Chapter 114: Artificial Soul 41
He Kangshi stared blankly at his mobile phone screen, feeling a chill creep from his tailbone to the crown of his head.
He had anticipated that he might be exposed, but he never expected it to happen so quickly. He had specifically changed cities, prepared a backup phone and a secondary SIM card, registered the SIM card under someone else’s ID, disabled the microphone and camera permissions on the phone, and even covered them with opaque tape. He had also made sure to change the IP address when posting videos online.
He had tried every precaution he could think of, yet he still got caught.
After a brief moment of panic, He Kangshi calmed down and looked at the message on the screen.
“Are you interested in a collaboration?”
The tone was not coercive.
This eased his pounding heart a little.
The motivation behind the other party’s approach was suspicious, but they could have quietly killed him or kidnapped him instead of directly sending a message after obtaining his information.
He Kangshi hesitated for a full ten minutes without receiving another message.
The text remained on the screen, not sent via SMS or any other means; the other party had taken control of his phone.
He couldn’t ignore the message any longer. After a fierce internal struggle, he opened his phone, and when his finger touched the screen, the keyboard popped up, startling him. He then typed a reply: “How do you know this is my phone?”
“I’m a hacker,” came the prompt response. “Although you took precautions, your methods are too crude, leaving behind vulnerabilities.”
He Kangshi continued typing: “Is it possible for someone like you to track my location?”
“Very likely,” the reply came.
“Are you the first one to approach me?”
This time, there was a delay of two to three seconds before the response: “No, your phone shows signs of being invaded by others. I’m not the first, but I’m the first to choose to communicate with you.”
He Kangshi instantly broke out in a cold sweat, almost unable to remain seated.
His legs trembled like they were playing a lute, and he felt dizzy, nearly collapsing onto the table as fear consumed him.
“Who is it?” He Kangshi exerted great effort to type these two words.
“If you want to find out, it will take some time,” the other party replied, seeming quite cooperative. “If you want to entrust me with looking into this matter, I can help you.”
He Kangshi remained silent.
The other party was actively reaching out to him, which was a good sign; the person controlling his phone was at least not malicious.
After a moment of respite, he cautiously typed to confirm again: “So, there are multiple people who invaded my phone without my knowledge?”
“Yes.”
“Have they done anything?”
“They installed several virus programs for surveillance and control on your phone.”
He Kangshi nearly collapsed. It turned out his precautions had been utterly useless; those with ill intentions had already been in and out of his phone without him noticing.
“Am I being monitored while I’m talking to you?” He Kangshi immediately felt he had asked a foolish question as soon as he typed it.
The hacker clearly had confidence in their skills, allowing them to talk openly with him.
“No,” the reply was as expected.
“Then… can you remove the virus programs?” He Kangshi cautiously probed.
The other party was willing to help him investigate who infiltrated his phone, so surely helping to eliminate the virus would be just a small task.
The response came: “I advise against it. Those viruses are installed very covertly; removing them rashly might alert others and provoke extreme reactions. We cannot determine the exact intentions of those who invaded your phone.”
He Kangshi frowned, contemplating for a long time before asking, “Then what’s your objective?”
The other party had approached him with a friendly attitude, even offering to help. He felt that either they had ulterior motives or were planning something against him, and that this affability was merely a façade.
Now, the problem was that He Kangshi had no idea what might be of interest to this hacker. His extraordinary abilities might catch the attention of Removers, but if they were one of them, they could simply come to kill him. As for whether they sought something else from him… He Kangshi couldn’t think of anything that would give him any extra value, as he was an insignificant figure in both the First World and the Second World.
“My objective is as I stated at the beginning: I want to collaborate with you,” the other party typed. “There are some things I cannot do directly, so I want you to take care of them.”
He Kangshi immediately reacted: “You want to stay in the shadows while I stand in the spotlight for you?”
“Yes,” the other party confirmed. “I won’t ask you to do anything too dangerous, just the necessary tasks. What I have you do will benefit both the First World and the Players; it’s for our mutual interest. But you’ll be taking on significant risks, so I will provide compensation.”
Compensation? What kind of compensation?
Would they help him find out who intruded into his phone or offer him personal protection?
He Kangshi did not refuse but also did not immediately accept.
Not knowing who the other party was made it too rash to agree to a collaboration.
“May I ask how you wish to be addressed?” He Kangshi wanted to gather more information.
