Chapter 241

Chapter 241: Two Ends of the Scale 22

That night, Kuixing had a thorough rest.

When she woke up, it was already close to ten in the morning. She finally had a chance to sleep in, something she hadn’t done in a long time. In her senior year, she would get up at around five in the morning, and afterward, her biological clock was set so that even during summer breaks, she would wake up before seven each day. After participating in the game “Crimson Soil,” Kuixing’s schedule became so chaotic that it felt like she could fall asleep at any moment.

Her overloaded brain finally got some relaxation. Now that she was awake, she had the mental capacity to go over some intricate thoughts and logically organize her future actions.

There were three pressing issues she needed to address right now:

First, the ransom for the Popov Clan.

Second, screening new members for The Shadowless Organization and their assignment of roles and tasks.

Third, confirming the location and identity of Remover 777.

The first two were more straightforward.

For the Popov Clan’s ransom, Kuixing decided to follow Adam’s advice and negotiate privately with Polina. If Polina accepted the terms and Kuixing successfully received the ransom, then things would be settled.

Regarding the new members for The Shadowless, Kuixing had already picked promising candidates through the forum after visiting the First World once more; Liandaoda, Jin Huan, Wei Li, Samantha, and others were all potential choices.

The third issue was the most critical, but she could only tackle it after addressing the first two.

She and Augus were separated by thousands of miles; Fusgong City was too far inland from White Whale City, making it challenging to reach in the short term. As Augus wasn’t stationary, Kuixing needed to act quickly to keep him within reach and prevent any difficulty in tracking his movements.

Augus’s main body in the Second World was likely somewhere in the nuclear power station in Fusgong City, which was located in the Dark Realm. While Kuixing preferred for Augus to die there, she also didn’t want him to die if doing so might reveal valuable escape methods. It was essential for her to understand how he managed to break free.

Besides these problems, Kuixing also had other miscellaneous issues on her mind.

The trio of threats looming over her – Mechanized Dawn, the Resistance Army, and TQC.

They had never ceased being a threat.

Even though these threats were at her doorstep, Kuixing was no longer helpless. She possessed the means to counteract them indirectly. However, she couldn’t engage them head-on and instead had to evade through various capabilities.

Kuixing’s advantage lay in her flexibility and maneuverability. If necessary, she could retreat and always remained hidden, while her opponents were exposed.

Mechanized Dawn lost the Four Leaves, and Chuantuo Tech was infiltrated by Kuixing. Even if Eevee was confident, they would have to relocate their bases temporarily and wouldn’t be able to focus on Kuixing immediately.

As for the Resistance Army, Kuixing had defeated Phantom and convinced Ambereye during the Reset battle, effectively managing that crisis.

Li Wanran provided cover for Kuixing within TQC, and Adam was assisting as well. Unless she faced a TQC S-Rank Awakened directly, they wouldn’t be able to touch her.

Summarizing her thoughts made the situation clearer. Despite myriad forces tangled around her and numerous enemies, the current state of affairs remained controllable.

Relaxing a bit, she washed up, ate, and did some stretches and flexing exercises.

The White Whale City had a snowfall again last night. When Kuixing left her base dressed and equipped, she saw the paths lined with accumulated snow, gray and dusty. By mid-morning, the temperature rose, causing partial melting of the snow and making the ground very treacherous.

Navigating through familiar streets, Kuixing walked into an alley, activated the spatial vortex, and arrived at the base where Su Rong was located.

Su Rong had also woken up early, using the treadmill to work out when Kuixing arrived. She came close to falling off the treadmill upon seeing Kuixing.

“You’re here!” Su Rong jumped off the treadmill, “What are you planning to do today? Do you need help recruiting?”

“I’m not here for that.” Kuixing said, “How has things been outside the Dark Realm? Any changes?”

“No change. That night, everything was quiet. Players stayed at the periphery; there was no one inside,” Su Rong responded, “Your actions that night scared me. I met Carrier Pigeon near the tobacco factory and thought he knew you, wanting to ask about the Dark Realm. But I heard a lady talking with Carrier Pigeon nearby who mentioned your codename. So I sent Shadow to communicate with them.”

“How did you communicate? Shadow can’t speak. Did you use their mobile phone to type?” Kuixing asked.

“Yeah, you guessed right,” Su Rong said embarrassedly, “The lady’s codename was Dusk. She seemed quite urgent. Both she and Carrier Pigeon believed you entered the Dark Realm. They wanted to join you, but Carrier Pigeon advised waiting to see if you could safely return.”

“Did you talk to them?” Kuixing asked.

