Life, temporarily preserved.
Zzz-zzz—sparks flew from the back of Xu Yang's right hand, bringing a wave of sting. He knew he didn't have much time left; damage to the implant could cause complications and would kill him within an hour.
Though he was under the effect of a healing injection, which eliminated the risk of instant death, there were still numerous difficulties.
The shuttle machine seemed to sense the vital signs and turned toward the direction of the witch, leaning forward as if inviting her in. However, she didn't have the strength to climb in either. The hatch, clearly so close, seemed miles away from her.
The situation was extremely critical; he had to cooperate with her...
Scanning detected nothing; without Digital Mind, it felt as if he had lost his limbs.
He gasped for air as he climbed down from the shuttle machine, looking at the witch.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..." the witch sobbed on the ground.
She seemed just like an injured child.
"Can you still use your power? I'm in no better condition than you are. Only your magic power can..." Xu Yang clenched his teeth.
The witch was dazed, unable to utter a word.
It's hard to say which one of us will die first.
Xu Yang took deep breaths as he walked over to the witch and squatted down beside her, each movement tearing him apart. The witch had nearly lost the ability to move and could only stand up with great difficulty with the help of Xu Yang.
Cut off from the world, the days gone by, everything destroyed, deeply buried underground, leaving only two disabled people, what else could be done? Xu Yang supported the witch's arm, delicate yet covered in dust and very cold.
The weight of the witch's body unconsciously pressed towards Xu Yang's direction, her face pressed tightly against his neck, her chest against his shoulder, causing pain with every step he took.
By the time he helped the witch into the shuttle machine, Xu Yang stumbled forward, his energy reduced to nothing but leaning against the wall to catch his breath.
The witch lay on the floor bleeding incessantly, while Xu Yang rummaged in the medical box—there was one healing injection left.
He stabbed the syringe into the witch's chest and forcefully pushed the medicine in. It could promote the secretion of adrenaline, inhibit pain, and accelerate wound healing.
The witch hissed as she inhaled, seemingly regaining some strength. She looked around blankly, unfamiliar with everything.
Xu Yang carefully observed the interior of the shuttle machine and saw a large device at the rear of the shuttle. His eyes lit up.
Automatic Doctor!
The so-called Automatic Doctor was a medical device led by AI, now also very widespread. It can intelligently detect the patient's physical condition, consume stored medical resources to perform surgery, and strive for optimized treatment outcomes.
The only problem was, the Automatic Doctor couldn't save Xu Yang.
The Automatic Doctor was adept at addressing surgical issues, suitable for the war-torn environments where mercenaries often lurked. It could rapidly treat gunshot wounds, lacerations, mental traumas, and perform anesthesia, antiseptic pre-treatment, surgery, and psychological counseling.
But for Xu Yang's damaged implant, it was helpless.
In modern times, Human Enhancement Technology was popular, with a myriad of bizarre implants and prosthetics. Implants were embedded inside the human body to take effect, and prosthetics were used to replace organs and limbs.
Each company had its design standards, the Automatic Doctor was a universal medical device, not a repair device. And the implant inside Xu Yang was so intricate it was difficult to repair, only a highly skilled Prosthesis Doctor could handle it.
It could only fill Xu Yang with anesthetics and watch him die from the damaged implant inside his body, providing tender electronic care at the last moment.
"You've been staring at it…" the witch said, "…is it useful?"
"Definitely..."
Xu Yang quickly went to the control panel of the Automatic Doctor and pressed the keys to open the compartment.
The screen prompted the patient and an auxiliary medical personnel to enter immediately; auxiliary personnel were optional, as it could handle the situation autonomously.
The device's interior was spacious, with a white surgery chair made of aluminum alloy positioned right in the center, surrounded by mechanical arms waiting on standby, injection agents, and lights; there was also a medicine cabinet, surgical lights, and a health monitor.
Hope was right here.
"Let's make a deal," Xu Yang turned and looked at the witch.
Her expression was bewildered, shaking constantly.
"Are you from the Council?" the witch asked.
Xu Yang didn't have much leeway in his actions, as he could die from trauma complications at any moment.
"The Witch Council? I don't know; that's stuff from the ancient times. I can help you survive," Xu Yang said, "but you have to help me survive too."
"I agree..."
"You go in," Xu Yang turned and ordered the witch.
"…I…" The witch's face was still wet with tears, covered in blood. She staggered slowly towards the Automatic Doctor, "What is this?"
"This is the Automatic Doctor, it can save your life," Xu Yang leaned on the doorway of the Automatic Doctor, out of breath, "I am saving you… you won't be ungrateful, right?"
The dazzling surgical lights, mechanical arms, and digital screens inside made the witch fearful; in her life, she had never seen such things, or rather, everything she had seen since waking up was utterly foreign to her.
"Don't worry," Xu Yang consoled in a hoarse voice, "Nothing will happen, don't worry… Just sit in that chair… Close your eyes, I'll give the command, to heal you, it's a modern thing, a tool, it won't hurt you…"
Being so close to the witch, Xu Yang felt that previous fear surge again in his heart.
He was horrified by the thought of her casually taking lives earlier, and now, being extremely weakened, his body trembled too. What if I've saved a monster?
The Witch tilted her body, looking at Xu Yang, and kissed him on the face.
"Are you afraid of me?" she asked with a hint of sorrow. "Why is everyone so afraid of me?"
