“I, I…” Xiang Xingyan instantly trembled head to foot, “You… Thought Manipulation skill?”
“我，我…”项兴言瞬间浑身颤抖，“你…念能力？”
“Presently, where is the leader?”
“指示者在哪里。”
Standing by his side was a young man with a frosty expression. How he had come was unknown. Xiang Xingyan’s inner discomposure weakened his knees and speech: “It is, it is Xiao Xun, the man earlier… first lead voice…”
身侧面容冷峻的青年不知是如何出现的，项兴言双股颤颤，思绪混沌的道：
“In the tallest building beneath him.”
“是，是肖寻，在那个方向最高的大楼内。”
Looking at the man whose face was ashen as he raised his arm to point into the distance, Yang Zicang gently patted him on the shoulder. The massive maw that had been engulfing him suddenly closed, and with a upward pull, a phantom figure was dragged out.
看着面如土色抬起手臂指向远处的男人，杨子藏轻轻拍了拍他的肩膀，那将它罩入口中的巨口猛然合下往上一扯，一道虚幻人影被拉出。
[The training from the dream has been inherited, and it seems part of my mentality has been inherited as well.]
[我在梦境的锻炼被继承了，心性似乎也被继承了一部分。]
Yang Zicang felt unusually calm. He glanced at the man’s figure, now collapsed like a log on the ground.
杨子藏感觉自己沉静了不少。他瞟了眼如木头般倒地的男人身影。
The White Shadow Thought-Dragon was tearing apart and devouring his struggling psychokinetic body.
白影念龙正将他挣扎的念力体撕扯吞噬。
“Xiao Xun, huh,” he said. “It’s a shame this isn’t a dream; otherwise, why would I bother with the likes of you?”
“肖寻吗，可惜这里不是梦境，否则我怎会跟你一般见识。”
With a composed stride, Yang Zicang stepped forward and set out in the direction Xiang Xingyan had pointed.
杨子藏从容迈步而出，向着项兴言指过的方向而去。
High up in this night sky, within a patch of chilling mist that scattered like fog, the hidden twin cartoon figures gradually faded away.
而在这片夜空的高空，一团如雾气飘散的寒气中，隐藏的双生卡通形象也逐渐散去。
……
……
Inside the luxuriously decorated room, it was brightly lit.
装修豪华的房间内灯火通明。
On a large swivel chair, a man, holding a wine glass, laughed heartily as he patted the back of the delicate woman riding in front of him, saying to the person across the large desk:
大转椅上，握着酒杯的男人大笑着拍了拍骑在身前的娇柔女人后背，对大桌对面的人道：
“That idiot Xiang Xinglong—got a few of his men taken down by Yang Zicang and the other guy in one encounter. What a waste.”
“项兴龙那个蠢蛋，竟然一个照面就被杨子藏两人干掉了好几个人，也太废物了。”
“One encounter? How could it be that bad? Yang Zicang might be strong, but he’s just an inexperienced newbie.”
“一个照面？怎么会这么惨，杨子藏再厉害也只是个战斗经验不足的新人而已。”
“He always likes to ambush people. Guess this time Yang Zicang caught on and used his ‘direction-changing’ ability to kill him off. Boss Xiao, where did you find this new fling of yours?”
“他老是喜欢搞偷袭，估计这次是被杨子藏发现，用拐弯能力给搞死了吧，肖老板，你这是什么时候找来的新欢啊。”
“Heh heh, what, you want to give it a try too? Wait your turn.”
“嘿嘿，怎么，你也想试试，等一会啊。”
Seeing that the conversation was about to drift to another topic again, Shao Min stood up from the sofa beside him, stretched lazily, and walked toward the door.
眼看聊天内容又要转到别的地方，旁边沙发上的邵敏站起身伸了个懒腰，往门外走去。
“Where are you off to, Brother Shao? We still rely on you to liaise with the bosses.”
“邵老弟哪里去，还得靠你跟老板们联系嘞。”
“Just stepping out for some air. You all keep chatting.”
“出去透会儿气，你们聊着。”
Another person on the sofa said, “Have you seen that guy, Xiang Xinglong, escape?”
沙发上另一人道：“看见姓项的逃出来了吗？”
“I’m watching right now, bro. I’ll feel more at ease keeping an eye outside. Haha, you guys have fun.”
“正看着呢，哥，我出去看更安心点，呵呵你们玩。”
Shao Min smiled, took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, then pushed the door open and walked out.
邵敏笑了笑，从口袋中拿出烟点燃，推门走出。
Yang Zicang turned out to be so formidable.
