同章对照

Ryan picked up two ladies in Rust Town, with a skeletal zombie chained to his car hood.

“Seriously?” Ryan asked his girlfriend with skeptical eyes. While Fortuna came to the mission with her sensual, white-latex catsuit, Livia brought a pair of jeans and a blue hoodie. “I’m not letting you in.”

“I’m sorry, it’s the only practical clothing I could grab in an hour,” Livia apologized. Ryan’s loops began while she was having a girl’s day out with Fortuna, and although it allowed the two to slip away from the Augusti undetected in spite of Geist’s sudden disappearance, it didn’t give them enough time to find the perfect outfit. “But it’s cotton!”

“Passable,” Ryan replied with a shrug, before reluctantly letting them in. The courier had come fully prepared, with the Fisty Brothers gauntlets and two submachine guns waiting on the front seat. He had even gotten the bowler hat out of storage, ready for war, and convinced Paulie to hand over his secret weapon.

It was amazing how much one could achieve in an hour with the perfect timing and little traffic.

Ryan would rather have more time to prepare, but they couldn’t wait any longer. Big Fat Adam was about to throw his captives into the meat-grinder any second now.

“Livy, you should have told me,” Fortuna said as she and Livia climbed at the back. “I had a back-up suit!”

“I know, but…” Her best friend responded with an awkward smile. “I find it a little indecent...”

“I-it’s not indecent, it’s gawking!” Fortuna complained with a blush, as Ryan drove through the district’s desolate streets. “And is that a real skeleton on the car hood?”

“Help!” Ghoul suddenly screamed at the car’s front, startling Fortuna. The Psycho had lost both his legs and hands, leaving only the head and rib cage chained below the windshield. “Help me, he’s mad! He’s mad!”

“Shush, my little astronaut,” Ryan said with a soft, gentle tone. It made the undead Psycho cower in fear. “Living people are talking.”

“Don’t worry, he deserves it,” Livia explained to Fortuna, before glancing at her boyfriend. “Felix and the others will arrive a few minutes after us.”

“Good, I can make a great first impression then.” Ryan smashed the accelerator, and aimed straight for the Junkyard. Ghoul screamed, as the district’s toxic wind battered his naked eyes.

“Felix is coming too?” Fortuna asked at the back, eminently curious. Since she acted as Livia’s bodyguard and trusted her best friend absolutely, she must have come without asking many questions. “He’s coming back to us?”

“No,” Livia replied, “but Ryan convinced him to make an effort and keep in touch.”

“You did?” Lucky Girl glanced at the handsome driver with renewed respect. “You know, I was about to say Livia was too good for you, but I take it back!”

“Thank you, thank you,” Ryan said, as he noticed the trash walls of the Junkyard appearing in the distance. “Where is my payment?”

“The ammo?” Fortuna gave Ryan a handful of pointed, arrow-shaped bullets. Ryan grabbed a gun while the Plymouth Fury drove by itself. “You’re in luck, the gunshop had some in stock! What did you need these bullets for?”

“Whale hunting,” Ryan replied, as he loaded the ammo in his gun and showcased it to his girlfriend. “Sixteen rounds, 9mm. It can quickly fire round after round without pause.”

“Hard question.” Livia gave him a playful look. “Does it ever jam?”

“Never, nor does it overheat. It can keep pumping out rounds all night long.” Ryan gently caressed the tip of the barrel. “Though I often need help with the safety catch.”

“Good, I have a firm but gentle handle on these things,” his girlfriend said with a coy voice, as she grabbed the Fisty Brothers and put them on. “I could help with the... fingerwork.”

“Be gentle though,” Ryan warned, as he put his weapon inside his trench coat, right between the sleeping Plushie and the Bliss inhaler. “The barrel is one of a kind and the trigger is very sensitive. One wrong move, and it’ll fire too soon.”

“Are you talking about weapons or something else?” Fortuna asked, as red as a tomato.

“I have Paulie’s rocket launcher below your seat, if you want to try a heavier caliber,” Ryan said innocently. “I hope you’re open to new experiences, because your target is a she.”

Before Fortuna could protest, Len’s voice came out of the Chronoradio. “I’m in position, Riri.”

“What about Henriette and Eugène-Henry?” Ryan asked back, as they came into view of the Junkyard. Hills of trash and stacks of cars overshadowed a fence, shielded by the Reptilian and Gemini. Both observed the car approaching in confusion, while Ghoul screamed in terror.

“At the orphanage with Sarah.”

Perfect.

“Ghoul?!” The Reptilian shouted upon recognizing his teammate, his reptilian eyes widening in terror.

In response, Ryan opened his window and pointed a finger at the US government’s secret lizardman master. “Witness me!”

Gemini’s light body instantly vanished in a flash of light, while the Reptilian narrowly managed to leap out of the way before the crazed driver could hit him. Ryan’s car smashed through the fence at full speed.

Ryan drove through the Junkyard’s labyrinth of trash walls like a conquered realm, ignoring the Psychos scavenging in the area. Mongrel glanced at the intruders from atop a rusted car, his teeth sinking into a living rat’s back.

Having grown to know the guy in previous loops, the sight filled Ryan with compassion. Mongrel truly didn’t deserve being turned into an animal, and the courier would make sure to help him take his life back.

