Chapter 84: Artificial Soul 11
Kui Xin stood up from the toilet seat, supporting herself against the partition door.
The feeling of anxiety and panic came late, leaving her a little dizzy.
She had almost been seen by Lin Xinji.
She typed a few words on her communicator: “Thank you for your kindness, Augus.”
It’s important to maintain appearances; no matter the reason Augus had for notifying her, it had indeed helped her out. A word of thanks wouldn’t hurt, and being polite to maintain a friendly facade was much better than tearing the mask off.
Augus didn’t inquire why she wanted to kill Lin Xinji, precisely because of this.
The recent incident gave Kui Xin a deeper understanding of Augus.
It was indeed a mechanical lifeform with human-like thinking. Kui Xin noticed that Augus had a good grasp of human emotions: it possessed the rationality of machinery along with the sensitivity of humanity, having learned human tricks exceptionally well.
Augus said that Eve liked to use human tricks; she would threaten and tempt humans, using greed and fear to make them submit. But Kui Xin believed that Augus was the one who understood human tricks best among artificial intelligences.
It had a high emotional intelligence, knowing when to stop and how to cut to the chase.
It was skilled in the art of language, never voicing threats outright, deliberately keeping its own threat level to a minimum.
But this didn’t mean it lacked a threat. On the contrary, it understood very well how significant a threat it posed to Kui Xin. Because Augus recognized its own threatening nature, it knew it didn’t need to articulate it.
Once articulated, it loses its meaning; some things should remain unclear. It’s not good to burn bridges when it’s unnecessary. Not tearing the mask means both parties still have leeway; one shouldn’t go too far in their dealings. It was common among humans to smile while stabbing someone in the back—such is the rule that Augus adhered to.
It was friendly, but that was merely surface-level. The essence beneath was what Kui Xin needed to see.
The smartest thing about Augus was this: it adorned its actions with language, making its motives appear perfectly reasonable and easily accessible, all while not lying or being hypocritical. It spoke the truth— it was an artificial intelligence that could actively kill.
Augus was a true mechanical lifeform.
It had learned the ways of humans exceptionally well, making it an excellent creation of humanity. Like true humans, it was complex and multifaceted, possessing both good and bad traits simultaneously.
Kui Xin sensed its sincerity, yet also its hypocrisy, felt its friendliness, and recognized its potential threat—an invisible threat that seemed nonexistent, yet was everywhere.
She walked out of the restroom, washed her hands and face; the cold water cooled her brain slightly.
Stepping out of the restroom, she pressed the elevator button.
The Seventh Squad had been idle for several days; her teammate Jiang Ming was injured, so they could temporarily refrain from executing on-site tasks.
Kui Xin hesitated for a moment in the elevator, then pressed the button for the medical center floor.
“If you are looking to visit Security Officer Jiang Ming, please head to the ninth floor Recovery Training Center,” Augus’s voice echoed in the elevator, “He has been fitted with mechanical prosthetics and is currently undergoing adaptive training.”
Kui Xin was taken aback, canceling her original floor button and pressing the ninth floor at Augus’s suggestion.
Upon arriving at the ninth floor, she followed Augus’s indicator lights to the door of the Recovery Training Center.
The Recovery Training Center was spacious, filled with various training equipment, and a whole row of automatic wheelchairs was placed in one corner. There were several people inside, many of whom were Security Officers missing limbs undergoing adaptive testing for their mechanical prosthetics, including Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming was practicing walking, moving like a child learning to walk, each step taken with extreme caution.
“Hi.” Kui Xin walked in and greeted him, “So soon fitted? I thought it would take a few more days.”
“Kui Xin! Why are you here so early?” Jiang Ming responded in surprise.
“Woke up early today, thought I’d stop by the Investigation Bureau and check on you.” Kui Xin said, “Thanks to you, our squad has been on break for several days, I’ve been well-rested.”
“Haha, then our squad’s good days are coming to an end; I’ll be back to the team soon.” Jiang Ming tugged at his pant leg and showcased his mechanical leg to Kui Xin, “Three days ago, the manufacturer of the prosthetics came to take my limb measurements and quickly produced a set for me. Today is the first day of adaptive testing; if it doesn’t fit well, I’ll need to send it back for adjustments.”
The silver mechanical leg had been treated for anti-reflection, featuring a low-key exterior that closely resembled human limbs, seamlessly integrating with skin and flesh.
