Top edge chapter 24

Hush, don’t be afraid

Avis and Knock just left, and the delivery drone buzzed from the balcony, indicating that the online clothing purchase had been delivered.

klet glanced at the drone, didn’t ask and asked Malken to leave as well, and then closed the door heavily.

The lively room instantly quieted down and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat eerie.

Shen walked over to retrieve the package and sat on the sofa to unpack it, until klet dragged a chair over and sat in front of him.

He stared at Shen siwei motionlessly, his deep eyes mixed with a hint of distance.

Shen Siwei put down the clothes and met klet’s gaze, saying, “Do you have something to ask?”

klet moved his lips slightly, and his deep voice sounded, “You’re not a Marg person.”

Shen Siwei had anticipated various situations, but he never expected klet to suddenly question his identity.

He asked calmly, “Why do you say that?”

“Your mask.” klet lifted his chin slightly. “There’s oxygen inside.”

The lie was indeed exposed, and Shen wasn’t surprised. 

“Is there a big difference between oxygen and a sedative? I just can’t stand the air on the lower levels,” Shen said.

The impromptu excuse didn’t seem to convince klet.

“Marg people are not like this,” klet retorted calmly. “The most important aspect of Marg people as an evolved species was their strong cardiopulmonary function, which allowed them to adapt to the low-oxygen environment above the clouds. Without your mask, you would have difficulty breathing, clearly not what you called ‘not used to the smell’.”

Shen woke up on the third level of the Tree of Life, where all the buildings were equipped with central control systems to maintain oxygen levels in the air.

But it wasn’t the same for the top level.

The top level mainly followed the living habits of Marg people. Apart from a few public places, commoners working on the top level had to carry heavy oxygen tanks with them.

This was indeed strong evidence, but it was not enough to make Shen completely give in.

 “Not every Marg person is tall, and not every Marg person has strong cardiopulmonary function. You don’t understand what happens on the top level, so don’t jump to conclusions.”

One was a wanderer who had lived outside the tree for years, the other was an officially certified Marg negotiator.

When it came to matters concerning Marg people, Shen Siwei naturally had more knowledge about them.

“So what you’re saying is,” klet tilted his head and said, “Marg people continue to evolve, but they evolved into someone like you, a sickly child?”

“Individuals don’t represent the whole,” Shen said calmly. “You were right before, I have a low status among Marg people, which is why I was sent here to negotiate. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a Marg person.”

As long as klet couldn’t produce decisive evidence, Shen wouldn’t admit to anything.

Because once his ulterior motives were exposed, he might not be able to approach the power station anymore, or even approach klet.

“You’re quite stubborn,” klet’s expression wasn’t of surprise. It seemed that it would be strange if Shen admitted it readily. He asked again, “If I saw it correctly just now, you wanted to save Knock, right?”

He responded, “So what if I did?”

“So you can’t possibly be a Marg person,” klet said, “Marg people wouldn’t go and save a refugee let alone a child at the expense of their safety.”

Shen siwei had been frozen for twenty years and had never seen a child before he woke up, so it was impossible for him to know how Marg people treated children.

He couldn’t show weakness, he told himself.

“Not necessarily,” Shen responded calmly. “Those are your subjective thoughts.”

“Not necessarily, but absolutely. Because—” At this point, klet’s eyes darkened, and he slowly opened his lips, “Marg people have sent people to hunt down children before.”

Upon hearing these words, Shen’s temples suddenly started throbbing intensely.

Just then shen felt a slight headache as his memories came back again.

“Target identified, commence operation.”

Moran’s voice came through the hidden earpiece. Shen and Laizhe exchanged glances, put down their cups, left the izakaya, and entered a dark alley.

“Sara will definitely hate us,” Laizhe, holding a gun, followed closely behind Shen “I hope the plan goes smoothly and we don’t end up killing her son in front of her.”

“No, we won’t,” Shen made a “stop” gesture, and the two stopped at a corner. The position allowed them to see the inside of Sara’s apartment, which was currently lit.

“We could have just taken her son directly, why the need for a siege?” Laizhe wiped off the rainwater from his forehead, sounding somewhat discontented, “Let Sara think her son has simply gone missing, isn’t that better? With so many people involved, she’ll definitely suspect something is up.”

“Sara has always been cautious,” Shen looked at the thick curtains, “Captain Moran must have been unsure.”

“But the child is already five or six years old, do we really have to do this?”

Shen remained silent for a moment, slightly holstering his gun, “I know you’re a fan of Sara, but for the stability of the Tree of Life…”

“I understand, Captain,” Laizhe sighed heavily, “some sacrifices are necessary.”

Shen didn’t respond further, continuing to gaze at the illuminated window.

