第八十五章 庆幸
At noon, the encampment chief hosted a grand feast for the guests; everyone celebrated wholeheartedly, and rare sounds of jubilant festivity rang out across the barren land.
中午，棚主大宴宾客，众人尽欢，荒芜大地上难得传出了热闹的欢庆声。
During the meal, Zhao Qi of the cargo fleet put his hand on the shoulder of encampment chief Ning Yang.
饭间，货队赵启的手搭着棚主宁洋的肩膀。
“Want to make the camp stronger faster, Chief Ning?”
“想要棚区更快变强吗，宁棚主。”
“With a clean water source, becoming an intermediate encampment is just within reach, brother. I’m a pragmatist—I figure adding flowers to brocade isn’t as good as delivering coal in the snow. I’ve got an opportunity here for plenty of timing or even blueprints—game to join in?”
“有了干净水源，成为中级棚区指日可待，兄弟，咱是个势利眼，想着锦上添花不如雪中送炭，我这儿有个获得大量时序甚至蓝图的机会，来一起干？”
A sharp gleam flashed in Ning Yang’s eyes.
宁洋目中精光一闪。
Then, sounding a bit skeptical, he said:
随后他又有些不信的道：
“You’d actually share news like that with me?”
“你会把这样的消息告诉我？”
“Hey—you think I’m bluffing? That newly formed scene land, Mutiny Scar, is too far from our camp, but it’s only a day’s journey from yours. I was planning to keep it secret, go back, find some people quietly, and carve it up. But now, consider this a share I’m throwing in for you. What do you say?”
“欸~你当我诓你？那刚产生的幕景地离咱棚区太远，但离你们则只有一日路程。我本来是打算保密，回去找人悄悄去给分掉，但现在则算是我给你入的一个股份，如何？”
A day’s journey wasn’t too far.
一天的路程，也不算远。
Ning Yang mulled it over in his mind.
宁洋心中盘算了下。
After the meal, the cargo fleet departed for the next small settlement. Zhao Qi agreed to return in two days and head over with them, so Ning Yang arranged the manpower.
饭后，货队就离开前往下个小聚集地，赵启商议两天后会回来时跟他们一起过去，让宁洋安排好人手。
……
……
At night, after everyone had rested, Ning Yang, turning things over in his mind, called Captain Jia over and said,
夜间，众人歇息好后，宁洋思来想去，叫来贾队长道：
“Keep a close watch on Room of A, and those fellows around him.”
“帮我盯紧甲子间，还有他身边那几个家伙。”
“What, is there something wrong with this man?”
“怎么，这人有问题？
Ning Yang paced back and forth, then after a moment sat down on a chair and said, gripping the armrests,
宁洋来回踱步，片刻后坐在椅子上道，扶着把手道：
“Master Zuo had just built the Despair Engine, and this guy showed up, even hitting it off with him within a single day. Heh, quite a clever move, isn’t it. It just struck me—he also got through to us as soon as he arrived, becoming part of this place, didn’t he?”
“左师傅刚做出失念引擎，他就出现了，而且还在一天内就跟左师打成了一片。呵，真是好手段啊。我突然想到，他也是一来就打通了我们，成为这里的一份子，不是吗。”
On the armchair pressed against the stone wall, Captain Jia shot to his feet, his eyes wide.
紧挨着石墙的靠椅上，贾队腾地下站起来，瞪圆了眼睛。
“That’s exactly it—I was so eager to welcome him in back then!”
还真是那么回事，自己当时迫不及待就把他迎了进来！
“I’m going to go take him out right now.”
“老子这就去把他做了。”
Ning Yang raised his hand to stop Captain Jia’s impulse. He tapped the armrest on the chair and slowly spoke:
宁洋抬了抬手，制止了贾队的冲动。他拍了下椅背的扶手，缓缓开口说道：
“Master Zuo said today that the engine wasn’t built by him. I think the idea of leaving has already crossed his mind. If he hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have realized this point.”
