Top Edge

Truthfully speaking, Shen Siwei’s skin was not synthetic skin, but his own skin.

He had asked Dr. Chen about the modification process, and it was said that in the early stages of the experiment, in order to shape perfect muscles, his skin had been completely removed. Dr. Chen used his skin cells and combined them with a new type of polymer material to cultivate a highly resilient modified version of cells.

The modified cells were reintegrated into his body without any rejection reaction. Therefore, after a period of growth, Shen Siwei acquired his invulnerable new skin.

The new skin was indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person in terms of appearance and touch, except for the scalp and eyebrows, there were no other large hair follicles on his body. As a result, Shen Siwei’s chin, armpits, and certain areas no longer grew hair.

Shen Siwei asked, “How did you know?”

“We’ve been to the hot springs together,” Klet said, “and you often undressed in front of me.”

 Klet’s attitude was calm, unlike someone telling lies.

Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel a little confused. Could it be true that the sense of déjà vu he felt in the hot springs was really related to Klet?

Seeing Shen Siwei’s lack of reaction, Klet continued, “Don’t you believe me? See for yourself.”

After saying that, he opened his right palm, activating a miniature computer and projecting surveillance footage in mid-air.

In the footage, there was a blond figure wearing a bathrobe. He was pacing back and forth in the room, as if making some important decision. Soon after, he suddenly took off his bathrobe, revealing his naked body.

Klet pressed the pause button and asked, ” see?”

Shen Siwei stared blankly at the person in the footage, with familiar features and a familiar body, truly identical to himself.

It felt really strange. Although Shen Siwei was certain that the person in the footage was not him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of embarrassment when looking at his naked doppelgänger.

“How dare you peep at someone changing clothes?” he furrowed his brow and asked.

“That’s not someone else, it’s you.”

“So, if it’s me, you can openly peep?”

“Yeah,” Klet said, “it’s surveillance from my home.”

Shen Siwei couldn’t keep up with the conversation, “So how could I be in your home?”

“You came on a mission five years ago. Don’t you remember?” Klet’s rough voice had a patience that didn’t match, “If you have time, I can tell you slowly.”

“I don’t have time,” Shen Siwei said.

Klet was the military’s most wanted criminal, and Shen Siwei couldn’t fully trust him in less than half an hour of meeting him.

Moreover, Shen Siwei still had the task of finding Amor, and he didn’t have time to waste with Klet.

He opened the electronic map and looked at the location indicated in Amor’s diary. It was deep in the ice fields and couldn’t be reached before dark tonight.

“Are you going to the Ice Dome?” Klet tilted his head and looked at the electronic map in Shen Siwei’s hand.

Shen Siwei naturally wouldn’t answer and put away the map, entering the small cabin.

The space in the small cabin was cramped. After placing a stove, a square table, a bench, and a small bed, there was hardly any room to move around.

But this small cabin was the only resting point within several hundred kilometers, and Shen Siwei had  make do for one night.

He sat down on the bench and took out Amor’s diary from his backpack. Seeing that Shen Siwei didn’t show any interest in chatting, Klet also stopped talking and sat on the single bed, watching cartoons.

He’s really a strange person, Shen Siwei thought.

But what’s even stranger is how he feels like he has also recently watched cartoons?

Shaking his head, Shen Siwei focused his attention and began reading Amor’s diary.

January 1st, 23XX

Last night was New Year’s Eve. I spent a long time with my father, but the atmosphere wasn’t of joy.

Adolf believes that there is a great demand for reproduction within the Life Tree, but many civilians have not yet broken through the limitations of medicine. Therefore, they want to engage in the business of artificial embryos. But my father strongly disagrees with expanding the lower-class population, as it would threaten our rule.

Rita is siding with Adolf. She also wants to have her own child. Although she doesn’t explicitly say it, I think she’s afraid that after my father’s death, as a childless widow, she won’t be able to compete with Adolf for the family’s inheritance.

My father still hasn’t agreed because once the Mag people set this precedent, the civilians will also demand reproductive rights, and the civilian population is much larger than the Mag people.

My father also asked me for my opinion on this matter, but I have nothing much to say.

The mainstream values of the Life Tree are about enjoying immediate benefits. No one considers the future of humanity, nor the future of the Earth.

When the Life Tree’s lifespan is reduced, humanity will also face its doomsday.

Humanity… will ultimately perish.

It was rare to see people writing in a diary by hand. Amor’s handwriting was elegant and gentle, but the words he wrote  were very pessimistic.

Shen Siwei continued reading the content, and almost all of it was Amor expressing his despair towards the social system.

It was clear that he wanted to bring about change but felt powerless. When students asked him how he viewed the temporary suspension of the Declaration, as the son of a Mag leader, he could only answer according to the mainstream values. But in his diary, he would write down his true thoughts.

