Top edge chapter 51
His heart
When the three of them returned to the living room from the rooftop, Laizhe was sitting by the desk making a phone call.
Malken walked up to him and leaned against the desk, while Shen Siwei and Klet sat down on the two-person sofa.
The four of them were scattered around the room, occupying different positions, but the living room was small, so they were not far apart.
Seeing the three of them return, Laizhe quickly ended the call and turned his chair to face Shen Siwei, asking, “Captain, what are your thoughts on the agreement?”
Although Shen Siwei was just an observer, perhaps due to his past as Laizhe’s former captain, this Nightingale leader still sought his opinion before making a decision.
Shen Siwei’s memory was fragmented, and he learned many things passively, so it was difficult for him to have any thoughts.
However, he could still offer a suggestion, “Let everyone know about this agreement.”
After all, this agreement was personally signed by his mother, and he didn’t want this piece of history to be forgotten so easily.
“Making the agreement public is a given,” Laizhe interlocked his fingers and placed them on his thigh, displaying a leader’s demeanor. “But we need to have a complete plan first. For example, what should we do next after the agreement is made public?”
“If we make it public blindly, it might not cause much of a stir and end up wasting the agreement,” Malken added.
Shen Siwei lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment, then turned to Klet beside him and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
“None,” Klet lazily leaned back on the sofa chair. “I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”
Seeing Klet’s disinterested appearance, it was evident that he wouldn’t contribute any constructive suggestions either.
Shen Siwei looked back at Laizhe and asked, “Have you considered launching a coup by force?”
Laizhe crossed his arms and said, “It has been considered.”
“If, after the agreement is made public, many civilians are willing to join us,” Malken said, “that could also be a solution.”
Shen Siwei frowned slightly but remained silent.
“Captain, do you think this is not a good idea?” Laizhe, having spent so many years by Shen Siwei’s side, could discern his thoughts from a mere expression.
Shen Siwei pursed his lips and replied, “If we start a war, it won’t benefit anyone. In the end, all regions could end up like West District Z City.”
“Indeed,” Laizhe agreed.
Malken scratched his cheek with his index finger and sighed, “But it’s difficult to overthrow the Marg people’s rule without the use of force.”
The room fell into silence. Obviously, even as the Nightingale leader, Laizhe hadn’t figured out how to use this agreement effectively.
“Or,” Shen Siwei moved his lips, “let the people decide.”
“What do you mean?” Laizhe asked.
“Some people are willing to fight for their rights, while others just want to live in peace. After the agreement is made public, some civilians may not care and consider it as history, as they have already grown accustomed to their current lives. We can’t respect every individual’s choice, but we can respect the majority’s choice.”
“Are you suggesting a nationwide referendum?” Laizhe asked.
“What if the majority doesn’t want to change the status quo?” Malken added.
“If that’s the case,” Shen Siwei paused, “then you should already have an answer.”
The Nightingales were not a terrorist organization; they wouldn’t disrupt the Tree of Life for their selfish desires. They were fighting against the Marg people to advocate for the rights of the civilians. If, after they revealed all the truths, the civilians still chose to be ruled by the Marg, then they would naturally lose their position.
Laizhe furrowed his brow, concerned that such a result might occur.
Shen Siwei continued, “But you have to believe that the majority longs for freedom.”
Just like Shen Siwei himself, after learning certain things, even though he was so loyal to the Tree of Life, he didn’t want to be controlled anymore.
“Alright, I understand,” Laizhe let out a sigh of relief, as if he had set down a burden in his heart. “Thank you, Captain.”
“What should we do next?” Malken asked.
“We can’t directly make the agreement public; it might be dismissed as a conspiracy by the military,” Laizhe pondered and said, “It would be best to let it spread through unofficial channels first.”
“But will the civilians be willing to spread it before they believe in the authenticity of the agreement?” Malken asked.
“If the civilians can’t do it…”
Laizhe paused at this point, and Malken already understood what he meant. They both said in unison, “The refugees.”
Laizhe wasn’t familiar with the refugees, and although Malken knew some of them, there weren’t many people who were willing to do him a favor. Therefore, both of them looked at Klet, who was boredly sitting next to Shen Siwei.
“Boss,” Malken showed an earnest look, “we need your help.”
“Contact the refugees?” Klet asked.
“They will definitely listen to you,” Malken said.
“Not necessarily,” Klet said, “I’ve been away for a long time.”
“They still remember you,” Malken said, “whenever they can’t find a reason to propose a toast, they always toast to you at the bar next to the Music Square.”
Klet obviously didn’t know about this, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, “Is that so?”
Shen Siwei, who was on the side, found it somewhat amusing. He looked at Klet and said, “Are you that influential?”
“Of course,” Malken chimed in, “If it weren’t for the boss leading them in the attack, they would still be stuck in the underground city.”
Klet finally decided to act and walked toward the desk, saying, “I’ll give it a try.”
Contacting the refugees wasn’t a big deal for Laizhe, so he voluntarily gave up his seat for Klet and then sat down next to Shen Siwei.
The room seemed to form two separate zones, with the desk being the work area and the sofa being the leisure area.
“Captain, are you really together with Klet?” Laizhe couldn’t wait and asked in a low voice as soon as he approached Shen Siwei.
Shen Siwei glanced at klet, who was busy flipping through his contact list, not noticing their conversation.
“I guess so,” he said.
“What do you mean by ‘I guess so’?” Laizhe asked suspiciously.
