Above Destiny

Chapter 843 I have a plan!
It wasn't a month.

With Ji Jue also involved, he and Lou Feng completed the implementation of the new external connection module solution within a week.

Only when he was working could Lou Feng realize that this guy was indeed a genuine Master Rongguan.

It vividly showed him what it meant to be the Chosen One of Embers and a data-stealing maniac.

In this design, which is subject to numerous restrictions, complicated requirements, and has no precedents to refer to, it's like dancing in shackles, occasionally even doing a split.

He only worked sporadically, occasionally showing up, but somehow managed to turn what was originally just a design on paper into a new prototype. He also optimized the structure and process twice, greatly reducing the manufacturing difficulty. From what Lou Feng considered an extremely demanding solution, he even stole 12% more material!
Extreme frugality results in extreme cost-effectiveness.

After piecing together a bunch of scraps, the finished product was completely different from Lou Feng's original vision. Yet, it was utterly devoid of any ugliness, instead radiating an ultimate industrial beauty from the inside out.

This made him repeatedly wonder who invented Ji Jue.

I don't understand at all.

Unfortunately, he starts talking whenever people try to respect him.

Once they stop working, they immediately go from being the chosen ones to just another face in the roadside, which is really annoying.

and……

"Are you hiding something from me?"

On the very day of the coastal charity event, Ji Jue had just entered his office when he saw Lou Feng, who hadn't slept all night, holding a new type of external connection module in his hand and staring at him with a gloomy expression.

He looks like a ghost.

"What the hell?"

Caught off guard, Ji Jue almost jumped up, a cold sweat nearly seeping from the back of his head.

I was so scared!

That subtly resentful expression almost made him wonder if he'd wandered onto the wrong film set. Suddenly, his co-star uttered that question—it was as terrifying as his girlfriend suddenly asking, "Are you seeing someone else?"

So is that really the case?

Of course!
What else?
Do you expect me to be completely innocent and clean?
That's why I hate you sensitive ember brats...

Wait, I'm an ember too? Never mind then.

What are you saying!

Ji Jue glared and reprimanded decisively: "I work hard every day to socialize outside, isn't it all for this... cough cough, this factory!"

"I was just playing along with them. You were the one who supervised my project, Lao Lou! How could you think of me like that!"

"Heh, I have no interest in what you're up to out there. I don't care if you die on the street someday."

Lou Feng raised the external connection module in his hand.

The copper gleamed.

"—That's what I meant."

Perhaps others wouldn't understand, but as the designer of this project, Lou Feng could sense something was amiss, not with the product itself, but with Ji Jue.

From the very beginning, Ji Jue's purpose was all too clear, and his goal was not limited to this single product.

Both the design concept and the implementation direction seem to subtly point in another direction.

To this end, they even went to great lengths to retain some things that Lou Feng considered insignificant, and added some redundancies that were completely unnecessary at the current stage.

Logically speaking, such long-term planning is not unusual, and it would be strange if Ji Jue didn't have such thoughts. But the key is that Lou Feng felt something was wrong.

His experience from dealing with Ji Jue over a long period of time told him that if you sometimes feel that this bastard is not right, then don't doubt it, he is definitely not right!

And he definitely wasn't holding back a fart!

"So, what exactly do you want to do?"

Lou Feng crossed his arms and asked solemnly, "As the supervisor, it's reasonable for me to ask you to provide an explanation for this project, isn't it?"

That's reasonable, absolutely reasonable, perfectly reasonable.

Within the united faction, the supervisor is the second most important figure after the master craftsman, and not just an assistant or a lowly laborer, but a key partner who controls the core assets. Aren't many internal conflicts and splits in large workshops caused by the contradictions between the master craftsman and the supervisor?
Both logically and emotionally, Ji Jue should give an explanation.

"Well, since you've already guessed it, I won't hide it from you anymore."

Ji Jue calmly sat down and said bluntly, "I want to install a whole-house smart system."

"WTF?"

Lou Feng was bewildered.

