第一百六十一章 昼与夜的较量 -2
“Alas, we can’t see a thing about what’s happening.”
“唉，根本看不见发生了什么。”
“The screen always glitches at crucial moments, and by the time it clears up, everything has changed. That subway sure took a beating.”
“每到关键时候就花屏，等再出现已经大变样了。这地铁可够惨的。”
The crowd chattered on and on, one after another.
众人你一句我一句的讨论。
“But this time, the nightmare train didn’t run away—it’s actually risking it all in a head-on clash with Yang Zicang.”
“但这次，这恶魇列车倒是没有逃跑，竟然跟杨子藏这样玩命。”
One man squinted and stared at the two screens that had been the first to go down.
一人眯着眼看着最先下去的两个屏幕。
“Wait—what’s that thing under Yang Zicang’s feet? It can even fly. Did he get another treasure?”
“等下，杨子藏脚下那是什么玩意儿啊，还能飞，他又得到宝物了？”
More people crammed into the room, all falling silent for a moment, until someone said:
屋内挤进来更多的人都沉默了下，随后有人道：
“Damn, he definitely seized that from the Editor-in-Chief’s subordinate.”
“靠，绝对是从主编下属身上缴获的。”
“Shit, I kind of want to head to the Frequency-Disrupted Lands now. A flying treasure like that—I’ve never even seen one before.”
“妈蛋，我都有点想去失频之地了，这样的飞行宝物，我都还没见过。”
Even the city’s top experts, who hold high positions in the town, rarely encountered flying treasures, yet now one had fallen into Yang Zicang’s hands.
哪怕是镇中身居高位的众城市的高手，也少有见到能够飞行的宝物，此刻却出现在了杨子藏手中。
“Ah, he got another great find!”
“啊，又让他得到好东西了！”
“Alright, stop arguing.”
“好了别吵了。”
Zhu Yin, standing in front, clapped his hands to signal the crowd to settle down.
前方的逐银拍了拍手，示意大家安静。
“The outcome of the anomaly in the Frequency-Disrupted Lands has a significant impact on us too—don’t go leaking any information. Also, if you know any platform owners who have Spirit Stones, tell them to get the stones ready and make sure to hand them over to Yang Zicang. Otherwise, once this is over, I’ll send a dedicated team to conduct a purge.”
“失频之地这次的异相结局也对我们有很大影响，大家不要胡乱透露消息。另外，有认识拥有神石的棚主的，叫他们都准备好石头，务必要交给杨子藏。否则这次事情结束，我要派专人进行清洗。”
It was clear that YangZicang was collecting the Divine Stones to deal with the Editor-in-Chief, and the previous several frightful incidents on the Land of Static were caused by its minions. The Land of Static must absolutely not be allowed to fall under a master, especially such an unshakeable grand figure—otherwise, there may be no room left for humans to live freely in the future.
很明显，杨子藏收集神石就是为了对付主编，而之前失频之地上发生的几起惨案，都是它的属下在作祟。绝对不能让失频之地成为有主之物，还是这样一尊无人可以撼动的大神，否则后续恐怕没有人类的自由生活空间。
Everyone listened to Zhuyin’s instructions.
众人听着逐银的叮嘱。
He had already stated this matter before, but now that more people had entered the observation room, he mentioned it again. However, this time he even uttered the word “purge,” indicating the severity of the situation.
这件事他之前已经说过了，只是这会儿进来观测室的人多了后再提了一次。但这次“清洗”二字都说出了口，看来事态极其严重。
The models on many people’s chests lit up, and they began contacting cargo teams from the Frequency-Lost Area that they were familiar with to inform them of the sub-town chief’s decision.
好些人胸前的模型亮起，开始跟自己熟识的失频之地筑货队联系，告知了副镇的这一决定。
Inside the carriage.
车厢中。
Xingmiao’s translucent body sat cross-legged on the ground, with several broken bone fragments floating inside her.
星渺半透明身体盘坐在地上，几节残破的碎骨在其体内漂浮。
These Divine Stones, trapped by chains, surrounded Xingmiao.
这些被链条困住的神石围绕在星渺身旁。
{You continue to collect the Divine Stones. As for these stones with their powers sealed, I need some time to unshackle them.}
{你们继续回去收集神石，这些被封印力量的石头，我要花费些时间解除束缚。}
“Okay,” the group nodded.
“好。”几人点头。
As the ripples faded, the sky was once again shrouded in darkness.
