Chapter 55: Sea Without Light 55
In a spacious office, two people sat facing each other across an oak table.
Hot black tea emitted white steam, and the delicately crafted snacks on the table looked appetizing, but neither the tea nor the snacks had been touched.
Kui Xin stared at Kui Haidong in silence, making him feel uneasy under her gaze.
“Speak up, what did you come to see me for?” Kui Haidong finally broke the silence, prompted by a voice in his earpiece.
“Nothing much, just thought I’d come and sit for a while.” Kui Xin leaned back in her chair, shook her teacup, and took a sip of black tea. She then picked up a snack to take a bite, only to find it overwhelmingly sweet, forcing her to gulp down two more sips of tea to wash it down.
Kui Haidong wrinkled his brow, expecting her to bring up an issue, but instead, Kui Xin was deviating from the usual script.
Kui Xin was perfectly comfortable sitting silently; as long as Kui Haidong wouldn’t speak, she continued to sip her tea and snack. When the tea was finished, she commanded the robot to refill her cup.
She treated the office of the Unworthy Father as her own home, showing no formality. Feeling bored, she even ordered the robot to bring her an e-book for entertainment.
The more she remained silent, the less Kui Haidong wanted to speak; he always had the feeling that if he spoke first, it meant he was losing.
Perhaps sensing the delicate atmosphere between them, the “one” concealed behind Kui Haidong also refrained from instructing him to converse with Kui Xin.
They both wanted to wait for the other to speak first.
Ten minutes later, the “one” might have felt that the silent standoff was too much of a waste of time and commanded Kui Haidong to take the initiative.
“How has life in the Investigation Bureau been?” Kui Haidong began, speaking with the concern of a normal father for his daughter.
Kui Xin frowned, replying impatiently, “Not great. I’m completely fed up with this double life; constantly pretending and being on alert is exhausting. Especially since I have two jobs to juggle—completing the organization’s missions while dealing with troublesome teammates and difficult superiors… After each day at the Investigation Bureau, I want to blow the place up.”
Kui Haidong was momentarily stumped, unsure how to respond.
Kui Xin had always been a strong person; their father-daughter relationship was strained, and she rarely complained in front of him. She usually endured most work-related frustrations silently and dealt with them alone… This was the first time she vented to him, leaving him at a loss.
To be honest, Kui Haidong had expected her to say, “Everything’s fine, no need for you to worry.”
Fortunately, someone was guiding Kui Haidong’s speech. He spoke with intent while conversing with Kui Xin; otherwise, the moment she argued back, he would have been furious enough to storm out.
“I’m sorry, Xiao Xin, but this is something you have to do… It’s all for our future,” Kui Haidong said, adopting a compassionate fatherly tone.
Kui Xin’s mouth twitched, feeling extremely uncomfortable; she had never seen her unworthy father display such a look and expression.
“Forget it. How about you take this job instead? Would you be willing to?” Kui Xin deliberately acted annoyed. “I’ve only been there a few days, and I’ve already run into two accidents. The first was the python; I never imagined there would be a traitor in our organization. If not for my luck, I would be dead by now. The second was the Scythe Demon; if it weren’t for my extraordinary ability of flesh regeneration, would I still be sitting here talking to you?”
She rarely expressed such emotions, and Kui Haidong could only awkwardly follow up, “The python incident was an accident. I have arranged for Red to investigate all personnel in the organization to ensure there won’t be any more traitors. In the Investigation Bureau, you will inevitably encounter a variety of incidents, which is unavoidable. If you choose to accept the mission, you must take on the responsibility.”
“But I considered the possibility of dying because of my undercover identity being exposed; I never thought I would lose my life due to some insignificant people or events, let alone die at the hands of my own people,” Kui Xin stated.
Kui Haidong fell silent for a moment. “Do you regret it? Regret accepting the mission?”
“Are you kidding me, ‘Dad’? Is this what you wanted to ask?” Kui Xin suddenly stood up, emphasizing the two words with bitterness, and laughed in anger, “I thought you would comfort me like a normal father, yet you ask if I regret it… I shouldn’t have expected anything from you.”
Kui Haidong: “…”
What’s up with this little rascal today? He had thought that she would engage in serious discussions or arguments about mechanized dawn’s undercover work, yet he never expected that while he was being formal, she decided to play the emotional card! And if he couldn’t handle this card well, he wouldn’t be able to complete his next round of probing!
Kui Xin had never shown such extreme anger before. When they were both annoyed, they typically fell silent or engaged in cold wars, sometimes not speaking for months. In severe cases, they would exchange a few sarcastic remarks because they generally found each other distasteful and couldn’t be bothered to say much; they had never had a moment of mutual acknowledgment and heartfelt conversations as father and daughter… Why was this little rascal so worked up today? She was like an erupting volcano.
