同章对照

It was said that the show must go on, no matter what.

“And so, Little Gorynych attempted to catch the wild princess,” Ryan continued his play, having a three-headed dragon plasticine figurine pursue that of a pink princess. After running out of video material to humiliate Dynamis with, the courier had started to improvise. “But she ran too fast for his tiny legs, and poor Gorynych had forgotten he could fly!”

Nobody paid attention to his Shakespearean play, except Frank, whom the groundbreaking plot captivated. Everyone else instead focused on the inactive nuclear device on the newsdesk.

“You should have taken a dog, boss,” Sarin said, glaring at Eugène-Henry. The cat knew he had sinned, so he tried to look cute to avoid punishment. Unfortunately for him, Hazmat Girl didn’t have any heart to soften. “I understand why the Chinese ate them.”

“Come on, I disarmed the countdown,” Ryan said, though he had to freeze time for it. He abandoned his play to scratch his cat’s ears and reassure him. “You’re sorry you scared them, huh? You didn’t want to kill them all, it was an accident…”

Tea cleared her throat. It was just a vocal effect, since as an android she didn’t need to breathe. “Ryan, I thi—”

“Mr. President,” Ryan corrected her. “You’re my friend, Doll, but we’re on TV right now.”

“Mr. President, while I love animals, I believe you are spoiling your cat rotten.”

“Gooood,” his master replied with a deep dark voice, before noticing Livia nervously approaching him. “Yes?”

His new sidekick began to whisper in his ear. “I’m seeing Wyvern attacking Mosquito, and an Il Migliore team besieging the building alongside the Private Security.”

“Is the Panda among them?” Ryan asked, suddenly worried.

“Who?” Livia asked, apparently never having taken notes on the mighty manbear.

“The Panda, the chosen one,” Ryan explained, loud enough for the hostage and TV viewers to hear. “The only Genome whose power trumps mine. Our long-awaited duel has been foretold by precogs.”

Livia giggled behind her helmet. “No, I don’t think so,” she whispered, only to turn serious. “But… Felix is among them, and a few of my alternate selves die from glass shards to the neck.”

Urgh, so the Carnival did intend to target them this time around. The courier learned enough about Dynamis to predict their movements, but he couldn’t say the same for Hargraves. Did the Carnival ally with the Manada brothers like in the previous timeline? Or did they remain free agents for now?

“We’ll make sure nothing happens to Felix,” Ryan whispered back too low for others to listen, before hamming it up. “With our combined power, Queen Crimson, we will rule all of New Rome!”

“Start ruling your stupid cat and then we’ll see about the city,” Sarin said, unimpressed.

“In any case, we’re returning home.”

“What about the hostages?” Tea asked, almost hopeful. “Do we take them with us?”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “I realized it was a bit redundant to keep a dozen people hostage, when we have a nuclear device to threaten the city with.”

“And I do not think we have enough space in the truck,” Livia pointed out the obvious.

“Aw,” the Doll said, lowering her weapon and allowing the hostages to breathe. “I was starting to like them.”

Tea had known them for half an hour, and she already developed Lima Syndrome? She was too soft for the job.

The group exited the Star Studios warehouse one minute afterward, with Sarin carrying the A-bomb and Frank the plasticine figurines. Ryan walked at the front, holding Eugène-Henry in his arms like a diabolical mastermind on a stroll.

No sooner did they pass the warehouse’s doors than a shockwave almost caused them to trip up. The courier raised his eyes, and watched Mosquito wrestling with a fully transformed Wyvern up in the skies. The courier remembered that they fought in an early loop, with the dragon lady squashing the Psycho like a bug.

But now that Mosquito had overfed, he more than held his own. The flying beefcake punched Wyvern so hard that it caused windows in the vicinity to crack; the blow sent the dragon tumbling backward, but she quickly corrected her descent. She retaliated with her breath, Mosquito fleeing out of the path at astonishing speed.

While the two titans duked it out in the skies, the group prepared to return to their truck, only to find it surrounded by a dozen Private Security members in black riot gear. Multiple laser rifles pointed at Ryan and his men, while one wise soldier targeted the president’s crotch. None of them opened fire though.

As Livia warned, they also had a few Genomes with them. Atom Kitty, who didn’t carry throwable weapons yet; Reload, that cheap knockoff, who at least had the decency of bringing a lightsaber; and Ryan’s favorite hero in the world.

“Hi, Wardrobe!” The courier warmly greeted his future rival. “We finally meet in the flesh!”

“Hi, nice to meet you too, Quicksave!” Wardrobe waved a hand at the group. This time she cosplayed as an FBI hostage negotiator, with a megaphone in hand. “I loved your stop motion play!”

