同章对照

No matter what Wyvern said, Enrique ‘Blackthorn’ Manada had to be a sinister criminal mastermind.

As he waltzed into the man’s office, Ryan realized it wasn’t just his fashion sense or icy behavior. Almost all the plants the Green Genome collected were poisonous, and one of the fish in his Japanese pond was a fugu pufferfish, infamous for its neurotoxins. Though Ryan knew from experience it tasted wonderful, if prepared well.

Yeah, nothing suspicious about this man.

“I am Enrique Manada, Dynamis’ CBO and Head Manager of the Il Migliore program. Though you seem to already know that.” The manager shook Ryan’s hand after rising from behind his desk. “I am surprised you agreed to meet with us. Wyvern wasn’t very optimistic after your last exchange.”

“Well, I thought I should ask you directly why your organization hired the Meta-Gang,” Ryan said bluntly. “I figured we would lose way less time this way.”

His sheer frankness silenced Blackthorn on the spot. It seemed Wyvern hadn’t informed him of Ryan’s ‘conspiracy theories.’

Enrique hung back in his chair, quietly angry. He didn’t invite Ryan to sit, but the courier did so anyway. “Where does this nonsense come from?”

“I saw them with dozens of crates filled with Dynamis-made knockoffs. It looked like a Black Friday sale.”

“Seen, Mr. Romano? With your own two eyes?” Enrique’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Do you have any tangible evidence? Photos, samples?”

“I have this,” Ryan said, happily giving the manager a paper file he had prepared just for the occasion. “Here is the proof that some of your knockoff Elixirs went missing, disguising off-the-books deliveries to the Meta-Gang.”

The manager all but stole the documents from the time-traveler’s hand. Now was the moment of truth. If Enrique had Ryan killed on the spot or later that day, then he was clearly corrupt.

Blackthorn carefully reviewed the files without a word. However, the flowers in his office seemed to become more and more agitated as he read. Like Matty boy, his power seemed to automatically react to his emotional state, no matter how hard the Green Genome tried to hide it.

“How did you obtain these documents?” Enrique asked while halfway through his review, his tone sharp.

“I hacked into your databases,” Ryan replied. Well, technically, Shroud did it, and the courier borrowed the documents.

“You know I could have you jailed for this?”

Jailed? Not killed? “Don’t whistleblowers get legal protection in New Rome?”

“No,” Blackthorn replied, putting aside the documents. “Any other information you stole from our company?”

“Now that I think of it, some of your doggy drones ended up in the Meta-Gang’s hands,” Ryan remembered. “You shouldn’t leave that stuff laying around.”

Enrique looked at his guest without a word for a few seconds, then brought a cell phone out of his suit. He typed a number and called, though Ryan didn’t hear the person on the other end.

“I have been informed some of our drones have gone missing lately, probably repurposed by the Meta-Gang,” Enrique asked. “Do you confirm? Uh-huh, uh-huh… why wasn’t I informed? I see… I understand, don’t worry… pack your things, you’re fired.”

The last part was said so casually, to the point Ryan almost didn’t catch it.

Enrique ended the call and focused back on the courier. “Alright, Mr. Romano, let’s cut to the chase,” he said, done with the niceties. “What do you want?”

“For Hannifat Lecter to have a botched lipo.”

“Why? Revenge? Your psychological profile tells me you are no selfless vigilante.”

“You know, if you had asked me a few weeks ago I would say it isn’t personal, that it’s just business,” Ryan said, before remembering Len and countless others vanishing as the Bahamut’s light struck New Rome. “But it is personal now. It really is.”

“I see,” Enrique said, doing a mastermind’s pause. “I do not appreciate the methods you used to gather this information, but I will admit, it worries me. However, you understand that if the Meta-Gang has a sponsor inside Dynamis, it is someone in a high place. Probably from the board.”

“You say it like I should be worried.”

“Yes, because it means people in my own department could be compromised. For all you know, I could be involved. So why did you come to me?”

Ryan shrugged. “Frankly Greenhand, I thought it was a coin toss. A lot of people thought you were clean, but if you tried and failed to have me killed, at least I would know where you stood.”

And Ryan remembered his last discussion with the man, before Ischia Island’s destruction. Whatever Blackthorn may be, he seemed to have a vision of the future that didn’t involve people like the Meta or Augustus.

“Hmm, arrogant aren’t you?” Enrique said with a snicker. “Now, how does Len Sabino fit in this? I know you established contact with her shortly after your arrival in New Rome.”

“Wait, you had me followed?” It wounded Ryan, who thought he had mastered counterintelligence tactics.

“Dynamis keeps the Underdiver under close surveillance,” Enrique explained. “We know she went to that orphanage in Rust Town a few hours before this meeting, and you visited the district around the same time. I do not believe it is a coincidence.”

It couldn’t have been communications monitoring, or he would have learned about the time-loop. In all likelihood, Dynamis surveyed Shortie’s underwater base and trailed her wherever she left it.

“Wait,” Ryan said, making a connection. “That’s how Adam knew about the underwater base, you paranoid dicks!”

