Neuron (Part 2)

The most severe epilepsy patient in history?

For an instant, Ronan seemed to see his own miserable fate. It also reflected a deeper realization: the structure revealed by that "Long Line" at this moment resembled a gigantic neuron.

As the human body's basic signal-processing unit, a neuron's ideal model looked roughly like a large tree.

Its branching limbs were dendrites that received information;

Its trunk was the axon that transmitted information;

The axon terminals of a preceding neuron, like a tree's root system, came into contact with the dendrites of the following neuron, allowing neurotransmitters and electrical signals to be conducted.

Just like the "tree" growing between the laboratory's various system modules at this moment, gathering massive electrical signals from every module while collecting and transmitting them.

The problem was that this "Large Neuron" was structurally distorted compared to a normal neuron. It did not operate independently, but connected to an external energy source through its "root system." The endpoint of its information transmission had become the Dark Heavy Chains fused with its trunk—in fact, Ronan himself.

In a sense, the "Large Neuron" formed by the Long Line was like an artificial organ attached to Ronan.

It was an extraordinarily wondrous thing. Used properly, its potential was truly limitless. However, the Large Neuron's method of transmitting information was far more violent than normal neurotransmitter conduction.

Hundreds of millions of electrical signals surged in at once. No one's brain could possibly process such an immense amount of information traveling through the same channel simultaneously.

Ronan tried to make the Dark Heavy Chains sever their connection, but how could such a subtle connection on the Mental Layer be so easily broken? He could already see his miserable end: drowned in electrical signals and instantly convulsing.

Yet a second later, what Ronan received was not a torrent of electrical signals, but a bright and familiar interface.

The Central Control Room lit up—not with actual lights. The energy and information controlled by the Large Neuron were presented in a relatively "restrained" manner. Amid the immense mass of optoelectronic signals, an exquisitely precise transformation was completed, and the result was sent to the enormous screen directly in front of Ronan.

Displayed on that giant screen was the Imitation Paper Soft Screen interface that had accompanied Ronan for five years.

Without a doubt, this was another masterpiece of the Long Line.

Whether on the small wristband screen or the giant surveillance monitor spanning half the room, it declared its existence in this way.

Facing the enlarged Imitation Paper Soft Screen interface, Ronan was slightly dazed. At this moment, he saw not only the glowing display, but part of the operating principles behind it.

The structure of the Large Neuron was filled with biomimetic design. As a Nerve Cell, it naturally possessed the basic structure of a cell body.

Through the Dark Heavy Chains, Ronan discovered this area at the junction between the "tree's" branches and trunk. This was where the enormous volume of electrical signals returning from the luxuriant branches first converged.

Functions Ronan could not yet investigate had been integrated here, but at the very least, it analyzed, filtered, encoded, and compiled signals. Like a set of processor chips, or an auxiliary "sub-brain," it first transformed the vast quantity of signals into something concise, clear, and easy to understand before truly sending them back to the central control system and into Ronan's brain.

This prevented massive amounts of information from damaging the brain, truly realizing the incredible function of an External Neuron.

This was not some fantasy-like phenomenon, but a genuine operating mechanism. The conversion between mental and material signals involved, as well as the technology of information exchange between humans and machines, was undoubtedly something that inspired awe.

Was this really a level Earth's technology could reach?

Ronan pondered it for a long while but gained nothing, so he could only turn his attention back to the interface he could understand.

At first glance, the Imitation Paper Soft Screen interface retained its original style, but it had changed after all.

Ronan's interface had always been very clean, with few applications selected. For example, he generally used the Imitation Paper Soft Screen only for browsing the internet, drawing, and reading e-books. He had not downloaded any unnecessary apps.

There were exactly eight app icons on the home screen, including the five basic system functions: time, calendar, media player, browser, and settings.

Ronan himself had downloaded a file editor. His cousin and her group had forced him to download a popular messaging Software, and finally, there was the drawing Software that had always been there.

When arranged vertically, these app icons occupied exactly two rows, four per row, with an instantly comprehensible layout.

But now, on the enormous screen, Ronan clearly saw a new icon. It was a set of interlocking Gear structures. If not for its different color, it could easily have been mistaken for the classic settings icon.

The label beneath it was equally direct: Gear.

This... External Neuron could automatically download apps too?

With a slight movement of Ronan's thoughts, the thought-sensing function he had tested earlier actually still worked. A new interface opened, but what appeared before him was a collection of architectural floor plans and elevation drawings.

At a glance, Ronan confirmed that these were undoubtedly the architectural blueprints for Gear.

The distinctive features of these drawings were simply too obvious.

No wonder it was called Gear. The entire building had at least a hundred visible circular spaces, scattered throughout the seven-story structure. Judging from its design, some doorways and entrance halls were indeed made in a "rack-and-pinion" style. From the floor plan alone, the entire building resembled a piece of heavy machinery, with every part linked together through gear transmission, forming an inseparable whole—strange and exquisite.

There was also a column of options on the left side of the interface. At the moment, almost all of them were grayed out and unavailable. Only the bottom option still gleamed brightly. Its name was rather strange:

"Observation Deck..."

Ronan could not understand it.

Just as he was wondering about it, a sound came from behind him. Ronan's mind stirred, and the giant screen interface vanished. The Central Control Room returned to pitch-black darkness.

Behind him, Xie Junping apparently had some sort of dream. He flailed his arms and legs without realizing he was sitting on a chair. He instantly lost his balance, chair and man toppling together as he hit the floor hard.

"Fuck..."

That fall actually woke Xie Junping completely. He cursed, reached up to clutch his head, and opened his eyes—only to find darkness everywhere. He was clearly still not fully awake as he shouted, "Turn on the lights!"

Ronan used his nearly dead wristband to release a faint glow, partially granting Xie Junping's wish.

In a place like this, under lighting like this, that sudden speck of light and the outline of a face it revealed could genuinely scare someone to death.

Xie Junping sucked in a breath, then cried out again. He had instinctively dodged and bumped into the chair.

Ronan did not want to bother with pleasantries anymore and said directly, "It's good that you're awake, Senior. You probably weren't in good condition just now and passed out. The laboratory detected that you had lost consciousness and disconnected your temporary access. The power supply and life-support systems have stopped working. Check whether your access has been restored."

"Ah... ah!"

It took Xie Junping five seconds to digest the information Ronan had given him. At that moment, he jolted again and finally woke up completely. Without bothering to ask how he had fainted, he immediately activated his wristband and dealt with the access issue.

About three seconds later, Xie Junping kicked the chair beside him away with a loud bang, then began cursing furiously.

"It says I have to apply again! Fucking give me a signal!"