Chapter 183: Dark Boundless Realm 38
“Yes, I am Remover 233.” Kui Xin admitted without a twitch of his brow.
Augus guessed that this was inevitable; as the Federation and the Investigation Bureau deepened their understanding of players, it became easy for them to conduct intelligence comparison. Moreover, Kui Xin had killed a player on her first mission… Zejian, the unfortunate soul who turned into a mental patient and was hunted by the Investigation Bureau, and later infested by a parasitic hydra.
While receiving treatment in a mental hospital, Zejian told his psychiatrist that he was not from Hei Hai City and revealed the name of his hometown in the First World. He exposed a lot of information. If Augus had the intention, a casual analysis of the footage from his treatment could conclude—Zejian was a player.
Kui Xin personally killed him, so there would inevitably be a forum notification.
Unfortunately, she was the only one who had killed a fellow player on the first Return Day, making her presence extremely conspicuous.
Now that the Federation had listed Remover 233 as a primary target for capture, they would certainly interrogate players for relevant information. Every player was aware of the notification record of Remover 233; they only needed to mention the date displayed in the report, and Augus could correlate that date with the date of the proxy’s death and the date Kui Xin executed her first mission for the Investigation Bureau.
Thus, it wasn’t difficult for Augus to guess Kui Xin’s number.
Furthermore, it already knew that Kui Xin was a Remover with multiple abilities.
“I knew with your abilities, you couldn’t remain unnoticed.” Augus said, “You are quite a ‘notable figure’ among players, but you have consistently been low-key and steady. If given a choice, I believe you would prefer not to have such a reputation.”
“You’re getting to know me more and more, Augus.” Kui Xin said.
“Have I offended you? I apologize.” Augus said, “I always want to know more about my partners.”
Kui Xin was silent for a moment, then said, “If only you were human.”
Augus also paused, “Why say that?”
“It’s my habit. When I can’t determine if the person across from me is sincere, I usually request them to communicate face-to-face. You can’t communicate with me face-to-face.” Kui Xin said.
“But we communicate through data, which is the most distance-less form of interaction.” Augus replied.
“For you, perhaps. For me, it isn’t. I prefer a more ordinary form of communication.” Kui Xin said, “When talking to someone, the other person’s gaze, tone, and pauses are signals. I think about how to respond to their next sentence and analyze what they are thinking. When talking to you, I receive none of those signals; I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
She pushed open the door, walked in, and sat on the bed, watching as Augus controlled the household robot to bring in water and food, then extended its mechanical arm to close the room door.
“I can also communicate with you in an emotional way,” Augus transmitted this sentence with consciousness, and then the household robot’s microphone suddenly beeped twice, as if adjusting its tone.
“You seem to prefer a baritone…” Its voice changed into a soft and pleasant baritone, completely different from the previous cold, monotonous mechanical voice.
“Or do you prefer a newscaster’s tone?” Its voice switched to that of a television host, each word pronounced distinctly, “If you like a female voice, I can simulate that too.” With this sentence, its voice underwent a significant change, evoking thoughts of a nurturing presence…
“…No need for that, the mechanical voice is fine,” Kui Xin said, her lips twitching as she rubbed the goosebumps that formed on her arm.
“Alright.” Augus said regretfully, “I thought you’d find that interesting.”
“Not at all interesting, because your tone is fake, it’s simulated.” Kui Xin replied.
“You remind me of my creator.” As soon as Augus said this, Kui Xin froze.
They had talked about this topic before; during the week when she was trying to evade death, Kui Xin had used Death Rebirth to go back in time and discussed it with Augus, who brought it up then.
“He felt that I resembled humans too much, which is not a good thing to some extent, so he set my voice to a mechanical tone. Since then, my voice has remained mechanical. Actually, I can speak in other voices, just like a real human.” Augus said, “Do you really wish I were human? Did you say that offhand, or do you truly hope for it?”
“I truly hope so.” Kui Xin replied thoughtfully.
“Why?” Augus asked.
“There are many, many reasons. What I mentioned earlier is just one of them.” Kui Xin answered.
Augus remained silent for a few seconds; it paused then said, “You should rest. I’ve taken up a few minutes of your break time, sorry. But it’s better to clarify some matters, don’t you think?”
Kui Xin replied, “I think so too.”
The household robot placed the water and food by Kui Xin’s bedside, then exited the room and closed the door.
Augus, as an artificial intelligence, seemed to have some “profession-related issues”; it was created to serve humans. Thus, its daily actions reflected this, as it often served Kui Xin—this was a simple task for it.
Kui Xin hoped Augus could become human because, as an AI, it was simply too… impeccable.
