novelraw Chapter 80: Artificial Souls - (7)
Chapter 80: Artificial Souls - (7)
August 9th.
After completing her morning exercises, Kui Xin followed her routine by going grocery shopping. Upon entering the market, she noticed lingering traces of the recent fire; the affected shops had already begun repairs.
However, the noodle shop still bore its devastated appearance. The local residents, aware that people perished in the blaze, spontaneously placed bouquets of flowers in front of the charred storefront. Kui Xin saw a recently posted notice outside the noodle shop advertising it for transfer, along with contact details.
The neighboring store’s owner was an old acquaintance of the noodle shop’s family. When Kui Xin inquired about the incident, he said, “Only one girl remains from that family. Last night, her aunt and uncle arrived and entrusted the shop’s transfer to a broker. They stated that they wanted to sell the shop and take her to the provincial capital for treatment. The little girl has been in the ICU for several days already, costing tens of thousands. Her aunt and uncle are deeply worried as well.”
“Has she gone to the provincial capital already?” Kui Xin asked. “Is the contact information on the transfer notice belonging to her aunt?”
The owner replied, “When I spoke with them yesterday, they said they were leaving today, arranging transportation directly to another hospital. There’s no time to waste due to her condition. The contact number seems to be her uncle’s.”
Kui Xin thanked the owner, noted down the contact information from the transfer notice, and then headed home.
Calm days are always fleeting; time swiftly passes by.
Kui Xin sat at Su Rong’s house, watching over her as she worked on math worksheets.
Last week, Kui Xin had been preoccupied with killing Fang Zhi and took Friday off. On August 2nd, Su Rong’s return from the Second World left her mentally unsettled, causing a break in their lessons. As a result, she missed two days of classes. Over the weekend, Kui Xin made up these sessions for her. Su Rong understood the importance of effort; although she detested mathematics immensely, she still diligently tried to learn it.While taking the math exam, Su Rong broke out in a sweat, with beads of perspiration forming on her nose tip. After fifty minutes, she had completed all the questions she knew how to solve. The remaining problems stumped her, and she couldn’t help but fidget anxiously in her chair, her face turning beet red.
“If you don’t know how to do them, leave them blank,” Kui Xin said, exasperated.
Su Rong sadly put down her pen. “Help me! Others need more than two hours for these questions, yet I finished in just fifty minutes…”
She could only attempt a few problems confidently, hence completing them quickly. However, even for those she attempted, she couldn’t guarantee their correctness.
Kui Xin lowered her head to grade the test. After a moment, she spoke with satisfaction, “Not bad, this time you got forty points correct… Last time, you scored twenty-five points. It’s an improvement.”
“But I feel like getting these forty points was partly due to luck; this particular test happened to include questions I knew. Honestly, my true level is still around twenty-five points, not any higher!” Su Rong sounded even more despondent.
“I’m not belittling you. My plan is for you to score around 75 points in mathematics during the high school exam,” Kui Xin explained. “After all, you started from a zero foundation; aiming for a higher score would be unrealistic. Your Chinese and English grades are quite good, and your other subjects are decent too. When calculating your potential exam score, if you perform well, you could aim for around 490 points. That should at least secure admission to an undergraduate program. With more effort, you can raise your score and get into a better university.”
Su Rong covered her face and said, “I… I understand now. Being able to attend an undergraduate program is enough for me; it’s certainly better than going to an arts-focused school.”
The tutoring session ran overtime today. By the time Kui Xin finished explaining Su Rong’s incorrect answers, it was already past five o’clock.
For dinner, Su Rong ordered a large amount of takeout, and Kui Xin didn’t stop her, nor did she intend to showcase her own cooking skills. She was well aware of her culinary abilities.
Kui Xin’s academic life had always been hectic, leaving her no time to refine her cooking. The meals she prepared were merely edible, far from being particularly delicious. For her, as long as the nutritional balance was appropriate, taste wasn’t a priority.
If Kui Xin were cooked, Su Rong definitely wouldn’t find it palatable.
That evening, for the first time, Kui Xin shared a bed with someone else while sleeping.