I was prepared for Ji Jue to be stubborn or deny it, but I didn't expect him to be so straightforward, and to give such an abstract answer.

You better explain to me properly what the hell means by "whole house smart"?
"Well, the whole house is smart."

Ji Jue snapped his fingers, and the air conditioner turned on automatically, the desk lamp's brightness was adjusted, the robot vacuum cleaner started humming, the coffee machine began preheating, and the double espresso was prepared.

The television screen lit up and began broadcasting the news. The morning news from Yacheng TV was playing, and the host solemnly read from his script: "The Coast Technology's new prosthetic limb charity event begins today. Let's connect with our reporter on the scene..."

"This is whole-house intelligence."

Ji Jue calmly shrugged: "Besides that, I don't need to say anything more about its applications and potential, do I, Lao Lou?"

Lou Feng's mind raced, his thoughts instantly shifting from civilian to military applications, but then, following Ji Jue's lead, he immediately turned to industry, and even...

He froze, incredulous:

--people?!
Wait, is that even possible? Not necessarily. If it were to develop based on this, wouldn't the external modules also be connected to the human body?
If humans can control other creations, then it is not impossible for them to control humans through other creations!
Although it's unbelievable, if it were that beast, it's not impossible for him to do such a thing!

This is absolutely outrageous!
But... so what?!
Lou Feng's eyes lit up, and he felt that the prospects of this project had suddenly become bright!
More than just light, it's downright light!
There's no way around it, that's how craftsmen are. If you say they're helping others for fun, I might not be interested, but if you say they're utterly immoral, I'll immediately wake up.

Besides, if he doesn't understand other people, how could he not understand Ji Jue?

He's quick to commit evil deeds, but when it comes to truly heinous acts, this beast actually has a little bit of a bottom line.

The only problem is that Ji Jue was a little too candid.

When he realized what was happening, his gaze toward the person opposite him became increasingly suspicious.

A fixed, unwavering gaze.

Ji Jue remained calm and unperturbed in response, making no attempt to hide his feelings.

"Besides that, I do have some other ideas."

He paused, then asked with a half-smile, "But do you really want to know?"

Lou Feng fell silent for a moment.

In the brief silence, he looked at the craftsman across the table, his expression changing slightly, but it didn't seem like curiosity; rather, it seemed more like... restraint.

Even though he could sense that Ji Jue wouldn't hide anything from him if he asked, he knew that Ji Jue would keep his questions to himself.

But then, he hesitated.

In the end, he chose to give up.

"never mind."

Lou Feng picked up the external connection port on the table again. "It's up to you, just don't set me up in a fire pit."

"That's impossible, don't worry."

Ji Jue smiled reassuringly: "After all, you've been in the trap for a while now!"

Lou Feng gave the middle finger without turning his head.

I don't want to talk.

However, as he pushed open the door to leave, he heard Ji Jue's voice: "If you want to know, you can do so anytime. You are my supervisor, Lou Feng."

Ask me anything, I won't hide anything.

The figure paused for a moment, as if about to turn around.

In the end, he said nothing.

gone.

Leaving Ji Jue in the office, I inexplicably felt a little guilty.

If Lou Feng had said, "You'll regret this, Ji Jue," he could have retorted with, "I am the master craftsman." But Lou Feng's consideration for the bigger picture, and even his regard for the subtle "affection" between them that might not even exist in the first place, made Ji Jue feel a little ashamed.

Please forgive me, Lao Lou, this is the last time...

But we can't be so sure, after all, there's no guarantee what will happen next time!

I arrived at Xinquan a day early and checked into a temporary ward at the Coastal Hospital. I began fasting that evening.

I woke up at 7:00 AM on an empty stomach to undergo the examination, confirm my physical condition, and then lined up to receive a number. By 8:00 AM, the first person to receive the qualification had already begun their individual consultation and final confirmation of their condition.

In front of the attending physician, the staff of Coast Technology reiterated the uncertainties of the project itself, the inherent dangers and related aftereffects, and reaffirmed the participants' wishes before they signed the agreement.

