Chapter 35: The Struggle of Adaptation

[A foreign substance has been discovered entering the host’s body.]

[The host’s human cells are now fighting back against the foreign substance.]

[The host’s human cells are being destroyed by the system to facilitate a better fusion process with the foreign substance.]

[Congratulations. Twenty percent of the host’s DNA has been replaced by the foreign substance.]

"STOP!"

The roar of rage blasted from Arlo’s lips as he felt something strange.

It was the feeling of being destroyed, as if his very integrity was being forcefully stripped away.

It caused an indescribable anger to surge like waves through his veins.

[The host’s body is rapidly adapting to the foreign substance with the aid of the system.]

[Part of the host’s DNA is being altered to accommodate a better fusion and bring out the best state of the newfound source of power.]

[ERROR! ERROR!]

[The host’s cells are too weakened to continue, and the source is still delivering power.]

"Surgeon, his bodily cells are being destroyed faster than they can accept it."

"We are slowly losing his metabolism."

"This is the last chance to save him. We need to stop the operation, or he will lose his life due to cell disintegration!" each of the doctors shouted, yet Delaney’s eyes remained unperturbed as she looked at Arlo spasming uncontrollably.

"Continue the fusion process."

"WHAT!?"

None of them could believe their ears. They were losing the young man, yet Surgeon Delaney ordered them to continue an operation that would no doubt result in his death.

"I said continue the operation!" Surgeon Delaney repeated.

The doctors’ hands all twitched. The holographic images suddenly froze, as if time itself had stopped.

"I... I cannot," the doctor in charge of the leading holographic display finally said, withdrawing his hands from it.

They were cybernetic transfusion doctors, a profession where their hands were drenched in the blood of innocent souls.

Yet they had managed to keep the remnants of guilt away from their minds and continue their jobs because in every scenario, they had always done their best to preserve the lives of their patients.

Irrespective of the damage, at least they made sure the patient never lost his or her life.

That was what kept their consciences from labeling them as murderers.

But right now, they had the opportunity to save the young man’s life by stopping the operation. Yet they were told by the leading surgeon to continue, which would no doubt result in his death.

That was true murder, something their consciences could not stand.

One by one, they retreated from the machines.

But in the next second...

KABOOOOOM!

A devastating shockwave rippled throughout the entire lab as a figure was blown away and smashed roughly into the wall, his body nailed into the gigantic crater.

Looking at the sorry figure, it was none other than the male doctor who had refused to press the button.

Someone slowly lowered her hand as she took the man’s place and began rapidly typing on his holographic display.

That person was none other than Surgeon Delaney herself.

"You all get out of this room."

"According to Code Seven of the Cybernetic Doctor’s Band, you are all prone to making emotional decisions capable of putting the mission at risk and can therefore be evicted by the leading surgeon’s orders. So do not make me repeat myself,"

Surgeon Delaney said in a cold, listless tone, even colder than the AI’s voice.

The group of doctors quickly moved out of the lab, one of them taking the unconscious man who had collapsed against the wall to give him medical attention.

CRACK!

CRACK!

The sound of bones cracking rang throughout the room as she cracked her knuckles.

In the next second...

RIIPPPP!

Various mechanical arms burst out of her shoulders, each coated in cybernetic fluids, before stretching toward the other holographic displays.

Surgeon Delaney’s eyeballs suddenly shifted toward the sides of her head.

In an instant, she had prepared herself to do the job of five people.

"Now, let the real operation begin," Surgeon Delaney said.

Her mechanical arms began moving with devastating precision as the hundreds of robotic arms around Arlo quickly worked to arrange the metallic cybernetic machines more perfectly within his body, even as red blood flowed from both her eyes.

"Your body is strong, I will give you that. But the slow approach and letting the machines do their job would not work on you."

"The only way is the cold, hard way of making the cybernetic fluids run through you as fast as they can before your body runs out of energy."

"Something those fools do not and cannot understand," Surgeon Delaney said, conversing with herself like a madwoman as holographic panels flashed before Arlo’s face.

[The host’s cells are rapidly weakening and will not be able to take in more foreign substance.]

[The host’s entire DNA is now collapsing.]

[The host’s slumbering bloodlines have sensed danger to his body.]

[Congratulations. The host’s dormant bloodline has been awakened.]

[Mana circulation through the designated pathway has begun.]

[The host’s mana is being used to stabilize his collapsing DNA.]

