同章对照

Enrique Manada had been true to his word.

Sitting around a garish pink table at the Dostoïevski restaurant, Ryan, Len, and the Panda examined the plans of Dynamis’ Gravity Gun; though the Gravity Rifle would have been a better name for it. The device was long and impractical, though the courier was certain they could miniaturize it.

As Livia had promised, the Dostoïevski was a Russian all-you-can-eat buffet located at New Rome’s periphery and catering almost exclusively to families. The restaurant could have easily accommodated hundreds of patrons, though Ryan’s girlfriend had rented the entire restaurant for a private gathering. The floor was carpeted with industrial, blue flooring, with the food steam trays decorated with fish imagery; staff members were dressed in sailor’s attire, and the tables smelled of ice cream. Somehow, the comforting atmosphere put even the usually shy Len at ease.

Everyone had come dressed casually for the occasion, even Ryan. The other guests hadn’t arrived yet, though the courier didn’t doubt they would. Nobody in their right mind would miss the garish neon lights advertising the restaurant on the roof.

“A few seconds after being fired, the projectile creates a gravitational anomaly,” Timmy explained, after reviewing the schematics. It was so odd to see him without his costume on in human form. He looked so scrawny and ordinary, with a shy, gentle smile. “Everything in its vicinity is pulled towards the sphere, while it counteracts the Earth’s pull.”

“So, if I understand correctly, and I almost always do,” Ryan said, “the sphere will pull Lightning Butt towards itself, and then fly up?”

His pandawan nodded. “According to Dynamis’ calculations, the Gravity Gun will expel him from the upper atmosphere. After that, the sphere will wander through the solar system without ever returning home.”

Ryan immediately saw where Dynamis found the inspiration for that plan. “They wanted to Kars Augustus.”

“Kars?” Len asked with a frown. Ryan silently vowed to remedy her complete absence of pop culture knowledge.

“I understood that reference!” The Panda said happily.

“Every time you open your mouth, my young pandawan, my faith in humanity is renewed,” his mentor congratulated him.

“But will it work?” Len asked with skepticism. “Augustus can fly.”

“By manipulating electric charges to ionize air,” Ryan pointed out. “He shouldn’t be able to fly outside the atmosphere. However, if he breaks the sphere before reaching space...”

Len frowned. “Do you think it could work, Riri?”

“Livia doesn’t believe so.” At least not without support. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to rely on only one secret weapon.” His main plan was to lure Lightning Butt to Monaco and trap him there permanently, while beating him up into submission with his Black Flux power remained a secondary option.

“We could make copies and distribute them to our group,” Len suggested. “I could replace my water rifle with it.”

“No, too dangerous,” Ryan said. “For it to work, I will need to fire it in close combat. Better to use our limited time on miniaturizing this Gravity Gun and install it in my armor.”

“Only your armor?” Shortie’s eyes widened. “Riri, you can’t mean…”

“Dynamis’ gardener in chief had a point. When people dare the lightning to strike them, they die.” Ryan had seen Augustus tear apart Big Adam’s jaw with a backhand, shatter Sunshine’s core, and survive the following supernova. New Rome’s tyrant was, by far, the most powerful foe the courier had ever faced. There was no room for error with him. “I’ll take Mob Zeus on alone.”

“Sifu, no!” The Panda protested in panic. “That’s suicide!”

“He’s right, Riri,” Len added while folding the schematics. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’m the only one who can even harm him,” Ryan replied. “And his immunity to my time-stop means I’ll have a hard time saving anyone caught in the crossfire. If he kills me, I can come back from it.”

Hopefully.

Len looked ready to protest, when the restaurant’s door slammed open and a green-haired spitfire walked into the place. “Holà!” the young woman said in mangled Spanish, before switching back to Italian. She dressed so trashily that Ryan almost missed the hazmat suit. “What’s up, boys and girls?”

“Hey, Bianca!” Ryan welcomed her with a raised hand. “What will you start with? Caviar? Blinis? Borscht?”

“I’ll try everything, El Presidente,” the former Sarin snickered, as a blonde, shy woman and a scrawny man followed her. A giant more than two meters tall closed the march, though he struggled to fit through the restaurant’s doors. “I’ve got years of sensory deprivation to make up for.”

“Hello…” The former Acid Rain smiled shyly at Ryan’s group. The contrast with her deranged former self couldn’t be starker.

“Oh, hi Helen!” The Panda waved a hand at them. “Hi, Mongrel!”

“Not Mongrel,” the latter replied. With his Knockoff Elixirs out of his system, the former Psycho looked healthy and most importantly, sane again. “It’s Jerome now. I don’t wanna have a supervillain nickname ever again.”

“You should still pick one,” Ryan said. “We’ll need you to improve our cure, and maybe even help us with weapons in hand.”

The former Mongrel shrugged. “Look, I owe you guys a life debt, and I’ll pay it back. But once it’s done, I never want to have anything to do with Elixirs or fighting for the rest of my life. Years as a savage animal make you appreciate a normal nine-to-five existence like nothing else.”

“You… you freed me from a long nightmare. Cured me, and gave me my life back.” Helen bowed to Ryan deeply. “If I can do anything to help… I will do it. Even if it means picking up arms again.”

“Yeah, none of us are finks here,” Bianca said. “Even Frank feels he owes you one… that, and he’s eager to burn down the establishment.”

Ryan glanced at the last member of the group as he walked inside the restaurant. Though he was no longer the colossus he had once been, the man was still over two meters tall, and slightly balding. His middle-aged face reminded Ryan of Marshal Zhukov, tough and blunt, but also someone you could have a good time fishing with. His grey parka and heavy boots made him look like a soldier ready to go to war.

“My name is not Frank,” the giant replied with a heavy Russian accent. “My name is Vladimir. Or Vlad, like the impaler.”

“Whatever you say,” Bianca replied, before moving on to the buffet. Helen hurriedly followed after her, while Jerome asked the waiters about the nearest toilets. “I never knew I would say that, but I liked you more as an American.”

Ryan agreed. Frank had been a true patriot, enthusiastic, loyal, amusing… while his real self...

“It was capitalist brainwashing,” Vlad the Mad replied. “They know they cannot stop the revolution, so they infect the workers’ minds with microchips and polluted ideas.”

His real self was a total killjoy.

Worse, Len immediately recognized a kindred spirit. “Are you a Marxist-Leninist?” she asked hopefully.

