Chapter 24: Sea Without Light 24
When Kui Xin returned home, she glanced at the electronic clock, now past midnight zero point.
Great, the second job for tonight was finished quickly. She didn’t have to stay up all night and could enjoy a full six hours of sleep—such a luxury.
The time and date displayed on the electronic clock were July 31, 2086, 00:28.
This was already the fifth day since Kui Xin had crossed over.
Tomorrow would be August, eight days until the demolition plan was officially implemented, and eleven days until the Kraken officially landed.
Kui Xin took off her dirty clothes, wrapped them in a garbage bag, and planned to find an opportunity to destroy them. The clothes were stained with flesh and blood; although Silverface had washed them off, they still carried a strong bloody odor.
Silverface was in the living room packing equipment while Kui Xin went to change clothes and take a shower.
The bathtub was filled with water, and Kui Xin soaked in to relax her tight muscles. The two extraordinary abilities she gained tonight—Burning Blood and Flesh Regeneration—had a high degree of bodily harm, making them unsuitable for experimentation, but Flesh Regeneration was undeniably a very practical skill.
Kui Xin reached for an eyebrow trimmer from the shelf beside the bathtub and made a small cut on her fingertip. A droplet of blood emerged, and in the next second, the superficial wound healed. The torn skin tissue knitted back together, and after wiping away the blood, her skin was as smooth as before, showing no signs of injury.
She was determined; the trimmer pierced deep into her palm, slashing through flesh, and blood streamed down her wrist, dripping into the bathtub.
This time, the wound healed more slowly. About five to six seconds later, the wriggling little flesh buds began to stitch the torn flesh back together, reattaching the severed tissue, with the newly formed skin showing a pink hue.
Kui Xin’s shoulders relaxed.
She leaned back against the bathtub, half-closing her eyes and breathing softly. The Flesh Regeneration further enhanced her survival capability; all the fatigue and risks of tonight were worth it.
Living in a constant cycle of day and night had made Kui Xin extremely tired, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep in the bathtub.
Silverface, having finished organizing his equipment, lay on the sofa in a daze.
As a qualified subordinate, he was always obedient, doing whatever his superior instructed. At that moment, he wanted to sleep, but Kui Xin was still in the shower. Maybe once she finished, she would give him instructions for the night’s tasks, like investigating something.
So Silverface held back his sleepiness.
He waited an hour, hearing no sounds from the bathroom and seeing no sign of Kui Xin. He curiously got up to knock on the door. “Hey! What’s going on?”
Kui Xin woke with a start in the bathtub, sprang up, and said, “Nothing.”
Hearing her reply, Silverface relaxed and returned to the living room to continue lounging on the sofa.
Ten minutes later, Kui Xin came out, drying her hair. She had washed away the pungent smell of blood and felt much fresher.
“Any tasks for tonight?” Silverface asked, ready for work.
“The task for tonight is to sleep,” Kui Xin poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down. “The noise when we killed the Python Sphere was too loud; the Coastal Security Team will investigate. For safety’s sake, let’s not go out for now.”
“I like the sleeping task,” Silverface rolled up in the blanket and adjusted himself into the most comfortable position.
He was quite tall, and when not curled up, his feet could extend beyond the sofa.
After about ten seconds, Silverface’s breathing became even, and he was already asleep.
Kui Xin returned to her room and activated her wristband. Red had sent a new message.
“The body has been recovered and sent back to headquarters for analysis. This is a rare dissected sample of a Heterogeneous Blooded, but you blew off its head with a bomb, making the body incomplete. You could have avoided doing that.”
Kui Xin replied, “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Red: “Remember to rein in a bit, Lady Fortune.”
“How is Thorn Rose’s injury?” Kui Xin thought for a moment and asked.
“She underwent surgery and will need to rest for a day before she can continue with tasks,” Red replied. “According to her, a red nematode burrowed into her flesh, forcing her to amputate her hand. That worm was placed by the Python Sphere.”
“Let me know when you get results,” Kui Xin said.
The time on the wristband jumped to 01:32; it was now early morning.
