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Chapter 220: Death Cycle (XVIII)

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    尚可一开始就选择了“被杀”这条路，但并不打算太早实施，先花一两年陪自己的男人，再花一两年积攒仇恨值，最后一两年相爱相杀，一步步完成既定目标。

Shang Ke chose the path of “being killed” from the very beginning, but he had not planned to do it so soon. He would first spend one or two years with his man, then one or two years to accumulate hatred, and finally one or two years of lover-enemy status to accomplish his goal step by step.

    然而现实总是不给他转圜的余地，在精神力的冲击性下，尚可做出了本能的反应。在他意识深处，为爱人牺牲已经成为了一种条件反射，但这种“牺牲”，他并不觉得伟大，反而会给自己所爱的人带来伤害。

However, the reality alway doesn’t give him any wiggle room. Under the impact of the spirit power, Shang Ke reacted instinctively. In the depths of his consciousness, sacrificing for his lover had become a kind of reflex, but he did not feel great about this “sacrifice”, as it would bring harm to his loved one instead.

    只是让他没想到的是，这次“牺牲”，是真正的牺牲，在失去意识的瞬间，他的时间就停滞了。没有“完成任务”的提示，也没有返回系统空间，他的灵魂彻底迷失在无尽的黑暗中，无知无觉……

But what he didn’t expect was that this “sacrifice” was a real sacrifice. The moment he lost consciousness, his time stopped. There was no “mission accomplished” prompt, no return to the system space, his soul was completely lost in the endless darkness, unconscious and senseless…

    左弦踉踉跄跄地走到霍轩消失的位置，发现地上的尸体并非丧尸王帝馗，虽然身形很像，但五官扭曲，肌肉萎缩，好像曾经被什么重物碾压过一般，身上的骨头都碎裂了。

Zuo Xian staggered to the spot where Huo Xuan disappeared, and found that the corpse on the ground was not the zombie king Di Kui. Although the body shape was similar, the features were distorted, the muscles were atrophied, as if they had been crushed by something heavy, and the bones in the body were all broken.

    既不是帝馗也不是霍轩，那么很可能的就是那只擅长空间异能的将级丧尸。周围数千米都成了中空地带，除了他们，估计也没有其他活人或者丧尸能够靠近。

It was neither Di Kui nor Huo Xuan, so it was most likely the general-level zombie that was good at spatial abilities. The surrounding few kilometers became an empty-zone, and besides them, no other living person or zombie could get close.

    那么，帝馗、霍轩和尚可，他们到哪里去了？

Then, where did Di Kui, Huo Xuan and Shang Ke go?

    左弦望着天空，心中隐隐有一种感觉，他们可能再也不会回来了……

Zuo Xian looked at the sky and had a feeling in his heart that they might never come back… 

    帝馗抱着尚可，漫无目的地走在荒废的城市中，精神恍恍惚惚，无数零散的画面和记忆不断在大脑中闪现。

Di Kui held Shang Ke and walked aimlessly in the deserted city in a trance-like state, with countless scattered scenes and memories constantly flashing in his brain.

    经过一辆货车时，玻璃镜中映照出的人影，并非帝馗，而是霍轩。但帝馗并没有发现，只是一直向前走着。

When passing a truck, the figure reflected in the glass mirror was not Di Kui, but Huo Xuan. But Di Kui didn’t notice and just kept walking forward.

    在太阳落山前，他找到了一处还算舒适的休息场所，将尚可小心放好，然后守在一旁，耐心地等他复活。

Before the sun set, he found a reasonably comfortable resting place, put Shang Ke carefully down, and then stayed aside, waiting patiently for him to come back to life.

    黑暗空间里的事情，他已经记不太清了，只知道在尚可死亡的时候，他用手破开了霍轩的胸口，捏住了他的心脏，而霍轩的剑刃也将他的手臂绞成了碎末。

He couldn’t remember much of what happened in the dark space, except that when Shang Ke was dying, he used his hand to break open Huo Xuan’s chest and squeeze his heart. Huo Xuan’s sword blade also wringed his arm into pieces.

