There weren’t many food options in the underground dungeon. klet somehow managed to get a few pieces of dried rabbit meat.
The meat was tough and got stuck in Shen Siwei’s teeth. He frowned and chewed as if facing a great enemy, thinking that his teeth definitely hadn’t undergone any modifications.
Before long, the kettle on the electromagnetic stove whistled, and steam rose vigorously.
klet took out an enamel cup, poured hot water for Shen Siwei, and sat back on the couch, asking, “Can you drink it directly?”
Struggling to swallow the food in his mouth, Shen Siwei said, “No.”
“So, you’re only tough on the outside,” klet concluded.
Shen Siwei took another bite of the rabbit meat without responding.
“When you’re not doing any intense activity, you obviously don’t need to wear an oxygen mask,” klet continued thoughtfully. “Does that mean that you have to wear a mask for all intense activities?”
Shen Siwei furrowed his brow. “Why do you have so many questions?”
“To understand your body.”
“There’s nothing to understand.”
—After discovering the ability to transfer magnetic particles, even Shen Siwei himself didn’t understand much.
After calmly finishing the dried rabbit meat in his hand, Klet clapped his hands and asked, “Do you want to rest tonight?”
The nights in the underground dungeon were lively, while during the day, one might not see a single person for half a day.
Shen Siwei took a sip of the cooled-down plain water, set down the enamel cup, and said, “Let’s find Amor first.”
The underground dungeon wasn’t a scenic spot. Amor and Li had gone there only to find a place to stay.
“Old Ghost, it’s me,” klet knocked on the tightly closed rolling shutter door and spoke toward the camera above at an angle.
After a while, a sharp voice came from the camera, “Who’s the person next to you?”
“My friend, ,” klet said and added, “Also a friend of Malken.”
The rolling shutter door opened halfway, and Shen Siwei followed klet by stooping through the door.
The narrow passage was filled with discarded electronic components. klet explained as he walked, “Old Ghost is Malken’s mentor.”
Shen Siwei searched his memory and said, “I haven’t heard that name before.”
“That’s normal,” klet said. “She used to be called Mechanical Hand.”
Shen Siwei had heard the name Mechanical Hand. She was the first person to develop mechanical prosthetics, originally a promising officer. However, she became increasingly crazy, conducting experiments on living soldiers, and was eventually permanently exiled beyond the Tree of Life.
Whether it was the Duke or the Old Ghost, Shen Siwei had known about these characters even before he was frozen.
Originally, these people had been quite distant to him, but now, in the underground desert city, it was like reopening a history book.
“She’s very vigilant and has a strange temper. Let me do all the talking,”Klet advised.
“Okay.”
At the end of the passage, there was a dimly lit room with a wall entirely covered in surveillance screens, monitoring all entrances and passages of the underground dungeon.
An old woman with graying hair, wearing a checkered headscarf, sat in a wheelchair, holding a pipe. Her eyes were lifeless as she looked at Klet and said, “Pass me the lighter.”
klet glanced at the cluttered table, casually picked up the nearest red lighter, but the Old Ghost said again, “Not that one, it’s out of fuel. Give me the blue one.”
The Old Ghost’s eyes remained lifeless as she looked straight ahead, but she could accurately see Klet’s actions.
After lighting the pipe, she exhaled a thick smoke and asked with her lifeless eyes, “What do you want from me?”
“Check the surveillance,” Klet said. “Find two people.”
“Check it yourself,” the Old Ghost said, raising her chin.
klet walked up to the wall of surveillance screens. Just as he was about to press a button on the console, the Old Ghost said, “That’s screen capture. Go backward to the top left.”
At that point, Shen Siwei finally realized that the Old Ghost wasn’t using her own eyes to see.
Since klet had his back turned to them, Shen Siwei stared straight in that direction, unable to see klet’s actions clearly. However, the Old Ghost’s gaze remained fixed, knowing exactly which button klet was pressing.
