Chapter 145

Chapter 145: Artificial Soul 72

“She’s missing, and we can’t locate her through any surveillance.” Wei Zhi said. “There are traces inside the building, but she completely vanished once she left the Investigation Building. The surveillance around the路段 outside the building was damaged, and it can’t be ruled out that this was done on purpose.”

“How convenient?” Liu Kangyun said with a stern face. “Such coincidences don’t exist in the world. I lean more towards deliberate sabotage.”

“I agree,” Wei Zhi pressed her temples anxiously. “I fear even more that Kuixing and Schalit’s disappearances weren’t just coincidental. They both vanished at the same time, and they might have met an ill fate.”

“For what purpose would our adversaries target them specifically?” Liu Kangyun clenched his fists tightly.

“I don’t know. We’re investigating it. The only thing Schalit and Kuixing had in common is the Mechanized Dawn, where Schalit came to investigate Kuixing, who had been captured by the Mechanized Dawn…” Wei Zhi explained.

Liu Kangyun lowered his head and didn’t utter a word.

“Just two days ago, we rescued her from the Mechanized Dawn…” he murmured to himself.

Yesterday, they heard Kuixing was sick and receiving treatment at the medical center, and the members of the Seventh Squad were planning to visit her today after finishing their assignments.

“I find it very tragic too,” sighed Wei Zhi. “She’s still so young.”

“…Could this have been prearranged murder? The Mechanized Dawn might never have left Hei Hai City; they could still be active here, even planting an insider within the Bureau?”

Wei Zhi slightly raised her head, looking at Liu Kangyun in surprise. Based on past information, the Mechanized Dawn indeed planted an insider within the Investigation Bureau, but nothing was done about this… The Kraken encountered an accident, Deputy Director Lin Xinji was killed, Wang Feichi was injured and captured during the operation against Rick Tech, Kuixing and Wei Zhi were also seized, and Secretary He Gaoyi died without reason. In just a few weeks, one incident after another piled up, constantly hindering the Investigation Bureau efforts.

Continuing, Liu Kangyun said, “Because Kuixing was saved by us, they feared that Special Affairs Division could uncover something from her, so they designed a plan to kill her. As for Annie Schalit, as the investigation officer involved in this matter, she was targeted by the Mechanized Dawn as well; or perhaps… they wanted to capture Schalit similarly to how they captured Commander Wang Feichi, so they acted last night.”

He remained composed and analyzed reasonably, “While there are many details that need confirmation, I believe this speculation is reasonable. The Mechanized Dawn is a crazy organization; from the terror attacks they orchestrated, we can easily see their targets.”

Their targets included the Investigation Bureau and Special Affairs Division, yet went beyond—they truly targeted… probably the Federation government.

Otherwise, how else could their crazy actions be explained?

“Your speculation makes sense. This morning, I had a meeting, and other colleagues have arrived at the same conclusion. Secretary He Gaoyi was found dead when he was out late one night, and autopsy results indicated the cause of death was instantaneous. The deaths of Lin Xinji, He Gaoyi, Schalit, and Kuixing may be related; over just a few days, so many personnel of the Bureau have been lost,” Wei Zhi said. “This exceeds the capacity of the Black Sea City investigation department. A higher level authority might handle this matter instead.”

“Would Special Affairs Division handle it exclusively?” Liu Kangyun inquired.

“Yes. Relevant files and records have been transferred.” Wei Zhi added, “This case is no longer the responsibility of this division.”

If the previous speculations held water, then Wei Zhi herself would likely have become a target for the Mechanized Dawn. However, Wei Zhi’s unique abilities made her hard to deal with. She hadn’t left the Investigation Building since her rescue, making it impossible for the Mechanized Dawn to carry out an attack on her.

Liu Kangyun leaned forward, looking at Wei Zhi intently, “Do you think there’s a chance she might still be alive?”

“He” was not referring to Schalit but rather Kuixing.

Most people focused on Schalit because of her high position and strong skills, whereas Kuixing, merely a novice Awakening entering the Bureau from university, seemed less essential. Even if both had survived, priority for rescue operations would still naturally give precedence to Schalit.

But for the Seventh Squad, a colleague in daily contact was much more important.

“Both you and I know hope is slim,” Wei Zhi said dispassionately, “This kind of job teaches that hope, if pointless, should be abandoned.”

