电气意外 The Unexpected Spark

作者：Michael Luo

“这我不能收。”店主把零钱推回泽丽面前。“就是些废零件。毒雾那件事之后你已经帮了很多忙了。”

“I can’t accept this,” the shopkeeper said, pushing Zeri’s change back at her. “It’s just spare parts. You’ve done too much to help since the Mist.”

泽丽环顾四周。熟悉的街巷变得陌生——一处处住宅和店铺被恐怖的邪术摧残得一地狼藉。有人下落不明。家庭遭遇不幸。可中层的集市依旧是熙熙攘攘。泽丽不太清楚究竟发生了什么，但有一件事她敢肯定：祖安将会重建，她也会贡献自己的力量。

Restless, Zeri looked around. Familiar streets showed unfamiliar loss—homes and shops battered by wicked sorcery that nearly ended the world. People were missing. Families were hurting. But crowds still gathered at the Entresol markets. Zeri didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but she knew this: Zaun would rebuild, and she would help.

她看着店主饱经沧桑的双手，又把钱推了回去。“拿去，给你的女儿们买些炸香蕉吧。”

She frowned at the shopkeeper’s work-hardened hands and pushed her own forward. “Get some banana cues. For your girls.”

店主叹了口气，然后笑了。

The shopkeeper sighed, then smiled.

泽丽走在市场里，想起奶奶反复提醒的话。“别理那个老谢伊，他卖的零件都是锈的！早点去玛丽娅大婶的摊子排队，她卤的鸡肉最好吃！”虽然泽丽有时候觉得奶奶有些烦人，但不得不承认她说的常常很有道理。奶奶很了解这片集市，也很熟悉里头的人，比如莫埃的女儿们很爱吃焦糖渍的香蕉。也是在这种时候才让人真正明白远亲不如近邻的道理。

Zeri continued through the market, recalling her grandma’s oft-repeated reminders. “Ignore old man Shay—his parts are always rusted! Line up early at Auntie Maria’s—her marinated chicken is divine!” Zeri admitted her grandma could sometimes seem annoying, but she couldn’t deny that the woman was right. Her grandma knew the market and its people inside out, like how Moe’s daughters loved caramelized bananas. And it was in moments like this where that intimacy proved helpful.

“别跑，死耗子！”

“C’mere, rat!”

泽丽闻声跑去，恰好看见一个男孩挤过人群狂奔。他身后跟着两个男人，一个矮壮敦实，一个高瘦，衣着打扮一看就知道是什么人。——炼金男爵的打手。

Zeri spun toward the noise in time to see a boy scurrying through the crowd. Two men tailed him, one short and square, the other tall with lanky limbs. Their outfits were unmistakable. Chem-baron thugs.

男孩冲到泽丽身边时，她一把拉住他的胳膊。“那边，快。”她朝着莫埃的店子努了努嘴。店主心领神会，点了点头。惊魂未定的男孩却还傻站着。

As the boy darted by, Zeri snatched his arm. “There, quick,” she said, pointing with her lips at Moe’s shop. The shopkeeper nodded knowingly. The frightened boy stood still.

“你信我，跑啊！”

“Trust me—go!”

男孩拔腿就跑，钻到了一张桌子下面。莫埃迅速用桌布盖好。

The boy sprinted over, ducking under a table that Moe quickly covered with cloth.

“喂！在找人吗？”泽丽朝两个打手喊道。

“Hoy! Looking for someone?” Zeri shouted at the lackeys as they approached.

他们推开旁人走了过来。“对，一个小子。刚从这边跑过。你看到了吗？”矮个儿问她。

The men shoved past the locals. “Yeah, a kid. Just ran through here. You see ‘im?” asked the stocky one.

“好像有。又好像没有。”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

矮个男人眯起了眼睛。“好好说。我们不找你麻烦。”

The man narrowed his eyes. “Tell us. We won’t hurt you.”

“不一定吧。不过我们干脆跳到下一步，就是我来找你们麻烦。”

“Doubt that. But let’s skip to the part where I hurt you instead.”

他大笑起来。“你说什么？”

The man laughed. “With what?”

