Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System
Chapter 180: First Incision.

Chapter 180: First Incision.

"250k for implanting a simple subdermal armor." Dante grimaced. "I don’t want to think about how much you’ll charge for a heart implant."

"I would say-"

"I said I don’t want to think about it!"

As absurd as it was, Dante knew he was getting his money’s worth. That didn’t mean he was happy about it, though.

"Alright, hop on the table." Saying as much, Larry adjusted his gloves and surgical gown. "This will take about twelve hours, so the sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

"Twelve hours, huh?" Dante pressed his lips into a thin line and stared at the simple surgical table. His eyes widened the next moment and he swiped the room with his gaze, turning to the underground doctor when he didn’t find what he was looking for. "Did you prepare what I told you?"

Larry brought his brows together in a frown.

"I don’t really get why you need it, but yes." He said. "Since it would affect the temperature of the room, I have elected to leave it somewhere else till I’m done."

"Got it..."

"..."

"..."

"... well? If you don’t have any other questions, then get here already."

"Just... give me a moment..." Dante sighed.

Though he had an entire week to prepare for it mentally, the prospect of being sliced open was something he couldn’t help being nervous about. One would think he would be used to it by now, but that was far from being the case, even when taking into account all of the other dangerous stuff he had experienced.

Eventually, Dante approached the surgery table and climbed onto its surface. Then, stealing his resolve, he lay down and waited for his doctor to adjust it. Feeling the chilliness of the cushion on his skin, Dante’s nervousness spiked, but he didn’t allow any second thoughts to surface, looking straight ahead and watching as the cylindrical contraption above him hatched open.

The shell split up along the lines running on its surface and retracted toward the ceiling. From its interior, several rings extended and expanded, rotating slowly as they unfurled the complex mechanisms sealed inside. From each ring, long mechanical arms reached down, some ending in thin pincers, others with different tools, the purpose of which eluded Dante.

Standing beside the surgery table, Larry reached for a few cables hanging on one of the arms, taking them one by one and plugging them into the ports on the back of his neck. Soon after the last one was in place, the mechanical arms hanging from the overhead rings began moving randomly before settling back into position.

A bright spotlight came on just then, casting a circle of white light over Dante. At the same time, the lights in the wide room dimmed gradually.

Larry took the translucent white mask held by one of the mechanical arms and brought it close to Dante’s face.

"See you in twelve hours." He said.

"Yeah," Dante said. "See you in..."

The anesthesia kicked in the moment he caught a whiff of the gas released into the mask, and soon after, his thoughts became so sluggish he couldn’t think.

As his mind was submerged in a sea of tranquility, Dante managed to leave behind a single thought before he lost consciousness entirely.

’I... will leave... the rest... to you...’

[Understood.] Volcan replied. [Please rest assured. I will fulfill the task you entrusted to me to the utmost of my abilities.]

~[ ]~

After the red-haired youth passed out, Larry waited a couple of minutes before beginning his work. First, he strapped the youth’s arms and legs to the table, ensuring he wouldn’t move by accident during the procedure. Next, several probs and sensors were attached to different parts of his body, and soon after, a number of projections appeared on the doctor’s OAM, each fixed into a certain point in space as if they were the screens of real medical equipment.

"Alright..."

Reaching out with his right hand, he knocked on Dante’s head as if it were a door while observing the readings on the projected screens.

"Hey, kid! Can you hear me?"

He checked again and saw no response. Dante was out cold and ready to be cut open. Removing his hospital gown, Larry paused for a moment as he took in the sight of his body. The countless cuts and scars were always there from the beginning, but the blue from all the bruises was a recent addition. The fact that the color had yet to fade entirely despite receiving treatment in a hospital went to show how bad his condition truly was.

Though he had already seen the youth’s medical report from a few days ago, Larry regretted not examining him before today. He truly didn’t want to operate on anyone in this condition, but it was already too late.

The mechanical arms hanging from above began to move following a few commands sent through his MLP. Two went about cleaning the youth’s chest and torso thoroughly using antiseptic solution, while a few more repositioned him slightly so he would be in a more optimal spot.

A quick scan was performed, and right after, neon green lines were projected from above, dividing the youth’s skin into several parts.

Holding his right hand up, Larry waited for one of the mechanical arms to hand him a scalpel from the nearby stand. With a steady hand, he brought the sharp blade down and placed it on the green line running from the collarbone to the sternum. Without delay, the blade sank into the glistening pale skin the moved down, effortlessly carving a clear path along the neon green line.

Red droplets seeped out of the incision and one of the mechanical arms moved in right away, bringing a small tube that sucked them away in time before they could cause a mess.

DAEDALUS, or Dynamic Autonomous Engine for Delicate Automated Life-saving Ultra Surgery, was currently the most advanced piece of surgical equipment in the world. The skill ceiling for its use was very high, but mastering it gives a single person the ability to perform entire operations on their own, no matter the complexity.

Such a machine wasn’t something anyone could just get their hands on, especially not the average underground doctor. But Larry Swanson was far from the common unlicensed medical practitioner.

Some people like to refer to the human body as a machine, but for him, it was more than just a metaphor.

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