novelraw Chapter 8: Sea of Darkness - (8)
Chapter 8: Sea of Darkness - (8)
Kui Xin quickly flipped through the pages, skimming the information.
“Mission: Completely destroy Black Sea City’s port to prevent the massive cargo ship ‘Kraken’ from docking there. This is Mission Plan A.”
“If you choose to execute Plan A, the port must be destroyed before August 11th. After August 11th, the Kraken will enter Black Sea City’s waters, resulting in mission failure at that point.”
“Mission Plan B: Secretly board the massive cargo ship ‘Kraken’, install explosive devices, and sink it.”
“If you choose to execute Plan B, it must be accomplished before August 11th when the Kraken enters Black Sea City’s waters.”
“The ultimate goal of the mission is to prevent the Kraken from entering Black Sea City territory. Repeat: The ultimate goal of the mission is to prevent the Kraken from entering Black Sea City territory.”
From this mission information, Kui Xin sensed an urgent undertone.
What exactly is going on with the Kraken? Why is Mechanical Dawn willing to spare no expense to prevent it from reaching Black Sea City?
The Kraken is a massive cargo ship, and there shouldn’t be anything unusual about the ship itself. The cargo it carries could be the only anomaly!
What kind of cargo would make Mechanical Dawn so concerned—no, so fearful?They even went as far as issuing orders to bomb the port and destroy the cargo ship, all just to stop the vessel laden with goods from entering Black Sea City.
What cargo is being transported on the Kraken?
Suppressing her sense of unease, Kui Xin continued examining the mission information.
“Large cargo ship mooring at Port Bay District’s Pier 5; D District Warehouse 6308 regularly replenishes ammunition supplies. If resupply is needed, proceed there to obtain it. The Ruby Bar, located on Peace Avenue in the Port Bay District, serves as a communal safe house for organization members, equipped with medical facilities and weapon maintenance equipment. It also undergoes periodic restocking of small firearms and ammunition. The entry code reads, ‘Give me a deep blue intoxication.’ The owner of the Hunter Shooting Club in the Northern District can provide mission funding. Rick Technologies’ Headquarters, third floor, houses the Mechanical Prosthetics Laboratory, which offers technological assistance to mission operatives.”
As Kui Xin read more, she felt increasingly unnerved.
This Mechanical Dawn Organization wielded a frighteningly immense influence.
She organized this information:
Firstly, Mechanical Dawn has the capability to utilize Black Sea City’s Mooring Harbor warehouses as armories. Secondly, Mechanical Dawn has a large number of members in Black Sea City, necessitating a public safe house for gatherings. Thirdly, Mechanical Dawn appears to be very wealthy, with dedicated personnel responsible for allocating mission funds. Fourthly, Rick Technologies is highly likely to be directly affiliated with Mechanical Dawn or possibly a front company set up by them.
Silver Mask observed Kui Xin closely. “Finished reading? Is there anything you’d like to say?”
“I’m calculating how many lives I need to spare to complete this mission—would a hundred be enough?” Kui Xin, engulfed by immense pressure, made a dry joke.
“Just carry out the task,” Silver Mask replied mildly. “Even if it means piling up human lives, as long as we can prevent what’s on the Kraken from entering Black Sea City, our sacrifices will be worth it. It doesn’t matter if we die; our comrades will continue the mission before August 11th arrives.”
Kui Xin deeply suspected that Mechanical Dawn was actually a brainwashing organization. The individual before her, codenamed “Silver Mask,” seemed thoroughly indoctrinated, disregarding even their own life.
She glanced down at the time displayed on her bracelet.
The date in the Second World was July 28, 2086, and it was currently 00:23, right at midnight.
“We have less than half a month with other squads to complete the mission,” Silver Mask said. “It’s quite urgent.”
“Understood, I’ll devise an action plan as soon as possible,” Kui Xin responded. “However, as a security officer still in my probationary period, there are tasks I must fulfill too. The people from the Investigation Department aren’t easy to deceive.”
“The Investigation Department, mere lackeys of the consortium.” Silver Mask snorted. “You focus on stealing intelligence while I handle implementing the operation. We can discuss the plans together.”
