Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The dawn suddenly appeared, and finally

In the end, one of the worst cases of my career came to this point - the showdown at the Diner!The only problem is that the Cavendishes have the super trump card of The Ominous Man.The strength he showed when he destroyed the Painbringer really impressed me.I never thought that this guy really inherited such a powerful power.Perhaps being humiliated by me in front of his employer really seriously stimulated his self-esteem.All in all, he must have been stimulated by some kind of stimulation to stimulate the potential in his body.Now he exudes a terrible energy all over his body, so that the surrounding air is boiling, and many terrible omens are lurking in the dark, ready to bring a tragic fate to others at any time.

Our two gangs stood on either side, separated by a pile of overturned tables and chairs and the remains of the Painbringer.The Cavendishes and the Ominous Man stood near the gate, and I, Dead Boy, and Loschingall stood in the corner of the dining room.The good guys and the bad guys are finally about to clash head-on under the inevitable circumstances. I looked around, secretly looking for a way out.Whenever there is a need for a head-on conflict, I always like to leave a way out just in case. "Kill them." Mr. Cavendish said coldly. "Kill them all." Mrs. Cavendish said fiercely.

"No," said the Ominous Man.The Cavendishes turned to look at him with surprise on their faces.He smiled, unmoved. "I'm going to make them suffer first." The Cavendish couple looked at each other, spoke at the same time, and then stopped at the same time.They looked at the person with a bad omen, knowing that the relationship between the employer and the employee had changed, but they were not sure how much it had changed. "Come on stage, all of you," said Billy Larson, the Omen Man, son of Count Entropy. "I want you to know what a failure you are, John. I'm going to explain it to you step by step so that you understand that you have no chance at all."

"Why should I do what you say, Billy?" I asked, wondering how he would answer. "Do as I say, and I'll tell you what happened to Losinger." The ominous man said. As soon as I heard this sentence, I immediately knew that I would give in, so I simply shrugged my shoulders pretending to be calm, and walked slowly towards the stage.I sensed that something bad was about to happen, and something bad happened to me.Dead Boy and Loschinger marched along behind me.The Ominous Man whispered something to the Cavendishes, and they walked across the stage together.Everyone stopped at a certain distance, and then all turned their eyes to the man of evil omen, waiting to see what his plan was.There was a pleasant smirk on his face, like a ferocious beast, patiently calculating how to play with the prey in front of him.

"We intentionally let Losingar leave Caliban's cave," said the ominous man nonchalantly. "It's good to use her to find out your whereabouts. We waited patiently, and finally Ian Agger, a fool who thought he was loyal, came to send a message. Then the Cavendishes asked me to follow Losinger Er, get it all... clean up, but I got them to come with me. I want them to watch you fall to me, John, and watch me kill you inch by inch. They've been very Go out less, you can tell by their pale faces, can't you? Even the worms that squirm under the rocks are not as white as them. They really don't like to appear in public, but because I They are asked to come, so they have to come. The saying that where there is a will, there is a way.”

"The servant has become the master." I looked at the Cavendish couple. "It's called tiger breeding. Of course, it's not the first time. You remember Sylvia Shinn, don't you?" "Beautiful girl," said Mr. Cavendish. "I've always said she's going to be famous someday, haven't I, Mrs. Cavendish?" "That's right, Mr. Cavendish." The woman glared at me as she spoke. "Have you seen this lovely girl lately?" "Yes." I said. "She had become a monster. So I freed her." "Oh, that's good," said the woman. "We also hate things that are not handled cleanly. As for the man with bad omens, he is our best friend. We are all proud of him and believe that one day, his achievements will be limitless."

"Very well said," said the man. "People will respect his words and study his actions." "What's wrong with Ian?" Losinger asked suddenly. "How did you deal with him?" "Oh, yes," said the Man of Omen. "I rarely pay attention to such small roles. Let's put it this way...the triplets are now only twins." Amidst his laughter, Losinger bowed his head sadly.Then the Ominous Man looked at the Cavendishes and said, "Tell them, tell them the truth. I'm going to let them know everything before I start torturing them, and let them understand how complete the failure is. You can learn from your Let’s start talking about real identity.”