随着波纹的消失，天际再次被黑暗笼罩。
The train headed toward Wang Chong’s telekinetic platform. After collecting that section of finger bone at the camp, it proceeded to the location indicated by Xing Miao. They could also sense that the energy radiating from Xing Miao was growing stronger.
列车前往王翀的念力站台，在营地将那节指骨收集后，向着星渺指示的地方而去。而他们也感觉得到，星渺身上散发出的能量越来越强。
Since everyone carried an aura of death, they did not switch out the three injured individuals while at the camp.
因为几人身上都带着“死气”，因此在营地时并未将三人换下。
Little Liu, bruised and battered from the heavy fall, looked at the unfamiliar surroundings outside and said:
摔得七晕八素的小刘鼻青脸肿的看着外界陌生的环境道：
“This place isn’t on the previous map.”
“这里不在之前的地图上。”
“Well, in this half-day, the divine stones across the regions have changed hands plenty; it’s only normal to update the map.”
“毕竟这半天里，各地神石早就易主好多了，更新下地图也很正常吧。”
The phantom train stopped in a mountain hollow.
幻影列车停在一处山坳处。
“You!”
“是你！”
Zicang Yang recognized at once the man standing by several stones—it was Li Shangxiang from the previous wasteland convoy.
杨子藏一眼就认出了站在几块石头旁的那人，正是之前荒车大货队的李尚响。
“Hello there, Zicang Yang?”
“你好啊，杨子藏？”
He approached politely with a cheerful smile:
他客气的上前，脸上挂着笑呵呵的表情：
“Actually, I’m with the Shiqian team. These are what we’ve gathered over the past few days—six in total.”
“其实我属于时迁团队，这些都是我们这几天收集来的，一共六块。”
“So many.”
“这么多。”
Luo Bin stared in shock at the stones.
洛宾震惊的看着这几块石头。
Suddenly, they burst with a bang and exploded into energy.
突然它们嘭地声爆炸化为能量。
The energy then condensed into fragments of bones of varying sizes, flying into the train and coalescing around Xingmiao’s skeletal body.
能量又凝聚为大小不一的碎骨飞入列车，聚拢至星渺的骸骨身躯。
The aura emanating from it immediately grew denser, and the train itself became more sinister, as if it could truly bring death to the land—a ghostly chariot racing through midnight, impenetrable to the living.
它身上的气势顿时变得更为凝练，而列车也更为阴森，似乎真的能给大地带来死亡一般，成为一辆穿行在午夜的鬼怪之车，活人难入。
Li Shangxiang cast an admiring glance and stepped forward to hand over a simple map:
李尚响羡慕的看了眼，走上前递来副简易地图：
“Someone among us was once chosen by a divine stone and received a revelation. Beyond these six I have here, there are more from the past couple of days in two other spots you can pick up.”
“我们中有人以前被神石选中，所以得到了启示。除了我这里的六块，在另外两处地方还有些是这两天收集来的，你们可以去拿。”
This was a huge help. Xianfei Zuo then recalled the two mental transmissions he’d received earlier, but out of caution, he had pretended not to hear.
这可是帮了大忙，左非闲此时也想起了之前对自己的两次心念传输，不过自己因为谨慎而选择了假装没听见。
Li Shangxiang, after offering the map, brushed the dust off his hands and smiled toward Zicang Yang:
递过地图的李尚响拍了拍手上的灰尘，对着杨子藏笑道：
“We relied heavily on Wuying tonight; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been this efficient.”
“其实今晚基本靠无影，不然我们哪里能这么高效。”
Everyone understood—they had likely relied on Wuying to steal them.
几人都明白，想必是靠无影去偷来的。
“Thank you. With these, we should have enough.”
“谢谢你们，有这些，基本上就够了。”
Xingmiao’s body parts were scattered across at least a hundred pieces. According to its request, collecting just over a third would suffice to handle the Editor-in-Chief.
星渺的躯骇散落大地至少上百，按它的要求，只需要收集三分之一以上便足以应对主编。
It’s hard to imagine how powerful it truly is.
难以想象真正实力的它有多强。
The train started moving, and Luo Bin sighed:
列车开始行进，洛宾叹息道：
“People from our city are just better. ShíQiān lives up to his name—on the Frequency-Lost Ground, he might spend his days petty thieving, but when it counts, he’s a thief with honor.”
“还得是我们城的人啊。时迁不愧是时迁，在失频之地上虽然平时偷鸡摸狗，但关键时刻却是盗亦有道。”
Little Liu held back.