Kui Xin slowly nodded.
She stood with the Silver Mask in the living room for a moment. Seeing that he had no intention of further conversation, she spoke up, “I need to attend to my own tasks now. Feel free to make yourself at home.”
Kui Xin wasn’t sure about the interaction dynamics between teammates in Mechanical Dawn’s execution squads, nor did she know if there were any established rules during their missions. Saying “feel free” was sufficient to indicate the end of their discussion.
Moreover, Kui Xin genuinely had her own matters to handle.
Under Silver Mask’s watchful gaze, she carefully inspected each room of the house. The sunlit room, which contained a small wardrobe, served as the bedroom. The other room, used as a storage space, functioned as a secondary bedroom. On the balcony, two potted plants were nearly wilted and dying.
Kui Xin moved into the kitchen. It was fully equipped with pots, bowls, and utensils. Opening the old refrigerator with peeling paint, she found some ingredients inside.
This house exuded a strong sense of lived-in warmth, but unfortunately, its owner was deceased, leaving Kui Xin to usurp it like a cuckoo, displacing another bird’s nest.
She closed the fridge door and promptly entered the bedroom, rummaging through the wardrobe. Inside, there were unopened intimate garments. Kui Xin took out a bath towel, found a set of clean casual clothes, and proceeded to the bathroom, shutting the door with a thud.
Silver Mask gazed expressionlessly at the bathroom until the light flicked on and the sound of running water reached his ears. Only then did he belatedly realize it—this woman was taking a shower.
He promptly diverted his gaze, retreated to sit on the sofa, and placed both hands neatly on his knees like an obedient schoolchild.
Kui Xin had adopted a carefree attitude, as if embracing the inevitability of her situation.
Things were already this dire, so she couldn’t continue to suffer silently. The worst outcome would be death, but before that point, she wanted to struggle a bit more. Who knows, perhaps by persisting through these struggles, she might just survive against all odds?
She was a competent undercover operative and an exceptional actress. Fully immersing herself in the role, she embodied “Kui Xin,” a young woman with outstanding academic achievements who had recently graduated and secured a job.
For a young girl to take a hot shower after getting caught in the rain post-work is entirely reasonable behavior; everything she did align logically with her character.
As the warm water cascaded down, Kui Xin mentally repeated calming thoughts to hypnotize herself into staying composed.
After spending twenty minutes in the shower to adjust her mindset, she emerged afterwards dressed in clean clothes. To her surprise, Silver Mask was still seated in the living room.
As Kui Xin emerged, Silver Mask gave her a cold glance before shifting his gaze away.
Kui Xin couldn’t figure out what this guy truly intended.
She wiped her hair with a towel, thoughts swirling in her mind, and asked him hesitantly, “What’s your next plan…?”
“Stand by,” Silver Mask replied.
Stand by—stand by where? Stand by her side? Why won’t he leave?!
To conceal her expression, Kui Xin turned towards the kitchen. She retrieved some ingredients from the refrigerator, intending to have a simple meal.
She hadn’t eaten anything since undergoing the skull surgery earlier and was already famished. Fortunately, the kitchen appliances weren’t overly “high-tech”; they still relied on clean energy sources like gas. She ignited the stove, placed a pot on it, and planned to cook some noodles.
As Kui Xin prepared the noodles, Silver Mask watched intently, his stomach audibly rumbling.
Silver Mask remained silent.
Kui Xin also said nothing.
“Do you want some?” she asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Silver Mask responded promptly.
So, Kui Xin added another handful of noodles to the pot and cracked in two eggs.
This is a detail, just a small detail. She stared absently at the boiling noodles in the pot.
Judging from Silver Mask’s unhesitant acceptance of her meal offer, Kui Xin concluded that he wasn’t as cold and impenetrable as his surface demeanor suggested. In fact… he seemed somewhat lacking in caution, trusting his companions implicitly.
In contrast, Kui Xin herself would never have eaten food prepared by a stranger at such a critical moment. Perhaps her heightened vigilance stemmed from being overly influenced by various novels and movies.
