[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 196: Outnumbered

No matter how much he tried, Ves couldn't recall what happened when his mind got sucked into the Kaius. It was as if conscious mind got pulled into the vast vortex of the chimera mech's subconscious.

Fortunately, most of the workers ignored his unmoving presence. They probably figured he was making calculations in his mind and didn't wish to interrupt his train of thought.

Ves departed the workshop with a flush on his cheeks and spent some time to freshen up. All the while, he mentally assessed his state of mind. Nothing appeared to have changed. He didn't get the sense that he lost anything, nor did he gain any boons from the encounter.

He simply lost half an hour of his time.

"I don't believe I wasted my time."

Something must have happened, his instincts told him. The uncertainty of what happened and whether it changed something in him gnawed at his nerves.

Lately, the more he dipped into metaphysics, the more he realized how unfathomable the unknown represented. Doctor Jutland's shenanigans alone amply demonstrated its potential as well as its dangers.

In order to be certain of his health, Ves returned to the treatment center and had himself checked. Predictably, they found nothing unusual, they did state that his regulator organ became increasingly enmeshed with his spine.

"It's a fascinating process." Doctor Mellow admiringly told him. "It's as if your body isn't content with these strange new additions and seeks to subsume them completely. Rarely have I witnessed such initiative without being prodded by an outside stimulus. From what I've learned of Jutland's research, the regulator organ is supposed to stay self-contained in the event he wishes to update an older organ for a better-performing one."

"What about my Jutland organ?"

"There are no signs your body is merging it with anything else. It wouldn't make sense to do so since it serves a unique role."

Ves nodded in relief. "That's good to hear."

Despite the seemingly benign changes, Mellow cautioned him about the consequences of deviating from the human norm. "A different physique requires a different set of treatments. Standard medicines designed for baseline humans may react unpredictably when applied to cases such as yours. For example, a simple sleeping pill might make your drowsy for a second or put you in a coma. It's best to have a personal doctor on retainer who truly understands your body."

He'd consider such luxuries later. After thanking Doctor Mellow, Ves left the treatment center and returned to the workshop. The entire site buzzed with energy this time.

"Ves!" Chief Ramirez called. "I don't know how the scientists figured it out, but the Kaius is actually responding to the cockpit now!"

Ves looked with interest as the Kaius gently lifted a limb before lowering it again. It did so for all six of limbs, demonstrating the exact control the pilot in the cockpit had over the appropriated mech.

Did he unlock the Kaius somehow with his weird thirty-minute seance?

"Is the pilot reporting any issues connecting with the Kaius?" He asked, concerned about the mental health of whoever served as a guinea pig. "I imagine it's quite dangerous to interface with a half-living mech."

"There are doctors monitoring his condition. As soon as they detect something amiss, they'll pull the plug."

The Kaius turned into a docile machine, seemingly willing to let the mech pilot take the lead. The neural interface connected the pilot to the mech without encountering any hindrance this time, but Ves still had his misgivings. It didn't make much sense for the subconsciousness buried deep to give in so suddenly.