Unconsciously, the sky outside the cabin grew darker, and the wind howled, with ice pellets relentlessly hitting the glass window.

Shen Siwei took out a nutrient supplement from his backpack, intending to continue reading, and at that moment, Klet suddenly asked, “Is there one for me?”

Shen Siwei glanced at Klet then at the nutrient supplement, and finally his gaze fell on the diary. “There isn’t one for you.”

“Oh,” Klet said indifferently, “You sneaked into my house and ate my beef, and now you won’t even give me a nutrient supplement.”

Shen Siwei frowned, “I never sneaked in and ate anything…”

 

As Shen Siwei was halfway through his sentence, he stopped. He stared absentmindedly at the nutrient supplement in his hand, his thoughts inexplicably stuck.

Klet came and sat next to Shen Siwei, snapping his fingers in front of him.

Shen Siwei was finally snapped out of his thoughts, but Klet said, “You really seem to have become stupid.”

Veins popped up on Shen Siwei’s forehead, and he asked with patience, “Do you want to get beaten?”

Klet seemed unfazed. “You wanted to kill me before.”

That was after the two of them soaked in the hot springs, and Klet took away Shen Siwei’s oxygen mask and even spanked him. Shen Siwei was so angry at the time that he said he would kill Klet.

Thinking of that, Klet looked at Shen Siwei’s more sophisticated oxygen mask on his face and asked, “With such poor cardiorespiratory function, have you ever thought about treating it properly?”

“How do you know?” Shen Siwei asked with a slight frown.

Even though Shen Siwei was reluctant to believe him, Klet mentioning such  private matters made it somewhat difficult to argue.

“I told you,” Klet repeated that sentence, seemingly suppressing his impatience, “We know each other.”

Shen Siwei temporarily set aside his suspicions and asked, “You said I wanted to kill you before, so why did I change my mind?”

“Because your superiors ordered the bombing of City Z civilians.”

“That was because there were distorted monsters invading, and the military had no choice but to sacrifice those civilians.”

“It’s not like that,” Klet said, “The distorted monsters were already driven away by you and me. The military wanted to bomb the civilians.”

“You’re indeed one of the Nightingales,” Shen Siwei raised his guard again, “What you’re saying is exactly the same as those conspiracy theories online. Do you think spreading these will make others believe?”

“Tsk,” Klet raised his hands to his temples, looking rather complicatedly at Shen Siwei.

Shen Siwei leaned slightly to the side, watching Klet warily. “What’s that expression on your face?”

Klet sighed. “You really have gone stupid.”

Shen Siwei: “…”

Before Shen Siwei could erupt, Krete pointed with his chin to the notebook on the table and asked, “Do you have another different mission this time?”

Shen Siwei coldly put the notebook back into his backpack. “It’s none of your business.”

“But you have to bring me with you at all times,” Klet said.

No matter what Shen Siwei did next, he had to keep an eye on Klet to prevent him from escaping. It was like carrying a burden everywhere he went.

To avoid further pointless conversation, Shen Siwei simply said, “I’m looking for someone.”

He drank the nutrient supplement in his hand, checked the time, and then unlocked the handcuffs on Klet’s left hand and put them on his own left hand. “Rest for tonight, we’ll leave early tomorrow.”

Although Klet didn’t look like someone who would run away, Shen Siwei still couldn’t fully trust him.

If he rode away on Shen Siwei’s motorcycle in the middle of the night, it would be troublesome. So the best solution was to handcuff him to himself directly.

Shen Siwei led Klet to the side of the bed, raised his chin, and said, “You sleep that side.”

“I sleep on this side,” Klet stood still, “Are you sure you can still fit?”

The small bed was only 1.2 meters wide, enough for Klet to lie down alone. If he lay sideways against the wall, he could barely squeeze in two people, but if he turned over, Shen Siwei would be pushed off.

Shen Siwei asked, “Where else do you want to sleep?”

Klet certainly wouldn’t sleep on the floor. He hooked his cuffed hand around Shen Siwei’s waist and said, “let’s sleep then.”

Shen Siwei didn’t expect Klet to suddenly make a move. He had tensed up his entire body, ready to deal with any sudden situation, but Klet just pressed him onto the bed and didn’t move.

With his strong arms across his waist, his broad chest pressed against his back, Shen Siwei was confined in the space between the wall and Krete’s body. The warmth of his body temperature came through the clothes.

The position felt odd no matter how he looked at it. Shen Siwei struggled a bit, turned his chin to the side, and looked at the Klet behind him, asking, “What are you doing?”

Klet held Shen Siwei’s waist tightly, closed his eyes, and lazily said, “I’m afraid you’ll run away.”

Shen Siwei was completely baffled. “Aren’t you the fugitive?”

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