Chu Qiang (楚强) tried to expand the financing range of his Time Sequence (时序) through the strange radio before him, wanting to confirm whether YangZicang was still alive.
楚强试着通过眼前的怪异电台扩展自己时序的融资范围，想要确认杨子藏是否还存活着。
Bai Yuan sat on the stone steps of an empty ruin. After a sigh of despair, he collapsed onto the ground with conflicted emotions and gazed up at the sky.
白鸳坐在空旷废墟的石阶边，哀叹声后心情复杂的倒下地面，看向天空。
Many people were initiating financings with no counterparty. Countless individuals in this area simultaneously received telepathic requests from dozens of others.
许多人在发起着没有对手盘的融资，这片区域无数人同时接到了数十人的心灵感应请求。
But there was still no response from the man being hunted by monsters.
但惟独没有取得那个被怪物追杀的男人的回应。
“Really dead?” Luo Xin’s (罗鑫) eyes flickered as he looked at those beside him, who all shook their heads.
“真的死了？”罗鑫眸光转动，看向身旁的人，都摇摇头。
……
Liang Xi (梁喜) stood blankly in the tunnel, two tear tracks streaming down his cheeks.
梁喜茫然站立在坑道内，眼中流下两道泪渍。
The young man wiped his face with his dirty sleeve, then continued exploring the monster lair.
少年拿肮脏的袖子拂拭了脸庞一把，随后继续对怪物巢穴进行着探索。
……
The twin ethereal cartoon figures formed from mist darted swiftly through the dark pipes.
雾气所凝结的双生卡通虚影速度奇快的穿行在阴暗管道内。
Having lost their leader, the rat monsters scattered in panic, their once tiger-and-wolf-like ferocity completely gone.
失去首领后，老鼠怪物们慌乱四散，不再有凶猛如虎狼的气势。
Swoosh! The ethereal shadows traversed a height difference of over ten meters and appeared at the cave entrance, leaving a trail of mist behind them. Only when Shao Min (绍敏) saw that the terrifying monster was not here did he finally feel relieved.
嗖！虚影划过十来米的高低差，带着雾气轨迹出现在洞穴口。见到这里没有那恐怖怪物的身影，绍敏才终于放心。
In the fluorescent glow emitted by the magic crystals (魔晶石), the outlines of two figures against the wall became visible.
魔石散发的荧光中，可以见到墙边的两道身影轮廓。
The two cartoon mist figures, embracing each other, descended from the air and hovered briefly in front of YangZicang’s (杨子藏) head, but the man showed no reaction.
抱在一起的卡通雾人从空中垂落，在杨子藏头前晃了下，这人没有反应。
“Both dead?”
“都死了？”
[I sense the presence of a Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器)!]
[我感知到了时序战器的存在！]
“What!” Shao Min’s (绍敏) eyes suddenly widened.
“什么！”绍敏双目猛然睁大。
The model had actually provided feedback about a Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器). This meant the weapon possessed a strength of at least fifty years of Time Sequence (时序) per strike; otherwise, it wouldn’t have triggered any feedback.
模型居然主动反馈了时序战器，这说明这武器至少拥有每一击五十年时序以上的强度，否则它不会反馈。
It was that long spear!
是那杆长枪！
The four hands of the two little mist figures pressed down on the long spear and pulled with all their might, but could only lift it slightly.
两个雾气小人的四只手按住长枪，吃力扯动，却只能抬起一点点。
“Good heavens… wait, it needs a thousand years to open up space? What does that mean?”
“天啊…等等，需要一千年开辟空间？什么意思。”
If only he had that much lifespan.
自己有那么多寿命就好了。
“Damn it! This is a rare treasure. No choice—I have to do it this way!”
“可恶啊，这是难得的好东西。没办法了，只能这样了！”
He steeled his resolve and invested ninety-nine years of his Time Sequence (时序) principal to enhance his ability to drag heavier objects.
他下狠心，将时序本金投入九十九年，强化能力以拖动更重的物品。
“I’ve saved this up with such difficulty. It has to succeed!”
“这可是我好不容易攒下来的，一定要成功啊！”
The two cartoon mist figures gritted their teeth, leaned back with all their strength, and began dragging the long spear, making Shao Min’s (绍敏) heart pound wildly.
两个卡通雾人咬牙切齿，身体后仰地拖动起了长枪，让绍敏的心砰砰直跳。
“It’s moving! It’s working! I’ll soon have a Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器) too!”
“动了，能成。我马上也拥有时序战器了！”
He could hardly wait to enter the lair and claim it.
