Chapter 49: Sea Without Light
“I hate rainy days,” Kui Xin said. “Bad weather feels like an ominous sign, making people psychologically uncomfortable.”
“Stop jinxing it!” Lan Lan exclaimed loudly. “We haven’t even set off yet.”
“Kui Xin is nervous since it’s her first time participating in a large-scale mission. Right, Kui Xin?” Liu Kangyun came over to pat her shoulder and shouted.
“I’m a little bit nervous,” Kui Xin had no choice but to raise her voice too.
They had to speak loudly because they were currently on the roof of the Investigation Bureau headquarters.
The engines of five armed helicopters roared, and the rotor blades whipped up currents of air, creating a deafening roar with the howling wind and buzzing blades. If they didn’t speak loudly, they couldn’t hear each other at all.
Despite the clear and sunny weather earlier in the day, it had started to rain by nightfall. The weather in Hei Hai City was truly unpredictable.
Kui Xin’s hair flew wildly in the wind generated by the helicopter’s rotor blades, and the wind blew the raindrops sideways, big droplets pelting down on them.
She wiped the rain off her cheeks, shook her slightly damp hair, and put on her helmet.
Lightweight individuals could be knocked off balance by the wind from the rotor blades, but she stood firmly without a hint of wavering because she was carrying a forty-kilogram equipment box on her back, filled with some weapon parts.
Everyone in the Seventh Squad carried equipment boxes. Lan Lan was responsible for carrying technological devices, while the others brought weapons. Bringing fully assembled weapons onto the helicopter was simply too cumbersome, so aside from necessary standard equipment, all other weapons were disassembled into parts to be reassembled on the Kraken.
There was more than just Kui Xin’s squad on the helipad; the remaining four squads were also ready to go. Some of them she had seen during meetings with the field team, while others were unfamiliar faces that looked to be from different squads.
This was a large task involving multiple squads.
“What a big operation,” Kui Xin commented. “Captain, this mission is quite important, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is very important,” Xueyao Shu replied. “The Kraken is transporting combustible ice, and any accidents with the transport device could easily cause an explosion of the whole ship.”
Combustible ice, a clean energy that had been widely used in recent years, had the downside of being difficult to transport and mine, requiring the construction of special mining wells and transport ships.
Red mentioned that the combustible ice being transported on the Kraken was just a cover; the real cargo they were transporting was something else.
“Why are criminals harassing combustible ice transport ships? Is it useful to them?” Kui Xin asked, puzzled. “Is it worth the effort for official organizations to oppose this so fiercely? Are people making a living at sea really that crazy?”
“Perhaps it’s not about stealing the energy but merely about sabotaging the ships. Some extreme terrorist organizations might engage in social retribution against the Federation,” Xueyao Shu said slowly. “In any case, don’t think too much; we just need to carry out our mission and protect the Kraken.”
A hint of worry fleetingly crossed his eyes.
The nature of those harassing the transport ships was highly suspicious.
Kui Xin shared the same doubts; after all, none of them were idiots. But the documents issued by the Investigation Bureau showed this, and everyone below was just following orders to execute them.
The teammates in the Seventh Squad were quite warm-hearted, and everyone got along well. Even high-ranking leaders in the Investigation Bureau would show a friendly side to their subordinates.
But in reality, the Investigation Bureau wasn’t a warm place, but rather a law enforcement agency with an iron-fisted approach. Warmth and friendliness were merely superficial.
This world had long established a unified global political system, yet the Federation’s reach couldn’t touch every corner. Certain remote areas still harbored many armed forces of varying degrees of significance, and the Federation continued its “anti-terrorism operations” to try to rid these forces, yet for some reason they persisted like cockroaches that wouldn’t die and would spring back to life with the spring winds.
The rules, laws, hierarchies, and societies of the Second World were twisted in every way.
Everyone had put on their helmets when Augus reminded them through the built-in communicator: “Please, all squad members board the helicopter. The helicopter serial numbers correspond to each squad’s designation.”
“Let’s go,” Xueyao Shu said.
