Top Edge

Shen Siwei opened his eyes, looking blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling. It took him a good three seconds to recall that he was on a mission.

His relaxed nerves suddenly tightened, and Shen Siwei cautiously sat up from the sofa, only to see his target for the mission leisurely sitting at the dining table, enjoying breakfast.

“You really have a big heart,” klet said. “You can sleep so soundly even at my place.”

Shen Siwei also found it strange. How did he suddenly become so sleepy?

After thinking it over, it seemed that the only explanation was the aftereffects of cryostasis.

klet tapped the plate in front of him with a fork and asked, “Food or nutrient supplement?”

The taste of food was better than nutrient supplements, but the nutritional content might not necessarily be higher. Moreover, with the expensive price of meat and the slogan of protecting the ecology being chanted for many years, it was best to choose the latter unless necessary.

—Shen Siwei thought this was a choice among all citizens.

However, in front of klet was a large plate of stewed beef, enough for two or three people. Shen Siwei couldn’t help but furrow his brows. If an energy crisis happened again in the future, this rogue leader would definitely have some contribution to it.

“Nutrient supplement, thank you.”

“There’s some in the fridge, help yourself.”

In klet’s dictionary, it seemed that the phrase “hospitality” didn’t exist.

Shen Siwei could only act like a half host and heat the bagged nutrient supplement in the microwave. Then he found a clean bowl and spoon from the cabinet.

Actually, the refrigerated nutrient supplement could be consumed directly, but after being frozen for so many years, Shen Siwei preferred the warm sensation.

Carrying the bowl, Shen Siwei sat down opposite klet and took off the oxygen mask on his face.

The “authentic” air suddenly drifted into his nostrils, and his gaze unavoidably fell onto the plate in front of klet.

—Why does it smell so good?

Having not eaten a proper meal for many years, Shen Siwei didn’t have a particular craving. But now the situation was like he was eating plain bread while klet was enjoying a feast, putting his self-control to the test.

“Do you want some?” klet noticed Shen Siwei’s gaze.

“No.” Shen Siwei withdrew his gaze indifferently and scooped a spoonful of the mushy nutrient supplement into his mouth. It was chicken flavored and not too bad.

“Do you also eat nutrient supplements in the sky?” klet asked.

By “sky,” he naturally meant the top level of the Life Tree.

Honestly, Shen Siwei had never had a meal at the top level, but the Marg people, who advocated protecting the ecology, would definitely lead by example.

“Of course,” Shen Siwei didn’t want klet to continue inquiring about the top level, so he changed the topic. “When should we negotiate?”

Chewing his food, klet didn’t immediately answer Shen Siwei’s question.

After a moment, he leisurely swallowed the food and then said, “We can do it now.”

One was a noble negotiator, and the other was a leader of the displaced people. The two of them were about to discuss major matters concerning the future of the Life Tree, yet the negotiation was taking place in a rundown apartment.

To be more precise, it was on klet’s dining table.

The adult advertisements outside the window no longer blinked, but the crows landing on the balcony occasionally made “caw caw” sounds, which would inevitably affect the atmosphere of the negotiation.

“Eating while negotiating?” Shen Siwei asked.

“I don’t mind,” klet shrugged.

“Then you go ahead,” Shen Siwei adopted a chatty tone, “What are your demands?”

klet seemed prepared and blurted out, “Open energy supply.”

Shen Siwei raised an eyebrow and immediately responded, “That’s impossible.”

If energy were to be used without control, it would only harm everyone’s interests. He believed that normal people understood this logic, which is why most civilians were willing to accept the leadership of the Marg people.

“In that case, there’s no need to talk,” Cret said, “I’ll have someone send you away later.”

Shen Siwei: “…” Is this called negotiation?

Judging from klet’s expression, he didn’t seem surprised at all that Shen Siwei would reject his demands.

In other words, he had no intention of negotiating, just casually made a request to quickly get rid of Shen Siwei.

Putting down the spoon in his hand, Shen Siwei looked displeased and said, “I won’t leave until we come to an understanding.”

klet ignored him and said to himself, “It’s safer during the day, I don’t need to personally escort you.”

“I don’t believe that you led the displaced people to attack without wanting anything,” Shen Siwei retorted.

“I can only take you to the barricade, you’ll have to call someone to pick you up.”

“Money? Or power? As long as you bring it up, we can negotiate.”

Both of them continued speaking to themselves, and in the end, klet became impatient.

He finally looked directly into Shen Siwei’s eyes, furrowing his brows slightly, and said, “So, what do you want from me? Negotiator.”

