Kuru was absolutely stunned.

Even if his mind was a bit off-kilter or if he could be a bit sharp-tongued, watching Delena calmly repair two high-end chips from Zactin at six in the afternoon was enough to put his brain on pause.

To be more precise, it was almost like it had crashed.

“Incredible, unbelievable…”

At first, he had approached her with a hint of pity and a playful attitude, thinking it would be a fun task.

But when Delena turned around at 1:34 PM, holding the Zactin’s chip and calmly announcing, “The first chip is done,” Kuru felt his heart twist.

He shakily took the chip, eager to test it.

For a moment, he even hoped Delena was pulling his leg, that the chip wasn’t really… no, that it wasn’t fixed at all.

But after running the diagnostics, when the chip slowly ejected from the machine and landed in his hand, time seemed to freeze.

“How… how long will it take to fix the next chip?”

Kuru stammered, and Delena replied calmly.

“Since I have a basic understanding of the architecture and program information for Zactin chips, if all goes well, the next one could be done in five or six hours.”

No one responded to her. Seeing this, Delena didn’t wait around; instead, she picked up the second chip and got to work.

Yushi sat quietly, much like Kuru, but with one leg crossed over the other, his mind replaying jazz music.

He had grown accustomed to the sound of jazz in his head.

In the beginning, he wanted to shake it off, but no matter how many times he told his brain to “stop,” that sound only grew louder, refusing to quiet down.

Fine, fine, if he couldn’t change it, then he’d have to get used to it.

Jazz wasn’t so bad after all. Let it play in his mind and on the radio until he was satisfied.

Yushi held a saxophone, dressed in a casual suit, standing on a dark stage, bathed in flickering lights that seemed to malfunction.

But he was used to this existence, lost in his own solo performance.

His eyes were fixed on the bright lights, even though they filled his vision with blinding white and surreal afterimages, he continued to play.

There seemed to be no one around; the audience seats were empty, yet the sound of piano and drums echoed in his ears, the vacant seats continuously cheering.

Yushi didn’t even know why he was on stage.

But that didn’t matter; he was focused solely on performing, without any sheet music in sight or in his mind. Everything felt random.

The pitch rose higher, the melody grew more chaotic.

Regular. Regular? Irregular!

Disorganized! Chaos! Confusion! Everything was twisted! The piano, the drums, the voices, the saxophone—all distorted!

His body twisted, his vision warped, everything contorted, even the distortion itself twisted!!…

“Done. The second Zactin’s chip.”

Delena’s calm voice broke the chaos, bringing everything back to order. Kuru snapped his head up, and Yushi did the same. They stared blankly at the chip machine.

It was unclear what Kuru had been thinking for the past few hours, but judging by his dazed yet innocent expression, maybe he had just had a big cleaning in his thoughts with the chip in his brain?

That blank look, combined with his modified body, made him seem… oddly cute?

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“...What time is it?”

Kuru stuttered, his eyes reflexively glowing red. It was a common reaction for someone with a phone implant.

He mumbled to himself, “6: 27…”

“Yes, Mr. Kuru, six twenty-seven. Since I’ve completed the task, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise, right?”

Delena held the chip in both hands, extending it toward Kuru.

In response, a mechanical arm reached out to take the chip.

Kuru incredulously accepted it, remaining silent for a long moment.

Finally snapping back to reality, he waved dismissively at Delena, carefully pocketing the two chips before rushing back to the front desk.

“Even if they’re both from the same company, there can’t be that many similarities, right?”

Yushi asked Delena while dismantling the engine and extracting the damaged chip.

“Not to mention the different models; their damaged areas are all distinct, and the encryption methods aren’t necessarily the same. Naturally, the missing information can’t be fully replicated.”

“That’s right, Master. But their basic architecture is quite similar. We initially used the template from the previous chip for our research, and eventually found some breakthroughs. Through extensive trial and error and simulations, we managed to repair it.”

Delena placed her hands on the chair, answering truthfully, “AI isn’t afraid of massive calculations, especially when two AIs collaborate.”

“Then this one…” Yushi straightened up, placing the removed chip on the table. “Should be even easier, right?”

“Theoretically, yes. Its architecture is simpler, and its security isn’t as complex as military-grade chips.”

