Sea of Darkness (Part 3)

The surgery was over, and Kui Xin was wheeled out of the operating room by the doctors and nurses.

The rolling bed slid automatically across the metallic floor, and the faint blue light from the corridor ceiling gave the scene an unreal feeling.

After turning a corner, a tightly sealed metal door opened, and Kui Xin, bed and all, was pushed into a capsule-shaped recovery pod.

By now, the chief surgeon had already changed out of his surgical attire and donned a white lab coat. On the coat was an identification badge that read: "Huang Cunliang, Director of the Medical Office."

Dr. Huang inserted an IV line into the back of Kui Xin’s hand, closed the glass cover of the recovery pod, and said to her, “Rest well. Your wound is expected to heal within twelve hours.

"If you feel unwell, press the green call button on your right. I have another surgery to attend to, so I’ll be off now.”

Kui Xin nodded silently. The doctors and nurses left the room where Kui Xin was.

She lay in the recovery pod, watching as the pod's built-in monitor displayed various data. The sound of instruments beeped incessantly, the electrocardiogram fluctuated continuously, and her heart rate remained between 80 and 110.

Her blood pressure was slightly low, indicating mild anemia. All of her physical data was displayed on the screen. The world of "Crimson Earth" leaned heavily toward a cyberpunk aesthetic, so the technology here was far more advanced than in Kui Xin's real world. The futuristic recovery pod was something that seemed impossible to create with Earth's current level of technology.

Kui Xin had sustained severe injuries, yet the doctor told her that her wounds would heal within twelve hours. Such medical technology was equally beyond Earth's reach.

The tagline for "Crimson Earth" was "A Second World That Truly Exists." Entering the game was akin to opening the door to a second world. This slogan was not an exaggeration in the slightest. Kui Xin had truly crossed over.

She wondered if the ten thousand players who participated in the beta test alongside her had also crossed into this world, acquiring identities and lives entirely different from those in the real world.

Kui Xin was highly adaptable to various environments. Like a resilient weed, she could take care of herself even without parental support. Now, she found herself in a completely new environment—an unfamiliar one.

However, Kui Xin optimistically believed that, despite her complex and dangerous in-game identity, she had managed to secure a relatively stable start.

Her current identity was that of a patient—a rookie security officer who had been injured by thugs while on field duty during her internship. During her recovery, she was safe, temporarily shielded from trouble.

Moreover, since her injury was on her head, feigning amnesia was a cliché tactic, but it was effective. This gave Kui Xin ample time to adjust. The question of why she had crossed over was far too profound for her to delve into.

The immediate and pressing issue before her was simply how to survive. The six pieces of advice were deeply etched into Kui Xin’s mind:
"First, treat the game world as if it were the real world."
"Second, do not reveal your identity as a player to anyone."
"Third, do not disclose any game-related content to anyone."
"Fourth, life is singular; death is permanent."
"Fifth, if you choose to start the game, you only have two paths: 'complete the game' or 'character death.'"
"Sixth, everything comes at a price."

The fourth and fifth points could be viewed together; they emphasized the consequences of "death." Life is singular—this statement was likely not a joke.

"If the game world is considered the second world, then the players' reality can be termed the first world. If one dies in the second world, would they also die in the first world?"

The cost of death was something no one could afford. Kui Xin felt the weight—the pressure to survive. Kui Xin had twelve hours to recover. After twelve hours, she would have to leave the recovery pod and face the people of the second world directly.

Given her complex identity, she might need to interact frequently with a resistance organization called "Mechanical Dawn," work her way up in the Investigation Department to gain the trust of others, and play the role of a competent double agent, secretly passing information to the organization.

Kui Xin had a buffer period, but she had also been dealt a high-stakes opening hand. Every step would require caution, as if walking on thin ice. A single misstep could lead to a bad ending.

She wondered if there were other players as unlucky as her. The recovery pod continued its operation, sending wave after wave of blue light over her body as the healing agents were infused into her veins.

Kui Xin felt a tingling itch on her scalp as her wound rapidly healed. "Check the panel?" Kui Xin tentatively thought to herself.

The game system responded to her, and a light screen unfolded, displaying familiar text. She skipped over the basic identity settings she had already reviewed multiple times and focused on another section.

[Basic Attributes]
Name: Kui Xin
Profession: [Expropriator]
Extraordinary Ability: [Not Acquired]
Innate Talents:
[Performative Persona]: Your acting skills are exceptional, capable of deceiving most people.
[Resilient Life]: Like a cockroach, your vitality is tenacious.
[Danger Evasion]: You can keenly sense nearby dangers and avoid them.
[Rapid Learning]: You excel at learning new skills, achieving twice the results with half the effort.

"Expropriator as a profession? What exactly does 'Expropriator' mean?"

The system timely provided an explanation: "Expropriator—a profession that gains power by hunting down individuals with extraordinary abilities and seizing their powers."

