第一百四十八章 山与光
Yang Zicang looked at Li Zhinan, who had taken two more steps back.
杨子藏看向又往后退了两步的李智南。
“However what?”
“不过什么？”
“As long as you let him get out of here alive, I can share with you a copy of the Plant-Growth Secret Technique I obtained. If it weren’t for that secret technique, do you think I care whether he lives or dies?”
“只要你让他活着出去，我可以把得到的催生植物秘技分给你一份。要不是那秘技，你以为我在意他的死活吗？”
Seeing Yang Zicang’s contemplative expression, Luo Bin suddenly opened his eyes, laughed coldly, and jumped up, shouting outside the car:
见杨子藏露出思索神色，洛宾猛地睁眼冷笑着蹦起，冲着车外道：
“This guy knows no humanity, don’t let him go. Entangled in that control secret technique, he must have a price to pay. You should suppress his strength.”
“这家伙毫无人性，不能让他走，控制别人身体肯定有代价，要消弱他的力量。”
“But…”
“可…”
Thump! Luo Bin crushed an Ability Sphere in his hand, and Yang Zicang had casually reserved that low-level Chrono Weapon, which shot out with a red glow, instantly exploding Li Zhinan’s head.
噗！洛宾手上捏爆个能力球，杨子藏给自己备用的那把低级时序战器已经带着红芒激射而出，李智南的头颅瞬间爆炸。
Ding-dong!
叮咚！
A red surgical scalpel fell onto the ancient, darken stone. It quivered slightly, seeming to gaze fearfully at the train from the ground.
一柄红色手术刀落在古老的暗沉石板上。它轻微颤动了下，在地上似散发着恐惧的看向列车。
“Sigh.”
“唉。”
Yang Zicang felt a jolt in his heart, then let out a sigh.
杨子藏心中一震，随后叹息了声。
The energy influence brought by the Phantom suddenly vanished.
幻影带来的能量影响骤然消失。
“The power has weakened. The soul inside that treasure is Xue Lao’er, right,” Luo Bin said, his small eyes darting left and right, “It seems Shi Qian has already struck a deal with Xue Lao’er’s soul inside. You can spit out the thing you’ve been holding in your mouth.”
“力量减弱了，那宝物里的灵魂就是薛老二对吧，”洛宾的小眼睛左右看着，“看来时迁跟里面的薛老二的灵魂已经谈妥，你可以把嘴中含着的玩意儿吐了。”
“Pah!” Yang Zicang spat out the incense pill and scanned his surroundings, “Wu Ying, come out!”
“呸！”杨子藏吐出香丸扫视了周围一圈，“无影，出来！”
It was silent, with no response.
静悄悄的，没有回应。
Luo Bin also stood at the train door, shouting relentlessly, “Shi Qian, that thing isn’t much use to you. Better give it to us, and I’ll call you brother and pledge alliance.”.
洛宾也在车门口不死心的吼道：“时迁，那东西跟你没什么大用，不如给我们，我可以跟你做个结拜兄弟。”
The next second, a zigzagging line shot toward Yang Zicang.
下一秒一道折线射向杨子藏。
[Wu Ying wants to make an active investment in me.]
[无影想为我进行主动投资。]
[Wu Ying has invested 1N in me.]
[无影为我投资了1N。]
{Is that Chrono Weapon really from eighty years ago?}
{那柄时序战器真的是八十年的？}
“Exactly right.”
“没错。”
{Twenty thousand chronos, plus that weapon, I’ll give you this. You understand this is a bargain price.}
{二十万时序，外加那把武器，我给你这东西。你不会不明白这是个友情价。}
Yang Zicang narrowed his eyes slightly.
杨子藏眯了眯眼。
Held lingered, the treasure was worth hundreds of thousands of Chrono in his mind, yet something in him instinctively resisted this transaction. Spending two decades in one go would push the prospect of buying time in Hub Town shops far into the future, but missing this treasure would make acquiring it again next to impossible.
他在犹豫，按理来说那宝物的价值几十万时序都不算贵，但这个交易还是让他本能有点抗拒。一下花掉二十年，想要购置枢纽镇商户的时间不知得多久以后，但如果错过这宝物，想要再获得就难了。
“He (Wu Ying) said for a price of two hundred thousand Chrono, plus that eighty-year Chrono Weapon, he’d sell us the Illusion Treasure.”
