Chapter 132

Chapter 132: Artificial Soul Part 59

Kui Xin stood up and paced around the room.

“The situation is dire,” she said with a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. “If handled poorly, this could become a major issue.”

Each player in the Second World has their own identity, but Kui Xin’s identity is too complex. As a double-agent with ill intentions, she doesn’t belong to the Investigation Bureau nor to the Mechanized Dawn. On the game interface, the allegiance of this body is marked as the Resistance Army, but Kui Xin, who came from halfway through, has no real sense of belonging to the Resistance Army either.

Other players might come in as wealthy heirs, bounty hunters, or fugitives—risky at start-off, yet viable with proper handling. However, for Kui Xin, the risk far outweighs theirs. She needs to navigate multiple organizations simultaneously, all while keeping her true identity hidden.

Kui Xin halted after pacing round twice. Her arms crossed, she stood there, her mind racing.

Annie Schalit was originally an A-Class Awakened, but according to her records, she is classified as a B-Class Awakened. Why would she hide her Awakened rank? Could it be because of her distrust towards TQC? If she is not affiliated with TQC, then what organization does she belong to?

Schalit’s goal is clear: she’s targeting Kui Xin directly. There must be some connection between Schalit and the original identity of this body.

Schalit cannot be aligned with the Mechanized Dawn; if they had sent someone to meet with Kui Xin, she would have been informed.

By process of elimination, the answer becomes apparent.

Annie Schalit belongs to the Resistance Army.

This unsettling conclusion made Kui Xin nervous. She didn’t know if she had already given away any clues in her interactions with Schalit. If the original inhabitant of this body had met Annie Schalit, yet she claimed to not know him, that would be suspicious.

No… it’s fine. They first met at the Investigation Bureau under Adam’s surveillance, within Meng Jing’s territory. This isn’t a private meeting, so even if she knew Schalit, she can act as if she doesn’t know her.

Yet, there’s another issue—the manifestation of “Angels.”

This occurrence is surely not accidental.

When Eve used the brain-machine to interrogate Kui Xin, that “Angel” appeared. But during her interrogation at the Investigation Bureau recently and previously, the manifestation of “Angels” never occurred. Perhaps a specific condition needed to be met for “Angels” to appear, or maybe the brain-machine was reading implanted fake memories from the Mechanized Dawn rather than true memories, hence “Angels” were not triggered.

One possibility is that Annie tampered with Kui Xin’s brain during the interrogation, which prevented the “Angels” from showing up.

What do “Angels” represent?

Could they be a reminder, a manifestation of the subconscious, a planted spiritual seed, or some special symbolism?

Does Schalit herself represent the “Angel?” Alternatively, could “Angel” symbolize Schalit? Just like Kui Xin’s aliases—Lady Fortune and Black Snake—could Schalit’s emblem be represented by “Angels?”

On a larger scale, could “Angels” be the symbol of the Resistance Army?

“Why would you suddenly ask about the Resistance Army? What do you think?” Adam said.

“I highly doubt that the Resistance Army and Schalit have some special relationship, and Schalit is specifically targeting me. I also suspect this body’s identity has profound ties with the Resistance Army, that’s why Schalit approached me, looking for a connection,” Kui Xin replied.

“…That hypothesis is quite alarming,” Adam said cautiously.

Kui Xin shared this sentiment.

She was already in a precarious position, and the arrival of Schalit further destabilized the situation, leaving her uncertain about where things would lead. More likely to end badly.

“If that hypothesis turns out to be true, how would you handle it?” Adam asked.

“I only ever have a few choices—either kill or be killed,” Kui Xin responded thoughtfully. “Sometimes it feels hopeless… as if the only way to survive is to kill. I could avoid it by not killing, evading Schalit, running away, and getting out of these troubled waters.”

“Fleeing is a temporary solution. The Resistance has many followers, and failing to eliminate them will result in endless pursuit,” Adam said. “Killing Schalit is just a temporary measure, and if they investigate, they’d find out who did it. If it’s you…”

“Okay, this adds the Resistance Army to my list of enemies now,” Kui Xin gazed up in frustration. “With the debts mounting, I should get used to it.”

Forming habits can be terrifying.

Recalling her initial disarray when entering the Second World, the memory remains vivid. Now, much calmer and composed, her change is due to her extensive experiences.

“I want to meet with her alone,” Kui Xin murmured to herself, aware of the risk involved.

She could outright kill Schalit from a distance. Her psychic powers rely on auditory medium; if Schalit doesn’t hear her voice, the risk would be mitigated.

But Annie Schalit might be the sole window to uncover what’s in the Resistance Army’s playbook.

