可谁知Ghost却笑了笑,轻声道, "Not bad. Good timing." (……不错。时机抓得好。) 他活动着手臂肩膀,确认关节在剧痛之余仍然完好,慢悠悠的补了一句, "Good acting too. Playing dead." (……装死的演技也不错。)
"Had to learn something from you, didn't I?" (……总要从你身上学到点东西,不是吗?) 你得意的笑意漾开,盯着他, "Like sucker punches." (比如偷袭。) 你成功了,哪怕只是一次,以彼之道还治彼身。
"That's... also a tactic." (……也是战术。) 他扶了扶被你膝窝卡的生疼的下颌,转了转脖子。
他盯了你片刻,正色道, "Effective, but it's still grappling. If your luck runs out, that mindset will drag you—" (虽然有效,但这仍是缠斗思维,如果运气不好,它会拖累……)
"Listen, Ghost." (听着,Ghost。) 你打断了他的话, "Grappling is part of my toolkit. Maybe it's a weakness. But it's also my strength." (缠斗技巧是我的一部分。缠斗思维也许是我的弱点,但它也是我的优势。)
"Confidence is good, Captain." (自信,是好事,上尉。) 被你话语牵引,他扬了扬眉毛,神态似乎松动了一些, "But the point of this training is to teach you how to fight bigger opponents." (但这个训练的目的是让你适应以小博大。)
"Oh, thanks for the explanation. Here I thought you were just showing off your unbeatable skills to crush my morale." (哦,可真是感谢解释。我还以为你是为了像我展示你那不可战胜的高超能力,好来击垮我的战斗士气的。) 你冷笑着吐槽,Ghost一时语塞。
当然,你也并非不明白他的好心和用意。你敛了笑意,正色道, "But since you're training me, Ghost—train all of me." (……也正因如此,Ghost,既然要训练我,那就训练全部的我。)
Ghost挑眉,重新审视着你,眼神闪了闪,低声道, "In combat, life and death... there are no rules." (战场,生死面前……没有规则。)
"Then stop making up bullshit rules for me." (那就别给我设立那些狗屁规则。) 你立刻反驳, "Not hitting your opponent's biggest weakness in training? That's already me doing you a favor." (……训练里不能攻击对手的最大弱点,就已经是对你的保护了。) 你扬起眉毛,朝他两腿中间瞥了一眼。真到了空手近距离接敌的实战,还有比裆部更好的顶膝目标吗?
Ghost轻笑, "That's one way to see it. But—" (这话倒是有道理,但……)
你猜到他后面大约都是你不爱听的,于是截住了他的话, "So—just like I don't have your male physical advantages, you've never fought like a woman either. Right?" (所以——就像我没有男人的身体优势一样,你也没有像一个女人那样战斗的经验,不是吗。) 你直直的盯着他的双眼。
Ghost上半身压下来,几乎与你脸贴着脸,逼视着你,努力压抑着不悦与音量,一字一顿, "I told you. No. Self-destructive. Moves. In training." (我告诉过你,禁!止!在训练中做这样的事。)
这种对抗里,你本就处于劣势,用尽一切可能的方式争取优势,又有哪里不对?你沉默着,嘴唇紧抿。
Ghost能感觉到你在他身下依然紧绷不肯屈服的肌肉,眉头皱得更紧, "The point is to keep you alive. Longer. Not to get you broken on the mat!" (不允许在训练里做自伤行为!训练目的是让你活下来,活久点——不是让你在训练场上把自己搞残!)
"A water bottle doesn't replace my seafood dinner." (别以为一瓶水就能抵消我的海鲜大餐……) 你气哼哼的回味和可惜那难得的一顿美食佳肴,咬牙切齿, "I hate you." (……我恨你。)
Ghost愣了半晌,慢慢的坐在你旁边的长凳上, "Yeah. I know." (嗯……我知道。) 他轻声说。
看他反应平平,你不忿的追加差评, "Your training methods suck too." (你的训练方式也挺烂的。)
"Is that right? First complaint I've gotten." (是吗……你是以唯一一个差评。) 他侧头看你,似笑非笑。
"I'm assuming everyone else who complained got disappeared." (……我合理怀疑其他给差评的都被你灭口了。) 你叫到, "I want to file a grievance. Against tyrannical training practices that damage mental and physical health." (我要投诉,我要反对极权暴政,反对损害身心健康的高压训练。)
他没接茬你的玩笑话。沉默了一会儿,低声道, "You're not that fragile. Are you?" (你没那么脆弱……不是吗?)
你长长地叹了口气,试着换个话题, "...Why were you so angry back there?" (……你刚才为什么要那么生气?) 你向后一靠,抵上墙壁, "A more aggressive angle makes it more unexpected. Risk and opportunity go hand in hand, don't they?"
