Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Sea Without Light Part 45

“Good morning.” Silverface squatted on the living room floor munching on instant noodles.

“Morning.” Kui Xin took off his shoes and entered the house.

“You’re injured?” Silverface put down the instant noodle fork and examined Kui Xin.

“I got contaminated by the blood of a Scythe Demon.” Kui Xin replied.

“That thing is not easy to deal with; I got injured by it last time. It’s small and moves silently, incredibly fast, with four scythe-like bone blades when fully grown.” Silverface said. “Did you run into it? How come the patrol team didn’t lose anyone?”

“No one was killed; I ran into a smaller version with two blades.” Kui Xin walked over to the sofa in the living room and rested on it.

Sleeping on the sofa for long periods, Silverface had worn out a little nest in it. The sponge inside had collapsed and no longer rebounded.

Kui Xin looked around the room. The white walls were already cracked, and there was water seepage in the ceiling. The room was very plain without unnecessary decorations, and the furniture was mostly old.

For example, the sofa under her, the sponge was hard as wood and made sitting uncomfortable.

“You should stop lying on the sofa, you’ve worn out the cushion.” Kui Xin said, “There’s a folding bed in the storeroom, clean it up and place it in the living room for your use.”

“Am I really getting my own bed?” Silverface was surprised.

Kui Xin nodded generously, “Just make sure you fold it back and store it in the storeroom after waking up from sleeping on it.”

“Okay.” Silverface slurped up the noodles and headed to the storeroom for the folding bed.

He washed away the dust with water and set it up in an empty spot in the living room to try it out.

“The bed is a bit short,” Silverface’s feet hung off the foot of the bed, he rolled onto his side, “Lying sideways and curled up fits perfectly.”

He jumped twice on the bed happily before packing it away.

“How old are you acting like a child?” Kui Xin scolded.

“I turned seventeen; I haven’t reached adulthood yet,” Silverface murmured softly.

Kui Xin: “… What?”

She hadn’t actually noticed that Silverface was a minor. First, he was too tall, like an adult man, with strong muscles. Second, Silverface was very skilled in killing, indicating extensive training and efficient task completion, albeit mindless and robotic.

How did the Mechanical Dawn cultivate such individuals? Were they trained since childhood?

What about Red, Thorn Rose, Ambereye… were these recruited or specially selected to be brainwashed and trained, or chosen directly from orphans for absolute loyalty?

Ambereye and Black Obsidian, she hadn’t interacted much with them. Judging by their appearance, they were young, similar to teenagers, which suggested they were close to Silverface’s age. Among them, Kui Xin was most wary of Red. He had high permissions and knew the original host; he was a dangerous ticking bomb.

“What’s that look for? Is there a problem with me being seventeen years old?” Silverface said, “The leader says I’m one of the promising young people in the organization… well, one of many.”

“One of many?” Kui Xin repeated.

“Are you not convinced?” Silverface’s pale pink eyes stared intently at Kui Xin.

Kui Xin smiled and said, “I believe you.”

If what Silverface said was true, it meant he was a very outstanding talent with great potential in the Mechanical Dawn, likely a key figure to be nurtured. After all, the boss wouldn’t exaggerate casually. In this harsh organization, praising someone for doing a good job was sufficient; emphasizing that they were the most favored made the praise oddly profound and somewhat suspicious.

“I’ve awoken an Extraordinary Ability,” Kui Xin suddenly said.

Silverface shot his head up, “Really? You’ve awoken? What kind of ability?”

“It’s hyper healing,” Kui Xin said, “Last night, I was injured by a Scythe Demon, but thanks to this ability, I survived.”

“That’s too dangerous!” Silverface said, “This ability would make you practically unkillable if someone interrogates you about your identity.”

“What do you mean by ‘if’?” Kui Xin asked, raising her eyebrow, “There’s no ‘if,’ and even then, I would find a way to end things on my terms.”

Ending things with the Death Rebirth to start over from before capture, trying different outcomes.

To Silverface, this had a different interpretation, “That’s right, I’d do the same if it happened to me. They won’t get anything out of me.”

The brainwashing in the Mechanical Dawn was indeed thorough. Loyalty was deeply imprinted into Silverface’s mind, impossible to erase.

“I need to go back to my room and work.” Kui Xin stood up from the sofa, “Red said to finish setting up the port bombs within three days. Do your job when you’re supposed to.”

Silverface: “Red assigned me the task of fetching explosive devices from the ammo depot by the port. I will meet with Thorn Rose tonight and plant the bombs underwater near the support pillars of Port Number Five.”

“I’ll sort out and send you the Coastal Security Team’s patrol routes and schedules shortly,” Kui Xin said.

Most of the tasks didn’t involve Kui Xin personally. As a mole, her primary duty was to provide intelligence to support teammate missions and lead the operation in critical moments.

Red had earlier committed the task of killing the ball python to her, not sincerely wanting her to execute rebel handling, but rather that Kui Xin insisted on bringing the culprit to her.

Some things only became clear with hindsight.

In many matters, Red prioritized Kui Xin, though his attitude wasn’t apparent but subtly expressed… only Kui Xin confirmed Red’s unusual attitude after a series of incidents.

She had speculated before, but Red’s attitude was vague and hard to pinpoint.

Not just Red, Thorn Rose seemed similar. Thorn Rose had apparently interacted with the original host, submitting obediently to Kui Xin. When Kui Xin assigned responsibilities, Thorn Rose never questioned them. Red announced at a team meeting that Kui Xin was the deputy commander for the dock bombing mission, and Thorn Rose affirmed it instantly.

