Chapter 19: Sea Without Light 19
“Ancient, the legacy of the ancient gods?” Kui Xin found it absurd.
Are there cults in other worlds too? She hadn’t had the chance to learn much about this; she would have to investigate it thoroughly once she returned.
“They believe so,” Xueyao Shu said. “Xenomorphs have existed from ancient times to the present, as can be seen from widely circulated folk legends. However, it’s undeniable that xenomorphs differ greatly from the organisms we commonly observe in nature… They hardly seem like species that could develop on our planet.”
“Indeed… they look too disgusting,” Kui Xin retorted. “I might not be able to eat at noon.”
“Thirty years ago, the federal government passed a bill declaring all religious beliefs and organizations illegal. The era of chaos and ignorance has passed; in the past, people worshipped nature, fantasizing that deities ruled this realm. Nowadays, the brilliance of science dispels that chaos. We no longer need divine guidance for humanity to progress; what should guide humanity is technology,” Xueyao Shu said. “Yet various secret cults continue to cling to existence. If they kept a low profile, the Investigation Bureau might not catch wind of them, but unfortunately, they never learn to stay subdued.”
Kui Xin looked at the person lying on the floor of the cell and said, “He belongs to a secret cult?”
“Yes. A week ago, the third squad of the field operations team raided their gathering place. At the time, he was conducting a ceremony with several cult members to ingest divine blood,” Xueyao Shu’s smile held a hint of sarcasm. “None of them escaped; they were all captured.”
“Do all heterogeneous blooded individuals undergo physical mutations?” Kui Xin observed the prisoner in the cell. “He seems like he won’t last long; do heterogeneous blooded individuals all have short lifespans?”
Xueyao Shu pondered, “The Investigation Bureau records every heterogeneous blooded individual we capture. From the records, it seems that each heterogeneous blooded individual experiences mutations, though the degree of mutation varies. The mutation degree of the individual before us can only be considered moderate.”
“Then severe mutations must be really disgusting,” Kui Xin mumbled.
“You can apply to see these records from Augus; there are pictures and videos of the mutation process,” Xueyao Shu said. “Don’t watch them before or after meals; either you’ll lose your appetite or you’ll end up vomiting.”
Kui Xin clicked her tongue. “Thanks for the reminder, Captain.”
“We haven’t conducted any studies on the lifespan of heterogeneous blooded individuals here. What I can tell you is that none we’ve captured has lived beyond a month,” Xueyao Shu said. “This kind of mutation is irreversible. Both the doctors and the prisoners can do nothing but watch as their bodies gradually turn into grotesque monsters, ultimately becoming unrecognizable.”
“That’s truly frightening…” Kui Xin exhaled, “After paying such a high price, did they gain extraordinary abilities?”
“Perhaps they did,” Xueyao Shu said. “Through observation and experimentation, we’ve found that heterogeneous blooded individuals heal from injuries very quickly, even faster than high-level awakened individuals with excellent physical qualities. Their physical strength is also increased, two to three times that of regular people—this is based solely on the data from the heterogeneous blooded individuals we’ve captured. The cost of obtaining these abilities is a rapid decline in their lifespan and physical deformity. According to current records, they seem not to develop the various extraordinary abilities that awakened individuals do; their physical qualities are merely enhanced.”
“Are there no instances of individuals who survived successfully?” Kui Xin asked. “Their sacrifices seem disproportionately large compared to their gains; why do they keep taking divine blood continuously?”
“Those who believe in science cannot understand the fanaticism of religious devotees; perhaps they see it as worthwhile,” Xueyao Shu said. “There might be individuals who survived after taking divine blood. When we interrogate these heterogeneous blooded individuals, they firmly believe that their failures stem from the gods not accepting them. They see their deaths as offerings of blood, flesh, and spirit to the ancient gods, aiding the awakening of the slumbering deities.”
Kui Xin contemplated. “I wonder if any surviving individuals have developed various extraordinary abilities like the awakened. Can’t we capture one and interrogate them?”
“Hard to catch; they are skilled at hiding. The true leaders of the cult never appear in the spotlight,” Xueyao Shu replied, his expression growing solemn. “In other words, all the cult members and heterogeneous blooded individuals we’ve captured so far are merely minions and peripheral members of the secret cult; the real core has never shown itself.”
Kui Xin was extremely astonished.
As a government department, the Investigation Bureau possessed considerable power.
The super AI Augus had terrifying computational abilities and could quickly filter city-wide surveillance to pinpoint suspects. If needed, it could even remotely control reconnaissance drones to track individuals on the internet, assisting the Investigation Bureau in laying a web for capture.
With such a formidable setup, could they really not catch the core members of the secret cult?
“Work training is almost complete, Kui Xin,” Xueyao Shu turned around and said to her gently but seriously. “We need to maintain public safety in the city, eliminate xenomorphs, and confront the forces hidden in the shadows of society. From now on, you must fulfill your duties as a security officer every day.”
He looked at her with great expectations, and Kui Xin smiled and replied, “I will do that, Captain.”
Fulfilling duties is subject to circumstances; it would not do to die in the pursuit of duty. The key to survival is to let others take the lead in challenging situations, assess the situation, and then plan the next steps.
“We can leave now,” Xueyao Shu said.
Back in the elevator, Kui Xin was deep in thought.
Heterogeneous blooded individuals, awakened ones.
These two are different professions, different paths to power.
