novelraw Chapter 88: Artificial Souls - (15)
Chapter 88: Artificial Souls - (15)
Kui Xin stepped through the teleportation gate, leaving behind the dilapidated Anning Street house and arriving in the spacious and well-lit conference room.
Wei Haidong was seated in the central chair of the conference room, with Night Cicada casually standing nearby.
With a kindly demeanor, Wei Haidong said, “Xiao Xin, please have a seat.”
“No, thank you. I still need to hurry home and pack my clothes quickly. Tomorrow, I have to catch an early ride to move into the employee dormitory,” Kui Xin responded. “If you have something to discuss, let’s get straight to it.”
Uncharacteristically, Wei Haidong wasted no words and immediately signaled with his eyes towards Night Cicada.
Night Cicada snapped his fingers, and a small blue whirlpool appeared above his palm. From there, a tiny, pitch-black box dropped out, perfectly landing in his grasp.
Kui Xin asked, “What is that?”
“Do you remember the insect that forced the thorny rose to sever her hand?” Wei Haidong said so. “It’s inside this box.”
Kui Xin’s gaze shifted, and she stared at the small box, asking, “Have its functions been fully understood yet? Why did Ball Python place it in Thorny Rose’s hair?”
“We have understood its properties,” Wei Haidong replied. “We recovered the severed hand of Thorny Rose, extracted this insect from her flesh, and subsequently conducted research and cultivation on it.”“Cultivation?” Kui Xin looked up, intrigued.
“By allowing these insects to parasitize living tissue, providing them with nutrients, and after cultivating for a certain period, we remove them, cut them into two segments, and then separately cultivate each segment on new flesh. The segmented insects can grow into distinct individuals,” Wei Haidong explained. “It’s akin to earthworms, possessing remarkable regenerative abilities. Under sufficient nutrient conditions, this Red Hidden Thread Insect requires only two hours to complete regeneration.”
With keen interest, Kui Xin asked, “Can they only parasitize humans or any living organism?”
“Any living organism can be parasitized,” Wei Haidong casually stated. “We conducted experiments on both laboratory animals and humans. Although the experimental duration was very short, the results were promising.”
“Fascinating to achieve such results within such a brief timeframe,” Kui Xin remarked. “Let’s discuss our experimental outcomes now. What is the specific effect?”
Wei Haidong cleared his throat and said, “Are you familiar with Toxoplasma gondii and ironworms? In nature, there exist certain parasites that, after infecting their hosts, secrete specific chemicals to manipulate the host’s behavior.”
“You mean the Red Hidden Thread Insects possess similar capabilities?” Kui Xin realized.
“Yes.” Wei Haidong nodded. “They can control the thoughts of those they parasitize, subtly altering the host’s behavior and turning them into slaves.”
Kui Xin drew a sharp breath. “That’s terrifying! If any of our people accidentally fall victim…”
“Now that we’ve discovered it, we can take preventive measures,” Wei Haidong said. “I called you here today because I want to entrust the newly cultivated individuals to you.”
“You want me to choose hosts for the Red Hidden Thread Insects?” Kui Xin asked.
“Exactly,” Wei Haidong replied.
Night Cicada promptly placed the small box containing the Red Hidden Thread Insects on the conference table and pushed it towards Kui Xin.
Kui Xin verified her fingerprint by opening the box. A chill emanated from within as three glass tubes holding the Hidden Thread Insects lay neatly inside. The insects were dormant at extremely low temperatures, lying motionless in the glass tubes.
“Leave them at room temperature for half an hour, and the insects will regain their activity,” Wei Haidong said. “There are three in total; use them judiciously.”
“What about the selection of individuals?” Kui Xin queried. “Are there any specific people in mind?”
“You can consider this yourself, aiming primarily for those with potential and high status,” Wei Haidong responded. “For example, Lin Xinji and his close confidants. By controlling them, many issues could be resolved effortlessly.”
“I haven’t found such opportunities,” Kui Xin admitted truthfully. “I can only act within my capabilities. Living in the employee dormitories allows me to seek chances to target those around me, but individuals like Lin Xinji have too elevated a status, making it difficult for me to approach them.”
“That’s why I said you can consider it yourself,” Wei Haidong said indulgently. “It’s also okay to use it on your teammates; they’re essentially the same. We cannot sacrifice this insect for individuals with high status and influence. Instead, ordinary security personnel can serve as experimental subjects. Mass production of these insects will be achieved very soon.”
“Mass production… Does it have no flaws?” Kui Xin asked. “Based on what you’ve told me, the Hidden Thread Insect seems almost impossibly perfect.”
“There might be some, but we haven’t discovered them yet, so more extensive experimentation is needed,” Wei Haidong replied. “For now, focus on the immediate tasks at hand. Once mass production becomes feasible, I’ll inform you about the next steps.”
“Alright, ‘Dad.'” Kui Xin closed the box.
“When handling the Hidden Thread Insects, make sure to use tools,” Wei Haidong instructed. “At the very least, wear gloves. The Hidden Thread Insect has minimal strength and cannot burrow through glass, but once it comes into contact with warm flesh, its bloodthirsty nature is triggered. It takes less than three seconds for it to penetrate a person’s body.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Wait, aren’t you curious about those players?” Night Cicada called out with a smile, interrupting Kui Xin.
“Haven’t we discussed that the threat of the First World is distant, while the danger from the Investigation Department looms closer at hand?” Kui Xin appeared unconcerned. “Those players are still under our control; that should be enough. If there were truly any issues with them, would ‘Daddy’ have waited this long without telling me?”