Instead of attacking, Ryan tossed grenades behind him to collapse some of the trash walls and disrupt ground-based reinforcements. His own would come from above anyway.

By the time someone sounded the alarm and the sound of bells echoed in the Junkyard, Ryan’s group was almost in view of the bunker’s entrance. The driver sensed the heavy gaze of the Land on him, and a quake sent debris falling on his car. Having lived through this situation multiple times, the time traveler easily zigzagged around the improvised projectiles.

When Ryan reached the Junkyard’s landmark trash tower and the tunnel leading to the bunker, he noticed two shadows flying in the skies above. Two would-be heroes, floating on glass surfboards.

Unfortunately, toxic clouds already formed above the Junkyard, as Acid Rain and Mosquito moved to protect the tunnel’s entrance. “Thieves!” the former snarled as she drew knives. Much like Mongrel before her, the sight of her maddened expression made Ryan pity her. “Thie—”

“Blondie, shoot!” The courier shouted, as he veered his car to the left. “Shoot the other blonde! Double blondie!”

“Alright!” Fortuna opened the car’s door mid-motion and leaped out of it, Paulie’s rocket launcher in hand. She pressed the trigger before she even landed on her feet, aiming for Acid Rain.

The surprised Psycho took a step back as a rocket with a smiley face painted on the tip flew straight at her. She immediately teleported above a trash wall as an acid drizzle started raining down from the toxic clouds above. It helped little, for the Genius-tech missile followed and forced her to retreat; it would take minutes for the projectile to run out of fuel, keeping Acid Rain occupied.

Mosquito, meanwhile, extended his wings and rushed at the Plymouth Fury with a fist raised. He only noticed the shadow above him all too late, a black and white angel of death and destruction.

Timmy had leaped from his glass surfboard, and transformed mid-flight.

“FLYING PANDA PRESS!”

The Panda gracefully landed on Mosquito like a fly swatter, and buried him alive beneath pounds of fur and fat.

Felix’s landing was far more gracious, as his glass surfboard landed in the middle of the courtyard. Ryan parked his Plymouth Fury right next to it, stepping out of the car alongside Livia with grace and dignity.

“Felix!” Fortuna rejoiced at her brother’s presence, tossing the empty rocket launcher away. Livia handed her best friend a submachine gun as a replacement, while Ryan claimed the other for himself.

“You know, sis, I always wondered how a team-up would go,” Atom Cat replied, before noticing Mongrel leaping into view atop a trash wall. The maddened Psycho summoned a fireball into his hand.

“Remember, kitten, no lethal force,” Ryan said. “Stick to pebbles!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got this,” he replied before grabbing empty tin cans from the trash walls, turning them into bombs, and tossing them at Mongrel. His projectiles and the Psycho’s hit each other in the air, sparking a devastating blast.

Unfortunately, the explosion caused a weakened trash wall to collapse on itself and cast a rain of debris on Fortuna, the Panda, and Mosquito. Felix’s eyes immediately widened in panic, as he realized his screw-up. “Sis!” he shouted as loudly as he could. “Sis!”

While Timmy managed to drag his unconscious enemy out of danger, Lucky Girl was too close to dodge. She looked at the collapsing debris with shock, as her power somehow failed to deflect them.

Ryan almost froze time and rushed to her rescue, before noticing Livia smiling.

A second later, an invisible force grabbed the living lottery ticket, carrying her above the ground and to safety.

By now, Ryan should have known better.

“We’ll take it from here, Quicksave,” Shroud declared as he became visible, holding a blushing Fortuna in his arms bridal style. And her power didn’t even need to force his hand this time around! “Clean-up the nest.”

Felix didn’t hide his relief. “Thanks,” he said to Mathias, before focusing back on Mongrel.

His sister’s reaction was far less refined. “Felix, you screw-up, you almost dirtied my clothes!” she complained, shouting so loudly that Shroud winced. “I will strangle you if the mutants don’t kill you first!”

“I would suggest drowning him, he doesn’t like being wet,” Ryan replied, as he and Livia moved into the shaking tunnel. Before he abandoned the surface, the courier gave the situation a cursory glance.

These events were so familiar, yet different. A scenario honed through multiple repetitions, built upon information he had collected over many loops, executed by allies he had gathered on his journey. After so long, it was all coming together.

And yet he immediately noticed something utterly new. Something he never imagined would happen, except in his wildest dreams.

His Plymouth Fury…

His Plymouth Fury hadn’t taken any damage!

“It’s a holy sign,” Ryan muttered to himself with religious awe.

“And if we do our part right, it will make it through the day intact,” Livia said with a grin.

Perfect Run confirmed!

The couple rushed into the tunnel while its walls trembled, the Land attempting to collapse them. The duo quickly reached the bunker’s black door entrance and faced a pack of four Dynamis drones.

“I take the left, you take the righ—” Ryan asked his girlfriend, before sensing a chill down his sp—

---

When Ryan regained consciousness, the couple was walking through the blast doors while leaving four wrecked bots in their wake.

“You were saying?” Livia asked, teasing him by caressing the Fisty Brothers.

“You’re greedy, Miss Augusti,” Ryan complained, as the tunnel collapsed behind them.

“Greedy, me?” She replied with a smirk, as they entered the metal corridor leading to the bunker’s main hall. “You are the one keeping the best stuff for yourself!”

