Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 61: Treatment [Thanks to Alliance Leader Sesame Little Dumpling]

On the west side of Quanjin Road, at the junction of Chongming District and Fuxue District, the walls of the underground passage are covered with graffiti of "Amitabha Buddha".

A dozen or so people were sitting sparsely on the bench, waiting for treatment. Their hastily assembled prosthetic bodies stood out in the dim light, their outlines appearing messy.

The intern pressed the pick into the eye socket of a modified human, and with a gentle flick, the prosthetic eye fell into his palm like a ripe fruit.

He picked up the prosthetic eye and examined it closely. The indicator light on the prosthetic eye's monitoring status flashed, casting a blue light on his face. He was a sixteen-year-old boy with short, black hair, blue eyes, and three black rings piercing his earlobes. Compared to the other modified individuals around him, he possessed a clean-cut, incongruous quality. This quality stemmed from the fact that he had very few implants; only his eyes and hands were replaced by high-quality prosthetics.

His mental state is stable, his body is healthy, and the modifications to his eyes and hands allow him to perform high-precision operations. There are no other inferior prosthetics interfering with his brain-computer interface, which is why he was able to become Ruan Qiuheng's assistant.

The intern scanned the patient's prosthetic eye and immediately identified the root of the problem.

"The optical unit is aging, and the chip is also broken."

"Can it be repaired?" the patient asked.

The intern shook his head. There was no profit in repairing this kind of stuff, and Ruan Qiuheng wouldn't take on this kind of business.

"Change it."

"Could we let Dr. Ruan take a look first?"

The patient asked cautiously, his tone somewhat humble.

The intern's gaze swept over the patient's other empty eye socket; clearly, what he held in his hand was the patient's only remaining eye. He paused for two seconds, then took the prosthetic eye into the reception room. Ruan Qiuheng was busy in the operating room. He went into the storage room, opened one of the many drawers, and found thousands of chips of various models arranged like fish scales in their slots. He picked out one chip, then, as if peeling a lychee, opened the patient's prosthetic eye, pinched the faulty chip that had popped out, and inserted the new one.

After finishing these tasks, the intern went into the corridor and smiled at the patient.

"I misread it; the chip isn't broken."

As he spoke, he pressed the prosthetic eye into the patient's eye socket.

The prosthetic eye lit up with a green indicator light, showing that it was functioning normally. The patient paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow in surprise, before asking nervously, "How much?"

"It's alright, no need to give it to me."

The intern smiled slightly.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of two figures out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw a hooded female robot emerge from the shadows of the underground passage, followed by a man in black wearing a holographic mask.

【Traveler/Type C】

The intern immediately recognized the robot's model; while not high-end, it was rarely seen in places like this. His gaze followed the two men. The man in black wearing a holographic mask glanced at him as he passed by, but didn't stop and went into the medical room.

The intern looked away and, after the patient left, went into the reception room.

Ruan Qiuheng sat on the sofa and said to the robot across the table, "Early-stage cardiac syndrome can be basically controlled in three courses of treatment. One course costs 2,100..."

“No data can be retained. I need to observe the treatment.” Chiba Ryoko interrupted Ruan Qiuheng, then looked towards the door.

Ruan Qiuheng looked at the intern with his ring-shaped compound eyes.

"You go out first."

The intern paused, took a step back, and as he closed the door, he couldn't help but wonder about the two men's identities. The treatment for levitation syndrome was very difficult, requiring specialized equipment only in regular hospitals. Their presence here seeking out underground doctors suggested their shady dealings.

A vague guess popped into the intern's mind—the person wearing the holographic mask might be a demon or monster undergoing an illegal ascension.

In the reception room, Ruan Qiuheng looked at the closed door and then shifted his gaze to Chiba Ryoko.

"The price will double again."

Ryoko Chiba looked at Suger, whose face was hidden under a holographic mask.

Suger nodded.

“Okay.” Chiba Ryoko nodded and said to Ruan Qiuheng, “Let’s begin now.”

……

A 3D image of the brain is displayed on the table.

Green light streams represent normal nerve impulses being transmitted between different parts of the brain, while scattered red light streams represent abnormal nerve impulses.

Ruan Qiuheng was already used to phagocytosis, but at this moment she could not suppress her surprise. She looked at the man lying flat in the machine and whispered.

