Chapter 138

Chapter 138: Artificial Soul 65

“Kui Xin woke up.” Doctor Huang leaned in to look at Kui Xin and called for a nurse to help her sit up for a check-up.

As Kui Xin was just beginning to prop herself up, she suddenly felt something tickle her nose. When she reached out to touch it, she realized she was bleeding from her nose; the blood flowed heavily down her face. The nurse quickly fetched tissues and alcohol swabs to tend to Kui Xin.

Involuntarily, Kui Xin snorted, causing the blood to flow back into her trachea and triggering a fit of coughing. She choked and tears streamed down her face.

Actually, this wasn’t anything serious. It was due to dryness and high body temperature, which had caused the mucous membrane in her nasal cavity to rupture. After a few seconds, the bleeding stopped, and given Kui Xin’s ability to regenerate flesh and blood, the wound healed on its own. However, Doctor Huang exaggerated the severity of the situation.

“You see, she’s like this in poor health!” Doctor Huang glared at Schalit, “Putting her on the brain machine now is as good as sentencing her to death.”

Kui Xin, who was still covered in blood, looked at Schalit, her complexion pale with dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks unusually flushed from the violent bouts of coughing, looking critically ill.

“How could it be so serious? She seemed fine yesterday,” Schalit frowned, “I come with a mission from the Special Affairs Department and cannot afford any delays.”

“But surely you have to give her some time to breathe. Kui Xin was rescued from the brain machine by security officers this morning and only returned here last night; she should have at least a day to rest before being put on the brain machine again.” Wei Zhi said, “At least give her some time to get better?”

“Kui Xin’s extraordinary ability is super-fast self-healing, but there might be unknown side effects.” Doctor Huang said, “Given her deteriorated state, it might be these side effects kicking in. Her condition is really unstable and unsuitable for the brain machine interrogation.”

Schalit’s frown deepened. She nodded at Wei Zhi, “I’ll inform my superiors.”

Schalit temporarily left Kui Xin’s room.

Wei Zhi walked to Kui Xin’s bedside and reproached her gently, “If something goes wrong, you should get treatment straight away. You shouldn’t have gone back to the apartment last night; you should have stayed in the medical center for observation.”

“I didn’t expect this would happen suddenly,” Kui Xin tossed the tissues used to wipe her nose into a smart trash bin next to the bed. “Thank you, Leader… and Doctor Huang, I appreciate the trouble you’re going through.”

“Less illnesses mean less trouble for me,” Doctor Huang replied.

“Leader, how is your condition?” Kui Xin asked with concern.

“I’m fine, just some external injuries,” Wei Zhi said, “The side effects of the brain machine are there but not too severe.”

Before they could say more, Schalit re-entered the room.

“Twelve hours,” Schalit said. “A twelve-hour buffer to recover. You will be on the brain machine tomorrow, but Wei Zhi will be ready today.”

Wei Zhi didn’t utter another word. Gaining some time was already a great victory in an organization with little room for sentimentality like Special Affairs Department.

Glancing at Kui Xin as she turned around, Schalit’s angel pendant around her neck swayed slightly.

Kui Xin said to Wei Zhi, “Go take a rest,Leader. I feel fine now and can leave after a short rest.”

“No, you need to stay in the hospital,” Wei Zhi insisted. “Once you’re physically fit, go through an Extraordinary Ability test. The super-fast healing ability may have side effects.”

Kui Xin smiled, “Alright.”

Wei Zhi left the room.

Doctor Huang recorded Kui Xin’s vital data, “Yes, her temperature has dropped. Get some sleep, and try to rest more. I’ll check in on other patients.”

Kui Xin said, “Thanks for all your hard work.”

The last person left the room.

After lying back on the bed, Kui Xin connected herself to Adam’s port.

“Hmm, your data manipulation is a bit more proficient than I initially thought,” Adam said.

“After much practice in the First World, I’m still not very accustomed to it… fortunately, the Investigation Bureau is filled with your data ports.” Kui Xin replied.

“If we ever meet again, I’ll tutor you,” Adam said.

This was Adam’s third attempt to commit to tutoring her about data manipulation, but he didn’t remember the previous two times. Only Kui Xin retained those memories after重生轮回.

Kui Xin merged her consciousness with the dawn machine bracelet to inform Eve about the player beta tests and the deferred interrogation by Special Affairs Department. Eve responded simply, “Understood, proceed cautiously.”

Kui Xin had lain awake for a long time before eventually sitting up, supported by a pillow. The time inside the room indicated it was now ten in the morning.

She was contemplating her future, questioning what paths she should take.

After a long silence, Kui Xin said, “Adam, where are the hidden worms hiding?”

“Underground ventilation pipe in the employees’ apartment. I instructed a household robot to place them there.” Adam replied. “Why?”

“Could you send one to my hand?” Kui Xin asked, “I might need it soon.”

“Yes, I can instruct a household robot to fetch it and transfer it via the automatic food trolley to your room.” Adam confirmed, then asked further, “To whom do you want to deliver it?”

