“Thank you all for your help earlier.” Yang Zicang (杨子藏) said to the two.
“感谢大家之前的帮助。”杨子藏对两人道。
“We didn’t really help much. By the way, what was that ability you used just now? Throwing stones? It was incredibly powerful!”
“我们没有帮什么忙。对了，你刚才用的能力是什么啊，丢石子吗？威力好强啊！”
“It’s alright.”
“还好了。”
Yang Zicang calculated silently. Not counting his own lifespan, he had nearly 589.5 years of additional assistance called “Time Sequence (时序).”
杨子藏暗暗算了下。不算本身寿命，自己都有接近589年半的被称为“时序”的额外受援。
With quadruple amplification, that came to over 2,300 years!
四倍增幅下来就是两千三百多年！
He wondered where his level of strength ranked in this world. But for that so-called Alliance, they could probably create a powerful existence at any time through investment.
不知道自己这种实力在这个世界排不排的上号。但对于那个所谓联盟来说，应该随便都可以用投资的方式制造出来一个强大存在吧。
The Mutant Hunter Alliance (猎怪者联盟), and Decayed City (废都)…
猎怪者联盟，还有废都…
A faint thread of light refracted through the air.
一道微弱线条从空气中折来。
{Can someone help me?}
{谁能帮帮我。}
How could such a place exist? Yang Zicang accepted the thread’s oscillation with some confusion.
怎么会有这样的地方？杨子藏有点疑惑的接受了这线条的晃动。
In the perception画面 (huà miàn), there was a half-grown boy of about fourteen or fifteen, of average height.
感知画面中，是个身材中等的十四五岁半大小子。
One of his eyes was squinted shut. Holding an iron bar in his hand, he hobbled forward, hopping along a place that looked like an underground iron pipe tunnel.
他的一只眼眯着，手中拿着根铁棍，在个类似地下铁管道的地方，一瘸一拐地往前蹦着。
Behind the boy, a mass of dim grey mist surged forward. Something was approaching slowly. Suddenly, a whip-like black tendril lashed the boy.
在那男孩身后，涌现出一堆团暗淡的灰雾，有什么东西在缓慢的靠近。忽然一道类似黑鞭的东西抽在男孩身上。
Outside the boy’s body, only two constantly shifting lines were visible — his Model (模型) was just an “angle symbol.”
男孩身外只有两根不断变幻的线条，那模型只是个“角度符号”。
“Did you see that?” Yang Zicang looked at those beside him.
“你们看到了吗？”杨子藏看向身旁道。
“It’s a bit blurry.” The幾人 (jǐ rén), still connected through the Nightmare Radio (恶魇电台) relay, saw the模糊 (mó hu) scene from their own perspectives.
“有些模糊。”还维持着恶魇电台转接的几人，通过自己的视角看到了这个模糊的景象。
“It seems very far from us.”
“似乎离我们很远。”
{Can anyone give me a hundred years… then I can beat this monster. It’s just a rat. Please, anyone who can…}
{谁能，给我一百年…我就能打过这个怪物，它只是只老鼠而已。求求你们，谁能…}
Crack! Another whip mark lashed the boy, drawing a bloody gash across his back.
啪！又一道鞭痕抽在男孩身上，将他背脊打出血痕。
{If someone invests in me, I’ll give eighty percent of the Time Sequence I earn to you!}
{如果有人给我投资，我把赚到的时序，百分之八十都分给你们！}
The child stumbled and fell to the ground. He turned his head in fear, looking at the grey silhouette standing upright in the smoke like a human.
小孩一个踉跄摔倒在地，他恐惧地转头，看向烟雾中人立而起的灰暗轮廓。
{No one will invest in you, A Liang (阿梁).}
{不会有人给你投资的，阿梁。}
A telepathic voice came through. Yang Zicang listened curiously — there were people who could speak inside here as well.