“无影他说二十万时序外加那把八十年的时序战器，就卖给我们幻象宝物。”
“The hell with it.”
“他娘的。”
Lo Bin cursed, having missed the deal by just a second—his body still stuck in time. He leaped off the vehicle, driving his drill spike onto the Cy-powered scalpel dagger, turning it into scrap.
洛宾大骂，自己只差一两秒而已，他跳下车去，一锥子顶在恶魇手术刀上，将它变成了废铁。
Suddenly, the entire mountain began to shudder. A change swept across Held’s face.
突然，整座山发出颤抖，杨子藏脸色一变。
“It’s the vines! Let’s get out of here!”
“是那藤蔓，我们走！”
Ye Lie lunged forward quickly as the train dissipated into wind and faded away.
洛宾快速冲上前，列车迅速化为风消散。
KABOOM! The very moment they departed, the ground beneath them cracked open, an eruption of countless vines piercing through the floor, limbs writhing wildly beyond control.
轰！在他们刚刚离开，地面突然崩裂，无数藤蔓顶破了地板长出，树藤疯狂舞动。
“Send the word about that thing being here. Every civilian who sets foot in the mountain must stay completely prohibited!”
“把那东西存在的消息通知出去，山里暂时不能再让普通人进入了。”
The peak swiftly grew into a stunning emerald green waterfall like scenery. It gave a quick glance to both directions, zeroing their gaze precisely at where branches used to swing.
这处山巅迅速长出翠绿瀑布，它左右扫视了眼，盯向了某个树枝摇曳的方向。
A piercing glimmer shot through the noise like a folded line catching time. Deep inside the pair’s consciousness, Ju Yin’s indomitable voice roared imposing and massive, crystal clear.
一道折线射来，逐银的声音在心间咆哮般响起：
{Violent entities of that grade lash suddenly appear—do you two by any chance find a damn clue how to fight something like it?!}
{这种级别的怪物出现，你们有办法吗？}
“Not a cause for concern.”
“不用担心。”
“Don’t worry? Zizang, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but if it breaks out and rapidly expands, much of the Lost Frequency Land could become a death trap for humanity. The consequences would be disastrous! If you can’t handle this, I might have to request mobilizing the security team from the Hub Town.”
{不用担心？子藏，不是我不相信你，是它如果跑出去后快速扩大自己，恐怕以后半个失频之地都会成为人类的绝地，后果不堪设想！如果你们处置不了，我恐怕要申请调动枢纽镇的安保队。}
The train hurtled desperately, yet the young man on top wore a confident expression.
列车拼命狂奔，但上方的青年却露出自信面容。
“I already have a plan—trust me!”
“我已有应对之策，相信我吧！”
Boom! The forest shook as the vine monster surged forward like a tidal wave, but soon, scattered torches appeared in the woods ahead of the vines.
轰！树林震动，藤蔓怪物如同潮水般卷动了过去，但很快这藤蔓前方的森林中就出现了零星火把。
Several threads flashed by.
数道丝线闪过。
“Captain Zijian, the gasoline is ready. Should we keep burning?”
{子间队长，汽油已经准备好了，继续烧吗？}
“Set everything on fire!”
{全部点燃！}
Boom! Boom! Boom!
轰轰轰！
Deep within the mountains, bonfire after bonfire burst into life, flames spreading rapidly through the forest.
大山深处，快速燃烧起一道又一道巨大的篝火，火焰在林中快速扩散。
……
……
“Ah-woo, hmm…”
“阿唔，嗯…”
Zuo Feixian had just woken up to take over the night watch from Wang Chong when he suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.
左非闲刚睡醒，接替王翀继续守夜的时候，忽地听到了远处似有喧嚣。
He stretched lazily, scratching his backside as he stepped outside, and happened to catch the distant noise. Straining his eyes, he saw what seemed like specks of flickering starlight among the mountains in the night haze.
他伸了个懒腰扣着屁股走出门，忽地听到了远处似有喧嚣，定眼一看，夜色中似有点点星光在山中若影若现。
“That many people in the mountains?”
“山里有那么多人？”
Frowning, he went closer for a better look, but it was too far to make out clearly.
他皱了皱眉，往前走去想要细看，却因太远看不清。
“What collection teams are this desperate?”
“哪些采集队这么拼命。”
At that moment, the train swept through the mountains like a whirlwind.
此刻，列车化为旋风穿梭在山林中。
[Storm Fist!]
