Chapter 11 Sea Without Light 11
Xueyao Shu said, “Augus, play the video provided by the theater.”
“Understood.” With Augus’s response, a segment of video appeared.
In the pristine treatment room, the attending psychiatrist sat behind a desk while the psychiatric criminal Zejian sat across from him.
His face was gaunt, covered in stubble, and his sunken eyes showed heavy bags; he was bound to the chair with restraints.
He struggled to open his eyes wide, his hands clenched into fists: “I’m really not from Hei Hai City! My name is indeed Zejian, but I haven’t committed any crimes! I’m not a psychiatric patient! I’m not sick!”
“Alright, I understand. Please calm down, Mr. Zejian!” The psychiatrist leaned back in his chair, his tone cautious, afraid of provoking the agitated Zejian.
Zejian shouted angrily, “What do you understand?! I’m not lying! I’m not a criminal! I haven’t committed any crimes! I’m not insane!”
“Mr. Zejian, I understand your point.” The psychiatrist quietly pressed the alarm button under the desk; if Zejian made any aggressive moves, the guards outside would rush in to subdue him.
“You don’t know anything! I just took a nap and woke up in this damn place! I’m Zejian, from Jinling. I haven’t committed any crimes!” Zejian roared in despair, a sense of hopelessness and confusion radiating from him even through the holographic projection. “Lawyer, get me a lawyer! I want to report this!”
The psychiatrist replied, “Mr. Zejian, you are a Level 6 citizen, your political rights have been revoked, and you have no right to appeal. We cannot help you hire a lawyer.”
“Damn it, what kind of nonsense is this?!” Zejian broke free from the restraints and jumped up from his chair, trying to grab the psychiatrist by the collar.
The psychiatrist pressed the alarm button, retreating.
The treatment room door slammed open as hospital guards rushed in, subduing Zejian and pressing his face hard against the desk.
“I’m not a criminal! I’m not!” Zejian’s face was pressed down, his speech distorted, stubbornly repeating his claims.
The psychiatrist quickly drew a sedative from his lab coat and injected it into Zejian’s neck.
In a dazed state, Zejian muttered, “Let me… go home…”
He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep under the influence of the medication.
Kui Xin watched this scene expressionlessly.
Her situation was already dangerous enough; compared to her, Xi Liang’s circumstances were ordinary, at most involving economic difficulties. But Zejian… looking at his tragic plight, Kui Xin didn’t know who was worse off between herself and Zejian.
Zejian’s emotions were extremely agitated, and he was in a state of irrationality. If he calmed down, he should have been able to call upon the game system’s interface to understand his current basic identity. He was too panicked and scared, to the point of losing his judgment.
Kui Xin wondered how many people seriously read the announcements and documents when they signed to agree to play the game, and how many remembered and decided to abide by the six points of advice? She knew that many people didn’t even glance at the statements they needed to agree to when playing the game and just clicked confirm.
Zejian probably hadn’t read the game emails seriously; he didn’t understand the survival rules, which made him passive.
Kui Xin understood that the death penalty had been abolished in the federation eighty years ago. If Zejian stayed in the psychiatric hospital and received treatment, he would not face any danger for the rest of his life and could live out his natural days, though at the cost of losing his freedom.
But Zejian escaped.
Once he escaped, the Investigation Bureau had the right to shoot him on sight while pursuing him.
Kui Xin had killed two robbers and didn’t face any disciplinary action. If the Seventh Squad shot Zejian, they wouldn’t face any reprimand and could even gain merits.
“The criminal Zejian lacks anti-tracking experience and has been spotted several times on the streets after escaping from the psychiatric hospital. The city surveillance network has tracked his movements,” Xueyao Shu said, “Map.”
Augus displayed a city map, marking Zejian’s appearances and trajectories with red dots and lines.
“He was active in the northern district and attempted to enter a convenience store about an hour ago to buy food, but was unable to do so because his account was frozen. According to my calculations, Zejian is still in the northern district; he cannot use public transportation or enter public spaces.” Xueyao Shu zoomed in on the map, “Surveillance in the slums of the northern district is sparse, making it the best hiding place for fugitives. We need to search it thoroughly.”
“Zejian’s mental state is extremely unstable. His extraordinary abilities are non-lethal, but their effects are uncertain,” Xueyao Shu said. “This time we will adopt a strategy that combines remote and close-range actions. Jiang Ming, Liu Kangyun, and I will pursue him while Lan Lan operates a swarm of drones. Kui Xin, you’ll serve as the long-range sniper. Is that okay?”
Long-range sniper? This was a significant issue; she had never touched a gun before!
