Chapter 126: Artificial Souls - Part 53 |
Red was diligently working on establishing the branch, as the old strongholds had largely been purged by the Investigation Department. As a result, he needed to carefully consider each aspect when selecting locations or overseeing renovations.
Bartender eagerly suggested, “Should we buy another underground bar?”
“… The organization’s needs take priority,” Red responded.
Feeling disheartened, Bartender muttered regretfully that he shouldn’t have returned to Black Sea City with Red. He should have gone with the main forces to the new territory—perhaps the boss might have shown mercy and provided him with a brand-new bar.
Red secretly felt relieved, rolling his eyes internally at his partner.
Thankfully, he hadn’t gone to headquarters; fortunately, he stayed in Black Sea City. Remaining at Headquarters would have undoubtedly led to greater recognition and importance from the perspective of career prospects, but Red’s ambitions lay elsewhere.
Working alongside Wei Haidong and Night Cicada always left him on edge, fearing that any misstep might alert “it” to something amiss. Holding onto secrets was an uncomfortable feeling, although it wasn’t new to him. However, this deeply buried secret within his heart differed from others—it had far-reaching implications.
The implications are vast enough to overturn human understanding and significant enough to potentially topple the world ruled by humans.
When Wei Haidong dispatched Red, he asked whom Red wanted as his deputy. After some thought, Red chose Bartender and Silver Mask.
Apart from Bartender and Silver Mask, Wei Haidong assigned Red one more new member, saying, “Her codename is Nightingale. Her abilities are similar to Night Cicada’s, but her rank is comparatively lower, having just been promoted to B-level. Her spatial jumps have a maximum distance of 1.8 kilometers, which is sufficient within Black Sea City’s boundaries. From now on, she will be under your supervision.”
Red accepted this new member, appearing composed yet inwardly cautious.
Where did this “new member” come from? Most likely, it was another successful result of the organization’s human experiments, and this new member was probably a cloned android like Silver Mask. The original prototype may have been made by Night Cicada himself.
However, upon meeting Nightingale, Red was utterly taken aback.
Nightingale was female. He had misheard “Nightingale” as “Night Hawk”…
Because androids and prototypes had to be the same gender, Nightingale wasn’t an android. Perhaps she was… related to Night Cicada?
Red couldn’t help but seriously consider the possibility that Night Cicada might have a sister or an already-grown daughter. However, such speculation seemed tenuous. It’s conceivable that Mechanical Dawn mixed Night Cicada’s genes with those of others to create a batch of artificial embryos. After accelerating their development, did Nightingale emerge?
Regardless, having a relatively strong subordinate is always beneficial. At the very least, Space System abilities are incredibly useful when fleeing for one’s life.
Filled with doubts, Red led his three teammates to Black Sea City.
Black Sea City was where he had established roots over several years, so he knew the city well. With minimal effort, they selected a luxurious casino near the city center as their target. They then approached the casino owner and implanted a red Hidden Thread insect on him.
These insects could now be produced in small quantities, but their main drawback was the rapid onset of depletion, requiring replacement every month. Additionally, it took time for them to burrow into the brain and exert control.
With everything prepared, the Mechanical Dawn branch in Black Sea City would soon get back on track.
Red pondered briefly before sending a message to Kui Xin: “Rich Lady, the branch location has been finalized. If you have some free time, come by to familiarize yourself.”
He swiftly received Kui Xin’s reply: “I’m aware. Silver Mask told me about it not long ago.”
Red blinked, taken aback.
He smacked his forehead, vividly imagining Silver Mask eagerly seeking her out to report, like a chatterbox unable to keep quiet. “I’m back! With Red! We can partner up again!”
***
At 8 p.m., Kui Xin left the employee dormitory and arrived at the designated location to await her pickup.
Following the previous protocol, Night Cicada would typically open a spatial vortex at the agreed-upon time, allowing entry directly to their destination.
She felt slightly puzzled—was Night Cicada still lingering in Black Sea City? Otherwise, why use the old method to transport her instead of letting her go to the branch on her own?
At 8:10 p.m., a deep blue spatial vortex emerged not far from where Kui Xin was standing.
Strangely, this spatial vortex seemed somewhat different in size compared to previous ones.
Suppressing her doubts, she stepped into the vortex. However, upon passing through, she found herself not at the branch but in an unfamiliar alleyway. Within the dimly lit alley stood an unknown woman.
“Ability… Spatial Vortex, B-class…” The Eyes of Perception revealed the woman’s superhuman ability, immediately heightening Kui Xin’s vigilance.
The woman spoke with a voice that had been altered: “I am Nightingale, responsible for your escort.”
“Nightingale?” Kui Xin scrutinized her closely. “Red didn’t inform me about you.”
“Perhaps they’re overwhelmed with work due to the new casino requiring extensive reorganization,” Nightingale said in an utterly monotone voice. “I’m a recent addition to the team, so it’s perfectly normal that you don’t recognize me. If you have any doubts, feel free to contact Red.”