And Kui Xin remembered that her game system’s introduction to “Remover” was: “A profession that gains strength by hunting special ability users and taking away their extraordinary abilities.”
The term “special ability user” does not solely refer to the “awakened,” which implies that if Kui Xin kills a heterogeneous blooded individual, she could still potentially remove their powers and use them.
“Are you thinking about xenomorphs?” Xueyao Shu’s concerned voice rang in her ear.
“No,” Kui Xin snapped back to reality. “I was wondering how much my salary would increase after I become a full member.”
“…” Xueyao Shu fell silent.
“Captain,” Kui Xin looked him in the eyes and asked, “How can one become awakened?”
“One must be lucky enough,” Xueyao Shu replied. “There’s no pattern to how awakened individuals come into being; sometimes one wakes up just by taking a nap, and other times it’s after a significant shock. It’s hard for me to give you any advice in this regard since I am not an awakened one myself.”
Kui Xin casually asked, “Who in the Investigation Bureau is an awakened individual? Are there many?”
Maintaining an appropriate level of curiosity and asking relevant questions is important. Although Xueyao Shu might not answer some questions, her inquiries wouldn’t raise suspicions. It’s human nature to be curious, and it’s logical to ask her superior about gossip driven by curiosity.
As expected, Xueyao Shu didn’t answer her, merely stating, “That’s classified; you’ll find out when you get promoted to team leader.”
Kui Xin smiled, “Then I’ll work hard to strive for a position at the same level as you, Captain.”
During lunchtime at the staff canteen, Kui Xin deliberately avoided all red and green foods to prevent any unpleasant associations that might cause her to lose her appetite.
Even so, she still ate very little, mechanically chewing and swallowing, forcing herself to consume enough to sustain energy for her training in the afternoon.
The training time went by surprisingly fast.
After basic combat and shooting practice, Kui Xin began weight-bearing running, carrying dozens of kilograms. She was breathless and her clothes were soaked, feeling like she might collapse on the ground.
The coach beside the training field looked at his watch in surprise and said, “Impressive willpower! You got such a good result on your first try; you’ll finish five kilometers in no time! Want to try running eight kilometers instead? Hey, don’t look at me like I’m a demon! Trying to push your limits is a good thing! If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never know where your limits lie!”
Kui Xin said intermittently, “I… I’ll think about it tomorrow; our field operations team has a meeting in half an hour.”
The coach reluctantly let her go.
For newcomers just joining the Investigation Bureau, there would be designated personnel for training. Today was the first day of formal training, and Kui Xin felt like she wanted to spit blood.
Back in school, her most dreaded class was physical education; she disliked running. So, whenever PE class came, Kui Xin would look forward to her regular teacher taking over the class. She would rather take another exam than attend physical education.
The past was like a fleeting shadow; Kui Xin had achieved a breakthrough in herself, voluntarily starting training under the pressure of survival.
After lying on the ground to rest for three minutes, Kui Xin struggled to get up, wobbling as she dragged her feet back to the elevator, intending to return to the rest room for a shower.
She was drenched in sweat, and heading to a meeting like that was incredibly unpresentable.
It took Kui Xin ten minutes to shower. Luckily, her short hair dried quickly without taking much time, and after finishing, she changed into her uniform and hurriedly took the elevator to the meeting room.
Most of the people in the meeting room were already gathered. Kui Xin spotted Lan Lan waving at her and quickly walked over to sit beside her in the vacant seat.
The meeting room had around forty to fifty people, all members from various squads. The field operations team typically consisted of five to seven-member squads, each with different roles, and tasks were executed in squad form. For more challenging missions, multiple squads would cooperate.
“There are so many people,” Kui Xin glanced around.
As the field operations team leader, Wei Zhi was sitting at the front row, a bit far away from them.
“Today is a grand meeting; all the squads are present,” Lan Lan said.
Liu Kangyun, who sat in front, turned to Kui Xin and asked, “Has your training gone well, Kui Xin?”
“Yes… it left a deep impression,” Kui Xin’s expression said it all, “I can’t even enjoy my lunch now.”
Jiang Ming, who had just been discharged from the hospital, said, “That’s quite normal; you’ll adapt. You’ll likely encounter even more disgusting scenes when you go on missions in the future.”
“That’s true,” Kui Xin sighed.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they fell silent as the meeting was about to begin.
Wei Zhi walked up to the podium, her sharp gaze scanning everyone present. Skipping the opening remarks, she got straight to the point: “Recently, gang riots at the port have been frequent, causing us considerable casualties. The personnel shortage in the coastal security team at the port has resulted in a need for adjustment in the areas managed by the field operations teams.”
Those who made it into the field operations team were individuals with exceptional combat qualifications; it was the team that faced the most danger and thus had the highest casualty rates.
However, a part of the casualties in the coastal security team could perhaps be attributed to Silverface, as he killed two members of the sixth squad during his investigation.
“Seventh Squad,” Wei Zhi’s gaze fell on Xueyao Shu, “Effective tomorrow, you’ll be reassigned to the Harbor Zone port and will conduct coastal patrol tasks alongside the fifth and sixth squads originally assigned to the coastal security team.”
Xueyao Shu stood up and saluted, “Understood, we will complete the mission.”
This really is… just as I was feeling drowsy, here comes someone with a pillow.
Kui Xin thought to herself, remaining outwardly composed.
