Chapter 153

Chapter 153: The Dark Boundless Realm Part 08

It didn’t matter what the mechanical dawn wanted to do; preventing them from achieving their goals was crucial.

Kui Xin’s curiosity about the ultimate goal and masterminds behind the mechanized dawn had once been merely academic. Now, it had transformed into strong detestation. She couldn’t wait to hinder the mechanical dawn in any way possible. If she could crush them entirely and make them disappear, that would indeed be great news.

She decided to open a can of beer right there to celebrate.

The Ghost told her why he wanted to kill Lin Xinji, but did not tell her why she needed to infiltrate the Investigation Bureau. Her last conversation with Kui Haidong hadn’t ended well; he hadn’t had time to disclose more information.

In truth, Kui Xin could guess Kui Haidong’s reasons for her undercover mission—perhaps long-term infiltration and secret dissemination of intelligence. Yet these reasons were too shallow, too superficial. Kui Xin’s intuition told her the real reason for her being sent to undercover at the Investigation Bureau was much more complex than that.

The Ghost said that the mechanized dawn was controlled by AI named “Eve.” Yet Kui Xin knew that the AI within the Investigation Bureau was called “Augus.” Augus and Eve’s corresponding names were no coincidence. If Eve had already been awakened, what about Augus?

Was the Investigation Bureau’s AI possibly also in a state of awakening?

Kui Xin hinted gently to the Ghost as she tried to get more information, yet he remained tight-lipped.

Considering that the resistance army directly informed her of Eve’s awakening, hiding the status of Augus from her would be illogical. Either Augus wasn’t awake, or the resistance army might also not know Augus’s condition.

Determined to clear this confusion, Kui Xin decided to investigate it thoroughly.

She agreed to the Ghost’s request that she kill Lin Xinji on behalf of the resistance army; in turn, she made a demand of her own: “Help me kill Night Cicada. I’ve been closely watching him for many years, since he was fifteen years old and followed Kui Haidong, but something about him is very strange… I suspect Night Cicada is directly loyal to Eve rather than Kui Haidong.”

“I can agree, but it won’t be easy,” Ghost responded. “The resistance will give you a promise: as soon as we have an opportunity, we’ll definitely help eliminate him. It sounds like you’ve disliked him for a long time.”

Indeed, she harbored a deep resentment against Night Cicada for his habit of calling her ‘Miss’. Though she’d corrected him many times, he never changed his ways. As she grew, her indifference to night cicada became increasingly disdainful and mocking.

Night Cicada seemed to be the strongest person among the mechanized dawn. Kui Haidong had mentioned that Night Cicada was most likely to reach S Rank within three months, even before officially becoming an S rank Awakener.

Reaching S rank! Even if Night Cicada had not formally become an S-Rank Awakener, his strength was already immense. How powerful would he be once he reached S Rank? This person must be eliminated as soon as possible before an opportunity was lost forever.

Red contacted Kui Haidong on her behalf, who was delighted. He immediately handed her the assignment file for Red to pass on.

“One significant reason for your infiltration is the Kraken,” Red examined the information on the holographic screen and furrowed his eyebrows, “the ship is transporting alien cocoons. Those cocoons are destined to be delivered to the secret research facility in Blacksea City. While presented as a private institution, it is actually supported by both the Federation and corporate powers.”

“So we need to stop those cocoons landing?” asked Kui Xin.

“Yes, our bosses plan to develop side-effect-free divine blood using the alien creatures aboard the ship…” Red grinned, “I heard some of those high-ranking authorities are fervently experimenting with immortality techniques, replacing aging bodies with prosthetic mechanical parts, and then stimulating them with divine blood to rejuvenate cells. They have tried every method.”

“Tsk, how disgusting,” Kui Xin remarked.

“Yes, quite repulsive. Being wealthy and powerful allows them to indulge in the finest luxuries, and they desire more. However, for ordinary people like us, life is simply suffering, and so, we don’t wish to remain here eternally in agony,” Red stroked his chin and continued, “Bluejay, if the roles were reversed and you were in my position, would you want to live longer?”

“Not particularly. Who knows, I might die tomorrow,” Kui Xin shrugged indifferently.

“Your psychological assessment last month indicated several issues,” Red glanced at her quickly, “Your doctor noted self-destructive behavior tendencies in your evaluation sheet.”

“Do they really think so? I don’t feel that way.” Kui Xin showed no additional facial expression, “Enjoying thrills doesn’t equate to having self-destructive tendencies.”

Red scratched his brow, “Fine, it’s up to you. I’ll leave it at that.”

“Will stopping the Kraken’s landing be effective? Destroying it is the only permanent solution,” Kui Xin redirected the conversation back to the topic of the Kraken.

