Chapter 238

Chapter 238: The Two Ends of the Scale 19

Kui Xin’s scattered thoughts suddenly became clear.

Found “me” before me?

“Found me?”

She had made a bet with Augus, gambling on who would find the other first. Now, in the First World, Augus was right in front of her. Kui Xin had indeed found him, but after entering the Dark Realm, Augus looked at his own reflection in the Dark Realm and uttered those words.

What Kui Xin had found was probably Augus’s body from the Second World!

She took out her mobile phone and looked down, not surprised to see that it had malfunctioned; the screen was black and unresponsive no matter what she did.

Li Wanran and the others had also failed to infiltrate this place through drones and robots. This location was a gap between worlds, a mysterious and unknown area where technology would fail and extraordinary abilities would be nullified upon entry.

Kui Xin’s Investigative Eye was a passive skill always in effect, but when she turned around to look at Augus, she could no longer see any extraordinary abilities on him.

“Ground-level you…” Kui Xin’s voice became graver as she spoke with an accent in broken English. “The decommissioned equipment room of the nuclear power plant from Fusgong City in the Second World overlaps with the Tobacco Factory in Tonglin City—the Dark Realm is thus where the two worlds overlap. You entered a nuclear power plant in the Second World and returned to our world.”

Augus carefully listened to the words Kui Xin articulated, barely understanding them, and replied, “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“The Dark Realm exists in the Second World too?” Kui Xin asked gravely.

“Indeed,” Augus smiled, “though the Federation keeps it well hidden.”

Kui Xin’s expression darkened.

In a world dominated by control from both federations and corporations, things were very different than in the First World. In the First World, players could gather on mysterious forums and share game news. However, in the Second World, federations and conglomerates truly held all the power. Concealing information or secrets was effortless for high-ups.

News of the降临 of Dark Realms in the First World spread mostly within player circles, and although there was a similar event in the Dark Realm降临 to the Second World, the word was tightly sealed.

“A Dark Realm exists in the gap between the First and Second Worlds, overlapping points, with its own unique rules. Just like our planet spins on its axis—sunrises and sunsets are natural phenomena representing its laws. Dark Realms have their own rules,” Augus explained leisurely.

He gave an eerie smile, “I’m sure you’ve picked up some patterns. For example…”

Augus moved suddenly, pulling the black overcoat aside to reveal a gun he’d been holding, aiming right at Kui Xin; the gunfire erupted immediately!

Bullets pierced through the mist and materialized phantoms, heading straight toward Kui Xin!

Kneeling and rolling for cover as soon as Augus fired, she realized there was nothing substantial to hide behind; everything here was but a shadow, useless against bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bullets whizzed by, nearly grazing her shoulder and drawing blood. Her regenerative abilities were gone, leaving only the pain and unhealed wounds.

Ending the initial burst of fire, Augus waved the gun with a smirking voice, “Ma Yi, Ma Yi, you can’t escape. Did you notice? Your powers are no more! Unprepared as you were to come here, I am ready. Without your extraordinary powers or any special abilities, how will you fend off steel and gunpowder?”

Around Augus, bottles and tanks blocked his view, machinery piled up rusted and crowded, creating an illusion of presence but in reality, space devoid of anything real.

Augus scanned the area, counting each bullet as a valuable resource. He searched for where Kui Xin might be hiding, knowing bullets were not infinite.

Kui Xin removed her hand from her shoulder as sticky crimson coated her fingers. Adrenaline surged, her heart pounding ferociously; she sweated, her blood rushing.

The sounds of Augus’s movement grew closer… each step echoed.

Her body burned hot yet her mind stayed cool. She maintained absolute focus and precision in silent movements, tracking Augus’s footsteps to navigate her way around.

Navigating through discarded equipment, Kui Xin could feel the sensation of walking, even if her vision was blurred; her eyes felt veiled. It was akin to a low-quality game with poor textures—something may seem present, but passing through revealed emptiness.

From his pocket, Augus pulled a pocket watch, which functioned differently from the powerless digital watch on his wrist. Only mechanical watches could operate in the Dark Realm.

Mechanical watches were prone to errors, so Augus could only gauge time vaguely with it.

It was 8:32 PM now.

Augus whistled loudly, “Almost nine o’clock. Seeing as we’re such luck-driven people, I’ll give you a tip, Ma Yi. Watch out for zero hour and times divisible by seven… if you survive till then.”

