Blood splattered, dust filled the air.
After crushing the head of the desert wolf, the figure with golden hair leaped high in the air, stretching their body and drawing a graceful arc. They somersaulted in mid-air and landed behind Klet, their backs facing each other. One person was tall and the other slender, both facing the circle of ten desert wolves surrounding them.
Unlike the focused golden-haired figure, Klet maintained a forward posture but had a shocked expression as he looked behind. He didn’t say a word, but Malken, who was floating in mid-air, exclaimed in surprise, “Negotiator?!”
Shen Siwei couldn’t hide his identity.
Changing hair color and eye color required contacting Moran, and Moran’s instructions were to investigate the power station. He ran to fight the desert wolf pack on his own knowing Moran wouldn’t assist him in changing his appearance.
Furthermore, he was so close to Klet that even the oxygen mask would expose his identity. What was the point of changing hair and eye color? It would only needlessly reveal the fact that he was a modified human.
“What are you standing there for?” Shen Siwei tilted his chin slightly, showing half of his profile to Klet. “Let’s fight.”
With those words, Shen Siwei charged directly at the desert wolf in front of him, and the other wolves followed suit as if they received a signal, rushing toward the two of them.
Still in a state of shock, Klet leaped into the air, drawing the attention of several desert wolves and then looked towards the commotion where Shen Siwei was.
Just as the man and the wolf were about to collide head-on, Shen Siwei suddenly lowered his body and dashed forward. When he reached under the desert wolf, he jumped up, swiftly grabbed the sideburns of the wolf’s face, and used the momentum to flip onto its back.
He didn’t stop there and ran a few more steps forward. Just as he was about to leave the desert wolf’s back, he smoothly executed a beautiful front handspring – both hands gripping the tail of the desert wolf. In mid-air, he rolled in a circle, and the desert wolf was thrown over his shoulder as if performing a shoulder throw, flipping its massive body 180 degrees and slamming it forcefully onto the ground.
The square’s pavement was smashed, and countless fragments flew up.
On the other side, Malken who was still in awe of Shen Siwei’s actions, quickly pressed a button to continue jetting with his power device, barely returning to mid-air.
The desert wolf’s resistance was indeed like that of a tank. Even though it endured such a heavy blow from Shen Siwei, it only spat out blood but did not fall.
Shen Siwei immediately turned and called out, “Klet!”
Klet, agilely dodging the open jaws of two wolves, heard Shen Siwei’s shout and quickly reversed his grip on the dagger and charged towards Shen Siwei. Without giving the desert wolf a chance to stand up, Shen Siwei firmly held its tail and rushed toward Klet.
In the blink of an eye, their figures intertwined, and the sharp dagger sliced open the abdomen of the desert wolf, causing its dark red viscera to spill out onto the ground.
At this moment, Klet couldn’t be bothered with much and tentatively accepted the fact that Shen Siwei was not a sickly person. Although he didn’t want to hand over his precious dagger to someone else, considering that his companion had empty hands, he raised the dagger and asked from a distance, “Do you need a weapon?”
Shen Siwei didn’t even bother to look at him. “No need.”
He himself was a weapon, so what else did he need?
A few more desert wolves rushed over, and Shen Siwei gathered power in his feet and quickly climbed up the exterior wall of a building. He initially wanted to use the same move as before, utilizing gravity and acceleration to harm the desert wolves. However, this time, the desert wolves were consciously evading. Shen Siwei leaped from the air but ended up landing directly on the ground.
These desert wolves seemed to be even more agile than Shen Siwei had imagined. Despite dragging their massive bodies, their movements showed no signs of slowness.
But precisely because of their large bodies, Shen Siwei agilely maneuvered among the wolf pack, receiving almost no damage.
A punch here, a kick there, several desert wolves were quickly battered and bruised by Shen Siwei. However, just as Shen Siwei leaped into mid-air and kicked towards the chin of one of the desert wolves, another wolf suddenly swung its neck and bit Shen Siwei’s abdomen.
“Negotiator!” Malken, who was watching, shouted in alarm.
