As directed, Riddick moved to the operating chair, followed by Dr. Hamilton. Riddick quickly took note of its rather unique design, looking more targeted at comfort than operation. As Riddick stared at it, Dr. Hamilton moved toward a nearby neat set of metallic drawers and began to look through some documents.

While doing so, he began to chuckle to himself and speak aloud. "You know, the first time your father brought this idea to me, I thought, no, no, no, it's not possible. But after making me work through it for five strenuous years, I had to break through. Ah~ Here we go," he said as he quickly picked up a blue-looking folder and placed it on the operating chair, stating, "Here it is, the Rasputin interface chip data. Feel free to look through it if you want to know exactly what it pertains to."

Riddick didn't respond to Dr. Hamilton and just reached out to collect the folder, opening it and seeing data on the supposed operation he was supposed to get.

For starters, the specialized interface chip was targeted to integrate with the user's visual and auditory cortex, which aimed to place the chip in a less invasive and less critical area such as near their occipital lobe, which was primarily responsible for visual processing, or the temporal lobe involved in processing auditory information and encoding memory.

It’s nano-technology design enabled it to seamlessly integrate with neural pathways without requiring direct brain-stem or central nervous system integration. Once this chip is equipped with an advanced AI module, it would make it capable of understanding and interpreting the host's thoughts and visual cues, allowing for intuitive and hands-free interaction.

To implant the chip, a surgical procedure in which the chip would be implanted in the region close to the occipital or temporal lobe without penetrating deeply into brain tissue, minimizing risks associated with vital organs. The region is also chosen for its proximity to areas responsible for visual processing.

Through the chip's advanced algorithms, it could project images directly into the visual field of the left eye, creating an augmented reality experience without the need for external devices. This projection would be finely controlled and could be turned on and off based on the mental commands from the host.

The AI module within the chip would communicate with the host through its synthesized voice directly in the auditory cortex or by sending text and images to the left eye, creating a one-way visual communication channel. This ensures that the AI has no control over any other bodily functions or unintended areas of the brain.

For additional safety, however, the chip included several safety protocols to ensure the AI remains in its designated parameters. It operates under strict operational codes that prevent it from accessing or influencing the host’s brain beyond the agreed functions. Plus, as a last resort, a failsafe mechanism is integrated, allowing the chip to be deactivated or removed if necessary without causing damage to the surrounding neural tissue.

As Riddick finished reading through the information, he couldn't help but be astounded and impressed, both at Nikolai and Dr. Hamilton. For Nikolai, the praise came from the fact that he had basically come up with a design to create the perfect tool for a contract killer.

In the modern era, it was no secret that it was nearly impossible to get away from technology, and if one wanted to operate at a high level, it was a hard necessity that they would need to integrate technology in some way, shape, or form into their operations.

The most common way people did this were, of course, neural chips. The chip that held all the vital information, digital wealth, and pretty much entire identity of a person, safely tucked away in their brain between the age of six and 12, for most countries. However, there was never a 100% guarantee that they were safe, especially from the megacorporations that made said chips. Hence, Nikolai was completely opposed to it.

However, looking at this, Riddick could remember Nikolai's words about not trusting something you didn't see getting created, or at least added to its creation. This chip went beyond the functionality of any other chip on the public market while possessing greater safety measures. Riddick couldn't even imagine how much money Nikolai must've spent to get something like this done, or how brilliant Dr. Hamilton had to be to be able to actually make it.

This point simply went on to further support Riddick's stance: never judge books by their cover. Even looking at Dr. Hamilton, he had considered him to be an eccentric but good cybernetic surgeon. What this data showed was that he was far more than that, and a brilliant man in his own way.

However, Riddick would never let them know that these were his thoughts. To be seen as superior, one had to act superior, and by overly praising someone else's achievements, you thereby put across the lack of your own. So, to respond to all this information, Rick simply nodded, saying, "Amazing," before closing the folder and handing it back to Dr. Hamilton, who shook his head.

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"No, no, since you're the slot holder now, this is your asset, and Mr. Rasputin only asked me to hold onto it until he came through again. If you'd still like me to keep it, then I have no problem doing that."

Hearing this, Riddick held the folder and asked, "Is this the only copy?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I was only contracted to create this, so therefore it isn't my property, but Mr. Rasputin's, or rather, yours now."

"In that case, I'll hold onto it."

Dr. Hamilton didn't argue with Riddick as he put the folder aside, before asking the doctor, "So, how does this happen?"

