第一百零九章 荒车大货队 -1
After lunch, Shed Master Wuyou personally accompanied Yang Zicang as they strolled through the trading area—a partitioned large square that was also the place where he had built his fortune.
午饭后，无忧棚主亲自陪着杨子藏在交易区逛着，这是个隔出来的大广场，也是他发家的地方。
Seeing that Shed Master Wuyou was personally accompanying the Jiazi Space member to a sightseeing tour, while they themselves were only following behind—the handful of creators who had trekked thousands of miles here to auction off an engine felt a twinge of displeasure.
瞧见无忧棚主竟然亲自陪甲子间出游，而自己几人只是跟在后面，千辛万苦来这里来拍卖引擎的几名制作者心中有点不爽。
“It’s just a well. No matter how good the water is, isn’t it enough as long as it’s drinkable?”
“区区一个水井而已，哪怕出来的水再好，不也是能喝就行吗。”
One person deliberately lagged behind a few steps and muttered softly to a companion nearby.
一人故意往后吊了几步，跟陪在身旁的人低声碎语。
“You misunderstand, Brother Zhang.”
“你误会了，张兄弟。”
Someone ahead heard his words and stepped back two paces: “Shed Master Wuyou values his other abilities.”
前面有人听到了他的话，后退了两步道：“无忧棚主看中的是他别的能力。”
“What abilities? Can he fly to the sky?”
“啥能力啊，还能上天不成？”
“Ha, I told you were only focused on rummaging through material stalls. You didn’t know such a big thing happened outside yesterday. Those crocodiles were jumping out like fish, it was terrifying.”
“呵，就说你们只晓得转材料摊，昨天外面发生了那么大的事你们不晓得，那些鳄鱼真跟鱼似的往外面蹦，吓死人了。”
“You mean that incident? Didn’t the guard team clear them all up?”
“你说那件事啊，不是护卫队清理完了吗。”
Another person added: “At first, it seemed someone else helped too, rumored to be a Quadrilateral True Shape Realm master. One person alone suppressed over a hundred crocodile monsters that could burrow into the ground.”
另一人补充道：“最开始好像还有个谁帮忙来着，据说是个四边形高手。一人就镇压了百十只能遁地的鳄鱼怪物。”
The person who stepped back smirked: “He didn’t say it wrong. Many monsters were indeed taken care of by that man, and that man is none other than the one beside the shed master.”
这退后两步的人轻笑道：“他还真没说错，的确很多怪物被那人给收拾了，那人不是别人，就是棚主身旁那位。”
“What!”
“什么！”
The few beside him nearly gasped in surprise.
身旁几人差点惊呼出来。
This person pushed up his glasses: “Now you know why so many shed masters are cozying up to him? You think those shed masters of the medium shed areas are rushing to place orders just for mineral water to shower with?”
这人推了推眼镜：“这下知道，为什么那么多棚主跟他套近乎了吧，你以为那些中型棚区的棚主们赶着下订单是为了好用矿泉水洗澡？”
“I was just thinking that, damn it.”
“我就说嘛，他奶奶的。”
“But there must be some who are showering for real—you’ve got to admit that.”
“但绝对有人是为了洗澡，这一点你不得不承认。”
“Go to hell.”
“去你丫的。”
Feeling the gazes from behind, Yang Zicang had a thorny sensation as if needles were pricking his back.
感受着身后的目光，杨子藏如芒在背。
Shed Master Wuyou said, “Brother Yang, look, this is one of our specialty products—soap. It may seem ordinary, but the townsfolk really can’t do without it, and it sells even better in the Lost Frequency Lands.”
无忧棚主道：“杨兄你看，这就是我们的特产之一，肥皂。这东西，你说普通不普通，但镇里人还真没它不行，而且在失频之地销量更大。”
The simple packaging of each bar of soap showed that to exchange for one would take half a day’s time token.
看着那一枚枚包装普通肥皂，若要换到，每一枚要半天时序。
These were goods brought into the Wuyou Goods Market from Pivot Town.
这都是无忧货贸区从枢纽镇进来的货物。
“Brother, the underground monsters here have been appearing for almost a year now, but it’s really hard to completely deal with them all. If you hadn’t stepped in this time, I’d still be feeling a bit scared.”
“兄弟，我们这里的地下的怪物已经出现了快一年了，但要全部搞定它们还真是难以办到，这次要不是你出手，我都感觉有点后怕。”
He picked up a bag of chips wrapped in white paper packaging, tore it open, and handed it to Yang Zicang to sniff.
