Chapter 73: Sea Without Light 73
Kui Xin had dinner, finished washing up, and lay in bed, recalling the various events that had occurred over the past seven days.
On August 3, she returned to the Second World and engaged in a thrilling battle with the Scythe Demon. After receiving treatment, she was forced to reveal her Extraordinary Ability of flesh regeneration. On the morning of the 3rd, Kui Xin underwent the qualification review for being an Awakened. That night, she visited the Headquarters of the Mechanical Dawn and toured some new projects being developed by Reynir Technology Company.
On August 4 and 5, Kui Xin went to work normally and did not encounter any surprises.
On August 6, Kui Xin and her teammates from the Seventh Squad received a mission from the Investigation Bureau and prepared to board the Kraken for a escort mission. That evening, the entire Seventh Squad took an armed helicopter out to sea.
In the early hours of August 7, the armed helicopter arrived above the Kraken, and the Seventh Squad successfully boarded the ship. Half an hour after boarding, the Kraken experienced an explosion. The task execution squad attempted to assist the Seventh Squad but became trapped, and the armed helicopter sent for rescue was destroyed. The security officer squad that boarded the ship was completely wiped out. Also during the early hours of the 7th, with her flesh regeneration barely sustaining her, Kui Xin, guided by Augus, encountered the cargo being transported on the Kraken—cocoons.
Then Kui Xin died, time rewound, and she crossed the boundary of death, returning to August 4.
The second reincarnation.
On August 4, after resting, Kui Xin proactively called Kui Haidong, venturing into the Headquarters of the Mechanical Dawn for testing. From Kui Haidong, she learned that the Mechanical Dawn had already noticed the existence of “Players.”
On August 5, Kui Xin began exploring different routes, seeking more possibilities to expand the influence of her butterfly wings. During a patrol that morning, she encountered Thorn Rose and Silverface, leading to fierce combat between the Seventh Squad and the two Extraordinary Abilities users. The appearance of two powerful abilities at the port attracted the Investigation Bureau’s attention, leading them to search the area, where they discovered hidden explosives. The plan to blow up the Mechanical Dawn’s dock was forced to abort, while Red’s decisive actions inflicted heavy losses on the Investigation Bureau.
On August 6, after holding a task meeting with her teammates from the Mechanical Dawn, Kui Xin boarded the Kraken with them. In the early morning of the 6th, she captured Tang Guan on the ship, avoiding a deadly outcome, and returned safely with her teammates. During the day, she went back to the Investigation Bureau as usual and learned from Xie Gankqing about the Extraordinary Ability of Deputy Director Lin Xinji. That evening, Kui Xin was invited to the Headquarters of the Mechanical Dawn to interrogate the detained players.
She met Zhao Wenyao, Reynir, and Tang Guan. After confirming Tang Guan’s true identity, the mission investigation progress issued by the system finally reached one hundred percent.
Kui Xin received the reward of an “Invitation Letter.”
August 7 and 8 were relatively quiet. Her daily routine involved office work and training.
On August 9, the evening of today, Kui Xin had an open conversation with AI Augus.
Today was also the day to return to the First World.
From August 3 to August 9, although only seven days had passed, due to the effects of “Death Rebirth,” the time span Kui Xin experienced was far longer than seven days.
She had carefully recorded everything that occurred each day, growing from event to event, gathering intelligence from those around her, gradually solidifying her own path.
Not a single day passed idly for Kui Xin; her mind was filled with numerous matters, making it difficult for her to pause and organize her thoughts, often thinking while moving.
Both mentally and physically, Kui Xin was immensely fatigued. She longed for a good night’s sleep, one free of dreams.
In the First World, she at least didn’t have to worry about being assassinated in her sleep or about exposing her identity during work or interactions with the Mechanical Dawn.
Kui Xin glanced at the time: it was 22:36. She had wasted quite a bit of time soaking in the bath, so she decided to sleep for a while first.
She set an alarm for 7 AM the next day, as she needed to go to the Investigation Bureau.
The Investigation Bureau truly served as the dogs of the consortium, the employee rest system within the department perfectly reflecting the capitalism’s exploitative nature—exploiting labor. They operated on a monthly rotation, offering three days of leave each month, with the timing being unpredictable. If many employees took leave during that period, Kui Xin’s time off would inevitably be postponed.
Setting the alarm, Kui Xin climbed out of bed, opened the door to her bedroom, and looked at the dimly glowing living room, saying, “Silverface, don’t stay up too late, it wastes electricity. And lower the volume, you’re disturbing me.”
“Oh.” Silverface shrank his head and hurriedly turned the TV volume down. “Can I watch for half an hour more?”
What responded to him was the sound of a firm door closing.
Kui Xin locked the door and peacefully fell asleep.
She knew that when she woke up again, she would return to her familiar world.
…
“Buzz… Buzz…”
Kui Xin’s body swayed slightly, nearly causing her to fall.
The powerful balance skills allowed her to steady herself just in time. Instinctively, she grabbed onto a piece of old furniture and opened her eyes.
The familiar city skyline greeted her, with distant neon lights and a cross-river bridge. Looking down, she saw the old neighborhood’s stone-paved road, where a single stubborn streetlight remained lit despite being damaged.
When she walked home at night during her senior year of high school, it was this remaining streetlight that illuminated her path back, giving her the courage to walk in the eerie night.
Kui Xin heard a buzzing sound in her ear; it was her mobile phone alarm ringing. The last time she returned to the Second World, she faced the attack of the Scythe Demon, so she had specially set an alarm to give herself some reaction time.