Dr. Hamilton quickly answered in an excited manner, coming close and tapping the operation chair. "You just sit comfortably while I prepare the anesthetic. Do you prefer something light, mild, or hard?" Hearing this question, Riddick asked one of his own, "Which one is the most optimal for the operation?"

Dr. Hamilton was very surprised to be asked this question, as he hadn't expected someone to inquire under which circumstances an operation would work best. However, although surprised, he showed a wide smile and answered, "Oh, that would be the light. You see, because of the function the chip will be enabling, it is best that your body isn’t too relaxed. If I were to use an example, I would say it's like how people in the olden times would manually change lightbulbs. But imagine the light bulb was being put as the switch was on, there is a risk of shock, but once you put it in, you immediately known there and then, it works. Rather than if it was off. It's essentially like that. In the rare chance that there's the slightest bit of errors, it is best to know there and then and act on it rather than having the chip malfunction while on you."

Still, Riddick wasn't very happy hearing this as it prompted him to ask, "And what are the chances of that happening?"

"Less than zero point one perce-."

"Let's start," Riddick didn't even need the doctor to finish, for the value he wanted to say was well within what Riddick would risk on this operation. Given the benefits it brought, it was only natural that it came with risks. That was simply the way the world was. There were no guarantees, only probability, and in this case, Riddick liked his odds.

As Riddick took off his jacket and sat in the operating chair. Dr. Hamilton was still taken aback by his strangeness, but he quickly composed himself and rushed to get the anesthetic ready.

After a few minutes, several droids came to surround Riddick's operational chair, bringing around several trays of utensils for the doctor along with the needed machines. Riddick had no idea what most of the tools even did. However, he made sure to try and take as many details in as possible. After all, there was no telling when such idle information might come in handy, and at the very least, having some visual reference was never a bad thing.

As the droids surrounded the operation chair, acting as assistants to Dr. Hamilton, he approached, now wearing a pair of unique looking visors with several lenses. Riddick knew this was likely so the doctor could have an astronomically precise view during the operation. This was something essential in most critical cybernetic transplants, as there was little room for error when combining machine and man.

The doctor went behind the operation chair and asked, "Make sure your head is firmly planted on the headrest and relax your body. Try to be as calm as possible and keep your thoughts empty. The goal is to have as little activity in your brain as possible, but not so much that it borders on sleep." Having said that, the doctor brought a machine close and said, "I'm giving you the anesthesia now. It may sting a bit, followed by a numbing sensation. Let me know if you feel any abnormalities aside from a numbing sensation at your fingertips."

"No problem," Riddick replied before staying still and allowing the procedure to begin. After the anesthesia was successfully injected, Riddick did indeed feel a slight tingling sensation over his body but also felt it quickly fading, immediately realizing that it was probably the result of his immuno-titanium cells.

‘That must be some heavy stuff if it wasn't already purged by my cells. From the way it feels, it should last maybe 5 to 10 minutes max,’ Riddick thought. Rather than tell the doctor that the anesthesia was weak, Riddick chose to use this as a test on how quickly his cells respond to something like this anesthesia, which aimed to slow down the operation of the cells.

The doctor, not knowing what was running through Riddick's mind, reached for a remote from one of the trays being held up by the droids and clicked on it. Immediately, he did this, the light in the room dimmed to an almost serene color. Then, a transparent screen propped up above an angle to match where Riddick's head was slouched. Then, on said screen, aesthetic visuals began to be portrayed, while rhythmic beats began to ring from all around the room, completely droning out all idle noise, providing one with a strange but serenity feeling.

As Dr. Hamilton did this, he explained, "Don’t worry about the music and the screen, just enjoy yourself and relax. This is done so that you can be as relaxed as possible and to slow down activity in your neural pathways. It's like when you think a lot, pathways there are racetracks, just cars will be driving very, very fast. But if you're calm, you know, doing something relaxing, sleep, meditation, the cars slow down, your brain activity is low, and it's allowed to rest. That is essentially the best state to begin for the operation." Dr. Hamilton explained in a fast tone, fumbling his sentence structure in the process due to the language not being his first.

"I'll do my best to relax then," Riddick replied, proceeding to do so. Meditation was one of his key daily routines, so it wasn't hard for him to relax in such a serene environment, when back in Lowtown he had to do so in an almost ever-noisy area.

Dr. Hamilton noted Riddick's compliance and spoke as if to alleviate any concerns Riddick would have, "This operation is fairly quick, so long as the person is accurate, which I can tell you, I very much am. We shall be done before you know it. Again, if you feel any abnormalities at all, like I said, ensure you speak up, and till then, I please ask you minimize as much activity as possible. Again, very important."

"Noted, start whenever you’re ready."