Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Sea Without Light Part 20

At this collective meeting, Kui Xin did not obtain any useful intelligence. The main content of the meeting was about work assignments and adjustments; her greatest gain was seeing everyone from the field team and aligning the faces of some members with their profiles.

The profiles did not encompass all the information on the field team members, with some personnel having only brief introductions and names. Detailed profiles usually belonged to those who had worked in the field for more than a year and had received various degrees of commendation, while less noted and ordinary members lacked valuable details.

After the meeting, each squad left gradually from the conference room.

Lan Lan said by Kui Xin’s side, “How about we go out for dinner after work, Xiao Kui?”

“Dinner?” Kui Xin was caught off guard.

According to regulations, a gathering meal should be organized when new colleagues join, a common custom anywhere. Kui Xin had no intention of forming bonds with anyone from the Second World; she limited emotional interaction to casual chat and jokes, and dining out was beyond her thoughts.

As a competent undercover agent, managing interpersonal relationships was essential.

Kui Xin had watched an espionage film where the female spy said, “Do you know why I am successful? Because I invested genuine emotions—real, heartfelt emotions. They sensed my sincerity and believed me.”

Emotion and trust require nurturing. Only with time and effort could one gain the trust of others, and gathering for meals is an excellent way to enhance relationships.

The invite from her teammates reminded Kui Xin that she could not appear too distant toward those around her.

“Everyone’s going, the captain is treating us!” Lan Lan said.

Jiang Ming walked over to Kui Xin’s other side, “We’re being transferred to the port soon; this may be our last leisurely day. Let’s unwind properly today.”

“We have a patrol mission tomorrow, let’s not drink alcohol,” said Liu Kangyun. “Let’s just have a meal together.”

“If someone’s footing the bill, then definitely we’ll go.” Kui Xin agreed after a short consideration.

Shu Xueyao pushed through the crowd to reach their side, “There are ten minutes till下班. Go back to the rest room and change into regular clothes, gather downstairs.”

“Got it.” Lan Lan whistled.

“By the way, what do you want to eat, Kui Xin? I’ll make a reservation,” Shu Xueyao smiled.

Kui Xin thought, “Meat is fine, any kind will do.”

The nauseating feeling from the xenomorphs had subsided. She had undergone prolonged training in the afternoon, making her body extremely energy-starved, causing her stomach to rumble violently.

“Then let’s go eat grilled meat,” Shu Xueyao said. “There’s a good restaurant downtown.”

Everyone returned to the rest room to change. While Kui Xin was in the restroom, she casually checked her wristband for messages. There was nothing new from Red, but Silverface continued to send a flood of text messages.

“No exposure yet?”

“I’m confused; have you been exposed and captured, hence unable to reply, or simply busy? You should be safe, right? If you’re ever captured, Red would tell me.”

“I went to Headquarters to update my gear, grabbed some weapons, and got a professional disguise mask for you.”

“Was super busy today, didn’t have time to eat.”

“Are you heading back to the safe house or home tonight?”

Calmly typing a reply, Kui Xin responded, “No exposure, still alive, returning home tonight. Sort out your own dinner tonight.”

Silverface replied immediately, sending a string of ellipses.

Once dressed, Kui Xin took the elevator down to the first floor, where Lan Lan, Jiang Ming, and Liu Kangyun were already waiting.

“The captain drove… he has arrived!” Lan Lan pointed towards the reception hall entrance.

A dazzling azure sports car halted in front of Investigative Building. Its contours evoked the image of a hunting shark. The car window descended, revealing Shu Xueyao inside.

He had changed into casual black T-shirt, exuding an aura starkly different from his uniform appearance.

“Mm… That.”

“Let me put it this way; this car is too ostentatious, not at all like the captain’s usual style,” Jiang Ming arched his eyebrows and added, “It would look like him chauffeuring some nouveau riche brat and his gangster friends.”

“Old Jiang, don’t say it like that,” Lan Lan giggled as she opened the door for Kui Xin, “The captain is indeed a rich kid.”

Sincere Liu Kangyun supplemented, “But we aren’t his cronies.”

Shu Xueyao muttered, “Yeah, I hear everything.”

Kui Xin climbed into the car; the seat automatically adjusted to accommodate her posture.

