3 Sunless Sea 03

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

The trundle bed slid automatically across the metal floor, and the faint blue light from the corridor ceiling filled the room with a ethereal feeling.

After turning a corner, a tightly closed metal door opened, and Wei Xin, along with the bed, was wheeled into a capsule-shaped recovery room.

The surgeon had already changed out of his scrubs and donned a white lab coat. Outside his coat was an ID badge: "Huang Cunliang, Director of the Medical Office."

Dr. Huang inserted an IV line into the back of Wei Xin's hand, closed the glass lid of the recovery room, and said, "Rest well. Your wound is expected to heal within twelve hours. If you feel unwell, press the green call button to your right. I have another operation to perform, so I'll be leaving now."

Wei Xin nodded silently.

The doctors and nurses left Wei Xin's room.

Wei Xin lay in the recovery room, watching the data displayed on the built-in monitor. The instrument beeped incessantly, and the electrocardiogram (ECG) fluctuated constantly, maintaining a heart rate between 80 and 110. Her blood pressure was low, indicating mild anemia.

All of her physical data was displayed on the screen.

"Crimson Earth" leans towards a cyberpunk worldview, so the technology in this world is far more advanced than the real world Wei Xin inhabits. The high-tech convalescent pods seemed beyond the reach of Earth's technology.

Wei Xin had sustained such serious injuries, yet the doctor assured her that her wounds would heal in twelve hours. Such medical technology is also unattainable on Earth.

"Crimson Earth"'s slogan is "A Real Second World."

Entering the game is like opening the door to a second world.

There's no exaggeration in this slogan; Wei Xin had truly traveled through time. She wondered if the ten thousand players who participated in the closed beta with her had also traveled through time and space, finding new identities and lives different from their real world. Wei Xin was adaptable to any environment. As tenacious as a weed, she could fend for herself well even without her parents. Now she was in a completely new, unfamiliar environment. However, she was optimistic that, despite the complex and dangerous nature of her in-game identity, she had a relatively stable start.

This was because her current identity was a patient, a rookie security guard injured by a thug while on an internship.

While she was recovering, she was safe and temporarily out of trouble. Furthermore, her injury was on her head, so feigning amnesia was a cliché, but it worked.

This gave Wei Xin ample time to recover.

The question of why she had traveled through time was too profound, and Wei Xin didn't have the energy to delve into it.

The pressing issue before her was how to survive.

The six pieces of advice were deeply ingrained in her mind. "First, please treat the game world as the real world."

"Second, do not reveal your player identity to anyone."

"Third, do not disclose the game content to anyone."

"Fourth, you only have one life, and death is irreversible."

"Fifth, if you choose to start the game, you will only have two paths: 'Complete the game' or 'Death'."

"Sixth, everything has a price."

Points four and five can be considered together, as they emphasize the consequences of death. The saying "you only have one life" is most likely no joke.

If the game world is considered the second world, then the player's reality can be called the first world. If someone dies in the second world, will the first world also die?

The price of death is unbearable for anyone, and Wei Xin felt the pressure—the pressure of survival.

Wei Xin had twelve hours to recover from her injuries.

In twelve hours, she would leave the sanatorium and come into direct contact with the people of the second world. Given her complex identity, she might have to frequently interact with a rebel group called "Mechanical Dawn." She'd have to work her way up the ranks of the Investigation Department, earning everyone's trust. She'd have to become a qualified traitor, concealing her identity and passing intelligence to the organization...

Wei Xin had a buffer, but she had a blast starting the game.

Every step required careful and cautious action, as a single mistake could lead to a BE.

I wonder if any other players are as unlucky as she is?

The recuperation pod was operating, beams of blue light sweeping across her body as healing potions flowed through her veins. Wei Xin's scalp felt itchy and tingling, her wounds rapidly healing.

"Check, check the panel?" Wei Xin tentatively muttered to herself.

The game system responded, the screen unfolding again, revealing familiar text.

She skipped over the basic identity settings, which she had reviewed several times, and checked another section.

[Basic Attributes]

Name: Wei Xin

Occupation: Depriver

Supernatural Ability: [Not Acquired]

Inherent Talent: [Performance] You possess exceptional acting skills, capable of deceiving most people. [Resilience] You have a strong life force like a cockroach.

[Danger Avoidance] You are keenly aware of dangers around you and can avoid them.

[Quick Learning] You will achieve twice the result with half the effort in learning any skill.

Profession: Depriver? What exactly does Depriver mean?

The system prompted: "Depriver, a profession that gains power by hunting those with special abilities and stealing their supernatural powers."

Gaining supernatural powers by killing those with special abilities? Killing someone with supernatural powers, and then transferring their supernatural powers to yourself?

