Turning this bend, the way ahead suddenly opened up.
转过这道弯，前方豁然开朗。
A cavern so vast it could hold one or two residential blocks appeared before their eyes. Nearly a hundred meters above, accompanied by trickling water, several beams of sunlight poured down, casting a bit of light into the dark cave.
巨大到能容纳一两个小区的溶洞坑出现眼前。头顶近百米的高处，伴随着潺潺飘落的水流，几束阳光洒下，让黑暗的洞窟内拥有些许光明。
“Help!”
“救命啊！”
On the mushroom-shaped platform, seventy or eighty meters away, only seven or eight people remained.
七八十米外的那蘑菇型的平台上已经只剩七八个人了。
On the pitch-black stone bridge rising from the bottom, an ugly long worm coiled around the top of a bridge pillar of unknown height, arching its body and making threatening gestures toward the platform.
从底部升起来的漆黑石桥上，一只丑陋的长虫缠绕在不知多高的桥墩顶部，弓起身子，望着对面的平台，作出威胁姿态。
Just as Yang Zicang (杨子藏) looked over, another child was hooked up by several winged insects with their claws.
就在杨子藏看过去时，又有个孩童被几只长着翅膀的虫子用爪子钓了起来。
“The child!” A woman beside the child screamed in panic.
“孩子！”孩子身旁的一位女士瞬间惊慌的叫喊起来。
“Mommy.”
“妈妈。”
The four members of the Mutant Hunter Alliance (猎怪者联盟), fighting several large lizards, had no time to save her.
与几只大蜥蜴战斗着的猎怪者联盟四人根本来不及去救她。
On the lower side of the platform, another ugly worm was arching its body, thicker than an ox, at least ten meters long!
平台的侧下方，还有另一只丑陋的蠕虫正在拱动着比牛还粗的身躯，它少说有十来米长！
There were two worm Nightmares (恶魇)!
有两只蠕虫恶魇！
“How disgusting! Captain Yao (姚队长), quickly — that monster is about to ambush your teammates!”
“真是恶心啊！姚队长，快，那怪物要偷袭你的队友！”
Below the platform, seventy or eighty meters away, the monster twisted its body like a snake, moving stealthily, looking for an opportunity to strike the幾人 (jǐ rén) dead in one blow.
七八十米外的平台下方，怪物如蛇般转动着身躯，轻轻的挪动身形，寻找机会想要对那几人一击必杀。
This was their strategy — one deliberately exposed itself, cutting off the escape route, while the other, larger one hid below to ambush.
这就是它们的策略，一只故意暴露自己，截断去路，另一只更大的则藏在下方进行偷袭。
[Four anonymous investors withdrew 23N.]
[四位匿名者撤资23N。]
[Luo Xin (罗鑫) has invested 50N in me.]
[罗鑫为我投资了50N。]
Yao Qiming (姚启明) stood the pitch-black Extreme Evil Bow (极恶弓) upright on the ground: “Zicang, you infuse the arrow with Time Sequence (时序). I’ll shoot.”
姚启明将漆黑的极恶弓竖立在地上：“子藏，你为箭注入时序，我来射。”
“Okay.”
“好。”
Yang Zicang took down a black arrowhead and held it in his hand. It was immediately coated with a pale golden illusory flame.
杨子藏抽下一支黑色箭苗握在手上，它立刻被淡金色的虚焰附着。
The arrow was nocked on the bowstring. Yao Qiming held his breath, mustering all his strength to draw the wire-like bowstring.
箭苗搭在弓弦上，姚启明屏住呼吸，鼓足力气拉动如钢丝般的弓弦。
The pitch-black Extreme Evil Bow emitted an intense aura of hatred, growing stronger with each inch the bowstring was drawn! At its center, an egg-sized crimson eye appeared, like a red crystal.
这漆黑的极恶弓散发出浓烈的憎恨情绪，随着弓弦一寸寸被拉开！它的正中心浮现出一道鸡蛋大小的赤红的眼眸，宛如红色水晶。
But the eye was turbid, seemingly lifeless.
不过这眼眸混沌，看上去没有活力。
The worm on the black bridge sensed the wave of hatred emanating from behind. It turned its head and spat out a pool of green solution.