“I am not sure I understand, but if we assume the Meta-Gang benefits from a Dynamis executive’s assistance as your evidence implies, then… yes, they probably know about her underwater base. I assume you want to protect Miss Sabino?”

“Yes,” Ryan conceded, his voice turning serious. “But if you think you can threaten her to make me behave, you’ll die the way of the dinosaurs.”

“I have no such intention,” Enrique replied, though the courier couldn’t tell if he was honest. “But I want to know your motivations, and if I can trust you. You possess a useful power, but are also psychologically unstable. I have to see if you are worth the risks. Considering your motives, I do not think you are a long-term asset either.”

“I like to think of myself as a speculative investment.”

Enrique adopted a diabolical mastermind pose, making Ryan really wonder if he was truly clean. “You put me in a difficult position,” he said. “The circumstantial evidence you gathered implies corruption in my organization, and the responsible party might be someone with more clout than I. Investigating the matter will necessitate a high degree of trust, and with a few exceptions, I am not sure on whom we can rely on.”

“Say no more, I can be your semi-loyal secret agent!” Ryan happily suggested. “My car is even classier than an Aston Martin!”

Enrique considered the offer, before reaching a conclusion. “I will be honest, I do not like you, Romano,” he said bluntly. “But you seem set on investigating this, and I have the intuition it will cost Dynamis to let you act without supervision.”

And he was probably right.

“Here’s how things will work between us, Romano. You will join Il Migliore’s junior division for a six month trial period, under my direct supervision. We will not apply a DNA tracker until we have recovered the lost drones. Considering your reputation, nobody will blink at these conditions. But make no mistake, our association will be on my terms. Every piece of information you uncover will find its way to this desk. You do as I ask, no questions asked. And you will not hack the company's assets without my authorization. Am I clear?”

“Under three conditions,” Ryan replied, raising his fingers. “First, I keep my name. It’s a copyrighted brand.”

“I doubt you will be with us long enough to become a team mainstay, so you can call yourself Timestamp for all I care,” Enrique replied dismissively. “What next?”

“You don’t mess with the Underdiver. Ever.”

Enrique hesitated for a few seconds. Ryan was starting to suspect something was up; she was too minor a player for Dynamis to care so much about her. “Granted, unless she or you call for our help first,” the manager said, though with great reluctance. “And the last condition?”

Ryan looked at the man dead in the eyes. “I want a purple cashmere suit. With a matching tie.”

Enrique Manada joined his hands and considered the courier’s words. His response was swift and merciless.

“Denied.”

“One just doesn’t say no to cashmere,” Ryan warned, his tone turning dangerous.

“You will meet with Wardrobe tomorrow, and she will make you a hero costume,” Enrique replied dismissively. “She will be your goddess as far as fashion goes. She will decide.”

“And if I’m a nonbeliever?”

“Then the kids marketing subdivision will design the costume,” Enrique said. “Over the years, they have learned to do their job with ruthless efficiency.”

That… that was unbelievably cruel and wrong! “I knew you were soulless, but I didn’t understand how much!”

“That’s part of the job,” Enrique replied dryly, before calling his secretary through an interphone. “Summon Devilry and Wyvern for a meeting, and inform the vice-president that I want a call. Tell them this cannot wait.”

“Sir, you already have a rendezvous with a new hero candidate planned,” warned the secretary.

“Who?”

“The Panda.”

“Who?” Enrique repeated though the courier had the feeling he was merely playing coy.

“The Panda, defender of the innocent,” Ryan declared, offended by the corpo’s utter lack of knowledge. “He can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes!”

“I doubt that,” Blackthorn replied dryly.

In response, Ryan joined his fingers. “You don’t know much about pandas, do you?”

“Is that so?” Enrique replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Then I guess you won’t mind taking him under your wing? Considering his poor track record, I was considering giving the Panda a chance to impress us, but certainly surviving your presence will be a test in itself.”

Huh? That explained why the Panda ended up picking a fight at Vulcan’s factory. Greenhand must have asked him to capture a villain or something. “So you do know him.”

“Wyvern believes he has potential, and Dr. Tyrano thinks his power has interesting applications for his work. However, he seems… incompetent. I worry he might make any team he joins look bad.”

“Trust me, sir,” Ryan said, “When I’m done with him, you will never look at pandas the same way ever again.”

“Well then, the both of you will be a package deal. If he proves lacking, it will look less damaging if you were in charge of him than Wyvern. If it works, then all good.”

Fail and take the blame, succeed and share the credit. “But do I get to choose the team’s name?”

The manager clearly couldn’t care less. “I will summon you again shortly. Until then, you behave.”

And with these words, the manager gave Ryan a contract and dismissed him from his office.

The courier walked into the waiting room, where a poor animal in human form anxiously waited. Enrique canceling their meeting seemed to have put him on edge, but he looked at Ryan with his big hopeful eyes.

“Panda,” Ryan said, holding the contract.

“Y-yes, sir?” The would-be hero tried to look strong, but couldn’t face his anxiety. He looked so cute, like a human muppet.