Hearing no response but silence in the vast emptiness, his excitement grew.

“There’s no harm. I’d love to play hide-and-seek with you,” Augus said, looking at a row of spare magazines strapped to his chest, “you just hide, and I’ll try to catch you.”

He pointed at a transparent wall—a sudden barrier she touched by accident.

Kicking the air, Kui Xin recognized an altered bullet head, left behind by Augus’s sweeps earlier. She picked it up and thought deeply for a moment, tucking it in her pocket.

Moving forward cautiously, Kui Xin felt something tangible beyond her touch suddenly give way.

It dawned on her. Entering the factory from the main gate, she had noticed second-world radiation signs within meters and saw Augus appear firing. She dodged, moving instinctively towards a corner.

Realizing the walls and staircases were merely illusions, Kui Xin traced back her movements using her internal map of the factory. Aligning her recollection with the transparent wall…

Her breathing quickened with clarity. Here, in the Dark Realm, she was still inside the Tobacco Factory! Those illusions were just shadows, existing due to the overlap with the tobacco factory blueprint. Closing her eyes would lead her to the same obstacles.

The transparent wall she had just discovered was most likely a staircase hidden by a second-world phantom. Testing her theories, Kui Xin stepped cautiously, a smile breaking out on her face.

This was a stairwell!

After countless visits, she knew every inch, blindfolded or not.

What about Augus? Did he know the layout?

Advancing to conceal herself from unseen stairs, she called out, “Augus!”

Just as the word escaped her lips, a series of bullets narrowly missed her feet. Clang clang, shots struck the transparent walls and stairway, deformed bullet heads getting stuck in unseen steps and dropping to the ground.

Augus’s footsteps approached menacingly. Kui Xin moved to higher ground, looking down seemingly empty staircases.

There he was, his head barely lifting as he proceeded routinely, missing the invisible wall until his foot hit a step, nearly toppling.

Augus’s gaze met her raised one, stumbling back.

Kui Xin swiftly retreated, leaping three steps onto the second floor, obscured by its ghostly illusions.

Augus hurried without shooting, watching her disappear in his sight.

“Damn it,” he cursed inwardly, tightening his grip on the weapon, checking his timepiece—8:45.

Only fifteen minutes left till 21:00. With his mechanical watch’s margin of error, he needed to be prepared minutes before the crucial hour.

“Augus,” came the Remover 233’s voice, echoing hollowly through corridors, “I’m curious, is that phantom on the ground you? Is this your purpose here, what do you want?”

The irritation from his earlier mistake subsided, replaced by arrogance.

He knew more than they did.

“Since you wish to know, yes.” Augus pretended nonchalance, “A choice. Didn’t you always know we must choose?”

With cautious steps, he moved up the stairwell, wanting to engage in conversation.

“Choices?” Kui Xin questioned, “Choose between bodies of two worlds?”

“Not only that, Ma Yi,” Augus shifted his gaze slightly left, detecting sound from another direction.

Looking left, a different processing chamber emerged, cluttered with large, tangled cables obscuring the real view, deceiving Augus’s senses.

He continued speaking to draw her out, “Our spirits move between worlds, if only one shell remains, what happens?”

As he spoke, he raised his gun, aiming left. Once Kui Xin made additional noise, he could pinpoint her location and attack.

Silence prevailed.

The phantasmal material was nearby, restricting vision. Augus pondered briefly, decided to take a risk.

Taking a step into the phantom realm, something solid—human-shaped met his foot.

Unable to redirect his aim at Kui Xin who was crouched, dodging his onslaught, she rammed into his abdomen, knocking him away. A metallic object fell, striking the ground—Augus’s pocket watch. Her maneuver injured him severely.

Her voice arose from afar again, “Notice the multiples of seven? Your watch says eight minutes till nine, Augus. Tell me the nine-o’clock changes, if you do, I’ll return one magazine.”

“I guess I’m supposed to entertain you?” Augus mocked with a bitter laugh, “You’re hurt, I saw, untreated gunshot wounds could kill. No extraordinary powers to save you?”

“Mind your own business.” Kui Xin tore part of her shirt to bandage her wounds, binding her arm firmly to stop blood flow, even so, the cloth quickly stained red.

The scent of blood filled the air, agony seared her nerves.

Pallor spread across Kui Xin’s face. She tried moving her left hand, relieved to find it still functional.