Su Rong brought out an extra quilt for Kui Xin to use and cheerfully said, “Having Sister Xinxin here makes me feel incredibly safe! It’s great that someone is with me; otherwise, I’d have to stay at my aunt’s house.”
Su Rong was the type of girl who grew up pampered by her entire family, having experienced few hardships. She could freely display her willful side in front of close relatives and enjoy growing up under her parents’ protection.
Kui Xin also feared being alone and in the dark when she was a child. However, her father was preoccupied with indulging in pleasures, while her mother treated her like a hot potato, unwilling to spend time keeping her company.
“I have earplugs and an eye mask; do you want them?” Su Rong asked. “What if I snore while sleeping? Although usually, I don’t snore.”
“No, thanks. I’m not used to wearing those,” Kui Xin replied.
“Alright then, let’s sleep. It’s already past ten o’clock.” Su Rong pulled the covers over herself. “Early to bed and early to rise—tomorrow we’ll wake up early to study.”
“Sounds good,” Kui Xin agreed.
Fearing insomnia, Su Rong took some sleep aid medication before bedtime and quickly drifted off.
After several dozen minutes of half-dozing, Kui Xin heard Su Rong grinding her teeth and talking in her sleep.
“You idiotic manager… Hell no, I won’t accompany anyone for drinks, get lost! Take this punch!” With a kick, she threw off the blanket, grumbled angrily, and then turned over, falling deeply asleep.
“…Rich Lady… Rich Lady?”
Suddenly, Kui Xin heard someone calling her.
She opened her eyes and, amidst her disorientation, saw a white object waving back and forth before her.
Without thinking, Kui Xin instinctively punched at the white thing, followed by hearing a pitiful yelp.
“Why did you hit me again?!” Silver Mask exclaimed, covering his nose with a single hand. “My nose was almost broken by your punch!”
“Silver Mask?” Kui Xin, taken aback, sat up from her bed.
It was a familiar bedroom with familiar furnishings.
She had returned to the Second World and Black Sea City.
Kui Xin glanced down at her bracelet; it was now 07:15 AM—surprisingly, morning already. She must have completed the time-space travel while asleep, without being disturbed, as her counterpart in the Second World was also sleeping, and their states overlapped seamlessly.
“You entered my room first,” Kui Xin said. “It’s a reflexive reaction.”
After experiencing death on The Kraken, she similarly woke up early in the morning. Coincidentally, that day Silver Mask knocked on her door to wake her up, prompting her instinctively to strike him, causing blood to gush from his nose. It seemed like history was repeating itself today.
“I knocked, but there was no response, so I came in.” Silver Mask pulled out a tissue to wipe away the blood from his nose. “What I wanted to say was that your alarm has gone off twice already. If you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late.”
“I understand; you can go now. I need to change clothes.” Kui Xin rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Although numerous unforeseen changes occurred during her seven days in the First World, overall it was peaceful. Kui Xin did not engage in any battles, allowing both her mind and body to relax fully. As she woke up now, she felt her muscles and bones completely refreshed, with an unprecedented sense of vitality.
After getting dressed and completing her morning routine, Kui Xin casually grabbed a bag of bread and a bottle of milk from the fridge before changing her shoes to catch the early electric railcar.
Before leaving, she instructed Silver Mask, “It’s time to mop the floor; remember to do so. Thoroughly clean the kitchen as well, and make sure not to leave your genetic traces around the house.”
“Alright…” Silver Mask reluctantly responded, “I’ve always been diligent about picking up and disposing of every strand of fallen hair.”
The weather today wasn’t favorable, with Black Sea City enveloped by a hazy fog.
As Kui Xin sat on the hovering electric railcar, looking towards the city center, she couldn’t even see the distant skyscrapers.
Checking her communicator, she discovered that Adam had sent out a notification at 6 a.m.: “Heavy fog today, moderate pollution, visibility is low. All security officers, please remember to wear masks when traveling.”
Kui Xin sighed, realizing she hadn’t brought a mask.
Most people on the electric railcar also weren’t wearing masks, indicating they seemed accustomed to such dense fog conditions.
