同章对照

It was a bright new day in New Rome.

The sun was rising. Bullets were flying. Rats were singing.

Standing at the balcony of Jamie’s apartment in casual clothes, a coffee mug in his right hand, Ryan glanced at the rodents occupying the area. Ki-jung's rats seemed to be doing some stretching exercises while dawn rose beyond the horizon, showing incredible levels of flexibility. They were cute, for enormous mutant rodents.

But Ryan was a cat person at heart, and he was in a foul mood.

He grabbed his cellphone with his left hand and played pre-recorded music he had prepared just for the occasion. The terrible noise of felines meowing echoed across the apartment, startling the rats and sending them into a frenzied panic. They immediately dispersed, hiding beneath the sofa.

“Ryan!” Ki-jung shouted from the kitchen, busy making breakfast. “Stop it!”

“What?” he asked innocently, the rats glancing at Ryan upon realizing his trick. “It’s not forbidden to listen to cat music!”

“I’m not forbidden to throw you off the balcony either!”

“What is all the racket?” Jamie emerged from his bedroom, wearing only a shirt and boxers. Without his armor, he reminded Ryan of a grizzly bear emerging from his cave. The first thing the mob enforcer did was to kiss his girlfriend, then join the courier at the balcony with a coffee cup of his own.

“Nothing,” Ryan replied, hiding his cell phone. Ki-jung's rats emerged from their hiding spots to gather behind his back, glaring at him. Seeing a dozen rats in that position may have frightened a normal person, but the courier just meowed at them.

“You’re impossible,” Jamie replied, his eyes blinked as he slowly woke up. A rat jumped on the balcony’s ramp, the Genome scratching it between the ears. “How are you feeling?”

“Whimsically peachy.”

“Ryan,” Jamie looked at him in the eye, “how do you really feel?”

Was he that bad at hiding it? Ryan looked at the distant, warming sun. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Anything as in…”

“Nothing,” Ryan replied with a sigh. “I feel empty.”

Well, to be precise, he felt like someone whose years-long quest had ended disastrously. Ryan had expected a happy reunion that would make everything better, and he had only found more tears and sadness. Emptiness had been his natural state for years, until learning of Len’s survival had given him a newfound direction. His endless existence finally had a purpose.

Except Len didn’t want Ryan in her life. Hell, she was an even bigger wreck than he was.

“But I’m used to it,” the courier replied with optimism. “That just means I’ve just got to find something to fill the void!”

Even that stunt with the rats was an attempt to get his mind off Len. He had found chaos and whimsical jokes a welcome distraction when in a bad mood. Confusion energized him, while introspection made him feel stale and restless.

Jamie shook his head, before looking at the sunlight too. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“About your girl. I’m sorry she broke your heart.”

“I haven’t been dumped,” Ryan protested since he clearly had misunderstood the situation.

“I know rejection is painful,” Zanbato consoled him, digging himself deeper. “And that’s okay. It happens to everyone. She wasn’t the right person for you, or perhaps now was not the right moment. You’re still young, you will find someone.”

For empty platitudes, Jamie managed to make them sound inspired. Maybe because he earnestly tried to cheer him up.

“The worst part is,” Ryan said, letting out some frustration instead of bottling it up, “she’s in pain, and I don’t know how to help yet."

His words seemed to resonate with Jamie, who opened his mouth without saying anything, seemingly rehearsing his words in his head. He glanced at the rats and told them to shoo away. The rodents let out a vengeful screech at Ryan and then moved to the kitchen.

“You know one day, a former friend and I found someone having an overdose. A homeless woman.” Jamie spoke once the rats out of earshot, his voice breaking. “She would have died if we hadn’t been there.”

Ryan could sense the sheer emotion brimming in Jamie’s voice, and said nothing. It clearly came from the heart.

“Even when she was out of the hospital, I considered her my responsibility. I tried to help her clean herself up. It was hard. It was really hard. It took months to deal with the relapses, the bad habits, and help her find a job… a lot of my friends, they didn’t understand. They thought I was just wasting my time. That she was hopeless. But… but she wasn’t. It worked out. It was hard, but she recovered.”

