A burst of anger surged up in Shen Siwei’s throat, and he asked angrily, “So what were you doing before?”
Ever since the tire tracks disappeared from the road, Shen Siwei had been on edge, afraid of coming across any sudden dangers. But Klet, on the other hand, remained silent despite knowing the route.
“I was watching you drive,” Klet replied casually.
“Is it amusing?” Shen Siwei asked.
“Hmm.”
Shen Siwei was utterly frustrated.
He couldn’t help but wonder about the “negotiator” mentioned by Klet and his “friend” . Why would a capable soldier like him choose to help this jerk?
The motorcycle maneuvered through the twists and turns on the ice sheet, with the electronic map constantly displaying danger warnings.
Initially, Shen Siwei was worried, but after some time, he realized that Klet was indeed familiar with the ice sheet.
“Have you been to the ice sheet before?” he asked Klet, repeating the same question.
“Often,” Klet replied. “I have a tattoo of the ice sheet on my back. Have you seen it?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then I can show it to you again.”
“I’m not interested.”
The two of them engaged in idle conversation as they traversed the vast expanse of the ice sheet.
Klet didn’t drive fast, but his driving was steady. He knew where to turn and the direction of their destination.
As time passed, and the sun was about to disappear below the horizon, the shadow of the Ice Dome finally appeared ahead.
The Ice Dome was the highest point of the northern ice sheet, reaching an altitude of over four thousand meters.
Amor’s diary pointed to a small cabin on the Ice Dome, which was also the turning point for many adventurers.
“Hold onto the bike,” Klet suddenly said. “There’s an underground current ahead, and we’re going to fly over it.”
With only a little sunlight left, they didn’t have time to take a detour.
The front and rear motorcycle tires spread outwards, transforming into four flying engines facing the ground.
In the next second, the bikes took off, and Shen Siwei had already held onto the front of the bike. But then, he suddenly felt an extra arm around his waist.
“You don’t need to hold on to me,” he frowned.
“It’s a seatbelt,” Klet tightened his grip and embraced Shen Siwei.
Though it was his own arm, Shen Siwei hadn’t seen someone so… childlike in a long time.
It was difficult to struggle in mid-air, so Shen Siwei had no choice but to let Klet hold his waist and complain, “Are you always this childish or what?”
When they reached the resting point on the Ice Dome, darkness had already descended.
Shen Siwei went straight into the small cabin to check, and unsurprisingly, there was no trace of Amor.
—According to the rules of exploring the ice sheet, after using a resting point, it must be cleaned up for the convenience of future travelers.
In other words, even if Amor had been here, he had cleaned up his own traces.
At the abandoned self-service hotel, Shen Siwei could at least find some clues, but now, looking at the spotless cabin, he felt perplexed.
He couldn’t even determine whether Amor had arrived there or had already perished along the way.
“Did the person you’re looking for come to the Ice Dome?” Klet asked.
Shen Siwei didn’t answer.
The clues ended there, and he was in no mood to chat with Klet now.
However, at that moment, Klet walked up to a cabinet and took out a thick notebook, throwing it onto the table. “People who come to the Ice Dome leave messages here. You can take a look.”
After saying that, he left the small cabin.
Shen Siwei looked out the window and saw Klet undress and soak in the hot spring next to the cabin.
Resting points were usually built near hot springs, and the Ice Dome was no exception.
From Shen Siwei’s perspective, he could see Klet’s back clearly. He hastily averted his gaze, opened the notebook in his hand, and started reading.
The last entry was from ten days ago, and it had Amor’s familiar handwriting:
“Only by leaving the Tree of Life can one truly appreciate the grandeur of nature. It’s truly hard to understand why my ancestors would abandon such a beautiful place.
Thank you for bringing me here and letting me see a different scenery.
Thank you for appearing in my boring life and rescuing me from my shackles.
I hope our journey ahead is safe.
August 5th, 23XX.
Amor/XXX”
The elegant writing style was consistent with Amor’s style, but Shen Siwei sensed that something was off.
He had always thought that Amor was traveling alone, but from the message, it was clear that Amor was with someone.
The signature below was different, clearly belonging to two different people. After careful examination, Shen Siwei could only make out the surname “Li” for the other person.
Suddenly, a diary entry came to mind. He immediately went outside the small cabin, took his backpack from the motorcycle, and retrieved Amor’s diary.
February 5th, 23XX
“Today, I came to the lower west district for research and learned about a new profession, Monster Hunter.
These people hunt and capture monsters and then sell them. It is said to be a decent source of income.
The emergence of such a profession is probably due to the abandonment of City Z in the western district. The monsters come to the city, willingly becoming trapped and the people hunt them.
I knew that there were monsters sold off in the black market before, but it hadn’t become as organized as it is now.
