NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 16
Chapter 16 The Sea Without Light
Silverface went into combat mode; his demeanor grew cold and severe like a drawn blade. His pale pink eyes beneath the mask scanned the darkness cautiously. The mask he wore was itself a piece of equipment with built-in night vision capabilities. He activated the night vision function, scanning and searching for any suspicious figures with his enhanced gaze.
“Sixty meters east from our position, in the abandoned residential building at three o’clock,” Silverface calculated the sniper’s location based on ballistics.
He did not pursue the sniper because Kui Xin was not an Awakened; one bullet could potentially be lethal to her. He could not determine if there were other assassins lurking around, so he had to prioritize protecting her.
Kui Xin had an alloy skull. Apart from the skull, the rest of her body was flesh and blood, which would bleed when injured.
“Do not let my blood spill onto the ground; use your Extraordinary Ability,” Kui Xin reluctantly instructed Silverface.
Her biological information matched that logged by the Investigation Bureau; anything containing her biological information could identify her precisely.
Silverface opened his palm, causing the fragments of the mask and the blood adhering to it to dissolve under his control. Even the blood trickling down to her chin floated mid-air with his control, none touching the ground.
“As long as I am here, they will not get your blood,” Silverface said softly.
“Go after him,” Kui Xin replied, her vision regaining clarity. “Together, we’ll make sure you’re ready to defend.”
The abandoned residential buildings lacked windows; bullets came from those structures. Due to the poverty and disorder in the Harbor Zone, many streetlights were broken, rendering sight difficult without using technology.
Silverface’s body transformed into transparent flowing water, and Kui Xin broke into a run.
The sprint champion of the First World could complete the hundred-meter mark in under ten seconds, averaging ten meters per second. Kui Xin’s speed approached comparable standards.
She had never run this quickly before! She left the wind behind.
Kui Xin used her palm to launch herself off the ground, bouncing off the frame of a window on the first floor of the abandoned building, grabbing the second floor with her arm. She climbed swiftly, as if swinging on a single bar.
She heard footsteps—someone fleeing hurriedly downstairs.
Echoes of the footsteps reverberated throughout the empty floors.
That individual was close to Kui Xin; she saw an outline at the corner of the staircase.
Swiftly, Kui Xin leaped from the window, breaking off a rusted iron bar from a corroded security grille. She ran two steps, then made the movements of throwing a spear and flung it.
Clang—the iron bar hit its target!
“Aah…!” A figure collapsed, screaming as their shoulder was pierced, a rifle falling from his grasp.
A swirl of water appeared, enveloping the enemy whose shoulder was impaled.
Silverface landed nearby, pulling the water-bound body towards Kui Xin with a rope of water.
The bearded man fell askew, bleeding profusely from his shoulder wound, blood merging with the swirling water controlled by Silverface.
Dishevelled and in pain, the man groaned and curled in agony, his half-grown hair obscuring his face.
An unfamiliar person, confirmed Kui Xin.
She activated the camera function on her bracelet; Silverface directed the water to clear the hair away from the man’s face so she could take pictures.
He had used a limited range rifle; thus, he approached instead of sniping from a great distance. With the Harbor Zone being impoverished and buildings mostly low and obstructive, finding a suitable point was challenging. His sniper position was higher than the second floor, likely above the fourth. Realizing he missed, he fled downstairs, but he was no match for Kui Xin.
“Have you had interrogation training?” Kui Xin queried Silverface.
Taking a step forward, Silverface said grimly, “Let me handle this.”
He pulled the iron bar out of the man’s shoulder, controlling the blood flow to prevent rapid exsanguination.
“Who sent you? Who are you working for?” Silverface asked sternly.
Breathing heavily and distorted by pain, the man did not answer. Silverface extended his hand, surrounding the man’s head with water; bubbles appeared from the man’s mouth as water filled his lungs, causing intense convulsions.
After a minute, the convulsions diminished. Silverface released the water and asked again, “Who sent you?”
Gasping for air, coughing up water, the man trembled in terror, “I don’t know! Please, I don’t!”
Silverface delivered a harsh kick to the man’s jaw, causing two teeth to fly out.
Again, Silverface repeated his question, “Who sent you?”
“I really don’t know!” the man exclaimed desperately.