“I am aware of it, I understand it, and I am aware of the consequences.”

The middle-aged man in the wheelchair nodded at the camera, nervously flustered: "Is this where I sign? I've signed it."

"Okay, Mr. Zhou."

After collecting the contract, the staff stamped it with their seal.

The waiting nurse came forward, injected anesthesia, and soon, the patient was wheeled into the pre-prepared operating room.

Behind the transparent glass of the high-rise building, a large crowd had gathered, with some even carrying cameras to record the entire process—not only the implantation of the first new type of prosthetic body, but also the procedure for the first fully automated implantation surgery.

Under the shadowless lamp, most of the scenes specially created to suit high-tech settings are unnecessary; they just look impressive but are actually quite incomprehensible.

The real focus, however, is the most unassuming robotic arm and the instruments beside it.

[Import medical records, verify duplicate entries, confirm status]

[Incision, location calculation, locking completed, neural transformation]

[Neural port implantation, activation, verification, repeated verification, activation complete.]

[Surgery No. RA0001, completed.]

In less than five minutes, it was all done smoothly.

The scalpel cuts through the flesh, exposing the spine, and then the program automatically calculates and finds the optimal location; the rest is almost indistinguishable from construction.

A hole is made in the spine, the nerve is connected, the implant is inserted, medication is injected, and the suture is completed.

All that was exposed was a metal slot.

ended.

The installation of the remaining external modules is actually quite simple. Just align them with the sockets to confirm the correct orientation, and don't try to force anything; anyone with hands can do it.

The most technologically advanced processes, such as neurotransformation and metal neural printing, are actually hidden from view by cameras.

One was pushed out, one was pushed in, then the next, and the next...

Flowing like clouds and water.

Nearly a hundred surgeries were performed in one morning, all without any unexpected incidents and all were successful.

This is to be expected, since unsuitable individuals or those with unsuitable conditions would have been screened out during the first round of medical examinations. At 1 p.m., the first compatible candidate to undergo surgery had already woken up.

"Mr. Zhou, hello, can you hear my voice?"

An excited reporter stood in front of the hospital bed, beaming as he handed over the microphone: "Is there anything you'd like to say to your friends watching on television?"

"what?"

The patient on the hospital bed looked dazed, blinked, and seemed to come to his senses: "Hello, everyone? I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

Throughout the video recording, after the doctor examined the patient's condition, made a judgment, and gave permission, the staff waiting nearby opened the outer packaging and skillfully embedded the thumb-sized external module into the interface on his back, filling in the dent.

The installation of the two new prosthetic limbs is even simpler; they are simply fixed to the legs.

After re-debugging the program and reconnecting the components, it was successfully completed.

The whole process was like changing a tire.

So much so that... not only the reporters, but even the patients who participated in the experiment were incredulous, looking down at their unfamiliar legs, bewildered: "Healed?"

"It's all done, Mr. Zhou."

The staff member smiled and said, "You can try moving around now, but I suggest you don't move too much at first. It's best to use a support frame. Once you get used to it, it will be much more convenient."

Even after he stood on the ground with the support of a rehabilitation brace, he still hadn't come to his senses.

He stiffly raised his right leg, then lowered it again, without any further reaction.

It was raised once more, and then fell once more.

again and again.

After a sudden tremor throughout his body, the forgotten feeling and feedback rose from his spinal cord and reached his brain, leaving him stunned in place.

"Mr. Zhou? Hello Mr. Zhou? Can you hear me?"

"me……"

The middle-aged man stood there, stunned, his eyes gradually turning red: "I can feel my legs, I, I can feel them!"

Right before everyone's eyes, his right leg rose once more, and this time, under the focused gaze, his right leg, which had remained straight without any reaction, began to bend.

backward.

The coordinated joints of the foot pull the instep upwards in a smooth, flowing motion.

He tentatively, very slowly, took a step forward.