Abilities vanished, but her physique remained robust, capable of enduring pain and recovery comparable to grade-A Awakeners, though not immortality.

“Dangerous here, hence the firearm. Initially, it wasn’t meant against you, instead targeting something else,” Kui Xin mused, “What’s inside? Xenomorphs? According to the pattern, monsters emerge at midnight.”

Checking the time, she remarked, “Eight minutes till nine, are you wasting time?”

Anger deepened Augus’s scowl, “Mennetoh”, he spat out the unfamiliar word, “a guardian in cult scriptures, dividing believers’ souls to half in the underworld, offered to gods.”

Confused, Kui Xin listened as Augus clarified, “Analogous to hell, god’s resting place, akin to mythical guardian dogs or Anubis.”

“Why does Mennetoh split souls?” Kui Xin voiced her intuition; it seemed significant.

“Blood Week,” Augus mentioned a term familiar to Kui Xin, “Divine intervention, raining blood for seven days, scriptures recount two gods’ conflict, wounded falling blood. Peace accorded, soul halves dedicated to gods. Divinity ensured cessation of war.”

“Six minutes till nine,” Kui Xin checked the watch.

The doorkeeper… the door of the Dark Realm?

Would Mennetoh exit at nine?

Relating the story, Kui Xin envisioned, “Fang Zhi was a follower, soul branded. Mennetoh seized half his soul, anchoring the Dark Gate. Upon killing him, I anchored, seized death rebirth. Equivalent to half-soul retrieval.”

“Seven multiples?” she quizzed again.

“No idea, creation in seven days, rain in myths as seven, signifies rules.” Augus responded, “Monsters may emerge at these multiples.”

Recalling experiments initiated in midday, monkeys pulled into dark realms by unknown forces, at approximately 14:00 hours, seven’s multiple.

“Where did you learn this?” Kui Xin queried sharply.

“Can’t say.” He responded, “Seeing this seriously? Partial truths, gods distant. Points of overlap emerged, no wider portal, sustaining monstrous crossings. Need my bullets?”

“Absolutely. But give a firearm.” Kui Xin stated plainly.

“Too greedy,” Augus’s voice sharpened.

“Heavy bullets left, whenever time aligns, terrible creatures appear. At zero-hour too, perhaps.” Kui Xin reasoned, “No ammo, death imminent. Lack weapons, demise awaits too. Best scenario, you arm me, I provision ammo, mutually beneficial. I desire life, you too?”

“Four minutes to nine,” adding.

Augus surrendered urgently, “Give me ammunition first.”

Kui Xin considered, approaching to extract half bullets from an ammo clip.

A few shots scattered across the ground, insufficient for a deal, insubstantial for survival until nightfall.

“Proving honesty,” she retreated to cover, “Now, toss your firearm into this phantom. ”

Augus glared, tossing a reserve weapon, aiming at the weapon’s disappearance.

Should Kui Xin retrieve the gun, he’d instantly open fire.

Cautiously, Kui Xin divested her coat, flinging it to cover the gun, retrieving it safely.

Bam Bam, missed her torso, clipping the coat, burning holes. Donning the garment, she inspected weaponry, testing shots in emptiness.

Augus looked grim, “Bullets.”

Contemplating, she remarked, “Promised cooperation, gunfire disobeys. Refusing supply.”

Revealing fangs,

“Seeking intel?” Augus sneered, “Without further data, no future here.”

“Valuable with or without you”, she touched the belt, expressionless, “Three minutes until nine.”

Augus stumbled back, retreating into a phantom.

Nine-o’clock drew near, Kui Xin repositioning carefully.

Breathing calmed, she verified her weaponry meticulously.

Finally reaching nine, an immense pressure engulfed her ears, hallucinatory whispers invading. Clutching her head amidst splitting pain.

The whispers ceased after a brief moment.

Gripping pain in check, Kui Xin focused.

Noticing the corridor adjacent, she recalled where Fang Zhi met his end, first Dark Gate breaches.

Listening intently, heavy footsteps clattered throughout Tobacco Factory二楼, reverberating through each floor board.

A second loud impact, followed by a third, fourth,… Each shake subtle yet pronounced.

A colossal form traversed empty halls, footsteps fading into a looping echo.

Mennetoh, a monstrous entity with a bloodied single eye, emerged, viscous tentacles navigating through phantoms and mist, examining the Dark Realm.