同章对照

Ryan loved Genome parties. They always involved a lot of property damage.

He had attended a few elsewhere in Italy, usually when he joined a group. However, this one looked like it would be the biggest yet; and since tomorrow would mark Quicksave’s first week in New Rome, the courier intended to cap it off with a bang.

Well, he had probably spent two months or so in the city across various loops, but still! This party might be something entirely new and surprising.

“How many people will come?” Ryan asked, having traded his usual trench coat, hat, and mask for a classy, dark purple suit. While Ki-jung had insisted he could dress casually, the Genome would settle for nothing less than the best outfit in the room.

You couldn’t half-ass elegance.

“Oh, no more than one-hundred,” Ki-jung replied, her fingers fidgeting in anxiety. She had traded her glasses for contact lenses, and her modest clothes for a sleeveless black dress. Her boyfriend meanwhile wore a simple blue shirt and black pants.

“Do you want more tuna pizzas?” Lanka asked while on the sofa while typing on a phone. That tasteless black sheep alone hadn’t made any effort to dress well. “We still got enough party funds for four more.”

“Add a few vegan ones for Fortuna,” Ki-jung said, before checking the kitchen for the fifth time in the past hour. Jamie had gathered an impressive array of alcohol bottles on the counter. “Will that be enough?”

“They’re the strongest liquors I could find,” Jamie replied, intending to work as the barman and already busy making cocktails. Since Genomes had a more efficient metabolism than normal humans, they needed ten times the usual dose to even feel the effects of alcohol.

“I’ve got Genome-only stuff in my car,” Ryan said. “But you will start shining in the dark and see invisible things.”

“Don’t worry,” Jamie said quickly. “Fortuna is bringing strong stuff, and, I quote, ‘party pills.’”

“No Bliss?” Ki-jung asked, her face tensing up.

“No Bliss,” her boyfriend reassured her, while someone hit the doorbell. “Come in!”

The first guests opened the door, Ki-jung anxiously standing straight next to Ryan while they walked inside. Night had fallen outside, and while the party was scheduled to start at eight, most guests would be fashionably late.

“Hello everyone!” Fortuna entered the house, followed by her boyfriend and a younger girl around fifteen. Lucky Lady wore a golden dress even more scandalously lavish than usual; whereas the teenage girl dressed so tastelessly, that Ryan couldn’t look at her without fighting the urge to drag her to a tailor’s shop.

Fortuna’s date was around Ryan’s physical age, with short well-groomed brown hair, blue eyes, and an elegant all black formal suit. He looked rather plain when compared to his girlfriend, but the courier felt an intense vibe coming from him.

In fact, he seemed vaguely familiar.

The mystery boy immediately singled out the courier, who waved a hand at him. “Hi, I’m Ryan. I would say I’m immortal, but you probably know that already.”

“Mathias,” the man replied, shaking Ryan’s hand with a small smile. “Mathias Martel.”

The way he moved, his aura, the slight inflection in the voice… “I know, we’ve met,” Ryan replied cheerfully, testing the waters.

“You did?” Fortuna asked while Mathias’ smile strained a bit. Since he hadn’t cut that lucky woman’s hair this time around, she seemed a lot more well-disposed towards Ryan. “Matt, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Yeah, you’re usually a very transparent kind of guy, Matt.” Ryan winked at him. “I hope you don’t hide anything else.”

Matt’s poker face remained ironclad while he answered his date’s question. “It didn’t seem important at the time.”

“Fortuna, you brought your sister?” Ki-jung asked the blonde bombshell, although her eyes remained focused on the teenage girl. “Isn’t she too young for this kind of party?”

“I’m almost fifteen!” The younger girl pouted. While she was no top model like her sister, she would probably grow into an attractive woman in time. She had short, light brown hair, ocean blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face.

“Fourteen and a half,” Fortuna teased her, her younger sister pinching her in the arm.

“Hi, I’m Narcinia, Narcinia Veran.” The teen smiled brightly at everyone. “Alias Ceres.”

“I still can’t believe Augustus gave you an Olympian name before me,” Fortuna complained, her boyfriend glancing away. “If only Felix hadn’t gone crazy, we could have become Diana and Apollo.”

“Has he answered your messages?” Ki-jung asked, a look of concern on her face.

“I wish!” Fortuna complained, crossing her arms angrily. “I swear when he comes back—”

“If he comes back,” Narcinia replied with a depressed face.

“Maybe he got hit by a car,” Ryan said, the others glaring at him. “Well, he is a cat. Or was that too soon?”

“He will come back,” Fortuna insisted, though she looked at Jamie and Ki-jung. “Can’t you help? Give him a call?”

The couple exchanged an embarrassed glance, one heavy with regrets. “He didn’t leave the house on the best terms,” Jamie said stoically. “Felix… Felix needs time to figure himself out.”

“But—”

Mathias put a hand on his girlfriend’s arm before she could insist. He seemed more insightful than her, though that wasn’t hard.

Having talked with Atom Cat on the Dynamis path, Ryan quickly put two and two together. He had a pretty good idea of what caused his feline friend to leave the Augusti, namely, Ki-jung's situation.

Something else also bothered Ryan. Felix the Cat said his sister Narcinia was adopted, and she matched a certain description… Could it be?

This party already promised a lot of surprises.

“Luigi isn’t here?” Fortuna asked as she scanned the room. “He’s usually early when there are girls.”

“No, the Hockey Killer attacked him again when his bodyguard took a bathroom break,” Jamie replied with a frown. “The attacker also forced Luigi to eat a salami.”