黑桥上的蠕虫感受到了身后散发出来的憎恨波动，它转过头，噗地喷出一潭绿色溶液。
Whoosh!
嗖！
The arrow traced a long golden trajectory through the darkness, grazing its skin as it passed.
箭矢在黑暗中拉出悠长金色轨迹，擦着它的皮肤划过。
“Boom!”
“轰！”
With a dull thud, the worm’s raised body crashed down onto the stone bridge, shaking dust into smoke from the bridge surface. Some rocks beneath the bridge crumbled and fell.
一声沉响，蠕虫扬起的身躯霎时间坠落到石桥上，将桥面的灰尘震出烟雾，桥面下一些岩石蹦碎掉落。
“The captain is here!” The people on the opposite platform said joyfully.
“队长来了！”对面几人惊喜的道。
Yao Qiming’s arrival speed was far faster than they had expected.
姚启明赶来的速度远远快过他们的预期。
“Even after passing through the venom, it offset over three hundred years of Time Sequence on the arrow. Its skin is even harder. Again!”
“穿过毒液都能抵消箭秒上三百多年的时序，它的皮肤更硬，再来！”
Yang Zicang handed over an arrowhead. Facing the worm charging toward them, Yao Qiming remained calm under pressure, widening his eyes as he nocked and drew the bow.
杨子藏递出箭苗，面对急速冲来的蠕虫，姚启明临危不乱，瞪大双眼搭弓拉箭。
The worm-like monster twisted its body, rolling to the other side of the bridge, hiding as it charged forward rapidly.
那蠕虫般的怪物扭曲身形，滚到桥面另一侧，隐藏身躯快速冲来。
“I can’t see it anymore.”
“看不见它了。”
“Roar~”
“吼~”
Yang Zicang’s body tensed naturally. The monster emerged from beneath the bridge, over twenty meters away, lifting its head.
杨子藏周身自然紧绷，怪物自二十多米外的桥底绕出将头翘起。
The golden arrow streaked through with a whistling wind.
金色箭矢带着劲风划过。
[Trajectory Dispatching!]
[轨迹调度！]
Whoosh! The arrow curved through the air as it shot forth. The moment it left the string, it seemed controlled by an invisible force, its speed surging.
嗖！箭矢带起弧线冲出，在离弦之际它如被无形力量控制，速度暴增。
Double acceleration!
二次加速！
Its table-wide mouthpart opened, and a glob of green liquid spread down like splashed water.
如同桌面宽的口器张开，一团绿色汁液泼水般扩散洒下。
The moment Yao Qiming released the arrow, he dropped the Extreme Evil Bow. He clapped his hands together, starlight flickering between his palms, and as he pulled them apart, unfolded a glass-shaped Time Sequence force field like an umbrella surface.
姚启明在射出箭矢的瞬间就丢掉了极恶弓。他双手一拍，掌中星芒闪动，拉开的瞬间展开道如同伞面的玻璃形时序力场。
The liquid was blocked outside the force field. The golden arrow plunged into the monster’s mouthpart.
汁液被挡在立场之外，金色箭矢没入怪物口器中。
“Hit!”
“射中了！”
Yang Zicang adjusted the angle, sending the arrow directly into the monster’s belly, producing a drum-like explosion.
这一箭被杨子藏调整角度，直接入怪物肚子里，发出鼓鸣般的爆破声。
Bang! The monster’s body exploded.
嘭！怪物的身躯爆炸开来。
Boom!
轰隆！
The already strained ancient black bridge broke apart at one section from the explosion.
已经不堪重负的古老漆黑长桥被这爆炸炸断了一截。
Half of the monster’s body fell straight down into the bottomless cavern pit, along with countless rocks.
怪物的半截身躯伴随无数岩石直直掉落进了深不见底的溶洞坑底。
[I gained 32.5N.]
[我收获了32.5N。]
Much of the Nightmare’s lifespan had been offset.
恶魇的很多寿命被抵消了。
“Ah, the bridge is broken!” The faces of the people on the opposite platform turned ashen.
“啊，桥断了！”对面平台上的人面如土色。
What now? There was no escape route.
这怎么办，逃跑的路都没有了。
In the financing Model, various investors watching this scene murmured among themselves.