Because Shen Siwei also lacked experience in dating, he didn’t know what exactly his relationship with Klet was.
It seemed to be more than that. If they weren’t together, Shen Siwei wouldn’t have allowed Klet to kiss him.
Or, to put it in a way that suited his style, if someone dared to force a kiss on him, they would have already been dead.
Seeing Shen Siwei hesitate to answer, Laizhe continued, “Let me ask you this: Do you like him?”
Shen Siwei thought carefully and replied, “I suppose.”
“Why do you keep saying ‘I suppose’?” Laizhe asked, puzzled. “Aren’t you sure yourself?”
Shen Siwei didn’t know what it meant to like someone, but he knew that Klet was different from anyone else to him.
He decided to ask Laizhe, “What does it feel like to like someone?”
“Uh,” this question caught Laizhe off guard, and he rubbed his chin,
In the end, neither of them could describe what it meant to like someone.
“Or perhaps, do you feel that he is special to you?” Laizhe, being more flexible in his thinking, asked.
The question was much easier to answer.
“Yeah,” Shen Siwei said, “Special.”
Before Laizhe could continue questioning, Shen Siwei added, “When I woke up, I realized I had no family or friends. I felt disconnected from the world, and very few things could evoke emotions in me.”
“But now?” Laizhe asked.
“Now it’s different,” Shen Siwei said, “I have him.”
“But it’s really strange,” Laizhe said with a puzzled expression, “The first time you met him, he was only five years old. Are you saying, Captain, that…”
Shen Siwei raised an eyebrow and interrupted, “Don’t think about nonsense.”
“Then it must have been the encounter five years ago?” Laizhe immediately changed his wording, “Perhaps during that time, you developed special feelings for him.”
“I’m not sure,” Shen Siwei pondered and said, “If the first time I saved him was out of pity, then the second time I chose to help him, it must have been something he did that moved me.”
“I see,” Laizhe said, “Mamai mentioned that night, no refugees were willing to come forward, and in the end, it was him who drove away the desert wolves with you.”
“Maimai?”
“Ahem, Malken,” Laizhe said, “Maimai sounds better.”
“Indeed,” Shen Siwei said, “Are you close to him?”
“After Klet left the Tree of Life, he has been following me,” Laizhe said, “He has helped me a lot, and I feel at ease with him around.”
Shen Siwei nodded and asked, “By the way, how did you become the leader of the Nightingales?”
“In fact, the original intention of the Old Night Eagle was not a terrorist organization, but it gradually split and formed two factions. That night, the first generation leader of the Old Night Eagle saved me and told me that the military was conducting experiments on living soldiers. At first, I didn’t believe it because a chief scientist had been sentenced before, so how could they be conducting experiments? But later I found out that it was true, so I joined the Night Eagle.”
“Later on, due to infighting within the Night Eagle and increased pressure from the military, it was disbanded not long after. I spent a few years reorganizing the organization and founded the new Nightingales.”
“If,” Shen Siwei asked, “the choice of the civilians is different from what we expect, what would you do?”
Laizhe fell silent for a moment and said, “Honestly, I won’t let that kind of result happen.”
Shen Siwei asked, “Do you have the confidence to change people’s minds?”
“In fact, we still have an ace up our sleeve. The Deep Sea Energy Station has been repaired, and people don’t need to accept the rule of the Marg people at all,” Laizhe said, “I mentioned it to Klet before, that controlling the energy is equivalent to having the power to rule. He could completely step forward and become another leader, but he doesn’t have the desire.”
“He’s indeed not very concerned about these things.”
“Yes,” Laizhe sighed helplessly, then adopted a more casual tone and said, “Enough about these serious matters. Captain, are you really committed to Klet? You’re not someone who needs a partner, and it doesn’t seem like you.”
“People can change,” Shen Siwei admitted that he had been influenced by Amor’s diary, “Now I like having someone by my side.”
“If you only like the feeling of companionship,” Laizhe wore a serious expression as if discussing an important matter, “what if we replace him with someone else?”
“No,” Shen Siwei frowned and shook his head, “I can only tolerate his little quirks and outbursts. I don’t have that much patience with others.”
As the conversation reached that point, Shen Siwei seemed to have gradually understood something. He realized that his liking for Klet was most clearly visible from his tolerance.
In comparison, his tolerance was much more restrained than Klet’s affection, which also made it impossible for him to express his feelings as openly as Klet did.
But he was certain that only Klet could make him feel a sense of endearment.
“Alright.” As they talked, Laizhe also seemed to have understood Shen Siwei’s feelings, finally letting go of his worries and saying with a hint of reluctance, “You used to spoil me the most.”
“That was because I treated you like a little brother.”
“But isn’t he also like a little brother?”
As the two of them were chatting, gradually their voices became louder.
At that moment, Klet turned his head suddenly, calling out displeased, “Shen.”
He seemed to have noticed that Shen Siwei and Laizhe were secretly talking about him.
Shen Siwei walked towards the desk, and Klet raised his arm, naturally wrapping it around Shen Siwei’s waist.
“Are you done contacting them?” Shen Siwei asked.
“Yeah, they’re all willing to help,” Klet said, “Do you want to go out for a walk with me? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Z City.”
“Okay,” Shen Siwei agreed. After speaking, he suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, Maimai, thank you for the surgery.”
The other three people: “?”
Ahem,” Laizhe frowned slightly, “Captain, only I can call him Maimai.”
Shen Siwei: “?”