“And here I was preparing you a big surprise…” Ryan glanced through the reinforced windows to the hangars beyond, and at Psyshock’s thralls toiling on Mechron’s mech and submarine. He noticed Len’s armored head peeking over the waters linking the underground complex to the sea outside, and waved at her through the reinforced glass.

“A surprise, Mr. Romano?” Livia asked, suddenly interested. “I love surprises.”

“For the Dynamis date, princess,” Ryan said, as Len suddenly emerged from the waters and attacked the thralls with her bubble rifle. “The Dynamis date.”

“I can’t wait,” she said, as they entered the bunker’s recreational area. Much like in Ryan’s suicide run, six Psychos occupied the room. Sarin, the liquid Ink Machine, and the faceless Incognito played pool alongside the sickly white, bald Pale Guy. Rakshasa played Street Fighter on the room’s arcade, while a disembodied Asian woman’s head floated behind the bar counter. Ryan remembered her name as the dreaded Fuckface.

Sarin hit a ball with a cue stick, before looking up at the newcomers. She didn’t say a word, and for a brief instant, the courier worried that the transfer hadn’t worked.

Thankfully, they had agreed on a secret code to test that out.

“The fart is in the toilet,” Ryan said, before clocking his submachine gun. “I repeat, the fart is in the toile—”

“I heard you for the first time, jackass.” Bianca let out a sigh as she put her cue stick aside. “Took you long enough.”

“You know these guys, Sarin?” Ink Machine asked, falsely reassured by her teammate’s casualness. “They’re new recruits?”

“The new management,” Bianca replied, before suddenly pointing her vibrating gauntlets at both Ink Machine and Rakshasa. She blasted them both by surprise, turning the former into a puddle and blasting the latter headfirst into the arcade.

“Bianca, you heartless monster!” Ryan mourned the arcade game, before opening fire at the other Psychos. Though he was careful not to kill any of them, he didn’t even manage to wound them. Incognito dived behind the pool table for protection, while Fuckface materialized crimson arms of energy to deflect the bullets. Pale Guy simply dodged, but Livia quickly moved to engage him in melee.

“Sarin, you traitor!” Fuckface snarled from behind the counter. “Incognito, call Frank!”

Incognito hastily rushed towards the elevator, but Ryan quickly shot him in the knees with his submachine gun. The Meta-Gang member collapsed on the ground with bloodied legs, writhing in pain.

“Sorry, you’ll live,” Ryan apologized to the faceless Psycho, before turning his submachine gun at the bar counter. “We meet again, Fuckface! Won’t say I missed you though.”

“That’s not my name!” the floating head complained, before spitting a stream of acid at the time-traveler.

Ryan frowned behind his mask as he froze time and dodged. Her name was… it was...

Wait, she was right! The courier had nicknamed her Fuckface on his first suicide run and never bothered to look deeper afterward. Pale Guy too, now that he thought of it. They hadn’t survived their group’s civil war either during his Meta-Gang run, so he never got to know them in-depth either.

“No way, I never learned these two mooks’ names!” Ryan complained as time resumed. By then, he had closed the gap with Fuckface, tossed his submachine gun aside, and grabbed her by the hair. Before the Psycho could retaliate with her energy arms, the courier violently smashed her head against the bar counter with enough force to splinter it, knocking her unconscious. Her energy tentacles vanished into Red Flux particles. “Bianca, what are these redshirts called?”

“Does it matter, nerd?” Bianca asked, as she started targeting Pale Guy. The Psycho dodged her blast, but Livia exploited the opportunity to flank him from another direction. Repeated attacks from multiple fronts quickly pushed him back against a corner.

“Yes it does,” Ryan said, as he stepped over a bloodied Incognito and an unconscious Rakshasa. “I’m a completionist.”

"Catcher and Penanggalan," Livia replied as she finally managed to hit Pale Guy in the chest with Fisty. The blow sent the Psycho hitting the nearest wall, knocking him out of the fight.

Pfft, Fuckface sounded better. Ryan would make changing her name a top priority, when he took back his office of the Meta-Gang’s president for life. Still, the courier could now carry on his Perfect Run with a clear conscience and moved towards the elevator.

“Alright, can you drag these guys to Shortie for safekeeping?” Ryan asked his teammates, with the same tone as someone running through a shopping list. “And help her with the thralls outside? There’s a lot of them.”

“Sure, but don’t take too long downstairs,” Livia said while dragging the dizzied Fuckface away. Bianca, meanwhile, kept Ink Machine trapped in puddle form with weak vibrations. “I want to invite everyone afterward to celebrate, and the restaurant closes early. Also, Dad will start worrying now that Geist is gone.”

“Thai, or French?” Ryan asked before pushing the lift’s button, knowing that she disliked Japanese food.

“Russian, to try something new!” His girlfriend replied right as the elevator’s doors closed.

Oh well, at least Shortie would like it.

The lift reached its destination, and Ryan quickly made his way through the bunker’s hub room and metal corridor. He hastily reached the infirmary, and found Psyshock brainwashing two Rust Town addicts strapped to operation tables. He raised his head at Ryan, while the courier’s hand reached out for the Bliss inhaler hidden beneath his trench coat.