Kui Xin climbed into bed, burrowing under the covers, and closed her eyes to sort through the day’s accomplishments.
She passed her interview, completed her orientation training, had a meal with her teammates, and took down the Python Sphere.
A fulfilling day was about to end, and as Kui Xin lay in bed, she felt a sense of relief because she had personally eliminated an enemy who had tried to kill her.
Although the identity of the people behind the Python Sphere remained unclear, it was a good start.
At the very least, for tonight, she wanted to sleep well and would consider the rest after waking up.
……
The next morning at seven o’clock.
Kui Xin opened the bedroom window to ventilate.
The air in the coastal city always carried a hint of salty seawater, a smell Kui Xin wasn’t quite used to. Before crossing into the Second World, she had been a native inland dweller and had never seen the sea.
It was a clear sunny day, and the morning light illuminated Hei Hai City. With the darkness receding, Kui Xin’s mood brightened a little, mirroring the weather.
“I hate sunny days; I hate the sun,” Silverface said gloomily.
For breakfast, Kui Xin had a bowl of cereal soaked in milk. As she stuffed some into her mouth, her communicator beeped.
Augus had sent her today’s daily schedule in advance.
Since the Seventh Squad was collectively assigned to port duty, she didn’t have to rush to the Investigation Building this morning; she could head directly to report to the Coastal Security Team at the port. Augus’s email kindly marked the location of the Coastal Security Office and even calculated the best route from Kui Xin’s home to the office.
At the end of the email, he warmly noted: “It’s sunny today, with a temperature of 38 degrees. Outdoor patrol along the coast may lead to skin sunburn, so it’s recommended to apply sunscreen.”
“I don’t think I have sunscreen at home…” Kui Xin muttered to herself.
“Sunscreen? I have some,” Silverface said, lifting his face from the cereal bowl. “I have plenty of sunscreen.”
He pulled a tube from his pocket and handed it to Kui Xin. “Here, use this.”
“Thanks,” Kui Xin responded oddly.
“My skin lacks melanin and can’t resist ultraviolet rays, so I have to put this on,” Silverface complained. “Every time we go on a mission, I have to be fully armed and covered up; it’s such a hassle… And some sunscreens have poor waterproof effects, while the effective ones are really expensive. I still prefer missions at night; at least there’s no sunlight.”
No wonder he hated sunny days and the sun—this type of weather was indeed not friendly for someone with albinism.
After breakfast, Kui Xin applied sunscreen on her face and arms. Silverface also applied some, doing it much more meticulously than Kui Xin, ensuring every inch of his neck, ears, and wrists were covered. After applying, he cautiously put on his mask, long-sleeve jacket, and pulled down the hood; the hat was a must, as his scalp also needed protection from the sun.
“I’m ready to go; what are today’s instructions?” Silverface asked, fully prepared.
“Follow the original plan; go scan Port Number Five for data and transmit it back to headquarters for analysis of the load-bearing columns’ positions,” Kui Xin said. “Since Thorn Rose is recovering, you get to work a bit harder.”
Silverface dutifully replied, “Okay, I understand.”
Port Number Five was a floating port, with a significant portion of its structures floating on the sea, supported by load-bearing columns and anchors.
Having Silverface use his extraordinary abilities to scan the port would greatly enhance efficiency.
Kui Xin headed out.
The Coastal Security Team’s office was not far from her home; it was a twenty-minute walk, and the morning temperature wasn’t very high, so walking was like a leisurely stroll.
The Coastal Security Office was not as grand as the Investigation Building; it was a comparatively smaller three-story building surrounded by surveillance cameras and steel walls.
As Kui Xin approached the entrance, the surveillance camera focused on her, recognizing her facial information.
“Hello, Security Officer Kui Xin, welcome to the Coastal Security Office. I hope you enjoy your work here,” Augus’s voice timely appeared.
Previously, Augus had called her “Intern Security Officer Kui Xin,” but now that she was a full-fledged member, his title had changed.
The steel fence slid open to grant Kui Xin passage.
