Riddick closed his eyes and went silent as Dr. Hamilton began to prepare himself to start the operation. He first started by turning toward the tray that had surgical gloves on it and quickly wearing them. From there, he picked up a selection of strange tools and moved to the back of the operation chair where the headrest hummed mechanically before opening a slot to gain access to the back of Riddick’s head.

"Okay, here we go again. Please avoid anything that will cause rising brain activity." Dr. Hamilton warned for a final time.

Despite the delicateness and fragility of the operation, Dr. Hamilton went about it in an incredibly smooth and quick manner, as if it came as easy as breathing. Riddick ignored all the happenings during the operation and stayed absolutely still with his eyes closed.

As Riddick's anesthesia began to wear off completely, he began to hear the music that the doctor had been playing fade out. Dr. Hamilton then said, "We're done, you may sit up now. The operation wound should heal in about a week or two's time."

As Riddick sat up, he was inwardly surprised that the operation was already done and began to wonder if perhaps he had just been too deep in his meditation and lost track of time.

He moved his hand to the back of his head where the operation had been done and he could feel a bandage. Another reason he felt surprised that the operation was done was because he couldn't feel any real difference, he couldn’t help but ask Dr. Hamilton, "So quick?"

"Oh yes, I pride myself on efficiency and speed. Taking too much time operating on something as delicate as the brain is not a good thing in the long run. Anyway, let us move on to the final part."

"There's more?"

Dr. Hamilton then pointed toward a set of large monitors and servers right in the corner of the lab before stating, "We need to integrate an AI module with your chip and transfer over the data into it."

Riddick could see the sense behind this, so he didn't question any further and simply got off the operation table before walking with Dr. Hamilton toward the monitors.

As they walked, he asked the doctor, "Is there a specific kind of AI module you use, or can I insert one of my own?"

The doctor smiled and explained, "It's like with households or cars. I do have a set AI module you can use, or you can indeed incorporate one of your own if you find it more appealing to you. At the end of the day, it's a matter of preference. It won't affect functionality at all unless, perhaps, your AI module is an older model. In that case, it may struggle with complex problems in comparison to a more modern model."

Riddick nodded. "I see." He then took out the chip that was in the pocket of his jacket and handed it to the doctor.

Looking at the chip, Dr. Hamilton wasn't really impressed as the chip itself was the most basic of basics, but chips were only carriers. It didn't really matter whether one was high-end or cheap, as their main function was the core of the AI. The only real difference between chips that were more expensive and those that were cheaper was perhaps greater security if a breach were to occur on the network in which the chip is registered to. This, however, was incredibly rare, and thus only rich people were off spending on expensive chips, while the average person had one that was either cheap or moderately priced.

Due to that, it was easy for stereotypes to grow about cheap chips containing cheap AI modules. Riddick could see the slight look of doubt Dr. Hamilton had when he received the chip, but he didn't point it out. After all, the whole reason for Riddick keeping Zoe in a cheap chip was because no one could really ever assume that it housed the core of one of the most powerful AI modules in existence.

Upon reaching the monitor, Dr. Hamilton immediately took a seat and placed Riddick's chip on the counter, which like the rest of the room, was as white.

When Riddick turned his attention to them, he couldn't help but think to himself, 'He doesn't even use dark mode, that's some dedication to a color.'

As all the monitors went on, Dr. Hamilton began to type on a holographic keyboard that levitated slightly above the counter on which several computer panels were. As he did so, he spoke out, "Eva, please prepare a local sync data transfer while migrating an AI module to the implanted chip. Refer to data on operation B21160488924496B, TRS, The Rusputin System."

A digital voice echoed from the computer stating, "Command received, scanning the archives now. File found, importing, blueprinting data, successfully imported. Data applied, ready for transfer."

As the voice said this, Hamilton reached out to the chip and put it in a slot that had opened up on the counter. Immediately, the slot closed, and the monitors began to show a processing message before it stopped, showing an error. "I have no records to match with this particular AI module's core structure. Is it perhaps custom?" the voice asked, confused.

