"You saved my life, John, I genuinely thank you from the bottom of my heart."
The doctor's expression became very serious.
"Rather than empty promises, I prefer to offer tangible rewards to those who help me. I'll give you two choices..."
He handed over a funds card on the metal countertop.
"When I left, I snagged some money from Nocturne, enough to buy the latest model of an Eisenberg sports car."
"What's the second option?"
"I've accumulated a lot of prosthetic bodies in the warehouse, honestly, even rare models from the original factory. You can pick any two."
The doctor raised his hand in indication.
John decisively chose the prosthetic bodies—earning money was to increase his survival chances; there was no need to go all out, plus, recently, he was truly feeling a bit out of his depth during missions.
Ryan snapped his fingers.
"A very wise choice. If you've set your mind to making it big in Eden City, you have to arm yourself to the teeth."
The doctor handed John a tablet.
Its built-in system connected to the warehouse, a dazzling array of goods with company numbers and expansion modules.
John was nearly dazzled by the selection.
He gave up choosing and stated his needs instead: "I need a vision enhancement, and an upgrade on this old company arm of mine."
Doctor Ryan nodded.
He injected himself with a dose of a drug, which could sober him up and improve concentration, and then put on high-precision medical mechanical hands, needing to wait a moment to ensure best results.
The familiar treatment chair, local anesthesia.
A cold leathery sensation came from John's back, and data jumped across the instrument he held.
A hovering mechanical arm delivered a pitch-black metal box.
The doctor indeed wasn't bluffing—high-pressure liquid nitrogen packaging, requiring original factory authorization code to unlock.
Indeed top-notch stuff.
The doctor plugged a data line into the back of John's neck.
The ceiling arm lowered, and two large monitors displayed John's body status.
Currently, all physical signs were normal but slightly subhealthy.
The internal modifications were clearly visible, each system being standard fare from Tiebang Logistics: basic vision, basic kinetic energy, basic system...
All cheap gear.
The company employee authorization was deleted; the most expensive was an Atlanta Virtual Network operation chip.
This was John's full prosthetic body.
"Heh, with this equipment set, you dared to storm into Nocturne and take hostages. Gutsy indeed."
"And not only that, saved your life too."
"Don't repeat it, I remember, switch to the new eye for testing and see if there are any stutters, frame skips, or focus issues."
John had recently played with monitors in the factory, becoming very adept.
His vision jumped to the eye on the table, where he could see himself lying on the surgical chair.
"Everything's normal."
"No issues with the parameters, I'll start the surgery now."
The doctor got up and held his head, temporarily severing his eye pain receptors.
John watched with eyes wide open:
A stout arm approached his face.
Surrounded by a circle of mechanical arms, the precise surgical instruments bristled. Sharp, cold steel pressed around his nose, and he could smell alcohol and disinfectant.
Then came a slightly narrower metal cone than his eye socket, with a high-tech eye at its end.
Constantly magnifying...
In an instant, his vision was taken away.
That darkness was more unsettling than any night, devoid of mottled light, no blurred outlines—a helplessness of fundamental visual deprivation.
John's other senses became extraordinarily sharp.
First was the sound of rapid breathing, irregular metal pressure around his cheeks, as if prying open the skin around his eye socket for very precise operation.
"Why are you so nervous? Didn't you have a surgery at Tiebang Logistics before?"
John's visual system had been modified.
Tiebang Logistics Company wouldn't let a nearsighted person drive, but only the basic module was transplanted.
"I... I can't remember."
"It doesn't matter, John, I turned your lousy visual system into premium goods. This eyepiece from Messiah Company is crafted for the harshest users."
"Will cameras not see me afterward?"
"Of course, the most advanced lens disruptor: military cameras and spy chips can't capture your face. The big shots in Eden City all favor this model."
[New prosthetic detected.]
Vision suddenly returned, briefly focusing, with a sweep of black light across the eyes.
[Prosthetic: Messiah-Medusa V]
[Part: Visual System]
[Function: Built-in external camera disruptor, all-environment vision enhancement, ultra-fast scanning algorithm.]
The doctor waved his hand and explained:
"You can try the scanner; I've downloaded two databases for you."
John stared at Ryan, concentrating.
The whole world was cast in a green-black filter, as if entering the data world.
The doctor was highlighted, with information unfolding next to him.
[Name: Ryan Randall]
[Faction: Neutral]
The scanning system was divided into two parts.
First, the scanning speed.
This related to prosthetic quality; expensive eye algorithms were more advanced, faster.
Next was the database.
This related to resources downloaded on the backend. Once the eye scan completed, it would match the data found and then feedback the information onto the retina.
"Hm?"
A segment of text suddenly appeared before John's eyes.
[System updating, please wait...]
"Ah, f*ck!"
A familiar sharp pain surged in John's mind.
Black light flickering erratically in his consciousness.
His vision littered with snow lines, his entire body convulsing on the surgical chair.
He did not know how long he was out, once his consciousness returned, and the tinnitus disappeared, he heard the doctor calling him from beside.
"Hey, John, look at me, are you okay?"
"I... I'm much better, damn."
John was drenched in sweat.
He saw all the surrounding monitors flashing red, with several data hovering around dangerous values.
"F*ck, I swear I didn't harm you. Just wait a moment, I'll dismantle this thing for you now!"
The doctor was visibly frustrated, very anxious.
John stopped him, not responding because something new kept flashing before his eyes.
[System update complete, collating new scanning module, database download complete, merging and uploading...]
"WTF?"
John widened his eyes.
Eden City residents' database, city company record, product data directory, Special Action Unit wanted files, CIA information archives, Messiah Company subsidiary employee database, Eisenberg subsidiary employee database...
The doctor also noticed the issue.
"John, honestly, you already have symptoms of cyber-psychosis, don't you?"
He appeared regretful.
"Well, is it serious..."
John turned his head blankly towards him.
[Scan: No subcutaneous protection, no high-risk prosthetic]
[Bounty: Accomplice of terror action]
[Record: Grinweem race, divorced, Eden City Independence War veteran dog tag YUT-0812, European Mason Medical Research Institute Phase Four graduate...]
"Heh."
John's mouth twitched. "Hard to say, probably quite serious, maybe even a bit too crazy."
How to explain it?
The black light nearly killed him, just to download a bunch of databases that ordinary people wouldn't touch.
Now if he stared at the doctor a bit longer, the information obtained might be more detailed than the person's own recollection.
"Omega Inhibitor, give it a try, I have a better version, can make your life a bit more comfortable."
"I have my own special treatment."
John declined his offer, laying on the surgical chair arranging his thoughts.
He could see text prompts before too.
What's the difference?
The black light was an unknown entity.
It would automatically flash prompts, directly appearing deep in consciousness uncontrollably; each use would accumulate a certain burden, until the body exceeded its limit, leading to weakness, tinnitus, abnormal body temperature symptoms.
The mechanical eye was a technological product.
It was controllable, temporarily not discovering any side effects.
Now the black light had downloaded the database, projecting the information onto the retina conveniently, and much more detailed too.