The sound of tactical boots splashing on the waterlogged ground echoed heavily as they first went to the transport warehouse to drop off their equipment boxes before entering the cabin. The helicopter’s door was high off the ground, and everyone helped each other climb aboard.
Boarding, fastening seatbelts, checking equipment, and closing the door.
Rainwater splashed against the cabin door glass, and through the glass, Kui Xin saw members of other squads already seated inside the helicopter.
She took a deep breath to steady her heartbeat and physical state.
Between the coast security office and the Investigation Bureau headquarters, the task executors had a few hours to handle personal affairs at home. Kui Xin took this opportunity to contact Red.
Red told her to keep an eye on his messages. If the port explosion was successful, then she wouldn’t need to do anything. If it wasn’t successful… she might need to return to complete this task.
Though Kui Xin responded well on the surface, she inwardly gave him the finger.
Completing it was impossible; only someone with a sick mind would voluntarily take on such a life-threatening task.
Sitting in the helicopter, the roaring sound of the rotors and the engines remained deafening, causing Kui Xin to feel frustrated amidst the cacophony.
The Kraken was a storm eye wrapped in conspiracy and fog, and now Kui Xin was about to approach the storm eye and delve deep inside to uncover the truth.
She silently recited in her heart, opening the game interface.
“[Mission Progress]: 30%.”
As the situation clarified and her understanding of Mechanized Dawn deepened, the investigation progress of the port explosion case unknowingly rose to thirty percent, but then it stagnated because the clues had yet to fully connect; those critical questions remained unanswered.
What was the Kraken transporting? Was there a hidden third party involved in the explosion case? Why was Mechanized Dawn so fearful of the Kraken’s landing?
These questions Kui Xin was still exploring; now she was getting closer to the truth, and the Investigation Bureau’s maritime escort mission was the turning point.
The Investigation Bureau had dispatched security officers for this task, indicating they were aware of what was on the Kraken. The higher-ups wanted the Kraken to land, implying that whatever was being transported bore great value to them, which was why they went through such lengths to send so many people for protection, fearing the transport would encounter mishaps.
The Kraken incident involved so many powerful forces, it was shocking.
Kui Xin was truly curious about what the cargo ship was carrying that stirred so many different interests.
Several Awakened ones were also executing the mission along with them; these Awakened might be dispersed among the various squads. Since Kui Xin had not had any interactions with the other squads, she couldn’t identify who the Awakened were.
“The weather is stable, and flying is permitted. Please get ready,” Augus reminded. “This flight will last three hours. After three hours, we will stop at the offshore helipad and change helicopters to continue toward the area where the Kraken is located. The total flight time will be approximately seven hours and fifteen minutes.”
“Is it really going to take that long?” Kui Xin exclaimed in surprise.
“The Kraken is traveling across the vast sea and hasn’t yet entered the Hei Hai City area, it takes time to fly there,” Xueyao Shu explained.
The latest model of the Investigation Bureau’s armed helicopter flies at a speed of two hundred eighty kilometers per hour, while the Kraken’s speed is ten nautical miles per hour, roughly translating to eighteen kilometers. These giant cargo ships often travel for months at sea, crossing oceans to deliver goods to designated locations.
When the departure time arrived, the helicopter tore through the rain like a hunting falcon, taking off vertically.
The lift brought a momentary ringing in Kui Xin’s ears, which quickly returned to normal.
She turned to look out the window, watching the tall buildings drift away, feeling as if she was infinitely close to the sky.
Looking down at Hei Hai City from the sky, one could truly appreciate the city’s prosperity. It was a real city that never slept; neon lights painted the night in different colors, and laser beams shot out, extending far into the dark sky.
“Security officer Kui Xin,” Augus said. “I detect that your heartbeat is continuously above normal levels. Do you feel short of breath or nauseous?”
“…Huh? I’m fine,” Kui Xin replied.
“If you feel unwell due to the high-altitude environment, you can take medication from the emergency kit under your seat,” Augus dutifully informed her.
Her teammates looked over with concerned expressions.
Kui Xin held her forehead: “I’m fine, I’m just a bit nervous, and the noise in the cabin is giving me a headache, I’ll be fine in a bit.”