"Why not?" the man said. "Anyway, they have no chance to tell others." "Come on, Mr. Cavendish," said the woman. "Your choice of words is second to none." "But you tell a story more vividly than I do, Mrs. Cavendish. I don't like to see you belittle yourself." "Thank you for your kind words, my dear, but..." "Stop talking nonsense!" the ominous man shouted. "We're not as young as we look," the man said. "Over the years, we have changed many names and identities, but the most widely known is the original alias, which was the famous 'murder mask' in the nineteenth century."

"That's right." The woman smiled for the first time when she saw the expressions on our faces. "We are the Murder Masks, the most powerful gangsters of old London, the crime bosses of the Victorian era. In a time of good law and order, we committed countless crimes, mocked the police and politicians, and even defeated the great Julian Arbor. Deventer." "It wasn't us who defeated him, it was you." The man said. "It's all your fault, dear." "But I couldn't have done it alone without you, my dear. Where did I say it? Well, yes, we were later corrupted by commerce like everyone else, and found that business was more profitable than crime, if the means were well employed." Too much. So we dropped our famous mask, severed our old connections, changed our name and started afresh in the business world. Since most of our competitors were timid, our business grew rapidly and we became a big business in no time. Enterprise Both are immortal, so we get immortality too. Night City is such a wonderful place. As long as the business continues to grow, we are more powerful; as long as the business continues to exist, we can live forever. Money is power , power is magic. Of course, when Cavendish Properties started to go downhill, our very existence started to be threatened."

"That's why we have to defend our company at all costs," the man said. "Because it's about our luck." "You are nothing but two vultures," said the dead boy. "The vulture who profited from the weaknesses of others and climbed on the corpses of others." "That's the most profitable business," said Mrs. Cavendish. "We were born in the age of capitalism, and now we are the embodiment of capitalism." "So you guys have to call each other 'sir' and 'big man,'" I said just to add a little more involvement. "You have changed too many names, and you need to remind yourself of your current identity at any time."

"That's right," said Mr. Cavendish. "It's just nonsense." "Julian Advent will find out," I said. "He never forgot you." The Cavendish couple laughed at the same time. "Nor have we forgotten him," said the woman. "Because there is this little episode in Julian's saga that has never been revealed. The love of his life, the woman who betrayed him to the murder mask, was actually me, and I will never forget the one who took off the mask. That look of shock on his face for a moment. It almost killed me laughing." "He was crying," the man said. "He did cry, real tears. But then again, Julian has always been a sentimental man." "But who can he blame?" said the woman. "When he met me, I was just a dancer in a song and dance troupe. To him, I was an ordinary girl with an ordinary voice and a pair of extraordinary beautiful legs. He fell in love with me involuntarily. In those days, gentlemen always liked dancers. He brought me into the upper class life circle, and provided all kinds of high-end luxuries, including some things he was not willing to provide. He thought he was saving me, but didn't ask first. I don't want him to save me." "Since he couldn't provide what I really wanted, I naturally had to find someone who would. So at a dinner party hosted by Julian, I met this generous gentleman next to him, the famous murderer. Mask himself. He took me into a whole new world made of money and fun, and I was immediately fascinated. So I put on the mask and experienced the thrill of being a crime boss. It was much more exciting than lying in Julian's arms. Finally, when I pushed him into the time rift, I had no feeling for him at all." "Tell them," said the Omen impatiently. "Tell John what we did to Loschinger. I want to see his face. I want to see his helpless face!" "Our Loschinger wanted to start his own business after building a little bit of fame," Mr. Cavendish said.His tone was very weak, as if he said these words only to satisfy the request of the ominous person. "She started reaching out to the label people herself, without first consulting us. We signed her when she was unknown, worked hard to make her famous, and now only because the record company claims that our The terms of the contract were too bad, so she wanted to break the contract. The guys from the record company promised Rochinger that they could provide better terms, and they would also find a lawyer to help her resolve all contract disputes with us. So she ran Come to us and say that if the terms of the contract are not improved, she will leave." "What an ungrateful woman!" said Mrs. Cavendish. "Of course, it is impossible for us to allow her to do this. We have already invested too much money in her. Now is the time to start making money. How can we let her go? We discovered her and we built her , we made her famous. We transformed Loschinger into a very attractive commodity, of course we have the right to protect our investment. Don't think you are famous, Mr. Taylor. This unfortunate woman does not need saving at all. After all, where