According to the original plan, the strike team would rush into Sara’s residence, take her son, and dispose of him. However, before Moran could give the order, gunshots suddenly erupted from the street, with someone shouting through the earpiece, “It’s Night Falcon, Night Falcon ambush!”

sarah inside her apartment heard the commotion and anxiously poked her head out, quickly moving away from the window and turning off the lights in the room.

“Sara is trying to escape,” Moran’s voice sounded again through the earpiece, “Hurry, go after her!”

It started pouring heavily, and Moran impatiently looked at Shen, “The mission is not yet complete, go find her quickly!”

Shen stood still, letting the raindrops hit his face, “With Night Falcon interference, we should abort the mission.”

“We can’t abort, especially with Night Falcon involved!” Moran frowned, “Do you want this matter to become public?”

We can’t let civilians know that the “Declaration” isn’t effective.

“Night Falcon is clearly shooting without purpose, not knowing what mission we’re executing,” Shen said with a serious expression, “Are you sure it’s not your unlogical orders that exposed the strike team’s mission for tonight?”

Moran swiftly pointed his gun at Shen, “watch your tongue?”

The rain intensified, gunshots echoed around them.

Shen looked at Moran expressionlessly, and after a moment of standoff, Moran finally holstered his gun, impatiently saying, “Let’s find the target first! The mission is a priority.”

Everyone scattered to search for Sara’s son.

Shen had no intention to search, instead he kept an eye on the Night Falcon members. Eventually he ran out of ammunition and circled back into the alley beside Sara’s apartment.

This mission had a very low level of danger, and all team members were lightly armed.

Shen took out the only remaining knife on him, But just then, he caught sight of a suspicious figure hiding behind a vending machine outside the apartment.

The vending machine had been damaged in the chaos earlier, and the small figure was hiding among a pile of snacks, attentively observing the surroundings.

As Shen noticed the figure, the child swiftly darted out of the vending machine and ran ten meters away in the blink of an eye.

How can this child run so fast?

Shen didn’t have time to think about it, quickly sheathing his knife and chasing after the child.

The young boy dashed through the narrow alley like a little leopard, with Shen closely following, but unable to narrow the distance.

But after the next corner, a dark dead end appeared ahead. The little boy quickly retreated, unfortunately running into Shen Siwei.

At this moment, the target of the mission was right in front of him. Shen Siwei could easily complete the mission by taking out his dagger. However, the image of Sara lying in a pool of blood suddenly flashed through his mind. Looking at the face in front of him, Shen Siwei couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” He raised his hands, trying to calm the little boy’s emotions. “I’m not a bad person, you can trust me.”

The little boy cautiously took a step back, maintaining a distance from Shen Siwei. “You’re working with the people who are trying to catch me.”

In his young voice, there was an unusual calmness for his age. While speaking, the little boy’s gaze drifted towards Shen Siwei’s side, apparently thinking about how to escape.

“But I won’t hurt you,” Shen Siwei said. “You can’t escape on your own.”

The little boy remained silent and quietly moved one step to the side, a sign of preparing to escape.

“No matter how fast you run, you can’t outrun a bullet,” Shen Siwei didn’t know how to deal with a child, but he urged, “You must leave here now. If you trust me, I can help you escape.”

The little boy pursed his lips and asked, “How can we get out?”

He still looked wary, clearly not fully trusting Shen Siwei.

“Come up,” Shen Siwei turned around and squatted down. “I’ll carry you out.”

Exposing his back was already the greatest act of friendliness, but the little boy remained motionless.

Explosions rang out in the nearby streets, and the heavy rain soaked them, making them anxious.

Shen Siwei couldn’t help but frown and urge, “If you want to stay alive, do it quickly.”

After a brief silence, the little boy jumped onto Shen Siwei’s back.

The Night Eagles and the members of the operation team were in the midst of a chaotic battle, with gunfire and explosions everywhere.

The little boy clung tightly to Shen Siwei’s shoulder and asked in a muffled voice, “Where’s my mom?”

Children are so innocent that once they let their guard down, they immediately reveal their vulnerability.

Shen Siwei didn’t know how to explain, nor did he have time to explain. Carrying the little boy on his back, he maneuvered through the heavy rain. “I’m sorry.”

The intersection ahead was engulfed in a street fight, and Shen Siwei had to stop and turn into a nearby residential building. However, intense gunfire could also be heard from above the corridor, forcing him to return with the little boy the same way they came.

A grenade hit the building above, causing rocks to fall. Shen Siwei quickly rolled sideways with the little boy in his arms, narrowly avoiding the falling rocks.

His forehead was grazed by gravel, but he didn’t have time to wipe away the blood. Shen Siwei carried the little boy and continued to search for an exit. At that moment, a small hand suddenly reached from behind and used the cuff to cover the wound on Shen Siwei’s forehead.

