Ground Stars / 地上星 · Ch.14 第14章 月末情报
第14章 月末情报
Chapter 14: End-of-Month Information
「模器当然不能还。」 这名为余霏的男人道：「但我们损失的时序不计其数。 你说，这笔账该怎么算？」
“Of course, we can’t return the artifacts,” said the man named Yu Fei. “But we’ve lost countless Chronos along the way. So, how do you reckon this account should be settled?”
「好处你们占尽，我们却来挨打，总归说不过去吧。」
“You’ve reaped all the benefits, yet we’re the ones taking the blows—it’s hardly reasonable, is it?”
车上人愤慨不已。
The people in the car were seething with indignation.
嗡嗡议论声一片。
A clamor of murmurs filled the air.
杨子藏明白了。 人是自己杀的，雄英组却找的他们的麻烦，难怪人家一肚子火。
Yang Zicang understood now. It was he who had done the killing, but the Xiong Ying Group had been taking it out on them—no wonder they were so furious.
姚启明冷呵了声：
Yao Chiming let out a cold sneer:
「总部的人马上会送来这个月的交错频晶，几位要是没事就请回吧。 今天是下半月开始的日子，大家都很忙，没空跟你们扯皮。」
“Headquarters will be sending someone over with this month’s Interspersed Frequency Crystals shortly. If you have no other business, please take your leave. Today is the start of the second half of the month—everyone is busy, so we have no time to bicker with you.”
「说得没错。」 这边几人叫道，「你们大可不将驻地建在右街，直面那些家伙们是你们当时的选择。」
“Well said,” a few of them called out. “You didn’t have to set up your base on Right Street; it was your own choice to confront those bastards head-on.”
「哦？ 很好，记住你们说的这话，原本我们还想跟你商议商议，看来不用了。」
“Oh? Good, remember that you said that. We were originally going to talk things over with you, but looks like it’s no longer necessary.”
姚启明皱了皱眉，却想不出对方能威胁自己的事物。
Yao Chiming’s brows furrowed, yet he couldn’t figure out what they had that they could threaten him with.
「你也说了总部送这个月的频晶过来，那枚 A 级频晶，就用作补偿好了。」 余菲笑道。
“Since you mentioned that headquarters is sending this month’s frequency crystals over, we’ll take that A-rank frequency crystal as compensation.” Yu Fei said with a smile.
这话让这边几人瞬间哑火。
These words instantly silenced the few people on this side.
「你说什么？ 这才是你们的目的吧！」姚启明惊怒。
“What did you say? This has been your real goal all along!” Yao Chiming exclaimed in shock and anger.
余霏从容不迫：「让大伙儿调用那枚绯月级交错频晶的条件，反正早已经达到了不是吗。」
Yu Fei remained composed: “The conditions for everyone to use that Crimson-Moon-level Cross-Frequency Crystal have long been met, haven’t they?”
「那是什么东西？」 走出门的沐小雨轻声问圆脸小妹。
“What is that thing?” Mu Xiaoyu, who had just stepped out the door, quietly asked the round-faced girl.
「相当于进入交错空间的钥匙。 其它交错空间入口还能偶然找到，但绯月级的交错空间，必须由四边形Moexl拥有者共鸣雕像后，每月所诞生的频晶来开启。」
“It’s equivalent to a key to enter the Crosspace. Other Crosspace entrances can be found by chance, but a Crimson-Moon-level Crosspace can only be opened with the Frequency Crystal that is born every month after the QuadMoxel owner resonates with the statue.”
另一人也小声解释道：「而且，交错频晶可以稳定交错之地内的混沌区域。 没有它们，进入交错之地后可能永远无法再走出来。」
Another person whispered in explanation: “Moreover, the Cross-Frequency Crystal can stabilize the chaotic regions within the Cross-land. Without them, once you enter the Cross-land, you might never be able to step out again.”
前方的余霏看也不看姚启明的脸色，继续道：
Yu Fei, who was at the front, didn’t even glance at Yao Chiming’s expression as she continued:
「除了那枚晶石，再将张飞盔甲租用给我们半年，这件事就算是我们神女兄弟盟替你们抗下了。」
“Besides that crystal, lease Zhang Fei’s armor to us for half a year, and the Disciples of the Divine Maiden Brotherhood will take this matter off your hands.”