    帝馗低头看了看自己的手臂，发现手臂完好无损，倒是胸口隐隐作痛，好像空了一块，完全感觉不到心跳。

When Di Kui looked down at his arm, he found that it was intact, but his chest was aching as if it was empty, and he couldn’t feel his heartbeat at all.

    不过帝馗只是稍稍疑惑一会便不再理会，他唯一在意的是尚可什么时候能够复活。

Di Kui only wondered about it for a moment before disregarding it. The only thing he cared about was when Shang Ke would be resurrected.

    按照以往的经验，尚可最长复活时间是24小时，最迟明天黄昏就能醒来。

According to past experience, Shang Ke’s longest revival time is 24 hours, and he will wake up tomorrow at dusk at the latest.

    帝馗从黑夜等到天明，又从天明等到夕照，看着尚可的鲜血干涸，血肉僵硬，伤口丝毫没有愈合的迹象，就像真正的死尸一般，毫无声息。

From night to dawn, from dawn to sunset, Di Kui watched as Shang Ke’s blood dried, his flesh stiffened, and his wounds showed no signs of healing. He was just like a real dead body, still and silent.

    帝馗想，这次复活的时间可能要久一点，再等等，他肯定会醒来的。

Di Kui thought, this time the resurrection may take a little longer. Wait a little longer, he will definitely wake up.

    帝馗如同石雕一般坐在床边，专注地望着床上的人。日复一日，月复一月，直至尸身腐坏，灰尘堆积，依然守候。

Like a stone sculpture, Di Kui sat on the edge of the bed and focused on the person on the bed. Day after day, month after month, until the corpse decayed and dust piled up, he still waited.

    三个月后，一群佣兵在丧失的围追中躲进这座废弃城市，激战中，一名佣兵被击飞出去，撞倒了一面墙壁，滚进了一个房间。当他从碎石堆中爬起来，发现这个房间中竟然还有一个人。他盘腿坐在床边，目光专注地望着床上的……尸骨。

Three months later, a group of mercenaries hid in the abandoned city from zombies hunting them. In the heat of battle, one of the mercenaries was knocked away, and knocked against a wall before rolling into a room. When he rose from the rubble, he found that there was a man in the room. He sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed and gazed intently at the… bones on the bed.

    “你，你是霍老大！”佣兵激动地大喊。虽然肤色有些奇怪，但那张脸实在太熟悉了。

“You’re, you’re Boss Huo!” The mercenary shouted excitedly. Although his skin color was a bit strange, the face was all too familiar.

    床边的人一动不动，仿佛没听到一般。

The man beside the bed remained motionless, as if he hadn’t heard it.

    “霍老大，能在这里遇到你真是太好了！我们遇到了一点麻烦，还请你……”佣兵的话还没说完，几只丧尸便从破口处冲了进来，张牙舞爪地向他扑去。

“Boss Huo, it’s so good to meet you here! We ran into some trouble, may I ask for your…” Before the mercenary could finish his sentence, several zombies rushed in through the opening and pounced on him brandishing their claws and teeth.

    佣兵下意识地使用异能，霎那间电光四射，淡蓝色的电弧穿过丧尸，如一张大网，快速向四周蔓延，很快将整个房间笼罩。

The mercenary subconsciously used his powers, and in a flash of lightning, light blue arcs of electricity shot through the zombies like a net, quickly spreading around and enveloping the entire room.

    只听“砰”的一声闷响，床上的尸骨在电击中轰然碎裂，帝馗一直强撑的世界，也随之崩塌。

A muffled bang was heard, the bones on the bed shattered in the electric shock, and the world that Di Kui had been forcefully supporting collapsed.

    帝馗的眼中闪过血光，喉咙里发出压抑的嘶吼，身形一闪，毫不留情地扭断了那名佣兵的脖子，紧接着，周围的丧尸一只接一只地支离破碎。正在外面激战的佣兵和丧尸也无一幸免，不过数十秒，一切归于平静，只有遍地的残肢断臂，昭示着一场杀戮的发生。

Di Kui’s eyes shone with blood, his throat let out an oppressed roared, and his body flashed. He mercilessly snapped the mercenary’s neck, followed by the zombies around him one by one breaking apart. The mercenaries and zombies that were fighting outside were also not spared. In just a few tens of seconds, everything was calm, only torn limbs littered the scene, indicating that a killing had taken place.

