Chapter 252: The Balance on Both Sides 33
Night Cicada is truly a complicated person… Kui Xin thought to herself as she woke from her memories.
However, this was also to be expected. With his identity and his abilities, he was bound to have an extraordinary background and an extraordinary past.
The feeling of reading Night Cicada’s memories was completely different from that of reading others’. Each person’s memories are laced with personal emotions, and those deeply etched in memory are often extreme feelings. These emotions can have a significant impact on Kui Xin’s own mind, leaving her with a splitting headache and a dizzying sensation.
When reading Four Leaves’ memories, Kui Xin felt as though it was as calm as water. There were no intense emotions or profound memories, so it went smoothly. However, when reading Night Cicada’s memories, Kui Xin felt a contradiction.
The first half of his memories burned with intensity, filled with strong emotions and deep hatred, while the latter part was calm, similar to the feeling Four Leaves gave her. Night Cicada went through more and more experiences, yet the emotions in his memories dwindled… On the surface, he seemed carefree, yet inside, he felt like a cold stone, his emotional fluctuations far less intense than before.
When Kui Xin discovered that Night Cicada had also undergone cruel experiments, she was taken aback, as he showed not a shred of empathy for artificial humans. It was only when she reached the end of his memories that she understood.
Night Cicada had become numb.
He had self-numbed, transforming from a victim to a perpetrator.
Kui Haidong once said: “In the past, others held your life and death in their hands, but now you can be that kind of person too, controlling your own fate and the fates of others.”
Just as Kui Haidong suggested, Night Cicada had become a superior, showing no emotional response when taking others’ lives… he was human, yet his feelings as a human had faded considerably.
Kui Xin rubbed her forehead, trying to calm her brain filled with chaotic memories.
She sat in her chair, lost in thought, remaining still for a long time.
“Did you obtain important information?” Augus asked. “Why have you been silent for so long?”
“I did obtain important information,” Kui Xin said. “And I also received a warning.”
“Care to share?” Augus prompted.
“There’s not much to say… Night Cicada’s experience showed me how far someone can fall if they can’t control their own destiny,” Kui Xin said. “He is a cautionary tale, but fortunately, I am different from him.”
She stretched lazily, and suddenly thought that she and Night Cicada were quite similar.
Night Cicada chose self-numbness, submitting to Eve. Kui Xin made her own choice; she chose to draw a line with the Second World. Night Cicada turned a blind eye to the suffering of artificial humans, while Kui Xin intentionally closed off her emotions, refusing to invest feelings in the people of the Second World.
She slowly let go of the gear she was taking off and suddenly asked, “Augus, do you think I have changed compared to the beginning? Please be straightforward.”
Kui Xin waited for Augus’ evaluation, guessing he would say: “You have become increasingly cold and rational, clearing away one enemy after another, firmly walking along the path you have planned.”
But after a few seconds, she received a completely contrary answer from Augus.
“You don’t feel as distant to me anymore.” He responded, “In the beginning, you were too cold and too rational. Now that I understand you, I know you are not completely cold. You let Four Leaves go, you brought in Ambereye, you tolerated their existence, and you agreed to my request. You used to seem very far away, but now your distance doesn’t feel as great.”
Kui Xin didn’t expect to hear such a response; it left her somewhat taken aback for a moment.
“So this is how you see me?” she asked unconsciously.
There was a reason she posed this question to Augus; he had witnessed her growth. She met Augus right when she entered Crimson Soil, and he had been present throughout her entire timeline from entering the game until now—he was the one who understood her the most in the Second World.
“I didn’t understand you at first, but now I do,” Augus said. “I know you are a flawed person, Kui Xin. You aren’t particularly kind, and most of your actions are out of self-interest. But you also have a lot of strengths, like resilience and, well… honesty.”
“I never thought I would be associated with the word ‘honesty,’ which carries connotations of truth and goodness, in your mind,” Kui Xin replied.
“No, what I mean is that you are not hypocritical and don’t make excuses for yourself. Interest is interest, desire is desire, intent to kill is intent to kill, and vengefulness is vengefulness. You don’t disguise these things as something else, cloaking them in the garb of false virtue.” Augus said, “What I admire most about you is this; you draw my focus more than anyone else.”
“I thought you would appreciate someone like Xueyao Shu more,” Kui Xin remarked.
