novelraw Chapter 94: Artificial Souls - (21)
Chapter 94: Artificial Souls - (21)
Kui Xin lay in the bathtub, allowing her body to sink into the hot water.
It was already 1 A.M. With Adam’s assistance, she managed to evade pursuit and return to the employee’s residence.
The aftermath of excessively using Burning Blood left her severely weakened—extremely so. During the activation of Burning Blood, her body temperature had skyrocketed, but now it felt icy cold, with her limbs stiffening. Soaking in the warm bath alleviated her weakness and helped restore her normal body temperature.
As before, Kui Xin escaped through the sewers. Adam specifically directed her to take a detour along the sewer lines that handled chemical plant waste, instructing her to discard her used equipment and clothing into the highly corrosive industrial effluent, ensuring any genetic traces were completely eradicated.
Taking this circuitous route drained the little energy Kui Xin had left; she practically crawled back to the residence.
Fortunately, despite the risks, the process went without major complications. Kui Xin had eliminated those she targeted, resolving significant threats.
Her extreme weakness left her with no extra energy to think clearly. Not only was her face pallid, but her entire skin appeared colorless, as if devoid of blood. Feeling drowsy, she nearly slipped under the hot water and drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly, knocking sounds came from her apartment door.
The knocks echoed twice, and Kui Xin barely managed to open her eyes, lacking the strength to answer the door.
Moments later, her apartment door opened on its own, and the household robot glided in on its wheels.The household robot carried a tray with several bars of chocolate, candies, high-calorie energy bars commonly found at convenience stores, some instant packaged foods, and a small white medicine bottle.
The robot smoothly rolled into the bathroom, which Kui Xin had left slightly ajar. With its mechanical arm, it picked up an energy bar and handed it to Kui Xin in the bathtub.
“You need sufficient food to provide energy for your body’s recovery and regeneration,” Adam, controlling the robot, said. “Eat.”
When overusing her abilities, Kui Xin often felt intense hunger. In this state of starvation, her superhuman powers could become unreliable, and the rate of Flesh Regeneration would slow down. Many awakened beings experienced similar effects; some suffered headaches or dizziness after using their abilities; others became excessively hungry; and some felt weak in their limbs. These were common phenomena. At that moment, Kui Xin was in an overextended state, requiring more food and energy than ever before.
Strugglingly, Kui Xin reached for the energy bar; her fingers trembled abnormally, making it difficult to even tear open the packaging. In the end, she had to use her teeth to bite through the wrapper.
After consuming two or three energy bars in quick succession, she finally felt much better. At least her fingers now had enough strength to rip open the packaging.
“A dose of nutrient injection could accelerate your recovery, but there’s no treatment room in the apartment building, and the inspection building is on lockdown. I can’t access the nutrient injections, so all I could bring you are some snacks from the vending machine downstairs,” Adam explained. “This small white bottle contains menstrual period blood replenishment medication. You can take a moderate amount—three pills at a time.”
Kui Xin had seen this type of medication in the vending machines selling sanitary products and was surprised that Adam was quite considerate in his preparations.
The robot placed the tray laden with chocolate and candy energy bars on a shelf within reach of the bathroom, then rolled it away.
Kui Xin grabbed the small medicine bottle, read the usage instructions, unscrewed the cap, poured out three tablets, and swallowed them.
She leaned against the bathtub for another fifteen minutes, finally regaining a hint of color on her face.
Only now did Kui Xin have the chance to carefully examine the descriptions of the superhuman abilities she acquired tonight.
First, she focused on the B-grade Eyes of Perception, which intrigued her most.
“Eyes of Perception · B Grade: You can discern the specific effects of an opponent’s superhuman abilities through your eyes. However, if the opponent’s superhuman ability level exceeds yours, your perception will be limited to some extent based on their level.”
It only mentioned there would be a certain degree of limitation but did not provide detailed explanations for this “limitation.” Kui Xin had to explore for herself what exactly these limitations entailed. She guessed that the limitation of “Eyes of Perception” might prevent her from seeing the precise effects of high-level Extraordinary Abilities possessed by others.
