Chapter Ten: An Irresistible Reason—The Embedded Implant!

"Cousin, please get up..."
"I see."

Su Cheng closed the door and carefully placed Zhu Shan'er onto the surgical bed. "Brainless" picked up the heavy case.

"Pull the isolation curtain, disinfect the space, and re-sterilize all surgical instruments."
"Received!"
Brainless moved immediately, his actions swift. If he were repairing a cyborg, Su Cheng wouldn't bother with these precautions, nor would they be necessary. But Zhu Shan'er was still an original human; that leg of hers was only capable of walking and lacked a connection to a backup photonic brain. Even though the surgical conditions were poor and equipment was nearly non-existent, what could be done had to be done.

He carefully examined Zhu Shan'er. Her body was covered in extensive contusions and bruises, the most severe injury being her severed left arm. Fortunately, there were no internal injuries. She had simply lost too much blood and was suffering from extreme exhaustion; she had passed out from mental collapse. It was hard to imagine a fifteen-year-old girl dragging such a frail body, hauling that heavy case all the way here!

Su Cheng immediately synthesized two bottles of intermediate nutrient solution into one bottle of advanced nutrient solution and fed it to Zhu Shan'er. Advanced nutrient solution could restore a human body to its optimal state and had certain medicinal properties. Since he lacked a blood bank, he could only hope the solution would be effective.

Brainless pulled up the isolation curtain, creating a relatively enclosed surgical space, and began the disinfection process. Afterward, he carefully re-sterilized the surgical tools. Su Cheng began by cleaning Zhu Shan'er’s wounds with saline. Brainless stood by in silence, providing tools with tacit, rhythmic coordination.

"Ugh!"
The intense pain jolted Zhu Shan'er awake. Yet, she didn't cry out; instead, she bit her teeth together, holding on, even as she twitched from the pain and her gums began to bleed.

Su Cheng glanced at the suffering girl, his movements growing faster. Although he was only a prosthetic limb technician, cyborgs still possessed partial human bodies, requiring knowledge of human surgery. Otherwise, he would just be a robot repairman. He didn't know what the girl had experienced, but he knew the agony of surgery without anesthesia. He had endured such pain himself. Therefore, he could only work as fast as possible to minimize the time of the procedure.

"Your wounds must be from yesterday; they are already infected, so I need to remove the infected tissue. I don't have anesthesia, so please bear with it."
Su Cheng began directly scraping away the rotten, infected flesh from the stump of her arm. Zhu Shan'er immediately fainted from the pain, falling into shock.

"Inject 1mg of adrenaline, perform CPR."
Adrenaline was an absolute treasure in this old world! After Brainless injected it into her vein, he immediately began standard CPR. After a long while...

Su Cheng set down his tools and sighed with relief as he watched Zhu Shan'er’s breathing stabilize. Because of his own physical enhancements, the surgery had been faster and more precise.

"What happened to this girl, to get her in such a state?" Brainless asked, his camera lens drooping with worry. Zhu Shan'er was a regular here; her mother, Judy, was often injured due to her work and would always bring her daughter along.

Su Cheng didn't answer. He synthesized another bottle of advanced nutrient solution and fed it to her. If Zhu Shan'er hadn't given him the Eye of Dimensions, he might have found it difficult to avenge his parents, let alone have any hope of accomplishing anything else important. Regardless of the eye, he would have saved her anyway. In this old world, this little girl, who like him still remained an original human, was like a lotus rising from the mud.

It wasn't until noon that Zhu Shan'er slowly woke up. She turned to look at Su Cheng. Perhaps due to the advanced nutrient solution, her condition was decent. She pointed to the box on the floor: "Brother Su, please modify me."

Su Cheng opened the case and frowned immediately. The girl trusted him so much. Inside lay a metal device resembling a human spine, along with two shimmering silver prosthetic arms—these were Type B combat prosthetics! There were also two prosthetic eyes with colorful sclera and pink irises, two mantis blades, a set of reinforced protective gear, and several firearms.

