37: Chapter 25: The Clinic 37: Chapter 25: The Clinic In Old Cui’s Prosthetic Clinic, Xu Yang saw the middle-aged man from the short video up close.
He looked even more weathered than in the video, his face covered with stubble, his expression anxious.
The man in the mask had been next to the middle-aged man during his shouting spree, remaining quiet the entire time.
Now, seeing him in person, he was exactly the same, still silently working on the implant parts in his hands, showing no interest in engaging in conversation with anyone.
Xu Yang surveyed the surroundings, shelves were filled with various kinds of implants and prosthetics, smart eyes, optical scanners, subdermal temperature control devices, blood purification equipment, alloy claws, bio-stomachs…
They could greatly enhance human body functions, not only compensating for disabilities but also helping humans transcend physiological limits.
In the center of the Prosthetics Clinic, there was a huge surgical chair with several shadowless lamps casting their pale light on the chair stained with splotches of blood, unknown how many patients had been operated on it.
Apart from that, the other areas were very dim, only the television and computer continued to emit light.
Due to signal issues, the images and sound were choppy; the TV screen flickered on and off, and the computer at the counter was not in use, displaying a screen saver of several naked women posing provocatively.
Overall, this was a dirty, chaotic prosthetics clinic with polluted air; Xu Yang would never have visited such a place before the switch.
Before most implant surgeries, doctors and clients must sign contracts with the corresponding companies to obtain after-sales service and consultation for breakdown prevention.
But a clinic of this size would certainly not let customers go through the process, to avoid compensation claims from customers in the event of a prosthetic malfunction, and customers also liked these non-conforming shops, where they could avoid limitations such as age, physical conditions, and payment ability, and get their preferred prosthetics in one go.
“Where’s Rat?” The middle-aged man rushed to the door and saw the rat corpses scattered haphazardly, their tragic deaths evidently startling him, “How did they all die?”
“You’re safe now,” Xu Yang said.
“Safe?” The middle-aged man looked at Xu Yang skeptically, “This world isn’t safe!
There are cameras everywhere, people scanning you everywhere, no one is safe, I’m not, you’re not!”
“There’s a big power outage in Katagi District, the cameras on the roads are offline, and as long as you don’t enter corporate territories, they don’t bother with you.”
Naive!” the middle-aged man ground his teeth, “The Giant Tower plan has already devoured all of us.”
“What exactly is the Giant Tower plan?”
“That’s a long story.”
“…Forget it, let’s deal with something else for now.” Xu Yang wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear this mysterious information.
“This door is rotten to the core,” Kanako closed the iron door.
“That’s not my problem,” the middle-aged man said, “Too many rats.”
“Back to business,” Xu Yang said, “I came here to be cured; that’s why I dealt with the rats outside for you.”
“Of course, of course!” he said, “Everything comes at a price.”
“My implant has been affected by an electromagnetic pulse; it’s already showing serious signs of disorder.
It would be great if you could fix it.”
“Customers come first,” said the middle-aged man with a gaunt face even more reminiscent of a rat than the Ratmen outside, “But there are too many rats outside, we have to act quickly.”
“Do you have any clue about these Ratmen?”
“The whole Aizu City has fallen.
I can guarantee it’s the company’s conspiracy, it’s all the doing of the company behind the scenes.
They want to clear us poor people out, and we don’t even have the courage to band together and oppose it loudly!”
“Relax, do a check on me first,” Xu Yang thought about repairing the Digital Mind, “Here.” He pointed to the metal interface at the back of his neck.
Lie down first,” the middle-aged man moved towards the surgical chair, “God knows which third-rate clinic you got that thing installed.”
“What’s your name?” Xu Yang lay down on the surgical chair.
“Cui Junyou, but you can call me Old Cui.
And you?” he wheeled over a chair, sat down, and took out a conical scanner wrapped in rubber cables to inspect Xu Yang.
How long have you been doing this?” Xu Yang did not wish for his sophisticated implant to be handled by an uneducated prosthesis doctor.
“It’s 30 years,” Cui Junyou replied, and then cursed, “What do you think I am, got into the business halfway?
Right after high school, I slaved away for those damn corporations.”
“Let’s not talk about it.” Cui Junyou didn’t want to dwell on it, “I’ve seen uncountable prosthetics and implants, saved tens of thousands of lives, no bragging there…
“It’s fixable, right?”
“Direct neural connection to the brain, conduction through the hippocampus…
Hey, isn’t this the Digital Mind?
Even without seeing the code, this looks like…
the craftsmanship of Kyushu High Pavilion.”
“I believe a patient deserves some privacy.”
“What’s your relation to Kyushu High Pavilion?”
“Can we continue the examination?” Xu Yang felt repulsed by the inquiry.
He certainly did not want to bring up his past again, as it involved too much.
“You’re a spy sent by the giant corporation,” Cui Junyou stopped what he was doing, “That’s right!
You’re a professional spy sent by Kyushu High Pavilion!
The Giant Tower plan has already been spread by me, killing me won’t help!”
“Really, Kyushu High Pavilion?” Kanako was curious, “They have a lot of products.”
“No,” Xu Yang could only deny, “I have nothing to do with Kyushu High Pavilion or with giant corporations.”
“Trying to fool me?” Cui Junyou put down the scanner, his face full of suspicion.
“This has nothing to do with the current situation,” Farosa said, “We saved you; you serve us.
forget it,” Cui Junyou said, “How would an employee of a giant corporation end up in Aizu City hunting rats?”