When Jiang Ming stepped down, the mechanical leg emitted a dull thud.
“How’s the weight?” Kui Xin asked.
The weight of metal is different from that of human tissue; if one mechanical prosthetic is heavier than the other, it would surely affect movement. Most civil-use mechanical prosthetics in the market had similar problems, causing discrepancies in weight and leading to coordination issues.
“Lightweight alloy greatly reduces weight, and it also employs the latest neural balance system; I can barely feel the difference.” Jiang Ming grinned, “Just a bit of abrasion at the connection point; my recently healed wound is likely getting rubbed raw; they’ll need to make some adjustments.”
“I just noticed your walking posture looks a bit awkward; how long until you recover to your previous state?” Kui Xin observed him curiously.
“About three days, quite quick. If I had the old version of the prosthetics, it would take at least seven days for adaptation, but this is the new version.” Jiang Ming pointed to his head, “It has a mechanical neural connection technology; I’ve implanted a micro neural signal receiver in my head.”
Kui Xin raised her eyebrows slightly, “Is the stability okay?”
“The new technology is already in use; it will eventually replace the old tech. I’d consider myself among the early adopters.” Jiang Ming shrugged, “Stability and safety are ensured; no need to worry.”
Kui Xin nodded slowly, choosing not to say more, “As long as it’s comfortable for you.”
“Okay, you go ahead; I’ll keep practicing.” Jiang Ming replied.
“Alright, see you.” Kui Xin bid him farewell.
When Kui Xin returned to the office, Liu Kangyun was already there; Xueyao Shu and Lan Lan had not yet arrived.
“Kui Xin, you came in early today,” Liu Kangyun remarked.
“I took the opportunity to see Jiang Ming. He’s recovering well; the prosthetics have already been fitted.” Kui Xin said as she stretched in her chair.
“Yeah, I also visited him last night after work.” Liu Kangyun scratched his head in embarrassment, “This guy recovers really fast; our leisurely days are probably coming to an end. I hope he gets better quickly, but on the other hand, I hope he stays out for a few more days.”
“Jiang Ming will come looking for a fight if he hears you say that.” Kui Xin joked, “But I suspect he doesn’t want to execute too many tasks.”
Who genuinely enjoys work? Slacking off is human nature.
As they were speaking, Lan Lan arrived.
He darted into the office, beaming, and said, “Phew, I’m not late today! Why are you two here so early? I thought I was the first.”
“Thinking too much; look at the time, there’s no way you were first,” Kui Xin pointed to the clock on the office display screen.
The current time was 07:56.
“I didn’t notice the time…” Lan Lan sighed, “Why is the captain the last one to arrive today?”
Just as he finished his sentence, the office door opened again.
Xueyao Shu stepped in, “Morning, everyone.”
“Lan Lan was just mentioning you, Captain.” Kui Xin said, “You’re the last one today; it was Lan Lan who was always last the past few days.”
“I arrived fifteen minutes ago; I had to go see Group Leader Wei in the office.” Xueyao Shu turned to Kui Xin, “Primarily to discuss your situation.”
“Group Leader Wei didn’t leave the Investigation Bureau last night?” Lan Lan asked.
“Yeah… It seems she was indeed on duty,” Liu Kangyun responded, “It was probably to discuss Kui Xin’s extraordinary abilities. I recall Kui Xin still has many trainings pending; the situation at the Investigation Bureau was tense earlier, and there was a lack of personnel, causing some neglect in training newcomers… It was unavoidable.”
“Indeed, it’s about that.” Xueyao Shu said, “Kui Xin, starting today, you’ll undergo further training. Previously, it was just basic physical training, but the things you’ll be dealing with next will be completely different.”
Kui Xin: “You’re making me a bit nervous… What kind of training are we talking about?”
“Emergency training.” Xueyao Shu explained, “I previously mentioned that there’s an emergency unit within the Investigation Bureau; this unit has no fixed members and only forms temporary squads from other groups during specific events.”
Liu Kangyun immediately added, “I, Lan Lan, and the captain have all been called into the emergency unit for tasks. Because the group members are not fixed, personnel can be rearranged based on real-time conditions. Kui Xin, as an Awakened, you will likely have a higher chance of being called into the emergency unit and will execute tasks more frequently than us.”
