Just as Su Mo was savoring the feeling of bullet time, Future suddenly pointed at him in horror, “Boss, you’re bleeding!”

Su Mo also felt a warm sensation on his nose and upper lip at this moment and touched it subconsciously.

His hand was covered in scarlet liquid.

Frightened, Future ducked under the table, “Boss, you’re not going to explode, are you? I told you, you can’t mix blood code with artificial parts. What are we going to do now…”

Su Mo chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not a conflict between blood code and artificial parts, just a side effect of overusing the artificial spine.”

That kind of bullet time looks really cool, but it actually takes a huge toll on the body.

During bullet time, from Su Mo’s perspective, he just took a leisurely stroll around.

But in reality, referencing the real world, his speed had reached an unbelievable level.

This speed places an enormous burden on the body; the bones and organs suffer intense pressure under the sudden acceleration.

This is why artificial parts are best implemented in conjunction with a suite of modifications.

Modifying the spine means modifying the muscles, and after that, the bones, the joints, the mechanical limbs, the internal circulation system, and so on.

If someone other than Su Mo, planted with just a Level 3 stringent managed spine and a Level 2 ordinary management energy core, and their other parts were original, dared to go full throttle into bullet time like that, they’d likely end up crippled.

But Su Mo didn’t have such concerns.

Thanks to the physical enhancement from his triple blood code, even if his other parts hadn’t been modified, he could fully handle the Level 3 stringent managed spine’s power, and at most, suffer slight internal injuries and nosebleeds.

This minor injury was quickly healed by the Crimson Rose Blood Code.

Su Mo wiped off the nosebleed, spread his hands and smiled, “See, I’m fine, right?”

Only then did Future timidly emerge from under the table, exclaiming, “Amazing, it’s truly amazing…”

Su Mo thought of an important question, “By the way, outsiders shouldn’t be able to notice my artificial parts, right?”

Future: “They can’t. The energy core is hidden inside the body, the Wolverine Series Spine is a bionic version, its form is no different from a normal spine. Don’t worry, only I know your secret.”

Su Mo pondered and asked, “What about my original spine?”

Future pointed to a freezer, “I stored it well and prepared it as a specimen for research. Do you want to take it out and have a look?”

Su Mo frantically shook his head, “No, no… touching my own spine is kind of creepy.”

He picked up a bag in the corner, took out the equipment inside, and said, “And this thing, if you have time, help me fix it.”

“The kinetic counter armor.” Future recognized it at a glance, “This thing has a pretty good design concept, but unfortunately, the energy storage limit is always an issue, not durable, all flash and no substance…”

“Just put it there, I’ll find some time to fix it and reconfigure the capacity.”

“Alright then, you go ahead, don’t let me interrupt.” Su Mo waved and left the lab satisfied.

He returned to his room, took a shower, and afterward, the fatigue that had been accumulating for days swept over him, nearly causing him to fall asleep on the spot.

To stop Ou Chenyu from completing the [Blazing Sand] mission, Su Mo had already pulled multiple all-nighters on his combat preparations and had staked out the Desert Stone Road in advance.

After accomplishing it, he rushed back to New Moon City overnight, completing his first artificial spine implantation, having not slept a wink in several days.

Sleep under anesthetic doesn’t count, there’s no quality rest in that.

It was afternoon now, and since he hadn’t eaten anything from the day before due to the surgery, he showered and then grabbed something to eat from the fridge.

While eating, Su Mo noticed KK wasn’t home, so he went to the lab to ask Future, “Where did KK go?”

Future scratched his head, “He said you’ve been having a hard time lately and went to the supermarket to buy some real beef for you as a treat. He left around noon; hasn’t he come back yet?”

Su Mo felt a hint of concern.

The supermarket nearby wasn’t far from home; KK shouldn’t take so long to return.

The Rust Wall District itself wasn’t very safe; could something have happened to him?

“Ring ring.”

Just then, Su Mo’s phone rang with a number he didn’t recognize.

Su Mo answered, “Hello?”

A strange voice came from the other end, “Is this Su Mo?”

Su Mo, “Yes, who is this?”

From the other end, “This is the Rust Wall District Public Security Sub-bureau; do you know a young man named KK?”

Su Mo was taken aback, “Yes, I know him; what’s happened to him?”

From the other end, “You should come down to the bureau; he’s here with us.”

Su Mo hung up the phone and quickly drove over to the Public Security Bureau.

At the reception desk, the on-duty sheriff positioned his hand reflexively over his gun and assumed the New Moon Iaido stance when he saw a borderland man burst through the door.

“What do you want?!”

Su Mo explained, “I’m Su Mo, you just called me, I’m here for KK.”

“Oh.” The sheriff then relaxed his grip, “Follow me.”

The two of them entered the control room one after the other.

As soon as he walked in, Su Mo saw KK sitting on a chair, his face bruised and bloody, with one tooth missing, as a doctor was bandaging him up.

Seeing Su Mo, KK stood up, “Big brother…”

Seeing that KK was free to move, Su Mo knew he wasn’t arrested, feeling a sense of relief.

Su Mo approached, asked with concern, “What happened? Who beat you up like this?”

The sheriff tapped Su Mo on the shoulder and pointed to the corner of the room.

There, a young man with yellow hair was cuffed, dressed in a punk vest, with earrings and nose rings, wearing a Borderland Plaque, a typical street thug with a roguish face.

The sheriff explained, “Huang Mao tried to rob your friend on the road, and when he failed, gave him a beating; luckily, a sheriff passed by and caught him on the spot.”

KK revealed the tightly protected supermarket plastic bag in his arms, grinning foolishly, “Big brother, nothing’s missing, the money you gave me is all here too.”

The plastic bag was filled with lots of meat—not the poor-quality artificial meat, but highly nutritious real beef that Su Mo had casually mentioned wanting to eat a few days before, and KK remembered.

Seeing this made Su Mo feel a bit emotional; this kid was really foolish, getting beaten up like this to protect a few pieces of meat.

Su Mo patted KK’s head to comfort him and then glanced coldly at Huang Mao, “What about this guy?”

The sheriff shrugged helplessly, “According to public security regulations, he’s supposed to be detained and compensate for the victim’s personal losses, but this kid insists he doesn’t have any money; maybe you all should settle this somehow.”

Huang Mao’s rogue nature fully showed itself as he glared at Su Mo, “No money here, life’s all I got, got the guts to take me on now?”

Of course, Su Mo couldn’t hit people inside the Public Security Bureau, so he coldly sneered without rising to the bait, “You’ve got nerve, assault someone and then have this attitude? Not even an apology?”

Huang Mao yanked at his arm, making the handcuffs rattle with loud clinks, and started cursing incessantly, “I apologize to your **** Civilization Dawn, you **** Civilization Crescent thing, so what if I’m bold? Got the guts to face me one-on-one outside! I’m **** Civilized Border!”

The sheriff pulled Su Mo aside, advising tersely, “These kinds of thugs are regulars at the bureau, caught and jailed, jailed and released, we have no real way to deal with him.”

“Maybe you should draft a settlement agreement and let this thing go, otherwise if he holds a grudge and starts pestering you every day once he’s out, it won’t be easy for you either, right?”

Su Mo was already accustomed to such New Moon City-style public security settlements and hadn’t expected much help from the sheriff anyway.

Su Mo walked over to Huang Mao and coldly asked, “Not apologizing, huh?”

Huang Mao stared wide-eyed, “Listen up, I’ll apologize to you for O’s sake, push it and I’ll kill your whole family when I get out.”

He finished and “tui,” spat a mouthful of saliva in Su Mo’s direction.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep