Chapter 157

Chapter 157: The Dark Boundless Realm 12

Su Rong was on edge and scared all through the night, though she had intended to wait for Kui Xin to return. Eventually, she couldn’t hold out any longer and fell asleep. In the past few days, she barely slept through the nights plagued by anxiety, only to feel at ease upon seeing Kui Xin.

The dawn in White Whale City came early. Kui Xin returned to the villa around five in the morning as the sky began to turn slightly brighter.

She had slept for a long time during the day and had not adjusted to the jet lag from moving to this city, so she didn’t feel tired.

The previous night, Kui Xin monitored in real-time the movements of the Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance and the Popov Clan, eavesdropping on their communication networks and channels. Augus had taught her a few tricks to hack and erase data traces from encrypted networks.

The Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance in White Whale City used police dogs; some machines still couldn’t replace the dogs’ sense of smell in detecting air particles. They led police dogs to search the entire city, sniffing around, but found nothing except for a few spots of blood. Kui Xin had left the scene using a spatial vortex, causing a huge gap in scent trails, which made it impossible for the police dogs to track her. And the bloodstains along the coastline had been washed away by the rising tide.

Even so, Kui Xin remained vigilant when traveling to avoid leaving any odor. However, Night Zone sold professional odor eliminators, and she got some last night for emergency use.

Kui Xin returned to the rest room and saw that Su Rong was asleep on the sofa and stayed silent.

The moment she sat down on the massage recliner, Su Rong woke up.

“Is there anything happening outside?” Su Rong rubbed her eyes and sat upright.

“The Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance and the Popov Clan are looking for us. The police dogs are searching for our traces. We must be more careful with future actions. If we go out, we need to apply odor eliminator all over our bodies.” Kui Xin placed the odor eliminator on the table, leaned back on the massage chair, and the massage device started to help relieve her shoulder and neck pain.

With an uneasy look, Su Rong said, “What if they come here?”

“It’s possible, but currently, we are safe,” Kui Xin replied. “You should be prepared; people here won’t be merciful towards us.”

Su Rong nodded slightly.

The method the Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance in this city trained police dogs opened Kui Xin’s eyes greatly.

In the First World, many potential police dogs had to be screened to select well-trained ones, which required extensive training for obedience, experience, and coordination.

In the Second World, police dogs were trained directly with mind training. With the unprecedented development in brain science and neuro-mechanics, various machines were used to intervene in the brains of animals and release electrical signals into unique regions of the dogs’ brains. Complex rules and commands were forcibly “written” into their minds. In just one week, qualified police dogs could be produced.

Listening to Augus explain these, Kui Xin felt a chill down her spine.

“Different regions in law have slight variations. The mayor has significant governance power over their city, and the Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance in Black Sea City did not pass a dog training bill, but White Whale City did, so they use this method to train police dogs,” Augus explained.

“This method seems quite mature,” Kui Xin commented. “Was the development of brain machines inspired by this?”

“No mistake,” Augus confirmed. “At first, researchers conducted experiments with mice; then with larger mammals, followed by monkeys and gorillas, until eventually humans were involved. Since the Federation does not have the death penalty, criminals facing severe sentences were used for experiments, with their terms sometimes reduced if they participated. They also recruited ‘volunteers’ from impoverished areas, compensated them to take part in the experiments… Of course, many of those who took part unfortunately perished.”

“The progress in brain science and neural mechanics was built on human sacrifices,” Kui Xin commented.

“So these experiments have raised ethical concerns,” Augus added. “Despite the disputes, they continued.”

In the underground rest area of the villa, a robot brought a glass of warm water and placed it near Kui Xin.

Kui Xin picked it up and drank it all at once. “Do you have family?”

“In this world? No,” Su Rong said. “The Su Rong in this world grew up in an orphanage.”

“Do you have memories?” Kui Xin asked.

“I don’t… This world’s Su Rong suffers from mental anxiety, and a psychologist advised journaling to alleviate it. It has really helped a lot,” Su Rong replied despondently. “Maybe I’m one of the lucky ones… although my luck didn’t stick around, it wasn’t easy to stay positive in such conditions.”

Su Rong seemed to keep a composed attitude; despite the long period hiding successfully and remaining unnoticed, it highlighted both her fortunate nature and some innate capabilities.

“What should we do next?” Su Rong asked. “I’m not sure what I can do to help.”

“You might not be able to help much. Look at the dumbbells and treadmill around the corner. If you exercise daily, you’re practically helping by improving your physical condition. You need to do this in both worlds; no breaks,” Kui Xin said.

Su Rong agreed willingly.

“We will stay here until things settle down?” Su Rong proposed.

“Not exactly. Now, I’m the one who is actively making things happen,” Kui Xin stated as she pressed a button on the massage chair, and a projector screen lowered from the wall of the rest room, displaying the news.

“…On August 23rd, sometime after one in the morning, Dmitri Popov was attacked and went missing inside his car. A new underground organization known as ‘The Shadowless’ has claimed responsibility for the incident…”

Upon hearing the news announcer say the words, Su Rong felt dazed.

“Why would ‘The Shadowless’ claim responsibility? Didn’t I kill Dmitri—didn’t I murder him?” Su Rong looked at Kui Xin bewilderedly.

“That’s correct,” Kui Xin stared at Su Rong steadily.

