novelraw Chapter 65: Sea of Darkness - (65)
Chapter 65: Sea of Darkness - (65)
The retractable knife sliced through the monster’s abdomen all the way up to its neck, emerging between the gaps between its two heads.
Kui Xin smoothly redirected the blade edge towards the left, cleanly severing one of the monster’s heads.
The grotesque head, resembling a deformed tumor, rolled onto the ground. Even after falling, its eyes continued to dart rapidly, showcasing its frightening resilience.
When Kui Xin dissected the monster’s body, the blood flowing from the wound was not blue but red. However, the blood gushing from the severed neck was pure blue. Some eerie force had forcibly stitched together the monster and human into a single entity, resulting in a twisted abomination akin to God blending a mammoth with the Loch Ness Monster.
For an instant, the writhing tentacles slowed down. Seizing this opportunity, Silver Mask managed to break free. A burst of water engulfed Tang Guan’s head, and with a fiercely clenched fist motion, Silver Mask crushed it into a bloody pulp.
The tentacles suddenly straightened before going limp and motionless.
At Tang Guan’s neck opening, the blood was not blue; it remained the crimson red characteristic of humans.
Kui Xin retched twice, not out of genuine disgust but because her throat had been excessively squeezed by the tentacles, causing a suffocating pain. Her right arm, holding the knife, trembled as muscles and tendons were torn.
Fortunately, she possessed strong regenerative abilities, needing only a moment to regain her combat readiness.
Obsidian clutched his neck, coughing violently. He pushed aside a mass of slimy tentacles to emerge, his voice hoarse as he exclaimed, “It’s not dead yet!”There was no need for him to remind them; Kui Xin and Silver Mask also sensed something amiss. Although signs of movement ceased in the tentacles, the monster’s head fell to the ground with its eyes gradually slowing, and two fleshy bulges rapidly swelled on the neck connecting the dual heads. These bulges pulsated intensely, slowly revealing indistinct facial features and outlines of brains. Amazingly, even the heads could regenerate!
Kui Xin gasped sharply and swung her blade once more, severing both fleshy bulges. Two jets of blood, one blue and one red, erupted forth.
This creature’s regeneration ability far surpassed Kui Xin’s Flesh Regeneration—it rendered any vital strikes with weapons ineffective, possessing practically no weaknesses.
From that point on, whenever the twin necks began to form new fleshy bulges to regenerate their heads, Kui Xin swiftly cut them off with her blade. The blue and red sprays of blood repeatedly gushed out, momentarily stopping before spurting again.
After performing this decapitation process five or six times consecutively, Silver Mask’s expression turned numb, Obsidian’s lips twitched uncontrollably, and even Kui Xin was nearly on the verge of bursting out laughing in frustration.
However, their method proved effective. The growth rate of the monstrous tumors slowed from rapid to gradual; initially, it took only two or three seconds for a large mass to develop, but later, it required over ten seconds for one to form. Additionally, the blood no longer gushed as profusely. Flesh regeneration demands energy—overusing her own Flesh Regeneration intensified Kui Xin’s hunger, as cell division requires energetic support.
The same principle applied to the two-headed monster; its body lacked sufficient energy to sustain such frequent head regenerations. Since the head houses its cognitive functions, without it, the creature could not control its body to attack effectively.
Obsidian quickly grasped the strategy. “Silver Mask, join me in chopping up the entire monster’s body.”
He pulled out a dagger and bent down to begin his task, severing the limbs and tentacles from the monster’s body.
Their objective was to create more wounds on the creature, forcing it to continuously expend its strength and slow down its healing process.
Silver Mask, wielding a knife to cut through the tentacles, exclaimed despairingly, “Help! I never want to eat squid or octopus skewers again in my life!”
His voice was hoarse. This creature had nearly claimed their lives.
The sight of Kui Xin, Silver Mask, and Heiyao bent over, laboriously working away, resembled that of a murder scene with dismemberment taking place.
After dissecting the monster’s tentacles and limbs, only the torso remained intact. In the First World, there existed the cruel punishment known as “human swine,” where victims were mutilated but kept alive. Now, Tang Guan had become a human swine, living without his limbs.