「你在做梦。」
“You’re dreaming.”
余菲毫不在意：「你们的赵安龙已经不在了。 根本没有实力进入 A 级交错地的你们，屯著那种好东西不用，只是浪费而已。」
Yu Fei, unfazed, responded: “Your Zhao Anlong is already gone. Without any strength to enter an A-grade Cross-land, hoarding such good items without using them is nothing but a waste.”
姚启明愤怒的将眉头扭在一起。
Yao Chiming twisted his brow in fury.
「欺我们无人。」 周围人大怒。
“Are you bullying us for having no one?” the people around shouted in anger.
杨子藏走出，冷然开口：「不好意思，铠甲是我的战利品，你说租用半年就半年？」
Yang Zicang stepped out and spoke coldly: “Excuse me, the armor is my spoils of war. You say you’re renting it for half a year—just like that?”
「我已经把盔甲的事上报给总部了，总部已经同意，让我们可以租用。」
“I’ve already reported the armor matter to HQ, and they’ve agreed to let us rent it.”
杨子藏双手做出停止的手势。
Yang Zicang made a stop gesture with both hands.
「总部同意？」
“HQ agreed?”
「呵，总归还是新人，搞不清楚状况。」
“Ha. Classic newbie, still has no clue what’s going on.”
余霏笑了笑。
Yu Fei chucked.
「你现在住的地方是谁的？ 你们吃的用的，都是哪里来的？ 还不是生产人员们所制作的。」
“Where do you think you’re staying now? Where’s the food and stuff you’re using all from? It’s all produced by the production staff.”
「高级战利品上缴，总部酌情分配，租借给那些做出贡献的人。 否则，像你这样能力不适合直接战斗的人，很难获得高级装备。」
“High-level spoils are turned in, HQ distributes them as they see fit, and rents them out to those who’ve earned it. Otherwise, someone like you, whose abilities aren’t suited for direct combat, would never get your hands on top-tier equipment.”
杨子藏冷眼看向他：「嚯，听你这么说，张飞是自杀的？」
Yang Zicang glared at him coldly: “Whoa, hearing you say that, did Zhang Fei commit suicide or something?”
「狡辩也没用。」 余霏摇摇头：」张飞若稍微重视下你，早点深层同步铠甲，死的绝对是你。 这点你要承认。」
“Argue all you want, it’s useless.” Yu Fei shook his head: “If Zhang Fei had cared even a little about you and synchronized with the armor deeper sooner, the one who died would definitely have been you. You need to admit that.”
杨子藏气笑了。
Yang Zicang let out a helpless, angry laugh.
车上几人笑道：「年轻人，张飞只是死于傲慢。 而你，虽然有额外的时序增幅，但对于团队来说，可以用集体投资来补足。 你还不明白吗？」
Several people in the car laughed and said: “Kid, Zhang Fei just died from arrogance. As for you, even if you’ve got that extra Chronos boost, to the team, it’s something we can make up for with collective Investment. Still don’t get it?”
姚启明拽住他的手将其拉回来。 赵雪美走过来小声道：
Yao Chiming grabbed his hand and pulled him back. Zhao Xuemei walked over and whispered softly,
「算了，子藏，等你成长起来再说吧。 这些人长期混在那边，跟我们已经不对路了。」
“Forget it, ZiCang. Wait until you’ve grown stronger. These people have been entrenched over there for so long that they’re no longer on the same path as us.”
不久，总部的人到来，带来了这个月的交错频晶。
Shortly after, people from headquarters arrived, bringing this month’s Interleaving Frequency Crystals.
余霏站出来要求将绯月级交错频晶交给他们，提供了申请资料和用作保证金的魔晶石。
Yu Fei stepped forward, demanding that the Crimson-Moon-grade Interleaving Frequency Crystal be handed over to her team. She provided the application materials and Mana Crystals as a deposit.
