When Shen Siwei and klet returned to the barbershop, there was only Malken left in the living room.
Leizhe had other matters to attend to and asked Malken to relay a message to Shen Siwei and klet before returning to the Life Tree.
klet returned the motorcycle key to Malken and asked, “Aren’t you going back with him?”
“I still have some research to do,” Malken said, spinning his chair and addressing Shen Siwei, “negotiator , come and take a look at this.”
At that moment, Shen Siwei who was packing his backpack, paused and approached the desk, where he saw a design drawing on the desktop and display screen. It looked like some sort of spider-like thing.
“My mentor and I have been considering this. Since your cardiopulmonary function cannot be restored, we can start from the oxygen mask,” Malken said, turning his stylus pen. “Oxygen doesn’t necessarily have to come from the outside. For example, we can implant this spider-like capsule in your oral cavity, so you won’t need to wear the oxygen mask anymore.”
Shen Siwei and klet exclaimed in unison, “Spider-like capsule?”
“I just came up with the name casually,” Malken said. “Its main component is still a compressed oxygen capsule, the same as the one in your mask. But I can compress its volume even smaller and install four fixed brackets on each side to anchor it deep in your oral cavity.”
“That sounds good,” Shen Siwei pondered.
“However, it’s currently just a concept,” Malken said, stroking his chin. “Whether it can be made is still a question.”
“But there’s no time left,” klet frowned. “He needs to go back up now.”
“Go back?” Malken looked surprised.
“Yes, there are some matters to attend to,” Shen Siwei said.
“But aren’t you afraid…” Malken didn’t finish the sentence, but Shen Siwei knew he was referring to the possibility of losing his memories again.
“I will be careful,” Shen Siwei said.
Klet remained silent and didn’t express his opinion, but it was evident that he was in a bad mood.
“How about this?” Malken suggested. “Although we can’t make the fixed brackets in a short time, I can still try to compress the oxygen capsule and implant it in your teeth. Do you want to give it a try?”
Shen Siwei glanced at the time and asked, “How long will it take?”
“About half an hour,” Malken said.
“Alright.” Since Shen Siwei’s body had undergone so many modifications, he didn’t mind trying out this new thing.
Malken went to his workshop to start working, while Shen Siwei and klet went outside the barbershop and placed the batteries in the aircraft’s trunk.
It would take a whole day to return from here to the Technology Building, which meant that Shen Siwei and klet would be parting ways after one day.
Klet still didn’t say much, but when Shen Siwei installed the eighth battery, he couldn’t hold back and asked, “Do you really need to bring so many batteries?”
Shen Siwei didn’t say much, “The more, the better.”
klet seemed persistent and asked, “Are you really leaving?”
“Didn’t we agree on it?” Shen Siwei replied.
“I want to change my mind.”
“Don’t be stubborn.”
Shen Siwei glanced at the time, finished packing his backpack, and checked the aircraft. It had been exactly half an hour. Just then, klet’s communicator rang, and he glanced at it, saying, “Malken is calling us down.”
In just half an hour, Malken’s face was covered in black ash, and a few strands of his hair were burnt.
He spread his palm, indicating the small object about the size of a grain of rice in his hand. “It might be uncomfortable to implant it in your teeth. Are you sure you want to try?”
“You’ve already made it,” Shen Siwei said. “Let’s give it a try.”
Whether it worked or not, trying it out wouldn’t hurt.
klet asked, “How do you use this thing?”
“I will implant it at the back molar of his teeth, leaving a release port. He just needs to bite down, and the compressed capsule will start releasing high-concentration oxygen,” Malken paused and added, “However, this is just an experimental prototype. The release port cannot control the amount of gas expelled, so we don’t know how long it will last.”
“Can it last for ten seconds?” Shen Siwei asked.
“It should be fine,” Malken said.
“That’s good.”
Ten seconds would be enough time for Shen Siwei to escape. klet seemed to have realized this point as well, and his darkened expression finally eased.
Implanting the compressed capsule into his teeth didn’t take much time, and Shen Siwei was grateful that his teeth hadn’t undergone any modifications.
