Chapter 5: Past and Present

emsp;emsp;Holding a banquet in a carriage filled with corpses.

emsp;emsp;Haikou originally thought it was just a joke mentioned by Vito in passing.

emsp;emsp;But he never expected that this scene would actually happen right in front of him, and he himself would be a participant in this absurd situation.

emsp;The dim yellow lights barely keep the darkness outside the window. The floor is covered with scattered bloodstains and brain matter, which is nauseating.

emsp;However, this group of self-proclaimed bandits, sitting by the sizzling barbecue pit, are happily eating and drinking, completely unaffected.

emsp;emsp;海克战战兢兢地坐在赏给他的座位上，只用屁股沾个小半边。

emsp;emsp;他知道自己就算成了所谓的合作伙伴，也终究是外人，所以也没急着主动寻求融入这个团体，镇定下来后，也只是一直在闷着头往嘴里灌酒。

emsp;What an interesting encounter in life, with ups and downs hanging by a thread.

emsp;Sitting on the familiar leather seat, drinking the wine I brought from Marinfando, Haikes reminisced about a few hours ago when he set off confidently with his entourage. Now, smelling the faint bloody scent lingering in the carriage, he felt a bit dazed for a moment.

emsp;He dared not show any cunning thoughts, and quickly snapped back to reality. He lowered his head and poured the wine to conceal his emotions.

emsp;At this moment, he noticed that Vito, sitting opposite him, did not eat much either. He was silently smoking, his head turned towards the darkness outside the window.

emsp;emsp;What is this man thinking now?

emsp;emsp;……

emsp;emsp;Vito naturally also noticed Haik's gaze.

emsp;emsp;He didn't turn around, still staring at the sea shrouded in dark night.

emsp;The heavy rain has stopped, and the sound of the surging tide and waves can be heard through the glass window, just like the scene in the dream in the mountains.

emsp; Translated content:

emsp;emsp;"It's been sixteen years."

emsp;emsp;Vittorio caressed the antiquated and weathered design of the lighter in his hand. After a lengthy silence, he muttered in a soft voice that only he could hear, "Finally, I'm taking this step..."

emsp;emsp;Sixteen.

emsp;emsp;The meaning of this number is only clear to Vito himself in this world.

emsp;emsp;He is already twenty-six years old this year, but in fact, he has only been in this world for sixteen years. The previous ten years of his life belonged to the original owner of this body, a sickly and weak little boy.

emsp;emsp;那才是真正的柯里昂·维托，而他，在魂穿来此，接管这具身体之前，是个来自地球，叫做李昂的男人。

emsp;That is a world where social order completely collapses after a great catastrophe. Countless mutant monsters rampage on the ground, and the surviving humans can only hide in various scattered shelters underground, struggling to survive in harsh environments.

;

emsp;According to logic, he, as the strongest one in this order that heavily relies on individual power, is fully qualified to compete for control over the underground city. As for assuming a dominant position and bringing the organization that trained him under his command, that shouldn't be difficult either.

emsp;However.

emsp;emsp;Li Ang, by nature, is detached, dedicating his entire day to the practice of martial arts. He remains unaffected even when he realizes that he has become a mere pawn in the power struggle among influential figures.

emsp;emsp;在他看来，有结党营私的工夫，还不如去执行外出任务，多猎杀几只在地表肆虐的怪物，以告慰父母的在天亡灵来的有意义。

emsp;It is a pity that despite Li Ang's reluctance to take sides, he ended up arousing the suspicion of all those in power.

emsp;Coincidentally, the underground base was under heavy monster attacks, and in a precarious situation, Li Ang bravely volunteered to cover the rear. The people in power promised to provide transportation and reinforcements, but when Li Ang finally completed his mission and arrived at the agreed location, he despairingly realized that he had been completely abandoned in the deserted city.

emsp;There was a day when Liang fought desperately but exhausted, eventually succumbing to the onslaught of monsters like a tidal wave.

emsp;When he reopened his eyes, he had transformed into a ten-year-old boy, now given a new life in the form of Corleon Vito. I have translated the provided Chinese text into English while keeping all @ matches intact.

