Chapter 87: Artificial Soul 14
“Kui Xin!” Captain Yu ran over with a gun raised, followed by a group of security officers.
“Captain Yu.” Kui Xin raised her gun and pointed to the woman curled up in the corner. “A live one.”
Captain Yu turned to the people behind him and ordered, “Take her away and escort her to the headquarters for interrogation.”
“Just taking her might not be enough,” Kui Xin said. “The heterogeneous blooded we’re after is likely a dwarf-person disguised as that woman’s child. They’ve probably been in contact for a long time. Many people living in Garbage Mountain must have seen both of them and might know something about them. We need to take this woman’s neighbor for interrogation as well; we might get some useful information.”
“That makes sense.” Captain Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at the security officers. “Did you hear that? Go get it done.”
After a few security officers put handcuffs on the woman and led her away, Captain Yu said, “That heterogeneous blooded one has extraordinary abilities? Explain it to me in detail.”
“Her power is quite strange. At that time, since we couldn’t locate the heterogeneous blooded we were hunting, I suspected either the target had escaped or was disguised. The only one we hadn’t performed a wound test on was the child, so I intended to have the ‘little girl’ inflict a wound on herself for testing, not wanting to overlook any suspicious subjects,” Kui Xin said calmly. “But just when I was about to let that ‘little girl’ do the test, she suddenly played the pity card on me, and I ended up believing her without thinking… It was as if something clouded my mind, and I only realized it after the ‘little girl’ had walked away.”
“Psychic extraordinary abilities are really hard to guard against; they can often be very subtle when activated.” Captain Yu said, “It’s a pity we couldn’t keep a live one. But at that moment, it was impossible to do so.”
“Her ability must have weaknesses; I was only deceived for a short time.” Kui Xin said. “If I had escaped faster, our comrade wouldn’t have died.”
“You have no experience resisting someone with mental abilities; it’s not your fault.” Captain Yu said calmly. “Deaths like that are all too common.”
Kui Xin reviewed the description of “Deception Skill.”
“You have a certain probability of making the target unconditionally believe your lie within a limited time and be influenced by your emotions. The activation probability of the deception skill is random, and its duration is affected by factors like the target’s willpower and the credibility of the lie.”
These sentences were worth pondering.
“Unconditionally believe your lie”—unconditionally!
This meant that no matter what Kui Xin’s lie was, the deception skill had a certain probability of making her lie effective. Even if she said, “My true identity is actually a child of Krypton,” as long as the activation probability was triggered, the target would believe her lie.
The activation probability of the deception skill was completely random; only the duration was influenced by other factors.
“Activation probability” and “duration” are described separately; they exist independently. If the deception skill failed to trigger, there was no need to consider the duration because it hadn’t activated at all. Only when the deception skill was effective did the duration matter.
For instance, if Kui Xin lied to someone, claiming she was an alien, and the lie lacked credibility while the listener had a strong will, then the duration of that lie would be very short.
Kui Xin had been deceived a few minutes ago, and the duration of the lie was very short. She could only say that the heterogeneous blooded person had been lucky, triggering the activation probability just in front of her.
In summary, the deception skill was a skill that relied on luck; the activation probability was likely akin to a gacha game—some always pull good cards, and others never do, entirely based on chance, without any safety net.
If it activated, it was a godly technique; at the very least, it could slow down the target’s thinking for a few seconds. If it didn’t activate, it had no effect at all, almost as if it didn’t exist.
“Based on this training, you are a qualified warrior. Although you are still somewhat immature in certain aspects, overall, you performed well,” Captain Yu said. “With the heterogeneous blooded caught, our mission is considered complete… Ah, there’s one more thing you need to remember: the blood that the heterogeneous blooded turns into after death is also a sample and must be collected.”
As he spoke, Captain Yu pulled out two thin glass tubes from his pocket, took out two sterile gloves from a sealed bag, and demonstrated how to collect samples for Kui Xin.
After the sampling was done, Captain Yu stood up and put away the glass tubes.
“Do we need to search the house where the heterogeneous blooded lived?” Kui Xin asked.
“Of course we do.” Captain Yu said. “Let’s go back to that place.”
The two of them approached the shabby metal house side by side.
Inside the metal house, the furnishings were minimal: a few broken boxes, a wooden bed, a chair, and a table with a broken corner.
Kui Xin sniffed and detected a very faint smell of decay in the air. Standing at the door, she could hardly smell it; only when she entered the room could she detect it.
“It’s the smell of a corpse,” the experienced Captain Yu said. “The odor of a decaying body. Have you ever smelled it before?”
“During my brief career, I haven’t encountered a highly decomposed corpse. Is that what it smells like?” Kui Xin said. “I’ve seen fresh corpses and smelled the stench of blood, but this smell…”
“Remember this smell. The stench of a decomposing body is different from the smell of other decaying things. It’s hard to identify the smell of a body hidden in a pile of garbage, but an experienced person can recognize it.” Captain Yu said. “Take a few more whiffs and remember it.”
“If I smell it again, I might puke up my dinner from last night,” Kui Xin retorted.