他已经迫不及待想要进入巢穴去取。
The silver long spear began sliding gently across the ground. They turned it around and headed toward the cave’s exterior. Just as the spear’s tip was about to move beyond the range of YangZicang’s (杨子藏) arm, that quiet hand suddenly shot out and grasped the spear’s end.
银色长枪在地面轻轻划动起来，它们调转方向，朝洞穴外部而去。在长枪的尾部即将脱离杨子藏手臂范围之时，这只安静的手掌突地伸出，按住枪尾。
Shao Min (绍敏), perceiving the scene, felt an instant chill run down his spine. He saw the man leaning against the corner of the wall open eyes that resembled those of a malevolent ghost, locking gazes with him through the mist.
感知着画面的绍敏瞬间背脊一麻。他看到靠在墙角那人，睁开了恶鬼般的眼神，通过雾气与自己四目相对。
“He’s not dead?!”
“竟然没死？！”
Hoo~ An immense suction force instantly erupted from the front of the long spear. The energy of the two little mist figures was immediately depleted by a quarter.
唬~长枪前段瞬间出现股庞大吸力。两个雾气小人的能能量顷刻间就少了四分之一。
Shao Min’s (绍敏) perceptual vision spun and blurred. “Hiss.” He quickly dispelled his ability and clutched his stinging eyes.
绍敏的感知视线旋转模糊，“嘶。”他赶紧散去了能力，捂住刺痛的双眼。
“That guy actually didn’t die, and he got the Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器)! Ah, my eyes! Damn bastard!”
“那家伙居然没死，还得到了时序战器！啊，我的眼睛，可恶的混蛋啊！”
Shao Min cursed bitterly. Then he recalled Ma Chao’s (马超) earlier warning: “Don’t underestimate the Quadrilateral…”
He hadn’t expected it to come true so soon. This kid had actually survived such a perilous situation.
绍敏恨恨的咒骂，又想到先前马超叮嘱自己的话，“不要小看四边形…”没想到这么快就应验了。这小子在如此危险的境地居然还能活下来。
A sudden thought crossed his mind, startling him with its implications.
他突的冒出个念头，随即被自己这想法吓了一跳。
“Heh, Ma Chao can’t possibly lose.”
“呵，马超不可能输的。”
He rose to his feet, covering his eyes, and took a few steps, but his pace grew slower and slower.
他起身捂着眼睛走了几步，却越走越慢。
“But what if he loses…”
“但万一输了…”
……
YangZicang (杨子藏), semi-conscious, listened to the slightly sorrowful soliloquy echoing in his heart.
有些半昏迷的杨子藏听着内心略带哀伤的自言自语。
[Here I am, in a place so foreign that I don’t even know where I’ll die. Is this what the ancients called ‘dying in a strange land’?]
[我是在，连死也不知是何处的地方，这就是古人所说的，客死异乡者吗…]
These were indeed his own emotions, though they had been articulated more precisely, forming a coherent internal monologue.
这的确是自己的情绪，不过它归纳得更具体了点，形成了一段自言自语。
This voice felt both like himself and like superfluous thoughts intruding from elsewhere.
这东西，既像是自己，又像是多余的心声与念头。
At this moment, YangZicang sensed that the model had changed somehow. If previously it had been like a speaker hanging from his chest, now it felt more like an organ transplanted into his body—his instincts were actively trying to integrate it as part of himself.
此刻，杨子藏却感觉模型已经有些不同了。如果以前的模型就像是挂在胸口的喇叭，那么现在的它有点像是移植给自己的器官，自己的本能正在试图接纳它成为身体的一部分。
Having faced death together had deepened the model’s resonance with his consciousness.
共同经历死亡，让模型对自己的意识共鸣得更深了些。
“Will we die together?”
“我们会一起死吗。”
[There is no ‘we.’ There is only me.]
[没有我们，是我。]
YangZicang turned his head slightly and with great effort placed his hand on the Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器).
杨子藏轻微扭头，吃力将手搭在时序战器上。
New black patterns had appeared on the surface of the silver spear—these markings emerged after its black hole devoured the black iron book volume and the rat-man leader.
银枪表面多出来部分黑色细纹，这是它的黑洞吞噬黑铁书册和鼠人首领后多出的纹路。
Simultaneously, a piece of information about the spear fed back to him.
同时还有一道关于枪的信息反馈。
[Gravitational Arc Light (引力弧光).]
[引力弧光。]
This name had been imprinted in his mind the first moment he touched the spear shaft.
该名称是初次触摸枪身时，就感受到的讯息。
First, this spear was indeed a Hundred-Year Artifact capable of delivering a hundred-year Time Sequence (时序) strike with every attack.
