Chapter 145: Artificial Soul 72
“She’s missing. The surveillance cannot find her trace,” Wei Zhi said. “There are activity trails inside the building, but once she left the Investigation Building, she completely disappeared. The surveillance on that stretch outside the Investigation Building just happened to be damaged, so human interference cannot be ruled out.”
“So convenient?” Liu Kangyun said with a serious face. “There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. I lean more toward human interference.”
“I think so too.” Wei Zhi rubbed her forehead and said anxiously, “What worries me more is that Kui Xin and Schalit’s disappearance is not a coincidence, as they went missing at the same time. They may have already been harmed.”
“What purpose does the adversary have in targeting them?” Liu Kangyun clenched his fists.
“I don’t know; we are investigating. The only intersection between Schalit and Kui Xin is Mechanized Dawn. Schalit came to investigate Kui Xin, who was captured by Mechanized Dawn…” Wei Zhi said.
Liu Kangyun lowered his head, silently staring at the ground.
“We rescued her from Mechanized Dawn just two days ago…” he murmured.
Yesterday, he heard Kui Xin was sick and receiving treatment at the medical center. The members of the Seventh Squad were thinking of visiting her after finishing their work today.
“I’m sorry too,” Wei Zhi sighed. “She is so young.”
“…Could this be a long-planned murder to silence her? Mechanized Dawn hasn’t actually withdrawn from Hei Hai City; they are still active in this city and may have even planted insiders in the Investigation Bureau?”
Wei Zhi looked up slightly, surprised at Liu Kangyun. From the past intelligence, it was indeed the case that Mechanized Dawn had planted insiders in the Investigation Bureau, but the issue of clearing out the insiders had been left unresolved… The Kraken encountered an incident, Deputy Minister Lin Xinji was killed, Wang Feichi was attacked and captured during the cleansing of Ruike Technology, Kui Xin and Wei Zhi were captured, and Minister’s secretary He Gaoyi died for no apparent reason… In just a few weeks, incident after incident had followed, and the Investigation Bureau had been continuously hindered by unexpected events.
Liu Kangyun continued, “Because we rescued Kui Xin, they are afraid the Special Affairs Department might uncover something from her, so they designed to kill her. As for Annie Schalit, she has also been targeted by Mechanized Dawn as the investigating commissioner of this incident, or perhaps… Mechanized Dawn wants to capture Schalit just like they did with Commander Wang Feichi back then, which is why they acted last night.”
He remained calm and reasonably speculated, “Although many details need to be confirmed, I believe this speculation holds water. Mechanized Dawn is a crazy organization, and we can see what targets they are aiming at through the series of terror incidents they have planned.”
Mechanized Dawn is targeting the Investigation Bureau and the Special Affairs Department, but it is not limited to that; the real target of this organization… is likely the federal government.
Otherwise, it’s hard to explain why they would commit such crazy acts.
“Your speculation makes sense. I held a meeting this morning, and my other colleagues came to the same conclusion. Minister’s secretary He Gaoyi also died recently while out at night; the autopsy showed the killer struck him down in one blow. The deaths of Lin Xinji, He Gaoyi, Schalit, and Kui Xin might be related. Our Investigation Bureau has lost so many people in just a few days,” Wei Zhi said. “This has exceeded the handling capacity of the Hei Hai City Investigation Bureau; a higher-level department will handle this matter.”
“The Special Affairs Department will handle it fully?” Liu Kangyun asked.
“Yes. The relevant materials and files have been handed over,” Wei Zhi said. “This is no longer a case the Hei Hai City Investigation Bureau is responsible for.”
If the above speculation is true, then the target Mechanized Dawn is aiming at likely includes Wei Zhi as well. However, Wei Zhi has unique abilities and is not easy to deal with. She has never left the Investigation Bureau since she was rescued, so even if Mechanized Dawn wants to act, they will not have the opportunity.
Liu Kangyun leaned slightly forward, looking at Wei Zhi and asked, “Is there a chance she is still alive?”
“She” referred not to Special Affairs Department commissioner Schalit but to Kui Xin.
Most people were drawn to Schalit because of her high position and strong abilities in the Special Affairs Department, while Kui Xin was merely a rookie Awakened individual who graduated from university and entered the Investigation Bureau. Who is more important? The answer is self-evident. Even if both of them are not dead, if a rescue effort is made, the priority will certainly be Schalit over Kui Xin.
However, for the Seventh Squad, of course, their companion, who has been working together day and night, is more important.
“You and I both know the hope is slim.” Wei Zhi said, seemingly cold-hearted. “In our line of work, we should understand the need to discard those pointless hopes.” After saying this, she softened her tone a bit. “Well, now you need to return to your work, Liu Kangyun.”
Liu Kangyun stood straight and said, “Yes, Captain.”
He exited the captain’s office, and the metal door closed automatically behind him.
In the corridor outside the office, Lan Lan and Jiang Ming immediately directed their gazes at him.
“Did the captain reveal anything?” Lan Lan asked first.
“Go back to the office,” Liu Kangyun’s expression indicated the situation was not optimistic.
“Is Kui Xin confirmed to be…?” Jiang Ming couldn’t help but ask.
Liu Kangyun slowly shook his head.
Silence fell.
Lan Lan said in a hoarse voice, “Another one has gone…”
“…Captain Shu doesn’t know about this, right?” Jiang Ming also lowered his eyes.
At this moment, Liu Kangyun’s communicator rang. He looked at the name on the communicator and was taken aback; the caller was Shu Xueyao.
Liu Kangyun answered the call, opening his mouth but unsure of what to say.