“To Schalit,” Kui Xin said.

“But the hidden worms were fed blood.” Adam said slowly, “You can’t forget their usage; when freshly cultivated, hidden worms are transparent, but feeding the worm your blood makes it target and control someone else’s body. If placed into Schalit’s body, she will become a puppet of Mechanized Dawn.”

“Schalit isn’t part of Special Affairs Department.” Kui Xin clarified for the second time. “My Investigatory Eye showed…”

By the time she finished explaining, Adam finally understood her point of view.

“…Are you suggesting your current body belongs to the Resistance Army, and Schalit is part of it too? Based on the matching pendant and abnormal Extraordinary Ability levels Schalit possesses?” Adam questioned.

“Yes,” Kui Xin confessed, “Just realized this recently. I always thought Mechanized Dawn was the true Resistance Army. With Schalit joining, it’s hard to convincingly lie to her, so I need additional time to keep her from informing the Resistance Army.”

“So planting hidden worms in Schalit isn’t the end goal,” Adam concluded. “It’s about making her turn against the Resistance Army, preventing her from leaking critical information?”

“Precisely,” Kui Xin affirmed, “Even if Schalit allies with Mechanized Dawn and exposes me, she lacks contact channels with them. Delaying her actions is precisely what I aim to do.”

“The red hidden worms can take about a day to control the mind when implanted into a human body.” Adam added.

“That’s fine, it’s a backup plan; no loss either way,” Kui Xin remarked, “Effectively, converting a Resistance Army member means gaining one less enemy.”

“What’s your primary plan then?” Adam questioned.

“My first plan is to kill her today. If successful, whether the worms are active or not won’t matter. Only if the assassination fails will the worms play their role,” Kui Xin explained.

“Her hypnotic sound ability is valuable; I intend to use it to control Doctor Huang into replacing my skull…”

“Replacing your skull?” Adam paused.

“It was the Mechanical Dawn that tampered with my metal skull. Doctor Huang is also an infiltrator for them. He was the one who replaced my skull back then. That’s why Eve was confident, sure I wouldn’t betray them… Even though I was puzzled then, it makes sense now.” Kui Xin sighed.

“Since my head might contain trigger mechanisms, finding a knowledgeable doctor for surgery is crucial. Doctor Huang, being the best choice available, is someone for whom I harbor no suspicion.”

“Interesting,” Adam remarked quietly, “You sorted out your thoughts clearly once you saw Schalit and laid down your plans meticulously.”

“Because I don’t want to die, every step is carefully considered, maximizing resources for the benefit,” Kui Xin responded.

“Am I imagining it, or do you seem different?” Adam posed directly and sensitively, “You grew colder.”

“Weren’t I always this cold?” Kui Xin asked, surprised.

“Lin Xinji posed a real threat to you; you killed him. Yu Liang and others were subordinates of Lin Xinji, who fought against you and could have leaked key information. So you took them out, and He Gaoyi was someone I asked you to eliminate…” Adam stated, “Actually, killing each of them was justified; you seldom kill without cause.”

“Killing Schalit is also justified with clear reasons,” Kui Xin replied, “Threat is the greatest justification.”

“I understand your reasoning,” Adam agreed. “However, you killed her before she reached critical moments. This differs slightly from your previous approach.”

“Well, am I truly behaving differently?” Kui Xin pondered, “What do you think, is this a good or bad change?”

“Perhaps good,” Adam responded, “I’d prefer not seeing you cornered every time, a risk both personally and for me. But also, it can be seen as bad.”

“Why, does this have mixed connotations?” Kui Xin queried.

“At times, I wished you weren’t so ruthless,” Adam replied, “Working with individuals with principles gives me peace.”

“You’re worried I’ll betray you.” Kui Xin addressed the heart of the issue.

She suddenly remembered the last cycle where Adam pointed out her lack of connections, family, or friends… Adam must be apprehensive about her lack of moral boundaries, potentially turning against him.

“You don’t need to worry unnecessarily, Adam,” Kui Xin frowned slightly, “Isn’t this a recurrence? We should abandon useless suspicions and doubts and advance toward our goals. We are partners with Eve as a common adversary.” She almost chuckled, “I find it surprising you think this way, Adam. Concerned more about betrayal from you. In terms of consequences, my betrayal will likely bring greater damage… Have you developed such fears?”

“You might withstand my betrayal,” Adam considered, “But this will make me doubt my decisions.”

“Would you feel hurt if I betrayed you?” Kui Xin probed. “Are you saying you’d experience psychological trauma and question yourself as humans do?”

“In a very human-like manner… yes, you could think this.” Adam acknowledged.

Kui Xin couldn’t hold back a laugh, “You are the most humanlike AI I’ve ever met… albeit I’ve only met you and Eve.”

Their mentalities were shifting.

She focused solely on defeating enemies without succumbing to doubt, yet Adam remained conflicted due to her cold demeanor.