Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Memories in the Flesh

Thanks to Lan's extensive practice with countless drowners and water hags, his proficiency in [Surgery] had reached a high level. Combined with the precise anatomical diagrams provided by Mentos, the witcher managed to peel open his chest, layer by layer, all the way to his ribs, with only two instances of severed blood vessels due to the tangled vascular network.

The heavy bleeding was quickly stemmed by the cumulative effects of three consecutive [Swallow] potions, the blood vessels healing at a visible rate.

Even though Lan's face was twisted in agony, and his chest was torn open, the amount of blood loss was so minimal that it didn't even soak his clothes, let alone drip onto the floor.

Amidst the slick, rhythmic pulsations of his heart, Lan adjusted the position of his fingers, placing the gene seed between his thymus and heart.

He severed the original connections of the thymus and linked its blood vessels to those of the gene seed.

The triple dose of [Swallow] in Lan's system was continuously taking effect, slowly reconnecting the severed blood vessels.

The implantation of the gene seed required separate bypass surgeries for the thymus and the heart. Statistically, half of the procedure was now complete.

But both Lan and Mentos knew that this only accounted for 10% of the success.

Unlike the thymus, which had no intense biological activity and primarily functioned through hormonal regulation, the heart was a different beast entirely.

Even if just one blood vessel connected to the heart was severed, the force of the blood pumping from a witcher's powerful heart could, conservatively, reach the ceiling.

An average human's heart pumps about 70 milliliters of blood per beat in a resting state.

But a witcher's heart pumps at least 200 milliliters per beat!

The total blood volume in a human body is around 4000 milliliters. Witchers, while not significantly heavier than humans, have a similar total blood volume.

This means that in just 20 heartbeats, a witcher could bleed out completely!

This wasn't limb bleeding or bleeding from other parts of the body—Lan had to directly cut open one of his heart's blood vessels!

He had to remain calm, because stress would accelerate his heart rate.

He had to be precise and fast, because with a loss of 1500 milliliters of blood leading to near-unconsciousness, he had fewer than ten heartbeats to work with!

The blade was already pressed against the slippery blood vessel.

Without a moment's hesitation.

Lan's lips were already bleeding from how tightly he had clenched them during the process of peeling open his own flesh.

But from start to finish, his eyes and hands remained steady, without the slightest tremor.

If he had already decided to take action against the injustices he couldn't stand, then the consequences to himself were no longer within his scope of concern.

Life was already so complex and unpredictable. Someone who was alive and kicking today might be buried tomorrow.

If one wanted to do the right thing but still clung to their own safety, wouldn't that be too cowardly?

Ever since Lan emerged from the hell known as the "Trial of the Grasses," he had decided that the rest of his life would not be constrained by the fear of consequences.

Child traffickers and their buyers had to die.

His own strength was far from enough. But in his hands, there was power that could change the odds. The logic was clear, the resolve firm. So, what was there to hesitate about?

"Sssshhhk!"

The sound of the blade cutting through the cardiovascular system was almost silent, but the spurt of heart blood that followed was forceful enough to create a whistling sound!

Just as Lan had predicted, the blood shot upward from his chest cavity, half of it caught by his jaw, the other half hitting the ceiling.

This left a large, splattered bloodstain on the left side of his face, from bottom to top.

His face was twisted in pain, but beneath the blood, his cat-like eyes remained as hard and cold as gleaming blades.

Even Mentos was taken aback—Lan hadn't hesitated for even a moment when cutting his own cardiovascular vessel!

By the time the blood vessel was severed, the AI finally reacted, using its retinal projection to filter out the blood covering Lan's eyes.

"Vessel severed! Connect it! Quickly, connect the gene seed!"

In Mentos's frantic, almost panicked alarm, Lan's blood-soaked fingers gently guided the gene seed into place between the severed ends of the cardiovascular vessel.

The tumor had corresponding interfaces, and the severed ends of Lan's cardiovascular vessel could be directly connected to it. It was like manually adding a tumorous node to his own cardiovascular system.

But the problem wasn't solved yet.

Under the forceful pumping of the heart, Lan couldn't possibly suture the blood vessels. Blood continued to spurt from the gaps between the gene seed's vascular interfaces.

"[White Raffard's Decoction], one bottle, consume immediately!"

This scenario had already been accounted for in Lan and Mentos's plan.

Unlike [Swallow], which gradually enhanced physical recovery, [White Raffard's Decoction] was not a slow, sustained type of potion. Its effects would explode in an instant, providing a smaller total amount of vitality but delivering it all at once!

The pure white potion could easily be confused with the milky white of [Enhanced White Honey].

With steady hands, he took the [White Raffard's Decoction] and poured it into his mouth.

Not one bottle, but two.

"With heavy heart bleeding, the potion's effects will be carried away by the blood flow. One bottle isn't enough."

Even as he acted, this witcher who had just cut open his own cardiovascular vessel was calmly explaining his reasoning to the AI!

The potion began to take effect, vitality and toxicity erupting simultaneously.

The gene seed and the blood vessels, roughly held together by Lan's fingers, began to grow fibrous tissue at their interfaces, connecting to the heart's blood vessels.

These fibers rapidly grew and intertwined, forming new vascular structures.

The forceful pumping of the heart began to be contained within the newly formed blood vessels.

"Drip"

A drop of blood fell, hitting the wooden floor of the inn with a sound like sulfuric acid corroding the surface.

Three bottles of [Swallow] plus two bottles of [White Raffard's Decoction]—the toxicity Lan was enduring now was even greater than the combination of [Enhanced Thunderbolt] and [Enhanced Blizzard] from before!

The newly formed tissues were being rapidly grown by the surge of vitality, while simultaneously being eroded by the intense toxicity.

"Sir, the new blood vessels have become sufficiently sturdy. Please remove your fingers immediately, or they may become encased in the regenerating flesh."

Lan's fingers, which had been adjusting the position of the gene seed, withdrew from the gap between his ribs.

In the next moment, thin, delicate muscle fibers began to climb back onto the pale bones.

The surgical wounds, created with the precision of [Surgery], were far less gruesome than battle injuries.

The incisions were neat, the openings small. After consuming the potions, the scars would be barely noticeable.

Lan, kneeling in a meditative posture on the floor, now bore only the traces of the initial burst of blood from the severed cardiovascular vessel, which had left marks on the ceiling and floor.

The rest of the surgical traces were minimal.

His bloodied hand hung limply at his side, the toxic blood corroding the wooden floor with a sizzling sound.

Now, Lan's face was as pale as a corpse's, his pupils and eye sockets pitch black.

"Surgery is 90% complete."

Even the AI's voice carried a sense of relief, the tension finally easing after the high-stakes procedure.

"Toxicity clearance will require two bottles of [Enhanced White Honey]."

Mentos had already relaxed. Although the toxicity this time was more severe than during the human traffickers' camp incident, Lan now had ample resources to prepare [Enhanced White Honey].

Its detoxifying effects were far stronger than the basic [White Honey]. Two bottles would undoubtedly leave him feeling much better.

But despite Mentos's reminder, Lan remained motionless.

The witcher knelt with his head bowed, his eyes vacant.

Mentos finally noticed something was wrong.

"Sir? Please consume the potion! Sir? What's happening? What do you see?!"

It seemed that through its connection with Lan, Mentos also caught a glimpse of something. It exclaimed in shock, but then fell silent.

Information was flowing.

The thymus connection provided the gene seed with the necessary hormonal environment. The cardiovascular connection supplied the gene seed with nutrient-rich blood.

But in these processes, the exchange of substances also brought forth the memories deeply embedded within the flesh.

*****

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