All the nightmare entities had been eliminated.
所有恶魇都被消灭了。
“Why did these things suddenly appear? Did we enter some kind of special place?”
“为什么会突然冒出这些东西，是因为进入了什么特殊的地方了吗？”
The sea was no different, and both the spear and the boat had accompanied him for a long time. Yang Zicang swept his gaze around. Finally… his eyes fixed on the sky.
海域并无不同，长枪与船只也都陪伴自己许久，杨子藏四下扫望。最后…目光定格天际。
“It couldn’t be you!”
“该不会是你！”
If there was anything else out of the ordinary—it had to be that comet, which had taken two or three months to climb to a position like the sun at mid-morning!
要说还有什么其它特别之处——那就是天上那颗跑了两三个月才如日上三杆般的彗星！
If that were the case, that land might… have to go back!
要真是这样，那片陆地恐怕…必须回去！
Yang Zicang was completely flustered.
杨子藏整个人都是慌乱的。
He had left behind the technology.
自己留下了技术。
[Reconfigure, accelerate!]
[调度，加速！]
Turn the boat around!
调转船头！
[Spiritual Artifact War Tool, accelerate!]
[灵物战器，加速！]
Boom! The dugout canoe suddenly picked up speed, its bow kicking up several-meter-high waves. Yang Zicang stood on one foot at the prow, fretting and frequently looking up at that comet.
嘭！独木舟骤然提速，船头激起数米高的浪花。杨子藏单脚踩在船首，焦躁不安的频繁抬头看向那颗彗星。
Like an elegant arc gracefully cutting across the blue sky.
仿佛碧蓝天际优雅划过的一抹弧线。
Now that it had grown slightly larger, cracks of red could be seen on its surface!
现如今稍微变大些的它已经能看到表面的红色！
[Maintain this speed and energy consumption, time, accelerate!]
[保持这样的速度与消耗，时间，加速！]
Day and night alternated several times in one second, and the comet in the sky had noticeably moved forward.
昼夜在一秒内交替数次，天际的彗星也明显前移。
[I have advanced to a point 7.1 R later.]
[我前往了7.1R以后。]
Suddenly, the boat’s speed dropped sharply; the mast’s acceleration ability had vanished.
突然，船速骤降，桅杆的加速能力消失了。
Its energy source had nothing to do with time order.
它的能量来源不是时序时序。
“Damn it, what exactly do you need to replenish?”
“可恶啊，你要补充的是什么？”
……
The dead nightmare couldn’t speak. After busying himself for a while in the face of the sudden speed drop, Yang Zicang suddenly had a flash of insight. Didn’t those nightmare engines consume flesh and blood?
死去的恶魇不会说话，速度骤降而忙活了阵子的杨子藏，忽地灵机一动。那恶魇发动机们不是使用的血肉吗？
He leaned down and reached his hand into the sea, catching nearby swimming fish as if they naturally fell into his palm. The moment the fish touched the mast, several thread-like filaments grew out and pierced into their bodies.
他俯身探手入海，附近游动的鱼儿犹如自然进入掌中般被他抓起。鱼身接触桅杆的刹那，数根丝线长出，刺入其体内。
In the blink of an eye, the live fish were drained into dried carcasses! Yang Zicang was horrified but gritted his teeth.
转眼间活鱼便被吸成干尸！杨子藏看得骇然，他咬咬牙。
“One fish is far from enough.”
“一只鱼根本不够。”
Beneath the water surface, a faint silhouette of a massive creature drifted past in the dark sea.
水面之下，隐约有巨大生物从黑暗的海水下晃过。
[Mobilization!]
[调度！]
Yang Zicang controlled the swimming trajectory of the fish, catching one large fish after another and placing them by the mast. Soon, they turned into shriveled fish jerky.
杨子藏控制鱼儿的滑动轨迹，将一条条大鱼捕起，放到桅杆旁，没多久它们就成了干瘪的大鱼干。
At last, the mast began to accelerate again.
桅杆终于重新开始加速。
“Please, even if this is just a dream…”
“拜托了，哪怕是梦境…”
……

A month later, the coastline finally appeared before his eyes. The moment he saw it, Yang Zicang stood up anxiously, staring at it.
一个月后，海岸线终于出现在眼前。见到它的瞬间，杨子藏焦急站起身来，望向那里。
The dugout canoe shot onto the sandy beach like an arrow from a bowstring, carving deep furrows in the gravel.
独木舟如离弦之箭冲上沙滩，在沙砾间犁出深沟。
[Time acceleration.]
[时间加速。]
[I traveled to 2R later.]
