Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Sea Without Light (Part 44)

Messages trickled in to Gui Xin’s communicator.

Lan Lan: “How are you feeling today, Xiao Gui?”

Jiang Ming: “I forgot to say yesterday, your bravery last night was remarkable! I give you a thumbs up!”

Liu Kangyun: “If everything goes well, you should be able to rejoin us soon. Don’t pressure yourself too much. You’ve been injured twice severely since you joined. Take good rest.”

Xueyao Shu: “Doctor Huang told me you are fine, which puts my mind at ease. Work hard on today’s Awakened qualifications review. I believe in you.”

Gui Xin replied one by one to her teammates to express her gratitude. Suddenly, she remembered that she didn’t contact any members of the Mechanized Dawn all night.

She had been away from the First World for what felt like an eternity, with many things happening in between. To others, it might have only been a single night, but to her, it had been as long as seven days.

Now wasn’t the right time to contact Silverface and Red. She didn’t open the silver bracelet to check the messages.

After changing clothes, Doctor Huang carried an electronic file to check on her in the ward.

“Does it hurt?” he inquired compassionately.

Gui Xin rolled up her sleeves to show the doctor her completely healed skin. “No pain, it has fully recovered.”

Doctor Huang closely observed her face, and the wounds there were also fully healed.

“The extraordinary abilities are truly miraculous. Awakening in such crucial moments has saved your life,” he mused. “I noticed yesterday, the wound from the blood corrosion wasn’t very deep. This could be due to your high recovery rate. From the coast port to headquarters, the blood did not corrode to the bone—others might have already lost their limbs.”

“Thank goodness.” Gui Xin pulled down her sleeve.

Then, Doctor Huang conducted a full-body scan on her.

He looked at the scan results and said satisfactorily, “It looks good. The alloy skull I replaced for you fits well with the body, and it didn’t cause any rejection after you awakened your extraordinary abilities. It would still be better to check up periodically—because I don’t know the extent of your abilities. If your skull heals naturally and pushes out the alloy skull, it’d be serious and require surgery.”

“It sounds scary.” Gui Xin touched her forehead. “I’m quite happy with my iron skull. It can stop bullets on the battlefield. I don’t want to change it.”

“Indeed, I’ve made the same for several people in the Investigation Bureau. They all say it’s good.” Doctor Huang proudly stated, “I’m the top doctor for medical skills in the Investigation Bureau.”

Doctor Huang moved on to check other wards. At eight o’clock in the morning, Gui Xin left her room promptly.

She pressed the elevator button to head to Room 4069 on the fourth floor where Jiang Meimei’s office was located.

The elevator stopped. Augus said, “Please follow the green indicator lights.”

The green light flashed twice on the right side of the corridor. Gui Xin turned right as directed and arrived at Room 4069.

The metal door opened; she walked in.

“Good morning, Gui Xin.” Jiang Meimei sat behind her desk, a steaming coffee cup beside her. She smiled, “Last night was quite thrilling, I heard from your captain that you nearly lost your life. Stop standing there, have a seat. Qualification reviews for Awakeners don’t have so many rules. Let’s chat.”

“I thought an Awakener’s qualification review would be more serious than an interview?” Gui Xin took a seat. “If not for my extraordinary abilities, I would have died last night for sure. A Scythe Demon is the first of these xenomorphs I’ve ever seen… it was terrifying.”

“That might explain why you are probably the most unlucky new recruit we’ve seen in the Investigation Bureau, suffering such severe injuries during your internship,” Jiang Meimei remarked.

“I feel I’m pretty unlucky… though there might be a tiny bit of luck mixed in there?” Gui Xin commented. “What might kill someone else could just bring me back stronger.”

“I appreciate your positive attitude.” Jiang Meimei smiled.

This office space differed from the conference room where Gui Xin was interviewed before; this smaller and more finely decorated office had intricate instruments and devices in one corner with electronic and paper books intermixed on the shelf, suggesting that most of Jiang Meimei’s readings were on psychology.

There were also several hefty dumbbells placed under the bookshelf.

Even though Jiang Meimei was theoretically a desk worker, as a member of the Investigation Bureau, she was no slouch when it came to combat capacity. Gui Xin learned in training that Jiang Meimei’s shooting and close-combat scores were usually among the highest in the bureau.

