Chapter 136: Artificial Soul 63
Kui Xin stood by the roadside, watching the advertisements for a while.
In addition to the ads for mechanical prosthetics, there were various other advertisements promoting nursing home services, vocational training institutions, luxury goods… Kui Xin just so happened to see Su Rong on an advertising projection screen.
That delicate, sweet face glowed brightly on the screen, surrounded by colorful spotlights. She looked nothing like a child; yet, she was still a flower in a greenhouse, untouched by the ravages of the storm.
Kui Xin pulled down the hood of her sweatshirt and lowered her head as she walked away.
When Kui Xin was studying in the First World, her political science teacher often played the news during class. He was well-read and would meticulously explain the purposes and effects of various policies, as well as discuss significant international events, chatting about everything under the sun. From media coverage, one could see the future trends and policy changes, and this was the same in the Second World.
She took out her communicator while walking and searched for the keywords “mechanical prosthetics,” discovering that it was a new technology developed by a private company called Chuangtuo Technology. It had already gone through several phases of experimentation and would soon be mass-produced for civilian use, currently in the technology promotion phase. She also searched for the shareholder information of Chuangtuo Technology and found that its investors were not ordinary; it was backed by several capital-rich conglomerates.
In the Second World, every major conglomerate has an inexplicable relationship with the Federation government. They are supporters of the Federation government, and the government is also their supporter.
So, the promotion of Chuangtuo Technology is actually supported by the Federation government, which serves as their solid backing.
The officials in the Second World are promoting the popularization of prosthetics, which is the intelligence Kui Xin collected.
There is no such thing as privacy in the era of big data, and this is especially evident in the Second World. The popularization of prosthetics will undeniably enhance the Federation government’s control over the masses. Thinking further, the popularization of prosthetics is also beneficial for Eve; as an artificial intelligence, she would undoubtedly thrive in an information-driven society.
What role does Mechanized Dawn play in the popularization of prosthetics?
Kui Xin spent over an hour before returning to the employee apartment.
She wandered aimlessly through the streets, observing the architecture of Hei Hai City, moving between the steel forest and gazing up at the towering, black buildings.
It seemed that aside from those first few days after her arrival, she had not looked at the things in this world with curiosity again.
She returned to the employee apartment at nine in the morning.
As she stood by the shoe cabinet changing her shoes, she suddenly received a message from Wei Zhi: “Security officers need to undergo a unified test; you need to come.”
“Okay,” Kui Xin agreed, then asked, “I thought I was on vacation?”
Wei Zhi also seemed quite helpless, saying, “Consider this as a test before the interview. The Special Affairs Department needs to select people, and Commander Schalit can only stay in Hei Hai City for two days, so the testing schedule is quite tight.”
“What does the test involve?” Kui Xin put her shoes back on.
“First, there will be a written exam, followed by shooting and combat tests,” Wei Zhi explained. “The written exam starts promptly at ten; please come as soon as possible.”
“Got it, team leader,” Kui Xin said as she pushed open the apartment door.
Although she had been studying theory, it was clearly unrealistic to expect to catch up on four years of criminal investigation knowledge in just a few weeks. There was a chance she might slip up during the exam… luckily, she had Augus.
Kui Xin arrived early at the testing location and waited in the rest room on one side.
There were already security officers waiting there; some were standing and others sitting. As soon as Kui Xin pushed the door open, they turned to look at her for a couple of seconds before nodding in a polite gesture and looking away.
There were only four people in the room, both male and female, all under twenty-five, and each possessing extraordinary abilities, classified between levels C and D.
It was rare for security officers compliant with the hiring standards of the Special Affairs Department to be found in Hei Hai City.
When the time arrived, Augus’s mechanical voice broke the silence: “All security officers, please proceed to the next room for testing.”
Everyone stood up and left the rest room, finding seats in the exam room.
The test was conducted using electronic sheets, requiring no handwritten responses.