The sensation of a foreign object in the back molar was noticable but not unbearable.
After bidding farewell to Malken, Shen Siwei and klet boarded the aircraft and headed south. With enough supply of batteries, the aircraft maintained maximum power throughout the journey.
Perhaps due to the impending separation, neither of them rested and silently stuck beside each other.
After half a day, just before the sunset, they finally reached the city center of the southern ruins.
The aircraft’s engine needed cleaning and maintenance, so klet parked it in its usual spot—the rooftop of the museum.
The sky had already been dyed orange-red by the setting sun, and more and more strange birds circled in the air, signaling the approaching night.
While Klet set the engine’s self-cleaning program, Shen Siwei went to the trunk and took out the extra batteries, asking klet, “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” klet pressed the start button and turned to Shen Siwei with a puzzled expression. “What are you doing with the batteries?”
Shen Siwei said, “We’re going to the amusement park.”
Klet paused for a moment, trying to understand, and quickly understood what Shen Siwei meant.
The amusement park was just on the next street. There were some small monsters swaying on the road, but both of them managed to avoid them.
Once they entered the amusement park, klet couldn’t help but ask with some disbelief, “Are you going to ride the Ferris wheel with me?”
Shen Siwei found the power cord of the Ferris wheel and connected it to the batteries, then pressed the switch. “I’m not sure if it’ll work.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the huge wheel began to flicker with neon lights, reflecting in klet’s deep eyes like stars twinkling in the night. He stood still, looking at the Ferris wheel before him, his expression moved as if he had received the best gift.
Fortunately, they didn’t carry all those batteries for nothing. Shen Siwei clapped his hands to dust off the dirt and asked, “Are you getting on?”
klet didn’t respond with words. Instead, he directly grabbed Shen Siwei’s wrist and entered the cabin of the Ferris wheel.
The cabin they chose had an underwater theme, painted in azure blue, with decorations such as sardines and starfish on the walls. However, due to how long it had been abandoned, those things were covered in a thick layer of dust.
“Isn’t that your favorite Patrick Star?” Shen Siwei raised his chin and pointed to a decoration on the wall, teasing klet.
klet glanced at it, knowing that Shen Siwei was joking, and furrowed his brows slightly. “His name is actually Patrick Star, and as a punishment, you have to watch SpongeBob with me for a whole day.”
Shen Siwei smiled and added that to his list of things to do.
The cabin slowly rose into the air, and the view became increasingly vast. klet kept looking outside with curiosity. However, after the sunset, the city turned into darkness, and there were no lively city nightscapes to enjoy.
Not only were there no night views to appreciate, but the only lit-up Ferris wheel in the city became the target of the monsters.
From a distance, countless dark figures surged from all directions like seawater. Even though Shen Siwei had an indestructible body, seeing this apocalyptic scene made him worry a bit because klet was not immune to harm like he was.
“should we leave?” Shen Siwei held klet’s wrist and asked.
“Just a little longer,” klet was obviously reluctant to give up this rare opportunity to ride the Ferris wheel. “I want to see the top.”
The huge distorted spider was approaching, dragging its ten heavy legs slowly towards the Ferris wheel. Under it, many distorted monsters came from sewers and buildings, covering the city’s streets.
The lower half of the Ferris wheel was completely covered by the dark shadows, and the shadows were gradually approaching them.
Shen Siwei glanced at the situation outside the window and asked, “Aren’t we leaving yet?”
“Just a little longer,” Klet said.
The top was closer, but the rats that climbed quickly had already occupied the cabins in front of their cabin.
The sound of gnawing metal echoed around, and even in the cabin where the two were, rats appeared. Finally, the cabin reached the top of the Ferris wheel.
Klet looked out the window and spoke with a hint of regret, “If this place wasn’t abandoned, the cityscape would be so beautiful at night.”
Shen Siwei had ridden the Ferris wheel many times and didn’t feel as regretful as Klet. He shot and killed the rats that kept swarming up without pause, saying, “Let’s go.”
