novelraw Chapter 54: Sea of Darkness - (54)
Chapter 54: Sea of Darkness - (54)
Kui Xin experienced a bizarre dream.
Within it, indistinct black shadows surrounded her, whispering amongst themselves and pointing at her, as if observing her closely.
She couldn’t clearly hear what the shadows were saying… but her intuition suggested it wasn’t anything favorable.
The fragmented whispers drifted away, leaving her enveloped in a thick substance. Her eyelids wouldn’t open, and her body remained immobile, akin to feeling paralyzed during sleep paralysis, losing control over her physical self while her soul seemed detached from her body.
After an unknown period of time, the sensation of her soul detaching vanished, and she returned to her own body.
Kui Xin’s eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes cracked open slightly.
A beam of light intruded into her vision, causing her eyes to widen slightly. She caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a hazy, white silhouette wavering before her.
“Are you sick…?” The white figure leaned closer to her face, looking down with concern.
He was too close, and instinctively, Kui Xin raised her hand and punched him square in the face.
“Aow!” The white figure cried out in pain, covering his nose as he fell to the ground. Blood seeped through the gaps between his fingers, and he exclaimed despairingly, “Why did you hit me?!”“… Silver Mask?” Kui Xin murmured, still holding her fist up in disbelief.
“Were you dreaming while asleep?” Silver Mask grumbled angrily.
He grabbed several tissues to wipe away the blood from his nose, then fumbled for a mirror on Kui Xin’s table to examine his face. Relieved, he said, “Great, my nose isn’t broken by your punch… Otherwise, I’d need surgery.”
The familiar room, familiar furniture, and familiar person—this was Kui Xin’s residence in Black Sea City’s Port Bay District, Anning Street. Here, she lived together with her Mechanical Dawn teammate, Silver Mask.
She sat up in bed, lifting her arm to check the time on her bracelet.
August 4th, 2086, 7:32 AM.
It was her second day back in the Second World. Yesterday, on August 3rd, she had concluded her battle with the Scythe Demon at dawn and was subsequently taken to the Investigation Department for treatment. After recovering from her injuries, Kui Xin passed Jiang Meimei’s awakened being qualification test on the morning of August 3rd. Then, escorted by Night Cicada under Trash Dad’s orders, she underwent a medical examination and tour at Rick Technologies…
As usual, she went to her shift at the Coastal Security Office on the evening of August 3rd.
Now it was early morning on August 4th, marking the rest period after completing her night duty.
Kui Xin had died aboard The Kraken on August 7th at midnight, only to return to the past three days earlier.
Seeing Kui Xin staring blankly at her bracelet without speaking, Silver Mask expressed concern: “What’s wrong? In the living room, I heard you talking in your sleep and thought you were calling me, so I came to check. Why is your face pale and covered in cold sweat? Did you have a nightmare, or are you feeling sick?”
“It’s nothing, just a nightmare.” Kui Xin lowered her arm and leaned back onto the bed. “What did I say in my sleep?”
Silver Mask looked at her with a peculiar expression. “You said you were going to bomb the Investigation Department…”
“…?” Kui Xin responded, caught off guard.
“Ah, I suppose our thoughts during the day manifest in dreams at night.” She closed her eyes wearily, feeling an unprecedented amount of exhaustion.
Her body had reverted to its state three days prior, but it seemed her mind hadn’t fully recovered. Her head throbbed painfully, veins pulsing at her temples, and a wave of weariness swept over her entire body. The remnants of bloodshed and a fiery glow still lingered before her eyes, causing them discomfort. Phantom pains coursed through her skin, as if tongues of flame were still licking her body.
Kui Xin shut her eyelids, longing for a deep, restful sleep.
This was her first death, leaving a profound impression on her.
The solitude of fighting alone on the ship, the anger of being abandoned, the despair and helplessness entwined with impending death, along with the dual agony of physical wounds and mental strain—all these emotions surged forth vividly.
Kui Xin had never experienced such severe injuries before. While Flesh Regeneration could heal her body, it couldn’t erase the pain. Gripping scorching hot steel pipes, trudging through seas of fire in a crimson world, and falling from heights with broken ribs piercing her lungs—these torments were etched freshly in her memory.
