Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Dark Boundless Realm Part 62

It was August 28th today, the fifth day of the week. There were only two days left until the return date.

The to-do list was enormous and made her feel overwhelmed; Kui Xin had to mentally create a plan in her mind.

Mechanized Dawn was temporarily resolved; Eve’s side suffered significant losses. Combat members without extraordinary abilities were less critical than core members with such abilities, yet training so many people still took considerable time and resources. Last night, at least dozens were lost, not to mention how Kui Xin killed two Awakened figures and one cyborg. Silverface’s fate was uncertain, but chances were high that she would no longer pose a threat to them in the future.

If Eve wanted to deal with Kui Xin again, she could either deploy large-scale weaponry or send an S-Ranked Awakened. If there was to be a large-scale attack, Kui Xin could teleport away using the spatial vortex to avoid it. Alternatively, if they sent an S-Ranked Awakened… Eve had always been focused on advancing technology. The organization boasted many Awakened, but only one known was close to or met the S-Rank criteria—Night Cicada.

Eve drove Kui Xin to grow, pushing her to a point where resistance became inevitable. At least fifty percent of her capabilities and growth were attributable to Eve.

Reflecting on it, if Kui Xin hadn’t faced immediate peril upon transference, she might not have thought to rise against Eve. She would have likely survived like other players, merely hiding and biding time.

Her environment molded her into who she was.

One remaining issue was the Resistance Army. Amber and Ghost were probably still in White Whale City. Kui Xin needed to figure out how to locate them. She needed information about the Resistance Army from them. It would be difficult to reach Ghost, but Amber might be accessible…

Another problem was the Popov Clan along with the Investigation Bureau and Special Affairs Department aligned with the Popov family. With Augus’s help, this problem did not need urgent attention.

Lastly, Kui Xin checked the background of the Shadowless Organization’s interviews and the recruitment process for new members.

When she looked into her messages on the dark web, she saw a pile of more than fifty interview emails, with a few more arriving while she was checking.

Last night’s massive power outage in White Whale City gave the Shadowless Organization more exposure.

No one knew what exactly happened last night. Over half of the city had halted for a half-hour.

Federated buildings within the electromagnetic storm all blacked out, traffic gridlocked, and computers in skyscrapers crashed suddenly. This blackout led to data loss and backups failing, affecting companies’ operations since the heart of these businesses was in the Polar Zone of White Whale City. This sudden paralysis caused incalculable losses to these enterprises.

The outages triggered numerous follow-up issues. The Federation couldn’t reveal it was due to a malfunctioning electromagnetic interference device of the Investigation Bureau. Instead, they publicized a power plant explosion.

Misinformed civilians accepted this explanation, causing the stocks of several energy enterprises to plummet by morning—a sacrifice to maintain the Federation’s prestige.

News reports later circulated, estimating that the direct economic damage to White Whale City was over billions, with untold indirect consequences…

All of this, from a blackout lasting just thirty minutes.

In the eyes of the public, the Shadowless Organization was emerging as a mysterious entity, akin to Mechanical Dawn in stature.

Mechanical Dawn assassinated the deputy head of the Investigation Bureau in Black Sea City and kidnapped the S-Ranked Awakened Wang Feichi. The Shadowless abducted the son of a Wealthy Clan to demand a ransom of a hundred billion, orchestrating a citywide blackout event, which directly challenged the Federation government’s底线(line), slapping some of those in power across the face.

Kui Xin’s expression was a mix of emotions as she read the news.

Who could’ve guessed that among the well-known names like Mechanical Dawn, the Shadowless Organization had merely three living members? Its fourth member was an AI faithfully working for the Investigation Bureau?

It was time for the Shadowless to add some new human personnel, and so Kui Xin planned another round of interviews.

She reviewed the first-round candidates and decided on second-round appointments based on the results.

The second round of interviews was scheduled for the next day. Candidates would be individually informed after a preliminary screening.

From now until the next day, Kui Xin had planned to craft a mechanized arm and visit the Polar Zone.

With Zero and the spatial vortex, Kui Xin felt qualified enough to confront Mechanical Dawn, provided she didn’t face anything too outrageous.

Last night, Eve caught them unprepared. Kui Xin anticipated a good opportunity to infiltrate the Mechanical Dawn branch and investigate further. If only she could possess someone like Ghost…

However, before she could gather any intelligence, an unexpected guest arrived.