杨子藏居然如此强横。
That guy really knows how to hide. Everyone has been fooled by him.
那家伙可真会藏啊，所有人都被他给骗了。
Turning to glance at the heavy door, Shao Min let out a cold laugh and walked toward the pitch-dark staircase.
扭头看了眼这扇大门，邵敏冷笑声，往黑洞洞的楼梯走去。
……
……
The clouds that had been obscuring the moonlight dissipated in the sky, allowing the moonlight to once again illuminate this dilapidated city.
天上遮蔽月光的流云消散，月光再次照亮这片残破的城市。
Light flickered from the high floors of that crumbling building.
那栋残破大楼的高层，有灯光映现。
In a place on Earth where every inch of land is precious, it also stands here as a highly sought-after, desirable residence.
在地球上寸土寸金的地方，于此地也是人们趋之若鹜的好住所。
As Yang Zicang walked through the streets, thinking about possibly obtaining a large amount of time sequence in a short while, the broken line on his chest flickered out as he contacted Chu Qiang, who had recently gotten into some kind of fight—evidenced by the bandage on his shoulder.
杨子藏穿行在街道上，想到等下或许会短时获得大量时序，他胸前折线闪动出去，联系了不知跟谁打了一架，肩上多了绷带的楚强。
After inquiring, Yang Zicang murmured softly to himself.
询问过后，杨子藏低声喃喃。
“After establishing an organization, the team has a kind of public time sequence storage pool… up to five thousand years?”
“建立组织后，队伍有一个相当于公共的时序储存池…最高五千年吗。”
Chu Qiang on the other end said:
对面的楚强道：
“Do you want to join us? Temporarily joining the team is fine too. I can help you store, allocate, and invest the time sequence—that’s what I’ve always been doing.”
{你要加入我们吗，暂时入队也可以。我能帮你储存、分配以及投资时序，这是我一直在做的工作。}
If it’s just about transferring investments, there’s clearly someone more suitable. Moreover, he and I have a connection spanning thousands of years.
如果只是转移投资的话，明显有一个人更合适。而且自己跟他的交情已经上千年了。
Yang Zicang chuckled.
杨子藏笑了笑。
[I have obtained Yang Zicang’s investment of 2000N total time sequence, with a validity period of one month.]
[我获得杨子藏投资的2000N全权时序，时限一月。]
Chu Qiang was inwardly stunned.
楚强心中一震。
{Where did you get that?}
{你哪来的？}
[Keep these two thousand years temporarily on your end. If possible, transfer them to Xiao Yu and the others on my behalf.]
[这两千年暂时放在你那边，如果可能的话，替我转给小雨她们。]
……
……
Inside the RV, Yan Yi had been staring at the nest, but after dozens of hours had passed, not a single person from the monster faction had appeared.
房车内，燕逸一直盯着巢穴，但几十个小时过去，一个怪物阵营的人也没有出现。
“What the hell are those guys thinking, waiting for that so-called Defender to spawn itself?”
“那些家伙到底在想什么，等那所谓的抵御者自己育化而出吗。”
Bang! The RV door was pushed open.
哐当！车门被人推开。
A woman with a ponytail panted, saying:
一个扎着马尾的女人喘息道：
“I just received some intel. Several experts from the Xiongying Unit are all inside our A-level intersection zone.”
“我刚刚，接到了个情报，雄英组几个高手都在我们的A级交错地内。”
“What the fuck?”
“啥玩意儿？”
Yan Yi stood up, staring in shock at the woman’s face.
燕逸站起身来，吃惊地看着女人的脸庞。
“Is the Xiongying Unit trying to enter our Hub Town? Damn it, fucking assholes, I knew they weren’t up to anything good! Who’s providing assistance this time? There are only a few in the Quadrilateral.”
“雄英组想进入我们的枢纽镇？靠，这些鳖三，我就知道他们没憋好事！这次是谁在提供帮助，四边形就那么几个。”
“It seems to be the Divine Maiden Alliance.”
“似乎是神女盟。”
“That team that applied for Zhao Anlong’s A-level frequency crystal! For fuck’s sake, those bastards. I swear, this time I’m truly furious.”
“那个申请走赵安龙A级频晶的队伍！草他大爷的，这些畜生。老子这次是真气到了。”
Very few from his own faction had even entered the Hub Town. If members of the monster faction truly got into the Hub Town through their city’s gate, then the faction headquarters would lose face big time.
