Chapter 193: Dark Boundless Realm 48
“What do you think, what kind of face should I change to?” He Kangshi held a mirror to his scarred face, “Should it be more ordinary or a bit more handsome? Maotoufu allocated a lot of funds for me, enough for me to get ten surgeries, and she agreed for me to use some of this funding for cosmetic surgery.”
A lump of black mud at He Kangshi’s feet formed into a hand that grasped a pen on the desk and wrote, “Ordinary is better; if you blend into the crowd, you won’t attract attention.”
“Hey, I was somewhat handsome before the surgery,” He Kangshi said gloomily.
The Shadow Double wrote again: “You could have your appearance altered to look like a foreigner, get a whitening injection, change your race; that way, it would be even harder to recognize you.”
“That makes sense… After all, the Second World is a multilingual and multiethnic society. Last time, I even saw a Black man bowing to a customer and saying ‘Sumimasen,’ all pronounced correctly,” He Kangshi stroked his chin, “Forget it, I’ll just leave it to my cosmetic surgeon; whatever image they design for me, I’ll go with that.”
It was now the evening of the next day, and Kui Xin had not yet returned.
He Kangshi closed the shop during normal business hours, hanging an “out of business” sign on the door, and then took a nap in the Rest Room upstairs and ate something. Su Rong’s Shadow Double had disappeared for a few hours during the shop’s closure and then quietly returned; she needed time to regain her strength to maintain the Shadow Double.
As night fell, it was time for the shop to open.
He Kangshi pressed a button beside the desk, and the electronic street sign hanging above the door instantly changed from “Out of Business” to “Open,” as the automatic rolling shutter slowly moved up.
Ten minutes after opening, someone pushed the shop’s door open.
He Kangshi was startled by the sound and looked up to exclaim in surprise, “You’re back!”
The Shadow Double also peeked out and waved at Kui Xin.
“Did everything go smoothly?” He Kangshi asked concernedly.
“If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have come back,” Kui Xin stepped into the shop, “Did anyone come looking for trouble?”
“No one caused any trouble, but there are no customers,” He Kangshi replied, “Probably because word got around that there was a bloody incident here last night. People are deliberately avoiding this place.”
“The situation has been tense lately; there are some plans and preparations we must start working on,” Kui Xin snapped her fingers, and a blue Spatial Vortex opened. A generally ordinary-looking man fell out of the vortex, “This is my new employee. He will temporarily oversee this shop while you work.”
The Narwhal organization is too conspicuous; Kui Xin couldn’t draw people from that gang but could only tap into their funds. So she spent a bit more time recruiting another not overly small gang to pull from when she needed personnel.
“Do you need me to do something with Gray Ash?” He Kangshi understood immediately.
“Yes, you need to change your face. Your current facial features are too recognizable. A lot of people from the bar you worked at know your face, which poses a considerable risk. You need to cut ties with your past so that no one can recognize you,” Kui Xin said, “This is quite important; you should do it right away.”
He Kangshi immediately said, “Alright, I’ve actually been scouting surgeons for several weeks and found a reliable one.”
“Tell me the address,” Kui Xin said.
He Kangshi provided the name of the cosmetic surgery shop on the black market and added, “I’ve heard from people on the street that this person is very discreet and has a good reputation.”
“Good.” Kui Xin noted down the address.
He Kangshi sensed something unusual from Kui Xin’s series of actions.
“Is there big trouble coming?” he discerned keenly.
“Yes, our troubles are not only with the Popov Clan but also with many other powerful secret organizations,” Kui Xin responded, “Let’s get to work, Hunter Falcon, time is of the essence.”
The Shadow Double tugged at Kui Xin’s pant leg; Kui Xin took out her communicator and saw that Su Rong had sent her a message: “I also want cosmetic surgery; my face is too noticeable, I want to change it.”
Kui Xin replied, “Sure, I was planning to have you do that anyway.”
After settling the newly acquired shop, Kui Xin opened a Spatial Vortex, indicating for He Kangshi to step inside.
With a mix of nervousness, he stepped in, passing through a thin barrier, and was immediately hit by a powerful stench that nearly made him vomit.
“Garbage alley?” he stepped over a mountain of garbage bags and walked out of the alley, discovering he was near the cosmetic surgery shop.
“Let’s go.” Kui Xin walked out of the vortex.
The blue vortex closed.
He Kangshi sighed, “What a convenient ability.”
They walked through the narrow street to an unremarkable little shop.
As soon as they entered, a mechanical device shaped like a puppy sounded, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No.” Kui Xin replied.
“If not, you need to make one,” the puppy’s mouth opened and closed, “Cosmetic orders are booked out a week from now; please come again.”
“I can pay extra,” Kui Xin said, “Double.”
The puppy quickly changed its tune, “Please come in, esteemed guest.”
The rusty metal automatic door creaked open, and He Kangshi looked at the dark hallway behind the metal door, suddenly feeling a strong distrust in this surgeon’s professional ethics; when he heard that paying extra allowed someone to cut in line, it seemed all too much like a money-driven person!
Without hesitation, Kui Xin walked into the hallway. Under the gaze of the electronic eye, the dim space brightened as if it were day.
They descended two floors to a studio door.
Upon opening the door, the surgeon, sitting in a chair, extended his arms to them: “Welcome, guests. What services do you need?”
