Hope for a Cure

The "Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome" mentioned in Luca's inquiry was precisely the illness currently afflicting his mother, Gina.

Having now acquired Baymax, a robot equipped with far more advanced medical data, he naturally sought a way to cure her.

This was not merely for the sake of preserving the company or other such interests related to his future development.

It was also for the mother who had cherished, cared for, and looked after the original owner of this body since childhood.

It was for Gina, who, even in the moments before she slipped into a coma while facing a crisis, had still been concerned about and protecting him—a "stranger."

Luca looked at the Baymax before him with a complex expression.

Fortunately.

After a rapid search through the database in its chip, Baymax provided an answer immediately.

"Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome is caused by... (see Chapter 14)... The patient's internal nerves become encased in cocooned mutant proteins based on the intensity of the energy pulse sustained."

"I suggest using magnetically driven nanobots for targeted clearance surgery; this can rapidly excise and destroy the cocooned protein layer, allowing the patient's neural signals to recover."

Luca, who had only heard the first half, had just begun to relax his brow, but as Baymax's voice trailed off, he immediately furrowed it again.

"Magnetically driven nanobots? Baymax, do you possess this treatment method?"

(●-●)

"I possess the corresponding operational skills, provided there is a nano-treatment pod or nano-bot serum used in conjunction with a targeted magnetic navigator."

Luca's face darkened upon hearing this.

There was no need to even think about it; these were clearly medical instruments that existed only in the world Baymax came from.

In the world he currently inhabited, perhaps only the "Regeneration Cradle" that would eventually create Vision might be remotely relevant.

However, that device seemed more inclined toward repairing external trauma via nanotechnology, and whether it could achieve the effects Baymax described remained unknown.

Still unwilling to give up, Luca continued to ask.

"Does your database contain the manufacturing specifications for these two instruments?"

"Aside from the production process for Baymax itself, no information regarding the manufacture of medical instruments was retrieved from the database."

Luca shook his head helplessly at this.

However, the fact that Baymax's database contained its own production process could be considered good news.

At the very least, Luca might actually be able to replicate a similar product later by relying on this data.

It was just that the current basic version of Baymax was actually quite inferior in technical capability compared to the combat-type Baymax upgraded by Hiro Hamada.

The combat-type Baymax's unscientific flight control system, thrusters, scanning enhancers, and other equipment could truly be called black technology.

The standard version of Baymax only possessed high-energy-density lithium batteries, high-output flexible mechanical skeletons, long-range precision scanners, an evolvable intelligent AI with emotional modules, and over ten thousand types of advanced medical data...

"Uh, it seems the standard version of Baymax is already absurd enough!"

Just as Luca's thoughts were drifting.

Perhaps sensing his disappointment, Baymax tilted its head and actually spoke again.

"In the absence of treatment instruments, one may choose targeted protein-phagocytosis medication for auxiliary treatment. Continuous administration can slowly clear the cocooned proteins; the recovery time depends on the patient's condition."

Luca was overjoyed at first, but after thinking about Baymax's previous answer, his expression immediately tightened, and he asked with some uncertainty.

"Can you produce this targeted medication?"

(●-●)

"The relevant targeted medication can be purchased at designated pharmacies."

As it spoke, the projection screen on Baymax's chest lit up again, quickly listing a long row of names and addresses for various pharmacies.

However, upon seeing that the ones at the top of the list all started with "San Fransokyo...", the excitement that had just risen in Luca immediately deflated.

"...Can you say something useful?"

Who would have thought that as soon as these words left his mouth, the image on the screen changed once again.

It clearly displayed the name "Targeted Medication for Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome," followed by a long string of chemical bond descriptions and the ratios of several other chemical components.

"This works too!!"

"Is there a preparation process for this medicine?!" Luca asked.

"No preparation process was found in the database."

Upon hearing this answer, although Luca felt a bit of regret, he was not discouraged.

Having the chemical structure and ratios of the drug at least meant he had seen a glimmer of hope.

As long as there was a laboratory in the relevant field to cooperate with the research, there was a very high probability that this medicine could be produced.

In fact, with existing technology, it was not necessarily impossible to create a similar drug.

It was just that, firstly, this condition had been extremely rare in the past, and without sufficient demand, those mature, large-scale laboratories would never take the initiative to research such a specialized drug.

Now that there was a clear direction, both the difficulty and the production process would be significantly simplified; as long as sufficient funds were invested, successful production would not be overly complex.

After all, what Luca wanted was not the industrial-scale mass production of this drug to generate profit through sales.

If it's just laboratory preparation, it's nothing more than a matter of cost.

"Thanks, Baymax!"

Luca, whose emotions had been stirred back and forth by this white, chubby fellow, felt his mind relax and stepped forward to hug its soft body without a second thought.

"Hmm, it really is like a marshmallow."

Seeing that he was being hugged, Baymax instinctively wrapped its arms around him, completely enveloping Luca within its elastic body.

"Detected that your neurotransmitter levels are rising steadily and hormone secretion is stabilizing. Assessing that symptoms of anxiety have been alleviated."

Luca was slightly taken aback upon hearing Baymax's voice broadcast.

Only then did he recall that Baymax had indeed "diagnosed" him earlier with symptoms of mild anxiety.

However, Luca just smiled nonchalantly.

Even though he considered his own mindset and resilience to be slightly above average, between the transmigrating, the fighting, and the personal crisis involving the Orange company, all these troubles piling up together meant that mild anxiety was to be expected.

After giving Baymax one more firm hug, Luca gently pulled away and flashed a smile at it.

"At a time like this, let's skip the buzzkill of diagnostic results~"

"This point has been recorded in the Care Matrix, and the treatment is confirmed as complete. If you wish for me to enter sleep mode, you need to say, 'I am satisfied with your care'."

Watching the big guy's stiff and formal demeanor, Luca shook his head with a helpless smile.

"It seems the dialogue and emotional modules will need quite a bit more training later on."

Thinking this, Luca decided not to recite the "sleep command" and instead let Baymax remain in its current powered-on state to keep him company.

"I will be by your side at all times."

Having received the instruction, Baymax stood still in place, seemingly believing that this counted as companionship.

"As expected, the behavioral patterns are still a bit rigid."

"Hmm, the start and end commands will also need a slight adjustment."

"But first, I have to see just how complex Baymax's core programming is; if it's too difficult, it won't be easy to modify."