Vlad the Mad’s eyes lit up in enthusiasm, and he immediately sat right next to Shortie. Thankfully, the tables were meant for six and could accommodate the giant just fine. “I am a Trotskyist,” he said with pride. “Only through permanent revolution can the workers of the world achieve equality for all!”

“I thought the communists were almost extinct?” Timmy asked naively.

“No, you would fit right in,” Ryan said. “But only in Panda form.”

“You think equality is something to joke about?” Vlad squinted at Ryan. “You think neoliberal oppression is funny?”

Ryan sighed. That one took everything seriously, and didn’t have a humorous bone in his body. “No, no, I’m all for protecting endangered species, even Marxists.”

“Comrade Lenin may be dead, but his ideas live on,” Vlad the Mad replied with passion.

Ryan would rather like it the other way around, but Len was so overjoyed to meet another commie that she started grilling him about political theory. “Do you think universal equality can still be achieved in a neo-capitalist world like this one?”

“Of course!” Vlad replied, while Helen teleported his empty plate and replaced it with one full of beef. With the Psycho treatment having separated her two powers, the former Acid Rain could switch the position of items of near-equivalent mass, including herself. “The workers of the world have never been more oppressed! The only thing they lack to take back the means of production, is awareness of their own strength!”

As he watched Len grin, Ryan had the feeling that these two would become BFFs in no time. He wondered if he had created a monster. “I prefer social democracy,” the Panda tried to meekly participate in the debate.

Vlad the Mad’s answer was the acme of subtlety. “And that is why this country is BLEEPed!”

The next batch of newcomers arrived. “This is a waste of my valuable time!” Alchemo complained crankily as he stepped into the restaurant, his daughter and a toaster on wheels following. “I do not need solid food!”

“Dad, it’s not the food that matters, but the company,” the Doll insisted, before greeting everyone. “Hi!”

Meanwhile, Toasty wasted no time bothering Helen and Bianca. The toaster on wheels rolled all the way to the buffet, to Acid Rain’s confusion. “Hey, beauties, do you want your blinis toasted…” it asked. “Or raw?”

“Is… is that toaster talking?” Helen asked Bianca, who shrugged before buttering a blini with low-quality caviar.

The last group arrived afterward, keeping the best for last. Mathias walked into the restaurant with his dazzlingly golden girlfriend holding his arm, while Livia and Felix exchanged words behind them. Ryan observed his girlfriend from head to toe, recognizing her clothes as the black coat she loved so much. Discreet, yet elegant.

“Lovely,” he said when Livia returned his gaze.

“You’re not so unfortunate yourself,” she replied with a wink, before glancing at Fortuna. “Do you mind if I take my knight aside for a moment?”

“It’s fine, Livy,” her best friend replied, before putting one arm around her boyfriend’s, and another around her brother’s. “These gentlemen will keep me company.”

“The things I do for family,” Felix grumbled, though his heart wasn’t in it.

“You’re anticipating a bit too much on that front,” Mathias said.

“No, he isn’t,” Fortuna insisted with a blissful gaze, before dragging them aside to their own table.

Ryan abandoned his own group to settle with Livia near a window. Their table was meant for two and isolated from the rest, and provided a cozy kind of intimacy. Livia nodded at a waiter, and a familiar tune started playing in the restaurant.

“Why are they playing the Rains of Castamere?” Ryan asked, upon recognizing the music.

“Because Mathias still half suspects me of treachery, and will recognize the reference,” Livia said, glancing at the vigilante. Though Mathias sat with his girlfriend and Felix, he often glanced at Ryan’s table. Jerome’s return from the toilets quickly distracted him though, as an unusually kind Fortuna invited him to join their group. “I like to make him squirm.”

“You are a cruel, wicked woman,” the courier accused his girlfriend.

“Would you rather that I disguise myself as a hockey killer and ambush him?” She asked, as a waiter gave them a glass of vodka each. “I’m surprised you didn’t assault Luigi yet.”

“I made him pay for his slight against me tenfold already,” Ryan replied while sipping his glass. “I’m not that vengeful, especially on a potential Perfect Run.”

“Good.” Livia glanced through the window, and at the parked cars outside. Ryan’s was the most dashing of the lot, though his girlfriend’s Ferrari gave the Plymouth Fury a run for its money. “Is everyone else here?”

“Only Dr. Stitch, and he chose to work on the Bloodstream vaccine plague rather than join us,” Ryan said. “Sunshine and co are destroying Mechron’s remaining bases as we speak. They’ll sit this one out, at least for now.”

“Good. If my father catches wind of their presence in the city, it will mean war.”

Ryan frowned. “How are things going on that front?”

“Geist’s demise woke my father up from his inaction.” Livia played with her glass, her expression darkening. “He suspects the Meta-Gang. From his point of view, he hasn’t heard of their activities in a few days, right as Geist mysteriously vanishes. Obviously, he suspects a connection. He has heavily reinforced security around Ischia Island, and authorized Vulcan’s plans to take back Rust Town… at least so far.”

“So far?”

“Wyvern made a surprise visit to Vulcan early tonight, and she left the foundry both alive and unharmed. My father hasn’t been informed yet, but once he is, he will grow suspicious of Vulcan’s allegiances.” Livia glanced at her boyfriend with a quizzical eyebrow. “What did you say to Wyvern?”

“How to patch up with an old friend,” Ryan replied with a sigh. “I owed that to Jasmine.”

Livia smiled, and for once the courier didn’t detect any hint of jealousy in his girlfriend’s expression. “I understand.”

“Do you think it will work?” the courier asked. He was glad that Dragon Mom listened to his advice, but it took New Rome’s destruction by an orbital satellite for Jasmine and her to reconcile.

“I give Vulcan a fifty-fifty percent chance to take Wyvern on her olive branch, and I will make sure to warn her if my father issues a kill order. She will make it out alive, whatever the case.”

“Thanks,” Ryan said. His fingers brushed softly against Livia’s, to her joy. “Is it alright to come here though? Your daddy is in a paranoid phase.”

“He is, but I mollified him somewhat when I brought Psyshock to Cancel. Officially, I’m meeting with Genome mercenaries to help us take down the Meta-Gang.” She winked at him. “Dad is too happy that I am taking my future role of leader seriously to look too much into my activities.”

“Damn it, I should have asked to be paid in advance,” Ryan said. “That was a missed opportunity.”

“Whatever happens to Vulcan, my family will occupy Rust Town again soon, and this time they will examine the area thoroughly.” Livia sighed. “There’s a strong possibility they might discover the bunker, even if we condemn the entrances.”