Perhaps soon, the government will enact policies to regulate this industry.
By the way, the person I interviewed is named Li, a humorous and witty Monster Hunter.”
When Shen Siwei read that part the previous day, he didn’t pay much attention to it. But now it seemed that Amor’s departure from the Tree of Life was clearly related to this person named Li.
He continued reading.
March 18th, 23XX
“Today, Li came to my work room, which surprised and delighted me.
I had told him that if he had the time, he could come find me because his views on the Tree of Life resonated with me, and we could continue our conversation.
I thought he wouldn’t take it seriously, but he actually showed up.
During the lunch break, we talked for a long time. He said he was an ordinary person and hadn’t read many books, but I don’t believe that the number of books one has read determines the depth of a person’s knowledge.
I have read many books, but I haven’t been to many places. Listening to him talk about certain things, I felt like a frog at the bottom of a well.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to talk to him so much today.”
After this, Li’s appearances became more frequent. Before Amor left, they confirmed their romantic relationship. Shen Siwei had figured out the whole story. It was a story of a boy running away with a wealthy young man.
Of course, calling it an abduction was perhaps inappropriate because after meeting Li, the style of Amor’s writing in the diary changed drastically, away from the initial despair and gloom.
Reading through the diary, Shen Siwei could clearly sense that Amor had transformed from a pessimistic person into someone full of longing for life.
So can love really change a person that much?
Shen Siwei couldn’t help but think of Moran, but his heart remained unaffected.
At that moment, Klet suddenly shouted behind him, “negotior.”
Shen Siwei turned his head at the sound and saw Klet raise his chin, saying, “Look at the sky.”
He didn’t think much of it and turned his head back, casually lifting his gaze.
In the next moment, Shen Siwei was almost breathless from the sight before his eyes.
Countless stars adorned the pitch-black sky, and green ribbons stretched across the night sky, creating a breathtaking scene.
At that moment, Shen Siwei understood why Amor and Li had come to the Ice Dome.
They had come to see the aurora.
“negotiator,” Klet called out again, “come here.”
If it were yesterday, Shen Siwei would never have joined a wanted criminal in a hot spring.
But today, perhaps due to the circumstances, after hesitating for a moment, he finally took off his clothes and went and sat next to Klet.
The night on the ice field was even colder, but his body felt warm in the hot spring.
Shen Siwei absentmindedly gazed at the sky, admiring the beautiful scenery before him, and felt his cold heart warming up.
” I come here often,” Klet splashed the water, pouring it onto his shoulder, and turned to look at Shen Siwei, asking, “How’s the view?”
“It’s beautiful,” Shen Siwei unconsciously relaxed his guard towards Klet, “You can’t see this kind of scenery in the Tree of Life.”
Perhaps when Moran mentioned watching the night sky, he wanted to take him to admire the view.
But it was strange that Shen Siwei still felt that appreciating the scenery with Moran was a waste of time, even though he now believed that seeing the aurora was worth crossing the dangerous ice field.
He seemed to have no objections to watching the night view with Klet.
“I’ve thought about it before,” Klet gazed into the distance, slowly speaking, “If I had the chance to see you again, I would bring you here.”
Shen Siwei pursed his lips, wanting to say that he wasn’t that person, but when the words reached his mouth, he changed his mind and said, “Why?”
“Because before the military started bombing, we sat on the rooftop and watched the sunset,” Klet smiled self-deprecatingly, “I know you don’t remember.”
Shen Siwei admitted that sometimes he could be slow to react after being frozen, but he could still tell that Klet wasn’t lying—unless he was a master storyteller.
“Yes,” Shen Siwei replied, “i don’t remember.”
“The view back then was beautiful too,” Klet continued, “I remember the sunset dyed your hair orange, like an orange fruit.”
Shen Siwei couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows, “You’re the one who looks like an orange.”
“Oranges are cute,” Klet looked at Shen Siwei, “I like eating oranges.”
What the hell…
Shen Siwei didn’t know how to react, and he heard Klet say again, “Don’t you really want to know what happened five years ago?”
Honestly speaking, Shen Siwei was curious, but he felt that he couldn’t listen anymore.
Because if he continued to listen, he might really believe the story Klet was telling.
But at that moment, the communicator suddenly vibrated, and Shen Siwei looked down at his palm. It was a message from Moran.
[Moran: Why haven’t you reported in for two nights in a row?]
Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel strange. Is this how lovers act?
They rarely communicate, and when they do, it’s only about reporting.
Why does he always feel that his relationship with Moran is different from the situation between Amor and Li?
[Shen Siwei: Still tracking.]
He closed the communicator, exhaled a breath, and turned to look at Klet.
“Tell me,” he said, “about what happened five years ago.”
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