are you going to save her from? Money or fame? We promised to make her a superstar and we won't break our word. After all, she is our property and no one can take her away. " "What about freedom of choice?" I said. "What does that have to do with this?" Mr. Cavendish asked. "We're in business. When Roseinger signed with us, she'd dropped that nonsense. Roseringer is the property of Cavendish Realty." "That's why you murdered her?" said Dead Boy. "Because she wants to get out of your grasp?" Facing such accusations, Cavendish not only did not show any surprise, but was rather complacent. "We didn't really kill her," said the woman. "At least it's not dead," the man said. "She's not quite dead," said the woman. "The poison we poisoned only brought her to the brink of death, and then the ominous people intervened to find a one-in-a-million chance in fate to keep her outside the gate of death, forming a Long-term near-death experience. When she finally returned to the human world from the door of death, her mind was terrified by the scene she saw before. Her will and anger have degenerated to a very weak point, so she had to accept us, Treat us like adoptive parents. Of course, we have to isolate her after that, lest other bad influences enter her mind. But even so, she still shows some rebellious intentions occasionally... maybe We had to do it all over again to make sure her sanity lived up to our expectations." "Bastard!" Loschinger yelled. "Oh, be quiet, boy," said the man. "You artists never know what's best for you." "The best part," said the Ominous Man cheerfully. "The best part is that she was able to walk on the verge of death all because of me. Because of my magic, my power, so she can live until now. Her life has been tied to me .If you attack me, John, if you kill me, you will send her to hell with your own hands, never and never come back. So you have no position to threaten me now." "Perhaps you are right." Dead Boy said softly. "But what are you going to threaten me with? I just met this girl, and it's none of my business whether she lives or dies. But you, how dare you mess around in my field of expertise! I can't stand this kind of thing .I think I should kill you, Billy Boy." "Don't call me that! My name isn't Billy anymore! I'm..." "You're as nasty a kid as ever, Billy." "I need to……" "What do you want? Kill me? I've already died, visited hell, and even stole a T-shirt. Your strength is not enough to tear up my contract." "Perhaps that's right." The ominous man suddenly returned to his previous smile.I was very disturbed because I didn't like his smile.The man of evil omen took a step forward, looked directly into the dead boy's eyes and said, "Over the years, you have put together your body very well. Although you have suffered many injuries, you can always use superglue and tape to fix it. Glue it back on yourself, but... what if these things are not sticky enough? What if all your repairs... don't work?" He reached out and slashed out of thin air, and the dead boy's body burst on the spot.The black tape that held his back in place suddenly came loose, causing his back to arch upward.All the sutures and staples on his body fell apart, soundlessly scattered on the stage.Even his clothes were in tatters.No blood flowed, no liquid splashed, but at that moment, all the wounds on the dead boy's pale skin burst open.His feet gave way, and he fell onto the stage on the spot. The pink-gray viscera immediately spilled from the wound on his abdomen.One of the palms was completely broken, but the fingers on the palm were still twitching.The dead boy was lying on the ground unable to move, and many wounds were slowly opening and growing like flowers blooming.I never knew he had so many injuries.Losinger held on to my arm tightly, but he held back and didn't cry out.I just stood there and did nothing because I couldn't think of any way to help my friend. "Entropy," said the Man of Omen triumphantly. "It means that there are no absolutes. Look at your virtue, Death Boy, you can't be arrogant, can you? Do you still feel pain? I really hope you do. The terms of the contract you signed must be very lenient, Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to bear so many injuries... However, this may not be a good thing for you. I see, Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish, this honor should be given to you two, let him go on his way .I don’t want to be told I’m having fun alone.” The Cavendish couple exchanged looks, sighed silently, and then walked forward to the side of the ominous person.They stood before the dead boy, frowning at his body so stubbornly existing. "We can throw him in the cremator," said Mr. Cavendish. "That's right," said Mrs. Cavendish. "I especially like throwing people into an incinerator while they're still alive." "But it's better to solve this guy as soon as possible." The man said. "A strong man like Dead Boy often finds a way to escape." "The reason we've been able to survive in Nightside for so long is because we know how not to take unnecessary risks, Mr. Cavendish." "That's all right, my dear." At the same time, they took out a pistol from the holster under their clothes and shot the dead boy in the heart and forehead.He convulsed a few times on the ground, a puddle of red-gray brain flowed out from the back of his head, and then his eyes completely lost their luster, and he lay on the ground and never moved again.The Cavendish couple turned their heads to look