“Hockey Killer?” Ryan asked at the same time a shocked Fortuna said, “A salami?”

“That’s probably the same maniac who attacked Luigi before,” Jamie replied with a sigh. “And yes, a salami. Don’t ask me why. They say the city is safer with the Meta gone, but if you ask me, it has enough madmen already.”

“It could be a vigilante,” Ryan said. “Some handsome fellow possessing a strange sense of justice, fighting crime with a hockey stick in one hand and a sausage in the other.”

“Why has he only attacked Luigi then?” Lanka pointed out from the sofa, too lazy to leave her spot. “Nah, blabbermouth, it’s just petty revenge. If you ask me, the jackass deserved it, always asking the wrong questions.”

“Whatever the case, this Hockey Killer will get what he deserves,” Jamie said firmly, glancing at Fortuna. “Now that the Meta-Gang has left New Rome, will you look into it?”

“Vulcan hasn’t released us yet,” Fortuna complained. “Though we cleaned up Rust Town and Sparrow chased those Psychos off to the ends of the Earth.”

Well, Ryan wouldn’t say they had cleaned up Rust Town. They had prevented a large fire, but the Junkyard had transformed into a pile of molten trash conveniently hiding the bunker’s entrance. Vulcan had tasked the group to patrol the area in case the Meta returned, while she left with Sparrow to hunt them down. Ryan hadn’t received any news since, though he heard both women would attend the party.

Truthfully, the time-traveler hadn’t yet figured out what to do about Mechron’s bunker, and Len hadn’t contacted him again either. He hoped the party would help him destress and clear his mind.

“Should we discuss this while…” Ki-jung cleared her throat while looking at Mathias. “I’m sorry, but…”

“Don’t worry, he has seen right through us,” Ryan said with a smirk, delighting at making Martel more and more uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I’m sure one of you is the Hockey Killer,” the man replied with the same mirthful face. “I hope I didn’t blow your cover.”

Everyone took it as a joke and laughed, none louder than Ryan himself. Touché. “It’s okay, Chitter, I vouch for my Mathias,” Fortuna said, putting her head on her man’s shoulder. “He’s the one.”

“I only agreed to a second date,” Mathias replied with a stoic expression.

“It’s going to happen whether you like it or not.”

“How did the two of you meet?” Ki-jung asked.

“You know that time when my third apartment had a gas leak last week?” Fortuna asked. “I narrowly avoided death by falling off the window, and Mathias rescued me.”

“No, your power rescued you,” Mathias corrected her with a deadpan face. “I didn’t expect you to fall on me from the third floor. That was completely unexpected.”

“It was love at first sight,” Fortuna declared.

“It wasn’t,” her boyfriend protested. “I checked if you were alright, and when I tried to leave because I had other stuff planned, you started shouting at me.”

“Well, of course I was furious,” Fortuna protested, while the others chuckled. “The world’s most beautiful woman falls on your lap and asks you to spoil her because she’s distressed, and you dare refuse?”

“Yes,” Mathias replied bluntly. Clearly, he was immune to Fortuna’s charm and she couldn’t stand it. “What, my world should have stopped for you?”

“Yes, it should have!” And she said it without any hint of sarcasm whatsoever. “When I look at boys, they drop at my feet, but you, Matt? You walked away!”

“When does the music start?” Narcinia finally spoke up. She seemed a bit shy in the presence of so many older people, but grew more confident as the group exchanged pleasantries. “It’s too silent.”

Jamie glanced at Ryan, who showed them the DJ: a brain in a jar hooked to the TV and loudspeakers, surrounded by Ki-jung’s rats.

“You use a Genius-made cyber-brain as a DJ?” Narcinia asked, though unlike the others she seemed more excited than bothered. “So cool.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you to take care of the playlist,” Ki-jung told Ryan with a regretful sigh.

“Remorse is for those who don’t know what they want!” Ryan replied, activating DJ Brain. “Now watch.”

The brain started playing music, and as it did, a light shone from inside its tank. As the liquid protecting the grey matter changed color, creating a nightclub ambiance with the appropriate music.

“Catchy,” Lanka admitted, nodding to herself to the tune of the music.

“I don’t recognize the artist,” Ki-jung said, while her rats started breakdancing around the TV.

“It’s a Grand Theft Auto remix,” Mathias said, much to Ryan’s surprise. “A pretty good one too.”

“Mathias is a game designer,” Fortuna said since he was clearly too modest to boast for himself. “He’s super talented.”

“To be precise, I’m a programmer and I make indie games on the side,” her date replied with a sheepish grin, the most emotion Ryan had seen him emote so far. “Mostly RPGs and Metroidvanias.”

Nobody understood the jargon, except Ryan, who had stars in his eyes. However, he decided to test that man’s knowledge first, before getting his hopes up. “Have you played Metroid Fusion?”

“Yes, but I prefer Super Metroid,” Mathias replied. “More open-ended.”

“Best Square RPG?”

“Final Fantasy VII, but VI holds a special place in my heart.”

“There’s another gamer alive on this God-forsaken planet!” Ryan was almost brought to tears at finding a soulmate. “I can die happy now!”

“Do you have powers, Nerd 2?” Lanka asked Mathias, raising her head above the sofa with a beer can in hand. “Name’s Lanka by the way.”

The programmer nodded. “One of the bedrooms, yours I presume, is painted brown, with thirty beer cans in a corner and a motorcycle magazine—”

“Oh great, a Blue,” Lanka shrugged before he could finish. “If you tell anyone what’s below the bed, I’m killing you.”

