Sea of Darkness (Part 6)

Kui Xin remained calm and quickly said, "I'm broke, thirty thousand in debt. Do you really think I have anything valuable on me?"

The two robbers: "..."

"If you want to rob someone, go to the rich district. In a rundown place like Anning Street, what are the chances of finding a fat sheep?" Kui Xin spoke earnestly.

"Take my advice, there's no money to be made robbing people here. But if you target the rich, that's a different story. You might not score for three years, but one big hit can feed you for three years!"

The robber on the left hesitated for a moment. "But the rich district is full of surveillance..."

The robber on the right reminded his companion, "She's trying to trick us! Don't fall for it!"

"Why would I lie to you?" Kui Xin dropped her umbrella and spread her hands. "I'm empty-handed, my pockets are empty, and I live in a house with leaking walls. What good would robbing me do you?"

"Hold on!" The robber on the right suddenly brightened up and fixed his gaze on Kui Xin's silver bracelet. "What's that you're wearing on your wrist?"

"Oh, this? If you want it, you can have it." Kui Xin extended her hand toward him.

The robber on the right didn't move, but the one on the left couldn't resist stepping forward.

The moment the robber approached Kui Xin, her outstretched hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and she punched the robber squarely in the temple.

"Crack—"

The bone at the robber's temple shattered with the sound. His face twisted, and he collapsed to the ground like a felled tree.

Kui Xin: "...What the hell!" Even she was stunned by the sheer power of her punch. She had only intended to knock him out and then make a run for it. It dawned on Kui Xin that her physical capabilities were no longer what they used to be.

In the past, when she fought with street punks on her way home from school, they'd end up with bruises on their faces while her knuckles would swell and ache for two weeks, making it impossible for her to hold a pen.

Kui Xin had aimed for the robber's vulnerable temple, but the result was far beyond her expectations! The human skull had crumpled under her fist as if it were made of paper.

She could feel the robber's bone collide and scrape against her knuckles before shattering. The remaining robber let out an angry roar and lunged at Kui Xin with a small knife.

Before the sharp blade could stab into her abdomen, Kui Xin instinctively sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack. The robber's movements seemed to slow down infinitely in her eyes.

Before her mind could even formulate a response, her body acted on its own. Kui Xin's fingers closed around the knife, snatching it from the robber in an instant.

The knife danced between her fingers, flashing silver. With a fluid motion, she reversed her grip and plunged the blade into the robber's body. The tip of the knife slid precisely between his ribs and pierced his heart.

She even let go of the hilt in time and stepped back calmly, avoiding the splattering blood. All of this happened in less than five seconds. Before Kui Xin's brain could come up with a plan, her body acted on its own...

And killed someone. Kui Xin's expression was blank as she stood at the mouth of the alley, her clothes soaked by the rain. The black umbrella she had dropped earlier swayed on the ground, and two bodies lay at her feet.

She crouched down to check their breathing, then stood up shakily. They had stopped breathing. They were dead. The blood from their corpses seeped into the puddles, staining the water red.

"What... just happened?"

Her chest heaved, her heart pounding fiercely.

The game system's interface appeared before her.

"You have unlocked the innate talent [Combat Instinct]."

"[Combat Instinct]: Beasts possess an innate ability to hunt, and this instinct becomes more refined with training. It is the muscle memory forged through countless rigorous exercises, creating neural reflexes. Even in extreme conditions like unconsciousness or exhaustion, you can rely on this instinct to fight."

Kui Xin let out a sharp breath. This wasn't a talent she inherently possessed; it was something that came with her current body. She was a key figure in the resistance organization, entrusted with significant responsibilities.

It was only natural for her to have a sharp mind, keen intuition, and exceptional combat skills. These combat skills had been ingrained as instincts in this body, causing her to react in extreme ways when faced with enemies.

At that moment, a loud clatter echoed from the end of the alley. The hoodie-clad guy had returned. His face was pale with terror as he stared at the bodies on the ground.

The metal baseball bat he was holding slipped from his hands, and he looked utterly shaken.

"Hey, kind stranger," Kui Xin wiped the rainwater off her face and forced a stiff smile at the hoodie guy. "Could you help me call the police? I'm innocent, you heard them—they were trying to rob me."

"S-Sure." The hoodie guy fumbled to take out his communicator, struggling to dial the number several times before finally connecting the call.

The operator's sweet voice came through the line: "Hello, this is the City Security Hotline. How may I assist you?"

"Robbery case, the address is..." The hoodie guy faltered and looked at Kui Xin for help. "Where are we exactly?"

"Harbor District, Anning Street, roughly midway down," Kui Xin replied.

After reporting the address, the hoodie guy muttered, "Should I call an ambulance too..."

"No need, they're already dead," Kui Xin added.

The hoodie guy's expression turned even more horrified. He stammered, "Did... Did you...?"

"Self-defense," Kui Xin said curtly, avoiding looking at the bodies. "Can you be my witness? Confirm that they did intend to rob me with knives. I don't think there are any surveillance cameras around here; you're the only witness."

The hoodie guy hesitated for less than a second before nodding. "Okay, if you need me to."

Kui Xin let out a sigh of relief, picked up the black umbrella from the ground, shook off the rainwater, and walked toward the hoodie guy.

