Chapter 115: Artificial Soul 42
Kui Xin was also taken aback for a moment.
She didn’t expect her nickname to have such a strong appeal in the player community, and He Kangshi agreed to her invitation without a second thought.
His reaction could be seen as a reward for the good causes he had sown.
He Kangshi was actually quite clever. He had moved to a new place right next to the city police station. He was also afraid of encountering any sudden mishaps, so he relocated nearby.
His current residence was in the central area of Henan, over two hundred kilometers away from Kui Xin. If Kui Xin was going to provide him protection, then He Kangshi couldn’t stay too far away from her; it was best for him to be close by.
Kui Xin straightforwardly sent a message: “You need to relocate.”
“Okay.” He Kangshi agreed in a second, “I also feel that this place isn’t safe, mainly because extraordinary abilities are unpredictable, and even seeking help might not be effective—it could also drag others down… Where should I move to? What’s the method of relocation?”
“Move to Jingchu, we can discuss the method later.”
“Jingchu?” He Kangshi paused, “That’s the place where the Game System issued regional missions, right?”
“Yes.”
He Kangshi: “The territory of a major player is actually there!”
“Sort of.” Kui Xin replied succinctly.
“Sort of?” He Kangshi imagined.
Even if this Black Snake’s influence didn’t extend to Jingchu, it would likely involve someone trusted by Black Snake in Jingchu. From what Black Snake said, it seemed there were not just one or two people he had drawn to his side—He Kangshi was merely one of them. Once he reached Jingchu, there would be someone to provide protection, and that person might not necessarily be Black Snake; it could be someone else.
“It seems that Remover 233’s territory is also in Jingchu.” He Kangshi cautiously said, “Could there be danger? This player has killed Fang Zhi.”
“Remover 233 is not a threat right now.” Kui Xin said ambiguously.
He Kangshi stared at the phone screen, imagining a grand drama.
Remover 233 was controlled by Black Snake?! There was no death report for this player on the forum, so he definitely wasn’t dead. Then why was Black Snake so sure that Remover 233 wasn’t a threat? Taking a wild guess, could it be that Remover 233 had become a subordinate of Black Snake? Or did Black Snake know Remover 233’s real-life identity?
After thinking for a long time, he had never considered the possibility that the two 233s were the same person because their styles were too different.
“Okay.” He Kangshi typed this word with difficulty and then asked, “How do I get to Jingchu? Should I buy a high-speed train ticket?”
“I will notify you when I have arranged everything.” Kui Xin said.
She added, “You don’t need to be too nervous; most Awakened ones don’t have abilities that can counter firearms, and besides, there are so few players right now.”
“You’re right.” Under her reassurance, He Kangshi felt less tense.
“Now you need to tell me about your situation in the Second World.” Kui Xin said, “But I need to make it clear that I cannot provide you with the same level of protection in the Second World as in the First World.”
He Kangshi understood. This big player knew a lot, but the risks involved in gathering intelligence were certainly proportional to the information they possessed; Black Snake’s situation in the Second World was probably not good.
Every player’s situation in the Second World was dire, which was precisely why they needed to unite; both worlds needed to come together. The strong should support the weak, sharing information that others don’t know, and only by connecting with each other could they hope to survive this great catastrophe.
“I’m both lucky and unlucky; I became stateless upon entering the Second World, and I disfigured as soon as I crossed over.” He Kangshi seriously recounted his experience, “Didn’t a player working for the federal government mention on the forum that if you become stateless in the Second World, your chance of exposure actually decreases? My status as a stateless person made my start quite difficult; I almost got killed on the street, but it protected my player identity from being exposed. As for the disfigurement, it was because a few punks threw sulfuric acid on me during the beating.”
Kui Xin said with mixed feelings, “That’s quite a fortunate misfortune.”
“Yeah. In any case, I barely saved my life; my future will be a bit tough, but there’s still hope.” He Kangshi said, “I’ve been in contact with the underground world a lot, and my initial identity in the Second World is a rookie bounty hunter; I spent all the money I earned from tasks on treating my injuries, so now I’m a broke person… I don’t want to kill anyone for commissions; I’m just getting by.”
“How did the player who traveled to the same location as you pass away?” Kui Xin asked.
He Kangshi replied, “He worked as a waiter in a nightclub and was accidentally shot by a few drunken customers.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Kui Xin said.
He Kangshi didn’t say much more.
Tomorrow and an accident don’t know which will come first, and the residents at the bottom of the Second World are even more so.
He Kangshi sent a hundred thousand yuan to that player’s family in the First World, claiming they were friends and that he had borrowed money from him before—now he was repaying it.
“Tell me about the underground world.” Kui Xin said.