“Mathias can see anything within a short radius,” Fortuna replied with pride, putting an arm around his. He seemed much more uncomfortable about open displays of affection than his girlfriend. Ryan got the feeling she had more or less dragged him to the party.

“Pff, that’s nothing.” Narcinia grabbed a knife from the kitchen and then raised it at her thumb. “Look.”

She cut her thumb before anyone could react, a drop of blood falling on the parquet. The liquid quickly expanded into a bubble while taking a green coloration, before changing shape. The strange mixture grew horns, legs, fur...

Five seconds later, the group looked at a cute white goat.

“It’s adorable,” Ki-jung said in amazement, while Jamie smiled warmly.

“I can create life from my blood,” Narcinia boasted, her new pet letting out a cry. “Nothing too complicated or too big, but I can make any kind of animal, plant, even chimeras!”

“You can make any kind of goat?” Ryan asked, now extremely interested.

“Of course! Why?”

The courier looked at this pure-hearted girl deep in her big eyes, and then whispered two words that would corrupt her forever.

“Goat fights.”

Narcinia looked at Ryan as if he were a genius, which he was, and then made a second goat. A black-furred born-fighter, with golden eyes. “Which one do you take, Ryan?” she asked, as the two goats glared at each other.

“The black one.”

He could already see the untapped market.

---

Narcinia ended up making eight goats, as new guests decided to participate. She granted each of them a different color and held a tournament while the house slowly filled up with people. A few had formed a circle around the sofa, to watch the final battle.

“Go, ma biquette!” Ryan cheered up his champion half in French, half in English. She locked horns with her rival, ready to claim her rightful place as the competition’s winner. “You can do it, Shub-Niggurath!”

“You gave it a name, blabbermouth?” Lanka asked, having bet on a golden goat, and grown strangely invested in the fight. “Kick her ass!”

Unfortunately, her animal couldn’t stand long against Shub-Niggurath’s implacable ferocity. The black goat managed to toss her rival to the side, who joined the other defeated contestants in shameful exile.

“Yes, yes!” Ryan instantly petted his black goat, who raised her head with smug confidence. The spectators applauded, though none as loudly as Narcinia. “You did it! You did it!”

“I’m sure you cheated by stopping time,” Lanka grumbled while finishing her current smoke. With the spectacle finished, most guests dispersed to talk in a corner or grab a drink.

“Would you say that if she were white?” Ryan accused her, stroking Shub-Niggurath’s ear. Actually, he did cheat once, but only against Fortuna. Considering her insane luck, he had to level the playing field somehow.

Anyway, Lucky Girl proved to be a sore loser and left the competition with her beau. The couple had moved to the kitchen-bar, with Fortuna spending her time advertising her boyfriend to everyone who would listen. Jamie, ever the peoples’ person, engaged Mathias in a friendly conversation while mixing cocktails, though the programmer remained guarded. Ki-jung welcomed every new guest as they arrived, growing more anxious by the second.

All of the guests were Genomes, and most of them advertised. A telekinetic whom Ryan recognized as one of Renesco’s customers helped Jamie with the bar by moving drinks around, while a fire manipulator showed off to a girl by creating burning shapes out of thin air.

Knowing Genomes, Ryan would be disappointed if the party didn’t end up with one or two explosions.

“Are you accusing me of goat racism?” Lanka brought him back to the conversation.

“What do we do with the goats now though?” Narcinia asked. Her creations had started playing with Ki-jung’s rats, the rodents climbing on top of the larger goats. Most of the guests looked at them with amusement, and some with hunger.

“You make a wolf, to eat them,” Ryan suggested, his goat champion looking up at him. “Only the losers, Shub-Niggurath. Only the losers.”

“And how do we get rid of the wolf afterward?” Lanka asked the hard question, expecting to corner him.

Ryan stated the simple solution. “You make a bear, to eat the wolf.”

“I can’t make a bear,” Narcinia replied with a giggle, sitting on the sofa with Lanka. “Too fat.”

“Then we call the Panda. Who will win between him and a wolf?”

“The wolf, it’s not even a contest,” Lanka said, before offering a beer can to Narcinia. “Want some, Overgoat?”

“Mom and Dad said I could go if I didn’t drink,” Narcinia replied while joining her fingers. “And Father Torque told me alcohol is poison for the soul.”

“Do you see your parents or a priest around here? Trust me, it would take ten times more before it poisons anything.” Lanka shoved the can in a surprised Narcinia’s hands, who looked at it with clear hesitation. “Do you see any pretty boys around, blabbermouth? I’m hungry.”

“That depends, do I include myself?” Ryan joked. “Because everyone else will feel like a huge disappointment in comparison.”

“You aren’t my type, blabbermouth. I prefer the strong silent type, and you talk too fucking much.” Lanka glanced at the entrance. “Though the cavalry is coming to rescue you.”

Greta and Sparrow had arrived through the front gate, the first dressing casually, the latter wearing a red gown. A third woman accompanied them, a drop-dead gorgeous redhead in a stunning green dress. She kept her hair in a bun and tried to look dignified, but Ryan noticed an undercurrent of playful, foxlike cruelty in her emerald gaze. Clearly one of the Killer Seven.

It took Ryan a second to realize that all three of the assassins escorted a young woman in her early twenties; a stunning, queenlike lady with long platinum hair, almost silver. Unlike her companions, she dressed very conservatively and all in black, highlighting her pale skin. That stoic woman scanned the room, an apathetic look in her blue eyes. Her expression was one of pure, absolute boredom.

