难怪这里每个人都看上去那么疯，从一苏醒到现在，已经好几个人或骗、或引诱、或直接抢自己的时序。
No wonder everyone here looked so crazy — from the moment he woke up until now, several people had either cheated, lured, or directly robbed him of his Time Sequence (时序).
那个白鸳甚至连刘明的一个月时序也不放过。
That Bai Yuan (白鸳) even took Liu Ming (刘明)’s single month of Time Sequence.
这大概都是因为，每个月月末都会扣除掉三百年寿命！
This was probably because at the end of every month, three hundred years of lifespan were deducted!
每个月能存活下来的新人，估计很多人都会莫名奇妙就被骗走数十年寿命，然后在月末的时候才恍然发现上当了——自己的投资不会有回报了。
Among the newcomers who survived each month, many probably got inexplicably cheated out of decades of lifespan, only to realize at month’s end that they had been fooled — their investments would yield no returns.
“什么信息都不给新人说，呼。”
“They don’t tell newcomers any information. Hah.”
杨子藏结束掉了跟那孩子的心灵链接，此刻他更感受到，这儿已经不是正常社会了。
Yang Zicang (杨子藏) ended his telepathic link with that child. At this moment, he felt even more strongly that this was no longer a normal society.
笃笃笃。
Knock, knock, knock.
敲门声响起。
A knock came at the door.
“请进。”
“Come in.”
门咯吱声被推开。
The door creaked open.
一个昨日被自己救下，但已变得苍老的妇人穿着陈旧衣衫，带着歉意与客气地在门口道：
An elderly woman whom he had saved yesterday, now aged and wearing tattered clothes, stood at the door with an apologetic and respectful manner:
“谢谢你，杨先生，昨天…”
“Thank you, Mr. Yang, for yesterday…”
忽地，杨子藏感觉手上的手机开始轻微震动，屏幕突然变得充满花斑，仿佛芯片异常显示似的。
Suddenly, Yang Zicang felt the phone in his hand begin to vibrate slightly. The screen became covered with speckled patterns, as if the chip were malfunctioning.
他一下面色狂变。
His expression changed drastically.
眼前这个女人还没有模型！
The woman before him didn’t have a Model yet!
“快出去！”
“Get out quickly!”
女人愣了下。
The woman was stunned.
她看到屋内青年手上的手机正在散发出道道微弱暗红雾气，如梦幻般的隐约心跳声在房间回荡。
She saw the phone in the young man’s hand emitting faint wisps of dark red mist, and a dreamlike, barely audible heartbeat echoed through the room.
想起昨夜这里的人对自己的叮嘱，面容憔悴的女人恐惧道：“难道，难道他们说的，是真的？我靠近这些……”
Remembering what the people here had warned her last night, the haggard woman said in terror: “Could it be… what they said is true? That if I get near these…”
“快出去！快！”
“Get out! Now!”
杨子藏赶紧将它丢进楚强给自己的箱子里，一下将它死死按紧。
Yang Zicang quickly threw the phone into the box that Chu Qiang (楚强) had given him and pressed it shut tightly.
他拎起这箱子就从女人身边快速跑了出去，靠近这女人的时候，杨子藏感觉箱子震动了下，里面似有什么东西在撞击。
He grabbed the box and ran past the woman. As he passed her, he felt the box tremble — something inside seemed to be striking against it.
…
……
越野车穿梭在栋栋破败建筑之间。
The off-road vehicle wove between dilapidated buildings.
车上的余菲很有兴致地把玩着这枚珍贵的交错频晶。
Yu Fei (余霏) in the car played with the precious Crossing Frequency Crystal (交错频晶) with great interest.
“老大，频晶虽然弄到了，但那A级模器，恐怕不好弄啊。”
“Boss, even though we got the Frequency Crystal, that A-class模器 (A-class Artifact) will probably be hard to get.”
余菲叹了口气地将频晶收入怀中，望向车前不断后退的道路。
Yu Fei sighed, tucked the Frequency Crystal into his jacket, and looked at the road receding before the car.
“恶魇变成模器，就算能力还在，也会降低非常多。可惜那张飞铠甲了。倒立加防御万载时序，随便拎出来个都是宝贝。做成模器能完整保住一个效果都难。”
“When a Nightmare (恶魇) turns into an Artifact, even if the ability remains, it’s greatly reduced. What a pity about that Zhang Fei (张飞) armor. Handstanding plus defense against tens of thousands of years of Time Sequence — any single one of those abilities would be a treasure. But when made into an Artifact, it’s hard to preserve even one effect intact.”
“但也比没有得好。”
“Still better than nothing.”
车上一人道，“我们得想个办法弄到手。如果还能防御时序攻击，稳定A级交错地，不过分分钟的事情。”
One person in the car said: “We need to find a way to get it. If it can still defend against Time Sequence attacks, stabilizing an A-class Crossing Place would be a matter of minutes.”