at me, and I sneered at them. "You're out of bullets, assholes." The Cavendish couple pulled the trigger a few times, but no sparks came out of the gun.They shrugged at the same time, then stepped back to stand beside the Ominous Man. "We like to fake hands," the man said. "You've been trying to deal with him, Billy dear," said the woman. "He's yours." The man of evil omen took a step forward, with an arrogant smile on his face, enjoying this moment leisurely. "You still have a lot of little tricks in your back, don't you, John? But you've always been cheating on them. That precious talent of yours is nothing compared to my strength. I will Kill you and bring Loschinger back to where she belongs, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. How am I going to kill you, John? Let me think about it... let the cancer that's dormant in your body kick in? A joint of all joints Inflammation erupting at the same time? Let bacteria and viruses boil your blood... Maybe it would be fun to have all of the above happen at once. Maybe you will explode like Dead Boy! Or maybe... I should find a million points One of the chances is to let you be born with a horrible-looking deformity, and then make you deformed for the rest of your life, so that everyone can understand what happens to people who provoke evil omens." He can do it.He has the power he professes, but I dare not even use the only gift I can rely on.My enemies have already confirmed my location. If I open my eyes at this time, they can directly attack my heart and control my mind and soul instantly. At that time... there will be many more painful things waiting than death me.But if I don't use my talents, it is impossible for me to stop the ominous person and save Losinger.I can only rely on... on myself.I laughed out loud and startled the ominous person on the spot. "Billy, Billy," I said in a very friendly tone. "You have never understood the nature of magic. Magic is not strong in the powers we possess or the gifts we inherit, but in will and determination, and the mind and soul behind both." I glared fiercely at the man of evil omen, and he didn't dare to move under my gaze.For a moment, it seemed as if there were only the two of us in the world, face to face, fighting each other with willpower.We stand on the bright spiritual stage, peeling away layer by layer each other's spiritual defenses, and dig out the true self buried deep in it.Despite Billy's great strength, despite the many terrible things he can do, under my gaze, he still bowed his head first.He made me stare so short of breath, pale, and sweating, that I couldn't even stand still, and took several steps back. "Who the hell are you?" he whispered. "What kind of monster are you? You are not human at all..." "He's much more human than you, you little pervert." Losinger walked past me as he spoke, came to the man of evil omen, and sang loudly at his head.Her singing is powerful, like a weapon aimed at the ominous.I stepped back quickly, stretched out my palms and smacked my ears.The Cavendish couple standing behind the ominous man also retreated to the side with their ears pounding like me.Losingall sang before the Omen, a sad song, a song about lost loves, dead lovers, and betrayals of the heart.She sang right in front of him, and he was completely irresistible, unable to turn his head, unable to retreat, like a mouse in the mouth of a big snake, like a fresh fish caught by a fishing rod.She held him tightly in front of her eyes, invaded his mind with her singing, and corrupted his talent.All the torture he had imposed on her was returned intact at this moment.Her singing seemed to sing the portrayal of his life.Poor little Billy Larson, who had the chance to be as great as his father, was just a little villain who got nothing done all his life. The Cavendish couple hid in the farthest corner and hugged each other tightly.I pressed my ears hard with both hands, and my head almost exploded.Still, I could feel the magic of the song seeping through me, as if trying to tear my heart out of my body.I burst into tears and burst into tears.At this moment, Billy Larson was finally forced to face reality, and said, "Daddy, I just want you to be proud of me..." Then his whole body disappeared.The sound of the wind rushed quickly, quickly filling the space where Billy's body disappeared.Billy cast his power on himself, chose the one in a million chance, and finally let himself never be born in this world. Losinger stopped singing, but the lingering sound still vibrated the surrounding air.She swayed, then collapsed to the ground.I caught her before she fell, but lost my balance and fell with her.I sat up on the stage and held her in my arms, only then did I realize that she was already so angry that she was about to die soon.Her breathing was getting weaker and weaker, and her heartbeat was getting slower and slower.These days, she was able to linger in front of the door of death only by relying on the power of the ominous person. Now that the ominous person died, the long-delayed fate finally came to claim her life.Her vitality flowed out of her body quickly, as if someone had pulled out a faucet of life.I held her tightly in my arms, trying to prevent her death by force of will, but in vain. "I promised to save you." I said numbly. "You promise to help me find out the truth." Losinger said slowly moving his pale lips. "That's enough for me. Even the almighty John Tyler couldn't have done everything that was