Ryan glanced at the kitchen and Ki-jung’s shadow.

“People take time to heal,” Jamie said. “And from what I heard, that girl seems to have pretty deep scars. Don’t give up and do your best, but don’t beat yourself over it either.”

Ryan nodded but didn’t respond.

“I talked with the others,” Jamie said, swallowing his coffee without savoring it the way Ryan did, “and we will organize a party next Thursday at the house. To welcome you in New Rome.”

“A Hugh Hefner party, or a friendly house-warming party?”

“Genome-only, most of whom are single.”

“Hugh Hefner then. Wait, are you going to whore me out? Am I to pay the rent in my flesh and blood?”

“Don’t worry about rent. However, everything that will happen during the party will stay at the party. You may see... weird stuff.” The more Jamie spoke, the more embarrassed he sounded. “Stuff that would shock most people. I think you’re pretty open-minded, but… I’m not sure how much.”

Since Genomes were naturally immune to most diseases, including STDs, and had a high drug threshold, Ryan had a pretty good idea of how the party would degenerate. “Oh you know, without arrogance,” the courier smiled, “I’ve seen everything.”

“Okay, good. No Bliss or cats allowed, and you help clean up tomorrow morning,” Jamie added firmly. “Also, no matter what happens, don’t fuck Vamp. You can hook up with anyone, anyone, but her.”

“A forbidden romance route? How can I resist?”

“By reminding yourself that she’s a goddamn succubus who will drain you to death if you fall into her arms,” Jamie said, with a hint of dislike. “She’s a nasty shade of Green.”

“Why invite her at all if you don’t like her?”

“She’s part of the hit squad, and she takes it personally when she isn’t invited to group events. Trust me, it’s less drama that way.”

“And Livia!” Ki-jung shouted from inside the apartment. “Don’t forget to tell him about Livia!”

“And Livia too, thank you, honey!” Jamie shouted back, before focusing on Ryan. “She’s off-limits for a reason I cannot divulge yet, but trust me. If you make a move on her, you will die.”

Jamie didn’t know anything about reverse-psychology, did he?

…

Nah, the courier wasn’t in the mood.

“I think I will pass on the matchmaking attempt,” Ryan said, bored with romance. “I’ve had my fair share of hook-ups.”

“Really?” Jamie didn’t hide his surprise. “I didn’t take you for a party animal. Or at least, not that kind.”

“At one point in my life, my motto was ‘try them all until you find the perfect one,’” Ryan explained. “But afterward, it became stale and superficial. It was just doing the same thing over, and over again.”

“I… I think I see what you mean.”

“Also, why are you advocating for me to fight for true love, and then try to hook me up with someone else?”

“No, I said, you don’t give up on helping your friend with her issues, but if she isn’t interested, take the hint and look for companionship elsewhere.” Jamie put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, overflowing with warm dad radiations. “I know it’s a leap of faith, but I’m sure you will find someone that can make you happy at that party. That’s all I wish for you.”

Ryan turned towards the apartment. “Ki-jung!”

“Yes?!” she replied, busy making lunch.

“If you don’t marry this man, I will do it myself!”

“I don’t share!” she replied with a deadpan tone.

“I told you that you had the same sense of humor,” Jamie said, putting a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. Both Genomes returned to the kitchen, putting their empty cups in the sink.

By then, Ki-jung had cooked a big brunch for her man and herself. However, she also handed a lunchbox to Ryan. “Here,” she said. “For midday. It’s bibimbap, so I hope you like rice and vegetables.”

“It’s fine, I was going to grab a sand—”

“Take it,” she insisted, all but shoving the lunchbox in Ryan’s arms. “Knowing Vulcan, she won’t let you out of her workshop until she has worked you to the bone.”

Goddammit, these guys were so nice, it was almost oppressive. They were killing him with kindness.

His lunchbox under his arm, Ryan prepared to leave for work but stopped in front of Lanka’s bedroom first. “Sleeping beauty?” The courier knocked. “It’s the police, wake up! Hands on your head!”

He heard a groan behind the door, alongside the sound of empty bottles falling to the ground. “Is it three in the afternoon already?”