“Panda, I’m sorry to say that your candidacy…” Ryan let out a long, distressed sigh. “How should I put it…”

The Panda’s heart seemed to stop, as all hope disappeared from his face.

“Your candidacy…” Ryan gave the Green Genome his contract. “Has been accepted.”

For a second, the courier thought the sheer relief would make the Panda faint, and he almost did. He clearly couldn’t believe Dynamis had given him a chance. “I… I’ve been hired? I’m going to join Il Migliore?”

“Yes, you are, you magnificent beast!” Ryan’s outburst made Enrique’s secretary glare at him in the background, but he ignored her. “What is your name, samurai, your real name?”

“Timmy! I’m Timmy!”

“It’s not very Chinese but it will do, Timmy, it will do!” Ryan said, putting his hands on the manbear’s shoulders. “You are now my teammate!”

“You… you want me on your team?” Tears started to appear in the manbear’s eyes. “Somebody wants the Panda on their team?”

“How can one say no to a panda?” Ryan asked rhetorically. Now, he just had to recruit Felix the Cat, and he would have built the ultimate hero team to take on the Meta-Gang. “I already have our group’s name! Quicksave the Pandas! It’s a new franchise!”

“Can we get a hero car?” the poor animal asked, overwhelmed with emotion. “A pandamobile?”

Why did Ryan have the feeling future historians would remember this moment as when his Perfect Run went wrong? But he couldn’t say no to a panda. “Of course we will get a pandamobile, so long as you don’t get anywhere near my car! And we’ll get movies, webtoons, tele-reality shows, our faces on noodles!”

“I… I will finally be famous, and honor my panda heritage!” The Panda wiped away his tears, now pumped up for battle. “What should I call you, sensei?!”

“I’m Quicksave, but privately, you shall call me…”

Ryan's eyes widened, suddenly inspired.

“Super Sifu Ryan.”

---

After promising to his new sidekick that they would meet again tomorrow morning, Ryan left the Il Migliore HQ and drove away towards Rust Town. The sun was setting beyond the horizon, and night would soon come.

“Shortie?” Ryan asked, driving the Plymouth Fury through New Rome’s busy streets. “Are you listening?”

No answer.

“Len?”

“How… how did it go?” Len replied through the chronoradio, clearing her throat. She sounded somewhat relieved to hear from him, but also anxious.

“I’m still convinced Blackthorn is a supervillain, but he doesn’t seem to be the mastermind behind the Meta-Gang.” Though Ryan might revise his opinion if he ‘mysteriously disappeared’ in the next few hours. “They also keep you under tight surveillance. They know about the undersea habitat.”

Len didn’t reply for several seconds, as she usually did. “No matter where I go… I will never escape them,” she finally said with a heavy sigh. “No matter how deep I swim… their tentacles reach farther. They will never be satisfied.”

“Hey, we’ll figure a way out,” Ryan promised her. “And I don’t think they will bother you in the short term.”

“We?”

Ryan’s hands tensed on the driver’s wheel. Maybe he had been too forward. “If… if you wish it. My door is always open if you need help, Len.”

Another silence followed, and Ryan realized they still had a long way to go.

As it turned out, the Chronoradio had recorded, and played, all of the duo’s interactions before the last one on Ischia Island. Which meant that Len had probably recorded and sent the information herself in the previous loop.

It had helped Len trust Ryan a little, even if she disagreed with his choice to approach Dynamis; enough that she let him stay at the orphanage. But a recording wasn’t a personal experience, and to the courier’s disappointment, it hadn’t allowed their relationship to carry over from one loop to the next. It had only helped him make a little more progress in a shorter time.

Eventually, Len found the silence too oppressive and changed the subject. “Sarah, Sarah couldn’t find your cat anywhere. You’re… you’re sure he gained powers?”

“Certain.” Eugène-Henry had been missing from the orphanage when Ryan last visited it. Ergo, something caused a change in the noble animal’s behavior. “Maybe he could help with your Chronoradio upgrade.”

“I… I don’t know, Riri. I don’t know. I will need more info before I can tell if my idea will even work.”

Yeah. Ryan’s goal for this loop, besides sending the Meta-Gang six feet under, was to get his hands on Dynamis’ brain scanning research. Besides weeding out whoever helped Big Fat Adam inside the company, joining Il Migliore would give the courier an opportunity to access their labs in due time.

“Thanks for the help, Shortie,” he said, looking at the road ahead. “I will bring reinforcements tomorrow, to help deal with Psyshock.”

With luck, he could get his other favored cat onboard.

“I… it’s nothing.” However, he could tell Len found the conversation straining, and she ended it abruptly. “I need to go. See you soon.”

“See you soon,” he replied, before glancing at the pile of antidepressants in his car’s backseat. This time, the courier intended to make Shortie follow an effective treatment, rather than poison herself through self-medication.

She deserved as much.

