novelraw Chapter 91: Artificial Souls - (18)
Chapter 91: Artificial Souls - (18)
“Our conversation is absolutely secure. The inspection building and employee residences are equipped with anti-eavesdropping devices. As long as you remain within my jurisdiction, neither Eve nor anyone else can intercept our discussions,” Adam explained. “Let’s seize this opportunity to carefully plan how to eliminate the individuals we wish to target.”
“Tell me about the itinerary you’ve obtained,” Kui Xin said. “Where is Lin Xinji going, what actions does he take at specific times, whom does he meet, and who accompanies him?”
“Today is August 12th, Friday, and it’s currently 9:15 PM. Lin Xinji has just finished his overtime work and is preparing to attend a gathering. “I know he’s heading to ‘Emerald Eye,'” Adam said.
The Emerald Eye was a landmark building in Black Sea City, situated at its center. It stood as a towering 600-meter-high double-helix glass structure. During sunny daytime hours, the Emerald Eye’s glass refracted dazzling halos, creating circular bands of rainbow light around the tower’s tip. At night, the Emerald Eye became the focal point of the entire Black Sea City, resembling a gemstone aglow with converging radiance.
This architectural marvel epitomized opulence, frequently hosting banquets attended by influential dignitaries.
“For this particular banquet, key figures from both the Shu and Meng families will be present. The security measures are exceptionally stringent; Lin Xinji has assigned a trusted team of thirty-five security officers, including five awakened beings—two B-rank and three C-rank—to maintain order,” Adam continued. “Your instructor, Yu Liang, is among them. These security officers will collectively ensure the safety of the prominent individuals attending the banquet.”
“The scope of work for security officers is truly extensive,” Kui Xin couldn’t help but remark.
“Besides carrying out missions, maintaining public order also falls within the duties of security officers. In certain special events, patrolling and providing vigilance form part of their responsibilities,” Adam explained.
Kui Xin said, “Utilizing security officers even for private banquets seems like an abuse of power.”
“Indeed it is, but no one dares to intervene. You can consider this as ‘tradition,'” Adam replied. “Tradition—it has always been so.”“Let’s return to our previous topic,” Kui Xin suggested. “Are you certain I can assassinate Lin Xinji amidst the tight surveillance at Emerald Eye?”
“You can,” Adam assured her. “The Investigation Department handles the security operations, and I am responsible for controlling all the security officers’ personal tech equipment. Additionally, I have taken over the Emerald Tower’s surveillance cameras. I am aware of every personnel assignment, the movement at each location, and even what they say or do—all of which fall under my purview. The actions of everyone at the banquet are fully monitored; nobody can escape my surveillance. You will succeed because you have my assistance.”
“When you were working with me, I admired your confidence,” Kui Xin said. “Send me a dossier containing details about the security officers’ physical characteristics, their areas of expertise, the abilities of those awakened ones, and the list of banquet attendees—I need to know all of these.”
“Already sent,” Adam replied. “The banquet will commence at 9:45 pm and continue until midnight. Lin Xinji is one of the main guests, so he won’t leave early.”
Kui Xin swiftly skimmed through the information Adam had provided, her frown deepening as she read.
The security measures were incredibly stringent. Apart from the regular security officers, there were also private bodyguards trained by the two influential families, either patrolling nearby or providing close protection.
She pondered aloud, “Aside from the Emerald Eye event, are there any other opportune moments?”
“It’s highly unlikely,” Adam said. “Lin Xinji rarely stays outside for long. Other than during the Emerald Eye gathering, your only chances would be when he’s at work in the inspection building or after he returns home. However, I don’t recommend attempting it then. Once Lin Xinji is back home, his security falls under the Shu family’s responsibility, not mine, so I can’t provide any backdoor assistance. We could indeed plan meticulously and succeed in assassinating him within the inspection building, but the repercussions would be immense. The death of the Deputy Director inside Headquarters itself would cause a massive uproar.”
