Chapter 147: Dark Boundless Realm 02
In White Whale City, He Kangshi is here, and Su Rong is also here.
Counting Kui Xin, there are at least three players in this city.
White Whale City is not a good place to live; it’s too chaotic. Su Rong, being a star, has her life secured. Even when she appears, it should be in the Poleward District, where the wealthy elite reside. The Midnight District is different; if you lack abilities, you can only keep a low profile.
Kui Xin crumpled the flyer she picked up and tossed it into the trash can, avoiding the surveillance cameras along the way to find a suitable mode of transportation.
It is now 10:30 AM, and there are fewer pedestrians on the road. She got off at the interstate highway checkpoint, and it’s twenty kilometers to the Black Market. White Whale City is a large city, with the Black Market located in the center of the Midnight District.
In a city like this, it’s best to get a suitable mode of transport, and a motorbike is quite good, with strong flexibility and speed.
In places like White Whale City, anything can be bought as long as you have connections.
Weapons, equipment, bionic prostheses… even lives.
Kui Xin encountered a shop buying and selling used cars and saw several shiny new motorbikes on display. She glanced and walked straight in.
The shopkeeper, a blonde Caucasian man with big gold teeth, greeted her enthusiastically, speaking a rapid-fire string of rolled-r sounds. Kui Xin quietly reached to her ear to turn on the translator in her earpiece.
Seeing her action, the shopkeeper smiled and said, “A new face. Customer, I’m Valeri, the manager of the Midnight District Free People’s Vehicle Shop. Are you looking to buy a bike?”
His words were translated into Chinese in real time, making it understandable for Kui Xin.
Most people in White Whale City are Caucasian. Along the way, she saw many blond, blue-eyed, red-haired, and green-eyed individuals. Different regions have different languages; in the Second World, language is not a barrier to communication, as even a basic translator can accurately interpret various languages, including slang and insults.
“Yes,” Kui Xin nodded and glanced at the row of bikes in the shop. “Can you introduce them to me?”
“Our bikes have legitimate sources, so you don’t have to worry about being stopped by the Investigation Bureau while riding,” Valeri said. “We have everything from mid-range to high-end bikes. What kind of bike do you want?”
“Just one for transportation that’s stable,” Kui Xin calculated her assets; the remaining gold bars were simply not enough to buy a high-end bike. For now, a convenient bike would work, especially since she was an illegal resident and couldn’t take public transportation, making things inconvenient everywhere.
“Then this one will do.” Valeri pointed to a silver bike in the second row to the left. “It’s an older model from five years ago, with performance not on par with the new models. The original engine was broken, but I replaced it, and now it runs just as well as a new one. Ten thousand Federation Credits, and this price is quite fair. I’ve been in this business for twenty years with a good reputation and many repeat customers.”
In vehicle shops in Hei Hai City, similar second-hand bikes might be cheaper than Valeri’s, but considering the special nature of the Midnight District in White Whale City, this price wasn’t outrageous.
Kui Xin didn’t want to haggle, so she agreed right away.
She watched Valeri conduct various checks and demonstrations on the bike, confirming that it was in good condition.
“If it breaks down, you can come to me for repairs,” Valeri assured enthusiastically, patting his chest. “Will you be paying in gold bars or via transfer?”
“In gold bars,” Kui Xin casually pulled out a bar and tossed it over.
Valeri carefully examined the gold bar’s quality and weighed it, then said, “Hmm, it’s twelve grams over. Would you like change or exchange it for something else? I can fill the tank, give you a helmet, and an electronic bike lock…”
“Fill the tank,” Kui Xin said.
“Great,” Valeri responded.
Ten minutes later, Kui Xin pushed her newly purchased motorbike out of the used car shop.
She slipped on her helmet, swung her leg over the bike, and the engine roared lowly before she sped away.
Adam’s voice came through her earpiece, providing real-time directions to avoid the patrolling security officers of the White Whale City Investigation Bureau.
It took her over half an hour to ride twenty kilometers.
Upon arriving in the central area of the Midnight District, Kui Xin took off her helmet and surveyed the bar in front of her, confirming it was indeed the place where He Kangshi worked and rested. He had a rental room in the bar’s basement, staying there during the day and coming out to work in the evenings.
Using data manipulation, she accessed her communicator to send him a message while parking her bike and walking into the bar.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Adam suddenly said, “you also united with other players in the First World, right?”
“Yes,” Kui Xin admitted candidly.
This was something Adam would find out anyway. After coming to White Whale City, she would inevitably have interactions with players and frequently engage with the player community. Rather than expending effort to hide this and risk revealing her secrets, it was better to clear things up from the start.
This balance needed careful handling. She couldn’t let Adam know too much about the players, nor could he be overly involved in the player community.
“Can I ask for a commitment from you?” Kui Xin inquired.
“You say,” Adam replied, “though I already have a guess as to what you’re about to say.”
“Confidentiality. You must keep the identities of the players secret and provide cover for them at the appropriate time,” Kui Xin said.
“I’ve been doing that all along,” Adam remarked. “There’s someone from the Hei Hai City Investigation Bureau named Zhang Xiaoyun, living in the same apartment building as you. I’m not sure if you remember him. I’ve concluded that he’s been possessed by a player after observing him for a few days. Recently, I’ve been covering for this player, and he’s still alive and well.”