“Maybe because he got fired,” the masked man suggested.
Xu Yang glanced at the masked man, who wore a mask helmet with an attached hood, his entire body shrouded in a cloak, unwilling to reveal any information about his true body.
“Who is this?” Xu Yang asked.
“Nidelaide,” the masked man said, “Don’t mind me.”
“He is my assistant, Nidelaide Abel,” Cui Junyou took several implant parts from the masked man and examined them carefully, “He came here to learn from me as an apprentice.”
“Master Cui has meticulous craftmanship that belies his brusque exterior,” Nidelaide spoke.
“I’ve traveled through many cities of the world, Greeny City, Savvasbol, Hongnong, Shangjing.
Finally, I found a Prosthesis Doctor here willing to impart me the real skills.”
“Surely the prosthetics companies on the Ground must be better than here,” Xu Yang asked.
“Got my resume rejected, mail returned,” Nidelaide said.
“You don’t think he’s here because he’s down on his luck, do you?” Cui Junyou said, “Though the equipment here can’t compare to a prosthetics center, my medical expertise in prosthetics is top-notch.”
“I’ve survived an electromagnetic pulse blast, the components inside should be completely burned out.
“It’s a miracle you’re still alive and able to talk to me normally.
These exposed wires are about to pierce through your cerebral cortex, you’re lucky not to have something like epilepsy.”
“Who treated you before?
Why have many of the wounds healed on their own, leaving only some contusions?”
“I have a unique constitution,” Xu Yang hedged.
Farosa possessed the lost “Miracle.” This was also not something to disclose to others on a whim.
“Hmm…” Cui Junyou carefully scanned the internal structure, “…
“So, I’m beyond help?”
“No, although this is the workmanship of a giant corporation and very complex, there’s nothing I can’t solve.”
“…” Xu Yang astutely sensed a possibility, “You come from a giant corporation, don’t you?”
“All you need to know is that I’ve been in this field for 30 years,” Cui Junyou continued observing the imaging of Xu Yang’s head, “In those 30 years, I’ve seen worse than you.”
“They don’t treat people as humans,” Xu Yang suddenly felt a strong sense of empathy.
“At that time, a group of employees had work-rest chips installed.
To rush projects, those chips continuously secreted chemicals to hinder sleep while stimulating the mind, maintaining the spirit as if they’d consumed overdoses of caffeine and X-drug every day—filled with energy, madly working.
Starting from the seventh day, people collapsed one after another.
When they were brought to me, their bodies were like syringes, artificial compounds in the blood more than red blood cells.”
“They could live like that?”
“Thanks to prosthetic technology, I turned these employees into something else, and they survived,” Cui Junyou said.
Cui Junyou patted Xu Yang on the shoulder, motioning for him to get up.
“I can only tell you that they’re now living in a way that other professionals admire, their work efficiency and intensity higher than before.
As long as the company keeps supplying power to this group of people, their ‘survival’ time will be longer than ours.”
“I don’t want to become like that.”
“So, all I need to do is sort out the disordered circuits in your head and then solder on a new processor.”
“Do you sell brain processors here?”
“I actually do have one, about 40% less powerful than the one you used before.”
“I don’t dare sell the good stuff here, what would I do if they were stolen?” Cui Junyou complained, “Besides, the one in your head is completely burned out; it must be replaced.”
Although Digital Mind had pre-installed sufficient software packages and executables, along with Xu Yang’s decryption ability, they could accomplish tasks most of the time.
But if the processor level was not high, once they encountered some high-difficulty cracking scenarios or had to compete with other Digital Mind owners, even a slight performance difference would affect the outcome.
Show me the best one you have.”
“Do you have the money for the best goods?”
“Then come over here; are these few good enough?” Cui Junyou led Xu Yang deeper into the clinic to a rare item glass cabinet.
Here, the implants were refrigerated, protected by high-strength anti-theft glass, and were of obviously higher quality compared to those displayed outside.
Xu Yang quickly identified three processors of superior quality.
The first was a high-level cerebral processor, “The Arc of Thought 5th Gen,” produced by Crimson Modification.
It could significantly increase brain thinking speed, enhance logical judgment, and intelligence, greatly boosting wisdom and the ability to handle multiple tasks.
The second was a processor designed by Kyoto Infinity, “Don’t Be Sad!
Think Like Nanaco~Gen 2,” which also could greatly enhance brain thinking ability.
Additionally, it could regulate the transmission of specific neurotransmitters, increase dopamine secretion, and reduce feelings of sadness and pain, keeping the person in a long-term state of happiness.
The third was an advanced cerebral processor, “Destiny MKII,” produced by Lighthouse Core.
It featured a superior neural processing module, with a built-in microcomputer to aid in thought and the ability to convert neural signals into photoelectric signals.
“Hey, these are all too expensive,” Cui Junyou said.
“Let me show you a few cheaper ones.”
“They’re not expensive enough,” Xu Yang said.
“Do you have anything more valuable?”
“These are your own words,” Cui Junyou glared at him, “I do have a rare piece, but if you see it and then tell me you can’t afford it, I won’t let you off the hook.”
“Just show it to me,” Xu Yang said.
Cui Junyou went to the back room, opened an exceptionally sturdy safe, and took out a fully packaged implant for Xu Yang to see.
In an instant, Xu Yang was deeply captivated.
That was the implant he needed, capable of elevating his neural hacking ability to new heights.