As the teenager prepared to leave, a halo appeared on Yan Yi’s chest, and a triangular pattern unfurled.
少年正准备离开，燕逸胸前光环显现，三角形线条展开。
[Prime-Time Ability has been activated.]
[黄金档能力已发动。]
[I want to invest 1000N in my preferred actor ‘Tong Wenqi’.]
[我想投资中意演员‘童文奇’1000N。]
“Why are you giving me so much? Are you trying to make me disappear!”
“给我这么多干嘛，你想让我消失吗！”
The boy shot Yan Yi an angry glare.
少年气愤地瞪了燕逸一眼。
Yan Yi was speechless. “This is just a millennial investment… Fine, how much do you want then? Five hundred?”
燕逸无语，“这只是千年投资而已…好好，那你要多少，五百？”
“Do you think I’m short-lived! Just give me the minimum performance fee.”
“我命短吗！给我最低的演出费就行了。”
“Sigh, you really are hard to please.”
“唉，你还真是难伺候。”
Yan Yi shook his head and changed the time period of the investment.
燕逸摇摇头，改变了投资的年份。
[I want to invest 10N in the background character ‘Tong Wenqi’. As the Godfather of Ratings, it seems I don’t recognize him as a star who will ignite the primetime slot.]
[我想投资路人角色‘童文奇’10N。作为收视教父，看来我并不认可他会成为一个引爆黄金档的明星。]
While investing, Yan Yi asked, “Do you hope that gun gets successfully snatched, or that it doesn’t?”
燕逸边投资边问：“你希望那把枪被抢到还是没被抢到？”
“Wow, if they actually get their hands on it, it’ll be much easier for us to snatch it. But I doubt these guys aren’t just heading to their deaths.”
“嚯，他们要真抢到手，那我们搞过来就简单多了。但我看这些家伙恐怕只是去送死。”
“True, not to mention Yang Zicang, even the old drunkard by his side—an old fox like him won’t be fooled that easily. And… Luo Bin has already managed to upgrade his model to a quadrilateral.”
“的确，不说杨子藏，单他身边那老酒鬼，这种老油条是不会被轻易坑到的，而且…洛宾竟然已经成功将模型晋升成四边形了。”
“He must be profiting from this newcomer.”
“肯定是从这新人身上获利的。”
Both of them showed envious expressions.
两人都露出羡慕的神色。
Tong Wenqi rolled the candy in his mouth: “Yang Zicang seems to have a natural aversion to our headquarters. If the gun falls into the hands of those robbers, we could actually secure this Century Weapon easier and avoid a direct clash with a new quadrilateral like Yang Zicang.”
童文奇噘着嘴里的糖果：“杨子藏看上去对我们总部有天然的抵触感。如果这把枪去到这些抢劫犯手上，我们反而容易取得这柄百年器，还能避免跟杨子藏这种新四边形撕破脸。”
“So…” Yan Yi glanced at Tong Wenqi, “You don’t want to watch the ‘mantis stalk the cicada’ act?”
“所以…”燕逸看向童文奇，“你不想看螳螂捕蝉？”
Tong Wenqi grabbed a handful of nuts from the small black glass table, stuffed them into his pocket, and pushed open the door of the RV:
童文奇从黑色玻璃的小桌子上，抓起把坚果揣进兜里，推开房车门：
“They don’t want to be recognized, right? That works perfectly. Heh heh, I’ll go lend those robbers a hand.”
“他们不是想让人都认不出来吗，那不是正好。嘿嘿，我去帮帮这些抢劫犯。”
He jumped out of the vehicle and quickly disappeared from Yan Yi’s sight.
他跳下车快速消失在燕逸眼中。
……
……
Ordinary folks only care about how mediocre Yang Zicang’s abilities are and whether they can score anything valuable off him.
普通的人只看中杨子藏的能力废不废，身上好东西能不能搞得到。
But for organizations and individuals with more concealed intel, this newly emerged quadrilateral kid is truly a prime target in another dimension.
但对于拥有更隐秘情报的组织与人员来说，这新诞生的四边形小子，实是另一个层面上的香饽饽。
After his partner left, Yan Yi pondered for a moment, and a light ray refracted from the model at his chest.
待搭档走后，燕逸想了想，胸口一道模型的光线折射了出去。
“Old Wei, have you entered accelerate zone?”
“老韦，进来加速区域了吗？”
“{Came in early, almost at the launch nest.}”
{早进来了，都快到巢穴了。}
“Oh, that’s good. By the way, I have a bit of intel on YangZicang—some group of people plans to disguise themselves and rob him. Want to set up a betting pool for predictions?”