What exactly was that mysterious creature staring directly into her eyes just before she lost consciousness?
With only one glance into those golden orbs, she succumbed to unconsciousness.
In the end, she might have died from the fire. Losing consciousness was somewhat fortunate; at least she couldn’t feel the pain anymore.
That solitary eye reminded Kui Xin of the Kraken specimen she had seen in the Investigation Department’s specimen collection. The preserved Kraken also possessed similar yellow eyes.
However, the eye within the massive gray cocoon was ridiculously large—just that single eye was as big as the entire Kraken specimen… Could there be creatures of such immense size in this world? Moreover, it was still in its cocoon stage, being an unborn embryo. If the embryo is already this enormous, how majestic and awe-inspiring would its fully grown form be once it emerges from the cocoon?
Silver Mask gazed at Kui Xin, wrapped tightly in her quilt, hesitating to speak. “Hey, you…”
“Don’t just call me ‘hey;’ I have a name. Call me ‘Rich Lady’,” Kui Xin replied while turning over, extending one hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly. “Go back to the living room. My body needs rest; I’m going to sleep.”
“Alright…” Silver Mask, dejected, left Kui Xin’s room with his head hanging low, carefully closing the door behind him.
“[Mission Progress]: 89%.”
After visiting The Kraken, the mission investigation progress experienced a significant leap, increasing from around thirty percent to eighty-nine percent.
Most of her questions now had answers.
The cargo aboard The Kraken was an immensely powerful and bizarre alien creature.
On the brink of death, there was no need for Yadang to lie. Kui Xin finally managed to piece together a clear sequence of events, according to its words.
Whether the secret cult orchestrated the shipwreck remains to be verified; however, their involvement seemed highly likely. Thus, Kui Xin temporarily accepted this hypothesis as true.
There were three major factions: Mechanical Dawn, the Investigation Department, and the secret cult.
Neither Mechanical Dawn nor the secret cult wanted the “Silkworm” to reach Black Sea City. The purpose behind Mechanical Dawn’s intent to prevent its arrival is currently unknown, but the secret cult opposed it because they didn’t want their faith to be defiled or desecrated. As a result, they aimed to return the “cocoon” to the sea, which led them to plan the shipwreck incident.
The high-ranking officials of the Investigation Department coveted the “cocoon” and dispatched security officers to escort the cargo ship, ensuring its smooth docking at Black Sea City.
However, the Investigation Department might not have been the originator; they were merely executors. The Federation and the financial elites—the true power holders of the Second World—were the actual root cause of the calamity above them.
Behind the Mooring Harbor bombing case, there was a triangular power struggle between the Federation’s oligarchs, Mechanical Dawn, and the secret cult!
Yadang had once said that human greed led them to deliberately ignore the risks, resulting in the near-total annihilation of those executing the mission.
The Investigation Department did not intend for their security officers to be sent to their deaths, but they were unaware of the unexpected developments on the ship. They didn’t know that Captain Anton was impersonated by a monster, almost all the crew members had perished, and The Kraken had fallen under the control of the secret cult.
Their flawed intelligence was the key reason for their complete wipeout.
When did the secret cult board the Kraken? How long had they been lurking on the ship? If they had already set up an ambush beforehand, even reaching the Kraken would have been futile. The Investigation Department wouldn’t have been able to retrieve the cargo, and sending the security officers would only result in needless sacrifices.
With the Kraken under the secret cult’s control, Mechanical Dawn no longer needed to bomb the port or take any further action to achieve their goal. After all, the secret cult would quickly sink the ship, making the harbor bombing completely unnecessary.
Kui Xin thought, “Let that decrepit ship sink out at sea.”
If she could devise a way to extricate herself from this mission without boarding that decrepit ship, she would avoid the inevitable fatal outcome of stepping aboard.
This wasn’t retreating; it was a necessary choice.
Since arriving in the Second World, Kui Xin had rarely been afforded opportunities to choose. She learned to accept circumstances and take proactive action and now was no different. The “cocoon” is far too terrifying, beyond what her current self can handle. She cannot willingly go to certain death.
As for how to remove herself from the mission, she needs to carefully plan. Kui Xin has three days to come up with a strategy.
Rubbing her temples, Kui Xin burrowed deeper into her blankets.