Brainless gasped in surprise: "No way, first-generation military implants!"
Military implants could be directly embedded into the human body, connecting automatically to the brain and other prosthetics without the need for additional backup mimetic photonic brains. They allowed for more coordinated and rapid control of all other prosthetics, amplifying performance while granting various powerful abilities. They were absolutely rare items! They weren't for civilian use because they were meant for the military. Although this was the first generation, it could turn an ordinary person into an elite soldier instantly! Consequently, most people couldn't withstand the toll of its power. The contents of this case were beyond valuation.

Su Cheng remained silent, looking at Zhu Shan'er. The little girl had just handed them to him like that.

"Mom said these were things Dad left behind, that they would attract bad people, so she never took them out," Zhu Shan'er said, opening the identity chip on her wrist. "This is all the money Mom saved. She said she wanted to buy me a good leg, so I could go to a big city and live a better life."

A message popped up on Su Cheng's wrist chip:
[Zhu Shan'er has transferred: 4,146 Alliance Credits to you.]

Zhu Shan'er looked at Su Cheng with tear-filled eyes, pleading: "It's all for you, Brother Su. Modify me. Take my original body, take everything, I beg you!"

Brainless said worriedly: "Little sister, embedding these implants can kill you. They are too powerful. A survivor can't handle it, and your body is even less capable—you're too weak."

Zhu Shan'er’s eyes were firm: "It's okay. I'm not afraid!"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a prosthetic eye: "Brother Su, that last eye was broken. I secretly took one a customer didn't want. This one is good. I remember you saying your eyes hurt on rainy days."

Su Cheng’s heart trembled slightly at her words. He took a deep breath: "Why do you want this modification?"
Zhu Shan'er’s voice trembled: "To avenge Mom!"

Su Cheng walked over, picked up the prosthetic eye, and gripped it tightly: "Alright!"
This was a reason he could not refuse. It was the most powerful reason in the entire world!
"It will be very painful—extremely painful. Endure it!"

Zhu Shan'er closed her eyes and nodded firmly: "I want those bad people dead!"

"Disinfect again. Prepare the cold storage box."
Su Cheng took out the remaining eight bottles of intermediate nutrient solution, synthesizing them into one bottle of basic enhancement fluid and two bottles of advanced nutrient solution.
"Drink this. It will hurt." He handed the basic enhancement fluid to Zhu Shan'er.

Brainless was right; her body was too weak to handle the implants. She had to be strengthened. Zhu Shan'er didn't hesitate for a second and drank it. Instantly, her blood turned blue, and immense, searing pain surged through every limb and bone. But this could not compare to the pain in her heart!

Brainless quickly prepared the tools. Su Cheng looked at the now-enhanced Zhu Shan'er: "It begins now. Just remember the hatred! Keep the image of those people killing your mother in your mind, and you will be able to hold on!"

Without anesthesia, he had to embed the implants into her spine, remove her eyes, and physically sever her right arm! The pain was unimaginable. Only hatred—the memory of those who had been so cruel to her—could possibly help her survive. It was also an incredibly physically draining surgery.

*Zzzzz...*
Blood sprayed out, instantly staining the isolation curtain and the floor! Skin separated from flesh, muscle from bone. Zhu Shan'er’s entire body trembled!

Su Cheng picked up the implant, carefully, precisely, and quickly placing it onto her spine. The implant automatically latched on, instantly extending two rows of pins like a centipede, embedding them into the vertebrae! Once the pins were in, countless neural wires branched out, connecting to Zhu Shan'er’s brain while simultaneously piercing into muscle fibers and various parts of her body!

Zhu Shan'er fainted from the pain again.
"2mg of adrenaline!"
"Injected!"

As the surgery progressed, Su Cheng and Brainless were both covered in blood.

"Hoo..."
Su Cheng let out a long breath. The modification was complete, and he had even repaired her bent leg along the way. He fed her the last bottle of advanced nutrient solution. The hazy lights outside filtered through the window, casting a glow on Zhu Shan'er’s face.

Without realizing it, the sunlight had faded, and the night had grown deep.