novelraw Chapter 57: Sea of Darkness - (57)
Chapter 57: Sea of Darkness - (57)
“Morning, Kui Xin.” Jiang Ming yawned. “Lan Lan isn’t the last one today, how rare.”
“Good morning, Kui Xin.” Liu Kangyun lifted his head from behind his desk. “Surprisingly, Lan Lan didn’t arrive just at the deadline today.”
Standing by the coffee machine with a cup in hand, Shu Xuyao said, “Would anyone like some coffee to perk up?”
“Morning everyone.” Kui Xin took her seat. “Captain, could you please get me a cup of coffee?”
“My home is too far away; even catching the earliest suspended electric railcar requires me to run here,” Lan Lan said. “I’d like some coffee too, Captain.”
Shu Xuyao prepared a cup of coffee for each person and brought them over.
“Adjusting to reversed day-night cycles isn’t easy.” As he handed Kui Xin her coffee, Shu Xuyao asked, “Have you managed to adapt your sleep schedule?”
“Almost. Yesterday, I slept until 3 PM, then went back to bed at midnight.” Kui Xin blew on the scalding hot coffee. “Feeling okay today.”
“Young age sure has its perks. Lately, I feel like my physical fitness is heading towards that of a middle-aged man—sometimes experiencing aches and pains,” Jiang Ming grumbled. “Just a couple of years after graduation, my stamina was exceptional; staying up all night didn’t bother me at all.”
“Aren’t you only twenty-six?” Shu Xuyao said it helplessly. “How can you already be considered middle-aged?”“Excessive strain accelerates aging, especially for security officers who often accumulate injuries,” Lan Lan remarked. “It may not show externally, but every wound we sustain drains our overall health.”
“That’s true. Unless it’s a severe injury, the Investigation Department wouldn’t provide agents with accelerated healing medications. Using them occasionally has no significant impact, but long-term reliance easily depletes one’s physical health,” Liu Kangyun said. “Hopefully, Kui Xin’s superhuman ability doesn’t have similar side effects.”
“I’m not entirely sure about that,” Kui Xin replied. “We can only observe as I use it. Getting injured feels quite painful; hopefully, there won’t ever be a need to test my superhuman ability under such circumstances.”
Jiang Ming stroked his chin and asked, “With your extraordinary self-healing ability, would you still get colds or fevers? Would these common minor illnesses also swiftly heal once contracted?”
Kui Xin responded, “It might depend on whether the self-healing ability can enhance my immune system?”
“If that’s the case, Kui Xin’s superhuman ability is truly too unreasonable,” Liu Kangyun remarked. “I wonder how it will change in the future when her level increases.”
In time reversal, would previously experienced events repeat themselves?
Once, Kui Xin was intensely curious about this question, but now she had her answer.
Humans are unpredictable, and so too are the trajectories of fate.
On the previous August 5th, when Kui Xin arrived at the Coastal Security Office for her morning shift, she reached her workplace before 7:30 AM—half an hour earlier than the official start time—and did not encounter Lan Lan on the way.
On August 5th, Kui Xin slept poorly due to the dream from the night before and woke up slightly later. Her arrival at work was delayed, reaching just around 8:00 AM, coinciding perfectly with meeting Lan Lan at the entrance gate.
When she entered the office, the topics of conversation among her teammates had also changed.
Originally, they would directly discuss work arrangements, but now their discussions revolve around other matters.
These alterations were brought about by subtle actions, akin to the butterfly effect—one small change can lead to unforeseen consequences in the future.
The patrol time approached, and today another squad was assigned to stay at the office while the entire Seventh Squad took charge of street patrols.
They went to the equipment room, geared up, and armed themselves. Divided into two groups, one group mounted motorcycles, while the other patrolled the streets on foot.
On August 5th, Kui Xin patrolled on a motorcycle with Shu Xuyao. This time, wanting a change, she said, “I’d like to patrol the streets on foot; riding the motorcycle feels a bit uncomfortable…”
The composition of patrol teams varied daily, making it easy to accommodate Kui Xin’s request.
Shu Xuyao pondered briefly and agreed, “Alright, I’ll patrol with Jiang Ming and Kui Xin. Lan Lan, you take the motorcycle with Liu Kangyun.”
“No problem.” Lan Lan put on her helmet, mounted the motorcycle, and gave Shu Xuyao a thumbs-up.