小刘忍了忍。
Fold lines shot through one after another—representing the tent area with the Divine Stone contacting Yang Zicang for connections.
一道又一道折线陆续射来，是拥有神石的棚区联系杨子藏。
With unusual signs in the sky and pressure from both the Silver and Crimson hub towns, many tent owners sensed something major was about to happen tonight and began contacting him to hand over their Divine Stones.
有天上的异相，有白银和绯红两座枢纽镇共同施压，很多棚主意识到了今夜恐怕有什么大变故，纷纷联系开始上缴神石。
Suddenly, a fold line shot through with panicked words:
忽地，一道折线带着惊恐的言辞射来
{Yang Zicang, our tent area has been destroyed.}
{杨子藏，我们棚区被毁灭了。}
Hurriedly, Yang Zicang connected and saw the dark scene behind this stranger—the land was filled with smoke and dust, the buildings gone.
杨子藏赶紧连通，看着这位陌生人背后的昏暗场景，那一片大地布满烟尘，里面的建筑已经消失。
“Do you know who did this?” he asked, feeling something amiss as he opened the link.
“知道是谁吗？”他略感不妙的接通这道链接说道。
No sooner had he connected the Mental Link than a translucent female form, pulsating with waves, appeared behind the terrified man. She broke through the illusions like an apparition materializing before their eyes, and Yang Zicang was so startled he nearly fell backward.
刚接通心灵链接，一道闪动着波段般的半透明女性形象就出现在这惊恐男人的身后。这女人似真实般突破幻影出现在眼前，杨子藏吓得差点往后仰去。
On her strikingly gorgeous face, a cold stare swept over.
她美艳无双的脸庞上，无情目光扫射而来。
{You are Yang Zicang. Cease your collection efforts, and I will grant you the model upgrade materials you desire. I also invite you to join my company as an executive tasked with building a home on this land.}
{你就是杨子藏。放弃收集这些东西，我赐予你想要的模型晋升道具。并邀请你进入我的公司，成为我在大地上建设家园的干事。}
Yang Zicang’s mind buzzed. By the time he regained his senses, the mental link had already been severed.
杨子藏大脑嗡地下，当他再次回过神时，链接已经断掉。
He turned around and saw Xing Miao lifting his head.
他转身看向身后，星渺正抬起头来。
“She was very far from you—far beyond any distance that should allow contact. As for the materials, ha, you are already a quadrilateral. As far as I know, they are useless to you.”
“她距离你很远，这本是无法跟你联系的距离。至于道具，呵，你已经是四边形，据我所知那种东西对你无用。”
Only then did Yang Zicang realize that the reason that person had been able to link to him was because the editor-in-chief had been the one connecting them.
杨子藏这才反应过来，那人能联系到自己，是因为主编在联系自己。
From there, his thoughts turned to Mr. Xiao and the massive figure that had once pursued him. Both of them were quadrilaterals. If those materials were useful, they would have become pentagons long ago.
随后他想到了宵先生和之前追逐自己的巨大身影。他们的模型都是四边形，若是道具有用，他们应该早就成为五边形才对。
Yang Zicang nodded, slightly disappointed.
杨子藏略有点失望的点头。
The three of them looked with joy at the figure formed from fragmented bones.
三人惊喜的看向这道由破碎骨骸组成的身影。
“You… can speak now?”
“你，能说话了？”
Xing Miao said softly, “Now that I can vibrate the air, naturally I can produce sound.”
星渺轻声道，“能震动空气了，自然能够发声。”
At that moment, its emotions seemed a bit wistful, and while the others now felt they had a source of stability, none dared to ask further.
此刻的它情绪似有点惆怅，连带着几人虽然感觉有了主心骨，却也不敢多问。
Clank!
啪嗒！
A chain binding one of the divine stones broke apart.
一块神石上的锁链断裂。
The severed golden chain transformed into wavy energy, trembling as if alive.
断开的金色链条化为晃动的能量，如有生命似的颤抖。
Xing Miao pressed a finger against it, and though it curled up and snapped like a snake, it instantly exploded into dark wisps of energy. With a wave of its hand, the cluster of energy shot rapidly toward the carriage wall.
星渺的手指一按，它如蛇般卷曲撕咬，但瞬间爆炸为暗沉的能量条。它手指一挥，这团能量极速射向车厢壁。
“I give this to you.”
“送给你。”
Little Ma Chao seemed to let out a cheerful cry, whooshing and darting far away.