She couldn’t show excessive interest, even though she genuinely cared.
Wei Haidong said, “I will inform you of what you need to know. It’s getting late; go back and rest, Xiao Xin. Night Cicada, open a teleportation portal for her.”
Night Cicada gestured, and a blue vortex opened beside Kui Xin.
He spoke, “After you, Miss.”
Upon returning home, Kui Xin furrowed her brow in confusion.
She had anticipated some form of test, but it didn’t materialize. Has Mechanical Dawn’s suspicion towards her vanished? Yet once suspicions arise, they don’t easily dissipate.
Why did their attitude suddenly relax? Why did they stop probing her further? Why… did they seem so confident, allowing her actions to go unchecked as if they held something certain?
An invisible shadow loomed over Kui Xin, weighing heavily on her mood.
Early the next morning, Kui Xin set out half an hour earlier than usual, carrying her suitcase as she boarded the electric railcar.
Adam had notified Kui Xin via email that morning about her employee dormitory application’s approval; she could move in today itself.
Kui Xin did not bring the box containing the Hidden Thread Insect; she intended to transport her belongings in batches. During the morning, she brought only a small suitcase. After work, she planned to return to Anning Street and move the remaining items to the apartment, with the box holding the Hidden Thread Insect being transported in the second batch. She needed to personally handle it for peace of mind.
She arrived near the inspection building by riding the suspended electric railcar, but she didn’t enter. Instead, she turned and approached a nearby thirty-story apartment building.
The apartment building’s entrance featured automatic glass doors that required facial recognition scans for entry.
When Kui Xin stood before the glass door, it automatically opened. Adam’s voice said, “Good morning, Security Officer Kui Xin. You may take the elevator upstairs to visit your room and drop off your luggage. You can also give your luggage to the first-floor household robot to deliver to your room.”
“Option two.” Kui Xin put down her suitcase.
A robot rolled up to Kui Xin on its wheels, and with its mechanical arm, it lifted her luggage, saying, “Please feel assured to leave your baggage with me.”
“Will the household robot help organize my clothes?” Kui Xin asked curiously.
“The household robot is responsible for cleaning common areas and transporting valuable items; it does not have the function of assisting staff with personal belongings,” Adam replied. “If you require assistance, I can contact a domestic services company to send over a cleaner who can help you arrange your room and belongings.”
“No need; that’s too much trouble and costly,” Kui Xin said as she stepped out of the apartment lobby. “I’ll come back later tonight to tidy up. For now, I’m heading to work.”
“Wishing you a pleasant day,” Adam stated matter-of-factly.
Taking a detour to the apartment building took some time. By the time Kui Xin reached her office, all her teammates had already arrived.
Lan Lan, looking content, remarked, “Today, Xiao Kui was the last one to arrive, not me.”
“You seem obsessed with these competitions, Lan Lan. Every morning, the first topic of discussion in the office is counting who came earliest and latest,” Kui Xin criticized him. “Are you so proud just because you managed to beat someone who consistently arrives at the last minute once?”
“Oh no, I’ll try to arrive earlier from now on, not just make it right at the deadline,” Lan Lan said with a smile.
Upon reaching the office, Kui Xin checked her work email from Adam.
Today’s schedule contained only one item again—training.
“Training again?” Kui Xin tapped her head. “How many days will this training last?”
“At least a week,” Shu Xuyao replied. “There is a vast amount of knowledge you need to grasp when considering various scenarios during missions. Based on my experience, the mission you carried out yesterday should be considered average in difficulty.”
“That’s true. Although there were some complications towards the end, overall, it was quite straightforward,” Kui Xin agreed.
“The upcoming missions may not necessarily be difficult, but they could become more complex,” Shu Xuyao explained. “Each instructor has their own way of guiding trainees; simply follow your instructor’s arrangements.”
Kui Xin murmured, “I see…”
At 9 a.m., Kui Xin promptly reported to the sixty-fifth floor as scheduled.
Entering the office, she noticed Yu Liang wasn’t wearing either his security officer uniform or combat gear, but rather casual attire consisting of a simple leather jacket and jeans.
“Are we going undercover today to apprehend suspects?” Kui Xin inadvertently asked, observing her instructor’s attire.
“You guessed right,” Yu Liang said. “We have a changing room here with various types and sizes of clothing. Go change into something more casual and slightly loose-fitting. Add an extra layer of bulletproof vest underneath your clothes, and make sure the hem is long enough to conceal your gun.”
“Okay.” Kui Xin nodded. “What type of weapons should I bring?”
“The hand cannon is too conspicuous; leave it behind. Just bring knives and standard-issue firearms,” Yu Liang replied. “We’ll go lightly equipped.”
Kui Xin asked, “Where exactly are we heading?”
“The black market is an underground illicit trading hub.” Yu Liang habitually pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. “I’m taking you to witness the true side of Black Sea City.”
“I feel like I’ve already seen quite a lot of it,” Kui Xin said. “Living in the Port Bay District, I encountered numerous dark aspects during my patrols there. Is this what you mean by its ‘true side’?”
“Not only that, in the Port Bay District, you mostly deal with brawls between thugs and gang conflicts. The most dangerous situations involve shootouts in alleyways,” Yu Liang said. “These incidents are thrilling enough but not truly dark. Today, I’m going to show you the genuine darkness—the hidden underbelly of this city.”
Is it really so? Kui Xin thought curiously.
She believed that, to some extent, the Investigation Department itself was the greatest dark side of this city.