他手上拿起袋白色草纸包装的薯片，将它拆开后递给杨子藏嗅了嗅。
“Smells good, right? And with these packaged waters sitting in the warehouse, if those monsters had wrecked them, our losses would be unimaginable. So, I’d like to hire you to clear out the underground monsters.”
“香吧。还有这些包装水，它们存在库房里，要是被那些怪物一搞，我们损失不知道有多大。所以，我想聘请你帮我清理地下那些怪物。”
Yang Zicang sensed the sincerity in the shed master’s eyes.
杨子藏感受到棚主眼中的真诚。
Psychic-type and Quadrangle—either one alone would be a top-tier existence in this world, let alone the two combined.
念力型，四边形，随便哪个拎出来都是这个世界顶尖的存在，何况是这两个凑到了一起。
Yang Zicang suddenly realized that, without even noticing, he had become a true expert.
杨子藏着才恍然发觉，自己真的不知不觉间已经成为个高手了。
Though it felt like only a few days had passed, the actual experiences spanned thousands of years.
虽然像是才刚刚过去几天，但真实的经历却已经有了数千年。
He wondered, what was wrong with this world?
他想到，这个世界到底是怎么了。
Suddenly, a fuzzy thought struck him: he was but an ordinary mortal—how did he end up here? It all felt like a dream.
忽然他感觉脑袋一片混沌的想到，自己本是介凡夫俗子，为何能出现在这里，这一切都好像是梦一样。
Seeing Wuyou still staring at him, and realizing he had just spaced out, Yang Zicang turned to face him and asked, “Who was it that attacked me just now?”
见到无忧还盯着自己，而自己却忽然走神，杨子藏转身面向他道：“刚攻击我的是谁。”
“What?”
“什么？”
“Shed Master Wuyou, someone just affected my emotions. Do you know who it was?”
“无忧棚主，刚刚有人影响了我的情绪，他是谁你清楚吗。”
A strange glint flickered in Wuyou’s eyes. He raised his hand to those around him and said, “We’re heading back.”
无忧眼中闪过丝异芒，他抬起手对着身边人道：“我们回去。”
“Thank you for telling me that.”
“谢谢你能告诉我。”
With a stern expression of gratitude, Wuyou quickly turned and led the group away.
无忧面色严肃的道谢后领着几人快速转身离去。
Yang Zicang cast a puzzled glance at his retreating back. A woman from the entourage stepped forward and apologized, “Forgive me, Mr. Jiazi. I’m sorry for what happened to you.”
杨子藏疑惑的看了他背影一眼，跟在队伍中的女士上前，抱歉的道：“甲子先生，不好意思，我为你的遭遇道歉。”
It seemed this involved Shed Master Wuyou’s secret, so Yang Zicang refrained from pressing further. His earlier question had been nothing more than an impulse.
看来这关系到无忧棚主的秘密，杨子藏没有追问，刚刚的提问也只是一种冲动罢了。
The remaining people finally seized the chance to crowd around him, reintroducing themselves incessantly.
后面的几位终于找着机会围了过来，不停介绍着自己。
Since he had single-handedly taken out so many crocodile monsters, they assumed Yang Zicang was simply an unlucky martial talent from a fallen high-tier team.
能一人干掉那么多鳄鱼怪物，他们只当杨子藏是运气不好，流落自此的高级团队的武力人才。
“Thank you, everyone.” Yang Zicang felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“谢谢大家。”杨子藏有点哭笑不得。
He had taken a pseudonym precisely to avoid trouble, but now he was becoming even more famous instead.
自己明明化名就是为了避免麻烦，没想到现在反而更出名了。
After collecting over thirty more Lost Will Models, he bumped into Xu Xiuchuan, who looked visibly anxious on the way back.
又收了三十多枚失念模型之后，回去的路上撞见了神色紧张的徐秀川。
“Zicla—er, Jiazi! Something wrong, something’s wrong!”
“夹子哥，呸，甲子哥，不好了。”
“What’s the matter?”
“怎么了。”
Yang Zicang paused, noticing the man clutching large bags of food with a dazed look on his face.
杨子藏一愣神，这家伙拎着大包小包的食物，一副神不守舍的神态。
Xu Xiuchuan glanced around, spotted a crowd nearby, then summoned his Model Ring from his chest, launching a jagged beam toward him.
他左右看了眼，瞧见周围还跟着群人后，胸前浮现出模型圆环，一道折线射来。
[Ning Yang, the encampment chief, is in danger.]
{宁洋棚主遇到危险了。}
[What danger?]