一道心声传来，杨子藏好奇的听着这声音，居然还有人能够在这里面说话。
The boy named A Liang’s expression changed. He said hopefully: {Is that… Captain Luo Xin (罗鑫队长)?}
名为阿梁的男孩面色一变，他希冀的道：{是，是罗鑫队长吗？}
{It’s me.}
{是我。}
The boy gritted his teeth and said:
男孩咬了咬牙道：
{Captain Luo Xin, if you can help me kill it, I’ll give you all the Time Sequence I earn.}
{罗鑫队长，如果你能帮我杀死他，我把所有赚到的时序都给你。}
After a few seconds of waiting, only two faint specks of light converged on the child — representing two people who had invested in him, but the amounts were very small.
等了几秒，这孩子身上只有两道微弱的光点汇聚，那代表有两个人给他投资了，但数量很小。
{You won’t make it out. After you kill this rat, there will be another. After you kill that one, there will be more — hundreds, thousands of monsters. Why did you go there? You are nothing but a greedy person blinded by rumors of treasure. Let all who are still alive take this as a warning!}
{你走不出来的，杀死这只老鼠后，还有另一只，杀死另一只，还有更多的、数百上千的怪物。你为什么要去那里呢？你只是个被宝物传言所蒙蔽的贪心之人罢了。所有还活着的人，请以他为戒！}
“What!”
“什么！”
Crack!
啪！
Another whip mark struck the boy’s back. This time, the rat’s tail twisted, coiled around his ankle, and jerked violently.
又一道鞭痕打在男孩背上，这次老鼠尾巴一搅，将他的脚腕拴住，猛地一抖。
Bang! Liang Xi (梁喜) was slammed dizzy by the tremendous force, and the iron bar in his hand was knocked loose.
砰！梁喜被这巨大的力道摔得七晕八素，手中的铁棒也被震落。
Among the surviving newcomers within dozens of li, those who had obtained Models all heard this news.
附近几十里，还存活的新人们中，获得模型的都听到了这消息。
{Ah! Why!} Liang Xi gnashed his teeth.
{啊！为什么！}梁喜咬牙切齿。
{Why is it that all of you have triangles — even the double-line types have someone protecting them — only me… only me…}
{为什么你们都是三角形，哪怕是双线型也有人保护，只有我…只有我…}
From the sound of it, the place the child was in was extremely dangerous. A hundred years of investment wouldn’t be enough to get him out — it might only be enough for a single strike.
听上去，这孩子所在的地方极其危险，一百年的投资，根本不足以让他离开那个地方，甚至只够他打出一击而已。
Listening to the child’s tearful,委屈 (wěi qu) voice, Yang Zicang took a deep breath.
听着小孩带着哭腔的委屈声音，杨子藏深吸一口气。
A hundred years of lifespan.
一百年的寿命。
Damn it. I’m someone who has already died once.
妈的，老子都是死过一次的人了。
He felt his 589 years of Time Sequence, steeled his heart, and allocated 150 years.
他感受着自己的589年时序，心中一横，分出150年。
Consider the compensation from Bai Yuan (白鸳) as water under the bridge. Unearned wealth needs to be spent — that’s the logic.
就当白鸳那里的赔偿打水漂吧，横财要用掉，是这个道理。
[I want to invest in him.]
[我想要投资他。]
Yang Zicang made the decision in his heart.
杨子藏心中做着抉择。
“Invest! But only corresponding to the crisis of this one monster!”
“投！但只对应这个怪物的危机！”
…
……
Inside the dim underground tunnel, the monster in the smoke seemed to have grown tired of playing. It made a laughing-like squeaking sound and stepped out of the mist — the rat was as tall as a person.
暗淡的地下坑道内，烟雾中的怪物似乎玩腻了，它发出类似笑着般的吱吱声，从雾气中走了出了，这老鼠足有人高。
The monster’s claws were like iron, their cold gleam flashing. It swung a claw down at the boy.
怪物双爪如铁，寒芒闪动，对着男孩一爪挥下。
The boy had already despaired. In that instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind — just a month ago, he had been learning painting during the holidays. Who would have thought that only thirty days later, he would die under the claws of a rat monster?