Dr. Hamilton immediately turned toward Riddick. When it came to AI, even the latest models were based off structures that were known. The only exception were the AI modules that were customarily built from the ground up. However, such AI modules were commonly used by governments and/or large private organizations. So for Dr. Hamilton to hear that he didn't have the data on Riddick's AI module, he couldn't help but be surprised.

Without the doctor needing to ask, Riddick confirmed, "Yes, it's custom and adaptive, so don't worry and just proceed with the transfer. As long as the chip you've given me can house an AI core, it should be fine."

Normally, if someone possessed a custom-built AI module and wanted to transfer the program, the user would need the information on the core structure of the module so as to avoid any errors. But the uniqueness of Zoe was that she could easily interface and move between chips with little resistance. Once moved, she would adapt herself to fit the optimum performance that could be used within said chip. It was because of this reason that most of her functions were limited, because her original core structure, back at her peak, was an entire room housing countless servers and providing immense processing power.

The reason Riddick chose to use Zoe rather than a model given by Dr. Hamilton was because he knew that if Zoe possessed that much power at her peak, then he could at least bring out more by having her implanted to a part of his brain, as it too was a computer but with far much more processing power.

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So as long as Zoe could adapt well, Riddick felt he had the potential to unlock a very unique and powerful tool. He was very well aware of the risks in doing this, but without risks, there would be no rewards. On the surface, however, he looked calm and collected.

Although the doctor wanted to inwardly argue, at the end of the day, the client was right, and he knew better than to overstep his bounds. After all, he inwardly accepted that it may just be possible that he didn't know enough about the chip.

"Alright," he sighed and agreed before turning his attention back to the monitor. "Eva, proceed with the transfer anyway." After saying this, he looked at Riddick and told him, "You may want to take a seat. You may feel a splitting headache."

Eva quickly received the command. “Command received, initiating transfer in 3... 2... 1... Transfer beginning."

Riddick prepared himself for the transfer by taking a seat on one of the four chairs positioned near the doctor's computer. As he did so, he leaned forward and clasped his hands while steeling himself in preparation for what was about to occur.

Because although the doctor didn't know, it wasn't Rick's first time dealing with computerization of the brain and transfers. ‘Let’s hope this hurts less,’ he thought to himself.

As Eva's voice indicated that it had started, a screen showing a rising percentage appeared. Riddick felt a sharp pain on the left side of his brain, causing him to grit his teeth and let out a pained groan *argh*. Seeing this reaction, Dr. Hamilton was immediately alerted, “I knew it, this is too dangerous, I’m stopping this.” But Riddick raised his hand and gestured him not to. "Don't," Riddick painfully urged.

“But clearly something is wrong-.”

“I said, *argh* don't," Riddick painfully urged yet again as he brought his hand away from Dr. Hamilton and used it to hold his head on the left side. Riddick then used his right hand to angrily slam into the panel in front of them *bam* before opening his fingers and gripping the panel again, leaning forward and gritting his teeth harder.

Seeing this occur, Dr. Hamilton was very displeased. "Dammit, you might kill yourself! The brain is not something to put pressure on with like this! I'm stopping the operation now.”

“If you do that, then you’ll will really kill me, I said, I know what I'm doing," Riddick replied. Although not liking what was happening, Dr. Hamilton could understand Riddick's reasoning. If he tried to stop the operation abruptly now, that could also lead to catastrophic consequences that even he couldn't predict. Safe to say, things were not going in any way how he had predicted.

A surge of worry emerged in Dr. Hamilton's mind. For one, it was always bad if a client died during an operation, but in Dr. Hamilton's case, his client just so happened to be the son of one of the greatest contract killers the Leviathan has ever seen. He couldn't help but feel if anything happened to Riddick, he too was as good as dead.

So, he quickly got off his seat, not wanting to stand idly by, and called for his droids. "B12, CE204, bring the patient monitoring equipment quickly, and lots of painkillers and depressants!" The little droids that were roaming around in the lab quickly rolled toward the doctor with several trays, one of them asking, “Should I give the patient painkillers first and then depressants.”

Dr. Hamilton looked at the droid like it had said something crazy. "What depressants? Those are for me!" Dr. Hamilton quickly reached out to a container and opened it up before chucking several capsules into his mouth and swallowing them without water. "This can't be good for my heart. Why always me?"

