Chapter 178: Major Surgery

Chapter 178: Major Surgery

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

178 – Major Surgery

Seung-ho had arrived in Myung-jun’s subspace ahead of him and was waiting. Around him lay numerous test tubes and empty flasks, evidence of his efforts to prepare the necessary reagents.

Myung-jun glanced at the five flasks on the table behind Seung-ho and asked, “Are those the prepared reagents?”

“Yes. There’s no guarantee that the parasite will only release highly acidic fluids. These five reagents can produce entirely different properties depending on the order and ratio in which they are combined. From antidotes to artificial blood, the combinations yield completely different substances.”

“That sounds promising. If we set the recipes in advance, we could use them like the Philosopher’s Stone, couldn’t we?”

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible. Combining these reagents requires the awakening ability of an alchemist ranked 5 or higher. Plus, considering the grade of the materials used to make them...”

“You’re saying it’s not cost-effective?”

“It’s like using a liquid that can create anything to make dish soap—it’s madness.”

“Still, we can store them in your specialized suit. We’ll think of ways to utilize them later.”

With that, Myung-jun carried the frozen female officer’s body closer to the medical pod. He opened the pod and placed her inside.

[Injured individual detected. Scanning physical condition. Initiating emergency thawing process. Injecting cell activation fluid.]

As the ominous system message played and a viscous green liquid began to fill the pod, Myung-jun started manipulating the control panel beside it.

“I’m activating the real-time biological attack response system, ‘Hedgehog,’ now. Seung-ho, are you ready?”

Seung-ho picked up the five flasks from the table and placed them in the containment unit next to Myung-jun. He then used a hose to connect the containment unit to the equipment Myung-jun had prepared. After connecting all five containers, Seung-ho nodded at Myung-jun and moved to another control panel beside him.

“Ready.”

“Let’s begin. Medical pod, initiate treatment process.”

[Command confirmed. Starting treatment process. Increasing injection fluid temperature. Beginning restoration of frozen tissues.]

At that moment, the female officer’s body, which had been so cold that it froze the surrounding injection fluid, began to thaw gradually. Simultaneously, the billions of nanobots within the treatment fluid started repairing her thawed cells.

Watching the entire process in real-time, Myung-jun deftly manipulated the joystick on the control panel. His goal was to insert the hundreds of needles into her body at a pace that matched the thawing process. Even with the assistance of the system, this task required intense concentration.

‘Forcing needles into partially thawed tissue could damage the needles.’

[Warning. Foreign substance detected inside the body. Unable to proceed with treatment unless the foreign object is removed.]

“Disregard the needles and continue the treatment. Prioritize the restoration of frozen cells.”

[Confirmed. Proceeding with the treatment process while ignoring the foreign substance.]

Naturally, the human body varies in strength and texture depending on the area. Muscles are tougher than skin, bones are harder than muscles, some tissues are surrounded by mucous membranes and blood vessels, and others contain powerful digestive fluids.

The most severe injury, however, was the esophagus, which had not only melted and severed but also exposed the spine behind it. It was the kind of injury that would make an emergency room doctor question why a corpse had been brought in.

Despite these horrific injuries, the medical pod indicated that she was still alive.

“Medical pod, report the patient’s condition.”

[No additional active foreign substances detected. Severe bodily damage. 80% liver function loss. 70% esophagus tissue loss. Partial rib dissolution. Muscle function loss in the right thigh. Severe skin and muscle damage in the upper left arm due to emergency incision.]

“Is treatment possible?”

[Resuscitation and restoration of bodily functions in progress. Estimated time for full recovery: 24 days.]

“Wha... What? Did it just say full recovery?”

“Yes, it did.”

“You’re telling me it can save her? Not just save her, but fully restore her?”

Myung-jun placed a reassuring hand on Seung-ho’s shoulder and smiled. “I told you, as long as she’s not dead, we can save her.”

However, Myung-jun’s hand was trembling slightly, a sign of the immense pressure he felt. This treatment was a gamble, even for him.

“So, what do we do now? We can’t keep a South Korean soldier in the subspace indefinitely.”

“For now, we’ll have to insist that she can’t be moved during treatment. We’ll say we’re taking her to Liberty City for recovery. Although the medical pod estimated 24 days for complete recovery, she should regain consciousness within about 15 days. Once she’s stable enough to be moved, we’ll transfer her from the medical pod in the subspace to the one in Liberty City.”

With that, Myung-jun pulled out a large cloth and covered the front of the medical pod. This was to ensure that if she woke up during treatment, she wouldn’t see the numerous pieces of equipment and the room’s interior.

After taking these precautionary measures, Myung-jun and Seung-ho returned to the Shadow Hawk. There, they found Soo-jeong waiting for them beside a new piece of equipment that looked like an airport metal detector.

“Took you long enough.”

“Is that the new inspection equipment? You finished it so quickly?”

“No, it actually took longer than the promised time. But you guys didn’t come back.”

Myung-jun felt a sense of unease in their conversation. He had entered the subspace with nearly five hours left of the ten hours Soo-jeong had promised. Checking his wristwatch, Myung-jun was shocked and looked at Seung-ho. Seung-ho also checked his watch and stared back at Myung-jun with wide eyes.

While the two of them were battling the creatures inside the frozen body, an astonishing seven hours had passed.

“I thought it only felt like an hour...”

“No wonder I’m so exhausted.”

Observing the tired expressions they exchanged, Soo-jeong commented, “From the way you’re talking, I take it the treatment was a success?”

“Yes, it was. And we’ve brought back a gift for you, senior. Actually, this is partly why we were delayed.”

With that, Myung-jun handed a small box to Soo-jeong. Inside the box, which was equipped with a miniature cooling device, was the parasite they had removed and frozen just before it could self-destruct, miraculously still alive and wriggling.