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It Shouldn't Have Happened (Part Two)
Crowding around Deputy Yu to talk about his miserable past was not particularly polite, even on a relatively secluded balcony. But Deputy Yu did not mind. After An Dongsheng mentioned the matter before the banquet, he had offered to talk about it here himself. Over the past decade or so, he must have told the story many times in different settings. He spoke fluently, almost by rote, with a certain detachment.
Judging by his manner, if someone asked him to open his uniform right now and show them what was underneath, he would do it without hesitation.
Ronan had no need for that. He only asked, "This counts as a kind of implantation technology, doesn't it? In an environment like the Thirteenth District, who performed the surgery for you?"
"No one. The Inlay Plate attaches itself to the human body. You just have to activate the relevant permissions and get through an adjustment period."
"Permissions?"
"We don't know who first figured them out and cracked the system, but it wasn't too difficult to operate. It soon spread throughout the Thirteenth District. In fact, without the Inlay Plate and the modifications that followed, I'm certain no one could have escaped alive... At least, that was true in our time, in the mid-eighties."
Ronan continued, "So you learned this while fleeing through the Thirteenth District. Does that mean the Inlay Plate existed only in the deeper parts of the mining district, not in the Deep Blue World...?"
Deputy Yu finally paused to think before answering. "I'm not sure."
"But I imagine Inlay Plate technology would have been a priority for your researchers—I mean, the military's."
"Yes. A great deal of the related technology was incorporated into the Machine Core series," An Dongsheng added at the