Another droid went toward Riddick's right side with a tray of painkillers. However, Riddick ignored it because he didn't really need them. He would've loved to alleviate the pain, but he knew that by taking painkillers, it would disrupt the functionality of his nervous system and make it operate in a way that wasn't normal during chip integration.

The chip may take that state with which it integrates with any module and scans the brain to be the normal state, which wasn't at all the case. So despite the pain he was feeling, he could only avoid taking the pills.

Another droid came to his left and placed its mechanical arm on his wrist. He felt a light prick there, and after it did so, it projected a screen from its head showing all of Riddick's critical health data - heartbeat, body temperature, and other diagnostics.

Dr. Hamilton felt like fainting as he looked at how high Riddick's heart rate was, way above what could be considered normal. Looking at the screen, the only relief Dr. Hamilton found was that none of his organs looked like they were in any critical condition, aside from his brain, which was currently receiving Riddick's AI module, a fairly powerful one at that.

As Dr. Hamilton frantically diverted his attention constantly between the percentage, which was currently at 78, and the vital data showing absurd numbers, he couldn't help but pray within his heart that everything worked out well. ‘My dear ancestors, please let this operation succeed. I shall return to the homeland and retire in the farms, I will even marry aunt Amir. So please, do not let him die.’

Dr. Hamilton really did feel like crying. He had grown so used to successful operations one after another that he never thought such a day would come in which he would be made to feel so much stress over something he considered routine.

Riddick continued to grit his teeth and bear the pain, but at this point, blood was now trickling from his nose and his left ear.

Looking at the sight, Dr. Hamilton felt like fainting. ‘Oh no..’ he thought. But he was helpless to do anything now. He could only continue to look back and forth, back and forth, as the percentage rose to 96. This time, Riddick no longer looked like he was even gripping onto the counter hard. Instead, he looked like he was holding onto it for support, with his head limp.

"Come on, Riddick. Please bear with it. Please bear with it. We're so close to success," Dr. Hamilton could only pray that Riddick could bear through with it. Even if substantial injuries were had, that was better than dying. Riddick, whose entire vision at this point had gone extremely blurry, struggled to stay awake.

He turned his attention toward the percentages and watched as it climbed - 98, 99, and finally, 100. "Transfer complete," the moment it said this, everything went black for Riddick, and he collapsed, falling off the chair and meeting the white tiled floor.

Dr. Hamilton yelled in panic, "Quickly, bring me the emergency kit!"

Dr. Hamilton's voice began to fade to Riddick, first turning into ringing noise, and then just silence, as if he were in a vacuum. Using every strand of his willpower, Riddick attempted to feel his limbs, senses, but to no avail. As he laid there on the ground, he suddenly felt a huge jolt of electricity rush through his entire body, jolting him up as he took a deep breath of air.

The jolt caused his muscles to reflex instinctively, and by doing so, he accidentally hit Dr. Hamilton on the wrist, sending him flying back and colliding with several of his own droids, which hurt his back in the process.

Riddick now sat up, his vital organs working again as if they had done a hard restart. His heartbeat slowly but quickly began to pick up. He felt a tingly sensation in his fingertips, but that quickly began to fade.

His blurred vision began to grow clear as he turned to look in the direction of Dr. Hamilton. As he did so, Zoe’s familiar voice resounded in his mind, "Riddick, Riddick, can you hear me? Riddick?"

Riddick was about to respond, but rather than do so, he tried to communicate mentally, "I can hear you."

"You had lost functionality for a few seconds there. I have been trying to call out, but your brain was in a dormant state, even for you that was a grave risk you took, though I must admit it feels strange for me to be within your mind again."

Riddick agreed, "It is. Only this time though, it's on my own terms, without any parameters to kill me if I disobey." He struggled to stand up and stretch his limbs, making sure everything was operating as it should.

Only then did he bother to turn toward Dr. Hamilton, who was holding his back in an exaggerated manner as he struggled to stand up, calling out to Riddick, "Help… I’ve fallen and I can’t get up."