“Okay,” Augus said. “Your helmet has a noise reduction mode; you can manually adjust it according to your environment, or I can help you adjust it.”
Xueyao Shu: “Nervousness is normal. I felt the same way on my first joint mission with multiple departments.”
Jiang Ming: “Don’t force it if something feels off.”
“How about we turn on the noise reduction to ease things a bit?” Lan Lan suggested.
“We have nearly seven hours of flying time; if you feel tired, just sleep; it’ll help you be refreshed for the mission,” Liu Kangyun said.
“I really am fine; it’s just Augus being too sensitive,” Kui Xin said helplessly. “Um, let’s turn on the noise reduction for now; this noise is giving me a headache.”
“Yes, noise reduction mode activated,” Augus replied.
Once the noise reduction mode was activated, it felt as if her ears had been stuffed with cotton, filtering out a significant amount of noise.
She let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in her seat to temporarily relax her back.
Kui Xin was indeed very anxious, and her anxiety stemmed from the Kraken.
As the storm eye drew closer, her sense of unease increased. There was a voice in her mind quietly reminding her that this mission probably wouldn’t go smoothly.
……
August 7, 3:00 AM.
The helicopter flew directly above the Kraken, lowering its altitude and speed to parallel the cargo ship.
The ship turned on its searchlight, lighting up the deck to guide the helicopter’s direction.
A few sailors on the deck gathered to watch, exchanging murmurs about the dark helicopter.
Then, the helicopter’s cabin door opened, and a sturdy rope was thrown down. Liu Kangyun led the way, descending quickly with the equipment box from the rope to the deck.
Next was Kui Xin.
She secured her safety clip, steadied the box on her back, and with her hands in protective gloves firmly gripped the rope, coordinating her movements to descend quickly.
With a swishing sound, Kui Xin successfully landed, and the remaining members of the Seventh Squad followed suit onto the deck.
“The feeling of being on solid ground is really delightful,” she said.
“Lady, this is far from being on solid ground; we won’t be able to dock for several days!” The burly captain with a golden goatee enthusiastically spoke in a peculiar accent of Chinese, “Welcome! Welcome to the Kraken! I am Captain Anton from White Whale City!”
“Hello, I’m Xueyao Shu, the supervisor for the security work on this ship,” Xueyao Shu nodded. “There are five of us executing the security aboard; the other squads are on the escort ship. We will ensure that the Kraken safely arrives in Hei Hai City.”
The escort ship surrounded the cargo ship from all sides, following it across the sea. It was an impenetrable iron barrel; unless ultra-heavy weaponry was used, no pirates or criminals could breach the defensive ring to harm the Kraken.
“Thank you. That puts my mind at ease,” Anton gratefully said. “Ah, I’ve been having a terrible time lately. There was an issue with the drinking water on the ship, and crew members were falling ill with vomiting and diarrhea until we resupplied food and water in the last port city, and things improved. But just recently, my first mate was walking on the deck when a rusty crane hook fell, hitting him on the head. Since then, it seems like there’s something… uh, wrong with him. I was hoping to dock soon to get him treated.”
“That’s truly unfortunate,” Lan Lan sighed.
“Come on, you’ll be staying on the ship for many days, so we need to show you to your accommodations,” Anton grinned widely.
He led everyone across the long deck and into the ship’s cabin.
The stairs leading down to the cabin sloped downward; in the dim light of the night, the passage below looked a bit like a deep cave… or like it concealed some beast waiting to pounce.
As Kui Xin took a step down, she suddenly felt dizzy and gripped the railing tightly, as if she was hearing an auditory hallucination.
“Thump thump… thump thump…”
That was the sound of a heartbeat!
The distant sound of a heartbeat echoed from the dark passage.
What kind of animal could have such a loud heartbeat? So powerful it seemed to resonate through the passage, creating a vague echo in her ears.
“What’s wrong, Kui Xin?” Xueyao Shu asked with concern.
Kui Xin strained to listen; the heartbeat sound faded away, leaving only the continuous sound of the waves.
“Nothing… just low blood sugar,” she said with a strange expression.