“左师傅今天说，引擎不是他造出来的。我看他已经萌动了离开的念头。他要不这么说，我还意识不到这点。”
“I see!” Captain Jia suddenly understood why Ning Yang had grown suspicious of that Room of A.
原来如此！贾队顿时明白为什么宁洋突然怀疑那个甲子间了。
He remarked with relief,
他庆幸的道：
“Huh? As expected, you’re the sharpest among us, Brother Ning. That Yang Zicang is definitely shady—who would bring a suitcase into a merging zone? He’s probably an infiltrator sent from another shed zone!”
“啊？不愧是宁哥儿，咱们几个就属你最聪明。那杨子藏我看就是有鬼，谁会进入交错地还带着行李箱，他八成是别的棚区派来的卧底！”
Ning Yang squinted his eyes with a sense of relief and said:
宁洋眼睛眯了眯，也颇为庆幸的道：
“It’s very possible, dammit. Those guys around him must be snooping for info in our place—otherwise, the timing wouldn’t be this precise.”
“真有可能，妈的，肯定是他身边那几个在我们这儿打探消息，不然时间不会这么准。”
The realization that every move of his shed zone’s talents was being monitored by outsiders sent chills down Ning Yang’s spine.
竟然被别人掌握了自己棚区内人才的一举一动，宁洋觉得后脊发麻。
He said with lingering fear:
他后怕的道：
“It’s just that he was too goal-oriented, heading straight for Master Zuo. If Master Zuo had delayed making the engine for two more days, this shed zone’s development opportunity might have been delayed for who knows how many years…”
“也就是他太有目的性，直奔左师傅而去。左师傅要是再晚两天做出引擎，咱们棚区发展的机会不知要再等多少年…”
Jia suddenly jolted awake.
贾队一个激灵。
Lately, Master Zuo had been scorned by everyone; if he had left with someone, Jia might have thought it was a good thing—finally getting rid of a freeloader occupying a good house.
最近左师傅早就不受人待见，要是他哪天跟人走了，自己可能还会觉得终于少了个占着好房子混饭吃的。
The thought that if not for Master Zuo’s eagerness to show off, the imaginary scenario might have played out tomorrow, or even tonight—
一想到若不是左师傅迫不及待献宝，自己想像的画面可能在明天，甚至今晚就发生。
Sent a surge of hot anger rushing from his chest to his head.
贾队觉得一股火气从心中窜出充斥大脑。
“How infuriating, absolutely infuriating! I’ll go take care of him.”
“可恶，太可恶了！我去把他给弄了。”
“Hold on.”
“等下。”
The furious man stopped mid-step and turned his head to look at the shed zone chief who had called him.
愤怒的男人停下脚步转头看向叫住他的棚主。
Ning Yang, fixing his gaze on Jia’s narrow, dry eyes, said:
宁洋盯着贾队干燥狭长的双目道：
“You’re no match for him. Only by mobilizing the entire shed zone’s members to attack simultaneously can we subdue him.”
“你不是他的对手，我们只有发动整个棚区的人同时攻击，才能惩戒得了他。”
“How could that be?”
“咋可能？”
Ning Yang said grimly: “His model is quadrilateral.”
宁洋深深的道：“他的模型，是四边形。”
Ning Yang would never forget the first time he witnessed a Quadrilateral unfold back in the city, how that man had displayed its overwhelmingly formidable power—ridiculous lines giving birth to an absurd yet horrifying Model’s might.
宁洋永远忘不了还在城市中时，第一次见到四边形展开后，那人展现出的强横无匹的威力——可笑的线条，诞生荒诞却又令人绝望的模型威力。
From that moment on, Ning Yang understood one thing: only by rallying more people could he better survive in this world.
从那以后宁洋就明白了件事情，只有笼络更多人，才能更好的在这个世界生存。
Captain Jia shuddered, feeling his mind clear up considerably.