    帝馗带着一身血腥，回到房间中，望着床上破碎的尸骨，不得不面对一个他一直以来都不愿意承认的残酷事实，尚可真的死了，再也不会复活了。

With his body covered in blood, Di Kui returned to the room, looking at the broken bones on the bed, and had to face a cruel fact that he had been unwilling to admit all along. Shang Ke really died and would never be resurrected again.

    从此之后，不会再有人为他泡牛奶，为他梳头发，为他寻找美食，为他添置新衣，陪他天南海北地游荡，陪他度过一个个无聊的日夜，毫无芥蒂地拥抱他，亲吻他……

From then on, no one would ever get milk for him, comb his hair, look for food for him, acquire him new clothes, wander with him everywhere, spend boring days and nights with him, embrace him and kiss him without any hesitation… 

    有人陪伴的感觉是如此美好，他学会了忍耐，学会了控制，学会了生活。然而，教会他这一切的人，却这样消失在他的世界中。

The feeling of being accompanied by someone was so beautiful. He learned to be patient, to control, and to live. However, the person who taught him all these things disappeared from his world like this.

    帝馗僵直地站在废墟中，双眼一片通红，痛苦得难以自已，眼泪毫无征兆地奔涌而出，带着绝望和恐惧，哭得像一个无助的孩子。

Di Kui stood rigidly in the ruins, his eyes red with pain as tears poured out without warning, filled with despair and fear. He cried like a helpless child.

    【不要叫我‘人类’，请叫我‘尚可’……】

【Don’t call me ‘Human’, please call Me ‘Shang Ke’ ……】

    【帝馗，我一直有个问题想问你。你为什么要杀人？】

【Di Kui, I always had a question I wanted to ask you. Why do you kill people?】

    【你这副‘不修边幅’的样子，虽然很接地气，但不够优雅华丽。】

【Your ‘sloven’ look is very down to earth, but isn’t elegant and gorgeous enough.】

    【亲吻应该是这样的……抚摸应该是这样的……控制好力度，不要将对方弄伤。】

【Kissing should be like this… Caressing should be like this… Control your strength and don’t hurt the other person.】

    【我说你啊，不要总让我烦恼……】

【I say, don’t always make me worry…】

    【帝馗，我回来了。】

【Di Kui, I’m back.】

    不，你不会再回来了。

No, you won’t be coming back.

    永远，都不会再回来了……

You would never, ever come back again…

    帝馗沉浸在悲痛中，完全没注意自己的手心出现了一颗痣，它安静地躺在那里，听着帝馗呜咽的哭声，好像在与他一同哀伤。

Di Kui was so deep in grief that he didn’t notice a mole appearing on his hand, lying there quietly, listening to Di Kui’s sobbing cries, as if it was grieving with him.

    不知过了多久，帝馗脑中突然响起一个声音：【别哭了，想办法救活他吧。】

After a long time, a voice suddenly sounded in Di Kui’s head: 【Stop crying, think of a way to save him】

    救活？还能救活吗？

Save him? Can he be saved?

    “怎么救？”

“How do I save him?”

    【我……我送你们返回最初的轮回。】

【I.. I will send you both back to the first reincarnation.】

    “轮回？”

“Reincarnation?”

    【给你解释你也不会懂，你的智商都在我身上。】

【You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you, your IQ is with me.】

    “什么意思？”似乎被嘲了？

 “What do you mean?” He seemed to have been mocked?

    【我们最后都被轮回灯的诅咒摆了一道，这个任务根本是不可能完成的任务。我杀了尚可，尚可会魂飞魄散；尚可杀了你，你也会魂飞魄散。】代表坚贞的苍穹赤炎，唯有爱人才能摧毁。

【In the end, we were all set upon by the curse of the reincarnation lamp. This was an impossible mission. If I kill Shang Ke, Shang Ke’s soul will be scattered; if Shang Ke kills you, your soul will be scattered.】The Flaming Red Sky which represents our faith can only be destroyed by our lover.