(一个冒险攻击角度,才能更加出其不意。风险和机遇总是并存的,不是吗。)
Ghost沉默良久,也向后一靠,与你并肩倚在墙上, "...Because I've seen too many soldiers who got used to trading injury for advantage." (……因为我见过不少习惯用自伤换取优势的士兵,) 触及了并不愉快的记忆,他看着空旷的场馆,视线不再聚焦, "Either they retired early because of those injuries. Or they died in battles where that kind of trade was never necessary." (他们要么提前因伤退役,要么死在某个根本不需要那样做的战场上。)
你沉默了一会儿,苍白辩驳, "I wasn't trying to hurt myself—" (……我不是想自伤,) 但你似乎也找不到什么合适借口, "I was just..." (我只是……)
"You just wanted to win. I know, YN." (……你只是想赢。我知道,YN,) Ghost替你说了出来,声音里带着洞悉一切的平淡, "I know what you're trying to prove. But if I said I've never underestimated you... would you believe me?" (我知道你想证明什么。但如果……我说,我从没轻看过你,你相信吗?)
你当然不信。
你飞快的瞥了他一眼,发现他仍然直视前方的场地,并没看你, "Your actions... they keep stepping outside the safety line. It… confuses me." (你的行为总在安全边界外……让我感到困惑,) 他坦言道, "Makes me feel... out of control." (……感到……失控。)
这种罕见的自我暴露让他感到口干舌燥,他提起面罩下缘,给自己猛灌了几口冰水。
"...So you keep pushing me? Targeting me?" (……所以就总是针对我压力我?) 盯着溢出他唇边的水线沿着他的下颌流进了衣领又晕成水渍,你在他的默认似的沉默里垂下视线, "But the more pressure you apply... the less I want to tap out." (可压力越大……我就越不想认输。)
面对他的坦诚,你似乎也不知不觉间卸下了一些心理防御。
"Not wanting to tap out and not being able to tap out are two different things. One is pride. One is survival. On the battlefield, when the first replaces the second... that's dangerous." (不想认输和不能认输是两回事。前者是自尊,后者是生存。战场上,前者代替后者思考,很危险。) Ghost说, "Every round you win by trading injury for advantage reinforces self-destructive tactics. And that is... completely unnecessary." (用自伤换得优势赢下的每一场,都是在强化你的自毁战术和倾向,那绝对是……不必要的。)
"No shit." (废话。) 你用膝盖碰了一下他的腿,不满这个敷衍的答案, "There's got to be one main one... the one who influenced you the most?" (总有一个主要的吧……影响最大的那个?)
"...There was a retired SAS instructor brought back on contract. He taught combat thinking more than technique. If I had to pick the biggest influence... him." (……SAS内部有一个退役返聘的教官。他传授格斗思维多过技术。如果说影响最大的那个……应该就是他。) 他想了想,补充道, "He said fighting isn't about moves. It's about decision speed. Whoever makes the right decision first lives first." (他说,格斗的本质不是招式,是决策速度。谁先做出正确的决定,谁就先活下来。)
"Can't smile either? No sound, no teeth showing—doesn't meet the definition of a smile." (笑也不行?我一没出声,二没露齿,不构成笑的事实定义。)
这人诡辩真是一把好手。你指着他的脸急道, "Your eyes are smiling! I saw it." (你眼睛分明在笑!我看到了。)
咕——!
你的胃适时又发出一声更响亮的咕噜,在你的辩词上补了一记重击,彻底摧毁了所有防御阵地。
Ghost终于忍不住嗤的一声笑了出来, "Alright. Go find something to eat, dictator." (好了,去找点东西吃吧,独裁者。) 他说,声音里满是笑意, "Your stomach just called time. Tonight's done." (既然你的胃替你喊停,那今晚就到此为止。)
"Done?" (到此为止?) 你愣了一下,有些不爽,你还没好好的赢他一回合呢。
"You've already made progress. More training tonight would just be diminishing returns." (我想今天你已经有所收获了,再练下去边际效益也递减了。) Ghost说着,弯腰拎起了那个‘换换口味’的打包袋, "You and your stomach need a break. Get something easy to digest. Bland stuff—" (你和你的胃都需要先缓一缓。弄点好消化的,清淡点的……)
Ghost晃了晃手中的袋子,看到了你追着袋子的目光,笑道, "I'm saving this paella from you." (我是要帮自己保住这份海鲜饭。)
"No, stop right there—" (不行,你站住!) 你从长凳上弹起,伸手就去够那个打包袋。 "Give it back. I brought that—" (把那个给我,是我带来的——)
Ghost把袋子往身后一撤,侧身挡住了你, "Right. You brought it for me. It's mine now. Ownership transferred." (对,是带给我的。你已经给我了,所有权已经转移了。)
"I take it back—gift rescinded—" (我反悔了——撤回馈赠!) 你伸手去抢, "As compensation for beating me up for an hour, this should be mine too—" (作为殴打我一小时的补偿,这盒饭也应该归我——)
"Rescission not accepted! Bullshit. No one beat you up. That was training. You did a risky move and made yourself puke. That's not grounds for compensation—" (不接受撤回!胡说八道,谁殴打你一小时,这是训练。而且是你自己做危险动作导致呕吐,不能构成事故补偿的依据——)
"Then I'm commandeering it under battlefield protocols—" (那我就执行战场征收!)