[我前往了2R以后。]
The sun and moon rotated, and Yang Zicang found himself near the primitive tribe he had left behind. Now, it was devoid of any human presence, with only a thick, lingering scent of blood seeming to eternally permeate the place…
日月转动，杨子藏出现在离开时的原始部落附近。此刻这里已经没有人烟，只有浓重的血腥味似乎永恒弥漫在此处…
At the edge of the deep and dense forest, inside the cave where people once dwelled, a faint red light flickered ominously.
幽深而茂密的森林边缘，当初住人的洞穴内，晦暗红光隐隐闪烁。
“Ah…”
“啊…”
Rage!
盛怒！
Yang Zicang had never felt such heartache and fury.
杨子藏从未如此痛心与愤怒。
“Ahhh!”
“呃啊啊啊！”
Gripping the longspear, he whispered as a golden radiance, enhanced fourfold, bloomed step by step as he advanced toward the former cavemen’s den! Before he even drew near, the malevolent nightmare lying within seemed to have sensed the life form outside.
他手握长枪，低吟着冒出四倍增幅后的金辉一步步走去向曾经的野人洞穴！还未靠近，里面的恶魇似已发现外界的生命。
Rumble~
轰隆！
Rocks burst apart, and through the debris shot things resembling swordfish, bearing grotesque human faces—each no bigger than a thumb.
岩石爆开，数道如同剑鱼般，长着指头大怪异人脸的东西穿过岩石射来。
“Die!”
“死！”
How could Yang Zicang not recognize where those faces came from!
杨子藏哪里不知它们的脸来自哪儿！
His weapon lashed out on its own—had those ironware lain on the ground, perhaps so; but since they flew through the air, they were all bound by the limitation of regulation power, as if they were slamming themselves straight onto the spear’s tip.
武器抽动，这些铁器若是在地上倒也罢了，它们飞在空中，无不受到调度能力的制约，仿佛自己撞上枪尖似的。
Spear shadows danced like the gale.
枪影如风。
On this vast primal continent, Yang Zicang, who had honed his combat skills through at least a decade and more of sparring with primitive beasts, poured out his painstakingly sharpened battle arts in a breathtaking spectacle in that very moment—in the blink of an eye, fragmented relics of nightmare weapons lay scattered across the earth.
在这片广阔原始大陆上与原始野兽对练至少十数年战斗技巧的杨子藏，将磨砺的战技在此刻展现得淋漓尽致，转眼间地上已散落数件兵器形态的恶魇残骸。
He was stricken with remorse, drowning in regret that came too late! “Why did I teach these cavemen arts that don’t belong to this era?!”
他痛心疾首，后悔莫及！自己为什么要教给原始人不属于这个时代的技艺！
{Kra~}*
{古拉~}
A thick rush of blood mist-turned-aura welled forth.
浓重的血气涌现。
The humanoid nightmare born from vines—who stepped out of the cave, its twisted ape-like visage—sent Yang Zicang’s pupils instantly recoiling.
洞穴中走出的藤网长出的人形恶魇，那张扭曲的猿人脸令杨子藏瞳孔骤缩。
“Aaaah!”—
“啊啊啊——！“
Several vines erupted from between its fingers and proliferated at thrilling speed, unfurling into a great net that spread outward.
数道藤蔓从它指见飞速扩散而出，化为大网扩散而来。
[Circumvent tactics activating!]
[调度！]
Yang Zicang swerved to dodge, while two more kindred figures emerged from the dark of the surrounding woodlands, countless nearby brambles stirred and thrashed down on him from all sides!
杨子藏闪身避让，又有两只同类自周遭森林阴影中现身，周围无数藤曼涌动搅来！
As the demon roared, two smaller individuals swung their giant vine arms down. The spear flew out of his hand, transforming into a streak of light under the acceleration command, instantly piercing the core red light of the first demon.
恶魇咆哮声中，两只小型个体挥舞藤蔓巨臂砸落。长枪脱手而出，在加速指令下化作流光，瞬间洞穿首只恶魇的核心红芒。
Boom!
轰！
One demon fell and exploded.
一只恶魇倒地炸开。
YangZicang instantly turned into an afterimage, his spear hooking up a vine net and ripping it apart with a swoosh.
杨子藏瞬间化为残影，长枪挑起个蔓网，唰地将它撕破。
Sunlight thinly penetrated the dense canopy, casting mottled light and shadow. The roots beneath the demon on the left were tough as veins, deeply embedded into the ground.
阳光稀薄地穿透密集的树冠，洒下斑驳光影，左侧恶魇怪物脚下的根系如同坚韧的脉络，深深扎入大地。
{Wugula!}
{呜古拉！}
They howled like primitive humans, raising giant vines that split the ground, twisting like a swarm of massive snakes.
它们如原始人般咆哮着，鼓起根根巨大藤蔓裂地而起，如同条条穿梭的巨蟒。
YangZicang moved with agility, dodging these roots that traveled underground. With a low roar, two smaller vine demons swung their woven giant arms, pounding down with a whooshing wind.
