Chapter 38: Sea Without Light 38
Kui Xin raised an eyebrow in surprise at the two messages.
She placed her mobile phone into her pocket, shook the umbrella, and quickly ascended the stairs to return home. After leaving the umbrella to dry, her phone buzzed several times.
The first message was from the hacker: “Sorry, please believe me, I mean no harm. Hacking into your phone just now was a desperate move; I had to confirm some things. A verbal apology can seem insincere; to show my remorse, I can make a practical compensation.”
The second message was a notification of a bank account balance change: “Amount: 100,000.00 yuan. Date: July 29. Type: Transfer from another bank. Balance: 106,230.00 yuan.”
Kui Xin already had over six thousand yuan in her bank account, a portion of which she earned herself, and part was a scholarship given by the principal when she graduated high school. All students accepted into key universities received scholarships of three thousand yuan each, as a customary practice for graduation.
The third message was still from the hacker: “Please trust my sincerity.”
Kui Xin: “……?”
This hacker clearly investigated her background thoroughly; he even knew that she was low on funds.
Kui Xin held money in high regard, yet money was not more important than her life.
Regardless, the hacker’s act of transferring money did display a certain degree of “sincerity.” It was unclear, however, whether his intention in showing sincerity was to form a team or for something else.
Kui Xin could not easily admit that she was also a player.
She contemplated for a moment, pretending to be an inexperienced high school student responding to the hacker: “We learned about such scam tactics in our school’s safety lectures; illicit money launderers transfer funds into clean accounts without the account holder’s knowledge. Eventually, the account holder ends up on a credit blacklist, and their bank card is frozen. You want to harm me by transferring me money, scammer!”
“……” The hacker responded with a string of ellipses.
The hacker: “Which scammer can track your movements faster than the police?”
Kui Xin: “Are you a scammer who hacked into the city’s surveillance system? That only makes your crime worse; if the police catch you, you might end up in prison for more than ten years.”
The hacker was speechless: “Stop pretending, I know you’re a player, why not just admit it?”
Kui Xin typed expressionlessly: “What nonsense are you spouting? I just returned from the Investigation Bureau, and now I’m thinking of heading back to inform the police uncle about your transfer to me!”
“Looks like you don’t trust me; that’s fine. I overstepped at the beginning, and your distrust is understandable.” The hacker seemed calm.
“The probability that you and I share the same identity is very high. Please forgive my intrusion; I understand you are an ordinary high school student, but recently you began exercising in the morning and purchasing protective tools online.”
“You noticed Fang Zhi and followed him. Although you eventually abandoned the pursuit, you show extraordinary concern for the cultist murder case. You have continuously searched for information related to this case online, with a remarkably high search frequency. Before the cultist murder case occurred, your interest in such social hot news was very low; you rarely searched for similar news… What prompted this change? I guess it’s your experiences; you have been to the Second World, and you have received regional task prompts, which is why you care about Fang Zhi.”
The hacker said: “Am I correct in my reasoning?”
Kui Xin looked at the text on her phone screen, her expression growing colder.
……
“Why isn’t she replying? The probability that she isn’t a player is really very, very low; I believe my reasoning is correct. Why isn’t she responding?” The bespectacled young man muttered in front of the computer.
He was in a dim, spacious room, with blackout curtains drawn tightly, leaving not a sliver of gap. The only source of light in the room was the glowing computer.
There were two other people seated on the sofa behind him: a young woman in a short-sleeved hoodie and a composed man.
“What did you say? Let me see.” The young woman approached the computer and glanced at the chat log, immediately giving the bespectacled young man a slap, “Can you talk properly? Whose party invitation do you frame like a threat? You’ve checked her background thoroughly and still expect her to communicate nicely? Dream on!”
“I thought my attitude was gentle; I apologized and even transferred the money…”
“Rubbish!”
The bespectacled young man was momentarily speechless: “Then… is there a way to remedy this? Can I continue transferring money?”
“Get lost, let me talk to the little sister.” The young woman pushed the bespectacled young man away and sat at the computer to type.
“Did I mess this up?” The bespectacled young man said dejectedly.
The composed man on the sofa contemplated for a moment. “Let me recommend you a few books.”
“What books?” The bespectacled young man looked up.
“‘High Emotional Intelligence in Conversation’, ‘Don’t Lose to Expression’, and ‘Those Who Understand Humor Can Talk to Anyone’, as well as ‘Three Essentials of Eloquence’.” The man stated bluntly, “High IQ with low emotional intelligence is unpopular in society; you need to improve.”
The bespectacled young man, feeling down, sighed: “…Fine, I’ll buy them right away.”
