同章对照

“When is the sound coming?” Lanka asked Ryan for the third time, an elbow on the loudspeaker.

“When you find me another brain,” Ryan replied, tinkering with the device. A few people had already taken over the dance floor, but the house’s equipment couldn’t support a true rave party. Seriously, Ki-jung needed to stop buying Dynamis home products. They were barely a cut above pre-Wars Chinese imports.

Actually, did buying the enemy's products count as collaboration?

“Stop distracting him,” Narcinia told Lanka, defending Ryan with such zeal that he considered making her his sidekick. The Green Genome was busy cultivating strange, phosphorescent mushrooms on the ground. She had promised it would help with the rave, and the courier let her run wild with her imagination.

Quicksave glanced at Mathias, who was talking with Fortuna and other members of the Killer Seven. Half an hour had passed since their conversation, and the house was now filled to the brim with guests.

“So, you’re adopted?” Ryan bluntly asked Narcinia. “Did you ever learn who your birth parents were?”

“Ryan!” Lanka snapped at him.

“They were raiders,” Narcinia replied, almost casually. “Father Torque said they were killers and rapists, and that Augustus punished them because it was divine justice.”

Ryan could have sworn the TV’s screen threatened to crack for a brief second. He glanced up at Mathias, whose smile contrasted with the icy look in his eyes.

“Sorry,” Lanka said, glaring at the courier. Thankfully, the power outburst had been subtle enough for her to miss it. “Blabbermouth has no tact at all.”

“It’s okay!” Narcinia replied with a cute smile. “My real family is the one that raised me. My mom and dad are awesome, and my siblings even more so.”

“I was adopted too, but it sucked,” Ryan said with a shrug. “Well, half of it.”

“Really?” Narcinia’s head perked up in interest, while Lanka listened in silence.

“My parents died when bandits wiped out our community to steal our supplies,” Ryan said. It had been so long ago, it had lost almost all emotional effect. “I was… eleven I think? Maybe twelve. And I turned out great!”

“Ryan.” Lanka’s voice had lost all playfulness. “Did these bandits...”

Ryan glanced at the snake tattoo on her arm, that of her former gang. “You weren’t among them and they’re all dead,” the courier replied with a shrug. “I’m over it.”

Lanka fell silent with a thoughtful look on her face, while Narcinia looked between them in confusion. Thankfully, a newcomer interrupted them before the mood turned even more awkward.

Ryan almost didn’t recognize Vulcan at first sight, because the Genius had cleaned herself up; she had traded her usual clothes for a black halter-top and pants, and let her hair fall down on her shoulders. While she was no head-turning beauty, the Augusti Capo looked great.

He really had a thing for Geniuses shorter than him.

“Ceres, Sphere.” Vulcan smirked upon seeing the courier. “Ryan.”

“Hey, my favorite arms dealer,” Ryan rejoiced, raising a screwdriver. “Your arrival is just perfect.”

“Always,” she replied, a hand on her waist. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Do you have anything to boost the sound?” Ryan asked. “I’m trying to jury-rig the loudspeakers, but I need more juice.”

“Now you’re talking my language,” Vulcan said, searching inside her pocket and tossing him some kind of mouse-sized battery. “It’s a mini-generator.”

“Why do you carry that in your pocket?” Lanka asked, an eyebrow raised.

“‘Cause my phone has less autonomy than a sloth,” the Genius replied with a shrug, before grabbing a beer can from Lanka’s personal reserve. “It’s been an exhausting day.”

“Did you kill the Meta?” Narcinia asked before Ryan could.

“Almost, but Dynamis got to them first. Fucking kill stealers.”

“What, they tried to buy them off?” Lanka snickered.

“With bullets and lasers,” Vulcan replied. “They sent three armored squadrons, plus heavy hitters like Devilry and that bitch Wyvern. Those vultures fell on the Meta and opened fire on sight.”

Oh, was there gas in their alliance? “Well, I guess it was time to clean up loose ends,” Ryan said.

“Adam didn’t look surprised. He sacrificed a few men, but he managed to escape on a goddamn submarine.”

“A submarine?" Narcinia immediately asked, unable to resist the lure of undersea adventures.