“No.”

“Then fuck off.”

Come to think of it, she remained awake very late into the night. She probably worked evening shifts.

After putting on his Quicksave costume, Ryan waltzed out of the house, put the lunchbox on the backseat, and then drove the Plymouth Fury away. Even at this early hour, traffic in New Rome was insane, reminding the courier of the worst hours of the pre-war era; right after leaving the suburbs, he found himself trapped in a jam. The courier opened the windows and put on the radio, singing to himself when he found the Pink Panther’s song.

“Tada, tada, tada tada tada…” Curse Henry Mancini, and his catchy tune.

He needed a cheery song, especially after last night.

The reunion’s disastrous ending had gnawed at him all evening, as he tried to figure out a way to help Len get over her issues. Unfortunately, he saw none yet, or at least none that wouldn’t make things worse. Ryan had gained a certain insight into human nature through his loops; his best friend seemed so far gone into her shell, that forcing himself into her life would worsen things. She needed to reach out to others first.

But if not him, then whom? The orphans? How did it fit?

His main quest had ended in a disaster, and Ryan didn’t know what to do next.

Well, now that he had somewhat fulfilled his main goal, the courier could devote his time to do side quests instead of starting a new loop. He had promised different people to drive the Meta out of Rust Town and to blow up the Augusti’s superlab, and the courier would be true to his word.

Afterward though…

He didn’t know. Finding Len had been the driving force of his existence lately, a welcome intermission in his meaningless wandering. If he couldn’t help her, then…

No, he couldn’t allow himself to think this way. There was a way to solve this, he just needed time to figure it out.

“Don’t turn around.”

Ryan turned around in the back seat but saw nothing. “The green giant is in the garden,” he said. “The green giant is in the garden.”

No answer.

“You’re supposed to say a code,” Ryan replied, looking back at the road. “What if I were a shapeshifter? You would have blown your cover. Frankly, you should leave the real work to professionals.”

“The orange is in the hen house?”

“See, you're learning.”

“How was your reunion with Len Sabino?” the Shroud asked, clearly sitting in the back while invisible. The courier wondered if he had waited all morning, just to surprise Ryan as he took off to work.

“Were you peeping?” Ryan sighed. “Not all that great, but I handled it like a champ!”

“I am thankful you didn’t rat me out once your goal was achieved,” Shroud replied, blatantly ignoring the question. “That makes me trust you a bit more.”

“Is there an actual reason you want to visit me, or do you just spook people on principle?”

“You wanted me to keep you updated on the Meta-Gang, and you are supposed to report how things are advancing on your side.”

“Shouldn’t you already know?” Ryan asked, quite certain the invisible jackass had kept him under tight surveillance. “I’m in.”

“You have infiltrated the Augusti, but not the right part of the organization,” the glass man said. “Bacchus leads the drug division, not Vulcan.”

“The road to complete a quest often takes twists and turns,” Ryan replied, raising his finger and delivering his wisdom. “Sometimes, you must wait for the right opportunity.”

“Like your party?” Shroud mused. “I will wait longer, but the deal is off without meaningful progress.”

My, for an infiltrator he wasn’t very subtle about thinly-veiled threats. “How about our Psycho friends?” Ryan changed the subject. “Did you clean out the trash yet?”

“They have a sensor, warning system, or maybe a seer.” Shroud sighed. “Whenever I move too close to the Junkyard, they send a heavy hitter after me. Neither invisibility nor disguises helped.”

“Alright, so no stealth mission. What else?”

“Psyshock.”

“Didn’t you deal with him?” Ryan asked, remembering his previous message.

“Yes. More than once.”

Ryan looked at the streetlight. “Regenerators are annoying, aren’t they?”

“Yes.” Then the invisible jackass dropped the bomb. “But not as much as duplicators.”

Ryan didn’t move an inch.

“I tried to capture him at the orphanage,” Shroud explained, “but he killed himself rather than become a prisoner.”

Impossible. The only thing nearly as strong as a Psycho’s addiction was their survival instinct. Especially old ones like Psyshock, who had survived for more than a decade. Unless…

“You said they sent heavy hitters after you,” Ryan guessed. “Including him?”