“That just means you’re not yet accustomed to it.” Captain Yu said.
He sniffed around and kicked open the wooden bed in the room.
Sure enough, a corpse was hidden underneath the bed, wrapped tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, with ropes binding the plastic tightly together, surrounded by various items meant to mask the odor.
Kui Xin frowned in disgust.
“Judging by the size of the wrapping, the deceased was a child,” Captain Yu also frowned. “The heterogeneous blooded killed the woman’s child and used their psychic ability to control her, replacing her child to live in this house? Didn’t the people around Garbage Mountain notice anything?”
“That woman is mentally unstable,” Kui Xin said. “Is it possible her child was already dead? She couldn’t accept the truth and became mentally deranged, allowing the heterogeneous blooded to take advantage? From my experience, the effect of that heterogeneous blooded’s ability on a person isn’t significant enough to drive them insane; perhaps she was already unhinged.”
“Until we’ve done an autopsy, everything is possible. We’ll interrogate a living person; we should be able to clarify some situations.” Captain Yu said while lifting the corpse wrap with one hand, his distaste evident. “Damn it, I hate moving corpses… Kui Xin, you do it.”
Kui Xin: “… You hate moving corpses, but does that mean I enjoy it?”
“Hey,” Captain Yu laughed, “but I’m your captain! I’m your training officer and your superior; you have to listen to me. Right now, there’s no one else available, so you’ll have to do it.”
Fine, who told her she was the newcomer and had a lower rank than Captain Yu? She would just do it.
Expressionless, Kui Xin grabbed the rope on the corpse wrap, hoisting it up and following Captain Yu out.
When they sat in the hovering police vehicle, Kui Xin felt a wave of the stench of decay surrounding her, prompting her to hurry back to the Investigation Bureau’s rest room for a shower.
Captain Yu, in the driver’s seat, said, “Mission accomplished, how do you feel?”
“Not much to feel. Just like the other missions, we finished it.” Kui Xin replied. “Captain Yu, what you taught me is straightforward and brutal, but I also understand that executing a task needs to be this way; otherwise, it’ll be a burden on myself.”
“That’s good to hear.” Captain Yu reached into his combat suit pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, biting one and placing it in his mouth.
“Don’t smoke in the car,” Kui Xin reminded.
“I know, I’m not smoking.” Captain Yu said irritably, biting the cigarette, “I quit smoking. Biting this makes me feel a bit better; I always have a cigarette after completing a mission.”
“Why did you suddenly quit smoking?” Kui Xin asked. “You seemed to have quite a big habit.”
Captain Yu’s eyebrows drooped. “I got married, had a kid; my child doesn’t let me smoke, says I stink.”
No wonder he was soft-hearted toward children. Kui Xin remembered how he had refused to let a child undergo a wound test not long ago; besides the child’s inability to bear divine blood, that might have been another reason.
“Kui Xin, do you have any plans for the future?” Captain Yu suddenly asked.
“I’m surprised Captain Yu, such a rugged person, would talk to subordinates about life goals.” Kui Xin raised an eyebrow, mimicking Adam’s way of speaking. “Maybe I shouldn’t see you through a stereotype; your inner self may actually be delicate.”
“Kui Xin,” Adam interjected, “do you have any opinions about me?”
Kui Xin ignored Adam.
“Are you insulting me?” Captain Yu shot her a glare. “If you don’t want to say anything, that’s fine.”
“There’s nothing I don’t want to say, just a bit unexpected.” Kui Xin said. “I find it hard to have long-term plans since there are too many things in front of me… If I had to say long-term plans, there’s only one—making money.”
“You come from a poor background, right?” Captain Yu asked. “Your personal file says you’re in debt for hundreds of thousands?”
“That’s indeed the case.” Kui Xin replied. “There’s no way to pay back the money quickly; life will eventually get better.”
“Want to improve your living environment?” Captain Yu inquired.
“Mm.” Kui Xin nodded. “Recently, I’ve been considering moving to the employee dormitory of the Investigation Bureau. My home is on Peaceful Street in the Harbor Zone; it’s too far from work. The daily commute takes a lot of time, so staying in the dorm would be more convenient.”
Captain Yu said, “That can be arranged easily. Just write an application. Haven’t you been a regular for some time now? Why haven’t you moved in yet?”
“Because I was assigned to patrol duties in the Harbor Zone a few days ago, which was actually closer to my home.” Kui Xin responded. “I’ll write the application as soon as I get back.”
Captain Yu didn’t say anything more.
But Adam spoke in Kui Xin’s earpiece, “He’s testing you, Kui Xin. A clumsy test; Captain Yu isn’t the intellectual type. He’s been following Lin Xinji for a long time, and he climbed to his current position by sticking close to him. If you show obvious desires and ambitions that can be utilized, it’s much easier to attract his attention.”
Indeed, Kui Xin had noticed Captain Yu’s probing, so she slightly revealed her yearning for money and desire to change her living conditions.
As for moving into the employee dormitory, that was a strategy Kui Xin devised.
Xueyao Shu had told her a long time ago that the safety in the Harbor Zone was poor and suggested she move to the employee dormitory. However, Kui Xin had not found the opportunity to move out until now.