“So we’ll have to destroy it.” Ryan had expected as much. “Take what we can, and blow up the rest.”

“It’s better that way,” his girlfriend replied. “Things like the Bahamut orbital laser and robot armies will only lead to disaster.”

“Truth be told, I’m not sure what to do about Mechron’s Knockoff production process,” Ryan confessed. “I considered offering Dynamis the necessary technology, but not until after Greenhand is fully in charge. Unless...”

“Unless?”

“Unless you’re putting your veto?”

“I might.” She joined her hands and looked at the night sky beyond the window. “If all goes well for us, my father will be ousted from power, as will Hector and Alphonse Manada. At which point, both my family’s empire and Dynamis will be weakened. After reforming both, I intend to propose a merger to Enrique Manada.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You want to form a new government?”

“The New European Republic,” Livia said with a foxy grin. “How does that sound?”

“The fearsome NER?” The time-traveler chuckled. “I think it’s already taken.”

“In the old world, not the new,” Livia defended her choice. “And you’re going to be part of it.”

“Moi?”

“What?” She laughed at his confusion. “You always joked about becoming a president. Don’t you want to become the Albert to my Victoria?”

Ryan chuckled while finishing his Vodka. “When did you upgrade from princess to queen?”

“When you called me Queen Crimson,” she said before giving him a dirty gaze. “You’ll look good with a tie on.”

“Only if you wear a matching suit.”

“Red and black,” she replied, before finishing her own vodka. “Mechron’s Knockoff technology could help this newborn nation, or it might create more tensions in Europe. I’ll need to examine the future in-depth after we prevail, to see how it will go.”

Ryan’s expression deflated. “If we prevail.”

“Even if we don’t, now that you have saved, we will remember everything. We can try again.” She expected him to say something, but grew suspicious when he remained silent. “Ryan, what are you hiding from me?”

The courier sighed. “I’m having performance issues.”

“With your power?” Livia’s eyes widened. “You couldn’t save.”

“No. My Elixir, or maybe the Violet Ultimate One itself, won’t let me. I don't know why.”

“Is it about your other power? The one you used to kill Geist across multiple timelines?” Livia took his hands into her own, her steely gaze demanding answers. “Ryan, don’t you think it’s about time you tell me?”

Ryan sighed, and told her everything. He gave her the details of his expedition in the Black World, about his power’s inner workings, and how it interfered with the space-time continuum. The more he spoke, the more she scowled… Although to his surprise, Livia didn’t appear worried.

“The Elixirs and Ultimate Ones grant us our wishes,” she said with a sad frown. “What did you ask for to get a power like this?”

Ryan answered bluntly, “I wanted to die.”

His girlfriend bristled, but her sorrow quickly turned into hope. “You wanted to die, past tense,” she said. “Now you want to live.”

Sharp.

“I had lost too much, with little to fight for anymore.” Ryan glanced at the people around him. By now, Len was smiling while the Panda and Vlad the Mad exchanged pleasantries, all red on vodka. The Doll managed to make Alchemo relax a bit, while Helen grew more at ease as Toasty’s terrible flirting attempts alleviated her mood. Bianca soon joined their table with a plate full of food, while Jerome toasted glasses with Mathias, Fortuna, and Felix. “That’s not the case anymore.”

Livia beamed with happiness. “You gathered all these people, Ryan,” she said, her gaze lingering on the former Psychos among them. “In some cases, you saved their lives, in more ways than one. They’re here for you… with you.”

“You most of all,” Ryan said.

She blushed and beamed with joy like a sunflower, warming the time traveler’s heart. “This is why I’m not so worried about the Ultimate One’s plans for you,” Livia declared. “If it weren’t for its influence, we wouldn’t have met each other. If it encourages you to see this loop through to the end, even without saving, then it means it has something in store for you.”

Unfortunately, a doubt quickly gnawed at her heart. “But if everything you destroy with that power stays destroyed…” she trailed off. “If you kill Father…”

“I won’t,” Ryan said. “I swear. I might imprison him, but I won’t slay him.”

Livia examined him carefully, before nodding to herself. “Alright.”

“That’s all?”

“I trust you, my prince. It’s as simple as that. You always fulfilled your promises, and I know you will follow through with that one.” Her expression twisted into a frown. “Could your power cut out the tumor?”

“Maybe,” Ryan said, though he had no intention of saving Lightning Butt from himself. “Or I might accidentally give him a wound he will never recover from. I’m sorry.”

Livia nodded to herself, but didn’t insist. She had already made peace with the fact her father's days were numbered, largely by his own fault.

“I’m already asking a lot from everyone to spare my father, especially after all he has done,” she admitted. “Ordering his victims to help cure him would be greedy. Bruno Costa could have saved him, and he blew that chance anyway. Now, he won’t even let his daughter Narcinia out of that cursed island.”

“What additional defenders can we expect?”

“Mars and Vulcan, for a start,” Livia answered. “Aunt Pluto and the Killer Seven have orders to reinforce the factory at the first sound of an alarm.”

Ryan crossed his arms. Almost all of these people needed to go for the Augusti to reform, Bacchus included. “This could actually work in our favor.”

“I thought the same,” his girlfriend replied. “I could pull strings to have Mercury added to the security detail while sending Uncle Neptune away. With so many Olympians gathered in one area, we could cut the rot from the family. Venus, we can capture easily.”

“The old Mercury?” Ryan asked in confusion. “Isn’t he retiring?”

“He will only do so if he feels the organization’s power is secure,” Livia explained. “That man was in the Camorra even before my father took it over and transformed it into the Augusti. He dedicated his life to this organization, and he won’t let it fall without a fight.”

In that case, the purge would leave only people like Neptune, who wanted to go legit, and Augustus himself. Still, Ryan could tell that his girlfriend worried that the raid might go wrong. Ending the battle with little to no casualties would be a trial.

“I have a surprise for you,” the courier said. “Something that will cheer you up.”

“Truly?” She squinted at him. “I haven’t been able to guess what.”

“Because I built it in a thin place, so you wouldn’t notice.”

“Built it?”

Ryan magically pulled blueprints from under his shirt, and showed them to his girlfriend.

The plan detailed a power armor, based on the Saturn model. That suit was leaner though, and adapted to a female wielder. Its plates were red as blood, its visor black as night, and a white spider symbol was painted on the chest. Most important of all, this model had traded the ear-like antennae for eight telescopic tentacles of reinforced steel.

“Queen Crimson, I present to you the Opis armor.” Ryan smiled as Livia gasped in shock. “Tailor-made for you.”