The noodles were cooked, and Kui Xin served her portion in a bowl, carrying it to the dining table. She then said to Silver Mask, “Help yourself with serving.”
Silver Mask stood up from the sofa and found a bowl. With fingers spread wide, he effortlessly lifted the noodles along with the remaining egg, gently floating them out of the broth and into the bowl without spilling a single drop.
Kui Xin’s hand holding the chopsticks imperceptibly trembled.
This was a superhuman ability! Silver Mask unexpectedly possessed such powers!
With a bowl in hand, Silver Mask sat across from Kui Xin, lifting his arm to remove his hood and mask.
Under the mask, his face was pale as snow, with white eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. His eyes had a faintly pinkish hue, and barely visible red veins could be seen on his neck and cheeks. If not for this subtle touch of red, he would resemble a drifting specter or a lifeless walking corpse.
Silver Mask’s pale pink eyes glared at Kui Xin. “What are you staring for? Haven’t you seen albinism before?”
Kui Xin indeed hadn’t encountered albinism, but what concerned her wasn’t his unique appearance; it was the superhuman ability he inadvertently revealed.
“I thought you wouldn’t remove your mask while eating,” Kui Xin said, shifting the topic.
“How can one eat without taking off their mask?” Silver Mask questioned, perplexed.
“That’s something you should answer,” Kui Xin replied slowly.
Silver Mask seemed to realize something. “Did you think I wore the mask just to look cool?”
“I never said that.” Kui Xin lowered her head and continued eating her noodles.
With a frustrated expression, Silver Mask picked up some noodles and took a bite, only to get burned instantly. In a huff, he opened his palm, controlling the clump of noodles in the bowl to float up and down in the air rapidly, cooling them swiftly. Once the noodles finally cooled down, he confidently grabbed her chopsticks and started devouring them.
This guy… doesn’t seem very intelligent, Kui Xin mused thoughtfully.
Kui Xin had prepared plain boiled noodles, adding just a pinch of salt. The taste was far from impressive, but Silver Mask showed no pickiness, happily enjoying the meal and finishing it quickly within a few bites.
The way he slurped his noodles reminded Kui Xin of piglets rooting for food at her grandfather’s rural home.
“Go wash the dishes,” Kui Xin requested, wanting to test if Silver Mask would comply.
Without complaint, Silver Mask picked up the empty bowls and placed them in the sink, turning on the faucet.
“Turn down the water flow; utility bills are expensive,” Kui Xin said.
“What’s with all your fussing? This house isn’t even yours! The utilities don’t come out of your account!” Silver Mask retorted.
“You need to mimic every detail when assuming a role, regardless of whether you’re in public or not. You don’t understand that,” Kui Xin countered with an impeccable excuse.
Silver Mask patiently adjusted the water flow while washing the dishes, then put them away in the cupboard after cleaning.
Kui Xin observed discreetly. It seemed that Silver Mask’s superhuman ability was related to water. He didn’t control objects like bowls to float; instead, he controlled the water itself, using it as a medium.
When Silver Mask first appeared at Kui Xin’s home, she assumed he was an old acquaintance of the original body, prompting her to be extra cautious.
After several conversations and subtle tests, Kui Xin initially concluded that the original host and Silver Mask were not familiar acquaintances. This encounter was likely their first meeting. Silver Mask had remarked upon removing his mask, “Never seen albinism before?”
This statement directly confirmed that Kui Xin’s original self had never seen Silver Mask’s true appearance.
With this knowledge, Kui Xin could be less apprehensive. She genuinely feared that her collaboration partner might be someone extremely familiar with the original Kui Xin, which would likely lead to exposing herself within just a few words exchanged.
Fortunately, luck was on Kui Xin’s side once again.
She encountered Silver Mask, who did not know her well, and even more fortunate, he seemed to have a little guard up against her.
Most importantly, Silver Mask was an extraordinary ability user.
If she were to kill Silver Mask, could she potentially strip him of his abilities and acquire them for herself?
Silver Mask: If you’re disobedient and lack effort, you’ll only end up as a rich lady’s plaything qwq