Top Edge

Changing into the folded khaki overalls, Shen Siwei took advantage of the people downstairs being distracted and jumped to the adjacent building.

Continuing forward on the rooftop for a while, Shen Siwei found a quiet neighborhood and dropped from the upper floor. He then bought a large-sized mask from a nearby self-service convenience store.

The surface of the mask featured a shark teeth pattern with a zipper in between the rows of teeth for eating. With the city now occupied by refugees, people covering their faces could be seen everywhere on the streets, so Shen Siwei wearing a mask wouldn’t be out of place.

The largest bar in the city center was located near the music square, and Shen Siwei remembered it as Barn’s territory.

He originally planned to avoid the square and take a detour to the bar. However, when he approached the area, there was a commotion coming from the square, with many refugees gathering there.

Fearing that something might happen, Shen Siwei decided to mix in with the crowd and approach the commotion.

“My brother went to fix his arm. How did he disappear into thin air?”

“You’ll have to ask your brother about that.”

At  the center of the square, the refugees were clearly divided into two groups. Klet and Barn stood on opposite sides, and there was a strong sense of tension between them.

Shen Siwei couldn’t help but think of the time when Barn took him away; they were just as tense as they were now. Listening to the gossip from the people around him, it seemed that Barn had introduced his mechanic brother to Klet, but after the brother went there, he never returned.

“Fine.” Perhaps unable to get any answers, Barn unwillingly changed the topic. “How are the negotiations going?”

“We’re still ‘negotiating and i don’t remember it being any of your business’,” Klet responded indifferently, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Are you sure it’s just ‘negotiating’?” Barn sneered. “You’ve taken it to the bedroom so i hear. That doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”

Laughter filled the surroundings, and the person next to Shen Siwei continued to gossip with those around him. “I heard Klet slept with the negotiator, and the whole building could hear it.”

Shen Siwei: “?”

“I heard that too, but the version I heard is that the negotiator squeezed Klet dry, and he agreed to all the conditions,” another person said.

Shen Siwei: “…

The person next to Shen Siwei immediately fell silent, focusing on the situation in the center of the square.

“The Tree of Life was attacked by everyone here, and you represent everyone’s interests,” Barn put on a reasonable appearance, turning half of his body and inciting the people behind him. “How do we know if you’ve been fighting for everyone’s interests or just thinking about your own benefits?”

“That’s right!”

“Negotiations should be open, so what’s the meaning of closing the door for negotiations?”

“Let Barn participate in the negotiations too!”

The commotion on Barn’s side grew intense, and someone standing next to Klet seemed to have had enough, speaking with determination, “Do you know what conditions the negotiator proposed? They want us all to leave the Tree of Life! There’s nothing to negotiate about!”

Someone standing next to Barn couldn’t help but chime in, “Then let the negotiator come out and speak for himself. What’s the point of hiding him from us?”

“That’s because someone wants to kill him. Do I need to say more about the consequences if he dies here?”

“Then explain first why our people disappeared when they were with you!”

Watching both sides on the verge of arguing, Klet slightly turned his chin, gesturing to the person beside him. “Malcolm.”

Shen Siwei hid among the crowd, observing Melken.He had seen him in the files before. He was an illegal body modification practitioner with years of experience. Compared to the aged and arrogant photo in the files, the present Melken looked delicate and refined, unlike what Shen Siwei had imagined.

Klet lowered his arms from across his chest, placing his hands on his waist, with his gun nearby.

“If I remember correctly,” he continued, “I paid to secure the negotiator, and now he belongs to me. How we negotiate and where we negotiate is our business, not yours to meddle in.”

Frankly speaking, Shen Siwei found Klet’s words unreasonable.

Bringing up the incident where he bought Shen Siwei for a dollar, simultaneously humiliating Barn again, and arrogantly asserting his authority.

If Shen Siwei were to objectively evaluate, he would consider such an approach highly undesirable as it would only deepen the conflict between the two sides.

At this moment, the most gossipy person beside Shen Siwei suddenly whistled, as if afraid that things weren’t dramatic enough, and cheered, “Well said!”

After saying that, this person quickly retracted his head like a groundhog.

Klet glanced over upon hearing him. It seemed like a casual glance, but his gaze immediately turned back to the same direction, and his brow furrowed deeply.

The person who shouted crouched on the ground, looking beside him and asked curiously. “Why did you crouch down with me?”