Kui Xin closely watched the monster’s neck to prevent any resurrection, while Obsidian began earnestly dissecting Tang Guan’s torso, wanting to determine exactly where the creature’s core lay.
If the core wasn’t in the head or heart, then what could it be? Could it possibly be contained in the torso itself?
Just as Obsidian made the first incision, he heard Wei Haidong’s voice say, “Don’t waste time lingering here. Take the monster’s torso with us—it’s a rare live specimen. Since it has lost its ability to resist, leave it undisturbed. Bring it back to Headquarters.”
Obsidian paused momentarily before responding, “Yes, leader.”
Silver Mask couldn’t bear to directly look at the torso on the ground. Using water, he lifted it up and turned towards Kui Xin, saying, “Obsidian, Rich… Rich Lady…” His lips contorted several times before barely managing to utter this awkward codename, “You both need to keep watch—make sure this thing doesn’t regenerate again.”
“I doubt it has any energy left to regenerate,” Kui Xin said with disgust, staring at the wriggling small buds on the severed torso.
There were no signs of regeneration for the fallen limbs, and the head had already lost its vitality, indicating that what they captured was indeed the core essence of the monster.
“Red and his team dismantled the artificial intelligence motherboard, and we also captured a live specimen,” Obsidian stated. “Next, all we need to do is blow up the engine room.”
Kui Xin asked, “Red, how’s the situation over there?”
Red responded, “We’ve dispatched an all-terrain exploration robot carrying the detonator to the engine room. Currently, the detonator installation is underway.” After a few seconds, he added, “Done, installation complete.”
Silver Mask cheerfully exclaimed, “It’s going remarkably smoothly! We’ll be able to return soon!”
They had reached the deck entrance and felt the gentle, cool sea breeze blowing towards them.
Kui Xin’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
This operation was significantly smoother compared to the previous one. Last time, when Kui Xin and her teammates from the Investigation Department boarded the Kraken, they were unexpectedly betrayed by its crew members. The Investigation Department never anticipated that their adversaries would not come from outside but rather hide within their own ranks.
All the more capable awakened squads were on the escort ships. The Investigation Department team found themselves isolated and caught off guard by the ambush, lacking suitable equipment to handle the situation. Heavy firepower weapons had been loaded onto the escort vessels. Moreover, within less than half an hour of boarding, the ship began exploding, making it nearly impossible for them to resist effectively. As a result, they lost their lives.
The failure of the Investigation Department was both accidental and inevitable. It stemmed from a significant gap in intelligence; the enemies meticulously prepared and set up an all-encompassing trap, while the department remained completely oblivious. From the outset, they were utterly defeated.
In contrast, Mechanical Dawn’s teammates proved reliable, consisting entirely of awakened beings with substantial combat capabilities. They were aware of the Kraken’s internal dangers and knew the ship’s perilous nature, so they brought along plenty of heavy weaponry.
Before boarding, they observed the Kraken from afar. Upon noticing the fires aboard the ship, the members of Mechanical Dawn heightened their vigilance to its peak, making it much harder for them to fall prey to traps.
If Kui Xin’s companions were Shu Xuyao, Liu Kangyun, and others instead of Silver Mask and Obsidian, facing the monstrous transformation of Tang Guan, it would have been exceedingly difficult for Kui Xin and her teammates to coordinate effectively and defeat him.
The capabilities of ordinary individuals and awakened beings were fundamentally on different levels. Despite Shu Xuyao’s extensive combat experience, it couldn’t match that of Silver Mask, who was not only well-trained but also possessed extraordinary superhuman abilities.
The Mechanical Dawn boarded the ship with the intent to kill, while the Investigation Department embarked to protect. There was a significant difference in their mindsets.
Realizing the crux of the situation, Kui Xin noticed two more fleshy growths slowly emerging from the monster’s neck, bound by Silver Mask’s water ropes. She sliced them off with annoyance, taking the opportunity to clean up the constantly wriggling buds at each severed point on the body as well.
Once again, the trio stepped back onto the deck, where Red and his group were waiting.
No one from the mission strike squad dared to tempt fate. Wei Haidong had instructed them to ignore, avoid looking at, and refrain from investigating the contents of the cargo hold, so nobody curiously ventured to examine it.