guaranteed." And just like that, she died.No more talking, no more breathing, all life left the body.I still hugged her blankly, kept shaking her body, and kept comforting her. "Oh, my God," said Mr. Cavendish. "What a pity. Now we'll have to start over with another singer." "Never mind, Mr. Cavendish," said the woman. "The third time is always luckier." I turned to face them, eyes blazing with anger.They began to reload the bullets, but unfortunately they couldn't reload because of the severe hand shaking.Just then, Dead Boy spoke.His lungs are not much left, and he can only make a very weak sound. Fortunately, the hall is very quiet, so his words are still heard clearly in my ears. "It's not over yet," he said, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Lochinger is dead, but the soul has not yet reached hell. There is still time, John. As long as you have courage and will, we still have time to save her." "How could you still not hang up?" I said, my tone was still very dull. "More than half of your internal organs were thrown out, and even your brains were beaten out." He laughed mischievously, hearing something strange in his ears. "My body has been dead for many years and I don't need the organs inside. Those things are of no use to me. This body is just a form for me to walk in the world, a symbol that gives me the illusion of life, just like me Like to eat and drink, all just to make me feel alive. You still have a chance to save Losinger, John. I can use your life force to cast a spell, let us out of body, into the dark country, go to The frontier of life and death. When I came back from the dead, the gate of death left a crack for me. I can find her through this crack, but it takes a living person to bring her back to the world of the living. It can be done. I won't lie to you, John. To do this, you must have a sense of death. Once you pass through the gate of death, we may not come back. But if you will try, if you are willing to risk your life Make the last bet, I guarantee we have an absolute chance of success." "Can you really do it?" I asked. "I told you," Dead Boy said. "I know all about death." "Ah, never mind," I said. "I never disappoint my clients." "Thinking like that will kill you," said Dead Boy. "What if the Cavendishes attack us while we're out of our bodies? What if they destroy our bodies so we can't come back?" "As long as we can come back, we will come back at the same time as we leave the body, otherwise we will never come back." "Go ahead." I said. Dead Boy cast the spell and we both died instantly. For the rest of my life, Death Boy led me into the dark realm.For the first time in my life, I saw a world darker than Nightside.In this eternal darkness, not even the light of a star or the moon can be seen.Here is the coldest cell, the deepest depravity.There is nothing here, nothing but Dead Boy and me.I was just an incorporeal being, a scream without a voice, and I would never have been able to remain calm if I hadn't known that the boy of death was by my side.We didn't make any sound or hear each other's words, but we were still able to talk to each other. "There is nothingness here, there is nothing..." "There are things, John, it's just that you've just died and don't know how to appreciate the things of this world. Luckily for you." "Where's Rose?" "Think of this darkness as a passage, a passage to the light. Go here..." "Okay... how can you identify the direction in a void?" "Why so many questions, John? You won't like the answers, come with me." "You've been here before." "A part of me never left here." "Does that make me feel better? You're a creepy guy, you know?" "You don't know me at all, John. This way..." So we fell in the other direction.It does help a little to think of darkness as a passage leading somewhere.I'm pretty sure we're plummeting somewhere, but since there are no landmarks to refer to, it's impossible to judge our speed or distance.Logically speaking, I should be afraid, but my emotions have begun to fade, and even my thoughts have begun to become blurred, as if this place can't accommodate such things that belong to living people.Just then, I felt something in front of me, something very special, calling my name.I saw a little bit of brilliance, like a rainbow of seven colors blending into one, gradually bursting into dazzling light, exuding a comfortable and pleasant warmth, like a lighthouse in the dark night, guiding a way home for lost souls.Then I felt another existence around me, and I finally found Losinger. "Are you angels?" "Not far, Rose. I don't think the angels want to talk to me anymore. I'm John, and I'm here with Dead Boy to take you home." "But I can hear music, beautiful music. I want to be able to live in these melodies forever." To her it was music, to me it was light.That light is like finally seeing the warmth of family after a long journey; it's like finally being able to let go of everything and rest after a hard day's work.The day is over, and finally, it's time to go home. "Oh, John, I don't want to go back." "I know, Rose, I feel the same way. It's like... we've been playing a game, and now it's over, and it's time for us to go back to where we belong..." I took her hand, and then ran towards the place of light and music together.But the dead boy had been waiting there long ago, grabbed our hands without hesitation, dragged us out of the kingdom of death, and returned to the world of the living, our bodies, and all our troubles.