“Wardrobe, please don’t encourage that madman,” Atom Kitten said, hands raised. He looked like a cat ready to pounce on mice and eager to finally stretch his legs. Livia tensed at the sight of her ex-boyfriend, but wisely remained silent.

“Sorry, sorry!” Wardrobe apologized before raising her megaphone. “Please surrender, you’re surrounded!”

“And you’re outgunned!” Sarin replied while raising the A-bomb, Wyvern and Mosquito’s duel causing more shockwaves. “Back off!”

A few Private Security members raised their rifles at Miss Gasshole, but none dared to pull the trigger.

“I’m Mr. President now,” Ryan said, scratching his cat behind the ears. Frank stood proudly behind his master, while the Doll pointed her rocket launcher at Reload. “You should know, of all people. After all, Wardrobe… you created me.”

“I created you?” she asked with a frown, before studying his costume in depth. Her face paled, upon recognizing the ensemble’s perfect harmony of colors; the authority of the necktie, the softness of the gloves, the savagery of the bowler hat. “It was you… it was you who asked for the costume!”

“Wardrobe, you know this guy?” asked Reload, his hands tightening around his weapon.

“I designed his costume!” Wardrobe paled in horror at the terrible truth. “But I didn’t know someone would use it for evil!”

“It has skulls on the socks!” Felix snarled, pointing a finger at Ryan’s boots. “What did you expect?”

“That’s right, Wardrobe,” Ryan said, his voice as deep as the darkest abyss. “By creating this cashmere suit, you sowed the seeds of your own nemesis. A grim darkness born of your shining light.”

“My… my nemesis?” Emotion broke through Wardrobe’s face, as her wish for a flashy supervillain archenemy was granted. “I have a secret nemesis?”

“Yes, you do.” Ryan extended one hand at her, holding Eugène-Henry with the other. “Join me, Wardrobe. Become my archenemy, every day of the week. Together, nothing can stop our brand. We will build a multi-billion euro franchise, greater than even Star Wars! We will flood the market with merchandise, and we will rule the box-office! Only through me, can you achieve the popularity you crave!”

“Yes, yes! Oh Mr. President, I accept your offer!” Wardrobe surrendered to the lure of a long-term exclusive rivalry. “We’ll be fighting forever!”

“Good, how about we schedule our first fight tomorrow? Would tomorrow be alright?” Ryan took a few steps forward, not waiting for an answer. “I have a very busy agenda. Doomsday weapons won’t build themselves.”

Reload moved in the president’s path, weapon raised. “You’re not going anywhere, you maniac.”

“Is it me, or do you really think you can actually stop us?” Ryan channeled his inner villain, while Sarin dangled the A-bomb threateningly. “Don’t force me to assert my authority.”

“Be wary, Reload, he can stop time for an unknown duration,” Atom Cat warned his fellow hero. “He’s also probably a Genius of some kind from the bomb, but we don’t know his specialty yet.”

“A Genius?” Ryan blinked behind his mask. “Wait, you think I’m a Psycho with two powers?”

Atom Kitten snorted. “Dude, you hold an entire city hostage with a nuclear device and a band of mutants. Either you’re a Psycho, or you’re just psycho.”

“Your reputation for mental instability makes a lot more sense now,” Reload added.

Frank took a step, ignoring the laser rifles pointed at him. “Mr. President, do you want me to clear the area?”

“They’re going to do that on their own, or I’m pressing the butto—” Sarin froze, as the weapon suddenly vanished from her hand. “Huh?”

“I’ve got it!” Wardrobe rejoiced, having quickly changed her costume. Her clothes had transformed into that of a French gentleman with a monocle, a long cloak, and a top hat from which she had drawn the A-bomb.

Arsène Lupin?

Ryan immediately protested, “Someone is getting choked for th—”

Reload immediately leaped at the courier with his laser blade raised. However, Frank swiftly grabbed his leg in midair with one hand, and splattered him on the ground like a club. The poor Violet Genome immediately regenerated, and cut off his own leg before Frank could kill him again.

“Minions, dispose of these annoyances, without touching the truck!” Ryan ordered, as the Private Security opened fire. The courier froze time to sidestep the barrage, while Livia and Sarin took refuge behind Frank. The lasers failed to pierce the Doll’s reinforced metal body, though they burnt off parts of the artificial skin. “But leave me the young kitty!”

“I don’t have a cat theme!” Felix snarled, attempting to touch Ryan with his naked hand. The president gracefully sidestepped to dodge the blow, and then a second. Atom Cat’s hands furiously tried to reach for the courier’s chest, but Ryan had time and experience on his side.

The Doll and Sarin had engaged the Private Security in a firefight, answering the lasers with rockets and shockwaves. The same mook that threatened Ryan’s ultimate weapon hit Sarin’s shoulder, forcing her to cover the spot with a hand to avoid leaking out gas.

