‘Is that so? I don’t sell information to just anybody. Gotta be careful. Game’s a good way of gauging what kind of man you are, so – play.’

?

'是這樣嗎？ 我不向任何人出售信息。 所以一定要小心。 對我而言游戲是衡量你是什么樣的人的好方法，所以——玩吧。

?

Rostov shrugged. ‘As you wish, but I assure you, we will learn what we came to learn.’ He looked to his companion. ‘Take your turn, Antoniato.’

Unlike Rostov and Tapind, Antoniato had no skill in hiding his thoughts. He jingled his coins in his hand, hesitating before laying his stake. He drew another card from the deck. He frowned and dithered over which to put into play, biting at the stubbled skin beneath his lip. His fingers hovered over one card, then another, before he finally settled on a third, plucking it from the fan clenched in his fingers and laying it on the table with a soft curse.

?

羅斯托夫聳了聳肩 “如你所愿，但我向你保證，我們將得到我們需要得到的信息。”他看著他的同伴。 “輪到你了，安東尼亞托?！?/span>

?

與羅斯托夫和塔平德不同安東尼亞托沒有隱藏自己想法的技巧。他手中的硬幣叮當(dāng)作響，猶豫了一下才放下了賭注。 他從牌堆中抽出另一張牌。皺著眉頭咬著嘴唇下面的胡茬，猶豫著要打什么。手指在一張卡片上盤旋，又在另一張卡片上盤旋，最后終于落到第三張上，并從指間取了出來，輕聲咒罵著放在桌子上。

?

‘The blind seer,’ said Tapind, cocking his eyebrow. ‘Interesting choice.’ By that he meant bad, and he made sure Antoniato knew it with another black-toothed grin.

?

“盲人先知。”塔平德?lián)P起眉毛說道?“有趣的選擇?！彼囊馑?/span>很明顯，顯然打這張牌并非是什么明智的選擇，他用另一個黑牙咧這嘴，確定安東尼亞托知道這一點。

?

?

‘I’m no good at this, alright?’ said Antoniato.

?

“我不擅長這個，好嗎？”安東尼亞托說道。

?

‘I noticed.’ Tapind took his turn quickly, his move already formulated. He put down a large bet. ‘Are you going to match me or not?’ He spoke only to Rostov, Antoniato already discounted.

?

“我注意到了。” 塔平德說到，現(xiàn)在輪到他了，他的出牌順序已經(jīng)制定好了。隨即塔平德下了一個更大的賭注。 “你要不要跟我比？”他對羅斯托夫說道，因為安東尼亞托已經(jīng)露怯了。

?

‘How the Throne should I know?’ Antoniato grumbled.

?

“王座在上，我怎么知道？”安東尼亞托抱怨道。

?

Rostov stared at Tapind. ‘I’ll invoke my pass, see what you’ve got.’

?

羅斯托夫盯著塔平德。 “我會看看你有什么?！?/span>

?

‘Suit yourself,’ said Tapind. He laid down his card, a golden-armed warrior brandishing a burning sword. Everyone in the faith knew that image. ‘Emperor Among Us. Ain’t no higher spread than that,’ Tapind said, as he completed the layout on the table. ‘I win. Nice to meet you, boys. Now pay up, and get out. I ain’t selling no words today. I don’t like the look of you. Cards don’t lie.’

?

“隨你便吧。”塔平德說。 他放下手中的牌，一個金臂武者揮舞著一把燃燒的劍。 在帝國的信仰中中的每個人都知道那個形象。 “我們當(dāng)中的帝皇。 沒有比這更大的牌面了，”塔平德說道，他完成了桌子上的布局。 '我贏了。很高興認(rèn)識你，男孩們。 現(xiàn)在掏錢，然后滾出去。 我今天不賣任何消息。 我不喜歡你的樣子。紙牌從不會說謊。

?

Tapind reached for the money. Rostov gripped his wrist.

‘Let’s say I raise the stake.’

Tapind scowled. ‘With what?’

‘Prudent agreement.’

?

塔平德伸手去拿錢。 而羅斯托夫則抓住他的手腕。

“假如我提高了賭注?！?/span>

塔平德皺著眉頭。 '什么？'

“謹(jǐn)慎的選擇。”

?

‘Never heard of it, and there is no higher card for this spread than the Emperor Among Us.’ He jerked his head at Antoniato. ‘Don’t think to shake me down. Your muscle doesn’t scare me. I’ve got powerful friends in these parts, so back off. You lost fair and square.’