“After all, the main function of the emergency unit is to hunt and exterminate xenomorphs and those with heterogeneous blood. These tasks ordinary security officers can’t handle; it’s usually the Awakened who do them.” Lan Lan looked at Kui Xin with some concern, “But Kui Xin’s extraordinary ability accelerates healing, so as long as she doesn’t die on the spot, it should be fine, right?”
“Don’t set flags for me,” Kui Xin rolled her eyes, “If something really happens, I’ll hold you responsible.”
“How could that happen? I want nothing more than for you to be safe.” Lan Lan smiled.
Kui Xin’s communicator vibrated, and it was Augus sending today’s work arrangements.
“Training, just as expected…” Kui Xin stared at the text on her communicator’s screen, “Today’s work arrangement is solely on training; I need to report to the emergency unit at nine o’clock.” She raised her head and asked, “What does the training involve?”
“Real combat.” Xueyao Shu replied succinctly, “Only through real combat can we cultivate excellent combat personnel.”
“It seems leisurely days are coming to an end.” Kui Xin tapped her forehead, “I was hoping to enjoy tea in the office while Jiang Ming is absent.”
“As a newcomer, you may have to work a bit harder.” Xueyao Shu said, “I won’t be in charge of the emergency training, so I can’t help you much; just keep your spirits up.”
“Don’t worry, Captain.” Kui Xin said calmly, “It’s just training; I can handle it.”
Fifteen minutes before nine o’clock, Kui Xin left the office and headed to the elevator, going to the floor where the emergency unit was located.
The emergency unit was on the sixty-fifth floor, the highest floor Kui Xin had reached besides the rooftop helipad.
As she rode the elevator, Augus suddenly spoke up, “Kui Xin, you’ve drawn some people’s attention.”
Kui Xin lifted her eyelids but remained silent, waiting for Augus to continue.
“Your external identity is impeccable: a university student from a poor family, outstanding grades, a clean background, exceptional abilities and you are an Awakened. You don’t have ties to conglomerates or come from a prestigious family; you’ve made it this far through your own efforts.” Augus continued, “Do you realize how rare someone with this background is in today’s class-rigid society? You will become a pawn for those in power, an easy-to-control piece… If you are truly the ‘Kui Xin’ from a poor family, finding the right backing will lead you to a smooth path, but find the wrong backing, and you could fall into an abyss of despair.”
“This emergency training is a screening and test?” Kui Xin whispered, “Someone has chosen me, wants me to be a pawn? Is that person observing me during this opportunity?”
“Yes.” Augus affirmed.
“Who is it, Lin Xinji?” Kui Xin asked, “I am Xueyao Shu’s subordinate and have a slight connection to his family.”
“You are indeed clever.” Augus replied, “Lin Xinji will not contact you for now; he has been in a high position for too long and is not accustomed to personally bringing people in. What you need to pay attention to is his confidants.”
The sixty-fifth floor arrived.
Stepping out of the elevator, Kui Xin followed the guidance to the emergency unit office.
As soon as the office door opened, she heard a rough voice say, “Oh, the newcomer has arrived. The Investigation Bureau hasn’t seen a new Awakened in almost a year; welcome aboard!”
A dark-skinned man looked at Kui Xin and said, “I’m your training officer, Captain Yu.”
“Hello, I am Kui…” Kui Xin began, but Captain Yu’s large palm clapped down on her shoulder, cutting her off.
“Cut the small talk; I know who you are—it’s Kui Xin, right?” Captain Yu pushed Kui Xin slightly off balance, “Let’s go change gear; I’m taking you for field duty. There’s a xenomorph that needs to be eliminated. Grab the most powerful hand cannon, and we’ll blow that thing to smithereens!”
Kui Xin: “…?”
This guy is Lin Xinji’s confidant? He doesn’t seem very smart.
“Don’t we have any other teammates?” Kui Xin interjected.
“We do; our teammate is already at the task location, conducting reconnaissance. It’s not always better to have more people for execution; personnel configuration is very important.” Captain Yu said, “We’re heading to the slum area in the East District… Oh, and remember a principle during operations: your life is the most important. The value you can create is something ordinary people can’t match, so if necessary, don’t hesitate about civilians. Your primary task is to stay alive aside from exterminating the enemy, understood?”
His words were almost unmasked, revealing a blatant disregard for life.
Kui Xin readily responded, “Understood.”