Quicksave was halfway tempted to approach her, but when he got a good look at her emotionless face, he backed off.

She looked a bit too much like a younger Pluto for his comfort.

Greta noticed him though and gave him her usual fake smile, while the pale lady muttered a few words to Sparrow and the redhead. She didn’t seem interested in social interaction, moving towards the bar to drink in a corner.

“Vamp,” Lanka said, indicating the redhead with her chin. “She’s a bitch and she drains her partners dry, so don’t approach her. Obviously, you’ve met Nash and Greta already.”

Nash? Nice nickname for a Sparrow. “And the platinum—”

“Don’t,” Lanka said, her voice no longer playful. “Seriously, don’t get near her.”

“But—”

“It’s Livia,” Narcinia said as if it explained everything.

“I ain’t cleaning your bloody corpse, Blabbermouth, so follow some social distancing guidelines,” Lanka said, starting her fourth smoke of the night. “Vamp will kill you while you fuck, but you won’t get that far with Livia.”

“What, she can turn me to stone with a glance?” Ryan asked.

“It’s not Livia you should fear,” Lanka replied ominously, “it’s her father.”

“And she dated my brother,” Narcinia told Ryan.

“So she’s a cat person?”

Narcinia pinched him in the arm. “That was stupid,” she said with a smirk. Teenagers. “Don’t you want to date my sister, Ryan? We could have goat fights every weekend!”

“I’m pretty sure she’s already taken,” Lanka snickered while reviewing the guests, before letting out a sigh. Apparently, she hadn’t found anyone to her liking yet.

“But I don’t like that guy!” Narcinia complained, snapping the beer can open. “He stares at me sometimes, it’s creepy. I hope my sister gets bored of him soon.”

“I’ll settle that right now.” Ryan glanced at the stoic game designer and started shouting at him. “Hey, Matty!”

Mathias Martel looked at him, clearly at his wits’ end.

“Wanna grab me a drink and talk pop culture outside? You still owe me one!”

The game designer exchanged a few words with his girlfriend. A few seconds later, Fortuna glared at the courier while Mathias grabbed two glasses off the counter.

“Protect the goats, my Green friend,” Ryan told Narcinia. “We may need to sacrifice them for your wish to happen.”

“You aren’t a satanist right?” the teen asked, suddenly worried.

“Nah, he’s way worse,” Lanka said, while Ryan already moved towards the terrace.

“The big fire below’s got nothing on those I started,” the courier replied playfully.

“I-I was kidding!” Narcinia pleaded, Shub-Niggurath letting out small cries. “I was kidding!”

Ryan winked at her over his shoulder, before being joined by Mathias. A few Genomes had taken over the infinity pool, but for now, most remained inside. The courier grabbed a drink offered to him, then sat on the ramp, an inch from falling into the void below. He looked up upon hearing noise, watching Vulcan’s mech pass over the house and land in the garden outside.

Good, Ryan would interrogate her about how her hunt of the Meta-Gang had gone. “I thought you were unlucky in love?” he asked Mathias.

“I am, she’s a job,” he replied, confirming Ryan’s suspicions about his identity. “One that backfired spectacularly, I should add. Her power is busted.”

“That’s pretty cold.”

“Says the pot calling the kettle black.” The programmer sipped his glass and glared at the courier. “You’re a colossal dick, Quicksave.”

“I know, and you love me for it.”

“Good call for Luigi though,” he replied, low enough that no one else would overhear. “I was going to take care of him, but you acted quicker.”

“I’m sorry my hatred of truthsayers got in the way of your cold-hearted assassination attempt.” Ryan glanced at Narcinia. She and Lanka moved the sofa aside, clearing out the living room to turn it into a dance floor. The rave party would begin soon. “So, it’s her?”

Mathias Martel didn’t look at him, instead staring at the Veran sisters. For a moment, the mask slipped, and the real person beneath spoke through.

“Yeah,” Shroud replied, a dangerous look in his eyes as he observed Narcinia. “It’s her.”

瑞恩喜欢基因者的派对。这种聚会总少不了大量财产损失。

他在意大利其他地方参加过几次，通常都是加入某个团体之后。不过，这次的规模看起来会是历来最大的一场；而明天正好是快存来到新罗马满一周的日子，这位快递员打算轰轰烈烈地收个尾。

好吧，把各轮循环加起来，他大概已经在这座城里待了两个月，可那又怎样！这场派对说不定能给他带来全新的惊喜。

“会来多少人？”瑞恩问。他脱下平常那身风衣，摘掉帽子和面具，换上了一套考究的深紫色西装。虽说基贞一再强调可以穿得随意一点，可他这位基因者非得做全场衣着最出众的那个不可。

优雅这件事，可不能敷衍。

“哦，不会超过一百人。”基贞答道，手指紧张地绞来绞去。她摘掉了框架眼镜，换上隐形眼镜，也将朴素的日常衣物换成了一条黑色无袖连衣裙。她男友倒只穿了一件简单的蓝衬衫和黑裤子。

“还要多点几个金枪鱼披萨吗？”兰卡坐在沙发上，一边用手机打字一边问。只有这个毫无品位的害群之马，在打扮上半点心思都没花。“派对经费还够再买四个。”

“再给福尔图娜加几个纯素的。”基贞说着，又去检查了一遍厨房——这是她过去一小时里的第五次。杰米已经在台面上摆出了一排颇为壮观的酒瓶。“这些够吗？”