Meanwhile, Livia positioned herself behind Frank as he attempted to catch Reload, using the iron giant as a shield against the Private Security’s lasers. She seemed to be looking for someone she couldn’t see. Wardrobe backed off, wisely trying to keep the A-bomb away from the battle, and Wyvern above smashed Mosquito against the warehouse’s roof.

“Oh, well for a second, I thought I might need to use my hands,” Ryan taunted Felix. “I guess my legs will be enough.”

“I’ll show you hands!” Atom Kitten all but leaped at his foe, but the courier simply dodged and tripped him. The young hero crashed head-first into the ground, much to his fury and humiliation.

“It is useless to resist,” Ryan said, as he loomed threateningly over his former sidekick. Though he had no intention of harming his friend, someone else thought otherwise.

All windows in the area, including the light truck’s, exploded at once.

Glass shards flew at Ryan, and he felt a slight shiver down his spi—

---

Ryan stood with his hat against his chest.

The firefight briefly died out, as everyone tried to gather their thoughts.

Livia had activated her power, and skipped time forward. The Augusti princess stood near the truck, with a visible and bloodied Shroud lying on the ground; the vehicle’s container looked slightly damaged too. Livia had punched the invisible vigilante with Fisty, causing him to hit the container and lose focus.

As for the others, the Doll patched Sarin’s wound, both of them hiding behind Frank. The colossus had finally caught Reload, and seemed ready to crush his back against his knee. Atom Kitten was struggling to get Eugène-Henry off his face, the cat clawing angrily at his cheeks. Ryan had probably thrown his pet at the hero in the skipped time, but he couldn’t tell for sure.

Damn it, was that how it felt for others to fight Quicksave? That empty feeling of missing all the real action? No wonder the courier’s foes hated him.

“Quicksave.”

Ryan raised his eyes, and witnessed Wyvern flying over his head. Dragon Mom had regained her human form, while Mosquito was slowly deflating back to his original size, embedded in the warehouse’s front wall.

“Surrender,” Wyvern warned, her face straining with fury, “I won’t hesitate to use lethal force.”

“You know what’s better than one A-bomb, Dragon Mom?”

Ryan plunged his hand into his bowler hat, and quickly brought out a tiny metal sphere before Wyvern could descend upon him.

“Another bomb!”

Wyvern froze in midair, even as all Private Security members within earshot aimed at Ryan. “Wardrobe, steal the b—”

“If you want me to juggle,” Ryan performed an illusion trick to swiftly bring a third bomb out of his jacket, making it look as if he had duplicated the sphere. “I’ve got a third!”

Thank Mechron for his matter replicator! It made it incredibly easy to manufacture nuclear devices.

Almost too easy.

And as Ryan had guessed, while Wardrobe immediately changed back her costume to Arsène Lupin’s, she didn’t attempt to steal both bombs from under his nose. Her power had limits. Still, one Private Security agent attempted to shoot the courier’s arm to make him drop one of his nuclear devices.

Ryan simply froze time, and reappeared a few feet away. “Nah, nah, nah,” he said, his fingers brushing his weapons’ buttons. “You try anything, I stop time, and we play Dr. Strangelove.”

Wyvern frowned, though she didn’t make a move. “You won’t dare.”

“I literally let my cat do it on live television.” Ryan pointed out, his thumbs brushing against the buttons. “Wanna bet?”

For a tense and agonizing minute, nobody dared to move. Well, with the exception of Eugène-Henry, who finished clawing Atom Cat’s face to run back to his master. All eyes looked at Ryan, fearing he would follow through with his threat.

Wyvern’s jaw clenched so hard the courier thought she might destroy her own teeth, and moved her hand to her ear. The Geniuses in Dynamis’ HQ probably confirmed the bombs as genuine through an earplug, and Dragon Mom didn’t dare to call out Ryan’s bluff.

“As I thought,” Ryan said, smugly rubbing his victory into his foes’ face. “You see right here? That’s the difference between us. One gets to be the goddamn USA, the other gets to be Afghanistan.”

“Mr. President, didn’t we sign treaties on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons?” Frank asked, still holding a helpless Reload within his hands. The Violet Genome attempted to stab the iron giant with his laser blade, but inflicted minor to no damage.

“Yes, but nobody respects them,” Ryan replied, before glancing at his men. “Ladies and gentlemen, pack your things, we’re going home. Frank, get Mosquito.”

Frank immediately tossed Reload over his shoulder, his strength sending the poor Violet Genome flying above the warehouse, and then helped the wounded Mosquito hop back on the ground.

“Uh…” Mosquito complained as Frank helped carry him, blood gushing from his wounds. The bugman had regained his original size. “Damn, she hits hard… pain hurts so much...”