“Ryan, I can’t wear this,” she said, while covering her mouth with her hands. “If the others identify my powers on the Bliss Raid—”

“I wasn’t thinking about Bliss Island,” Ryan said softly. “How about we fight nuclear-proliferation together?”

Livia’s eyes widened, as her fingers moved to seize the schematics and examine them closely. She gawked at the smooth helmet, at the elegant metal tentacles that would make any Japanese schoolgirl squeal, at the dashing spider symbol on the chest...

“I love it,” Livia said, blushing. “Why a spider theme though?”

“It uses an extra-arm and drone system too difficult for most pilots to master… unless they can see the future. Besides, you’re scheming and sensible like a spider.”

His lovely princess pouted. “You make me sound like an evil mastermind.”

“Evil…” He approached his head closer to her own to whisper in her ear. “Or misunderstood?”

She giggled. “You’re an angel, Ryan,” his girlfriend said before kissing him on the cheek. “Which is why I brought a surprise for you too.”

“You did?” Ryan asked, suddenly excited. “It’s not even my eighth-hundred and eighty-sixth birthday yet.”

“It’s on the roof. You’ll love it.”

He did.

His girlfriend dragged him to the restaurant’s roof, where she had had a fascinating device installed behind the neon lights: a three-meters tall rocket, orange like an apple and rugged like a tank. A skeletal Psycho could be seen screaming behind the porthole, his voice muffled by the steel, his powers suppressed by a powerful heater.

Ghoul had been a sociopathic killer before becoming a Psycho according to Ryan’s research, and Livia predicted that he would keep murdering people even if cured. Though several other captive members of the Meta-Gang were monsters even with a cure and would need to be imprisoned for the good of everyone else, the bag of bones was by far the worst of them. The others might be cured, tried, and maybe even rehabilitated after a lengthy period of imprisonment; but Ghoul would never change.

The courier had jokingly suggested exiling his undead chew toy to space as an alternative to destroying him with his Black Power, but he would never have imagined that Livia would take him seriously.

“According to Vulcan, this rocket can go all the way to Pluto,” Livia explained.

“The planet, or the Genome?” Ryan asked innocently, marveling at this gift like a child before a new Playstation.

“Whichever you want. Also, Pluto is a dwarf planet now.”

“You don’t diss Pluto in my presence, princess.” Ryan’s fingers brushed against the rocket, basking in the rough feeling of steel and the smell of oil. Vulcan even added a string fuse to the reactor, like a petard! “How did she build something so beautiful in a few days?”

“She didn’t,” Livia gave him a sheepish smile. “I cheated a bit. She actually built it a year ago as a prison for Wyvern, but gave up on the idea when she realized that Wyvern would break out of it. I just asked her to add a few modifications, and gave her the data needed to improve the prototype.”

Ryan squinted in disbelief. “She wanted to send Wyvern to Pluto?”

Livia closed her eyes and nodded.

Strange minds thought alike.

“Still good,” Ryan said, deeply moved. “You shouldn’t have. You really shouldn’t have.”

“But I did.” Livia offered him a lighter. “Wanna do it together?”

“Sure,” he replied before taking her hands into his own. “I’ll let you pick the destination. Pluto? Venus? The Sun?”

Livia gave it some thought. “In orbit around the Earth, in case we ever need him to bring him back.”

“What, really?

“Ryan, he’s also immortal,” Livia giggled. “Sending him to Pluto would be really cruel. Maybe gazing at the Earth for a few decades will reform him.”

Ryan had his doubts, but indulged his girlfriend all the same.

And so, they romantically lit the fuse together. Ghoul screamed and panicked as the flames progressed closer to the reactor. “Is it safe from this distance?” Ryan asked, suddenly realizing standing on the same roof might prove dangerous. “And the others are right below—”

“Shush,” his girlfriend said gently. “It’s okay.”

Oh, alright, if she said so…

“What did you call it?” Ryan asked, as the fuse reached the reactor.

“SpaceZ,” Livia replied.

The reactor activated, but to Ryan’s surprise, no flame came out. Instead, the rocket suddenly jerked upward without a sound, not even shaking the roof below it. The device flew into the air silently, a faint Red Flux glow shining below the reactor.

An anti-gravity effect?

The courier would have preferred a big fiery explosion, but he waved his favorite undead astronaut goodbye all the same.

And so, Ryan and Livia hugged while Ghoul vanished in the skies to restart space exploration.

Both knew it might be their last moment of peace before a series of harsh trials to come. They would have to destroy Lab Sixty-Six, follow up with the Bliss Factory in quick succession before the Augusti could mobilize, and finally topping off the spree with Mob Zeus himself.

From now on, they would have to run the gauntlet.

恩里克·马纳达兑现了承诺。

在陀思妥耶夫斯基餐厅里，瑞恩、蕾恩和熊猫围坐在一张艳俗的粉红色桌子旁，研究迪纳米斯重力枪的图纸——不过，叫它重力步枪或许更贴切。这东西又长又笨重，但信使确信，他们能把它做得更小。

正如莉维娅说过的，陀思妥耶夫斯基是一家位于新罗马城郊的俄式自助餐厅，随便吃到饱，接待的几乎全是家庭顾客。餐厅轻轻松松就能容纳几百人，不过瑞恩的女朋友已经把整个地方包了下来，举办私人聚会。地上铺着蓝色的工业地毯，蒸汽保温餐盘上装饰着鱼的图案；服务员穿着水手服，桌子上还飘着冰激凌的香味。不知怎么的，这种温馨的氛围连一向腼腆的蕾恩都放松了下来。

为了这次聚会，大家都穿得很随意，连瑞恩也不例外。其他客人还没到，不过信使丝毫不怀疑他们会来。只要脑子正常，就不可能看漏楼顶上那块招徕顾客的花哨霓虹招牌。

“弹丸发射出去几秒后，就会制造出一个引力异常区。”蒂米看完设计图，解释道。看着他以人形出现，身上又没穿那套服装，实在有些不习惯。他显得那么瘦小、普通，脸上带着羞涩而温和的笑容。“附近的一切都会被吸向球体，同时球体会抵消地球的引力。”

“也就是说，如果我理解得没错——当然，我几乎从来不会理解错，”瑞恩说，“这个球会把闪电屁股吸过去，然后飞上天？”

他的熊猫学徒点了点头。“根据迪纳米斯的计算，重力枪会把他一路排出高层大气。之后，球体会在太阳系里四处漂流，再也回不了家。”