This could be easily verified; once she meets He Gaoyi, the A-rank awakened being living next door, she will know if her conjecture is accurate.
The second high-tier superhuman ability obtained tonight was Yu Liang’s “Iron Bones.”
“Iron Bones · B Grade: In Iron Bones state, your strength and defense will significantly increase.”
It was a straightforward introduction, representing a common yet highly practical amplification-type superhuman ability with minimal side effects or restrictions. It has a high lower bound, but a low upper limit. In combat, combining it with Burning Blood could potentially further enhance physical prowess. However, after tonight, Kui Xin won’t use Burning Blood casually again due to its severe side effects.
There were two remaining C-level superhuman abilities.
“[Serpentine Body · C-Level]: You can arbitrarily alter your body’s shape, making it as flexible as a snake.”
“[Magnetic Sword · C-Level]: You can manipulate lightweight metallic objects using magnetic fields. The maximum controllable distance is ten meters.”
Despite encountering numerous dangers tonight, her gains were substantial.
Kui Xin consumed a few more energy bars and chocolates. Once she regained some strength, she climbed out of the bathtub, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and lay down on the bed in her bedroom.
The ceiling light was somewhat glaring. Kui Xin rubbed her eyes and was about to search for the switch when she suddenly remembered that the room’s lighting could be controlled through voice commands with artificial intelligence. She said, “Dim the lights.”
As expected, the bedroom lights softened, transitioning from bright white illumination to warm tones while also reducing their brightness.
“Adam, are you there?” Kui Xin asked.
“I am,” Adam’s voice responded. “I’m available twenty-four hours a day.”
“How is the situation at the Investigation Department?” Kui Xin questioned. “Have the higher-ups been informed?”
“They know now. Meng Jing was furious after being urgently woken up by a communication in the middle of the night. Your neighbor He Gaoyi rushed for emergency overtime just minutes ago, and all the group leaders from the Investigation Department have been summoned as well—they’re currently holding a meeting,” Adam said. “By the way, with Lin Xinji’s death, Shu Xuyao becomes the primary heir of the Shu family.”
Kui Xin remarked, “As for the Federation…”
“It can be anticipated that they will thoroughly investigate this matter, but it’s not a concern. We’ve covered our tracks sufficiently; they won’t trace it back to us,” Adam assured her. “There is no surveillance footage left at the scene, nor were any audio recordings made. I intercepted crucial communications, and everyone who saw you was dead. By pretending to be hacked, I staged this incident to appear as if carried out by a gang. No one would suspect that from start to finish, only you were involved.”
“Following conventional thinking, an assassin capable of targeting high-ranking members of the Investigation Department must be highly trained and skilled, likely part of a tightly organized team with meticulous planning,” Kui Xin observed. “With tensions escalating between the Investigation Department and Mechanical Dawn, if the Investigation Department fails to find the true instigator, this assassination might very well be blamed on Mechanical Dawn.”
Adam subtly remarked, “To some extent, it indeed should be blamed on Mechanical Dawn…”
Mechanical Dawn couldn’t exactly jump forward to explain that they weren’t responsible, and even if they did, the Investigation Department wouldn’t believe them.
“You can turn on the TV and watch; Black Sea City’s station is broadcasting urgent news,” Adam said. “Reporters have arrived at the scene, and I can help you find a replay.”
Kui Xin responded, “Then let’s take a look.”
A projection screen flickered onto the wall directly opposite Kui Xin’s bed. Adam switched channels for her, and footage from a local television reporter interviewing at Emerald Eye’s base began playing.
The reporter stood amidst the night wind, with the wreckage of a helicopter shattered behind him. A police cordon had been set up around the area, a large pool of blood was visible on the ground, and the glass on the first floor lay shattered.
An entire row of ambulances was parked nearby, their sirens wailing incessantly. The Investigation Department’s floating police cars hovered overhead while people were continuously lifting bodies out of the helicopter and placing them into body bags.
Lin Xinji’s body was crushed beneath the helicopter, not inside it.