泽丽摸到身后平时背着枪的地方，却什么也没摸着。糟糕。肯定又是落在妈妈的工坊里了。

Zeri reached for where her gun was usually strapped, only to find nothing there. Crap. Must’ve left it at mom's workshop—again.

那就只好见机行事了。她搓着双手，开始跑起来。

Well, time to improvise. She rubbed her hands together and started running in place.

两个打手惊呆了。

The thugs straightened in surprise.

“她是在……跳舞吗？”高个儿问。

“Is she... dancing?” observed the lanky one.

“管她呢，”矮个儿大吼起来。“按住她！”

“Who cares?” his partner squawked. “Nab her already!”

泽丽的手脚变成了一团虚影。她夹克背上的装置是一台被她起名叫火花包的限幅器，在电力的作用下转动着。眨眼之间，她掠过两人，卷起一阵汹涌的闪电，将他们撞倒在地。还未消散的电流打在附近的门和雨棚上，留下轻微的灼烧痕迹。

Zeri’s hands and feet became a blur. The gear on her jacket’s back, a limiter device she called the Sparkpack, spun with building electricity. In a blink, she zipped between the men, bowling them over in a trail of wild lightning. Stray currents bounced from her body onto nearby doors and awnings, leaving little embers.

“哈！”泽丽脚下猛地刹住。两名打手还瘫在地上。她看到一块烧黑的雨棚掉了下来，不禁张大了嘴。“啊对不起！我不是——”

“Woo!” Zeri skid to a screeching halt. The lackeys lay collapsed on the ground. Her jaw dropped as she noticed a blackened awning collapse and fall to the street. “Oh, sorry! I—”

“别担心，没事。”莫埃说完，把桌子底下的男孩叫了出来。

“Don’t worry about it,” said Moe, gesturing under the table for the kid to come out.

“你真厉害！”男孩张开双臂高喊。“求你帮帮我。他们抓走了我爸妈。”

“You’re amazing!” the boy blurted, arms stretched wide. “You gotta help me. They still have my parents.”

“你说什么？在哪儿？”泽丽问。

“What? Where?” Zeri asked.

“就在紫黄铜巷的拐角！那有间工坊。他们被抓到那里去了。还有别人。我看见了！”

“Corner of Brasscopper Alley! A factory. They... they took them there. And others. I saw it!”

“懂了。”泽丽点点头。“你叫什么？”

“Got it,” Zeri nodded. “What’s your name?”

“我叫提米克。”

“Timik.”

“提米克，我会把你爸妈带回来的。”泽丽的目光与莫埃交会。“再帮我个忙，行不？”

“Timik, I’ll get your parents.” Zeri’s eyes met Moe’s. “Mind doing me another favor?”

“当然。”莫埃拍了拍提米克的脑袋。“小孩儿，要不要来点儿炸香蕉当晚饭？”

“Sure thing.” Moe patted Timik’s head. “Hey, kiddo. Want some banana cues for dinner?”

紫黄铜巷和附近的街道一样，两边挤满了炼金男爵们的工坊。空气里满是煤烟，到处都是怪味。除了男爵们，还有谁会逼人在这样的地方干活呢？

Like its neighboring streets, Brasscopper Alley housed rows of chem-baron factories. Soot filled the air, heavy enough to taste. Who else but the barons would force people to work in these conditions?

街角有几个门卫在玩牌。他们浑身透着劣质酒水的臭味，旁边有一座破败的建筑，双开的大门上锈迹斑斑。跟提米克说的一样。泽丽摸摸腰带，确定自己把枪带上了。

On the corner, a few guards reeking of less-than-fine spirits played cards by a run-down building with rusted double doors. Just like Timik described. Zeri touched her belt, ensuring her gun was secure.

她四下寻找入口，在一堵墙上发现了一个歪斜的通风管入口，大小刚好够她钻进去。她跳起来够，却还差了几寸。泽丽后退几步，脚下开始亮起火花。在电能的帮助下，这回她跳高了许多。

She looked for another way in, spotting a rickety air vent large enough to crawl through halfway up a nearby wall. She jumped for the opening, coming up inches short. Stepping back, Zeri ran, her feet catching sparks. She hopped higher this time, boosted by her electricity.

