Chapter 218

Chapter 218: The Boundless Dark Realm Part 73

Time always seemed to fly by at night as dawn approached.

Kui Xin sat within the recently seized stronghold, watching as the streets gradually brightened. She couldn’t help but sigh involuntarily.

Her routine had been irrevocably disrupted over these past few weeks and couldn’t be readjusted now.

Securing ready-made safe houses was convenient, but just a few wasn’t enough; she needed supplies—medication, weapons, repair tools. Everything needed consideration. Extensive illegal activities occurred in the Midnight District, and most things could be bought with money. However, wasting resources that way was inefficient. It would be better to establish a complete supply chain directly.

The problem was, running a supply chain still required manpower. Resources don’t manifest out of thin air; they have to come through channels of trade.

The small factions under her observation last night had been conducting gray-market operations in the Midnight District. Some smuggled firearms while others sold medical supplies for exorbitant prices. By controlling their leaders, Kui Xin indirectly controlled these factions.

Apart from acquiring these factions, Kui Xin also commandeered a bar as an organizational front.

In Black Sea City, either the Ruby Red Bar or the headquarters served as the base for the Mechanized Dawn’s mission teams. Inspired by this, Kui Xin decided to establish a more presentable safe house and chose to turn several bars into operational fronts. The Shadowless Organization’s headquarters hadn’t yet materialized, so only a few locations were available.

“Let’s run the bar on an unmanned sales model,” Kui Xin said. “A bartender can use an automated cocktail robot. For cleaning, use a cleaning bot. Service robots can take care of guests… Install more surveillance systems so the entire place can run smoothly without needing live staff. Oh, and maybe we can claim that the owner is the ‘Mirror’ member?”

Adam said, “I don’t mind.”

“Then in the future, you will act as the technical specialist and overseer of this location for the Shadowless Organization.” Kui Xin assigned Adam a role. “Consider your extraordinary ability to be ‘Data Modification,’ positioning you as a super hacker. You should remain unseen to create a sense of mystery.”

“Great. Perfect,” Adam responded.

“That settles it…” Yawning, Kui Xin pulled out her communicator and sent orders to a few influential traders in the Midnight District, ordering service robots to bring the new bar setup up to par.

Considering confidentiality, Kui Xin decided to divide future members into different permission levels. Higher-level members would know more locations of safe houses, while lower-level ones would know less.

To gain higher permissions and increase rank, one had to contribute to the organization, proving loyalty.

This way, members slowly became familiar with the Shadowless Organization and avoided potential risks of prematurely revealing its operations.

Currently, such a permission ranking system targeted the natives of the Second World, not the players loyal to the First World. Players were central to Kui Xin’s organization, which existed to aid them through crises. For players deemed reliable, direct assignments were too crude.

“All those invited for the second round have been notified,” Adam said. “There are two hours left. Should we set up the scene or notify Ashes to assist?”

“Notify her, yes,” Kui Xin said. “This time, I’d like to observe them myself.”

“Do we use the Investigative Eye to confirm their abilities?” Adam asked. “Sure.”

Previously, when remotely controlling was necessary, Kui Xin did that for safety. At that time, she was targeted by the Mechanized Dawn; the effect of being Reset was terrifying, and she didn’t want to risk proximity. Now, with her Grade A reset, she feared nothing below an S-rank Awakened. So, she wanted to go in person.

“The Special Affairs Department has been investigating across regions,” Adam said. “They visited the parking lot where Dimitri had his incident, which is still sealed off. They also went into my underground hangar within the Investigation Bureau, attempting to understand what happened at the explosion of the main server then.”

“Guess they haven’t found much,” Kui Xin surmised.

“You’re right,” Adam agreed. “You were fighting in the trash yard during those scuffles last time. That’s where many died and a huge explosion occurred—it caught their attention. Right now, they are heading there—the combat site between you and the Mechanical Dawn team. They probably cleared the area post-battle, with the bodies of many of their own people lying around. Eve understands the stakes.”

“No worries,” Kui Xin nodded.

“One more thing,” Adam continued. “By closely monitoring their conversations through their portable devices, I noticed a unique ability in a woman named Li Wanran—they can see past events at any given location, but it seems under some restrictions, and thus they failed to uncover anything. To some extent, she’s a dangerous individual. With a high enough ability tier, she would become a formidable person to deal with.”

Kui Xin shared similar concerns.

If Li Wanran could visualize recent events even months in advance at specific locations, observing certain areas would allow her to leak information easily.

Suppose someone is looking at an electronic door requiring a password; they might struggle to guess the password. However, Li Wanran could trigger her ability to view residual traces from a period, effectively showing the correct code. Moreover, if proficient in lip-reading, she could reconstruct conversations at a location.

Though lacking superior combat skills, Li Wanran’s abilities would be tough to replicate.

“Did you know Li Wanran?” Adam suddenly asked.

“Yes, I did,” Kui Xin replied.

“That clears everything up,” Adam commented. “She’s protecting you, and therefore there’s no risk of her leaking your secrets to others.”

“Indeed, she is quite trustworthy,” Kui Xin said.

“If that’s the case, I’ll make sure to monitor her and offer assistance when needed,” Adam affirmed.