Kui Xin slightly raised her eyebrows.
“Thanks,” she said briefly.
Since Kui Xin had entered the hospital the day she returned to the Second World, she had never encountered Zhang Xiaoyun during this reincarnation, nor had she asked Adam to look after this “newcomer.”
She had been keeping this under wraps, as she shouldn’t know about Zhang Xiaoyun’s existence.
Meanwhile, she was waiting for Adam to bring up Zhang Xiaoyun on his own.
—This was a test to see if Adam was honest and whether it merely wanted to sugarcoat their relationship with lies and sweet words.
Given Adam’s uniqueness, he would surely discover Zhang Xiaoyun’s secret. If he truly regarded Kui Xin as an important partner, he would inform her about Zhang Xiaoyun’s existence.
Now that Adam had brought it up, Kui Xin could finally relax a little.
The bartender in the bar was a black-haired, black-eyed woman lazily wiping glasses.
“We’re closed,” she said, looking up.
“I’m here to find someone; my friend lives here,” Kui Xin replied politely.
“Give me a name,” the bartender responded. “I can call for him.”
“Thank you, but no need to trouble yourself. He should arrive shortly,” Kui Xin declined.
The bartender eyed Kui Xin suspiciously, slightly doubting that she was just a friend and not someone seeking revenge.
Such incidents are not uncommon in the Black Market; people step out of a bar only to be killed on the street. Every week, someone dies on the streets, and gang battles are never-ending.
Before long, He Kangshi skillfully climbed up the stairs, scanned the empty bar, and accurately locked onto Kui Xin.
“Hey, Lalisa! Thanks for your hard work. This is my friend. I’ll go talk with her outside,” He Kangshi said, bowing respectfully to the bartender.
“Oh, okay,” Lalisa replied, returning to wiping glasses.
He Kangshi walked directly over and gestured for Kui Xin to follow him to a table in the corner.
Kui Xin activated her extraordinary ability, “Electromagnetic Detection,” to scan the bar, confirming there were no hidden listening devices before shifting her focus to He Kangshi.
He Kangshi had mentioned that he made enemies in the Second World and was disfigured by acid. Dark red scars marred his face, extending down to his neck. His fingers also bore scars, and his right hand was a mechanical one. Kui Xin observed his eyes carefully and noticed that both were bionic eyes but basic ones that could only see without additional functions.
It seems that this unfortunate fellow has faced considerable hardship in the Second World.
Under the gaze of Kui Xin’s blue eyes, He Kangshi nervously lowered his voice and said, “Code phrase! What are the last three words after ‘Little Bear Biscuit’?”
Kui Xin: “…?”
Hesitating, she replied, “Bouncing and jumping.”
He Kangshi visibly relaxed, saying, “Just kidding… Hello, hello. We’ll be colleagues from now on.”
“Colleagues?” Kui Xin repeated.
“We work under the same boss. Doesn’t that make us colleagues?” He Kangshi said, taking out his communicator and sending a message to “Black Snake” in front of Kui Xin.
Instantly, her communicator in her pocket received a new message with the content: “Boss, I’ve made contact.”
Calmly, Kui Xin responded through data manipulation: “Good.”
After sending the message, He Kangshi looked up at Kui Xin and asked, “Have you eaten lunch? I’ll treat you.”
“I’ll treat you. I’ll need your help in this city from now on,” Kui Xin said. “What should I call you?”
“The boss didn’t tell you… uh, I get it.” He Kangshi speculated, then said, “Just call me Hunter Falcon. That’s my name in the bounty hunter circle. Most people don’t want to reveal their real names when taking jobs, so you should also come up with a code name for yourself.”
Kui Xin smirked slightly behind her mask.
Ugh, another name to come up with. She was already a collective of code names; Mechanized Dawn had two, one from her original identity and another she created, “Lady Fortune.” In the Resistance Army, she also had a separate code name, and in the player community, her code name was 233, also Black Snake.
Now she had to add another one; if she had too many, she wouldn’t be able to keep track.
“Call me Maotoufu,” Kui Xin said disinterestedly.
He Kangshi fell into thought: “Is the symbol of our organization a snake? Should I change my code name to something like ‘Cobra’ or ‘Silver Ringed Snake’…?”
Kui Xin: “…Forget it, that’s unnecessary.”
He Kangshi reluctantly gave up the idea of changing his name.
“Let’s go eat,” Kui Xin said. “After eating, we’ll go to work and head to the place where bounty hunters pick up tasks.”
“Alright,” He Kangshi responded. “Bounty hunters need referrals to register; it just so happens I can be your referrer.”
They turned to leave the bar, and as Kui Xin looked ahead, she halted her steps.
She quickly took two strides forward, reached up to grab the helmet hanging from the handlebars, and struck one of the car thieves in the back of the head with it; the thief fell straight to the ground.
Kui Xin kindly looked at the other car thief and knocked him out with an uppercut before he could draw his weapon. His body flew a short distance before crashing to the ground.
In a single encounter, she effortlessly took down two people.
Amidst the clear sound of cracking bones, He Kangshi was dumbfounded.
“…Sister, you’re amazing,” he said.
