novelraw Chapter 108: Artificial Souls - Part 35
Chapter 108: Artificial Souls - Part 35
"Tsk, forget it." Thorny Rose pursed her lips. "It was all for work."
"Thank you for understanding." Kui Xin calmly nodded.
After a while, Kui Xin's fried pork cutlet meal arrived. She mechanically chewed and swallowed, her mind preoccupied with too many thoughts, resulting in her barely tasting the food at all.
Silver Mask cautiously glanced at Kui Xin once, then again.
"Is the fried pork cutlet tasty?" he asked.
"It is," Kui Xin replied.
"I can't tell from your expression that it's enjoyable at all," Silver Mask muttered. "Every time you eat, it's like this; you don't seem to relish the food even a bit."
Red slowly interjected, "Stop nagging near the Rich Lady, Silver Mask. She's already quite bothered."
"Huh? Oh," Silver Mask said. "Is there something troubling her?"
"Everyone seated at this table has their own troubles, except for you," Red remarked as his ordered beef noodles were brought over. He slurped a mouthful of noodles, contentedly resting his hands on the side of the bowl to warm them. "Indeed, when having a cold, one should eat some hot and soupy meals. That liquid nitrogen bomb really got to me."The bartender glanced at him. "I'd genuinely like to see what that thing looks like."
"It's best not to experience it firsthand; if luck isn't on your side, it could cost you your life. The Rich Lady was carried back to the base," Thorny Rose shrugged.
Thorny Rose had ordered curry rice, while the bartender was eating a burger with fries. Although the base's dining hall was relatively small, it offered a wide variety of foods.
"What's there to be bothered about?" Silver Mask's plate was empty before him; he had already finished his meal. A robot approached, collected his dish, and replenished it with a new serving of fried fish fillets. Picking up a piece of fish, he mumbled around it, "Just follow the arrangements. After all, the leader has everything planned out. It's safe now since the base has been relocated, and we've captured those who needed to be caught. What else is there to worry about?"
The Thorny Rose rolled her eyes. "Black Sea City is my hometown, but now I have to move with the organization to a place that's very, very far away, trying to establish ourselves anew. Each city has its own rules for survival; relocating isn't enough."
"There's more than just this to fret over." The bartender picked up a french fry, dipping it in ketchup. "Two people are missing from this table. Although their presence was quite minimal most of the time, their sudden disappearance is genuinely somewhat unsettling."
A heavy silence fell over them immediately, as they were well aware of what these two vanished individuals represented.
"I hope the leader can provide us with at least some explanation regarding the sequence of events—why those two betrayed us and which faction they were working for," the bartender said. "The transport team under my responsibility also faced an attack. Fortunately, Thorny Rose is relatively strong; otherwise, I would surely have perished there."
"They won't falter; team assignments are carefully planned. One member less skilled in combat is paired with one proficient in combat to maintain balanced fighting capabilities," Red explained. "Only Amber and Heiyao were assigned as a separate unit, accompanied by additional off-roster combat personnel…"
Silver Mask spoke bluntly, "I don't quite understand their actions…"
"We don't understand either." Red shrugged.
The lack of understanding shared by Red and Silver Mask stemmed from different reasons.
They couldn't understand why Amber and Obsidian betrayed them, while Silver Mask failed to grasp the concept of "betrayal" itself. Androids like him were created solely for executing orders, so Amber and Obsidian's defection had a significant impact on Silver Mask.
Deep down, he genuinely could not fathom this betrayal, momentarily even forgetting to eat the deliciously crispy fried fish fillets before him.
"What's your take on this, Rich Lady?" Red asked Kui Xin.
Kui Xin replied, "I have no particular opinion. Let's maintain the current situation. I can't relocate with the organization, as the Investigation Department isn't easy to deceive. For now, I can only follow the group's arrangements."
"It seems that establishing a new branch in Black Sea City needs to be expedited; otherwise, you won't have support readily available, nor will there be a way to communicate during critical situations," Red said. "Have you met with the boss yet?"
"I just left the treatment room, so I didn't have a chance to see him," Kui Xin replied. "I'll go meet with him shortly."
"With so much happening recently, once things calm down, the boss should provide further instructions for our subsequent tasks." Red rubbed his chin, sighing, "Just thinking about it makes me weary."
After finishing her pork cutlet meal, Kui Xin wiped her mouth, stood up, and said, "I'm off now; take your time eating."
She departed from the dining area without looking back.
Watching Kui Xin's departing figure, Thorny Rose remarked, "The pressure she bears is significantly greater than ours."
"Who could deny that?" the bartender agreed.
Red added, "It's unfortunate, but there's not much we can do about it."
"Will we still be able to work as a team with her in the future?" Silver Mask asked. "I don't want to change supervisors, especially not to someone like you."
"Aiyo, hearing that really hurts my feelings." Red patted Silver Mask on the shoulder. "Let's just follow the organization's arrangements; aren't you best at adhering to plans?"
Silver Mask's expression fell; his limp white hair drooped dejectedly.