He Kangshi immediately stated, “Cosmetic surgery! It shouldn’t be too recognizable, but I don’t want to use the same face as anyone else. I’ve heard that some unscrupulous surgeons make two guests have the same face, leaving the uninformed thinking they’re twins!”
The surgeon chuckled softly, “Every guest who comes to me has a similar request. I am a professional, and every face I craft is unique. You must trust my skills; every face sculpted by my scalpel is one of a kind; I won’t perform the same design on anyone.”
He paused, “Have you brought the money?”
Kui Xin pulled a gold bar from her waist pouch and tossed it over. The surgeon scrambled to catch it, checked its authenticity, and cheerfully replied, “You are in luck; I just finished a surgery this morning and was planning to take a two-day break. But since you’re willing to pay extra…”
“Stop the chatter; let’s start as soon as possible,” Kui Xin asserted.
“Alright.” The surgeon sat at a console and began adjusting the facial modeling, “Whatever kind of face you want, I can make it for you. Beautiful, ugly, inconspicuous, unconventional… all styles are available.”
He made slight adjustments to the model and showed it to He Kangshi: “How about this? An ordinary yellow-skinned face that looks very natural.”
He Kangshi didn’t hesitate, “Let’s go with this. By the way, can you change my appearance to that of another race?”
“I can, but I don’t recommend it. There are significant differences in bone structure between races, and knowledgeable people can identify your real race by your body shape,” the surgeon said with a professional demeanor, “Cosmetic surgery is only meant to make others less able to recognize you; taking it too far may backfire.”
“You know what you’re talking about,” Kui Xin remarked.
“It’s common in our line of work,” the surgeon shrugged, “Every month, a few murderers and fugitives come here for surgery.”
He said seriously: “Don’t be fooled by the shabby appearance of this place; I’m hidden here to evade the Federation’s crackdown. I have all the necessary technology and equipment.”
The surgeon pointed to a well-maintained machine in the corner, completely dust-free.
“I use synthetic human skin to carve faces, filling the face with artificial bone. Under any device’s detection, the face after surgery appears as real and natural as the original, with pores and textures perfectly rendered,” the surgeon said excitedly, “If you want it to be even more realistic, I can also extract skin cells from you for skin cultivation, but this method is very time-consuming…”
“Synthetic human skin will do,” He Kangshi replied, smacking his lips.
“Ha-ha, most people choose synthetic human skin because its plasticity is higher and relatively cheaper,” the surgeon chuckled softly, saying in a lower voice, “If the customer can afford to pay the high price, I can make you a person that doesn’t exist in society.”
Kui Xin inquired, “Tell me more about that?”
“Changing your face also involves your eyes, as your iris is your identification information,” the surgeon explained, “Switch your eyes for cybernetic ones, and I can change your fingerprints and lip prints as well. I can completely strip your hand and foot fingerprints and replace them with a designed set, including lip prints. I can even help you reshape your vocal cords, making your voice completely different from before.”
“These things can be changed, but you can’t change DNA,” Kui Xin pointed out.
The surgeon lamented, “Unfortunately, there is no such technology currently. I fear that only extraordinary abilities can achieve that. I highly doubt there exists such an extraordinary ability…”
Genetic mimicry-type extraordinary ability? This type of ability would likely be rarer than mental or spatial abilities.
“Regardless…” The surgeon took out a sculpted human face and held it up against He Kangshi’s face, “Replacing all human body parts mechanically is too crude; I cannot appreciate that kind of hard art. I prefer soft art; the kind that carves on the human body.”
The human face was quite fitting, and the surgeon nodded satisfiedly: “Not bad; now let’s put you under anesthesia for the face change.”
“Also, change his fingerprints, lip prints, and voice,” Kui Xin added, pulling out a larger gold bar.
“Wow, a big customer!” the surgeon exclaimed, “Next time you come, I’ll give you a 20% discount.”
“Do you even get return customers here?”
“Often,” the surgeon squeezed a syringe, “People who cause trouble once usually find themselves in trouble again pretty quickly, and that’s when I’m again of service, right? There are too few people who know when to stop and too many wanting to change their lives to escape their current situations.”
He Kangshi looked at the gold bar Kui Xin pulled out and felt moved: “Sis, you’re too good to me; from now on, you are my biological sister, and I will have to work hard day and night to repay your kindness!”
Kui Xin ignored him, focused on the surgeon working on He Kangshi, and planned to bring Su Rong over later.
Changing his face was a necessary step, but the surgeon in front of her was a loophole; he knew too much, so Kui Xin planned to make the surgeon part of her organization.
She was also considering changing her own face and fingerprints. The Kui Xin of the Second World was already dead; it was best if she vanished forever and never reappeared.
While she was deep in thought, Augus suddenly sent out an alert.
“The miniature surveillance you set up in Yefim’s office has been triggered; someone has entered. There are two of them,” Augus said, “The footage has been transferred; please check it.”
Kui Xin’s heart skipped a beat as she entered data manipulation mode.
The footage streamed in, and her heart began to race intensely.
“This is a big problem.” The voice of the visitors was recorded by the devices she had set up in the office.
Amber said, “His mental state is off, like… he’s been controlled. I’ve detected signs of mental invasion in his brain.”
Ghost said languidly, “Oh? Has a little mouse invaded our nest?”