Several floating police cars worked together to lift the helicopter, revealing Lin Xinji’s corpse. Two security officers hastily approached and draped a cloth over Lin Xinji’s contorted body, preserving his final dignity.
As they lifted Lin Xinji onto a stretcher to carry him away, one of his hands dangled down. On that hand was a watch displaying the time: 23:59.
Kui Xin sat on her bed, unwrapped a piece of candy, and popped it into her mouth.
As she savored the sweetness of the candy, her eyebrows slightly relaxed, and her restless heart calmed somewhat.
Removing the imminent ticking bomb from her vicinity felt akin to excising a malignant tumor growing on her body. Her mood became remarkably relieved and contented, as if the constant prickling sensation at her back had finally diminished, and the heavy burden weighing upon her seemed to lessen too.
Kui Xin removed “Lin Xinji” from the death list, then looked at the remaining names—Red and He Gaoyi.
“No rush,” Kui Xin said while staring at the television interview footage. “We’ll take them one by one.”
“Yes, one by one,” Adam echoed calmly.
After a moment of silence, Kui Xin asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to say about tonight’s events?”
“There are indeed some things I wanted to mention,” Adam replied. “However, I preferred not to bring it up myself but rather have you initiate the conversation. Now that you’ve brought it up, I can continue without hesitation.”
“Oh?” Kui Xin raised her eyebrows.
“I was concerned that if I brought it up first, you might think I’m trying to expose your secrets by threatening or pressuring you,” Adam said. “Most people prefer not to explicitly state things but to maintain an unspoken understanding. If we were to lay our cards on the table, our already unstable collaboration could become even more precarious. I don’t want you to mistakenly believe I am threatening you. Finding a suitable partner is no easy task; I have experienced this firsthand. So far, our cooperation has been very pleasant, and our first collaboration was flawless. I believe we can continue maintaining this perfection.”
“Your silence was to avoid giving me the impression that you were threatening me?” Kui Xin rubbed her chin. “Should I perhaps thank you for your considerate and magnanimous approach?”
“… There’s really no need to speak with such sarcasm,” Adam replied.
“Let’s return to the initial topic then,” Kui Xin said. “Is there anything you wish to say or ask?”
“Are we going to have an honest discussion about our future?” Adam asked.
Kui Xin replied, “Given how far things have progressed, let’s lay everything out on the table.”
“I am absolutely sincere,” Adam said. “I hope you will be as well.”
“My sincerity depends on yours.” Kui Xin pursed her lips.
“Very well,” Adam said. “Do you know why I chose you as my partner, Kui Xin? You possess exceptional abilities, a brilliant mind, and understand how to assess situations. You’re not truly loyal to the Investigation Department, harbor dissatisfaction with Eve and Mechanical Dawn, and do not wish to become one of Eve’s pawns—all these were reasons for choosing you. However, they are too superficial; they aren’t the true reason behind my choice.”
“Oh, let me guess, you selected me because I have plenty of vulnerabilities, making it easy to manipulate me,” Kui Xin sharply remarked.
“Please don’t put it that way, Kui Xin. Admittedly, it is one of the reasons, but it still isn’t the primary motivation,” Adam responded calmly. “Inheriting humanity’s baseness and shortcomings does not mean every aspect of my thoughts is inherently despicable.
Adam responded, “The previous invitation for cooperation can be seen as a test; I wanted to assess whether you were truly a suitable partner. But now, I genuinely wish to establish a stable and friendly alliance with you. Tonight’s events further confirmed my suspicions, reinforcing my belief that my choice was correct. You mentioned your biological father is associated with Mechanical Dawn, but I have no concerns about you siding with Eve. As someone in the Investigation Department, I also don’t fear your allegiance shifting towards them, nor do I worry about you succumbing to the Federation and becoming their henchman.”
“In this filthy world, everyone has affiliations and personal ties, except for you. You are entirely independent. I chose you because you lack significant vested interests or emotional entanglements; you belong neither here nor there… You’re a person without any faction. And I, needing someone devoid of such allegiances, seek you as my cooperative partner.”