The topic had finally opened a breakthrough, and Shen Siwei immediately responded, “Peace.”

Upon hearing this, klet chuckled as if Shen Siwei had said something funny. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Shen Siwei from a distance, saying, “You really should go outside the Life Tree and take a look.”

Shen Siwei had been outside the Life Tree before, but not too many times. Twenty years had passed, and he didn’t know if the environment outside the tree had become even harsher.

“Many things can be resolved through dialogue,” Shen Siwei slowed down his speech, “War will waste a significant amount of energy which could be avoided.”

“Should I remind you,”klet tilted his head, looking lazy, “Those energy resources don’t belong to us in the first place. Waste doesn’t exist for us.”

In other words, the Marg people controlled those energy resources, and even if they were wasted, they wouldn’t feel the effect.

“You shouldn’t think that way,” Shen Siwei suddenly realized that communication was more difficult than he had imagined. If he had known, he wouldn’t have casually said “peace” as his answer. “From an environmental perspective, everyone should avoid wasting.”

“Environment?” Klet raised an eyebrow, leaning on the table with his elbow and getting closer to Shen Siwei. “Your thinking is strange, Negotiator. Are you sure you’re really a Margian?”

Shen Siwei pursed his lips and calmly replied, “What’s so strange about it?”

“If Margians really cared about the environment,” Klet said, “your ancestors wouldn’t have built the Life Tree and allowed other areas to become wastelands.”

Margian ancestors were super-rich, and they provided immense startup capital. Most of the common people inside the Life Tree depended on the Margians because, without the Margian ancestors, they would have lived in extremely harsh environments.

The western desert was considered “friendly,” while the northern frigid ice fields, southern city ruins, and the eastern deep sea were considered dangerous.

As a member of the group, Shen Siwei should have used “we” instead of isolating himself and referring to the Margians from a third-party perspective.

Although such little details did not prove that Shen Siwei was not a Margian, his subconscious act of separating himself indicated that he had already drawn a line between himself and the Margians.

It was strange.

At least, before being frozen, Shen Siwei had never shown such tendencies.

During this conversation with Klet, he seemed logically confused, as if he couldn’t determine his own stance.

The sound of snapping fingers interrupted Shen Siwei’s thoughts.

Klet said, “Seems like you’re easily distracted.”

“I’m feeling a bit stressed,” Shen Siwei adjusted his thoughts and tried to play the role of a qualified Margian. “Since the negotiation isn’t progressing, I won’t go anywhere.”

His stubbornness seemed to irritate Klet, who now spoke in an impatient tone, “I don’t have time to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection,” Shen Siwei replied.

“Are you sure?” Klet suddenly straightened his back.

Shen Siwei had a high sensitivity to danger and had an intuition that Klet was about to make a move. 

But unexpectedly, the first thing this rogue leader did was snatch away his face mask.

“I don’t think you’ll die if you don’t wear this thing,” Klet said.

—That’s because eating doesn’t count as an activity.

Shen Siwei furrowed his brow deeply. “Give it back to me.”

“If you can take it from me,” Klet leisurely leaned back on the chair, “then I’ll agree to let you stay.”

As Klet tossed his mask from his left hand to his right and then back to his left, Shen Siwei felt a surge of anger in his chest.

With a cold expression, he stood up and walked towards Klet, he couldn’t make overly large movements, so he was never as fast as Krete.

“You… give it back to me…”

After just a few attempts, Shen Siwei already felt his breath becoming restricted. He couldn’t help but feel annoyed with his own body. Why did he get so out of breath with just a few movements?

“Is your body really that weak?” Klet asked him.

“Huff… huff…”

Shen Siwei had to lean on the edge of the table to regain his breath, but at this moment, he noticed that Klet had stopped moving, so he decided to pounce directly.

He thought he could easily overpower Klet and retrieve his face mask.

But  Shen Siwei, with all his effort, couldn’t match Klet’s single arm.

Klet effortlessly caught Shen Siwei as he lunged, firmly holding him in his arms. “Are you sure you don’t need someone to protect you?”

Shen Siwei knew he couldn’t resist and could only feel his eyes welling up with tears—out of anger.

Klet raised an eyebrow. “And this is enough to make you cry?”

Shen Siwei: “…” Even more infuriated.

Leaning in Klet’s embrace without moving, Shen Siwei’s breathing gradually calmed down. He took a few deep breaths, trying to keep himself composed. “I’m asking you to let go of me.”

Klet remained unmoved, his deep eyes slightly lowered as he looked at Shen Siwei in his arms. He spoke with a deep and resonant voice, “Behave and I’ll release you.”