“Yeah, a freaking submarine with Mechron’s emblem on it.”

The dreaded Genius’ name instantly killed the playful mood. Lanka toyed with her smoke, a frown forming on her face. “Well, that doesn’t sound good.”

“I get the feeling the situation is more complicated than it looks.” Vulcan sipped her beer while glancing at Ryan. “I called the Underdiver to investigate since she’s a specialist for underwater hunts.”

The thought of calling Len had crossed Ryan’s mind, but he was wary of involving her now. She was probably busy with all the orphans, no need to add more pressure on her shoulders.

Anyway, thanks to Vulcan’s gadget, he completed his design and amplified the sound, turning the modest loudspeaker into a weapon of mass destruction. As if to answer his success, Narcinia’s mushrooms unleashed a faint colored mist onto the dance floor, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention.

Trading his screwdriver for his drink, Ryan cleared his throat.

“Boys and girls!” the courier shouted while raising his glass, his voice reverberating through the loudspeaker. “With great power, comes ZERO RESPONSIBILITY!”

Cheers answered his declaration, while Lanka created multiple colored spheres above the dance floor, one for each Elixir type. They floated near the ceiling and pulsated with energy, slowly shrinking while they provided a solid light show.

“How long do they last?” Vulcan asked Lanka, more people started taking over the dance floor while the music switched to a catchy Synthwave song.

“Around an hour if nobody touches them,” Lanka said, before turning to Narcinia. “Nice trick with the mushrooms. What’s your job again?”

“I work on Ischia island,” the teenager replied. “I help Father Torque open the path to heaven.”

“That kind of heaven?” Ryan asked, immediately interested. “Are you an angel?”

Narcinia’s smile faltered a bit. “Sorry Ryan, I’m not supposed to say anything about it.”

“I’m just saying, I’ve always wanted to sell drugs for a living,” Ryan declared, pumping his fist. “Building a South American cartel has always been my dream. If you need a drug wizard, I know all the good recipes. Meth, cocaine, heroin, opium, doesn’t matter, just give me a truck and I’ll start cooking.”

“You know how to make drugs?” Lanka asked, finishing her sixth cancer stick. “Good to know.”

Well, Ryan had spent… twenty years? At least twenty years trying every addictive substance on the planet except Elixirs, and when he ran out, he learned how to create his own supply. His drug cartel phase had been quite enjoyable actually, even if the last overdose sucked.

“I’m afraid you will have to abandon that childhood dream, Ryan.” Vulcan brazenly put an arm around his shoulder. “You’ve got an exclusive work contract with me.”

“Can’t we settle on an open relationship?” Ryan replied while brazenly putting his hand around her waist. Lanka looked at him as if expecting the courier to lose that arm very soon.

“I ain’t finding anyone half as good as you are,” Vulcan replied, without pushing his hand away. “So it’s 'til death do us part.”

“Are you talking about work or something else?” Lanka joked.

“He could visit,” Narcinia said, clearly eager to meet Ryan again. “Father Torque says the equipment needs an update. Especially the defenses.”

“Bacchus doesn’t know jack shit about tech,” Vulcan replied, her amusement turning into frustration. “Besides, you’ve got a freaking ghost guarding your precious island.”

“Mr. Geist says he can’t be everywhere at once, and that he may ascend to Heaven anytime.”

“Pretty please?” Ryan asked Vulcan, doing his best impersonation of a kitten’s cute stare.

“Don’t start.” Vulcan rolled her eyes, before glancing at the dance floor. “You know how to dance?”

“If I say I’m amazing, then I’m being modest.”

“Let’s put that boast to the test, shall we?”

Both put the drinks aside and moved to the dance floor alongside other couples. It quickly became apparent that Vulcan didn’t have much experience, but Ryan had mastered every dance under the sun, so he guided them through. Mathias also danced with Fortuna, and the glass manipulator seemed to enjoy it a bit more than he would like to admit.

“Is there anything you aren’t good at?” Vulcan asked Ryan. He could feel her sweat on his fingers, her breath accelerating.

"Ice-skating." Vulcan chuckled in response, and Ryan may have smiled, if not for the unpleasant sensation of someone watching him from afar. A quick glance quickly told him whom.