The other party quickly replied: “You can call me ‘Black Snake.'”
Well, “Black Snake”? That alias was rather dark and perfectly matched the characteristics the other party had displayed— a snake lurking in the shadows.
He Kangshi grimaced, feeling as if he had stepped into a spy thriller science fiction movie, with some high-profile secret organization extending an invitation to him.
His long-dormant sense of fantasy began to stir within him, so he impulsively replied: “If I accept your collaboration, do I need to come up with a codename for myself as well?”
Black Snake: “You can name yourself ‘Ultraman’ if you want.”
“Wow!” He Kangshi felt a wave of relief wash over him; Black Snake was joking around.
Regardless of why they said that, it greatly lessened the psychological pressure on He Kangshi.
“Now this feels better… The other side is a normal person, talking reasonably, making jokes, not a deranged killer…” He Kangshi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcing a stiff smile.
If it had been a cold, terse person with minimal replies, he would have been terrified. He hadn’t communicated with normal people for so long, and Black Snake’s humor lightened the atmosphere, making him less resistant.
“Just a codename isn’t enough,” He Kangshi maintained his vigilance. “That can’t be considered a collaboration.”
“That’s reasonable,” Black Snake replied. “Then you can think of this as ’employment.’ I’ll be your boss, you work for me, and I’ll pay you ‘wages.’ Is that a model you can accept?”
“Not that I can’t accept…” He Kangshi anxiously rubbed his hands. He typed a line, deleted it, deleted it again, and after struggling for a while, he finally sent it, “But I need to ensure my personal safety.”
“I won’t tell you my real name, but I can share my forum nickname,” Black Snake replied.
He Kangshi stared wide-eyed at the screen, his focus intensifying.
“My forum nickname is ‘233,’” Black Snake said. “If you frequently browse the forum, you should recognize my nickname.”
He Kangshi was taken aback.
He not only recognized that nickname; he had an incredibly deep impression of it!
The forum expert 233 was one of the earliest figures educating players about what Xenomorphs, Secret Cults, and Heterogeneous Blooded individuals were. When the Federation started arresting players, it was this expert who first came forward to reveal the situation.
Initially, some had doubted whether forum expert 233 and Remover 233 were the same person, but after he issued a warning, those doubts vanished. Anyone daring to share such confidential information on the forum usually possessed an extraordinary identity in the Second World, either being a government employee or having murky ties with some hidden organizations, typically risking their lives to disseminate knowledge.
He Kangshi chose to warn people not to enter the “Crimson Soil” partially influenced by these individuals. Some had charged into the fray, and he followed suit.
“Can you post something on the forum to prove you are 233?” He Kangshi barely managed to retain his rationality while requesting verification.
Black Snake said, “Sure. You specify the content for the post.”
“Post ‘Little Bear Cookies Jumping Around’ on the forum,” He Kangshi said casually.
In less than a minute, Black Snake responded, “Posted.”
He Kangshi quickly switched pages and entered the forum. Upon refreshing, a post titled “Little Bear Cookies Jumping Around” stood out among the serious discussions.
Players continuously posted question marks in response.
1L: Just looked at the username; has the expert 233’s account been hacked?
2L: How could this forum be hacked…
3L: ? What’s the expert doing?
He Kangshi felt entirely relieved. He let out a long sigh and slumped back into his chair, messaging Black Snake: “I see it; it really is you, expert 233.”
“From now on, just call me Black Snake.”
He Kangshi fell silent for a moment. “Why did you choose me as a collaboration partner? Is it because my identity was exposed, and you could only find me?”
“Not at all. With my abilities, I can easily locate more players and filter out useful ones, especially those with stronger extraordinary abilities,” Black Snake replied. “But you are different. You are an upright person with principles. I don’t need a fence-sitter as a collaborator. You stood up, risking your life, and that alone proves your character is solid. Kind people deserve recognition and protection; they shouldn’t just die like that. So, I chose you.”
He Kangshi paused for a moment, suddenly feeling an itch on his face, and upon touching it, he realized he had been crying without remembering when.
“Then… I agree,” he typed.
Black Snake hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
“Don’t you want to clarify what the compensation will be?”
“You said you could provide protection, right? That’s enough.”
“Don’t you want to know what I’ll have you do?”
“Not necessary. If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t be talking to me here. I trust the character of expert 233; there’s no need for you to harm me or others.”