?

“從來沒有聽說過，而且沒有見過比帝皇更高的牌面了?！彼虬矕|尼亞托猛地?fù)u頭。 “別想著糊弄我。你的肌肉嚇不倒我。 我在這個地方有強(qiáng)大的后盾，所以滾出去。你在這場游戲中已經(jīng)失去了公平和信譽(yù)。

?

Rostov released Tapind’s wrist, and dropped something from his sleeve into his hand. He held it over the table, hidden by his fingers. Curious, Tapind paused raking in his winnings.

?

羅斯托夫松開塔平德的手腕，將袖子里的東西丟到手里并把它舉放到了桌子上，用手指遮住。 出于好奇，塔平德停止了其他動作。

?

‘I’m not talking about cards,’ said Rostov. ‘I’m talking about you making a sensible choice. Prudent agreement.’

?

“我不是在談?wù)摽ㄆ?/span>。”羅斯托夫說。 “我說的是你做出了明智且謹(jǐn)慎的選擇。

?

He laid a small ivory amulet down on the wood with a click. It bore an Imperial barred ‘I’ overset with a skull, in the forehead of which a small ruby flashed. Tapind blinked at it in shock.

?

他咔噠一聲將一個象牙小護(hù)身符放在木頭上。它有一個禁止出現(xiàn)在帝國其他地方的“I”的字樣，護(hù)符上面鑲有一個頭骨，前額上有一顆小紅寶石閃爍。而塔平德則滿臉震驚的眨了眨眼，試圖在確定自己看見的是否是真的。

?

‘You recognise this seal, yes? Now will you talk to me?’ said Rostov calmly.

?

“你認(rèn)得這個印章，是嗎？ “現(xiàn)在你愿意和我談?wù)?/span>了嗎？”羅斯托夫平靜地問道。

?

Tapind’s expression turned scared. ‘You’re an inquisitor. Holy Throne of Terra! What the hell do you want with me?’

?

塔平德的表情則開始因為恐懼變得扭曲。 “你是個審判官。 王座在上！你到底想找我做什么？

?

The dreadful word cut through the hubbub of the taverna. Suddenly, a dozen pair of eyes were on the gaming table. Antoniato tensed, flipped aside his furs, one hand going to his holstered laspistol, the other resting on the bulbous nose of the plasma gun.

?

??這個可怕的詞打斷了小酒館的喧囂。 頓時，十幾雙眼睛齊刷刷的盯著賭桌。安東尼亞托緊張起來，掀開他的皮毛，一只手伸向他的槍套手槍，另一只手則放在等離子槍的握把上。

?

‘What are you doing all the way out here?’ Tapind asked his question, but stood rapidly, ready to leave without an answer. ‘I’m not talking to you. It’s a death sentence on me. I knew there was something off about you.’

?

“你跑到這里來做什么？” 塔平德問他，但很快塔平德站了起來，準(zhǔn)備逃離這個地方，不過他也沒有得到回答。 '我想和你說話。這是對我的死刑判決么？我就知道你們有些不對勁！

?

‘It’s a death sentence if you don’t,’ said Antoniato, taking his turn to grin.

Tapind shoved away from the table, money forgotten. ‘Stay away from me.’

‘If you speak to me, the rewards will be great,’ said Rostov.

‘Not great enough. All the wealth of Terra is useless to a dead man.’

‘Then you have a dilemma, because leaving will not prevent your death.’

?

“如果你不這樣做，那這就是死刑的判決，”安東尼亞托說，轉(zhuǎn)身咧嘴一笑。

塔平德一把，把錢從桌子上推開嚎叫道?'離我遠(yuǎn)點！'

“如果你給我我想要的信息，你的回報會足夠豐厚，”羅斯托夫說。

‘不！哪怕是泰拉的所有財富堆積在一起，對一個死人來說都是無用的。

“那你就進(jìn)退兩難了，因為逃跑并不能阻止你的死亡?！?/span>

?

Rostov’s words proved prophetic. There was the wheezing bark of an energy weapon by the door. A yellow flash lit up the saloon. Half of Tapind’s face disintegrated and splashed over the wall. Blood soaked into plaster.

?

事實上羅斯托夫的話被證明是預(yù)言性的。門口傳來能量武器的嘶嘶聲。一道黃色的閃光照亮了客廳。塔平德的半張臉也隨之瓦解，飛濺到了墻上。 鮮血浸透了墻面上的石膏。

?