He stumbled, but managed to steady himself with the help of the support frame.

Then, taking another step, slowly and steadily moving forward, he took several more steps.

His wife, standing beside him, lowered her head, tears of joy streaming down her face.

He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly dropped the brace and started to move forward, step by step, faster and faster, unable to contain his smile, cheers, and shouts.

He started running.

It slammed into the wall with a thud and fell to the ground.

Just as others reached out, he slapped them away, saying, "Get out of the way, don't help me, I can do it myself."

He leaned against the wall and the ground, shakily lifting his leg once more, awkwardly and clumsily getting up, slipping, and then pushing himself up again.

Until he finally got up from the ground and stood before everyone.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Amid cheers and applause, which continued unabated, he could no longer care about anything else. He began to walk and run again, staggering unsteadily.

He even pushed open the door and ran into the hospital courtyard, shouting and running wildly as if he were a madman.

"Keep a close eye on them, no need to stop them."

The attending physician, standing by the window, stared blankly at the retreating figure, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips: "Let him run for a while, let him run for a while."

Next was the second participant in the experiment who underwent surgery. Under guidance, he successfully picked up many odds and ends on the table. After practice, he even picked up chopsticks again with his new right hand. When he tried to put the food in his mouth, he accidentally poked it into his nostril.

Despite the pain, he actually laughed. He tried again and again until he accurately put two rice noodles into his mouth and swallowed them with tears in his eyes.

Next is an elderly person who is physically healthy but paralyzed after a stroke.

Through the external module of the cervical spine, the patient was able to sit up from the bed again by controlling the lightweight exoskeleton prosthesis covering the whole body, and even tried to walk again while holding onto the support.

After confirming that he had regained the most basic ability to take care of himself, the elderly man, who still couldn't control his drooling, pushed past everyone's attempts to stop him. Years later, the first thing he did was rely on himself to walk into the toilet.

Through the door, I could hear muffled, suppressed sobs coming from inside.

It's like regaining the most basic dignity once again.

After numerous tests, all the doctors reached the same conclusion: after a short period of rehabilitation and adaptation, users of the new prostheses can return to society normally. Even if they were originally paralyzed patients, as long as they are conscious, the difficulty of care can be greatly reduced.

"Is that so? That's wonderful, that's wonderful."

Elder Deng of the church stood in front of the window, gazing at the increasing number of people walking and running in the courtyard, and chuckled softly: "It's already quite complete."

"It's not even close."

Ji Jue shook his head, "At this stage, there's still no way to avoid the aftereffects."

Not only is there a long delay in the early stages, but the adaptation period is also accompanied by unavoidable phantom pain, and due to the ingredients used, many medications are required to address immune rejection.

At the same time, its operation is not stable and it needs to be replaced regularly, which has many drawbacks.

"But you can walk and move around now, right?"

Elder Deng smiled slightly, "No matter how troublesome or painful it may be, isn't the point of living to have these little things to look forward to?"

Even if it's just a little bit better.

Even just a little bit...

Life, which was originally full of pain and suffering, seems to have a tomorrow.

A glimmer of hope for the future.

"However, it may not necessarily be a good thing."

He paused for a moment, and his originally serious expression suddenly became cheerful: "That guy Long has been showing off in the church for a long time, and quite a few people want to break his two new legs again."

Sure enough, he looked better as a cripple.

"Ok."

Ji Jue nodded resolutely and solemnly assured, "I will instruct someone to do it, just say it's Elder Deng's instruction."

Immediately, the two of them burst into laughter.

"What's next?" Elder Deng asked. "Given your style, there must be new plans for the future, right?"

"Well, if I had to say, that's true."

Ji Jue nodded in reply: "The first phase is limited to the hands, feet and limbs. In the second phase, we will consider adding prosthetic eyes, but the initial effect may not be good."

During the technology accumulation phase, there aren't any good solutions yet.

“No need to worry.” Elder Deng waved his hand. “If it’s a patent issue, the church has some influence at the hospital. I’ll go back and write the application, and I expect to get a response this week.”

