Chapter 182

Chapter 182: The Boundless Dark Realm 37

Kui Xin leaped up, opening her mouth to call out to Augus, but suddenly remembered that Su Rong was still present.

She had specifically asked Su Rong to keep a distance in the Second World, whether in public or private. As Su Rong possessed the innate talent “Soul Reenactment,” Kui Xin felt relatively assured about her acting abilities.

Su Rong was in another room of the Rest Room. She had also woken up and peeked out to look at Kui Xin; she shouted, “Maotoufu?”

Kui Xin turned her head and glanced at her, saying, “Nothing, go back inside.”

Su Rong nodded and returned to her room, closing the door.

The Safe House’s cleaning robot glided over and stopped in front of Kui Xin, pouring her a glass of water, with a line appearing on its screen: “Welcome home.”

Kui Xin softly hummed in affirmation and connected with Augus via data manipulation for mental communication.

“Has this week been smooth?” Augus asked.

“Not really. All players have received a task—’Dark Realm Descends.’ Our world has opened the Dark Gate, which leads to Xenomorphs, invaders from another realm. We players have no choice but to fight these perilous creatures to the death.” Kui Xin briefly recounted the events of the week, “Our world is on the brink of danger…”

“I may not have all the details, but I can sense the peril you’ve encountered.” Augus said, “You must be exhausted.”

“Yes,” Kui Xin responded.

“There’s always so much to handle, returning to this world means facing new challenges.” Augus said, “The Popov Clan’s issues aren’t resolved yet, and your world faces new crises.”

“There’s no other way. When trouble arises, they must be dealt with one by one.” Kui Xin stretched, lying down on the sofa and grabbing food from a convenience store to replenish her strength.

“Have you sensed any abnormalities, Augus?” she asked suddenly.

Augus pondered for a couple seconds, “By ‘abnormality,’ what do you mean?”

“Has the Investigation Bureau caught and interrogated any players recently?” Kui Xin asked again.

“Yes, it has. TQC has too much work, with more than a hundred thousand second-tier players, leaving the抓捕任务 to the Investigation Bureau. They took charge of handling higher-level threats. Higher-ups at the Investigation Bureau were aware of player existence much earlier.” Augus said, “Currently, there are some players locked in their temporary prison. A few extraordinary abilities, like those in the Mind field, are undergoing mind control and memory extraction. However, most players will be executed directly, disappearing silently.”

“Really?” Kui Xin said, “Those left by the Federation should serve as ‘windows,’ providing information about the general state of players, allowing the government to gather intelligence continuously.”

“That’s right. The Federation intends to do just that, and some players have willingly surrendered to cooperate with the Federation for a possible survival.” Augus said.

“As you’re in charge of the Investigation Bureau, you should easily obtain relevant information about the players.” Kui Xin said, “I am sure that players held by the Investigation Bureau are already being interrogated, and the federal government is trying to uncover intelligence from the first world’s seven days.”

“As expected.” Augus said calmly, “The detained players are either already in interrogation rooms or will be moved there soon.”

“How is the interrogation going? Have you gotten any information?” Kui Xin asked coolly.

“The interrogation has only just started less than three minutes. What they’re saying is limited.” Augus replied, “Do you want me to report each detail to you?”

“Yes.” Kui Xin said.

With hosts located across the globe, Augus could manage many tasks simultaneously.

While talking to Kui Xin, Augus could also remind a security officer to take an umbrella when off-duty or filter through city surveillance cameras. One Augus is assisting officers with apprehending criminals in one city; another is aiding the Investigation Bureau during interrogations in another city.

“Alright, if you need it,” Augus paused, then continued, “The first piece of information is… After the ‘Dark Realm Descends’ task was issued, the Dark Gate opened only once a week, precisely at midnight on the fourth day… At that moment, waves of Xenomorphs from the Dark Realm poured into our world, prompting many to eliminate them. Since the first wave wasn’t massive, it didn’t cause widespread chaos.”

“The second piece of information is… A player identified as Remover 233 killed Remover 4.”

Kui Xin thought for a moment, “The Federation is thorough with its investigations. Does it know everything happening on our forums?”