Jiang Meimei noticed Gui Xin’s gaze and remarked, “I prefer physical books; electronic ones tire the eyes. I wear protective glasses whenever I read them. Lifting weights while reading helps me focus. Whenever I run into difficult cases, I like to think about possible breakthroughs.”

“An excellent way to both exercise and enrich oneself. When I get a chance, I’ll add some dumbbells myself,” Gui Xin agreed.

Unlike last time, she had passed the initial screening and become a full member. Jiang Meimei’s tone was now considerably more relaxed towards her.

Gui Xin felt she could also adopt a different approach, such as taking the initiative to ask questions and build intimacy, but she wouldn’t overstep regarding important issues.

Since Jiang Meimei studied psychology, she was particularly sensitive to changes in one’s demeanor. While one had to be cautious, being overly wary would make oneself appear awkward.

“I thought the Group Leader Wei Zhi would be conducting my Awaker qualifications test as she’s our direct superior,” Gui Xin queried.

“Group Leader Wei is on a mission; your review will be handled by me temporarily,” Jiang Meimei said. “Nothing special, just routine.”

For a complicated individual like Jiang Meimei, it wasn’t easy to distinguish whether her words were factual or meant to lower the examinee’s guard.

“Every Awaker is recorded and cataloged by the Investigation Bureau. These records are stored in Adam’s core database. After the test, you’ll become a confidential figure. External access to these data will be closed, and identity confidentiality will be strengthened in the resident database,” Jiang Meimei stated. “We’ll mainly document your Awakening Rank, characteristics of your abilities, and circumstances of Awakening.”

Gui Xin nodded, “I understand.”

“Alright, let’s get to the point then.” Jiang Meimei continued, “Your extraordinary abilities grant you tremendous self-healing powers, testing this is rather complex.”

“We won’t扎

, I can make my final choice.”

Jiang Meimei’s voice softened slightly, “You’re an honest and genuine person, Kui Xin.”

Wrong, Kui Xin thought, she is actually a liar who does not blink and is hypocritical.

Unlike what he was thinking, Kui Xin said, “I’m a pragmatist. Do what needs to be done and do it well – this has always been my creed.”

“You’ve certainly been practicing what you preach,” Jiang Meimei said.

Kui Xin performed at his usual level during the Awakened Qualification Review, saying what he should and omitting what he shouldn’t.

“While Awakening as an Awakened has an element of chance, there is also a discernible pattern.” Jiang Meimei said, “The federal government has been looking for such patterns. We need more Awakened.”

“So what is this pattern? I’ve never looked into this before,” Kui Xin asked.

“According to official data and reports, approximately eighty percent of Awakened experience intense emotions when awakening, and sixty percent are in their adolescence.” Jiang Meimei said, “Emotions and physical conditions are key factors in Awakening. Let’s put this aside for now as we haven’t determined your exact Awakening time yet.”

“Unconfirmed Awakening time?” Kui Xin asked.

“Yes. Your extraordinary ability lies in self-healing. Perhaps you awakened long ago, but were not injured, so it didn’t show.” Jiang Meimei said, “Think back. Have you notices any unusual changes in your body lately?”

Kui Xin frowned in thought, “I gained my abilities after the skull surgery. If I had them before, maybe there wouldn’t have been a need for that operation… My Awakening period should be right after surgery until last night. I wasn’t severely wounded during this time.”

“Yes, it’s hard to pinpoint.” Jiang Meimei looked at Kui Xin, “Your Awakening might have been caused by severe head trauma… In this uncertainty, we’ll record your extraordinary ability discovery time as is and leave the Awakening time as undetermined for now.”

She said, “Augus, please give Kui Xin an electronic form.”

A screen flickered in the office, with Augus saying, “Please fill out this form truthfully.”

Kui Xin glanced over the form and typed diligently, completing all fields.

The detailed content of the form was somewhat surprising, including even some parental information. Fortunately, Kui Xin had memorized relevant details, filling out everything properly.

After finishing the form, Jiang Meimei turned the screen and read Kui Xin’s entries carefully.

“Both your parents are deceased?” she asked.

Kui Xin lowered his eyes, “I come from an unlucky family.”