“I only said I was The Shadowless’s gray smoke, and Maotoufu’s teammate. I didn’t dare say more,” Su Rong replied, “That night, we waited outside until you came out.”

“If the situation doesn’t improve, maybe we could send food and medicine.” Su Rong added, concerned, “Do you need medication or anything else? We’ll prepare for next time.”

After consideration, “Alright, I need many medications, along with some food.”

“You’re injured?” Su Rong asked.

“Yes,” Kuixing nodded, “Please prepare everything on my behalf.”

Seeing Su Rong’s sadness, she continued, “Don’t be sad about your inability. Sometimes I wonder if I should give up some things to do what I’m supposed to.”

Kuixing had told Su Rong that she dropped out of school but didn’t know Su Rong was having similar thoughts.

“Don’t think that way; normal life shouldn’t hamper you. Don’t let it be a hindrance.” Kuixing encouraged.

“Of course, you can choose to do what you believe is right,” Kuixing continued, “But decide from your heart and not because someone else made you. I don’t recommend giving up because your decision may not be mature enough; weigh the consequences thoroughly. If you make a clear decision and feel ready to take responsibility, you certainly can.”

Su Rong nodded silently.

“There might be work for you today. Stay at the base,” Kuixing looked at her watch, “I have other matters to attend to, see you later.”

Behind her, the spatial vortex opened again.

At the bar, Ho Kangshi was supervising the workers. The bar was still under construction, but it was almost finished today. Gang members from nearby areas were working as laborers with unexpectedly high efficiency.

Yelv noticed Kuixing first. He was playing a building block game with beer cans when suddenly he sensed something and turned around, spotting the vortex opening.

“Maotoufu!” His eyes lit up.

Kuixing was momentarily stunned by his warm welcome.

“Good morning, Yelv.”

“Good morning, sir,” Yelv returned politely, surprising Kuixing.

Ho Kangshi stepped forward and said, “Those days, I acted like a kindergarten teacher, teaching basic manners and interactions. But Yelv listens, he follows everything I say.”

“Thank you,” Kuixing muttered, “I’m just checking the progress. You can continue supervising.”

Ho Kangshi whispered, “Why was Gray so anxious last night, sister? Can you tell me?”

“It’s nothing serious, just a previous issue. She couldn’t contact me,” Kuixing explained, observing him, “You seem different, stronger?”

“She noticed? I’ve upgraded to C-rank, still lacking combat experience but can use power for operations,” Ho Kangshi said excitedly.

His abilities were similar to Augus in concept, “Psychokinesis Control,” enabling him to move objects remotely. However, due to low level and lack of combat training, he couldn’t handle tough situations without weapons.

Kuixing thought, “A little too low-ranked for effective use…”

The biggest drawback of The Shadowless was the low-level abilities of Kuixing’s trusted individuals. Without Kuixing’s protection, the organization couldn’t function independently. This limited her options.

This wasn’t a quick fix. Kuixin could only put it aside temporarily.

“Go back to work, I need to leave,” her clothes were tugged slightly.

“Only said a sentence, just five words,” Yelv stressed earnestly, “You’ve been gone for so long. After coming here, you only stayed for a bit!”

“How much should I tell you?” Kuixing turned and asked.

Yelv hesitated, then said firmly, “A lot! Many words!”

“Will accumulate them for another conversation,” Kuixin held his hand to release hers, “Now I have to say goodbye for today.”

Yelv watched her leave with hope.

Ho Kangshi comforted Yelv, “Don’t be sad; Maotoufu has been kind. She brings people into this world responsibly. She’s busy!”

“Oh…” Yelv said dazedly.

…

“You’re here,” Ambereye nodded to Kuixing, “We’ve extracted information. This is Polina’s private contact number.”

Kuixing noted down the number and sat on the sofa, looking at Arbera whose wounds weren’t fully healed.

“If I negotiate privately with Polina, do you think she’ll agree to my terms?” Kuixing asked.

“It’s hard to say,” Arbera said cautiously, “You can use family reputation to pressure her, but familial connections won’t sway her strongly.”

Kuixing took out a communicator, played with it a while, then dialed the number.

Before calling, she signaled Amber to seal Arbera’s mouth, and Amber complied instantly.

“Beep —”

The call connected, and a calm female voice came through the phone, “Is it you, Arbera? Or The Shadowless?”

“Good observation, Miss Polina,” Kuixing’s altered voice answered through the receiver.

“Only family members would dial this number. I keep records of everyone’s numbers, but this is unknown,” Polina replied coldly, “I guess unruly brother Arbera has shared your number, hasn’t he?”