Top edge chapter 69

He disappeared

Adolf’s murder spread like wildfire, and the villa remained restless throughout the night.

Outside in the parking lot, aircraft came and went, with people closely related to Adolf and those attending the funeral getting on and off the aircraft. Their expressions were anxious, as if indicating that a real change was about to happen.

The servants and guards were also worried, unsure of how things would unfold.

“Malken asked me about Adolf,” klet lazily leaned against the bedside, looking at the communicator in his hand. “He suspects it was us.”

Shen Siwei knew Malken was joking and didn’t take it seriously. He waved his hand in the air, closed the automatic intelligent curtains, and returned to the bed, lying down next to klet. “Let’s get some sleep.”

klet didn’t put on his shirt, resting comfortably against Shen Siwei’s warm chest.

“If things go smoothly tomorrow,” klet casually embraced Shen Siwei’s back, “do we need to come back to the top floor?”

Tomorrow’s meeting would determine the details of the referendum. Once everything was settled, Shen Siwei and klet would have nothing to do with it.

But…

“Aren’t you curious about who the killer is?” Shen Siwei lifted his head, looking at klet’s jawline.

“Curious.” klet adjusted his chin, meeting Shen Siwei’s gaze. “But it’s not my concern.”

The next morning, Shen Siwei and klet changed into newly delivered suits. The suits were still predominantly black, but with a more casual style, not as somber as the funeral attire.

Rita seemed to have stayed up all night. Her exquisite makeup concealed her dark circles, but couldn’t hide the exhaustion in her eyes. She personally escorted Shen Siwei and klet to the parking lot. Before parting ways, she asked, “Captain Shen, will you still come back to help me find the killer?”

Shen Siwei had promised Rita before to find Miller’s killer. But given the circumstances back then, regardless of what Shen Siwei promised, it was just a stopgap measure and couldn’t be considered a commitment.

He didn’t respond immediately, looking at klet beside him. Rita sighed and said, “Now that the Marg people are in chaos, everyone is preoccupied and no one wants to meddle in other people’s affairs.”

“Let’s discuss it after the meeting,” klet said casually.

The aircraft left the top floor’s entrance and headed straight to the three-story government building. Unexpectedly, four fighter jets suddenly appeared on either side of the aircraft, forming an escort formation.

Looking down from above, the order on the third floor was significantly better than the top floor. Vehicles on the roads moved steadily, and there were gardeners trimming flowers and plants in private residences.

The whole world seemed to be in chaos except for the Marg people.

The Miller family’s entrance and the government building were several tens of kilometers apart. Approximately an hour later, Shen Siwei and klet arrived on time at the central government building on the third floor.

Politicians represented by Morrison awaited on both sides of the main entrance, standing upright. In contrast, the Nightingale group led by Laizhe and Malken seemed like they had wandered onto the wrong set, out of place with the serious government building.

“Boss! Negotiator!” Malken waved at the two from a distance.

As Shen Siwei and klet approached, he looked up and down at klet, clicking his tongue. “Tsk tsk, Boss, you look quite hot in a suit.”

klet’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly indifferent to Malken’s banter. But Malken was already prepared to make a quick getaway, yet to his surprise, klet’s action was faster. He kicked him in the butt, causing Malken to stumble and fall into Laizhe’s arms.

“Do you have to be so mean?” Malken regained his balance, rubbing his behind, and protested against klet with dissatisfaction.

But Laizhe, supporting him, said, “I think you deserved it.”

“Huh? Are you siding with him?”

The others in the Nightingale group burst into laughter, making the politicians standing aside even more out of place. Morrison adjusted his suit, took the initiative to approach, and said, “Captain Shen, it’s about time. Shall we go inside and talk?”

In fact, Shen Siwei played a secondary role in the negotiations. Morrison should have invited Laizhe and klet inside, but for some reason, he seemed to feel that Shen Siwei was the one with decision-making power.

But if one had to say…

One was his subordinate, the other his future husband. It seemed that Shen Siwei did indeed have a significant say.

“Shall we go in?” Shen Siwei looked at Laizhe and the others.

The playful group immediately quieted down and followed Shen Siwei into the government building.

Shen Siwei had seen this circular, tiered conference hall countless times on television, but it was his first time stepping inside. All major decisions related to the Tree of Life were made in that hall, and it also witnessed the history of the Tree of Life.

There were around sixty to seventy politicians in the political camp, all considered “higher-class citizens” among civilians. Although they weren’t Marg people themselves, they didn’t consider themselves ordinary citizens either.

“Today, we gather here to discuss the referendum…”

“He talks too much.” klet tilted his head slightly and whispered a complaint to Shen Siwei.