With the patrol assignments made, Lan Lan and Liu Kangyun departed first on their motorcycles, while Kui Xin, along with the other two, followed the usual foot patrol route.
“The number of incidents has been decreasing these past few days,” Jiang Ming muttered. “We’re not as busy as before, and there are fewer problems… It feels somewhat unusual.”
“It might be because they’ve heard about the new formidable addition to the coastal patrol security team.” Shu Xuyao glanced at Kui Xin. “Before you arrived, the night shift squad told me that early yesterday morning, they caught a burglar trying to break in through a window. As soon as the thief saw them, without saying a word, he crouched down and covered his head, fearing gunshots. During the subsequent interrogation, they learned that this thief had heard from fellow criminals about the new security officer at the port. They said she has exceptionally accurate marksmanship and uses force aggressively; if encountered, one shouldn’t run or resist—instead, surrender immediately, lest they end up with an extra hole in their head.”
Jiang Ming burst out laughing. “You’ve already made a name for yourself, Kui Xin! The rats hiding in the darkness all fear you.”
Kui Xin pondered for a moment. “It seems I need to be more cautious from now on. Such a reputation could easily turn me into a target, attracting resentment. It’s hard to guarantee that someone won’t end up hating me in the future.”
“Indeed, this place is incredibly chaotic,” Jiang Ming said. “I dare say the Port Bay District is the most disorderly area in the entire Black Sea City, even more so than the mixed regions of the slums.”
“It’s unsurprising, being the district closest to the port,” Shu Xuyao remarked.
“Ever since taking up this job, I’ve been constantly on edge every day. Sometimes when I go home, I’m extremely vigilant and even deliberately take detours, fearing that someone might be tailing me,” Kui Xin said. “I’ve witnessed firsthand how ruthless and merciless the gangs at the port can be.”
Shu Xuyao responded, “Kui Xin’s caution is warranted. Let me give you an extreme example—there was once an incident where gang members lay in wait, attempting to use a human bomb to attack security officers. Although the situation was resolved, it undoubtedly served as a stark warning for us.”
“I didn’t know such things happened.” Kui Xin murmured softly.
“You still have much to learn. Once things calm down and tensions ease, we old-timers will gradually teach you,” Shu Xuyao said. “Your approach to work has always been mature; sometimes, I forget that you’re a newcomer who hasn’t been on the job for long. It’s possible I haven’t adequately looked after you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask directly. We’ll answer any questions within our knowledge.”
Jiang Ming agreed, “I concur. Remember to ask frequently, Kui Xin. Asking questions is not something to be ashamed of.”
“Alright, I know,” Kui Xin responded. “Actually, I do have a question right now.”
“Go ahead.” Shu Xuyao shifted his gaze slightly toward her.
“After being in the Investigation Department for some time, it seems like I rarely see the Director or Deputy Director around?” Kui Xin asked curiously. “To me, they both appear quite mysterious.”
The information about these two individuals in Mechanical Dawn’s records was limited to their names and what was publicly available online.
The director of the Investigation Department was a woman nearing sixty years of age. She had wielded considerable power for several decades and was now approaching retirement. The Deputy Director, on the other hand, was a young man, just over thirty years old. Despite his youth, he held a high position, indicating that he must be an exceptional individual.
It was only near the withdrawal on The Kraken that Kui Xin heard the Deputy Director’s voice over the communications channel.
“The Director has been attending meetings at Headquarters recently and isn’t present at Black Sea City’s Investigation Department,” Jiang Ming said. “As for the Deputy Director, he is often away on business trips. He should be back in a couple of days. We have a monthly routine meeting where he will address us, so you’ll see him then. There’s word that the director is busy with the transition process for her retirement. Our security officers typically retire at age 45 due to the high risks encountered and resulting poor health conditions, hence the earlier retirement age. However, the director persisted until she was fifty years old; she’s truly remarkable.”
“Could we potentially get a new leader in the future?” Kui Xin asked. “If she retires, who would be the next successor? The Deputy Director?”
“The Deputy Director is too young. It’s possible that someone from Headquarters might directly be appointed as our Director here in Black Sea City, or they could promote someone from the existing leadership within the city’s Investigation Department… Until the selection is announced, everything remains uncertain.” Jiang Ming provided more information than usual. “Our Field Operations Team leader, Ms. Wei Zhi, is of suitable age, highly experienced, and stands a strong chance of assuming the Director role.”