Livia observed him from the bar, her gaze first one of surprise, then confusion. She started asking questions to Sparrow nearby, and while Ryan could read lips, the lighting didn’t help him understand anything.

He did capture the mysterious woman’s attention though. It must have been his magnetic personality.

“Fuck off!”

Ryan and Vulcan interrupted their wild dancing when they heard Jamie’s voice cut through the noise. The swordsman had grabbed a fire-manipulator whom Ryan had sighted earlier during the party by the shirt, and looked ready to murder him. The guest carried a broken inhaler in his hands, full of a bluish, almost phosphorescent liquid.

It seemed one idiot had ignored Jamie’s rules and brought Bliss to the party. And Ki-jung…

Chitter looked at the drug with a pale face, shaking. She seemed paralyzed and unable to say anything; a former addict faced with her personal poison.

Bliss could be taken either in liquid or gas form, and it was powerful enough to affect Genomes. It was also incredibly addictive, which Ryan could personally attest. He could never finish a run after trying it, and while he had only ever found one way to cure the addiction, it was horribly painful.

Not to mention the hidden, long-term side-effects...

The idiot tried to protest, even while Jamie looked murderous. It was not a pretty sight, since the Made Man was a tall brawler built like a bear. While he hadn’t manifested any laser weapons from his hands, the scowl of black fury on his face made it clear he was barely restraining himself. The contrast with his usual kindness made it all the more jarring.

In fact, Ryan had only ever seen him this angry when Luigi had exposed his infiltration in some loops.

“But—”

“Fuck off!” Jamie snarled before throwing the Genomes backward, his tone turning venomous. “Don’t bother ever coming back.”

The guest looked around, surrounded by glares from other guests, and moved towards the door with a cowed face and his inhaler. “It’s okay?” Jamie immediately asked his girlfriend, his frightful face softening back into a kind one.

“Yes,” Ki-jung said, although she clearly didn’t mean it. “It’s fine. It’s fine.”

Jamie put his hands around her waist in a protective manner and then turned to Ryan when he and Vulcan approached the couple. “Sorry for the mess,” Zanbato apologized.

“Your house, your rules,” Vulcan replied, glancing at the house’s entrance. “I’ll discipline that idiot, Zanbato. You got my word on this.”

“Thank you.” Jamie looked at his troubled girlfriend, then back at Ryan. “I think we will retire early. Can you and Lanka take care of the guests in our absence?”

“Sure,” the courier said.

“Can I trust you not to do anything stupid?” Jamie asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I swear I will not start any fires under this roof.”

“That’s oddly specific,” he noted but had more pressing matters on his mind. “Don’t burn down the house.”

Ryan raised a thumb up with one hand and crossed his fingers behind his back with the other. Jamie and Ki-jung moved upstairs, leaving the ground and main room to the guests. “I didn’t know Chitter was a recovering addict,” Vulcan noted, showing surprising insight. “I’m glad I never took that stuff.”

“Don’t get high on your own supply,” Ryan replied.

“Scarface?” She smirked at his surprised face. “I watch movies too. Maybe I’ll show you a few, one day.”

Sparrow approached the duo before they could return to the dance floor. “Quicksave.” The bodyguard cleared her throat. “Ms. Livia wants to talk to you.”

“About what?” Vulcan asked, her tone shifting from flirtatious to serious.

“I don’t know,” Sparrow replied. “But you can come if you want.”

Ryan and Vulcan exchanged a glance, and while the Genius clearly wasn’t happy about it, she didn’t seem willing to deny the request either. That Livia clearly had sway in the organization, or at least her father did.

Livia awaited them at the counter, playing with a cocktail. Greta and the Vamp formed a security cordon around her, giving her a safe space among the crowd. Her eyes remained set on Ryan with a mix of curiosity and interest.

“Are you there?” Livia asked Ryan, her voice radiating quiet confidence.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Ryan replied. “Can we ever be sure that we truly exist?”

“As in, are you physically there, or are you a hallucination?”

“Well, true hallucinations don’t ask if they’re real,” Ryan said. “That’s how I tell them apart.”

Livia chuckled in response, but Vulcan’s face remained an unreadable mask as she asked a question of her own. “Shouldn’t you know that already, princess?”