[Error. Insufficient mana to restore the host’s DNA to stability.]

[Congratulations. The Infinity Joker Bloodline has been awakened.]

[Playful Magnifier has been activated.]

[The host’s mana quantity and quality have been doubled.]

[Congratulations. The host’s regeneration is sufficient to complete the fusion.]

[The host’s DNA is being rapidly healed, creating new space for further acceptance of the foreign material.]

"Congratulations. The second step, Cybernetic transfusion has been successfully completed," the AI voice rang out through the room.

Surgeon Delaney’s eyes widened in shock before they furrowed.

"No. No, something is wrong."

"His DNA was on the verge of collapse, and while there exists a twenty percent chance of survival, his recovery should not have been so fast."

"An outer source has intervened!" she determined.

Her hands rapidly typed away at the keyboard, trying to find the source of the intervention, but she stopped in less than three seconds and coldly ordered,

"Begin the third step. Power core transplantation to power the cybernetic fusion!"

Abandoning her former quest born out of curiosity, she quickly focused back on the mission.

Without wasting another second, a gigantic box was carried from underneath the glass coffin that held Arlo. The machine arms rapidly unfurled the box, bringing out a simple crystal.

It was a diamond-shaped crystal, just a little larger than a table tennis ball, and within it revolved strange astral blue electricity that crackled.

"A one-in-one cyber energy core that can rival the power of a third-grade core cybernetic expert, with enough energy to power an entire city for five years."

"Also, one of my life’s greatest invention. You really owe me a lot on this onw, Ennessa. A lot,"

Surgeon Delaney murmured, even though her eyes only shone brighter as she gave away one of her life’s greatest works to an absolute stranger.

Immediately, a hole opened in the glass, followed by a cybernetic arm equipped with a flaming red knife tearing open a space just beside Arlo’s heart.

Slowly, the core was inserted into the opening.

"Now, there are only two choices. Survive the core’s power-up or be blown into dust by the massive amount of energy contained within,"

Surgeon Delaney said with a smile of madness as her hands gently tapped a red button that had appeared on the holographic display before her.

"GRRRRRHHHHHH..."

A moan of pain escaped Arlo’s lips as he felt an intensely burning object flare to life just beside his heart.

With the monumental pain came a new consciousness of what was beneath, or rather, within his body.

WHIRING

WHIRING

WHIRING

It was the sound of machines rapidly turning within his body.

The various nanotechnology within him rapidly arranged itself in an otherworldly order, birthing a cybernetic component capable of pure destruction.

Shock and surprise filled her eyes as Surgeon Delaney watched one of her life’s greatest transfusions become a success.

Through his skin, the crimson light of the cybernetics shone brightly through the glass.

She adjusted her spectacles and looked carefully at the pure outline of the cybernetics.

"The Godbreaker... now it makes even more sense," she said with a smile.

In the next instant, the AI notification rang out clearly through the room.

"Congratulations. The cybernetic transfusion process has been successfully completed. Full integration will slowly occur in the future based on usage percentages."

"Congratulations on another successful transplantation, Surgeon Delaney."

"Thanks, Miri," Surgeon Delaney said, but suddenly her eyes turned toward the glass where Arlo rested.

CRAAACK

CRAAACK

CRAAACCCK

Cracks rang throughout the entire glassy surface, and Surgeon Delaney ordered,

"Strengthen the glass covering by..."

SHAAATTTERRR!

She had yet to complete the sentence when the glass immediately shattered into pieces, sending shards flying throughout the entire room.

She quickly blocked her face with her hands and her metallic cybernetic arm.

Everything settled once more.

She lowered her hands and turned to look toward the shattered glass, only to see a fist hurtling toward her face.

BOOOOOOOOM!

She was immediately knocked off her feet, traveling five meters through the air before smashing against the metallic CPU at the end of the lab.

Sparks of electricity burst out of the technological device.

An angry expression appeared on Surgeon Delaney’s face as she turned to look at Arlo, whose entire body seemed to glitch in and out of existence.

"My body feels strange, like it is about collapse. But before it does, I thought to myself that I had to get at least one punch in to the one responsible."

Arlo said and his legs finally gave out and he collapsed on his back

Surgeon Delaney walked toward him.

When Arlo turned his gaze to her, she had somehow become four figures in his vision. He felt his eyes forcefully closing themselves.

"Also, thank you for the core."

Those were his last words before he descended into complete unconsciousness.

"How interesting."