“这是我能找到的度数最高的烈酒了。”杰米答道。他打算担任酒保，这会儿已经忙着调起了鸡尾酒。基因者的新陈代谢效率比普通人高，得喝下正常人十倍的量，才能稍微感觉到酒劲。

“我车里有基因者专用的东西。”瑞恩说，“不过喝完会在黑暗里发光，还能看见隐形的东西。”

“不用操心。”杰米连忙说，“福尔图娜会带烈的过来，还有——她的原话——‘派对药丸’。”

“没有极乐吧？”基贞问，脸色绷紧了。

“没有极乐。”男友向她保证。这时有人按响了门铃。“进来吧！”

第一批客人推门进来，基贞紧张地站直身子，守在瑞恩旁边。外面已经入夜了，派对定在八点开始，不过大多数客人都会踩着时髦的规矩，稍稍迟到。

“大家好！”福尔图娜走进屋，男友和一个十五岁上下的女孩跟在她身后。幸运女士穿着一条金色礼裙，比平时还要奢华张扬，简直过了头；那个少女却穿得毫无品位，瑞恩每看她一眼，都得压住把她拖进裁缝店的冲动。

福尔图娜的男伴看起来与瑞恩的生理年龄相仿，棕色短发打理得整整齐齐，蓝眼睛，一身考究的纯黑正装。跟女友比起来，他的长相颇为普通，然而快递员却从他身上感到一种强烈的气场。

事实上，他似乎有点眼熟。

这个身份不明的年轻人立刻将目光锁定在快递员身上，后者朝他挥了挥手。“嗨，我叫瑞恩。本来还想说我是不死之身，不过你大概已经知道了。”

“马蒂亚斯。”男人微微一笑，握住瑞恩的手，“马蒂亚斯·马特尔。”

他的动作、气场，还有说话时那一点细微的腔调……“我知道，我们见过。”瑞恩快活地回答，试探了一下。

“见过？”福尔图娜问，马蒂亚斯的笑容则僵了一点。这一轮瑞恩没剪掉这个幸运女人的头发，她对他的态度也就友善多了。“马特，你怎么没跟我说？”

“对啊，马特，你平时不是个一眼就能看透的人嘛。”瑞恩冲他眨眨眼，“希望你没再藏着别的什么。”

马特回答女伴的问题时，脸上仍旧滴水不漏。“当时觉得没什么要紧的。”

“福尔图娜，你把妹妹带来了？”基贞问这位金发尤物，眼睛却一直望着那个少女。“这种派对，她来是不是太小了？”

“我都快十五了！”女孩噘起嘴。她不像姐姐那样有着顶级模特的美貌，不过再长几年，大概也会出落成一个漂亮女人。她留着浅棕色短发，海蓝色的眼睛，心形脸。

“十四岁半。”福尔图娜逗她，妹妹便在她胳膊上掐了一下。

“嗨，我叫纳尔西妮娅，纳尔西妮娅·韦兰。”少女向大家露出灿烂的笑容，“代号刻瑞斯。”

“奥古斯都居然先把奥林匹斯神名给了你，没给我，我到现在都不敢信。”福尔图娜抱怨道，她男友则移开了目光。“要不是菲利克斯发疯，我俩就能叫狄安娜和阿波罗了。”

“他回你消息了吗？”基贞问，面露担忧。

“我倒希望呢！”福尔图娜气鼓鼓地抱起双臂，“我发誓，等他回来——”

“要是他还回来的话。”纳尔西妮娅神情低落地说。

“说不定他让车撞了。”瑞恩说，其他人纷纷瞪向他。“呃，他毕竟是只猫。还是说，现在开这种玩笑太早了？”

“他会回来的。”福尔图娜坚持道，却望向了杰米和基贞。“你们就不能帮帮忙？给他打个电话？”

情侣二人尴尬地对视了一眼，目光中满是遗憾。“他搬出去的时候，我们闹得不太愉快。”杰米平静地说，“菲利克斯……菲利克斯需要一点时间，想清楚自己的事。”

“可是——”

女友还想坚持，马蒂亚斯已经将手搭在她胳膊上。他似乎比她更懂得察言观色，不过，这也没多难。

瑞恩在迪纳米斯路线上和原子猫聊过，转眼便串起了线索。对于那位猫科朋友为何离开奥古斯蒂，他已经猜得八九不离十了——原因就在基贞的处境上。

还有另一件事让瑞恩有些在意。菲利克斯猫说过，妹妹纳尔西妮娅是收养的，而她又正好符合某个描述……难道？

这场派对看来已经少不了惊喜了。

“路易吉没来？”福尔图娜扫视着房间，问道，“只要有姑娘，他一般都来得很早。”

“没来。冰球杀手趁他的保镖去上厕所，又袭击了他一次。”杰米皱着眉回答，“袭击者还逼路易吉吃了一根萨拉米香肠。”

“冰球杀手？”瑞恩问。同一时刻，福尔图娜震惊地说：“一根萨拉米香肠？”

“大概就是之前袭击路易吉的那个疯子。”杰米叹了口气，“没错，萨拉米。别问我为什么。都说超能帮走了，城里就安全多了，可要我说，这里的疯子本来就已经够多了。”

“也可能是个义警啊。”瑞恩说，“一个怀着奇特正义感的帅哥，一手冰球杆，一手香肠，打击犯罪。”