    “魂飞魄散，你是说尚可已经魂飞魄散了？”

“Soul scattered, you mean Shang Ke’s soul has scattered?”

    【不，我用自己的生命保住了尚可的残魂，所以他还有机会复活！】

【No, I used my life to save the remains of Shang Ke’s soul, so he could come back to life!】

    “怎么复活？”

“How do I revive him?”

    【刚才我说过了，返回最初轮回的世界，再次将灵魂注入他的身体。】

【As I have said, return to the world of the first reincarnation and infuse the soul into his body again.】

    “最初轮回的世界？”帝馗听得似懂非懂，唯一明白的是，尚可还有复活的机会，“我应该怎么做？”

“The world of the first reincarnation?” Di Kui seemed to both understand and not understand at the same time. The only thing he understood was that there was still a chance for Shang Ke to be resurrected. “What should I do?”

    【你什么都不需要做，只要坚守本心。】

【You don’t have to do anything, just stay true to your original faith.】

    “我的本心是什么？你又是谁？”

“What is my original faith? And who are you?”

    【我就是你，也就是开启轮回的人。】

【I am you, the one who began the cycle of reincarnation.】

    辰霄和守默的一魂一魄进入轮回灯，在诅咒的影响下，生生世世不得相守。直到辰霄的一魂与轮回灯融合，得以重新开启轮回。守默的一魄则在重启轮回的第一个世界，以纹身的方式，刻入了他的身体。他胸口那朵苍穹赤炎就是守默丢失的一魄，融合之后，他才是完整的他，才拥有改变命运的契机。

The souls of Chen Xiao and Shou Mo entered the reincarnation lamp, and under the influence of the curse, they were forbidden to stay together in their lifetimes. It was only when the soul of Chen Xiao fused with the reincarnation lamp that he was able to restart the reincarnation. Shou Mo’s soul was carved into his body in the form of a tattoo in the first world where his reincarnation took place. The Flaming Red Sky on his chest was Shou Mo’s lost piece of soul, and after the fusion, his soul was whole and had the opportunity to change his fate.

    然而，在他们即将成功之际，诅咒之力反扑，强制发布了一个不可能完成的陷阱任务。只要尚可完成了，两人中必有一人魂飞魄散。

However, just as they were about to succeed, the curse backfired, forcing the release of an impossible trap task. As long as it is completed, one of the two will be scattered.

    幸运的是，轮回灯的诅咒因为违背规则而自我毁灭（完成任务却没有实施奖励），辰霄的残魂获得了最终控制权，可以再次启动轮回，将守默送往轮回中任何一个世界。

Fortunately, the reincarnation lamp’s curse destroys itself for violating the rules (there is no reward for completing the mission). Chen Xiao’s remnant soul gained ultimate control and can start the reincarnation again, sending Shou Mo to any world in the cycle.

    这些信息，没有记忆的帝馗并不了解，但掌控了轮回灯的霍轩却明白了一切。如果想救尚可，他就要彻底脱离本体，成为轮回灯的器灵，再也无法与本体一起进入轮回。而他的本体，将失去所有轮回印记。换言之，每次新的轮回，只有守默拥有原本的记忆，而辰霄的记忆，将在他死后，由身为轮回灯的他接收。

This information was not understood by Di Kui, who has no memory, but Huo Xuan, who controls the reincarnation lamp, understood everything. If he wanted to save Shou Mo, he would have to leave the original soul completely and become a spirit of the reincarnation lamp, and would no longer be able to enter reincarnation with the main soul. He would no longer be able to enter reincarnation with the main soul, and the main soul would lose all its reincarnation marks. In other words, in each new reincarnation, only Shou Mo has all the memories, and Chen Xiao’s memories will be received by him as the reincarnation lamp after his death.

    他对守默的爱，与本体没有差别，但想要开启轮回，就不能脱离轮回灯与本体融合，他曾尝试取代本体，然而每次都失败了。

His love for Shou Mo was no different from the main soul, but if he wanted to start a reincarnation, he can’t leave the reincarnation lamp and fuse back with the main soul. He has tried to replace the main soul, but he failed every time.