Kui Xin picked up her phone and turned off the alarm, taking several deep breaths. She stepped back to sit on her bed, closed her eyes to calm herself, and stabilize her emotions.
After a while, she received a new message on her social app.
Yuan Lu: “Kui Xin, are you okay?”
Upon seeing this name, Kui Xin felt a sense of unfamiliarity. She had been away from the First World for too long and had been distanced from her peaceful life, which made her feel as though she was living in a different era upon receiving someone else’s greeting.
Since brief interactions with Yuan Lu, Yu Qiwen, and Xie Gankqing, they had rarely communicated, and upon returning to the Second World, Kui Xin hadn’t thought of them even once.
Yuan Lu had reached out her first moment after returning to the First World, asking if she was well, which surprised her somewhat.
Kui Xin replied, “I’m fine. How about you guys?”
Yuan Lu: “I was with Yu Qiwen and Xie Gankqing when we returned. We are all doing well. Did you encounter any difficulties in the Second World this time?”
“No, everything’s normal,” Kui Xin responded.
“Then I’m relieved,” Yuan Lu said. “Life goes on; let’s keep pushing forward. Don’t think too much tonight; get a good night’s sleep. Goodnight!”
“Goodnight,” Kui Xin replied politely.
On the other side, Yuan Lu put down her phone and muttered, “Hmm, looks like the little sister didn’t encounter any problems. The seven days in the Second World really wore me out; my horrible boss sent back the proposal I worked hard on. I reworked it three times, and he still wasn’t satisfied… When did I ever take this kind of treatment?”
“Don’t mention it, Sister Lu,” Yu Qiwen said with a long face. “My graduate advisor in the Second World told me my paper was not up to standard and asked me to rewrite it. I did rewrite, but he took my old paper to publish! He even threatened me that if I reported him, I’d never move up in life.”
Yuan Lu elbowed Xie Gankqing, “What about you? You’re leading a team to start a business in the Second World, right? Did any big shots see your business plan and want to invest?”
“Currently, a few big companies are interested in investing, but they all demand absolute controlling rights. At most, I could hold forty-nine percent of the shares,” Xie Gankqing said listlessly.
Yuan Lu said, “As expected from a world where the consortium holds the power; it’s truly difficult for ordinary people to rise.”
“Class solidification, that’s the biggest issue in the Second World,” Yu Qiwen remarked.
“By the way, have you been keeping an eye on Kui Xin’s situation in the Second World?” Yuan Lu turned to Yu Qiwen.
Yu Qiwen replied, “Of course I have, but I didn’t find any relevant information in the resident database. She seems to be an invisible person… Two explanations are possible. First, Kui Xin’s data is classified intelligence and not in the shallow resident database. Second, she could be an illegal resident, a drifter without proper identification.”
“If it’s the first case, then Kui Xin’s citizen identity level is at least level three, or even higher,” Xie Gankqing stated. “If it’s the second case…”
“She would truly be unfortunate,” Yuan Lu sympathized.
Xie Gankqing said, “I specifically looked into how to raise citizen identity levels and found the requirements are exceptionally harsh. First, one must pay sufficient taxes and pass relevant department reviews. Second, one must hold a position in an official federal institution. Third, they must be a direct relative of a deputy-level federal official. Fourth, hold a PhD or higher. Fifth, become an Awakened.”
Yu Qiwen exclaimed, “I calculated how much it would take to go from undergraduate to PhD—at least five million, and securing the degree would require several million more in bribes to school leaders and advisors…”
“I suddenly have a whole new understanding of the darkness in the Second World,” Yuan Lu said in shock. “Now I believe little sister Kui Xin may be an illegal resident. This is the simplest and most realistic explanation.”
The three exchanged glances, each letting out a heavy sigh.
Yu Qiwen opened his computer. “Let’s check the forum; there might be some important announcements, and we can’t miss first-hand information.”
Xie Gankqing and Yuan Lu gathered around the computer. Yu Qiwen watched the bloody survival count displayed at the top of the forum and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn!”
Survival count: 9201.
Yu Qiwen stared wide-eyed, “Why is the death toll increasing! I thought everyone would learn to hide themselves, and that deaths would decrease from now on… Why is this happening?”
Just as he was about to click to investigate the death notices, Yuan Lu stopped him. “The informational guru 233 has posted! The title of the post is…”
Yu Qiwen saw the post title: “The federal government of the Second World has already discovered the existence of Players and the First World. They are currently capturing, interrogating, and cleansing Players.”
This post felt like a nuclear bomb that stunned everyone on the forum.
…
Initially, Kui Xin did not intend to post this.
She thought there might be Players who were captured who would step up and make a post. Even if ordinary Players lacked this courage, Reynir would certainly have enough bravery.
However, she didn’t know how deep and firm Mechanical Dawn’s control over Reynir’s consciousness was, so she waited, waiting for Reynir to post.
This was a test—a test to see if Reynir could break free from mental control after traversing worlds.
But she waited for ten minutes, and no one came forward to post.
At this moment, Kui Xin realized the situation was graver than she had imagined.
The players on the forum were entirely unaware of this, deeply engrossed in arguments about Remover 233’s recent killings. They discussed the far-off Remover 233, dissecting the threats she posed, commenting on her madness and cruelty, yet they were oblivious that danger was already lurking right beside them.
So, Kui Xin tapped the screen of her phone, crafting a title.
After thinking for a while, she wrote in the first floor of the post: “Do not harbor any lucky thoughts, do not expose any flaws, do not trust those around you too much… We thought we were the ones concealed in the dark, but our adversaries hide in an even deeper shadow.”