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Wyvern said, simmering with anger. While Wardrobe had turned into a nurse to help the wounded, Atom Cat glared at the Meta-Gang, claw marks all over his face. The disguised Livia did her best to avoid looking at him, perhaps out of shame.

“Au contraire, I think I will get away with it and the money,” Ryan said, as he opened the truck’s door for Livia. The Augusti princess grabbed Eugène-Henry and stepped inside the vehicle, imitated by Sarin. “Though hopefully, your boss won’t get away with stuffing a bodysnatcher into an overpriced product.”

“You think I believe any of this?” Dragon Mom tried to sound confident, Ryan could sense the doubt creeping in her voice. “That I can believe any of this?”

“Doll, darling,” Ryan asked Tea, as she helped the wounded Mosquito and Frank climb into the truck’s container. “Give our dragon friend the proof.”

“The blood?” Tea opened a hidden compartment inside her arm, much to everyone’s shock, and then tossed a small syringe at Wyvern. “Over here!”

The superhero caught the container with one hand, frowning upon seeing a small quantity of blood inside. “What is this?”

“A few drops of the Underdiver’s blood.” Though Dynamis already took samples and a DNA-scan, Ryan doubted the company shared them with its shining hero. Wyvern wouldn’t have signed with the megacorporation if she knew about its dirty secret. “Apply it to any Knockoff Elixir, and you’ll see the truth for yourself. I would suggest asking for Devilry’s help though. If that stuff touches you, you’re dead.”

Wyvern said nothing, even as Ryan prepared to climb into the truck last. The courier sent one last glance at the wounded Shroud on his way. “I’m surprised you decided to fight us,” he told the glass manipulator. “I mean, you went so far to hunt down all of Bloodstream’s clones. I thought you would go after Dynamis first.”

“We... failed.”

The courier frowned behind his mask. “Mmm?”

“We didn’t… stop it…” Shroud rasped, struggling for breath. Livia’s blow probably damaged a lung. “We just… delayed...”

“Delayed what? Bloodstream’s return?” Ryan asked with a frown, but the glass manipulator was in no shape to answer. The courier briefly wondered if they should bring the vigilante back to the bunker for medical attention, but it would only encourage Leo to attack them immediately. Dynamis would take care of him, if only because he tried to help them.

A few seconds later, Ryan sat inside the truck as the Doll drove it away, glancing through the broken windows. Nobody dared to stop them as they left Star Studios.

“So?” Ryan asked his troupe. “Who’s up for French?”

Livia let out a breath of relief, letting go of her stress. “That was amazing!” she said, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “I couldn’t tell how the situation would turn out at any point! Is it always like this with you?”

“Unfortunately,” Sarin groaned, covering the bandaged gash in her hazmat suit.

“Sometimes, there’s fire,” Tea added.

“We should do it more often.” Livia rested her head against the seat, Eugène-Henry sleeping on her lap. Ryan could understand her reaction. Much like him, she had forgotten how much she liked surprises. “Amazing.”

When they reached the security checkpoint to enter Rust Town, the Doll abruptly stopped the vehicle and let out a scream of horror. “What’s happening?” Ryan instantly tensed and looked out the window, only to face a vision of horror.

The Private Security checkpoint had turned dead silent. Literally. Two dozen Dynamis guards had been hung over an open archway leading into Rust Town, the ropes made of their own intestines. The number ‘885’ had been written with blood on the floor beneath them in a macabre display.

“Holy…” Livia put her hands on her helmet upon seeing this ghastly spectacle, reflexively trying to cover her mouth in horror. Eugène-Henry, meanwhile, glanced at the bodies with lazy disdain. “How could I… how could I not see...”

“You couldn’t see it,” Ryan said, as he fearfully realized who had perpetrated this terrible deed.

“It?”

“The reason why this run is already doomed,” the courier replied, pointing his finger at the letters written on each corpse’s chest. Together, they formed a single, ominous sentence.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Ryan looked into the rear-view mirror, and watched two pointed ears slowly rise behind him.

都说无论发生什么，演出都得继续。

“于是，小戈雷尼奇试图抓住那位野性难驯的公主。”瑞恩继续演着自己的戏，让一个三头龙橡皮泥偶追逐粉红公主的泥偶。能拿来羞辱迪纳米斯的视频素材已经放完，这位快递员便开始了即兴发挥。“可是他腿太短，公主跑得又太快，可怜的戈雷尼奇还忘了自己会飞！”

没人关注他这出莎士比亚级别的戏剧，只有弗兰克被这开天辟地的剧情深深吸引。其他人的注意力全都集中在新闻播报台上那枚停止运作的核装置上。

“老大，你就该带条狗来。”沙林瞪着欧仁-亨利说道。猫知道自己犯了错，便想靠装可爱来逃避惩罚。可惜，防化服姑娘根本没有一颗能被萌化的心。“我算是明白中国人为什么吃猫了。”