男孩已经绝望，这一瞬间他想到了许多，就在一个月前，自己还在假期学彩绘，谁会想到，仅仅只是三十天后，自己会死在老鼠怪物的爪下。
[I have received 150N temporary investment from Yang Zicang. He hopes this Time Sequence will only be used to deal with the immediate crisis.]
[我获得了杨子藏的150N临时投资，他希望这份时序只为应对当下的危机。]
Bang! The boy was knocked aside by the sharp claws.
嗙！男孩被利爪掀翻出去。
[Time Sequence decreased by 20N.]
[时序减少20N。]
Pain — so painful… His whole body felt like it was falling apart. But the pain quickly faded.
痛，好痛…浑身仿佛要散架似的，但这痛感在快速褪去。
A child’s reflexes were quick. Even under attack, he skillfully grabbed the fallen iron bar while rolling, swung around, and struck back at the leaping giant rat.
小孩子的反应灵敏，即便被袭击，他也能熟练在滚动的时候就顺势抓起震落的铁棒，转身往后挥舞，撞向跃来的硕大老鼠。
No one knew how long the child had been in this godforsaken place, but he seemed already accustomed to these fighting moves.
不知道这孩子来这个鬼地方多久了，像是已经习惯了这些打架身法。
[I have received 30N investment reinvested by Yang Zicang from Mu Xiaoyu (沐小雨).]
[我获得杨子藏转投沐小雨的30N投资。]
[I have received 1N investment reinvested by Yang Zicang from Zhang Yang (张扬).]
[我获得杨子藏转投张扬的1N投资。]
[I have received 3Y investment reinvested by Yang Zicang from Liu Ming (刘明).]
[我获得杨子藏转投刘明的3Y投资。]
Liang Xi’s spirit surged. In that instant, tears nearly burst from his eyes — there were still good people in this world!
梁喜精神大震，这瞬间他眼泪都快要涌出来，这个世界还是有好人的！
Bang! The steel claws and the iron bar collided.
砰！钢爪与铁棒相接触。
The whip-like tail swung over, the wind from it buzzing through the air.
那皮鞭一样的尾巴荡来，劲风带起空气的嗡鸣。
“Ah!”
“啊！”
Nearly mad, Liang Xi swung the iron bar. He chose to use his small body to withstand the next blow head-on, channeling most of his Time Sequence into his hands and raising the iron bar upward.
梁喜接近疯狂般将手中铁棒挥舞，他选择用自己小小的身躯硬抗接下来的一击，将大部分时序运转手上，将铁棒往上一举。
But the big rat agilely sidestepped the strike. The tail swept over and bound him like a rope.
但这一击被大老鼠敏捷的侧身躲避，尾巴荡来，如绳索般将他捆住。
Slash! The steel claws left a huge gash on his body. Blood splattered. Liang Xi was coiled by the tail and swung upward.
噗！钢爪在他身上留下巨大的抓痕，鲜血飞溅，梁喜被尾巴缠住往上荡去。
…
……
“No way!”
“不会吧！”
The three beside Yang Zicang watched the画面 (huà miàn) through the thread link he had actively extended.
杨子藏身旁三人通过他主动分出的丝线链接，看着对方的画面。
The four of them continued hurrying toward 42 Zuo Ming Avenue (左明大道42号) while paying attention to the half-grown boy through the perception perspective.
四人一边往左明大道42号赶去，一边通过感知视角关注着那半大小子。
The monster tossed him around on the ground like a rag doll, producing dull thuds. Blood streamed down his face.
他被怪物当成破布般在地上乱丢，发出沉闷响声，脸上鲜血直流。
Mu Xiaoyu grew nervous again. This investment of hers might be completely wiped out, and she would lose the most precious thirty years of her life.
沐小雨也再次紧张，她的这次投资，又可能会尽数归零，而自己也将失去人生最宝贵的三十年。
By now, the boy had stopped moving, but he still gripped the iron bar tightly.