瑞恩立刻明白了迪纳米斯这套计划的灵感来源。“他们想把奥古斯都变成第二个卡兹。”

“卡兹？”蕾恩皱眉问。瑞恩暗暗发誓，一定要给她补补课，她对流行文化简直一无所知。

“这个典故我懂！”熊猫高兴地说。

“我年轻的熊猫学徒啊，你每开一次口，我就对人类重新燃起一次信心。”他的导师赞许道。

“可这能行吗？”蕾恩怀疑地问，“奥古斯都会飞。”

“他是靠操纵电荷，让空气电离来飞的。”瑞恩指出，“到了大气层外，他应该就飞不起来了。不过，要是他在抵达太空之前打碎了球体……”

蕾恩皱起眉。“你觉得这办法行得通吗，瑞瑞？”

“莉维娅觉得不行。”至少没有其他手段配合不行。“反正我也没打算只靠一件秘密武器。”他的主要计划是把闪电屁股引到摩纳哥，永远困在那里。至于用黑色通量的力量把他揍到服，那是备用方案。

“我们可以多做几把，分给大家。”蕾恩提议，“我可以拿它换掉我的水步枪。”

“不行，太危险了。”瑞恩说，“要让这东西奏效，我得贴身开火。我们时间有限，最好还是用来把这把重力枪小型化，装进我的装甲里。”

“只装你的装甲？”小矮个睁大了眼睛。“瑞瑞，你该不会是想……”

“迪纳米斯的首席园丁说得有道理。谁敢挑衅雷电，谁就得死。”瑞恩亲眼见过奥古斯都反手一击就撕碎大亚当的下巴，打碎阳光的核心，甚至从随之而来的超新星爆发中活了下来。新罗马的暴君，远比信使迄今遇到的任何敌人都要强大。跟他交手，没有半点犯错的余地。“我要一个人对付黑帮宙斯。”

“师父，不行！”熊猫慌忙抗议，“那是自杀！”

“他说得对，瑞瑞。”蕾恩一边折起设计图，一边附和，“我跟你一起去。”

“只有我能伤得了他。”瑞恩回答，“而且他不受我的时间暂停影响，谁要是被战斗波及，我很难救得下来。他杀了我，我还能回来。”

但愿如此。

蕾恩正要反驳，餐厅大门却猛地被推开，一个绿头发的泼辣姑娘走了进来。“嗨！”年轻女人先用蹩脚的西班牙语打了个招呼，接着切回意大利语。她穿得实在太俗，瑞恩几乎都怀念起那套防化服了。“各位，怎么样啊？”

“嘿，比安卡！”瑞恩举起手，欢迎她的到来。“打算先吃什么？鱼子酱？俄式薄饼？罗宋汤？”

“我每样都要尝尝，总统阁下。”昔日的沙林咧嘴笑道。她身后跟着一个腼腆的金发女人和一个瘦削男人，最后还有一个身高超过两米的巨汉，光是挤进餐厅大门都费了番工夫。“我得把这些年缺失的感官享受全补回来。”

“你们好……”昔日的酸雨朝瑞恩一行人羞涩地笑了笑，和从前那个疯疯癫癫的她判若两人。

“哦，你好，海伦！”熊猫朝他们挥了挥手。“你好，杂种！”

“不叫杂种了。”后者回答。体内的仿制灵药清除干净后，这位昔日的疯魔看起来恢复了健康，更重要的是，也恢复了神智。“现在叫杰罗姆。我这辈子都不想再要什么超级反派的外号了。”

“你还是该起一个。”瑞恩说，“我们还需要你帮忙改进疗法，没准还得请你拿起武器，助我们一臂之力。”

昔日的杂种耸了耸肩。“听着，你们救过我的命，这份恩情我会还。但还完以后，我这辈子都不想再跟灵药或者打打杀杀沾边了。当过几年野兽，就会比谁都珍惜那种朝九晚五的普通日子。”

“你……你把我从漫长的噩梦里救了出来。治好了我，把人生还给了我。”海伦朝瑞恩深深鞠了一躬。“如果有什么我能帮上忙的……我一定会做。哪怕得再拿起武器。”

“没错，我们这里可没谁是忘恩负义的混蛋。”比安卡说，“就连弗兰克都觉得欠你一份人情……当然，他也迫不及待想把现有体制烧个精光。”

最后那名同伴走进餐厅时，瑞恩朝他看了一眼。虽然不再是从前那个庞然大物，他仍有两米多高，头顶有些秃。那张中年人的面孔让瑞恩想起了朱可夫元帅，坚毅、耿直，却也像个能让你愉快地一同钓鱼的人。他穿着灰色派克大衣和厚重的靴子，看起来像个准备奔赴战场的士兵。

“我不叫弗兰克。”巨汉操着浓重的俄罗斯口音答道，“我叫弗拉基米尔。也可以叫弗拉德，穿刺公那个弗拉德。”

“你说什么就是什么吧。”比安卡答道，随即朝自助餐台走去。海伦急忙跟上，杰罗姆则向服务员打听最近的洗手间在哪儿。“真没想到有一天我会说这种话，但我还是更喜欢你当美国人的时候。”

瑞恩深有同感。弗兰克是个真正的爱国者，热情、忠诚、风趣……至于真正的他……

“那是资本主义的洗脑。”疯子弗拉德回答，“他们知道自己阻止不了革命，就用微芯片和腐朽思想毒害工人的头脑。”

真正的他，完全就是个扫兴鬼。

更糟的是，蕾恩立刻认出了这位同道中人。“你是马克思列宁主义者吗？”她满怀期待地问。

疯子弗拉德的眼睛热切地亮了起来，立刻在小矮个旁边坐下。幸好，这里的桌子都是六人桌，容纳这位巨汉绰绰有余。“我是托洛茨基主义者。”他骄傲地说，“唯有通过不断革命，全世界的工人才能实现人人平等！”

“我还以为共产主义者快灭绝了？”蒂米天真地问。

“没有，你跟他们可合得来了。”瑞恩说，“不过只限熊猫形态。”

“你觉得平等是能拿来开玩笑的东西？”弗拉德眯起眼睛看着瑞恩，“你觉得新自由主义的压迫很好笑？”

瑞恩叹了口气。这家伙什么都较真，浑身上下没有半点幽默细胞。“不，不，我完全支持保护濒危物种，哪怕是马克思主义者。”

