Sea of Darkness (Part 5)

Kui Xin had received the leave slip signed by the captain, but a very serious problem had arisen.

She didn’t know where her home was.

Kui Xin stood in the corridor for a few seconds, glancing around until she noticed a restroom sign ahead. An idea struck her, and she quickly stepped into the restroom.

As soon as she entered a stall, Kui Xin pulled out the silver bracelet Dr. Huang had given her from her pocket and put it on her wrist.

A string of characters flashed across the bracelet: “Device activated.”

Then the characters automatically changed to display the time: 19:38. It looked just like an ordinary electronic bracelet that showed the time.

Kui Xin, like an elderly person unaccustomed to modern technology who had just received a smartphone, fiddled with the bracelet for ages while sitting on the toilet lid, unable to figure out how to use it.

“Help… why doesn’t this bracelet have any buttons or raised edges?” Kui Xin was drenched in sweat, finally understanding the frustration of elderly people struggling in a high-tech society. She could only fumble around on the bracelet, trying to discover its functions.

She tapped the side of the bracelet.

“Biometric information confirmed.” The bracelet flashed a projection screen that displayed its various features.

“Signal blocking, instant communication, encrypted networking, location tracking, self-destruction…” Kui Xin examined each function and couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.

“Hold the power button for three seconds and throw it away—it’s as powerful as a miniature bomb?”

So this thing was also a small weapon. Luckily, she hadn’t pressed the side for too long; otherwise, she’d already be blown to smithereens.

Kui Xin took out a small black chip the size of a fingernail. According to Dr. Huang, this chip recorded all the information about “Security Officer Kui Xin,” including where her home was.

Kui Xin placed the chip on the bracelet, and the bracelet’s projection screen displayed: “Data reading… Reading… Data complete.”

The first page displayed Kui Xin’s personal information.

Kui Xin, whose parents had tragically died years ago in a terrorist attack while riding a hover train, received a substantial payout from the insurance company. She used that money to excel academically and gain admission to Black Sea Academy, where she pursued a degree in criminal investigation technology. After graduating, she passed the internal recruitment exam for the Investigation Department and became a trainee security officer.

Her current address was listed as 233 Anning Street, Harbor District, Black Sea City.
The information in this file was so detailed it couldn’t possibly be more thorough—it even included her entire life history, her unremarkable daily habits, her bank account passwords, and transaction records.

Wait a minute! The information showed that she had taken out loans from the bank, and the amounts weren’t small… What’s going on? Didn’t she have the compensation money from her parents’ accident? Why would she need loans?

By the time she reached the end of the file, Kui Xin’s eyes were glazed over.

It turned out that the tuition fees at Black Sea Academy were outrageously expensive! Each year’s tuition cost over two hundred thousand yuan. She had completely spent the compensation money and was now thirty thousand yuan in debt.

Thirty thousand yuan in debt!

Kui Xin’s pupils shook.

Since she had to play the role of “Security Officer Kui Xin” for an extended period, inheriting the debts left by the original owner of this identity was almost inevitable.

What a terrible fate! Is this the legendary experience of transmigration? Not only did she become a double agent, but she also had to bear thirty thousand yuan in loans!

Kui Xin’s expression was mournful, and it took her a while to snap out of it.
She continued to operate the encrypted network and searched online: “Route from Investigation Department building to Anning Street in Harbor District.”

The search results appeared.

“Take the No. 13 hover train to go directly from the Investigation Department building station to Anning Street station.” Kui Xin breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking the advanced network. Indeed, when in doubt, Googling is the right strategy.

The file indicated that “Security Officer Kui Xin” had a habit of traveling via hover train, so she decided to take the train home as well.

The materials Dr. Huang had given her were over two hundred pages long, including information not only about Kui Xin but also about others, such as Captain Shu Xuyao, whom she had just met, and the other members of the Seventh Squad she belonged to. Kui Xin carefully read through her own information and skimmed through the others’ before closing the bracelet’s projection.
She couldn’t stay here too long; she could review the files later.