首先，这把枪果然是每击都能造成百年时序打击的百年器。
Second, the spear possessed a special ability—though calling it “gravity” wasn’t entirely accurate. Within a range of thirty-odd centimeters, it could generate an attractive force that strongly pulled objects weighing under ten kilograms. Heavier objects would also be affected to some degree. This ability was called “Gravitational Arc Light.”
其次，这枪还有个特别的能力，那就是引力，虽然这么说并不正确。它可以在三十多厘米范围内产生吸引力，对十公斤级以下的物品产生强力牵引作用，大于这重量也会有一定的影响，这能力便是“引力弧光”。
Its essential function, however, was to store the spear within its own spatial dimension.
而它本质的作用是储存这把枪的空间。
Therefore, what he had truly acquired was the ability named Gravitational Arc Light (引力弧光), with the silver long spear serving as its appendage.
因此自己收获的实际上是这名为引力弧光的能力，银色长枪属于它的附属。
[Initial opening of “Gravitational Space (引力空间)” requires 1000N Time Sequence (时序).]
[初次开辟“引力空间”需要时序1000N。]
[I perceive that detaching the Time Sequence battle artifact (时序战器) requires consuming unknown items not present in this world.]
[我感知到，剥离时序战器需要消耗未在此世界的未知物品。]
YangZicang (杨子藏) smiled bitterly inwardly. Where would he find the Time Sequence (时序) needed to open this storage space for the spear?
杨子藏内心惨然一笑，自己哪里还有时序去开辟这储存长枪的空间。
He never expected that just one or two minutes of combat would leave him completely destitute again. Earlier, he had been so pleased with his fourfold fortune amplification.
没想到仅仅是一两分钟的战斗，自己就一夜回到解放前。自己之前还对四倍增福沾沾自喜来着。
He assessed the wound on his chest—it was severe. His breath whistled through the injury, and except for his arms, his entire upper body was nearly paralyzed and immobile.
感受了下胸前的伤口，很是严重，呼吸漏风，除了手臂，自己的上半身几乎全麻无法动弹。
Just then, another wave of cold air surged in from the cave entrance.
正在这时，洞口再次涌来一片寒气。
YangZicang (杨子藏) cast a cold sidelong glance—those mist cartoon figures again. He hurriedly moved his fingers and with great effort pressed down on the spear’s end.
杨子藏冷眼斜视而去，又是那雾气卡通人。杨子藏赶紧挪动手指吃力按在枪尾。
Smack! A plaster-like object was tossed into YangZicang’s (杨子藏) lap.
啪嗒！膏药般的东西被甩到杨子藏怀里。
The cartoon mist figure pointed at the object, then at its own chest, mimed applying it, and then dispersed.
卡通雾人指了指那东西，又指了指自己胸前，做出贴上它的动作，随后消散。
YangZicang (杨子藏) wondered in astonishment, “Who is this person? After I attacked him, he still comes to help me?”
杨子藏诧异想到：“这人是谁，被我攻击了还来帮我。”
He slowly moved his arm, using two fingers to gradually work open a slit in the object. He grew dizzy several times during the process—just peeling back half of the plaster took no less than five or six minutes.
缓慢挪动手臂，用两根手指一点点将这东西搓出道缝，期间眩晕了好几次，光是将膏药扯开一半就耗费了不下五六分钟。
But when YangZicang (杨子藏) finally managed to peel back the backing, a doubt arose: Was this thing truly meant for healing injuries?
但当杨子藏好不容易将膏药的贴纸搓开后，却想到：这东西到底是不是真的用来治疗伤势的？
[I am doubting the authenticity of this healing item.]
[我对救治之物的真实性产生了怀疑。]
What should he do? Should he apply it or not?
怎么办，到底要不要贴。
The earlier incident that had chilled his mind and triggered negative emotions was very likely the work of those mist cartoon figures.
之前那让自己脑袋发寒出现负面情绪的，很像是刚才那雾气卡通所做。
YangZicang (杨子藏) stared at the plaster, torn between choices.
杨子藏看着这张膏药，陷入了两难。
[Evaluator No. 22 (审议员 No. 22) has revealed his presence to me. He wishes me to play a guessing game.]
[22号评议委员向我表露了他的存在。他想让我玩一个猜谜游戏。]
“A guessing… game…?”
“猜谜…游戏…?”
[If guessed correctly, this item will possess potent healing properties. If guessed incorrectly, it will be highly poisonous. Regardless of the outcome, it will be automatically applied.]
[若猜对，该物品将具备强效治疗效果。若猜错，该物品将为剧毒。且无论对错，它都会自动使用。]
Cold sweat streamed down YangZicang’s (杨子藏) forehead.
杨子藏冷汗直流。
At a time like this, did these mysterious entities really have the leisure to toy with him?
