Top edge chapter 37
Centre of the storm
After some time passed, the strong wind outside the house subsided. A thin layer of ice formed on the glass windows, filtering the moonlight that shone into the room.
Shen Siwei couldn’t fall asleep. He closed his eyes to rest, listening to the rhythmic breathing behind him. He knew that Klet was also awake, so he couldn’t let his guard down.
The small cabin was incredibly quiet, like the sea after a storm. However, at that moment, Shen Siwei felt Klet’s left hand suddenly move.
Shen Siwei maintained a steady breath without making any movement, wanting to see what Klet was up to.
In the next second, his hair at the back of his head was grabbed.
Once, twice, thrice.
Although Shen Siwei didn’t feel any pain, what kind of childish behavior was this? Staying up in the middle of the night to pull his hair?
Impatiently, he turned his chin to the side and asked, “Are you done?”
Caught in the act, Klet showed no remorse and instead asked, “Is this your original hair color?”
Shen Siwei didn’t answer. “It’s none of your business.”
“I know your eyes can change color,” Klet said. “Your eyes turn red when you kill.”
Shen Siwei was unaware of this point, but Klet was right. His hair color, eye color, and skin color could all change.
There were too many suspicious points. If Klet wasn’t a researcher from Dr. Chen’s laboratory, then…
They might have actually known each other before.
“After you were taken away, I analyzed what happened during those days,” Klet calmly began speaking, his voice sounding lazy and seductive. “I once saw a suspicious figure with black hair and black eyes that resembled you. Since your eyes can change color, your hair should be able to as well.”
Shen Siwei listened silently, trying hard to search his memory for fragments but couldn’t match anything.
“I told you that you resemble a friend of mine. Both of you were here to carry out a mission, but in the end, you betrayed us.”
All those things Klet spoke of were completely surprising to Shen Siwei.
He believed Klet knew that he wouldn’t have any reaction upon hearing this, but Klet continued speaking, stubbornly, talking to himself.
Shen Siwei didn’t feel that Klet had a lot to say; it was more like he had been holding back for a very long time and finally found the opportunity to speak.
But that wasn’t Shen Siwei’s focus. He asked, “Who is your friend?”
He was more concerned about which traitor emerged from their team.
“He’s already dead,” Klet said slowly, his voice sounding somewhat heavy.
The feeling of sadness seemed to emanate from behind, and Shen Siwei inexplicably felt a bit choked up. He stared at the wooden wall and said stiffly, “Go to sleep.”
Soon, there was no more movement from behind, and the rhythm of breathing gradually became steady.
Just when Shen Siwei thought Klet had already fallen asleep, the low voice sounded behind him again, “I’m hungry.”
His temples throbbed, and Shen Siwei replied irritably, “The rations are in the backpack. Get them yourself!”
According to the markings on the map by Amor, their destination was in the deepest part of the ice field. It would take them almost half a day to get there from the rest stop where Shen Siwei was.
The dual-purpose motorcycle could have been put into flight mode, significantly shortening the travel time. However, if he brought Klet along, the battery was likely not enough to take both of them back.
“Are we heading to the Ice Dome?” Klet sat obediently at the backseat of the motorcycle and asked.
Shen Siwei didn’t answer, focusing on studying the electronic map in his hands.
He was currently facing a dilemma: using flight mode might result in running out of power halfway; using land mode might encounter even greater dangers.
At first glance, the snow-covered road seemed perfectly flat, but in reality, it could be an illusion. Once the vehicle drove over it, it could fall into massive cracks or swift rivers.
Even experienced adventurers who were familiar with the ice field could make mistakes because the undercurrents beneath the ice and snow could change their positions.
Shen Siwei was clearly not an experienced explorer. He could only eliminate some shallow dangers based on satellite scan images.
Using flight mode would undoubtedly be the easiest option, but it would consume power very quickly, and it would be even more dangerous if they were trapped on the ice field.
Lifting his gaze from the map, Shen Siwei looked ahead and saw two distinct tracks on the thick snow. They were the traces left by previous explorers.
It was an unspoken rule among ice field explorers that everyone must follow the tracks left by those before them. It not only helped avoid dangers but also deepened the imprints, guiding the way for future explorers.
Looking into the distance, the tracks extended as far as the eye could see, indicating a clear path to Shen Siwei.
Feeling relieved for the time being, he put away the electronic map and said to Klet on the backseat, “Hold on tight.”
Klet’s hands were handcuffed behind his back, so he could only grab onto the motorcycle’s tail. The engine roared, and the two of them began moving toward the depths of the ice field.
The strong wind whistled past their ears, cutting across their faces like ice blades. Shen Siwei initially thought Klet would freeze, but when he looked in the rearview mirror, he found that the man was leisurely enjoying the wind, as if on a leisure trip.
