NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Sea Without Light – Part 5
Kui Xin received an off-duty note from the team leader, but another serious problem arose.
She didn’t know where her home was.
Kui Xin stood still in the corridor for a few seconds. Spotting a toilet sign ahead, she had an idea and quickly entered the restroom.
Once inside a toilet stall, Kui Xin took out the silver bracelet that Doctor Huang had given her and slid it onto her wrist.
The bracelet flickered with a string of characters: “Powered on.”
Then, the characters automatically turned into the time, 19:38. It seemed like a standard electronic bracelet displaying the time.
Kui Xin, like a tech-outsider getting their first smartphone, fidgeted on the toilet lid for a long while without understanding how to use it.
“Help… This bracelet has no raised buttons!” Sweat beaded on her forehead just as she realized how hard it would be for the elderly stuck in a high-tech society. She felt around the bracelet, trying to uncover its functions.
She pressed a side button.
“Biometric information confirmed.” A holographic screen appeared on the bracelet, displaying various features.
“Signal shielding, real-time communication, encrypted networking, location tracking, self-destruct…” Kui Xin checked them, feeling a chill, “If you hold the power button for three seconds and throw it away, it could have the force of a micro-bomb?”
So this was some sort of small weapon. Luckily, she hadn’t held the button too long, or she’d have been obliterated.
Kui Xin removed a fingernail-sized black chip. According to Dr. Huang, the chip stored all of “Security Officer Kui Xin’s” data, including where her home was supposed to be.
She placed the chip on the bracelet. The holographic screen displayed: “Data reading… Reading complete.”
The first page showed her personal information.
Kui Xin, whose parents had died in a terrorist attack while riding a hover tram years ago, had been compensated by the insurance company. With that money, she excelled in entering Black Sea Academy for forensic technology. After graduation, she had become an intern security officer through internal recruitment at the Investigation Bureau.
Her current address was 233 Anning Street, Harbor Zone, Black Sea City.
The details were exhaustive — from her life trajectory to her unremarkable habits and bank account passwords.
Wait! The records showed she had taken out a loan recently… Why? Didn’t she have the compensation money?
Kui Xin stared blankly at the last piece of information.
It turned out that tuition at the Black Sea Academy cost an astronomical amount! Each academic year’s fees totaled over two hundred thousand yuan; her compensation money was spent, and she still owed thirty thousand yuan.
Thirty thousand yuan!
A seismic shock rippled through Kui Xin’s pupils.
Given that she’d need to play “Security Officer Kui Xin” for a long time, inheriting the original person’s debts seemed inevitable.
Dead end! Is this the much-discussed穿越 (transmigration)? Not only did she have to work undercover, but she also had to take on thirty-thousand-yuan loans!
Kui Xin looked forlorn, but eventually managed to pull herself together.
Continuing to operate, she searched the network: “How do I get from Investigation Building to Harbor Zone Anning Street?”
Results appeared.
“One can ride the No.13 hover tram directly from Investigation Buildings Station to Anning Street Station,” Kui Xin sighed in relief. The internet was truly helpful. Indeed, when faced with a problem, looking up a solution online was always correct.
The documents showed that “Security Officer Kui Xin” had the habit of taking trams, so she decided to take one home.
The information Dr. Huang provided was over two hundred pages long, detailing not just Kui Xin’s data but others like the squad leader Xiayao Shu she had just met, and other members of the Seventh Squad. Kui Xin read her own file carefully, skimmed others, then stowed away the bracelet.
She couldn’t stay long here; she could continue reviewing the documents later.
Kui Xin stepped out of the toilet stall, washed her face at the sink.
In the mirror, she saw her pale expression. Behind her, a fire safety map hung on the wall, featuring the floor plan of the Investigation Building. Kui Xin turned around to study it closely before leaving the restroom.
“Trainee Security Officer Kui Xin, is your weakness from surgery causing discomfort?” The voice of artificial intelligence Augus suddenly interrupted, “I noticed that you’ve been in the toilet longer than usual. Considering your health, if you don’t leave within a minute, I’ll send a help request to the nearest staff member and they will check if you’ve fainted.”
Kui Xin: “…”
Does this AI monitor everything? Even bathroom breaks?!
“I feel a bit weak.” Kui Xin maintained composure.
“Do you need me to call the medical center?” Augus asked.
Kui Xin choked on words, “No, I’ll go home and rest.”
Augus, “Do you need someone to escort you home?”
Kui Xin thought, This Augus is more like an artificial butler.
“Thank you for asking, but I can manage alone,” she declined.
“You don’t need to thank me. Serving you is my duty,” said Augus.
Returning home alone carried the risk of getting lost, but going with someone else increased the chances of her identity being exposed. Thus, she chose to find her way by herself.