Gain superpowers by killing special ability users? Kill someone with extraordinary abilities, and their power would transfer to you?

Kui Xin's heart shook, and the recovery pod's monitor showed her heart rate rapidly rising.

"Heart rate abnormal, heart rate abnormal..." The recovery pod emitted a beeping alarm.

Kui Xin immediately took several deep breaths to stabilize her heartbeat, and after more than ten seconds, the alarm ceased.

She was about to carefully contemplate this brutal profession of "Expropriator," but in the next instant, the lights in her room went out.

The metal door opened, and someone entered her hospital room.

Kui Xin turned her head and looked toward the door through the transparent glass.

Dr. Huang slowly walked in, wiping his glasses. He tapped on the glass cover and smiled at Kui Xin. "How are you feeling?"

Kui Xin opened her mouth, ready to say, "I think I have amnesia."

However, Dr. Huang’s next action interrupted her words.

He lifted the recovery pod’s cover, pulled out a blue chip from his wristwatch, and placed it in Kui Xin’s hand. Lowering his voice, he said, "This is something the organization asked me to deliver to you."

Kui Xin: What? What organization? Which organization? Speak clearly!

She sensed something was off. The seemingly kind and approachable Dr. Huang—could he also be a double agent like her?

Dr. Huang nodded at Kui Xin. "My clearance level isn't high enough to know your mission. For all future actions, if you need my assistance, feel free to notify me, and I'll do my best to cooperate."

Kui Xin didn't know how to respond and could only stare at him expressionlessly.

"And here's this," Dr. Huang continued, handing her a black chip and a silver-white bracelet. "This is the information about the person you're currently replacing. Please read it carefully. Small habits are the hardest to imitate and the easiest to expose. Fortunately, the person you're impersonating is a newly arrived intern who isn't familiar with anyone yet, so taking their place shouldn't be too difficult. The organization's communication device is also here. The higher-ups will contact you through this."

"...Alright," Kui Xin responded coolly.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make. She decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Sigh, you've really made a great sacrifice," Dr. Huang remarked, sounding sentimental. "To maintain your disguise, you even took a blow to the head and voluntarily underwent mechanical modification surgery. Don't worry—the person has already been dealt with by the organization. Her genetic information and life records have been completely altered. From now on, you are the patrol security officer of the External Operations Team Seven, 'Kui Xin.'"

After hearing this, a clearer picture began to form in Kui Xin's mind.

The intern security officer in the Investigation Department was also named "Kui Xin." However, this "Security Officer Kui Xin" was unlucky—replaced by a Mechanical Dawn mole and then eliminated. Kui Xin herself had now transmigrated into the mole who replaced "Security Officer Kui Xin."... This was too convoluted!

"There are more than one Awakened in the Investigation Department. The leaders of various teams and departments all possess extraordinary abilities. Awakened abilities vary widely; you’ll find all kinds," Dr. Huang explained. "There's a rumor in the Investigation Department that the head of the Criminal Investigation Team has an ability called 'Lie Detection.' Be very careful."

Kui Xin replied curtly, "Understood."

"Everything for the Dawn," Dr. Huang said meaningfully, looking at Kui Xin.

That phrase... Why did it sound so much like a revolutionary slogan?

Kui Xin reacted quickly and repeated, "Everything for the Dawn."

Dr. Huang nodded, looking somewhat wistful. "Take care of yourself. I have to rush to the next surgery... Hah, when I first joined, I never thought I'd be this overworked."

Kui Xin stared at his back until he disappeared from sight. A strong survival instinct took over Kui Xin's mind. Danger was right next to her. What kind of organization was Mechanical Dawn?

They could eliminate someone without hesitation and then replace their existence. They certainly didn't seem like benevolent people. What was their purpose in planting moles within the Investigation Department?

What was the ultimate goal of the resistance forces? More importantly, Kui Xin wasn't sure if she could return to the First World from the Second World.

If she were permanently trapped here, what would she do? Kui Xin repeatedly took deep breaths to lower her heart rate, avoiding triggering another abnormal heart rate alert in the recovery pod.

Her gaze fell on the word "Depriver."

If she had any advantage, it would undoubtedly be the ability possessed by the "Depriver." This terrifying ability was probably her only hope.

Her identity was unique, as though she were walking a tightrope. On either side lay an abyss, and danger awaited her whether she moved forward or backward. What worried Kui Xin most was that she had no chance to back out. No double agent could ever retire successfully. If she betrayed the Mechanical Dawn organization, she would face dire consequences. If she betrayed the Investigation Department, her fate would be even worse—she was already a Level One wanted criminal.

The cost of death made Kui Xin cautious. Her previously solitary life had taught her how to protect herself and fortify her defenses.

She pondered for a long, long time and ultimately decided to treat this time-traveling adventure as a game—a real game, a game she couldn't afford to lose, a game where her life was at stake.

She had to clear this game, reach the end, and avoid every bad ending to achieve the best possible outcome... No matter what it took.