“I would, if my power worked on him,” Livia replied. She sounded oddly pleased about it. “It doesn’t. As far as it can tell, the man in front of me does not exist.”

Vulcan frowned. “You mean, you can’t see him in any alternate universe?”

Huh?

“No, which should be impossible,” Livia continued, studying Ryan with clear curiosity. “My name is Livia Augusti or Minerva. Are you a Blue? Perhaps a White?”

“No, I’m not a smurf. I’m closer to magenta.”

“A Violet? Oh, then you must be Quicksave. My aunt spoke of you.”

“You know I’m immortal?” Ryan asked her, happy to have become famous. “I didn’t tell anyone before.”

“I’m sure of it,” she replied with a bright smile that made Ryan strangely uneasy.

Wait, Livia Augusti? As in the core family? She was Pluto’s niece, and Lanka had said he should fear her father...

Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. “Who’s your daddy?” he asked for confirmation.

The young woman’s smile widened, and she glanced through the windows, and at Mount Augustus beyond it.

…

Shit, Augustus can reproduce!

“I can see and interact with alternate realities,” Livia explained. “I won’t give you all the boring details, but I can see the different ways a situation can play out; even a human being. But for some reason, my power simply fails to take you into account.”

If so, then no wonder she had looked so bored beforehand. If that mafia princess could observe multiple realities, she probably knew how the party would turn out before it even began.

Until Ryan himself entered the picture. “Interesting,” he said, noting that information for later.

“You said you overlap with your alternate selves,” Vulcan told her dance partner. “Maybe that’s why. Your powers interfere with each other.”

Well, except he lied about that part, and Ryan couldn’t tell them his own theory without revealing his bluff.

“I can’t suppress my curiosity,” Livia admitted. “Even Greta only prevents me from seeing anything when using her power on me, otherwise I can see her just fine. This situation is truly a first for me.”

“The orange is in the hen house.”

Both Vulcan and Livia frowned at Ryan. “I’m sorry?” the mafia princess asked.

“If you remember that sentence, then it means everything is fine,” Ryan said while grabbing a drink off the counter.

“I will be sure to remember it then,” Livia replied with amusement. The more they talked, the more delighted she looked. “I would be interested in examining how our powers interact if you don’t mind. I’m still figuring out my limits.”

“How about a wager then?”

Livia put a hand on her cheek, considering the courier’s proposal. “A wager?”

“I thought of something to cap the party.” Ryan raised an index finger, sipping the cocktail. “Something so daring, so risky, so mad, that I promise you will never have seen it in any alternate universe. Something which will piss off Wyvern something fierce.”

Livia raised an amused eyebrow, while Vulcan looked ready to take the bait. “I’m listening,” the mafia princess said.

Ryan smirked.

---

Two hours later, Ryan hid from lasers behind a desk on the twentieth floor of Dynamis’ HQ. He wore a new purple suit on his person, while an armored Vulcan was engaged in a firefight with the Private Security.

“Romano.” Enrique Manada pointed a gun at the courier, while furious vines moved to surround him. “Drop that cashmere suit!”

The things he did for his wardrobe...

“音响什么时候能好？”兰卡把胳膊肘支在音箱上，第三次问瑞恩。

“等你再给我找颗大脑来。”瑞恩一边摆弄设备，一边回答。已经有几个人占了舞池，可屋里的设备还撑不起一场真正的锐舞派对。说真的，基贞不能再买迪纳米斯的家用产品了。这些东西比大战前的中国进口货也就强那么一点。

话说回来，买敌人的产品，算不算通敌？

“别打扰他了。”纳尔西妮娅对兰卡说。她维护瑞恩的劲头十足，让他都动了收她当小跟班的念头。这位绿系基因者正在地上培育一些散发磷光的古怪蘑菇。她保证这些东西能给派对助兴，快递员便由着她天马行空地发挥。

快存瞥了一眼马蒂亚斯，他正在和福尔图娜以及杀手七人组的其他成员交谈。两人聊完到现在已经过了半小时，屋子里如今挤满了宾客。

“所以，你是被收养的？”瑞恩直截了当地问纳尔西妮娅，“你后来知道亲生父母是谁了吗？”