The path between Rust Town and Il Migliore’s tower forced Ryan to go through the shopping district. Also known as Sol Street, the area was a temple to fashion, its buildings home to prestigious clothiers, luxury brands, and perfume clothes. Pedestrians walked by each other while carrying shopping bags and taking phone calls; some Ryan recognized as knockoff Genomes, taking selfies of themselves showing off their purchased powers. Everyone competed to look the best, but nobody paid attention to anyone else. Of course, Quicksave’s fashion sense trumped them all.

Eugène-Henry suddenly leaped from a street corner while pursued by a woman, right onto the Plymouth Fury’s path.

Ryan abruptly froze time and smashed the brake, but the cat had vanished before time even resumed. Instead, the Plymouth Fury had stopped within an inch of a pedestrian.

“Hey, if you want to die to me, make an appointment first! I’m busy!” Ryan complained while looking out of the window, until he recognized the person he almost killed. A blindingly beautiful woman with long golden hair, and an extravagant dress.

“How can that furball escape me?” Fortuna complained, completely ignoring the car within an inch of her skin. “Me?”

“Fortuna, are you alright?” Livia Augusti walked out of the street, wearing a sleeveless black dress and an elegant, white rounded hat atop her platinum hair. She immediately noticed Ryan, and hastily nodded at him, clearly embarrassed. “We apologize for the commotion.”

“Hey, what are you two ladies doing here?” Ryan couldn’t help but ask, before noticing that Livia carried a luxurious bag. They had probably been shopping. “You aren’t insurance chasers, I hope? Because if so I will give no quarters.”

“Livy wanted to see that cat more closely,” Fortuna replied with a furious scowl, putting her hands on her waist. “Where did it go?”

“I couldn’t see it clearly,” Livia admitted, before frowning at Ryan. “And… I can’t see you at all.”

Couldn’t see… did Eugène-Henry partly exist in the Purple World? It would explain his random teleportations, and the Augusti princess probably couldn’t see the noble animal clearly if he existed in two realities at once.

“In any case, if you could step away from the road,” Ryan asked Fortuna, eager to return to the orphanage. “I only run over grannies or Ghoul.”

His dismissive tone made Fortuna look down on him, like a noble crossing path with the dirtiest of peasants. “Do you know who we are?”

“No, but I know who I am, and I’ll tell you!” Ryan replied with an upbeat tone. “I’m Quicksave. I’m immortal, but don't tell anyone.”

“I don’t care,” Fortuna replied, irritated.

Livia’s frown deepened though. “Quicksave, you said?”

She seemed to find the name familiar. Had Ryan’s visit to Dynamis caused Vulcan to put a hit on him already? In that case, he better leave.

Unfortunately, Fortuna didn’t see things this way. “In any case, we need someone to drive us home, and you will do nicely,” she said with a newfound smile, clearly expecting him to agree on the spot.

“Oh no, sorry, I’ve got something planned,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “Take the bus.”

Fortuna blinked. “I think I misheard.”

“Wait, she’s blind, and you’re deaf?” Ryan asked. “You cover each other?”

Livia couldn’t help but chuckle at the joke, but Fortuna didn’t find it funny. “What is wrong with you?” she asked Ryan as if it was only one thing.

“Fortuna, I will just call Sparrow,” Livia said, though she didn’t hide her amusement.

“No, Livy, he has to understand how the world works.” Fortuna moved towards Ryan’s car door and put her hands on the window, crossing the line. “Look at me. Look at me.”

Ryan slowly looked at the self-entitled brat, unimpressed. She was pretty to look at for sure, but damn, her personality made the courier want to make Felix an only child.

“I’m the best thing that ever happened to you, and that will ever happen to you.” Fortuna said it with so much confidence, Ryan was convinced she believed it too. “Your whole life led you here. To bring the most beautiful woman in the world, and her best friend, home.”

The courier seemed to consider the ‘offer’ carefully, while Fortuna’s insufferable grin grew wider.

“Eh,” Ryan said dismissively, before looking back at the road. “Six out of ten.”

And like that, he drove away into the sunset, leaving a speechless Fortuna and a semi-amused Livia behind. Ryan looked at the rearview mirror and noticed the Augusti princess kept watching him even as he disappeared around a street corner.

She looked intrigued, for a lack of a better term.

不管双足飞龙怎么说，恩里克·马纳达——“黑棘”——肯定是个阴险的犯罪主谋。

瑞恩大摇大摆地走进他的办公室，发现可疑之处还不只是他的衣着品位和冷冰冰的做派。这位绿系基因者收藏的植物几乎全都有毒，日式鱼池里还养着一条以神经毒素闻名的河豚。不过，瑞恩凭亲身经验知道，料理得当的话，那东西确实美味。

没错，这人一点都不可疑。

“我是恩里克·马纳达，迪纳米斯的首席商务官兼至优者项目总负责人。不过，看样子你已经知道了。”这位经理从办公桌后起身，和瑞恩握了握手。“你愿意来跟我们见面，我很意外。上次谈完之后，双足飞龙不太乐观。”

“嗯，我觉得还是直接问问你，你们组织为什么要雇超能帮。”瑞恩开门见山地说，“这样能少浪费很多时间。”

