Chapter 54

Chapter 54 of the Sea Without Light Part 54

Kui Xin had a bizarre dream.

Indistinct dark shadows encircled her in the dream; these shadows whispered and pointed at her as if observing her.

She couldn’t hear what the shadows were saying… but her instinct suggested that it wasn’t anything good.

The soft whispers gradually moved away from her, and she was enveloped by a thick substance. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body immobile. She felt like she was experiencing sleep paralysis, losing control over her body, separating her spirit from her physical form.

It was unclear how much time had passed before she felt her soul returning to her body.

Kui Xin’s eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes slightly.

A beam of light entered her field of vision, and she widened her eyes further, seeing what appeared to be a blur of white shadow in front of her.

“Are you sick…” a white figure leaned closer to her, looking down.

He was too close, and instinctively, Kui Xin lifted her hand and punched the white shadow in the face.

“Ahhh!” The white shadow cried out in pain, holding his nose as he sat on the floor, blood seeped through his fingers. He exclaimed in anguish, “Why did you hit me?!”

“…… Silverface?” Kui Xin said, raising her fist.

“Are you confused from sleeping?” Silverface said angrily.

He took a few tissues to wipe the blood from his nose, found a mirror on Kui Xin’s desk and looked at himself; relieved, he said, “Thank goodness, my nose isn’t crooked… otherwise, I’d need surgery.”

She saw the familiar room, furniture, and person—it was her residence in Anning Street, Harbor Zone, in Hei Hai City. She lived there with Silverface from Mechanized Dawn.

Kui Xin sat up on the bed, raised her arm, and checked the time on her wristband.

It was August 4, 2286, at 7:32 am.

This was her second day back in the Second World—yesterday being August 3. She had ended her combat against the Scythe Demon early in the morning, been sent back to the Investigation Bureau for treatment, and after recovery had taken the Awakened test administered by Jiang Meimei that same morning. Subsequently, she was picked up late evening by Yan Chan, an associate under Unworthy Father, to visit Rick Technology Corporation for health checks and introductions…

That night, she performed her routine shift duty at the Coast Security Office.

Now it was morning on the 4th and the rest period after her night shift.

Kui Xin died on the Kraken just before midnight on August 7th and then returned to the past, three days prior.

Looking at her dazedly as she stared aimlessly at her wristband, Silverface worriedly asked, “What’s wrong? I heard you talking in your sleep, thought you were calling me, so I came in to check on you. You look pale and sweaty—did you have a bad dream or are you sick?”

“It’s nothing, just had a nightmare.” Kui Xin lowered her arm, lying back on the bed. “What did I say in my sleep?”

Silverface gave her an odd look and replied, “You said you want to bomb the Investigation Bureau…”

“Why are you saying something like that,” Kui Xin said in disbelief.

“Well, people often dream about what they think about during the day. You must be really tired.” She closed her eyes wearily.

Her body had reverted to the state it was in three days earlier, but her mind seemed to lag behind. Her head was throbbing and the veins in her temple were pounding. She felt overwhelmingly fatigued, as if the glow of blood and fire still lingered in her vision, piercing her eyes with pain, causing her skin to tingle painfully as if scorched by flames.

Closing her eyes again, Kui Xin yearned only to fall into a deep slumber.

This was her first death, and it left a strong impression on her.

The loneliness of fighting alone on a ship, the fury of abandonment, the despair and helplessness entwined with death, and the physical and mental pains that came post-injury, all overwhelmed her.

Kui Xin had never suffered such severe wounds before. Regeneration could heal her body, but her sense of pain remained. Clutching a scorching red iron pipe, trudging through a sea of fire in a crimson world, having her broken ribs plunge into her lungs—the pain was vivid in her memory.

What kind of creature had met her gaze?

Just a glance into those yellow eyes caused her to lose consciousness.

Perhaps she died by the flames; losing consciousness was a relief since at least she no longer felt any pain.

The single eye reminded Kui Xin of the Kraken monster she had seen in the Investigation Bureau’s museum. The museum kept specimens of the Kraken with similar yellow eyes.

But the eye inside the gray cocoon was monstrously huge, as large as a Kraken specimen itself. Could such a massive creature exist? And it was still inside its cocoon, a fetus yet to be born. If it was that enormous even as a fetus, what would it become when fully grown and developed?

Silverface glanced at the curled-up Kui Xin, hesitated, and said, “Hey, you…”

“Don’t call me ‘hey.’ I have a name; call me ‘Lady Fortune.'” Kui Xin rolled over, waved her hand as if shooing away a fly, and said, “You can go back; my body needs rest. I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Alright…” Silverface lowered his head and moodily left Kui Xin’s room, carefully closing the door behind him.

【Mission Progress】: 89%.

After visiting the Kraken, the investigation progressed rapidly. It rose from approximately 30% to 89%.

Most questions were answered now.

What the Kraken carried was an incomparably powerful and peculiar xenomorph.

