Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 247 - 247 27 Communication

247: Chapter 27: Communication 247: Chapter 27: Communication The development of the brain is a case of “higher function areas enveloping lower function areas.”

Or rather, the evolution of the central nervous system mostly involves evolving a higher-level structure around the “primitive structure.” The “higher-level structures” generally envelop the “lower-level structures.”

The most primitive, regulating cardiovascular movement, breathing, swallowing, vomiting, and other important physiological activities, is the reflex center.

Above this, there is the movement center which adjusts fibers, corrects the movement of related muscles, adjusts joints, and maintains coordinated voluntary movements.

Above that again, there is the nerve center that regulates endocrines and influences advanced thinking activities and emotions.

And above that is the striatum.

This involves the differentiation in species evolution.

Among mammals, the striatum mainly receives signals from the cerebral cortex and thalamus, regulates movements, and is also responsible for generating “non-declarative memory” [including muscle memory and other memories that cannot be expressed with linguistic symbols].

It generally receives the brain’s “background information.”

However, on the evolutionary branch of archosaurs—dinosaurs—birds, the striatum has greatly developed.

For modern birds, the neo-striatum is already sufficient to support relatively complex psychological activities.

In contrast, mammals have not deeply cultivated the striatum.

Beyond it, they evolved another higher function area, which is the “neocortex.”

For humans, the deeper the nerve, the less important it is—because they concern the body’s instincts, about the brain commanding the physical body.

But in the era of prosthetic bodies, these are no longer important.

The greatest advantage of natural vertebrae is just their “cost-effectiveness” and “value for money.”

In the laboratory, there are data transmission devices that are better than the spinal cord.

When a biological brain sustains some kind of irreversible damage, and this damage will gradually worsen, “discarding part of the brain” is also an acceptable option.

As long as the neocortex that generates self-consciousness is retained, a person can still be considered a human.

This is the minimal requirement.

Of course, this standard is only limited to “highly modified cybernetically enhanced people.”

For natural persons, those lower parts basically involve the most basic life-sustaining functions.

Damaging the neocortex could lead to memory loss, drastic personality changes, or mental disorders.

But damaging those primitive parts might lead directly to death.

For cybernetically enhanced people, it’s about “which irreplaceable part is more mechanically valuable.”

Xiang Shan was startled, “This…

ah, yes.

Technology can indeed achieve this step.

It should have reached this step already.”

But undoubtedly, it’s a very difficult surgery.

Because the neocortex that you must retain is on the outermost layer of the brain.

And the vegetative nervous system and motor nerves you need to discard are underneath this layer of the neocortex.

This is like “not damaging the apple’s skin while scooping out the flesh inside,” multiplied by a thousand in difficulty.

Xiang Shan looked at Tao Enhai, “To what extent are you prepared to discard?

What’s the bottom line?”

“Well, with current technology, in the worst-case scenario, we can go down to the hippocampus,” Tao Enhai thought and then shook his head with a smile, “The higher cortex also has a considerable part responsible for movement and sensation.

Theoretically, the minimal limit is ‘to keep part of the frontal and temporal cortical layers.’ But honestly, humans have not completely cracked the brain’s algorithm.

The frontal and temporal lobes cannot support thinking alone.”

Which implied, the rest could already be replaced by mechanical means.

“What about martial arts cultivation?

Complex movement familiarity, acquisition, and selection, all have a lot to do with the striatum.

Long-term memory conversion is handled by the hippocampus…”

“Right, losing these means you can’t rely on your own brain to remember things anymore, and external strength is also greatly affected.

But at least there’s still a hard drive.

Better than being dead,” Tao Enhai shook his head.

He stood up again and grabbed Xiang Shan, “And you…

you’d better explain your real experience.

It’s hard for me to look at you comfortably wearing someone else’s skin.”

“I can explain a bit about that matter.

But it must be kept strictly confidential.” Xiang Shan looked at Tao Enhai, “Direct data line only.

I only accept this form of conversation.”

Tao Enhai was silent for a moment.

He said to his disciple, “Lucius, give me a data cable, please.”

Upon hearing he does not need immediate surgery, Lucius breathed a sigh of relief.

He dared not look at his teacher and pulled out a data cable from his waist.

Tao Enhai bowed to the other Knights, “Sorry, my fellow brothers, this matter involves some past events.

I need to have a private talk with this guy.”

Saying so, he walked with Xiang Shan into the operating room.

This operating room, lined with plastic film isolating it from the soil, was very small, capable of accommodating only two or three people.

A small amount of equipment already crammed the space full.

To perform surgery, one would have to bend and stoop.

Only a doctor of cybernetically enhanced people could operate in such harsh conditions.

Tao Enhai sat on the ground and pointed across from him.

Xiang Shan also sat down.