The man then asked, “Have you ever considered the possibility that Kui Xin is Remover 233?”
“I considered it, but I think the probability is very low.” The bespectacled young man’s expression grew serious, “She seems too normal; all her behaviors are typical. She has friends and family, and has never had any adverse records online; she’s just an ordinary high school girl. As for Remover 233… To be frank, I think he’s a psychopath. Like the posts on the forum, his first kill may have been accidental, but his second action was clearly driven by a mission. Two consecutive murders indicate he has adapted well… A normal person wouldn’t maintain such psychological resilience unless he’s a psychopathic individual with an extremely high capacity for psychological stress.”
The young man nodded: “Yes, that’s my thought too. Normal people, even if they change, wouldn’t do so so quickly… With a global player population of ten thousand, only Remover 233 has consecutively killed two players. In a way, he stands at the pinnacle, right? I believe a newly graduated high school girl couldn’t reach that level.”
The bespectacled young man scratched his head: “Based on the population ratio in Jingchu, there are about seventy players; finding them is like searching for a needle in a haystack… It’s already a stroke of luck that the three of us could come together. Now, having found someone with a clean identity, we must maintain contact with her.”
“That’s for sure. After all, Remover 233 is too terrifying; before receiving the system’s notification, I never expected him to be from Huaguo, living right in the Jingchu area…” The man pondered, “If he decides to continue hunting players, then our Jingchu players must unite.”
“It feels like we’re forming a game guild.” The bespectacled young man laughed, “According to my idea, I want to gather all players across Jingchu; everyone can keep their identities private, but we must stay in touch. In case a player is hunted down by Remover or faces an accident, we can confirm their identity immediately. The remaining players can be on guard and can even gradually lock down Remover’s identity for a counterattack!”
“Ha, it’s better to pray that none of us catch Remover’s attention… Besides, danger doesn’t necessarily come from Remover.” The man said.
“Exactly.” The bespectacled young man said, “The science popularization expert 233 on the forum inspired me… If players want to survive in both worlds, it’s best to establish a reliable organization for sharing information and mutual assistance.”
“That’s difficult. You can’t gain everyone’s trust. Don’t forget, there may be more than one Remover.” The man said, “If we allow another Remover to infiltrate, the consequences would be dire… The game of figuring out who’s an undercover and who’s the wolf is far less amusing in reality; losing could cost you your life.”
……
“I understand where your concerns stem from. Our information is asymmetrical; I know you, but you don’t know me.” The hacker sent another message, “I want to explain my reasons for doing this.”
“Players’ identities are divided into two categories: hunters and prey. We are all prey, and above us is a hunter. That hunter may currently be in your city; we don’t know who they are, or whether it’s a man or a woman… We also don’t know whether you might be the one. Any prey wouldn’t want to be caught by the hunter; we need to use all means to hide ourselves while also learning the hunter’s identity to avoid being hunted.”
“You know who that hunter is.”
Kui Xin suddenly found it a bit amusing.
The hunter the hacker referred to was herself; she was Remover 233, the pursuer of regional tasks.
The hacker somehow found out about her.
“If you don’t trust me, you can treat what I’m about to say as a transaction; you only need to answer me a few questions to receive a reward of one million.”
Kui Xin was stunned: Wow, is this what being wealthy feels like? Opening with one million?!
She wasn’t tempted.
Or rather, she was tempted, but rationality timely held her actions in check.
Kui Xin was contemplating what a normal, extremely cash-strapped prospective college student should react to such a situation.
She was also considering how an ordinary player would respond to a team invitation.
What could she gain from it? What risks would she need to bear?
The hacker repeatedly mentioned “we” during the explanation.
“We” referred to all the players in the Jingchu area… or was he suggesting that he has a team? Does the hacker have teammates?
After long consideration, Kui Xin replied: “You can ask, but I might not answer. Also, you’ll need to tell me your identity; it would be best if we meet in person… if your invitation is sincere.”
As for whether the meeting would be a transaction or a hunting event, that would depend on the hacker’s performance.
With the ability of Death Rebirth as her trump card, Kui Xin could take appropriate risks without fear of losing her life.
……
“Ha ha, money really is useful; I’m needed at a critical moment.” The young woman said, “Her response is tantamount to admitting she’s a player.”
“She asked to meet?” The bespectacled young man wondered, “She’s bolder than I imagined… Is she naïve and reckless, or does she feel invulnerable?”
“Can’t it just be that she needs money?” The young woman replied, “It’s also possible that she’s scared and wants to find a reliable teammate.”
“That does make sense…” The bespectacled young man conceded.
……
Kui Xin typed: “I will determine the meeting place.”
The hacker replied instantly: “No problem.”