“得了吧，倒计时已经让我关掉了。”瑞恩说道，虽然他为此不得不暂停时间。他丢下手里的戏，去挠猫耳朵，安抚它。“吓着他们了，你很抱歉，对不对？你没想把他们全杀了，这只是个意外……”

蒂娅清了清嗓子。那只是模拟出来的音效，毕竟身为仿生机器人，她不需要呼吸。“瑞恩，我觉——”

“总统先生。”瑞恩纠正她，“人偶，你是我朋友，可咱们现在正上电视呢。”

“总统先生，虽然我很喜欢动物，但我觉得你已经把猫宠坏了。”

“很——好。”猫主人用阴沉浑厚的声音回答，随后注意到莉维娅正紧张地朝自己走来。“什么事？”

他的新搭档凑到耳边低语：“我看见双足飞龙在攻击蚊子，一支至优者小队正和私人安保队一起包围这栋楼。”

“熊猫在里面吗？”瑞恩问道，突然担忧起来。

“谁？”莉维娅问。显然，她从未留意过那位强大的人熊。

“熊猫，天选之子。”瑞恩解释道，声音大得足以让人质和电视观众都听见。“唯一一个能力凌驾于我之上的基因者。预知者早已预言，我与他终将迎来那场万众期待的决斗。”

莉维娅在头盔里轻笑起来。“没有，我想他不在。”她低声说道，随即严肃起来。“不过……菲利克斯在里面，而且几个平行未来里的我，都死于刺进脖子的玻璃碎片。”

啧，这么说，嘉年华这次确实打算对他们下手。瑞恩对迪纳米斯已经足够了解，能预判他们的行动，但哈格雷夫斯就不一样了。嘉年华是像上一条时间线那样，和马纳达兄弟结了盟？还是暂时仍在独立行动？

“我们会确保菲利克斯平安无事。”瑞恩压低声音回答，没让其他人听见，随后又夸张地演了起来。“绯红女王，凭我们联手的力量，整个 新罗马都将由我们统治！”

“先统治好你那只蠢猫，再谈这座城吧。”沙林不为所动。

“总之，我们要回家了。”

“那人质呢？”蒂娅问，听起来几乎有些期待。“把他们也带上吗？”

瑞恩耸耸肩。“我刚想明白，既然我们手里有核装置，能威胁整座城，再扣着十几个人当人质似乎有点多余。”

“而且我觉得卡车里也没那么多地方。”莉维娅指出了这个显而易见的问题。

“唉。”人偶放低武器，人质们总算能喘口气了。“我都开始喜欢他们了。”

蒂娅才认识他们半个小时，就患上利马综合征了？她干这行还是太心软。

一分钟后，一行人走出了明星制片厂的仓库，沙林拿着原子弹，弗兰克带着那些橡皮泥偶。瑞恩走在最前面，怀抱欧仁-亨利，活像一位出来散步的邪恶幕后主脑。

他们刚跨出仓库大门，就险些被一道冲击波震得跌倒。瑞恩抬头望去，看见蚊子正在天上与完全变身的双足飞龙扭打。他记得两人在较早的一轮循环里交过手，当时龙女士像拍虫子一样拍扁了这个疯魔。

可如今蚊子吸饱了血，打起来非但不落下风，还颇有余力。这位飞天肌肉男一拳打在双足飞龙身上，力道之大，震裂了附近的窗户；巨龙被打得向后翻滚，但很快就稳住了下坠的身体。她喷出龙息反击，蚊子则以惊人的速度逃出了攻击路径。

两个巨无霸在天上大打出手时，一行人准备返回卡车，却发现卡车已经被十几名身穿黑色防暴装备的私人安保队员包围。多支激光步枪对准了瑞恩和他的手下，还有个聪明的士兵瞄准了总统的裤裆。不过，没人开火。

正如莉维娅所警告的，他们还带来了几位基因者。原子猫咪，目前还没带上投掷武器；读档，那个廉价山寨货，好歹还知道带把光剑来；以及瑞恩全世界最喜欢的英雄。

“嗨，衣橱！”快递员热情地向未来的对手打招呼。“终于见到你本人了！”

“嗨，快存，我也很高兴见到你！”衣橱朝众人挥了挥手。这次她扮成了联邦调查局的人质谈判专家，手里拿着一个扩音喇叭。“我好喜欢你的定格动画剧！”

“衣橱，拜托别给这个疯子捧场了。”原子小猫举着双手说道。他像只蓄势扑鼠的猫，迫不及待要伸展一下筋骨。看到前男友，莉维娅绷紧了身体，但明智地保持了沉默。

“对不起，对不起！”衣橱道过歉，举起喇叭。“请投降，你们已经被包围了！”

