### Chapter 3: Sea Without Light 03
The surgery finished, and Kui Xin was pushed out of the operating room by the doctors and nurses.
The stretcher glided automatically across the metal floor, the dim blue light of the corridor ceiling imparting a sense of surrealism.
Taking a turn, a tightly sealed metal door opened, and Kui Xin, along with the bed, was pushed into a capsule-shaped recuperation chamber.
The chief surgeon had already changed out of his scrubs and into a white coat, which bore an identification badge—“Huang Cunliang, Director of the Medical Office.”
Doctor Huang inserted an IV line into the back of Kui Xin’s hand, closed the glass cover of the recuperation chamber, and said to her, “Rest well. Your wound is expected to heal within twelve hours. If you feel unwell, just press the green call button on your right. I have another surgery to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Kui Xin silently nodded.
The doctors and nurses left the room where Kui Xin was.
Lying in the recuperation chamber, Kui Xin watched the built-in display showing various data.
The instruments beeped incessantly, the ECG fluctuated continuously, and her heart rate maintained between 80 and 110. Her blood pressure was slightly low, indicating mild anemia.
All her physical data was displayed on the screen.
“Crimson Soil” leans toward a cyberpunk worldview, so the technology in this world is significantly more advanced than that of the real world where Kui Xin came from. The high-tech recuperation chamber seemed beyond what Earth’s level of technology could achieve.
Despite her severe injuries, the doctor told her that her wounds could heal in just twelve hours—such medical technology was not something the same Earth could reach.
The slogan for “Crimson Soil” is “The Real Second World.”
Entering the game is equivalent to opening the door to the Second World.
This slogan holds no exaggeration; Kui Xin truly crossed over. She wondered if the ten thousand players participating in the beta test with her also crossed over to this world like her, gaining a different identity and a new life from the real world.
Kui Xin adapted well to various environments; she grew as resilient as wild grass, managing well without parental support. Now, she found herself in a completely new and unfamiliar environment. However, she remained optimistic, believing that even though her identity in the game was complex and dangerous, she still had a relatively stable starting point.
Because her current identity was that of a patient—a rookie security officer injured by thugs during an internship.
During her healing period, she was safe and could temporarily be away from some troubles. Moreover, her injury was on her head, and pretending to have amnesia, though a cliché method, could prove useful.
This left Kui Xin ample time for buffering.
Questioning why she crossed over was too profound; Kui Xin did not have the ability to trace the root of it.
Before her was a pressing question: how to survive.
The six points of advice were deeply imprinted in Kui Xin’s mind.
“First, please treat the game world as a real world.”
“Second, do not disclose your player identity to anyone.”
“Third, do not leak any game content to anyone.”
“Fourth, life is only once; death cannot be revived.”
“Fifth, if you choose to start the game, you only have two paths: ‘Game Clearance’ and ‘Character Death.’”
“Sixth, everything comes with a price.”
The fourth and fifth points could be viewed together; they prominently highlight the consequences of “death.” The phrase “life is only once” is likely not a joke.
If the game world is considered the Second World, then the reality where players exist can be termed the First World. If one dies in the Second World, what would happen to their existence in the First World?
The cost of death is unbearable for anyone, and Kui Xin felt the pressure—the pressure to survive.
Kui Xin had twelve hours to heal.
After twelve hours, she would step out of the recuperation chamber and interact directly with the inhabitants of the Second World.
Due to her complex identity, she might need to frequently deal with an organization called the “Mechanized Dawn,” strive to gain the trust of others while climbing the ranks within the Investigation Bureau, and become a qualified double agent transmitting information for the organization…
Kui Xin had buffer time, yet she was dealt a powerful opening hand.
Every step needed to be carefully taken, as if walking on thin ice—one misstep could trigger a bad ending.
Were there any players as unlucky as her?
The recuperation chamber was in operation, and beams of blue light swept over her body as restorative serum entered her veins. Kui Xin felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, her wounds healing rapidly.
“Check, check the panel?” Kui Xin tentatively thought.
The game system responded to her, the light screen expanded again, and familiar text appeared.
She skipped her basic identity settings, which she had reviewed several times, to check another section.
【Basic Attributes】
Name: Kui Xin
Occupation: Remover
Extraordinary Abilities: [Not Acquired]
Inherent Talents: [Performance Persona] You possess superb acting skills, able to deceive most people.
[Life Fortitude] You have an exceptionally strong vitality, much like a cockroach.
[Hazard Avoidance] You can keenly sense and evade dangers around you.
[Rapid Learning] You learn any skill with twice the efficiency.
Her occupation is Remover? What does Remover even signify?
The system timely prompted: “Remover, a profession that gains power by hunting extraordinary ability users and taking their superpowers.”
Killing extraordinary ability users to gain superpowers? Killing a person with extraordinary abilities would then transfer that power to herself?