他直白得让黑棘当场没了话。看来双足飞龙没把瑞恩那些“阴谋论”告诉他。

恩里克靠回椅背，怒而不发。他没请瑞恩坐下，但快递员还是自己坐了。“这种无稽之谈是从哪儿来的？”

“我看见他们手里有几十箱迪纳米斯造的仿制品，简直像黑色星期五大促销。”

“看见，罗马诺先生？用你自己的两只眼睛？”恩里克的声音里满是讥讽。“有任何实证吗？照片，样品？”

“我有这个。”瑞恩高高兴兴地把一份专为这次会面准备的纸质文件递给经理。“这些证据表明，你们有一部分仿制灵药失踪了，实际是在掩盖向超能帮的账外供货。”

经理几乎是从时间旅行者手里抢走了文件。见分晓的时候到了。如果恩里克当场派人杀他，或是在今天稍晚些时候动手，就说明这人肯定不干净。

黑棘一言不发，仔细审阅文件。然而，办公室里的花似乎随着他的阅读越来越躁动。和小马蒂一样，不管这位绿系基因者多么努力地掩饰情绪，他的能力似乎都会自动作出反应。

“你是怎么拿到这些文件的？”审阅到一半时，恩里克语气尖锐地问。

“我黑进了你们的数据库。”瑞恩答道。好吧，严格来说，动手的是裹尸布，快递员只是借用了这些文件。

“你知道我可以凭这件事把你送进监狱吗？”

进监狱？不是灭口？“新罗马的举报人不受法律保护吗？”

“不受。”黑棘把文件放到一边。“你还从我们公司窃取了什么信息？”

“这么一说我想起来了，你们有几只狗狗无人机也落到了超能帮手里。”瑞恩回忆道，“这种东西可不该到处乱放。”

恩里克沉默地看了客人几秒，随后从西装里掏出一部手机，输入号码拨了过去，不过瑞恩听不见另一端的人说话。

“有人向我反映，我们最近丢失了一些无人机，很可能被超能帮拿去改用了。”恩里克问道，“能确认吗？嗯，嗯……为什么没人通知我？这样啊……我明白了，别担心……收拾东西吧，你被开除了。”

最后那句话说得太随意，瑞恩差点没听出来。

恩里克挂断电话，重新把注意力转回快递员身上。“好吧，罗马诺先生，我们直奔主题。”他不再客套。“你想要什么？”

“想让汉尼胖·莱克特做一场失败的抽脂手术。”

“为什么？报仇？根据你的心理档案，你可不是什么无私的义警。”

“你知道，要是几个星期前问我，我会说这无关私人恩怨，纯粹是生意。”瑞恩说着，想起了巴哈姆特号的光芒击中新罗马时，蕾恩和无数人就那样消失了。“但现在是私人恩怨了。确确实实。”

“明白了。”恩里克来了个幕后黑手式的停顿。“我不赞同你收集这些信息的手段，不过必须承认，这让我很担忧。但你要明白，如果超能帮在迪纳米斯内部有靠山，那一定是位高权重的人。很可能在董事会里。”

“你说得好像我该害怕似的。”

“是的，因为这意味着，连我自己部门的人都可能被收买了。就你所知，我也可能牵涉其中。那你为什么来找我？”

瑞恩耸了耸肩。“说真的，绿手，我觉得就像抛硬币一样。很多人都觉得你是清白的，不过，要是你派人杀我又没杀成，至少我就知道你站哪边了。”

而且，瑞恩记得伊斯基亚岛毁灭之前，他们最后一次谈话。不管黑棘是什么样的人，他似乎都对未来有所构想，而那个未来里并没有超能帮或奥古斯都这类人的位置。

“嗯，真够狂妄的，不是吗？”恩里克嗤笑一声。“那么，蕾恩·萨比诺在这件事里扮演什么角色？我知道你刚到新罗马不久就和她取得了联系。”

“等等，你派人跟踪我？”这让瑞恩很受伤，他还以为自己已经精通反情报战术了。

“迪纳米斯一直在严密监视深潜者。”恩里克解释道，“我们知道，这次见面的几个小时前，她去了锈镇那家孤儿院，而你大约也在同一时间去过那个区。我不认为这是巧合。”

不可能是通信监听，不然他就会知道时间循环的事了。更有可能的是，迪纳米斯监视着小矮个的水下基地，她一离开，就派人尾随。

“等等。”瑞恩把线索串了起来。“原来亚当就是这么知道水下基地的，你们这些疑神疑鬼的混蛋！”

“我不太明白你的意思。不过，假如真像你的证据所暗示的那样，超能帮有一位迪纳米斯高管从旁协助，那么……是的，他们很可能知道她的水下基地。我想，你是要保护萨比诺小姐？”

“是。”瑞恩承认，语气严肃起来。“但要是你觉得可以拿她来威胁我听话，你就等着步恐龙的后尘吧。”

“我没有这个打算。”恩里克答道，不过快递员听不出这话是真是假。“但我需要知道你的动机，以及你是否值得信任。你的能力很有用，心理状态却也很不稳定。我得看看你是否值得我冒这些风险。而且，考虑到你的动机，我也不认为你会是一项长期资产。”

