Chapter 244: Balance at Both Ends 25
Kui Xin returned to the base with food, still pondering what Four Leaves would become after receiving the mental implant from Ambereye. As soon as she stepped into the base, Four Leaves came over as usual.
“I like milk cereal,” he said, “and I like Maotoufu even more.”
Kui Xin stopped abruptly, staring at Four Leaves, and then smiled.
“Did Ambereye teach you this too?” she asked.
“He only transmitted to me what ‘liking’ means,” Four Leaves blinked, “now I know what ‘liking’ is.”
Kui Xin glanced at Ambereye, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Although his brow was slightly furrowed, he did not stop Four Leaves from showing proximity to Kui Xin.
Four Leaves did not understand deep emotions. He only had a vague understanding and could not hide his feelings, wanting to stick close to those he felt affinity with, eager to express all his likes and trust.
He had learned a lot, but seemed not to have grown in understanding human relationships.
A mature person would not casually mention “liking”; it was a word reserved for children. As one grows up, feelings become more restrained, and one becomes shy about expressing “liking” to a specific person, understanding better the weight and meaning of those two words.
“Let’s eat, Four Leaves. Have you learned how to soak the cereal now?” Kui Xin handed him the bag.
Four Leaves said, “Theoretically, yes, but I haven’t practiced. First, I need a bowl, put the cereal in the bowl, then cut open the milk package, and mix them together.”
“Go ahead, just like that,” Kui Xin said, “the bowls are in the storage cabinet by the wall.”
Four Leaves clumsily began his task.
“He still looks like a child,” Kui Xin murmured to herself.
“Just let him understand what he should know, and make him aware of what to do in certain situations. It’s like loading a pre-established program into his brain; when faced with a problem, his body and thinking will follow the predetermined path,” Ambereye said. “Other things, however, he still needs to experience and learn slowly.”
“Did you and Black Obsidian, Silverface grow up like this?” Kui Xin asked curiously.
“A few years ago, the mental implant technology wasn’t mature. It was just an auxiliary method; we grew up naturally after being released earlier, gaining knowledge from Mechanized Dawn’s teachers, unlike Four Leaves, whose body and thoughts were hastened,” Ambereye said.
Kui Xin was somewhat surprised. “So they actually hired teachers for you…”
“Yes, after all, the technology was not mature at that time, and using immature technology products carried a risk of breakdown,” Ambereye nodded slightly. “Teachers didn’t interact with us too much; they just imparted knowledge, mostly teaching us online without direct instruction. Intelligence is also a standard for assessing whether an artificial human is qualified; those who can’t learn will be eliminated.”
Four Leaves awkwardly brought three bowls of cereal to the table and also plated the sandwiches separately, arranging them very nicely.
Ambereye said in confusion, “I never taught him this…”
“That must have been taught to him by Hunter Falcon,” Kui Xin said as she walked to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Four Leaves took a bite of the sandwich and exclaimed, “Wow, so this is the taste! I’ve never eaten this before; I like this too!”
Most foods in the world were still new to him; the taste of any one of them was a novel experience. When he first emerged from the nutrition vat, even the soft texture of clothing was a new sensation.
Ambereye’s gaze softened.
This world was cruel for artificial humans, but Four Leaves was vibrant, perceiving the world with the purest perspective, which somewhat alleviated Ambereye’s gloomy emotions.
Kui Xin casually took a sandwich and took a bite.
Ambereye knew what her face looked like, whether she wore a mask or not; as soon as she took off her mask, Four Leaves immediately stopped chewing and stared at her face.
“What are you looking at?” Kui Xin asked.
“I want to remember what you truly look like,” Four Leaves said. “Now I’ve memorized it; I won’t forget.”
Ambereye hesitated for a moment and also picked up a sandwich to bring to her mouth. Kui Xin bought food for three, so there was a portion for her.
The scene of the three of them eating at the table had a strangely warm atmosphere.
Ambereye had never understood what kind of ambiance could be called “warm.” He just felt that the atmosphere at the table was very quiet, but not an indifferent silence; it was a quiet that could soothe emotions, not unpleasant nor uncomfortable.
Kui Xin always thought Ambereye and Black Obsidian were the most self-aware artificial humans, but she didn’t know that these two were also in a learning phase, with only a fragmentary understanding of many things.
They understood what family was, what kinship was, what sacrifice and empathy were, but they were utterly clueless about other emotions. The atmosphere when Ambereye and Black Obsidian ate together was never tranquil; they hurried through meals, took scheduled breaks, trained on time, and were always ready to dive into the next mission.
“It feels so strange,” Ambereye thought curiously.
He quickly thought of Black Obsidian, who was imprisoned, and his heart sank involuntarily.
“This afternoon, you need to help me with something,” Kui Xin said as she put down her spoon.
“Okay,” Ambereye said. “What is it?”
“We have a new member coming, and we need to do the final screening,” Kui Xin said. “Your abilities are very suitable for this.”
Ambereye instinctively looked at Kui Xin. “Aren’t you afraid that I will…”
He shut his mouth, feeling both confused and surprised.
Even Mechanized Dawn, which had trained him, could not fully trust his abilities; mental abilities were too terrifying. Ambereye’s extraordinary ability could be activated without any medium, while Kui Xin’s Hypnotic Sound required sound; he did not need that. He could silently control a person, altering their thoughts.
Since he started working with Kui Xin, he had never met other members of the Shadowless Organization. He understood why Kui Xin did this—if he manipulated the thoughts of its members, Kui Xin would become utterly alone, which was very frightening.