“I’m sorry.” Jiang Meimei apologized, “Such family backgrounds are also recorded. To prevent certain accidents, extreme terror organizations have kidnapped family members of Awakened before. We’re very cautious about such situations.”

After reviewing the documents, Jiang Meimei stood up from behind her desk, “Come on, let’s go to the underground research facility for blood and tissue samples, Kui Xin.”

Following her, Kui Xin exited the office. The metal door opened, and they stepped into an elevator together.

“Augus, basement floor five,” Jiang Meimei said.

Augus responded, “Floor lock released.”

The elevator descended. Bright lights illuminated the busy personnel in the research lab.

Kui Xin and Jiang Meimei suited up and entered the room. Reaching the far left research bench, a white-coated researcher nodded to Jiang Meimei and looked at Kui Xin, “Is this her?”

“Yes, it’s her. First, we’ll take a blood sample.” Jiang Meimei said.

The researcher gestured, “Have a seat and roll up your sleeves.”

Kui Xin sat, rolled up his sleeve, watching the研究员扎针抽血

Kui Xin sat down and rolled up his sleeve, watched as the researcher tied a tourniquet, inserted a needle, and drew blood.

Once a full tube was drawn, the researcher placed a drop under a microscope, muttering, “Doesn’t match Heterogeneous Blooded characteristics. No significant difference from ordinary humans.”

The researcher removed the needle and drew anesthetic, “Let’s numb you. I’ll take a small skin sample for examination.”

The anesthetic was injected into Kui Xin’s arm, numbing it instantly. The researcher quickly sliced off a tiny piece of flesh and placed it into a prepared glass bottle.

Within three seconds, the small wound on Kui Xin’s arm healed completely, leaving only a tiny spot of dried blood.

“Hm, distinct difference.” The researcher observed Kui Xin’s tissue, “Tissue from Heterogeneous Bloodeds maintains its activity outside the body, like an extended octopus tentacle. This security officer’s tissue is different—it lies still like a pork sample in a cold storage.”

Kui Xin: “…You’re quite the master of metaphors.”

“Thank you.” The researcher straightened up, wiping his glasses, “We can confirm she’s unrelated to Heterogeneous Bloodeds.”

“Great, thanks for your help.” Jiang Meimei said, “We’re done here, Kui Xin.”

They removed their protective suits and entered the elevator. Jiang Meimei smiled, “The review is finished. Your information will soon be added to the core database.”

Kui Xin thought for a moment, “Is my salary going up now? From this month?”

Jiang Meimei laughed, “Yes, just as planned.”

“Thank you, Group Leader Jiang.” Kui Xin felt relieved.

Jiang Meimei said, “No trouble at all. Besides Captain Fei being away on duty, there’s another special reason I was assigned to this role. They often give these tasks to me because those capable are given more work. If they pay me enough, I don’t complain.”

Kui Xin resonated, “Understood…”

“Don’t you want to know why they give these tasks to me?” Jiang Meimei smiled mischievously.

“Aren’t secret matters not to be inquired casually?” Kui Xin hesitated.

“You’re such a straightforward child.” Jiang Meimei paused, then suddenly said, “My extraordinary ability is lie detection.”

Kui Xin: “…What?”

She just said it so directly?!

“Surprised by my extraordinary ability?” Jiang Meimei asked.

“A human lie detector… feels expected. You handle criminal investigations. Should have interviewed many suspects, right?” Kui Xin mused, “Really convenient.”

“Now you’re an Awakened. You can know part of the Investigation Bureau’s secrets since your authority has changed. You’ll know all Awakening capabilities of our members if you collaborate on missions.” Jiang Meimei said, “I value honesty, Kui Xin. That’s why I’m often an interviewer and reviewer because, as a human lie detector, I never falter. My ability surpasses even the most advanced lie-detecting machines.”

“I understand.” Kui Xin said.

“Given the uniqueness of your ability, it’s hard to determine your Awakening level.” Jiang Meimei said, “No need to worry about it for now. Through multiple tests and observations, we’ll confirm. With the current workload of the Investigation Bureau, once you’re transferred to the headquarters, you’ll undergo training.”

“I understand.”

Bing, the elevator door opened.