“Including Psyshock, whose original remains are still in my possession.” Shroud’s visor became briefly visible, reflecting the dawn’s light. “That scenario should remind you of someone else.”

Bloodstream.

Len’s father had had an incredibly loathsome cloning power, as ghastly as it was effective. It had made him nigh-unbeatable for years until the Carnival tracked all his doubles down and managed to prevent him from duplicating. Psyshock had seen it in action. Could it have inspired him?

“If his duplication works the same as Bloodstream…” Ryan trailed, his hands clenching on the driving wheel. “I’ll take it personally.”

“I can’t confirm it,” Shroud replied. “But I thought you should know. If you learn anything new, please inform me.”

“Or I will deliver the pieces,” Ryan replied. “Anything else?”

“Bacchus, alias Andreas Torque, is a Blue,” Shroud explained. “He can drive others mad with visions and hallucinations, though I do not know what triggers his power. Tread against him carefully. I don’t have a lot of information on his person, except that he is an excommunicated priest. He rarely leaves the superlab, and only to visit Augustus. If you want to get into the division, you will need to reach him through an intermediary.”

“Great, a new chain quest. I suppose I won’t get a reward for it?”

No answer. The courier turned his head around, touched the backseat with his hand, and sensed nothing. Not even a calling card.

Wait.

That bastard had stolen the lunchbox!

新罗马迎来了明媚的新一天。

太阳在升起。子弹在横飞。老鼠在唱歌。

瑞恩穿着便服站在杰米公寓的阳台上，右手端着咖啡杯，瞥了眼占据四周的啮齿动物。晨光从地平线外升起，基贞的老鼠们似乎正在做伸展运动，展现出了惊人的柔韧性。以巨型变异啮齿动物的标准来看，它们还挺可爱的。

但瑞恩骨子里是个爱猫人士，而且他心情很差。

他左手拿起手机，播放了一段专为这种场合预先录好的音乐。可怕的喵喵声响彻公寓，吓得老鼠们惊慌失措，乱作一团。它们立刻四散而逃，躲进了沙发底下。

“瑞恩！”正在厨房忙着做早餐的基贞喊道，“别闹了！”

“怎么了？”他一脸无辜地问。老鼠们识破了他的把戏，纷纷朝他看过来。“又没规定不许听猫咪音乐！”

“也没规定不许我把你扔下阳台！”

“吵什么呢？”杰米从卧室出来，身上只穿着衬衫和四角内裤。没了盔甲，他让瑞恩想起一头刚出洞的灰熊。这位黑帮打手先亲了女朋友一下，随后也端了杯咖啡，来阳台上找快递员。

“没什么。”瑞恩说着，藏起了手机。基贞的老鼠从藏身处钻出来，聚在他身后，瞪着他。十几只老鼠摆出这副架势，或许能吓住一个正常人，快递员却只是冲它们喵了一声。

“真拿你没办法。”杰米眨着眼，慢慢清醒过来。一只老鼠跳上阳台栏杆，这位基因者替它挠了挠两耳之间的地方。“感觉怎么样？”

“好得妙不可言。”

“瑞恩，”杰米直视着他的眼睛，“你到底感觉怎么样？”

他有那么不会掩饰吗？瑞恩望向远处渐渐带来暖意的太阳。“我什么感觉都没有。”

“什么感觉都没有，是说……”

“什么都没有。”瑞恩叹了口气，“心里空荡荡的。”

好吧，准确地说，他的感觉就像是一个人追寻了多年，最后却落得惨淡收场。瑞恩原本期待一场能让一切好起来的欢喜重逢，结果找到的只有更多的眼泪和悲伤。这些年来，空虚早已成了他的常态，直到得知蕾恩还活着，他才重新有了方向。他无穷无尽的生命终于有了目标。

可蕾恩并不想让瑞恩走进她的生活。见鬼，她的状况甚至比他还糟。

“不过我已经习惯了。”快递员乐观地说，“这只说明，我得找点东西把这份空虚填上！”