    本体可以与守默亲身经历每一世轮回，然后遗忘一切，开始新的篇章，而器灵，只有记忆。

The main soul can experience each reincarnation with Shou Mo, and then forget everything and start a new chapter, while the fragment has only memories.

    【帝馗，准备好了吗？去救尚可吧。】

【Di Kui are you ready? Go save Shang Ke.】

    “等等，你还告诉我怎么做？”

“Wait, you haven’t told me how to do it?”

    【我已经说过了，坚守本心。】

【I’ve already said, stay true to your original faith.】

    辰霄，苍穹赤炎已经破碎，如果你因为遗忘而放弃爱他的权利，那么，“他”将不惜一切代价取而代之。所以辰霄，你可以遗忘一切，但唯独不能遗忘对守默的爱。

Chen Xiao, the Flaming Red Sky was already broken. If you give up your right to love him because of forgetfulness, then “he” will take his place at any cost. Therefore Chen Xiao, you can forget everything, but you must never forget your love for Shou Mo. 

    轮回再次开启，辰霄被送往最初轮回的第一个世界，变成了龙牙帝国上将拉威尔。

The reincarnation begins again, and Chen Xiao is sent to the first world of reincarnation, and becomes Ravel, General of the Dragon Fang Empire.

    而尚可，则是义军的首脑乌特雷将军的儿子凯奇。他从泰玛星偷偷跑回龙牙星，结果被克鲁斯的人抓捕，遭受严刑拷打，企图问出隐藏在内部的“反动者”。

Shang Ke, on the other hand, is the son of General Utrecht, the head of the rebel army, Cage. He sneaked back to the planet Dragon Fang from the planet Taima, and was captured by the Cruise’s men, who tortured him in an attempt to find out the “rebels” hidden within their ranks.

    尚可睁开眼时，发现自己被禁锢在一张金属椅上，头顶出现了一只机械手臂，呈针筒状，尖端不断旋转，发出嗞嗞嗞的响声。

When Shang Ke opened his eyes, he found himself confined to a metal chair, and a mechanical arm appeared above his head, in the shape of a syringe with a spinning tip that made a sizzling sound.

    “再给你一次机会。把你知道的信息都交代出来，我们可以考虑饶你一命。”一个难听的声音在封闭的房间中响起。

“I’ll give you one more chance. Tell us all the information you know, and we can consider sparing your life.” An unpleasant voice sounded in the closed room.

    尚可感觉这个场面有些似曾相识。

Shang Ke felt some déjà vu in this scene.

    “既然如此，那就让我们看看你到底能嘴硬多久。我们龙牙帝国的国花是苍穹赤炎，七十二朵花瓣，层层叠叠，有如燃烧的火焰。我想如果在你身上纹上我们龙牙帝国的国花，想必你父亲会非常高兴吧？”

“In that case, let’s see how long you can keep your mouth shut. The national flower of our Dragon’s Tooth Empire is the Flaming Red Sky, with seventy-two petals that are layered like burning flames. I’m sure your father would be very happy if the national flower of our Dragon’s Tooth Empire was tattooed on your body, right?”

    苍穹赤炎？龙牙帝国？

The Flaming Red Sky? The Dragon Fang Empire?

    什么东西？这是什么地方？他怎么会在这里？

What is that? What is this place? Why is he here?

    尚可的脑袋一片浆糊，只能眼睁睁地看着那只金属手臂向他靠近，然后发射出一道激光，在他的胸口勾画出一朵火焰之花。

Shang Ke’s head was mush and he could only watch as the metal arm approached him and then fired a laser that outlined a flower of flame on his chest.

    “啊！”剧烈的疼痛让尚可忍不住惨叫，随之而来的，是一段段纷乱的记忆……

“Ah!” The pain was so intense that Shang Ke couldn’t help but scream, and with it, a jumbled memory of… 

SnowTime: Man, this is sad all around. How often do you find a story where the fragments of the souls don’t fuse together into one? Here, our Mole needs to stay with the lamp for all eternity and just get the memories…. oof

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