"That's troublesome."

Ji Jue accepted the offer without hesitation and said, "The use of implanted devices isn't complicated. If the church is interested, we can send them to you..."

"No need!"

Elder Deng interrupted him, saying firmly, "Please don't bring this up again. Entrusting such matters to the church may not be a good thing."

Even though the church has held the same charity event countless times, this time is different.

Those cheap prosthetics can be given away as gifts; the church will pay for them without hesitation, no matter the quantity. But they are all cheap, almost shabby.

That's why it won't be taken away or coveted. It can't be sold for money even if it's dismantled, so it won't harm those who have nothing.

But that won't work now.

Even if Ji Jue's results were a little worse, a little more troublesome, or even a little less... inferior, he might have hesitated, but it was precisely because of this success that he resolutely refused.

It's not just that the safety of users cannot be guaranteed, but also because the church can no longer offer anything more than hope to those who are suffering.

There are too many people in need, but the church can only provide for too few. How can we show favoritism? With the same disability and suffering, does someone else's pain have to be less than ours?
When this right to distribute resources is entrusted to the church, who knows how many waves it will cause? When hope cannot be given to everyone, how can one bear this uncontrollable resentment?
"The church cannot be involved in this matter."

Elder Deng sighed, "You did very well, Mr. Ji. You can do many things that we cannot."

So please keep going.

He said, "Just keep going."

"I will."

Ji Jue nodded and gave his firm guarantee.

They fell silent, gazing out the window at the smiles and tears, as cheers drifted from afar.

Even as the sky gradually darkened.

People no longer seemed afraid of the dim light.

With the church's endorsement, the Haizhou government naturally supported the initiative, and the first phase of the charity event on the coast was launched in full swing. In just a few days, all the available spots were filled.

Meanwhile, applications to participate in the second phase were pouring in from all over Haizhou, and the ever-increasing number made Ji Jue dream – if there were five, six, seven, or eight more partners like Lao Lou, wouldn't the accumulation of external liaison modules be completed in two or three months, and the upgrades could be completed in one or two years? In another eighty or ninety years, even landing on the moon would probably be a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, Lou Feng threatened suicide, and the amount was ultimately capped at two thousand per period.

Ji Jue repeatedly advised Lou Feng that since he was a craftsman, he didn't need to do everything himself and could start looking for apprentices and taking in cattle and horses. However, Lou Feng blocked him directly.

Meanwhile, the coastal security team gradually became busier, patrolling around every day and cleaning up messes... There was no way around it, this was the wilderness, and the wilderness was a bit too wild!

Even though a contract was signed before installation, and it was repeatedly emphasized that any illegal modifications to the prosthesis were strictly prohibited, it couldn't stop everyone's eager and fearless heart.

Some are highly skilled individuals who want to show off their abilities!
Just two days ago, there was this old man who had lost half his life's hand, and he actually welded a machine gun onto his hand. During a settlement conflict, he took the lead, wielding a machine gun and fighting his way in and out seven times. It was absolutely terrifying.

This prompted the rivals to call the coast guard's hotline overnight to report that some people here have lost their sense of righteousness!
That's fine, but some people also like to tinker with small inventions.

Hiding a gun in the palm, a grenade in the leg—these methods liberate the limitations of prosthetic limbs in the legs or hands, and even allow for conversion from electric to gasoline, enabling leaps of five, six, seven, or eight meters high. However, they provided Ji Jue with a wealth of novel data and ways to die…

Considering that prevention is worse than cure, and that strict control is not the best approach, it would be better to simply bring it under regulation.

Ji Jue slapped his forehead.

He pointed his hand towards the sky.

"Hey, I have an idea!"

He suddenly looked up and said to Yu Shu, who was already feeling utterly hopeless, "Why don't we take the lead and organize a sports meet?"

【? 】

Yu Shu looked over numbly, and then everything went black again.

Boss, are you normal?

(End of this chapter)