Chapter 208: Dark Boundless Realm 63
“Do you think he’s trustworthy?”
“Trustworthy.”
Kui Xin pondered, “He really wants to save Black Obsidian, that’s true. He doesn’t trust the Resistance Army, that’s also true. Coming to me as a last resort, it’s a move of desperation, I suppose. Look, he doesn’t trust me either; he didn’t bring his real body and kept it far away because he’s afraid I might turn against him.”
“The part of the information he shared with you remains questionable,” Augus said.
“Indeed.” Kui Xin focused on her thoughts.
Amber mentioned that one of the locations holding players was Fusgong City, which is close to the Federal Administrative Center. It only takes half an hour to travel from the Administrative Center to Fusgong City by tram. The original headquarters of Mechanized Dawn was in Hei Hai City, but the city near the Federal Administrative Center is actually where Eve holds the most power, since its largest hangar is located there.
Augus’s central hangar is also within the Federal Administrative Center.
Amber only disclosed part of the information; he wouldn’t reveal everything at once. He intended to tell Kui Xin the rest after saving Black Obsidian. Amber knew about the location because he had previously been there with Black Obsidian to brainwash players; before leaving Mechanized Dawn, three players were held there, and Mechanized Dawn has more detention locations besides just Fusgong City.
Additionally, Amber revealed the identity of a liaison from the Resistance Army—Abrak Popov.
“Amber, unlike other artificial beings, is very thoughtful; they’re not blank slates,” Augus said. “Since they have been manipulated, they value freedom highly. They won’t be loyal to anyone or any organization.”
Kui Xin replied, “I know. I’m not expecting much from Amber; if the deal can be made, he needs to give me a vial of his blood.”
She reflected, “The rescue will take at least until next week or the week after, and success is not guaranteed. This week we’ll stick to the original plan and visit the Mechanized Dawn branch. If time allows afterward, we’ll check out the Popov Clan.”
Kui Xin was curious as to why the Resistance Army chose Abrak Popov as their contact in White Whale City. What role does the Popov Clan play between the Federation and the Resistance Army?
Amber’s appearance was a significant turning point.
Both Kui Xin and Augus thought so.
It should have been wise for Augus to caution Kui Xin to be more careful regarding the deal, suggesting at least waiting another two to three days to observe the movements of the Resistance Army. However, that thought was halted after circulating in its neural network. Driven by some internal weighing and personal interest, it stopped persuading her, simply saying, “Stay safe; I believe you know what you’re doing.”
…
At three in the afternoon, Kui Xin set out.
She changed her electronic eye and swapped her left arm for a more battle-suited model.
Setting out during the day was meant to create a time gap; she knew that the usual activity of Mechanized Dawn occurs at night when there are fewer people outside, while those in gray and black zones emerge from their nests. Due to the influence of Mechanized Dawn, Kui Xin’s active hours had always been at night.
Today was an exception as she was out during the day to gather intelligence.
Chuangtuo Technology pretended to be a law-abiding company, with employees going in and out of their building during the day for work. They had many external business dealings. For Mechanized Dawn to expand, money was essential, and these shell companies existed to provide financial support for Mechanized Dawn’s activities.
Eve could certainly obtain funding through illegal means, but large sums would easily raise suspicions from the Federation, so not all avenues could be illegal. As for technology, Eve, as the Federation’s administrative assistant AI, found it easy to steal some core technologies from the Federation. Mechanized Dawn had grown to become a parasite on the Federation, draining its resources.
“We have arrived at the designated location,” Augus said. “This sewer line is directly beneath Chuangtuo Technology; it’s their wastewater processing pipeline.”
Kui Xin shone her flashlight around; this path was a dead end, with a gray concrete wall ahead.
The sewer environment was revoltingly filthy, so Kui Xin wore a gas mask to avoid inhaling toxic sewage fumes.
Chuangtuo Technology must indeed have an underground section. Previously, there had been underground laboratories at their headquarters in Hei Hai City. Kui Xin’s Shadow Transition could pass through walls, provided the distance didn’t exceed the capability of her technique.
Otherwise, she would reveal herself stuck in the wall, leading to certain death.
She could also open a Spatial Vortex, but that would create a glaring two-way passage. It was far too conspicuous compared to Shadow Transition. What if the location she opened the vortex was directly in front of a camera? She would be caught the moment she entered. The black mist produced by Shadow Transition was almost undetectable, making it more suitable for stealth operations.
However, Kui Xin was well-prepared; she brought a sonar measuring device.
Ordinary scanning equipment couldn’t penetrate walls of standard thickness, but there was a device in the black market that could use sound waves to detect wall distances. The method involved setting up the device and pressing the cylindrical head against the wall or ground. The cylinder releases inaudible sound waves, which bounce back when they encounter special materials. This way, it could measure the actual distance based on solid sound propagation principles.
It was somewhat similar to radar but more advanced.
Kui Xin pulled out the heavy sonar measuring device from her backpack and set it against the wall to test the distance.
The cylindrical head silently extended to press against the wall, causing a subtle, dull noise that startled the water droplets condensed on the wall, which slowly trickled down. The device’s display showed the reading: “12.3.”
She activated the instrument at each corner of the wall for measurement, and every result was consistently 12.3.