“The rules of the underground world are very simple: money is everything. With money, you can seek medical services at clandestine clinics; they won’t leak your information. With money, you can buy mechanical prosthetics; no matter how advanced the product is, they have channels to acquire it.” He Kangshi said, “As long as you have enough money, they can even find someone to arrange a fake household registration for you, help you change your face and identity. There, you can buy all sorts of unimaginable dirty things like information, drugs, people, and firearms.”
Kui Xin liked the straightforward rules of exchanging cash for goods, no mental gymnastics required.
Her energy had been exhausted dealing with the Investigation Bureau and Mechanized Dawn.
Once she was free from Mechanized Dawn and the Investigation Bureau, maybe she could consider becoming a bounty hunter in the underground world. If she wanted to shed her identity and start anew, she could also leverage the underground world’s power.
But those were just preliminary ideas; whether they could be implemented, Kui Xin needed to investigate thoroughly.
“What city are you in?” Kui Xin asked.
“White Whale City, close to the poles, even colder than my hometown in the northeast.”
Kui Xin: “…?”
This guy really was unfortunate. White Whale City had a branch of Mechanized Dawn; Night Cicada had once traveled there for business, and Reynir was captured in White Whale City.
Kui Xin reminded him: “You need to be careful; this city isn’t very peaceful.”
He Kangshi’s heart sank.
He knew that White Whale City wasn’t a peaceful place, but the fact that Black Snake specifically warned him to be cautious was truly alarming.
“Do I need to do anything?” He Kangshi typed in fear, “Do I have to move houses in the Second World too?”
“You need to work on being inconspicuous; don’t stand out. I can’t provide you with good relocation advice; you have no money or household registration, so you can only hide in White Whale City for now.” Kui Xin said, “I can’t tell you too much about White Whale City. Just continue being your rookie bounty hunter; not knowing anything is the safest approach. Also, tell me your contact information in the Second World.”
“I have a personal communicator; the number is…” He gave her a series of numbers.
Kui Xin remembered the communicator number and said, “If necessary, I will contact you through this number.”
He Kangshi replied, “Okay, I understand.”
“What’s your forum nickname?” Kui Xin continued with the next question.
He Kangshi hesitated, and after some time, he finally sent his embarrassing anime nickname—“Maicyo is me.”
He felt crushed seeing Black Snake send three ellipses.
“This is the name of a female protagonist from an anime I like.” He Kangshi struggled to explain, “I just spontaneously wrote that; who knew this game would turn out like this!”
Black Snake messaged: “I understand. I feel the same.”
He Kangshi: “Do you also have worries in this regard? You really don’t need to think that way; now, the nickname 233 is a symbol of prestige in the forum!”
Black Snake: “Back to the main topic.”
He Kangshi sat up straight.
“What’s your player number?”
“Proxy 6811.”
“Okay, if you die in the Second World, I will see the news on the forum.”
He Kangshi had to ask a very realistic question: “What if something happens to you?”
Black Snake: “If you can’t contact me within twelve hours of my return, then I’ll be dead. But my chances of dying are very low… Have your family been taken care of?”
“I have arranged it. I gave them some money and told them to go travel abroad; they won’t be back for at least half a year.” He Kangshi clarified his posthumous arrangements, “I’ve even written my will.”
“That’s fine. Alright, we’ve concluded our discussion.” Kui Xin typed the closing statement, “You must be very tired these last few days; take a good rest. Just wait for my notification about the relocation.”
He Kangshi said, “Alright.”
“This relocation might attract some attention to you; don’t panic.” Kui Xin said, “You might be the first player in the world to expose your real-world identity, so it’s inevitable that someone will be watching you; they may not necessarily take action. Once you’re within my protective range, you will be safe.”
“Okay.” He Kangshi said.
He Kangshi put down his phone, staring blankly at the ceiling; he suddenly felt a lot more at ease inside.
Is this what it feels like to have a powerful ally? Although he was not yet within the protection range of the big player, his inner turmoil miraculously calmed. Since Black Snake dared to promise him protection, this person must be quite formidable, perhaps even very strong.
Meanwhile, Kui Xin opened her phone to book a ticket, carefully erasing her travel information, preparing to personally supervise He Kangshi’s relocation.
He Kangshi was actually a delicious bait.
Whether for those with good intentions or those with malicious plans, he would attract their attention. If it was out of goodwill, then it wasn’t a big deal. If it was malicious… then about their actions related to He Kangshi’s relocation, they might just take action.
Kui Xin was prepared for battle.
The best case scenario was that the relocation process would go smoothly; if there were any issues, it would save her the effort of exposing any nefarious plot.
Those who actively walk into the line of fire won’t go unrewarded.
However, just as Kui Xin was sharpening her metaphorical knife, He Kangshi suddenly contacted her again: “Help, big player! Another hacker just contacted me, asking me to join them.”
Kui Xin: “…?”
This style… could it be that it was Yu Qiwen’s group?