Shen Siwei, had a poker face as he replied, “Thought I dropped something.”

Although Shen Siwei no longer had the appearance of blonde hair and blue eyes, it was still better to avoid Klet as much as possible.

The conversation had reached its limit, and it was unlikely that these two would confront each other for much longer.

Shen Siwei decided to leave he didn’t see that klet’s gaze had been searching the crowd all along.

Most of the refugees were gathered in the square, while the bar had relatively fewer people.

Shen Siwei found a seat at the bar, where there were more people, and ordered a moderately strong cocktail. He then discreetly removed the oxygen mask hidden behind his regular mask.

—He needed to strike up a conversation, but speaking with the mask on would appear unnatural due to the movements it caused.

The AI bartender swiftly prepared Shen Siwei’s order. Each base liquor and fruit were measured precisely, ensuring that the cocktail would be flawless even though it lacked the personal touch of a human bartender.

Shen Siwei watched the movements of the AI bartender and he still hadn’t yet found someone to talk to. The person sitting beside him took the initiative and asked, “Has it calmed down outside?”

Shen Siwei was the last one to enter the bar, so only he knew the latest developments outside.

As the cocktail, perfectly prepared, was pushed in front of Shen Siwei, he naturally unzipped the mask, lifted the glass, and replied to the person, “Almost.”

The person muttered to himself, “Barn keeps stirring up trouble every other day. I wonder when it will come to an end.”

Shen Siwei took a shallow sip of his drink and asked, “Aren’t you joining in?”

“Not interested.” The person had a graying beard and seemed older. He didn’t seem the person to get involved in conflicts. “The refugees are like scattered sand, and sooner or later, they’ll be expelled from the Tree of Life.”

“You seem quite pessimistic,” Shen Siwei remarked.

“It’s a fact,” the person with the beard replied. “Everyone is just using each other, and no one is responsible for anyone Klet is the same. He can abandon the refugees anytime, as long as the negotiator provides suitable conditions.”

Shen Siwei was intrigued and asked, “What conditions do you think the negotiator would offer?”

“Who knows,” the bearded person shrugged. “Money? Power?”

However, those things didn’t matter.

Shen Siwei continued probing, “Klet doesn’t seem to be lacking money.”

“He dares to venture into the deep sea, so how could he lack money?” the bearded person replied.

So that’s the case.

Klet truly had tremendous courage.

The deep sea was a forbidden zone that even the military didn’t dare to enter, yet he dared to go treasure hunting there.

“True,” Shen Siwei followed the bearded person’s line of thought. “Perhaps he’s aiming for a position.”

“Hard to say,” the bearded person shook his head. “He’s always traveling in dangerous places. He doesn’t seem like someone who can fit into the system. Even if the negotiator promises him an official position, he might not accept it.”

Shen Siwei suddenly thought of the tattoo on Klet’s back. Perhaps it represented the places he had visited.

“In that case,” Shen Siwei said, “he might not be easily bought by the negotiator.”

“Hopefully,” the bearded person replied, raising his glass towards Shen Siwei. Shen Siwei reciprocated the gesture and clinked glasses with him.

Both took a sip of their drinks. Shen Siwei was about to continue the conversation when the spotlight suddenly illuminated the stage, and a woman dressed in gypsy attire appeared from behind the curtain.

She had a large red flower behind her ear, fanned herself with a feather fan, swaying her long skirt as she walked towards the audience.

The audience erupted in applause and whistles as the woman twirled on the stage, accompanied by cheerful music, and started singing.

Familiar melody, familiar attire. Shen Siwei stared at the singer on stage, his mind filled with numerous fragmented pieces of information, but he couldn’t piece together a complete image.

His brain went into overdrive, almost on the verge of exploding. The lyrics were on the tip of his tongue, but his mind seemed stuck, unable to sing them out no matter what.

Beside him, the bearded person and others were singing along to the song.

Shen Siwei reluctantly shifted his gaze and asked the bearded person, “Who is she?”

“Don’t you know?” the bearded person looked surprised. “She’s imitating Sara, a famous singer.”

“Sara…” Shen Siwei trailed off.

“Unfortunately, she’s dead,” the bearded person shook his head with regret and continued singing along with the imitating singer.

The sounds around him grew distant, and Shen Siwei felt like he was spinning in his own world.

–He seemed to remember.

His last mission before being cryogenically frozen was to find a singer named Sara.