him: “Don’t worry—I have someone extremely capable here who can unlock more of the bow’s power.”
｛呵，能有多强，赵安龙回来了？]
{Hmph, how capable? Is Zhao Anlong back?}
「差不多。」
“Close enough.”
对面那人的脸色明显变幻了下。
A distinct shift flickered across the other person’s face.
他刚刚只是随口一说罢了，没想到居然得到了这个答复。
What he had just said was nothing more than an offhand remark, yet unexpectedly, this was the reply he received.
跟赵安龙差不多的人？ 难道是新的四边形Moexl拥有者？
Someone on par with Zhao Anlong? Could it be a new possessor of the QuadMoxel?
这等待救援的人不说话了，但手上用力握紧的武器显示出他内心重新升起了力量。
The one waiting for rescue fell silent, but the weapon gripped tightly in his hands betrayed the renewed strength surging inside him.
在他们身旁的石台上，那十来名神色慌张的男女中一人声音沙哑的道：
On the stone platform beside them, one of the dozen or so men and women, their faces pale with panic, rasped out in a hoarse voice:
「喂，你们到底是不是演员啊，这是什么综艺节目对不对？ 这里肯定有摄影师。」
“Hey, are you guys actors or not? This is some kind of variety show, right? There must be a cameraman here.”
「你快闭嘴吧，我们冒危险穿越异度空间去救你们，还在这说风凉话。」
“Shut your mouth. We risked our lives crossing a dimensional rift to save you, and you’re still spewing nonsense.”
「切，谁知道真的假的，我看那会那屋子里的东西就只是机器道具而已。」
“Tsk, who knows if it’s real or fake? Back there, that thing in the room was probably just a machine prop anyway.”
四人不搭理他，只是戒备的望著悬崖下方，那里暗影戳戳，似乎有什么东西在往上蠕动。
The four ignored him, their vigilant gazes fixed solely on the chasm below, where vague shadows writhed, hinting at something crawling upward.
「张开力场。」 这小队长戒备著指挥。
“Deploy the force field.” The squad leader commanded with caution.
猎怪者联盟的一人提议道：「我看，实在不行就退回去，走绕路也行。」
One member from the Monster Hunter Alliance suggested: “I think, if worst comes to worst, we retreat and take a detour instead.”
「不行，太远了，这些人都没有培育出Moexl，肯定会一路启动恶魇之卵，到时候我们都得死。」
“No way—it’s too far. None of these people have awakened a Moxel. They’d trigger the Nightmare Eggs all the way, and we’d all end up dead.”
忽然，一只震动翅膀的拳头大的东西从下方冲来。
Suddenly, a fist-sized creature, its wings vibrating furiously, shot up from below.
砰！ 它一头撞在力场上。
Bang! It slammed headfirst into the force field.
支撑力场的男人面色一变，无数嗡嗡声自下方传来。
The man sustaining the force field changed his expression as countless buzzing sounds rose from below.
……
杨子藏在姚启明的带领下，坐著辆战损版越野车，一路颠簸的顺著岩石路面往遇袭地赶去，路上偶尔会遇见几个人影。
Led by Yao Chiming, Yang Zicang sat in a battered off-road vehicle, jolting along a rocky path toward the ambush site, occasionally glimpsing figures in the distance.
「车就不说了，你们居然还能找到汽油？」
“Never mind the car—how did you still manage to find gasoline?”
「改造过的，烧的东西你肯定不想知道是什么。」
“It’s modified. Trust me, you don’t want to know what it burns.”
闻著淡淡的血腥味，杨子藏忍住了好奇。
Smelling the faint hint of blood, Yang Zicang stifled his curiosity.
他看向四周，远处一条怪石嶙峋的山脉低趴在地平线上，在阳光下闪烁著紫红的光泽。
He looked around. In the distance, a jagged mountain range sprawled low on the horizon, shimmering with a purplish-red luster under the sun.
「姚大哥，我们还能回去地球吗？ 算了，这个问题也是难为你。」
“Brother Yao, can we still get back to Earth? Forget it, that question’s unfair to you.”
姚启明哈哈一笑：「但愿还可以吧。 坐好，我要加速了，这儿过去得半个小时。」
Yao Chiming let out a hearty laugh: “Let’s hope so. Hold on tight—I’m about to speed up. It’ll take half an hour to get there.”
杨子藏看了眼转速表，发动机已经发出轰鸣，却还只是六七十的数值。
Yang Zicang glanced at the tachometer; the engine was already roaring, yet the needle only showed sixty or seventy.
「增幅消耗的时序要多久恢复？」
“How long will it take for the Chronos consumed by the boost to recover?”