The surveillance footage started rapidly rewinding. With her pipe in hand, the Old Ghost casually said, “Malken says you prioritize romance over friendship and refuse to help him. Is this the person you’re interested in?”
klet, leaning on the console with both hands, looked up at the surveillance footage and nonchalantly said, “Yes.”
What the heck…
Shen Siwei stared at Klet’s back, thinking, Do you have to admit it so openly ?
The Old Ghost chuckled twice and said, “Come closer so I can have a good look at you.”
Due to her gaze being non-directional, it could only be realized from her words that she was speaking to Shen Siwei.
Shen Siwei took a small step forward.
“closer,” the Old Ghost raised her chin, and suddenly the camera on the table moved left and right.
Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel a bit strange. It was the moment when Klet turned around and said, “Her eyes are the cameras.”
After saying that, he turned his head again and added, “All the cameras in the underground city are her eyes.”
Shen Siwei had thought about that possibility. After all, that kind of connection could be achieved with mechanical artificial eyes.
But the Old Ghost’s eyes were not mechanical; they were her own flesh and blood. How advanced must the biological technology be?
Suppressing his surprise, he bent forward slightly and heard the Old Ghost say, “Why are you wearing a mask?”
Shen Siwei naturally wouldn’t answer, and Klet, as if they had a telepathic connection, took the initiative to continue, “Can I introduce you to each other later? Come help me find someone.”
The wheelchair moved slowly, coming from behind the table to Klet’s side.
Shen Siwei was wondering how the wheelchair could move on its own when he saw several data lines connecting between the back of the Old Ghost’s head and the wheelchair.
The answer was self-evident; the Old Ghost could control the wheelchair and all the cameras connected to her with her thoughts.
— Truly deserving of being the former chief scientist of the military.
This idea suddenly popped into Shen Siwei’s mind.
Dr. Chen probably isn’t as powerful as her, right?
The footage on the wall switched to surveillance recordings of Amor and Li. In the footage, the handsome young man had put on a fake beard and partially covered his face with a cloak.
His companion, Li, on the other hand, was much more open, with no facial coverings, revealing his distinct features.
“Who are these two?” the Old Ghost asked.
“Friends of a friend,” Klet didn’t elaborate.
The footage of that day’s surveillance recording was enlarged, and the two figures filled the entire monitor wall.
Li and Amor had purchased an ample amount of batteries in the underground city, then they came to a certain exit and loaded the batteries into the aircraft.
“How long does it take to get to the ruins from here?” Amor asked.
His voice was gentle and sophisticated, with a hidden anticipation.
Shen Siwei noticed that Amor was indeed different from the one described in the earlier diary entries. There was a soft smile on his lips, and his eyes towards Li were full of admiration.
“At most two days,” Li said with a smile. “Looking forward to it?”
“Yes,” Amor nodded, “The aurora is beautiful. I also want to watch the sea with you.”
Li pinched Amor’s cheek. “I won’t let you down.”
The happiness of the two seemed to emanate through the screen. Shen Siwei stared at it, somewhat dazed, but heard the Old Ghost tsk twice and said, “Young people.”
Klet pressed the pause button and said to Shen Siwei, “They are going to the southern ruins.”
Shen Siwei shifted his gaze away from the dazzling smiles in the footage and asked, “Why do they want to go to the ruins to see the sea?”
Both the Arctic and the ruins are adjacent to the deep sea, so if they want to see the sea, they could also go to the Arctic.
“It’s about the view,” Klet said. “There’s a skyscraper with over a hundred floors along the coast, and from there, you can see far away.”
“Young people love to take risks,” the Old Ghost sneered. “Just don’t die halfway.”
The appearance of the distortion monsters was precisely due to the nuclear leakage in the southern ruins. It could be said that the southern ruins were the nest of the distortion monsters.
They risk their lives to go to the ruins and see the sea for a better view. Shen Siwei wondered if it was worth it.
Leaving the place of the Old Ghost, the two of them returned the same way.
“Are we going to the southern ruins next?” Klet asked.