“Little Cesare.” Pyshock didn’t show any fear at the sudden intrusion, overconfident in his immortality. “How strange to—”

Ryan froze time and applied the inhaler to his hated foe’s face right before the clock resumed.

“Don’t worry, Psypsy,” Ryan taunted Psyshock, before activating the inhaler. “This… is not meth.”

The surprised Psycho’s tentacles thrashed around as Bliss spread through his nervous system, but Ryan held strong. Psyshock’s energy quickly left him as the overdose paralyzed his brain, and the psychotic metal squid collapsed on the ground. The courier gave him a quick kick, before hiding the Bliss inhaler in a pocket.

“Agent Frank!” Ryan called out, knowing the metal giant was waiting a few rooms away. That was how Psyshock had sicced him on the courier halfway through the first suicide run. “Agent Frank, hurry! Russian agents poisoned the VP with Soviet caviar!”

The colossal giant of steel came rushing inside the infirmary, to find a maskless Ryan holding the drugged Psyshock in his arms, crocodile tears running down his cheeks.

“Agent Frank, US secret service!” The giant threatened Ryan with a raised fist. “Identify yourself!”

“Ryan Romano, CIA!” Ryan sobbed. “We survived Pearl Harbor together! Us and Sergeant Arch Dornan! Don’t you remember the boat, Agent Frank? The boat?”

A confused Frank the Mad waved an index finger at Ryan, as he remembered a day that never happened. “You were the Private! The Private on the boat!”

Thank God Livia predicted how to get inside his head. “You saved my life, Agent Frank, and today, I pay my debt.” Ryan wiped away his false tears. “I did all I could to save him, but the air… the communists poisoned even the air, Agent Frank!”

“I knew they put something in the airplanes!” Frank immediately looked at the drooling Psyshock with a worried gaze. “What can we do?”

“I did all I could to save him, but this is a communist coup, Agent Frank. They’re trying to destroy the government!”

Only now did Agent Frank understand the true threat their democracy faced. “The President is down there!” The giant panicked. “We must secure his safety!”

“No, Agent Frank, not we. It’s a suicide mission.” Ryan delicately gave the drooling Psyshock to Frank, who held him in his arms like a secret treasure. “I will do it. You stay here and protect the Vice-President from a Russian counterattack, until Agent Sarin comes back with medical help.”

“The US Secret Service does not—”

“Democracy can only survive if…” Ryan cleared his throat, his voice as heavy as a soldier marching to certain death. “If you live, Agent Frank. If the President dies, the Vice-President… the Vice-Presidency must endure. Do you understand this, Agent Frank?”

Ryan let out a long, long sigh, as he put his mask and bowler hat on. “Let me die for my country,” he pleaded, before adjusting his hat, “as a hero.”

“I understand,” Frank the Mad Lad replied, before offering Ryan a military salute with one hand while holding Psyshock in the other. “Semper Fi.”

“Semper Fi.” Ryan returned the salute, before walking out of the infirmary with a heavy heart.

There. According to Livia, if dealt in that way, Frank would follow orders and remain in the infirmary until the group could secure the rest of the bunker.

So far the Meta-Gang’s rout was total, but the main course waited a few rooms ahead.

Leaving the neutralized Frank and Psyshock behind, Ryan continued deeper into the complex and reached a familiar underground chamber. Seven knockoff Elixir vats were lined up on a nearby wall, half of them occupied by mutated test subjects. One of the chamber’s two blast doors was opened, and the courier heard footsteps echo from this direction.

“You know, since I’ve been in New Rome, I’ve fought aliens, Psychos, and power-mad Genomes, and few left a big impression.” Ryan grabbed his Beretta, as his foe stepped out of the darkness. “But you, fatass? Your shadow cast a heavy presence.”

Augustus was stronger and Fallout more determined, but the Meta-Gang’s leader was shrewder, crueler, and in the end, more dangerous.

That was why he had to die first.

“What can I say, mate? I’ve hurt lots of people, and today will be an all-you-can-eat-buffet.” Adam the Ogre emerged from the shadow with a hand behind his back, his carbon skin as black as his soul, the grin on his face vicious and cruel. “But gotta say… I’ve never tasted a fellow Violet before.”

“Make that last loop count, Bibendum,” Ryan said, as he raised his gun. “You won’t get another.”

瑞恩在锈镇接上了两位女士，车头引擎盖上还用锁链捆着一具骷髅僵尸。

“你认真的？”瑞恩狐疑地看着女友。福尔图娜穿着性感的白色乳胶紧身衣来出任务，莉维娅却只穿了条牛仔裤和一件蓝色连帽衫。“我不让你上车。”

“对不起，一个小时里，我只能找到这身方便行动的衣服。”莉维娅道歉道。瑞恩每一轮循环开始时，她都正和福尔图娜在外面享受闺蜜时光。因此，尽管幽魂突然失踪，两人还是得以悄悄溜走，没被奥古斯蒂的人察觉，但也来不及挑一套完美的行头。“可它是纯棉的！”

“勉强过关。”瑞恩耸了耸肩，不情不愿地让她们上了车。快递员可是有备而来，拳头兄弟手甲和两把冲锋枪早已放在前座等着。他甚至把圆顶礼帽都从库房里取了出来，准备大干一场，还说服保利交出了他的秘密武器。

