Chapter 134: Artificial Soul 61
“Can you explain the current situation to me?” Kui Xin said, head throbbing. “I seem to have really forgotten a lot…”
“I can certainly answer your questions, but before I do, you have to answer mine first. It’s amazing that you’ve forgotten everything yet still managed to complete the task of killing Lin Xinji,” Schalit said slowly. “You don’t remember the mission assigned by the organization, don’t remember coming to meet with the organization’s people, yet you still killed the target.”
“But I remember the image of the Angel,” Kui Xin said, eagerly sharing this to build Schalit’s trust. “I saw it when I entered the brain machine. Looking at the necklace around your neck, I felt an inexplicable familiarity…”
Schalit pondered, “It could be that the mental seed implanted is taking effect.”
“Is the mental seed the ‘Angel’ you mentioned?” Kui Xin asked. “Are you the ‘Angel’?”
Schalit replied, “I’m not; the Angel is a codename for another person.”
“You have your own codename too?” Kui Xin speculated based on her words.
“Yes, my codename is Mandala,” Schalit said. “Do you remember your codename?”
Kui Xin: “…I don’t remember anything about that at all.”
Schalit fell silent, “Did you not find anything odd from the very beginning? Did you feel any memory dissonance? Is there a blank space in your memories for a certain period?”
“I do feel a sense of memory dissonance… Mechanized Dawn implanted a lot of memories in my brain that don’t belong to me, claiming that it was to prepare me for interrogation. Sometimes I feel fragments of memories running amok in my head…” Kui Xin said, partly truthfully.
Schalit asked, “What about memories from further back?”
“Since I… changed my metal skull,” Kui Xin said carefully, trying to gauge Schalit’s reaction.
Schalit frowned, remaining silent.
She seemed to be weighing something, then asked, “What was your motive for killing Lin Xinji?”
“Because I felt he was a threat to me,” Kui Xin lied, while also speaking a truth. “A strong instinct and premonition arose in my heart, urging me that I had to kill him, or he would bring me great trouble in the future. This feeling was incredibly strong, compelling me—compelling me to kill him.”
Schalit carefully scrutinized Kui Xin’s expression. “Hmm…”
“Can you not look at me like that? I’m telling the truth,” Kui Xin said. “Are you still suspecting my betrayal?”
“Not anymore. Whether I believe or not doesn’t matter; the important thing is that I have to report to the higher-ups for their judgment. I don’t have the authority to decide,” Schalit said, retracting her gaze to ponder. “The mental barrier is in place, indicating that the mental seed implanted by the Angel is functioning. You might have acted under mental suggestion, or perhaps your subconscious is at play. Although your memories are a mess, the desires in your mind are incredibly strong, leading you to give yourself a self-suggestion.”
She concluded, “Your memory issues started several weeks ago, so you forgot everything about the Resistance Army. Therefore, you completed the task assigned to you by the Resistance while in an amnesiac state, following mental suggestion. This is my personal speculation; whether it’s true or not needs further verification.”
Kui Xin: “It seems… you might be onto something.”
“Does Mechanized Dawn know you killed Lin Xinji?”
“No, they don’t.”
“But your mental barrier is clearly intact; Mechanized Dawn couldn’t have brainwashed you. Your subsequent actions also prove that you haven’t changed your loyalty.” Schalit said. “But how do you explain your amnesia?”
Kui Xin thought for a moment and said tactfully, “I think you might be overcomplicating things… I changed my metal skull because someone cracked my head open, resulting in skull fracture. Think about it, what kind of force can cause a skull fracture? Being hit like that, brain damage is inevitable. I believe my amnesia isn’t due to mental brainwashing but rather physical amnesia.”
Schalit was taken aback, surprisingly somewhat convinced because Kui Xin’s reasoning was completely logical.
“Then why have you forgotten only the memories of the Resistance Army but not those of Mechanized Dawn…” she pressed, “selective amnesia wouldn’t manifest this way.”
Kui Xin remained silent for a moment: “Actually, I’ve forgotten part of the memories from Mechanized Dawn as well. My codename in Mechanized Dawn is ‘Lady Fortune,’ but before ‘Lady Fortune,’ I had another codename, which I don’t remember… and I’ve forgotten a large part of my childhood memories too.”
Schalit: “…?”
She rubbed her forehead: “How did you manage this? How can you survive for so long after amnesia? To think you haven’t been discovered by Mechanized Dawn!”
Kui Xin: “By relying on my instincts as an undercover agent and my superb killing skills. I swear, I’m not lying.”
Schalit took a few deep breaths and re-evaluated Kui Xin.
“Does my killing of Lin Xinji prove my loyalty?” Kui Xin asked. “If it doesn’t, then let me put it another way… I’m not loyal to Mechanized Dawn; you should already know that, right? Even if my memory is slightly faulty, I still wouldn’t be loyal to Mechanized Dawn. If I had betrayed your organization, I should have leaked your organization’s details to Mechanized Dawn, but since nothing has happened, it proves that I haven’t leaked any information nor am I pretending.”
She hadn’t betrayed yet had forgotten many key pieces of information; she truly was suffering from amnesia.
Schalit was aware of the situation within Mechanized Dawn and knew quite a bit about Kui Xin. However, the current situation made her uncertain.
“Are your questions finished? I have questions I want to ask you,” Kui Xin said.
Schalit replied, “You can ask; I’ll answer as I see fit.”
“How did you appear in my dream?” Kui Xin inquired.