“我更愿意把自己看作一笔投机性投资。”

恩里克摆出一副邪恶幕后黑手的架势，让瑞恩真有些怀疑他到底干不干净。“你让我很难办。”他说，“你收集的间接证据表明，我所在的组织内部存在腐败，而责任人的权势可能比我还大。调查此事需要高度互信，除了极少数人以外，我不确定还有谁能靠得住。”

“不用多说了，我可以当你半忠心的秘密特工！”瑞恩兴高采烈地提议，“我的车甚至比阿斯顿·马丁还上档次！”

恩里克考虑了一下这个提议，最终有了结论。“坦白说，我不喜欢你，罗马诺。”他直言道，“但你似乎铁了心要查这件事，而我的直觉告诉我，放任你不受监管地行动，会让迪纳米斯付出代价。”

他大概没说错。

“我们之间的合作按这个办法来，罗马诺。你加入至优者的初级分部，试用期六个月，由我直接监管。在找回丢失的无人机之前，我们不会在你身上使用DNA追踪器。以你的名声，不会有人觉得这些条件奇怪。但你不要误会，我们的合作由我说了算。你查到的每一条信息，都必须送到这张办公桌上。我让你做什么，你就做什么，不许多问。没有我的授权，不得入侵公司的系统。听明白了吗？”

“我有三个条件。”瑞恩竖起手指。“第一，我保留自己的名字。那可是受版权保护的品牌。”

“我怀疑你根本待不到成为团队主力的那一天，所以哪怕你管自己叫时间戳，我也无所谓。”恩里克不以为意地说，“下一个？”

“别去招惹深潜者。永远别。”

恩里克犹豫了几秒。瑞恩开始怀疑这背后有问题；她只是个小角色，不值得迪纳米斯如此上心。“可以，除非她或者你先向我们求助。”经理答应了，却十分勉强。“最后一个条件呢？”

瑞恩直视着他的眼睛。“我要一套紫色羊绒西装。配上同款领带。”

恩里克·马纳达双手合拢，考虑了一下快递员的话。他的回答迅速而无情。

“驳回。”

“没人能对羊绒说不。”瑞恩警告道，语气危险起来。

“你明天去见衣橱，她会为你制作英雄制服。”恩里克不以为意地答道，“在时尚方面，她就是你的女神。由她决定。”

“要是我不信教呢？”

“那就由儿童市场营销分部来设计制服。”恩里克说，“这么多年下来，他们已经学会以冷酷无情的效率完成工作了。”

这……这也太残忍、太缺德了！“我知道你没灵魂，可没想到你能缺到这个地步！”

“工作要求。”恩里克干巴巴地答道，随后通过内部通话器呼叫秘书。“叫邪魔和双足飞龙过来开会，通知副总裁，我要跟他通话。告诉他们，这事不能等。”

“先生，您已经安排好要跟一位新的英雄候选人见面了。”秘书提醒道。

“谁？”

“熊猫。”

“谁？”恩里克又问了一遍，不过快递员觉得他只是在装糊涂。

“熊猫，无辜者的守护者。”这企业佬的无知让瑞恩很不满。“他会飞，还能从眼睛里发射激光！”

“我很怀疑。”黑棘干巴巴地答道。

瑞恩把手指交拢，回应道：“你不怎么了解熊猫，对吧？”

“是吗？”恩里克的语气里满是讥讽。“那么我想，你不会介意把他收归麾下吧？考虑到他糟糕的过往表现，我原本打算给熊猫一个展示本领的机会。不过，能在你身边活下来，本身无疑就是一项考验。”

嗯？这倒解释了熊猫为什么会跑到伏尔甘的工厂去挑事。绿手一定是让他抓个反派什么的。“所以你确实认识他。”

“双足飞龙认为他有潜力，提拉诺博士也觉得，他的能力在自己的工作中有些颇有意思的应用前景。不过，他似乎……不太能干。我担心不管加入哪支队伍，他都会给整个团队丢脸。”

“相信我，先生。”瑞恩说，“等我调教完他，你再看熊猫时，眼光就永远不会一样了。”

“那好，你们两个就捆绑在一起吧。如果他表现不佳，由你而不是双足飞龙负责带他，造成的负面影响会小一些。如果效果不错，那就皆大欢喜。”

失败了背锅，成功了分功。“不过，队名可以由我来取吗？”

经理显然对此毫不在意。“我很快会再叫你过来。在那之前，给我安分点。”

说完这些，经理交给瑞恩一份合同，便让他离开了办公室。

快递员走进等候室，一只可怜的人形动物正焦急地等在那里。恩里克取消见面的消息似乎让他紧张不已，但他望向瑞恩时，那双大眼睛里仍然满怀希望。

“熊猫。”瑞恩拿着合同开口。

“是、是的，先生？”这位准英雄努力装出坚强的模样，却压不住焦虑。他可爱极了，像个人形布偶。

“熊猫，很遗憾地告诉你，你的申请……”瑞恩苦恼地长叹一声。“该怎么说呢……”