“而你们火力不如人！”沙林举起原子弹回敬道。双足飞龙与蚊子的决斗还在掀起阵阵冲击波。“退后！”

几名私人安保队员举枪瞄准了臭屁小姐，却没人敢扣下扳机。

“我现在叫总统先生。”瑞恩挠着猫的耳根说道。弗兰克骄傲地站在主人身后，人偶则用火箭筒瞄准了读档。“别人不知道也就算了，你不该不知道。毕竟，衣橱……是你创造了我。”

“我创造了你？”她皱起眉，随后仔细端详起他的装束。认出这一身搭配那完美和谐的配色时，她脸色煞白：领带的权威，手套的柔软，圆顶礼帽的野蛮。“是你……来订这套衣服的人是你！”

“衣橱，你认识这家伙？”读档问，双手攥紧了武器。

“他的服装是我设计的！”面对这可怕的真相，衣橱吓得面无血色。“可我不知道会有人穿着它作恶啊！”

“袜子上都印着骷髅！”菲利克斯怒声说道，指着瑞恩的靴子。“不然你还指望什么？”

“没错，衣橱。”瑞恩的嗓音低沉如至暗深渊。“你创造这套羊绒西装的那一刻，就为自己种下了宿敌的种子。从你耀眼的光芒中，诞生出一片阴森的黑暗。”

“我……我的宿敌？”衣橱一直盼着有个派头十足的超级反派当死对头，如今心愿成真，激动之情溢于言表。“我居然有个秘密宿敌？”

“是的，你有。”瑞恩一手抱着欧仁-亨利，另一只手朝她伸去。“加入我吧，衣橱。做我的死对头，一周七天，天天如此。只要联手，我们的品牌就无可阻挡。我们要打造一个价值数十亿欧元的系列，比《星球大战》还要辉煌！我们要用周边商品淹没市场，称霸票房！唯有通过我，你才能赢得梦寐以求的人气！”

“好，好啊！哦，总统先生，我接受你的提议！”衣橱没能抵挡住一段长期专属宿敌关系的诱惑。“我们要永远斗下去！”

“很好，第一次交手就约在明天，怎么样？明天方便吗？”瑞恩不等回答，便向前走了几步。“我的日程很满。末日武器又不会自己造好。”

读档举起武器，挡住了总统的去路。“你哪儿也别想去，疯子。”

“是我理解错了，还是你真以为能拦住我们？”瑞恩释放出了内心的反派，而沙林则示威般晃着原子弹。“别逼我彰显权威。”

“小心，读档，他能暂停时间，持续多久还不清楚。”原子猫警告同伴。“从那颗炸弹来看，他很可能还是某种天才，但具体专长我们还不知道。”

“天才？”瑞恩在面具后眨了眨眼。“等等，你们以为我是个有两种能力的疯魔？”

原子小猫嗤笑一声。“老兄，你拿着核装置，带着一帮变种怪物，挟持了整座城市。你就算不是疯魔，也肯定是个疯子。”

“你精神不稳定的传闻，现在听起来合理多了。”读档补了一句。

弗兰克无视瞄准自己的激光步枪，上前一步。“总统先生，要我清场吗？”

“他们自己会清场，不然我就按下按——”武器突然从手中消失，沙林愣住了。“嗯？”

“拿到了！”衣橱欢呼道。她已经飞快地换了一身装束：戴着单片眼镜、披着长斗篷的法国绅士，原子弹正是她从高顶礼帽里掏出来的。

亚森·罗宾？

瑞恩立刻抗议：“有人要为这事被掐脖——”

读档立即高举激光剑，朝快递员扑来。然而弗兰克飞快地伸出一只手，在半空中抓住他的腿，把他当棍子一样砸向地面，摔了个稀烂。可怜的紫系基因者立刻再生，赶在弗兰克再次杀死他之前，砍断了自己的腿。

“喽啰们，收拾掉这些烦人的家伙，别碰卡车！”私人安保队开火时，瑞恩下令。他暂停时间，闪开齐射；莉维娅和沙林则躲到了弗兰克身后。激光没能穿透人偶强化过的金属躯体，但烧掉了几块人造皮肤。“不过，把那只小猫留给我！”

“我的主题不是猫！”菲利克斯怒吼着，试图徒手碰到瑞恩。总统优雅地侧身避开一击，接着又躲开第二击。原子猫双手疾探，拼命想够到快递员的胸口，可时间与经验都站在瑞恩这一边。