Kui Xin stepped out of the restroom stall and washed her face at the sink.
Through the mirror, Kui Xin saw her pale complexion. The mirror also reflected the wall behind her, where a fire safety map was posted, showing the floor plan of the Investigation Department building. Kui Xin turned around, walked up to the map, studied it carefully, confirmed the location of the building’s exit, and then left the restroom.

“Trainee Security Officer Kui Xin, are you feeling unwell due to post-surgery weakness?” The voice of the artificial intelligence, Adam, suddenly appeared. “I noticed you’ve been in the restroom for quite a while. Considering your physical condition, if you don’t come out within a minute, I will notify the nearest staff member to check if you’ve fainted in the restroom.”

Kui Xin: “…?”

What’s with this AI? It even monitors bathroom breaks?!

“I do feel a bit unwell,” Kui Xin replied calmly.

“Do you need me to call the medical center?” Adam asked.

Kai Xin was speechless. “No… I’ll just go home and rest.”

Adam pressed on, “Would you like someone to accompany you home?”

Kai Xin thought to herself, This Adam is less like artificial intelligence and more like an AI butler.

“Thanks for the suggestion,” she declined. “I can manage on my own.”

“There’s no need to thank me. Serving you is my duty,” Adam replied.

Going home alone carried the risk of getting lost, but being accompanied by someone would increase the risk of exposing her identity. Weighing her options, she chose to navigate on her own.

Following the map she had memorized, Kai Xin found the elevator and took it to the first floor. The first floor was a spacious lobby, with a receptionist stationed at the front desk. Kai Xin walked into the lobby and looked out through the glass doors.

It was raining outside, and the gray, misty rain blurred the scenery beyond the doors. Sensing her approach, the glass doors silently slid open, and the moisture carried by the downpour rushed in.

“Rainy weather detected. Please remember to take an umbrella. Have a safe journey,” the artificial intelligence reminded her dutifully.

How considerate… Kai Xin silently grabbed a black umbrella from the public umbrella rack next to the glass doors, opened it, and stepped into the rain.

She looked up at the sky. The swaying raindrops dampened her pant legs, and the brilliant neon lights reflected in her eyes. She was surrounded by a forest of steel and concrete, with towering skyscrapers looming over her like giants. Between the buildings, hover trains glided along aerial tracks, like snakes prowling through the forest.

Vivid, colorful electronic screens were embedded in the skyscrapers, flashing one advertisement after another, dazzling to the eye. A gray-black sky was briefly crossed by a floating airship, which trailed a brightly colored, glowing advertisement banner.

Tall and lifelike virtual figures were projected into the air by holographic equipment, their advertising voices smooth and enticing: “Rick Technology Company—mastering cutting-edge bionic mechanical technology to create your exclusive prosthesis.”

Rain pattered loudly on Kai Xin’s umbrella, snapping her out of her brief trance. Her gaze pierced through the rain, watching the hurried figures moving through the downpour.

Their clothing varied from plain to flashy—some wore suits, others dressed simply, some were stylish and striking, while others were in tattered attire. Yet under the rain, none of it seemed to matter. Their clothes were soaked, their hair damp, and all of them shared the same bedraggled appearance.

Kui Xin glanced around and noticed a sign for the suspended railcar not far away. She headed toward it.

At the waiting area, a few people were standing by for the railcar. Kui Xin blended into the crowd and waited alongside them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that many of them had mechanical prosthetics. A middle-aged man nearby had a mechanical hand. He didn’t wear a watch; instead, a small display screen was embedded on the back of his mechanical hand, showing the time. To her right, a girl was chewing bubble gum, and both her legs were mechanical prosthetics. People seemed accustomed to prosthetics and didn’t cast strange looks at those who had them.

About three minutes later, the railcar glided to a stop and opened its doors.