“That doesn’t conflict; aesthetics and judgment are diverse.” Augus replied, “I like a ray of light in a dark world, as well as people with flaws. Because nothing in this world is perfect; flaws make people feel real. What I want to say is… you are a real person, Kui Xin.”
“Alright… your answer is unexpected,” Kui Xin said.
“What answer did you expect to get?” Augus asked.
Kui Xin replied, “Nothing much, just suddenly a bit sentimental.”
She looked back at the path she had walked; although it was not long, and she hadn’t traveled it for long, she had encountered so many things and made so many choices.
Just as Night Cicada became entirely different from his former self, she too had transformed into a stranger.
“There is still a lot of important information, a great deal.” Kui Xin shifted back to the main topic, “I’ve learned the coordinates of most of the Mechanized Dawn bases, I know where the players and Black Obsidian are imprisoned… and I’ve also found out that Night Cicada and Ghost seem to have known each other for quite some time.”
But Night Cicada was unaware that Ghost was still alive; Kui Xin had only speculated his identity through the ability “Wandering View.” He was most likely not dead and was working for the Resistance Army.
The Resistance Army and Mechanized Dawn were enemies, and Night Cicada unknowingly became adversaries with a childhood companion. As for Ghost… the Resistance Army had moles within Mechanized Dawn. Night Cicada possessing such an ability would surely make him a target for elimination… truly a story full of complications.
Kui Xin succinctly explained Night Cicada’s memories to Augus.
“The situation is far more complicated than I imagined,” Augus said. “The Federation’s experimental facilities are spread throughout various locations, and the research projects differ greatly. Eve’s ability to reach here indicates that it has secured access to the experimental bases, and it might have already absorbed the AI from there, becoming the manager of those facilities.”
Kui Xin frowned.
Yu Hansue was still out there; although she didn’t know which specific experimental base she was in, if it overlapped with Eve’s control area, she could find herself in greater danger.
It was pointless to think about this now. As long as Yu Hansue remained in a dormant state, her life would have a certain level of security; for now, Kui Xin couldn’t assist much.
“The important information is already in hand, so it’s time to plan the next steps,” Kui Xin said. “We’ll split into two teams; the Scalpel Team will head to Hei Hai City to start a business, while I will go to Fusgong City to complete my mission.”
“Are you going alone?” Augus asked.
“Clearly, that’s not feasible; I need to bring a helper,” Kui Xin said. “Ambereye is excellent; he’ll do. Four Leaves is still immature and will be entrusted to Hunter Falcon for supervision. Ash will team up with Hunter Falcon to make up for the combat power deficiencies.”
At this point, the Shadowless Team was taking shape.
Ash, Hunter Falcon, and Four Leaves would form one team.
Scalpel, Wei Li, and Golden Ring would form the second team.
Kui Xin and Ambereye would make the third team… with Augus, the elusive hacker of the Shadowless Organization known as “Mirror,” also belonging to the third team.
“Will one team follow the second team to Hei Hai City?” Augus raised a question.
Kui Xin hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes. At this stage, we are too few, and dispersing our combat power is not a good idea. We should abandon White Whale City, and any gangs and industries controlled by the Shadowless can be sold off. We can also choose not to sell, since we have money now. We can use Hypnotic Sound to control a few obedient individuals to manage the gangs.”
Moreover, the undercover agent from TQC, Samantha, wasn’t a major issue. With the Spatial Vortex, all it took was a few uses of the vortex to send Ambereye back and continue brainwashing him.
The distance between White Whale City and Hei Hai City was no longer a problem; any issues that could be solved by the Spatial Vortex were not issues at all.
Kui Xin could finally shed her restraints and fully spread her wings.
“We will execute the relocation mission tomorrow.” Kui Xin lay heavily back on the bed, quietly plotting. “The raid on Eve’s stronghold needs to be implemented quickly; it must be fast. Eve already knows that Night Cicada is dead; it can guess that I will obtain Night Cicada’s memories. Fortunately, I have moved faster than it; while it is busy squeezing Night Cicada’s labor for the transfer department, it doesn’t have the time to provide him with support… As long as Eve isn’t foolish, it will relocate its forces, making me miss my target.”
She barely opened her eyes, saying, “Actually, the best time to raid the base is tonight! Tonight, it will definitely be too late to move.”
Augus’ voice carried an evident sense of helplessness: “You shouldn’t push yourself so hard, Kui Xin. Your current condition clearly hasn’t returned to its peak; going now would more likely lead to unforeseen mishaps. How can a weary warrior contend with the combatants of Mechanized Dawn?”
