In reality, the process of nanogenetic surgery requires the subject to remain fully conscious throughout, to avoid errors in certain perilous stages.
The transformation induces intense pain, which only the subject's willpower can withstand.
This is one of the drawbacks of genetic surgery.
Even with new technologies that allow body modification under anesthesia, once the surgery reaches a critical stage, the subject is likely to awaken due to pain, making the anesthesia ineffective.
Of course, the Void mouse was an exception.
To prevent it from waking up and causing damage, Li Lin had administered a sleep-inducing agent without regard for dosage.
Doing the same for humans would likely result in irreparable, permanent damage to some bodily functions.
Kai'Sa turned her face away and exchanged a glance with Li Lin beside the operating table, exhaling deeply, "The longer we delay, the more anxious I become. Just proceed."
Without further hesitation, Li Lin manipulated the restraints on the operating table to secure Kai'Sa's arms, waist, legs, and ankles firmly.
Although Li Lin trusted Kai'Sa's tolerance for pain, this gene-level surgery was highly dangerous and left no room for error.
To be cautious, he was not willing to take any risks.
Li Lin injected the syringe into Kai'Sa's neck, the only area not covered by the Void armor.
As the serum slowly entered her flesh, a sharp pain began to spread from the injection site throughout Kai'Sa's body.
"Ugh..."
She let out a muffled groan of pain, but it was far less severe compared to the agony of devouring a Void creature and the subsequent evolution of her skin.
Seeing Kai'Sa gritting her teeth against the pain made Li Lin feel a pang of sympathy.
However, there was no time for delay. His outfit transformed, and the neural interface connected closely to his temple and spine, projecting a holographic display before him.
The display showed Kai'Sa's vital signs, the state of her living skin, and various complex body data.
With the assistance of the AI, Li Lin performed precise control as countless nanobots delved deep into Kai'Sa's cells, reaching the nuclei.
Meanwhile, another set of nanobots permeated through the Void armor via the connection points with Kai'Sa's second skin.
Yet, this process did not go smoothly.
The living skin on Kai'Sa seemed to sense a threat, becoming highly active and writhing uncontrollably.
Every pore was pierced by hundreds of tiny needles, causing a pain akin to the intense stinging from Void evolution.
Kai'Sa's purple pupils narrowed, her body tensing up immediately, even causing the specially reinforced restraints to creak ominously.
"Ugh… Ah!" She emitted a more pained, guttural cry than before.
From a distance, Caitlyn watched with clenched hands, her heart tightening in distress.
Li Lin observed the unexpected abnormal data on the holographic panel, his brow furrowing in concern.
Since the Void mouse had been in a sleep state during the experiment, he had not anticipated such a unique situation.
"Administer a sedative to Kai'Sa," Li Lin instructed the AI.
A mechanical arm, ready at the operating table, shifted its form to reveal a slender needle, which it slowly inserted into Kai'Sa's vein.
With the increased dosage of the sedative entering her system, Kai'Sa's head grew foggy, and the pain from the living skin eased considerably, her struggles diminishing.
"Are you okay?" Li Lin asked with concern.
The surgery had not even begun, and such issues had already arisen; he hesitated whether to continue.
"No… continue," Kai'Sa mumbled incoherently, her eyes glazed from the sedative, "I can… endure…"
"…"
Li Lin paused for a moment, observing the data on Kai'Sa's second skin returning to controllable levels, before resuming the procedure.
However, the earlier reaction from the Void skin had destroyed a significant portion of the nanobots inside the cells. This type of damage had also occurred with the Void mouse but was less severe.
Li Lin controlled the mechanical arm to inject a new batch of nanobots into her body for the skin modification.
As for purifying the Void's power?
In the recent experiment with the Void mouse, he used the "Ascendant Talisman: Prototype" from Azir's secret vault, which contained celestial magic.
The divine power could purify Void energy to some extent, depending on the dosage; this had been done before with Nasus.
However, divine power could only purify Void energy, not the corruption it brought.
Otherwise, the celestial warriors who had ventured into the Void would not have been corrupted and fallen.
Moreover, Nasus harbored an almost instinctive aversion to the Void, ensuring that purified energy was not merely transformed but annihilated.
According to the AI's recorded data, the ratio of converting Void energy into pure energy was roughly three to one.
Yet Kai'Sa's skin contained far more energy than the Void mouse, and Li Lin was unsure how much of the armor's energy she could ultimately absorb.
As the nanobots penetrated the cell nuclei and interacted with the genetic sequences, he retrieved the Ascendant Talisman pendant, allowing the mechanical arm to hold it half-suspended in front of Kai'Sa's chest. He then activated the energy crystal, channeling energy into it to stimulate its celestial power.