“那他怎么只袭击路易吉？”兰卡窝在沙发上，懒得起身，插了一句，“不对，话痨，这就是小心眼的报复。要我说，那个混蛋活该，成天哪壶不开提哪壶。”

“不管怎么说，这个冰球杀手迟早会受到应有的惩罚。”杰米斩钉截铁地说，看向福尔图娜，“既然超能帮已经离开新罗马了，你们能查查这件事吗？”

“伏尔甘还不肯放我们走呢。”福尔图娜抱怨道，“明明锈镇都清理干净了，麻雀也把那些疯魔一路赶到了天涯海角。”

嗯，瑞恩可不觉得锈镇已经清理干净了。他们是阻止了一场大火，可废料场也成了一堆熔化的垃圾，恰好把地堡入口遮了个严实。伏尔甘让他们这组人负责巡逻那片区域，以防超能帮回来，自己则和麻雀一起出发追杀那帮人。瑞恩此后还没收到任何消息，不过听说这两个女人都会来参加派对。

说实话，这位时间旅行者还没想好该怎么处理梅克隆的地堡，蕾恩也没再联系过他。他希望这场派对能让自己放松一下，理清思路。

“我们这样讨论这些事，是不是……”基贞清了清嗓子，望向马蒂亚斯，“不好意思，不过……”

“放心，他早就把我们看透了。”瑞恩坏笑着说。看着马特尔越来越不自在，他乐在其中。

“是啊，我敢肯定，冰球杀手就在你们中间。”男人也笑吟吟地回敬道，“希望我没揭穿你的身份。”

大家都当这是个笑话，笑了起来，瑞恩本人笑得比谁都响。这一击漂亮。“没关系，吱喳，我替我家马蒂亚斯担保。”福尔图娜说着，把脑袋靠在男人肩上，“他就是我的真命天子。”

“我只答应了第二次约会。”马蒂亚斯面无表情地回答。

“不管你愿不愿意，这事都定了。”

“你们俩是怎么认识的？”基贞问。

“上周我第三套公寓煤气泄漏那次，你们知道吧？”福尔图娜问，“我从窗户掉了出去，才险险捡回一条命，是马蒂亚斯救了我。”

“不，救你的是你的能力。”马蒂亚斯板着脸纠正她，“我可没想到你会从三楼掉到我身上。完全出乎意料。”

“那是一见钟情。”福尔图娜宣布。

“并不是。”她男友抗议道，“我确认你没事，就想走了，因为我还有别的安排，然后你就开始冲我大喊大叫。”

“我当然生气啦。”福尔图娜不服气地说，其他人都笑出了声，“世界上最漂亮的女人掉进你怀里，惊魂未定，让你哄哄她，你居然敢拒绝？”

“敢。”马蒂亚斯直截了当地答道。显然，他对福尔图娜的魅力免疫，而她对此完全无法忍受。“怎么，我的世界就该为了你停止运转？”

“对，就该这样！”她这话可半点反讽的意思都没有。“我只要看男孩子一眼，他们就会拜倒在我脚下，可你呢，马特？你居然走了！”

“什么时候放音乐呀？”纳尔西妮娅终于开口了。周围这么多比她年长的人，她似乎有些害羞，不过随着众人说笑寒暄，她渐渐放开了些。“太安静了。”

杰米看了瑞恩一眼，后者便向众人展示了DJ：一个装在罐子里的大脑，接着电视和音箱，周围还聚着基贞的老鼠。

“你拿天才造的电子脑当DJ？”纳尔西妮娅问。和其他人不同，她看起来与其说是别扭，不如说是兴奋。“太酷了。”

“我真不该让你负责歌单。”基贞对瑞恩说，懊悔地叹了口气。

“只有不知道自己想要什么的人才会后悔！”瑞恩答道，启动了大脑DJ，“看好了。”

大脑开始播放音乐，罐子内部也随之亮起了光。保护脑组织的液体不断变换颜色，配上恰到好处的音乐，营造出夜店的氛围。

“还挺带劲。”兰卡承认，独自随着曲子点起了头。

“听不出是谁的曲子。”基贞说。她的老鼠们已经开始围着电视跳霹雳舞了。

“这是《侠盗猎车手》的混音版。”马蒂亚斯说，让瑞恩大为意外，“而且混得相当不错。”

“马蒂亚斯是游戏设计师。”福尔图娜说。显然，他太谦虚，不肯自吹自擂，只好由她代劳。“他特别有才华。”

“准确地说，我是程序员，业余做些独立游戏。”她的男伴有些腼腆地笑了笑，这是瑞恩迄今见过他情绪最外露的一刻。“主要是角色扮演和银河恶魔城类。”

没人听得懂这些行话，只有瑞恩两眼放光。不过，他决定先考考这个男人的功底，免得空欢喜一场。“你玩过《银河战士：融合》吗？”

“玩过，不过我更喜欢《超级银河战士》。”马蒂亚斯答道，“自由度更高。”

“史克威尔最好的角色扮演游戏？”

“《最终幻想VII》，不过《VI》在我心里也有特殊的地位。”

“这颗被上帝抛弃的星球上，居然还活着另一个玩家！”找到知音，瑞恩感动得几乎要落泪，“我现在可以死而无憾了！”

“你有超能力吗，宅男二号？”兰卡手里拿着一罐啤酒，从沙发后探出头，问马蒂亚斯，“对了，我叫兰卡。”

程序员点点头。“有间卧室，我猜是你的，墙刷成了棕色，角落里放着三十个啤酒罐，还有一本摩托车杂志——”