人偶和沙林已经与私人安保队交上了火，用火箭弹和冲击波回敬激光。先前瞄准瑞恩终极武器的那个杂兵打中了沙林的肩膀，逼得她用手捂住伤口，防止气体泄漏。

与此同时，弗兰克正试图抓住读档，莉维娅则站到他身后，把钢铁巨人当作抵挡私人安保队激光的盾牌。她似乎在寻找某个自己看不见的人。衣橱向后退去，明智地试图把原子弹带离战场；上空，双足飞龙把蚊子狠狠砸在了仓库屋顶上。

“唉，刚才有那么一瞬间，我还以为得用上双手呢。”瑞恩嘲弄菲利克斯。“看来有两条腿就够了。”

“这就让你见识见识我的手！”原子小猫几乎是腾身扑向敌人，快递员却只是一闪，再伸腿一绊。年轻英雄一头栽在地上，又愤怒又屈辱。

“抵抗是徒劳的。”瑞恩站在从前的搭档身前，居高临下，满是威胁。虽然他并不打算伤害朋友，但有人可不这么想。

附近所有的窗户同时炸碎，轻型卡车的车窗也不例外。

玻璃碎片射向瑞恩，他只觉得脊背微微一——

---

瑞恩站在那里，帽子按在胸前。

交火短暂停歇，所有人都在努力理清头绪。

莉维娅发动了能力，让时间向前跳过了一段。这位奥古斯蒂公主站在卡车旁，裹尸布已经显形，浑身是血地倒在地上；卡车货厢似乎也有轻微损伤。莉维娅用拳拳击中了隐形的义警，把他打得撞上货厢，令他无法再集中精神。

至于其他人，人偶已经补好了沙林的伤口，两人都躲在弗兰克身后。巨人终于抓住了读档，看样子正准备用膝盖顶碎他的后背。原子小猫则在拼命往下扒欧仁-亨利，猫正怒气冲冲地抓挠他的脸颊。瑞恩大概是在被跳过的那段时间里，把宠物扔到了英雄身上，但他也不敢确定。

妈的，原来别人和快存交手时，就是这种感觉？所有真正精彩的场面全错过了，只剩一片空白？难怪快递员的敌人都这么恨他。

“快存。”

瑞恩抬起头，看见双足飞龙飞到了自己上方。龙妈已经恢复人形，蚊子则嵌在仓库正面的墙上，身体正像泄气一样慢慢缩回原来的大小。

“投降。”双足飞龙警告道，脸因愤怒而绷紧。“我会毫不犹豫地使用致命武力。”

“龙妈，你知道什么比一颗原子弹更好吗？”

瑞恩把手伸进圆顶礼帽，赶在双足飞龙扑下来之前，飞快地掏出了一颗小金属球。

“再来一颗！”

双足飞龙僵在半空，所有听见这话的私人安保队员都瞄准了瑞恩。“衣橱，把炸弹偷——”

“你要是想看我抛球杂耍——”瑞恩耍了个障眼法，飞快地从外套里又掏出第三颗炸弹，看上去就像复制了那颗球。“我还有第三颗！”

感谢梅克隆，感谢他的物质复制器！造起核装置来简直易如反掌。

甚至有些太容易了。

果然不出瑞恩所料，衣橱虽然立刻换回了亚森·罗宾的装束，却没有试图从他眼皮底下把两颗炸弹一起偷走。她的能力也有极限。不过，一名私人安保队员还是试图射击瑞恩的手臂，好让其中一枚核装置脱手。

瑞恩只是暂停时间，再出现在几英尺外。“不行，不行，不行。”他说，手指轻抚着武器上的按钮。“你们敢乱来，我就暂停时间，然后咱们一起演《奇爱博士》。”

双足飞龙皱起眉，却没有动作。“你不敢。”

“我刚刚才在电视直播里让猫干过这事。”瑞恩指出，拇指轻轻蹭过按钮。“赌一把？”

整整一分钟，气氛紧绷得令人煎熬，谁也没敢动。当然，欧仁-亨利除外，它抓够了原子猫的脸，跑回主人身边。所有人的目光都盯着瑞恩，唯恐他真把威胁付诸行动。

双足飞龙咬紧牙关，用力得让快递员怀疑她会把牙咬碎，随后抬手按向耳朵。迪纳米斯总部的天才们大概通过耳机确认了炸弹是真货，龙妈不敢去赌瑞恩是在虚张声势。

“果然如此。”瑞恩得意扬扬，恨不得把胜利糊到对手脸上。“看见了吧？这就是我们之间的区别。一边能当他妈的美国，另一边就只能当阿富汗。”

“总统先生，我们不是签过核不扩散条约吗？”弗兰克问，手里仍抓着毫无办法的读档。那位紫系基因者试图用激光剑刺钢铁巨人，却几乎造成不了伤害。

“签是签了，可没人遵守。”瑞恩回答，随后看向手下。“女士们，先生们，收拾东西，咱们回家。弗兰克，把蚊子带上。”