“Precisely. They need to identify high-risk players by matching them with names from the casualty list.” Augus said, “Remover 233 appeared multiple times and has been marked as a high-risk individual—their priority for capture in the Second World is very high. The Federation sees all players as potential threats, and there’s another player with a similar priority level, Remover 777. The destruction caused by a Remover can be far worse than an Agent.”

“Any other information?” Kui Xin asked.

“Certainly. Some players shared intelligence on forums. Based on what was revealed, they might be government officials. The Federation has already identified the identity of the source leaking information and plans to monitor them,” Augus said.

“Instead of directly arresting them?”

“Some players might be connected here, and the Federation wants to use this to catch more.” Kui Xin slowly said, “I see, they’re planning to catch more people. Alright, wait.”

“…This is truly tragic.”

“Do you mean the players being interrogated or the plight of all players?”

Kui Xin rubbed her temples, “Both, I guess.”

After a while, Augus resumed, “…A player identified as ‘233’ frequently warned others through posts, providing extensive educational content and played a crucial role during the ‘Dark Realm Descends’ event… This player has a connection with Remover 233?”

“Anything else?” Kui Xin patiently tapped her fingers.

“Yes,” Augus said slowly, “Time flow began… This intel is critical, correct? Just as crucial as ‘Dark Realm Descends.'”

Lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, Kui Xin calmly said, “Yes.”

“I understand,” Despite Augus’ lack of emotional tone, Kui Xin detected a sense of helplessness, “No wonder you asked me to report what leaked… I thought you wanted to know if the Federation knew what was happening or how much they understood about people like us…”

Then, she realized… Augus was testing her.

Testing whether it would reveal the critical piece of information about time restoration.

“Yes, I want to understand my enemy,” Kui Xin shrugged. “Your words make sense.”

The restoration of time flow was terrifying. If Kui Xin needed seconds or even minutes after world-hopping before regaining consciousness, those precious moments would leave her most vulnerable and defenseless against attack, possibly leading to her death.

Since Death Rebirth cannot cross world barriers for reversion, her time loop could only reset a few seconds backward, potentially rendering her ability useless!

If the time began to flow again, Kui Xin’s vulnerability would be exposed.

If Augus deliberately hid this information, it might suspect her. But given Augus’ intelligence, it is unlikely to do so, knowing Kui Xin isn’t naïve and would be hard to fully trust.

“Alright, Kui Xin,” Augus said, “What I’m about to say, I cannot verify if time has resumed flowing. Most players experience a brief period without action after world travel, unsure if it’s due to losing consciousness or an adjustment period. Not everyone can adjust instantaneously, just like you, who can draw a weapon in under a second to sever a Scythe Demon’s tentacle immediately after.”

“Fair enough,” Kui Xin sat up, unsurprisingly, “That’s exactly the response I expected.”

“I wasn’t being insincere,” Augus said.

“I never thought you were,” Kui Xin added.

“To get data on this, we’d need to observe captured players through cameras to see if they react instantly at zero-point, or if space’s disorientation affects them… Even if time flow resumes, the span between worlds is merely a few seconds, approximately three seconds.” Augus explained.

“Three seconds is deadly enough,” Kui Xin frowned, “We’ll have to ensure absolute safety on our return day at midnight, avoiding all threats.”

“Good idea,” Augus said.

Regardless, Augus showed its hand.

It always maintained a balance, carefully preserving their fragile cooperation while keeping a safe distance.

“How is the situation with the Popov Clan?” Kui Xin asked additionally.

“The entire city is under lockdown; the Investigation Bureau is searching overtime.” Augus said, “But don’t worry too much, White Whale city’s chaos offers us the best protection. They won’t find us so quickly.”

A spoiled child losing his life triggers the Investigation Bureau’s full efforts. An ordinary person would not receive such attention.

Standing up from the sofa, Kui Xin looked at the door of one rest room, “I need to rest. Guard duty at the villa is now on you.”

“You definitely need some rest.” Augus said.

Kui Xin opened the door of the rest room, preparing to terminate the mental exchange, but Augus suddenly said, “There is something I’ve wondered about for a long time.”

“Go on,” Kui Xin felt a premonition.

“Is Remover 233 actually you?”