“It’s my fault that my mom died.”

A low voice sounded behind his ear, and self-blame almost made Shen Siwei feel ashamed. He wanted to curse, why did he have such a messed-up mission?

“No, it’s not,” Shen Siwei said with a dark expression. “It’s not your fault.”

Not far from that block, there was a bridge spanning the artificial river in the city.

Shen Siwei decided to take the little boy across the river, but as soon as he turned the corner, he saw a group of thugs with half their faces covered by face masks..

The people on the other side obviously noticed Shen Siwei hastily changing direction and immediately started shooting at him without hesitation.

The sparks splattered by the bullets flashed by his ears. Shen Siwei quickly protected the little boy in his arms, turned into an alley, and hid in the back compartment of an AI cleaning vehicle.

He couldn’t let his teammates see him, and he couldn’t let the Night Eagles find him. Gun battles were erupting everywhere on the streets now, and Shen Siwei couldn’t find a suitable way out, so he could only temporarily hide with the little boy.

Inside the garbage truck, the stench was overwhelming, and the sound of footsteps drew closer. The little boy in his arms was visibly nervous, grabbing Shen Siwei’s clothes on his chest, his voice trembling as he said, “They’re coming.”

“Hush.” Shen Siwei pressed the little boy’s head against his chest. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

The footsteps soon arrived near the garbage truck, as Shen Siwei had expected. The Night Eagles and the members of the action team immediately clashed, and they started chasing each other, moving away from the vicinity of the garbage truck.

About ten minutes passed, and there was no movement outside the garbage truck.

Shen Siwei climbed out of the garbage truck with the little boy and then carried him on his back, continuing in the direction of the river.

On the shortest path, there were no Night Eagles or his teammates, but that was because the alley battle there had already ended, and the street was burning with a fierce fire that the heavy rain couldn’t extinguish.

“We can only pass through here.” Shen Siwei said to the little boy on his back, “Don’t be afraid, our clothes are wet, nothing will happen.”

The little boy held onto Shen Siwei’s shoulders tightly. “I’m not afraid.”

An aircraft crashed by the roadside, and fuel was flowing everywhere. The fire was about to spread to the entire street. Shen Siwei rushed forward, trying to avoid the strongest flames, but the scorching steam made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Finally, he made it out of the street, but Shen Siwei was now covered in soot, with blood mixed with the black ashes seeping from his forehead, obscuring his original appearance and making him look quite disheveled. He placed the little boy on the ground, and the little boy looked okay, at least his face was not dirty.

“Do you know how to swim?” Shen Siwei asked, half kneeling.

The little boy nodded.

“You swim across the artificial river to the other side, so no one will find you.” Shen Siwei explained briefly, then stood up. “This is where we separate.”

“Wait.” The little boy immediately grabbed Shen Siwei’s clothes, hastily asking, “Can’t you come with me?”

“I have to go back and find my teammates.” Shen Siwei was not one to waste words, but looking at the helpless little boy, he inexplicably felt pity. He squatted down again, looking directly into the little boy’s eyes. “From now on, you’ll be on your own, and you must adapt quickly. You’re a brave young man, you must be strong so that nobody can bully you, because this world… is cruel to children.”

“I don’t want to be alone.” The little boy had already been strong all the way, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but bite his lower lip, tears the size of beans rolling down his cheeks. “Can’t you really come with me?”

Shen Siwei felt a tightness in his heart. He hurriedly wiped away the tears from the little boy’s face. “It’s not your fault.”

“But,” the little boy choked, “if it wasn’t for me, my mom wouldn’t…”

“It’s not like that.” Shen Siwei interrupted the little boy. “If your mom had to choose again, she would definitely still have you.”

The little boy wiped away the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, seemingly forcing himself to be strong.

“My mom often reminded me not to let others find out because the people living above didn’t want me to survive.” He said, “You didn’t kill me, can you go back now? they will kill you”

Children understand everything, and Shen Siwei could almost imagine the kind of life he had been living, constantly hiding and seeking these past few years.

“I will tell my superiors that you fell into the river and drowned.” Shen Siwei said, “This artificial river passes through the Eastern District and eventually flows into the deep sea. Even if they don’t find the body, they won’t suspect anything.”

The little boy seemed to feel relieved and said, “Thank you,” to Shen Siwei.

Shen Siwei’s heart felt like it had been struck. He genuinely felt unworthy of this gratitude.

If only he had been able to stop Moran from firing, or if he had seriously examined the mission from the beginning…

“Go quickly,” Shen Siwei couldn’t afford to think anymore. If he continued to dwell on it, his determination to maintain the stability of the Tree of Life would waver.

He pulled out the only weapon he had left and handed it to the little boy. “Take this dagger and go. Don’t come back until you’re grown up.”