「我的话，差不多两天时间，你应该会快些，如果我没猜错，大概也就二十多小时。」
“For me, about two days. You should be faster. If I’m not mistaken, maybe just over twenty hours.”
「这样啊，那我就放心了。」
“I see. That puts my mind at ease.”
「什么？」 专注开车的姚启明还没意识到身旁的年轻人打算干嘛。
“What?” Focused on driving, Yao Chiming hadn’t yet realized what the young man beside him was planning.
[调度…]
[Deploying…]
杨子藏的胸口浮现出如同指环般的白色光圈，四边形从中扩散而出。
A brilliant white ring, akin to a ring, emerged on Yang Zicang’s chest, and from it Quad diffused outward.
姚启明还未反应过来，转速表瞬间飙到一百六。
Before Yao Chiming could react, the tachometer needle instantly surged to one hundred and sixty.
耳边「嗡」地一声沉响，屁股下的越野车如同苏醒的猛兽呜鸣著冲出。
A deep “vroom” rumbled by his ears; the off-road vehicle beneath him sprang forward with a roar, like an awakened beast.
「啊哈！ 这才有点越野的样子！」姚启明兴奋地踩下加油踏板。
“Haha! Now this is what off-roading’s all about!” Yao Chiming excitedly stomped on the accelerator.
呜嗡~
Vroom~
路边，两个用竹篓背著矿物的男人只听到一声轰鸣从身旁充斥而过。 带起劲风的越野车将它们的衣衫刮起猎猎风声。
By the roadside, two men carrying ore in bamboo baskets only heard a thunderous roar sweep past, as the blast of wind from the off-road vehicle whipped their clothes, sending them flapping loudly.
十分钟后，越野车停在一处破败的商业大厦前，里面充满黑色的迷雾，支离破碎的大厅内，倒塌著几根柱子。
Ten minutes later, the off-road vehicle came to a halt before a dilapidated commercial building, where the interior was shrouded in black mist and a few columns lay collapsed in the shattered hall.
「没有罚单的感觉太棒了！」
“It feels amazing not getting a ticket!”
姚启明从车上下来，拍了拍冒著烟雾的引擎盖，望向大厦里面道：
Yao Chiming stepped out of the car, patted the smoking hood, and gazed into the building, saying:
「这里诞生的怪物被击杀后，大厦与异世界的重叠部分消失，具现出了另一个世界的部分模样，就是那里面。」
“After the monster born here was slain, the overlapping part between the building and another world vanished, manifesting a glimpse of that other world—just inside there.”
他指向里面穿堂而过的破碎大厦内部，对面像是连接著道深邃狭长的崎岖山谷小路。
He pointed toward the interior of the shattered building that cut through, where the opposite side seemed to connect to a deep, narrow and rugged mountain valley trail.
「从这里进入，可以在两个小时内通往城市另一边，如果从地面走路安全路线，则要三四天的时间。 我们进去吧，对了，你还能用刚才那种加速能力吗，对我。」
“Enter from here, and we can reach the other side of the city within two hours. If we take a safe route on the ground, it would take three to four days. Let’s go in. By the way, can you still use that acceleration ability from earlier? On me.”
杨子藏试了试，姚启明原地跑动了下，感觉身上都变得有些轻快起来。
Yang Zicang gave it a try, Yao Chiming sprinted in place for a moment and felt a slight lightness in his body.
「要用双份的时序，走吧，你带路，我们快点过去。」
“Use a double dose of Chronos. Let’s go. You lead the way, and we’ll hurry over.”
「好，我先跟他们联系上。」
“Alright, I’ll contact them first.”
姚启明身上浮现出三角形图像，拉长折进虚空，没两秒，他神情一震。
A triangular pattern surfaced on Yao Chiming’s body, elongating and folding into the void. Within two seconds, his expression jolted.
「快，他们遇袭了，那下面的怪物感知到了普通人的气息，想要将他们全部留在那里！」
“Hurry, they’re under attack! That creature below sensed the presence of ordinary humans and wants to trap them all there!”
这个汉子快速将一个装著箭苗的包裹丢给杨子藏，又取下一把三指多宽的钢剑背在背上。
This burly man quickly tossed a wrapped bundle containing arrow tips to Yang Zicang, then removed a steel sword over three fingers in width from his side and slung it onto his back.
这剑的豁口还看得出来不均匀的打磨痕迹，它明显是被人用厚钢板切割制作的。
Chisel marks were still visible on the sword’s notches, unevenly polished—clearly it had been cut from a thick steel plate and handmade.
姚启明举起看上去挺沉的极恶弓，略显吃力的道：「走！」
Yao Chiming raised the heavy-looking bow of utmost evil, straining slightly as he said, “Move!”