Kui Xin calmly connected to Augus’s port and began answering the questions.
She could successfully answer sixty percent of the questions, but there were especially specialized questions that left her helpless, needing Augus for hints. She deliberately controlled her accuracy to make her performance appear quite good, but not overly outstanding.
“Does Team Leader Wei Zhi have any objections to my participating in the interview?” Kui Xin chatted with Augus during the test.
“Since this is a large-scale selection, all qualifying security officers are required to participate. She can’t say much about it,” Augus replied. “For Wei Zhi, it’s acceptable if you are reassigned to the Special Affairs Department; what she cannot accept is Meng Jing intervening with her secretary.”
After finishing the written exam, Kui Xin and the other security officers who had taken the test were taken to the underground training ground.
Schalit was the examiner and interviewer; she had not appeared during the written test, but she watched the upcoming tests from the side.
The first test was shooting; Kui Xin stood in line with four other security officers, and the metal table in front of them automatically opened, revealing a standard firearm before her eyes. The same type of firearm appeared on the tables of the other officers as well.
Kui Xin loaded the bullets, the gun clicked as she chambered it.
A short distance away, the target rose from the ground, and she aimed her handgun at the bullseye.
With the sound of a beep, the gun signal was given. Kui Xin suddenly pulled the trigger, and the sounds of gunfire rang out in succession; all the bullets in the magazine were discharged in an incredibly short time—she was out of bullets in less than three seconds.
Kui Xin was the first to lower her gun as the scores were announced in her ears. Her shooting was remarkably accurate—not only was she fast, but not one bullet had missed the target. It took a while for the remaining four security officers to put down their guns, all of them looking at Kui Xin in surprise.
The shooting test didn’t end there; in addition to the standard firearms, they tested rifles, sniper rifles, submachine guns… even throwing cold weapons like daggers.
But that wasn’t all; weapon assembly was also part of the test.
The testers raced against time to assemble firearms quickly; after several rounds of testing, Kui Xin’s fingers smelled of gun oil from maintenance.
The next test involved combat, with the option to use extraordinary abilities.
The C and D level extraordinary abilities had limited lethality, which Kui Xin had checked with the Investigative Eye, so she wasn’t overly worried. There was no need for her to take this test too seriously; she wasn’t desperate to squeeze herself into the Special Affairs Department, and if selected, Eve’s reaction would be unpredictable.
The testers fought in pairs, and Kui Xin’s opponent was an officer named Wang Jiaming, whose ability was optical camouflage, enabling him to distort the light around him and become invisible, but he had no offensive capabilities.
As the battle began, Wang Jiaming rushed toward Kui Xin without even activating his camouflage.
After all, as a C-level ability user, he had considerable limitations; while he could hide his body, he couldn’t conceal his shadow. The training ground was brightly lit, and the incoming light would expose his position. Instead of struggling to hide, it would be better for him to rush in for close combat.
Wang Jiaming was tall and imposing, standing a head taller than Kui Xin, and his physique was somewhat intimidating.
He threw swift punches with a stable base; Kui Xin evaded his first two attacks by swiftly moving back. However, when the third attack came, just as she was about to retreat, she found herself faced with a fist that suddenly disappeared.
That was a feint! His goal was to draw Kui Xin into his attack rhythm while using his invisibility to conceal his actual attack route.
Kui Xin heard the rush of wind beside her. She raised her right arm to block, but hit nothing—another feint!
Wang Jiaming aimed for her side with a kick! Kui Xin reacted quickly, ducking down to evade the sweeping kick. From the corner of her eye, she caught the slight distortion of the air and quickly stepped forward, grasping Wang Jiaming’s leg that had just swept by, controlling his limb.
Following that, Kui Xin pressed her shoulder against him, slamming her strong shoulder blade into Wang Jiaming’s vulnerable chest area.
“Poof—” Wang Jiaming spat out bile, his body curling up in pain.