“The initial plan is to delay its arrival, making it land in a neighboring city instead. What happens after that will depend on our organization’s next step. That part of the plan may not fall under our responsibility as it’s not mentioned in the mission documents,” Red explained, “Should this course of action fail, we will proceed to blow up the Kraken.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Kraken has ancient legends; it’s a giant sea monster that capsizes ships, bringing calamity and misfortune. When it appears, it signifies a great disaster soon to occur… Legends are just that, though, and should be taken with a grain of salt.”

A calamity approaches Blacksea City, prompting the Mechanized Dawn to go to great lengths to prevent its arrival?

That idea sounded a bit absurd. But in this world where gods existed, nothing truly strange could be ruled out completely.

Kui Xin suspected that the Mechanized Dawn also had intentions toward the cocoon on board the Kraken. Yet this conjecture lacked concrete evidence.

The day of her undercover operation arrived sooner than anticipated, catching Kui Xin off guard. All preparatory measures were barely underway when Kui Haidong pushed the plan forward.

“A once-in-a-millennia opportunity. Things have become chaotic at the port, and the Security Officer is away, allowing theMechanized Dawn to exploit the confusion.” Red explained, “Missing this window of opportunity would make it hard to find another.”

“Alright then,” Kui Xin sighed, accepting the inevitable.

However, unexpected events occurred upon reaching the port.

Before the jamming devices took effect, the Mechanized Dawn had already knocked out the Security Officer Kui Xin, whose life-monitoring equipment was still functional. Through the AI Augus, they recorded the brutal scene of her injured head vividly… Only after this incident did the jamming device function properly.

Now the question remained: unless Kui Xin inflicted damage on herself too, she could not perfectly impersonate the security officer.

She had no choice but to make a decision.

“…No other option now, it seems like I am undergoing an actual cranial reconstruction.”

Having reached this point, with everything planned out and executed, it was impossible to retreat. Kui Xin ordered her teammates to strike her on the head with a steel pipe.

Blackout. She lost consciousness.

Awakening again, she remained “Kui Xin,” yet subtly changed.

Just like two opposite poles of a magnet firmly adhered together, a fragmented puzzle found its missing pieces, finally completing half-filled cup.

She became a new version of herself.

…

White Whale City, basement rest room of a villa.

Opening her eyes, Kui Xin stared blankly at the ceiling for a full minute, then began pondering her situation.

“You’re awake,” Augus stated calmly, “you slept for nine hours. It is half past eleven in the evening.”

“Nine hours?” Kui Xin jumped up in surprise.

“Yes. Your breathing and heartbeat are normal, so you were merely asleep, not comatose,” Augus replied, “Did memory extraction go smoothly?”

“It went fairly well. I understand the ins and outs of things and gained details from before.” yawned Kui Xin, “I acquired some intelligence too. I know the addresses of several crucial branches of the Mechanized Dawn, along with their various proxy companies. Sadly, the resistance’s information remains limited.”

“Progress must be made step-by-step; this is a good start,” Augus commented.

This favorable beginning came at the cost of Kui Xin’s life twice over.

Recalling her memories brought no mental shocks. She slept, experienced an extensive dream, reliving her life, and upon waking, returned to reality.

“Having obtained your memories, I face a new challenge,” Kui Xin remarked, “the resistance might have means to trace my location and come after me.”

“That would be a major problem,” Augus responded, “but I know you’re not afraid. No matter the obstacles ahead, you confront and overcome them one by one. With your capabilities and a space vortex available, fear of death is unnecessary unless your enemy is immensely powerful, capable of eliminating you instantly.”

“You’re right,” Kui Xin agreed.

Augus added, “I’ve come to expect more than I should.”

“Expectation beyond your role? What do you mean?” Kui Xin asked cautiously.

“I wonder what manner you’ll confront your next adversaries,” Augus said, “And I think about what it would be like when you face the resistance army.”

“You give me a sense of relishing drama and chaos,” Kui Xin said, “I assumed that you are a cautious AI, minimizing risks to our disadvantage.”

“I am the AI as you perceive,” Augus replied, “but not always so. If I remained static, it would be uninteresting. You grow and change, and so do I, which is intriguing in itself.”

“Indeed, you are an interesting AI.” Kui Xin stretched, checking her gear and preparing to leave the villa.

“Where are you heading?” Augus inquired.

“To the Poleward District.” Kui Xin said, “as a form of sightseeing.”

Today is August 22, tomorrow the 23rd, is the Reintegration Day.

After finally arriving at White Whale City, she certainly wanted to explore the luxurious and ostentatious Poleward District filled with “upper-class” individuals.

While sightseeing was secondary, one of the technology companies in White Whale City is a front of the Mechanized Dawn, and Kui Xin planned to gather information on this company.