The car exuded a pleasant scent, faint and not at all nauseous.

“What a cool ride; it just surprises me that the captain would have such taste,” Kui Xin commented.

“This car was bought by my family; it’s not my personal taste,” Shu Xueyao clarified helplessly.

The car doors shut. The sports car took off under the guidance of the navigation system, playing a gentle piano tune via the car audio.

Only police vehicles could fly in urban areas; private cars were restricted to ground driving. However, high-end sports cars often featured both ground and floating modes for races.

The navigated route was relatively uncrowded, arriving at the restaurant only twenty minutes later via the scenic drive.

The projection display showed the restaurant’s name as “Alien Smoker’s Grill.”

“Alien Smoker?” Kui Xin stood perplexed at the signboard.

The Second World was globally unified; despite high autonomy in regions, there was only one world government—the Federation. In theory, all citizens held equal nationality, making the term “alien” obsolete.

“The owner of this place is a polar immigrant who moved to Hei Hai City; their cooking style is rough with plenty of meat. You should enjoy it,” Shu Xueyao stopped the car.

A blond, blue-eyed waiter greeted them with a smile, “Your reserved room is on the third floor, please follow me for the elevator.”

The waiter then turned to discuss incomprehensibly with his colleague… Kui Xin felt something amiss, was the language she heard Russian?

“Every time they speak their regional dialect, it sounds like there’s a spring in their mouths,” whispered Lan Lan.

The other team members nodded in agreement.

It was a multicultural society with varied languages across regions. Second World might essentially be a parallel space-time dimension of the First World, with Chinese as the official language here. The golden-haired white waiter conversing sounded akin to Russian… perhaps other dialects corresponded to English, German, and French.

Deep Crimson Soil, being a global game, saw many foreign individuals participating. Early beta testers’ forums had numerous posts translated via a translation tool.

Second World’s language categories overlapped with those in the First World, mitigating language barriers for transworld players.

This grill restaurant adopted a minimalist design style, void of unnecessary decorations, giving off an aromatic spice scent upon entry mixed with a hint of charcoal smoke.

A cook with a thick brown beard pushed a serving cart with a whole roasted lamb onto the table. Underneath the lamb laid onions, potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower.

The chef with a thick accent stated, “Natural spices and pure wood charcoal, not synthetic materials. This lamb roast couldn’t be achieved by industrial synthesis!”

A bucket filled with chilled drinks on the serving cart, the chef attempted to use an opener, but Shu Xueyao stopped him.

“Let’s skip the drinks.”

“They’re complimentary with the lamb roast,” the chef insisted earnestly. “You can’t experience true soul without drinking while eating roast! Devour with gusto!”

Again Shu Xueyao refused, forcing the chef to reluctantly set down the opener.

Most people nowadays consumed synthetically produced meats, whose prices tripled compared to natural meat. The price of this roasted lamb must be astronomical, but Shu Xueyao seemed capable of purchasing even a pricey sports car, so the cost of this meal was likely trivial.

Shu Xueyao poured everyone a glass of juice and raised his cup, “Today’s worth celebrating: our Seventh Squad grew from four to five members, our newest comrade, a dependable companion.”

“To Xiao Kui,” Lan Lan lifted her glass.

“We are all reliable comrades. We will have much time ahead to communicate effectively,” Jiang Ming chuckled as he raised his glass, “Welcome, Kui Xin.”

Last to raise his glass was Liu Kangyun, “Feel free to ask me questions. I will teach you. Welcome aboard.”

Kui Xin clinked glasses with each of them, saying with a serious expression, “Thank you all! I will do my utmost to be a reliable teammate.”

…

Having eaten their fill, half a lamb remained. Everyone took some to go home.

Kui Xin declined Shu Xueyao’s offer to see her home, carrying pieces of roasted lamb as she strolled around downtown alone.

The city center bustled with people. Neon lights illuminated her path, with colorful advertisements shifting in view, but unlike her first night, she no longer harbored curious interest to watch them closely.

Kui Xin did not wish to return home, avoiding Silverface and Red’s discussions regarding her upcoming assignment with the Coastal Security Team and worries over the mole issue which overwhelmed her.

