Zhong Li's eyes had clearly been modified, allowing her to see her parents in their data form. That was why she had said her parents were always home.
"Don't your parents get angry when they see you doing this to your bodies? Doesn't it break their hearts?" Aiou couldn't help asking. Severed feet, severed hands-just imagining the process hurt.
Zhong Li shook her head. "There's technology to block pain signals, and the nanoconnectors at the ends of mechanical arms don't harm the body. Look!"
As she spoke, she gripped her left hand with her right and gave it a gentle tug. Her left hand came straight off.
"Aaah! Your hand came off!" Mani cried.
Zhong Li smiled faintly, then showed them both the severed end. The blood flowed into the nano-interface, seemingly increasing its activity instead, before entering new veins.
"No matter how badly I'm injured, I can recover instantly. My body contains large numbers of micromachines. They can replace cells and keep my body from breaking down," Zhong Li explained with a smile.
She also had complete control over her body and could even edit it however she wished at any time, growing organs that weren't originally hers.
Just then, Zhong Ke brought over the soup. Aiou thanked him and took a sip, finding that it tasted quite good.
"This is delicious," Aiou told Zhong Ke.
Zhong Ke smiled. "It's a recipe passed down from my grandmother. The broth is made from the large bones of more than ten kinds of magic beasts. Supposedly, it can cure plenty of minor ailments."
"More than ten kinds? Then this soup must be pretty hard to come by," Aiou said in surprise.
Although many places in Infinite City sold magic beast meat, magic beast bones were scarce. They were materials used in