Delena carefully placed it in the designated spot. The LCD screen, which had been lit for nearly a day, was now pulled back to her view.

“Thank you, Delena.” Yushi paused for a moment, hesitating to speak.

“What’s wrong, Master? Our journey is just beginning; there’s no need for a farewell speech yet.”

Delena’s gaze remained fixed on the screen.

“And whatever Delena does for master is only right, because master is Delena’s master.”

“...Heh, is that so?” Yushi forced a smile, licking his lips, the words he wanted to say swallowed with his saliva.

“Master treats Delena well, at least giving her a chance to repair her body. Delena is very grateful.”

“You make it sound like I’m useless, even if it’s true.”

“Please don’t misunderstand Delena’s meaning, and don’t belittle yourself.”

……

“...This is your promise: help me fix two more chips later.”

Kuru seemed to have recovered quickly, his familiar expression returning, which was somewhat regrettable.

He put on a surgical gown and mask, turning to look at Delena, who lay on the operating table.

Yushi waited outside, claiming he was a bystander and could disrupt the operating room’s workflow, so he didn’t go in.

“As a return, I’ll advance your payment this time. Besides these two Thatcher legs, I’ll repair all the body parts you’re missing. I’ll consider this a deposit, okay? Once the next batch of chips arrives and you fix them, I’ll give you another three thousand Worlb as the final payment.”

“In business, there’s no jokes for tasks.” Delena placed her hands on her abdomen, nodding with a smile.

“Haha, that’s straightforward. I like you much more than your so-called friend.” Kuru laughed heartily, checking the surgical tools.

“Did you know? I just measured your dimensions, and you’re a perfect fit for those Thatcher legs. Now, all we need to do is replace the missing body parts, wrap your exterior in that incredibly realistic synthetic skin, and a brand-new human will emerge!”

“I have full faith in your skills, Mr. Kuru. However, I hope you can restore my body to perfection, as my condition is somewhat unique. I’ll explain further in a moment.”

“Wha—? That doesn’t sound like you believe in my skills.” Kuru turned to look at Delena, who was staring at him.

“Rest assured, Delena means no harm. But first, please prepare sixty Nano-bundles tubes and check the sutured wound on my lower back, then cut the first suture on the left.”

“? I haven’t even administered anesthesia yet; why are you in such a hurry to remove stitches?”

“No need for anesthesia.”

“???”

……

The hazy sky couldn’t fully darken due to severe light pollution, only reaching a purplish-gray hue. Various lights on the ground shone up into the sky, trying to measure the endless misty corridor.

Yushi crossed his arms, leaning against the shop door, his left foot resting on the other leg, gazing blankly at the sky.

“The surgery is complete.”

A gentle voice softly echoed in Yushi’s ear, light enough not to startle him. He turned to see a silver-haired girl, a few centimeters shorter than him.

Dressed in a long black coat with white fabric at the chest and a fluffy hem, she looked somewhat dignified.

Her black matte shorts, paired with even darker thick nylon stockings and a decent pair of black shoes, made the silver-haired girl with green irises appear mesmerizing for a moment.

“...Delena?”

“Yes?”

But that familiar voice confirmed to his brain that he hadn’t mistaken her identity. The person before him was Delena, the fully functional Delena.

“I can’t believe it…”

He stammered, unable to suppress a smile. Just a few hours ago, this girl had been a robot that could only crawl. In the blink of an eye, she had grown into an adult.

Should he be happy?

“Didn’t believe Delena to have such a huge transformation?”

Delena easily guessed his thoughts, smiling.

“I’m sure you’ve talked about some conditions inside. But let’s not dwell on that… Go home.”

Yushi didn’t respond; he simply turned and walked in the direction of home.

“Okay.”

Delena followed closely behind. The two quickly disappeared around the corner of the street.

Back in the operating room, Kuru lit a cigarette, reclining in his chair, his feet resting on the front desk, tiredly mumbling to himself.

“What a surprise. I never thought I’d see someone fully modified with cybernetics in my lifetime, and I had to help her put a vagina!…”

With a puff, half the cigarette was reduced to ash.

“Hmm… but it’s not a loss; at least I’ll save a thousand Worlb on the final payment. Haha, good thing I collect old clothes while scavenging. Sold her a set of street clothes for five hundred worlb… Nice!”