Living in a house on Peaceful Street, Kui Xin had to face Silverface every day, making it hard to find time for her own activities. If she didn’t return home at the right time, Silverface would surely grow suspicious. Moving to the employee dormitory would solve that. Kui Xin could evade Silverface, avoid the surveillance of Mechanized Dawn, break free from Eve’s influence, and stay within Adam’s territory.
Adam could help Kui Xin cover her tracks and eliminate those on the death list.
As long as her partnership with Adam continued, Kui Xin would be safe.
Returning to the Investigation Bureau, Kui Xin hurried to the rest room for a shower.
The smell was truly unbearable, and only after the shower did Kui Xin feel her sense of smell return to normal.
The morning passed quickly, and during her lunch break, Kui Xin finished the application for the employee dormitory and submitted it to Xueyao Shu.
“It can be approved by tomorrow; you can go home today and pack your things.” Xueyao Shu said. “It’s better to stay here; it’s much safer. The dormitory is in the apartment building right next to the Investigation Building; it’s very close and the environment is decent.”
“Finally, I can move away from that horrible place.” Kui Xin said, feeling relieved. “The streetlights on Peaceful Street are all broken, and no one comes to fix them. Captain, how much does it cost to buy a small apartment near the city center? I don’t even dare to think about the city center.”
“A small 40-square-meter apartment would be around three to five million, I suppose.” Xueyao Shu thought for a moment. “I’m not very familiar with this price, so it might not be accurate.”
Kui Xin: “Forget it, I abandon the hope.”
“When you reach my position, your monthly salary can be around fifty thousand, depending on how many external missions you take on, plus commissions,” Xueyao Shu said. “To be honest, for an ordinary person without any foundation, buying a house is indeed a very difficult task.”
“My monthly salary is just over ten thousand now. To get to your rank as a captain, it would take me at least two or three years. Security officers retire in their forties, and their physical condition declines in their thirties, making it hard to handle missions. It feels hopeless all around.” Kui Xin said. “At least I have a house on Peaceful Street; I can live there when I retire.”
Xueyao Shu smiled. “You’re thinking about retirement when your life has just begun. You’re an Awakened, Kui Xin, and your future holds infinite possibilities. You won’t be stuck here. I wish you could break free from your unfortunate situation soon.”
“Thanks, Captain.” Kui Xin said. “The lunch break is over; I need to go train.”
“Thanks for your hard work, go ahead.” Xueyao Shu said kindly.
…
After work and returning home, another problem lay before Kui Xin.
She had to explain to Mechanized Dawn why she was moving from Peaceful Street to the Investigation Bureau’s employee dormitory.
Kui Xin made a call to Kui Haidong.
“Hello? ‘Dad’,” Kui Xin said. “I’m moving from Peaceful Street to the employee apartment of the Investigation Bureau.”
On the other end of the call, Kui Haidong frowned. “It’s a bit inconvenient…”
“Well, I’m currently in an upward phase.” Kui Xin replied. “My boss has repeatedly suggested that I move into the employee dormitory; it’d be hard for me to refuse. Also, it seems the leadership at the Investigation Bureau is interested in recruiting me, so I need to show a more positive attitude.”
“Leadership? Who is it?” Kui Haidong was diverted. “Your status does make it easy for you to be noticed; an Awakened from a civilian background…”
“I’m not sure who it is. Today, we had emergency training, and the training officer responsible for me is a B-rank Awakened. He was probing me during the training, and I suspect he has someone behind him.” Kui Xin spoke vaguely. “A leader at the group level wouldn’t have the ability to influence a B-rank Awakened; it must be a person of a higher level trying to recruit me.”
“Since that’s the case, it’s alright.” Kui Haidong said. “This is beneficial to our actions. Continue earning their trust and complete the tasks I assigned you.”
“Understood.” Kui Xin replied.
“Since you’re moving to the employee dormitory now, you’ll definitely be coming here less frequently.” Kui Haidong pondered. “If there’s an urgent matter, just contact Night Cicada.”
“I know.” Kui Xin said.
After hanging up the call, Silverface, who was nearby, exclaimed in shock, “You’re moving out?!”
Kui Xin replied, “Yeah.”
Silverface, even more shocked, said, “Then where will I go?”
“You can find a place to live yourself. If there’s something I need you for, I’ll contact you. If not, you can move about freely.” Kui Xin explained. “This is easy to resolve; why are you so surprised?”
Silverface pouted in grievance. “Because I’m under your care. Now that you’re moving out, you have to arrange for me!”
“Is it arranged well now? Any questions?” Kui Xin looked at him.
Silverface: “… No more.”
Kui Xin stood up to pack her things, but Kui Haidong called her again.
“Kui Xin, come to the headquarters again tonight.” Kui Haidong said. “I forgot to mention, there’s an additional task I need to assign you. It’s very important.”
As Kui Haidong spoke, a deep blue vortex slowly opened in Kui Xin’s living room, with Night Cicada already having prepared the portal.
Kui Xin’s expression darkened. “Alright, I’ll come right away.”