Upon entering, she noticed that the environment indeed fell short compared to the Investigation Building. There was no dedicated helipad for police cars; they were parked on the ground. The training area was large but just an outdoor space.
As she entered the first floor, Augus said, “You need to go to the patrol office on the third floor to report. Your captain will assign you specific patrol tasks.”
When Kui Xin pushed open the door to the third-floor office, Xueyao Shu, Jiang Ming, and Liu Kangyun were already seated inside.
“Good morning,” Kui Xin greeted.
“Living close is convenient. I remember you live nearby, right?” Jiang Ming asked. “Lan Lan’s home is in the city center, which is really far from here. I hope he doesn’t arrive late.”
Just as Jiang Ming finished speaking, Lan Lan, dripping with sweat, pushed open the door. “Whew… Why is the nearest bus stop to here Anning Street, requiring a walk of several dozen minutes? I ran here.”
“Because the Harbor Zone is too poor; the Hover Tram doesn’t cover the area adequately,” Kui Xin shrugged.
“Next time, leave earlier, Lan Lan,” Xueyao Shu remarked. “I was worried about the public safety on Anning Street and thought about asking Kui Xin to apply for staff dormitory, but now that we’re reassigned here, living on Anning Street has become more convenient.”
“Let’s wait until we’re reassigned back to headquarters to apply for the dormitory,” Kui Xin suggested.
Living in a staff dormitory would definitely make it difficult to contact members of Mechanized Dawn or go out at any time, so Anning Street was preferable. With her high combat capability, she wasn’t afraid of any trouble around here.
Coastal patrol work rotated among various squads, with a typical shift lasting a month. This meant that the Seventh Squad would perform patrol tasks here for a month before returning to headquarters.
“By the way, has the jerk who caused Kui Xin’s head injury been caught?” Liu Kangyun asked.
“No, we don’t even know who he is,” Xueyao Shu looked at Kui Xin, “Kui Xin’s head injury was severe, and she has no memory of the incident.”
Kui Xin calmly lied, “Yeah, I can’t remember at all… If I knew who he was, I would make him pay.”
The “Security Officer Kui Xin” that the Mechanized Dawn infiltrator replaced had been in the Harbor Zone when the incident occurred. Suddenly, a gunfight broke out in the port; some people were bombing the port while others were exchanging fire, creating chaos. The Investigation Bureau had dispatched extra personnel to the port to capture those causing the disturbance, and “Security Officer Kui Xin” followed several squads to provide reinforcement, unfortunately becoming a sacrifice.
“Our coastal patrols are divided into maritime patrols and land patrols. Maritime patrols primarily check if ships are operating normally, if there are smuggling ships or undocumented vessels. Land patrols are for maintaining security at the port,” Xueyao Shu explained. “The maritime patrols are temporarily handled by the Sixth and Fifth Squads, while we and other inspection personnel are responsible for land patrols.”
“Everyone must be cautious. There was another incident last night; someone was killed near the port. The attackers used heavy firearms, and our people collected nearly a hundred shell casings from the scene. The victim’s flesh and blood were blown several meters away by a bomb, but the body is missing. Someone collected the remains, indicating that this was likely an organized and premeditated murder operation involving more than one participant.”
Lan Lan asked, “Has the victim’s identity been confirmed?”
“There’s no record of his identity; he’s an undocumented person with no information available online, a ‘ghost person’ who does not exist in society,” Xueyao Shu replied blandly. “But this is not our concern; the investigation will be handled by the criminal investigation team. Last night, Chief Jiang personally went to the scene.”
Kui Xin’s heart jumped.
“Chief Jiang actually showed up personally?” Jiang Ming exclaimed.
Liu Kangyun said, “After all, the noise made last night was significant; it was different from ordinary gang fights. Heavy firearms and bombs… This isn’t something a typical force can obtain.”
“The higher-ups have issued an order to restore normal operations at the port by August 5. Our job is to ensure proper patrols and prepare for any incidents that may occur during the port’s restoration,” Xueyao Shu instructed. “Make sure you carry your firearms when going out on patrol, and bring extra ammunition… It’s a very tense period; this place isn’t safe.”