两位工作人员对看了一眼，其中一人看向姚启明：
The two staff members exchanged a glance, and one of them looked at Yao Chiming:
「姚队长，你们队伍已经半年没有反馈过新 A 级交错地的资料了。 规定表示，只要三个月没有提交反馈，我们有权将赵安龙先生共鸣孕育出的频晶，交给提出申请的其它队伍。 你们有异议吗？」
“Captain Yao, your team hasn’t submitted any feedback on new A-level Interleaving Sites for half a year. According to regulations, if no feedback is submitted within three months, we have the right to hand over the frequency crystals nurtured through resonance by Mr. Zhao Anlong to any other team that applies. Do you have any objections?”
「我们…」姚启明脸色很难看。
“We…” Yao Chiming’s face darkened.
总部已经批复，意味著这个组织的实力已经得到了总部的确认，至少满足了最低的稳定实力。
The headquarters had already approved the request. This meant that the organization’s strength had been confirmed by HQ, at least meeting the minimum stability requirements.
「能有什么异议，赵安龙队长都不在了。」 周围人叹息。
“What objections could there be? Captain Zhao Anlong is no longer with us.” Those around them sighed.
余霏得意地将璀璨的血红色晶石接过，对著天空看著里面那枚若有若无的绯红圆形图案。
Yu Fei triumphantly took the dazzling blood-red crystal, holding it up to the sky and eyeing the faint, crimson circular pattern suspended within it.
「诸位，听我们的好消息吧。」
“Everyone, just wait for our good news.”
「哈哈。」
“Haha.”
姚启明欲言又止的看向杨子藏：
Yao Chiming opened his mouth as if to speak, then looked at Yang Zicang,
「子藏，你也不用气馁。 那件铠甲并不能立即使用，要经过特殊处理，光是清理里面的恶魇残留意志，就要花费不少时间，至少得一两个月。」
“Zi Cang, don’t be discouraged. That armor can’t be used immediately—it requires special treatment. Just purging the remnant evil nightmare consciousness inside it will take quite some time, at least one or two months.”
杨子藏点点头，他心中憋著口气，自己要赶快变得更强才行。
Yang Zicang nodded, a stifled resolve burning within him—he needed to grow stronger, and fast.
……
梁喜趴在地上，他手上的铁棍已经滑腻无比，满是血污。
Liang Xi lay sprawled on the ground, the iron rod in his hand now slippery and caked in blood.
「一共两百三十年了，我没有辜负他的信任…」
“Two hundred and thirty years in total… I haven’t betrayed his trust…”
他看了眼自己的身躯，身上满是恐怖的伤痕。
He glanced down at his own body, which was covered in ghastly wounds.
半大少年的手掌放在了怪物老鼠身上，胸口钝角般的折线闪动至手掌，在掌心出现道小巧的类似蛋壳的半透明光芒。
The palm of the half-grown boy rested upon the monstrous rat, with the blunt, angular fold lines on his chest flickering down to his hand, conjuring a small, translucent light in the shape of an eggshell in his palm.
它缓缓由内至外不断翻转，就像个虚幻的物理Moexl。
It slowly flipped from the inside out, over and over, like an illusory physics-based voxel.
[屠宰场的治疗室…]
[Treatment Room of the Slaughterhouse…]
[时序减少 1Y。]
[Chronos reduced by 1Y.]
已经断掉呼吸的老鼠怪物身躯震动起来。
The rat monster, which had already stopped breathing, began to tremble all over.
它皮肤下的肌肉蠕动鼓起又陷落，一道道晦暗的能量流通过他的手掌力场从怪物身躯内传递到自己身体上，那些骇人的伤口快速蠕动、结疤。
Beneath its skin, muscles writhed, bulged, and collapsed; streaks of dim, murky energy flowed from the monster’s body through the force field of his palm into his own body, quickly forcing those horrifying wounds to wriggle and scab over.
他身上的疤痕已经多到宛如遍布全身的鳞甲了。
His scars had already grown so dense they seemed like scales covering his entire body.
「嗝~」
“Burp~”
梁喜轻轻吐了个嗝，感受了下胃部略显不适的感觉后，强忍著恶心，在自己身上抹上了老鼠怪物的新鲜血液，随后起身沿著管道警惕地前行。
Liang Xi let out a soft burp, feeling slight discomfort in his stomach, then suppressed nausea and smeared himself with fresh blood from the rat monster before cautiously moving forward along the pipes.