Scarcely before he finished speaking, the water surrounded his head once more. This time, Silverface let him struggle for a longer period until he could barely move, then disbursed the water so he could breathe.
“Still saying you don’t know?” Silverface stepped heavily on the man’s wounded shoulder, ensuring his mind stayed sharp amidst the pain.
“I’m just an unscrupulous assassin. I was drinking at a bar, making a drug deal. Afterward, I blacked out,” the man gasped, his color turning ghastly.
His eyes bulged, burst with a crack, and two small dark red tentacles stretched out through the sockets. A creature resembling a spider with elongated mandibles and two tentacles erupted from his skull, its appendages spreading wide.
Half of his brain within the skull was eaten away by some unknown creature, yet he still lived, trembling spasmodically, black blood oozing from his eyes, nostrils, and ears.
Even Silverface recoiled from the bizarre, unsettling sight.
Kui Xin lifted her bracelet to photograph the unknown creature. The next moment, the convulsing man and the grotesque creature dissolved into a pool of blood.
Blood beads oozed from the man’s skin, then dried up, tightly adhering to the bones, akin to a mummy. Eventually, bones and flesh melted away, leaving only bloody clothing behind.
This process was swift and silent.
“This is an unprecedented xenomorph species,” said Silverface gravely.
Xenomorph species came in various forms; the blood-red spider-demon-like creature she witnessed was a brand new variation.
Even though Silverface had seen many xenomorphs, this particular species was a novel encounter.
Detecting an acrid odor of blood, Kui Xin resisted the urge to gag. Grabbing the iron bar, she extracted the blood-soaked clothing, finding a glinting communicator inside, which was still operational.
Both exchanged looks silently, drawing the same conclusion—
Who is the other end of that communicator talking to?
Kneeling beside the communicator, Kui Xin declared, “Your men are dead.”
In the next second, the light on the communicator flickered and went out, signaling the person on the other line had disconnected.
During the entire interaction from when Kui Xin apprehended the assassin to when Silverface interrogated him, the communicator remained active.
Thus, what she and Silverface communicated was overheard by the other party.
Chilled to her core, Kui Xin realized that if they had inadvertently disclosed critical details post apprehension, it would have exposed her secret identity to the listener.
This was the first instance Kui Xin felt manipulated.
The attackers’ meticulous planning, aiming at her without revealing themselves, coupled with this unexpected communications tool, left her deeply unsettled.
Fortunately, they questioned the assassin swiftly upon capture, avoiding any further leakage of information. Notably, her voice changer remained intact, preventing her true voice from being heard.
Silverface touched his masked face with his finger. An invisible beam scanned the vicinity, and after checking the data provided by the mask, he announced, “No additional surveillance devices.”
Kui Xin responded, “Silverface, wash and secure the communicator. It’s key evidence. We need to find out more about this assassin, including his regular haunts and the bars where he might have met the transaction dealer. That person might be significant.”
“How could they attack us? Everything was arranged for our safety,” Silverface puzzled.
“No,” Kui Xin rebutted, biting her lip. “It wasn’t an attack on us. It was aimed directly at me.”
Shocked, Silverface stared at her incredulously.
“The assassin had a clear cut goal: targeting me. Your shot missed my head entirely,” Kui Xin stated. “I was his target, not you.”
Silverface suggested, “Maybe it was a coincidence…”
“There are no coincidences,” Kui Xin asserted. “Regardless, we mustn’t consider it as one.”
She raised her wrist, capturing photos of the blood puddle, zooming in to adjust contrast and brightness, seeking out overlooked details.
“And don’t you see? After failing to kill me with the first shot, he immediately fired several more, ones you blocked,” she analytically explained, mentally rehearsing. “By thinking like him, a multiple-target mission wouldn’t prompt me to observe results after firing the first round. I would focus on quickly engaging the next target, knowing that alarming others can jeopardize the mission’s success rate.”
“But he didn’t aim at me after the second shot. Every shot was aimed at you. You were the prime target!”
Kui Xin rapidly jotted down a report, attaching images, and forwarded it to the Headquarters of the Mechanical Dawn.
Hesitating briefly, she dialed Red.
“What’s going on?” Background noise buzzed with music.
“I was attacked; a new type of xenomorph appeared,” Kui Xin conveyed. “I’ve alerted the headquarters, now send me a healing potion; I’ve been hurt.”