就连刚才捉弄老鼠，也是为了让自己别再想着蕾恩。他发现，心情不好的时候，混乱和异想天开的玩笑最能让他分心。混乱能让他精神振奋，反省却只会让他觉得沉闷而烦躁。

杰米摇摇头，也望向了阳光。“真替你难过。”

“难过什么？”

“你那个姑娘。她伤了你的心，我很遗憾。”

“我又没被甩。”瑞恩抗议道，杰米显然把情况弄错了。

“我知道，被拒绝很痛苦。”斩马刀安慰着他，却越说越偏，“这都没关系。人人都会碰上的。她不是适合你的人，也可能只是时机不对。你还年轻，总会找到一个人的。”

明明是些空泛的套话，杰米却说得很能打动人。也许是因为他当真一心想让瑞恩振作起来。

“最糟的是，”瑞恩说。他没有继续憋着，而是宣泄出了一点挫败感。“她很痛苦，可我还不知道该怎么帮她。”

这话似乎触动了杰米。他张开嘴，却没出声，像是在心里斟酌措辞。他瞥了老鼠们一眼，叫它们走开。那些啮齿动物冲瑞恩报复似的尖叫了一声，随后去了厨房。

“你知道吗，有一天，我和一个曾经的朋友遇到过一个用药过量的人。是个无家可归的女人。”等老鼠走远，听不见他们的话了，杰米才开口，声音有些发颤。“要不是我们正好在场，她就死了。”

瑞恩听得出杰米声音里满溢的感情，没有说话。这显然是他的肺腑之言。

“就算她出了院，我还是觉得自己对她有责任。我试着帮她戒毒，重新生活。这很难。真的很难。光是应付她的反复复吸、改掉那些坏习惯，再帮她找份工作，就花了好几个月……我的很多朋友都不理解。他们觉得我只是在浪费时间，觉得她已经没救了。可是……可是她并没有。最后还是熬过来了。过程很难，但她康复了。”

瑞恩瞥向厨房，看了一眼基贞的身影。

“人需要时间才能好起来。”杰米说，“听你说的情况，那个姑娘的伤似乎很深。别放弃，尽你所能，但也别为此苛责自己。”

瑞恩点了点头，没有回答。

“我跟其他人商量过了，”杰米喝了口咖啡，直接咽下，不像瑞恩那样细细品味，“下周四，我们会在家里办个派对，欢迎你来到新罗马。”

“是休·赫夫纳式派对，还是朋友间的暖房聚会？”

“只限基因者参加，大多数都单身。”

“那就是赫夫纳式的。等等，你这是要让我出去接客？要我拿自己的血肉来付房租吗？”

“房租你不用担心。不过，派对上发生的事，出了派对就谁也别提。你可能会看到一些……古怪的东西。”杰米越说越窘迫，“能吓到大多数人的那种。我觉得你挺放得开，但……也不知道你究竟能接受多少。”

基因者天生就对大多数疾病免疫，性病也不例外，对毒品的耐受性又很高，所以这场派对会堕落成什么样，瑞恩心里已经有数了。“哦，你知道的，不是我自夸，”快递员笑道，“我什么都见过。”

“那好。不许带极乐，也不许带猫，明天早上你得帮忙收拾。”杰米语气坚决地补充道，“还有，不管发生什么，都别跟妖姬上床。你可以跟任何人勾搭，任何人都行，唯独她不行。”

“禁忌恋爱线？这叫我怎么忍得住？”

“提醒自己，她他妈的就是个魅魔，你要是倒进她怀里，她能把你吸干到死。”杰米说，语气里透着几分厌恶，“她那一类绿系能力，恶心得很。”

“既然不喜欢她，干吗还要请她？”

“她是暗杀小队的人，集体活动不请她，她就会觉得是在针对自己。相信我，请她来反而少些麻烦。”

“还有莉维娅！”基贞从公寓里喊道，“别忘了跟他说莉维娅的事！”

“对，还有莉维娅，谢谢你，亲爱的！”杰米喊着应了一声，随后又转向瑞恩。“她也不能碰，原因我暂时不能透露，但你得相信我。你要是对她下手，一定会死。”

