Chapter 160: Dark Boundless Realm 15
Augus: “I’m truly sorry to have kept you waiting. I couldn’t respond to your messages in a timely manner, Mai Yi.”
He Kangshi rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on his skin and replied under Kui Xin’s guidance: “Perhaps you’ve already noticed the posts on the forum.”
Augus: “Yes, it’s not surprising.”
He Kangshi was startled, not expecting Augus to openly admit that it was him. He was either a complete lunatic or truly fearless, or perhaps… both.
Long before Augus proposed the “murder competition,” He Kangshi had gained a preliminary understanding of his madness. Black Snake had him agree to Augus’s invitation in place of Remover 233, and he had been quite uneasy at the time, though he didn’t show his inner anxiety.
Even though He Kangshi had some vague guesses, his vigilance and prejudice against Remover 233 had not vanished. Even if he believed that Black Snake had him agree to participate in the “murder competition” as a temporary measure, it still couldn’t eliminate his anxiety. After returning this time, He Kangshi specifically checked the list of fallen players, and only felt relieved when he didn’t find any killing information relating to Remover 233.
“Aren’t you afraid, Augus?” He Kangshi asked.
“What’s there to be afraid of? I do not fear pain, nor do I fear death; what I fear is a tedious reality,” Augus said. “This world has become interesting, and that pleases me.”
He Kangshi furrowed his brows and turned to Kui Xin, saying: “Boss, this person is just a tax evader!”
Kui Xin pondered, “Continue to probe. Let’s investigate his identity in the Second World.”
In the post that exposed Remover 777, players speculated that he had a unique channel for gathering information, allowing him to identify who the players were. Some said he might have ties to the government, others said he belonged to a secret organization, and some speculated that he might have acquired special extraordinary abilities…
He Kangshi organized his wording and asked, “I’m increasingly curious about your identity in the Second World, Augus.”
“I’m equally curious about your identity in the Second World, Mai Yi,” Augus replied.
He Kangshi: “…”
Damn it, can you not call me Mai Yi at such a serious moment?! Communicating with foreigners who are culturally and linguistically different is genuinely exhausting!
“I feel like we are playing two games. One is a hunting game, competing to see who kills more prey. I’ve noticed that you haven’t killed more prey this week; I guess you’ve encountered some trouble, just like I have.”
He Kangshi seized the main point: “You’ve encountered trouble?”
“Yes, I have encountered a minor issue. The feeling of being entangled in trouble is quite unpleasant, and I hope to resolve it soon… But then again, solving troubles can also be a pleasure. It’s just that because of this trouble, I haven’t been able to complete this competition well, which is regrettable,” Augus said. “Our second game is a hide-and-seek game, did you notice?”
Hide-and-seek? He Kangshi pondered over the term.
“You don’t know my identity, and I don’t know yours. In the First World, we are separated by thousands of miles, and in the Second World, we have no intersection. Yet, in both worlds, we are doing the same thing—don’t you think that’s… fascinating?” Augus said with a subtle tone. “I believe we are quite in sync. When the forum first released the killing report about you, I felt that we must be of the same kind.”
“The Removers are special,” he said. “Having such a terrifying ability, it’s like we are strong magnets. Without doing anything, trouble will automatically find us. ‘Crimson Soil’ has given us this identity, and there must be extraordinary significance behind it. We are special, and we are also similar.”
He Kangshi had initially thought that Remover 233 and Remover 777 were of the same kind; they were both perverts, but only after coming under Black Snake’s command did he start to feel that his previous understanding might be wrong.
He Kangshi relayed Augus’s words to Kui Xin, who contemplated for a moment.
“Can I understand this as you inviting me to participate in another game, Augus?” she said through He Kangshi as an intermediary.
Remover 777, there are many mysteries hidden within him; his identity must be extraordinary.
“Yes, you always grasp my meaning promptly; it’s wonderful,” Augus said. “Come on, in both worlds, let’s compete to see who can uncover the other’s identity first and come before each other.”
“A very interesting game,” Kui Xin said. “I’m already starting to look forward to it.”
The conversation momentarily ended.
He Kangshi felt a chill all over and asked Kui Xin: “Boss… what does Remover 777 actually want? Is he really a complete lunatic?”
“Your question indicates that you’re suspicious of his motives,” Kui Xin replied.
“I’m afraid he’s a true lunatic… but I’m even more afraid he’s pretending to be crazy on purpose. A lucid lunatic is terrifying; he can truly do many insane things,” He Kangshi couldn’t help but say. “What happens after Remover 233 finds Remover 777? Once they recognize each other’s identities, what will they do in the end?”
From an observer’s perspective, there are essentially two outcomes: either they reach a consensus or it’s a life-or-death situation. Lunatics often have more shared language, but the principle that one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers is understood by everyone.
“Then that’s a private matter between 233 and 777,” Kui Xin said.
He Kangshi pondered, “I just feel… these two will entangle for a long time.”
Holding his mobile phone, he thought for a while, then finally smacked his forehead.