Kui Xin fell silent, and Xueyao Shu took her silence as rookie nerves and encouraged her, “If the capture goes smoothly, we won’t need a sniper. You are the last safety net to ensure the criminal doesn’t escape. Your shooting test scored full marks; I believe in you.”
“Are you up to it, rookie?” The man next to Kui Xin eyed her up and down, provoking her.
Kui Xin combined his appearance with the data she had seen and recognized him as Lan Lan, a technician in the Seventh Squad responsible for maintaining and operating various technological devices. She had carefully memorized everyone’s data in this room.
“I’m fine, Captain.” Kui Xin braced herself and accepted the order.
“Good, without further ado, go change into your gear.” Xueyao Shu said.
Everyone stood up and left Xueyao Shu’s office in succession, turning right to the door labeled “Equipment Room,” scanning their irises one by one.
Kui Xin scanned her iris and then entered.
Augus’s voice suddenly came from nowhere: “This mission requires bulletproof combat gear, standard firearms, standard melee knives, a K80 long-range sniper rifle, micro drones, data monitors, backup communicators, and an explosion-proof helmet.”
“Please check everything before leaving the equipment room.”
The entire equipment room was filled with the smell of gunpowder and gun oil.
Rows of black firearms hung neatly on the shelves, various models of bullets and magazines gleamed coldly, and Kui Xin even spotted many oddly shaped pieces of equipment whose purposes were unclear.
Kui Xin followed her teammates to get a fitted bulletproof combat suit and turned to the women’s changing room to change.
The black bulletproof combat suit was simple in style with no extra decorations. After putting it on, it felt a little tight; the fabric was thin but elastic. Kui Xin wore a belt with many concealed clips, seemingly for holding guns and magazines.
After changing, she approached the display cabinet with firearms, glancing sideways at her teammates’ movements, and imitating them by taking a standard handgun marked with the weapon label to clip onto her waist, along with two magazines and a short blade with a sharpened edge that had been treated to reduce glare.
Kui Xin arrived at the shelf holding the explosion-proof helmets and took one to wear. Unlike a full-cover helmet, this one mainly protected the back of the head.
As a sniper, she needed to additionally equip a K80 long-range sniper rifle.
When Kui Xin looked at the display cabinet for the sniper rifle, her head began to ache. This rifle… was too large, and to make matters worse, it was in an unassembled state!
Her scalp tingled as she stared at the K80’s parts, unsure of what to do.
“What’s wrong?” Lan Lan came over to ask. “Hurry up and assemble it. The Captain said you scored full marks in shooting, and I haven’t seen you assemble a gun in these days of being teammates. Let me see too.”
Kui Xin squeezed her eyes shut and resolutely decided to begin assembling the gun parts.
Barrel, receiver, recoil compensator, stock, connector, scope… the parts flew together in her hands at an astonishing speed.
Lan Lan was dumbfounded, her mouth wide open.
As the final component was assembled, Kui Xin’s fingertips twitched involuntarily.
Lady Luck was on Kui Xin’s side, and her innate combat instincts included the category of firearms. When a person has assembled guns a thousand or ten thousand times, they could complete the assembly with muscle memory even with their eyes closed.
Kui Xin hoisted the K80 and said to Lan Lan, “What do you think?”
“Impressive!” Lan Lan grinned, reaching over to help clip a backup communicator onto Kui Xin’s belt, which she hadn’t had time to take. “You’ve got the gun under control; I’ll help you with the communicator.”
“Thanks.” Kui Xin replied.
She couldn’t rely too much on her combat instincts; it was important to have some theoretical knowledge.
The textbooks for her criminal investigation technology major remained in her bedroom at her desk; when she had time, she definitely wanted to study them to fill her knowledge gaps.
After leaving the equipment room with her teammates and entering the hallway, Augus said, “Seventh Squad members please proceed towards the yellow indicator light; Captain Xueyao Shu has arrived at the helipad.”
“Hey, you forgot to turn on your helmet.” Lan Lan said, walking alongside Kui Xin.
“I don’t have hands…” Kui Xin struggled a bit carrying the K80.
Fortunately, her physical attributes far exceeded those of ordinary people, allowing her to walk briskly down the hallway while carrying a gun that weighed dozens of kilos.
Kui Xin added, “Don’t call me little Kui; it sounds annoying.”
“Really? You can call me little Lan instead.” Lan Lan cheerfully stretched out her hand. “Let me help you turn on the helmet.”
He tapped the side of Kui Xin’s helmet.
