Chapter 4: Sea Without Light 04
“Intern patrol security officer Kui Xin, your body has recovered. Please leave the recuperation pod.”
Kui Xin woke up, and the first thing she saw was the transparent glass cover of the recuperation pod. On the built-in display, her health status was marked green.
What she had experienced was not a dream; she had not returned to the First World.
A nurse entered, helping Kui Xin open the recuperation pod and removing the IV drip from the back of her hand as well as the bandage wrapped around her head.
“You can leave now. Take it easy for the next couple of days, and avoid any strenuous activities,” the nurse said kindly. “Remember to submit a request for a training exemption to your squad leader, or you’ll lose your attendance pay.”
“Okay.” Kui Xin quickly nodded, guided by her instincts.
She couldn’t forget something as important as attendance pay.
Kui Xin straightened up, her feet touching the cold metal floor as she stood up to stretch her limbs.
After a nap in the recuperation pod, Kui Xin felt rejuvenated. She took a few steps and saw her current appearance reflected in the shiny metal walls.
In the First World, Kui Xin had long black hair. In the Second World, her basic appearance resembled her former self by seventy or eighty percent, but her long hair had been cut to a neat bob. Kui Xin’s complexion was pale, and she was slender, appearing somewhat fragile at first glance.
There were no visible injuries on her body; her wounds had healed perfectly.
Standing in the room, she felt at a loss.
She had no idea where to go next, and she didn’t even know where she was. This world was entirely unfamiliar to her.
Kui Xin speculated that she was in the Investigation Bureau headquarters. From Doctor Huang’s brief remarks, she knew that there were different groups and departments within the Investigation Bureau. Since Doctor Huang’s nameplate indicated he was the head of the medical office, it was likely that Kui Xin had received surgery and treatment at the Investigation Bureau’s medical center.
From her identity settings in the game interface, she learned that she belonged to the “Field Team Seventh Squad.”
Without much time to hesitate, she couldn’t remain stagnant.
Kui Xin adjusted her emotions and walked to the metallic door.
The metallic door opened automatically, revealing a corridor lit by flickering indicator lights, empty of personnel.
As Kui Xin stepped onto the corridor, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
“Intern patrol security officer Kui Xin, your squad leader of the Seventh Squad, Xueyao Shu, has requested you to report to his office. Please proceed towards the green indicator lights.”
The row of indicator lights in the corridor turned green, guiding Kui Xin in the right direction.
She discreetly observed her surroundings, noticing surveillance cameras embedded in the walls aimed at her.
She paused momentarily and followed the green indicator lights. The cameras adjusted their angles as she walked. When Kui Xin reached a junction, the indicator light on the right corridor blinked, prompting her to turn right.
After passing through a long corridor, Kui Xin suddenly saw two men approaching from the opposite direction. One man had an emergency bandage wrapped around his arm, stained with blood, but he seemed not gravely injured, able to walk with clarity. The other person surprised Kui Xin; he was supporting the injured man, and she could distinctly see his right arm glimmering with a cold gray metallic sheen… he actually had a mechanical arm.
In a cyberpunk world, people would modify their bodies, and mechanical prosthetics significantly facilitated their work and daily life. Cyborgs were quite common, while those who hadn’t undergone any modifications were the minority.
Now, Kui Xin could be considered a cyborg, although her appearance did not reveal it, she possessed an indestructible iron head.
The two men walking towards her seemed not to recognize Kui Xin, and they didn’t react upon seeing her.
Kui Xin thought for a moment and decided to take a little risk and speak up.
“What happened?” She didn’t use any titles, as if randomly encountering colleagues for small talk.
Fortunately, the two men regarded her as a regular colleague engaging in casual conversation. The injured man cursed: “What else could it be? The port was blown up again; those bastards really must be tired of living. When I recover, I’ll take a gun and wipe them all out!”
“Save it. Wait for the minister’s unified orders before acting, or you’ll be throwing your life away,” the man with the mechanical arm coldly replied.
They walked away, still cursing.
The port was blown up again?
Kui Xin glanced at their departing figures, lost in thought as she followed the green indicator lights.
Two minutes later, Kui Xin stopped in front of a metal door marked “Field Team Seventh Squad Office – Xueyao Shu.”
The door opened, and Kui Xin steadied her heartbeat before walking inside.
A circular table came into view, covered by a holographic screen filled with dense text. A man in a gray-blue uniform stood in front of the screen, not turning around as he said to Kui Xin, “Take a seat.”
Kui Xin scanned the room and pulled over a wheeled chair from below the circular table to sit down.
The man turned to face Kui Xin and said, “Thank you for your hard work. I’m granting you three days off; you don’t have to train in the training room for the next three days.”
“Thank you, squad leader,” Kui Xin replied.
It seemed the man in front of her was her direct superior, the Seventh Squad leader, Xueyao Shu. He appeared to be a caring leader, even taking the initiative to grant her leave.
“No need to thank me. I share part of the responsibility for not keeping my team members safe,” Xueyao Shu said, rubbing his forehead. “Before you go back to rest, you need to visit the criminal investigation team to give a statement about the details of your attack.”
Here it comes. Kui Xin felt anxious, her palms slightly damp.
As a person who had crossed over, not inheriting any memories of her former self was a significant risk; she genuinely knew nothing.
Before entering the Second World, she had been worried about her living expenses. After entering the Second World, her anxieties shifted entirely; she now had to focus on survival.
“Squad leader… I…” Kui Xin hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Xueyao Shu looked at her patiently.
“I don’t clearly remember the attack,” Kui Xin said sincerely. “I seem to have forgotten a lot of things, and when I try to think back, nothing comes to mind.”
Xueyao Shu frowned, “What do you remember?”