融资模型中，看着这幕的各处投资者们窃窃私语。
“Hold your breath.”
“屏住气。”
The poisonous gas from the corpse explosion was unbearable — each breath cost hundreds of years of Time Sequence. Yao Qiming pulled a small emerald-green ball from his waist pouch and tossed it out.
尸体爆炸产生的毒气根本无法招架，每呼吸一口都消耗上百年时序。姚启明从腰间的小包里掏出个翠绿色的小皮球丢出。
Bang! A strong whirlwind swept across the ground, dispersing the stench and poison gas.
嘭！一股强烈的旋风席卷地面，将臭味与毒气荡散开来。
Yang Zicang and the other pinched their noses and waited a few seconds before daring to breathe.
杨子藏两人捏住鼻子等了几秒后才敢呼吸。
“This thing is great. Is it a magic item?”
“这东西好啊，是魔法物品吗？”
“You could say that.”
“算是吧。”
After speaking, a look of indignation appeared on Yao Qiming’s face: “Damn it. That beast broke the bridge.”
姚启明说完后，脸上就露出愤恨之色：“妈的，这畜生把桥砸断了。”
Several gecko monsters charged at them. The man drew his steel sword, swung it, and with a few thuds, cut them into several pieces.
几只壁虎怪物冲来，男人拔出钢制长剑，手上挥动，嘭嘭几声就将它们砍成了几节。
An Jixiu’s (安吉秀) telepathic voice came through the financing Model:
安吉秀的心念声自融资模型传来：
{I see. Your bow was still short of reaching the other monster. Looks like your teammates are very unlucky. This might be the limit today.}
{我看了，你们的弓貌似还差点距离才能射中另外那只怪物。看来你们的队友很不走运，今天大概就是极限了。}
In response to the sarcastic remark, Yang Zicang said: “Captain Yao, no matter what, we have to try again. The monster hiding under the stone platform is still there.”
面对风凉话，杨子藏道：“姚队长，不论怎样，我们都要再试试，石台下面那只怪物还藏着啊。”
“Alright. Let’s try again!” Yao Qiming raised the long bow and ran toward the tall, narrow black stone bridge. The distance from here to the break was also about twenty meters.
“行，再试试！”姚启明举起长弓，往高耸狭长的黑石桥跑去，这里距离断裂处有也有二十来米。
Yang Zicang followed behind him. The bridge, barely over a meter wide, gave him the illusion that he might fall at any moment — but fortunately, he had the “Dispatching (调度)” ability.
杨子藏跟在他后面，这仅一米多宽的桥让他产生随时都会掉下去的错觉，还好有“调度”能力。
{You can’t go any further. The masonry of the bridge surface there has already loosened.}
{你们不能往前了，那里的砖石桥面已经有些松动。}
Investors gave remote guidance through the financing Model.
投资人在融资模型中隔空指点。
{Look at that thing on the opposite side — that’s the Nightmare with the bloodline aura.}
{瞧瞧对面那东西，那个就是有血脉气息的恶魇怪物嗫。}
Below the opposite platform, the other worm stretched its head and looked this way. It no longer cared about the panicked prey above its head — now it only wanted to destroy the two humans at the broken bridge who had killed its kind.
对面的平台下，另一只蠕虫怪伸着头望着这边。它已经不在意头顶的那些惊慌的猎物了，此刻它只想如何灭掉断桥处两个击杀自己同类的人类。
The bow was raised and drawn. The golden arrow streaked through the dim space, but just a few meters from the platform, the golden light faded from its tip. The black arrowhead struck the worm and, like a small stick tapping it, fell directly into the darkness.
立弓拉弦，金色箭矢划破暗淡空间，却在距离平台仅几米的距离褪失其上的金色光芒。黑色的箭苗刺中蠕虫，如同小木棍敲了下般直接落入黑暗中。
“No good — not enough range. You should escape from over there!”
“不行啊，距离不够，你们从那边逃吧！”
On the opposite platform, the four team members, who had fought with all their might to reduce the flying insects to just a few scattered ones, gasped: “We tried. There’s another monster on the other side too. We’re surrounded.”