Suddenly, green data images appeared before her eyes, and Augus’s voice said in her helmet, “Hello, intern security officer Kui Xin. I will be responsible for filtering intra-squad communications for you, collecting real-time data on wind direction, wind speed, humidity, obstacles, target distance, shooting elevation angle, and the influence of the Earth’s rotation to support your shooting accuracy.”
…So advanced? Kui Xin gasped.
The elevator doors opened, closed, and Kui Xin and her team ascended to the rooftop helipad.
Xueyao Shu stood equipped near a long police vehicle: “Prepare to depart.”
“Yes, Captain!” The Seventh Squad replied together.
Everyone got into the vehicle in succession, Kui Xin occupying the last row with the over-a-meter-long sniper rifle in her arms.
The police vehicle levitated and ascended.
At this moment, Liu Kangyun, who had remained silent, said, “Everyone, check your gun safeties; don’t discharge accidentally.”
Jiang Ming replied without words, “You say that every time we have a mission… I’ve got calluses in my ears now.”
Lan Lan turned back from the front seat to explain to the confused Kui Xin, “His gun’s safety was broken before, and while sitting in the vehicle, it discharged unexpectedly, hitting the police car instead of a person. The car was flying at the time; it caught fire on the spot and almost crashed down, giving Old Liu a psychological shadow, haha…”
Upon hearing this, Kui Xin reflexively looked down to ensure the safety on her standard sidearm was in good condition.
“Don’t be too nervous, Kui Xin.” Xueyao Shu in the driver’s seat said, “You only need to hold the gun, aim at the target, and stay focused; you don’t need to think about anything else.”
“Yes, Captain.” Kui Xin whispered.
The torrential rain fell relentlessly, never ceasing, her mood weighed down like the weather.
Raindrops covered the police vehicle’s windows, blocking Kui Xin’s view. The police car flew for thirty minutes before slowly descending.
“Arrived at the target appearance location,” Augus announced, “The best sniper position is at the signal tower in the Northern District Freedom Square. Please proceed there, Security Officer Kui Xin. Security Officer Lan Lan can also accompany you to control the drone swarm at the signal tower. The signal tower is two hundred thirty meters tall, offering a relatively clear view from above.”
“Let’s go.” Xueyao Shu said.
The members of the Seventh Squad exchanged glances; Kui Xin and Lan Lan left the squad first, heading towards the signal tower nearby.
Upon reaching the top floor of the signal tower, Kui Xin took a deep breath, half-kneeling on the ground, and set up the K80, aiming through the scope.
Lan Lan opened her backpack, pulling out a metal box. As she opened it, five palm-sized drones separated from the box like predatory birds diving into the rain, flying towards the gathering area of residents below.
“This thing is mainly used for scanning; after all, it’s a residential area, and we can’t use weapon-laden drones, as it could cause accidental casualties. Our sniper needs to be more precise,” Lan Lan said while controlling the drone swarm with a control panel. “Augus can also control the drones, but his main function is data aggregation and analysis. Operating manually can save computing power and allow Augus to provide feedback more quickly and comprehensively. Tsk, actually, the Investigation Bureau should upgrade Augus’s core; it would save us a lot of trouble.”
Kui Xin focused intently, not responding.
She was searching the lower residential area through the high-magnification scope, hoping to catch sight of Zejian.
Moving the K80 millimeter by millimeter, she spotted the figures of Captain Xueyao and Jiang Ming, Liu Kangyun, confirming their positions before shifting her aim, her finger resting lightly on the trigger. She concentrated intensely, feeling as though the gun was an extension of her body.
Unbeknownst to her, the muzzle was unconsciously tracking everything moving within the scope, whether it was teammates or ordinary civilians moving through the slums.
Kui Xin’s “combat instincts” were thoroughly awakened; at that moment, she was like an eagle soaring in the sky hunting prey, or a python lurking in a cave. She didn’t need to force herself to act; the instinct of the hunt controlled her body, turning her into the predator.
For a brief moment… for that fleeting moment, Kui Xin felt an overwhelming urge to fire at everything moving inside the scope.
She breathed steadily, adjusted her mindset, and banished all distractions.
“Target detected,” Augus suddenly said.
Lan Lan followed the target with the drones.
Kui Xin immediately adjusted her aim, searching for the target indicated by Augus—she found it!
A frantic figure appeared in her scope; a man was running on the street, barefoot, with a piece of bread in his mouth, his back looking both pitiful and comical.
“Target distance 986.2 meters, current wind speed 2.3, angle…” Data flowed into Kui Xin’s vision.
She locked onto Zejian, her index finger poised on the trigger.
