Chapter 65 – Sea Without Light 65
The retractable blade sliced through the monster’s abdomen all the way to its neck, breaking out between the two heads.
Kui Xin quickly turned the blade’s edge and cut to the left, decapitating the monster.
The head, resembling a grotesque tumor, rolled to the ground, its eyes still spinning wildly. The creature’s vitality was terrifyingly strong.
When Kui Xin cut open the monster’s body, the blood flowing from the wound was red, but the blood from the severed neck was pure blue. Some strange force had forcibly fused the monster and human into one being, a creature that twisted and grotesque, as if God had combined a mammoth with the Loch Ness monster.
The writhing tentacles slowed for an instant, and Silverface seized the opportunity to break free. A splash of water enveloped Tang Guan’s head, and he viciously clenched his fist, instantly twisting Tang Guan’s head into a bloody mush.
The tentacles suddenly straightened out and then went limp.
The blood from Tang Guan’s neck was not blue; it was the deep red of humanity.
Kui Xin gagged a couple of times, not from real nausea but because the tentacles had constricted her throat excessively, creating a choking pain. Her right arm, holding the blade, trembled, muscles and ligaments tearing apart.
Fortunately, her recovery ability was strong; she could regain fighting capability in a moment.
Black Obsidian coughed violently while covering his neck, peeling away a batch of slimy tentacles to crawl out. In a hoarse voice, he said, “It’s not dead yet!”
Without his reminder, both Kui Xin and Silverface had sensed something was off. Although the tentacles showed no signs of movement, the monster’s head lay on the ground with its eyes slowly ceasing to rotate. However, the neck connecting the two heads quickly bulged with two lumps of flesh, pulsating violently, as indistinct facial features and brain outlines slowly surfaced… apparently, the head could regenerate too!
Kui Xin inhaled sharply and swung her blade again, cutting off the two flesh lumps, causing streams of blue and red blood to spurt out.
This monster’s regenerative ability far outstripped Kui Xin’s flesh regeneration by a wide margin; any weapon striking a vital point was ineffective, and it had almost no weaknesses.
Next, whenever the monster’s two necks grew lumps wanting to regenerate the head, Kui Xin would raise her blade and cut off the lumps, causing blue and red blood to spout anew.
After performing the beheading maneuver five or six times, Silverface’s expression turned numb, Black Obsidian’s lips twitched, and even Kui Xin was about to laugh out of anger.
However, this approach was effective; the speed at which the monster’s lumps grew diminished from fast to slow. At first, it only took two or three seconds for them to grow significantly, but soon it took over ten seconds for one to grow, and the blood no longer gushed out as much. Flesh regeneration required energy, and if Kui Xin overused her own regeneration, it would only intensify her hunger—cell division required energy support.
The same principle applied to the two-headed monster; it didn’t have enough energy to sustain multiple head regenerations, and the head was its thinking organ—without a head, it could not control its own body to attack.
Black Obsidian quickly saw the method: “Silverface, let’s cut off all of the monster’s limbs.”
He pulled out a dagger, bent over, and began working, severing the monster’s limbs and tentacles.
His goal was to create more wounds on the monster’s body, forcing it to continuously expend its energy and slow its healing rate.
Silverface pulled out his dagger to cut the tentacles, exclaiming, “Help me, I never want to eat squid skewers or octopus skewers again for the rest of my life!”
His voice was also hoarse; this monster nearly took the lives of the three of them.
The scene of Kui Xin, Silverface, and Black Obsidian bending over, working diligently, resembled a murder dismemberment site.
Once the monster’s limbs and tentacles were fully dissected, only a torso remained. In the First World, there was a cruel punishment known as the “human pig,” and now Tang Guan had become a human pig—alive but without limbs.
Kui Xin kept an eye on the monster’s neck to prevent it from reviving, while Black Obsidian began seriously dissecting Tang Guan’s torso to find out what the core of this monster truly was.
The core was neither the head nor the heart; what could it possibly be? Was it the torso itself?
Just as Black Obsidian made an incision, he heard Kui Haidong’s voice: “Stop wasting time and take this monster’s torso with you. This is a rare living specimen. Don’t move it anymore, as it has lost its ability to resist; take it back to headquarters.”
Black Obsidian hesitated, then replied, “Understood, Leader.”
Silverface looked at the torso on the ground with aversion, using a splash of water to lift it up, and turned to Kui Xin, saying, “Black Obsidian, Lady Fortune… you all need to keep an eye on this thing and make sure it doesn’t regenerate.”
“I suspect it doesn’t have the energy to regenerate anymore,” Kui Xin disdainfully replied, eyeing the writhing lumps on the torso.
The severed limbs on the ground showed no signs of regeneration, and the head had already lost its vitality, indicating that what they were taking back was indeed the core of the monster.
“Red and the team removed the AI motherboard, and we managed to capture a live specimen,” Black Obsidian said. “Next, we just need to blow up the power compartment.”
Kui Xin asked, “Red, how’s it going on your side?”
