I woke up dazed, tired, and gladded. I was no longer in pain. I opened my eyes and had to blink several times to adjust to the bright lights on the ceiling.

“Mr. Wong, can you hear me? Mr. Wong?”

Someone was calling me. I turned to the voice and saw that I was not alone. The doctor was there along with a nurse and standing behind them was Howard. What was the doctor’s name again? I don’t remember and guessed either the drugs inside me were doing their work or there had been so many doctor that I never remembered his name in the first place.

“Doctor, how am I doing?”

The doctor smiled. “Why don’t you take a look?”

With some trepidation, I did just that. I look down at my body and saw the shiny metal that had replaced my upper torso. My hands moved on their own and I noticed my new arms for the first time. Bright silvery cybernetics arms that were vastly superior to my previous old model. I also now sport a pair of them instead of just one. The doctor saw how I was admiring my new parts and helpfully provide me with some information.

“They are the latest cybernetic model from Ganon Corporation called the GX-Arms. Enhanced strength, armored, and two ports on each arm for you to install any weapons or tools you desire. Your body is also from Ganon. It is also armored especially around vital areas like your heart, and it also come equipped with various ports for weaponries and lifestyle add-ons. They are all Grade 4 cybernetics which is the highest grade available for civilians and are made with Plaorium, a metal that could only be mined in the asteroid belt. Both the arms and torso come with a lifetime warranty. The Oriental Earth Group wish to apologize for the unfortunate incident that occurred in Thailand and hope you would accept your new cybernetics as compensation for your troubles.”

I don’t know if it was the drugs or the shiny new body parts, but I only half-heard the information and nod my head absentmindedly. The doctor seems satisfied with my nod and stepped back. Howard came forward in his place.

“Hey man, you okay?”

“Better than I had been,” I admitted. “How do I look?”

“Like a billion credits. Literally! You look expensive!”

I couldn’t help but smiled at that. It was a good joke and I do wonder how much all these enhancements cost. However I had questions that needed answers.

“What’s happening out there?”

“The overall political climate is bad. The SEAL government is furious at the open attack and vowing retaliation on behalf of the Oriental Earth Group. Star Chang Holdings is insisting they had nothing to do with the attack but no one believes them. They’re on their own on this but considering the size of the group, that just make it an even fight.”

“Jaya?”

“Recovered and working. He only suffered some minor injuries and had already returned to Singapore. Sales of the Trackbot-P has went through the roof after what happened in Nonthaburi and he’s back there to handle matters.”

“Good. Thank you.” There’s evidently a video out there showing Howard charging at the group of Siberian Heavy Wolf and according to what I heard, he performed admirably against vastly superior forces. I need to take a look at it after getting out of here. “Did Jaya made a decision on the licensing…”

“Don’t worry about the business right now. Just rest. You are very lucky that ricochet didn’t kill you. Let us handle the rest.”

I nodded in response and the doctor chased Howard out moments later. Alone in the hospital room, I relaxed. Everyone thinks it was a ricochet that got me. Not only that, they believe it most probably from the defending forces. It was a fair assumption. A shot from a Gatling gun, even a ricochet, would have killed anyone. That was why the Oriental Earth Group was so willing to fork out credits to pay for my treatment. However I know better. Not knowing how secure the room was, I had to mentally ask my questions.

“System, you’re there?”

[Yes, User Tobias Wong. How may I assist you?]

“It wasn’t a ricochet that got me was it?”

[Based on the trajectory and impact of the shot, the System do not believe user Tobias Wong was hit by a ricochet.]

“What hit me?”

[Based on available data, the System believes User Tobias Wong was hit by a HVP-16/C bullet that was fired from an AU-3 Vanquisher Gatling gun. The kind commonly used by the Siberian Heavy Wolf Battlesuit. The bullet tore off the user’s right arm and most of his upper torso, causing massive...]

“So how am I still alive? I should be dead.”

[Without the intervention of the System, User Tobias Wong would be.]

“How did you do it?”

[Once the System noticed that the user was in a critical state, the System activated a cultivation technique that shut down non-vital bodily function. As the user is not a cultivator, the System was unable to shut down his body totally but the technique was effective enough to slow down blood loss, decrease heart rate, and prevent the body from going into cardiac arrest. The System was able to keep the user alive till help came.]

“I am going to say there’s no such thing as cultivation but then there’s magic in this world, so…can you can keep me alive indefinitely?”

[Not necessarily. Cultivation is a series of techniques created in the past to improve and enhanced the natural body. Depending on the techniques used, cultivators are able to live hundreds of years even without the aid of cybernetics or longevity drugs. However there is always a limit to the human body. The Mad Triple once met a cultivator dying of old age who said he was over a thousand years old.]

“What can cultivators do anyway? Can they jump up buildings, fly in the air, and smash boulders with one punch?”

[User Tobias Wong read too much web novels. Cultivation is mostly about the human body and the techniques cultivators used are to push the human body to and beyond the human limit.]

“But I had never trained in cultivation so how can you used these techniques to save me?”

[The System had informed the User when we first met that it was created via a combination of science, spells and cultivation techniques so quite naturally the System is able to use certain low-level cultivation techniques. However the techniques the System is able to use paled in comparison to the ones used by real cultivators.]

The System stayed silent as I slowly processed the information. Since getting the System, my life has been a roller-coaster and right now, I’m not so sure I liked it. I may have been a nobody in the past but at least my life was never in danger! Now…I opened my eyes as an idea hit me.

“System, you said that my father created you via a combination of sciences, magic and cultivation right?”

[Yes.]

“Can you get me in touch with the cultivators in Singapore?”

Part of Book 1