Multiple measurements were taken to determine if the cavity behind this wall was uniformly sized. If the cavity were simply formed by underground water loss, then phasing through would lead to a dead end. If the cavity’s size were uniform, it indicated something like a basement or room was hidden behind.
“It’s too far.” Kui Xin said, “There’s a cavity after twelve meters on this wall.”
“But at least it proves there is indeed a basement or passage underneath,” Augus said. “Measure the ground beneath or above; perhaps the wall is thinner.”
Kui Xin painstakingly controlled the device, scanning every inch in the sewer. Ultimately, she found that the wall’s thickness where she stood was 8.2.
“Just a little over eight meters, that’s good.” Kui Xin relaxed her brow, “That leaves more than a meter for error…”
She dropped the sonar measuring device, checked her gear one last time, and prepared for Transition.
Kui Xin stood still, her form turning into black mist that swiftly burrowed underground.
After a brief darkness, her sight abruptly brightened, revealing a bright silver corridor.
Keeping in her Shadow Transition state, she surveyed the surroundings in her mist form.
On the left side of her cheek, a camera was mounted on the ceiling, the circular device monitoring the corridor with 360-degree coverage.
Kui Xin felt a shiver run down her spine, sensing the dilemma.
If she were to jump down, she could only drop about a meter before revealing herself, at which point the camera would catch her perfectly. The electronic eye scanned left and right, measuring the height of the corridor and its width, with the data feeding back automatically.
“Height is 2.5 meters, width is also 2.5 meters, corridor length is twenty meters. I’m currently in the center of the corridor; I only need to make one jump to transition to the end.” Kui Xin calculated, “The black mist body can only pass through slightly less than 1.8 meters before having to reveal itself for the next jump.”
There was no choice but to wait. She needed to find some cover to shield her briefly exposed form during the Transition.
Staying calm, she watched the corridor below, waiting for the opportune moment.
Before long, two people approached down the corridor. They were wearing white lab coats and hurriedly passed through the corridor while holding an electronic display board.
Minutes later, another group passed from one end of the corridor to the other; Kui Xin noticed that as they approached the metal door, they scanned their irises for verification before the heavy automatic doors on both sides opened.
The Shadow Transition state was also physically taxing; she waited for five or six minutes before finally spotting a suitable opportunity.
An automated delivery truck glided into the corridor, transporting a rather tall experimental apparatus. Judging by the markings on the exterior, it likely contained large glass nutrient tanks, big enough to fit a person, sealed within a box. This object stood at about 2.3 meters tall and was tightly sealed, making it impossible to see inside.
Kui Xin’s eyes lit up. As the delivery truck passed, she directed her black mist body downward, smoothly diving into the box.
From the camera’s perspective, it appeared as just a fleeting, indistinct wisp of black mist, and the entire process took less than a second.
Once inside the box, Kui Xin tensed up, realizing that she had entered water. She immediately held her breath.
The sealed glass tank was filled with nutrient liquid, and several wires and tubes floated within! The water temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, close to human body temperature, and the nutrient solution had a light green, somewhat viscous quality.
Kui Xin was genuinely startled, floating in the glass tank, she quickly turned around and yanked off the wires and tubes clinging to her, only to find herself facing a pale face.
There was someone in the tank! A living person!
He was curled up, resembling a fetus in its mother’s womb, fragile and tender. As the water rippled, his back pressed against the wall of the glass tank.
Kui Xin confirmed that the person before her was alive and not a corpse because the individual’s eyelashes were fluttering, seemingly struggling to wake up.
Instinctively, she thought that this person in the glass tank might be a newcomer artificially created by Mechanized Dawn; she recognized the face—it was the face of Reset!
The extraordinary ability information that appeared in her vision further solidified Kui Xin’s guess—Reset.
No details provided; this was the A-class Reset!
With no way out of the tank, Kui Xin could only hold her breath, constrained in the jar like a fish trapped in a can, coexisting with this living person. She drew her blade, considering killing this newly emerged Reset on the spot.
But in the next moment, the person facing Kui Xin suddenly awoke.
He opened his eyes; his expression started confused and then widened in shock, his face displaying an emotional reaction as if surprised by the sudden appearance of a living person in his tank.
Kui Xin’s expression shifted as well; bubbles began to form at the edge of her mask, and her right hand, holding the knife, instinctively prepared to strike first. If one Reset was gone, another had appeared; killing this new one would still make the trip worthwhile. Even if exposed, it was a valuable undertaking.
But in the next second, the individual opposite her froze Kui Xin in place.
The artificial person removed his oxygen mask, his pale hand offering the mask to Kui Xin’s mouth.
In the depths of his eyes lingered pure curiosity and goodwill toward the world. He didn’t know who Kui Xin was or why she was there, but he instinctively sensed that she was short on air.
His colorless lips moved, and he held the oxygen mask closer to her mouth, silently uttering four words: “For you, breathe.”
Kui Xin, bewildered, accepted the oxygen mask, suddenly feeling a bit skeptical about life.
Bloop… A string of bubbles emerged from his lips.
He reached out to play with the bubbles; when they floated away, he exhaled another string to catch and play with…
Kui Xin connected to Augus using data manipulation, asking doubtfully, “Are artificial beings… all this silly?”