两人如同矫健的运动员奔向大厦内部。
The two of them sprinted toward the building’s interior like nimble athletes.
这条道路越来越往下延伸，逐渐像是进入了一座山沟，未知的植被覆盖坡道。 阳光照射少的原因，略显阴冷的气息弥漫。
The path went increasingly deeper down, gradually resembling entry into a mountain gully unfamiliar greenery covering the slopes. Due to the lack of sunlight, a faintly chilly aura pervaded the air.
还未怎么靠近，走在姚启明侧后两步的杨子藏，就听到了细微的声响逐渐清晰。
RUMBLE!
前方山洞内传来震动与怪物的嘶鸣，那可怕的声音让人心惊胆颤。
From the cave up ahead came trembling and the roars of monsters, a terrifying sound that set one’s heart racing.
「子藏，你可以展开Moexl了，楚强已经准备好了给你的新投资。」
“ZiCang, you can activate your Moxel now. Chu Chiang has prepared a new Invest for you.”
杨子藏闻言点头，心间圆环绽放而出。
A circular ring bloomed from within the heart.
[我，伟大的四边形即将迎战强敌，谁欲与我共进，百分之五十的时序将与之共用！]
[I, the mighty Quad, am about to face a formidable foe. Who will advance with me? Half of the Chronos shall be shared with them!]
光线从身上扩散出去，瞬间就与楚强取得了心灵的连结。
Light radiated from their body, instantly forging a mental link with Chu Chiang.
[猎怪者联盟为我投资了 1500N。]
[The Monster Hunter Alliance has Invested 1,500N in me.]
[沐小雨为我投资了 5N。]
[Mu Xiaoyu has Invested 5N in me.]
此刻留在驻地的沐小雨才发现，已经没办法运用寿命作投资。
At that moment, Mu Xiaoyu, who remained at the base, realized she could no longer use her lifespan to Invest.
自己已经用60年获利过，它们的增幅倍数被消耗，得好两三天以后才能恢复。
She had already profited from 60 years of it, but their multiplier had been exhausted; it would take two or three days to regenerate.
她转头看向楚强，正欲问什么，楚强道：「以后如果要投资自己的寿命，最好还是经过我。我会为你们把控安全性，虽然不是百分之百。」
She turned her head to look at Chu Chiang, just about to ask something, when Chu Chiang said, “From now on, if you want to invest your own lifespan, it’s best to go through me. I’ll control the safety for you, though it’s not a hundred percent guarantee.”
他拍了拍身前的一个类似电台，但长着鳞甲的怪物「尸体」。
He patted the “corpse” of a strange beast in front of him, which resembled a radio but was covered in scales.
「这东西可以把我们的融资请求扩散更远的地方。而且，相比于其它的融资电台，它还能不用断掉融资链接，就让被投资者同时接收其他人的心灵链接，算是很方便的东西。」
“This thing can broadcast our financing requests to farther places. Moreover, compared to other financing radios, it can keep the financing link active while allowing the invested to simultaneously receive others’ mental connections. Quite a convenient piece of equipment.”
他看向刘明三人：「除此以外，其它电台很少能让没有Moexl的普通人也能主动远距离投资，这就是我们能那么远去救人的缘由。这也是曾经的队长的习惯。」
He looked at Liu Ming and the other two: “Apart from this, few other radio stations allow ordinary people without Moxel to actively make long-distance investments. That’s why we can go so far to save others. It was also a habit of the former captain.”
刘明三人看着他一本正经的解释，怪异感充斥心中…
Liu Ming and company watched his earnest explanation, a sense of weirdness filling their hearts…
融资电台，这也是恶魇死后变的。
Financing radios—they too were things that had become after nightmares died.
张扬想到，他是想通过对自己三人释放好感，让杨子藏留下来吗？
Zhang Yang thought, was he trying to make himself and the other two feel goodwill, to get Yang ZiCang to stay?
……
[赵雪美为我投资了100N。]
[Zhao Xue Mei invested 100N in me.]
[冯彩琳为我投资了100N。]
[Feng Cai Lin invested 100N in me.]
杨子藏心中响起连续不断的声音。
A continuous stream of sounds echoed in Yang ZiCang’s heart.
｛喂，这是谁啊，怎么获得这么多投资。｝
{Hey, who is this? How did they get so many investments?}
一道陌生心念声出现在心中。
A strange mental voice appeared in his mind.
｛呀，这不是猎怪者联盟的姚队长吗，这地方就是你们控制的那个溶洞通道了吧。｝
{Ah, isn’t this Captain Yao of the Monster Hunters Alliance? This place must be the cave passage you control.}
「你要投就投，不投就离远点。」姚启明边跑边冷言道。
“Invest if you want to; if you don’t want to, then stay away.” Yao Qi Ming said coldly as he ran.