I sat up suddenly, sucking in the air greedily, as if I had been suffocated in the water for a long time.The light filled the surroundings again, and a clearness emerged in my heart, and a strong vitality that I had never felt before came to my body.Thousands of feelings penetrated into my skin at the same time, and countless voices penetrated into my ears in an instant.Losinger woke up at this time, threw herself into my arms excitedly, and hugged each other tightly for a long time, almost unwilling to let go.But in the end we let go of our hands and stood up.We have returned to the real world, and once again have all the emotions and worries that living people should have.Dead Boy stands in front of us with all his wounds restored to normal, except that he now has a super cool bullet hole in his forehead. "I told you I know everything about death," he said triumphantly. "Oh, by the way, I'm using your life energy to repair the damage the Omen did to me, John. I don't think you'll mind. Trust me, it won't affect you much." I glared at him. "Please ask me first next time." Dead Boy raised his eyebrows and said, "I strongly hope that there will be no next time." "How much life energy did this trick use up just now?" "Unexpectedly, you are much stronger than you look, John. Really, your potential is endless." "You are dead!" Mr. Cavendish cried with a crying voice. "You are all dead, but now you are all alive! It's really unfair!" "Night City is so troublesome." Mrs. Cavendish said angrily. "Dead people don't want to stay underground obediently. Next time, remember to bring an incinerator and pop out the door." "That's right, Mrs. Cavendish. Anyway, they have just been resurrected, and their bodies are obviously much weaker than before. I think the old method is the most reliable, let them eat bullets in the head. This time, ask them to eat a few more .” "That's right, Mr. Cavendish. Since we can't get Roseinger, no one else can." They pointed their guns at Loschinger.I took a step to stand in the middle, but I was powerless to do anything.The trip back and forth to the kingdom of death has drained all the power in my body, and I am powerless for the time being.I looked at Dead Boy, but he could only shrug. "Sorry, I'm exhausted too. Losinger, can you still sing?" "My dear, I have trouble talking now. But I think there must be a way!" "Oh, shut up and die!" said Mrs. Cavendish. The two of them held their guns high and walked towards us without haste, slowly enjoying the helpless look on the enemy's face.They will shoot, but I have no magic power to stop them.But then again, I've never been one to rely on magic to get by.Over the years of rolling around in the Nightside, I've always relied on wit and reflexes.I waited quietly for the Cavendishes to come before me, then took a handful of pepper from me and sprinkled them on their triumphant faces.When the pepper hit their eyes, they yelled in pain.I took the opportunity to shoot down their pistols, and took advantage of