Even Silverface.

Silverface purposely protected Kui Xin, covering her when she was shot. Actually, confirming the enemy’s location, he could have ignored her but he didn’t, remaining there to sustain a water barrier while Kui Xin regained composure and they tracked enemies together.

He clearly prioritized her safety over dealing with the enemy, emphasizing her importance — contradictory to his single-mindedness for missions and loyalty to the organization.

“Am I overthinking?” Kui Xin pondered at her bedroom desk.

No, her instincts warned that something was truly amiss.

All anomalies pointed towards the core problem—identifying the original host’s identity.

Understanding the host’s exact status in the organization was essential for her future survival.

Kui Xin had a subtle premonition—if the Mechanical Dawn leader knew of her awakening, he’d meet her.

This premonition was intense, causing her heart to flutter slightly when the thought crossed her mind.

A trigger for Kui Xin’s innate ability ‘Absolute Prediction’ was unpredictable. While effective under pressure, it was impossible to tell if she was overthinking or genuinely foreseeing something.

Handing over her wrist device, Kui Xin lowered her head, noticing a message from Red.

Red: “Have you reported your awakening?”

Kui Xin: “Just returned, haven’t managed to report yet.”

Red: “Figured, I reported for you.”

Seconds later, another message arrived: “The boss wants to see you.”

Kui Xin’s brow twitched, her fingers tingling as she was about to pretend to reply with nonchalance, but Red called through.

She sensed trouble, pressing the answer button quietly, deciding to listen to what Red had to say.

Sighing, Red began, “Go ahead, Lady Fortune, don’t hide from the boss. He’s delighted about your awakening. It’s a perfect opportunity to mend relations with him. Bickering isn’t productive.”

“… Did he ask you to convey this?” Kui Xin questioned carefully.

If the original host was highly trusted by the leader and the leader wanted to meet her, direct contact should suffice instead of involving a middleman like Red.

Red’s comment, “Bickering won’t change a thing,” implied familiarity—could the original host and the leader bicker for a long time without contact and still maintain a healthy relationship?

Kui Xin was perplexed.

“Otherwise?” Red queried again, “Whatever, this awakening is huge. You should visit headquarters immediately; it’s important.”

Kui Xin stayed silent as Red stated, “Night Cicada returned from a mission in White Whale City this morning. If nothing unexpected happens, he’ll come to take you back to headquarters shortly. This timing is perfect now, the dock bombing mission will progress smoothly with his involvement.”

Kui Xin: “Who is Night Cicada?”

Red ended the call.

Kui Xin, weary, laid down the wrist device.

Great, another round of dealing with tricky individuals.

As soon as she placed the wrist device, an unusual wave emanated behind her. Hair bristling, Kui Xin reflexively grabbed a gun from inside her desk aimed behind her, shouting simultaneously: “Silverface!”

This gun, hidden meticulously—her pillows, bedside cabinets, bedsheets, kitchen, fridge, shoe rack, even restrooms—she had weapons stashed everywhere to thwart potential threats.

In her bedroom, a deep blue vortex expanded from fist-sized to equal her height.

A foot clad in tactical boots emerged from the vortex. Silverface, kicking open Kui Xin’s bedroom door, sustained a water barrier and burst in cautiously, “Enemy attack? Get behind me!”

“Don’t shoot, it’s us,” a man in black combat gear and face mask stepped out of the vortex.

Behind the mask, his eyes scrutinized Kui Xin, “Sorry, I forgot you didn’t like that. Red should have mentioned I was returning.”

“Night Cicada!” Silverface relaxed his shoulders, dispelling the water shield, “Thought you were someone else; scared me half to death…”

Kui Xin slowly lowered the gun, uttering the masked man’s codename: “Night Cicada.”

Night Cicada possessed spatial abilities, opening a spatial corridor in Kui Xin’s room!

“Let’s go, the boss wants to see you,” Night Cicada paused, “What did you choose as your new codename again? Red mentioned it… Something called Lady Fortune?” He chuckled, “Difficult to fathom how you picked such a name; it doesn’t suit you.”

“Mind your own business,” Kui Xin deadpanned.

“Alright, I’ll keep quiet… Though we haven’t seen each other in a while, you’re still as irascible as ever.” Night Cicada moved to stand aside, gesturing like a gentleman, “Please, Miss Lady Fortune.”

He beckoned her into the deep blue vortex.

“Back to headquarters?” Silverface glanced at Kui Xin, waving farewell, “See you later.”

… No hesitation, hesitation exposed weakness.

Time was limited for contemplation; she had to move forward.

Kui Xin straightened her back and, under Silverface and Night Cicada’s watchful eyes, took resolute steps into the deep blue vortex.

Like a fish entering water, she passed through a thin boundary, experiencing a brief darkness, then sight regained brightness as she crossed.

Exiting her small bedroom, she entered a spacious, well-lit room.

The main color scheme was silver. A metallic table ten meters long stood in the center, with a middle-aged man in a tailored suit seated at the far end.

Kui Xin saw him instantly, Night Cicada had opened the space tunnel right opposite him.

Upon seeing this man, Kui Xin halted, her chest heaving, instinctively uttering a name—

“Kui Haidong?!!”

The middle-aged man’s face contorted hearing this name, standing up indignantly, “I’m your father! You’re talking to your dad like that? You don’t even call me Dad, you just shout out my name?!”

Kui Xin’s eyes widened in shock.

The leader of the Mechanical Dawn, identical in appearance and name to her “father” from the First World—

He really was her garbage dad from the First World—