Kui Xin twisted his thigh and used the force to slam him down to the ground. At the same time, she pinned his knee joint with her arm, her own knee pressing against his back. Wang Jiaming struggled intensely, yet Kui Xin seized his flailing hands and locked his arm joints in a reverse manner.
Still, Wang Jiaming tried to break free, and as Kui Xin pressed down with her knee, she exerted force, and with a crack, Wang Jiaming let out a scream that echoed throughout the training room.
His wrist had dislocated.
The victor was clear; Wang Jiaming lost his ability to resist, and Kui Xin had won.
Schalit, acting as the referee, walked over and looked at Kui Xin appreciatively. “Not bad.”
Kui Xin got off Wang Jiaming and extended her hand.
Wang Jiaming wryly smiled, taking Kui Xin’s hand to help himself up. He gingerly touched his dislocated wrist with his good hand, grimacing slightly as he put his dislocated wrist back in place.
The fight started quickly and ended just as fast, taking less than two minutes.
“Maybe you should go to the medical room,” Kui Xin couldn’t help but suggest.
“I’m used to it; I’ve dislocated it before,” Wang Jiaming shrugged.
Kui Xin glanced at Schalit. “Commander, how many rounds do we need to do?”
“One round is enough; we’re mainly checking your basic combat skills,” Schalit stated. “The use of extraordinary abilities must be adapted to the situation; if used well, your capabilities have great potential.”
The testing for the Special Affairs Department quickly concluded. At twelve thirty, Schalit instructed them to return and wait for notifications.
Kui Xin took the opportunity to grab a meal at the employee cafeteria. After hesitating for a few seconds, she headed to Wei Zhi’s office.
To her surprise, Wei Zhi was not working but drinking tea in office. She stood at the windowsill, overlooking the city with a teacup in hand. On her desk was a ceramic teapot that Kui Xin had seen before but never knew Wei Zhi actually used.
This teapot seemed to be just a decorative piece, gathering dust on the shelf for a long time. Kui Xin thought it was there just for looks, but now discovered Wei Zhi actually brewed tea with it. Moreover… Wei Zhi usually drank coffee; Kui Xin had never seen her drink black tea.
As soon as Wei Zhi saw Kui Xin enter, she turned around and smiled. “What brings you here at this time? Aren’t you on vacation?”
“I want to talk to the team leader about the Special Affairs Department’s test,” Kui Xin said, observing her expression.
“Talk?” Wei Zhi replied with a subtle interrogation tone.
Kui Xin suddenly felt a strong sense of disharmony.
This was not like Wei Zhi’s usual behavior; as her secretary, Wei Zhi should discuss plans for the future, especially since there was intent to transfer her to the Special Affairs Department. Why was Kui Xin seeking Wei Zhi now, yet Wei Zhi looked so oblivious? Even counter-interrogating her?
Kui Xin slowly asked, “What if I get reassigned, team leader…”
“So, you were worried about that,” Wei Zhi smiled. “It’s not a big issue, Kui Xin. Outstanding people should rise to higher positions; you shouldn’t be confined to this small place.”
As Wei Zhi smiled, the feeling of disharmony in Kui Xin’s heart intensified.
Wei Zhi rarely smiled; most of the time, her expression was serious. After going through danger together, Wei Zhi became more casual and mild with Kui Xin, but their relationship still never reached excessive intimacy.
“Is that so? I thought you didn’t want me to leave,” Kui Xin replied.
“Outstanding people should rise to higher positions,” Wei Zhi repeated the phrase.
Kui Xin fell silent, unable to understand Wei Zhi’s meaning.
After a moment of quietness, her gaze landed on the teapot on Wei Zhi’s desk. “You didn’t often drink tea before.”
“I just saw there was a good tea in my office, so I brewed some,” Wei Zhi replied.
“At this time, have you eaten?” Kui Xin asked feigning concern.
“I have,” Wei Zhi said.