The hoodie guy recoiled in fear.

Kui Xin: "..."

"You don't have an umbrella, and it might take a while for the security officers to arrive. We can share mine," Kui Xin said. "I'm Kui Xin, a student at Black Sea Academy."

"Xi Liang." The hoodie guy relaxed slightly upon hearing that Kui Xin was a student. "I'm also from Black Sea Academy. What's your major?"

Kui Xin replied, "Criminal Investigation."

"Criminal Investigation? No wonder you're so skilled," Xi Liang muttered.

"Thanks for your help tonight," Kui Xin said as she tilted the umbrella toward him.

Xi Liang chuckled awkwardly. "No problem, just doing a good deed like Lei Feng... Though it seems you didn't really need my help. My parents' convenience store is just up ahead. I got scared when I heard about the robbery, so I grabbed a baseball bat and rushed over. I might need to give a statement later, but let me go reassure my parents first. Wait here for me."

Kui Xin nodded slowly, watching Xi Liang run off into the rain and disappear around the corner.

Deep in thought, she activated her bracelet and searched the internet for the keyword "Lei Feng."

Search results— "0."

There was no record of Lei Feng's good deeds in this Second World, nor any mention of the spirit of Lei Feng.

"As I thought, I guessed right," Kui Xin thought to herself.

Hoodie guy Xi Liang was a player from the First World.

He had probably just arrived in this world and wasn’t very familiar with it yet. That’s why his actions when dialing the emergency number were so clumsy—like her, he wasn’t quite adept at handling the high-tech portable devices of this cyberpunk world.

He hadn’t paid close attention to his surroundings or recorded any information. Or perhaps he had noticed but was too panicked to recall, which was why he didn’t know this place was Anning Street in the Harbor District when he called the police.

Xi Liang had only been in this world for a short time, so he definitely hadn’t had the chance to learn about the history of the Second World. That’s why he said something like “Be a good Samaritan and help others,” a phrase that everyone in the First World would understand, but people in the Second World wouldn’t know who Lei Feng was.

Meeting a fellow townsman in another world—what a heartwarming and delightful scenario.

But one of the six pieces of advice given to players was: “Do not reveal your identity as a player to anyone.”

Anyone!

Kui Xin thought it over carefully and decided to abide by this rule.
She wouldn’t reveal her identity to anyone in the Second World, nor would she disclose it to other players. She would treat this as a role-playing game, playing her part and being a competent “player.”

Kui Xin waited under her umbrella for ten minutes before Xi Liang came running through the rain.

This caught Kui Xin’s attention. She had assumed Xi Liang would use this as an excuse to run away. After all, being swept into a major case involving death right after crossing into another world was certainly an unwise decision for him.

“Wow, this rain is really something! No idea when it’ll stop.” Xi Liang now had an umbrella in hand, which he had grabbed from the convenience store.

“I’ve already spoken to my dad. We’re just waiting for someone to come now.”

Five minutes later, a hovering police car stopped above Kui Xin and Xi Liang. The car’s loudspeaker announced, “Drop your weapons and put your hands on your head.”

Kui Xin and Xi Liang complied, and the police car descended onto the street. Two security officers armed with weapons stepped out, their guns equipped with laser sights that immediately targeted Kui Xin.

“I’m Kui Xin, an intern security officer with the Seventh Squad of the Investigation Department’s Field Team,” Kui Xin quickly explained. “I was attacked by robbers on my way home and acted in self-defense.”

One of the female security officers turned her gaze to Kui Xin and said, "Madam, scan."

“Scanning complete. Facial recognition matched,” a mechanical voice from Adam confirmed. “Statement verified. Hello, intern security officer Kui Xin.”

It continued its report: “Xi Liang, Level 4 citizen, student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Black Sea Academy, no criminal record, deemed non-threatening.”

“Liu Gaoyang, Level 5 citizen, unemployed, with a record of robbery and theft, deceased, no rescue value.”

“Song Yuan, Level 5 citizen, unemployed, with a record of theft and vandalism, deceased, no rescue value.”

The two security officers who had exited the police car holstered their weapons and nodded at Kui Xin. “According to protocol, we need to take your statement. Please come with us for further questioning.”

“No problem,” Kui Xin glanced at the bewildered Xi Liang. “He’s a witness.”

“Alright, don’t worry,” the female security officer patted Kui Xin's shoulder. “Once the statement is done, he’ll be fine. It’s just standard procedure.”

Kui Xin noticed something off. Although she was just an intern security officer and the two people she had killed had criminal records, her colleagues’ attitudes seemed oddly casual. It was as if killing two people wasn’t a big deal at all—as if she could just follow the procedure and be released without any legal consequences or even disciplinary action. Why was that?

Kui Xin sat in the back seat of the police car, Xi Liang beside him.

The car ascended into the air and flew toward the Investigation Bureau Headquarters.

Xi Liang’s expression was complicated. “So it turns out you have connections on the inside… You should have told me earlier! I spent so much time mentally preparing myself.”

“I don’t have any connections. I’m just a poor intern security officer with thirty thousand in debt,” Kui Xin said wearily, leaning back against the seat. “Sigh, I just got off work, didn’t even make it home, and now I’m heading back again…”