The passengers at the waiting area boarded one by one. The recognition system emitted continuous prompts: “Facial recognition successful, payment confirmed… Facial recognition successful, payment confirmed…”

When it was Kui Xin’s turn, she stepped forward. The machine’s prompt remained unchanged: “Facial recognition successful, payment confirmed.”

Kui Xin relaxed and found an empty seat in the train car, sitting down casually.

Rain pattered softly against the glass window. She gazed outside, where vibrant neon lights shimmered with different hues, illuminating her eyes.

Such opulence and ubiquitous high-tech projections were sights one could never see in the First World. Kui Xin’s eyes were dazzled by the vivid colors. She felt a sense of longing but also an instinctive hesitation.
This world was like a poisonous poppy—beautiful to look at, but inherently dangerous.

Kui Xin glanced down at her wristband. The time read 20:12.

Night had fallen, but Black Sea City hadn’t quieted down. The neon lights and advertisement projections had multiplied, and the rain couldn’t extinguish this bustling atmosphere.

Kui Xin was an outsider, out of place. She was observing this new world. She carefully read every flashing word on the advertisement boards and meticulously studied every passing hovercraft and swarm of drones.
The speeding railcar pierced through the curtain of rain, cutting through massive holographic projections suspended mid-air. The colorful lights reflected in Kui Xin’s eyes shifted as the scenery outside changed.

She murmured to herself, “I’m here, New World.”

…

“Harbor District, Anning Street. Arrived. Passengers, please take your belongings and prepare to disembark.”

Kui Xin opened her umbrella and stepped off the railcar. The doors closed behind her, and the scene before her was entirely different from what she had seen earlier.

Anning Street in the Harbor District was shrouded in darkness. There were no neon lights, no advertisement boards—only residential buildings of varying heights and cheap convenience stores with lit signs lining the street. Puddles dotted the uneven road.

Compared to the bustling area where the Enforcement Building was located, Anning Street in the Harbor District was much more rundown. Yet this dilapidation stirred a sense of familiarity within Kui Xin.

The advanced technology and the flashy, noisy urban areas constantly reminded Kui Xin that she was an outsider. But the modest, unassuming Anning Street gave her a feeling of coming home, as the old neighborhood she had lived in for years in the First World looked much the same—worn-out, dimly lit, with broken streetlights and a small shop downstairs that kept its lights on until late at night.

Recalling the navigation map she had checked earlier, she headed in the direction of her home.

She had only walked a few dozen meters when a bottle suddenly smashed onto the ground near her feet. She stopped in her tracks and saw a drunken old man slumped in the corner, muttering incoherent curses.
After a few garbled words, his head lolled back, and he fell asleep.

Kui Xin stepped over the shards of glass and noticed the walls on both sides of the street were covered in colorful graffiti.

“Get out of our home, dogs of the conglomerates!” read a line of large red characters on the wall, ending with a blood-red skull.

The people of Anning Street seemed highly unwelcoming toward outsiders, especially those associated with the conglomerates. Moreover, the street’s security… appeared to be rather poor. The streets were dirty and chaotic, graffiti was everywhere, and no one cared about the drunkards passed out on the road.

The slight illusion of home that Kui Xin had felt promptly vanished. Though her old neighborhood was rundown, it was clean, with garbage trucks coming every morning to collect the trash.

As she walked along, she noticed that there were very few pedestrians on the street.

Kui Xin passed through a filthy alley, trying to locate her home. Just as she was about to leave the alley, she spotted a young man in a hoodie not far away. She was about to approach him to ask for directions when two men suddenly appeared from around the corner, blocking her retreat.

They surrounded Kui Xin, each pulling out a knife and snarling, “Hand over your money!”

The young man in the hoodie heard the shout of “Hand over your money!” but, after glancing back, he bolted away faster than a rabbit.

Kui Xin: … This Anning Street is anything but peaceful!