[什么危险？]
{Hey, you remember the cargo fleet that came to our encampment two days ago? The one that gave us the trial samples—Zhao Qi. They’re from the Horse Bandit Cargo Fleet.}
{前两天来我们那个棚区的货队你还记得吗，还给了咱们试用装的那个赵启，他们是荒车大货队的人。}
Zuo Feixian also came bounding over from a distance with nimble steps.
左非闲也从远方迈着灵动的步伐跑了过来。
“Old pal, heard what happened to Ning Yang?”
“老兄，宁洋出事了知道了不。”
Yang Zicang nodded, then turned to the group of craftsmen picking through items at roadside stalls behind him. “Everyone, I’m heading back first. We’ll catch up another time.”
杨子藏点点头，他转身对着身后那群在路边摊位上挑选东西的制作者们道：“各位，我先回去了，有空咱们再续。”
“Right, right. Brother, you’ve always been solid. Come visit us at the Youyuan Encampment sometime. I’m leaving this afternoon, haha.”
“好勒好勒，甲子间兄弟，有空来我们友远聚集地作客，我下午就要走了，嘿嘿。”
Amid such farewells, Yang Zicang and the other two returned to their room. On the way, Xu Xiuchuan had already given him a rough overview of the situation with the Horse Bandit Cargo Fleet.
在如此的招呼声中，杨子藏三人回到了房间，路上徐秀川已经跟自己大致介绍了荒车大货队的情况。
They were a loose organization, initially formed among a few cargo fleets roaming the Out-of-Band Zones, later developing into a mutual-aid group.
他们是个松散的组织，最初成立于一些游走在失频之地的货队间，后来发展为一个互助形的组织。
So far, that sounds normal enough. But where there are people, there are selfish desires, conspiracies, and internal strife.
到此为止都还算正常，但有人的地方就有私欲，有阴谋，有勾心斗角。
Some who sniffed out the benefits of such an organization began using their pattern-granted abilities to seize power, collect protection fees, and form cliques, eventually turning it into a gray organization in the Out-of-Band Zones. Nowadays, they engage in theft, robbery, human trafficking, and even genocidal massacres of certain encampments to plunder resources.
某些嗅到这种组织好处的人，开始以模型赋予的能力夺取权力，收取保护费，并拉帮结派，最后演变成了失频之地上的一个灰色组织。现在的他们，偷窃打劫，拐卖，甚至是对于某些棚区进行灭绝性屠杀，以掠夺资源。
This time, Ning Yang has run into them.
宁洋这次，就遇上了他们。
“For small settlements like ours, this is no different from a flock of sheep being targeted by a pack of wolves.”
“这对小型聚集地来说，无异于绵羊们被狼群给盯上。”
Zuo Feixian remarked as he closed the door behind them.
左非闲边关上房门边说道。
“What’s all this talk about sheep and wolves?”
“啥羊群狼群的？”
Luo Bin, who had been lying in bed reading a novel with his legs crossed, sat up.
屋子里躺床上，翘着二郎腿看小说的洛宾直起身。
“The shantytown owner of the place I stayed at for a few days was lured out and then robbed.”
“我之前住了几天的那个棚区的棚主，给人骗出去后被打劫了。”
“Oh, they didn’t kill him, did they?”
“哟，没撕票吧。”
Xu Xiuchuan shook his head. “But it won’t be long now. Normally, if a group stays hidden, no one notices them. But this time, with the Wasteland Convoy gathering together, they’re definitely targeting some nearby settlement. Those locusts have caught a whiff of something good.”
徐秀川摇摇头：“但估计快了，一般一支队伍不暴露也就罢了。这次荒车大货队们聚集在一起，肯定是要对附近的某个聚集地下手，这些蝗虫们，是嗅到什么好东西的味道了。”
Luo Bin cracked open a nut shell, sucked out the kernel, and smacked his lips as he spoke,
洛宾咬开个坚果壳，嗦出里面的果肉在嘴中砸吧着开口道：
“This Wasteland Convoy seems to have a nasty reputation. No one’s stepped up to deal with them?”
“这什么大货队似乎恶名很盛啊，就没有人出面收拾他们吗。”
Both men shook their heads like rattling drums.
两人的头摇得跟拨浪鼓似的。
Zuo Feixian said, “Normally, you can’t tell who’s part of the Wasteland Convoy. Most of the time, they run honest businesses.”
左非闲道：“这些人平时吧，你也看不出来他们是不是荒车大货队的人，大多数时候他们都是老实做生意的。”
“And going after them is a thankless task—no one knows where they are. As for those who organize a cleanup, they have their own shantytowns, right? If they don’t wipe them out completely, they’ll just invite trouble, and getting hit by a counterattack would wipe out their place.”