“瑞恩！”兰卡厉声叫他。

“他们是劫匪。”纳尔西妮娅答得几乎满不在乎，“托尔克神父说，他们杀人、强奸，奥古斯都惩罚他们，是为了伸张神的正义。”

瑞恩敢发誓，电视屏幕有那么一瞬间几乎要裂开。他抬眼瞥向马蒂亚斯，那人脸上带着笑，眼神却冰冷得与笑容格格不入。

“抱歉。”兰卡说着，瞪了快递员一眼。幸好，刚才那阵能力波动足够细微，没让她察觉。“这话痨说话一点分寸都没有。”

“没关系！”纳尔西妮娅露出一个可爱的笑容，“把我养大的人才是我真正的家人。我爸妈特别好，哥哥姐姐就更好了。”

“我也是被收养的，不过那经历烂透了。”瑞恩耸耸肩，“嗯，有一半烂透了。”

“真的？”纳尔西妮娅来了兴趣，抬起头来，兰卡则默默听着。

“土匪为了抢物资，血洗了我们的聚居地，我父母也死了。”瑞恩说。那是太久以前的事了，如今几乎再也掀不起什么情绪。“我当时……大概十一岁？也可能是十二岁。可你看，我长大后多优秀！”

“瑞恩。”兰卡的声音里已经没有半点玩笑的意思，“那些土匪是不是……”

瑞恩看了一眼她手臂上的蛇形文身，那是她以前帮派的标记。“你不在那伙人里，而且他们都死光了。”快递员耸耸肩，“我早放下了。”

兰卡不再说话，脸上若有所思，纳尔西妮娅则困惑地看看这个，又看看那个。幸好，在气氛变得更尴尬之前，新来的人打断了他们。

瑞恩第一眼差点没认出伏尔甘，因为这位天才竟然把自己收拾干净了。她脱下平常那身衣服，换了件黑色挂脖上衣和长裤，头发也放了下来，披在肩上。她虽不是什么让人频频回头的绝色美人，但这位奥古斯蒂头目此刻看着确实很不错。

他还真是对比自己矮的天才情有独钟。

“刻瑞斯，球体。”伏尔甘看见快递员，嘴角勾起一抹笑意，“瑞恩。”

“哎呀，我最爱的军火商！”瑞恩欢快地举起螺丝刀，“你来得简直恰到好处。”

“我一向如此。”她一手叉腰，“说点我不知道的。”

“有没有能把音量提上去的东西？”瑞恩问，“我正试着临时改装音箱，不过还缺点电力。”

“这才是我爱听的话。”伏尔甘掏了掏口袋，扔给他一个老鼠大小、电池模样的东西，“微型发电机。”

“你为什么会把这东西揣在口袋里？”兰卡扬起一边眉毛。

“因为我手机的续航还不如树懒。”这位天才耸耸肩，从兰卡的私人储备里拿了罐啤酒，“今天可累死我了。”

“你把超能帮干掉了吗？”纳尔西妮娅抢在瑞恩前面问道。

“差一点，不过迪纳米斯抢了先。抢人头的混账东西。”

“怎么，想收买他们？”兰卡嗤笑道。

“拿子弹和激光收买。”伏尔甘说，“他们派了三个装甲中队，还有邪魔、双足飞龙那个婊子之类的狠角色。那群秃鹫扑向超能帮，见面就开火。”

哦，他们的联盟闹矛盾了？“嗯，看来是时候灭口了。”瑞恩说。

“亚当倒没显得意外。他牺牲了几个手下，但还是坐一艘他妈的潜艇逃了。”

“潜艇？”纳尔西妮娅立刻追问，完全抵挡不住海底冒险的诱惑。

“没错，一艘该死的潜艇，上面还有梅克隆的标志。”

这位可怕天才的名字一出口，轻松嬉闹的气氛顿时消散。兰卡把玩着香烟，皱起眉头。“这可不是什么好消息。”

“我感觉这事比表面上复杂。”伏尔甘喝了口啤酒，瞥向瑞恩，“我已经叫深潜者去查了，她擅长水下追猎。”