“Yeah,” Shen Siwei replied. 

After the referendum, the Nightingale group and those politicians would engage in a tug-of-war. It would be another political struggle then.

Indeed, traveling with klet seemed to be the easiest, enjoying the scenery, fighting monsters, without having to consider anything else.

Shen Siwei’s thoughts drifted away gradually, and just at that moment, the doors of the conference hall were suddenly pushed open, and dozens of well-dressed Marg people walked in from outside.

“For such a meeting, it wouldn’t be appropriate for only one Marg person to participate, right?”

The person leading the way was the news officer that Shen Siwei had seen before, followed by organization officials, security officials, and others, all high-ranking Marg individuals.

“Just klet alone definitely can’t represent the will of all Marg people. We have some conditions to propose.”

Perhaps Adolf’s death had changed the minds of those high-ranking Marg individuals. They originally didn’t want to participate in the meeting and wouldn’t recognize the outcome of the meeting. But perhaps knowing that the situation had already turned against them, they could only strive for their own interests before things got worse.

“What conditions do you have?” Laizhe asked.

“Holding a referendum, that’s acceptable. You want independence, no problem. But Marg people must enjoy special privileges, not be under the authority of the civilian government, and the top-level core power station belongs to Marg people, not shared with the civilians.”

As soon as the words of the Marg high-ranking individuals fell, the entire hall erupted.

“Why should you monopolize the top-level power station? Energy should be shared equally!”

“Miller himself signed the Tree of Life Development Agreement, so things should be done according to the agreement!”

“How can you live in the sky without the support of the lower levels?”

“If we just cut off the top level, it won’t have any impact on us. Why should we still cater to you?”

The politicians and the Nightingale group angrily fired at the Marg individuals, and the Marg individuals didn’t back down either.

“Who funded the construction of the Tree of Life? You ungrateful lot!”

“The Marg people are the masters of the Tree of Life. Without Marg people, you can only live with the distorted monsters outside!”

The conference hall was even noisier than the marketplace on the lower levels. Someone in the Nightingale group started chanting slogans, and the politicians raised their fists in agreement, shouting, “Remove the top-level advantage! Remove the top-level advantage!”

“Headache.” Shen Siwei looked at the spectacle in front of him, feeling somewhat helpless.

“Do you want to leave?” klet asked.

“Alright.”

This meeting probably wouldn’t end without a big fuss. Laizhe and Malken seemed energetic, but Shen Siwei had been under a constant mental overload the past few days. Just listening to those high-decibel voices made him uncomfortable.

The two of them walked out of the government building, and they could still hear the arguing from upstairs in the parking lot.

Perhaps many people thought that politicians were dignified representatives, but little did they know that when it came to their own interests, these politicians would all fight fiercely.

After boarding the aircraft and setting the destination coordinates, Shen Siwei and klet relaxed and enjoyed the scenery outside the window.

Although the view on the third level was not as expansive as the top level, they could see the distant snow-capped mountains from the third level, and the scenery was even better than the top level.

Dr. Chen’s laboratory was not far from the government building, about a twenty-minute drive. They parked the aircraft in the parking lot outside the laboratory and walked into the laboratory openly.

For some reason, the receptionist was playing a game, with the game screen projected in the air.

When the receptionist saw Shen Siwei enter, they lazily glanced at him, then immediately jumped up from the office chair, picked up the intercom, and retreated while trembling, shouting, “Quick, someone come to the reception! The subject, the subject, he’s back!”

“Is it the escaped subject?” a voice came from the intercom.

“Yes, yes, yes! Hurry!”

In the next second, more than ten guards rushed out from all directions, all armed with real guns, aiming their muzzles at Shen Siwei and klet.

Shen Siwei could tell that those guards were nervous, probably because they didn’t know how Shen Siwei had returned on his own. He calmly said, “Put down your guns.”

The guards looked at each other.

“Put down your guns,” Shen Siwei said. “I won’t harm you.”

He wasn’t afraid of those weapons, but just in case, he didn’t want anyone accidentally firing a shot and hurting klet.

No one knew his abilities better than the employees there. The guards exchanged glances and, in the end, obediently put down their guns.

Shen Siwei walked to the reception desk and said to the trembling employee pressed against the wall, “I’m looking for Dr. Chen.”

“Dr. Chen, he…” The person swallowed and said, “He hasn’t been to work for two days.”

“What?”

“A colleague went to his house to find him but couldn’t. It seems he’s gone missing.”

Dr. Chen… missing?

Shen Siwei couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Two days ago, wasn’t that when Miller was killed?