“I thought you might forget to eat because of work again,” Kui Xin observed Wei Zhi’s injured arm. “Is your injury better?”
“Much better,” Wei Zhi said. “Go take a break, Kui Xin. You’re on vacation, and I should take a few days off too.”
Kui Xin expressed confusion. “You seem different from before.”
Wei Zhi asked, “Hmm?”
“I thought you would say, like you did a few days ago, that the Investigation Bureau is understaffed and busy, and that you need to finish your work before you can relax,” Kui Xin said.
Wei Zhi stared at Kui Xin, speaking in her usual tone, “You are a careful and responsible person, Kui Xin.”
Kui Xin gazed at Wei Zhi’s face, and along with the disharmony, an underlying unease surfaced.
She connected with Augus, asking, “Is there anything unusual about Wei Zhi?”
“Before the test began, Team Leader Wei Zhi met with a few people from the Special Affairs Department in this office and discussed some official business. After the Special Affairs Department personnel left, Ms. Wei Zhi started brewing tea,” Augus replied, clearly detecting something off about the situation but unable to articulate it. “Wei Zhi rarely drinks black tea, though she has had it before.”
Wei Zhi, who usually worked tirelessly, suddenly appeared lax, drinking tea in her office. It was possible she felt stressed from being overwhelmed recently and was taking a much-needed moment to relax.
“If you don’t have anything for me, I’ll take my leave,” Kui Xin said.
Wei Zhi glanced at her. “Okay, you may go.”
Just as Kui Xin turned to leave, Wei Zhi unexpectedly took two steps forward and grabbed Kui Xin’s wrist.
Kui Xin was shocked and instinctively stepped back, trying to free herself, but Wei Zhi held tight, and for a moment, Kui Xin couldn’t break free. A chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps rose on her arms; she nearly experienced a fight-or-flight response against Wei Zhi.
However, the next moment, Wei Zhi released Kui Xin’s hand and looked at her gently, saying, “Goodbye.”
Kui Xin looked at Wei Zhi with confusion, retreating two steps and trying her best to maintain a composed expression. “Goodbye, team leader.”
“Wait a moment.” Wei Zhi suddenly called out to Kui Xin, fixing her gaze on her eyes. “Let’s go together, Kui Xin. I have some matters I want to talk to you about privately; the Investigation Bureau isn’t a suitable place for a conversation.”
Kui Xin hesitated before nodding, “Alright…”
Once Kui Xin stood with Wei Zhi in the elevator, she felt a layer of virtual sweat start to form.
“What’s happening with her?” Kui Xin gasped, “She changed suddenly… as if possessed. Surely Wei Zhi isn’t being possessed by a player?”
“Your ‘possessed’ comment gives me a bad association,” Augus noted.
Kui Xin trembled all over, recalling that “ghost” meant phantom, and a phantom was… Ghost!
The mere thought of it sent her mind racing.
Why would Ghost’s codename be Ghost? Could it be that his codename derives from his abilities? The ability of possession?
“If Wei Zhi is no longer the original Wei Zhi, then she…” Kui Xin murmured.
“Did you notice? ‘Wei Zhi’ didn’t even bother to hide her differences; she doesn’t care if you notice something off about her, nor does she mind if others do,” Augus said. “‘Wei Zhi’ only changed after the Special Affairs personnel visited; she drank tea in the office while looking out at the street for about an hour, but since she didn’t speak or move around, the existing abnormalities aren’t enough to convince me that she’s been ‘possessed,’ so I couldn’t identify her unusual behavior in time…”
“What does she want? Why does she want to talk to me alone?” Kui Xin asked. “If she’s possessed by Ghost, then what is this? Is it a test that Schalit mentioned?”
“Please exercise caution,” Augus warned. “‘Wei Zhi’s’ behavior is too strange.”
Kui Xin thought for a moment and cautiously asked Wei Zhi, “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but the Investigation Bureau,” “Wei Zhi” whispered. “My car is in the parking lot; wait for me while I go get it.”