瑞恩也想过联系蕾恩，但眼下不太愿意把她牵扯进来。她大概正忙着照顾那群孤儿，没必要再给她增加压力。

总之，靠着伏尔甘的小玩意儿，他完成了设计，把音量提了上去，将这台不起眼的音箱变成了大规模杀伤性武器。仿佛是为了呼应他的成功，纳尔西妮娅的蘑菇向舞池喷出一层薄薄的彩色雾气，瞬间吸引了所有人的目光。

瑞恩放下螺丝刀，拿起酒杯，清了清嗓子。

“男孩女孩们！”快递员举杯高喊，声音透过音箱轰然回荡，“能力越大，责任为零！”

欢呼声回应了他的宣言。兰卡同时在舞池上方造出多个彩色球体，每种灵药的颜色各有一个。它们漂浮在天花板附近，能量一阵阵脉动，体积缓缓缩小，上演了一场像模像样的灯光秀。

“这些能撑多久？”伏尔甘问兰卡。音乐切换成了一首抓耳的合成器浪潮乐曲，更多人涌进了舞池。

“没人碰的话，大概一小时。”兰卡说完，转向纳尔西妮娅，“这蘑菇弄得不错。你是做什么工作的来着？”

“我在伊斯基亚岛工作。”少女答道，“帮托尔克神父打开通往天堂的路。”

“是那种天堂？”瑞恩立刻来了兴趣，“你是天使吗？”

纳尔西妮娅的笑容稍稍一滞。“抱歉，瑞恩，这事我不能说。”

“我只是想说，我一直都想靠卖毒品谋生。”瑞恩挥了挥拳，宣布道，“建立一个南美贩毒集团，一直都是我的梦想。你们要是缺个制毒奇才，我可是知道所有的好配方。冰毒、可卡因、海洛因、鸦片，什么都行，给我辆卡车，我立刻就能开工。”

“你会制毒？”兰卡抽完了第六根致癌棒，“这消息有用。”

嗯，瑞恩花了……二十年？至少二十年，把这颗星球上除灵药之外的所有成瘾物质都试了个遍。等东西用光，他就学着自己生产。其实，他搞贩毒集团的那段日子还挺愉快的，尽管最后一次吸食过量的滋味不太好受。

“恐怕你得放弃这个儿时梦想了，瑞恩。”伏尔甘大大方方地把一条胳膊搭在他肩上，“你可是跟我签了独家雇佣合同的。”

“咱们就不能发展一段开放式关系吗？”瑞恩回道，同时也大大方方地搂住她的腰。兰卡看他的眼神，仿佛认定快递员马上就要丢掉那条胳膊。

“我可找不到第二个能有你一半好用的人。”伏尔甘没推开他的手，“所以，只有死亡才能把我们分开。”

“你们说的是工作，还是别的什么？”兰卡打趣道。

“他可以过来看看嘛。”纳尔西妮娅说，显然很想再见到瑞恩，“托尔克神父说设备该更新了，尤其是防御设施。”

“巴克斯懂个屁的技术。”伏尔甘脸上的笑意变成了烦躁，“再说了，你们那宝贝岛上不是还有个见鬼的幽灵守着吗？”

“幽魂先生说他也不能分身，而且他随时都有可能升上天堂。”

“求求你了，好不好？”瑞恩望向伏尔甘，竭尽全力模仿小猫那种惹人怜爱的眼神。

“少来这套。”伏尔甘翻了个白眼，随后瞥向舞池，“会跳舞吗？”

“我要是说自己跳得棒极了，那都是谦虚。”

“那就来检验一下这话有几分真，怎么样？”

两人放下酒，和其他几对舞伴一起走进舞池。很快就能看出伏尔甘没多少经验，但瑞恩已经掌握了世上所有的舞蹈，便带着她跳了起来。马蒂亚斯也在和福尔图娜跳舞，这位玻璃操纵者似乎比他愿意承认的更享受这一刻。

“有你不擅长的事吗？”伏尔甘问瑞恩。他指尖能触到她的汗水，感觉到她的呼吸正在加快。

“滑冰。”伏尔甘轻笑出声，瑞恩原本也许会跟着笑，可那种被人从远处盯着的不快感让他笑不出来。他飞快地扫了一眼，立刻就找到了目光的主人。

莉维娅在吧台边注视着他，眼神先是惊讶，继而困惑。她开始向身旁的麻雀问话。瑞恩虽然会读唇语，可这光线实在不帮忙，他什么都没看懂。

不过，他确实吸引了这位神秘女子的注意。一定是他那令人无法抗拒的人格魅力。

“滚出去！”