After biting Shen Siwei, the desert wolf shook its head forcefully twice, then prepared to swallow Shen Siwei whole by opening its large mouth. Although the sharp teeth didn’t cause any harm to Shen Siwei, the head-shaking motion generated a tremendous twisting force that put a heavy burden on his spine. He couldn’t adjust his posture in mid-air and fell straight down. But at that moment, a figure rushed over like lightning and knocked away the desert wolf, catching Shen Siwei in mid-air.
Klet squatted on the ground, holding Shen Siwei in his arms, and his left hand immediately touched Shen Siwei’s waist.
The clothing there had been torn by the desert wolf’s teeth, revealing a large patch of exposed side waist. However, the expected gory wound was not there, and Klet’s left hand touched smooth skin.
The calluses on his fingertips rubbed against the waist, causing Shen Siwei to feel itchy. He swatted away Klet’s large hand and said, “Don’t touch, I’m fine.”
Kleet looked puzzled, “But just now…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a wolf howl sounded in the square.
The remaining desert wolves dispersed immediately as if receiving a command, and they swiftly disappeared into the maze of roads.
“Oh no.” Shen Siwei quickly jumped out of Klet’s embrace.
It was evident that these desert wolves wanted to divide and conquer. Some were tasked with diverting Shen Siwei and Klet’s attention while the others continued to wreak havoc in the city.
Shen Siwei chose the closest desert wolf and instinctively wanted to chase after it, but Klet suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Chase the alpha leader,” Klet said. “We shouldn’t separate.”
So that’s it.
When it came to hunting desert wolves, Shen Siwei lacked experience.
The desert wolves not only wanted to divert their attention but also aimed to separate them and take them down one by one. Therefore, the most direct and effective way was for the two of them to hunt down the alpha leader together.
At this moment, the massive alpha leader happened to be isolated and ran onto a main road, presenting an excellent hunting opportunity.
The other desert wolves realized that their plan had failed and quickly changed direction, chasing after them. However, they were still far behind the alpha leader, with Shen Siwei and Klet chasing after it.
Normally, humans couldn’t catch up with the speed of desert wolves, but Shen Siwei watched Klet running effortlessly alongside him and realized that this person was exceptionally fast.
A familiar feeling suddenly emerged in Shen Siwei’s mind. He vaguely remembered a small figure that dashed out of a vending machine, also running incredibly fast.
Before he could think much further, Klet suddenly accelerated and rushed ahead of the alpha leader. Shen Siwei focused his gaze and noticed a pedestrian bridge spanning the main road up ahead.
With a push of his foot, Klet jumped onto the bridge and effortlessly broke off a more than ten-meter-long metal railing. At the same time, the alpha leader, sensing danger, forcefully leaped up with its hind legs, about to jump over the bridge.
Klet swiftly inserted the metal railing into the ground below the bridge and shouted at Shen Siwei, “Evan!”
Understanding his intent, Shen Siwei hastened his pace and reached behind the alpha leader, grabbing its tail.
The alpha leader ultimately failed to jump over the bridge, and Shen Siwei pulled its massive body down from the air. The metal railing pierced straight through its heart.
The other desert wolves finally caught up from behind but stopped their steps several tens of meters away.
Shen Siwei and Klet stood under the bridge, with the railing between them like a flag.
With the alpha leader gone, the wolf pack was like a headless dragon. After exchanging glances, the remaining desert wolves changed direction and left the Life Tree.
The crisis was averted, and Shen Siwei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It was the first time he had used his body with such intensity, and he had to admit that it felt great.
But what was the deal with him?
Thinking of this, Shen Siwei instinctively looked towards Klet. However, at that moment, Klet suddenly made a move.
A large hand reached directly for Shen Siwei’s face mask, with a swift and decisive motion, as if their previous cooperation was just an illusion.
At this point, Shen Siwei no longer needed to hold back. He quickly tilted his head back to dodge, but due to his relaxed state, he couldn’t avoid it entirely. As a result, the large hand didn’t grab his face mask but unintentionally unbuttoned two buttons on his collar.
Shen Siwei looked down, “…”
—Tore, his, clothes.
His slender collarbones were exposed in the sunlight, making it difficult for Klet to keep his eyes open. He realized his fault, and his movements slowed down. Therefore, when Shen Siwei lifted his right leg, Klet couldn’t dodge in time.