“Your floor. Go ahead, Kui Xin. Congratulations on passing the review.” She patted his shoulder encouragingly.

Kui Xin walked out of the elevator, saying to Jiang Meimei, “Farewell, Group Leader Jiang.”

The elevator door closed, trapping Kui Xin in a short daze.

This Awakening qualification review focused on the source of extra-ordinary abilities since identity and purpose were already reviewed during the previous member interview.

He passed both tests perfectly—a happy and fortunate outcome.

Each seemingly straightforward question was laced with traps; a slip could mean failure.

Every answer had been carefully crafted, weighing even the use of pronouns, to avoid seeming suspicious.

Interacting with Jiang Meimei exhausted him. She was also astute, making it vital to provide ambiguous answers where appropriate, sometimes affirming, sometimes negating to appear naive.

“Augus, what’s my schedule today?” Kui

The class was dazed.”Kui Xin murmured.

She left the elevator for less than a minute and went back in, this time to go to the first floor to leave the Investigation Bureau and take the electric tram home.

Last night, Kui Xin slept pretty well, from around one o’clock in the morning to seven o’clock. She felt that she practically didn’t work the night shift. During the day, she could catch up on some sleep and be ready to join her team at night for port patrols.

While waiting for the tram at pick-up point, Kui Xin sent a message to Shu Xueyao: “Captain, Team Leader Jiang says I passed the qualification review. Now I’m going home for rest. How should we arrange the patrolling tonight?”

Unexpectedly, after the message was sent out, Shu Xueyao directly called her via communicator.

“Hello?” Kui Xin put the communicator to her ear, “Captain, how come you haven’t rested yet after the night shift?”

“I’ll rest soon. Kui Xin, congratulations. You are the first Awakened one in the Seventh Squad,” Shu Xueyao said. “Are you sure your body is fine?”

“I’m doing great now and don’t feel exhausted,” Kui Xin said, “All injuries are completely healed, so I think I can participate in tonight’s patrol.”

“In that case, don’t patrol tonight, just stay in the office and handle communications,” said Shu Xueyao, “Take care of your body and mind because extraordinary abilities may have side effects.”

“Okay, I will be careful,” Kui Xin responded, “Did anyone else get injured last night? Any xenomorph attacks on other patrol teams?”

“No, it was bad luck for you, you ran into one,” Shu Xueyao sighed deeply, “I reported the situation at the port to Group Leader Wei Zhi, and she said they would send more personnel to the port.”

Adding more personnel might not help against the Mechanized Dawn operations.

Kui Xin said, “Hopefully, there will be more people. Otherwise, more xenomorphs may appear. The killing of the Scythe Demon was just sheer luck, if not, I would have died.”

“The Scythe Demon is a high-risk xenomorph. You are the hero for eliminating it, our specimen library now has another specimen — a jar for the Scythe Demon with your name as the ‘executor, Kui Xin’,” Shu Xueyao said.

“That sounds cool,” Kui Xin asked, “Captain, since I am an Awakened one and now have similar treatment and rank as you, will I still be under your command?”

“You are still,” replied Shu Xueyao, “As a newcomer, you won’t be promoted quickly; only when you become the captain of your own team will you match my level. Any issues?”

“I thought I was Awakened, and you weren’t, maybe then I could get promoted faster,” Kui Xin replied.

“Wait another two years to become my superior,” Shu Xueyao chuckled, “Okay, I need to sleep now, you should go home too.”

The call ended, and Kui Xin boarded the hover tram.

Kui Xin didn’t like working. Nobody liked it. Wouldn’t it be better to play hooky? But if she didn’t work at the Investigation Bureau, she would spend even more time dealing with the Mechanized Dawn. Compared to that, being part of the Bureau was still easier. At least she had settled in here, having established herself among her teammates.

Kui Xin sat down in any seat she found on the tram, and with a blank expression, activated her silver bracelet to see if she received any messages from the Mechanized Dawn.

Messages from ‘Red’ were usually most crucial, so she checked his first.

00:23

“Port data has been transmitted back for headquarters analysis. The goal is to complete bomb installation works within the next three days.”

Just one message.

‘Thorn Rose’ hadn’t messaged her; Amber eye was managed by Red, also no messages.

