Chapter 127: Artificial Souls - Part 54 |
“Does the organization have any further instructions or plans?” Bartender asked.
Red replied, “No, our top priority is developing the branch. I have a few teams of off-duty combatants here, but their numbers are dwindling—only one-fifth of what they used to be. Additionally, I need to promptly promote some individuals to management roles to help oversee the casino. The casino’s underground section requires renovation, leaving a few secret passages as contingency measures… There’s just so much to do.”
Slouching casually on the sofa, Red groaned, feeling overwhelmed. “It always seems like I’m doing everything while each of you just watches idly.”
“You’re the expert in these matters. Would you feel comfortable entrusting them to me? Or Silver Mask?” Bartender said. “Rich Lady is already busy, making it even less likely she could assist you, and Nightingale clearly looks like someone who doesn’t involve herself in such tasks. It has to fall on your shoulders—the capable must bear more burden! Let me preemptively say thanks for your hard work, buddy!”
Silver Mask hastily responded, “Thank you for all your hard work, Red!”
“Get lost!” Red retorted.
He took a large swig of alcohol before turning to Kui Xin. “What’s the status with the Investigation Department?”
Kui Xin slowly replied, “Although my situation is relatively stable, there have been significant changes in the current leadership of the Investigation Department. The entire department is filled with an atmosphere of unease. This morning, the Special Operations Division even visited the inspection building… It seems this matter is far from over.”
“Hmm, I think the leader hasn’t assigned us any additional tasks perhaps because he wants us to stabilize for a while first and lay low before taking further action,” Red said. “In this operation, we’ve already gained enough benefits; it’s best to know when to quit. You must also take care and avoid getting killed at all costs.”
“If there’s an emergency, contact me or Nightingale,” Red instructed. “When I’m busy, I might not have time to respond promptly, so reaching out to Nightingale would be more efficient.”
Kui Xin nodded. “Okay.”
Silver Mask chimed in, “Or you can contact me too!”
The meeting lasted less than twenty minutes before concluding. As she departed, Nightingale once again saw her off.
Standing in the dim alleyway, Kui Xin called out to Nightingale, “What is your rank within the organization?”
Nightingale halted her steps. “I am a B-rank awakened being, with lower rank and authority compared to Red. You and Red have equal standing; just like him, you have the power to command me.” Her eyes peered through the visor of her helmet. “May I ask if there are any instructions for me?”
Kui Xin replied, “Not at the moment.”
Nightingale remained stationary. “Then, I’ll await your orders at any time.”
She retreated into the whirlpool and disappeared.
After frowning thoughtfully for a while, Kui Xin finally stepped away from the alley.
Red had mentioned that Nightingale was similar to Kui Xin. However, aside from their abilities, Kui Xin actually felt she resembled Silver Mask somewhat.
Silver Mask excelled at following and executing commands. After learning about Silver Mask’s background, Kui Xin surmised that his demeanor stemmed from never having developed independent thinking skills. Not knowing how to make decisions on his own, he could only obey orders. Nightingale gave Kui Xin a similar impression, particularly when she said, “I am awaiting your orders at any time,” which conveyed this feeling strongly.
Upon returning to her apartment, Kui Xin immediately took out her bracelet to contact Eve. Following her report to Eve earlier at noon, it provided a brief four-word response: “Understood, continue as before.”
Kui Xin fiddled with the bracelet for a moment before directly asking, “Can I know who Nightingale is?”
With Eve, an artificial intelligence, indirect approaches were ineffective. It was better to ask directly; it would respond when appropriate and outright refuse otherwise.
Like Adam, Eve was available online 24/7, and it replied, “She exists similarly to Silver Mask.”
As expected, Kui Xin thought.
“Besides Night Cicada, whose genetic samples were used?” As Kui Xin typed this question, she hesitated and added, “Does it include mine?”
“You’re very perceptive,” Eve candidly acknowledged without any attempt to conceal it.