Kui Xin bit her lip unconsciously, pondering a new angle. “Is it possible to use Schalit’s extraordinary ability to control Dr. Hwang? Can her power compel others to speak the truth?”

“Forced truth-telling isn’t verifiable,” Adam stated. “The exact capabilities of agents in Special Affairs Department are top secret and likely sealed away. My programming prevents me from accessing such classified information.”

Thoughtful silence prevailed as various possibilities ran through Kui Xin’s mind.

“By the way, I haven’t reported to Eve about being recruited by TQC,” Kui Xin added. “I’ll test her reaction.”

“Go ahead,” Adam agreed.

She prepared a report via wristband and sent it to Eve. She omitted details about Schalit’s mysterious identity and focused only on Schalit’s plans.

Moments later, Eve replied, “Annie Schalit, huh?”

“Yes,” Kui Xin answered. “Should I follow her orders and join TQC?”

Eve paused. “No, you can’t deviate from your targets. Staying at the Investigation Bureau lets you interact with Adam. TQC isn’t your responsibility.”

Kui Xin understood Eve’s reasoning. “But I don’t know how to decline her invitation.”

“TQC is not an easy entry. You could create flaws during testing,” Eve suggested.

A brief silence followed, and Kui Xin divulged more: “But I don’t think it’ll succeed. My superior superiors also want me out of the department. Factional rivalries are intense here. Additionally, Annie seems to favor me, even speaking to me privately…”

After these words, Eve took longer to respond.

Eve said with a longer pause, “Annie Shalit’s identity is not simple. She might be intentionally approaching you.”

Kui Xin was startled.

Eve knows Annie Schalit’s identity is complicated! What does this imply? Does Eve have informants within TQC or the Resistance?

Kui Xin hurriedly typed: “What identity?”

“She might belong to another faction opposed to mine,” Eve said.

“The term ‘might’ means uncertainty.” Eve suspected Schalit but wasn’t certain of her affiliation.

This statement hints that the Resistance was aware of the Mechanized Dawn existed and that conflicts likely preceded the Black Sea incident.

Kui Xin considered shifting Eve’s perspective, “Why would Schalit approach me intentionally? Could it be because she suspects I have links to the Mechanized Dawn?”

Eve predictably replied, “Very likely.”

Kui Xin’s lips quirked into an odd smile.

“Very likely…” Eve doesn’t know the original owner of this body belonged to the Resistance. So, she speculated along those lines?

Perhaps Eve was deliberately leading her astray.

To confirm, Kui Xin typed: “Why would Schalit want me to join TQC if she doubts my identity?”

“Bringing you in might be an excuse, a ruse to put you under surveillance and take opportunistic action,” Eve explained.

Eve’s guess suggests she truly doesn’t know the link between the original owner and the Resistance.

“What should I do?” Kui Xin asked thoughtfully.

“Stay on standby,” Eve instructed.

“Standby.” This implies Eve might need to make a move soon.

Kui Xin’s lips pulled back in a small smile, recognizing she had set things in motion once again.

In the Krakken incident, Kui Xin encountered death and reincarnation, altering events which led to the members of the Seventh Squad avoiding a guaranteed fatal outcome. The Mechanized Dawn arrived sooner.

This time, the same fate happened. Because Kui Xin encountered different individuals, exchanged different dialogues, and provided different reports, the results from Schalit and the Mechanized Dawn reflected entirely new actions.

Ultimately, Kui Xin is central in the eye of the storm. The ripple effect causes everything around her to shift.

Having finished the conversation with Eve, Kui Xin changed clothes and left.

Unbeknownst to her, she hadn’t eaten dinner yet and needed something to eat. Just then, Adam announced, “Schalit has left her residence, heading to the convenience store.”

The accommodation assigned by the Investigation Bureau to Schalit is close to the employee dormitories with supermarkets nearby, requiring little effort.

Kui Xin hesitated, changed her route.

“Do you want to accidentally encounter her?” Adam asked.

Kui Xin exited and simultaneously Schalit left her residence on the other side.

Seemingly sharing an unspoken understanding, both headed to the same convenience store. Schalit spotted Kui Xin and greeted her:

“Good evening.”

“Good evening,” Kui Xin replied.

Together, they entered the store and returned to the street, where Schalit looked at Kui Xin and smiled, saying, “I hope we share the same dream tonight.”

Kui Xin watched her leave, bewildered and realizing this might be coded talk.

Before she could fully digest this encounter, she received a message from Red.

“Boss has assigned a new mission. Did you see?”

Kui Xin opened the notification.

Task file read clearly, “Mission: Capture Annie Schalit.”