There were two attackers: a squat human in a filthy heatsuit, and a rangy, humanoid xenos with a tall cap and flat face on its thin, cylindrical head. They didn’t have time for a second shot. Antoniato had his pistol in his hand and was firing before Rostov had turned in his seat. The crack of the lasgun beam in the air was loud in the confined space. The xenos assailant was flung against the wall, leaving a stripe of copper-green blood as he slid to the floor. The human loosed off four poorly aimed energy blasts as he fumbled for the door handle. Antoniato threw himself under the table and returned fire. Throughout, Rostov stayed seated, calm with the coherent light of death flicking around him.

?

襲擊者有兩個：一個是穿著骯臟的防護(hù)服的矮胖人類，另一個是身材魁梧的人形異形，其有著高大的帽子和扁平的臉，瘦削的圓柱形頭部。但很顯然他們沒有時間進(jìn)行第二次射擊，安東尼亞托手里拿著手槍，在羅斯托夫轉(zhuǎn)身坐在座位上之前就開槍了?？諝庵屑す鈽尩谋崖曉诿荛]的空間里顯得異常響亮。異形襲擊者被槍擊的沖擊力甩飛到墻上，又滑落到了地板上，只留下下一道銅綠色的血跡。而哪個矮胖的人類還在摸索門把手的時候釋放了四次瞄準(zhǔn)不佳的能量射擊。 安東尼亞托則撲到桌子底下還擊。 整個過程中，羅斯托夫一直坐著，平靜的死亡之光在他周圍閃爍。

?

The man fired again, got his fingers on the latch, then fled into the night. A blast of freezing air pushed the fire in the taverna hearth flat before the door slammed and the flames jerked up to attention.

?

????緊接著那人又開了一槍隨后打開了房門，然后逃到了夜色中。 在門砰地一聲關(guān)上之前，一陣冰冷的空氣將小酒館壁爐里的火推平了，火焰猛地引起了人們的注意。

?

Antoniato surged up off the floor, sending the table crashing down. Coins bounced everywhere. He fired again. His laspistol left a guttering hole in the taverna door, but the man was away.

?

‘Lacrante!’ Antoniato shouted into a handheld vox-caster. ‘Contact’s down! One assassin, human, xenos-weapon armed, heading your way.’

?

安東尼亞托從地板上一躍而起，并把桌子撞翻。 硬幣掉了一地。他又朝著門口開了一槍。 手槍在小酒館的門上留下了一個彈孔，但那個人不在了。

?

“拉克蘭特！”安東尼亞托對著手持通訊器喊道。 ‘交易中斷了！ 一名刺客，人類，手持異形武器，正朝著你的方向前進(jìn)。

?

?

‘In pursuit,’ Lacrante responded.

Antoniato switched his aim from patron to patron. Hands were raised. A man shifted in his seat. ‘Nobody move!’ he shouted.

?

“追擊中。”拉克蘭特回應(yīng)道。

安東尼亞托則將他的目標(biāo)從刺客轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)?/span>酒館中的其他人并命令他們舉起手來，一個男人在座位上動了動。 “都不許動！”他喊道。

?

Rostov remained serene. With deliberate movements he collected his seal from the floor and stood from his chair as if he had just finished a meal in a fine restaurant. ‘Cheelche, keep your eyes on the target, but you are not to shoot,’ said Rostov into the vox-thief at his neck. ‘I want this one alive.’

?

羅斯托夫則保持這平靜。他小心翼翼地收起地上的印章，從椅子上站了起來，仿佛剛剛在一家高檔餐廳吃完晚餐一樣。 “切爾切，你的眼睛要時刻盯著目標(biāo)，但不許開槍，”羅斯托夫?qū)χ弊由系耐ㄓ?/span>器說道。 “我想要這個活著。”

?

Rostov stopped by the body of the alien assassin, searched it briefly, lifted up a talisman hung about its neck. An eight-pointed compass wheel etched into a spread-fingered hand: the mark of the thrice-damned Warmaster Abaddon’s chief servant.

?

羅斯托夫在異形刺客的尸體旁停下，簡單地搜索了一下，舉起掛在它脖子上的護(hù)身符。 一個八角的羅盤刻在一只張開的手指上：那是該死的戰(zhàn)帥阿巴頓的首席仆從的印記。

?

‘Damn it. Now we’re back to square one,’ said Antoniato.