面对其他人，这个魁梧汉子可就没那么好的脾气了，根本不给对方什么好脸色。
Facing others, this burly man showed no good temper, not even bothering with a pleasant expression.
｛姚队长的面子我还是要给的。｝
{I still have to consider Captain Yao’s face.}
[安吉秀为我投资了500N。]
[An Ji Xiu invested 500N in me.]
这人好大的气魄，作为个人，一出手就是500N时序。
What boldness this person had; as an individual, they invested 500N of Temporal Sequence at once.
[梁喜为我投资了10N。]
[Liang Xi invested 10N in me.]
[三十二位匿名者为我投资了276.11N。]
[Thirty-two Anonymous Individuals invested 276.11N in me.]
[张扬为我投资了1N。]
[Zhang Yang invested 1N in me.]
[刘阳为我投资了1Y。]
[Liu Yang invested 1Y in me.]
「2493年！」
“2493 years!”
杨子藏直接将这些被投资而来的时序转入手中。
Yang Zi Cang directly transferred all those investments into his hands.
自己的那几百年，他不打算随便动用。
He refrained from casually using his own centuries of temporal energy.
万一接下来的一天时间还有别的状况发生，要是不能增幅的话，就只能用「本金」去战斗，那可就太亏了。
In case unexpected situations arose during the remaining day, he’d be left fighting with “principal” alone if he couldn’t amplify—a costly loss.
洞穴越来越幽深，但墙壁上一些岩石发出荧光，勉强能看清脚下的路。
The cave grew deeper into darkness, though fluorescent rocks along the walls dimly illuminated the path underfoot.
「嘶~」
“Hiss~”
「呲，嘶~」
“Hss, hiss~”
让人鸡皮疙瘩都冒出的轻微吐信声回荡在空气中，转过个弯道后，两人已经能听到远处传来的兵器碰撞之声。
Soft, spine-tingling tongue-flickering echoed through the air. After rounding a bend, the two could already hear the clashing of weapons resonating from afar.
突然，一道趴在墙上的黑影跃来。
Suddenly, a dark figure clinging to the wall lunged at them.
「子藏，小心！」
“ZiCang, watch out!”
在那道爪子落在头前的瞬间，后知后觉的杨子藏身形变幻，惊险的与之擦过。
Just as the claw was about to strike his head, Yang ZiCang, reacting belatedly, shifted his form and narrowly dodged it.
[匿名者撤资10N。]
[Anonymous investor withdraws 10N.]
那是个半人大小的壁虎，杨子藏闻到了一股淡淡的腥甜味道。
It was a gecko half the size of a human. Yang ZiCang caught a faint, sickly-sweet odor.
[我抵消了13N.]
[I canceled 13N.]
「有毒，运用时序保护鼻腔和嘴，否则内脏会中毒。」
“Toxic! Use temporal energy to protect your nose and mouth, or the poison will hit your organs.”
吸一口就少了十多年时序，这毒气真是可怕，堪比连绵的时序攻击。
A single breath cost him over a decade of temporal energy. Such lethal gas rivaled an unrelenting onslaught of temporal attacks.
姚启明转身，脚下一踏钢剑刺出，剑身上划，冒着淡金色的钢剑将这只蜥蜴一分为二。
Yao Qiming spun around, stomping the ground and thrusting his steel sword upward in an arc, cleaving the lizard in two with a pale-golden blade.
「十七年。 这里的怪物越来越强了，最开始才几个月寿命而已。」
“Seventeen years. The monsters here are getting stronger—it started with mere months of lifespan.”
接下来的路这汉子的速度稍微慢了些，遇到零星的怪物他都出手解决。
Over the next stretch of the road, the man slowed his pace a bit, handling any stray monsters that popped up.
｛你们想要干嘛，这个人速度看上去不错，但反应貌似不太行。｝
“What do you want? This guy’s speed looks decent, but his reactions seem off.”
安吉秀道。
An Guei-show remarked.
杨子藏将吐槽闷在了心中，刚才的表现的确业余。
Yang Zicang swallowed his grumbling, keeping it locked inside; his earlier performance had indeed been amateurish.
「想干嘛？ 我们当然是猎杀怪物了，这次，是蕴含血脉残留的恶魇。」
“What do we want? We’re hunting monsters, of course—this time, it’s a Nightmare tainted with residual bloodline.”
｛血脉？ 没觉醒血脉之环吧。｝
“A bloodline? They haven’t even awakened their Bloodline Ring.”
融资Moexl中，另一个声音道。
In the Moexel financing group, another voice chimed in.
「你们放心好了！」
“You can all rest assured!”