对面平台上，拼尽全力才将那些飞虫击杀得只剩零星几个的四人喘着粗气喊道：“试过了，通往城市另一边的方向也有只怪物，我们已经被围住了啊。”
These monsters needed the breath of living humans to breed Nightmare eggs — otherwise, they would have been dead long ago.
这些怪物需要活人的气息来繁殖恶魇之卵，要不然，自己等人早就死完了。
But now, the worm that had witnessed its kin being killed was filled with madness.
但此刻，目睹同类被杀的那只蠕虫恶魇已经被疯狂情绪所填满。
Rumble.
轰隆隆。
The platform shook. On the monster’s tail was a four-bladed steel pincer like sharp claws. It yanked a massive rock the size of a coffee table out of a pillar.
平台震荡，怪物尾巴上有着道如同利爪的四刃钢钳挥动，从柱子中抽出块茶几大的巨型岩石。
Its body surged upward, rushing past the edge of the crown-shaped platform, and landed on the platform like a scorpion.
它身躯往上一窜，冲出冠状平台边缘，如蝎子般落在平台上。
“Ah!” One person was crushed on the spot.
“啊！”一人当场被压碎。
The monster’s tail swung like a catapult, sending the rock whistling through the air with tremendous force!
怪物的尾巴如投石器挥动，强劲力道将石头带着轰鸣的劲风呼啸而来！
It wanted to destroy the bridge!
它想毁桥！
“Look out!”
“小心！”
Yao Qiming planted his feet in a bow stance and raised his steel sword, golden flames appearing on the blade.
姚启明扎开弓步，举起钢剑，剑刃上出现淡金色泽火焰。
“Wait!” But Yang Zicang couldn’t stop Yao Qiming in time.
“等等！”杨子藏却已来不及阻止姚启明。
The captain hurled his sword forward. The golden light quickly faded.
这位队长将剑投掷了出去，金光迅速消退。
Bang!
砰！
With a flash of light, the massive rock flying toward them shattered. The steel sword that collided with it snapped into three pieces.
光芒一闪，带着劲风而来的巨大岩石四碎，与之碰撞的钢剑瞬间断成三节。
A dense shower of rock fragments and steel shards whistled toward them like a shotgun blast.
密密麻麻的碎石与钢剑碎片呼啸而来，宛若散弹枪爆射。
“It’s over.” Yao Qiming didn’t have time to deploy his force field.
“完了。”姚启明已经来不及展开力场。
[Dispatching!]
[调度！]
A Quadrilateral (四边形) thread suddenly spread outward.
一道四边形丝线猛地扩散出去。
[Maximum capacity: single digit. Nine targets marked.]
[最大数量：个位，已标记九道目标。]
[The number is too large. I need Time Sequence principal to increase processing speed and marking capacity.]
[数量太过庞大，我需要时序本金提升计算速度与标记数量。]
At the critical moment, Yang Zicang’s brain raced, producing convulsive pain.
关键时刻，杨子藏的大脑飞速运转产生抽搐般的疼痛。
[99N Time Sequence principal invested.]
[时序本金99N已投入。]
[Dispatching ability — grid capacity permanently expanded to double digits.]
[‘调度’能力之格位已永久扩展至十位。]
“Not enough — nowhere near enough —”
“不够，根本不够啊——”
The impact of these stones would collapse the black bridge, and he would fall into the dark depths of the monster’s nest.
这些石子带来的冲击会让黑桥垮塌，自己也会掉入怪物巢穴的黑暗深处。
“Am I going to die again?!”
“我又要死了吗！”
Time seemed to slow down. Yang Zicang, filled with intense unwillingness, looked up at the space above him filled with projectiles.
时间仿佛变得缓慢，杨子藏蕴含着强烈的不甘，仰看爆炸物铺满头顶的空间。
[Committee Member No. 41 (41号评议委员) has sensed my strong desire.]
[41号评议委员感受到了我的强烈愿望。]
A gaze descended from infinitely high above.
一道目光从无限高远之处投下。
[Committee Member No. 41 has invested in me. Void-zero Time Sequence: 99999.]
[41号评议委员为我进行了投资，虚零时序99999。]
[Dispatching ability — grid capacity temporarily expanded to ten-thousand-digit. 5 seconds remaining, 4 seconds…]
[‘调度’能力之格位已暂时扩展至万位，剩余5秒、4秒…]
“Ahhh —!”