“哦，那就好。对了，我这边关于杨子藏有个小情报，有群人想要隐藏身份去打劫他，你要不要做个盘口来预测？”
{That new quadrilateral guy? Predicting he won’t lose his weapon?}
{那个新四边形？预测他不会丢掉武器吗？}
“Don’t bet on him winning, because Xiao Qi will step in. Barring any unexpected twists, that gun will end up in our hands.”
“别赌他赢，因为小奇会出手，不出意外那把枪会落入我们手上。”
{I see, hehehe. Simultaneously predicting the outcome of the ‘Quadrilateral’ and the ‘Century Weapon’—just thinking about it gets me excited… ah, thanks for the tip, Yanzi.}
{原来如此，嘿嘿嘿，同时成功预测“四边形”和“百年器”的结局，想想就激动啊…啊，谢谢你燕子。}
Yan Yi chuckled too.
燕逸也笑了笑。
He gazed at the screen, where YangZicang, traversing a forested area, seemed to be lost in thought.
他看向荧幕，正穿过片山林的杨子藏似乎在思索着什么。
……
……
Just how much time could the “Complete Stamp Emblem” provide?
“完整邮徽”到底需要多少的时间呢？
Factoring in his natural lifespan plus those extra decades of temporal sequence, it should grant him over a hundred years’ worth of usage.
如果算上本身的寿命，加上这额外的几十年时序，应该能有一百多年时间可以使用。
YangZicang was eager to dig up more information on it, but his Chrono Weapon had already drawn plenty of trouble. If anyone learned he’d also obtained the “Complete Stamp Emblem,” things would get even more dangerous.
杨子藏有心想要寻求它更多的资料。但时序战器已经引来不少麻烦，要是被人得知自己还获得了“完整邮徽”，那就更危险了。
“If only I could temporarily send the gun out somewhere and redirect the conflict…” he murmured to himself, when a thought struck him. Those guys would never know that he could retrieve the Chrono Weapon remotely!
“要是能想办法把枪暂时送出去，转移矛盾就好了…”默默自语的他突然想到。这些人肯定不会晓得，自己可以远程将时序战器拿回来！
The instant this idea took root, his heart began to pound with excitement.
这想法一旦萌生，他的心脏就砰砰直跳起来。
YangZicang looked at the silver spear in his hand. After killing many wolves and ordinary creatures from other realms, the shiny surface of the spear had developed some extra fine lines—a sign of the gravitational space expelling impurities through the weapon.
杨子藏看向手上的银色长枪。杀了许多狼与异界普通生物后，长枪的表面长出了些多余的细纹，这是引力空间在通过枪排出杂质。
“Buddy, what are you thinking about?”
“老弟，你在想什么？”
“Nothing.” Yang Zicang followed Luo Bin, who was leading the way. “Are there many B-class intersecting zones in this world?”
“没什么。”杨子藏跟上带路的洛宾，“这世界B级交错地多吗？”
“Sort of. If you have a frequency crystal, you’re guaranteed to find the corresponding intersecting zone. With my new model, though, I haven’t found any such place yet.”
“还行。如果有频晶，那么你百分百会找到对应的交错地。我的新模型嘛，目前则还未发现那样的地方。”
As he said this, Luo Bin glanced slightly upward at the sky, but there was nothing there.
说完这话的洛宾稍微瞟了眼上方，天空中什么也没有。
The three chatted as they walked through a lush, orderly patch of vegetation. A subtle fragrance filled the air. Although it now seemed somewhat neglected, it was clearly once carefully maintained.
三人边聊边来到片草木繁盛有秩之地。空气中散发着幽香，现虽略感荒废，但曾经肯定得到过精心护理。
“Oh wow, this must have been some kind of botanical garden back on Earth.”
“噢哟，这里在地球应该是什么植物园吧。”
“It’s the interior scene of Shengyuan,” the boy said.
“这是晟圆的内景。”小少年道。
“Shengyuan?”
“晟圆？”
“Yep, the villa area near my home. I’ve been there before.”
“嗯呢，我们家附近的别墅区，这儿我之前去过。”
The entrance to this rift was beside a wastewater pool piled with branches and dead leaves, its makeshift opening resembling a collapsed pipe. Luo Bin stood with his arms crossed.
这次的裂缝入口在堆满树枝枯叶的废水池边，就像塌陷的管道入口。洛宾抱着膀子。
“Hah, once the end comes to everything sooner or later.”