Earlier, Shen Siwei had been worried about giving Klet a concussion with the pillow, so he held back his anger. But now that he knew this rogue leader could take a beating, he couldn’t be bothered with such considerations. With both new grievances and old grudges, he didn’t hold back his strength at all. His whipping leg struck Klet, sending him flying into the wall of a nearby building.
Klet jumped down from the wall, his deep gaze fixed on Shen Siwei’s face mask, as if he still intended to take action.
However, at that moment, a figure floated in mid-air, swaying gently.
“Stop, stop!” Malken, who had arrived slowly, hurriedly intervened between the two about to fight. “You’re both on the same side!”
Shen Siwei, with one hand still on his face mask, looked at Klet warily, not loosening his guard.
“You said he’s sickly,” Malken landed beside Klet and muttered softly.
“Who the hell knows,” Klet furrowed his brows tightly, as if settling an old score, his eyes full of three words when looking at Shen Siwei: big liar.
It was only at this moment that Shen Siwei noticed the many wounds on Klet’s body. The joints of his fingerless gloves were torn, revealing oozing skin. There were also numerous scratches on his sturdy arms, including the marks left by being thrown into the wall by Shen Siwei just now.
Shen Siwei’s body was modified and wouldn’t be injured, but clearly, Klet wasn’t the same.
Recalling when the Tree of Life was threatened, the other refugees had fled with their heads down, but Klet took the initiative to confront the desert wolf pack. Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel super proud of him and his courage.
If he had to say it, he still didn’t want Klet to get hurt.
“Are you alright?” Shen Siwei asked.
Klet didn’t answer, but looked at him with a furrowed brow and asked, “What’s the matter with you?”
Shen Siwei had already prepared a plausible excuse and calmly said, “I’m an evolved Marge.”
Just because they fought together didn’t mean he and Klet had become friends. They were still in an opposing position, and Shen Siwei naturally wouldn’t confess honestly.
“Huh?” Malken was the first to express disbelief.
“My lung and heart functions are indeed weak, but I’m strong in other aspects.”
“really,” Malken still didn’t believe it. “You say you evolved, and that’s it? People evolve from 1 to 2. How can you evolve from 1 to 10?”
“It’s possible,” Klet interjected.
Hearing this, Shen Siwei subtly raised an eyebrow.
He had made up so many lies before, and Klet had always seemed skeptical. Why was he so easily convinced when it came to the evolution of the Marge?
“How do you know?” Malken also found Klet’s reaction a bit strange. “You weren’t swayed by someone’s beauty, were you?”
Before he could finish his sentence, Klet grabbed him by the back of his neck.
Klet pushed Maiken in the direction the wolves had left. “Go find someone to repair the defense system.”
“I haven’t finished talking yet,” Malken staggered a few steps, barely stabilizing himself. “Get clear about your position, boss. Do you think you can win over someone like this?”
Klet took off his fingerless gloves, intending to smack Malken in the face, but Shen Siwei had already picked up a stone and flicked it with his middle finger, hitting the ground near Malken.
The stone flew like a bullet, frightening Malken as he hopped in place.
“Fine, you two can talk privately,” he turned around and muttered as he walked away. “Is this a negotiation or a love affair?”
After Malken left, Shen Siwei glanced at the wounds on Klet’s hand. They were caused by the force of his punches when he hit the desert wolves, the resulting impact rebounding onto himself.
“Aren’t you going to treat them?” Shen Siwei raised his chin lightly.
“No need.” Klet took off another damaged fingerless glove and casually threw both gloves to the side of the road. “So, you hid your strength and came to the lower levels just to negotiate?”
“Is that not allowed?” Shen Siwei calmly replied.
However, he also knew that his mission to investigate Klet was probably difficult to continue. He had deceived Klet time and time again, pretending to be weak, and it was evident that Klet no longer believed him. He wouldn’t be able to extract any useful information from him.
Sure enough, Klet’s eyes darkened, and the understanding they had when fighting side by side was gone.
“In that case, there’s no need to talk anymore,” he said. “I’m going to meet with Nightingale now. I hope that when I come back, you’ve already left this place.”