“I thought promotions were supposed to happen step by step? Since Deputy Director is a higher position than Group Leader, how did Group Leader Yu get promoted?” Kui Xin pressed further.
“The Investigation Department is actually quite thankless; it involves handling all sorts of dirty and arduous tasks,” Shu Xuyao said as he glanced at Kui Xin. “Truly ambitious and capable individuals wouldn’t remain in the Investigation Department indefinitely. It serves as a political stepping stone for them to infiltrate the government’s upper echelons. Working here adds a prestigious entry to their personal resumes.”
“Hey, why did you just spill that information? Shouldn’t these things be gradually realized by newcomers themselves?” Jiang Ming stared dumbfoundedly at Shu Xuyao. “When I first started, nobody kindly explained this stuff to me; I figured it out on my own later… Back when the current Deputy Director took office, the factions within the Investigation Department underwent a major reshuffle. The awakened ones and elite squads began aligning themselves, while I, as a clueless newbie, nearly suffered significant setbacks.”
Kui Xin raised her eyebrows. “That’s just your bad luck, Old Jiang—you didn’t encounter a genuinely caring captain who looks out for his team members when you joined.” She turned to Shu Xuyao and said, “Thank you, Captain!”
“No need to thank me,” Shu Xuyao replied warmly. “This is something that can be explained with a few words. I don’t want you to learn it through costly mistakes.”
“If only someone had guided me back then, it would have been great,” Jiang Ming chuckled, scratching his head. “At the time, I was naive, thinking all I needed to focus on were the missions and work.”
“But the world is too complex. To survive, one needs to learn more, even things they might not wish to study,” Shu Xuyao remarked.
Kui Xin sighed. “I deeply understand that sentiment.”
They reached their patrol route’s intersection. In the past few days, they followed the path planned by Yadang for their patrols. However, today Kui Xin suggested exploring an alternative trajectory.
She proposed, “We’ve been sticking to this same route for several days now. I believe we should switch our patrol path to prevent gang members from catching onto our routine and deliberately avoiding us.”
“Your reasoning is very sound; your suggestion has been accepted,” Yadang said. “A new route has already been planned out. You can patrol according to this path.”
The visor on Kui Xin’s helmet flashed with a new map, where green dotted lines represented the patrol route.
The trio proceeded along the new course.
Kui Xin stood at the intersection of patrol routes, as if standing at a crossroads of fate.
Choosing different paths would lead to distinct outcomes. She already knew the ending that awaited by taking one particular route, so she must exert her utmost effort to explore the other path—one leading towards survival.
“This is the Coastal Security Office. Seventh Squad, please be advised: a serious incident occurred at a restaurant two hundred meters from your location. Quickly move forward and handle it. Note, suspects may possess firearms, suspects may possess firearms.”
“Roger that.” Shu Xuyao sent a signal to Kui Xin and Jiang Ming.
They drew their weapons and sprinted towards the destination at top speed.
———–
“I think we should hurry up; it’ll be troublesome once the security officers arrive.” Silver Mask muttered.
With a regretful gaze, he looked at the spilled noodles drenched in savory minced meat sauce on the floor. For a moment, he considered picking them up to eat.
Last night, they had been installing detonators throughout the city without stopping for meals, leaving them famished by dawn. Consequently, they ventured to a restaurant to purchase food.
However, a few oblivious troublemakers sitting inside the establishment began harassing Thorny Rose. Thorny Rose, with her explosive temper and intolerance for any slight against herself, immediately drew her gun and shot the thugs on the spot. Realizing the situation was escalating, the restaurant owner immediately rang the panic alarm before fleeing through the kitchen’s back door.
“Their efficiency has always been low,” Thorny Rose grumbled as she irritably tucked her gun back into her belt.
The alarm had only sounded for a dozen seconds, but they dared not linger. After ensuring they hadn’t left significant traces at the scene, they prepared to leave promptly.
Just then, they encountered Kui Xin’s trio, who happened to be patrolling nearby.
“Ah.” Silver Mask froze, momentarily stunned.
He belatedly realized that Thorny Rose was unaware of Kui Xin’s exact identity or her affiliation with the coastal security force.
Thorny Rose’s expression darkened as she pulled out her gun. Across from her, Kui Xin’s face also hardened, raising her weapon in response.
Silver Mask felt a growing sense of fear.