“那张牌你刚出过了！”她的手指刚抓住通风管的边缘，就听到其中一个门卫大吼起来。

“You already played that card!” she heard a guard growl as her fingers gripped the vent’s edge.

“没有！”另一个生气大叫。“是你自己喝多了，眼神有问题！”

“Did not!” snapped another. “And you woulda known too if yer head wasn’t buried in that bottle.”

泽丽松了口气。奶奶，你又说对了。夜里的守卫更松懈。

Zeri exhaled in relief. Right again, Grandma. Guards are lazier at night.

她屈起身钻进了通风管。爬了一段，找到一个大的格栅口。底下是一个奇怪的房间，四面墙上都装着粗大的金属管。出口就在她先前看到的双开门旁边。

She pulled herself into the vent and started crawling, eventually coming to a large grate in the floor. Below was a curious room where wide metal pipes lined every wall. The exit was closed off by the double doors she saw earlier.

房间里有一群人正在组装零件，周围还有几个打手拿着用海克斯科技驱动的机械矛，就像狱卒一样。每当有东西来到组装线的末端，就会有一个打手负责检验。而每次都是一道蓝光闪过，然后再没动静。班头就会把这些次品砸掉，命令工人从头开始。“不是都说你们脑子很好吗？”他往地上啐了一口。

In the middle, a group of people assembled parts as several thugs with hextech-powered spears watched on like jail guards. Every time something reached the end of the assembly line, a thug tested it. And every time, there’d be a flash of blue light followed by nothing. The guard captain smashed these apparent failures and demanded the people start over. “And they said you were the smart ones,” he said, spitting on the floor.

泽丽看得出来，这些工人都是被强迫的。他们之中有父母、夫妻还有朋友，大家都很痛苦。

Zeri could tell these people were clearly being held against their will. Parents and spouses and friends, all suffering.

“啊！”泽丽没有多想，一拳砸在格栅上。因为愤怒，再加上她的电力，格栅晃荡起来。她慌忙想要稳住，可是沉重的格栅脱掉了下去，连着她一起。一声巨响，她落在了房间正中央。

“Argh!” Without thinking, Zeri banged a fist charged with frustration and electricity against the grate, which rattled from the impact. Zeri scrambled to secure it, but as the heavy grate fell from its fixture, so did she. With a loud clang, she landed in the middle of the factory floor.

众人惊呼一声，往后一退。

The room gasped and recoiled in surprise.

“是他？”一个打手回过神来，问道。

“Is it him?” asked a thug, shaking off the shock.

班头恶狠狠地说：“不是。她脸上没画那个沙漏。”

“No,” snarled the captain. “Her face doesn’t have the painted hourglass.”

泽丽嗖地一下站了起来。“不知道你们在说谁，但你们不能把这些人关在这里。”

Zeri rushed to her feet. “Dunno who you’re expecting, but you can’t keep these people here like this.”

班头嗤了一声：“谁说不行？”

The captain scowled. “Says who?”

“我说的。”

“Me.”

泽丽抽出了枪，右手紧握住沾满红锈的握柄。枪是她妈妈设计的，没有扳机也没有弹匣，全靠她内在的电力驱动。而现在泽丽除了电力之外，浑身充满了怒火。静电火花从泽丽手中流进了导电的枪管。她端枪瞄准。

Zeri whipped out her gun, her right hand clutching its rusted crimson grip. Her mom had designed it without trigger or magazine, needing only her daughter’s innate electricity, which now swelled with anger. Static buzzed from Zeri’s hand into the gun’s conductive barrel. She took aim.

“强穿激光！”

“Ultrashock laser!”

一道强光伴随雷鸣打穿了双开门，锈蚀的门板四分五裂。

A thunderous beam struck the double doors behind the thugs, blasting the rusted metal apart.

“快跑！”泽丽大喊。“我来处理他们！”

“Run!” Zeri cried. “I’ll take care of the guards!”

工人们四散逃跑，门卫紧追上去。

The hostages scattered, guards in pursuit.