Kui Xin jolted, her heart rate index on the recuperation chamber’s monitor shot up rapidly.
“Abnormal heart rate, abnormal heart rate…” The recuperation chamber emitted warning signals.
Kui Xin quickly took several deep breaths to stabilize her heartbeat. After about ten seconds, the alarm ceased.
Just as she was pondering the brutal occupation of Remover, the lights in her room went out.
The metal door opened, and someone entered her ward.
Kui Xin turned her head and looked toward the doorway through the transparent glass.
Doctor Huang slowly walked over, wiping his glasses, and knocked on the glass cover, smiling at Kui Xin, “How are you feeling?”
Kui Xin opened her mouth to say, “I think I have amnesia.”
However, Doctor Huang’s next action interrupted the words Kui Xin was about to say.
He opened the recuperation chamber, took out a blue chip from his wristwatch, and placed it in Kui Xin’s hand, lowering his voice: “This is something the organization asked me to give you.”
Kui Xin: What? Which organization? What organization? Can you be more specific?
She sensed something was off; the amiable Doctor Huang secretly shared an identity as a double agent, just like her?
Doctor Huang nodded at Kui Xin, “My authority is limited, and I am not privy to your tasks. If you need anything in your future actions, just let me know, and I will do my best to cooperate.”
Kui Xin had no idea how to respond and could only look at him expressionlessly.
“Also, here’s another thing. This contains the lifestyle information of the person you’re currently replacing. Please make sure to pay attention, as small living habits are the hardest to mimic and the easiest to expose. Fortunately, the person you’re playing is a recently arrived intern, so it won’t be difficult to replace.” Doctor Huang took out a black chip and a silver-white wristband, “The organization’s communicator is here. People above will contact you through this.”
“… Mhm.” Kui Xin responded indifferently.
The less she said, the better; she chose to remain silent.
“Ah, you’ve sacrificed quite a bit,” Doctor Huang sighed, “To disguise your injury, you opted for mechanical modification surgery on your head… But don’t worry, that person has already been dealt with by the organization; her genetic information and life trajectory have all been modified. From now on, you are the patrol security officer ‘Kui Xin’ of the Seventh Squad in the field group.”
Upon hearing this, a clearer line of thought emerged in Kui Xin’s mind.
The intern security officer in the Investigation Bureau is also called “Kui Xin,” but this “Officer Kui Xin” was quite unfortunate, having been replaced by an undercover from Mechanized Dawn and subsequently eliminated, while Kui Xin herself took on the role of the undercover who replaced “Officer Kui Xin”… it’s so convoluted!
“There’s more than one Awakened in the Investigation Bureau; each group and department head possesses extraordinary abilities. The Awakened have a variety of powers; the abilities vary widely,” Doctor Huang said, “There’s a rumor in the Investigation Bureau that the Criminal Investigation Group leader has the ability of ‘Lie Detection’; please be very careful.”
Kui Xin replied briefly, “Understood.”
“All for the Dawn.” Doctor Huang looked at Kui Xin with profound meaning.
This phrase… why does it sound so much like a comradeship declaration?
Kui Xin quickly reacted and echoed, “All for the Dawn.”
Doctor Huang nodded, somewhat lamenting, “Take care of yourself. I have to go for the next surgery… sigh, I didn’t expect I’d still have to work so hard after coming in.”
Kui Xin stared at his departing figure until he left.
A strong desire to survive filled Kui Xin’s mind; danger lurked nearby.
What kind of organization is Mechanized Dawn? They could so easily eliminate a person and replace their existence; they definitely do not seem like good Samaritans. What is their purpose in placing undercover agents in the Investigation Bureau? What is the ultimate goal of the Resistance Army?
Most importantly, Kui Xin wasn’t sure if she could ever leave the Second World and return to the First World. What if she was trapped here forever? What should she do?
Kui Xin repeatedly took deep breaths to lower her heart rate, to avoid triggering the abnormal heart rate alarm in the recuperation chamber again.
Her gaze fixated on the three words “Remover.”
If she had any advantage, it was undoubtedly the ability possessed by the “Remover.” This terrifying ability might be her only hope.
She possesses a unique identity, walking on a tightrope; to the left and right looms an abyss, and dangers of plummeting headfirst exist both forward and backward. What concerned her was that she had no chance to exit.
No double agent could successfully retire; if she betrayed Mechanized Dawn, would there be any good outcome for her? If she betrayed the Investigation Bureau, there would be no favorable results either, plus she had an identity as a first-degree wanted criminal.
The cost of death made Kui Xin cautious; her solitary life had taught her to protect and arm herself.
She pondered for a long time before finally deciding to treat this experience of time travel as a game—a real game, a game she could not afford to lose, a game concerning her life.
She had to clear this game, reach the end, avoid all bad endings, and move toward happy endings… by any means necessary.