‘The killer knows something,’ Rostov said, and got to his feet. He pointed to the money lying on the floor. ‘Keep it, for your trouble,’ he told the bartender.

With Antoniato covering him, the inquisitor opened the door and stepped out into the night.

?

'該死的。 現(xiàn)在我們回到了原點。”安東尼亞托說。

“兇手應(yīng)該知道些什么，”羅斯托夫說著站了起來。 他指了指地上的錢。 “留著吧，麻煩你了，”他對酒保說。

安東尼亞托掩護(hù)著他，審判官打開門，走進(jìn)夜色中。

‘Lacrante! Contact’s down!’

The saloon door burst open and a human male staggered out, nearly lost his footing on the thin snow coating the steps, stumbled into the far wall, then ran into the dark, the charge lights on the weapon in his hand glowing bright in the gloom.

?

拉克蘭特！ 聯(lián)系中斷了！

客廳的門突然打開，一個人類男子踉踉蹌蹌地走了出來，跌跌撞撞撞到遠(yuǎn)處的墻壁上，臺階上的薄雪上讓他差點跌倒。然后跑進(jìn)了黑暗中，手中武器上的充電燈在黑暗中閃閃發(fā)光 .

?

‘One assassin, human, xenos-weapon armed, heading your way.’

‘In pursuit,’ said Lacrante, and set off at a sprint up the alley steps. He keyed his vox back on.

‘What are you mammals up to down there?’ Cheelche voxed.

‘Didn’t you see him go out? Single target!’

‘You try seeing anything when your eye is literally frozen and your scope’s hazy with frost.’

‘Just cover the door,’ Lacrante said. ‘Don’t let anybody follow me.’

?

“一名刺客，人類，裝備異形武器，正朝著你的方向前進(jìn)?！?/span>

“追上他”拉克蘭特說，然后沖上小巷的臺階，并重新打開了他的通訊器。

“你們到底是什么哺乳動物？” 車切爾問道。

“你沒看到他出去嗎？ 單一目標(biāo)！

“當(dāng)你的眼睛真的被凍結(jié)并且你的范圍因霜凍而朦朧時，希望你也會嘗試看看能不能看到任何玩意?！?/span>

“關(guān)上門，”拉克蘭特說。 “不要讓任何人跟著我?！?/span>

?

She said something he didn’t hear. Lacrante raced around a corner into the full force of the winter. Freezing air tore the heat from his body. He was a fit man, Lacrante, but a combination of his heavy clothes, the altitude, the steepness of the streets and the cold had him puffing like a lho addict in the last days of life.

?

她說了一些他沒聽得到的話。 拉克蘭特跑過了一個彎，開始了全力奔跑。 冰冷的空氣帶走了他身體的熱量。事實上拉特蘭克是個健壯的人，但在厚重衣服、海拔、街道的陡峭和寒冷的影響下，他就宛如一個在生命的最后幾天的癮君子一樣喘著粗氣。

?

Fortunately for him, the fugitive was no better acclimatised to the environment. The man skidded on the snow compacting on the stone, and Lacrante gained ground unseen. He wasn’t noticed until a couple huddled against the cold stepped out in front of Lacrante from a side alley.

?

不過對他而言幸運的是，逃犯也并沒有更好地適應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)卦撍?/span>環(huán)境。 那個人類刺客在石頭上的薄薄的積雪上打滑，拉克蘭特在對方看不見的情況下悄悄摸了上去。直到一對擠在寒冷中的夫婦從一條小巷走到拉克蘭特面前時，他才被注意到。

?

‘Get out of the damned way!’ he shouted, almost crashing into them. One of the two fell, and Lacrante was forced to hop over their legs to avoid being entangled. They shouted after him as he slipped and bounced off the wall. He was lucky not to get a bullet between the shoulder blades in that place. He trusted to the Emperor to shield him.

?

“給我滾開!”他喊道，拉克蘭特差點兒直接撞到他們身上。但其中一人還是摔倒了，拉克蘭特則被迫跳過他們的腿以避免被絆倒栽個狗吃屎。當(dāng)他滑倒并被從墻上彈開時，他們在他身后瘋狂的大聲喊叫。事實上他肩胛骨中間沒有挨一槍已經(jīng)很幸運了。不過拉克蘭特相信皇帝會保護(hù)他。

?

When the shouts cut through the wind, the man looked behind. Spotting Lacrante, he ran faster.

‘Throne,’ Lacrante cursed. He pulled his laspistol and let off a shot, but the slippery cobbles made his aim lousy. Tiles exploded on the low eaves overhanging the street.