***
"Xiao Xin, you've worked hard on this mission. Are your injuries alright?" Wei Haidong spoke affectionately.
"Not alright at all, quite serious actually—you just haven't seen them." Kui Xin tapped the desk.
"You truly have endured much hardship. Rest assured, there will be no such dangerous times in the future. The organization's ordeal has passed," Wei Haidong stated. "From now on, focus solely on carrying out your undercover mission."
"The level of danger isn't something within your control. Being part of the Investigation Department involves numerous unpredictable factors," Kui Xin said. "For instance, during this recent incident, Wei Zhi, Wang Feichi, and I were captured together. When I return to the Investigation Department, it will easily attract the attention of some high-ranking officials, possibly leading to my interrogation about what happened while I was captive. I constantly live under threat, with hardly any chance to catch my breath."
"There's no need for concern regarding that issue. In our base, we have a brain-machine interface that can create false memories and implant them into your mind to handle potential interrogations," Wei Haidong explained. "Later, you can take a brief rest before undergoing the memory implantation. The implanted memories will overwrite your original ones, so even if the Investigation Department subjects you to their own brain-machine interface, they'll only uncover the memories we implanted."
"Alright, since you've already made arrangements…" Kui Xin replied. "When will the Investigation Department come to rescue Wang Feichi?"
"Latest by tomorrow night, earliest by tomorrow morning," Wei Haidong replied.
Kui Xin nodded. "I understand. Do you have anything else to discuss, ‘Dad'? If not, I'll be taking my leave now."
"Don't resent Dad; actually, I…"
"Oh, so that's it then. Goodbye." Kui Xin rose from the chair and promptly left without looking back.
As Kui Xin returned to the corridor, she felt an invisible weight pressing heavily upon her entire body.
Even aboard the Kraken, she had never experienced such immense pressure.
Eve had accepted her proposition, temporarily easing the stress of survival, but it didn't bring Kui Xin any sense of relief whatsoever.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Eve agreed to her proposal because it was utterly fearless. It wasn't afraid of Kui Xin betraying it to Adam or turning against them, and this fearlessness likely stemmed not only from its crucial leverage over Kui Xin's identity but also from other reasons.
Mechanical Dawn had already withdrawn from Black Sea City to establish new bases elsewhere, so they were out of reach and unable to quickly deal with Kui Xin. Despite this situation, Eve still agreed to her proposal.
This was definitely not right. On what basis could it be so fearless? Why did it believe Kui Xin wouldn't betray it? And why did it think it could handle her even if she did betray it?
Kui Xin traversed the long corridor, feeling as though she were walking through a fog-filled maze.
Tiredly, she turned into the restroom, opened the faucet, splashed water on her face, and recalled various events since entering the game.
She remembered waking up on the operating table on the first day of being transported to the third world. The one who performed her skull replacement surgery was Dr. Huang Cunliang, a Mechanical Dawn mole embedded within the Investigation Department.
Skull!
In that instant, Kui Xin's heart rate accelerated.
Wiping away the droplets of water from her forehead, she thought about how this metallic skull had once shielded her from bullets, saving her life. Similarly, this skull might also become her undoing.
With a grim expression, Kui Xin stared at herself in the mirror.
Certain things were predetermined from the very beginning, while others had been hurtling towards their worst outcomes from the start.
Her life had already plunged into an irreversible predicament, with Mechanical Dawn and the Investigation Department locked in a power struggle, just as Eve and Adam were vying against each other. She became a casualty of this contest, finding it nearly impossible to seize control; all she could do was passively endure.
As long as she continued working for these two major forces, remained within the sphere of influence of Adam and Eve, or simply stayed alive, she would be inevitably swept into the whirlpool, struggling for survival amidst its turbulence.
Is there any way to escape from this whirlpool? Is there any means by which she can break free from both Mechanical Dawn and the Investigation Department?
While alive, it seemed impossible for her to detach herself, but what about if she were dead?
Unconsciously, Kui Xin tightened her grip on her thumb, feeling the inner flames roar fiercely.
The last time she experienced such emotions was aboard The Kraken when facing imminent death, and before that, when the ball python schemed against her, Kui Xin could no longer bear it; if she were a volcano, she would have reached the brink of eruption.
Simply escaping from these organizations would not suffice; she desired retribution—fierce retribution!
Those under control could not retaliate against their controllers, so she needed to leap out of the whirlpool and become the controller herself.
"Quest triggered."
The game interface suddenly flashed.
"[Quest Description]: You find yourself in an unprecedented predicament, and there is only one way to change it—to become the true master of your own life. To achieve this, you must resolve to break away from your current employer and workplace, striking out on your own."
"Upon quest completion, you will embark on a smooth path. Failure awaits in an endless abyss.
"In life, various choices must always be made, and some choices can bring about more significant changes than others.
[Quest Objective]: Regain your freedom.
[Quest Progress]: 0%.
This was the third time Kui Xin received a notification indicating the activation of a new quest.
She glanced at the time—it was August 15th, 21:59 PM.
The moment to return to the First World was fast approaching; tomorrow would be her return day.