时机安排得当，路上又不堵车，一个小时能办成的事还真是多得惊人。

瑞恩倒是希望能再多准备一阵，但他们等不起了。大胖亚当随时可能把那些俘虏扔进绞肉机。

“莉薇，你早该跟我说的。”福尔图娜和莉维娅坐进后座时说道，“我有备用战衣！”

“我知道，可是……”她的闺蜜尴尬地笑了笑，“我觉得那有点不检点……”

“才、才不是不检点，那叫抢眼！”福尔图娜红着脸抗议。瑞恩开车驶过这一带荒凉的街道。“还有，引擎盖上那具骷髅是真的？”

“救命！”车头的食尸鬼突然尖叫起来，吓了福尔图娜一跳。这个疯魔的两条腿和双手都没了，只剩头颅和胸廓被锁在挡风玻璃下方。“救救我，他疯了！他疯了！”

“嘘，我的小宇航员。”瑞恩轻声细语地说道，吓得这具不死疯魔直往后缩。“活人说话呢。”

“放心，他活该。”莉维娅向福尔图娜解释了一句，随后看向男友。“菲利克斯和其他人会比我们晚到几分钟。”

“好，那我就能给他们留下一个绝佳的第一印象了。”瑞恩一脚踩下油门，直奔废料场。街区里的毒风抽打着食尸鬼裸露的眼球，惹得他惨叫连连。

“菲利克斯也来？”福尔图娜在后座问道，好奇得不得了。她担任莉维娅的保镖，又对闺蜜无条件信任，想必没多问什么就跟过来了。“他要回到我们身边了？”

“不是。”莉维娅答道，“不过瑞恩说服了他，让他努力和我们保持联系。”

“是你劝的？”幸运女孩再次看向那位英俊的司机，眼里多了几分敬意。“说真的，我刚才还想说你配不上莉维娅，现在我收回！”

“谢谢，谢谢。”瑞恩说道，远处已经出现了废料场的垃圾墙。“我的报酬呢？”

“弹药？”福尔图娜递给瑞恩一把尖头、箭形的子弹。瑞恩任由普利茅斯“狂怒”自行向前驶去，拿起一把枪。“你运气不错，枪店正好有现货！你要这些子弹干什么？”

“捕鲸。”瑞恩一边回答，一边把子弹装进枪里，展示给女友看。“十六发，九毫米。可以一发接一发地高速连射，中间不用停。”

“问个够硬的问题。”莉维娅俏皮地 看了他一眼。“会卡壳吗？”

“从来不会，也不会过热。打上一整晚都不成问题。”瑞恩轻轻抚摸着枪管的尖端。“不过，开保险的时候，我经常需要有人帮把手。”

“那就好，这种东西到了我手里，力道既稳又温柔。”女友娇声说道，拿起拳头兄弟戴在手上。“需要动手指的活儿……我可以帮忙。”

“可得轻一点。”瑞恩叮嘱着，把武器收进风衣，正好放在熟睡的毛绒玩偶与极乐吸入器之间。“枪管独一无二，扳机又特别敏感。稍微弄错一下，就会提前走火。”

“你们在说武器，还是别的什么？”福尔图娜问道，脸红得像个西红柿。

“你座位底下有保利的火箭筒，想试试大口径的话，尽管拿。”瑞恩无辜地说道。“希望你不排斥新体验，因为你的目标是个女的。”

福尔图娜还没来得及抗议，时空收音机里就传出了蕾恩的声音。“我就位了，瑞瑞。”

“亨丽埃特和欧仁-亨利呢？”瑞恩反问。他们已经能看见废料场了。垃圾山和一摞摞废车高高耸立，把围栏笼罩在阴影里，蜥蜴人和双子正在那里守卫。两人困惑地看着车子驶来，食尸鬼则吓得不停尖叫。

“在孤儿院，和莎拉待在一起。”

完美。

“食尸鬼？！”蜥蜴人认出了队友，惊恐地瞪大爬虫般的双眼，叫出了声。

瑞恩摇下车窗，指着这位美国政府背后的蜥蜴人主子，作出了回应：“见证我吧！”

双子的光体瞬间一闪，消失不见，蜥蜴人则在那疯司机撞上自己之前，险险跃到了一旁。瑞恩驾车全速撞穿了围栏。

瑞恩开车闯过废料场里垃圾墙构成的迷宫，仿佛在巡视自己的征服地，对附近那些翻找废品的疯魔视而不见。杂种蹲在一辆锈蚀的汽车顶上，瞥了入侵者一眼，牙齿正咬在一只活老鼠的背上。

瑞恩在之前的循环中逐渐了解了这个人，此情此景令他心生怜悯。杂种实在不该沦落成一头野兽，快递员一定要帮他找回自己的人生。

瑞恩没有攻击他，而是朝车后扔出手雷，炸塌几堵垃圾墙，阻断从地面赶来的援军。反正他的援军会从天而降。

等到有人拉响警报，铃声在废料场中回荡时，瑞恩一行已经快要看见地堡入口了。司机感觉到大地沉重的目光落在自己身上，紧接着，一阵震动让碎屑朝他的车砸了下来。这样的场面，这位时间旅者经历过不止一次，他轻松地左右穿行，避开了这些临时弹药。