熊猫的心脏仿佛停跳了，脸上所有的希望都消失无踪。

“你的申请……”瑞恩把合同递给这位绿系基因者。“通过了。”

有那么一瞬间，快递员觉得这如释重负的感觉会让熊猫直接晕过去，而他也确实差点晕了。他显然不敢相信，迪纳米斯竟然肯给他一个机会。“我……我被录用了？我要加入至优者了？”

“没错，你这头了不起的野兽！”瑞恩突然拔高的嗓门招来了后方恩里克秘书的怒视，但他完全没理会。“武士，你叫什么名字？你的真名？”

“蒂米！我叫蒂米！”

“不太像中国名字，不过能用，蒂米，能用！”瑞恩双手按住熊人的肩膀。“从现在起，你就是我的队友了！”

“你……你想让我加入你的队伍？”熊人的眼里开始泛起泪光。“有人愿意让熊猫加入他们的队伍？”

“谁能拒绝一只熊猫呢？”瑞恩反问。现在只要再把菲利克斯猫招进来，他就能组建一支对付超能帮的终极英雄战队。“我连队名都想好了！快存救熊猫！全新的系列品牌！”

“我们能有一辆英雄战车吗？”这只可怜的动物激动得不能自已。“一辆熊猫战车？”

瑞恩怎么觉得，未来的历史学家会把这一刻记作他的完美通关开始出岔子的时候？可他没法拒绝一只熊猫。“当然会有熊猫战车，只要你别靠近我的车！我们还会有电影、网络漫画、电视真人秀，连面条上也要有我们的脸！”

“我……我终于要出名了，终于能为我的熊猫血统争光了！”熊猫擦掉眼泪，已经斗志昂扬。“我该怎么称呼您，老师？！”

“我是快存，不过私下里，你要叫我……”

瑞恩突然灵光一闪，睁大了眼睛。

“超级师父瑞恩。”

---

答应新搭档明天早上再见之后，瑞恩离开至优者总部，开车前往锈镇。太阳正在地平线尽头沉落，夜幕很快就要降临。

“小矮个？”瑞恩开着普利茅斯“狂怒”，穿行在新罗马繁忙的街道上。“你在听吗？”

没有回答。

“蕾恩？”

“谈……谈得怎么样？”蕾恩的声音从时空收音机里传来，她清了清嗓子。听到他的声音，她似乎松了口气，却也有些不安。

“我还是坚信黑棘是个超级反派，不过他似乎不是超能帮背后的主谋。”当然，要是接下来几小时内他“神秘失踪”了，瑞恩可能就得重新考虑这个判断。“他们也在严密监视你。他们知道海底居住区的事。”

和往常一样，蕾恩好几秒都没有回答。“不管我去哪儿……都逃不出他们的手心。”她终于沉重地叹了口气。“不管我潜得多深……他们的触手总能伸得更远。他们永远不会满足。”

“嘿，我们会想出办法的。”瑞恩向她保证，“而且我觉得，他们短期内不会来烦你。”

“我们？”

瑞恩握着方向盘的双手绷紧了。也许他太冒进了。“如果……如果你愿意的话。蕾恩，只要你需要帮助，我的大门永远为你敞开。”

又是一阵沉默。瑞恩意识到，他们还有很长的路要走。

原来，时空收音机已经把两人之前的所有交流都录了下来，又播放了出来，唯独没有伊斯基亚岛上的最后那一次。这意味着，在上一轮循环里，很可能是蕾恩亲自录下并发送了这些信息。

这些录音让蕾恩对瑞恩多了几分信任，尽管她并不赞同他接近迪纳米斯的决定；至少，她愿意让他住在孤儿院了。但录音终究不是亲身经历，令快递员失望的是，它没能让两人的关系从上一轮延续到下一轮，只让他在更短的时间里多取得了一点进展。

最后，蕾恩似乎觉得沉默太过压抑，便换了个话题。“莎拉，莎拉到处都找不到你的猫。你……你确定他获得了能力？”

“确定。”瑞恩上次去孤儿院时，欧仁-亨利已经不见了。因此，一定是有什么改变了这只高贵动物的行为。“也许他能帮上你的时空收音机升级计划。”

“我……我不知道，瑞瑞。我不知道。我需要更多信息，才能判断我的想法到底行不行得通。”

是啊。瑞恩在这一轮的目标，除了把超能帮送进六尺黄土之下，就是拿到迪纳米斯的大脑扫描研究。加入至优者，除了能揪出公司内部帮助大胖亚当的人，还能让快递员在适当的时候有机会进入他们的实验室。

“谢谢你帮忙，小矮个。”他望着前方的道路说道，“明天我会带援手来，帮忙对付心震。”

运气好的话，他能把自己偏爱的另一只猫也拉进来。

“我……没什么。”不过，他听得出这场交谈让蕾恩很吃力，于是她突然结束了话题。“我得走了。待会儿见。”