In her calm gaze, Su Rong reacted, “I… Are you a member of ‘The Shadowless’?”

“Actually, you’re a part of it now too,” Kui Xin added.

Su Rong’s face turned pale while she tried to regain her composure slowly.

“As for demands,” the news announcer continued, “‘The Shadowless’ requested that the Popov Clan pay a ransom of one billion Federation credits.”

Su Rong, already pale, took on a blue tinge at the thought.

“The Popov Clan declined to respond to the situation,” the news announcer continued, “The Bureau of Investigation and Order Maintenance has listed ‘The Shadowless’ and its members as top fugitives. If citizens have any information or clues, please call our hotline. Rewards are available for credible information, with a maximum reward of ten million Federation credits.”

After hearing this, Su Rong nearly passed out.

“Maotoufu… We… We are wanted by the Federation now! Top level!” Su Rong’s lips trembled.

“It’s clear, isn’t it?” Kui Xin shrugged casually, “It is inevitable considering our circumstances. Whether there is ‘The Shadowless’ or not, you would’ve become wanted anyway.”

Su Rong bit her lip, accepting rationally but unable to accept emotionally yet.

She nervously wrung her clothes to sort out the chaotic mix-up in her thoughts.

She realized quickly that the news did not state “Dmitri Popov was dead,” but simply “Dmitri Popov disappeared.” From this, she remembered the series of acts Kui Xin performed the day before after taking Dmitri’s body.

Kui Xin handled everything proficiently and swiftly, arriving immediately after Dmitri died, formulating a plan within less than two minutes of her interaction, even throwing in a smokescreen to confuse the investigation.

Her performance was not just proficient, but also so calm, almost chilling in nature.

She was a player too… what happened in the past four weeks to transform her into this?

“You understand why I showed you this?” Kui Xin asked Su Rong.

“Because, I’m already part of it,” Su Rong replied.

“More than that,” Kui Xin stated. “I want you to understand your current situation clearly, recognize our organization accurately, and be aware of me. We didn’t form this to play house—I saved you once, but won’t act as a guardian or a saint.”

Su Rong murmured softly, “I get it…”

“Good,” Kui Xin turned off the projector.

Direct and honest words may not always be easy to accept, and Su Rong understood.

“If I hadn’t met you, my situation might be far worse…” Su Rong sniffled. “It’s enough for me. I’ll work hard to be useful.”

“Okay,” Kui Xin expressed admiration for Su Rong’s attitude.

“Would the Popov Clan actually pay the one hundred billion Fed-credits?” Su Rong questioned.

“Most likely not,” Kui Xin answered. “They’ll decide based on whether family prestige or the importance of their youngest child is higher. If they truly pay the ransom, the Popov Clan will become a laughing stock.”

“No way?” Su Rong retorted. “I think kidnapping Dmitri makes them a laughing stock, and paying the ransom is to save him.”

“Your logic is flawed,” Kui Xin argued. “You must think like them. Dmitri disappearing is an unexpected event but paying the kidnappers lowers their dignity by bowing to ‘low-class’ individuals. They value their face more, thus they wouldn’t bow.”

“Surely, they wouldn’t even for family members?” Su Rong asked incredulously.

“Don’t underestimate blood and don’t overestimate humanity,” Kui Xin summarized. “This decision doesn’t come down to money, rather the insidious nature of their wealth. I bet the internal debate among the Popovs is intense, that’s why they remain silent and stuck.”

“What if they really do pay?” Su Rong said, “Dmitri is already dead.”

“They may pay us, but we certainly won’t give them a live Dmitri back,” Kui Xin explained. “We’ll continue playing this charade.”

Su Rong was deeply shocked. At this moment, she discovered a new realm within Kui Xin’s words, something she had never encountered before.

…

He Kangshi, having worked all night, groaned as he leaned over to buy food.

Working at the bar wasn’t ideal because not only did it mean staying up late, but also dealing with the deafening music. He couldn’t stand the constant noise and was exhausted to the point of feeling dizzy and achy.

Hardly reaching the convenience store, He Kangshi heard the boss talk with a customer, who He Kangshi recognized. The man was a bounty hunter.

“One hundred billion credits! Can’t even imagine!” the boss exclaimed, spewing saliva everywhere.

“How could I have never heard of this organization before?” the bounty hunter wondered out loud. “‘The Shadowless’? Isn’t there supposed to be no light? Shouldn’t such a mighty organization be more notorious?”

He Kangshi’s steps halted. Was he misunderstanding? ‘Black Snake’ had told him the name of the organization set up by the person was ‘The Shadowless’ too.

“What’s going on over here?” He Kangshi approached to inquire about the news.

“Some unknown group kidnapped the Popov Clan’s son and demanded a hundred-billion-credit ransom,” the bounty hunter described.

The convenience store owner chuckled quietly and whispered, “Awesome!”

He Kangshi stared, puzzled.

‘Spearhead Viper’! My dear! How could you cause such a big stir in just one day in White Whale City!

…

By day, Kui Xin was getting some rest.

The situation was brewing, and while she was patient, the Popov Clan was rushing. In the short term, focusing on returning to the First World was essential.

Kui Xin glanced at the time, 23:59.

A long week was finally coming to an end.

Closing her eyes, she surrendered herself to the darkness.