Kui Xin’s brows furrowed deeply. “Tch…”
She had anticipated that killing Lin Xinji would be highly troublesome. Having reached this point, there was no turning back for her—it was a matter of life and death concerning her ability to survive within the Investigation Department going forward.
“If you feel this timing is not suitable, then we can only continue waiting until the next opportunity arises,” Adam said, his voice devoid of emotion. “I can wait, entirely at your discretion.”
The crux was the fact that while Adam could afford to wait, Kui Xin couldn’t.
Lin Xinji had already expressed interest in recruiting her, and in the coming days, he might likely seek a face-to-face conversation with her. Not to mention, various encounters were bound to occur during daily routines. She couldn’t afford even the slightest delay; it was crucial to kill Lin Xinji as soon as possible.
“No more waiting. It will be tonight.” Kui Xin closed her eyes, making up her mind firmly.
“Since you’ve made your decision, there are a few important points to note,” Adam stated evenly. “Firstly, try to minimize the number of killings. Secondly, under no circumstances should you leave any genetic traces at the scene, not even a single hair. Thirdly, immediately withdraw once successful.”
“I would have done that without you needing to say it,” Kui Xin said.
“In terms of professionalism when it comes to killing, I trust you. Nevertheless, let me reiterate the importance of this matter,” Adam stated. “This is a high-stakes gamble; we must succeed and cannot afford failure. Failure would actually be the better outcome, as we could just seek the next opportunity. However, if by some remote chance you get caught, they will subject you to severe interrogation. At that point, I hope you won’t implicate me. I’m taking significant risks to assist you because I expect reciprocity. Do you understand?”
“I won’t allow such an outcome to happen,” Kui Xin replied. “I always honor my commitments.”
“Good,” Adam said. “I believe you.”
“I lack proper equipment,” Kui Xin mentioned.
Since she had to move into the employee dormitory, Kui Xin had relinquished much of her Mechanical Dawn gear. In her home on Anning Street, knives or guns were hidden beneath bedboards, pillows, and tables, but now she was forced to abandon them. Otherwise, if they were discovered, explaining their origin would be difficult.
“The inspection building’s tenth underground floor houses discarded equipment. Although they’re considered obsolete, most of them are still usable. The head of the Investigation Department’s finance section intentionally schedules certain equipment for disposal to embezzle funds, allowing for federal allocations to purchase new items,” Adam explained. “I can grant you access to the tenth underground floor. Simply choose the weapons you want from among the discarded equipment.”
“The mode of transportation to reach the Emerald Eye…” Kui Xin pondered, “I can’t use any conventional vehicles; avoiding data surveillance by walking is the best choice. Is it feasible to go through the sewers?”
“Yes, it is. There hasn’t been any rain in recent days, so the water level in the sewers is normal,” Adam said. “I recommend bringing a signal booster device with you. You’ll have trouble receiving my signals in the sewers otherwise.”
“Understood.” Kui Xin twisted her neck slightly and said, “Let’s go select the equipment now.”
Adam stated, “You cannot enter the inspection building through the main entrance. Instead, you need to descend and walk via the fire escape route towards the basement floor of the staff apartments. On the basement floor, you’ll see two massive ventilation boxes, which are part of the central air conditioning system. The ventilation systems for the inspection building and staff apartments are interconnected. By removing the grid from one of these boxes and climbing inside, you can infiltrate the Investigation Department through the ventilation ducts. Normally, the ducts carry high-voltage electricity, making it impossible even for a rat to enter, but I will temporarily shut off the high-voltage power to facilitate your entry.”
After attentively listening, Kui Xin let out a long breath and said, “I’m ready.”
The purpose of Adam’s existence was to help minimize variables as much as possible, but truly executing the plan still relied on herself alone.
By the time Kui Xin emerged from the sewers carrying her gun, it was already 10:40 PM.
She had sprinted frantically through the sewer tunnels, fearful of wasting even a moment.
Upon exiting the sewers, Kui Xin eagerly breathed in fresh air before closing the manhole cover and taking a brief moment to regulate her breathing. Following the predetermined route, she took a shortcut along a narrow path leading to the entrance of the Emerald Eye’s first underground parking level.