[暴风拳！]
[Blaze Sword Path!]
[烈焰剑道！]
A blast of wind carrying sparks exploded with a roar, igniting the plants and trees in the mountain forest.
携带着火光的劲风轰然炸开，点燃山林草木。
Just as it came to a halt, a vine shot forward like an arrow.
刚刚停下，一道藤蔓疾射而来。
The black hole spun and thrust out a long spear, thud-thud-thud! The spear clashed rapidly with the vine mid-air.
黑洞旋转着刺出长枪，嘭嘭嘭！枪在空中与藤蔓快速冲刺碰撞。
Luo Bin looked at the flickering golden light in the distance and shouted, “Beware of the explosion!”
洛宾看着远处闪动的金光，“小心爆炸！”
“We’re leaving right now.”
“马上就走。”
Yang Zicang’s wooden staff burst into sparks with a bang as he tossed it into the dense forest. The oil-covered thicket instantly erupted into spreading flames, crackling and hissing.
杨子藏手上木棍轰地绽放出火花，随后将其丢入茂林中，早已喷洒过油汁的密林瞬间轰地扩散出火焰，噼里啪啦燃烧起来。
The railway car and the black hole once again dissolved into the wind and vanished, just before the vine monster rushed through the flames.
在藤蔓魔物冲过火焰扑来前，列车与黑洞都再次化为风消失。
As sparks ignited all around, soon the entire mountain was ablaze with red-hot fires.
随着各处火花的点燃，不久整座山附近都燃起了熊熊火光。
Innumerable beasts fled in panic, charging in every direction.
无数野兽疯狂往其它地方奔腾。
{Thinking fire can trap and kill me?}
{想靠火来围杀我？}
A flash of sword-light struck the ground, leaving a crater, and at the same time, a tuber crossed the flames and plopped into the hole. Vines killed and tossed small captured wild beasts into the pit, where the tuber started growing at a breakneck pace.
一道剑光砸在地上，打出凹坑，同时茎块跨过火焰落入坑中，又有藤蔓将捕获的小型野兽击杀丢入坑中，它快速生长了起来。
“Damn, it wants to spread everywhere,” a voice muttered.
“靠，这是打算遍地开花啊。”
The railway car appeared on another hilltop, looking down from a high position at the valley below. Luo Bin was shocked by the growth rate of those vines, feeling that this thing could truly cover the entire mountain forest in less than a day.
列车在另一个山头出现，居高临下望向之前的凹谷。洛宾看着那藤蔓生长的速度觉得骇然，这玩意儿真可能不到一天就覆盖整座山林。
A distant roar came echoing:
远处传来阵阵怒吼：
{Once I become the master of this mountain forest, I will turn every single one of you humans into my fertilizer.}
{等我成为这山林之主，定要让你们这些人类全部成为我的肥料。}
Seeing its fury, Yang Zicang felt that the fire should be effective against it.
见它这愤怒模样，杨子藏倒是觉得这火应该对其有克制效果。
“Even if I can’t kill it with fire, I must cut off its source of nutrients.”
“哪怕不能靠火击杀它，也要灭掉它的养分来源。”
Suddenly, the surrounding forest twisted.
忽地，周围山林一阵扭曲。
A phantom of a human figure appeared in the sky. With a wave of its hands, surging energy spread over the forest.
只见天上浮现出道人形幻影，它双手一荡，汹涌能量就向着山林覆盖而去。
The voice of Wuying came:
无影的声音传来：
{You set the fires; I’ll trap it.}
{你们去点火，我来困住它。}
Yang Zicang gazed deeply at the much wilder youth standing high in the air like a god or demon.
杨子藏深深注视了那道变得狂放许多的青年身影，他虚立高空如同神魔。
“Thanks.”
“多谢。”
With reduced interference, Yang Zicang and Luo Bin increased their arson efficiency.
有人减少干扰，杨子藏和洛宾两人纵火效率更高。
Several small glowing orbs appeared above their heads.
几道小光团浮现在头顶。
{This is so fun.}
{好好玩呀。}
Lili Ya appeared beside Yang Zicang’s shoulder. Yang Zicang smiled:
粒粒牙出现在杨子藏肩膀旁，杨子藏笑了笑：
“You came late, even though you knew it’s fun.”
“知道好玩，都现在才来吗。”
{I was sleeping. I want to play too.}
{在睡觉觉嘛，我也想玩。}
The little being inside the glowing orb stretched out a small hand to Yang Zicang, begging for the burning stick he held.