Kui Xin obeyed and waited in the lobby. Ten minutes later, “Wei Zhi” drove the car to the front of the lobby. It was indeed Wei Zhi’s vehicle, fitting her aesthetic—a low-key black business car. As Kui Xin got into the car, she caught a faint scent of perfume.
“Let’s go to the Hei Hai City Bridge; the river view there is nice.” “Wei Zhi” fastened her seatbelt and stared forward. “Don’t be so nervous, Kui Xin; this isn’t work; it’s a private conversation.”
Kui Xin also fastened her seatbelt, saying, “Am I nervous?”
“You didn’t show it, but I sensed it.” “Wei Zhi” smiled. “I usually have a keen sense of people; I rarely make mistakes.”
Kui Xin noted, “Then we must be alike.”
“Is that so?” “Wei Zhi” seemed to contemplate for a moment. “Then take a guess based on intuition: what do you think I want to talk about?”
“Intuition doesn’t equal foresight,” Kui Xin replied. “It should be something serious, right?”
“You’re right,” “Wei Zhi” smiled.
Since it wasn’t peak hours, there were few vehicles, making the trip to the Hei Hai City Bridge take only half an hour.
It was Kui Xin’s first time in this area. The Hei Hai City Bridge was a cable-stayed bridge adorned with neon lights that would surely look even more beautiful at night.
“Wei Zhi” parked in the lot, then removed all her communication devices, discarding them in the car, saying to Kui Xin, “Let’s take a stroll by the river.”
As Kui Xin followed “Wei Zhi,” she looked at the familiar back and stated, “You’re not Wei Zhi, are you?”
“Very perceptive.” “Wei Zhi” turned around and smiled, pulling out a silver button-like device from her pocket and pressing it.
Immediately, Kui Xin was in data manipulation mode, but after “Wei Zhi” pressed that button, the data ports surrounding her suddenly vanished, cutting off communication with Augus. “Wei Zhi” had used a signal jamming device, heightening Kui Xin’s wariness.
“How about you guess who I am?” “Wei Zhi” suggested.
“Ghost,” Kui Xin responded flatly. “Schalit mentioned that Ghost is a real phantom.”
Ghost chuckled, his voice sounding strange and deep, as he now occupied Wei Zhi’s body.
“Are you male or female?” Kui Xin questioned.
“Well, my original physiological sex was male, but gender is meaningless to me now; I don’t have a fixed physical gender,” Ghost replied. “I am a true phantom without a body; someone else’s body is just a temporary residence. I reside in this body; I am the master of this body.”
A chill ran through Kui Xin. “Is this your ability?”
“Yes,” Ghost looked at Kui Xin, “my ability.”
“Can you only possess one body, or can you control multiple bodies at the same time?” Kui Xin inquired.
Ghost raised an eyebrow. “Are you inquiring about my weaknesses?”
“Can’t you answer that?” Kui Xin pressed.
“I can indeed only possess one body,” Ghost said with a smile. “If the body is lost, I can switch to another one; since I’m a phantom, no one can kill me.”
Such an ability would be incredibly invincible! The ability to indefinitely change bodies, nearly immortal. Perhaps Ghost was concealing some limitations of his powers… but even so, this capability was quite overpowered.
Kui Xin couldn’t see Ghost’s extraordinary ability information; she could only see Wei Zhi’s ability data. Either the Investigative Eye couldn’t discern Ghost’s possession state, or Ghost’s ability had reached S rank!
“Seeing your familiar superior like this should feel quite strange to you, right?” Ghost spoke softly. “But as I look at you now, I find you unfamiliar as well. Mandala said you lost your memory; I believed that, but I still held suspicions, so I decided to meet you right away.”
Kui Xin stared at Ghost, waiting for him to continue.
“Yet when I saw you, I discovered you had become… another person.” Ghost’s voice lowered. “You’re not her, are you?”