这鬼地方不缺少血腥味，缺少的是人类的气息。 与鲜血的危险相比，人类的气味才是吸引怪物的强效引诱剂。
This godforsaken place wasn’t short of the scent of blood; what it lacked was the smell of humans. Compared to the danger of blood, human scent was a powerful lure for the monsters.
几分钟后，他吃力爬上一处狭窄通道顶端的暗沟里。
A few minutes later, he painfully climbed into a dark crevice at the top of a narrow passageway.
他打算在这里休息一阵。
He planned to rest there for a while.
正当其闭上眼准备睡觉时，一道折射光线出现在胸前，将自己的Moexl小圆环点亮。
Just as he closed his eyes to sleep, a beam of refracted light landed on his chest, illuminating his small Moxel ring.
梁喜的目光中露出欣喜，是那个说明自己的人。
A glimmer of delight appeared in Liang Xi’s eyes—it was the person who had helped him.
[你怎么样了。]
[How are you?]
杨子藏在心中默问道。
Yang Zicang silently asked in his heart.
｛子藏哥，我目前很好，已经积累两百多年时序了，唔，哥，你的手机没有被处理掉吗？｝
{Brother ZiCang, I’m fine for now. I’ve already accumulated over two hundred years of Chronos power, uh, bro, wasn’t your phone seized?}
画面中的杨子藏正坐在一个靠墙的木床边，手中拿著手机翻著相册思念地球。
In the image, Yang Zicang sat by a wooden bed against the wall, scrolling through his phone’s photo album, reminiscing about Earth.
[处理掉？]
[Seized?]
杨子藏疑惑地看著前面的虚无。
Yang Zicang stared at the void before him, puzzled.
之前楚强的确给了自己一个箱子，强调用来储存物品来著。
Earlier, Chu Chiang indeed gave him a box, emphasizing its use for storing items.
｛那可能是你们那边的驻地功能更强吧，我们这边是不允许使用这些人造物的，特别是游戏机、dv 电视之类的，其中手机是最关键的禁用品，它们都会被全部拆掉，烧成渣。｝
“Maybe the facilities at your place are more advanced. Over here, we’re not allowed to use any of these man-made items—especially game consoles, DV cameras, TVs, and so on. Mobile phones are the most strictly banned among them. All such items would be dismantled and burned to ashes.”
[这么严重？]
[That serious?]
杨子藏有些愕然，没人跟自己提这件事。
Yang Zicang was taken aback—no one had mentioned this to him.
｛是啊，因为这些都会诞生恶魇，甚至于某些鞋子、衣服、塑胶或钢化玻璃杯等等，反正只要是任何带过来的人造物，都有可能孕育出恶魇。 我还以为大哥哥你是根本不怕这些呢。｝
“Yeah, because these things can give birth to Nightmares. Even certain shoes, clothes, plastics, or tempered glass cups—basically, any man-made object brought over here could potentially spawn a Nightmare. I thought you, big brother, simply weren’t afraid of these things.”
杨子藏看了眼身上的行头，他摸了摸自己左耳上的蓝色耳环，立即便感受到了事态的严重性。
Yang Zicang glanced at his own attire and touched the blue earring on his left ear, immediately grasping the severity of the situation.
是因为自己还不是「自己人」，所以关于这个世界的很多资讯，楚强和姚启明并没有给自己分享吗。
Was it because he wasn’t yet “one of their own” that Chu Chiang and Yao Chiming hadn’t shared much information about this world with him?
杨子藏看了眼床下的箱子，木箱显得很普通，但此刻他打开后发现内部蕴含著细微金线制作的纹路，看上去是装饰。
Yang Zicang looked at the wooden box under the bed—it appeared ordinary enough. But when he opened it, he discovered intricate patterns woven with fine golden threads inside, seemingly decorative.
但谁会把装饰纹路刻在普通木箱内部。
Yet who would carve decorative patterns inside an ordinary wooden box?
如果思维再发散一点，杨子藏很容易想到「法阵」与「封印」这种词汇。
Letting his imagination run wild, Yang Zicang could easily think of terms like “magic circle” and “seal.”