“哦，真棒，蓝系的。”没等他说完，兰卡便耸了耸肩，“你要敢告诉别人床底下有什么，我就宰了你。”

“马蒂亚斯能看见周围不大一片范围内的所有东西。”福尔图娜自豪地说，挽住了他的胳膊。对于这样公开亲热，他显然远不如女友自在。瑞恩觉得，他八成是被她硬拖来参加派对的。

“嘁，这算什么。”纳尔西妮娅从厨房拿来一把刀，举到拇指旁，“看。”

还没等任何人反应过来，她已经割破了拇指，一滴血落在了拼花木地板上。那滴液体迅速膨胀成一个球，颜色转绿，随后开始变形。这团古怪的东西长出了角、腿、毛……

五秒钟后，一群人望着一只可爱的白山羊。

“好可爱。”基贞惊喜地说，杰米也露出了温暖的笑容。

“我能用自己的血创造生命。”纳尔西妮娅得意地说，新宠物叫了一声，“不能太复杂，也不能太大，不过什么种类的动物、植物我都能造，连嵌合兽都行！”

“也就是说，什么品种的山羊你都能造？”瑞恩问，这下他极其感兴趣了。

“当然！怎么了？”

快递员深深望进这个纯真女孩的大眼睛里，低声说出了将让她永远堕落的两个字。

“斗羊。”

纳尔西妮娅望着瑞恩，仿佛他是个天才——他本来就是——然后造出了第二只山羊。它一身黑毛，金色眼睛，天生就是个斗士。“你选哪只，瑞恩？”她问。两只山羊正彼此怒目而视。

“黑的。”

他已经看到了这片尚未开发的市场。

---

随着新来的客人纷纷决定参赛，纳尔西妮娅最终造出了八只山羊。她给每只羊赋予了不同的毛色，在房子里渐渐挤满人的同时，办起了一场锦标赛。几个人围在沙发旁，观看最后的决战。

“加油，我的小山羊！”瑞恩半是法语、半是英语地给自己的冠军打气。她正与对手角抵着角，准备夺下理应属于自己的冠军宝座。“你能行的，莎布·尼古拉丝！”

“你还给她起名字了，话痨？”兰卡问。她押了一只金色山羊，不知不觉间对比赛投入得出奇。“揍扁她！”

可惜，她的羊没能在莎布·尼古拉丝毫不留情的凶猛攻势下撑多久。黑山羊成功将对手掀到了一旁，后者只得屈辱地加入其他落败选手的行列，一起被流放。

“好，好！”瑞恩立刻伸手抚摸自己的黑山羊，她趾高气扬地昂起头。观众纷纷鼓掌，其中纳尔西妮娅拍得最响。“你赢了！你赢了！”

“你肯定暂停时间作弊了。”兰卡嘟囔着，抽完手上这根烟。热闹看完，大多数客人便各自散开，去角落里聊天，或是拿杯酒喝。

“要是她是白的，你还会这么说吗？”瑞恩摸着莎布·尼古拉丝的耳朵，向兰卡发出控诉。其实他确实作弊过一次，不过只是对付福尔图娜。那女人的运气逆天，他总得想个办法拉平差距。

总之，幸运女孩果然输不起，带着她的情郎退出了比赛。两人转移到充当酒吧的厨房，福尔图娜逮着肯听的人就推销自己的男友。杰米向来善于交际，一边调鸡尾酒，一边与马蒂亚斯友好攀谈，不过程序员依旧保持着戒备。基贞则迎接着每一位新到的客人，一秒比一秒焦虑。

客人全是基因者，其中大多数都在展示这一点。一个念动力者隔空搬送着酒杯，帮杰米照看吧台，瑞恩认出他是雷内斯科的一位顾客；另一个操火者则在女孩面前卖弄，凭空变出各式各样的火焰造型。

以瑞恩对基因者的了解，这场派对要是不闹出一两次爆炸才结束，他可是会失望的。

“你是在指控我搞山羊种族歧视？”兰卡将他的注意力拉回了谈话。

“不过，这些羊现在怎么办？”纳尔西妮娅问。她造出的生物已经开始和基贞的老鼠玩耍，小家伙们爬到了体形更大的山羊背上。大多数客人看得津津有味，也有人看得食指大动。

“你造只狼，把它们吃了。”瑞恩提议。他的山羊冠军抬头看向他。“只吃输家，莎布·尼古拉丝。只吃输家。”

“那之后我们又怎么处理狼？”兰卡抛出了难题，等着把他问倒。

瑞恩给出了简单的解决办法：“再造只熊，把狼吃了。”

“我造不了熊。”纳尔西妮娅咯咯笑着，挨着兰卡坐到沙发上，“太肥了。”

“那就叫熊猫来。他和狼，谁能赢？”

“狼。根本不用比。”兰卡说着，递给纳尔西妮娅一罐啤酒，“来点吗，羊魔王？”

“爸爸妈妈说了，只有不喝酒才准我来。”纳尔西妮娅将手指拢在一起，“而且托尔克神父说，酒精是灵魂的毒药。”

“你在这儿看见你爸妈或者神父了吗？相信我，得再多喝十倍，才毒得了什么。”兰卡把罐子塞进纳尔西妮娅手里，少女吃了一惊，望着啤酒，明显还在犹豫。“话痨，你看见什么漂亮男孩了吗？我饿了。”

“那得看算不算我自己。”瑞恩开玩笑道，“因为跟我一比，其他人都会让你大失所望。”