“Damn!” Red responded. “Wait, I’m coming over, give me the coordinates.”
Kui Xin relayed her location. Immediately afterward, she contacted Thorn Rose.
“What’s the matter, Vice Commander?” silence greeted her query.
“Where are you?” Kui Xin inquired.
“At Beauty Salon 56 Middleway,” answered Thorn Rose quietly. “What happened?”
“Where’s the Ball Python?” Kui Xin asked.
“Asleep in the alley behind Ruby Red Bar, I assume,” Thorn Rose responded. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Without preamble, Kui Xin said, “Send me your current location.
“Ready to position.”
Thorn Rose disconnected the communication and in the next second sent over the positioning signal. It clearly showed that she was indeed at No. 56 Linzhong Road.
Kui Xin immediately called Python Sphere: “Send me your current positioning.”
“Okay, okay, Vice Commandant,” the sound of slurping noodles stopped from Python Sphere’s end, and soon after he also sent over his positioning.
The positioning indicated he was near Ruby Red Bar, matching what Thorn Rose had mentioned.
Next, within one minute, Kui Xin reached out to each member of the task execution team, asking them to send their positioning signals.
After reviewing all the positions submitted, Kui Xin found no one close to her location. She zoomed into the map to search for bars—the locations of all nearby bars were marked with red dots.
Kui Xin cross-referenced the received locations and the bar locations.
“Why did you ask everyone to send their positions?” Silverface asked, puzzled.
“Try to think with your head, Silverface,” Kui Xin temporarily stowed away her bracelet and picked up the rifle left by the assassin, then climbed the stairs on the second floor.
Silverface pondered and suddenly realized: “You suspect there’s a traitor among us?”
“Hmm.” Kui Xin ran her fingers across her cracked spider mask, “We just attended a meeting, and there was already someone trying to assassinate me on our way back. Is this too much of a coincidence?”
“Our comrades wouldn’t betray us!” Silverface exclaimed in shock.
“Why would someone want to kill only me? And why now?” Kui Xin countered.
Silverface stumbled through his thoughts.
He thought hard for a while and said: “Because…you’re a mole?”
The most unique part of Kui Xin’s identity was her role as the vice commander for the port explosion mission; however, every other member played a critical role during the mission and couldn’t possibly target her specifically. Only her identity as an undercover agent with the Investigation Bureau set her apart and made her stand out the most.
“I speculate that tonight’s meeting may have someone who’s a traitor, and this person has something to do with the Investigation Bureau. The traitor overheard information about my extraordinary status in the meeting and decided to act against me,” Kui Xin explained, “But this brings up a question.”
“What question?” Silverface failed to follow Kui Xin’s chain of thought.
“There’s an inconsistency here,” Kui Xin continued, “The Investigation Bureau’s duty is to purge xenomorphs, so how could they possibly control these creatures to infiltrate our ranks?”
The grotesque spider-like xenomorph had parasitized the assassin’s brain. When the assassin couldn’t complete his mission, the xenomorph immediately killed him, ate his brain, and dissolved his body, leaving no trace. The xenomorph disappeared along with the assassin.
Kui Xin had witnessed similar parasites before with jellyfish-like creatures which led human bodies to deform, but the one inside tonight’s assassin was different—it enabled normal speech and only died when the xenomorph emerged.
Kui Xin believed the assassin was a puppet controlled by the xenomorph. Someone must have put the xenomorph into the assassin’s body, and it had non-voluntarily carried out these actions under its parasitic control.
Silverface recalled never having seen such a spider-like xenomorph before.
Who controlled that xenomorph, and who placed it inside the assassin?
Kui Xin walked up to the third floor and looked outside a window devoid of glass. The view wasn’t expansive, and it was clear the assassin hadn’t fired from here. She then went to inspect the fourth floor, and when she reached the fifth, instinct alerted her to halt.
After some thinking, she told Silverface, “I’ll approach the fifth-floor window; it’s too exposed without cover. Can you shield me with a water curtain?”
“Sure.” Silverface replied.
Kui Xin walked to the window, looking down. She spotted a shell casing.
The assassin had shot from the western side of the fifth floor, on the second window from the right. On further inspection, she found more shell casings under that window.
Fortunately, the assassin used a rifle. Had he used the high-accuracy K80, a single bullet could penetrate her metal skull.
