"I won't pretend! I don't want that damn thing in my head!" the old man roared hoarsely.
The smile on Tanaka's face vanished.
Just as Hino thought Tanaka was about to order the ninjas to take action, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly came from the newly built tower.
[Violation detected, correction process initiated]
However, the anticipated violence did not occur.
A soft blue light shone from the top of the signal tower, and a soothing Chakra fluctuation spread out.
Hino suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, as if he were wrapped in a warm blanket.
"Uncle, you're too tired."
Tanaka's voice suddenly softened, even carrying a hint of concern.
"Medical team, take the elderly man to the rest room, and don't forget to put his prosthetic eye on while you're at it."
Two medical-nin in white uniforms quickly approached, gently supported the swaying old man, and then turned and walked towards a small room not far away.
"Don't be nervous, everyone."
Tanaka's face broke into a smile again. "Once the old man wakes up, he'll naturally understand the good intentions of the Reform Society."
The line began to move slowly again.
Hino, Hino caught a glimpse of several blurry figures bustling around the old man behind the curtains of the white house.
"Name?"
" Hino!"
"Prosthetic eye number!"
"Not installed!"
"Not installed?" The registrar paused, then looked up and asked, "Then go install one!"
"Can we not install it?" Hino asked.
"Of course, but you should think it over carefully!" the registrar said.
"Without the prosthetic eye, you can't connect to the Reform Society Network, and the work hours recorded by the Spirit Puppet can't be uploaded accurately."
"If you can accept the margin of error, then you naturally don't need to install it."
Hino's fingers unconsciously rubbed his arm, the registrar's words echoing in his mind.
The word "error" sounds trivial, but he knew what it meant.
Why didn't you mention this before?
"Haven't we already said that?"
"Then... how big will the error be?" Hino asked.
The registrar gave a perfunctory smile. "Well, it depends on the specific circumstances."
"For Spirit Puppet that are not connected to the internet, the work hour records may have a deviation of 10% to 30%."
As he spoke, he circled a number in the register. "Of course, we recommend that you get a prosthetic eye."
"After all, a prosthetic eye is far more powerful than the naked eye. Night vision is just the basics; it can be upgraded in the future to have even more functions."
Hino's gaze passed over the registrar and landed on the window of the medical room.
Through the half-open curtains, he saw the old man lying quietly on the operating table, the instruments in the white-clad ninja's hands gleaming coldly.
"Have you made up your mind?" The registrar's voice suddenly became very close. "If you want the installation, we can schedule the surgery for you right now. There are other people waiting."
Hino's fingers clenched the hem of his clothes.
"I..."
He suddenly realized that he had no choice at all; the so-called voluntariness was just another form of coercion.
"I'll go install it."
The moment those three words left his mouth, Hino felt something being pulled out of his body.
The medical-nin's hand was already on his shoulder, gently but irresistibly guiding him toward the white hut.
Behind me, the registrar's cheerful voice came.
"A wise choice!"
Hino stared at the brand-new sign on the door of the medical room.
Huimin Medical Station.
How ironic! They used the gentlest methods to rob people of their last shred of dignity.
As the cold anesthetic was injected into his eye sockets, Hino vaguely heard Tanaka speaking to the other workers.
"We never force anyone; everything we do is for everyone's benefit. Just think about our compatriots in the West and East districts—how miserable their lives are!"
The cool sensation of the anesthetic spread from his eye sockets throughout his body, Hino's consciousness began to blur.
In the last moments before darkness fell, he heard the regular beeping of medical equipment and the gentle humming of medical-nin.
"Relax, it will be over soon."
The tactile sensation of the scalpel cutting through flesh was blocked by the anesthetic, but Hino's ears caught that subtle 'click' sound.
It's the sound of some kind of metal device being implanted.
"Neural connection complete. Initiating program activation."
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced the barrier of anesthesia.
Hino wanted to scream, but found that his vocal cords wouldn't obey him. His vision exploded in a blood-red light, and countless pieces of data flooded in like a torrent.
[Labor X-7431's prosthetic eye successfully activated]
[Current version: v0.1 Basic (Miner Edition)]
[Today's working hours: 4 hours and 27 minutes]
[Mining Area Ranking: 428th]
[...]
"The surgery was a success," the doctor's voice came from afar. "Come on, try opening your eyes."
Hino lifted his eyelids, trembling.
The world has changed.
The dimly lit medical room was as bright as day in his eyes, and translucent data labels floated above the heads of some people.
' Medical-nin ', 'Medical Assistant', 'Laborer X-2869'...
"Do you like your new eyes?" the doctor asked with a smile, handing over a mirror.
The man in the mirror has a normal human eye on his right eye, but a slightly red mechanical eye on his left, with a small X-shaped mark on the pupil.
"I can get back to work after a half-hour rest."
"Remember to wipe it with the special cleaning solution every day, otherwise it will void the warranty."
After Hino got up, the doctor handed him a piece of paper.
"By the way, you can add me after you connect to the Reform Society Network. I'll give you a discount if you want to upgrade your prosthetic eye later."
After Hino took the piece of paper, the doctor turned to his assistant and asked, "Is the Spirit Puppet ready?"
"Ready!" the medical assistant said.
"Come on, let's tie it."
The doctor attached the Spirit Puppet he had taken from his assistant to Hino's chest.
With a slight stinging sensation, Hino felt something pierce the panel.
The crystal on the Spirit Puppet's chest glowed with a dark red light, then went out.
"Alright, your work hours will now be uploaded accurately." The doctor nodded in satisfaction. "Go back and rest, and don't forget to add me."
Hino staggered out of the medical room, his newly installed prosthetic eye stinging in the sunlight.
He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, only to find that the brightness of his left eye's field of vision had automatically adjusted.
This is indeed a function that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
"How are you feeling?" Tanaka greeted him with a smile. "Isn't the world a different place now?"
Hino wanted to say something, but found his throat was terribly dry.
"It might take a little getting used to at first."
Tanaka affectionately put his arm around his shoulder, "But you'll soon find that this eye can help you avoid a lot of trouble."
Hino's prosthetic eye suddenly caught a glint of light from the inside of Tanaka's collar.
There was a delicate metal badge pinned there, engraved with the words "Inspection Group".
Before he could see it clearly, a notification suddenly popped up in his field of vision.
[Insufficient permissions, access denied]
"Go ahead, I'll give you half a day off to get used to your new eyes."
Tanaka patted him on the back, "Starting tomorrow, your work efficiency will increase by more than 30%."
After leaving, Hino subconsciously scanned his surroundings with his prosthetic eye.
[ Shayan, Laborer E-3472]
[North area of the mine, estimated collapse risk: 17%]
[Trolley load: 89%]
[...]
The information flooded his brain like a torrent, causing a throbbing pain in his temples.
Even worse, he found he couldn't turn the feature off.
This is clearly a 'gift' from the Reform Society that is forcibly reshaping his way of thinking.