3000 years ago, humanity was not as advanced as it is today. The laws were weak, and fights were common. As a result, many people died, and their bodies remained on the site for several days until it was cleaned. Unlike nowadays, bodies were as common as grass.
Solus would drag a body from the road and cut open various organs to see what was inside. Although there were numerous anatomy books available, he preferred to learn interactively. In case something happened to the world and fewer people died, he kept two extra corpses in his wardrobe.
As Solus approached the white wardrobe in the corner of the lab, he slowly opened the doors. There were two glass compartments, each containing a corpse submerged in preservative liquid.
He opened the lid of one compartment, and a mist rose from within. For some strange reason, the corpse was preserved in clothes, which were all as good as new. He touched the corpse to ensure that it was still in perfect condition before staring at its face.
The body belonged to a young man in his twenties. However, Solus desired perfection. So he used nanotechnology to shape all of the corpses he collected in the same manner. As a result, each corpse appeared to be a clone.
The real problem now was transferring his mind to the body. But it was not difficult because he was an engineer. His younger self made it into a microprocessor, which was simple. The human brain, however, is extremely complicated, with hundreds of billions of neurons.
To complete the task, he would need to analyze brain signals. It is a necessary step because simply dumping all of the knowledge would be like trying to fit a pond of water into a mug.
He took out the corpse and placed it on the table where he used to experiment with bodies. The bright lamps were broken, so he was forced to rely on the ceiling lights.
He cut the back of the neck and gradually opened it up. He continued until he could see the brain beneath the skull. Now he could begin his operation.
He searched the lab's mess for the necessary tools, connected the signal machine to the power, and collected the wires.
He used the tools to cut a small portion of the brain before inserting the wires in the correct points with laser precision. Even though he was in a robotic body now, there was little to no vibration, making it easier for him to complete the operation smoothly.
After inserting the final wire into the brain, he checked the monitor, which showed a straight line. It was expected because the brain was inactive and required a jumpstart. He shocked the body with a wire before returning his attention to the monitor. It was still a straight line.
"Hmm, just what I feared."
He shocked the body once more, but the outcome was the same. He had already anticipated such issues because they had been preserved for so long. The brain was likely dead.
Hopes appeared to be lost, but he is an engineer. If biological organs failed, he could make them come back to life with modifications.
He quickly moved around his lab, looking for the products he needed for his plan. Then he went to a cluttered table and plugged a microchip into the computer. The technologies were cutting-edge, so every machine in the lab functioned flawlessly.
He took extra care when connecting the chipset in his robot body to the computer. After a few adjustments, he began copying all of the data to the other chipset. The size was enormous and would take a long time to finish, but he was in no hurry.
After four hours, his entire memory was successfully copied. He quickly unplugged it from the computer and approached the corpse. There was an option for him to connect the chip directly to the brain, but this would only make the chip do all the work. He needed the brain more because it was faster.
After picking up the surgical tops again, he began his new operation. It was not easy, and the lack of proper technology made things even more difficult. But,
"A master eats poison by choice."
After a long, complicated surgery, Solus managed to revive the brain. The chances were low, but not impossible as long the organ was intact. He then inserted the chip into the brain with ease and sewed everything back together as before.
Solus did not feel exhausted because the robotic body lacked nerves. He quickly connected the body's chipset to his computer and powered it on.
Immediately, his entire body felt weak. His head hurt, but it was bearable. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a more colorful ceiling. Everything appeared to be ten times more clear and sharp.
When he got up from the table, he noticed his robotic body lying on the ground. He had previously written commands to turn off the old body if the new one powered on, so there would not be two of them.
He was able to experience a full human body without any cybernetic parts. His mind felt refreshed as it processed so many things at once. The chipset served as a backup for his memories in case his brain malfunctioned.
He stood up and looked into a small mirror. The face was that of a young model who had died thousands of years ago. A good face card, along with black hair. He liked the face and used it on every corpse he found.
There was no time to waste. If he wanted to reclaim what he had lost, he would have to move constantly. Without thinking twice, he started looking for gears and small motors to upgrade his body.
Strengths were categorized into types. A pure human body was classified as Type 0, and this number would increase if cybernetics were used.
Solus, with a chipset in his head, was a Type 0.1. Achieving higher Types is simple at first, and he could easily reach Type 3 in a few days if he still had access to his previous instruments. If he played by the rules, it would take him several months just to reach Type 2.
"Rules? Toys are made to be broken. It spoils the fun if you include some silly rules. Why create parts if they were supposed to be illegal? Of course, so that I can snatch it away."
After gathering his supplies, Solus took a knife from the table and placed it on top of his elbow. He would have to use gears to speed up his hand movements. So he needed to cut his skin to get to the bone.
"Pain is simply an illusion. How can one climb to the top if he bows down to such pathetic feelings?"
Solus sliced open his skin with no reaction and maintained an expressionless face. Blood dripped down from his elbow onto the cloth below. He did not use anesthesia because he needed to feel the pain to ensure he was doing everything correctly.
He created an opening by pushing aside his exposed muscles, exposing the bone. He severed the ligaments and separated the bones from the joint. Then he picked up a small stainless steel gear from the table and placed it in the proper location before adding more gears.
After connecting the bones with the gears, he moved his arm up and down. He smiled faintly as he saw the gears spin smoothly and accelerate the hand movements.
He stitched back his muscles and skin like nothing had happened. Only his right elbow was completed, and he would have to repeat the process for the rest of his body's joints.
Unfortunately, there were not enough gears left, so he had to stick with using gears in his arms until he could replace them with a cybernetic arm.
"The war is more exciting than the victory itself. At the very least, you have a reason to continue moving forward until death."
He picked up his surgical tools again and returned to replace the joints in his other arm with gears.