贾队长浑身一震，他觉得脑袋清醒了不少。
……
……
In the small wooden shed piled with various tin cans, Zhang Yuanxin, lying on his bed, thought back to the scene after lunch in the restroom.
堆着各种铁罐的小木房子里，躺在床上的张远信想着午饭后上厕所时的场景。
A stranger had asked if he was making boilers, saying that several mid-sized encampments were already producing them, and Hub Town wouldn’t need that many boilers.
一个陌生人问自己是不是在做锅炉，他说已经有几个中型棚区在生产那个，枢纽镇用不了那么多锅炉。
However, he could supply to Hub Town; if he was doing well and willing to switch encampments, he could help make the connection.
不过他能往枢纽镇供货，如果自己做得不错，愿意换个棚区的话，可以帮自己联络。
Moreover, he had even proactively given him ten years of Chronos as a greeting gift.
而且他还主动给自己送了十年时序作为见面礼。
“Driving a wedge between us.” Zhang Yuanxin turned over, the wooden bed groaning.
“挑拨离间。”张远信翻了下身子，木床嘎吱作响。
He hoped Ning Yang could repair his stone house before autumn, he thought.
希望宁洋秋天前能给自己修好石头房子，他想到。
He had originally quite liked Zuo Fen’s house, but that guy had soared to new heights today; it seemed he could only dutifully wait for the new house.
原本自己很喜欢左粪的屋子，奈何那家伙今日一飞冲天，看来只能老老实实等新屋子了。
He drifted off to sleep, vaguely sensing someone enter his room to look at the boiler, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open his eyes.
他迷迷糊糊睡了过去，隐约中他似乎感觉有人进来自己的屋子翻看锅炉，可自己无论怎么都睁不开眼。
……
……
On the bed, Ning Yang had just closed his eyes when a somewhat stout figure suddenly came to mind.
床上，宁洋刚闭上眼，他脑海中忽地回想起个有点虚胖的人。
Two days ago, that person reported to him about encountering a martial arts robber on the road. The slightly chubby man who had disappeared for a day or two mentioned Jiazi House.
前天那人跟自己汇报过，路上遇到个会武功的抢劫犯。那个已经消失一两天的虚胖男口中说的就是甲子间。
Ning Yang opened his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
宁洋睁眼揉了揉鼻梁。
“What a headache.”
“还真是头疼。”
The model on his chest flickered and connected with Captain Jia. On the other end, Captain Jia said fiercely, {I’ve contacted people, looking for an opportunity to strike together and kill him in one blow.}
他胸前模型闪动出去，与贾队长取得了联系。对面的贾队恶狠狠道:{我已经联系好了人，寻找机会一起，将他一击毙命。}
But this voice sounded a bit lacking in momentum.
但这声音，听上去有点气势不足。
[Take it slow for a moment, keep an eye on him first.]
[行动稍微缓缓，先盯紧他。]
Hearing this, Captain Jia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
闻言贾队暗自松了口气。
{I think we’d just better kick him out.}
{我看，直接把他赶出去就好了。}
[Tomorrow then.]
[明天吧。]
……
……
Still night, the sky was as dark as the darkest but not yet pitch black.
静夜，天色如同夜幕最暗，却又未完全漆黑之时。
Yang Zicang got up and left the wooden cabin, jumping out of the shed area directly through the gap between the houses. A person wandering in the distance saw this and immediately muttered silently:
杨子藏起身离开了木屋，自房屋与房屋间的缺口直接跳出了棚区。远处晃荡的人瞧见这一幕立即默道：
{Jiazi House has gone out, definitely suspicious. There he is, sneaking around.}
{甲子间出去了，果然有问题，看他就鬼鬼祟祟的。}
{Keep the others under watch, and let him go. Don’t follow him to avoid exposure.}
{把其它几个人看牢，他出去就让他走，不要跟踪免得被发现。}
On the horizon.
地平线上。
“Hmm hmm hmm, oh oh oh, misty rain in green… oh oh, a beauty is waiting for me… Hey, boss.”