His quarry ran like Horus and his devils were on his heels.

?

呼喊聲劃破天際，刺客靈龍的看向身后。在看到拉克蘭特后，他跑得更快了。

“王座在上，”拉克蘭特詛咒道。他拔出激光槍，開了一槍，但光滑的鵝卵石讓他的瞄準(zhǔn)變得非常糟糕。光束在街道上兩側(cè)低屋檐上的瓷磚上炸開了。

他的獵物像荷魯斯一樣奔跑，他的惡魔緊隨其后。

?

They were getting higher, following the twisting alleys towards the town’s centre. Lacrante kicked over piles of frozen refuse as he caromed off the wall, and he half-fell, half-ran on. The man took another corner. Lacrante followed, and he burst out onto Chozteculpo’s via principia, Merchant’s Row. It was hardly worthy of the name, being only a little wider than the rest and not very long, but it was lit by barrels of burning animal oils, and vendors stood by stalls of wares and food stands where coals roasted skewered examples of the smaller local wildlife. There were more people there, enough to make a crowd, and that slowed his target down.

?

他們沿著彎彎曲曲的小巷，向上狂奔，跑的得越來越高，朝著鎮(zhèn)中心沖去。拉克蘭特踢翻了一堆堆冰凍的垃圾，從墻上撞了下來，手腳并用的向前猛追。那人跑到另一個拐角。拉克蘭特緊隨其后，沖進(jìn)了喬茲特庫爾波商業(yè)街。事實上這家商業(yè)街完全說的上是在污蔑“商業(yè)街”這個名字，只比其他的街道寬一點，但也并不太長，它被一桶桶燃燒著的動物油照亮，小販們站在擺滿商品的攤位和食品攤旁，烤著當(dāng)?shù)剌^小野生動物制成的肉串。但街上人聲鼎沸，這極大的減緩了拉特蘭克的追擊速度。

?

The man shoved his way through the throng. He glanced back. Lacrante had a glimpse of a pale face behind goggles. Sweat-steam puffed up around his heatsuit seals at his throat.

‘Stop him!’ shouted Lacrante. ‘Stop, in the name of the Emperor!’

?

那人擠過人群后回頭看了一眼。拉克蘭特瞥見了護(hù)目鏡背后的哪張蒼白的臉。汗水的蒸汽在他的防寒服周圍鼓起，堵住了他的喉嚨。

?

“阻止他！”拉克蘭特喊道“帝皇在上，讓他停下！”

?

Heads swung round to look. Lacrante’s call to action had the opposite of the desired effect. Not wishing to get involved, the crowd parted, and the man went free. He let off a shot behind him. Some sort of low-yield plasma weapon. Lacrante ducked. A fizzing yellow ball sliced the air over his head and scattered the crowd. His target man was now racing down a long corridor of people, but clear enough to run meant clear enough for a shot.

?

人們紛紛轉(zhuǎn)過頭來觀望。事實上拉特蘭克的行動號召產(chǎn)生了與預(yù)期相反的效果。人群不愿卷入這種爛事之中，分開了，那個人則徹底自由了他朝身后使用某種低當(dāng)量等離子武器開了一槍。“拉特蘭克回避！”一個嘶嘶作響的黃色小球從他頭頂掠過，驅(qū)散了人群。他的目標(biāo)現(xiàn)在正沿著一條長長的走廊跑著，但足夠清晰的奔跑路線，意味著足夠精準(zhǔn)的射擊。

?

Lacrante dropped to his knee, ripped off his glove, steadied his gun on his forearm and aimed at the receding fugitive, his finger resting on the trigger. Cold metal burned him.

‘Emperor guide my hand,’ he whispered, and squeezed.

?

????情急之下拉克蘭特跪倒在地，扯下手套，把槍固定在前臂上，手指按在扳機(jī)上，瞄準(zhǔn)了正在奪命狂飆的逃犯。冰冷的金屬凍傷了他手心。 “帝皇在上，請抓住我的手，”他低聲說到，并用力握了握握把。

?

A flash of red chased the man, connected with his leg, and sent him crashing down into a portable grill. Embers and meat skewers skittered across the road. He tried to push himself up and screamed as he put his hand on a hot coal. He was still trying to rise when Lacrante came up behind him and rested his gun against the man’s head.

?