“呵，管它什么别墅不别墅，现在都没什么用了。”
……
……
Staring at the display on his notebook, Yan Yi saw all signals from Yang Zicang’s group cut off after they entered the intersecting zone.
燕逸的显示器上，从杨子藏一行进入交错地后就断掉了信号。
The screen shifted, displaying the faces of several people in rapid succession, like a car advertisement. These were all who had donated more than ten years of their lifespan within the last 24 hours—currently this was the maximum number she had.
荧幕画面一转，如同赛车广告似的闪过几个人的相貌图案。这全是24小时内被自己投资过十年以上寿命之人的景象，目前最多也就这几人了。
The man in black selected the small image of Tong Wenqi.
黑衣男人从中选择了童文奇的小巧画面。
[Side character ‘Tong Wenqi’ appears!]
[路人角色‘童文奇’登场！]
“Quick on his feet.” Yan Yi muttered, watching the scene unravel.
“动作够快的。”燕逸盯着画面自言自语。
On his screen, the figure had already donned long sleeves, trousers, and gloves, with a black cloth sack over his head and a simple monster mask on top. He was following behind the group, heading toward an area lush with dense trees.
荧幕中的他已经换上了长袖长裤以及手套，头上戴着个黑布袋，外面还套着个简易猛鬼面具。正跟在几人身后，往着那片有着许多繁茂树木的地方而去。
—“Ah-Xiang is right, after we get that gun, others will definitely have their eyes on us.”
——“啊祥说得也对啊，我们拿到那把枪后肯定会被其它人惦记。”
—“Maybe we should just sell it—it has to be worth at least five or six thousand chrono, right?”
——“要不把它卖了，至少值五六千时序吧。”
—“Five thousand? Are you kidding me? Hang out in a B-level crossing zone for a bit, and in less than a year, each of us could be living for a few thousand years like gods.”
——“五千？开什么玩笑，去B级交错地随随便便苟段时间，要不了一年咱们人人都能成为活上几千年的神仙。”
“These idiots don’t even know the value of a Century Weapon.”
“这些家伙连百年器的价值都不懂。”
The triangular display on Yan Yi’s chest flickered.
燕逸胸口的模型闪动。
“Give me a plot summary.”
“给我剧情总结。”
[After swiftly taking down a thug who was using the bathroom, Tong Wenqi put on the thug’s clothes and blended into the masked team, who were discussing how to use the loot after a successful robbery.]
[童文奇以极快身法打倒一名上厕所的劫匪后，穿上劫匪的服装，混入正在谈论“抢劫成功后该如何利用战利品”的这只蒙面队伍。]
[They were about to reach Yang Zicang’s location to carry out their planned nefarious scheme.]
[他们即将到达杨子藏所在之地，实施设想中的邪恶计划。]
[Will these people succeed? And what will Tong Wenqi, merely a minor role, do next? Let’s wait and see.]
[这些人会成功吗？仅仅是路人角色的童文奇又会有何作为？让我们拭目以待。]
Everything was playing out just as he predicted.
过程跟自己猜得一样。
Yan Yi took pride in his display’s ability. Though his was merely a triangle model, it had already surpassed ordinary quadrangle models in value.
燕逸得意于自己的模型能力。自己虽只是三角形，但价值已经超过了普通四边形。
Back on Earth, he was just a cameraman, but here, he seemed like a god, with clairvoyant eyes and ears all contained within a single display board.
在地球时虽只是个导播，可在这儿却如同神灵。千里眼、顺风耳，皆在这一个模型之中。
……
……
Thump, thump!
嘭嘭！
A strong stag hit the ground.
一头强壮的鹿倒地。
In this Crescent-level intersection zone, Yang Zicang, Luo Bin, and the young Liang Xi had just stabilized the second Shadow Canvas area, an ancient large-scale structure.
这处新月级交错地内，杨子藏、洛宾以及少年梁喜三人正稳固好了第二块幕影区域，是片古老的大型建筑。
“This staircase is like a theater. It can’t actually be a theater, can it?” Luo Bin, catching his breath, said. “I’ve seen Broadway videos before, and there was some play called ‘Ghost Theater’ with this exact look.”
“这楼梯就像剧场，这儿不会真是剧场吧。”歇口气的洛宾道：“我以前看过百老汇的视频，里面有个什么猛鬼剧场就是这造型。”
Yang Zicang, standing on the right side of the Y-shaped curved staircase, frowned. “‘Ghost Theater’ on Broadway? Does that show really exist?”