the opportunity to swing two punches in the back of their heads.Dead Boy then kicked them all over the stage.They leaned on each other, their four hands still covering their tear-filled eyes. "Seasoning." I said lightly. "Don't forget to bring some with you when you go out. When the people in power arrive, I will sprinkle some salt on your wounds." At this moment, a bloody battle mage flew out from the side of the stage, and hit the stage heavily with his head and feet, making a thunderous sound.Immediately afterwards, two more battle mages retreated onto the stage from the flanks, rapidly gesticulating magic symbols in their hands, bursting out rays of defensive spell light in front of them.It's a pity that their opponent, the great Victorian adventurer Julian Advent, is much better than them.I saw him surrounded by powerful energy, and jumped onto the stage with a "bang", while dodging the opponent's magic with superb skills, while swinging violent fists at an alarming speed.His movements were too fast to be seen by the naked eye, his posture was graceful and elegant, and he always kept a confident smile on his face. He easily eliminated two powerful battle mages. 尽管经历了三十年的主编生涯，这家伙依然宝刀末老。 最后他站在三名昏迷不醒的战斗法师身前，脸不红气不喘地接受我们的掌声。真的，没有人能够目睹他的身手而不鼓掌的。朱利安·阿德文特就跟传说中一模一样，一点也不夸张。他看看一败涂地的卡文迪旭夫妇，然后对我笑了笑。 “看来是我多事了。干得好，约翰。我们还怕来迟了呢。” 我还没来得及问他“我们”指的是谁，心中就已经浮现了一股不祥的预感。在看到渥克从侧翼内走出之后，我满脑子就只剩下：“喔，狗屎，这下麻烦大啦。” 渥克看着哭泣的卡文迪旭夫妇，脸上的神情就跟往常一样让人无法猜透。渥克，身穿西装，头戴圆帽，身为当权者的代表，乃是夜城之中最危险的人物之一。他被赋予凌驾夜城中所有人事物的无上权力！如果你够聪明的话，就不要去问这权力究竟是由谁赋予的。总之，要不是因为我实在精疲力竭了的话，我早就已经逃之夭夭了。 卡文迪旭夫妇知道朱利安来了，于是努力站起身来大胆地面对他。他凝视着他们两人好一会儿，脸上的笑容逐渐消失，眼神让一种冷酷的神情取代。 “我一直知道你们的身分。”他终于开口道。“恶名昭彰的谋杀假面，至今依然作恶多端，依然没有受到制裁。只可惜我一直没有证据，直到现在。”他看向我。“我知道如果有人能够击倒他们的话，那一定就是你了，约翰。因为你是唯一蠢到胆敢对抗他们的人。于是在你来找我之后，我就去找渥克，然后和他一起跟踪你。当然，我们离你很远就是了。刚刚卡文迪旭夫妇坦承罪行的时候，我们在幕后都听到了。不过我听得太专心了，差点没注意到这几个战斗法师的偷袭。我早该料到卡文迪旭夫妇不会只带这几个人来的。” “我的话就代表当权者的话，”渥克对卡文迪旭夫妇说道。“照我说，你们应该成为历史了。” “一切都是他们起的头。”朱利安说。“他们为了得到变身药水而将我推入时间裂缝，因为他们想要拿它当商品来卖钱。这就是他们的作风，真的，他们就是不肯老老实实地赚钱，一定要靠手段行骗，只可惜这对他们一点好处也没有。因为直到我瞬间消失到八十年之后，他们才发现我的笔记中没有记载任何药水配方。我把一切都记在脑海里。” 他顿了一会儿，然后直视卡文迪旭太太。尽管泪水依然不止，不过她却挺直了身体坦然而立。传说中的维多利亚冒险家与他传说中逝去的爱人，背叛的人与被背叛的人，终于在一个世纪之后再度踫面。 “艾琳……” “朱利安。” “你一点都没变。” “喔，别看我。我糟透了。” “虽然你换了名字，换了身分，但是我一直知道是你。” “那你为什么不来找我？” “因为只要刺入心房的利刀够利，即使再伟大的爱情也有逝去的一天。我知道是你，但是我没有证据。你跟你丈夫防御得十分严密，我根本没有机会找你。久而久之，我也就不再在乎了。那一切都是很久以前的事了，我从来都不是个喜欢活在过去的人。” 她十分震惊地道：“这么多年了，我们一直在等你找上门来。我们设下无数陷阱，层层防护，东躲西藏，长久以来一直活在恐惧之中，而你竟然一点都不在乎。” “我必须建立全新的生活，艾琳。而且夜城里还有很多比你们更邪恶的东西需要处理。” 她偏过头去。“有时候，我以为你一直没有行动是因为……因为我的缘故。” “我的爱很久以前就已经死去。我根本不认识现在的你了，艾琳。” “你从来……都不曾认识过我，朱利安。” 卡文迪旭先生冲到自己太太身旁，叫道：“废话少说！我们都知道你来此的目的！痛痛快快地报你的大仇吧！杀了我们！把一切做个了结！” “你们也从来不曾了解过我。”朱利安说着望向渥克。“把他们带走，摧毁他们的生意，拆掉他们的大楼，让他们失去所有力量，送他们上法庭，剥夺他们一切财产。让他们成为默默无闻的小人物，尝尝被人剥削的滋味。对这两个败类来说，这样的惩罚应该是再恰当不过的了。” “我的荣幸。”渥克说着对朱利安点了点头。“我的手下就快到了。” 朱利安不太放心：“他们认识很多有权有势的人，知道不少不为人知的秘密。可别让他们找到机会开脱。” “绝对不会的。”渥克说道。“我一直都想找个因头搞倒他们。他们是麻烦，老是乱来，从来不肯老老实实地做生意，如果放任不管的话，总有一天他们会威胁到当权者的地位。我们可不想见到这种事，是不是？” 他缓缓转头面对我。“那么，约翰，”渥克说。“我找你找得好苦哇。怎么这么淘气呢！不过……不要担心，帮我抓到这两条大鱼可以弥补你今晚所犯的过错。不多不少，刚刚好……” 朱利安目光一闪，显然闻到了一条新闻。“约翰，他到底在说什么？” “我哪知道？”我开心地撒谎道。