Curiosity killed the cat—this saying wasn’t just for fun. Having experienced life-and-death situations firsthand, everyone present understood the crucial importance of suppressing their curiosity.
Amber carried a massive backpack containing the artificial intelligence’s main circuit board.
Red looked at the time and said, “Have Night Cicada pick us up and return. We’ll detonate remotely.”
“Ah.” Suddenly, the bartender pointed towards the distance and said, “Look up in the sky.”
“Damn it, the Investigation Department has arrived!” Thorny Rose cursed. “Night Cicada! Hurry up and open the transmission!”
In the pitch-black night sky, the lights of armed helicopters approached from afar, gradually becoming more conspicuous as they transformed from small white dots to illuminating the dark clouds.
The deafening roar of the rotating helicopter rotors was also heard from a distance.
The blue whirlpool slowly expanded, and Night Cicada said, “It’s opening now.”
At the same moment, the blue whirlpool widened, the mounted machine guns on the armed helicopters lifted their ominous black muzzles, their bursts of fire exceptionally glaring against the darkness.
These machine guns were undeniably formidable weapons on the battlefield, with eight-millimeter bullets, six barrels, and a staggering rate of fire capable of reaching six thousand rounds per minute. When they struck human flesh, the bullets would create massive bloody cavities, capable of tearing people apart at the waist.
“Fuck!” Silver Mask, possessing the most versatile ability, hastily created a defensive water barrier.
Bullets struck the deck, sending sparks flying before hitting the water barrier. With a splash, a hole bursts open in the water curtain, significantly depleting the kinetic energy of the bullets. When they impacted the group’s exoskeleton armour, they failed to penetrate, but they left pockmarked marks behind.
In just a few seconds, Silver Mask’s water barrier was about to give way, but he had bought some time for the transmission channel to open.
The blue whirlpool expanded to a sufficient size, and Red led the charge, everyone scurrying through with their heads covered like frightened rats. Silver Mask brought up the rear, and as soon as the water curtain dissipated, he raised the monster’s carcass as a shield against incoming bullets.
Bang! Bang! Blood splattered everywhere, and the monster’s body, used as a shield, became torn and ragged, its healing speed visibly diminishing.
Once Silver Mask frantically dove into the portal, the blue whirlpool instantly closed behind them.
As soon as Kui Xin emerged from the whirlpool, she swiftly drew her blade and sliced off the tumor-like growth from the monster’s neck once more.
Silver Mask innocently waved the “rotten flesh” in his hand and commented, “Are we almost torturing it to death?”
Night Cicada stood on Xiao Dao, arms crossed, and urged, “Red, quickly detonate the charges; we need to get back promptly.”
Red pushed the detonation button.
“Boom—”
A fire erupted toward the sky, resembling an underwater volcanic eruption. The black sea surface reflected an orange-red glow, akin to a sunrise.
Countless ship fragments were blasted upward, striking one of the helicopters.
A scene that Kui Xin had witnessed before unfolded again—the helicopter transformed into a fireball plummeting from the sky.
“BOOM!” Red whistled. “We can make a wish upon those falling stars now.”
“All right, the mission accomplished flawlessly. Let’s prepare to head home.” Night Cicada stretched his neck, then snapped his fingers.
Another blue vortex appeared, and the group moved with greater composure, stepping sequentially into the teleportation channel.
Kui Xin and Night Cicada were the last to enter.
Before going through, Kui Xin glanced back at the sea surface. The escort ship was approaching, but its speed couldn’t match that of the armed helicopters. The Kraken burned fiercely; she had died here once before, and now Mechanical Dawn had destroyed it. She was both a firsthand witness and an observer—experiencing the Kraken’s sinking while witnessing its destruction.
“What’s wrong, Miss? Surely you’re not sentimental about that cursed ship, are you?” Night Cicada chuckled. “Unless you want to personally inspect the cargo hold for its ‘goods’?”
“No need for that,” Kui Xin said. “It’s nothing desirable anyway.”
“You’re right,” Night Cicada agreed. “Releasing that thing back into the ocean, whether for good or ill… But we have no other choice; this is what we must do to avoid immediate disaster.”
As he finished speaking, Kui Xin seemed to hear the thumping sound of a massive heart beating again.