弗兰克立刻把读档往肩后一扔，巨大的力量让可怜的紫系基因者飞过仓库上空，随后他帮着受伤的蚊子跳回地面。

“呃……”蚊子呻吟着，由弗兰克搀扶着走，鲜血不断从伤口涌出。虫人已经恢复了原本的体型。“妈的，她下手真重……疼起来真他妈疼……”

“你们别想就这么算了。”双足飞龙压着怒火说道。衣橱已经变成护士，去救助伤员；原子猫则怒视着超能帮，满脸都是爪痕。乔装后的莉维娅竭力避免看他，或许是出于羞愧。

“恰恰相反，我觉得不仅能就这么算了，还能拿到钱。”瑞恩一边说，一边替莉维娅拉开卡车车门。奥古斯蒂公主抱起欧仁-亨利上了车，沙林紧随其后。“不过，你们老板往高价商品里塞夺舍怪物这事，希望他可别这么容易脱身。”

“你以为这些鬼话我会信？”龙妈试图让语气显得笃定，瑞恩却能听出其中逐渐渗入的迟疑。“以为我能相信这些？”

“人偶，亲爱的。”蒂娅正帮受伤的蚊子和弗兰克爬进卡车货厢，瑞恩便对她说道。“把证据给我们的龙朋友。”

“血吗？”蒂娅打开手臂内的暗格，让所有人都吃了一惊，随后将一支小注射器抛给双足飞龙。“接着！”

女英雄单手接住，看见里面的少量血液，皱起眉头。“这是什么？”

“几滴深潜者的血。”尽管迪纳米斯早已采过样，也做过DNA扫描，瑞恩却不觉得公司曾把这些样本和扫描结果提供给自家光彩夺目的英雄。双足飞龙若是知道那些肮脏的秘密，根本不会和这家巨型企业签约。“把它滴进任何一种山寨灵药里，你就能亲眼看到真相。不过，我建议你找邪魔帮忙。那东西一旦碰到你，你就死定了。”

双足飞龙一言不发，直到瑞恩准备最后一个上车，也没有开口。快递员临走前又看了一眼受伤的裹尸布。“你居然决定来跟我们打，真让我意外。”他对玻璃操纵者说道。“我是说，你费了那么多工夫追杀血流的所有分身。我还以为你会先去找迪纳米斯。”

“我们……失败了。”

快递员在面具后皱起眉。“嗯？”

“我们没能……阻止它……”裹尸布嘶哑地说道，呼吸艰难。莉维娅那一拳很可能伤到了肺。“只是……拖延了……”

“拖延什么？血流归来？”瑞恩皱眉追问，可玻璃操纵者已经无力回答。快递员一度想把这名义警带回地堡医治，但那只会促使利奥立刻攻打他们。迪纳米斯会照顾他的，哪怕只是看在他试图帮忙的分上。

几秒后，瑞恩坐进了卡车，人偶开车驶离，他透过破碎的车窗向外望去。他们离开明星制片厂时，没人敢拦。

“怎么样？”瑞恩问自己的剧团。“谁想吃法国菜？”

莉维娅如释重负地呼出一口气，释放出满身压力。“太棒了！”她的声音兴奋极了。“从头到尾，我都没法确定事情会怎么发展！跟你在一起总是这样吗？”

“很不幸，是的。”沙林呻吟道，捂着防化服上已经缠好绷带的裂口。

“有时候还会着火。”蒂娅补充。

“我们该多来几次。”莉维娅把头靠在座椅上，欧仁-亨利正在她腿上睡觉。瑞恩能理解她的反应。和他一样，她早已忘记自己有多喜欢意外。“太棒了。”

抵达进入锈镇的安保检查站时，人偶突然停下车，发出一声恐惧的尖叫。“怎么了？”瑞恩立刻绷紧神经，望向窗外，却迎面撞见一幅恐怖的景象。

私人安保队的检查站已经一片死寂。字面意义上的死寂。二十四名迪纳米斯守卫吊在通往锈镇的敞开拱门上，绳索是他们自己的肠子。尸体下方的地面上，用血写着数字“885”，宛如一场骇人的死亡展览。

“老天……”看见这惨绝人寰的景象，莉维娅下意识地想捂住嘴，双手却按在了头盔上。欧仁-亨利则懒洋洋地瞥着尸体，满眼不屑。“我怎么会……我怎么会没看见……”

“你看不见它。”瑞恩说道。他惊恐地意识到，是谁犯下了这桩暴行。

“它？”

“这一轮已经注定完蛋的原因。”快递员答道，伸手指向每具尸体胸前写着的字母。它们拼在一起，组成了一句不祥的话。

生日快乐！

瑞恩看向后视镜，只见两只尖耳朵从他身后缓缓升起。