He truly was an odd person.
Shen Siwei withdrew his gaze and stopped paying attention to Klet, focusing on driving along the tracks.
After traveling for over an hour, a dim wall of snow and ice suddenly appeared in front of them.
The sunlight was blocked behind the wall, and a cold and gloomy aura rushed toward them. The temperature had noticeably dropped by several degrees.
“It’s a snowstorm.” Klet’s voice came from behind. ” stop.”
Shen Siwei stopped and glanced at the electronic map. Without any warning, a low-pressure warning symbol appeared in the previously clear area on the map, and the blue symbol was growing larger.
He immediately stopped the motorcycle and turned it sideways, facing the direction from which the snowstorm was approaching. He then pulled Klet and the two of them took cover behind the vehicle.
The symbol on the electronic map was moving rapidly. In less than ten seconds, the storm engulfed them, and the dim surroundings felt like the end of the world.
Ice shards and pebbles struck the motorcycle, making a crackling sound. Shen Siwei held onto his oxygen mask and quickly took off his jacket, placing it over Klet’s head.
However, Klet didn’t seem as miserable as Shen Siwei had imagined. He moved his neck slightly, sticking his head out from under the jacket, and looked at Shen Siwei with a somewhat surprised expression. He probably didn’t expect Shen Siwei to take off his jacket for him.
“I didn’t want you to die,” Shen Siwei frowned, raising his voice amidst the howling wind. “I can’t explain myself if something happens to you.”
Klet smiled lightly, as if saying, “I thought so.”
The wind grew stronger, making it almost impossible to keep their eyes open. The dual-purpose motorcycle had flight engines, making it quite heavy, but the wind kept pushing it backward.
Inattentive for a moment, Shen Siwei’s feet slipped, and he slid forward a little with the motorcycle. At that moment, Klet suddenly leaned over and used his shoulder to support the weight of the motorcycle.
Shen Siwei lifted his chin and looked at Klet, who was within arm’s reach. He heard Klet whisper, “No need to thank me.”
The voice was quickly drowned out by the howling wind, as if nothing had happened.
The two of them clung to each other, jointly resisting the sudden snowstorm. The swirling snow and wind formed a cocoon around them, enveloping them within.
Their bodies didn’t seem to feel the cold, as the person beside them was as hot as a fireball, melting away the snow and ice that had touched them.
Perhaps only a few minutes had passed, or maybe it had been hours, but the snowstorm finally stopped.
The two of them, along with the motorcycle, were almost buried in ice and snow, with only the upper part of their chests exposed to the air.
Shen Siwei stood up, patting the ice shards off his hair and putting on his pilot jacket again. It was then that he noticed a several-centimeter-long scratch on Klet’s neck, most likely caused by flying debris in the storm.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
-He wasn’t concerned about whether Klet was in pain or not. He just didn’t want Klet to be injured and slow down their progress.
Klet twisted his neck and said, “I’m fine.”
After saying that, he looked at Shen Siwei’s unscathed skin and asked, “Are you immune to getting hurt?”
Shen Siwei didn’t answer and straddled the motorcycle. “Get on.”
“No wonder your clothes were torn when we fought the Desert Wolves, but you weren’t injured.”
Klet was saying things that Shen Siwei couldn’t understand again.
The motorcycle started once again, moving slowly on the soft ice and snow. However, this time, Shen Siwei’s driving speed became extremely slow for one simple reason:
The area was a highly dangerous road for all explorers.
Normally, an experienced guide would be part of an exploration team. The guide would use satellite information and their own knowledge of the ice field to find a new path. But Shen Siwei didn’t have that ability. He could only concentrate and grope his way forward.
“Have you been to the ice field before?” Klet suddenly asked from behind.
“No,” Shen Siwei replied, looking ahead at the road.
“Then you’re driving so confidently,” Klet commented.
Shen Siwei: “…”
What other choice did they have?
Should they just stay in one place and grow roots?
He continued to drive with his nerves taut, always keeping the speed below 20 mph. Fortunately, their bad luck hadn’t struck today, and they had been moving forward for over half an hour without encountering any dangerous situations.
However, after crossing a small snow dune, a vast expanse of ice appeared ahead. The electronic map displayed a cautious driving prompt, causing Shen Siwei’s nerves to become even more tense.
And at that moment, two hands suddenly reached out from behind and gripped the motorcycle’s handles.
“The area ahead is full of crevices,” Klet, who was much taller than Shen Siwei, said with his voice above Shen Siwei’s ears, “Let me drive.”
“No,” Shen Siwei didn’t immediately react, turning his head to look at Klet in astonishment, “What about your handcuffs?”
Klet looked ahead, seemingly unconcerned, and casually replied, “I threw them away.”