余菲脸上露出沉思。
A contemplative look appeared on Yu Fei’s face.
他身后一男子阴笑了声：“余哥，那杨子藏虽然是四边形模型，但能力就是个防御型的废材。反正这会儿车还没开出多远，你把我留下，等他出来，我就给你给绑回来。”
A man behind him chuckled darkly: “Brother Yu, that Yang Zicang may have a Quadrilateral (四边形) Model, but his ability is just a defensive waste. The car hasn’t gone far yet. Leave me here, and when he comes out, I’ll tie him up and bring him back.”
胸前模型闪动，身旁一圈长长的绳索犹如蛇般将一端扭曲抬起。
The Model on his chest flickered. A long coil of rope beside him twisted one end upright like a snake.
“我觉得行！”这人身旁的小青年哈哈笑到。
“I think that works!” The young man beside him laughed.
“让老袁去把那小子捆回来，还能给那几位大人赔罪。”
“Let Old Yuan go tie up that kid — he can also apologize to those几位大人 (several大人).”
有所犹豫的余菲听闻此话，也点点头：“停车，老袁你小心点。对了，把这望远镜带上吧，别靠近那边太近。”
Yu Fei, who had been hesitating, nodded at this: “Stop the car. Old Yuan, be careful. And take these binoculars — don’t get too close to their side.”
“望远镜？不需要。从他们那边过来就这条路，你们先走，这两天我就守在这里了。”
“Binoculars? Don’t need them. This is the only road from their place. You all go ahead. I’ll stay here for the next two days.”
他拎下袋食物和几瓶矿泉水，将绳子一盘从车上跳下。
He grabbed a bag of food and a few bottles of mineral water, coiled up the rope, and jumped out of the car.
余菲拿两指头在脑袋处比了比，挥出道：“我们等你好消息。”
Yu Fei made a two-finger salute to his forehead and waved: “We’ll wait for your good news.”
袁付斌笑看着长着些许鳞甲的越野车快速离开，他抬了抬手上的绳索，快步向道路旁边的建筑内跑去。
Yuan Fubin (袁付斌) smiled as he watched the off-road vehicle with its faint scales drive away quickly. He raised the rope in his hand and hurried into a building by the roadside.
…
……
跑了十来分钟，杨子藏气喘吁吁地放慢脚步，手上的箱子没怎么震动了。
After running for ten minutes or so, Yang Zicang slowed down, panting. The box in his hand had stopped vibrating much.
“好荒凉。”
“So desolate.”
城市变得毫无生机，昨日的热闹幻影已成过眼云烟。
The city had become lifeless. Yesterday’s bustling phantoms were now nothing but fleeting smoke.
路上偶尔会见到与听到一些自远方传来的震动与爆炸声，在空寂的城市中传出老远。
Occasionally, he saw and heard tremors and explosions coming from afar, echoing far through the empty city.
快速前行的杨子藏不知道，远处一栋高楼上，有个胖胖的身影正用望远镜看着他。
As Yang Zicang hurried along, he didn’t know that on a distant high-rise building, a pudgy figure was watching him through binoculars.
[我感受到了渴求资助的同类。]
[I sense a fellow who is渴望 (kě wàng) funding.]
一道折线射来。
A folded line shot over.
[谁给我投资点，我遇到两个大家伙。]
[Someone invest in me — I’ve run into two big ones.]
杨子藏只是感受了下对方的画面后，就将之切断。
Yang Zicang only sensed the other’s画面 (huà miàn) for a moment, then cut the connection.
今天的时序不能乱用。
He couldn’t use today’s Time Sequence recklessly.
又前行了几里地的杨子藏来到了处明显是突兀地接在一起的区域。
After walking another couple of li, Yang Zicang arrived at an area that was clearly two pieces abruptly joined together.
这里的天桥、楼层，以及道路在前方齐齐中断。
Here, the overpasses, buildings, and roads all ended abruptly ahead.
就像有神力在两座城市中划出数公里的区域，再将它们如方形拼图般拼在一起。
It was as if some divine force had cut out a strip several kilometers wide between two cities and then pieced them together like square puzzle pieces.
“这样的力量，真是雄奇。”
“Such power — truly magnificent.”
杨子藏用手摸了摸这只有几厘米宽，却左右望不到尽头的交接区域后，起身边走边看向远方。
Yang Zicang touched the joining line, only a few centimeters wide but stretching endlessly left and right, then stood up and walked while looking into the distance.