“而且去围剿他们，吃力不讨好啊，谁知道他们在哪儿。但组织围剿的人则有自己的棚区吧，剿没剿干净，反倒惹身骚，到时候来个回马枪棚区就完了。”
“The Wasteland Convoy’s targets are generally small to medium settlements; even medium-sized ones are rare. The major shantytowns are focused on groups with even worse reputations, so they turn a blind eye to these guys—live and let live.”
“荒车大货队的目标一般是中小型聚集地，中级的都少。大棚区们的精力基本都在那些恶名更胜的组织身上，对它们也就睁只眼闭只眼，井水不犯河水。”
“Got it.”
“明白了。”
Yang Zicang understood. Essentially, the targets of the wilderness freight convoys were small and medium-sized shelter leaders like Ning Yang. These shelters lacked the strength to eliminate them, while the large shelters could deal with them but saw no need—it would only drive a steady stream of people from smaller shelters to seek protection from them instead.
杨子藏听懂了，反正荒车大货队欺负的对象就是宁洋这种中小型棚主，这些棚区们没有剿灭它们的实力，而大棚区们有能收拾他们，但没有必要，反而因此会有源源不断的小棚区之人想要加入自己寻求保护。
Zuo Feixian and Xu Xiuchuan glanced sharply at Yang Zicang, then looked away, pretending not to have done so.
左非闲和徐秀川都眼神闪动的瞄了杨子藏一眼，又撇过头去，假装做这动作。
Yang Zicang smiled. “What, got an idea?”
杨子藏笑笑：“怎么，有想法？”
Xu Xiuchuan hesitated to speak, but Zuo Feixian immediately grinned widely. “Heh, Boss Jia, before yesterday, I wouldn’t have even considered it, but now? I’m full of confidence. If you take action, it’ll be the end of those bastards.”
徐秀川不好意思说，左非闲立即就咧起个大口：“嘿嘿，甲老大，要昨天之前，我肯定不会诞生这想法，但是吧，现在我可是有信心得很，甲老大如果出手，就是这些畜生们的末日。”
Luo Bin shifted his butt to the edge of the bed and feigned surprise. “Oh? You two trust him that much?”
洛宾将屁股挪到床沿，故作吃惊的道：“哟，你们就这么相信这位？”
“Of course.”
“当然。”
Xu Xiuchuan puffed out his chest. Ever since he saw Yang Zicang mow down those crocodile monsters like they were nothing, he had already been in awe.
徐秀川挺起胸膛，自从见到杨子藏将那些鳄鱼怪物们砍瓜切菜似的一通收拾后，他就已经惊为天人。
As far as he knew, no one else could match the strength Yang Zicang had shown so far—except for that one monster from before.
目前杨子藏表现出来的实力，他印象中没有第二个人能够媲美，除了之前那个怪物。
After that day, he had already contacted several drinking buddies via the models, asking roughly about the Moon Shadow Summon Bug, and only then did he realize what it truly meant.
那天过后，他已经跟好些狐朋狗友用模型联络过，大致问到了关于月影级怪物的信息，才晓得那意味着什么。
Zuo Feixian looked at Yang Zicang, his tone light but his words filled with murderous intent as he advised,
左非闲看着杨子藏，语气轻松，但却杀意凌然的劝道：
“Brother Jia, listen—I know you guys took the blame from that bastard Ning Yang here—but he’s nothing but a blind fool who can’t recognize a gem. What we desperately need now is a large stock of models; these wasteland convoy folks gathering here, it’s handing us a perfect opportunity.”
“甲哥，虽然我知道你们在宁洋那混球那里受了冤枉，但他就是个有眼不识金镶玉的蠢货，咱们现在缺的正是大量模型，这些荒车队的人聚集，正是给了咱们个好机会。”
Yang Zicang’s eyelids drooped halfway down, his mind weighing the feasibility of the idea.
杨子藏的眼帘半垂内心思索着可行性。
“Right next to where they’ve gathered, there’s a tiny settlement that only sprang up last year. Brother Yang—either tonight or by tomorrow at the latest, that settlement will likely be wiped off the map.”
“他们聚集的地方，旁边就有个去年才诞生的小聚集地。杨哥，要么今晚，最迟明天，那个聚集地可能就会灰飞烟灭了。”
“God damn it! These butchers.” Luo Bin slapped his own thigh hard.
“我干他大爷的，这些屠夫。”洛宾狠狠拍了下自己的大腿。