杰米根本不懂什么叫逆反心理，对吧？

……

算了，快递员没那个心情。

“给我牵线搭桥就免了吧。”瑞恩已经对情情爱爱感到厌倦，“我也有过不少一夜情了。”

“真的？”杰米毫不掩饰自己的惊讶，“真没看出来你是个派对狂。至少，不是那一类。”

“我这辈子有过一段时间，座右铭是‘全都试一遍，直到找到完美的那个’。”瑞恩解释道，“可后来就觉得无趣又肤浅。无非是把同一件事做了一遍，又一遍。”

“我……我想我明白你的意思。”

“还有，你干吗一边劝我为真爱奋斗，一边又想撮合我跟别人？”

“不是，我是说，别放弃帮你的朋友解决她的问题。但要是她没那个意思，你就该领会，去别处寻找伴侣。”杰米将一只手搭在瑞恩肩上，浑身散发着温暖的老爸辐射。“我知道这得凭着信心试一试，但我相信，在那场派对上，你会找到一个能让你快乐的人。我对你的期望就只有这个。”

瑞恩转向屋里。“基贞！”

“什么事？！”她应道，还在忙着做午饭。

“你要是不嫁给这个男人，我就自己嫁了！”

“我可不跟人分享！”她一本正经地答道。

“我就说过，你们俩的幽默感一模一样。”杰米说着，一只手搭上瑞恩的肩。两位基因者回到厨房，将空杯子放进水槽。

这时，基贞已经为自己和男友做好了一顿丰盛的早午餐。不过，她也递给瑞恩一个饭盒。“拿着，”她说，“中午吃。这是韩式拌饭，希望你喜欢米饭和蔬菜。”

“不用了，我打算买个三明——”

“拿着。”她坚持道，几乎是把饭盒硬塞进了瑞恩怀里。“以我对伏尔甘的了解，不把你榨干，她是不会放你出工坊的。”

该死，这两个人实在好得让人有压力。他们简直想用好意把他淹死。

瑞恩腋下夹着饭盒，准备出门上班，却先在兰卡的卧室门前停了下来。“睡美人？”快递员敲了敲门，“警察，起床！双手抱头！”

门后传来一声呻吟，伴着空瓶子落地的声音。“已经下午三点了？”

“没有。”

“那就滚蛋。”

想想也是，她昨晚很晚都还没睡。大概上的是晚班。

换上快存的行头后，瑞恩悠悠然出了门，把饭盒放在后座，开着普利茅斯“狂怒”上了路。时间还这么早，新罗马的交通就已经堵得发疯，让快递员想起了战前最糟糕的那些时段；他刚驶出郊区，就困在了车流里。快递员摇下车窗，打开收音机，调到《粉红豹》的主题曲时，便自顾自地哼了起来。

“噔哒，噔哒，噔哒噔哒噔哒……”该死的亨利·曼奇尼，还有他这听过就忘不掉的调子。

他需要一首欢快的曲子，尤其是在昨晚之后。

重逢的惨淡收场折磨了他一整晚。他一直试着想出办法，帮助蕾恩解开心结。遗憾的是，他暂时还没想到，至少没想到一个不会弄巧成拙的办法。经历过那些循环，瑞恩对人性也算有了些认识。他最好的朋友似乎已经缩进自己的壳里太深，硬要挤进她的生活只会让情况更糟。她需要先主动向别人伸出手。

可如果不是他，又该是谁？那些孤儿？这要怎么行得通？

他的主线任务以惨败告终，瑞恩不知道接下来该做什么。

不过，既然眼下多少算是达成了主要目标，快递员可以先不开始新的循环，而是把时间花在支线任务上。他答应过不同的人，要把超能帮赶出锈镇，要炸掉奥古斯蒂的超级实验室。快递员说到就会做到。

可那之后呢……

他不知道。近来，寻找蕾恩一直是他活下去的动力，让他得以从毫无意义的漂泊中暂歇片刻。如果他帮不了她，那……

不，他不能让自己这么想。一定有解决办法，他只是需要时间去找出来。

“别回头。”