“I’m not afraid,” Kui Xin said as she picked up the iron mask beside her and put it back on her face. “I have also made a choice, choosing to give you a certain level of trust. I have shown my sincerity, and your performance has also somewhat demonstrated your sincerity. Now we can take a further step and engage in a deeper level of cooperation. Do not disappoint me; do not betray me, Ambereye.”
Four Leaves looked back and forth between Kui Xin and Ambereye, trying hard to understand what they were saying.
“I will do as we agreed. You let me stay and help you, and I will follow through,” Ambereye said. “I don’t want to be your enemy, and I believe you don’t either. One more friend is better than one more enemy.”
“Mm,” Kui Xin nodded. “Then let’s set off shortly.”
She instructed Four Leaves, “You need to raise your physical fitness training to the agenda; use the treadmill at a low speed to walk more and adapt to the feeling of exercise.”
“Oh…” Four Leaves responded.
Ambereye said, “Come with me; I will teach you how to use the treadmill.”
“Oh,” Four Leaves finished his last bite of cereal and followed Ambereye to the treadmill to learn how to operate the machine.
Kui Xin watched the two of them fiddle with the treadmill.
Augus said, “That scene just now felt familiar.”
“Really?” Kui Xin replied through the data link.
“It seems like we conducted deep cooperation like this back then,” Augus said. “From this, I have learned a principle: trust is gained through exchange and cannot be given or taken unilaterally.”
“Indeed,” Kui Xin said.
“You choose to trust Ambereye; is it because you see through his nature, believing he is fundamentally good, or because he hasn’t done anything excessive, hasn’t misused his abilities to influence Four Leaves?” Augus asked.
“Both,” Kui Xin’s gaze was calm. “But neither is the main reason.”
“Surprisingly not the main reason?” Augus said.
“I chose Ambereye because I simply have no other subordinates with a higher level, suitable abilities, and mature mentality to rely on. Ambereye is readily available; it would be a waste not to utilize him,” Kui Xin analyzed coolly. “I chose Ambereye also because he cares about Four Leaves, and Four Leaves cares about me. My attitude towards Four Leaves will affect Ambereye’s attitude towards me. To put it coldly—Four Leaves is also a card I hold in my hand.”
“Indeed, this explanation fits your usual style,” Augus said.
Kui Xin stood up from the edge of the table and said, “It’s about that time, Ambereye.”
Ambereye turned around and walked over.
Four Leaves waved to him and Kui Xin, saying, “Goodbye.”
The Spatial Vortex opened, and Kui Xin led Ambereye inside.
Ambereye had his gear equipped and his face covered with a mask.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“There may be spies and liars among those coming for the interview,” Kui Xin said. “Your task is to control them.”
“Just control, not kill them? You want to obtain information from them in reverse?” Ambereye guessed Kui Xin’s plan correctly.
“Yes,” Kui Xin said. “If we recruit members in the future, our enemies will likely send infiltrators into our organization, continuously feeding them in. Since we cannot eliminate them, we should attempt to manipulate them in return.”
“Understood,” Ambereye said.
They arrived at an empty base that had once been a billiard club. The business had gone bankrupt, and the interior belongings had not yet been removed. A layer of dust had settled on the conference table, but it didn’t matter; this was just a temporary meeting place.
Inside the base was a long conference table. Kui Xin casually pulled out a swivel chair and sat down, while Ambereye took a seat beside her.
She sent a message to Su Rong through the communicator, “We can start.”
Su Rong: “OK.”
Two minutes later, she said, “Scalpel has arrived at the designated location and can be transported.”
A deep blue Spatial Vortex unfolded in the conference room, and Scalpel stepped out. Upon seeing Kui Xin and Ambereye, he paused momentarily. The last interview had been conducted without anyone present; the interviewer had asked questions remotely. This time, however, it was an in-person interview, which slightly surprised Scalpel.
“Sit,” Kui Xin said.
Scalpel complied, sitting down without saying a word or asking any questions.
Su Rong: “Wei Li has arrived at the designated location.”
Kui Xin activated the Spatial Vortex again to bring him over.
This continued multiple times until all the shortlisted interviewees were transported into the conference room.
Scalpel, Golden Ring, Wei Li…
“Wow, so many people,” the last one to be transported in, Samantha, exclaimed, finding a seat and unable to help but glance at Kui Xin, who was sitting in the very center.
After a few minutes, a pitch-black shadow abruptly emerged from the floor.
Su Rong’s Shadow Double took form and sat in the empty seat next to Kui Xin, facing Ambereye.
Ambereye discreetly observed the Shadow Double while Su Rong used the Shadow Double to observe Ambereye.
“There are a total of four people; everyone who should be here is here,” Kui Xin scanned the room. “Let’s introduce ourselves. My code name is Maotoufu, and I am the head of external operations for the Shadowless Organization.” She tapped the table with her metal left hand. “You have all passed the first round of interviews, and I admire your abilities. However, our organization does not require traitors who could betray us at any time. Next, you will need to prove that you are trustworthy.”
The four people present remained silent.
Kui Xin leaned back slightly in her chair and said softly, “Among those present, at least one person is a reserve traitor… You can guess who that person might be.”
Wei Li raised his head and scanned the room. Scalpel’s back tightened imperceptibly, and Samantha looked warily at the people around him, beginning to ponder.
Golden Ring’s heart gave a jolt, thinking to himself: Wow, Maotoufu is having them play Guess Who’s the Spy right from the start!