自己阵营进去枢纽镇的都没几个。要是真被怪物阵营的人从自己城市的门进入枢纽镇，那代表阵营的总部丢人就丢大发了。
A ray of light refracted from Yan Yi, and he got in touch with the headquarters members staking out the monster rats’ intersection zone.
燕逸一道光线折射出去，与蹲守怪物老鼠交错地的总部几人取得了联系。
No sooner had there been a few words than the usually calm and composed person across from him changed expression.
没两句，对面从来云淡风轻的某人脸色一变。
……
……
The tall building was ahead, and Yang Zicang stopped in his tracks, hiding behind a pillar of another building. The model on his chest flashed again and slipped out.
高楼就在前方，杨子藏顿住脚步藏在另一栋楼的柱子后，胸前模型再次闪动出去。
[I will consume 0.1R per ten seconds to initiate a Mental Link.]
[我将消耗0.1R每十秒进行心灵链接。]
This Mental Link was not free this time.
这一次的心灵链接不是免费的。
Soon, the man on the other side, who was in his pajamas and using a wrench to assemble a bed, answered.
很快对面穿着睡衣正在拿扳手组装床的男人就接通了。
{Ah, buddy! Are my eyes playing tricks on me?}
{啊，伙计！我没看错吧。}
[If I acquire a lot of order in a short time, how can I allocate them to avoid them vanishing?]
[如果我短时间内获得了许多时序，该如何分配走它们避免消失的发生？]
{Easy, invest for me; my model was made for that.}
{简单啊，为我投资，我的模型就是干这个的。}
After he said that, a sudden thought from the model echoed in Yang Zicang’s mind.
对方说完这话后，杨子藏心中忽然多了道模型的心念声。
[Mori has activated automatic investment service for me; I can invest any order for him at any time.]
[莫里为我开通了自动投资服务，我可以随时为其进行任何时序的投资。]
{We’re waiting for you here; Boppoli wants to treat you to a big meal, he’s been chattering about it for hours.}
{我们在这边等你啊，波波利想请你吃大餐，他已经念叨你好几个小时了。}
Yang Zicang raised his head, looked at the building ahead and the few lights on the upper floors, and let out a cold laugh.
杨子藏抬起头看向前方的那栋大楼，以及上层的几道灯光，冷笑了下。
[If things go smoothly, it won’t be long before I meet you guys.]
[如果顺利，应该要不了多久就会跟你们见面了。]
{Really?}
{真的？}
A ring of light appeared on the young man’s chest, quadrangle patterns flashed, and his silhouette accelerated, rushing through the building, ascending several floors in an instant.
青年胸前圆环浮现，四边形闪动，身影加速冲入楼中，转瞬便上了好几层楼。
……
……
A floor above in the darkness.
黑暗的楼上。
Two guards were sitting across from each other by the window, playing cards by moonlight, when suddenly a figure silently stood beside them without anyone noticing.
两个看守正对坐在窗边，借着月光玩牌，忽然一道人影不知何时站在了两人身边。
“Who’s there!”
“谁！”
Their expressions panicked. One of them was about to activate his model, but suddenly his mental state was violently churned. This man in the blue vest felt as if he were suffocating, his mind and body tense, sitting on the ground yet feeling like he was falling down the building in a dizzy spell.
他们神色一慌。其中一人正要发动模型，精神轰地被搅动。这个蓝背心的男人感觉自己仿佛窒息般身心紧绷，仅仅只是坐在地上却像是要眩晕掉下楼去。
“H-How, how is there sea, seawater…”
“怎，怎么会有海，海水…”
A white phantom appeared, lunging at him to tear him apart.
白色幻影出现，向自己撕咬而来。
[I have gained 1226.7 N.]
[我收获了1226.7N]
Yang Zicang looked at the other person: “Is Xiao Xun upstairs?”
杨子藏看向另一人：“肖寻是在这上面吗。”
“Yes, on the twenty-first floor.”
“是，在二十一楼。”
Whoosh! The White Shadow Thought-Dragon rushed upstairs like lightning.
唰！白影念龙如闪电般冲入楼上。
Xiao Xun suddenly heard news of his investment failure.
肖寻忽然听到了自己投资失利的消息。
His eyes jolted wide, he pushed the woman off him onto the ground and stood up: “Trouble!”
他眼眸猛然一震，将身上女人一掌掀到地上站起身来：“不好！”
[Silent Night.]
[沉吟之夜。]
Hum~
嗡~
Everyone in the room suddenly felt a suffocating sense of disillusionment, as if everything became unreal.
房间内所有人霎时感觉周围出现窒息般的幻灭感，一切都变得不真实起来。