Kui Xin felt slightly uneasy. “Recalling how you previously were indirect in conversation—never straightforward… Before, if I knew about my connection with Li Wanran…”

“Probably, I would pretend not to notice, waiting for you to clarify it before agreeing,” Adam added. “You told me to say things plainly, and I did.”

“Perfect, continue like that,” Kui Xin nodded.

She messaged He Kangshi: “You need to move the safe house.”

“No problem! What about Four Leaves?” He Kangshi asked.

“Bring along Four Leaves,” Kui Xin instructed. “You’ve worked in a bar before, so you must comprehend Midnight District’s operations. Given the organization needs you to support a bar as second-in-command.”

“Alright!” He Kangshi quickly responded. “Who’s the prime owner? Is it Embers or you?”

“It’s a new member, codename ‘Mirror.’ When managing the bar, listen to their advice,” Kui Xin instructed.

The bar’s cellar could be divided into rest and supply zones. The second and third floors, though numerous rooms, require renovations including the installation of bulletproof glass and other hardware.

Much of the bar’s work could be taken care of by robots, but one live person overseeing everything would be helpful. Few in the Shadowless Organization meant putting each person to dual tasks; He Kangshi would both care for Four Leaves and manage the bar.

Minutes later, He Kangshi arrived with Four Leaves.

Four Leaves gazed curiously around the unfamiliar environment—an outside interaction for him.

“It’s cold,” he whispered. “But very intriguing!”

Outside, there was snow from a recent snowfall. Intrigued, he immediately touched the snow, then swiftly withdrew his hand as soon as he felt cold again.

He circled the bar, saying, “Nice location. Shouldn’t be cheap… Gangs here seem powerful.”

Unaffordable or not, irrelevant; Kui Xin covered all expenses. Under her control, criminal organizations had surrendered their assets to her.

“I commissioned robots and some materials,” Kui Xin explained. “Workers will start renovation shortly. Just keep an eye on them briefly when they arrive.”

“Got it,” He Kangshi scanned the surroundings. “Where’s Mirror? The member?”

“He usually remains unseen, focusing on technical matters,” Kui Xin said. “He’ll reach out when needed.”

“Understood.”

Finishing playing with snow, Four Leaves returned to the bar. Holding his frigid hands, he addressed Kui Xin earnestly: “You’ve been gone long. Wish to spend time together…”

“I’m busy,” she replied sternly.

“Joining you instead?” Four Leaves asked. “Want to experience more.”

“Not possible now,” she responded decisively.

“This kid asks multiple times where you are,” He Kangshi interjected. “Chickenshadow syndrome?”

“Perhaps,” Kui Xin conceded.

“A place like this isn’t suitable for kids,” He Kangshi worried over Four Leaves’ innocence. “Very naive. Even if smart—he solves problems quickly and understands advanced math like calculus—but lacks life skills.”

He hesitated, “In our group, not exactly downtrodden, but close. Bringing a clueless child into our midst feels misplaced. We must guide him responsibly… Like nurturing a newborn.”

Kui Xin considered the same conundrum.

Rescuing and rehabilitating Four Leaves involved substantial complexities. The Shadowless Organization lacked the means to educate a child fully, and the world didn’t permit a gentle upbringing for him.

“I’ll handle it,” Kui Xin decided resolutely.

“Good,” He Kangshi breathed a sigh of relief.

Kui Xin had never rescued anyone from the Second World, except for Four Leaves. Though she saved Xueyao Shu on the Kraken, that effort carried utilitarian motives.

Regardless of process and motive, rescuing was an accomplishment. Pulling Four Leaves from dire situations, maintaining non-reversibility remained essential for meaning.

Perchance, Amber would be best suited for teaching him.

With a saddened glance, Kui Xin briskly departed.

Inside the bar, He Kangshi deliberated, handing Four Leaves a mask: “Wear this. No revealing your face.”

Confused, Four Leaves obliged, questioning, “Not even Hunter Falcon or Speartip Viper?”

“If it’s just us and Speartip, it doesn’t matter,” He Kangshi clarified. “When others are nearby, it does.”

They continued planning the renovation. Soon enough, the workers arrived along with the service robots.

One machine approached He Kangshi. On its screen came the greeting, “Hello, I’m Mirror.”

Surprised, He Kangshi responded, “Hello! I’m Hunter Falcon. Nice meeting you.”

“Usually hidden, I notify you via your device in emergencies. Skilled in technology.”

“The organization has hidden gems…” He Kangshi remarked.

Of the eight invited for the复试，皆具备非凡能力的觉醒者。

Kui Xin arranged a room separated into two spaces by a one-way mirror. Through the glass, Kui Xin watched the interviewee; the interviewee could not see her.

The procedure remained similar to last time—from personnel gathering, a drawing by Su Rong for guidance, teleportation into the room through the spatial vortex, and finally, the interviews.

As she watched via a concealed observation system, she observed a collection of people: a sharp-dressed bounty hunter, notorious fugitives from wanted lists, and some unassuming individuals. One drew her attention—a young woman dressed street-style, with multicolored hair, piercings, and visible piercings everywhere including her tongue…

The interviewee received the number one draw in the lineup.

Kui Xin instructed Su Rong, “Begin.”

The portal opened, and the girl stepped inside.

As soon as Kui Xin read her ability description, she was stunned: Mind Reading, C-Rank. When the other party’s extraordinary ability rank was lower than hers, she could read their thoughts. However, the usage was limited.