自己要把这恶魇化的手机丢到哪里呢，可惜里面关于地球的记忆了…
Where should he throw this Nightmare-infected phone? What a pity — all the memories of Earth inside it…
一道身影远远跟在他后面，这身穿黑色运动服的男人戴着墨镜，在心中默念道：
A figure followed him from a distance — a man in a black tracksuit wearing sunglasses, silently thinking to himself:
[他的目的性很明确，似乎在往什么地方去。我该什么时候给他种下标记？]
[He has a clear goal, seems to be heading somewhere. When should I plant the mark on him?]
几秒后，他冷静的在心中默道：
A few seconds later, he calmly thought:
[嗯，我知道了。]
[Mm, I understand.]
忽地，这人目光一惊地看向远处，只见残破的楼房内突然射出根绳索。
Suddenly, the man’s eyes widened as he looked into the distance — a rope shot out from inside a dilapidated building.
“是神女兄弟盟的袁付斌？”
“That’s Yuan Fubin of the Shennü Brothers Alliance (神女兄弟盟)?”
……
楼中突然窜出异物。
A strange object suddenly burst out from the building.
见到那疾射而来的绳索，杨子藏像是大脑天生对这些轨迹充满高度反应般，胸前模型圆环一亮。
Seeing the rope streaking toward him, Yang Zicang’s Model ring on his chest lit up as if his brain were innately highly responsive to such trajectories.
[调度！]
[Dispatching (调度)!]
[我，伟大的四边形，消耗了2R.]
[I, the great Quadrilateral, consumed 2R.]
嗖！绳索在身体前猛地扭曲起来，像是有两股力量在争夺控制权。
Whoosh! The rope violently twisted in front of him, as if two forces were fighting for control.
杨子藏后退了好几步。留着半长头发的高瘦男人边笑吟吟的走出，胸口边亮起了模型光环：
Yang Zicang stepped back several paces. A tall, thin man with shoulder-length hair walked out smiling, his Model ring glowing on his chest:
“不错嘛，你的能力还附带着对绳子的操控？看来注定是成为我小弟的人啊。”
“Not bad. Your ability even includes操控 (cāo kòng) of ropes? Looks like you’re destined to become my little brother.”
“是你！”
“It’s you!”
“别想要融资，没错，我是神女兄弟盟的人。这附近的人见到我袁付斌，谁不喊声袁哥。到时候我的融资恐怕是你的十倍不止。”
“Don’t even think about getting investments. That’s right, I’m from the Shennü Brothers Alliance. Everyone around here calls me Brother Yuan when they see me. When the time comes, my investments will probably be ten times yours, at least.”
“你想做什么。”
“What do you want?”
“来我们的队伍，以及把那张飞铠甲拿回来，否则，你这个几个月就别想获得一分时序了。”
“Join our team, and bring back that Zhang Fei armor. Otherwise, you won’t get a single point of Time Sequence for the next few months.”
那不就是要让我在月底等死吗！
That meant leaving him to die at the end of the month!
杨子藏内心有点慌乱地拿眼睛左右瞟着周围。
Yang Zicang’s heart fluttered with panic as he glanced left and right.
忽地，他手上的箱子轻轻震动。
Suddenly, the box in his hand trembled slightly.
……
绳子无风自动的漂浮在袁付斌身旁，仿佛一条拥有灵智的纽带，让人背脊发凉地“注视”着自己。
The rope floated beside Yuan Fubin without any wind, like an intelligent ribbon, “staring” at him in a way that sent chills down his spine.
一道朦胧的白色光芒逐渐自绳子上亮起。
A hazy white light gradually began to glow from the rope.
{付斌，运气不错，这么快这家伙就出来了。}
{Fubin, lucky — he came out so quickly.}
[他甚至还拎着他的行李，哈哈哈，这就是投奔我们的节奏啊。]
[He’s even carrying his luggage — hahaha, this is like he’s coming to us.]
{行李？喔，是那个箱子，我见过。}
{Luggage? Oh, that box. I’ve seen it.}
心灵链接对面的余菲道：
Yu Fei on the other end of the telepathic link said:
{这种箱子里有赵安龙刻画的魔纹。它比杨子藏本人还要珍贵，给我们完整的带回来。}
{That kind of box has magic刻纹 (kè wén) carved by Zhao Anlong (赵安龙). It’s more precious than Yang Zicang himself. Bring it back intact.}
袁付斌两眼放光地嘿嘿一笑。
Yuan Fubin’s eyes lit up, and he chuckled.
[放心好了。我断链接了，不然这小东西融资的话我来不及跟他抢。]
[Don’t worry. I’m cutting the link — otherwise, if this kid gets investments, I won’t have time to grab them.]
链接断掉的瞬间，绳索猛地冲来。
The instant the link broke, the rope charged forward violently.
杨子藏目光紧紧地落在对面身上，随时准备着。
Yang Zicang’s gaze locked onto the man opposite, ready for anything.
啪啪啪！
Crack, crack, crack!