Klet finally withdrew his gaze. “Okay.”
At that point, the cabin was hanging on the iron frame, swaying and would fall at any moment.
Shen Siwei kicked open the cabin door that had been damaged by the rats and extended his arm to Klet. “I’ll take you down.”
The top of the Ferris wheel was about ten stories high from the ground. Shen Siwei could have jumped directly, but he couldn’t leave Klet.
However, what he didn’t expect was that Klet said, “Don’t worry about me,” and then climbed out of the cabin, leaping onto a nearby parachute jump tower.
The height of the parachute jump tower was lower than the Ferris wheel, and after a short pause there, Klet ran down along the tower and then jumped down with a powerful push from his legs, landing smoothly on the ground.
Before, when Shen Siwei kicked Klet fifty meters away, he thought it was because the ice was too slippery and he didn’t use much force.
But now, it seemed that Klet’s physical abilities were much stronger than he had imagined.
The number of rats around increased. Shen Siwei didn’t think much and jumped from the top of the Ferris wheel.
Klet killed several mutated monsters and cleared an open space. The two successfully met and started moving towards the museum.
But unfortunately, a spider blocked their way. Its large pointed legs dropped from the air like cones, heading straight for the two. Shen Siwei jumped to the side and then leaped up without pausing, using a dagger to cut off one of the spider’s legs.
However, in the next moment, the spider spewed out a huge web, seemingly about to trap Shen Siwei.
Shen Siwei couldn’t dodge in time and was about to be caught in the web. But at that moment, Klet suddenly jumped over from the side of a building, embracing him and avoiding the spider’s attack.
The two rolled several times on a rooftop until they finally stopped. Klet furrowed his brow and said, ‘Don’t attack without understanding the monster’s characteristics.’
Shen Siwei had never been scolded by anyone before, he curiously asked, ‘How did you become so skilled?’
Klet stood up, brushed off the dust from his body, and casually said, ‘I’m an evolved species. Don’t you believe it?’
Shen Siwei slightly frowned, ‘Is that so?’
Klet was the first newborn after the declaration was signed. Unlike ordinary people, at least in the fertilized egg stage, he had to beat the limitations of medicine to have a chance of becoming an embryo.
In that sense, Klet could indeed be considered an evolved species. However, Shen Siwei still found it strange. Did all newborns have the physical qualities like Klet?
“Well, I’m not a monster though,” Klet said, and at that moment, the spider’s long legs rushed towards them again.
Shen Siwei and Klet didn’t stay to fight but instead maneuvered through the buildings, quickly returning to the rooftop of the museum.
The lights of the Ferris wheel in the deserted city seemed to attract the mutated monsters but even though the lights had disappeared, the bloodthirsty monsters showed no signs of retreating.
Fortunately, the engine had been cleaned and maintained. The two returned to the aircraft and continued towards the technology building by the coastline.
“They indeed are attracted by lights,” Shen Siwei relaxed and thought about the habits of the deep-sea monster. “Are all mutated monsters like this?”
“Yes,” Klet increased the cruising altitude of the aircraft. “Besides this common trait, they also have different characteristics. I’ll explain them to you when we have a chance.”
Suddenly, Shen Siwei thought of Amor’s diary.
He said that the depth of a person couldn’t be measured solely by how much they read. Sometimes life experiences could shape a person’s knowledge reserves.
Clearly, Klet was like that. Perhaps when it came to creatures outside the Tree of Life, no one understood them better than him. After all, he was the only one who had figured out the habits of the deep-sea monsters.
“You seem like a biologist,” Shen Siwei turned his head to look at Klet and suddenly yearned to travel with him.
But it was just a passing thought. After all, the matter at hand was not yet resolved, and he could only postpone this plan.
“A biologist, huh?” Klet seemed interested in this new identity and said, “Or maybe call it a monsterologist, even cooler.”
Shen Siwei smiled, “You’re the coolest.”
Shen Siwei’s communicator suddenly vibrated.
He suppressed the smile on his lips and said to Klet, “It’s Moran.”