小光团内的精灵伸出小手，向杨子藏讨要手上刚燃烧起来的的木条。
Yang Zicang, continuously using the Blades Sword Art, had his internal energy surging wildly, causing him great discomfort. He activated the Glass perception to calm his erratic internal force as he looked at the little one helplessly:
不断使用烈焰剑道的杨子藏气息乱窜，已经非常难受。他运转琉璃感知平复着体内窜动的劲气，看着小东西无奈道：
“Can you even lift it?”
“你拿得动吗？”
{Don’t underestimate me!}
{不要小看我喔。}
Yang Zicang handed the stick over to it.
杨子藏将木块递给它。
Whoosh! Whoosh!
咻咻！
Several orbs flew down together and grabbed up the stick.
几道光团一起飞了下来，拽住了木棍。
They were not afraid of the flames at all; some carried it while others lifted it, dragging the burning stick crookedly towards the main vine trunk that was constantly battling phantoms.
它们根本不怕火焰，有些抬着、有些吊着将这燃烧的木棍歪歪斜斜带向远方不断与幻影征战的藤蔓主干。
“Ah, they…” Luo Bin rubbed his eyes.
“啊，它们。”洛宾揉了揉眼。
Just then, the little sprites actually threw the burning stick into a patch of vines.
只见小精灵们真的将燃烧的木棍被抛入一处藤蔓中。
With a loud bang, the area quickly caught fire, and the little arsonists whooshed away, floating high up in the sky.
轰的声，那里迅速燃烧起来，小纵火犯们呼啦飞动向高空悬浮。
Yang Zicang chuckled softly, then looked at Luo Bin and said, “The siege plan has been executed well; next up is the cleanup.”
杨子藏轻笑了声，随后看向洛宾道：“围困计划执行得很好，接下来就是清理了。”
Luo Bin nodded with vigor, saying, “Hehe, although it possesses terror-inducing strength stronger than Yue Ying’s shadow, since it has entered our world, it must abide by the chronological rules here.”
洛宾振奋地点点头：“嘿嘿，虽然拥有比月影还强的恐怖实力，但它既然已经进入我们的世界，那就要遵守这里的时序规则。”
“And as long as there is a chronology, there will be a moment when it is neutralized.”
“而只要有时序，就有抵消完毕的那一刻。”
The dash-like lines on Yang Zicang’s chest spread outward.
杨子藏胸前折线扩散出去。
“Captain Yuan Kun, are you ready?”
“袁昆队长，你准备好了吗？”
Yuan Kun in the sensory image appeared both excited and nervous, as if eager to grab this opportunity to prove himself.
感应画面中的袁昆显得又是兴奋，又是紧张，像是要迫不急待抓住这个表现的机会。
{Boss Jia had me prepared right from the start, and I’ve been putting everything into it. I now have eight rifles with a range of three hundred meters, five pistols approaching a range of one hundred meters, and a cannon. Of course, that thing takes a long time to fire.}
{从甲老板吩咐的那一刻开始，我就已经全力着手准备了。现在我有八杆射程三百米的长枪，五把接近百米距离的手枪，以及一门火炮。当然，那玩意儿开一炮都要很久。}
At such a great distance, the Amplified Chrono was not something that could be activated. Thinking of the vast amount of chronology about to be consumed, Yang Zicang reluctantly said:
如此远的距离，可不是增幅时序能做到启用的。想到即将耗费的大把时序，杨子藏略显肉疼的道：
“That’s already more than enough. Let’s begin, and try our best to suppress the timing-sequence of that demon; otherwise, once it escapes the flame zone, it may rapidly replenish its sequence.”
“已经很可以了。我们开始吧，全力将那魔物的时序压下去，否者等它跑出火焰区域可能快速恢复时序。”
One night passed.
一夜过去。
The next day, Yuanlong, who had risen early, yawned as he looked toward the tent entrance. A few of his subordinates were signaling each other with raised eyebrows, urging one another to step forward.
次日，早起的元龙打着哈欠看着帐篷前。他的几名手下正互相用眉毛示意对方上前。
“What’s going on?” Yuanlong asked, a bit puzzled.
“怎么了？”元龙有点疑惑的问道。
Someone parted the tent flap, and Yuanlong stood frozen in place, staring into the distance.
