Chapter 63 Foreign Object

The final stop was the Medical Department.

Zhu Ning had originally planned to find Fang Ying first to ask about the aftermath of the Mechanical Aquarium, but they had already scheduled a medical check-up for her at the Medical Department.

The complete dossier requested by Xuan Qing included Zhu Ning's medical examination report; only after completing this final item would she be granted freedom of movement.

However, since she had presumably passed all the previous evaluations, this final step did not attract much attention, and Fang Ying didn't even bother to come and supervise.

Zhu Ning's right hand had been treated with a high-potency healing agent, and her right arm appeared completely mended. Although she felt no pain, she sensed that this hand felt somewhat different than before.

Surely she wasn't going to have a ruined gun-hand, permanently bidding farewell to her shooting career, right?

"Not at all." Doctor Fu glanced at her scan. "The medical standards here are exceptionally high. We never experience a case of permanent personnel impairment."

True to the wasteland world, as long as limbs weren't completely severed, everything could be restored.

Had such technology existed in her original world, so many athletes would never have had to retire due to injuries.

Doctor Fu suggested, "Why not take your genetic serum in advance? It will speed up your recovery."

She was only a week away from her scheduled time for the genetic serum anyway.

"Very well."

The injection of the genetic serum was likewise painless. While the first injection had produced noticeable changes, subsequent ones no longer did so; her five senses were not going to evolve any further.

The remaining genetic serum injections were simply meant to stabilize her condition.

Snap—

The microscopic gaps in her fractured bones were rapidly healing, after which her body was reassembled like a toy.

Zhu Ning was brand new once more.

Stepping down from the medical pod, Zhu Ning flexed her right hand. This time, the sensation was even better; it felt entirely like her original hand, as if it had never been injured at all.

Moreover, her head no longer ached; that lingering, elusive pain had vanished.

Still feeling no discomfort from the genetic serum injection, Zhu Ning asked, "Isn't everyone saying it hurts terribly?"

Doctor Fu was still reviewing the scans without looking up. "Some people feel nothing at all. It depends on one's genes."

Zhu Ning: "..."

This truly was an era ruled by genetics; everything came down to one's genes.

Doctor Fu was examining Zhu Ning's brain scans. The Medical Department had taken new images, and as he looked at them, he let out a soft click of his tongue.

The most terrifying thing during a medical consultation was when a doctor made a strange expression. Was she about to be diagnosed with a terminal illness?

Zhu Ning asked, "What is it?"

Doctor Fu replied, "Your brain is shaped so nicely. Such a standard-looking head."

Zhu Ning: "..."

She looked up at the tightly closed heavy doors. Was assaulting a doctor a crime?

Furthermore, that didn't sound like a compliment at all—a nicely shaped brain? Was Doctor Fu the Hannibal of the wasteland world?

Doctor Fu put down the scans. "I can't tell. Everything here shows normal function. Could you describe the pain in detail? What does it feel like? Like needles pricking? From the inside out, or from the outside in?"

True to form as a physician, since many patients struggled to articulate their sensations, he was guiding her through it.

Zhu Ning carefully recalled, "From the inside out, I suppose."

Prior to this mission, Zhu Ning might not have been able to describe it accurately.

Initially, Zhu Ning had assumed it was an external pricking sensation, but after being invaded by Prometheus, she seemed to discover a subtle difference between the two; that pain was diffusive, radiating outward from a central point.

Doctor Fu set the scans aside. "My preliminary suspicion is that there might be a foreign object inside your brain."

Zhu Ning asked, "A foreign object? And the scans don't show it?"

Not even observation instruments as sophisticated as those could detect it?

She really was a defective product riddled with flaws—did she have a brain tumor?

Doctor Fu explained, "It depends on what the foreign object is. For instance, known metallic items that can be detected will naturally show up on scans. But if it's some kind of foreign object that our current equipment cannot accurately identify, the machine will simply display normal readings."

"..." Zhu Ning muttered, "A pollutant?"

Doctor Fu answered, "It's not entirely out of the question. Some pollutants, after their pollution levels are reduced, can also pass machine inspections, such as the equipment in the research labs. But personally, I feel that if you were to place a pollutant inside a human brain, the host would find it very difficult to survive."

Zhu Ning asked, "Why?"

Doctor Fu explained, "You've been inside contaminated zones. Pollutants are basically extremely active; whether they are people or objects, they all possess their own independent consciousness or drives, don't they?"

Zhu Ning nodded. "Yes."

Doctor Fu continued, "Although different schools of thought hold varying views, would you agree if I describe a pollutant as an individual entity?"

Zhu Ning pondered for a moment. "I agree."

Pollutants were living individual entities.

Doctor Fu pulled out a sheet of paper and began to explain to Zhu Ning, "Have you ever felt as though pollutants possess some kind of lingering resentment?"

Zhu Ning nodded. She had experienced that exact feeling the very first time she entered a contaminated zone.

"That's why Demon Hunters are called Demon Hunters. Early on, people lacked a deep understanding of pollutants, and common folk assumed pollutants were actual demons."

Doctor Fu wrote the word "resentment" on the paper, and beside it, he wrote "sanity value."

"Haven't you ever felt that what you perceive as resentment is actually the exact same concept as our sanity values?"

Zhu Ning frowned. Understood in that light, it made complete sense.

Why was it that in this world, humans resembled objects while objects resembled humans? Because the conceptual boundaries between humans and objects were blurring.

Objects were acquiring "consciousness," and conscious objects would mimic human actions, growing increasingly human-like.

Meanwhile, humans themselves were beginning to evolve in the direction of objectification, willing to discard their own consciousness and treat themselves as mere objects.