一个女人抓住了泽丽的手臂。“你有没有见过我儿子？他没被抓进来！”

A woman grabbed Zeri’s arm. “Have you seen my son? He wasn’t taken with us!”

“提米克没事，他在——”

“Timik’s fine. He’s—”

“提米克？不是，他不叫——”

“Timik? No, that’s not—”

打手越来越多了。泽丽枪口一甩，对准打手立刻开火，掀翻他们，打开了一条出路。

More thugs swarmed close. Zeri yanked her gun to face them and fired, pushing them back and creating space for the worried woman to flee.

“得走了。”一个男人拉起女人就跑。

“We gotta go,” a man warned, pulling the woman away.

泽丽接连射出电火，掩护他们逃命。“这里的事要是让你们老大知道了，你们就该后悔没把我在这儿就打死。”她对着敌人大叫。

Zeri unleashed more electric bullets as coverfire. “When word of this gets out to your boss,” she yelled, “you’re gonna wish you’d killed me here.”

打手们气急败坏，放弃了工人，转向泽丽扑来。

The frustrated guards turned their attention away from the fleeing hostages and toward Zeri.

对啦。找我就对啦。

Good. Come to me.

等到敌人靠近，她就翻身跳上了墙上交错的管道。都是用黄铜和紫铜铸成的——天然的导体。

As they approached, she vaulted onto one of the wide interlocking pipes attached to the walls. It was made of brass and copper—natural conductors.

泽丽的双脚泛起电光，噼啪作响。在电力的推动下，她在管道组成的网络上滑动穿梭，同时弹如雨下，打中了扑来的三名打手。他们浑身抽出，还没倒地就已然昏厥过去。泽丽轻捷地转了个方向，又放倒了几个想从管网后方爬上来包抄她的人。剩下的敌人不多了。她很快就能回家了。家里人可能已经着急死了……

Zeri’s feet crackled with electricity. Fueled by her sparks, she skated along the web of pipes, unloading flurries of bullets at three of the onrushing guards. Their bodies twitched and flailed before falling over. Deftly, Zeri switched directions, dropping the next few who were climbing the side railings to surprise her from behind. Only a handful of her attackers were left. She could head home soon. Her family was probably worried sick...

脚下的管道突然炸开，泽丽失去了平衡。她一头栽了下来。

A blast struck the pipe beneath Zeri, forcing her off balance. She crashed to the ground.

“还跑。”班头手里拿着一杆像是海克斯火炮的家伙，炮口还在冒烟。他的手下们端着枪矛围了上来。

“Got you now,” the captain said, holding what looked like a hextech cannon, smoke billowing off its muzzle. His remaining troops rallied, spears ready.

泽丽挣扎着站起身来，头晕目眩，膝盖也磨破了。电流围绕着她伤痕累累的身体跳跃。她举起枪开火。

Zeri struggled to her feet, head spinning, knees scraped and bleeding, electric currents flickering across her injured body. She lifted her gun to fire.

枪口只发出了嘶嘶声。

It fizzled.

班头狞笑起来。

The captain smirked.

该死！肯定是摔下来的时候弄坏了。

Damn! Must’ve broken in the fall.

坏人越来越近。

Her enemies closed in.

“不管了！”泽丽把枪甩开，扯掉了夹克。没有了火花包的限制，她感到身上的电压陡然升高。泽丽腾空而起，朝着天花板挥出左拳。

“Screw it!” Zeri chucked her gun aside and tore off her jacket. Freed of the Sparkpack, she felt her body surge with voltage. Leaping into the air, she punched her left fist up toward the ceiling.

“超限爆闪！”

“LIGHTNING CRASH!”

生物化电流从她拳上涌出，流过胸口，最后蔓延到全身，在空间中荡起涟漪。电流激化成闪电风暴，金属表面电弧翻腾，发出狂躁的爆裂声，随着泽丽的能量淹没了整个房间。打手们浑身剧颤，随后全部扑倒在地。

Bioelectric waves shot from her fist, then her chest, and then her entire body, ripping the space asunder. Like a lightning storm, the waves arced off conductive metals, crackling violently as they drowned the room with Zeri’s raw power. Bodies jolted before dropping in droves.