This energy remained between approximately 45% and 75%, fluctuating with the data of the Void armor's surface.
Otherwise, the effect of the Ascendant power would be obliteration rather than purification.
A glimmer of yellow light emanated from the Ascendant Talisman, reflecting on Kai'Sa's skin, causing her purple armor to react as if sensing a predator, becoming agitated once more.
"Ugh, ugh, ahhh…"
Kai'Sa's face contorted in pain as her body instinctively tried to curl up. But constrained by the restraining devices and the heavy, numbing effects of the sedative, she was unable to free herself.
With the support of the Ascension Amulet's energy, the nanobots both within Kai'Sa's secondary skin and inside her own body began to activate, triggering her genetic sequences.
Kai'Sa's cries of pain grew louder.
Meanwhile, mechanical arms equipped with needle-like tips lowered repeatedly, injecting the pre-prepared medication meant to prevent genetic sequence collapse and temporarily sustain her physiological functions.
Li Lin took a deep breath, the most critical phase of the procedure was about to begin: disrupting and then sequentially editing parts of the genetic sequence.
This process was the most time-consuming, often consuming about 95% of the surgery's duration.
Li Lin's forehead broke into a thin sweat as he nervously watched the data panel, multitasking to control the details, issuing commands to each nanobot.
Fortunately, the procedure was progressing smoothly. The Void energy within the skin had been purified by more than half, and the efficiency of genetic sequence editing was higher than anticipated.
Soon, about half of the Void energy within Kai'Sa's secondary skin was purified by the Ascension Amulet, with a third of that pure energy injected into her flesh and blood.
Just as Li Lin thought everything was going well, an alarming development occurred. The holographic panel projected in front of him showed Kai'Sa's Void skin data suddenly fluctuating wildly, spiking and plummeting unpredictably.
Kai'Sa's face turned pale on the operating table, her breathing becoming labored, as if she were gasping for air.
Her heart rate was rising rapidly, nearing 250 beats per minute, and her circulatory system was showing signs of severe collapse. Her vital signs were plummeting.
Li Lin slammed his hand against the workstation. "Damn it! What's happening? Every step was flawless!"
Sitting at a distance, Caitlyn, recognizing that something had gone wrong, pressed her pale lips together and furrowed her brow, unable to suppress her urge to approach Li Lin.
But she refrained from disturbing him, knowing that her lack of knowledge in this area might inadvertently worsen the situation.
At this moment, Caitlyn could only pray for Kai'Sa.
As Kai'Sa's life signs approached zero, Li Lin considered using a "Miracle of Elise" from the system shop—a legendary item he had previously gifted Caitlyn on her coming-of-age ceremony, known for its life-saving effects.
To his dismay, this special magical item was unique and could not be purchased again while the first pendant still existed.
"Damn it! The critical moment fails us!" Li Lin swore anxiously.
Before he could ask Caitlyn to lend her pendant to Kai'Sa, her life signs miraculously stabilized at a critical level.
Then, the AI's reminder brought some calm to his emotions:
[Master, abnormal energy interference has been detected. This interference has caused the anomaly in Miss Kai'Sa's secondary skin, not an error on your part.]
"What's going on?"
Li Lin stared at Kai'Sa, who was twitching slightly on the operating table, emitting faint wisps of smoke. His voice was low and hoarse.
The AI paused briefly before responding:
[The interference energy is of Void origin… and is related to Miss Kai'Sa's secondary skin.]
Li Lin's eyes widened in shock, taking a sharp breath. "What?! That's impossible!"
[My calculations are accurate, Master.]
The AI's tone seemed to carry a hint of confusion.
[According to my calculations, this energy is coming from the southeastern region of Shurima, near the junction of Sai Kahleek and Icathia.]
It paused again, not for data computation but due to hesitation.
[You… should know that location.]
Li Lin, stunned and incredulous, spoke the name he had learned from Malphite with a trembling voice, "Bel'Veth."
"What is Bel'Veth?" Caitlyn, unable to hold back her curiosity, leaned in with a worried expression. "What's happening to Kai'Sa?"
Before Li Lin could answer, a series of metallic cracks drew their attention.
Kai'Sa, who was supposed to be restrained, now lay on the operating table, her eyes only revealing the whites, focused intensely on Li Lin.
Suddenly, a sigh that seemed to merge a million voices came from Kai'Sa's mouth: "Bel'Veth… you and Kai'Sa… must…"
The voice seemed to bend and overpower everything, a whisper from the void that felt deafening and gut-wrenching, like the apocalyptic roar of a sea storm.
It came from a fissure in space, boundless and infinite.
Li Lin's armor flared to life, shielding Caitlyn behind him. "Who are you? What do you want?!"
"Bel'Veth… remember… you have only one year… otherwise… devour."
(End of Chapter)
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