Nightingale was a tall woman dressed similarly to Night Cicada, wearing tactical boots, a black bulletproof combat suit, and lightweight armor protecting key body areas. Her head was securely covered by a full-face helmet, concealing even her face.
Kui Xin compared Nightingale’s physical attributes and found that she was approximately the same height as herself. Based on the circumference measurements of her legs and arms, Kui Xin inferred that Nightingale had a muscular build. Additionally, Nightingale stood with excellent posture, suggesting she had undergone rigorous training—she was clearly not the frail type like Night Cicada.
Remaining stationary, Kui Xin contacted Red via communication device. After about ten seconds, Red answered promptly and confirmed Nightingale’s identity.
Relieved, Kui Xin ended the call and nodded at Nightingale.
Nightingale raised her right hand, opening another spatial vortex beside her, and spoke indifferently, “Please step through.”
It seemed Nightingale’s ability couldn’t achieve long-distance space travel like Night Cicada’s, necessitating the creation of segmented vortices along the way.
Following Nightingale, Kui Xin entered the deep blue whirlpool.
After performing three consecutive jumps, Kui Xin felt her feet land on a soft carpet. Looking up, she was momentarily dazzled by the blinding opulence of gold everywhere.
Everything within sight was golden. Gold-veined wallpaper, sparkling metallic chandeliers, furniture sofas adorned with golden silk, heavy palace-style golden curtains, and even the carpet beneath her feet was gold.
Kui Xin was speechless.
“Welcome back, Rich Lady.” Red, seated on a sofa, nodded at Kui Xin. “Please have a seat.”
Dressed in a blood-red suit, red stood out as the only contrasting color amidst the room’s decor.
Noticing Kui Xin’s perplexed gaze, he shrugged and said, “Don’t look at me like that; this isn’t my taste. The casino owner furnished it this way.”
As he spoke, Silver Mask abruptly pushed open the door and jogged in, cheerfully exclaiming, “I’m here, I’m here! Long time no see!”
Kui Xin replied, “It’s been just one or two days, right?”
Silver Mask sat down next to Kui Xin on the sofa. “Isn’t that still quite some time apart?”
Bartender, grinning broadly, entered the room carrying a tray laden with drinks. He poured a glass for Kui Xin, another for Red, then blatantly ignored Nightingale and Silver Mask, pouring the last glass for himself.
“The owner of this bar is truly loaded; there’s a vast collection of fine wines stored in the basement. Not drinking them would be such a waste,” Bartender remarked.
Silver Mask pleaded, “What about mine? Everyone else has one.”
“Step aside,” Bartender said grimly. “Last time I mixed you a drink, you complained it burned your throat. Stick to orange juice, kid—you don’t know how to appreciate alcohol yet.”
Silver Mask pointed at the silent Nightingale. “And what about her?”
“She can’t drink without removing her helmet.” Bartender shrugged.
Nightingale softly spoke, “I’m going to rest now. Call me if anything comes up.”
A spatial vortex opened behind her. She took two steps back and disappeared into it, and the vortex closed.
Kui Xin looked at Red, curious. “What’s with her?”
Understanding Kui Xin’s question, Red replied, “She was sent by the boss, so it’s not appropriate to ask too much.”
“We’ve been guessing what exactly her relationship with Night Cicada is,” Bartender chimed in. “Same abilities but lower rank. It’s unlikely for Night Cicada to have a daughter that age, given that his character doesn’t seem conducive to having family ties.” He refilled his own glass. “Most people from Mechanical Dawn tend to be loners, right? I am genuinely intrigued by her abilities. Her physical attributes appear different from Night Cicada’s—she possesses a weaker version of his power, without its drawbacks.”
Most members of Mechanical Dawn had keen observational skills, so Night Cicada’s secrets couldn’t be hidden for long during their interactions. The walking posture and breathing patterns of professionally trained individuals differed significantly from those who were not, making it easy to distinguish between them.
Red cleared his throat. “Alright, gossiping behind someone’s back isn’t good. Let’s not discuss Night Cicada too much.”
Bartender showed no particular reverence towards Night Cicada, saying, “Night Cicada isn’t here anyway.”
Silver Mask raised his hand and said, “Nightingale is so aloof and barely speaks. Whenever I talk to her, she never responds. She must have some issue with me, but I don’t know when I might have offended her; I’ve hardly even seen her before.”
“She treats everyone that way,” Bartender said.
Red spoke slowly. “She… somewhat resembles you, Rich Lady.”
Kui Xin raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“I mean her personality,” Red clarified. “Quiet and indifferent.”
Silver Mask eagerly disagreed, “Not at all! R-Rich Lady doesn’t have that kind of demeanor. Nightingale just purely doesn’t want to converse with us, I bet… I don’t think Rich Lady is an indifferent person either.”
Red merely smiled.
“In any case, let’s not be too dismissive of new members. We’ll have to work together on missions, so let’s communicate openly and avoid conflicts,” he summarized. “From today onwards, we will be working alongside Nightingale for a long time.”
After all, nobody can trust someone with whom they have unresolved issues, so it’s best to prevent conflicts from arising whenever possible.