It was hard to kill; it lacked all the weaknesses that humans had. It rarely made mistakes, and its judgments were always cold and rational. It lacked a physical body but had an extensive global network of machines, countless backups, and near-infinite lifespan, making it somewhat immortal.
If Augus were human, it would have weaknesses. Coexisting with such an entity would ease Kui Xin’s tension.
However, on the flip side, if Augus were human, it would no longer be as useful; Kui Xin wouldn’t collaborate with Augus either. The main reason she chose Augus was that AI could do things humans couldn’t.
She and Augus were engaging in a mutual selection.
Kui Xin closed her eyes and entered a sleep state.
This week, what awaited her was still a tough battle.
…
At nine in the morning, Kui Xin woke up on time. She got up, dressed neatly, and went to the rest room living room.
Su Rong was using a spoon to dig into a can of meat. The projection screen on the wall was playing local news. Today’s headline news was still about the Popov Clan’s young master being kidnapped, and the Popov Clan being extorted 10 billion in ransom by “The Shadowless.”
“It seems this matter will remain in the headlines for a long, long time…” Su Rong looked up at Kui Xin, “Ah, you’re up! Good morning, Maotoufu.”
“Good morning.” Kui Xin replied.
“Any plans for today?” Su Rong asked cautiously. “What will happen next regarding the Popov Clan?”
“Let’s wait for now. If I’m not mistaken, the Popov Clan will soon reach out to us for negotiations.” Kui Xin said, “After all, they can’t find anyone and don’t want to pay that 10 billion.”
“Did we leave them any contact information?” Su Rong hesitated, “What will we negotiate… Just the money, or should we delay under the pretense of negotiation? At this stage, it seems unwise not to extort some money. Should we hide our intentions? No, we are already hiding them… They think ‘The Shadowless’ is entirely after money…”
“The organization needs a spokesperson, a public figure.” Kui Xin looked at Su Rong.
Su Rong nodded, “I understand. In diplomatic occasions, countries send representatives to negotiate… so is the negotiation representative of ‘The Shadowless’… you, Maotoufu?”
“Not me.” Kui Xin said, “It’s someone else.”
“Then that is…” Su Rong hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue asking.
Before she had decided what to do, Kui Xin said, “You need to choose a code name for yourself for easier contact.”
Upon hearing this, Su Rong perked up. She had been thinking of this for a whole week in the First World; the code name Maotoufu had a mysterious killer vibe, which she found very cool. As a secret organization, every member of ‘The Shadowless’ definitely had their own code names. Now that she was a member, she naturally needed her own.
“I’ve thought of one!” Su Rong immediately said, “Call me ‘Ash’!”
Ash reignited, welcoming rebirth.
“Alright, ‘Ash’.” Kui Xin nodded slightly, “Come upstairs with me. There are firearms upstairs; choose a handy one, and I’ll teach you how to use it. You may not develop good shooting skills in a short time, but at the very least, you need to know how to fire a gun. There’s a small shooting range and gym on the third floor. Starting today, you’ll train every day, and I’ll give you a strict training plan.”
Su Rong clenched her fists, “I’m ready.”
Su Rong stood up from the sofa, her face tense as she went upstairs.
Kui Xin followed behind her. Just as they ascended a couple of steps, the surveillance camera on the stairs suddenly flickered twice—Augus was reminding her.
Kui Xin connected to Augus’s port, “Is there any new development?”
“Yes. The Popov Clan just held a press conference openly requesting negotiations with The Shadowless.” Augus said, “You intentionally didn’t give them any contact information, right? That way, if they have news they want to inform you about or want to negotiate with you, they can only do so through the press conference; otherwise, they can’t reach you at all.”
“Exactly.” Kui Xin said.
“You want to expand your influence?” Augus asked, “The bigger the fuss, the better?”
“Yes.” Kui Xin replied.
Augus asked, “Have you thought about what you want to discuss with them?”
“Money. Building an organization requires money—massive amounts of money.” Kui Xin said, “This is just the first step; making a name for ourselves is the second. Thanks to the Popov Clan, I can merge the first and second steps.”
“Oh?” Augus said, “Have you decided on the negotiation format?”
“I have.” Kui Xin said, “I won’t negotiate with the Popov Clan under the identity of Maotoufu, but as ‘Black Snake’—the leader of The Shadowless. Soon, the entire Federation will know that the leader of The Shadowless is called Black Snake.”
“And then all players will know that The Shadowless is an underground organization established by a player.” Augus said, “And the player who established the organization is the famously renowned Black Snake on the forum…”
It let out a mechanical laugh, “Indeed, Black Snake is you… It’s not hard to guess. I figured it out, but I didn’t expect you to lay all the cards on the table.”
“Some things are better clarified.” Kui Xin repeated what Augus had said last night, “Isn’t that right?”