“Young sister.” A boy seemingly not older than ten years approached her in the street. “Young sister, I’m hungry. Can you give me something to eat?”

Kui Xin glanced down, feeling slightly strange. Her clothes were far from welcoming; her face was obscured, covered by a black hood and a belt brimming with assorted weapons. Though fitting in the area, a regular civilian would keep their distance, let alone beg for food.

She confirmed that the little boy had no weapons or ill intentions before buying him a sandwich and a bottle of water.

The little boy accepted the sandwich silently, then looked up and said, “Thank you. I apologize, it was a trick—I’m not here for alms.”

Kui Xin sensed this wasn’t right and asked coldly, “Who are you?”

“Ghost?” She tilted her head.

“No, I am Amber.” The boy spoke through Amber’s channel. “I’ve searched all night and finally found you.”

Kui Xin stealthily activated the reset, expecting a reaction from the boy, but he maintained his clear gaze, calmly awaiting words.

Amber’s mental control seemed unresponsive to the reset. Amber controlled the boy, whose real body wasn’t nearby. Kui Xin acknowledged this challenging situation clearly.

“You used the boy as your disguise, testing me with the ruse of begging,” she observed. “Tell me, what do you really want?”

Amber sighed in relief, “That’s good, I feared you’d respond harshly. I simply needed to confirm something. You purchased food for the child and refrained from harming him when discovering my presence, not heartlessly callous.”

“I can kill a child without losing my sanity, and yet killing the one you’re possessing won’t hurt you directly,” Kui Xin icily responded.

She already knew Amber wasn’t close by, rendering killing pointless, so she preferred questioning him instead.

“When I dispel my control over him, the boy will remember nothing and be safe,” Amber stated. “This is the only way I can meet you. Seeing my physical self prompts you to act violently.”

Kui Xin sneered, “You know me well.”

Amber continued unaffected, “I watched your battle with the Mechanized Dawn last night. I saw you lose your arm. There are not many places in the Northern Zone of the White Whale City to change it, so knowing you would look there, I followed you with my birds until I found you. Ghost has left the city, free from his watch, thus I came to you seeking assistance.”

“Ghost possessed the reset?” Kui Xin asked unexpectedly.

Amber froze momentarily.

“I knew,” Kui Xin confirmed the hypothesis, “so, what do you want?”

Amber answered directly, “Black Obsidian and I joined the Resistance Army temporarily because we had nowhere else to go. We lack any group offering freedom, thus this was our choice.”

He went on, “Black Obsidian is imprisoned by the Mechanized Dawn but lives. I sought their help to liberate him but received no assurance. I wish to enlist your aid, help me rescue my brother, and I am willing to pay and provide information.”

“You choose me? Do you realize my identity? You’re choosing me?”

“I know your identity. That’s why I know what you desire, I can offer the price you seek.” Amber’s gaze was determined, “Help in freeing Black Obsidian. I’ll tell you where your kin is held and lift the mental control over their minds.

Seeing Kui Xin’s surprise, Amber added, “The Shadowless Organization is a group of players; everything you’ve done is to unite fellow players, correct? I believe I can satisfy you.”

Kui Xin indeed coveted this… she found it hard to refuse.

Tang Guan was alive, detained by the Mechanized Dawn, and under Eve’s control. Kui Xin had no power to resist, doing what she could with her strength, but Amber’s appearance offered a glimmer of hope.

“Furthermore, you must share all information regarding the Resistance Army and Mechanized Dawn.”

“Agreed” said Amber decisively.

“Why do you agree so readily?” Kui Xin questioned cautiously.

“My sole desire is Black Obsidian’s safety. He is my everything,” Amber stated. “I can trade anything for him.”

His eyes fixed on Kui Xin, “You’re different. They view us as deviants, seeking our eradication. Yet, you engage in negotiation.

“They see us as deviants because we disrupt their balance, infiltrate their world and obstruct their plans,” Amber said apathetically. “It doesn’t matter whether we intrude or not—it affects us not. This abysmal place never belongs to us.”

“You betrayed the Mechanized Dawn and the Resistance Army, turning to me instead.” Kui Xin said with curiosity.

“I am loyal to none. The Mechanized Dawn birthed me, yet it is no master to me. The same for the Resistance Army—they possess their own agenda,” Amber concluded. “But I knew you’d help, given your capacity, intellect, and enmity towards Eve.”

“If you don’t save him, no one will. No one cares about a cyborg’s survival. This is all I have left.”