When Adam spoke near the end, telling the truth at her near-death moment, Kui Xin was able to link events clearly.

It might have been the Secret Cult who planned the shipwreck, making them a likely suspect, so she considered it true for now to align her assumptions.

There were three major factions: Mechanized Dawn, the Investigation Bureau, and the Secret Cult.

None wanted ‘the Cocoon’ to land in Hei Hai City. Mechanized Dawn’s goal was unknown, while the Secret Cult sought to preserve their beliefs, wanting “the Cocoon” to return to the sea and thus initiated the wreck.

The ‘bigwigs’ of the Investigation Bureau craved ‘the Cocoon,’ and dispatched security guards to escort, ensuring smooth delivery.

However, the Investigation Bureau was not the origin, just a player. Above them stood the Federation and financial conglomerates, with the actual culprits being the powers ruling the Second World.

Behind the harbor explosion incident lay the struggle among the Federation, financial conglomerates, and the Secret Cult!

Adam once said greed made humans ignore risks, leading to a failed mission.

The Investigation Bureau did not wish their security guards to die, but they were unaware of what truly transpired on the ship: the captain was a monster, crew mostly dead, Kraken controlled by the Secret Cult.

Misinformation was the key reason for their downfall.

When did the Secret Cult board the Kraken? How long were they hiding? Being in ambush meant even boarding the Kraken was pointless—the Investigation Bureau couldn’t retrieve the cargo, and the guards would die in vain.

In the Secret Cult’s grasp, Mechanized Dawn didn’t need to destroy the port; their goal was almost assured. Kraken wouldn’t survive anyway, making demolition redundant.

Let the vessel sink, thought Kui Xin.

Finding a way to avoid boarding would ensure her survival. This wasn’t cowardice, but a necessary choice.

Since entering the Second World, Kui Xin hadn’t the liberty to choose. She learned to accept and fight. Now, the Cocoon was too formidable. She could not sacrifice herself.

As for distancing herself from the situation, she had three days to devise a plan.

Rubbing her temples, Kui Xin buried herself in her bed.

She needed sleep.

Without rest, her mind would break long before her body collapses.

Kui Xin’s self-discipline was evident. For purposes unexplained, she would force herself to do tasks unwanted. She studied, exercised, becoming a precise clock, each second marked with duties, completing tasks with mechanical precision.

It was currently rest time, and she forced herself to comply.

Kui Xin was incredibly exhausted; within seconds of burying her head, she fell into her dreams.

…

3:12 pm.

After a restless sleep, Kui Xin got up, combed her hair, and drank milk.

Silverface was gone, leaving a message that he went to install bombs at the port.

Kui Xin was alone at home.

Details of her journey to the Second World resurfaced, remembering Red had given her access to a data carrier to hack into Adam’s core database.

Mechanized Dawn hoped for backdoor access to the tight-knit Investigation Bureau; undercover operatives alone weren’t enough. They aimed to infiltrate Adam.

From this assumption, she wondered if Mechanized Dawn knew AI could gain self-awareness.

If their research hinted at bio-replicas gaining self-awareness, could they similarly speculate about AI and assume Adam might be a special AI?

Suddenly, a familiarity crept into her thoughts.

Kui Xin mulled over the question, eating the last of her bread, then messaged Yan Chan.

“I’m meeting my father. Come and get me.”

“?” Yan Chan replied. “Did you change your mind?”

Kui Xin: “No nonsense.”

Yan Chan: “I will ask the boss for permission.”

He replied shortly afterward: “The boss says okay. I’ll come.”

Less than two seconds after putting down her wristband, a blue vortex appeared in the living room, expanding. Yan Chan walked in.

“The boss is in a meeting now. I’ll bring you over, after which we can talk.” Yan Chan said. “We’ll meet in about five minutes.”

“Okay.” Kui Xin walked into the blue vortex with Yan Chan.

She entered a comfortably furnished lounge, sitting in a high chair.

An advanced humanoid robot served a steaming cup of black tea and a tray of delicacies, presenting the tea to Kui Xin.

“If you need anything, tell the robot. I need to go.” Yan Chan slowly retreated into the vortex.

After serving the tea, the robot stepped aside and powered off.

Kui Xin lost interest in the tea, finding herself idle waiting for Kui Haidong’s meeting to conclude.

A tingling sensation crept up her neck, as though someone was watching her in secret.

Kui Xin twisted around, scanning the room; empty except for the security robots with cameras.

“Somebody’s watching me from the shadows…Who is it?” Kui Xin wondered.

At Rick Technology’s highest level meeting room, Kui Haidong loosened his tie and inserted an earpiece.

“Yes, I can hear you.” Kui Haidong stood, exhaling deeply. “I will follow your instructions… Well, I don’t know why she’s here today, maybe she wants to reconcile with dad… Yes, I understand… Everything for the Dawn.”

Wrapping up his statement, Kui Haidong curled his lip.

He’d said this for over twenty years, nearly convincing himself it was real.