隨機(jī)一道紅光射出，精確的命中了那名人類刺客，打到他的腿上，刺客撞到一個便攜式烤架上。余燼和烤肉串在路上上飛掠而過。慌亂中人類刺客試圖把自己撐起來，但手放在一塊熱煤上，燙的他哇哇亂連。而正當(dāng)他試圖再次站起來的時候，拉特蘭克走到他身后，用槍抵著他的頭。

?

‘Don’t move,’ Lacrante said. The man moaned, his injured leg ramrod straight, his burned hand cradled against his chest. The crowd looked uneasily on. Hostile eyes peered out from behind heated goggles and the gaps between scarves and hats.

?

“別動！”拉特蘭克威脅道。那人呻吟著，受傷的腿在痛苦的作用下繃直了，被熱炭燒傷的手緊抱在胸前。周圍的人所并沒有四散反而充滿不安地看著這一切，滿是敵意的目光從防寒護(hù)目鏡、圍巾和帽子之間的縫隙中去刀般窺視著。

?

Planets like Azazen were hostile in the extreme to all but the lightest touch of Imperial authority. There were a lot of people giving him ugly looks, and several of the local xenos in evidence. They in particular had good reason to hate men like Lacrante. Hands moved towards weapons.

?

像阿扎贊這樣的世界對所有外來人都極其敵視，當(dāng)然除了部分帝國權(quán)威。事實上有很多人對拉特蘭克投來敵意的目光，而其中有幾個是當(dāng)?shù)氐?/span>異形，他們雙手摸像武器，說實話這些異形有充分的理由憎恨像拉克蘭特這樣的人。。

?

‘This is an Imperial matter,’ he said as firmly as he could. He was so cold he could barely speak. ‘Get back. Be about your business.’

??The assassin spoke through gritted teeth. ‘That’s not going to work. You’ve made a mistake. There’s no governor here. No law. Not even yours.’

Lacrante switched his gun from face to face, jerking it by way of emphasis. Most of the bystanders moved off, shooting looks varying from fearful to aggressive. Three of them did not.

‘Shit,’ Lacrante said.

?

“這是帝皇的任務(wù)”拉克蘭特盡量堅定地說。但寒冷讓他幾乎說不出話來?！?/span>回去，管好你自己的事吧。” 刺客咬緊牙關(guān)說話。

?

“這是行不通的，你犯了個致命的錯誤。這里沒有行星總督也沒有法務(wù)部，甚至不是帝國的地盤。”

?

拉克蘭特則把槍從一個方向瞄向另一個方向，以強(qiáng)硬的方式猛的開火，對于槍聲的恐懼讓大多數(shù)旁觀者走開了，但其中三個沒有。 “狗屎”拉特蘭克說。

?

The assassin hissed, a reptilian noise of commingled amusement and pain. ‘You could take one for sure, maybe two if you’re good enough, but not three. You’re dead.’

‘Shut up,’ said Lacrante. The snow was coming thicker and stung his eyes. He raised his voice. ‘You three, withdraw. I have no quarrel with you.’

?

刺客發(fā)出嘶嘶聲，這是一種爬行動物的聲音，既有歡樂，也有痛苦?！蹦惝?dāng)然可以選一個，如果你夠好的話，可以選兩個，但不能選三個。你死定了?！?/span>

?

“閉嘴，”拉克蘭特說。雪越來越厚，刺痛了他的眼睛。他提高了聲音。”你們?nèi)齻€，撤退。我沒有和你爭吵。”

?

???‘Maybe we have one with you,’ said one man. He wore an oiled poncho over a heatsuit, and moved it aside, revealing a long-barrelled slug pistol at his belt. The others showed their own weapons. One drew a laspistol. The other unslung a rifle of non-human make from his back.

?

刺客則發(fā)出類似爬行動物的嘶嘶聲，這其中既有歡樂，也有痛苦。”你應(yīng)該可以干點一個，如果你實力足夠強(qiáng)的話，可以干掉兩個，但絕對無法干掉三個。你死定了！”“閉嘴，”拉克蘭特說。雪越來越厚，刺痛了他的眼睛。他提高了聲音?！蹦銈?nèi)齻€，離開！這沒有你們的事。”

?

‘Let’s see how good you are, outlander,’ said the leader. He spat, an obvious distraction to cover his draw, but his hand barely brushed his gun before Lacrante had drilled a hole through his chest. It was a good shot, and fast, Lacrante swung his gun around to take the second, expecting to die at the hands of the third.

?