“列宁同志或许已经逝世，但他的思想永存。”疯子弗拉德慷慨激昂地回答。

瑞恩倒宁可反过来。可蕾恩遇到另一个共产主义者，高兴得不得了，已经开始连珠炮似的向他请教政治理论。“在这样的新资本主义世界里，你觉得还能实现普遍平等吗？”

“当然能！”弗拉德回答。海伦把他的空盘子传送走，换来一盘堆满牛肉的食物。疯魔疗法将她的两种能力分离后，这位昔日的酸雨便能交换质量近似的物体的位置，包括她自己。“全世界的工人从未像现在这样受尽压迫！要夺回生产资料，他们唯一欠缺的，就是认清自身的力量！”

看着蕾恩脸上的笑容，瑞恩觉得这两人用不了多久就会成为最好的朋友。他开始怀疑，自己是不是造出了什么怪物。“我更喜欢社会民主主义。”熊猫怯生生地试着加入讨论。

疯子弗拉德的回答可谓含蓄到了极点。“这就是为什么这个国家他哔——的完蛋了！”

下一批客人到了。“这简直是在浪费我的宝贵时间！”阿尔凯莫一走进餐厅就暴躁地抱怨，身后跟着他的女儿和一台装着轮子的烤面包机。“我又不需要固体食物！”

“爸，重要的不是吃什么，而是跟谁一起吃。”人偶坚持道，接着向大家打了个招呼。“嗨！”

与此同时，烤烤已经迫不及待地去骚扰海伦和比安卡了。那台带轮子的烤面包机一路滚到自助餐台前，看得酸雨一头雾水。“嘿，美女们，你们的薄饼想吃烤过的……”它问，“还是想吃生的？”

“那……那台烤面包机在说话？”海伦问比安卡。后者耸了耸肩，往一张薄饼上抹起了廉价鱼子酱。

最后一拨人随后抵达，好戏总要留到最后。马蒂亚斯走进餐厅，金光耀眼的女朋友挽着他的胳膊，莉维娅和菲利克斯在后面说着话。瑞恩从头到脚打量着女友，认出了她最喜欢的那件黑色外套。低调，却又优雅。

“真漂亮。”莉维娅回望过来时，他说。

“你也不算太对不起观众。”她眨眼回了一句，随后看向福尔图娜。“介意我把我的骑士借走一会儿吗？”

“没事，莉薇。”她最好的朋友答道，一只手挽着男朋友，另一只手挽着弟弟。“有这两位绅士陪我就够了。”

“为了家人，我可真是什么都干。”菲利克斯嘟囔道，不过并没有多少抱怨的意思。

“说到家人，你想得可有点远了。”马蒂亚斯说。

“不，他一点都没想远。”福尔图娜满眼幸福地坚持道，把他们拉到一旁，找了张桌子坐下。

瑞恩离开了自己那一桌，和莉维娅在窗边落座。那是一张双人桌，远离其他人，自有一种舒适而私密的氛围。莉维娅朝一名服务员点点头，餐厅里随即响起一段熟悉的旋律。

“他们为什么在放《卡斯特梅的雨季》？”认出曲子后，瑞恩问。

“因为马蒂亚斯还是有点怀疑我会背叛，而且他听得懂这个典故。”莉维娅说着，朝那位义警看了一眼。马蒂亚斯虽然跟女朋友和菲利克斯坐在一起，却时不时就往瑞恩这桌瞟。不过，杰罗姆从洗手间回来后，很快分散了他的注意力：福尔图娜难得这么友善，邀请杰罗姆坐到他们那桌。“我就喜欢看他坐立不安。”

“你真是个又狠心又恶毒的女人。”信使控诉女朋友。

“难道你宁愿我扮成戴冰球面具的杀人狂，伏击他？”她问。服务员给他们一人送来一杯伏特加。“你居然还没去袭击路易吉，真让我意外。”

“他冒犯我的账，我早就十倍讨回来了。”瑞恩抿了一口酒，“我没那么记仇，尤其是这一轮有望完美通关的时候。”

“那就好。”莉维娅望向窗外停着的车。瑞恩的车是其中最拉风的一辆，不过女朋友的法拉利足以跟他的普利茅斯“狂怒”争个高下。“其他人都到了吗？”

“只有斯蒂奇医生没来，他选择继续研究针对血流的疫苗瘟疫，不来跟我们聚餐。”瑞恩说，“我们说话这会儿，阳光他们正在摧毁梅克隆剩下的基地。这回他们就先不来了，至少暂时如此。”

“很好。要是父亲听说他们出现在城里，那就意味着开战。”

瑞恩皱起眉。“你父亲那边现在怎么样？”

“幽魂的死让父亲终于不再无所作为。”莉维娅把玩着酒杯，神色暗了下来。“他怀疑是超能帮干的。在他看来，超能帮已经有几天没动静了，偏偏这时候幽魂又神秘失踪。他自然怀疑两者有联系。他大幅加强了伊斯基亚岛周边的安保，也批准了伏尔甘夺回锈镇的计划……至少目前如此。”

“目前？”

“今晚早些时候，双足飞龙突然登门拜访伏尔甘，而且活着离开了铸造厂，毫发无伤。我父亲还没得到消息，但一旦知道，他就会怀疑伏尔甘的忠诚。”莉维娅挑起眉，疑惑地看着男朋友。“你对双足飞龙说了什么？”

“告诉她怎么跟一个老朋友重修旧好。”瑞恩叹着气回答，“这是我欠贾丝敏的。”

莉维娅微微一笑，这一回，信使难得没从女朋友的表情里看出丝毫醋意。“我明白。”

“你觉得会奏效吗？”信使问。他很高兴龙妈听进了自己的建议，可上次，她和贾丝敏是等到新罗马被一颗轨道卫星摧毁之后，才终于和好的。

“我认为，伏尔甘有一半的可能接受双足飞龙递来的橄榄枝。如果我父亲下令杀她，我一定会提前警告她。不管怎样，她都会活着脱身。”

“谢谢。”瑞恩说。他的手指轻轻蹭过莉维娅的手指，让她喜上眉梢。“不过，你来这里真的没问题？你老爸现在可是疑神疑鬼。”

“是啊，不过我把心震交给消除者之后，多少安抚了他一些。对外的说法是，我正在接洽基因者佣兵，请他们帮我们干掉超能帮。”她朝他眨了眨眼。“爸爸正为我认真对待未来接班人的职责而高兴呢，顾不上深究我在干什么。”

“该死，我应该先收预付款的。”瑞恩说，“白白错过了一个机会。”