Kui Xin followed the map to find the elevator down to the ground floor.
The lobby was an open space, the receptionist at the desk greeted her.
Stepping outside, the rain made the surroundings murky and unclear.
The glass doors silently slid open, letting in the moisture from the downpour.
“Due to heavy rain, please remember to bring an umbrella and have a safe journey home,” the AI politely reminded.
So thoughtful… Stealthily, Kui Xin grabbed a black umbrella from the nearby stand and held it as she walked into the rain.
Looking up at the sky, the drizzling rain wet her pants, while neon lights reflected in her eyes.
She hovered in the steel jungle of towering buildings and skyscrapers, with hovertrams gliding in the air like snakes slithering through the forest.
Enormous electronic screens adorned the buildings, each displaying advertisements that changed rapidly, dazzling any passerby. A floating airship flew above with a colorful, glowing banner advertisement.
Vivid full-body projections depicted vivid virtual personas giving advertisements in tempting tones.
“Rick Technology Company, mastering the state-of-the-art bionic machinery, providing customized prosthetics.”
Raindrops battered Kui Xin’s umbrella, and she snapped back to reality.
Her gaze penetrated the rain to observe hurried pedestrians.
Their dress ranged from ordinary to glamorous, from sleek suits to simple clothes, from trendy looks to ragged attire. Yet, rain made them indistinguishable in their soaked and disheveled states.
Kui Xin glanced around and saw the sign for the hover tram stop not far away. She headed towards it.
A few others waited there too. Kui Xin blended in, waiting with them, subtly observing everyone, many with mechanical limbs. An older man near her had a mechanical hand and a micro-display showing the time on the back. A girl next to her had both legs as mechanical prosthetics.
People were accustomed to bionic appendages and regarded those with them without judgment.
After about three minutes, the hover tram arrived, opened its doors.
One by one, passengers boarded, facial recognition scanners verified them: “Facial recognition passed, payment successful…”
When it was Kui Xin’s turn, the scanner prompted: “Facial recognition passed, payment successful.”
Relaxed, she found an empty seat in the carriage.
Drops of rain tapped against the window glass. Outside, neon lights shone different colors, lighting her eyes.
Such splendor and ubiquitous technology projections couldn’t be seen in the First World. Drawn by the vibrant colors, Kui Xin felt a mix of longing and caution.
This world was like toxic poppies, beautiful but dangerous.
Kui Xin glanced at her bracelet, the time now 20:12.
Night fell, yet the city didn’t quiet down. More neon lights and advertisements flickered, rain unable to dampen the energy.
Kui Xin felt out of place in this new world. She carefully noted slogans on ads, examining passing airships and drone swarms.
The speeding hover tram pierced through rain and holographic projections, reflecting in Kui Xin’s eyes as the scene changed.
Muttering, she said, “I am here, in the new world.”
…
“Harbor Zone, Anning Street station. Please take your belongings and prepare to exit.”
Kui Xin opened her umbrella and stepped out of the hover tram. The door closed behind her, revealing a vastly different scene.
Anning Street in the Harbor Zone was dark with no neon lights or billboards. Only a jumble of residential buildings and street-side convenience stores with flickering lights lit the scene, streets puddled and uneven.
Contrasted with the bustling area surrounding the Investigation Building, Anning Street’s degradation felt familiar to Kui Xin.
Sophisticated technology and flashy districts highlighted Kui Xin’s status as an outsider, but the plain and run-down Anning Street gave her a sense of home. Years lived in shabby old neighborhoods back in the First World had a similar look: dilapidated buildings, poor lighting, late operating small shops.
Recalling the navigation map, she walked towards home.
Several meters in, a bottle smashed beside her foot. She halted, spotting an intoxicated old man slumped at the corner, blurting curses under his breath.
A moment later, he fell asleep.
Kui Xin sidestepped broken glass and saw graffiti adorning the walls.
“Laws get out of our homes!” Red letters screamed, ending with a bloody skull.
“Laws” referred to enforcers in the city, a term Kui Xin recognized from old movies.
Residents seemed unfriendly towards outsiders, especially law enforcement. The area seemed unsafe—dirty, chaotic streets, graffiti, drunkards, and negligence.
The feeling of returning home vanished instantly. Her old neighborhood, though old, was cleaner, serviced regularly by garbage trucks in the mornings.
The few people walking around were sparse.
Navigating a dirty alley, Kui Xin searched for her home.
Just before exiting the alley, she spotted a young man in a hoodie nearby. Before she could ask directions, two men emerged from a street corner, blocking her escape.
They surrounded her, each brandishing a small knife menacingly: “Give up your stuff!”
The hoodie-clad man heard the word “robbery,” glanced back, and fled faster than a rabbit.
Kui Xin: … Anning Street was far from peaceful!