“啊——！”
His mind went blank in an instant, as if some energy had been unleashed.
大脑瞬间空白，仿佛有什么能量被解放了出来。
Blood vessels and nerves around Yang Zicang’s eyes stood out like spiderwebs. The world before his eyes seemed to shatter, revealing countless dense patterns of light.
杨子藏的双目周边血管与神经宛若蛛网凸显，他眼中的世界仿佛蹦碎般，出现无数密密麻麻的光芒纹路。
The oncoming fragments instantly traced countless trajectories in his vision — for every tiny fragment, every movement, countless possibilities for rotation appeared.
呼啸而来的碎片在其眼中迅速勾勒出无数轨迹，每一个细微的碎片，每一次的挪动，都可以出现无数转动的可能。
[Time Sequence decreased by 1R.]
[时序减少1R。]
[Time Sequence decreased by 3.27Y.]
[时序减少3.27Y。]
[Time Sequence decreased by 9.5N.]
[时序减少9.5N。]
[Time Sequence decreased by 1225N.]
[时序减少1225N。]
Vroom, vroom —
呜、呜嗡！
It was as if an invisible barrier appeared before the two on the stone bridge.
石桥上的两人身前宛若出现无形屏障。
The dense spray of rock fragments eerily scattered on their own before them.
密密麻麻爆射而来的岩石碎片在他们身前诡异的自动四散。
In the dust and smoke, a streamlined, water-drop-shaped blank area appeared — the wind channel formed by the whistling fragments as they avoided the space.
烟尘中出现抹流线型水滴般的空白区域，那是呼啸而过的碎石们避开后形成的风道轨迹。
Woo~
呜唔~
A black shadow twisted through the air in an eerie trajectory, changing direction and diving straight toward Yang Zicang from above. Yao Qiming wanted to reach out but was too late.
一道黑影在空中怪异的扭曲轨迹，它调转方向，从高空直插杨子藏而来，姚启明想伸手已经来不及。
Yang Zicang’s eyes wide with rage, he boldly raised his hand.
双眼怒睁的杨子藏悍然抬手。
Slap!
啪！
His right hand instantly caught the hilt of the flying broken sword, holding it inverted in his palm.
右手瞬间抓住飞驰而来的残剑剑柄，倒握掌中。
The blade of this broken sword was now only a little over thirty centimeters long.
这断剑的剑刃，已经只剩三十多厘米。
Yao Qiming’s eyes trembled, his expression复杂 (fù zá)!
姚启明目光震颤，神色复杂！
“Ha~” The young man showed a strange expression, both excited and pained.
“哈~”年轻人露出既兴奋又痛苦的怪异表情。
A “Ha, ha” sound came from his throat.
他喉咙中发出哈赤哈赤的声音。
Yang Zicang stared fixedly at the monster on the opposite platform, now rearing up and rampaging freely, and grinned: “Throw me over there.”
杨子藏死死盯住对面那正在平台上立起身躯，横行无忌的怪物，咧嘴道：“把我投过去。”
“What?”
“什么？”
Yao Qiming looked at the cruel smile on the young man’s face as if looking at a mental patient.
姚启明看着这年轻人脸上的残忍笑容，仿佛在看一个精神病人。
“I said, throw me over. That solves the distance problem.”
“我说，把我投掷过去，这样距离问题，就解决了。”
Golden illusory flames surged around the broken sword held inverted in his palm.
倒握于手掌的残剑涌现金色虚焰。
“Are you sure? Uh…”
“你确定？呃…”
Yang Zicang turned his head slightly and looked coldly into Yao Qiming’s eyes:
杨子藏略微转头，冷漠看向姚启明的双目：
“Don’t you understand?”
“你听不懂吗。”
The burly man’s eyelid twitched. He swallowed and said in a deep voice: “Fine!”
身材魁梧的男人眼角抽搐了下，他咽了口唾沫，沉声道：“成！”
The burly man dropped into a horse stance, half-squatting, his hands poised in front of him as if holding something. Yang Zicang stood upright and placed one foot in his hands.
这汉子扎起马步半蹲而下，双手虚抓在身前，杨子藏挺立身躯，一脚踩在他的双手中。