Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 612 - 256: For a Harmonious Life

Chapter 612: Chapter 256: For a Harmonious Life

"It’s breathtaking..." Lu Xuanyu was somewhat surprised, "Even the blind can..."

"Not ’blind’, but ’completely blind’. Usually, those ’with a slight sense of light’ are also classified among the blind. However, the first batch of volunteers chose people with damaged retinas. They don’t even have a sense of light," Florence explained.

Lu Xuanyu’s wife marveled, "Your company is really remarkable... But 240P, that must be very blurry. Do they still need to wear glasses?"

240P was an unheard-of low resolution for them. In the era they grew up in, 2K was barely considered "high definition". Only collectors of electronic products could produce something with such low resolution.

Florence shook his head: "It’s not that simple. The visual function of a biological organism basically relies on the pinhole imaging principle, where light passes through the pupil and projects an image onto the retina. Humans get nearsighted because of deformations in the eyeball, cornea, and lens, which cause the focal point of the pupil’s imaging to be off the retina. In such cases, using glasses makes sense. But the retinas of these volunteers are artificial, and they can only see an image that is ’equivalent to 240P’."

"Is there no way to remedy it?"

"There is still a way," Florence nodded. "The benefit of a prosthetic body lies here. The size of the eyeball is limited by the socket, which in turn is limited by the skull. Therefore, if we are not restricted to ’a size close to that of a natural eye’, or are willing to accept temporary external devices, one could experience higher resolutions."

"External devices?" Lu Xuanyu showed some interest. "What kind?"

"Similar to a motorcycle helmet; that Polish artist also participated in the design, as the first generation of external devices," Florence said. "The only drawback is that it’s a bit heavy. But when coupled with an exoskeleton, it’s basically not a problem. It’s a pity that the sample hasn’t been produced yet, or I would have shown it to you."

"External, huh..." Lu Xuanyu glanced at his lower body, seemingly lost in thought, "Then according to different needs, couldn’t you exchange for different legs?"

"That’s a consideration," Florence nodded. "Human legs are designed for walking on flat ground, and the hands are specialized for using tools. In specific circumstances, natural limbs might not be able to carry out certain tasks. According to the company’s plan, the first group of able-bodied people who actively undergo cyberization should be astronauts, firefighters, and other groups working in extreme environments. There may arise such demands."

"Back to the prosthetic eyes. As technology advances, the visual clarity of these people will continue to increase. Maybe in less than ten years, they’ll be able to see a 1080P world."

Florence then took Lu Xuanyu and his wife to visit other areas. All were projects still in the experimental stage.

There was one project in particular that caught Lu Xuanyu’s attention. The subject of that project was also a firefighter. He was sent here because his lungs had failed due to inhaling excessive dust and pollutants at a fire scene.

Only then did Lu Xuanyu realize that lungs could also be replaced.

Thanks to the rapid progress in materials science, humans now can use special membrane oxygenators to satisfy an individual’s breathing needs. But Yawgmoth and Xiang Shan went a step further. Superman Enterprise had a universal solution of "autologous cells + signaling factors + 3D printing" that could create an artificial lung with a structure that was more compact and a vasculature optimized for efficiency.

In fact, Yawgmoth’s research on this matter was almost done "by the way"—most details of the technology were virtually identical to those used in the printing of osteoblasts for prosthetic body bases.

Yawgmoth merely wanted to delve deeper into the mysteries of human cell differentiation, and incidentally secure some funding.

The issue of firefighters’ lung failure has always been a pain point for fire departments around the world. Many who were hailed as "firefighting heroes" were afflicted with lasting health problems from such incidents. In emergencies, if protection was insufficient, even if one emerged from the fire alive, they might be physically ruined.

Yawgmoth satisfied his own curiosity, and the fire departments that funded the project achieved results, eventually obtaining a relatively inexpensive treatment for lung failure.

"More powerful hearts, more efficient viscera. Many internal organs now have the potential to be replaced," Florence stated. "The technology for artificial auditory organs is already quite mature. As for the sense of touch, we can barely manage it. Currently, only the sense of smell and taste lack a clear path forward. Using instruments to detect complex mixtures and then translating them into specific neural signals that match the natural information-processing mechanisms in the human brain... this is indeed quite difficult."

"Aside from that, there are not many disabilities and diseases we cannot overcome."

While discussing this topic, Florence exuded a natural and spontaneous pride.

Lu Xuanyu could now fully understand this pride.

For a doctor, what could be more pride-worthy than "we are conquering all diseases"?

The people Lu Xuanyu saw the most at Superman Enterprise were scientists.

What they showed most was this kind of spirit.

For some reason, Lu Xuanyu actually felt a kind of "envy."

— That resolute direction, that feeling of continuously soaring upwards...

The tour soon ended. This was, after all, a research area. For Lu Xuanyu and his wife, there was not much they could directly comprehend.

After escorting them back to their private space, Florence sat down and said to the couple, "Mr. Lu, there’s one more thing I need to inform you about. However, I’m not entirely clear on how taboo this topic is in the culture of your country, so if my next words offend you, please tell me straight away."

"What is it?"

"Regarding the first generation of artificial male external reproductive organ prosthetics," Florence said. "It has just passed animal testing on primates. Because we weren’t sure when this technology would be applicable to humans, we didn’t tell you earlier, to avoid creating... cough, an unnecessary psychological burden for you. After receiving the news, I hoped to choose an occasion when both you and your wife were present."

Lu Xuanyu blushed. This wasn’t out of anger but rather as a man from the conservative environment of the Republic, he had never really discussed such topics with women. But Florence’s purely parental attitude made him feel he was overthinking. Instinctively, he glanced at his wife.

Lu Xuanyu’s wife was also somewhat embarrassed: "This thing... it’s of no use, right? We now have reproductive isolation..."

"A harmonious marital relationship is conducive to mental health."