Malfunctioning Utopia

Chapter 64: New Features

The message from Tapai caught Sun Jack off guard. “What?”

“Don’t use the reactor to upgrade me—use it to upgrade yourself. With this thing, you could install all kinds of high-power, high-performance prosthetics on your body in the future.”

“In time, you could become another Steel Heart. Just be mindful of installing a Cognitive Mode Buffer, and whether you’re working as a mercenary or protecting yourself, things will be much easier.”

“...” Sun Jack was speechless. This dog of a machine was thinking exactly what he had been.

At first, Sun Jack found the idea absurd. But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. With the current level of technology, installing a nuclear reactor in a human body wasn’t out of the question.

He always felt disadvantaged with his minimal prosthetics—living as a mostly organic human in this world was like fighting with one hand tied behind his back.

After quickly researching the subject, Sun Jack became even more convinced. Even without additional upgrades, the reactor could function as a backup heart pump.

After all, who could guarantee that a situation like Song 6’s wouldn’t happen to him?

Another advantage of the reactor was its inherent protection against radiation and EMP interference—it was its own shield. The concentrated nuclear material within was the greatest source of radiation. If the shielding wasn’t effective, Steel Heart would’ve been fried from the inside out long ago.

“Alright, I’ll take it,” Sun Jack declared.

The Father, who had just closed his book and raised his hand to speak, silently reopened it and continued reading.

No one else voiced objections, and Sun Jack ultimately acquired the miniature nuclear reactor for 15 @coins. Since both he and Tapai had participated in the mission to obtain it, their share of the proceeds was deducted, reducing his outlay to just 10 @coins.

Sun Jack quickly retrieved the reactor from Song 6. It was conspicuous—too much so to carry around. If it were spotted by surveillance or scanners, it might draw unwanted attention from BCPD. To avoid complications, Sun Jack immediately took it to Four Ai’s clinic to have it installed in his body.

On the operating table, Sun Jack watched on a monitor as three mechanical arms carefully lowered the reactor into his abdomen.

“Besides using it as a backup for your circulatory system, have you thought about other applications?” Four Ai asked.

“Still working on it,” Sun Jack replied, browsing prosthetic options on a manufacturer’s website.

“By the way,” Tapai interjected, “install a wireless charging function on him. That way, I can recharge while standing nearby instead of plugging into a wall.”

“What am I, a power bank?” Sun Jack snapped.

“I don’t have that capability. Go talk to King Kong. For now, I’ll help connect your prosthetics and cybernetic eye to the reactor, and I’ll add a few extra interface lines so you can easily connect new devices later.”

As Four Ai manipulated the hovering virtual screen, the mechanical arms beside the table swiftly stitched up Sun Jack’s body.

“Operation and anti-rejection meds come to 5 @coins. Thanks for your business.”

“Seriously? We know each other this well, and you’re still charging me?” Sun Jack sat up, reaching for his clothes.

“Oh, we’re that close, are we? How close? Have we had any ‘intimate interactions?’” Four Ai shot back, showing no mercy.

In the end, Sun Jack’s persistent bargaining brought the cost down to 4 @coins. After the payment went through, Sun Jack checked his remaining balance—12.0252 @coins—and sighed at how quickly money burned away.

He stood up, flexed his body, and glanced around, noticing no obvious changes. Then, he swung his right arm, and a blade shot out from his cybernetic forearm.

Suddenly, things went awry. The light electrical arcs on the blade thickened and grew until they began crackling beyond the blade’s surface, spraying lightning bolts wildly around the room. Startled, everyone scrambled backward.

“Master Sun, please stop your divine powers!” Tapai shouted from the doorway.

Bang!

Sun Jack’s arm went numb, and he lost all sensation in the prosthetic.

“Crap! Did I break it?” Sun Jack stared at the smoking forearm, cold sweat dripping down his face. He hadn’t anticipated the reactor’s output to be so overwhelming.

Fortunately, AA was nearby. After a quick inspection, she reported, “Boss, the reactor’s output is still configured for combat prosthetics like Steel Heart’s. It exceeds your current hardware’s capacity, so it fried the circuits. I’ll dial it down for you.”

But Sun Jack, seeing the scorched remnants of the room from the electrical arcs, had a different idea. “Wait, don’t lower it. Can you increase my prosthetics’ voltage tolerance instead?”

If his prosthetics couldn’t handle the output, what chance would an enemy have?

Replacing the burned circuits and installing insulation wasn’t a major issue for AA, especially with Four Ai lending a hand. After meticulous adjustments, Sun Jack’s blade no longer carried electrical currents capable of shorting out enemy prosthetics.

It wasn’t that Sun Jack didn’t want the effect—those features had been destroyed. Instead, he now had something even better.

With the addition of simple guidance components, Sun Jack had developed a new attack mode.

Blinding electrical arcs surged from the blade’s tip, forming a lightning whip that lashed out, devastating everything in its path.

When Sun Jack finally stopped, the ruined sexbot they had been using as a test dummy had exploded. Its tattered clothing and worn synthetic skin were engulfed in flames.

“Whoa, this thing is amazing,” Sun Jack said, thrilled with his newfound weapon. The straightforward, brutal method seemed equally effective against both prosthetics and organic targets.

Four Ai, however, seemed unimpressed. “What a primitive attack. With technology as advanced as it is, couldn’t you aim for something more modern?”

“Like what?”

“Buy some combat prosthetics that match the reactor’s potential. This is so low-tech.”

“I’m broke!”

Four Ai rolled her eyes, cigarette in hand, and walked toward the overpass. “Just remember, don’t use that move in the rain unless you want to become a roasted corpse.”

“Come on, I’m not an idiot.”

AA, on the other hand, was starry-eyed. The idea of a nearly unlimited energy source was too tempting for an engineering enthusiast like her. Countless schematics and formulas burst to life in her mind.

“Boss! You don’t need to buy anything—just give me the parts! I... I have so many ideas right now!”

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