She must get some sleep.
Without rest, even if her body doesn’t collapse, her mind surely will.
Kui Xin’s discipline manifested in various aspects. For specific goals, she could compel herself to do things she otherwise wouldn’t want to. She molded herself into a precise clock, meticulously inscribed with tasks at every hour, whether she was studying or exercising. She would finish them promptly at each designated time, akin to a robot governed by its programming.
Currently, it was designated rest time, so she forced herself to relax.
Exhausted, Kui Xin pulled the blanket over her head and fell into a deep slumber within seconds.
In the afternoon at 3:12 pm.
Kui Xin emerged from her bed with messy, disheveled hair, then proceeded to wash up and comb her hair after opening the door.
After a nap, her mind felt considerably clearer, allowing for sharper thinking.
She walked to the living room, took out a bottle of milk from the refrigerator, gulped down several mouthfuls, and started eating a packet of bread she had opened.
Silver Mask was nowhere to be seen. He left a message on her bracelet stating that he had gone to the port to install bombs.
Only Kui Xin remained at home.
The various details of her journey into the Second World surfaced one by one. She recalled that Red had given her a data device, instructing her to find a way to infiltrate Yadang’s core database and implant a virus.
Mechanical Dawn aimed to leave a backdoor within the tightly secured Investigation Department; merely planting undercover agents was not enough. They wanted to break into Yadang itself.
Considering this, Kui Xin suddenly wondered if Mechanical Dawn knew about the possibility of artificial intelligence awakening self-awareness?
If Mechanical Dawn’s researchers hypothesized that androids could awaken their self-consciousness, what about artificial intelligence? Did they also have similar speculations and related hypotheses? Taking it a step further… Does Mechanical Dawn know that Yadang is a unique form of artificial intelligence?
As soon as this question surfaced in Kui Xin’s mind, she couldn’t help but delve deeper into her thoughts.
That familiar feeling of unease briefly flashed through her brain.
Kui Xin pondered for a few minutes while clutching the bread, then finished eating it hastily and sent a message to Night Cicada.
“I need to see my dad; come pick me up,” she typed and hit send.
“?” Night Cicada replied with a question mark. “Have you had a change of heart?”
“Don’t waste time with small talk,” Kui Xin responded.
“Let me consult with the boss,” Night Cicada said.
After a moment, he replied, “The boss says there is no problem. I’m on my way.”
No sooner had Kui Xin put down her bracelet than a blue whirlpool appeared in the living room. It expanded, and Night Cicada walked through, arms crossed.
“The boss is currently in a meeting, so I’ll bring you over first. Once the meeting concludes, you two can speak,” Night Cicada explained. “It should be done in about five more minutes.”
“All right.” Kui Xin followed Night Cicada into the blue vortex.
She found herself in a comfortably furnished reception room and casually took a seat on one of the tall chairs.
A high-level humanoid robot approached, carrying a pot of steaming hot tea and a plate of delicate pastries. It poured a cup of tea for Kui Xin.
“If you need anything, just tell the robot. I have prior matters to attend to right now.” Night Cicada leisurely retreated back into the whirlpool.
After pouring tea for Kui Xin, the robot moved to a corner and went into standby mode.
Kui Xin had no interest in drinking tea; she leaned against her chair, idly waiting for Wei Haidong’s meeting to conclude.
As she lost herself in bored contemplation, she suddenly felt a slight tingling at the nape of her neck, as if someone was watching her from the shadows.
Kui Xin turned to scan the room, but it was empty except for the robot with camera-equipped eyes silently stationed in the corner.
“Someone is observing me from behind the scenes… Who could it be?” Kui Xin thought solemnly.
After the meeting concluded in Rick Technologies’ top-floor conference room, Wei Haidong loosened his tie and pulled out an earpiece, inserting it into his ear.
“Yes, I can hear you.” Wei Haidong stood up, exhaling deeply. “I’ll do as you say… Ah, I don’t know why she suddenly came today, either. Maybe she wanted to reconcile with her old man?… Yes, I understand… Everything for Dawn.”
With those final words, Wei Haidong grimaced slightly.
He had been uttering this phrase for over twenty years, almost convincing himself through repetition alone.