Today marked the fourth day of her transworld experience.

On the first day, Kui Xin recuperated in a medical pod after sustaining injuries, encountering robbers on her way home, her first murder.

The second day was peaceful, spent perusing documents and diligently studying the knowledge of this world.

On the third day, she received an assignment during which she eliminated player Jian Zhong. She met members of the Mechanized Dawn Organization in the evening, narrowly surviving an ambush by the mole on her way home.

Today was her fourth day. Through her probationary phase of observation by the Investigation Squad’s team leaders, Kui Xin successfully became a full member. Shu Xueyao even introduced her to training.

Reflecting on these four days, Kui Xin could not suppress her frustration, “What a strange turn of events!”

She wanted to flip off fate itself.

Life had become incredibly fulfilling. In just a few short days, Kui Xin transformed into a time management master. During the day, she worked at the Investigation Unit, and in the evening, for the Mechanized Dawn organization, juggling both responsibilities while carving time to learn and grow.

Now it was the fourth night. Avoiding her home, Kui Xin ambled the street occasionally checking her wristband for new notifications, anticipating an unexpected occurrence.

Despite whatever surprise or shock lay ahead, Kui Xin remained unperturbed, capable of maintaining calmness. No one could endure so many near-death experiences in just four days without undergoing significant psychological shifts.

Just as newcomers get startled in haunted houses, frequent visits to haunted houses make one barely frightened. One’s bravery gets honed, making even the sight of a ghost almost humorous.

Though tonight’s surprises and scares still loomed unknown, Kui Xin foresaw an eventful night.

Indeed, it played out as expected.

Red sent communications: “Lady Fortune, the traitor is identified, matching your suspicion: Python Sphere.”

“Do you have a plan?” Kui Xin asked coldly.

“Yes,” Red responded, “Kill Python Sphere, acquire his blood, and bring it to me. Knowing my extraordinary ability, once he is here, he will reveal all secrets to me, and I will uncover if it’s a faction spy within our organization.”

Red’s extraordinary abilities related to memory reading, mediated through blood?

“Yes.” Kui Xin paused, “What about Thorn Rose?”

“She is fine,” Red answered. “She will assist you. I fully trust her ability.”

“Mm,” Kui Xin said, “Understood.”

“Hurry, Lady Fortune,” Red urged, “Our harbor sabotaging operation must proceed flawlessly, the sooner the better. Your and the bartender’s extraordinary abilities are unsuitable for direct combat, I will provide remote support. If you need reinforcements, feel free to call Headquarters… Considering your personality, I reckon you’d prefer to handle this independently, right?”

Kui Xin hung up, her mind racing.

The traitor was indeed Python Sphere, confirming her intuition.

Stopping in a bustling intersection, she mulled over how to safely eliminate Python Sphere.

Her reasoning was calm, her murder plot meticulously planned.

Plan One: Use a mission pretext to lure Python Sphere out, letting Silverface and Thorn Rose trap him.

Plan Two: Have Thorn Rose report Python Sphere’s movements, targeting him during transit.

Both plans were feasible, yet only one attempt could be made. If detected, they would lose their chance.

“Do you have any firearms among the equipment you brought?” Kui Xin messaged Silverface.

“Pistol and a micro-bomb,” Silverface replied quickly, “Limited ammo, couldn’t bring more.”

“Insufficient. Return to port’s arsenal, retrieve a sniper rifle. Check for K80 model, if unavailable, take the nearest variant,” Kui Xin instructed, “Take as much ammo as possible.”

“Hmm… Seems like multiple trips required,” Silverface complained.

Kui Xin considered this, mollifying Silverface, “I brought roast lamb.”

“Alright, I’m heading to the arsenal now!” Silverface replied quicker than ever.

The green crossing signal lit, Kui Xin crossed with the flow of traffic reaching the tram stop.

During her wait, Kui Xin evaluated her strategies, ensuring her killing plot had zero flaws.

Her determination and resolution to eliminate Python Sphere stemmed neither from Red’s directive nor fear of exposure. It was driven by a vengeance.

A fierce desire for retribution.

Kui Xin could not tolerate someone desiring to kill her living comfortably elsewhere. This was her first true wish for another’s demise.