冲来的绳索被无形之力压制地抽打在地面。于此同时，袁付斌手上冒出金色虚光地冲来。
The charging rope was pressed down and lashed against the ground by an invisible force. At the same time, Yuan Fubin rushed forward with a golden phantom light on his hand.
“别挣扎了，束手就擒吧！哈哈哈！”
“Stop struggling! Surrender! Hahaha!”
杨子藏手上拎着的木箱减缓了自己的行动，他顿时感觉压力增大。
The wooden box in Yang Zicang’s hand slowed his movements, and he immediately felt the pressure increase.
“谁擒谁还不一定啊！”
“Who’s capturing whom — that’s not certain yet!”
咚咚乱响声中，杨子藏将箱子砸了过去。
Amidst a clatter of thuds, Yang Zicang flung the box toward him.
见到木箱飞起，袁付斌脸上露出狂喜，一直游走在杨子藏身边的绳索嗖地缩回，被他控制缠向这飞在空中的箱子。
Seeing the box flying through the air, Yuan Fubin’s face showed ecstasy. The rope that had been hovering around Yang Zicang snapped back, controlled by him, and wrapped around the airborne box.
跑远两步的杨子藏回头看去，胸前圆环亮起。
Yang Zicang, who had run a few steps away, looked back. The ring on his chest lit up.
[调度！]
[Dispatching!]
木箱的两道按锁已经在被丢出的时刻打开，随着调度能力的加速，木箱如被一股力量推了把般冲向空中！
The two latches of the wooden box had already opened at the moment it was thrown. With the acceleration of Dispatching, the box shot into the air as if pushed by some force.
里面的衣裤、耳环、皮带、鞋子纸张等物品抛洒开来，杂物中一个黑乎乎的东西带着黑气极速下坠！
Inside, clothes, earrings, belts, shoes, papers, and other items scattered. Among the debris, a dark, indistinct object plummeted rapidly, trailing black mist.
绳索嗖地捆住箱子，随着袁付斌指头一动，便被往下拉扯而来。
The rope whipped around the box and, with a twitch of Yuan Fubin’s finger, yanked it downward.
但在这瞬间，袁付斌像是听到了无数“叮铃铃”、“呜嗡嗡”的手机铃声。
But in that instant, Yuan Fubin seemed to hear countless phone ringtones — “ding-ling-ling,” “woo-weng-weng.”
它们密密麻麻的在心间响起！这些原本优美的声波变得尖锐，仿佛有谁拿尖锐指甲挂着玻璃，让人抓耳挠腮。
They echoed densely in his heart! Those once-pleasant sounds became shrill, as if someone were scraping glass with sharp fingernails, maddening.
嘭！散发着浓列血雾的手机砸在袁付斌脸上，却未继续划下。
Bang! The phone, emitting a thick cloud of blood mist, hit Yuan Fubin’s face — but it didn’t fall away.
“啊！”
“Ah!”
噗噗，变色的手机里面，几道根须般的东西快速刺入他的皮肤。
Pfft, pfft. From inside the discolored phone, several root-like tendrils quickly pierced his skin.
“这是…饿…亚…”
“This is… hun… gr…”
远处的杨子藏见到那东西瞬间就嵌入了袁付斌的脸，心中狂震。
From a distance, Yang Zicang saw that thing instantly embed itself into Yuan Fubin’s face. His heart shook violently.
“恶魇，这就是恶魇，好可怕！”
“A Nightmare — so this is a Nightmare. How terrifying!”
他头也不回地跑向远处的楼道，身后极速传来阵阵令人头皮发麻的气息。
He ran toward a distant stairwell without looking back. Behind him, waves of scalp-tingling emanations rapidly approached.
“呃啊啊！救…”
“Urghhh! Hel…”
袁付斌倒在地上打滚，他脸上迅速冒着金色虚光，却越来越淡。
Yuan Fubin rolled on the ground. Golden phantom light flickered on his face, but it grew fainter and fainter.
…
……
远方即将回到驻地的余菲，忽地接到了根心灵链接的丝线。不过它蕴含的信息有点紊乱。
Far away, Yu Fei, about to return to the base, suddenly received a thread of telepathic connection. However, the information it carried was somewhat garbled.
“是老袁成功了吧？”
“Old Yuan succeeded, right?”
车上的人察觉到到这跟如同蛛丝般的微弱丝线射来。
The people in the car noticed this faint, cobweb-like thread shooting toward them.
“应该是。”
“Probably.”
下一秒，这根丝线突然扩散至几人胸前，并猛地大放光明，如同震颤闪动的电灯丝。
The next second, the thread suddenly spread to their chests and burst into bright light, like a flickering, trembling filament.
{救我！}
{Save me!}
众人脸色一变。
Their expressions changed.