The answer itself didn’t matter, as it wouldn’t affect any subsequent actions—it merely satisfied Kui Xin’s personal curiosity. After all, her life was in Eve’s hands, and she wasn’t the daughter of Wei Haidong from the Second World. Knowing the truth wouldn’t shake her individual beliefs.
After pondering for a long time, Kui Xin finally voiced the deeply hidden question within her heart: “Is my body made of human flesh and blood or a manufactured shell? Could you tell me about the identity of the ‘security officer Kui Xin’ that I’m impersonating?”
Eve replied, “Oh? Why such concern about this question? Are you afraid that I might create an android that is identical to you and replace you with it?”
Kui Xin responded, “Initially, yes, there was that worry. However, I now understand that Adam needs Player Kui Xin, and you require someone who can navigate his presence. Whether it’s me or not doesn’t matter; what’s important is their role.”
“You’re very clever,” Eve said.
After this remark, Eve did not continue further, indicating her refusal to answer.
Kui Xin frowned deeply, raising a new question—why specifically her?
Or rather, why the original host? Why were Night Cicada’s genes and her body used to create the android? Couldn’t the other half of the genetic sample have been from someone else?
Is there some special consideration behind Eve’s unwillingness to respond to my latter query?
Kui Xin realized she still had too little information. With no fruitful insights, she reluctantly set aside her pursuit of answers and instead connected to Adam’s interface.
“What happened?” Adam asked Kui Xin.
“Generally speaking, nothing significant happened; I visited one of the branch offices. However, I encountered a new member with the ability to spatial vortex—a female; her codename is Nightingale. She was created using my genetic sample and Night Cicada’s genetic sample. Despite the fact that her ability is spatial vortex, it seems she doesn’t have as frail a body as Night Cicada,” Kui Xin said. “Her spatial vortex is rated B-level, with a traversal limit likely exceeding one kilometer.”
Adam responded, “Night Cicada must be an extremely rare case. I’ve never heard of anyone else whose space capability could facilitate such long-distance travel as his. It’s truly unique.”
As Kui Xin pondered, she continued, “Due to his exceptionally powerful superhuman ability, the price he paid was having a weak physique. Although Nightingale’s ability isn’t as potent as Night Cicada’s, she compensates for that weakness with robust physical strength and a certain capability in close combat. She might be considered a ‘hexagon warrior’.”
“A hexagon warrior?” Adam repeated.
Kui Xin explained, “It refers to someone who excels in all aspects without any prominent weaknesses.”
“Have the people from the Special Operations Division left?” she asked. “Did they leave behind any brain-machine interfaces?”
“Yes, they’ve left, taking both brain-machine interfaces with them,” Adam replied. “Were you interested in obtaining a brain-machine interface?”
“Yes. I wanted to use this device to access past memories stored within my body,” Kui Xin said.
“The legal policies regarding brain-machine interfaces are nearly finalized, but their official implementation won’t occur until October. In other words, it’s only from October onward that these brain-machine interfaces can be legally sold. Currently, they are not consumer products; they are neither mass-produced nor available on the black market,” Adam explained. “The cost of manufacturing a brain-machine interface is exorbitant, and the components are complex. Even if a civilian version were introduced, it would likely be heavily stripped down in functionality because the primary purpose of promoting brain-machine interfaces is for psychiatric treatment.”
Kui Xin sighed. “Well then, never mind.”
She took out the convenience store boxed meal she had purchased on her way back to the apartment, opened a pair of disposable chopsticks, and began eating.
By the time she finished dinner, it was already 9 PM—the peak hour when Black Sea City buzzed with activity and excitement.
People who operated in the gray areas, nocturnal by nature, started emerging under the cover of darkness. Anything could happen beneath the veil of night.
After finishing her meal, Kui Xin disguised herself, armed herself, and inserted an earpiece for easy communication with Adam before stepping out again.
This time, her objective was reconnaissance at the black-market clinic. She couldn’t afford to wait even a single day longer for the skull replacement procedure.
Despite their differences, there remained a possibility for collaboration between Kui Xin and Adam.