Standing at the wide-open window, Kui Xin had no cover.
Suddenly, “Hazard Avoidance” was triggered again! A laser dot from a gun-mounted aiming system appeared on her.
Again, it was a silenced weapon—no sound as the bullets were fired. This time, Silverface was prepared due to Kui Xin’s warning, and the water wall spread instantly, deflecting the bullets.
Silverface’s water curtain fully enveloped Kui Xin, protecting her from being shot.
“It’s a setup!” Silverface gasped, “Someone else is ambushing you!”
He felt a chill run down his spine.
Kui Xin had been hit en route but was still alive. Tracking the assassin to an abandoned building resulted in his death. But upon entering the crime scene, another bullet nearly hit her.
If Kui Xin had let her guard down thinking she was safe after the assassin’s demise, she would be dead.
“We should follow,” Silverface said.
“Do you see the red dot on me? This isn’t a rifle; it’s a sniper. Too far, we can’t catch them,” Kui Xin chose to give up rationally, “This mastermind is very cautious.”
She and Silverface moved away from the window to retreat. Finding a safer spot, they waited there for Red to arrive.
“If you were to pick someone from today’s meeting whom you trust the most, who would you choose?” Kui Xin asked Silverface.
“Red. He’s the oldest member here,” Silverface answered.
“If you were to choose the least trusted one?”
“Someone I’m not familiar with, cannot make the judgment.” Silverface replied.
“The others might not have betrayed us—they could be parasitized, controlled. If the species could parasitize an awakened individual…”
Silverface’s gaze was heavy, “Headquarters will investigate that xenomorph.”
Kui Xin pulled her hood tighter, hiding her face.
“They might be hiding their identities, but we should be wary of someone with extraordinary abilities,” she mused, “If we weren’t careful with real-time positioning, it might be tampered with.”
She called out to gauge the enemy’s tactics. Maybe if she identified a weakness, she could reveal the mastermind’s identity.
It was unfortunate the mastermind was a ‘pro,’ well-hidden even with multiple setups.
Five minutes later, Red arrived. Riding a motorbike with a bartender, both masked with disguises.
The bartender got off first, his eyes beneath the mask turning red as he checked their surroundings: “No surveillance devices, no armed suspicious individuals. Safe for now.”
Red adjusted his colored hair with a quick look and assessed Kui Xin thoroughly. He tossed her a vial, “Here’s some topical medication. Looks like it’s on your forehead. It’ll heal in three hours, don’t worry.”
Kui Xin unwrapped the vial, slipped her hand under the hood, and applied the medication, “I’ve reported the incident to headquarters.”
“Catch anyone?” Red said.
“Dead. I was investigating the scene while waiting for you, then attacked again. We didn’t pursue since the shooter was too far.” Kui Xin retrieved her armlet, emailing photos to Red, “Everything’s here, including the evidence, a communicator and a gun. Silverface holds the communicator.”
“A new xenomorph species,” Red grumbled, disgusted, “As revolting as usual, only fitting for you.”
The bartender leaned over to check the photos too, his frown matching Red’s.
“That corpse was on the second floor… now, just remains. We can get a sample, though. They were shooting from around four to five o’clock while hiding in that derelict building.”
“I believe someone is a traitor,” Red concluded with the same logic Kui Xin reached independently, “Too coincidental, impossible.”
Though strange-looking, Red was sharp.
“We changed our route home, yet enemies tracked me,” Kui Xin said.
“How did they track us? By manpower or mini-mechs?” Silverface asked solemnly, “We’re in great danger.”
“It was no tech devices since I detected nothing. Regular tracking methods would be found,” the bartender suggested, “Extraordinary abilities possibly.”
“The enemy knew a bit too much,” Silverface added, “But I sensed nothing.”
Kui Xin observed, the bartender seemed capable of detecting certain aspects of technology, perhaps related to espionage.
“Let’s stay elsewhere,” Red advised, “Until we understand their tracking methods. You guys rest in the safe house.”
“I’ll contact HQ to bring in auxiliary squads for the investigation.”
These auxiliaries often weren’t enhanced, more like logistical helpers, but trained rigorously.
“Normal folk are the backbone of our Organization,” Red noted.
“You two handle the rest,” Kui Xin said. “I can’t afford downtime, unlike you.”