“不管伏尔甘那边怎么样，我家的人很快都会重新占领锈镇，而且这一次，他们会把整个区域彻底搜查一遍。”莉维娅叹了口气。“就算我们封死所有入口，他们也很有可能发现地堡。”

“那我们就得把它毁了。”瑞恩早料到了这一点。“能带走的带走，剩下的全炸掉。”

“这样最好。”女友回答，“巴哈姆特轨道激光炮、机器人大军，这类东西只会招来灾难。”

“说实话，我还没想好该怎么处理梅克隆的仿制灵药生产工艺。”瑞恩坦言，“我考虑过把所需技术交给迪纳米斯，不过得等绿手彻底掌权之后。除非……”

“除非什么？”

“除非你要行使否决权？”

“也许会。”她双手交握，望向窗外的夜空。“如果我们一切顺利，我父亲就会被赶下台，埃克托和阿尔方斯·马纳达也是。到时候，我们家的帝国和迪纳米斯都会元气大伤。等两边都改革完毕，我打算向恩里克·马纳达提议合并。”

瑞恩挑起眉。“你想组建一个新政府？”

“新欧洲共和国。”莉维娅露出狐狸般狡黠的笑容。“听起来怎么样？”

“威名赫赫的NER？”时间旅行者笑出了声，“这名字好像已经有人用了吧。”

“那是在旧世界，不是新世界。”莉维娅为自己的选择辩护，“而且你也得加入。”

“我？”

“怎么？”看着他困惑的模样，她笑了。“你不是总开玩笑说要当总统吗？难道你不想做我的阿尔伯特，配我这个维多利亚？”

瑞恩笑着喝完了伏特加。“你什么时候从公主升级成女王了？”

“从你叫我绯红女王的时候起。”她说着，朝他投来勾人的一瞥。“你打上领带一定很好看。”

“前提是你也得穿一套跟我相配的西装。”

“红配黑。”她答道，也喝完了自己的伏特加。“梅克隆的仿制灵药技术或许能帮助这个新生国家，也可能让欧洲的局势更加紧张。等我们赢了，我得深入查看未来，看看会发生什么。”

瑞恩脸上的笑意淡了下去。“如果我们能赢的话。”

“就算赢不了，现在你已经存了档，我们也会记得一切。还能再试。”她等着他接话，可他一直沉默，让她起了疑心。“瑞恩，你有什么事瞒着我？”

信使叹了口气。“我最近有点力不从心。”

“你的超能力？”莉维娅睁大了眼睛。“你没能存档。”

“存不了。我的灵药，或者紫色终极者本身，不肯让我存。我不知道为什么。”

“跟你的另一种能力有关？就是你用来跨越多条时间线杀死幽魂的那种？”莉维娅握住他的双手，目光坚定，等着一个答案。“瑞恩，你不觉得是时候告诉我了吗？”

瑞恩叹了口气，把一切都告诉了她。他详细讲述了自己在黑色世界的探索、能力的内在机制，以及它会如何干扰时空连续体。他说得越多，她的眉头就皱得越紧……不过，令他意外的是，莉维娅似乎并不担心。

“灵药和终极者会实现我们的愿望。”她眉间带着哀伤，“你究竟许了什么愿，才会得到这样的能力？”

瑞恩直截了当地回答：“我那时想死。”

女友浑身一紧，但悲伤很快便化作了希望。“你曾经想死，过去式。”她说，“现在你想活下去。”

真敏锐。

“那时候，我失去的太多，已经没剩下多少值得我去争取的东西了。”瑞恩看向身边的人。此刻，熊猫和疯子弗拉德正互致问候，伏特加把两人的脸都染得通红，蕾恩在一旁笑着。人偶总算让阿尔凯莫稍稍放松了些，海伦也因为烤烤那些糟糕的调情而心情舒畅，渐渐自在起来。不久，比安卡也端着一盘满满的食物加入了他们。另一边，杰罗姆正在跟马蒂亚斯、福尔图娜和菲利克斯碰杯。“现在不一样了。”

莉维娅幸福地笑了。“是你把这些人聚到一起的，瑞恩。”她的目光在那几位昔日的疯魔身上停留片刻。“其中有些人，是你救了他们的命，而且不止是一种意义上的救命。他们是为你而来的……也在这里陪着你。”

“尤其是你。”瑞恩说。

她红了脸，像向日葵一样绽开欣喜的笑容，让时间旅行者心里一暖。“所以，我才没那么担心终极者对你有什么安排。”莉维娅说，“要不是它的影响，我们根本不会相遇。如果它鼓励你把这一轮走到最后，哪怕不存档也要继续，那就说明，它为你准备了什么。”

可惜，疑虑很快又啃噬起她的心。“但如果被你用那种能力摧毁的东西，永远都无法复原……”她的话渐渐低了下去。“如果你杀了父亲……”

“我不会。”瑞恩说，“我发誓。我或许会囚禁他，但绝不会杀他。”

莉维娅仔细端详了他一会儿，然后轻轻点头。“好。”

“这就完了？”

“我相信你，我的王子。就这么简单。你一直都信守承诺，我知道这一次你也会做到。”她又皱起眉。“你的能力能切掉那个肿瘤吗？”

“也许。”瑞恩说，不过他可没打算挽救闪电屁股自作自受的命运。“也有可能，我会一不小心给他留下永远愈合不了的伤。对不起。”

莉维娅轻轻点头，没有坚持。父亲已经时日无多，她早就接受了这个事实，而这在很大程度上是他自找的。

“要求大家饶过父亲，本来就已经很过分了，尤其是他做过那么多事。”她承认，“再命令他的受害者帮忙治好他，未免太贪心。布鲁诺·科斯塔原本能救他，可他连那个机会都毁了。现在，他甚至不肯让自己的女儿纳尔西妮娅离开那座该死的岛。”

“我们还会碰上哪些增援守卫？”

“首先是玛尔斯和伏尔甘。”莉维娅回答，“普鲁托阿姨和杀手七人组接到的命令，是警报一响就立刻增援工厂。”

瑞恩抱起双臂。奥古斯蒂要想改革，这些人几乎都得清除掉，巴克斯也一样。“这倒可能对我们有利。”

“我也是这么想的。”女友回答，“我可以运作一下，把墨丘利也调进安保队伍，同时把尼普顿叔叔支开。这么多奥林匹斯众神聚在一个地方，我们就能一举剜掉家族的烂肉。维纳斯很容易就能抓住。”

“那个老墨丘利？”瑞恩不解地问，“他不是要退休了吗？”

