The red-haired man wearing a jacket held a silver gun in his hand, and he twirled it once before placing it on the conference room table. “I’m the leader of the gunslingers, Gerb,” he said with a smile.
On the road to Phoenix City, A-Ka had heard quite a few rumors about how the humans and the clones coexisted in this city. On the surface, the clones held all the power, but the humans were working in secret and acting in the dark. They were much more cunning than the clones and understood the need to keep themselves hidden. In truth, there were not many humans left after the bloody battles with the Iron and Steel Corps. But because of this, the ones who had survived were the cream of the crop. They lived in different corners of the city, appearing fine with the current state of affairs, but they were actually turning every citizen into a soldier. As soon as they picked up arms, they would be ready to fight.
“The Mercenary Association is the hidden strength of the humans,” Huixiong said with a rumble. “As long as there are humans living within Phoenix City, they’ll accept our orders.”
“I know you,” Heishi said calmly. “When Feiluo sent me here, the first point of contact he introduced me to was Shahuang. You used the mercenary system to get involved in the battle between the clones and Father.”
“Yes,” Huixiong said. “But that clone commander is not so familiar to us, and I think this is a good opportunity for our two sides to understand each other. Since you’re a human, we will stand behind you as staunch supporters no matter the situation.”
Lilith opened a notebook. “Feiluo told me that you are the savior of the humans, that you brought a secret back with you, and that you were seeking our help. Before meeting us, he could not disclose what the secret was, which is why Shahuang got in contact with you—but you then sniped the leader of the Rebellion, the clone general Macksie. I hope you can give us an appropriate explanation for your actions.”
“There is no longer any way to control the rioting,” Huixiong continued. “The clone troops have surrounded the area, so you must prove that you really have the ability to save us all, Savior, or we’ll have no way to deal with this turbulent situation.”
“I will prove it,” Heishi said coldly, “but not right now. Have you found Macksie’s chip yet?”
“It was snatched away by a clone in the chaos,” Gerb said, smiling. “Without the chip, we have no way to prove that he was being controlled by Father, which means that you are the murderer who plotted and carried out General Macksie’s assassination.”
“That was another one of my comrades in arms who took it,” Heishi said. “He’s called Feiluo. Send someone out to find him.”
“But you lied to us!” Shahuang protested. “I thought that you would use some clever method to expose Macksie’s identity, but it was just this?”
“A bullet was the best method,” Heishi said quietly.
Shahuang jumped to his feet and yanked Heishi toward him with one fist. “You stuck your little whoreson mistress in my store just to do this?!”
“Who’re you calling a mistress?” A-Ka would not take this lying down, and he pressed the mechanical limb against the back of Shahuang’s head. “I didn’t know that Heishi would come back at all!”
Coolly, Heishi said, “Sit back down. Your wound hasn’t healed yet.”
A-Ka pulled back his weapon, and Shahuang chuckled. “You’re not stupid, brat. That thing you pressed so boldly against my head was made from parts from my shop. Do you really want to open fire, just like Heishi?”
“Let go of him,” A-Ka demanded.
Though Shahuang was furious, he had no choice but to let go of Heishi’s collar.
“Thousands of people died because of that single shot of yours,” Lilith said, with a hint of menace in her voice. “There’s no longer any way to control the situation.”
“What should come will always come,” Gerb said. “Vice-President, this is something that no one had the power to predict. Not bringing up the conflict between the humans and the clones doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.”
“All right, let’s not argue anymore,” Huixiong said in a low voice. As soon as he opened his mouth, the conference room quieted.
“Are you the president?” A-Ka asked.
Huixiong glanced at A-Ka. “Yes, but that isn’t important. Son of God, I want to hear your opinions.”
Huixiong used a strange term of address for Heishi, one that A-Ka had never heard before. He narrowed his eyes at Heishi but didn’t speak.
Thinking Huixiong’s request over, Heishi was quiet for a second before saying, “Have Angus come over to negotiate.”
“And then what?” Shahuang asked. “You think he’ll come?”
“Find Feiluo. He has the chip that Macksie dropped,” Heishi said. “Have Angus deal with it on his own.”
“The situation has changed, and we cannot confirm whether or not Angus is also being controlled by Father,” Huixiong warned. “If he does turn out to be a spy, or one of Macksie’s subordinates is with him…”
“Then you’re done for. Might as well prepare for your funeral ahead of time, President,” Heishi said, unconcerned. He stood, picked up his coat, and reached out a hand to A-Ka, leading him out of the conference room.
In one of the resting areas in the offices of the Mercenary Association, Heishi and A-Ka sat shoulder to shoulder on the bed. Picking up the chip that he had given to Heishi, A-Ka turned it over and over in his hands, and Heishi toyed with a small knife, not making a sound. Little by little, A-Ka had begun to understand something: why Heishi wanted Angus to come in person. It was so they could avoid any hint of the secret being leaked.
Today, A-Ka seemed to have met an unfamiliar Heishi. After all, ever since A-Ka rescued Heishi from the City of Steel, he had been as cold as a glacier and just as quiet. He’d certainly never shared his past with A-Ka. Now that Heishi was slowly remembering it, he had also become more human, with a more vivid air. He was able to think, speak on his own, and plan ahead like a human would.
What exactly was he? Was he a human? Or was he a man-made organism from the ancient past that had been given consciousness?
Heishi noticed that A-Ka was studying him. “What are you looking at?” he asked curiously.
Their shoulders touched, and A-Ka turned his head to watch Heishi, while Heishi looked back at A-Ka. Their faces were very close, and in that instant, A-Ka felt that Heishi was a little uncomfortable.
“It’s…nothing,” A-Ka said.
Heishi glanced away. “Do you know how to make a decoder?”
A-Ka remembered that during their hasty escape, with no tools at their disposal, they hadn’t been able to access the contents of the chip. Now, as long as they had the correct supplies, A-Ka could throw together something to read chips.
“I can,” A-Ka said. “I’ll go find the supplies.”
Heishi went outside to find someone who could take A-Ka’s list of supplies, and soon after they brought the materials. A-Ka slid on the metallic goggles that technicians wore, then began to put together the optical-printed circuit board and other complicated mechanisms. First, he hooked up the magnetic coils to the chip, cracking the encoding it used.
Suddenly, without lifting his head, A-Ka asked, “Heishi, are you a human?”
“Be more focused when you’re working.”
A-Ka pushed his goggles up and darted his eyes toward Heishi. Ever since they’d parted, he felt that Heishi’s attitude toward him had grown much gentler.
“I can split my focus many ways,” A-Ka said, smiling. “I’ve seen you bleed, and your blood is red, so I think you’re a human.”
“I guess I count as one,” Heishi said.