"He doesn't have a brain-computer interface? How could he have psychomotor syndrome?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask," Chiba Ryoko said beside her. "You've already received double the money."

Ruan Qiuheng opened her mouth but said nothing more. She had treated all sorts of patients, many of whom had failed their ascension, but this was the first time she had seen something like this. To suffer from levitation syndrome without a brain-computer interface was completely illogical.

If the current treatment data were leaked, it would drive countless researchers crazy, costing double the money… its value far exceeds these six thousand yuan. Ruan Qiuheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, yet also a chill run down his spine.

The value of this secret is far more than six thousand dollars, so the other party wouldn't expect six thousand dollars to keep her quiet. Only the dead can keep secrets.

"How is he?" Chiba Ryoko interrupted Ruan Qiuheng's thoughts.

Ruan Qiuheng calmed himself down, but unconsciously lowered his voice:

"It's not too serious, but it's best to be moderate and avoid receiving external neural data during treatment."

……

Suger walked out of the underground passage, looked back, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was inevitably a little nervous during the treatment, but fortunately, the dark-skinned doctor didn't recognize him after he concealed his face.

“Only Ruan Qiuheng can help you cure your illness.” Chiba Ryoko walked beside Su Ge. “There are many quack doctors in Yingchuan City, but she is the only one with a legitimate medical background, and she is the only one with the equipment to treat levitation syndrome.”

“She’s not one to keep a secret,” Sog stared at the ground. “Last time she tried to sell me.”

“That was last time, when she knew you were a hibernator who couldn’t resist, but this time she can’t figure you out,” Chiba Ryoko said. “She’s a smart woman.”

“I’m afraid she’s too smart.” Su Ge slowly shook his head. “No matter what, we must prevent her from leaking information.”

……

The courtyard's dome was tinged with blue.

Yang Guan walked through the holographic rain. It had only been two days since he last left this place, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.

"coming."

Bai Miao greeted them from the doorway.

"coming."

Yang Guan nodded.

The two entered the office.

Hundreds of screens on the office walls displayed footage of the crime scene, and an investigator's black and white uniform and hat sat on a long gray silicon table. In mid-air, the half-body phantom of the Feathered Envoy floated, so handsome it seemed inhuman.

The Feathered Envoy's intention was instantly transmitted to Yang Guan's brain-computer interface. With the help of the brain-computer interface's translation, Yang Guan understood what the Feathered Envoy meant.

Investigator Yang Guan single-handedly solved an identity theft case, recovering 142 stolen citizen identities and reinstating them for employment.

This message was simultaneously conveyed to every member of the Security Bureau, and the Feathered Envoy disappeared.

Yang Guan took a deep breath, put on the uniform, and the flexible exoskeleton automatically conformed to his body. He glanced at Bai Miao, "So, do you still recognize me?"

Bai Miao ignored his mockery, her face cold, and her voice rang out in Yang Guan's brain: "You are an investigator. A gun is more important than life, and your identity is more important than a gun. You solved a case, but your actions at that time were irrational. Without external intervention, you wouldn't even be able to get your identity back now."

"There are no 'ifs,' only results." Yang Guan chuckled, put on his hat, and said, "Well, the result is that I won."

Bai Miao pursed her lips.

"Don't do this next time."

Yang Guan remained noncommittal, turned and left the office. Once outside, he asked, "What did the bureau think of the documents I submitted?"

Bai Miao said, "Since a deity has intervened, the case is closed. The Security Bureau no longer needs to pay attention to that ghost, and as for Jiang Ning, he is currently being treated as a missing person."

"Missing..."

Yang Guan frowned. This result was not unexpected, but he was still unwilling. There were thousands of missing persons registered in Yingchuan City. If only one person was treated as missing, it was possible that no one would ever investigate.

"Don't overthink it. It's already the best outcome that you can return to the Security Bureau," Bai Miao said. "There are more important cases in the Bureau."

"The story of those demons and monsters escaping from prison?" Yang Guan asked.

"What else could it be? There's still no lead in this case. We need to investigate every single digital life form that appeared in Yingchuan City recently after the prison break, and we simply don't have enough manpower. By the way, didn't you submit a temporary hiring application for that Su Ge?"

"what happened?"

Yang Guan was somewhat surprised when Bai Miao suddenly mentioned Su Ge.

Bai Miao looked at Yang Guan.

"We really can use him for our part of the investigation."

(End of this chapter)