瑞恩来到废料场那座标志性的垃圾塔、抵达通往地堡的隧道时，注意到上空有两道黑影飞过。两位英雄预备役正脚踩玻璃冲浪板，飘在空中。

可惜，废料场上方已经聚起了毒云，酸雨和蚊子也赶来守住隧道入口。“贼！”酸雨拔出刀子，咆哮道。和刚才看见杂种时一样，她那癫狂的神情也让瑞恩心生怜悯。“贼——”

“金发妞，开火！”快递员一边把车猛打向左边，一边大喊。“打另一个金发妞！双份金发妞！”

“好！”福尔图娜推开仍在行驶中的车门，抱着保利的火箭筒跳了出去。她双脚还没落地，就瞄准酸雨扣下了扳机。

一枚尖端画着笑脸的火箭弹直奔酸雨而来，惊得这疯魔后退了一步。她立刻瞬移到一堵垃圾墙上，头顶毒云也开始洒下酸性细雨。可这没什么用，天才科技导弹紧跟而至，逼得她继续退避。这枚导弹还得飞上几分钟才会耗尽燃料，足够让酸雨忙活一阵了。

与此同时，蚊子展开翅膀，举起拳头冲向普利茅斯“狂怒”。等他发现头顶的黑影时，已经太迟了——那是一位黑白两色、带来死亡与毁灭的天使。

蒂米从玻璃冲浪板上一跃而下，在半空中完成了变身。

“熊猫飞身压！”

熊猫如同苍蝇拍一般，优雅地落在蚊子身上，将他活埋在厚重的毛皮和肥肉之下。

菲利克斯的着陆要优雅得多，他的玻璃冲浪板稳稳落在院子中央。瑞恩把普利茅斯“狂怒”停在旁边，和莉维娅一起从容而体面地下了车。

“菲利克斯！”看见弟弟，福尔图娜欢呼了一声，随手扔掉打空的火箭筒。莉维娅递给闺蜜一把冲锋枪作为替代，瑞恩则取走了另一把。

“说真的，姐，我一直挺好奇，咱俩联手会是什么样。”原子猫答道，随即看到杂种跃上一堵垃圾墙，出现在视野里。那发狂的疯魔在掌中召出了一团火球。

“记住，小猫咪，别下死手。”瑞恩说道，“用小石子就行！”

“行了行了，我有数。”他答应一声，从垃圾墙上抓起几个空铁皮罐，把它们变成炸弹，扔向杂种。他投出的炸弹与疯魔的火球在空中相撞，引发了一场猛烈的爆炸。

不幸的是，爆炸震塌了一堵已经摇摇欲坠的垃圾墙，碎片如雨般砸向福尔图娜、熊猫和蚊子。菲利克斯意识到自己闯了祸，顿时惊恐地瞪大双眼。“姐！”他扯着嗓子大喊，“姐！”

蒂米成功把失去意识的敌人拖离了险地，幸运女孩却因为离得太近，来不及躲闪。她惊愕地看着砸下来的残骸，不知为何，她的能力没能让它们偏转方向。

瑞恩差一点就暂停时间，冲上去救她，却忽然发现莉维娅在笑。

一秒之后，一股看不见的力量抱住了这张活彩票，把她带离地面，送到了安全的地方。

都到这会儿了，瑞恩早该长点记性。

“这里交给我们，快存。”裹尸布显出身形，怀里公主抱着满脸通红的福尔图娜。这一次，她的能力甚至都不用逼他出手！“去端了老巢吧。”

菲利克斯毫不掩饰地松了口气。“谢了。”他对马蒂亚斯说完，便重新把注意力转向杂种。

他姐姐的反应可没这么斯文。“菲利克斯，你这个成事不足的家伙，差点把我的衣服弄脏！”她高声抱怨，嗓门大得让裹尸布直皱眉。“要是那些变种人没先杀了你，我就掐死你！”

“我建议淹死，他不喜欢沾水。”瑞恩说着，和莉维娅走进了震颤的隧道。在离开地面之前，快递员又粗略扫了一眼战况。

这些事如此熟悉，却又不尽相同。一个经过反复打磨的方案，以他在无数循环里搜集的信息为基础，由他一路结识的盟友付诸实施。历经这么久，一切终于严丝合缝地拼在了一起。

然而，他立刻发现了一件前所未有的事。除非是在最放肆的美梦里，否则他从没想过这居然可能发生。

他的普利茅斯“狂怒”……

他的普利茅斯“狂怒”居然毫发无损！

“这是神迹。”瑞恩喃喃自语，满心虔诚的敬畏。

“只要咱们把自己的事办妥，它今天就能完完整整地撑到最后。”莉维娅笑着说。

确认，完美通关！

情侣二人冲入隧道，两侧墙壁不断震动，大地正试图将它们震塌。两人很快赶到地堡的黑色大门前，迎面碰上了四台迪纳米斯无人机。

“我负责左边，你负责右——”瑞恩刚向女友提议，就觉得脊背一阵发——

---

等瑞恩恢复意识时，两人已经迈过防爆门，将四台机器人的残骸留在身后。

“你刚才说什么？”莉维娅抚摸着拳头兄弟，逗他道。

“你也太贪心了，奥古斯蒂小姐。”瑞恩抱怨道，身后的隧道轰然坍塌。

“我贪心？”她狡黠一笑，两人走进通往地堡主厅的金属走廊。“好东西都留着独享的人明明是你！”

