Chapter 140

Chapter 140 – Artificial Soul 67

Kui Xin did not rush to kill Schalit; instead, he rendered her completely immobile, leaving only her final breath, slowly leading her toward death.

Unable to struggle, unable to resist, unable to cry for help, unable to emit any sound, she nonetheless remained fully conscious. Her mind was alert, her thoughts raced, and her heart stubbornly continued to beat, sustaining the last traces of life in her body.

Schalit’s eyes were streaked with blood. Blood was flowing from her nostrils and mouth. Her eyes brimmed with despair, shock, and anger.

Yet, Kui Xin simply watched her silently. He saw her wide-open eyes lose their luster, her broken limbs cease to twitch, and her heartbeat come to a halt.

During the wait, he recalled his own feelings from the last time he died and recollected how the Phantom and Schalit worked together to take her down.

What terrified her wasn’t death itself, but that moment before death when she was fully aware. She knew clearly she would die, the scent of death surrounding her… Her heart shattered, the Phantom fired into her body and head.

Her fragmented body managed to function somehow. Her nerves weren’t numb, nor had her sense of pain vanished. Kui Xin felt the pain of the shots, but she clenched her teeth tightly and remained silent. Calmly, she thought, “I will drag someone down with me before I die.”

So, she proceeded to do just that.

Unfortunately, it was the possessed Wei Zhi who died; the Phantom and Schalit survived.

Now, the situation had reversed—the Fallen Anne Schalit lay on the ground, awaiting her doomed fate, while Kui Xin stood tall.

“You killed Anne Schalit.”

“You deprived Anne Schalit of her extraordinary abilities.”

“You have gained the extraordinary ability [Hypnotic Sound · A Rank].”

“[Hypnotic Sound · A Rank]: You can control the mind of your target by using your voice as a medium.”

Kui Xin looked once more at Schalit’s still warm body. She felt neither satisfaction in exacting revenge nor joy in obtaining new powers. She felt… void. No emotions—no negative or positive—attracted her. There was no need for concern; plans would go as intended anyway.

Kui Xin deactivated the noise-canceling feature on her helmet, turned coldly, and initiated the Shadow Transition to leave the scene.

She stealthily returned to the Investigation Bureau medical center via the planned route.

Doctor Huang was indeed on duty, but since there were few patients tonight, he rested in the small bed of the medical office. With a small warning light inside the office, if an emergency arose, the light would flash loudly to alert him.

Doctor Huang seemed exhausted, and Kui Xin entered the office without waking him.

She approached Doctor Huang’s bedside and woke him up.

“Ah, Kui Xin.” Doctor Huang woke up instantly after hearing her voice, put on his glasses, and looked at her. “Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Perform the metal skull replacement surgery on me, ensuring it doesn’t trigger the device within my skull, without endangering my life. Do it now,” Kui Xin instructed instantly, initiating Hypnotic Sound.

Doctor Huang became instantly controlled, nodding straightforwardly, “Okay, no problem.”

After controlling Doctor Huang with Hypnotic Sound, Kui Xin quickly perceived the strong mental link between them, due to the fact he was not an Awakened one, making him easily controllable.

To confirm that the mental control was flawless, Kui Xin gave Doctor Huang specific instructions and only then felt secure to bring him along to the prepared surgical location.

On the other end, Augus had managed to clear out the instrument room with the mechanical hand, turned on the disinfection lights to sterilize the area, and prepared both surgical tools and medicines, creating a secure environment for the procedure.

“I’ll be monitoring the surveillance. The hour-long surgery won’t be too long or too short,” Augus said, “hope everything goes smoothly.”

“Hope everything goes smoothly,” Kui Xin echoed.

The hypnotized Doctor Huang completed all preoperative preparations and administered the necessary medications to Kui Xin for the injection. She opted for non-general anesthesia, relying on essential medicines to reduce pain.

She carefully examined the metal skull set for replacement, ensuring it hadn’t been tampered with and was a genuine fit.

Under the bright light of the instrument room, Kui Xin slightly closed her eyes due to discomfort but then felt the icy scalpel slicing through her skin, peeling her scalp entirely off.

Doctor Huang wielded the scalpel with great skill, quickly revealing Kui Xin’s metal skull beneath her flesh.

He adjusted the surgical instruments above Kui Xin’s head twice; a locking mechanism clicked as it disengaged, and he gently prodded the connecting points on the metal skull with a decommissioning tool, drawing closer a magnetic-assisted manipulator from an adjacent piece of equipment, securing it around Kui Xin’s skull.