Then she softened her tone, “Well, now you need to return to your duties, Liu Kangyun.”

“Understood, leader,” Liu Kangyun replied, standing at attention.

As he exited the leader’s office, leaving behind an automatically closing metal door, Lan Lan and Jiang Ming immediately cast their gaze towards him in the corridor outside.

“Has Leader mentioned anything?” Lan Lan asked first.

“Back to the office,” Liu Kangyun’s expression indicated things weren’t looking good.

“Did Confirm the situation with Kuixing…” Jiang Ming couldn’t help but ask as well.

Liu Kangyun shook his head slowly.

A solemn silence filled the air.

“Another one gone…” Lan Lan whispered hoarsely.

“…Captain Shu doesn’t know about this yet,” Jiang Ming also lowered his eyes.

At that moment, the communicator on Liu Kangyun’s body buzzed. Upon seeing the name displayed on the device, his eyes widened in surprise—it was Shu Xueyao.

Connecting the call, Liu Kangyun opened his mouth but remained speechless.

From the other end, silence persisted for a while before he heard the familiar voice ask, “My family received some information and wants confirmation. Since I’m already on leave, I won’t hold you accountable regarding confidential matters.”

Shu Xueyao maintained his usual gentle approach.

Liu Kangyun knew what he wanted to ask, “Captain, Kuixing might have met with a fatal accident. We can’t find her and assume she’s disappeared.”

Silence followed once more from the communicator.

After a long pause, Shu Xueyao said simply, “Understood.”

His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

Shifting focus, Shu Xueyao asked Liu Kangyun, “Are you handling the work well? Does taking charge feel different than your previous role?”

“No… but…” Liu Kangyun’s throat tightened, “But I don’t think I’m performing as well as you did, Captain.”

“Don’t think like that, Old Liu.” Shu Xueyao said warmly, “You’ll do better than me, my future is fixed—my life has its set path. But yours holds countless possibilities. I strongly believe this.”

…

“Is she really gone?” Silverface sat dejectedly in the Mechanized Dawn headquarters meeting room.

“Gone. Controlled. Whether dead or not, it looks grim.” Night Cicada said impatiently. “You ask me the same question twenty-five times already. If you ask again, I’ll punch you.”

“But you can’t punch me hard,” Silverface pointed out.

Night Cicada, who had hit a sore spot with the remark, looked frustrated. Silverface’s physique prevented him from training muscles to hit hard.

His face instantly turned dark, turning to leave, but Silverface grabbed his arm, shaking away futilely.

“Red is dead?” Silverface changed the topic.

“Yes! Didn’t you put out the fire at the casino? Didn’t you see the two skeletons lying on the ground? DNA tests confirmed it was Red and the Bartender,” Night Cicada snapped, irritated.

“Are you done asking questions? I’m leaving,” he said, exasperated.

“They’re both gone… Who will I follow now?” Silverface asked dully, “Whose orders will I obey?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Night Cicada appraised him, “Are you adjusting? No one likes being pushed around. Do you like being led?”

“If no one gives orders, what should I do?” Silverface asked confusedly.

Night Cicada glanced at him, scoffing.

Silverface, once a household pet, managed to fend for himself in the wild but preferred someone to look after him. Regardless of commands or generosity, he would be content. Losing both his current owner, Kuixing, and his previous owner, Red, Silverface felt disoriented.

“I didn’t see you so lost and heartbroken when your owner left before, unlike now,” Night Cicada observed, “Look at your face, it seems you’ve been punched twice, almost in tears.”

Silverface touched his face, “My expression?”

Night Cicada dragged Silverface’s white hair down, “Look at the reflection. Does it appear you’re on the verge of tears?”

Silverface bowed and inspected the ground for quite a while. The figure in the reflection looked miserable, mouth downturned and eyes sunken with a forlorn expression.

“…It looks like it, but I haven’t cried yet,” he muttered blankly.

Night Cicada dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

Straightening up, Silverface touched his chest, “My heart feels unwell too. It beats hard but feels constricted, heavy like a weight pressing down. My legs are weak too, and my head feels empty.”

Night Cicada looked at him skeptically, scoffing.

“If your heart hurts, did you eat wrong? Or feeling hungry?” Night Cicada said.

“You’re not hungry, but the stomach is empty.”