“Mental Coordinates, a means implanted by the Angel for easier contact between organization members. If two people have had mental coordinates implanted and are not far apart, saying specific words can trigger the mental coordinates, allowing their minds to temporarily connect,” Schalit explained.
What a hidden method… what level of extraordinary abilities would it take to achieve this? If the entire Resistance Army possessed similar mental coordinates, wouldn’t it allow for absolutely secret communication?
“What is the final goal of the Resistance Army?” Kui Xin queried.
“To establish a new world,” Schalit answered, “overthrow the current federal government, dismantle the financial conglomerates, enact social reform, and build a new world of equality and freedom.”
“What a grand goal…” Kui Xin sighed before asking, “What is the ‘Ghost’ you mentioned? Is that also a codename?”
“It is a codename,” Schalit looked at Kui Xin. “I will report your matter to Ghost. He will verify the truth of what you’ve said and decide your future.”
Kui Xin was surprised, “You’re just telling me like this? What if I got the message and ran away in advance?”
Schalit chuckled, “Where do you get the confidence that you could escape from the Resistance Army?”
That familiar feeling of being threatened returned.
Kui Xin’s heart sank.
“I’m just making a little joke,” Schalit said casually as she brought the cigarette to her lips. “The Resistance Army never turns on its comrades. I can’t be sure you’re our enemy, and I also don’t want to accidentally kill a comrade, so rest easy.”
“Ghost will come to see me? How does he verify the truth of my words?” Kui Xin ignored the recent interlude.
“He will appear when the time comes,” Schalit said. “He is the true phantom.”
“Why did the Resistance send me to kill Lin Xinji?” Kui Xin continued to ask.
“As you said, because he was too much of a threat.” Schalit replied, “With just a glance, he could identify who has problems with their identity… This is terrifying, as it could expose many organization members. Plus, he was about to be transferred from the Investigation Bureau to a more promising department, so he had to die.”
Kui Xin said, “Schalit, do you know about my situation?”
“Uh-huh?” Schalit raised an eyebrow.
“Why did I initially join the Resistance Army?” Kui Xin probed.
Schalit gave her a light glance, “Sorry, I don’t know. Ghost knows; you can ask him when you meet. He personally recruited you back then.”
In the dream space, the sun was gradually setting, and the church bells rang.
“Time is running out,” Schalit said. “Mental contact isn’t without limits; maintaining mental synchronization for too long can put a strain on our brains.”
Suddenly, Kui Xin said, “I have some information about you.”
“What information?” Schalit turned her head.
“Mechanized Dawn is going to take action against you, because I reported to the higher-ups that you wanted to transfer me to the Special Affairs Department, and they suspect you, so they decided to arrest you,” Kui Xin said, tilting her head. “When I got the news of the arrest mission, I was very confused. You just wanted to recruit me into the Special Affairs Department, and your actions were reasonable and had the approval of the Special Affairs Department. So why would Mechanized Dawn suspect that you had problems? It’s likely not your recruiting behavior that’s problematic but that Mechanized Dawn has doubted you for a long time. Your approach to me intensified their suspicion, hence they want to target you.”
Schalit was stunned, unable to hold onto her cigarette, which fell from her fingers. This was the first time she showed a loss of composure.
Kui Xin’s words revealed one key message—there was a traitor beside Schalit, a traitor belonging to Mechanized Dawn! The traitor had speculated that Schalit belonged to the Resistance and had perhaps been observing her for a long time.
When Kui Xin contacted Eve, Eve said, “The Special Affairs Department is not within your scope of responsibility.”
This statement could be interpreted as—another undercover agent was already in charge of the Special Affairs Department.
The principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket, how could Eve not know? With so many departments in the federal government, it couldn’t infiltrate the Investigation Bureau managed by Augus, so wouldn’t it be able to infiltrate other departments? There might be undercover agents placed by Eve in every department.
Those undercover agents were quiet like Kui Xin and Doctor Huang, lurking and observing everyone around them, providing intelligence support for Mechanized Dawn’s operations.
“Although Mechanized Dawn’s actions against you were prompted by my report, ultimately, I’m merely a small spark. The existence of Mechanized Dawn itself is a powder keg. As long as the powder keg exists, both you and I will be under threat,” Kui Xin remarked. “I apologize; I hope you don’t hold it against me. I want to live too.”
Schalit looked deeply at Kui Xin, her smile unusual: “No wonder you’ve managed to survive until now in a state of amnesia. You’re very good at hiding and quite cunning.”
“Mechanized Dawn is our common enemy. In dealing with Mechanized Dawn, we are on the same front,” Kui Xin said.
“Valuable intelligence; thank you for the reminder,” Schalit replied.
Kui Xin said, “I’m telling you this intelligence not only to prove myself to the Resistance Army but also to ask you for a favor.”
“What?” Schalit asked.
“My metal skull has been tampered with. Only the undercover agent from Mechanized Dawn, Doctor Huang from the Investigation Bureau Medical Center, can help me with the skull replacement. You have the ability to control him,” Kui Xin said. “I don’t want to be constrained by Mechanized Dawn anymore; I want freedom.”
Schalit sighed, “The metal skull, huh? While gaining their trust, you’ve also paid a heavy price yourself.”
Ultimately, she said, “Once you meet Ghost, I will help you.”
“When will he come?” Kui Xin asked.
“Very soon,” Schalit said.
After saying this, the dream shattered.