此时男孩已经没有了动静，但他依旧死死握住手上的铁棒。
{Don’t worry… I still have… principal…}
{不用担心…我还有…本金…}
Liang Xi was dragged by the monster’s tail toward the other side of the huge iron pipe, where another slightly smaller monster figure appeared.
梁喜被怪物尾巴拖动着往巨大铁管的另一边走去，那里出现另一只略小些的怪物身影。
{I can still live… at least seventy or eighty years…}
{我还能活…至少七八十年…}
The rat, standing about one meter and three or four decimeters tall, squeaked and showed a gleam of delight in its eyes.
那直立起来有一米三四高的老鼠吱吱叫着，眼中露出道欣喜光芒。
Its tail flicked, and Liang Xi was thrown toward the smaller monster.
尾巴甩动，梁喜被怪物丢向体型小些的怪物。
Liu Ming sighed:
刘明叹息口气：
“So it was catching food for that other one. No wonder it didn’t just swallow the kid directly.”
“原来它是为那家伙抓食物，难怪没有直接将这小子吞掉。”
Suddenly, Liang Xi’s skin rapidly aged. His half-grown boy’s body already showed age spots, and his hair quickly turned white! The rat that had thrown him showed a hint of confusion, then charged forward in fury!
忽地，梁喜身上皮肤迅速老化。还是半大小子般的身躯已经出现了老人斑，头发也快速变白！丢出他的老鼠目光中露出丝疑惑，随后猛然暴怒地冲去！
“Urgh!” The aged Liang Xi’s eyes widened in rage. The iron bar in his hand suddenly lit up with a phantom as he swung it wildly at the smaller monster about to catch him.
“呃啊！”变老的梁喜怒目圆睁，手上铁棍骤然亮起虚影地疯狂看向即将接住自己的小怪物。
Slap! The iron bar pierced straight through the monster’s chest. He hugged the monster and rolled down.
噗！铁棒直接穿透了那怪物的胸膛，他抱着怪物翻滚而下。
With a dull thud, his back slammed onto the ground with tremendous force!
嘭地声沉响，自己背后被巨大力道砸在地上！
[I gained 45.2N. Because I am a Double-Line Type (双线型)…]
[我收获了45.2N，因为我是双线型…]
This time, he had used Time Sequence for defense. The aged boy pulled the filthy iron bar out from beside him and, like swinging a baseball bat, twisted his body on the ground and struck.
这次自己运用了时序的防御，变得年老的男孩将身旁带着污秽的铁棒一抽，如甩棒球棍般在地上扭转身躯一棒子敲去。
“Everything!”
“所有！”
All the lifespans — the monster’s, his own, and others’ — all converged into this single strike.
所有怪物、自己以及他人的寿命，全部汇聚到这一击。
The enraged rat attacked at close range. The strike landed directly on its strangely deformed skull.
暴怒的老鼠贴身攻击，这一棍直接甩在它变得怪异的头颅上。
Bang!
嘭！
Thick liquid splattered. The rat’s massive body stood in place for a moment, then fell straight downward.
粘稠的液体飞溅，老鼠庞大的身躯站立原地，随后往下直直压来。
[I gained 39.4N. All thanks to the powerful Double…]
[我收获了39.4N，这都是强大的双…]
The boy was crushed under the heap of flesh. Enduring the stench, he crawled out from under the monster with difficulty, breathing heavily. His eyes somewhat unfocused, he said: “Thank you… everyone…”
男孩被这堆巨肉压住，他强忍刺鼻臭味，喘着粗气从怪物身下吃力爬出，眼神有些涣散地道：“谢谢，大家…”
He actively cut off everyone’s connection. The Model automatically distributed the Time Sequence.
他主动切断了所有人的联系，模型自动分配了时序。
Then, he closed his eyes and sensed the person who had invested in him — the one named “Yang Zicang.” The light on his chest extended into the void beside him.
随后，他闭目感应了下对自己投资过的那个叫“杨子藏”的人，胸前的光线延伸进身旁虚空。
“Big brother, before I die, I need to tell you… a secret…”
“大哥哥，在死之前，我要告诉你、一个秘密…”