小马超似乎发出声爽快的欢呼，呼啦一下窜出老远。
With the infusion of this energy, the ominous aura around everyone noticeably subsided.
有这团能量的融入，众人身上的阴深气息都消减不少。
Beside the small hill ahead, Wuying’s figure emerged. Next to him stood a nightmare pickup truck, carrying three divine stones on its bed.
前方的小山岗旁，无影的身影浮现，他身旁有着一辆恶魇小皮卡，车上拖着三块神石。
“Wuying, thanks for your help. Time is tight—let’s catch up another time.”
“无影，谢谢你们的帮忙。时间很紧，有机会再聊。”
Instantly, these three stones also turned into ink-jade-like bones and flew toward the carriage.
这三块石头也瞬间变为墨玉般的骨骸飞向车厢。
“Wait a moment.”
“等下。”
Before leaving, Wuying called out to YangZicang: “Borrow this from me.”
在离去之前，无影喊住了杨子藏：“这个借给你。”
He actually tossed over the pyramid-like pointed cone treasure.
他竟然将那如同小金字塔般的尖锥宝物丢了过来。
“This…”
“这…”
“Just in case you need it. Go now—it’s up to you to guard the lost-frequency zone. My mission is done.”
“万一你们用得上，去吧，守护失频之地就得靠你们，我的任务结束了。”
The man smiled, waved his hand, and vanished on the spot.
男人笑着挥了挥手消失在原地。
Xingmiao glanced at YangZichang, who seemed slightly moved, and said meaningfully:
星渺看了略显感动的杨子藏一眼，意味深长的道：
“Both Zuo Feixian and you rejected my request, so I notified more people instead. Do you understand?”
“左非闲和你都拒绝了我的请求，所以我才通知给了更多人，你懂吗。”
“Please forgive us.” YangZicang quickly admitted his mistake.
“还请原谅我们。”杨子藏赶紧认错。
“There’s no need for forgiveness; I never blamed anyone. However, due to the suppression of rank, your rejection of me will naturally provoke certain misfortunes—you need to be careful.”
“无所谓原谅，我未怪罪过任何人。不过，因为格位的压制，所以你们对我的拒绝行为，自然会引动某些厄运，你要注意。”
Zuo Feixian laughed heartily and said:
左非闲笑哈哈的道：
“No wonder today was so… well, pretty unlucky, I almost died, hahaha. Boss, next time I’ll follow your orders the moment you give them.”
“难怪今天这么，呃，算倒霉吧，差点就死啦，哈哈哈。大神，下次我绝对第一时间就按您的吩咐做。”
Xingmiao sighed softly: “It’s okay. Here, it’s also the right practice to not trust others easily. After all, human nature is selfish, just to different extents; I don’t blame you.”
星渺轻叹道：“没关系。在这里，不轻易相信人，也是正确的做法。毕竟人性本自私，只是程度不同而已，我不怪罪你们。”
Luo Bin nodded in deep agreement:
洛宾深以为然的点点头：
“Ah, right, right. Unless someone’s been tested, we can’t fully trust anyone. Zicang, look, our revolutionary friendship has already withstood a huge test. How about we find a peach orchard, set some wine, and make it official?”
“啊对对对。除非经过考验，咱们谁也不能完全相信，子藏，你看我们的革命友情，已经经过了非常大的考验，以后我们要不找片桃园摆点酒啥的。”
“Sworn brothers in the Peach Garden?” Little Liu looked at the three of them. “I’ve been tested too, right?”
“桃园四结义？”小刘看向三人，“我也是经过考验的了吧。”
“Haha, there are a lot of people helping tonight—Wuying, Li Shangxiang—if you count them all, we’d need to do the Peach Garden oath twice over,” Zuo Feixian said, counting on his fingers.
“哈哈，今晚帮忙的人很多啊，比如无影，比如李尚响，加起来都得桃园三结义两次了。”左非闲板着指头道。
Xingmiao, overhearing their conversation, shook his head slightly.
一旁的星渺听到几人的谈论，轻微摇了摇头。
Yang Zicang looked at the map: “The next place is…”
杨子藏看向地图：“下一个地方是…”
“No need to collect any more.”
“不用收集了。”
Xingmiao, sensing his own state, began to silently undo the seal of the stone slabs. The golden chains were visibly trembling, on the verge of shattering.
星渺感受了下身体后，重新开始安静的解除起石块的封印。这些金色的链条，在肉眼可见的轻微颤动，仿佛随时都会崩碎。