"As if I would be afraid of a dead person, you… survive." Xu Yang pushed the Witch into the automatic doctor, and she wobbled onto the surgery chair.
"Patient is in position. Please close the hatch and select the surgery mode," the automatic doctor announced.
Xu Yang mustered all his strength to close the hatch, selected the automatic detection and surgery mode on the external panel, and then pressed start.
He was completely drained, feeling slight pain all over his body.
The equipment and chips embedded deep in his flesh caused him pain, yet they were also the very foundation of his existence. Honestly, he didn't want to wake up every day with these chips and circuits in him.
His years at the company were a race against machines, trying to keep up with their output so he wouldn't be replaced by various software. Yet a new AI could drive him into a corner. Advanced artificial intelligence was not only helping the company solve major decision-making problems but could also check the company's security on the side, instantly making him lose his worth.
That is to say, his obsolescence had nothing to do with him.
I have done everything I could.
An unprecedented fear spread over him. Previously, he could show off his skills thanks to Digital Mind. Now, he felt utterly helpless about everything.
The embrace of the company had never seemed so nostalgic, even though it had structurally killed his father, his mother, and was next to kill him. Many people willingly stayed with the company to enjoy the brief success, just to avoid such risks to their lives. What was the company lacking? There was food and drink, was it just about shortening life? Death came quickly outside too, especially for fugitives. The company would not let the traitors go, the judgment could come at any moment, accepting punishment, having their brains dug out to become matrices, serving the company healthily for 500 years...
Lost in wild thoughts, Xu Yang heard mechanical arm pulley sounds, the hum of equipment working, and the buzz of electricity from inside the automatic doctor, while the control panel temporarily locked, preventing any external manipulation.
"Patient's species detected: Witch." The automatic doctor began to play the diagnostic-related electronic tune.
"Patient's status detected: Highly sedated, major blood loss, systemic critical pathological conditions."
"Detection of..."
"Quiet," mumbled Xu Yang with a heavy head.
The automatic doctor stopped its announcements.
He felt alternately cold and hot.
Am I dying? He suddenly felt an intense sense of helplessness. Xu Yang sat down on one of the shuttle machine's seats, leaned back, and felt the soft leather underneath him.
Why are we born? What is the value of life? What lies beyond death? Did none of the people who escaped from Kyushu High Pavilion survive? Could a billion funds solve the countless troubles brought on by losing company identity? Fake identity, fake name, fake records, each one was incredibly troublesome. Even a street person had to find a shell company to affiliate with, and whom could I trust? They take me in for money, and for money, they would betray me. The more money, the more it burns...
Countless worries assaulted him as his body weakened. Xu Yang didn't know whether he had passed out or fallen asleep, but when he regained consciousness, he found that the Witch had already come out of the automatic doctor.
The automatic doctor had removed the scrappy cloth that hindered the treatment from her body, and now she was completely naked, looking anxiously at him.
"Are you alright?" the Witch asked. "This thing really healed me!"
Wait a minute… The Witch's figure was too hot.
It spoke more than a thousand words, leaving nothing to imagination.
This sudden visual impact nearly made Xu Yang pass out again. He lost control of his body, leaned back, his eyes gradually closing.
The Witch leaned forward anxiously, sitting next to Xu Yang, and shook his head, "Don't you faint!"
Too close—
Pressed against the Witch's soft body, it was better than being wrapped in fine silk; her body temperature, scent, hair...
"Hu…" However, Xu Yang was in so much pain that he couldn't enjoy it, and he could only close his eyes in agony.
He had three main implants in his body, all independent devices, immune to remote manipulation.
The first was located in his brain, housing the central processor of Digital Mind, the main circuit board, driving firmware, and brain signal converter. It was the main component of Digital Mind and linked directly to the brain's neural center.
The second was in his right wrist, a data signal chip for sending and receiving signals, capable of wired data transmission as well as wireless connection to external signals. It also had some data-processing capabilities, but far less than the brain's Digital Mind.
The third was a bionic circuit bundle, situated within his spinal column, virtually fused with it. It powered all other implants and transmitted signals; in other words, if you wanted to install an implant, the bionic circuit was essential, the basis for all other implantable devices.
Consequently, the bionic circuit bundle would not get damaged, as it had already symbiotically integrated with Xu Yang's circulatory system, and had not been destroyed by an electromagnetic pulse.
What were damaged were the brain's Digital Mind and the signal chip in his hand. Xu Yang experienced splitting headaches and a stabbing pain on the inside of his right wrist. He was willing to pay any price to relieve even a moment of pain, even if it meant swallowing a bunch of anesthetics and never waking up again.
The damaged implants inside Xu Yang were like ticking bombs, harming his normal physiological functions, and would ultimately explode.
They wouldn't hurt the human body when intact, but now the situation was unclear. The electromagnetic pulse had turned them into junk metal.
Xu Yang took a deep breath, enduring the pain, waiting for the strength to speak to return. The effect of the previous healing injection had worn off, and the agony returned with a vengeance.
The Witch said nothing, and silence filled the shuttle.
"Help me," he said. "Bring that medical box on the floor over here."
She looked down at the scattered box, hesitated for a moment, but still picked it up and handed it to Xu Yang.
"This is 'the deal'," she said. "The one you mentioned."
Xu Yang took the last remaining injection from the box and jabbed it into his chest.
"It's not over yet," he said. "I want to see your Witch's power."