杰米的声音压过喧闹，瑞恩和伏尔甘听见后，停下了热烈的舞步。那位剑客揪住了一个控火者的衣领——瑞恩早些时候在派对上见过他——看上去简直想宰了对方。那名客人手里拿着一个破损的吸入器，里面盛满蓝色液体，几乎泛着磷光。

看来是有个白痴无视杰米的规矩，把极乐带进了派对。而基贞……

吱喳脸色惨白，盯着那毒品，浑身发抖。她像是僵住了，一句话也说不出来。一个曾经的瘾君子，直面她戒掉的毒物。

极乐既可以用液态服用，也可以用气态吸入，药效强得连基因者都无法抵挡。它还极易成瘾，这一点瑞恩可以亲身作证。只要碰过它，他就从没能把那一轮走到底。他也只找到过一种戒除毒瘾的办法，过程痛苦得可怕。

更别提那些隐蔽的长期副作用了……

即便杰米已经一脸杀气，那白痴还想争辩。这场面可不怎么好看，毕竟这位家族正式成员是个身形高大、壮得像熊一样的搏斗好手。虽然他还没从手中具现出任何激光武器，但那张怒火翻腾的阴沉面孔已经表明，他快要克制不住了。这与他平日的和善反差太大，看着尤其令人心惊。

事实上，瑞恩只在某些循环里，路易吉揭穿他混进家族的事时，才见过杰米这么生气。

“可是——”

“滚出去！”杰米咆哮着，把那名基因者向后扔去，语气变得狠厉，“以后也永远别再来。”

那名客人环顾四周，发现其他宾客全在怒视自己，便拿着吸入器，灰溜溜地朝门口走去。“没事吧？”杰米立刻转向女友，骇人的面容又柔和下来，恢复了和善。

“嗯。”基贞说，可她显然并非真心这么想，“没事。我没事。”

杰米保护性地搂住她的腰。瑞恩和伏尔甘走近这对情侣时，他转向瑞恩。“抱歉，闹成这样。”斩马刀道歉道。

“你的房子，你定规矩。”伏尔甘瞥了一眼门口，“斩马刀，我会管教那个白痴的。我向你保证。”

“谢谢。”杰米看了看心神不宁的女友，又看向瑞恩，“我们想先去休息了。我们不在的时候，你和兰卡能帮忙照顾一下客人吗？”

“当然。”快递员说。

“我能相信你不会干蠢事吗？”杰米扬起一边眉毛。

“我发誓，绝不在这屋顶底下放火。”

“限定得这么具体，真可疑。”他指出，不过眼下还有更要紧的事让他操心，“别把房子烧了。”

瑞恩一只手竖起大拇指，另一只手却在背后交叉了手指。杰米和基贞上了楼，把楼下和客厅留给宾客们。“我都不知道吱喳正在戒毒。”伏尔甘的观察力出人意料地敏锐，“幸好我从没碰过那玩意儿。”

“别拿自己卖的货过瘾。”瑞恩说。

“《疤面煞星》？”看见他惊讶的表情，她勾起嘴角，“我也看电影。有空带你看几部。”

两人还没来得及回舞池，麻雀就走了过来。“快存。”这位保镖清了清嗓子，“莉维娅小姐想和你谈谈。”

“谈什么？”伏尔甘问，语气从调情转为了严肃。

“不知道。”麻雀答道，“不过你愿意的话，也可以一起过来。”

瑞恩和伏尔甘交换了一个眼神。这位天才显然不太高兴，但也没打算拒绝这个要求。这个莉维娅在组织里显然很有分量，至少她父亲是如此。

莉维娅在吧台边等着他们，把玩着一杯鸡尾酒。格蕾塔和妖姬在她周围拉起了一道警戒线，在人群中为她隔出一片安全空间。她的目光始终落在瑞恩身上，带着好奇与兴味。

“你在这里吗？”莉维娅问瑞恩，声音里透出一种沉静的自信。

“也许在，也许不在。”瑞恩回答，“我们真能确定自己确实存在吗？”