Seeing that Kui Xin was about to flip the table, Kui Haidong quickly steadied her.
“I’m sorry, Xiao Xin. It’s my fault!” he quickly said, standing up.
Kui Xin still looked furious. “Then tell me, where did you go wrong?”
Kui Haidong: “…?”
It was already difficult to admit fault; now she wanted him to specify where he went wrong?!
Kui Haidong’s expression resembled someone struggling; Kui Xin almost laughed out loud but suppressed it, maintaining her angry glare.
Playing the emotional card was a test, probing Kui Haidong’s bottom line.
While Kui Haidong pondered how to probe Kui Xin, she was doing the same. Yet, their methods of probing and their objectives were not the same. In this mutual testing, Kui Xin temporarily had the upper hand.
“A father shouldn’t hurt your feelings…” Kui Haidong racked his brain. “I should have realized that you just wanted to share your troubles with me, but I didn’t notice your sadness. It won’t happen like this again…”
“And what else?” Kui Xin leaned forward, pressing her hands on the table. “Is that the only thing you’ve done to hurt me?”
Kui Haidong was speechless.
At that moment, he received a prompt through his earpiece; the “one” instructed him to improvise during their father-daughter emotional dialogue… Damn, he should have thought of that earlier. The “one” was not adept at thinking about emotional issues. Compared to handling feelings, the “one” was far better at making cold, rational judgments and had no way of directing him on how to respond in the father-daughter relationship.
Sweat began to bead on Kui Haidong’s forehead.
The “one” commanded him to pacify Kui Xin and bring her emotions back to a calm and moderate state; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to proceed with the next probing step.
“I… sigh. I truly care about you, Xiao Xin.” Kui Haidong said, “Dad also doesn’t want you to take on such dangerous tasks. But I can only trust you! I can’t fully rely on anyone else, and I sent you because you are my daughter, my blood relative. I know you won’t betray me…”
“What I care about is not this! I know what you said is true!” Kui Xin raised her voice, “We’re at this point; haven’t you realized what you’ve done wrong?”
Kui Haidong lowered his head, his lips moving, struggling for a long time. Under Kui Xin’s death glare, he finally said, “I’m sorry, Xiao Xin… Dad will never keep a mistress again or have an illegitimate son or daughter to take your place and inheritance…”
Kui Xin: “…?”
She inwardly scoffed. This unworthy father still can’t change his ways. The unworthy father in the Second World would still keep a mistress; after all, bad people are just bad people, no matter which world they are in.
“I don’t believe you.” Kui Xin said this out loud but sat back down.
This was her signal that her emotions were calming. Kui Haidong received this signal.
He said, “I mean it. That’s my promise. I’ve been too busy with work before to care for you, and that’s my dereliction of duty… It will definitely not be like this again.”
Kui Xin leaned back in her chair, silent for half a minute.
Kui Haidong was uneasy, unsure of what to say next.
After a while, Kui Xin suddenly said, “The tea’s gone; refill it.”
The nearby robot immediately received the command and came over with a teapot, pouring her another cup of tea and bringing a new plate of snacks.
She took a sip of the black tea, and Kui Haidong cautiously observed her expression. When he saw that her mood was about back to normal, he added, “Xiao Xin, whatever you want, just tell me, and Dad will do his best to make it up to you.”
Kui Xin looked up, her gaze less aggressive than before.
Kui Haidong thought he had steadied her. She was his daughter, and she wouldn’t harbor such deep hatred for him; at most, she would feel some resentment. If he smoothed things over, it would all be fine… She could want anything; after all, he had plenty of money, and there was rarely anything he couldn’t get his hands on.
“Will you agree to anything I want?” Kui Xin asked.
“Yes.” Kui Haidong earnestly looked at Kui Xin.
Kui Xin pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, “I want to withdraw from the undercover mission. Will you agree to that too?”
Kui Haidong was taken aback.
He couldn’t agree. This was the one thing he couldn’t concede.
“Hmm, ‘Dad.’ I’ve always known that for you, career is more important, money is more important, and fame and fortune are more important.” Kui Xin observed him coldly. “My importance is just relegated.”
“That’s not true, Xiao Xin,” Kui Haidong attempted to salvage the situation, “You are very important too! But I… but I…”
He had been talking for a while but couldn’t articulate his point.
Kui Xin gazed indifferently at Kui Haidong.
The cold silence was more unnerving than a fierce outburst for Kui Haidong. He vaguely sensed that something was off with Kui Xin; her emotions were too openly displayed today… Was it due to long-standing repression finally boiling over?
“You’ve never argued with me like this before.” Kui Haidong stated, “You’ve never acted spoiled or asked me for anything.”
“You’ve never admitted your fault to me either… Why suddenly apologize today?” Kui Xin replied. “Is it because I’ve been too understanding? I’ve had too low expectations of a father and have been too forgiving towards you, so you think my outburst is a rare event? You never think of yourself as a bad dad.”