Kui Xin felt as though she’d been struck by lightning, realizing something and instinctively wanting to retreat.
But Ghost snapped his fingers, and with a sharp crack, the space around Kui Xin shattered like glass. B rank, spatial confinement!
Ghost could actually use Wei Zhi’s extraordinary abilities!
“Many people can be possessed by my extraordinary abilities, even extraordinary ability users, but there’s one type of person I cannot possess,” Ghost slowly walked closer to Kui Xin. “That is—players!”
So that was it! Kui Xin found herself frozen in place, her pupils dilating as she finally understood how her true identity was exposed.
Ghost believed her amnesia explanation; however, he had other means to verify whether Kui Xin had transformed into another person. He verified it, hence Kui Xin’s exposure.
Recalling the moment Ghost suddenly grabbed her wrist before she left; she had reason to suspect that it was Ghost conducting the verification. The conditions for possession required physical contact, so Ghost had gripped her wrist!
“I’m truly puzzled. Why have all of you suddenly appeared in this world?” Ghost said slowly. “You replace the original owners’ souls and live in this world under their identities. Tsk, what a major hassle. A few players have appeared within the Resistance Army, and I dealt with them one by one.”
Players don’t have a sense of belonging in the Second World, and it seems the Resistance Army’s goal is to overthrow the Federation government. Frankly, the noble objectives of the Resistance Army have nothing to do with the players. How could they possibly contribute themselves for this cause? Not only would they not contribute, but they may even side with the enemy at critical moments.
Thus, any group that knows about the existence of players in the Second World will list them as their primary targets for cleansing without exception.
Ghost produced a handgun from his waist and aimed at Kui Xin.
The rules of spatial confinement dictate that if the target is confined, bullets cannot pass through the confined space, meaning Ghost had to wait for the confinement to fail before pulling the trigger to kill Kui Xin.
However, Kui Xin was not one to sit idly by—she possessed other trump cards!
She waited for the right moment, quickly activating Shadow Transition, her mist-like form escaping the spatial confinement and coalescing at the edge of a nearby shrub.
Only abilities classified under space could counteract the same category of abilities; Kui Xin’s Shadow Transition had once again saved her life.
Ghost showed a look of surprise, immediately pivoting his gun to fire several shots at the spot where Kui Xin re-materialized, but his shooting speed couldn’t match Kui Xin’s speed in Shadow Transition. Just as the bullets passed through the shrub, Kui Xin flickered behind Ghost, raising her foot about to kick him away, but Ghost also activated spatial confinement at that critical moment.
Once again, Kui Xin’s actions were restricted!
“Damn it!” Kui Xin’s face turned dark.
“Your extraordinary ability should be Flesh Regeneration; you have multiple extraordinary capabilities… you’re the Remover?” Ghost slowly stated. “Wow, I didn’t expect to encounter a formidable character.”
He actually knew the intelligence of the players so well… would the Resistance Army interrogate players as ruthlessly as Mechanized Dawn?
Kui Xin had no choice but to activate Shadow Transition again, escaping the spatial confinement and jumping to a spot slightly farther from Ghost.
“Have you lost your mind? This is a public place!” Kui Xin attempted to probe. “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
“If I’m discovered, I can just switch bodies,” Ghost remarked nonchalantly. “No one can catch me, and no one can kill me.”
Was this just talk? Was he implying that even if Kui Xin killed this body, he could come back? And that her information had already been leaked, leaving her with no chance of escape.
Kui Xin weighed whether to act on what he said—if it was a lie, then kill him; if it was the truth… she had to flee.
Suddenly, a voice came from the distance.
“Kui Xin, give up resistance!”
It was Schalit’s voice.
Kui Xin’s mind instantly descended into chaos; she exerted all her strength to resist the hypnotic control of the sound, but her consciousness wavered for a moment.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Three shots rang out!
Kui Xin couldn’t dodge.
Three bullets struck the target’s heart in a triangular formation, blood mist erupting.