emsp;emsp;周围的一切都是那么陌生，李昂从来没想过自己的人生会以那么讽刺的方式收尾结束，又如此荒诞地让他来到了一个曾经被自己视为虚拟的漫画世界之中。

emsp;emsp;是的，漫画世界。

emsp;emsp;末日孤儿院的日子枯燥难熬，幼年的他也曾靠着几本灾难前留存下来的漫画书打发时光，所以在摸清楚自己的处境后，很快便将自己所处的世界，与其中一本叫《海贼王》的漫画对上了号。

emsp;emsp;这是一件很不幸的事，因为那些漫画的阅读年代过于久远，李昂对其中的细节早已记得不太明晰。

emsp;emsp;而且由于爆发灾变时这本漫画尚未完结，那位岛国作者就丧命于怪物之口，整个故事的走向结局，也就成了永恒的未解之谜。

emsp;emsp;换句话说，脑海中的模糊记忆，仅仅是让他知道自己来到了怎样一个世界而已，先知先觉的优势，对维托来说根本就不存在。

emsp;Luckily, the goddess of fortune made up for it elsewhere.

emsp; In his previous life, Li Ang had never experienced family affection. But in this life, he had a father who had a son in his old age. Although this father had no achievements and had spent his whole life as a leader of bandits in the deep mountains and forests, he loved and cherished his only son, Vito, to the core.

emsp;Overindulgence made the former little boy of Vito arrogant and mischievous. Unable to hold back at the mountaintop, he secretly went down the mountain to play, hiding it from his father. Unfortunately, he had an accident and drowned, ultimately dying by the riverside. Li Ang, who had his soul transmigrated, happened to find this advantageous situation.

emsp;emsp;"Heh..."

emsp;emsp;回想起当年刚拖着湿漉漉的身体回到山寨时，急坏了的老爹那副跪地嚎哭、喜极而泣的模样，维托失笑着摇了摇头，看向窗外夜色的目光中，不由浮现起一抹怀缅之色。

@ @ @ He never thought that when he first came into this world, he would actually be able to experience the long-awaited warmth between father and son from his previous life, and enjoy it for a whole ten years and more.

emsp;emsp;甚至让被前世临死前的经历彻底改变性格，导致对权势无比渴望的他，延缓了原本的出海计划，一直到陪着那个老头终老病死在床榻之上，才终于走出那片深山。

emsp;emsp;“老罗恩啊……”

emsp;emsp;他从窗外收回了目光，注视着摊开的掌心当中，那枚熟悉的打火机，这是老头临死前，亲手交给他的最后一样东西。

emsp;”You said, all those years ago, you actually wanted me to stay in the mountains forever and never go out, so why did you hand this thing to me when you were about to die?"

emsp;In the orange light, shining on his handsome face, the half-exposed expressionless half-face couldn't hide from the shadows.

emsp;"So you did see through my disguise, huh? You found out that while you were bedridden for these past few years, I unified all the mountain bandits in the eastern region and became a wanted criminal by the World Government. I can no longer hide in the deep mountains, can I?"

emsp;emsp;“结果最后还一直嘴硬呢，说什么山里家大业大不能丢，要是我实在混不下去了，再拿着你的这个破打火机，去海军本部投奔你当初的一个老朋友。”

emsp;emsp;“你这家伙，果然不是一个山贼头子那么简单吧，当初应该是在躲避什么，才会进了深山老林，还不想让我接触外面的世界吧？”

emsp;emsp;“开什么玩笑呢。”

emsp;emsp;维托最后看了一眼打火机，将其收回了怀中的口袋里，目光穿过夜色，幽幽望向远处的天际线，“投奔人，可从来不是我能做出来的事。”

emsp;emsp;与之相比，还是先完成自己的小目标，先当个海军元帅好了。

emsp;emsp;到时候再顺手查一查，当年究竟发生了什么，让你这个倔强的死老头，到死都没有踏出红土大陆一步吧。