“你不是我的菜，话痨。我喜欢强壮沉默型的，你他妈话太多了。”兰卡朝入口瞥了一眼，“不过，救你的援军来了。”

格蕾塔和麻雀从正门走了进来，前者穿得很随意，后者穿着一袭红色礼裙。她们还带着第三个女人，一个美得惊人的红发女郎，身上的绿色礼裙同样令人惊艳。她将头发盘起，摆出端庄的姿态，但瑞恩从她翡翠色的眼眸里捕捉到了一丝狐狸般的顽皮与残忍。显然是杀手七人组中的一员。

瑞恩过了一秒才意识到，这三名杀手都在护送一个二十岁出头的年轻女人。她美艳而高贵，如同女王，一头白金色长发近乎银白。与同伴不同，她穿得非常保守，一身黑衣更衬得皮肤苍白。这个神色冷峻的女人扫视着房间，蓝眼睛里一片漠然。她脸上的表情，只有纯粹而彻底的无聊。

快存本来有点想上前搭话，可看清她那张毫无表情的脸后，便打了退堂鼓。

她长得实在太像年轻版的普鲁托了，看得他心里发毛。

不过格蕾塔注意到了他，向他露出一贯的假笑。那位苍白的女士则低声对麻雀和红发女郎说了几句话。她似乎对社交毫无兴趣，径直走到吧台，在角落里喝起了酒。

“妖姬。”兰卡朝红发女郎抬了抬下巴，“她是个贱人，会把床伴吸干，所以别靠近她。至于纳什和格蕾塔，你显然都见过了。”

纳什？给麻雀起这个昵称，还不错。“那那个白金色头发的——”

“别。”兰卡收起了玩笑的语气，“说真的，别靠近她。”

“可是——”

“那是莉维娅。”纳尔西妮娅说，仿佛这一句就解释了一切。

“我可不会收拾你那具血淋淋的尸体，话痨，所以给我遵守点社交距离准则。”兰卡说着，点起了今晚的第四根烟，“妖姬会在你上她的时候弄死你，但跟莉维娅，你根本活不到那一步。”

“怎么，她看我一眼就能把我变成石头？”瑞恩问。

“你该怕的不是莉维娅。”兰卡阴恻恻地回答，“是她父亲。”

“而且她跟我哥哥交往过。”纳尔西妮娅告诉瑞恩。

“所以她是爱猫人士？”

纳尔西妮娅掐了一下他的胳膊。“这笑话蠢死了。”她说着，嘴角却在笑。青少年啊。“瑞恩，你不想跟我姐姐约会吗？那样我们每个周末都能斗羊了！”

“我很确定她已经名花有主了。”兰卡一边坏笑，一边打量客人，随后叹了口气。看来，她还没找到看得上眼的。

“可我不喜欢那个家伙！”纳尔西妮娅抱怨着，啪地拉开啤酒罐，“他有时候会盯着我看，怪吓人的。希望我姐姐早点腻了他。”

“我这就去解决。”瑞恩看向那个面无表情的游戏设计师，朝他喊道，“嘿，马蒂！”

马蒂亚斯·马特尔望了过来，显然已经快受不了了。

“给我拿杯酒，去外面聊聊流行文化怎么样？你还欠我一杯呢！”

游戏设计师和女友说了几句话。几秒钟后，马蒂亚斯从台面上拿起两杯酒，福尔图娜则狠狠瞪着快递员。

“保护好羊群，我的绿系朋友。”瑞恩对纳尔西妮娅说，“为了实现你的愿望，我们可能得把它们献祭掉。”

“你不是撒旦教徒吧？”少女突然担心起来。

“不是，他可比那糟多了。”兰卡说。瑞恩已经朝露台走去。

“地底下那场大火，跟我放过的火根本没法比。”快递员戏谑地答道。

“我、我开玩笑的！”纳尔西妮娅恳求道，莎布·尼古拉丝轻轻叫了几声，“我开玩笑的！”

瑞恩回头冲她眨了眨眼，随后马蒂亚斯便跟了上来。几个基因者已经占领了无边泳池，不过眼下大多数人还待在室内。快递员接过递来的酒，在坡道上坐下，离跌入下方的虚空只差一寸。听见动静，他抬起头，看着伏尔甘的机甲从房子上空掠过，降落在外面的花园里。

很好，瑞恩正好要盘问她追杀超能帮的进展。“你不是说自己情路不顺吗？”他问马蒂亚斯。

“是不顺，她只是我的任务。”对方回答，证实了瑞恩对他身份的猜测。“顺便一提，这任务搬起石头砸了自己的脚，还砸得相当惨。她的能力简直破坏平衡。”

“这话可真够冷血的。”

“你还真好意思五十步笑百步。”程序员抿了一口酒，瞪着快递员，“你真是个天大的混蛋，快存。”

“我知道，而你就爱我这一点。”

“不过，路易吉那事干得不错。”他压低声音，免得被别人听去，“我本来要去处理他的，你下手比我快。”

“抱歉，我对吐真话能力者的憎恨，妨碍了你那冷酷无情的暗杀企图。”瑞恩看了一眼纳尔西妮娅。她正和兰卡一起把沙发挪到一边，清空客厅，腾出舞池。狂欢派对就快开始了。“所以，是她？”

马蒂亚斯·马特尔没有看他，而是盯着韦兰姐妹。有那么一瞬间，面具滑落，底下真正的那个人开了口。

“对。”裹尸布答道，望着纳尔西妮娅的眼中透出危险的神色，“就是她。”