Tao Enhai plugged one end of the data cable into the side of his head—at the position that would be behind the ear if he were a Natural Person.

Xiang Shan inserted the other end of the cable into his wrist.

“What exactly are you?” Tao Enhai asked, “Every individual who claims to be Xiang Shan actually knows they are not Xiang Shan.

Deep down, they all have their own ‘other’ childhood.

The online memories of Xiang Shan seldom include his childhood.

This part cannot be overwritten.

The so-called ‘Martial God’ merely identifies more with the memories of Xiang Shan’s youth.

You must have such memories too.”

“Tell me, who are you really?

Speak with the identity from that segment of your memory.”

At that moment, Tao Enhai was sure that this person was a “True Personality Mask.” The signal he transmitted gave the feeling of “inner strength,” and until now, synthetic personality masks could not utilize inner strength.

Xiang Shan wanted to wryly smile, “To be honest, I don’t have such memories.

I have also doubted whether I might be someone else.”

“Nonsense!” Tao Enhai exclaimed, “Are you ashamed of the memory that ‘is not Xiang Shan’?

If you really believe you are Xiang Shan, then it is that thought which is shameful!

At least those who mimic him more convincingly—I mean those called ‘Martial God’—do not hide this fact!”

“No, I am telling the truth,” Xiang Shan said.

He summoned his “earliest traceable memory” — the memory of being picked up from the rubbish heap by Yuki.

— Blank…blank…blank…water…a bit of light…

Then there was the matter at Recycling Station Town.

The dialogue between Yulia and the Town Mayor…

“Since it’s a direct connection, I can only ‘conceal,’ not ‘fabricate,'” Xiang Shan said.

“Fabrication” would trigger special neural activity.

On an emotional level, fabricated stories manifest quite differently from real experiences.

Perhaps a skilled con artist could instantly construct a fabricated story and keep a straight face.

He might even manage to pretend it’s real through a performance of self-forgetfulness in a short span.

But fiction remains fiction.

In a stable connection, a master of inner strength can catch these fleeting subtle expressions.

“Picked up from a rubbish heap?

That’s quite the joke,” Tao Enhai said.

“Are you the protagonist of a sci-fi comic?”

“Although it’s hard for me to believe, this is what happened,” Xiang Shan replied.

“Forgive my bluntness, but were you executed by someone, then placed there with a false sense of self-identity?” Tao Enhai questioned.

“That’s the best explanation I can think of.”

Xiang Shan surprisingly nodded, “Honestly, I find this guess quite plausible.

But the problem is, there isn’t a trace of memory ‘that doesn’t belong to Xiang Shan’ in my brain.”

“A large amount of Restoring Enzyme can explain that,” Tao Enhai said.

“You may have had original memories, but the restoring enzyme reset them when it restored your brain.”

Xiang Shan felt a soft, foam-like illusion touching his “chest” area.

This was “sympathy.”

Tao Enhai was feeling “sympathy” for those nameless individuals suffering from “such an ordeal.”

“However, there are still doubts,” Xiang Shan continued.

“For the Protectors, Restoring Enzyme is a very precious resource.

To completely reset the memory of an adult would require quite a bit of Restoring Enzyme, not to mention afterwards, they would need to implant Xiang Shan’s memories into my brain.

If they were just executing a ‘traitor,’ the Protectors wouldn’t be so extravagant.”

“The Protector… that doesn’t seem likely.

At least the local Protector just treated me as someone who appeared out of nowhere, showing no recognition.

Could this be some kind of psychological experiment by the Scientific Knight Order?

And even a level higher than that of the Mona Knight Order in Pine Eagle City?”

“Who knows.” Tao Enhai snorted internally, “I just hope you won’t pretend to be Xiang Shan anymore.”

“I truly don’t have any other memories,” Xiang Shan said, “In fact, even the experiences from the youth of Xiang Shan were acquired from other sources.

If I don’t consider myself as Xiang Shan, I don’t know who to be.

For the sake of my mental health, to avoid identity confusion leading to mental disorders, I would still like to continue calling myself this until I find the memories.”

“Hmph, suit yourself,” Tao Enhai said.

“But remember!

You are not Xiang Shan.

You are yourself.

Don’t hope that Xiang Shan can take care of everything.

Human freedom and dignity depend on our present selves!”

“Speaking of which, the brain separation surgery, do you need my help?

From your perspective, your disciple’s chances don’t seem very great,” Xiang Shan said.

Besides verbal communication, the two were exchanging various underlying thoughts.

Any thoughts that emerged near the surface of consciousness could be captured by the algorithm and transmitted.

“You saved a little girl before?

You seem to find brain surgery a bit tricky.”

“No, Doctor Tao,” Xiang Shan replied, “After seeing you…

I remembered again.

About the surgery.”