But what about Eve? Their relationship was fundamentally one of mutual elimination—either Kui Xin or Eve would perish. However, Kui Xin shows enough pragmatism by betraying Adam at a crucial moment, demonstrating her value, and temporarily dissuading Eve from killing her. Even if Eve hadn’t discovered that Kui Xin was a player from the First World, their coexistence remained impossible.
Kui Xin could not forget Tang Guan and Leini’er’s tragic fates.
Nightingale’s existence heightened Kui Xin’s sense of imminent danger.
Involuntarily, she began to simulate hypothetical scenarios.
If she were to escape and her whereabouts were exposed, Night Cicada could simply open a portal to instantly transfer combatants to her location. If she chose to resist, Night Cicada could directly toss a bomb through a spatial vortex, much like how they dealt with S-class Black Flames.
She inevitably had to betray Mechanical Dawn and Eve, and since Night Cicada stood by Eve’s side, no matter where she fled, Night Cicada would exert maximum effort to capture and kill her. Therefore, she wanted to preemptively eliminate Eve’s henchman, Night Cicada. This would not only remove a direct threat but also weaken Eve’s power base.
However, Nightingale’s appearance subtly altered the situation.
If Nightingale, like Silver Mask, were a mass-produced android, Eve would effectively gain dozens of space ability users under her command. The potential applications for these dozens of space users were immense; properly utilized, they could even sway the outcome of a war… Just contemplating it was terrifying, making Kui Xin feel suffocated.
Following Adam’s suggested route, Kui Xin emerged from the sewers and detoured to the West District of Black Sea City.
She had never ventured into the West District before. According to Adam, more people engaged in illicit or gray-market businesses, making it easier to find reliable black-market clinics… Although using the term “reliable” for a black-market clinic seemed somewhat odd,.
The West District turned out to be much livelier than Kui Xin anticipated. Standing at the entrance to an alleyway, her mouth dropped open, stunned by the scene unfolding before her eyes.
It was a bustling night market, a street filled with food vendors. Everywhere she looked, there were small merchants and stalls lining the roadside with prominent signs. Colorful neon lights illuminated the area, contrasting sharply against the peeling walls of buildings that bore the marks of time. Prosperity and decay coexisted harmoniously here.
An elderly woman selling fried noodles smiled warmly and waved her spatula, asking, “Would you like something to eat, young lady?”
Kui Xin politely responded, “I’ve already eaten dinner; thank you.”
“Be mindful of your valuables while walking around here,” the old woman cautioned.
Those living in poverty could recognize the demeanor of other impoverished individuals; everyone here led hard lives. Kui Xin’s upright pace immediately set her apart from the surrounding crowd, exuding an air of incongruity.
She nodded at the old woman, deliberately hunching her shoulders to blend seamlessly into the crowd.
After navigating through several alleys, Kui Xin stopped at the entrance to a basement.
There was no sign marking the basement’s entrance, but light emanated from within.
After observing for a moment, she descended the stairs.
“The next patient…” The doctor, holding an old-fashioned stethoscope, weakly called out.
The person waiting in line immediately stepped forward and opened their mouth, saying, “Doctor, I have a toothache!”
“It’s inflamed… Here, I’ll prescribe you two dollars worth of antibiotics. Take them for a few days until the inflammation subsides, then come back for extraction.” The doctor slowly shone a flashlight for quite some time before writing the prescription. Then he continued calling, “Next!”
Many people were seeking medical attention, and most were dressed in worn-out clothing.
Kui Xin noticed that the doctor prescribed very inexpensive medications to his patients.
After observing for a while, she left and waited for over an hour in a nearby alley.
Once all the patients had departed, she entered the basement.
The doctor, weary, wiped his glasses and looked up. “Can I help you?”
“Can surgery be performed here? Specifically, craniotomy surgery.” Kui Xin got straight to the point.
The doctor examined her and let out a chuckle. “A big client has arrived. From the moment I saw you, I knew you weren’t one of the impoverished seeking treatment. Let’s be clear upfront; since you’re not poor, my services will come at an additional cost.”