瑞恩扭头看向后座，却什么也没看见。“绿色巨人在花园里。”他说，“绿色巨人在花园里。”

没有回应。

“这时候你该对暗号。”瑞恩把视线转回路上，“万一我是个变形人呢？你可就暴露了。说真的，正经活儿还是交给专业人士吧。”

“橙子在鸡舍里？”

“看，这不就学会了。”

“你和蕾恩·萨比诺的重逢怎么样？”裹尸布问道。他显然正隐着身坐在后座上。快递员不禁怀疑，这家伙是不是等了一早上，就为了在瑞恩开车上班时吓他一跳。

“你偷看了？”瑞恩叹了口气，“不怎么样，不过我应付得可漂亮了！”

“我很感谢你没有在达成目的之后出卖我。”裹尸布明目张胆地无视了那个问题，“这让我更信任你了一点。”

“你来找我到底有事，还是说，吓唬人就是你的行事原则？”

“你要我随时向你通报超能帮的情况，而你也该汇报一下自己那边的进展了。”

“你不是应该已经知道了吗？”瑞恩问道，十分确信这个隐形混蛋一直在严密监视他。“我已经混进去了。”

“你是打入了奥古斯蒂，但没进对部门。”玻璃人说，“毒品部门归巴克斯管，不是伏尔甘。”

“完成任务的道路往往曲折迂回。”瑞恩竖起一根手指，传授着自己的智慧，“有时候，你必须等待合适的机会。”

“比如你的派对？”裹尸布若有所思地说，“我会再等一等，但要是没有实质性的进展，交易就作废。”

哎呀，身为一个潜入者，他这番威胁遮掩得可真不高明。“我们那些疯魔朋友怎么样了？”瑞恩换了个话题，“垃圾清干净了吗？”

“他们有感应手段，或是预警系统，也可能有个先知。”裹尸布叹了口气，“我只要靠废料场太近，他们就会派个厉害的打手来追我。隐形和伪装都没用。”

“好吧，潜行任务走不通。还有呢？”

“心震。”

“你不是已经解决他了吗？”瑞恩记起了对方之前发来的消息。

“是的。不止一次。”

瑞恩望向路灯。“再生能力者很烦人，是吧？”

“是。”接着，那个隐形混蛋扔出了重磅消息。“可还比不上复制能力者。”

瑞恩一动不动。

“我试过在孤儿院抓住他。”裹尸布解释道，“但他宁愿自杀，也不肯当俘虏。”

不可能。疯魔身上，唯一几乎能和瘾头一样强烈的，就是求生本能。尤其是心震这种撑过了十多年的老家伙。除非……

“你说他们派了厉害的打手来追你，”瑞恩猜测道，“其中包括他？”

“包括心震，而他最初留下的遗骸还在我手上。”裹尸布的面罩短暂显露出来，反射着晨光。“这种情况应该会让你想起另一个人。”

血流。

蕾恩的父亲拥有一种极其令人作呕的克隆能力，既骇人，又有效。那能力让他多年来几乎无人能敌，直到嘉年华追查出他所有的分身，并设法阻止了他继续复制。心震亲眼见过那能力发挥作用。难道他受到了启发？

“如果他的复制机制跟血流一样……”瑞恩的声音低了下去，双手攥紧方向盘。“那我可就要当成私仇来算了。”

“我还无法确认。”裹尸布答道，“但我觉得应该让你知道。如果你发现了什么新情况，请通知我。”

“或者我直接把碎块给你送去。”瑞恩说，“还有别的吗？”

“巴克斯，又名安德烈亚斯·托尔克，是个蓝系。”裹尸布解释道，“他能用幻象和幻觉把别人逼疯，不过我不知道他的能力需要什么条件才能触发。对付他要小心。我对他本人的了解不多，只知道他是个被逐出教会的神父。他很少离开超级实验室，就算离开，也只是去见奥古斯都。如果你想进入那个部门，就得通过中间人接触他。”

“真棒，又来一个连环任务。我猜这任务还没有奖励？”

没有回应。快递员回过头，伸手摸了摸后座，什么也没摸到。连张名片都没留下。

等等。

那混蛋偷走了他的饭盒！