这个时候，这些不知道什么存在的家伙们还有心情以自己取乐吗？
“What do you want me to guess?”
“想猜什么？”
After this agonizing dilemma, YangZicang (杨子藏) asked weakly.
两难抉择后，杨子藏有气无力的道。
[Evaluator No. 22 (审议员 No. 22) requests that I guess whether this Time Sequence (时序) item possesses the effect of healing injuries.]
[22号评议委员让我猜测，该时序道具，是否具备治疗伤势的效果。]
“I…!”
“我…！”
YangZicang (杨子藏) inwardly groaned. Was this really not just a cruel joke?
杨子藏内心吐槽了句。这真的不是来消遣大爷的？
After two or three seconds of mental confusion, the young man suddenly experienced a moment of clarity.
大脑混沌两三秒后，青年忽地感受到一片空明。
At first glance, the game seemed pointless—but there was indeed a subtle difference.
初看上去有无这游戏都一样，但还是有点区别的。
YangZicang (杨子藏) felt the serene clarity within his heart—the same pure emptiness his soul had experienced at the brink of death.
杨子藏感受着内心的空明情绪——这是之前如同死亡之时，心灵感受到的纯粹放空。
The lingering tranquility remained, though pain was rapidly shattering it. Yet the flowing blood was dragging his weakened body once more toward this abyss of nothingness.
空明的余韵还在，但疼痛正在快速将它变得支离破碎。可血液的流下，又让虚弱的身体再次滑向这空无的深渊。
Within this faint clarity, YangZicang’s (杨子藏) thoughts became increasingly ethereal—and just then, inspiration struck.
在这样淡淡空明中，杨子藏思感变得更为飘渺，也就在这时，忽地灵光乍现。
He had figured it out.
他想到了。
…
……
“I’d like to ask a question—one not directly related to this guess.”
“我想，提个问，一个与此猜测没有直接关系的问题。”
[Evaluator No. 22 (审议员 No. 22) has granted my request to ask a question.]
[22号评议委员允诺了我的提问请求。]
“These so-called Evaluators (审议员)—apart from ‘guidance,’ are they forbidden from directly interfering with our choices or development? Unless under specific circumstances, such as encountering special magical creatures like the Monster Mother Entity (怪物母体)?”
“所谓的评议委员，是否在除开‘引导’的前提下，不能直接干预我们的选择或者发展。除非在某种特定状态下，比如遇见类似母体的特殊魔物之时？”
When he uttered the word “guidance,” YangZicang’s (杨子藏) tone was hesitant, as if uncertain whether it was the precise term.
说到引导这个词时，杨子藏语气充斥着犹豫，似乎这不是个确切的用词。
[Evaluator No. 22 (审议员 No. 22) commends my keen insight and confirms that I am not mistaken.]
[22号评议委员赞赏于我的敏锐洞察力，他认为我没有说错。]
YangZicang (杨子藏) gave a faint chuckle and whispered weakly in his heart:
杨子藏轻笑了下，心中虚弱道：
“Thank you. I have no further questions. As for the guessing result, I believe it ‘possesses healing efficacy.’”
“谢谢，我没有别的问题了。至于猜谜结果，我猜它‘具备疗效’。”
His question had already confirmed the answer.
从自己的提问获得确认，答案就已经差不多确认了。
[I have submitted my answer. Evaluator No. 22 (审议员 No. 22) grants me ten seconds to reconsider. The result will soon be revealed!]
[我已做出第一次回答，评议委员给予我可以在十秒内反悔的承诺，答案即将揭晓！]
[Time’s up.]
[时间到。]
The half-opened plaster in his hand was torn apart by an invisible force. With a smack, it adhered to his chest like adhesive tape.
手上搓开一半的膏药被无形的力量撕扯开来，它啪地声如同贴胶带似的沾到了自己的胸前。
Was he correct? YangZicang (杨子藏) felt a knot of tension in his stomach.
猜对了吗？杨子藏有点紧张。
A greenish glow emanated from the plaster, and the young man felt an incredibly soothing energy flow from it, converging into the wound on his chest.
绿色微光冒出，青年感觉到无比舒适的能量自其中涌现，汇聚到胸前的伤口内。
[I, the great Quadrilateral (四边形), actually guessed correctly.]
[我，伟大的四边形，居然蒙对了。]
“Heh, yes, I chose right.”
“呵，是啊，选对了。”
YangZicang (杨子藏) breathed a sigh of relief.
杨子藏松了口气。
His physical strength rapidly returned. Aside from some lingering mental fatigue, most of his injuries healed within just half a minute.
体力迅速恢复，除了精神还有些抱恙，其它大部分伤势都在短短半分钟内好了起来。