“只有确信组织的权势稳固，他才会退休。”莉维娅解释，“早在父亲接手卡莫拉、把它改造成奥古斯蒂之前，他就已经是其中一员了。那个人把一生都献给了这个组织，不会眼睁睁看着它垮掉，什么都不做。”

这样一来，清洗过后就只剩下尼普顿这种想走正道的人，以及奥古斯都本人。不过，瑞恩看得出来，女朋友还是担心突袭出岔子。要在几乎没有伤亡的情况下结束战斗，将是一场严峻的考验。

“我给你准备了个惊喜。”信使说，“能让你高兴起来的东西。”

“真的？”她眯起眼睛看他。“我一直没能猜到是什么。”

“因为我是专门在薄弱之地造的，好让你发现不了。”

“造的？”

瑞恩像变魔术似的从衬衫底下抽出图纸，展示给女友看。

图纸上是一套以萨图恩型为基础的动力装甲。不过，这套装甲更加纤细，也更适合女性穿戴。甲片红得像血，面甲黑得像夜，胸口绘着一只白色蜘蛛。最重要的是，这个型号去掉了原本像耳朵一样的天线，换成了八条强化钢制的伸缩触手。

“绯红女王，容我向你献上奥普斯装甲。”莉维娅惊得倒吸一口气，瑞恩则微笑起来。“专为你量身定制。”

“瑞恩，我不能穿这个。”她双手捂住嘴，“如果袭击极乐工厂时，别人认出了我的能力——”

“我想的不是极乐岛。”瑞恩轻声说，“我们一起打击核扩散，怎么样？”

莉维娅睁大了眼睛，伸手拿过设计图，仔细端详起来。她目不转睛地看着光滑的头盔、足以让任何日本女学生尖叫的优雅金属触手，还有胸前那枚帅气的蜘蛛标志……

“我太喜欢了。”莉维娅红着脸说，“不过，为什么是蜘蛛主题？”

“它采用了额外机械臂和无人机系统，绝大多数驾驶者都很难驾驭……除非能预见未来。再说，你跟蜘蛛一样，既工于心计，又冷静理智。”

他可爱的公主噘起嘴。“你把我说得像个邪恶的幕后黑手。”

“是邪恶……”他凑过去，在她耳边低语，“还是不被世人理解？”

她咯咯笑了起来。“你真是个天使，瑞恩。”女友说着，在他脸颊上亲了一下。“所以，我也给你准备了一个惊喜。”

“真的？”瑞恩一下子兴奋起来。“可我第八百八十六个生日还没到呢。”

“在楼顶。你一定会喜欢的。”

他确实喜欢。

女朋友把他拉上餐厅楼顶。霓虹灯后面，她让人装好了一台迷人的装置：一枚三米高的火箭，像苹果一样橙黄，像坦克一样粗犷。透过舷窗，可以看见一个骨瘦如柴的疯魔正在尖叫，声音被钢壳闷在里面，一台大功率加热器压制着他的能力。

根据瑞恩的调查，食尸鬼在成为疯魔之前，就已经是个反社会的杀人狂；莉维娅也预见到，即使治好他，他也会继续杀人。其他被俘的超能帮成员中，也有几个即便治愈了仍是怪物，为了其他所有人的安全，必须把他们关起来，但这副骨头架子远比他们都恶劣。其他人或许还能得到治疗、接受审判，甚至在长期监禁之后改过自新；食尸鬼却永远不会变。

信使曾开玩笑地提议，与其用黑色能力彻底毁掉这件不死磨牙玩具，不如把它放逐到太空去，但他怎么也没想到，莉维娅居然会当真。

“据伏尔甘说，这枚火箭能一路飞到冥王星。”莉维娅解释道。

“你说的是那颗星，还是普鲁托这个基因者？”瑞恩天真地问，惊叹地欣赏着这份礼物，像个面对全新PlayStation的孩子。

“随你挑。另外，冥王星现在是矮行星了。”

“在我面前，可不许贬低冥王星，公主。”瑞恩的手指抚过火箭，沉醉于钢铁粗糙的触感和机油的气味。伏尔甘甚至还在反应堆上接了根引信，活像个大炮仗！“她怎么能在几天之内造出这么美的东西？”

“她没有。”莉维娅露出一个不好意思的笑容。“我稍微作弊了一下。其实她一年前就造好了，打算拿来关押双足飞龙，不过后来发现双足飞龙能挣脱，就放弃了。我只是请她做了点改装，再把改进原型所需的数据交给她。”

瑞恩难以置信地眯起眼睛。“她想把双足飞龙送去冥王星？”

莉维娅闭上眼睛，点了点头。

怪人所见略同。

“还是很棒。”瑞恩深受感动。“你不该这么费心的。真的不该。”

“可我还是做了。”莉维娅递给他一个打火机。“想一起点吗？”

“当然。”他回答，握住了她的双手。“目的地让你挑。冥王星？金星？太阳？”

莉维娅想了想。“地球轨道吧，万一以后需要他，还能把他接回来。”

“什么，认真的？”

“瑞恩，他也不会死啊。”莉维娅轻笑道，“送他去冥王星就太残忍了。也许盯着地球看上几十年，他就改过自新了。”

瑞恩深表怀疑，不过还是依了女朋友。

于是，两人浪漫地一起点燃了引信。火苗离反应堆越来越近，食尸鬼惊慌失措，尖叫不止。“离这么近安全吗？”瑞恩问，忽然意识到跟它站在同一片楼顶可能很危险。“而且其他人就在下面——”

“嘘。”女朋友温柔地说，“没事的。”

哦，好吧，既然她都这么说了……

“你给它取了什么名字？”引信烧到反应堆时，瑞恩问。

“太空Z。”莉维娅回答。

反应堆启动了，可出乎瑞恩意料的是，并没有火焰喷出来。相反，火箭突然无声地向上一蹿，甚至没让下面的屋顶晃动一下。这台装置悄无声息地升向空中，反应堆下方泛着微弱的红色通量光芒。

反重力效果？

信使更想看一场烈焰冲天的大爆炸，不过，他还是朝自己最喜欢的不死宇航员挥手道别。

于是，瑞恩和莉维娅相拥在一起，目送食尸鬼消失在天际，重启太空探索事业。

两人都知道，一连串严峻的考验即将到来，这或许是他们最后一刻的安宁。他们必须摧毁六十六号实验室，紧接着赶在奥古斯蒂动员之前，迅速摧毁极乐工厂，最后再以黑帮宙斯本人为这一连串行动收尾。

从现在起，他们就得连闯险关了。