The next day was frigid, and a thick layer of snow blocked the door to Shahuang’s shop. The polluted snow in Phoenix City was gray and stank of the acrid scent of sulfur, and it piled up in front of the doorways in the alley. To combat this, A-Ka outfitted a small robot with automated snow-clearing capabilities and put it to work.
In Phoenix City, privately tinkering with robots was forbidden, but the regulations against doing so were lax, and the daily lives of the humans and clones were heavily dependent on mechanical devices. The rebel patrol squads largely turned a blind eye to such automated machines.
A-Ka had nothing else to occupy his time, so he used the scraps in Shahuang’s store to start casually putting something together. If possible, he wanted to make another robot like K. This time, it wouldn’t be for escape, nor would it be for him to fight in. It was simply his innate interest in metal and machines that compelled him; building a robot felt like playing with blocks. He could make tens of thousands of changes, each filled with its own joy. There was a special sense of delight that came with being a creator, like the moment that the device he built himself began to move.
Just as he was thinking about this, the bell over the main entrance dinged.
“We’re closed for the night,” A-Ka said. “You should come back tomorrow.”
The door swung inward, and a tall, sturdy man walked in. Like a mountain, he towered over A-Ka, and on his head, he wore a military cap with the emblem of the Rebellion. He looked down his nose at A-Ka.
“Where’s Shahuang?” The entire store shook with the boom of his voice. Percy, who was peeling potatoes in the kitchen, jumped in surprise, and the plates and bowls clattered.
“He’s…” A-Ka apprehensively watched the man, feeling that he was talking with a huge gray bear. He pointed toward the back of the shop. “He’s inside.”
“Hey, Huixiong.” Shahuang, who had a cigarette dangling from his lips, lifted a mug of whiskey toward Huixiong as he leaned against the doorway. “Welcome. And here I thought that you’d died in the City of Steel.”
A-Ka’s brow creased. This was the first time in a long time that he’d heard that name, and he couldn’t help glancing again at Huixiong.
“This blasted winter drags on and on,” Huixiong growled. “I’ve really had enough!”
Huixiong took off his military greatcoat, tossing it casually under the stairs, where it landed on Percy’s bunk. This action revealed a sturdy, muscular body that seemed as though it might burst out of his shirt. This was the first time that A-Ka had seen such a powerful, well-built man. Huixiong’s physical bulk was easily that of two average adult men. On top of that, he was definitely over six feet tall. Even the sturdy Heishi would be overshadowed if he stood next to him.
Huixiong took a large gulp of whiskey, then spluttered a little, his face turning bright red. “A person outside the Party has joined the secret operation team, and oh man, it’s insane what they ended up finding in the Primeval Heart! Though the revolution failed, Father’s system is about to be destroyed thanks to the intel that man provided! This guy… They call him the Savior of the World, because he was left behind by the ancient gods as the key to ending Father. In the Primeval Heart, he…”
Craning his neck a little, A-Ka eavesdropped eagerly on Huixiong and Shahuang’s conversation. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Shahuang took a look outside—directly meeting A-Ka’s eyes.
“Shahuang, can I use your magnetic welding coil?” A-Ka asked, shifting awkwardly.
“Sure, why not?” Shahuang said. “But don’t test out your new weapon in my store. If you want to use it, take it to the river behind the little alleyway out back.”
A-Ka nodded and began to collect the mechanical arm he’d built. Just as he was thinking of eavesdropping some more, Shahuang came to the door and closed it, cutting A-Ka off from their conversation.
The next morning, the weather was clear, but something in the air had changed. Shahuang did not go out, and the number of patrols on the streets had greatly increased.
A mercenary walked up to A-Ka. “Oi, young one, is the kid in Alley Sixteen your little brother? He got stopped by the patrol.”
A-Ka put down the work in his hands and rushed outside, only to find that there were far more sentry posts than usual along the street. Percy held an electronic cane used by the blind in one hand and a bag of bread in the other. He looked up in confusion.
“He’s my little brother!” A-Ka said.
“Don’t wander outside,” the clone patrolman said, looking him over before returning the bread to Percy. He was still holding an epaulet in his hand. “Who gave you this?”
“My dad,” Percy answered.
The piece of Feiluo’s pauldron that he had given to Percy had remained in his pocket all this time. The clone patrolman smiled. “Interesting. You’re a clone’s son?”
“Let’s go.” A-Ka watched the patrolman warily, taking Percy’s hand as they turned to leave.
“General Macksie’s coming back in a few days for an inspection,” the clone said. “If you don’t want any trouble, then you all should stay obediently in your houses. Don’t go out.”
“What’s happening outside?” A-Ka asked Shahuang the moment he got back.
Shahuang was slumped in a chair, his two booted feet resting on the round table and his cap covering his face. From under the brim, he said, “Macksie’s coming, so he wants to take a tour around, give some speeches, and mobilize the troops in preparation for war…”
“He’s the person in charge around here?” A-Ka asked.
“One of the three,” Shahuang drawled. “The clone regime wants to counterattack by mobilizing all its troops so that they can wage war on the City of Steel.”
“They’ve only failed once.”