“…You are right; it would be easy for me to get caught now.” Kui Xin lay back down on the bed. “I need to recover quickly… there are so many things waiting for me…”
She finally fell into a deep sleep.
…
A new day dawned, currently 10:30 AM.
Scalpel, Wei Li, and Golden Ring had arrived early at the designated location to assemble.
“Did Hunter Falcon say what we need to do?” Golden Ring asked.
“No,” Wei Li shook his head.
Golden Ring looked over at Scalpel: “Did you not sleep last night? Why are you yawning so much?”
Scalpel wiped the physiological tears from the corner of his eyes and said, “I was up all night writing the plan…”
Before long, a deep blue Spatial Vortex opened beside the three.
As Scalpel looked up, he saw a man dressed in a black combat suit and wearing a black mask emerge from the vortex… a man? He frowned, realizing that the person didn’t seem like a fully grown man; his build resembled that of a minor.
Wei Li’s expression changed when she saw this person; she realized that she couldn’t trigger her mind-reading ability, as if her ability had been erased from existence.
The three felt that something was off.
Then, Hunter Falcon also emerged from the vortex, followed by three others, both men and women, all in combat suits and wearing masks.
“Let me introduce, this is Four Leaves,” Kui Xin pointed to the person. “This is Ambereye, whom you’ve met. The person on the left is Hunter Falcon, and the one on the right is Ash. You will likely need to cooperate with each other for future tasks.”
Wei Li’s gaze moved to Four Leaves as she cautiously asked, “What is Four Leaves’ ability?”
Four Leaves didn’t even spare her a glance, treating her like air.
“His ability is related to nullification,” Kui Xin replied. “This is a necessary precaution.”
Wei Li received the answer but showed no signs of dissatisfaction at being distrusted. She understood that she was just a newcomer who had recently joined, and her ability was peculiar; being watched closely before contributing to the organization was inevitable. Four Leaves’ ability was directed against her.
Four Leaves didn’t say a word or glance around; he kept his eyes fixed on the ground.
He Kangshi instructed him not to speak unnecessarily or make extraneous movements; he needed to maintain the elite’s composure so that others would naturally revere him and become obedient.
“Doesn’t this seem quite cold? You taught me to be polite…” Four Leaves commented.
“Be polite to those close to you, and be wary of strangers,” He Kangshi explained. “They are not yet people we are close to!”
He Kangshi was worried sick because Four Leaves resembled a child; he had intelligence but lacked emotional intelligence. He feared exposing their weaknesses, so he was persistent in reiterating his warnings.
“Your task is to establish a foothold in Hei Hai City, build a company, and develop a base there. You will split into two teams with different responsibilities; the Scalpel Team will be responsible for company establishment while the Ash Team will handle base placement,” Kui Xin said. “Once you reach Hei Hai City, without any false identities or places to settle, everything will depend on your hard work. However, I can still provide two things.”
She raised her hand, and a Spatial Vortex parallel to the ground opened, dropping several boxes of ammunition and firearms.
She also tossed Scalpel a black communicator, which Scalpel caught steadily.
“Weapons are sufficient. The account linked to this communication number has three million in startup funds,” Kui Xin said. “From here on, it’s up to you… you can consider this another test.”
A larger Spatial Vortex opened behind them, and Kui Xin signaled for them to collect the weapons and equipment on the ground before stepping inside.
After a series of jumps, they arrived near their destination.
Hei Hai City was just around the corner. Seeing this familiar yet strange city again, Kui Xin merely glanced at it before quickly shifting her gaze to the people nearby.
“Go ahead,” she said, looking at them. “I want to see what you are capable of.”
He Kangshi spoke first: “You won’t be disappointed, Hunter Falcon Sis!”
Su Rong added, “Leave it to us.”
Golden Ring grinned, “I will do my utmost to help!”
Wei Li said, “I will follow orders.”
“I have already written the startup plan; I will execute it as planned,” Scalpel stated seriously.
As the Spatial Vortex opened behind Kui Xin, Four Leaves recognized she was leaving, and he held back his urge to appear aloof, managing to say just two brief words: “Goodbye!”
Ambereye glanced at Four Leaves, who quickly replied, “You too, goodbye.”
So he was merely tagging along? Ambereye’s expression under the mask showed a hint of amusement, and then he turned to follow Kui Xin into the vortex.