“哼哼哼，嗯嗯嗯，青色的烟雨…嗯嗯，美女在等我…喂，老板。”
Passing by a stream, someone called out to Yang Zicang, “Where are you off to? Collecting any models?”
路过条溪水边，一人喊住杨子藏：“去哪儿啊，收水不收。”
“What boss? Me?”
“什么老板，我？”
Yang Zicang pointed at his own nose.
杨子藏指了指自己的鼻子。
“Didn’t you come two days ago to collect models.”
“你前两天不是收模型嘛。”
Yang Zicang shook his head, stepped into the night, and quickly disappeared into the horizon.
杨子藏摇摇头，走入夜色中后飞快消失在地平线上。
The man watching him leave yawned, got up, and carried the bucket toward the wilderness opposite the settlement. Before long, he arrived at a depression where several people wrapped in burlap blankets were gathered, with two wooden crates at the bottom of the pit.
注视着他离去的那人打了个哈欠，起身将桶提着往与聚集区相反的旷野走去。没多久，这人来到处凹陷地，这儿聚集着几个披着麻布毯子的人，坑底放着两口木箱。
“Got anything?”
“问到了吗。”
“No, I asked all the mid-to-large settlements I know. No one by the name of Jiazi or Jiani anywhere. Big Li, why are we bothering about him? That guy’s just a passerby.”
“没有，认识的中大型聚集地都问过了，没有甲子间这号人物。大李哥，我们考虑他干嘛，那家伙只是个路人。”
“Heh heh, you don’t get it. When two masters meet, fate brings them into collision!”
“哼哼，你不懂，高手和高手间，是会发生命运的碰撞的！”
“Cut the chuunibyou stuff, how old are you now?”
“别中二了，多大了你都。”
Big Li chuckled: “Let’s get ready to move out. Shi Qian Jr. should have already made his move.”
大李呵呵一笑：“咱们准备离开吧，小时迁应该已经得手了。”
A figure appeared on the horizon, walking while tossing a small, glittering object in his hand.
地平线上一道人影走来，他边走边抛着手上的一个亮晶晶的小东西。
As he drew closer and they saw the slowly emerging image of a well within that object in his hand, envy flickered in the others’ eyes.
走得近了，看清他手上那东西内缓缓浮现的水井画面后，几人目中闪过羡慕神色。
“As expected of Shi Qian! Too cool, you snatched it just like that!”
“不愧是时迁，太厉害了，这就搞到手了！”
The young man curled the corners of his mouth: “Let’s go. If we’re too late, the ‘human evidence’ will be exposed.”
年轻人嘴角翘了翘：“咱们走吧，太晚‘人证’就暴露了。”
“Thought you’d carry someone back again, though.”
“我还以为你又会把人给扛回来。”
“Shi Qian” turned his head to glance at the faintly visible settlement in the distance, ran a hand through his hair with the yellowish tips, and gave a scoff: “It’s a technique, not a model… And the maker is someone else. Let’s go.”
“时迁”转头看了眼远方若影若现的聚集区，拿手理了理发尖带黄的长发，呵了声：“手艺又不是模型…而且制作者另有其人，走吧。”
“Let’s go~”
“走咯~”
“If we don’t go back soon, the illusion Brother Qian Jr. made is gonna crumble, hehe.”
“再不回去，迁儿哥造的幻影就要碎了，嘿嘿。”
“Just call me Xiao Li,” the young man said gently as he tossed the memory-loss engine.
“叫我小李就行了。”年轻人温和的抛着失念引擎道。
……
……
After arriving at an uninhabited area, Yang Zicang summoned a train, boarded it, and the train transformed into a slightly visible phantom, galloping across the wilderness. It stirred wave after wave of surging winds before vanishing on the plains.
杨子藏行至无人之地后，召来列车坐了上去，列车化为略微显形的幻影驰骋在原野上，带起一股又一股荡漾的急风，消失在原野。