Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 603 - 247: Surgery Begins

Chapter 603: Chapter 247: Surgery Begins

2044.

After a lengthy 21-day wait, Lu Xuanyu once again found himself in the operating room.

This time, he was facedown, fastened to the operating table.

Ms. Florence had tried to strike up a conversation with him along the way. Lu Xuanyu had wanted to chat as well, but on one hand, the prolonged 21-day immune destruction treatment had left him somewhat weak.

Besides, he was really nervous now.

"Mr. Lu, there’s really no need to be nervous," Ms. Florence gently told him, "The mortality rate of this improved virus is zero. It has already been successful in dozens of people, and no primate test subjects have died from it either."

"It’s just that... I feel apprehensive," Lu Xuanyu’s voice sounded muffled due to his face-down position. "This is...this is rabies, after all..."

"Modified rabies."

"Once it breaks out, it’s..."

"After genetic modification, the destructive power of the virus has been minimized," Florence said.

This was a result obtained from Yawgmoth’s "all-or-nothing" experiment years ago.

Gene modification surgery couldn’t be accomplished with just a virus.

Viruses invade cells, but it relies on the receptors on the surface of the cells. Virus receptors can specifically bind to the virus, mediate its entry, and promote infection.

A receptor can only specifically pair with one or a few viruses.

Therefore, a virus cannot indiscriminately infect all cells in the human body—their broad spectrum capacity is quite limited.

Even if Yawgmoth enhanced the virus’s broad spectrum infection capability, it couldn’t cover everything with just one virus.

Moreover, different parts of the human body require different times to transform.

The transformation of permanent cells is the slowest.

Neurons, cardiac muscle cells, and some skeletal muscle cells are considered "permanent cells"; their lifespans are almost as long as that of the human body, they do not divide, and they do not recover if damaged. Their proto-oncogenes are inactive, and transformation requires a lengthy process.

Luckily, gene modification surgery involves "inserting a new genome into existing cells," which doesn’t require waiting for the cells to divide again. Otherwise, the nervous system could never be transformed.

The immune system, mucosa, and hair follicle cells, among others, belong to the group that divides most rapidly.

The transformation of these parts would start in the middle to late stages of the transformation of other systems in the body.

But the brain must start transforming earlier.

After all, the brain is the most precious and fragile organ of the human body, as well as the organ of thought, which is key to being human.

And the fastest way to transform neurons is this—the rabies virus.

Seeing how tense Lu Xuanyu looked, Florence said, "Do you need to postpone the surgery? Of course, you still have the right to back out now."

"Of course not," Lu Xuanyu immediately said, "Backing out now would be a huge loss... Please continue."

Lu Xuanyu felt someone cleaning his lower back—probably between the third and fourth or fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae.

In that area, within the subarachnoid and soft meninges spaces, there is a narrow space. A small amount of cerebrospinal fluid is present there, where the long cauda equina nerve roots move within the cerebrospinal fluid.

This area is almost directly connected to the brain. After a large amount of rabies virus enters, it can quickly move into the brain along the nerves.

Also, injecting in this area causes minimal damage to the nerves.

Even if mangled by a rabid dog, the infection couldn’t progress faster than an injection directed here.

Lu Xuanyu took a deep breath, "Alright, I’m as mentally prepared as I can be. Let’s do this."

"Are you sure?"

"Let’s do this!"

Although Lu Xuanyu had prepared himself mentally for a long time, the entire process was very fast.

He only felt a slight sting, followed by a slight numbness in other parts.

It was as if he had been electrocuted for a moment.

Before he could react, the procedure was over.

Then, the medical staff turned him over.

Lu Xuanyu’s breathing was still a bit erratic.

"I suggest you rest well today and stop scaring yourself," Florence smiled. "Additionally... although I have repeated this several times, I must warn you again. Starting tomorrow, you might experience slight symptoms of hydrophobia, photophobia, and chills. These symptoms won’t be too severe. Also, your saliva secretion might be a bit more active, but it’s not serious. You might find it a bit troublesome when you wake up."

"However, if you experience any breathing difficulties within five days, please make sure to tell us."

Listening to Florence’s instructions, Lu Xuanyu nodded, "I will."

As he was wheeled back to his room, he gazed out the window, still feeling stunned.

He had actually agreed to allow someone to inject rabies virus into his body— if he had told his younger self from ten years ago, he probably would have thought that people in the future were all crazy.

Lu Xuanyu was extremely agitated and eventually followed Florence’s suggestion, covered himself with a blanket, and went to sleep.

The next day, he opened his eyes.

The situation seemed a bit better than expected. Lu Xuanyu just vaguely felt that everything around him was too bright, but he didn’t know if it was the virus’s impact—it could entirely be a psychological effect.

He stared at a glass of water on the bedside cabinet.

This activity lasted until Florence came for a routine check.

"What’s wrong?" the nursing specialist asked curiously.

"I was wondering what mild hydrophobia symptoms look like..." Lu Xuanyu said.

Without hesitating, Florence asked, "Do you want to drink water now?"

"Not really."

"But from the sound of your voice, you should be thirsty," she said.

Lu Xuanyu then realized his voice did sound a bit hoarse.

He also realized that he was indeed "thirsty." His reason and memory told him that he was in a state of "thirst."

But he still didn’t really want to drink water.

Unless he was unbearably thirsty, he seemed unlikely to drink water of his own accord.

Florence picked up the glass and unscrewed it for him. "You should try it, Mr. Lu."

Lu Xuanyu took the glass and tried a sip.

There was no problem, and he didn’t resist much. He naturally drank down the water.

"How... how strange?" Lu Xuanyu said. "I completely didn’t realize... has my mind been changed by the virus?"

"Perhaps," Florence said. "On the surface of your neurons, a small portion of receptors are either activated or deactivated by the virus. This might affect something. But it’s nothing terrifying. Even without the virus, similar things naturally occur in the brain. The chemicals spontaneously produced by the brain do similar things, driving you to eat or to seek safety."

Lu Xuanyu looked at the half glass of water remaining in his hand, nodded, and said with a smile, "I see... this must be what it feels like to ’shatter fear.’ Indeed, ’the unknown’ is the most terrifying."