The last message was from ‘Silverface’.

When she opened the message interface, unsurprisingly, it showed that ‘Silverface’ had sent the most messages.

“Hmm? It’s already six in the morning. You should have finished your night shift. Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

“Why haven’t you even messaged back?”

“Red said there were gunshots heard at the port last night, and it was under martial law. Was that what delayed your return?”

“You didn’t run into any trouble did you?”

“I tried calling Red, but he said there was a security officer hurt at the port last night, and they’re unsure who it was. Could that have been you?”

“Could it have been you!”

“Are you still alive?”

Kui Xin: ‘Is it just seven messages? That’s kind of weirdly few.’

She typed back, “Still alive, not dead. Will head back home in a bit.”

‘With Silverface acting as though guarding a phone, he immediately replied’ “What happened to you!”

“I got minor injuries, had to stay in the hospital, couldn’t reply to messages,” Kui Xin said.

‘Silverface’ replied, “Minor injuries? What kind of minor injuries do you need to go to the hospital for?”

‘I Kui Xin replied’ “Will tell you on the way back.”

‘Silverface’ replied, “Alright… I called Red and he scolded me.”

Kui Xin: “What did he say?”

‘Waffling,’ Silverface replied, “He told me not to bother him with so many questions and complaints; he was annoyed. Then I pointed out that you didn’t reply to my message and Red scolded me again, saying I was foolish for messaging you, assuming you would respond eventually. But I said what if Lady Fortune passed away. Red said that would make things worse, and I shouldn’t send messages because losing the bracelet could expose us… he asked me to message less in the future.”

A deep feeling of understanding came over Kui Xin’s face listening to Red’s words. She replied, “Listen to him. He’s right.”

‘Silverface’ replied unhappily, “…”

No wonder she had been disconnected for hours, with only seven messages from ‘Silverface’. Now Kui Xin knew ‘Red’ must have criticized ‘Silverface’. From what ‘Silverface’ had said, it seemed ‘Red’ had heard whispers about the xenomorph attack. She needed to message him about it.

“Red, there was a Scythe Demon wandering at the port last night, and I encountered it during the patrol.” Kui Xin sent half of the message, not mentioning how it was handled and the awakening of extraordinary abilities, to probe his reaction.

One minute later, Red replied: “Your absence made me uneasy, are you okay? Did you get blood on you?”

“Yes,” replied Kui Xin.

“Severe? Shouldn’t be too severe, otherwise, you wouldn’t be calmly chatting with me,” Red responded.

“Not really severe,” Kui Xin said, “My body has been healed under the effect of extraordinary ability.”

Red paused: “Was it healed by someone with healing extraordinary ability, or did you awaken one yourself? I’ve never heard of healing extraordinaries in the Black Sea Police Department, so it’s likely the former, correct?”

“Yeah,” Kui Xin replied simply, “I awakened an extraordinary ability to increase self-healing.”

“Congratulations, your timing of awakening is lucky, likely catching the upper management’s attention and allowing access to classified information,” said Red, “Our boss trusts you the most, doesn’t have the same peace of mind when others are undercover.”

Kui Xin’s eyebrows relaxed slightly, then frowned.

Red’s response of congratulations and nothing special was perfect; it meant her risky act of pretending to awaken had worked. Yet his words indicated her standing with the Mechanized Dawn — trusted by its leader.

Kui Xin closed her bracelet silently, gazing out the window.

She returned to the Second World, where skyscrapers like iron giants stood under the sky, and the silhouettes of the dark buildings became visible. Past the peak rush hour, she found herself alone in the hover tram.

In silence, Kui Xin reflected, rising quietly as the station announcements played at the arrival.

Walking down the familiar Peaceful Street, Kui Xin felt like she was in a different era.

The street remained unchanged, yet when she walked, it wasn’t as uncertain as the first time. Last time, she feared she might never return to the First World and tentatively accepted the existence of the Second World.

Now clear to Kui Xin that after seven days, she’d return home to the familiar First World. In both worlds, she lingered; she belonged neither fully here nor there… how long would these days last?

Stopping at Xi Liang’s parent-owned convenience store, Kui Xin hesitated momentarily before deciding to buy a bottle of milk and