杨子藏身形矫健跃动，躲避这些游走地下的根须。随着声低沉咆哮，两只小些的藤蔓恶魇挥动编织而成的巨臂，带着呼啸的风声砸来。
[Trajectory Dispatch!]
[轨迹调度！]
Boom!
嘭！
The two vine giant arms altered their trajectory, crashing violently into each other and bursting into a flurry of floating fibers.
两道藤蔓巨臂改变轨迹，狠狠撞在一起，爆起漫天飞絮。
He flickered and lightly leaped aside, while his spear transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting straight towards the demon’s chest.
他身形一闪，轻巧地跃至一旁，同时手中长枪化作道流光飞射而出，直刺恶魇的胸膛。
“Accelerate! Pierce it!”
“加速！给我撞开！”
The spear sped up sharply!
枪速暴涨！
Thump! Thump! Thump!
嘭嘭嘭！
The roots beneath the ground exploded outward in the blast, sweeping toward Yang Zicang like brandished spears.
地面下的树根们在爆炸中轰然翻出，如同挥舞的根根长矛向杨子藏横扫而来。
Thump, thump, thump!
噔噔噔！
Yang Zicang lightly tapped his feet several times, stepping onto an arching root to leap up.
杨子藏脚步数次轻巧点动，一脚踏在拱起的树根上跃起。
“Go back to hell!”
“滚回地狱去吧！”
His whole body shimmered with golden light, punching through countless tiny vines ahead. Meanwhile, the gun shaft slammed into a gap sealed by vines beside another small nightmare creature.
他浑身冒着金光，一拳打碎前方的无数细小藤蔓。枪杆则轰然插入另一只小恶魇身侧用藤蔓封锁的缝隙内。
Bang!
嘭！
The red energy cluster burst open.
红色能量团炸开。
In the dappled sunlight, debris scattered and dissipated in the air.
斑驳阳光下，漫天碎屑飞舞消散。
Yang Zicang stood up, turned his head indifferently to look around; the ground was littered with the unrecognizable remains of monsters.
杨子藏起身漠然转头看去，满地都是不可名状的怪物残骸。
He strode into the cave, spear in hand, silently. Scattered around were over a dozen withered human forms.
他提枪沉默地走入洞穴内，四周散落十数具干枯人形。
On the walls, playful children had carved chaotic lines with rocks… Higher up, the clan’s respected savage had drawn various images of creatures: a beast represented by an arch and four short lines; a man, denoted by upright crossing lines; and several fish composed of two twisting curves entwined together.
墙上有胡闹的孩童拿岩石刻画的混乱线条…再高处，是族群里有威望的野人努力画出的各种生物形象：有一道拱形、四根小短线所表示的野兽；有竖立交叉线条所代表的人；还有好几个由两条曲线线条扭曲在一起的鱼。
“So you all could catch fish.”
“你们都会捕鱼了。”
“People who tried so hard to survive…”
“明明那么努力生存的人们…”
Yang Zicang clenched his fist, looking at the rock pile at the foot of the wall, drained of vital essence, beneath these paintings.
杨子藏握紧了拳头，看向这些绘画下方，墙角被抽干精血的尸骸，
But this was not the time for lament. The continent was vast, and he had left various technologies and artifacts scattered in many places.
但现在不是哀叹的时候，这块大陆还大得很，而自己在很多地方都留下了各种技术和人造物。
If the mutations began from this side one after another… he quickly headed towards the groups and small tribes where he had left behind skills and weapons in his memory.
若异变是从这边陆续开始…他快速前往记忆中留下过技艺与武器的族群与小部落。
……

The comet had already crossed a small half of the sky over the past few months, and by now it was well into spring.
几个月来彗星已经划过小半个天空，此时已经进入春天有些时候了。
Along the way, Yang Zicang encountered one ruined settlement after another.
一路上杨子藏遇见一个又一个被毁灭的族群聚集地。
Only a few bewildered savages had managed to escape with their lives, too afraid to ever return home. They were scattered, alone, across the vast land, with no way of knowing when they would meet others who had suffered the same fate to form a new tribe.
只有少数茫然无措的野人逃出生天，再也不敢回家。他们孤零零地散落在茫茫天地中，不知何时才能遇到其它同样命运的人，组建起新的族落。
“Is this the secret you wanted to tell me, Temple Emblem!”
“这就是你要告诉我的秘密吗？邮徽！”
The comet in the sky hung against the flawless blue firmament, like an exquisite brush stroke from an artist.
天际彗星挂在一成不染的碧蓝苍穹，如同画家的优美笔触。
Boom!
轰！
The nightmare formed within this wooden shed in the forest was shattered by several shots from his rifle.