The voice on the other end also remained silent. After a long time, Liu Kangyun finally heard the familiar voice ask, “My family has received some news and wants to confirm it with you. Since I have left the team, you don’t need to answer any questions related to confidentiality.”
Shu Xueyao was as gentle and accommodating as always.
Liu Kangyun knew what he was about to ask, “Captain, Kui Xin may have been harmed. We can’t find her; she’s missing.”
The other end fell silent again.
After a long time, Shu Xueyao said, “I understand.”
The voice was calm, revealing no sadness.
Shu Xueyao bypassed the topic and asked Liu Kangyun, “Are you getting used to the work? Do you feel uncomfortable being a captain?”
“Not really… but…” Liu Kangyun’s throat choked, “But I feel like I’m not doing as well as you, Captain.”
“Don’t think that way, Old Liu,” Shu Xueyao said gently. “You will do better than I did. My future is already set; I can see the end of my life at a glance, but your futures have many possibilities. I firmly believe that.”
……
“She’s really gone?” Silverface sat gloomily in the conference room of Mechanized Dawn Headquarters.
“She’s gone, captured. I don’t know if she’s dead; I estimate her chances are slim,” Night Cicada was about to lose patience. “This is the twenty-fifth time you’ve asked me the same question. If you ask me again, I’ll hit you.”
“But your hits don’t hurt at all,” Silverface said.
Night Cicada found this silly remark hit a sore spot. He couldn’t build up muscle, so hitting people indeed didn’t hurt like it did for those combat personnel.
His expression suddenly darkened, and he turned to leave, but Silverface grabbed his arm. He impatiently shook it off but couldn’t shake him off.
“Did Red die?” Silverface changed the subject.
“He’s dead! Didn’t you put out the fire at the casino? You didn’t see the two corpses on the ground that were burned to skeletons? The genetic testing results showed it was Red and the Bartender,” Night Cicada said, losing his temper. “Are you done? I’m leaving.”
“They’re both gone… so who do I follow from now on?” Silverface asked blankly. “Whose orders will I take? Who will be my superior?”
“Don’t know.” Night Cicada sized him up. “What? Unused to it? Everyone hates being ordered around like a puppet. Do you like being ordered around?”
“If no one gives me orders, what should I do?” Silverface asked in confusion.
Night Cicada looked at him and laughed.
Silverface was like a discarded pet, although he could forage for food himself, he preferred being taken care of. Whether that person gave him orders or just offered him food, he was happy. Without a master, a pet would feel lost and disappointed. With Kui Xin, the current caretaker, gone, and the former caretaker Red also gone, Silverface found it hard to adjust.
“When your former caretaker… ah no, superior wasn’t around, how come you weren’t this lost or sad?” Night Cicada observed him. “Look at your expression; it’s like you’ve been punched twice and are about to cry.”
Silverface touched his face. “My expression?”
Night Cicada grabbed Silverface’s white hair and forcefully pushed his head down. “Look at your reflection on the floor; doesn’t it look like you’re about to cry?”
Silverface bent over and stared at the ground for a while; the person reflected on the floor had pursed lips and drooping eyes, looking listless and forlorn.
“…It seems so, but I haven’t cried yet,” he said blankly.
Night Cicada rolled his eyes and retracted his hand.
Silverface straightened up and patted his chest, “My heart doesn’t feel well, and my chest feels heavy. I can feel my heart beating hard, but my chest feels stuffy, like it’s being pressed down by a stone… I have no strength in my legs, and my head feels empty… so strange. Am I sick? Should I go see a doctor?”
“What illness is this? You’re just sad, feeling down,” Night Cicada said curiously. “You actually feel sad? I thought you were completely carefree and had no concept of sadness in your head.”
“My heart and lungs are growing well in my body,” Silverface softly said. “Without a heart and lungs, how could I breathe? How could I live?”
“Forget it.” Night Cicada said, “Let’s go eat. A meal will fix everything.”
Silverface drooped his head and patted his stomach. “I’m bloated, with no food, but I don’t feel hungry or have any appetite.”
Night Cicada gazed at him with an incredulous expression, as if he was meeting him for the first time.
“Come on? Just lost a few people, and your reaction is this extreme?” Night Cicada said. “How long did Lady Fortune raise you? You’re that attached to her?”
“But she treated me the best. She shared her food with me, made sure I had eggs in my noodles, let me sleep, and didn’t mind me talking too much…” Silverface counted the good things Kui Xin did for him with a pitiful look.
Night Cicada impatiently interrupted, “Enough, I’m not interested in hearing about this. If you don’t go eat, I’m leaving.”
“Oh…” Silverface said dejectedly, “You go ahead.”
Night Cicada rolled his eyes and walked away without looking back, mumbling a curse under his breath: “Damn, so bizarre.”
Although Silverface didn’t feel hungry, his feet unconsciously carried him to the cafeteria.
Thorn Rose was dining there.
She spotted Silverface and nodded at him.
The ordering robot approached Silverface’s table, and he stared at the menu, unsure of what to order.
Perhaps Silverface’s expression was too apparent, for Thorn Rose casually offered comforting words, “Don’t be sad; this is unavoidable. Lady Fortune must have accepted it.”
She knew that Kui Xin had died but was not aware of the details.
“You know I’m sad?” Silverface asked, confused.
“After all, it’s a common human emotion,” Thorn Rose said. “You look young, and maybe you haven’t experienced such things much. The death of an enemy can be accepted, but the death of a companion is hard to bear. I felt the same way when I first started. You’ll get used to it. At first, you’ll feel something, but later, you won’t feel anything.”
“But…” Silverface paused.
He sat in his seat and pressed on his chest again, as if trying to closely confirm his current feelings.
He said, “But I didn’t feel anything at first… now I feel something.”