“I remember my identity as an intern security officer of the Seventh Squad,” Kui Xin cautiously observed Xueyao Shu’s expression.
Just as she expected, Xueyao Shu’s frown deepened.
He glanced at Kui Xin and said, “Augus, help me contact the medical office and have a doctor come over to check Kui Xin.”
A cold mechanical voice responded, “Your instructions have been communicated.”
Augus? The cold mechanical voice belongs to Augus?
Is Augus the name of a super artificial intelligence?
Kui Xin sat in the chair while Xueyao Shu silently observed her, asking, “You really don’t remember anything?”
“I truly don’t remember,” Kui Xin shook her head. “What happened back then?”
“Only you know what happened,” Xueyao Shu tapped the table. “You chased down a suspect who was setting explosives at the port, but when we arrived, you were bleeding on the ground, and the suspect escaped.”
He said sternly: “Kui Xin, we need you to remember, to recall the suspect’s appearance. This is crucial for our follow-up actions.”
Kui Xin lifted her head and said, “I will do my best.”
Augus prompted: “The doctor is waiting outside. Should he be let in?”
“Let him in,” Xueyao Shu said.
The metal door opened silently, and Kui Xin’s old acquaintance Doctor Huang rushed in, sweating and pushing medical equipment. “Squad Leader Shu, what happened? I just finished a surgery and hurried over.”
“Kui Xin has amnesia; it may be a side effect from a head injury. Please check on her,” Xueyao Shu told Doctor Huang.
Doctor Huang looked at Kui Xin with slight surprise: “Amnesia?”
He swiftly retrieved a scanner-like device and placed it on Kui Xin’s head, a light blue beam scanning her from head to toe.
Doctor Huang looked at the data on a display and murmured, “Anesthesia may cause temporary amnesia, but the issue clearly isn’t related. A rough examination shows nothing. Security officer Kui Xin probably needs to return to the medical center with me for a thorough examination.”
“Okay, let’s go now,” Xueyao Shu said.
“Come on, Kui Xin,” Doctor Huang nodded at her.
Kui Xin stood up from the chair, “Thank you, doctor.”
“No trouble; it’s my duty,” Doctor Huang said. “Squad Leader Shu, I’ll report the results to you as soon as they’re available.”
Kui Xin remained silent, following Doctor Huang through the corridor as he chatted on and on: “The port explosion case caused considerable casualties; several people had mechanical limbs implanted, and a few had bionic organs replaced. I’ve done five or six surgeries today without a moment to rest.”
“Kui Xin, you’re lucky,” Doctor Huang sighed. “A few didn’t make it. You’re still young, and it’s great you pulled through. Sigh, when will the gangs in Hei Hai City be cleaned up? They keep causing trouble; this time, they even aimed for the economic lifeline of the port.”
Doctor Huang is quite the performer… if Kui Xin didn’t know his double-crossing identity, she would think this kind-hearted doctor is diligent and worried about the nation.
He was intentionally or unintentionally revealing some things to Kui Xin, which she took in and committed to memory.
If this were a game, every line from NPCs could be immensely helpful for clearing it.
Upon arriving at the medical room, Doctor Huang pressed something on his wristwatch, and the lights dimmed.
“Augus is everywhere; we need to use the device to avoid his monitoring, or he might be listening to us,” Doctor Huang put away his kind facade. “I didn’t expect your strategy to feign amnesia… but it’s surprisingly effective.”
When speaking to Kui Xin outside, his tone was that of an elder addressing a junior. In a place free from Augus’s monitoring, his demeanor carried a sense of respect. Kui Xin belonged to the core staff in Mechanized Dawn and held a rank higher than him.
Doctor Huang was a two-faced individual.
Instinctively, Kui Xin checked her pocket; the silver communicator and data chip that Doctor Huang had given her were still there. She suspected that the silver communicator might have similar functions, and with proper use could shield against the surveillance of the artificial intelligence Augus.
“Can you forge a medical report for me?” Kui Xin asked proactively.
“Of course,” Doctor Huang replied with a smile. “I brought you to the medical room just for this purpose.”
Half an hour later, the forged medical report was completed.
Kui Xin took the report and returned to Xueyao Shu’s office.
Xueyao Shu scrutinized Kui Xin’s medical report several times, his gaze pausing at the last line in the suggestions section: “Appropriate rest helps with memory recovery.”
“Go back,” he sighed, saying helplessly, “If there are signs of memory recovery, come report to me immediately. Your leave is still for three days.”
“Understood, squad leader,” Kui Xin replied.
As she left Xueyao Shu’s office, she felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted off her chest.
A thin layer of virtual sweat appeared on Kui Xin’s back.
She knew she had passed the first checkpoint, preserving herself without arousing suspicion. The challenges ahead would only be harder than this.
After all, this was a world of advanced technology alongside extraordinary powers.
“Task Triggered.”
A light curtain that only Kui Xin could see suddenly emerged.
“[Task Description]: The simple folk of Hei Hai City is an important port city for the Federation, and a nest of numerous gang forces. Now, Hei Hai City is shrouded in conspiracy as unknown henchmen extend their reach here. You need to investigate and clarify this conspiracy.”
“You can choose to accept the task or refuse it.”
“Refusing may lessen your risk, but accepting could lead to unexpected rewards.”
“[Task Content]: Investigate the port explosion case in Hei Hai City.”
Kui Xin recalled the sixth piece of advice she had memorized before entering the game.
—Everything has a price.
Fate’s gifts always come with a hidden price tag; to gain, one must bear the risks.
Kui Xin was a player navigating the Second World, also an explorer of a new world. There were dangers and opportunities laid out before her.
Now the fork in her fate was right beneath her feet.
Kui Xin chose to accept the task.
“You have accepted the task.”
“[Task Progress]: 0%.”