Red replied, “We’ve dispatched an all-terrain exploration robot equipped with a demolition device to the power compartment, and the demolition device is currently being installed.” A few seconds later, he added, “Alright, the installation is complete.”
Silverface exclaimed joyfully, “That went smoothly! We’ll be heading back soon!”
They reached the deck entrance, a refreshing sea breeze blowing in.
Kui Xin relaxed her tense shoulders a little.
This operation had gone far more smoothly than the last. Last time, when Kui Xin and the Investigation Bureau teammates boarded the ship, they had been backstabbed by the Kraken crew. At that time, the Investigation Bureau had never expected that their enemies did not come from the outside but were hidden within.
Most capable Awakened squads were on escort ships; they were alone and vulnerable, ambushed by hidden enemies, and they carried no gear to handle the situation. All heavy weaponry was loaded onto the escort ships. Moreover, they had barely been onboard for half an hour before the ship began to explode, making it difficult for them to resist, leading to their demise.
The Investigation Bureau’s failure was both accidental and inevitable. It was a result of intelligence gaps. The enemies had carefully prepared and set a web of traps, while they remained completely unaware, losing thoroughly from the start.
The Mechanical Dawn team, however, was reliable, all members being Awakened with considerable combat strength. They understood the ins and outs of the Kraken, knew the dangers of the ship, and brought plenty of heavy weaponry.
Before boarding, they had first observed the Kraken on the island, and upon seeing fire break out on the ship, the members’ vigilance reached its peak, making it less likely for them to be caught off guard.
If Silverface and Black Obsidian had been replaced by Xueyao Shu and Liu Kangyun, facing the monster Tang Guan had become, it would have been hard for Kui Xin to coordinate effectively with her teammates to defeat it.
Ordinary people and Awakened beings were simply on different levels; no matter how rich Xueyao Shu’s experience was, it could not compare to the trained and extraordinary abilities of Silverface.
The Mechanical Dawn boarded the ship with the intent to kill, while the Investigation Bureau boarded with the intent to protect; there was a significant difference in mindset.
Kui Xin realized the key point and noticed the creature’s neck, bound by Silverface’s water rope, slowly growing two more lumps of flesh.
Annoyed, she cut them off and continued to slice away the writhing flesh buds at the various severed points of the torso.
Once again, the three of them stepped onto the deck, where Red and his team were waiting.
The task force members hadn’t acted recklessly; when Kui Haidong instructed them to disregard, not look into, or probe the cargo hold, no one was curious enough to investigate.
Curiosity killed the cat—this saying wasn’t just empty words; everyone there had experienced life-and-death moments and understood the importance of restraining their curiosity.
Amber carried a large backpack on her back, filled with the AI motherboard.
Red glanced at the time and said, “Let Night Cicada pick us up back on the island; we can remotely detonate the explosives.”
“Ah-oh.” The Bartender suddenly pointed into the distance, “Look at the sky.”
“Damn Investigation Bureau’s here!” Thorn Rose cursed, “Night Cicada! Quickly activate the portal!”
In the pitch-black night sky, the lights of armed helicopters approached, gradually transforming from a small white dot into something noticeable, illuminating the dark clouds above.
The roaring sound of the helicopter’s rotor blades echoed in the distance.
The blue vortex slowly expanded, and Night Cicada said, “It’s opening.”
At the same time the blue vortex expanded, the machine guns mounted on the armed helicopter lifted, the scene of flame spewing in the night was extremely eye-catching.
This machine gun was truly a battlefield weapon, with bullets measuring eight millimeters in diameter, six barrels, and a firing rate of an astonishing six thousand rounds per minute. Bullets hitting the human body would explode open massive blood holes, capable of severing a person in half.
“Damn it!” The most versatile Silverface hurriedly spread the defensive water screen.
Bullets struck the deck, sending up a flurry of sparks, then hit the water screen, blasting a hole in it. The bullet’s kinetic energy was significantly reduced, and while it failed to penetrate the group’s exoskeleton armor, it still left behind pockmarked indentations.
Within mere moments, the water screen was about to collapse under the onslaught, but he had bought a little time for the opening of the portal.
The blue vortex grew to a sufficiently large size, and Red led the charge into it. They ducked for cover, Silverface guarding the rear, raising the monster’s torso as a shield against the bullets.
BANG, BANG, BANG! Blood exploded everywhere, the monster’s torso he used as a shield was riddled with holes, and its healing speed visibly dwindled.
Just as Silverface scrambled through the portal in a panic, the blue vortex closed up instantly.
As Kui Xin emerged from the vortex, she immediately drew her blade and cut off the flesh lumps once more from the monster’s neck.
Silverface waved the “rotten meat” in his hand innocently, saying, “Isn’t it close to dying from our torment?”
Night Cicada stood on the island, arms crossed, saying, “Red, hurry and detonate; we need to get back.”
Red pressed the detonation button.
“Boom—”
A fireball shot up to the sky, as if a volcanic eruption occurred beneath the sea, the black surface of the ocean reflecting an orange-red glow, akin to a sunrise.
Countless fragments of ships were blown into the air, striking one of the helicopters.