｛不过大哥哥你不用怕，已经获得Moexl后，我们再触碰它们，可能大半年甚至一年以后才会开始孕育恶魇。 加上你们的驻地应该是从总部兑换的材料建造的，抵抗恶魇的效果更强。｝
“{But big brother, don’t be afraid—now that we’ve assimilated the Moxel, even if we touch them again, it’ll be at least half a year, maybe even a year, before they start spawning nightmares. Plus, your camp is probably built from materials exchanged at headquarters, which offers even stronger resistance to nightmares.}”
[总之谢谢，没有你的告知，我还被蒙在鼓里。]
“[Anyway, thanks. Without you telling me, I’d have stayed in the dark.]”
还好，自己还有个小弟给自己免费分享如此重要的消息。
Thank goodness he had a little brother to share such critical news with him for free.
他看了眼毫无信号的手机画面后，继续在心中道。
Glancing at his phone screen, which showed no signal, he continued silently in his mind.
[关于你昨天说的，传说中的武器线索的事，有几分可能？]
“[About what you said yesterday—that lead on the legendary weapon—how likely do you think it is?]”
在昨日的长期投资过后，这少年被自己感动，又想到可能会死在里面，于是告知了自己关于那处地方的隐秘消息。
After a long night of pressing him yesterday, the kid—moved by Liang Xi’s persistence and terrified he might die inside—finally revealed the secret about that place.
｛我相信绝对是真的！ 这座怪物巢穴的深处，肯定有百年器的存在。 我听他们说了，去年有总部的人在异度空间中，找到了每击拥有一百零五年时序的百年器！ 当时整个城市的狩猎者都沸腾了。｝
“{I swear it’s true! Deep inside that monster nest—there’s definitely a Cent-Arms. I heard them say that last year someone from headquarters found a Cent-Arms in a dimensional space that hits with a hundred and five years of Chronos per strike! The whole city’s hunters went wild.}”
梁喜目光中露出精光，要不是身处危险之中，他绝对已经叫了出来。
Liang Xi’s eyes gleamed with sharp light. Had he not been in mortal danger, he’d have screamed out loud.
只有这个时候，才看得出来他还拥有的一些孩子性子。
Only at moments like this could you still see the childish nature left in him.
杨子藏叹了口气。
Yang Zicang sighed.
难怪罗鑫队长不待见这种家伙，太天真了。
No wonder Captain Luo Xin couldn’t stand guys like this—too damn naive.
[我劝你还是回去得比较好，如果继续待在那里，遇到成群的怪物，你会死得很难看。]
“I suggest you’d better go back. If you stay there and run into a crowd of monsters, you’ll die a gruesome death.”
梁喜目光闪动，有些犹豫，随后又变得坚定，心中对著杨子藏道：
Liang Xi’s eyes flickered with hesitation, but then they hardened with resolve as he said to Yang Zicang inwardly:
｛不行，我要活下去，我必须在这里赚够三百年，我已经… 没有人来保护我了。｝
{No, I have to survive. I must earn enough here for three hundred years… There’s no one left to protect me.}
很显然，杨子藏意识到了这小子话中的某种含义。
Yang Zicang clearly sensed some deeper implication in the boy’s words.
他突然想到什么。
A thought suddenly struck him.
[赚够三百年？ 是什么时候会需要它们吗？]
“Earn enough for three hundred years? Is it something you’ll need at some point?”
｛月末。 子藏哥，你是上个月的十五号来的这个世界吗？｝
{At the end of the month. Big Brother ZiCang, did you come to this world on the fifteenth of last month?}
[我是昨天。]
“I came yesterday.”
｛啊？！｝
{What?!}
梁喜露出不可思议的神色。
Liang Xi wore an expression of utter disbelief.
想到昨日下午为他投资10年后所看到的画面，少年身体出现了丝颤栗，然后便是深刻的黯然。
Thinking back to the vision he had seen after Investing 10 years for him the previous afternoon, a faint tremor ran through the youth’s body, followed by a profound dejection.
杨子藏此刻也浑身发冷。
At that moment, Yang Zicang also felt a chill running down his spine.
没有人告诉自己，月末会扣除三百年时序的这件事。
No one had told him that three hundred Chronos would be deducted at the end of the month.