Wei Xin's heart skipped a beat as her heart rate rapidly increased on the monitor in the recovery cabin.

"Abnormal heart rate, abnormal heart rate..." The cabin's alarm beeped.

Wei Xin immediately took a series of deep breaths to stabilize her heartbeat. After more than ten seconds, the alarm stopped.

She was about to ponder the brutal profession of Depriver, but the next moment, the lights in her room went out.

The metal door opened, and someone entered her ward. Wei Xin turned her head and peered through the clear glass toward the door.

Dr. Huang, wiping his glasses, slowly approached, tapped on the glass, and smiled at Wei Xin, "How are you feeling?"

Wei Xin opened her mouth to say, "I seem to have lost my memory."

But Dr. Huang's next move interrupted her.

He opened the recuperation pod, pulled a blue chip from his watch, and thrust it into Wei Xin's hand. He lowered his voice and said, "This is something the organization asked me to give you."

Wei Xin: What? What organization? What organization? Explain clearly!

She sensed something was amiss. The affable Dr. Huang before her was actually hiding his true identity as a traitor like her?

Dr. Huang nodded to Wei Xin, "I don't have high authority to know your mission. For all future operations, please inform me if necessary, and I will do my best to cooperate."

Wei Xin didn't know how to react and could only stare at him expressionlessly. "And this, too. This is the living history of the person you're currently replacing. Please read it carefully. Some small habits are the hardest to imitate and the easiest to expose. Fortunately, the person you're impersonating is a recent intern and unfamiliar with everyone, so it shouldn't be difficult to replace them." Doctor Huang then produced a black chip and a silver bracelet. "The organization's communicator is right here. The higher-ups will contact you through this."

"...Yeah," Wei Xin replied indifferently.

Too much talk would only lead to more mistakes, so she decided to remain silent.

"Ah, you've made a huge sacrifice," Doctor Huang sighed. "You took a hit to the head to disguise the wound, and voluntarily underwent mechanical modification surgery... Don't worry, that person has been dealt with by the organization. Her genetic information and life trajectory have been altered. From now on, you are 'Wei Xin,' the patrol security officer for Field Team 7."

After hearing these words, a clearer connection suddenly formed in Wei Xin's mind. The trainee security guard in the Investigation Department was also named "Wei Xin." Unfortunately, this "Security Officer Wei Xin" was replaced by an undercover agent from the Mechanical Dawn and then killed. Wei Xin himself was disguised as the undercover agent who replaced "Security Officer Wei Xin"... So confusing!

"There's more than one Awakened in this Investigation Department, and the heads of various teams and departments possess extraordinary abilities. Awakened abilities are diverse and encompass everything," said Doctor Huang. "There's a rumor in the Investigation Department that the head of the Criminal Investigation team possesses the ability to 'detect lies.' Please be careful."

Wei Xin said briefly, "I understand."

"Everything for Dawn," Doctor Huang said, looking at Wei Xin meaningfully.

"Why does this sentence... sound so much like a comrade's declaration?" Wei Xin reacted quickly, repeating, "Everything for Dawn."

Dr. Huang nodded, sighing, "Take care. I'm rushing to my next surgery... Alas, when I first came in, I didn't expect I'd have to work so hard."

Wei Xin stared at his back until he left.

A fierce desire to survive overwhelmed Wei Xin; danger was all around her.

What kind of organization is the Mechanical Dawn? They can eliminate someone and replace them without hesitation. They don't seem like good people at all. What's their purpose in placing an undercover agent in the Investigation Department? What is the ultimate goal of the resistance?

Most importantly, Wei Xin wasn't sure if she could ever leave the Second World and return to the First. What would she do if she were trapped here forever?

Wei Xin took deep breaths to slow her heart rate, lest the abnormal heart rate alarm sound again in the recovery pod.

Her gaze fixed on the word "Depriver."

If she had anything to rely on, it was undoubtedly the abilities of the Depriver. This terrifying ability might be her only hope.

Her unique identity forced her to walk on a tightrope, facing abysses to the left and right, and the danger of plummeting to the bottom of a cliff to the front and back. Wei Xin worried that she had no chance to quit.

No traitor could ever retire after achieving success. What would happen if she betrayed the Mechanical Dawn? If she betrayed the Investigation Department, the consequences would be even worse, as she was also a Level 1 wanted criminal.

The price of death had made Wei Xin cautious. Her previous solitary life had taught her to protect and arm herself.

She pondered for a long time, ultimately deciding to treat this time-traveling adventure as a game—a real game, a game she couldn't lose, a game where her life depended.

She would complete this game, reach the end, avoiding all the bad outcomes and achieving the happy ending... by any means necessary.