“讓我們看看你有多厲害，外鄉(xiāng)來客。”領(lǐng)隊說。他啐了一口，顯然是為了掩蓋他拔槍的動作，但太慢了！他的手幾乎沒碰到他的槍，就被克拉朗特在他胸口鉆了個洞。第一槍射非常精準(zhǔn)，很快拉克蘭特把槍轉(zhuǎn)過去接第二槍，仿佛拉克蘭特已經(jīng)做好了死在對方第名槍手的手里。

?

He did not. Lacrante’s shot passed over the second man when he was dropped by a high-angle las-fusil beam. The third was warned of his own demise by the whooping roar of a plasma gun discharging, not that it did him any good. The stream hit him as he turned, and he lit up from within like a lantern, sunfire burning in his mouth and eyes. He opened his mouth to scream but released only his own vaporised lungs. In a second he was reduced to a carbonised mess in the snow.

?

但事實并非如此。當(dāng)?shù)诙€人被拉特蘭克一發(fā)激光精確命中時。第三個人則被身后傳來的離子槍發(fā)出的轟鳴聲宣告這自己的死亡倒計時，很顯然等離子的轟鳴沒有加快第三人的反應(yīng)速度。當(dāng)他轉(zhuǎn)身想要反擊的時候，離子團(tuán)打在他身上，其就像燈籠一樣從身體里面開始發(fā)亮，宛如太陽一般的火焰在他的嘴巴和眼睛里燃燒。他張開嘴想要尖叫，但只呼出了自己哪被蒸發(fā)掉的肺。剎那間，他在雪地里變成了一堆碳化的東西。

?

The prisoner made to crawl off. Lacrante pinned him to the ice with his boot.

‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said. ‘You’re done. I’m not alone.’

His vox-bead crackled. ‘Miss me?’ said Cheelche.

‘Yes,’ said Lacrante. ‘Nice shot. Thank you.’

‘Maybe you won’t be such a dumb Terran ape and run off on your own in future, eh?’

?

犯人想要爬這逃出去。 拉克蘭特則用靴子把他釘在冰上。

“想都別想，”他說。 '完美的射擊。 看來我并不孤獨。'

他的通訊珠噼啪作響。 “想我了嗎？”切爾切說。

“是的，”拉克蘭特說。 '好槍法。 謝謝。'

“也許你以后不會像歐格林這么愚蠢，自己獨跑了，嗯？”

?

Rostov and Antoniato were coming down the street. Rostov spooked people, and Lacrante thought him being a witch was only the half of it. There was something that hung over him, a presentiment of doom, or the sense the Emperor Himself was watching you through his eyes. His presence cleared the street; even the vendors withdrew, leaving their grills to gutter in the wind. Antoniato was laughing, his sun gun spewing steam into the frigid night.

?

羅斯托夫和安東尼亞托正在街上走來。很顯然這位審判官嚇壞了人們，拉克蘭特則認(rèn)為這是因為他是個靈能者的原因。某種東西一直籠罩著羅斯托夫，哪是一種厄運的預(yù)感，或者是帝皇本人正通過他的眼睛注視著你的感覺。 他的出現(xiàn)掃清了街道上的閑雜人等；就連小販都逃了出去，把烤架留在了冰冷的寒風(fēng)之中。安東尼亞托在笑，他的太陽型重等離子則向寒冷的夜晚噴射蒸汽。

?

‘“Stop in the name of the Emperor?” Is that the best you’ve got, Lacrante?’

‘It seemed appropriate,’ said Lacrante, and holstered his gun.

‘You have him,’ Rostov said. His boots crunched to a stop on the snow, and he looked down at their captured prey. ‘I am pleased.’

?

“以帝皇之名停下?”你就這點本事嗎拉特蘭克?”

“但這樣似乎也不錯。”拉克蘭特說著，收起了他的槍。

“你抓住他了。”羅斯托夫說道。他的靴子嘎吱一聲停在雪地上，他低頭看著他們捕獲的獵物?！拔液芨吲d”。

?

‘This is an inquisitor,’ said Antoniato to the man. ‘You know what one of those is, right?’ He shouldered his plasma rifle and together he and Lacrante hauled the prisoner up. He jabbered in an impenetrable dialect.

‘He was speaking Gothic just fine a moment ago,’ said Lacrante.

‘Remind him how to communicate,’ Rostov said.

Antoniato punched the man in the face. He swore. Rostov fixed the prisoner with his uncompromising gaze.

‘Who are you working for?’

?