Doctor Fu concluded, "If there were a pollutant inside your brain, what do you suppose it would live on?"

Zhu Ning answered without hesitation, "My sanity value."

Doctor Fu nodded. "Correct. If it parasitized you, it would undoubtedly devour you. But your sanity value is exceptionally high; hardly anyone in the entire Federation ranks higher than you. If you were constantly being devoured by it, you couldn't possibly have lived this long. You would be extremely weak until you wasted away and died."

"Besides, I've reviewed your latest data collection, and your sanity value is still increasing. That defies logic."

That was true.

Thus, the possibility of it being a pollutant inside her brain could be ruled out.

If the entity inside her brain were the system, far from devouring her, the system constantly supplied her with equipment and talents.

Could it be something of an even higher dimension?

Her own death might be related to this very thing.

Doctor Fu added, "Of course, there is also the possibility that there is nothing in your brain at all—merely the aftereffects of mental contamination. From a conspiratorial standpoint, I'm just speculating mind you, you can take it with a grain of salt, otherwise it won't do much for my image as a rigorous medical professional."

Zhu Ning: "..."

You still claim a rigorous image?

Doctor Fu hypothesized, "Suppose—and I emphasize *suppose*—such a thing is a device, some kind of higher-level experimental apparatus designed to bypass everyone's detection, and someone implanted it inside your brain?"

As he said this, Doctor Fu grew slightly uncertain, as it was impossible for someone to have a device installed in their brain without knowing it.

If Zhu Ning was completely unaware, the only explanation was that it had been implanted at birth.

Zhu Ning remained silent.

That would prove that Zhu Ning herself, much like Experimental Subject No. 777, was also a kind of experimental specimen.

Doctor Fu immediately supplemented, "Of course, I can't prove it, because I can't see it."

Zhu Ning asked, "Is there any way for me to know for sure what it is?"

"There is," Doctor Fu suddenly said, his eyes lighting up. "I could help you open up your skull and take a look."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Even if she died of pain, she would never let her skull be opened up for this perverted doctor to study.

Doctor Fu's visible excitement was palpable. "We don't even have to open it completely—just drill a hole and insert a puncture probe."

Zhu Ning declined politely, "No, thank you."

That still did not sound like a favorable situation.

Doctor Fu looked somewhat disappointed. "Well then, continue to observe yourself. I'll prescribe you some high-potency mental healing agents. Let me know if anything changes. If you happen to be a rare medical case, I might just become rich."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Why were they all fine words, yet sounded so bizarre coming out of his mouth?

Zhu Ning didn't move, fixing her gaze squarely on Doctor Fu. "How do you plan to write my medical record?"

If she understood correctly, this medical record would ultimately be submitted to Xuan Qing for review.

Doctor Fu tended to speak rather loosely, and Zhu Ning had consistently bantered with him; their matching lack of conventional propriety allowed them to hit it off.

They rarely spoke in serious tones.

Doctor Fu looked up to see Zhu Ning staring at him expressionlessly.

He suddenly felt a wave of pressure.

Doctor Fu offered tentatively, "I'll write that you suffered from the aftereffects of mild mental contamination?"

It was phrased as a question.

Zhu Ning said with satisfaction, "Good."

Doctor Fu let out a sigh of relief. In truth, he didn't dare write much more; all medical diagnoses required evidence and could not rely on ungrounded, wildly imaginative speculation.

Writing that she suffered from the aftereffects of mental contamination was best for both him and Zhu Ning. He had a premonition that if he reported his previous hypothesis, he would die long before Zhu Ning did.

Zhu Ning paid for the genetic serum; the medical fees and the mental healing agent were free of charge. She accepted the paper bag containing a week's supply of medication.

Doctor Fu explained, "To prevent personnel from reselling the Cleansing Center's medical resources, we can currently only dispense a maximum of one week's supply of medication at a time. Situations have occurred before where people came to the Medical Department to sponge off resources and took the medicine outside to sell."

Doctor Fu spoke through grates of teeth. Zhu Ning thought to herself that she knew precisely one such person—Song Zhizhang.

Zhu Ning asked, "How are the others doing?"

Doctor Fu replied, "Chuling from the Grey Hawk Squad is fine; she's still undergoing the replacement of her mechanical prosthesis. Two others were heavily wounded and remain hospitalized; one of them is showing signs of contamination. You remember Yang Shu, don't you?"

Zhu Ning asked, "What will happen to him?"

Doctor Fu stated, "Hard to say. It depends on whether they can suppress it. Either he mutates into a sixth-class citizen, or he becomes a pollutant and gets shot."

True to form, the Cleansing Center's style was a blend of cruelty wrapped in care.

Doctor Fu added, "However, they belong to the Decontamination Department, which isn't my department, so I'm not entirely clear on the details."

The Decontamination Department—yet another new department Zhu Ning had not yet encountered.

Zhu Ning inquired, "What about Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan?"

Doctor Fu answered, "Xu Meng has been discharged. She should be the earliest among you to leave the hospital."

So fast?

Though Xu Meng hadn't appeared to have sustained any injuries to begin with.

Doctor Fu continued, "Li Nianchuan has already had his chip removed and is still recovering in the inpatient ward."

Zhu Ning asked, "Can I visit him?"

Doctor Fu shook his head. "No, you don't have the clearance to enter the inpatient ward, but you can communicate with him via intercom."

Doctor Fu operated his control panel. "I have his behavioral video feed right here."

The room where Li Nianchuan was located was quite cozy. He was curled up on the bed, his hair possessing a slight natural curl that obscured half of his face, making him appear exceptionally quiet.