他们没走到三个街区.
无人机袭击毫无预警.
前方街道燃起白色火焰,冲击波将伊桑撞向一家店铺.玻璃撕裂了空气.他的耳朵嗡嗡作响,世界倾斜,霓虹灯牌模糊成色彩的光线.
玛拉在他还没来得及呼吸前就把他拉了起来.
"快走!"她喊道.
他们一瘸一拐地跑进霓虹城下方狭窄的服务通道.门在他们身后封闭,金属利爪划破他们几秒钟前站立的地方.
沉默随之而来.
太干净了.太刻意了.
伊桑背靠墙壁,胸口灼热.鲜血浸透了他的袖子,温暖而真实.这次没有擦伤.
玛拉撕开布料,紧紧包裹.她的手在颤抖.
"你拖我后腿了,"伊桑嘟囔着.
她狠狠地扇了他一巴掌.
"你死了,这也随你一起死了,"她说着,敲了敲他的口袋."所以你别敢."
直到到达中继节点,他们才再次交谈.
那是古老的——议会成立前的基础设施,除了幽灵和罪犯,几乎被遗忘.一个终端微弱闪烁,由非法电池供电.
玛拉连接了碎片.
数据充斥着屏幕.
断电协议.伤亡预测.批准签名.
名字.
伊桑凑近了一些.
一个名字让他屏住了呼吸.
黑尔主任.
"议会的公众英雄,"伊桑低声说."那个'拯救'了这座城市的人."
玛拉继续往下滑.
"是他下的."她平淡地说."每个区.每个停电区.全都是精心计算的."
伊桑笑了一声——那是破碎的笑声.
"我家住在第九区."
玛拉停下了脚步.
但数字并没有.
预计损失:可接受.
内乱:可控.
叙事控制:高概率.
伊桑感到内心某处被撕裂.
"这不仅仅是腐败,"他说."这是规定."
终端响起了提示音.
一个来袭信号强行穿透了.
屏幕上浮现出一张脸——年长,冷静,无可置疑地强大.
黑尔主任.
"我正想知道你什么时候会去找,"黑尔说."你一直都很好奇,伊桑."
Mara raised her weapon.
Ethan didn't move.
"You killed them," Ethan said. His voice didn't shake. "All of them."
Hale smiled faintly. "I saved the city."
"You sacrificed it."
"A city is an idea," Hale replied. "Ideas require pruning."
He leaned closer to the camera.
"You have something that belongs to me."
Ethan stepped forward.
"No," he said. "I have something the city needs to see."
Hale's eyes hardened.
"You think truth changes anything?" he asked. "People want comfort, not reality."
"Then we'll take comfort away."
For the first time, Hale looked irritated.
"You won't live long enough."
The feed cut.
Alarms wailed through the tunnels.
Mara swore. "He traced us."
Ethan pulled the shard free.
"No," he said quietly. "He challenged us."
He slotted the shard back in—manual override.
"What are you doing?" Mara demanded.
Ethan's hands moved fast.
"I'm not releasing everything," he said. "Not yet."
He selected one file.
One district.
Sector Nine.
The footage played—streets collapsing into darkness, screams swallowed by static, timestamps stamped with Hale's authorization.
Mara stared at him.
"That's your home."
Ethan nodded.
"If the city wakes up," he said, "it wakes up with blood on its hands."
He hit UPLOAD.
Somewhere above them, Neon City flickered.
Just for a second.
然后下层区域的成千上万个屏幕都黑了——又重新显示了真相.
伊桑呼出一口气.
"现在已经回不去了,"玛拉说.
他看着摇晃的灯光,警报声越来越响.
"很好,"他回答."我本来没打算的."