She chose this location because one elevator was under maintenance; she intended to enter the Emerald Eye via the repair-accessible elevator shaft.
The Emerald Eye comprised 132 floors, with a total of 48 elevators installed inside. While there were multiple elevators in the underground parking lot, only this particular one was undergoing repairs. It was currently off-hours, so the maintenance work had paused, providing Kui Xin with an opportunity to slip in unnoticed.
Kui Xin squeezed into the elevator shaft and, gazing up at the deep, vertical shaft, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn, that’s high.”
Lin Xinji and others were hosting a banquet on the topmost floor of the Emerald Eye, specifically the 132nd level.
Within the Emerald Eye, there were no elevators that went directly to the topmost floor. Kui Xin needed to exit the elevator shaft at the sixty-sixth floor and discreetly switch to another elevator, meaning she only had to climb up to the sixty-sixth floor.
Sixty-six floors, truly a daunting task… But thankfully, she brought her tools.
“The stationary elevator is parked on the thirty-second floor. Your grappling hook gun can fire up to thirty meters in one shot.” Adam’s cold mechanical voice offered encouragement: “Good luck; we don’t have much time.”
Kui Xin retrieved the grappling hook gun from behind her waist and fired it upward with a clang. The cable, equipped with a curved hook, swiftly soared through the air. Upon reaching its target, the hook automatically closed, securing a firm grip on the elevator cable.
Holding onto the rope, Kui Xin gave it a strong tug downward to ensure its stability. Then, she pressed the retrieval button, causing the grappling hook gun to lift her body upwards. Once the rope was fully retracted, Kui Xin clung tightly to the cable. With one hand, she detached the curved hook and repeated the process, firing the grappling hook again just as before.
After several consecutive attempts, Kui Xin felt her arms growing sore and noticed sweat forming on her back. “Which floor am I on now?”
“Floor twenty-four,” Adam replied. “You’ve spent less than three minutes so far. Once you reach the thirty-second floor, you can rest for a moment on the stationary elevator.”
Gritting her teeth, Kui Xin hung from the cable, slowly stretching her arms to alleviate muscle strain. Then she raised her head calmly and continued ascending the elevator shaft.
The decor at the top of the Emerald Eye was elegant, with soft golden lighting brightening the banquet hall. Waiters carrying champagne circulated among the crowd.
Dressed meticulously, groups of men and women gathered in small clusters, engaging in hushed conversations.
Intending to foster goodwill with the Meng family, the Shu family took charge of organizing this banquet. Besides representatives from both families, some younger members were also present.
Since Lin Xinji had taken responsibility for The Kraken’s incident, the Meng family showed him great deference. After the banquet commenced, they proactively introduced their younger generation to him, aiming to strengthen the ties and cooperation between the two families.
In the banquet hall, there stood a youth dressed in a black suit who seemed distinctly out of place. Around fifteen or sixteen years old, he quietly positioned himself at the edge of the hall, his pitch-black eyes silently observing the people within. His demeanor appeared notably detached.
Only when one of his elders called out to him did he show any reaction, following them to approach Lin Xinji.
The elder from the Meng family introduced Lin Xinji: “This is Meng Xiuran, my nephew and the most outstanding younger member of our Meng clan.”
Lin Xinji did not belittle Meng Xiuran due to his young age; instead, he warmly shook hands with him, saying, “Nice to meet you.”
However, as Meng Xiuran held Lin Xinji’s hand, his somewhat vacant eyes locked directly onto Lin Xinji’s gaze, and he stated in a detached tone, “You will die; I’ve seen it.”
Lin Xinji’s expression shifted abruptly, and shock also involuntarily surfaced in the eyes of the nearby Meng family elder.
“Xiuran, what did you see?” Meng Xiuran’s uncle hastily asked.
Meng Xiuran released Lin Xinji’s hand, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and vigorously wiped his fingers before coldly stating, “You will die; your fate is sealed for tonight… It is already predetermined.”