“我的意思是，你的肉身真的在这里，还是说你是个幻觉？”

“嗯，真正的幻觉不会问自己是不是真的。”瑞恩说，“我就是靠这个分辨的。”

莉维娅轻笑起来，伏尔甘却面无表情，让人看不出心思。她也提出了自己的问题：“这个你不是应该早就知道了吗，公主？”

“如果我的能力对他有效，我就会知道。”莉维娅回答。奇怪的是，她听上去似乎还挺高兴。“但它对他无效。对我的能力来说，眼前这个男人根本不存在。”

伏尔甘皱起眉头。“你是说，在任何一个平行宇宙里，你都看不到他？”

啊？

“看不到，可这应该是不可能的。”莉维娅继续说道，毫不掩饰好奇地打量着瑞恩，“我叫莉维娅·奥古斯蒂，也叫密涅瓦。你是蓝系？还是白系？”

“不是，我又不是蓝精灵。我的颜色比较接近品红。”

“紫系？哦，那你一定就是快存了。我姑妈提过你。”

“你知道我是永生不死的吗？”瑞恩问她，喜滋滋地发现自己已经出了名，“我以前可没告诉过任何人。”

“这点我深信不疑。”她笑容明亮，却让瑞恩莫名地不安。

等等，莉维娅·奥古斯蒂？本家的人？她是普鲁托的侄女，而兰卡又说过，他该怕的是她父亲……

瑞恩心里咯噔一下。“你老爸是谁？”他问，想确认一下。

年轻女子的笑容更灿烂了。她朝窗外看去，目光投向远处的奥古斯都山。

……

妈的，奥古斯都居然能繁殖！

“我能看见平行现实，也能与它们互动。”莉维娅解释道，“那些无聊的细节就不全说给你听了，不过我能看到一件事发展的种种可能；一个人也一样。但不知为什么，我的能力就是没法把你纳入其中。”

要是这样，难怪她之前看起来那么无聊。如果这位黑手党公主能观察多个现实，她大概在派对开始之前，就知道今晚会如何发展了。

直到瑞恩本人进入画面。“有意思。”他说，把这条信息记了下来，留待以后琢磨。

“你说过，你和其他平行世界的自己重叠在一起。”伏尔甘对舞伴说，“或许就是这个原因。你们的能力相互干扰了。”

问题在于，那部分是他瞎编的。瑞恩没法把自己的猜测告诉她们，否则就会露馅。

“我实在压不住好奇心。”莉维娅承认道，“就连格蕾塔，也只有对我使用能力时，才能让我什么都看不到。其他时候我照样能看见她。这种情况，我确实是头一回遇上。”

“橙子在鸡舍里。”

伏尔甘和莉维娅都皱眉看向瑞恩。“什么？”黑手党公主问。

“如果你记得这句话，就说明一切正常。”瑞恩说着，从吧台上拿起一杯酒。

“那我一定记住。”莉维娅觉得颇有趣味。他们聊得越多，她看起来就越高兴。“如果你不介意，我很想研究一下我们能力之间的相互作用。我还在摸索自己的极限。”

“那打个赌怎么样？”

莉维娅一手托着脸颊，考虑着快递员的提议。“打赌？”

“我想到一个给派对收尾的点子。”瑞恩竖起食指，抿了口鸡尾酒，“大胆、冒险、疯狂到极点。我保证，这件事你在任何一个平行宇宙里都绝不可能见过。而且还会把双足飞龙气得七窍生烟。”

莉维娅饶有兴致地扬了扬眉毛，伏尔甘则看起来已经准备咬钩了。“愿闻其详。”黑手党公主说。

瑞恩咧嘴一笑。

---

两小时后，迪纳米斯总部二十楼，瑞恩正躲在一张办公桌后避开激光。他身上穿着一套崭新的紫色西装，而身披装甲的伏尔甘正在与私人安保队交火。

“罗马诺。”恩里克·马纳达拿枪指着快递员，狂怒的藤蔓向他包围过来，“放下那套羊绒西装！”

为了自己的衣橱，他都干了些什么啊……