“Understood.” Red responded. “Leave the rear guard issues to me, focus on Investigation Bureau affairs.”
A dangerous aura surrounded him.
“Bring him to me live,” Kui Xin said, “I want to know who it is.”
The python said, “It’s too dangerous. Damn it, damn it! I shouldn’t have been tempted to agree to kill Lady Fortune on your behalf! Red’s methods are more terrifying than you can imagine, and Lady Fortune isn’t someone easy to mess with; they would suspect me… They’re already suspicious of me! After Lady Fortune was hit by gunfire, she contacted me through communication to ask where I am. This guy must be testing me!”
The python was increasingly worried and frightened. He said, “The risk I took is much greater than what you described. I cannot take any more risks.”
“Stop dodging responsibility. The main reason we are in this adverse situation is because you failed to attach enough scent markers to your teammates. If the scent markers had successfully attached, everyone at tonight’s meeting could have been tracked down smoothly, and we could have immediately begun our decapitation operation, eliminating them one by one, not having to worry like this anymore.” That person said coldly, “But your scent markers only marked a few people, and there were too few to keep track of for longer than two hours.”
“If it weren’t for the fleeting chance that presented itself, and that Lady Fortune’s identity and role in the meeting were so critical, I wouldn’t have asked you to do it tonight. You know how a seasoned spy can corrode a tightly-knit organization. Lady Fortune must die; we’d lose our chance tonight if we missed it. We don’t even know who Lady Fortune is yourself! Your failure to kill Lady Fortune, not to mention obtaining her tissue samples, is entirely your mistake.”
“Red didn’t explicitly confirm that Lady Fortune is a spy; he just said it was suspected and needed further investigation. What’s the point of your firm belief that Lady Fortune is a spy?” Python argued, “Your rushed decisions cost us, yet I have to bear the consequences.”
The python took out a specially modified cigarette, but before he could light it up, Silverface doused it with water, extinguishing his plan.
“Lady Fortune and Silverface had some scent markers attached initially. After the informant briefed me on the details of the meeting, he offered a high price to have Lady Fortune assassinated. I placed the parasite xenomorphs in the bar as decoy targets, thinking everything was perfectly foolproof. But the assassination mission failed. Completely.”
“I can’t afford to take any more risks,” the python said.
“If you don’t want to take risks, what do you want to do? Once you’re involved, do you wish to remain under their control in Mechanized Dawn, being brainwashed? Follow my advice, stay low and wait for an opportunity. Once the time comes, I can help you regain your freedom, and your real name isn’t ‘Python’. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten it completely?”
The python fell silent.
“If you think it’s dangerous, you can temporarily refrain from taking action and focus on relaying information,” the communicator said softly. “Lady Fortune is a significant threat to us, which is why I’m eager to deal with it. I underestimated Lady Fortune and Silverface’s strength, causing the failure. It’s also my fault.”
But the python still hesitated. “But I……”
“Five million more,” the voice through the communicator remained calm. “Once you complete your work and retire, you can go wherever you want with this sum.”
“What I crave isn’t money. You don’t understand,” the python replied.
After a moment, the person on the other side said, “Plus a bottle of Divine Blood.”
The python froze.
“You’ve reached your peak regarding your talent. An Awakened’s path ends here, and you’ll always remain a C-class. You’ll never reach higher.” That person continued persuading him. “If you feel hopeless on your journey as an Awakened, you can choose another path to start afresh… You know what that path is.”
“A Heterogeneous Blooded!” exclaimed the python.
“Yes. By taking Divine Blood, you will become a Heterogeneous Blooded and become stronger.” The person said. “If you are strong enough, Mechanized Dawn won’t be able to harm you.”
“I’ve heard the body of a Heterogeneous Blooded could potentially turn into a monster…”
“The safety has increased significantly after diluting and filtering, reducing the heterogenesis probability. You can’t avoid all risks.”
The python mulled over it for a long time. “Fine, I can continue as a double agent. As you said, I only need to relay information, nothing else. Don’t expect me to kill anyone for you.”
“No problem,” the person replied generously. “Tell me more about Lady Fortune: height, physical features, her voice. The more specific, the better.”
The python pondered, “Lady Fortune uses a voice changer. Her actual voice is unknown. She measures about 175 cm tall. Her gender is unknown….”