站在Y字形弧形楼梯右侧的杨子藏皱了皱眉：“猛鬼剧场，百老汇？有这出剧吗？”
Liang Xi said, “Uncle, are you maybe thinking of The Phantom of the Opera?”
梁喜道：“大叔，你说的是不是《歌剧魅影》。”
“What the hell? Well, maybe. I forgot. What a shame, it can’t even be used for firewood.”
“什么玩意儿？嗯，或许吧，我忘了。真是可惜，它都没办法用来烧火。”
Luo Bin knocked on the stone curved staircase, and Yang Zicang’s mouth twitched.
洛宾敲了敲石质的弧形楼梯，杨子藏嘴角抽搐了下。
The connection between The Phantom of the Opera and ‘Ghost Theater’… right, anyway… He carried his rifle upstairs, heading toward another flickering three-dimensional stage set that appeared like a distorted 3D puzzle emerging.
歌剧魅影和猛鬼剧场的联系，好吧…他拿枪走上楼前往另一处晃动出现的立体幕景，就像扭曲三维拼图正在浮现。
Thud! A spear thrown in one shot pinned a sika deer as stout as a wild boar to the ground.
噗！长枪投掷，一枪就将个强壮如野猪的梅花鹿给刺倒在地。
[I obtained 19N.]
[我获得了19N.]
Suddenly, a commotion burst from the entrance.
入口处突地传来阵喧哗。
“Someone!”
“有人！”
Yang Zicang, who was drawing his rifle, and the resting Liang Xi both turned their attention to the unstable entrance dozens of meters away. From the grassy stage set area, seven hooded figures rushed out.
正在拔枪的杨子藏以及休息的梁喜两人，看向几十米外未稳定的幕景入口处，草丛幕景区域中冲出七道蒙着面的人影。
“Yang Zicang!”
“杨子藏！”
“Is that Ms. Chrono Weapon? Sure is a refined and beautiful armament.”
“那就是时序战器？果然是精致漂亮的武器。”
Seeing their attire, Liang Xi’s heart skipped a beat—no need for words; these masked men were surely here to stir up trouble. Just as the young boy was filled with worry and turned to look at the approaching Big Brother Yang, he suddenly noticed a hint of joy flickering across Yang Zicang’s face.
瞧见他们的装束，梁喜心中一跳，不用多说，这些蒙面的家伙肯定是来找麻烦的。正当少年内心忧心忡忡，转头望向走来的杨大哥时，忽的像是瞧见杨子藏的脸色居然带上了丝喜色。
But that expression vanished in an instant.
不过那表情一闪而逝。
“Huh?” Liang Xi rubbed his eyes, but Big Brother Yang in front of him remained stern and solemn.
“欸？”梁喜擦了擦眼，身前杨大哥依旧神色肃穆。
……
……
“So you’re here, bro, you tracked well.” The opposing side laughed heartily, praising one of their own members.
“果然在这里，老弟，你跟得不错。”对面笑呵呵的赞扬他们队伍中一人。
Luo Bin gripped his weapon with a malicious look, stepping forward:
洛宾神色不善的握紧武器，上前一步：
“Gentlemen, since you’re here in the Crossing to work with chronos, why all the masks!”
“诸位，既然是进交错地搞时序的，为什么都蒙着面呢！”
Seeing the gun now truly in Yang Zicang’s hands, Yu Chen and his group exulted silently.
瞧见那杆枪此刻真在杨子藏手上，余晨一行人心中狂喜。
Cao, disguising his voice, shouted: “Yang, hand over the gun, and we’ll leave immediately. If you intend to marshal funds to stay afloat, we’ll take it by force!”
姓曹的变着声喝道：“姓杨的，把枪交出来，我们就马上离开。如果打算融资续命，我们就强上了！”
Yang Zicang gritted his teeth, feigning reluctance: “You lot sure are efficient.”
杨子藏故作咬牙：“你们还真是有效率。”
The circle on his chest model lit up, and the quadrilateral rapidly expanded, merging into the void.
他胸前模型圆圈亮起，四边形迅速扩散开来，融入虚空。
[I, the Great Quadrilateral, begin Chrono Financing.]
[我，伟大的四边形开始进行时序融资。]
“Gentlemen and bosses, someone is trying to steal my Chrono Weapon. Whoever helps me drive these fools away will be repaid by me in the future.”
“诸位老板，有人想抢我的时序战器，谁助我将这些蠢货赶走，以后我必定报答他。”
Countless people within a radius of dozens of miles received the model’s financing request.
方圆数十里范围内的无数人都接收到了这模型的融资请求。