The scene Kui Xin had witnessed before reappeared, the helicopter bursting into flames as it plummeted from the sky.
“BOOM!” Red whistled, “We can make a wish on a shooting star.”
“Alright, mission completed successfully; let’s prepare to head home.” Night Cicada stretched his neck and snapped his fingers.
Another blue vortex formed, and the group walked more leisurely, stepping into the portal one by one.
Kui Xin and Night Cicada were the last to enter.
Before going in, Kui Xin looked back at the surface of the sea; the escort ship was approaching, but its speed couldn’t match that of the armed helicopter. The Kraken was burning fiercely. She had perished here last time, but this time Mechanical Dawn had destroyed it. She was a participant and an observer—experiencing the sinking of the Kraken and witnessing its destruction.
“What’s wrong, Miss? You can’t possibly miss that ghost ship?” Night Cicada joked, “Do you want to personally check the cargo hold for the ‘goods’?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Kui Xin replied. “It’s not anything good.”
“That’s true,” Night Cicada agreed. “Releasing that thing back into the sea, who knows if it’s a good thing or bad… But we have no choice; it’s the only way to avoid immediate disaster.”
As he finished that sentence, Kui Xin seemed to hear the booming sound of a massive heartbeat awakening from slumber, turning yellow eyes to gaze at this world.
Night Cicada patted Kui Xin on the shoulder, “Let’s go home.”
Kui Xin bowed her head and stepped into the deep blue vortex.
…
At the Headquarters of the Mechanical Dawn, Kui Haidong nervously fidgeted with his fingers.
Red reported, “Mission accomplished; the Kraken has been destroyed. Lady Fortune brought back a living specimen, and Night Cicada directly confined it in a reinforced isolation room.”
“Good, proceed with full-body disinfection and cleansing. We don’t know what side effects that monster’s blood might have; don’t leave any on you.” Kui Haidong steadied his voice. “Silverface and the others got a lot of blood on them during the fight, along with…”
Once he finished outlining the precautions, Kui Haidong finally sighed in relief.
He tugged at his collar and contacted Kui Xin directly.
“Hey? Little Xin,” Kui Haidong said gently, “You did well tonight; I’m proud of you.”
Kui Xin replied, “Are you done talking, ‘Dad’? Because I’m going to take a shower; that monster’s blood and slime are all over me, and I smell like rotten seafood. Ugh… I’m about to throw up.”
The emotion and acting he had prepared for the moment didn’t have a chance to manifest as he retorted, “…Fine, go ahead.”
“By the way, ‘Dad’, that Tang Guan… if you find out anything during the interrogation, remember to tell me.” Kui Xin said casually, “I’m really curious about his identity. Is he really with the Secret Cult?”
“Okay.” Kui Haidong replied without much thought.
After hanging up on Kui Xin, Kui Haidong connected to another call, this time with the head of the research institute: “The new living specimen we brought back is very precious; try injecting it with nutrient solution and see if we can accelerate the recovery of its body, allowing its two heads to regenerate.”
The living, sentient specimen is half monster and half human, with the human side maintaining a faint self-awareness. The Mechanical Dawn needed to extract intelligence from this unique living specimen while also conducting numerous experiments on it.
Once all tasks were completed, Kui Haidong received an order from “that person.”
“Have her meet with the detained ‘Player.'”
Kui Haidong cautiously asked, “Is this… a part of the test?”
“You could say that.”
Kui Haidong replied, “Alright, I will arrange it.”
Half an hour later, after fully disinfecting and cleansing, Kui Xin sat wearily in a dedicated rest room, rubbing her tired eyes.
The current time was 03:59.
Another nearly sleepless night.
Kui Xin made a call: “Night Cicada, please take me back to my home on Peaceful Street.”
“Why don’t you just sleep here?” Night Cicada suggested. “Intense battles can leave hidden injuries, and although you have recovery abilities, you should still pay attention to it. I recommend you lie down in the medical chamber.”
“No, I need to take the Hover Tram back to the Investigation Bureau near Peaceful Street,” Kui Xin insisted. “I don’t want anyone suspicious about my travel patterns. If you’re willing to get up early and drive me to the Hover Tram at seven, I would gladly stay here.”
Night Cicada replied, “Then I’ll take you back to Peaceful Street…”
The portal opened, and Kui Xin stepped in, encountering a familiar scene.
The dimly lit room, shabby furniture—she slipped off her shoes, changed into slippers, and collapsed onto her bed. She was so tired that she fell asleep within a second.
A night without dreams.
Three and a half hours later, Kui Xin was awakened by the alarm clock, dragging herself up from the bed with sheer willpower, preparing to wash up and have breakfast before heading to work, starting another routine day as an unremarkable undercover agent for the Investigation Bureau.
As she stepped out of her bedroom, she saw Silverface returning with breakfast.
He climbed through the window excitedly and said, “I brought you breakfast too.”
“The mission is over; why are you still staying here?” Kui Xin raised an eyebrow.
“But the Leader said I’m not only your task assistant but also your bodyguard,” Silverface scratched his head, “My other task is to ensure your safety.”