“Gender unspecified?” The person was startled.
“The gender of Lady Fortune is too obvious, possibly a red herring. She might actually be a man. A man at 175 cm is not out of the ordinary, nor is a woman. Besides, Lady Fortune might wear prosthetic breasts to disguise herself. The more eccentric a person is, the stranger their hobby tends to be. Red, for example, has rather odd interests,” the python explained solemnly. “Based on my experience, even if Lady Fortune sounds like a woman, she shouldn’t be treated as such until proven otherwise. Height can be concealed with shoe lifts or hollow-soled shoes. If Lady Fortune’s extraordinary ability involves deception, what then?”
“…The intel you provided is almost useless. I can’t lock down the target,” the person stated.
“As a double agent, you must always consider all possibilities.” The python stressed.
“This time, you thought more than you ever did before. Are you spooked by Lady Fortune?” The person sneered.
Just then, the python noticed his bracelet blinking. Thorn Rose sent a communication.
“Gotta go. My teammates are looking for me,” the python closed the communicator device. Then, using his usual booming voice, he called out, “Hey, boss!”
“Did you finish your late-night snack? Go get ready for work right away,” Thorn Rose replied coldly.
“Sure thing. Be there in five minutes, Boss, please rest first!” the python flattered.
After hanging up, the python patted his fleshy face and straightened his posture. He then headed out on his motorcycle to find Thorn Rose.
…
“This room is nice,” Silverface looked around.
Kui Xin opened the closet and found it filled with a variety of clothing from streetwear to formal suits. Beside them were ample cosmetics for disguising purposes.
She brought out clothes, knocked, and the bottom of the closet emitted a hollow sound. Lifting the bottom revealed a hidden passage. Red mentioned that this passage led directly to the city’s complex underground drainage system, acting as an escape route.
They returned to the Ruby Red Bar, this time in the sub-basement, which served as a safe house for organization members to rest and recover.
Silverface opened a can of fruit and sat cross-legged on the ground eating.
All the emergency food stored in the safe house was in canned form. Medicines and weapon supplies were kept in separate boxes. Behind the framed pictures on the wall laid a safe containing gold bars. The Second World was a cashless society, but gold, as a valuable metal, still circulated, serving as hard currency in black market transactions.
“How do you plan to go to work tomorrow?” Silverface asked.
“Through this secret passage,” Kui Xin sat on the bed, opening a map to study the sewer lines.
She glanced at the time, now three in the morning.
Such a continuous cycle of day and night shifts might eventually lead her to exhaustion.
“Where should I sleep?” Silverface inquired.
Kui Xin suggested, “Sleep on the floor?”
Silverface did not oppose the idea; he had slept on the sofa while staying at Kui Xin’s place and had never expected to share a bed.
After finishing the can of fruit, Silverface spread a blanket on the floor, lay down, and began sleeping.
Kui Xin turned off the lights and lay down too.
When counting all the people she knows, Silverface is arguably the most dependable one.
If she were to pick the least likely person to make a move against her among those attending the meeting today, it would be Silverface. His extraordinary abilities are formidable. Killing Kui Xin could be accomplished with just a finger’s motion.
Silverface is straightforward. His intentions are pure, and this is why Kui Xin trusts him.
Second would be Red. Red knew Kui Xin’s identity and tasks, as well as the location of her home and her position in the Investigation Bureau. Eliminating her would be simple for him.
If she had to identify the most suspicious one among them…she would choose the Python.
Because he stood out too much, acting foolishly.
The python’s behavior seemed natural, without any trace of acting. Yet, somehow, Kui Xin found him suspicious — inexplicably so.
She wondered when she began harboring negative feelings towards the python.
Recalling everything, she realized she detested the smell of cigar smoke when he smoked.
Kui Xin couldn’t sleep, and Silverface whispered, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Your breathing is too loud,” Kui Xin responded.
In silence for a moment, Silverface said, “I’ll try to breathe quietly.”
Reflecting for a while, Kui Xin picked up her bracelet and sent a message to Red. “Red, focus on investigating the Python. I have a bad feeling about him.”
Soon, Red responded, “Understood.”
By four in the morning, she needed to sleep.
Tomorrow, Kui Xin faced a new challenge—she needed to navigate the interview for her probationary promotion under the scrutiny of various group leaders in the Investigation Bureau.