有人掀开了帘子，元龙愣在原地的看向远方。
In front of him, several mountains were ablaze, flames leaping toward the sky. Two peaks had already been completely scorched bare, countless plumes of black smoke climbing into the heavens, merging with the overcast gloom.
只见前方几座山上，火光冲天，甚至已有两座山早被烧得光秃秃的，无数条黑烟冒向天际，烟尘与阴云融为一体。
“Ah… my timber yard…”
“啊…我的木场…”
Meanwhile, several miles away,
与此同时，远远的几里地外。
Lu Xiang, parched and disheveled as if he were a beggar, leaned on his wooden staff and stared at the burning forests ahead. Panting heavily, he rasped:
口干舌燥，仿佛乞丐的陆翔拄着木杖看着前方燃烧的山林，喘着粗气道：
“I’ve, I’ve finally… arrived…”
“我，终于，到了…”
……
……
Zorro, after delivering three terrain engines to a group of solitary shanty-dwellers who had fled deep into the uninhabited wilderness out of fear of being robbed on the road near the hub town, left amid their thanks and watchful gazes.
佐罗在为一处因害怕被打劫而远离枢纽镇，跑往了无人烟身处的棚区众人送上三块地貌引擎后，在十来人的感谢与注视中离开。
Beneath the dark clouds, a motorcycle chugged and bumped across the open plains, then suddenly skidded in a half-arc and came to a halt. The man stretched out his leg, propped up the bike by it, and craned his neck to look up at the sky.
阴云下，摩托车“突突”奔跑在原野上，忽地它划出半弧停下，男人伸腿撑着车仰头看向天际。
A golden beam of slanting sunlight broke briefly through the scattered clouds, revealing a patch of azure sky.
一道金色斜阳从散开的阴云中落下，露出片碧蓝苍宇。
The little red horse curiously felt the heat scattered across its body.
小红马好奇的感受着这散落在身上的热量。
{Huh, a strange feeling… Is this sunlight? I feel like I’ve seen it before, many years ago.}
{咦，奇怪的感觉…这就是阳光吗？我好像见过，很多年前。}
On the horizon ahead, a few blurry figures moved forward in the lingering shadows, soon reaching the edge of this patch of sunlight.
前方的地平线上，几道朦胧身影在蚀影中向前，没多久出现在这片阳光的边缘。
“Hello, Mr. Russell. We are Executives of the Starlight Illusion division, from the Lost Illusion Company.”
“您好，罗素先生，我们是遗失幻境公司，星光幻境的干事。”
Zorro was slightly startled as he looked at these people in clean and stylish office uniforms. A man with a composed demeanor stepped forward and said:
佐罗微有错愕的看着这些穿着干净靓丽办公室制服的人。一名气质沉稳男士走出道：
“In recognition of your contributions to the Freq-Lost Zone, we sincerely invite you to join our company and become one of us.”
“有鉴于您在失频之地上的付出，我们诚邀您加入我们的公司，成为我们的一份子。”
Beside the man stepped out a woman with a gentle, delicate appearance. She spoke in a pleasant voice and asked with a smile:
男人身旁走出位容貌娇柔的女士。她发出悦耳的声音，笑问道：
“May I ask, would you be willing?”
“请问，您愿意吗？”
“Me? I have no notable reputation.”
“我？我没什么名气。”
“But you are a true Frontier Builder.”
“但您是真正的筑荒人。”
These words softened Zorro’s sharp, keen eyes.
这话让佐罗精炯的目光柔和了下去。
Sunlight scattered over this small patch of land, while dust and withered leaves drifted slowly in the air.
阳光散落在这小片地方，空气中漂浮的灰尘与枯叶缓缓飘荡。
{Lost Illusion Company? I want to go see it.}
{遗失幻境公司？我想去看看。}
The Escapist Motorcycle hummed eagerly.
恶魇摩托雀跃的道。
Zorro raised his hands and gazed at his palms glowing white under the light. After feeling this long-absent sunlight, the man took off his mask, letting the sunlight touch the ugly scars near his eyes and on his forehead.
佐罗抬手看着被照得莹莹发白的双掌。感受这久违阳光的照射后，男人摘下眼罩，让眼旁与额头上的丑陋疤痕也能晒到这金阳。
A smile appeared on his stubbled lips.
他胡渣嘴角露出笑容。
“Of course. This is our honor.”
“当然，这是我们俩的荣幸。”