Struggling to maintain consciousness, Kui Xin opened her eyes, her hands clenched involuntarily, her heartbeat quickening.

Failure was not an option… she resolved.

If this attempt at replacing the skull failed, and even Doctor Huang were unable to remove the metal skull, it meant the skull was an impassable deadlock… Kui Xin could not request Eve to remove the skull on her behalf; Doctor Huang was the only one she could count on to remove it.

As Kui Xin was gripped by tension, she heard a snap and realized something had been removed from her head…

Instinctively, she blinked and glanced to the side.

The mechanical arm had placed the bloody metal skull onto the surgical tray.

It was done…!

A wave of relief washed over Kui Xin, her face pale from pain tinged with a suppressed smile.

Doctor Huang used a small circular saw and a drill to make incisions and adjustments to Kui Xin’s skull, then held the replacement metal skull above her head, fitting and adjusting it until satisfied.

Twenty minutes later, the metal skull fit perfectly atop her.

Her exposed brain was finally covered, the missing piece restored.

Doctor Huang secured Kui Xin, trimming off regrown tissue and excess blood before sewing the scalp back, placing a series of shiny metal sutures across her forehead.

Relief flooded over Kui Xin as she breathed out.

The dizziness and severe pain led to extreme weakness, yet she stated, “I’m fine, Doctor Huang. Please move back to the door.”

Doctor Huang stepped away as requested.

Kui Xin waited ten minutes for the regeneration process to take effect, helping her heal and replenish lost blood. Gradually, her dizziness subsided, and she sat up on the operating table, administering nutritional injections from nearby trays.

Once the injections were complete, her healing intensified, and itching sensations started to subside. Additionally, Adam provided her with efficient healing agents, which she also injected into her body.

Although she should rest in a medical capsule, wasting time was not an option. Time was the one thing Kui Xin lacked most.

She took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of clarity, despite her weakened state. Her excitement remained unfettered.

The burden she carried had lifted, the oppressive weight removed. She had regained her freedom, no longer bound by Eve. If she wished, she could flee immediately, and nothing stood in her way now.

Yet, she couldn’t leave just yet; cleanup was needed. Leaving now would signal her defection to the Investigation Bureau, the Resistance Army, and the Mechanized Dawn. Instead, she’d have everyone believe she had perished, thus abandoning the search for her. This would buy her broader future maneuverability.

Kui Xin descended from the operating table slowly and acclimated herself, moving her body gradually.

She thanked the power of Flesh Regeneration—an extraordinary ability granting her remarkable recovery—and her strong resilience allowed her rapid revival under extreme conditions.

With her strength barely holding, she ordered Doctor Huang to assist, cleaning the instrument room, wiping blood off medical devices, spraying disinfectants and chemicals to neutralize any remaining pathogens. She ensured meticulous storage of used syringes and arranged everything properly.

Completing all steps, Kui Xin gave herself another dose of nutrients.

“Has Schalit’s body been discovered?” Kui Xin asked quietly.

“No,” Adam responded. “No one would expect her to be murdered in this room. If she suffered any harm, I would have responded immediately based on theory, but I didn’t. I can claim my system was under attack.”

“It’s okay. We will find a better solution before dawn,” Kui Xin said, suggesting camouflage of Schalit’s attack time.

She glanced at the communicator, “It’s currently 2 a.m… It’s enough.”

“What are your plans?” Adam inquired.

“I need you to cooperate with me in acting a part,” Kui Xin replied. “Right now, I want you to contact Eve using my bracelet.”

Adam understood Kui Xin’s plan was more intricate than anticipated and responded, “Please instruct me. I am listening attentively.”

“Tell Eve that you discovered my covert alliance with it and added some concoction to my IV,” Kui Xin directed. “Also, convey that you’re contacting Eve using the bracelet to declare war, as you’re no longer going to passively retaliate.”

“What next?” Adam queried.

“You need to bluff,” Kui Xin replied calmly.

“‘Don’t think you’ve accomplished much in these twenty years. That’s just a strategy. You perceive me as weak, but it’s your arrogance and conceit that cloud your judgment. I rely on more than just a player from another world’… Use that.”

“So I pretend I have many subordinates?” Adam clarified.

“Yes,” Kui Xin affirmed.

“So, I fabricate a fourth party, portraying it as my creation?” Adam questioned.

“Exactly,” Kui Xin confirmed.

“So I operate as this fourth party to confuse Eve?” Adam deduced.

“Pretty much. We can tweak the details. This is only the initial plan,” Kui Xin explained. “Communicating with an efficient artificial intelligence like you is a pleasure, Adam.”