Something was gradually awakening from slumber, turning its golden eyes to gaze upon the world.
Night Cicada patted Kui Xin on the shoulder. “Let’s go; time to head back.”
Kui Xin lowered her head and stepped into the deep blue whirlpool.
At the Mechanical Dawn Headquarters, Wei Haidong nervously tapped his fingers and jiggled his leg.
Red reported, “Mission accomplished. The Kraken has been destroyed, and Rich Lady brought back live samples. Night Cicada immediately confined the live samples to reinforced isolation rooms.”
“Good. Proceed with full-body disinfection and cleansing; we don’t know what side effects these creatures’ blood might have, so it shouldn’t be left on you,” Wei Haidong said steadily. “Silver Mask and others encountered significant blood contact during their battles with the monsters, and also…”
After giving all the necessary instructions, Wei Haidong finally let out a sigh of relief.
He tugged at his collar and privately contacted Kui Xin.
“Hello? Xiao Xin, dear.” Wei Haidong spoke with warmth and kindness, “You did well tonight. Dad is proud of you.”
Kui Xin responded, “Are you done, ‘Dad’? Once you’ve finished talking, I’m going to take a shower. That monster’s blood and slime covered me completely, leaving me reeking of rotten seafood. Ugh… It makes me want to vomit.”
Wei Haidong’s meticulously prepared emotions and acting skills found no opportunity to be utilized. Disgruntled, he muttered, “… Alright then, go ahead.”
“Oh right, ‘Dad,’ regarding that Tang Guan… if anything significant is uncovered during interrogation, remember to inform me,” Kui Xin said casually. “I’m truly too curious about his identity. Is it really connected to the secret cult?”
“Okay.” Wei Haidong readily agreed without giving it much thought.
After ending the call with Kui Xin, Wei Haidong dialed another number. This time, it was for the research institute’s head. He instructed, “The newly brought-back living sample is highly valuable. Try injecting nutrients into its body to see if we can accelerate the repair process and allow both heads to regrow again.”
This intelligent, living sample had half a monstrous body and half a human body, with the human portion still retaining a faint sense of self-awareness. The Mechanical Dawn needed to extract information from this sole living specimen and conduct numerous experiments on it.
After all matters were handled, Wei Haidong received instructions from “that person.”
“Have her meet with the detained ‘Player’.”
Wei Haidong cautiously asked, “Is this… also part of the test?”
“You can consider it as such.”
Wei Haidong replied, “Alright, I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”
Half an hour later, Kui Xin, thoroughly disinfected and cleaned, sat in a designated rest room, wearily rubbing her eyes.
It was now 03:59.
Another nearly sleepless night.
Kui Xin made a call, “Night Cicada, take me back to my home on Anning Street.”
“Why not just sleep here?” Night Cicada suggested. “Intense battles often leave hidden injuries. Although you have healing abilities, it’s still important to be cautious. I recommend lying down in a medical pod for recovery.”
“I can’t; I must catch the hovering electric railcar near Anning Street to return to the Investigation Department,” Kui Xin said. “I don’t want anyone suspiciously noticing anomalies in my travel routine. If you’re willing to wake up early at seven tomorrow morning to drive me to Anning Street for the ride, then I’d gladly stay overnight here.”
“Well, in that case, I might as well take you back to Anning Street now.” Night Cicada responded.
The teleportation gate opened wide, and Kui Xin stepped through, greeted by a familiar sight.
A dimly lit room with worn-out furniture awaited her. She removed her shoes, slipped on slippers, and entered the bedroom to collapse onto the bed. Exhausted, she fell asleep within a second.
She had a dreamless night.
Three and a half hours later, with dark circles under her eyes, Kui Xin was awakened by the alarm clock. With sheer willpower, she forced herself out of bed and prepared for her morning routine—washing up, having breakfast, and heading off to work—to begin another methodical day as an ordinary undercover agent of the Investigation Department.
As she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Silver Mask returning with breakfast. He hopped inside through the window, cheerfully saying, “I brought you some breakfast too.”
“The mission is over, so why are you still staying here?” Kui Xin raised an eyebrow.
“But the leader said I’m not just your mission assistant but also your bodyguard.” Silver Mask scratched his head. “My other task is to ensure your safety.”