“亏我还给你准备了一个大惊喜……”瑞恩透过加固玻璃窗，看向另一侧的机库，以及正在梅克隆的机甲和潜艇上埋头干活的心震傀儡。他看见蕾恩包裹在装甲里的脑袋探出了水面——那片水域将地下设施与外面的海洋连在一起——便隔着加固玻璃朝她挥了挥手。

“惊喜，罗马诺先生？”莉维娅顿时来了兴致。“我喜欢惊喜。”

“留到迪纳米斯的那场约会吧，公主。”瑞恩说道。蕾恩猛地跃出水面，用气泡步枪攻击那些傀儡。“迪纳米斯的那场约会。”

“我等不及了。”她说着，与他一同走进地堡的娱乐区。和瑞恩那轮自杀式循环时一样，这个房间里待着六个疯魔。沙林、液态的墨水机器、没有面孔的无名氏，正和一个脸色病白的光头——苍白男——一起打台球。罗刹在房间里的街机上玩《街头霸王》，吧台后则悬浮着一颗没有身体的亚洲女人头颅。瑞恩记得她那个令人闻风丧胆的名字：傻逼脸。

沙林用球杆击出一球，随后抬头看向新来的人。她一声没吭，有那么一瞬间，快递员担心记忆转移没有成功。

幸好，他们约好了一个暗号，专门用来确认这件事。

“屁在马桶里。”瑞恩说完，拉动冲锋枪的枪栓。“我重复，屁在马——”

“第一遍就听见了，混蛋。”比安卡叹了口气，把球杆放到一边。“你可算来了。”

“沙林，你认识他们？”墨水机器问道，被队友那随意的态度骗得放松了警惕。“新招的人？”

“新管理层。”比安卡答道，突然把震动手甲分别对准墨水机器和罗刹。两人猝不及防，双双中招：前者化成了一摊液体，后者则被轰飞，脑袋朝前撞上了街机。

“比安卡，你这个没心没肺的怪物！”瑞恩哀悼着那台街机，同时朝其余疯魔开火。他固然有意避开要害，可结果竟然连一个人都没打伤。无名氏纵身躲到台球桌后，傻逼脸则凝出深红色的能量手臂，拨开子弹。苍白男只是闪身躲避，不过莉维娅迅速贴了上去，与他展开近身战。

“沙林，你这个叛徒！”傻逼脸在吧台后咆哮。“无名氏，去叫弗兰克！”

无名氏急忙冲向电梯，瑞恩却迅速用冲锋枪打中了他的双膝。这名超能帮成员倒在地上，双腿鲜血淋漓，疼得扭动挣扎。

“抱歉，你死不了。”瑞恩向这个无脸疯魔道了声歉，随后将冲锋枪转向吧台。“又见面了，傻逼脸！不过我可不会说想你了。”

“我不叫这个名字！”悬浮的头颅抗议道，随即朝时间旅者喷出一股酸液。

瑞恩暂停时间，闪身躲开，面具后的眉头皱了起来。她的名字是……是……

等等，她说得没错！快递员在第一次自杀式循环里给她起了“傻逼脸”这个外号，后来就再没费心问过。仔细想想，苍白男也是一样。在他加入超能帮的那一轮，他们俩也都没能熬过帮里的内战，所以他同样没机会深入了解这两个人。

“不是吧，我居然一直不知道这两个杂兵叫什么！”时间恢复流动，瑞恩抱怨道。此时他已经逼近傻逼脸，扔开冲锋枪，一把揪住她的头发。没等这个疯魔用能量手臂反击，快递员便狠狠将她的脑袋砸向吧台，力道之大，把台面都撞裂了，直接将她砸晕过去。她的能量触手散作红色通量粒子，消失不见。“比安卡，这两个红衫炮灰叫什么？”

“这重要吗，书呆子？”比安卡问着，开始转而攻击苍白男。那疯魔闪过她轰来的一击，莉维娅却趁机从另一个方向包抄。多方接连不断的攻击，很快就把他逼到了角落里。

“当然重要。”瑞恩跨过浑身是血的无名氏和昏迷的罗刹。“我可是全收集玩家。”

“捕手和飞头妖。”莉维娅答道，终于用拳拳击中了苍白男的胸口。这一拳将那个疯魔打飞出去，撞上最近的墙壁，彻底退出了战斗。

嘁，还是傻逼脸好听。等他重新当上超能帮的终身总统，给她改名一定得列为头等大事。不过现在，快递员总算能问心无愧地继续他的完美通关了。他迈步走向电梯。

“好了，能把这些人拖到小矮个那里，让她看管起来吗？”瑞恩问队友们，语气就像在逐项核对购物清单。“再帮她处理一下外面的傀儡？人数还挺多的。”

“当然，不过你别在楼下待太久。”莉维娅一边说，一边拖走昏昏沉沉的傻逼脸。比安卡则用微弱的震动压制着墨水机器，让她始终瘫成一摊液体。“事后我想请大家一起庆祝，那家餐厅关门很早。还有，现在幽魂不见了，爸爸也该开始担心了。”

