Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – The Sea Without Light

Kui Xin raised her eyebrow in surprise upon seeing the two messages.

She put her phone in her pocket and hurried upstairs to head home quickly, shaking her umbrella dry. The minute she hung up her umbrella, her phone started buzzing with multiple notifications.

The first message was from the hacker: “I apologize, please believe me—I have no ill intentions. I had to intrude into your phone just now, as I needed to confirm some things. A verbal apology can come off as insincere, so let me make amends by compensating you through action.”

The second was an account balance change notification from the bank: “Amount: 100,000.00 yuan. Time: July 29. Type: Transfer from another bank. Balance: 106,230.00 yuan.”

Kui Xin already had over six thousand yuan in her bank account, part of which she had earned herself, and another part given by the principal when she graduated high school as a college scholarship. All students who were admitted into key universities received three thousand yuan each as a graduation tradition.

The third message was still from the hacker: “Please trust my sincerity.”

Kui Xin stared at the message.

This hacker undoubtedly knew her background thoroughly—down to how short on cash she was.

Money was important to her, but not as much as her life.

However, the hacker’s act of transferring her money did show a certain level of sincerity, even though she was unsure of his motives, whether for teaming up or something else.

Kui Xin couldn’t readily admit that she was also a player.

Thinking briefly, she feigned the ignorance of a naive student and responded: “We’ve been taught in our school’s safety lectures about these traps; money-launderers transfer funds to clean accounts, and the card owner often remains unknowingly implicated until their bank records get tainted. You’re trying to harm me, fraudster!”

“…” The hacker replied with a line of ellipses.

Hacker: “Which fraudster can locate your actions faster than the police? Adding a layer to your crime, if caught, you’ll serve more than ten years.”

The hacker sighed: “Stop pretending, I know you’re a player. Admitting openly could only be better.”

With a poker face, Kui Xin typed: “What nonsense are you talking about? Just returned from the police station, I’m planning to report this transaction to the authorities immediately!”

“Seems like you don’t trust me. No worries. I went overboard initially; you’re right not to trust me.” The hacker seemed calm.

“The probability of us sharing the same identity is high. I apologize for any offense; I found out you’re just a regular high school student. Lately, however, you’ve been engaging in morning exercises and purchasing self-defense tools online.”

“You noticed Fang Zhi, tracking him for a while before abandoning it. But you’ve shown unusual interest in murder cases committed by believers. You have continually searched for information on these cases online at high frequencies. Prior to these incidents, you hardly searched for such news…”

“What triggered the change? Probably your experiences in the Second World and the regional task prompts you received. That’s why you care about Fang Zhi.”

The hacker asked: “Is my reasoning correct?”

Kui Xin glanced at the text on her screen with a colder expression.

…

“She isn’t replying? Surely, the chance of her not being a player is extremely low, I think I reasoned well, but why isn’t she answering?” The thick glasses-wearing teenager muttered in front of the computer.

He was in a dim, spacious room with heavy blackout curtains drawn tightly. The only light source was from the glowing computer.

On the sofa behind him, two other people were sitting, a young woman in a sleeveless hoodie, and a man with a composed demeanor.

“What did you say to her? Let me see.” The woman came over and glanced at the chat history, then smacked the glasses-wearing boy. “Can’t you talk properly? Threatening someone to join your team and hoping they’ll speak nicely afterward? Dream on!”

“I thought I was being polite. I apologized and transferred money…”

“Pfft!”

The boy choked: “Then… is there anything I can do? Maybe transfer more money?”

“Out of the way, let the sister talk.” The girl shooed the boy away and sat down at the computer desk, typing.

“So, I messed it up?” The boy dejectedly said.

The man on the couch pondered for a moment, “Let me recommend some books to you.”

“Which ones?” The boy looked up.

“Books on high emotional intelligence, like ‘Effective Conversations’, ‘Avoid Falling Short with Expression’, ‘People Who Understand Humor Talk to Anyone’, and ‘Three Essentials of Eloquence.'” The man didn’t mince words, “High IQ, low EQ is not welcomed socially. You need to change.”

The boy looked dejected, “Fine, I will buy them.”

The man continued, “Have you considered that Kui Xin might actually be Player 233?”

“I considered it, and I think it’s unlikely.” The boy was serious. “She’s too ordinary; every move she makes is normal. She has friends and family, no bad online records, just a typical high school girl. On the other hand, Player 233 is… honestly, he seems psychotic. Initially, his first kill could be seen as accidental, but the second shows evidence of a clear mission. To adapt quickly to killing twice in a row—that’s not typical human behavior.”

The man nodded, “Yes, I agree. A common person wouldn’t change that rapidly…”

“There are around seventy players in Jingchu, finding them is like searching the sea…” The boy said, “Our meeting up was a pleasant surprise. Now we have someone with a clean background, and it’s crucial to stay in touch.”

“It definitely is. Considering how terrifying Player 233 is—I never expected he would be Chinese, living in Jingchu…” The man reflected, “If he continues hunting players, our Jingchu players must unite.”

“Gives a sense of being part of a guild,” the boy smiled. “My idea is to gather all the players in Jingchu, keeping our identities secret but staying connected. If any player is killed or goes missing, their identity can be confirmed right away, and the rest can be wary. Eventually, it can help us narrow down Player 233’s identity!”

“Indeed, but praying not to be targeted by him is best… Plus, danger doesn’t come just from him,” the man added.

“Exactly,” agreed the boy. “That’s why the guide 233 on the forum prompted players to form a reliable organization to share intelligence and support.”

“Hard to do. You can’t gain everyone’s trust, remember, there could be more than one Player 233.” the man warned. “If a rogue Player 233 infiltrates, the consequences would be dire…”

The game of identifying the spy and werewolf becomes less fun in reality. Losing means losing your life.

…

“I understand your concern arises from the lack of knowledge. I know you, but you don’t know about me,” the hacker sent again, seeking to explain.

“There are two types of player statuses: hunters and hunted. We’re the hunted, and above us, there’s a hunter. This hunter might be in your city, yet we don’t know who it is, male, or female. We don’t know if it’s you.”

“No prey wants to be caught. We hide ourselves, seeking to uncover the hunter’s identity to avoid being killed.”

“You know who the hunter is.”

Kui Xin suddenly felt amused.

The hacker referred to her as the same hunter. She was Player 233, a regional task completion hunter.

The hacker had traced everything back to her.

“If you don’t trust me, consider my next words as a deal. Answer a few questions, and you’ll receive a hundred thousand yuan.”

Kui Xin froze: Was this wealth truly what rich people were like? Opening with a hundred thousand yuan?!

Her heart wasn’t moved.

She was moved, but her rationality held her back.

Considering how a needy college-bound student would react in her situation.

What could she gain, and what risks?

The hacking process repeatedly mentioned “we.”

“We” referred to all Jingchu players… or hinted at a team? Does the hacker have friends?

After considerable deliberation, she replied, “You can ask, but I may not answer. And you should reveal yourself. Meeting in person is our best bet… if your team invitation is sincere.”

Deciding on either a negotiation or the start of a hunt post-meeting depended on the hackers’ performance.

With the Death Rebirth ability, she could take calculated risks without worrying too much about death.

—

“Hah, indeed, wealth works in critical moments. Looks like she admitted to being a player.” the woman said.

“She wants a meeting?” The boy wondered, “Isn’t she bold… naive or confident?”

“Can’t it be out of need for money?” The woman suggested. “She could feel afraid and want a reliable teammate.”

“That sounds more logical,” the boy added.

—

Kui Xin typed, “I’ll choose where to meet.”

The hacker instantly replied, “No problem.”