Shen Siwei didn’t immediately respond, his thoughts still lingering on the surveillance footage.
His mother was a single mother, and he never watched romantic dramas. There was no one around him in a romantic relationship until he saw the way Amor and Li interacted. He realized that the feeling of having someone by your side seemed nice.
Nice enough to make him yearn for it.
“negotiator?” Klet called out again.
Shen Siwei snapped back to reality and asked, “Are you going to accompany me?”
Finding Amor was ultimately Shen Siwei’s business, and Klet had no obligation to accompany him on his mission.
“Of course?” Klet answered naturally. “If I don’t accompany you, who will?”
His heart warmed involuntarily, and Shen Siwei pursed his lips and said, “Hmm, okay.”
The two continued walking upward. After a while, they arrived back in front of Klet’s house.
But when they saw the scene in the corridor, both of them frowned and slowed their pace unconsciously.
They saw Sasha’s mouth being gagged with a white cloth, and the Duke had his arm around her shoulder while holding a dagger against her neck. It seemed like he had been waiting for a long time, as he couldn’t wait to shout when he saw Klet, “Give me the money, or I’ll kill her!”
Sasha struggled hard, but she was just a child and couldn’t break free from the Duke’s grip.
“Behave!” The Duke exerted force, leaving a blood mark on Sasha’s neck.
Sasha anxiously called out Klet’s name, but with her mouth gagged, all that came out was muffled sounds.
“Give me the money!” The Duke repeated that phrase over and over again. “I want to replace my artificial eye, I want to replace my artificial hand, you owe me that!”
“After so many years,” Klet’s face turned cold, suppressing his anger in his tone, “can’t you just stop causing trouble?”
“Pay me back what you owe me!” The Duke increased the force in his hand, and Sasha, in her desperation, started shedding tears.
Although the Duke’s marksmanship was not good, it would be easy for him to kill the child in his hand.
Shen Siwei calmly looked at Klet and noticed that he had clenched his fists, ready to strike at any moment, but he was exerting great restraint.
Continuing like this wouldn’t solve anything, Shen Siwei sighed helplessly, placed one hand on his face mask, raised the other hand forward, and then had a thought—
In the next instant, the dagger flew from the Duke’s hand into Shen Siwei’s hand.
Except for Shen Siwei, everyone present was stunned.
Sasha was the first to react, pushing the Duke away and quickly disappearing without a trace.
With no weapon in his hand and no hostage, the Duke was infuriated, his eyes bloodshot. He threw out the words “you will soon pay for this!” and left as well.
The small incident didn’t affect the two of them. Klet opened the door and curiously asked, “How did you do that?”
“I’m not sure about the details,” Shen Siwei shrugged his shoulders and began to pack his backpack. “But I can.”
“Did you develop some special ability? You’re more powerful than me,” Klet touched his chin, pondering, “How strong will our baby be?”
Shen Siwei’s movements suddenly froze. “Who said I’m having a baby with you? Creating artificial embryos is illegal, you know!”
Klet nodded, contemplating, “You’re right.”
Back at Z City, Western District, barber shop basement.
“Could you be more careful next time?” Malken carefully sewed up Leizher’s wrist, “I don’t have any more fake identities to change for you, you know?”
Leizher laughed carelessly, “As long as you’re here, I feel safe.”
Malken was about to complain, but his communicator suddenly vibrated.
He casually glanced at it, not taking it seriously. However, when he saw the contents clearly, he immediately put down the sewing needle.
“Klet is willing to help,” Malken looked at Laizher blinking as if he couldn’t believe it, “He agreed to go to the ruins .”
“Really?” Leizher was also surprised, “Didn’t you go to him personally a few days ago, and he refused to help?”
“Yeah,” Malken said, utterly confused. “But he said on one condition.”
“What?” Leizher asked.
“He said that once we succeed,” Malken furrowed his brow and leaned closer to the communication device projection, “we need to advocate for the legalization of artificial embryos.”
“…”
Leizher was baffled. “This guy is a bit hard to understand.”
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