林中这个木棚所形成的恶魇，被他几枪击碎。
Under the scorching sun, Yang Zicang strode forward, having crossed most of the continent.
炎炎烈日下，跨过大半个陆地的杨子藏迈步而来。
Piercing a piece of shattered wood and looking down, the remains of the bodies beneath the shack seemed as if they had died less than half a month ago.
挑起碎木块低头看去，窝棚下方的尸体残骸像是死去不到半个月。
“This nightmare should have formed not long ago. My guess was correct.”
“这恶魇应该形成不久，我的猜想对的。”
He withdrew his upward gaze and was about to leave when he suddenly heard a few voices from afar.
他收回仰望的目光，正将离去，忽地听到远方几道声音响起。
A large and a small savage burst out, crouching like apes a dozen meters away, staring at Yang Zicang with grunts of surprise.
一大一小两个野人冲了出来，他们在十来米外如猿猴般半蹲着唔喔看着杨子藏。
“I’m sorry… this time, I can’t teach you anything more.”
“对不起，这次我…没办法再教你们什么啊。”
He vanished from the spot.
他消失在原地。
……

Beside the withered-yellow forest, after Yang Zicang re-manufactured a stone spear and a complex little wooden house, no nightmare was born.
枯黄的森林旁，杨子藏重新制作了石矛与复杂的小木屋后，并未诞生恶魇。
Yang Zicang looked up.
杨子藏抬头。
The comet continued its steady advance, spanning more than half the sky, yet it was a step too late for him.
彗星在继续稳定前进，它跨过大半的天空，但迟了自己一步。
“If I go to Xiao Wu’s tribe now, it should still be in time.”
“现在去小武的部落，应该还来得及。”
He lit a fire, burned down the wooden hut, and smashed the stone spear into pieces.
他点燃火将木屋烧毁，把石矛砸碎。
……
The shaman sat before the campfire.
巫坐着篝火前。
Surrounded by his dim, aging eyes were countless people with simple yet sharp glances.
老眼昏花的他身旁围着无数目光单纯，但精光四射的人们。
Men, women, young, and old—all were wrapped in clean, neatly arranged various furs.
无论男女老幼，他们都裹着披着干净整洁的各式皮毛。
The blizzard raged. Yet, under the cliff, within that hollow, there were occasional bursts of laughter. But these people dared not speak loudly near the aged shaman, only occasionally whispering and jesting at the edge of the crowd.
风雪肆虐。这岩壁下的凹坑内却不时露出些欢声笑语。但这些人不敢在年老的巫身边大声说话，只是偶尔在人群外围低声调笑。
If anyone disturbed the old man, several tribal leaders would immediately untie their ropes, strip off their belts, pull away their animal skins, and throw them into the storm.
若谁惊扰到这位老人，几位族群首领会马上将这些人解开绳索腰带、拔去兽皮，丢到风雪中。
For without the shaman, how could they live so comfortably? They would be starving and freezing in the blizzard, struggling to survive the winter.
因为若是没有巫，他们哪里会如此安逸度日，只能在风雪中挨饿受冻，艰难过冬。
The reason they were so harsh toward the young savages who committed offenses was that the old man was far too aged, no longer able to withstand the stimulation of any noise.
之所以这样严苛对待作出冒犯行为的年轻野人，是因为老人家的年纪太大了，已经经不起什么响动的刺激。
From those who still survived from that era, there were only a handful of people left.
从那个时代还活下来的人中，仅有寥寥几人而已。
But don’t underestimate these individuals—their lifespans had already exceeded more than double that of ordinary savages. That was because most savages originally couldn’t live past thirty. Most died from disease, starvation, or at the jaws of beasts. This was, by all means, impossible.
但可别小看这几人，他们的存活时间，已经超过了普通野人的两倍以上，因为原本大多数野人都活不过三十。它们大多死于疾病、饥饿以及野兽之口。这原本是不可能的事情。
A man with a smooth forehead mumbled a few indistinct words to the girl beside him. The female savage, whose round face was framed by shoulder-length hair, shot him a glare before quietly getting up and stepping away.
一个额头光洁的男人小声对着身旁的女孩咿呀两句，长发披肩露出圆圆脸庞的女野人瞪了他一眼后，蹑着手脚起身走出。
The male savage chuckled and sneakily backed off, retreating from the vast, blazing campfire.
男野人嘿嘿笑了下，也鬼鬼祟祟地后退，离开了庞大的、熊熊燃烧的篝火范围。
The two tribal leaders exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
两个聚落首领互相看了眼，会心一笑。
They encouraged the growth of their tribe’s population, as it meant a steady stream of manpower to sustain and strengthen the settlement.
他们是鼓励聚落的人员越来越多的，这意味着将有源源不绝的人力来维持聚落的壮大。