“這是一位審判官。”安東尼亞托對躺在地上的那個刺客說道。 “你知道哪個I是什么意思，對吧？” 隨后安東尼亞托扛起了他的等離子步槍，和拉克蘭特一起把犯人拖了上來。 他用一種難以理解的方言喋喋不休。

“他剛才哥特語說的還不錯，”拉克蘭特說。

“提醒他如何溝通，”羅斯托夫說。

安東尼亞托回手直接抽了刺客一個耳光。而羅斯托夫則用他哪毫不妥協(xié)的目光緊緊的注視著犯人。

“你在為誰工作？”

?

The man spat blood. ‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’

‘Don’t play stupid,’ said Antoniato.

Rostov ran a finger around the man’s neck, until he snagged a cord and hooked it out, pulling up a bronze amulet. Like the xenos in the bar, he too wore the eight-pointed wheel of Chaos stamped into an open hand. Rostov looked at it with intense disdain.

?

那則人吐了口血狡辯道"我不知道你在說什么。"

“別裝傻了，”安東尼亞托說。

羅斯托夫伸出手，掐住那人的脖子，扯下一根繩子并從中拽出了一個青銅護(hù)身符。就像酒吧里的異形刺客一樣，他也戴著一只張開的手上印著的混沌八芒星。羅斯托夫輕蔑地望著它。

?

‘Where is the Hand of Abaddon? You wear his sigil. Tapind knew something, you silenced him. Who gave you the kill order? That will do for a start.’

The prisoner hissed some local curse. Antoniato pressed his knee into the man’s wounded leg. The prisoner grunted.

?

“阿巴頓之手在哪里？ 你戴上他的印記。塔平德知道些什么，所以你讓他閉嘴。誰在最初給你下達(dá)的殺戮命令？

囚犯嘶嘶地罵了一句當(dāng)?shù)氐?/span>本土臟話。 安東尼亞托則將膝蓋壓在男人受傷的腿上。囚徒強(qiáng)忍著劇痛哼了一聲。

?

‘Show my master respect,’ Antoniato said.

The man bared his teeth. ‘Why? I am a servant of the Warmaster, the true lord of mankind. I have no care for your evil god. You will never break me.’

‘The power of the false gods is as nothing compared to the power of the Emperor.’ Rostov yanked the amulet, snapping the cord, and tossed the symbol into the snow. ‘They will not help you. The eye of the Emperor is upon you, and He sees all. You will tell me everything and die painlessly, or you will beg for mercy before I am done, and I will still know every thought you have ever had.’

?

“你最好向我的主人表現(xiàn)德尊敬點，”安東尼亞托說。

男人呲牙咧嘴。 '為什么？ 我是戰(zhàn)帥的仆人，他才是人類真正的主宰。我不關(guān)心你的惡神。因為你們永遠(yuǎn)不會擊敗我。

“與皇帝的力量相比，那些偽神的力量微不足道?！?羅斯托夫猛拉護(hù)身符，折斷了其繩索，將哪個褻瀆的符號扔進(jìn)雪地重?！麄儾粫椭?。 帝皇之眼在注視著你，他看到了一切。你也會告訴我知道一切，然后無痛的死去，或者在我說完之前你會向我求饒，這樣我仍然會知道你曾經(jīng)有過的每一個想法。

?

The man stared defiantly back. Rostov regarded him a moment, then looked from Antoniato to Lacrante.

‘Take him to the ship. We are finished with Chozteculpo. Cheelche, time to go.’

‘Got you, Leonid. I’m coming down.’

Antoniato and Lacrante dragged the assassin away. Rostov remained a moment, surveying the untidy pile of streets leading up the mountain, like a man who feels another’s stare upon his neck and searches for the watcher.

Seeing nothing, he turned and left.

In moments, the snow had covered their tracks.

刺客挑釁般的用眼神瞪了回去。 羅斯托夫看了他一會兒，然后看了看安東尼亞托和拉克蘭特。

‘帶他上船。 我們在喬特庫爾波的任務(wù)完成了。 車切爾，該走了。

“明白了，列昂尼德。 我要下來了。

安東尼亞托和拉克蘭特將刺客拖走。 羅斯托夫停留片刻，打量著通往山上的凌亂的街道，仿佛感覺到某種目光聚焦在在他的脖子上，羅斯托夫尋找了一會監(jiān)視者。

但他什么也沒看到，只得轉(zhuǎn)身離去。

片刻間，大雪覆蓋了他們的足跡。