Well, it’s already been said to be a private matter. He’s just a mere echo, and being anxious is useless. He’s not of any help anyway; not causing trouble is good enough.
He Kangshi lay on the bed, quietly reciting his survival principles—don’t cause trouble, don’t create problems, prioritize self-preservation, and listen to the boss.
After reciting those words, He Kangshi soon couldn’t hold on anymore and fell into a deep sleep.
Around one in the morning, Kui Xin was still awake.
Before going to bed, she checked the background and saw a massive influx of private messages.
Since she announced the recruitment criteria for the Black Snake section, the messages in the background had not ceased. She focused on a player who had contacted her before crossing worlds and was suspected to be related to the Special Affairs Department, only to find that the other party had not sent any new messages.
Kui Xin filtered through the private messages in the background but found nothing of value and closed the forum, quietly lying on her bed.
Good sleep is rare.
Only in this familiar world could Kui Xin sleep soundly without defense.
…
“Twenty-year-old young man suddenly dies in dormitory; experts state sudden death is becoming increasingly common among the young…”
When Kui Xin got up to cook breakfast in the morning, she scrolled through the news and saw a young person’s sudden death trending.
Every year, so many people die; not every accidental death is reported, yet looking at the news made Kui Xin feel a peculiar sensation. The dead players must have felt the same way, living quietly when alive and dying quietly too—they are a drop of water in the sea, evaporated without leaving a trace.
One hundred thousand is still too few; these individuals are evenly distributed across the globe. The first beta test involved ten thousand players, the second had one hundred thousand—an increase by ten times… Did the third beta test involve a million people? The gap between the first and second beta tests was just three weeks, so the arrival of the third beta test shouldn’t be far off.
As usual, Kui Xin went for her morning exercise. After finishing, she returned to shower and habitually stopped by the library.
Both exercise and learning cannot stop; those bits of knowledge might come in handy someday.
The morning passed in a flash. After finishing lunch, Kui Xin organized her math notes, slung her backpack on her shoulder, put on a sun hat, and headed to Su Rong’s house.
Standing at Su Rong’s door, she knocked lightly, and the sound of footsteps hurriedly approached from behind the door. Su Rong peeked through the peephole and swung the door open with a whoosh.
“Xinxin Sister! You’re here!” Her excitement was visibly high. “I’ve washed strawberries and cut pineapples for you! They’re especially sweet!”
Kui Xin held onto the door frame while changing her shoes and listened to Su Rong say, “I searched for fitness videos this morning and ran on the treadmill for a bit, did some basic training…”
It seemed Su Rong had been paying attention to what Kui Xin had said about exercising.
“Not bad,” Kui Xin praised her. “You have to keep it up.”
Su Rong followed Kui Xin like a little tail, bringing her strawberries and pineapples, while Kui Xin directly entered her room and sat down at the desk.
Kui Xin opened the densely written notes and textbooks. “Let’s have class; take out your practice book. This lesson, we’ll learn how to solve triangles…”
Su Rong exclaimed in confusion: “…?”
She blinked and replied, “Oh.”
Once Su Rong sat down and just as Kui Xin was about to start teaching, she suddenly said, “I thought we would discuss important matters first; I didn’t expect you still remembered to teach me, Xinxin Sister…”
“Learning is important. Compared to the Second World, I prefer the First World; this is my home, where I have people I care about. This is where I truly stand.” Kui Xin turned to the corresponding page in her notes. “It’s the same for you; here are your parents, your home. Your life is here, not in the Second World.”
“Yeah,” Su Rong rallied. “But living in two worlds feels so fragmented. In one side, we’re hunted and become wanted criminals, while in this world we’re students. I’m busy with college entrance exams; Xinxin Sister, you’re busy with university…”
“This is something we can’t help. For us, there are two worlds to consider, and a person’s energy is limited. The effort we have to put in is not just doubled; it’s challenging to manage life in both worlds simultaneously, and I deeply resonate with that,” Kui Xin stated. “Let’s start with what’s at hand—once you leave the Second World, you need to manage your life in the First World well, since this is your home.”
“Right!” Su Rong pouted. “But I feel so inadequate; I have no self-discipline and am not calm. You, Xinxin Sister, seem so mature, like you’re never lost… I always think about the stuff in the other world, which leads to me not handling things in this world well, feeling scattered and disorganized… it’s hard to describe that feeling!”
“No, I’m not lost; it’s because I can distinguish between priorities, discard unnecessary things, and only focus on one goal and one principle,” Kui Xin said calmly. “Imagine the First and Second Worlds as the two ends of a balance beam. When you can’t maintain the balance, it’s best not to try; just choose one side.”
Su Rong responded, “Is that how it is? It seems… you’ve been through a lot, Xinxin Sister.”
“Learning is important, and our conversation later is also important,” Kui Xin replied. “Right now, I don’t want to talk with you about it because I fear it will distract you from your studies, making you think of this and that. So let’s start class first.”
“Okay,” Su Rong obediently replied, picking up her pen and struggling through the sea of questions.