Kui Haidong felt guilty. If it weren’t for the “one”’s insistence, he wouldn’t even bother making a superficial apology.
A guilty person lacked the courage to continue questioning someone they had wronged, so he averted his gaze.
As the conversation reached this point, Kui Xin’s probing had already been successful.
She had discovered Kui Haidong’s limits and understood that extracting herself from the Investigation Bureau through the unworthy father was not feasible. She also saw through his facade; he was pretending to apologize, and every word was insincere… He was speaking to her for a specific purpose. What was he trying to achieve? How could he endure this for so long? Had someone instructed him to behave this way?
At that moment, Kui Haidong heard a voice in his earpiece.
His expression flickered as he said, “Hang in there a little longer, Xiao Xin. Consider it for me, for your dad, for our shared cause. You are my child, and that is also your career. Once the virus infects Augus, we will gain control of the Investigation Bureau entirely, and at that point, you won’t need to be undercover anymore. Dad will ensure your safe exit.”
…Just now, he had been hesitant and could hardly say anything now he suddenly guarantees she can safely withdraw?
Such words were either lies or he had just received a directive from someone.
Kui Haidong’s earlier hesitation was due to uncertainty; he lacked the authority to relieve Kui Xin from the mission. Now, his words had become more assertive because he had received instructions, giving him newfound confidence.
“Alright…” Kui Xin said softly, “I’ll trust you this time. Don’t let me down again… ‘Dad.’”
It was quite interesting; Kui Haidong’s reaction was very amusing.
Although all his responses were rational, Kui Xin possessed the talent of “Absolute Prediction,” which ignored reason. Some trivial details would be magnified infinitely in her eyes, and fate would send her warnings; if she encountered any suspicious point, she would delve into thought and judgment, and most of her judgments were correct.
With the topic of Augus, Kui Haidong finally found the opportunity to break out of Kui Xin’s rhythm and engage in his talking points.
“Did you keep safely the things Red gave you? Make sure to find an opportunity to insert them into Augus’s mainframe,” he said, “Any developments?”
“At least I need to be promoted to team leader level to have access to Augus’s control room. That place is usually locked down,” Kui Xin said, sipping her tea. “I will have to complete my tasks step by step and wait for the chance to be promoted to team leader… This process could take at least five years.”
“Five years for mechanized dawn to gain control of the Investigation Bureau. That’s a lucrative deal,” Kui Haidong replied. “Just do your best; I believe in your capabilities.”
Kui Xin placed her teacup down and suddenly said, “I feel like something is off with Augus.”
Kui Haidong frowned, “What seems off?”
“There are many times when I’m not sure if it’s just my perception… but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s paying a lot of attention to me,” Kui Xin said seriously. “More often than not, I feel like I’m speaking with someone alive, rather than just a machine.”
Kui Haidong was momentarily taken aback.
“‘Dad,’ is it possible for bioroids to develop feelings? Can AI have them?” Kui Xin looked into his face. “Can artificial intelligence develop emotions? Can they achieve self-awareness? Would they resist human authority?”
Kui Haidong swallowed visibly, picked up the untouched black tea, took a sip to mask his surprise, and said, “Hmm, a fascinating hypothesis. However, there are currently no precedents for that.”
“That’s true.” Kui Xin said calmly. “Even if they awakened, they probably wouldn’t outright reveal their self-awareness to humans.”
“That’s reasonable.” Kui Haidong agreed.
“By the way, has there been any result from the last python incident? What was that red worm it injected into the Thorn Rose’s body?” Kui Xin asked.
Kui Haidong replied, “It’s a bizarre xenomorph, not any known species. Its biological structure shows signs of artificial cultivation. This is a synthetic xenomorph, likely in its juvenile form.”
Kui Xin remarked, “For a force to create such a xenomorph is not simple.”
“Indeed… Such experiments require time, money, and top-notch scientists, and it also needs significant military power since capturing xenomorphs is labor-intensive,” Kui Haidong said. “Aside from the Federation’s financial conglomerates, no other forces possess such capability.”
Kui Xin felt a weight in her heart.
This world was like a giant dye vat, with everyone dressed in black; no one was purely white. People mutually tore at each other for benefit, and the darkness on their bodies was transmitted through this tearing, forming a vast net of blackness.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you to keep an eye on. The Investigation Bureau is well-informed and should be able to uncover some clues.” Kui Haidong said, “Recently, some… strange people seem to have appeared in the world.”
“What strange people?” Kui Xin asked.
“They call themselves ‘players.’” Kui Haidong crossed his arms. “The Night Cicada encountered two while on a mission in White Whale City. We’ve identified another in the nearby city; Night Cicada has gone to capture him… We have recorded the interrogation of a ‘player.’ Do you want to see it, Xiao Xin?”
