130. Expert Therapy from Miss Hacker

"That is correct. I was indeed on the verge of losing my mind this morning." Facing Hecalis's interrogation, Chen Shang nodded and admitted it without hesitation.

"I performed a full-body scan on you the moment you lay down in the stasis pod." Hecalis pushed up her round-rimmed glasses and explained in a measured tone, "Your mental state is extremely unstable—no, it would be more accurate to say you have reached the critical point of a total breakdown. All your bodily functions, including the frequency of your adrenaline release, have been in a state of high tension since last night. Even if you were to consume large quantities of sedatives, it would be nothing more than drinking poison to quench a thirst; your body would inevitably collapse sooner or later."

"Is that how miserable I've become?" Chen Shang cupped his chin, feeling a slight chill at her words.

"But a situation like this is no match for me!" Hecalis suddenly interrupted, wearing a confident smile. "I can treat you."

"You know medicine as well?" Chen Shang was immediately struck by curiosity. He had originally intended to mention that his "Psychic Delusion" had been suppressed. However, hearing Hecalis boast, he decided to listen to her proposed treatment methods first to satisfy his curiosity.

"All knowledge is interconnected; I'll mention it since you don't seem to know." Hecalis waved her small hand, and a medical report appeared before them. "Your mental illness likely stems from your experience in the Abyss yesterday, which caused you significant trauma. I have two ways to cure you: the first is to implant suggestions into your brain to completely seal off the memories of your time in the other world; the second is to fabricate a new set of memories to overwrite your original ones."

"Tampering with memories—is it that high-end?" Chen Shang frowned.

"These are very simple operations. I can teach you if you're willing to learn," Hecalis laughed. "With my guidance, you could probably learn it in about five years."

"That doesn't sound simple at all, does it?" Chen Shang retorted.

"For a foolish human like you, it would certainly be a struggle. So, which treatment plan do you choose?" Hecalis cut him off. "But regardless of your choice, your memory will be altered by me. It is a necessary sacrifice."

"Memory alteration, huh..." Chen Shang hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "As cool as that sounds, I'll pass. I'll resolve this aspect on my own."

"Eh... and I was looking forward to having a good look through your memories," Hecalis sighed with regret, accidentally letting her true thoughts slip. "Let's put this aside for now. I want to discuss a second issue with you."

"What issue?" Chen Shang asked curiously.

Hecalis pulled an image from the void. It was a scan of a heart, showing a technological device resembling a mechanical engine attached to it. However, the surface of the engine was covered in cracks, suggesting it had suffered severe damage.

"This is your heart," Hecalis said bluntly. "I noticed an instrument on your heart the first time we met. That's why I performed a full-body scan while you were in the stasis pod."

"..." Chen Shang narrowed his eyes, momentarily stunned. *Has Hecalis investigated me to this extent?*

"So, I'm a bit curious. Chen, what exactly is that thing in your chest?" Hecalis's gaze became serious, making Chen Shang feel uncomfortable.

The question left Chen Shang speechless. Yes, what exactly was this thing in his chest? Even he did not know.

Just as the protagonist in every Japanese light novel never questions why they are transported to another world instead of going to heaven after being hit by a truck, or why the protagonist of every cultivation novel always finds heaven-sent opportunities in times of crisis, or why the protagonist of every system-based novel never pauses to consider the true motives of the "system" that guides them to the pinnacle of life... Chen Shang had never questioned why he had transmigrated into his own game, nor had he wondered where his system came from.

He only remembered that when he first arrived, there was a deep-seated, unshakable resentment in his heart—a malice so profound that he would have been willing to bury the entire world, even if it meant siding with demons. For him at that time, as long as the mysterious system could grant him power, he would have accepted it without hesitation. Because of this, he had never bothered to trace its origins, treating it merely as a transmigrator's cheat code.

*Regardless, I should keep this a secret for now...*

"I don't even know who installed it on me. Probably just some common health equipment, right?" Chen Shang made up a flimsy excuse. He felt he couldn't disclose anything about the "system" to this dangerous hacker; otherwise, he would undoubtedly fall into unforeseen trouble. Moreover, he knew nothing about the system himself, other than the fact that it was inducing and assisting him in destroying the world.

"You don't even know?" Hecalis shook her head, looking slightly surprised. "But this thing doesn't look like any health device I've ever seen."

She swiped away the scan of his heart and continued, "I just ran its visual data and model number through my database for comparison, and I found no matching information, whether from before or after the war."

"What does that imply?" Chen Shang asked.

"There are only two possibilities for the origin of this mechanical device," Hecalis stated. "Either it was created in a private workshop unknown to anyone, a workshop possessing technology that makes even the Corporate Coalition look primitive; or, it simply does not originate from this world."

"To be fair, I think your deduction is quite plausible," Chen Shang said, lying lazily on a virtual sofa. "So?"

"I haven't found out yet, but I will soon." Hecalis snapped her fingers and said softly, "Actually, the point that concerns me the most is the energy source powering this device."

"Energy?" Hearing this, Chen Shang instinctively looked at his own chest, lost in thought. The mechanical core was not large, but to ensure long-term operation without recharging, it must require a special power source. From a scientific perspective, nuclear power was the only option.

"I guessed what you were going to say—nuclear power, right?" Hecalis smiled and waved her finger. "But according to my scans, what drives this thing is not a conventional energy source..."

"It's emotions."