泽丽也跪了下来，靠拳头撑起了身子。她眨着眼睛，甩出汗水，一瞬间感到全身每处伤口都开始剧痛。“这样应该行吧。”

Zeri fell to her knees, her knuckles propping her up. Blinking sweat from her eyes, she felt searing pain from her wounds everywhere at once. “That better have worked.”

“你这小杂种。”房间里突然响起了班头的声音。泽丽看见他摇摇晃晃地站起来，鼻子和耳朵都在流血。

“You little shit.” The captain's voice cut through the room. Zeri saw him stumble to his feet, bleeding from his nose and ears.

“为什么？”泽丽怒吼起来。“为什么要害无辜的人？”

“Why?” Zeri roared. “Why hurt innocent people?”

班头冷笑一声，踢开身边瘫软的人，寻找他的武器。“在那位夫人眼里，没有无辜的人。”

The man scoffed, kicking the limp bodies around him in search of his weapon. “No one’s innocent in the baroness’s eyes.”

班头举起火炮，对准泽丽。轰鸣声逐渐响起。

A hum filled the air as the captain lifted his cannon toward Zeri.

泽丽鼓起最后一丝力气，侧身一翻，滑进了一根摔落在地的管道。火炮将她和管道一起掼飞，撞上了墙壁。泽丽什么都看不见了。等到她的眼睛再次睁开时，班头已经不知去向。

With what little force she could muster, Zeri tumbled to the side and slipped behind a large fallen pipe. The blast flung her and her cover into a wall. Zeri’s vision turned black. When her eyes opened, the captain was gone.

月光下，泽丽步履蹒跚地穿过几近无人的街道，朝家里走去。她很高兴大家都安全了，但心里仍然怒气未消。那些炼金男爵，总是那么富足。他们拥有更多的资源，更大的权力。他们的力量来自他们所建立的体制，管束着所有人，为的就是创建一个任由他们掌控的祖安。也许那个班头说的没错，没有无辜的人。

Staggering under moonlight, Zeri headed home through nearly empty streets. She was relieved the hostages were safe, but still gritted her teeth. The chem-barons—they always had more. More resources, more power. Their strength was the system they created with everyone under their reign, all contributing to a Zaun they controlled. Maybe the captain was right—no one’s innocent.

而每个人也都是受害者。

And everyone’s a victim.

身后突然闪过一道蓝光。泽丽停下了脚步。

A flash of blue light erupted behind her, stopping Zeri in her tracks.

“喂，干得漂亮。”

“Hey, nice work.”

她转过身，看见一个脸上画着涂料的少年，手里有一根发光的棒子。泽丽不确定自己是不是被跟踪了，只能竭力想要准备好架势，却连站直的力气都没有。

She turned to see a teenager with a painted face and a glowing bat in hand. Unsure if she’d been tailed, Zeri tried to ready herself once more, but struggled to stand up straight in the face of the stranger.

“别紧张。”少年说道。“提米克跟我说了你的事。”

“Relax,” the young man said. “Timik told me about you.”

“那你又是谁？”泽丽问。

“And who are you?” Zeri asked.

“叫我艾克。仓库那帮蠢货本来是在找我，然后你却冒了出来。但是说真的，他们被整惨了。”

“Name’s Ekko. Those goons from the warehouse were looking for me before you showed up. But man, you wrecked ‘em.”

泽丽松了口气。只要他和男爵们过不去就行。

Zeri sighed. If he’s against the barons, he’s alright.

艾克继续道：“你看，我知道你有很多想问的——我也是。那我就直接说了……为什么要帮你不认识的人？”

“Look,” Ekko continued, “I know you’ve got questions—so do I. And I’ve gotta ask... why help folks you don’t know?”

泽丽耸耸肩：“是为了我的同胞们。”

Zeri shrugged. “I stand up for my community.”

艾克笑了。“那咱们可有的聊了。祖安就需要你这样的……我也得谢谢你，今晚救了我爸妈。”

Ekko smiled. “Then we should talk. Zaun needs people like you… and I oughta thank you for saving my parents tonight, too.”

泽丽也微笑道：“随时乐意。”

Zeri smiled back. “Anytime.”