“待会儿见。”他答道，随后瞥了一眼汽车后座上那堆抗抑郁药。这一次，快递员打算让小矮个接受有效的治疗，而不是再靠自行乱用药来毒害自己。

至少，这是她应得的。

从至优者大厦到锈镇，瑞恩必须经过购物区。这一带又叫索尔街，是时尚的圣殿，楼宇间遍布名牌制衣店、奢侈品牌店和香水店。行人提着购物袋、打着电话，彼此擦肩而过；瑞恩认出其中有些是使用仿制灵药的基因者，正对着镜头自拍，炫耀花钱买来的能力。所有人都争着让自己看起来最出众，却没人在意别人。当然，快存的时尚品位碾压他们所有人。

欧仁-亨利突然从街角蹿了出来，身后追着一个女人，不偏不倚地跳到了普利茅斯“狂怒”的行车路线上。

瑞恩猛然暂停时间，狠狠踩下刹车，可时间都还没恢复，那只猫就已经消失了。结果，普利茅斯“狂怒”停在了离一名行人仅一英寸的地方。

“嘿，想死在我手里，先预约！我很忙的！”瑞恩探头朝车窗外抱怨，这才认出自己差点撞死的人是谁。那是个美得耀眼的女人，披着金色长发，穿着华丽的裙子。

“那团毛球怎么可能从我手里逃掉？”福尔图娜气恼地说，全然不在意那辆离自己身体只差一英寸的汽车。“从我手里？”

“福尔图娜，你没事吧？”莉维娅·奥古斯蒂从一旁的街道走了出来，身穿无袖黑裙，铂金色头发上戴着一顶优雅的白色圆帽。她立刻注意到了瑞恩，连忙朝他点头，显然很不好意思。“抱歉，给你添麻烦了。”

“嘿，两位女士，你们在这里做什么？”瑞恩忍不住问，随后才注意到莉维娅拎着一只奢华的袋子。她们多半是在购物。“希望你们不是来碰瓷骗保的吧？真要是，我可不会手软。”

“莉薇想凑近看看那只猫。”福尔图娜双手叉腰，满脸怒容。“它跑哪儿去了？”

“我看不清它。”莉维娅承认，随后皱眉看向瑞恩。“而且……我完全看不见你。”

看不清……难道欧仁-亨利有一部分存在于紫色世界？这倒能解释他为什么会随机瞬移。倘若这只高贵的动物同时存在于两个现实之中，奥古斯蒂家的公主大概也看不清他。

“总之，麻烦你从路上让开。”瑞恩急着回孤儿院，便对福尔图娜说道，“我只撞老奶奶和食尸鬼。”

他那不把人当回事的语气，让福尔图娜居高临下地打量起他来，仿佛贵族撞见了最肮脏的农夫。“你知道我们是谁吗？”

“不知道，不过我知道我是谁，这就告诉你！”瑞恩欢快地答道，“我是快存。我是不死之身，不过别告诉别人。”

“我不在乎。”福尔图娜不耐烦地说。

莉维娅的眉头却皱得更深了。“你说，快存？”

她似乎觉得这个名字很耳熟。难道瑞恩去迪纳米斯拜访一趟，已经让伏尔甘对他下了追杀令？要是这样，他最好赶紧走。

可惜，福尔图娜不这么想。“总之，我们需要有人开车送我们回家，你正合适。”她重新露出了笑容，显然以为他会立刻答应。

“哦，不好意思，我有安排了。”瑞恩耸耸肩。“坐公交吧。”

福尔图娜眨了眨眼。“我想我听错了。”

“等等，她瞎，你聋？”瑞恩问，“你们俩互相补位？”

莉维娅没忍住，轻轻笑了出来，但福尔图娜不觉得好笑。“你到底哪儿有毛病？”她问瑞恩，那语气好像他只有一个毛病似的。

“福尔图娜，我叫麻雀来就好了。”莉维娅说，却没有掩饰自己的笑意。

“不行，莉薇，他得明白这个世界是怎么运转的。”福尔图娜走到瑞恩的车门旁，双手搭上车窗，越过了界线。“看着我。看着我。”

瑞恩慢慢转头看向这个自以为是的娇小姐，丝毫不为所动。她的确赏心悦目，可妈的，这性格实在让快递员很想把菲利克斯变成独生子。

“我就是你这辈子遇到过，以及今后能遇到的最美好的事。”福尔图娜说得信心十足，瑞恩确信她自己也是这么想的。“你这辈子走到今天，就是为了这一刻。送世界上最美的女人，还有她最好的朋友回家。”

快递员似乎认真考虑起了这个“提议”，福尔图娜那令人难以忍受的笑容也越发灿烂。

“嗯。”瑞恩不以为意地应了一声，把目光转回路上。“满分十分，给你六分。”

就这样，他驱车驶向夕阳，把哑口无言的福尔图娜和有几分想笑的莉维娅留在身后。瑞恩看向后视镜，发现直到自己消失在街角，奥古斯蒂家的公主仍在注视着他。

一时找不到更贴切的词，她看起来像是被勾起了兴趣。