“泰餐，还是法餐？”瑞恩问完，按下电梯按钮。他知道她不喜欢日本料理。

“俄餐，试点新鲜的！”女友的回答传来，电梯门正好合上。

好吧，至少小矮个会喜欢。

电梯抵达目的地，瑞恩迅速穿过地堡的中枢室和金属走廊，赶到了医务室。心震正在给两个绑在手术台上的锈镇瘾君子洗脑。他抬头看向瑞恩，快递员则伸手摸向藏在风衣下的极乐吸入器。

“小切萨雷。”面对这突如其来的闯入，心震毫无惧意，对自己的不死之身自信过了头。“真是稀奇，居然——”

瑞恩暂停时间，赶在时间重新流动之前，把吸入器扣到了这个深恶痛绝的仇敌脸上。

“别担心，心心。”瑞恩嘲弄着心震，随后启动吸入器。“这……不是冰毒。”

极乐扩散进神经系统，惊愕的疯魔疯狂挥舞触手，瑞恩却牢牢按住不放。过量毒品麻痹了心震的大脑，他迅速失去力气，这只精神错乱的金属鱿鱼瘫倒在地。快递员顺脚踢了他一下，将极乐吸入器收进口袋。

“弗兰克特工！”瑞恩喊道，他知道那个金属巨人就候在几个房间之外。第一次自杀式循环进行到一半时，心震就是这样把他叫来对付快递员的。“弗兰克特工，快来！俄国特工用苏联鱼子酱毒害了副总统！”

庞大的钢铁巨人冲进医务室，看见摘下面具的瑞恩正抱着被毒品放倒的心震，鳄鱼的眼泪顺着脸颊直往下淌。

“弗兰克特工，美国特勤局！”巨人举起拳头威慑瑞恩。“报上身份！”

“瑞恩·罗马诺，中情局！”瑞恩抽泣道。“我们一起从珍珠港活着回来的！我们俩，还有阿奇·多南中士！你不记得那条船了吗，弗兰克特工？那条船？”

疯子弗兰克迷迷糊糊地伸出食指，朝瑞恩比画着，回忆起了从未发生过的那一天。“你就是那个列兵！船上的列兵！”

谢天谢地，莉维娅预见了该怎样钻进他的脑子里。“你救过我的命，弗兰克特工，今天轮到我报恩了。”瑞恩擦去假眼泪。“为了救他，我已经尽力了，可空气……共产党连空气都下了毒，弗兰克特工！”

“我就知道他们在飞机里加了东西！”弗兰克立刻忧心忡忡地看向口水直流的心震。“我们该怎么办？”

“为了救他，我已经尽力了，但这是共产党发动的政变，弗兰克特工。他们要颠覆政府！”

直到此刻，弗兰克特工才明白，他们的民主正面临怎样的真正威胁。“总统还在下面！”巨人慌了神。“我们必须确保他的安全！”

“不，弗兰克特工，不是我们。这是一项有去无回的任务。”瑞恩小心翼翼地把流口水的心震交给弗兰克，后者像捧着一件秘密珍宝似的，将他抱在怀里。“我去。你留在这里，保护副总统，抵御俄国人的反扑，直到沙林特工带着医疗支援回来。”

“美国特勤局绝不——”

“民主想要存续，只有……”瑞恩清了清嗓子，声音沉重得仿佛一名奔赴必死战场的士兵。“只有你活下来才行，弗兰克特工。如果总统死了，副总统……副总统这一职位必须延续下去。你明白吗，弗兰克特工？”

瑞恩长长地叹了口气，戴好面具和圆顶礼帽。“让我为国捐躯吧。”他恳求着，扶正帽子。“以一个英雄的身份。”

“我明白了。”疯小子弗兰克答道，一只手抱着心震，另一只手向瑞恩敬了个军礼。“永远忠诚。”

“永远忠诚。”瑞恩回了个礼，随后怀着沉重的心情走出医务室。

搞定。按莉维娅的说法，这样处理，弗兰克就会服从命令，留在医务室里，直到众人控制住地堡的其余区域。

目前为止，超能帮已是全线溃败，不过主菜还在前面几个房间之外等着。

把已经不构成威胁的弗兰克和心震抛在身后，瑞恩继续深入设施，来到一间熟悉的地下室。附近一面墙边排着七个仿制灵药培养罐，其中一半装着已经变异的实验对象。室内两扇防爆门中的一扇敞开着，快递员听见脚步声从那个方向传来。

“说真的，自从来到新罗马，我打过外星人、疯魔，还有权欲熏心的基因者，能给我留下深刻印象的却没几个。”敌人从黑暗中迈步走出，瑞恩掏出伯莱塔手枪。“可你呢，死胖子？你投下的阴影，那存在感可真够沉重的。”

奥古斯都更强大，辐尘更坚决，但超能帮的首领更狡猾、更残忍，到头来也更加危险。

所以，必须先让他死。

“还能怎么说呢，老兄？我伤害过的人多了去了，今天更是一顿敞开肚子随便吃的自助餐。”食人魔亚当一只手背在身后，从阴影中走出来。他那碳质皮肤和灵魂一样漆黑，脸上的笑容恶毒而残忍。“不过说真的……跟我同属紫色的家伙，我还真没尝过。”

“好好珍惜这最后一轮吧，必比登。”瑞恩举起了枪。“你不会再有下一轮了。”