When Kui Xin stepped out of the vehicle, she distinctly noticed a different scent in the air—the smell of industrial compounds.
The First World occasionally experienced such polluted weather as well, and Kui Xin had adapted reasonably well to it.
She approached the glass doors at the entrance of the Investigation Building’s ground-floor lobby, which automatically opened.
“Good morning, Security Officer Kui Xin. Welcome back; I hope you have a wonderful day.” Adam’s voice promptly greeted her.
“Morning, Adam,” Kui Xin responded casually.
Lan Lan happened to be waiting for the elevator on the first floor. Upon seeing Kui Xin, he said, “Good morning. Aren’t you usually here much earlier?”
“I overslept; nothing unusual about that.” Kui Xin joined him in waiting for the elevator.
Inside the elevator, Adam transmitted today’s work schedule.
The morning and afternoon tasks were no different from usual, but an additional line was included at the bottom: “Investigation Department Monthly Summary Meeting, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.”
“A monthly summary meeting?” Kui Xin repeated it aloud.
“Yes, typically it involves recognizing employees’ achievements, reflecting on work, and so forth. If anyone dies during missions, we observe a moment of silence for them.” Lan Lan furrowed his brow. “Something feels off about the atmosphere in the Investigation Department these past few days.”
“The explosion at the port caused too much uproar. Despite conducting investigations for such a long time, we haven’t uncovered any definitive answers. The leaders must be under immense pressure; I wonder if Headquarters will hold them accountable?” Kui Xin curiously remarked.
With a ding, their floor arrived.
The two stepped out of the elevator, side by side.
Lan Lan lowered her voice and said, “That’s certain. Some leaders may even face demotions or other penalties for this major blunder. However I have a lingering feeling that the strange atmosphere within our department isn’t solely related to the Mooring Harbor explosion incident. There must be some significant event we’re unaware of.”
This time, the Seventh Squad did not board the ship, so they were uninformed about the internal situation aboard The Kraken.
The sinking of the Kraken had been suppressed. Several days passed without any notifications, announcements, speeches from leaders, or even small meetings. The matter was tightly covered up.
In this distorted society, there were numerous dark aspects and instances of injustice. The authorities trampled upon people’s lives, treating them as pawns to manipulate at will—a sentiment shared by everyone.
Despite these dark realities being widely acknowledged and unfairness being long accepted, those in power still sought ways to cover up their unsavory deeds.
Exposing ugly truths tarnishes appearances; naturally, dishonorable matters must be deeply buried within the soil. In the face of a decaying reality, the best solution is simply to turn a blind eye.
From this perspective, the Second World was thoroughly rotten from start to finish, its corruption seeping deep into its marrow, beyond remedy.
“Who will preside over the monthly meeting?” Kui Xin asked.
“The Deputy Director,” Lan Lan replied. “If he’s not on a business trip, then it would be him. However, he’s been extremely busy lately, so it might be the Minister instead.”
Fortunately, Lin Xinji was away on a trip.
Kui Xin wished for him to remain indefinitely, never returning.
Shu Xuyao and Liu Kangyun had also arrived at the office. They exchanged greetings, and then sat at their desks, preparing for work.
Just as Kui Xin opened her workstation, she noticed a message from Adam.
“How have you thought about it, Kui Xin?”
He unexpectedly sent the message at this moment.
Kui Xin raised her eyebrows in surprise.
She was in the office, surrounded by her teammates, and at any moment, she could divulge its messages to Shu Xuyao and others.
Despite knowing the risks, it still sent the message… Was this a test? Their mutual trust hadn’t yet reached that level.
With her peripheral vision, Kui Xin discreetly glanced at her teammates in the office.
After pondering for a moment, she replied, “I’ve considered it. We can cooperate.”
“It seems you have more to say,” Adam remarked. “Was there supposed to be a turning point—’but,’ perhaps?”
“But I need your assistance,” Kui Xin said. “You cannot merely demand things from me; our relationship should be mutually beneficial, involving bilateral cooperation.”
Without any hesitation, Adam responded, “Of course, everything is negotiable. You can propose conditions, and likewise, I will also present my terms.”