Commander Lorna had been stuck at a certain level for a long time without breakthroughs, her primary issue being the alien right hand. Having paid a steep price for it, she eagerly amputated her original right hand to replace it with the alien appendage, hoping for rapid advancement. Instead, it became the beginning of a disaster.

The alien hand caused her personality integrity to decline continuously, teetering on the edge of madness.

Now, it was too late to abandon it. She could only connect and disconnect it intermittently, maintaining a difficult equilibrium. To forcibly sever it could completely crush her, leading to a total personality collapse...

As she gazed at her left hand and its mirror image in the mirror box, each squeeze and release seemed to better integrate her nervous system.

Could this rudimentary method actually work?

"What's going on here?" Commander Lorna paused, her surprise warranting caution.

Those raised on the streets knew one thing well: Lady Luck seldom graced them with her favor.

"Enjoying the taste, are we?" Heath smiled faintly, not surprised, "If you keep practicing like this every day, you'll gradually improve."

"You're not simple, are you?" Commander Lorna reassessed him, "How does a stray dog come to know so much?"

The mercenaries around them were also taken aback, while Devin furrowed his brows in thought.

"I once met a healer granny in the wilderness; it's from her that I learned," Heath explained.

"Really?" Commander Lorna was half-convinced, half-skeptical. It wasn't unusual to encounter roaming healers with extraordinary abilities in the wilderness.

"We all called her Granny A'Jin."

Heath spoke naturally because he was referring to Jin Yansu, one of the founders of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.

"Granny A'Jin is remarkable, facing the perils of the wilderness. Whenever we suffered severed limbs, she was the one who healed us."

A good therapist helps patients build confidence and construct a vision of a happy future, a powerful tool for solving problems.

If a male escort couldn't provide that level of guidance and persuasion, then it was better to invoke the authority of a mysterious healer.

"Does Granny A'Jin have any other methods?" Commander Lorna's green eyes widened, still struggling to contain herself.

To digest the alien hand would mean rebirth for her...

"Granny always taught us..." Heath feigned a reminiscent look.

The key for Commander Lorna now was to accept the tragic fact of losing her hand in an accident and becoming disabled.

She had to overcome this hurdle herself.

Psychologists are there to encourage, fostering a positive and forward-thinking attitude.

"When you focus on the good, you have a good day; when you focus on the bad, you have a bad day. It's the same with prosthetics. If you focus on it, it becomes a problem; if you don't, it becomes the solution."

"Attitude," Heath emphasized, "Being happy is the most important thing in life, better to be a laid-back salted fish, just going with the flow."

He poured this bowl of chicken soup for the soul, then left the rest to her fate.

Commander Lorna pondered, her expression shifting. Right, Granny A'Jin was correct, it seemed to make sense...

She had always focused on how to assimilate it, always just 'me' and 'it'. How could they merge this way?

She shouldn't focus on it; it's not the problem. The program's algorithm was wrong, the direction was wrong...

"Ha ha!" She suddenly beamed with delight, a torrent of disordered new ideas surging within her, a light of breakthrough.

"Attitude, yes, it's the attitude." She looked at Heath again, her eyes shining, and asked Devin eagerly, "Devin, he's meant to become a transcendent male escort, right? I think he can do it, he's very capable!"

She finished the rest of the half-bottle of Fenggu, downing the glass that she had poured for Heath as well.

"Strong stuff! Heath, right? If I can fully integrate this hand, you'll be my darling, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

She slammed down the glass and hurriedly stood up, striding toward the door, "I'm off!"

The female mercenaries, responsible for settling the bill, took the entire mirror box and left boisterously with their commander.

Hey! Heath helplessly wanted to call Commander Lorna back.

What kind of reward was she talking about? Don't write checks you can't cash. You've had a good haul this time, at least pay for this session's therapy...

Even a tip would do. Without a tip, isn't this just freeloading...

Despite the annoyance, he bragged to Devin, "See, she turned out to be a pretty good girl."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Devin continued to look at him with a complex and indescribable expression, replying, "Madmen often think they're on the road to success, only to fall through a manhole into the sewer.

"Pray that this time isn't the case for her. Otherwise, you're in for it."

"Don't keep calling her mad..."

Heath intended to argue and also to ask for his commission for the expensive wine just sold.

But Fish Pond was Devin's turf, and Devin's expression was somewhat intimidating, so he didn't stoop to argue, returning to the sofa to continue watching the unfinished "City of Lights Supermodel Contest."

On the TV screen, various tall beauties strutted on the catwalk in glamorous clothes.

The heat that had plagued his body was no longer as intense, and the swirling orb in his mind kept spinning, absorbing the alcohol's effects.

He thought he must be truly drunk to have such vivid imaginings, but because of this, he could hold on for another day without issue.

Suddenly, Devin picked up the remote and turned off the TV, "That's enough, the talent test is over."

"So soon? How did I do?" Heath asked, curious about the rudimentary assessment mechanism of the test.

Watching the supermodel show while healing a visitor, he thought his neural response speed, psychological quality, and control should be stable at fourth gear, right? What about hyper-speed?

Seeing Devin remain silent and seemingly unsatisfied, he said, "Uh, turn the TV back on, they're about to start the award ceremony."

"No need."

"It's just that there's the lingerie show coming up..."

Heath was about to continue when he suddenly saw Devin snap his fingers, "Sleep!"

Thump! Heath collapsed as commanded, swallowed by an immense wave of drowsiness in less than a second.

"Am I blacking out, or... was I drugged? Devin, no..."

This was Heath's last panicked thought before his eyes closed.

He barely landed on the edge of the sofa, immediately falling into a deep sleep, snoring thunderously.

Devin continued to polish glasses behind the bar, observing for a while, then muttered with a frown, "He's still just an ordinary person."

...

At midnight, the rain had not yet ceased.

Eek-ah, the metal door of the small passageway to the izakaya was opened, and Ayane Kumiko came over from the club.

Seeing Devin eating late-night snacks at the bar and Heath sound asleep on the sofa, she was a bit puzzled.

"Devin, is the test done? Does Heath have transcendent talent?"

"This kid's talent isn't that great. He couldn't absorb much of the drink's effects, his nerves are calm, not very fast, barely making third gear. It might work, it might not, just average, nothing special."

"Ah, did I misjudge?" Ayane Kumiko's face fell in disappointment, "I thought Heath was a good person..."

"Then that madwoman Lorna showed up."

"Lorna was here?" Ayane Kumiko looked around in surprise, seeing no signs of a fight, "What happened?"

Devin paused his eating and lifted his personal cypress sake cup, sipping the clear liquor, and recounted the unexpected events with growing confusion.

"Ordinary people would be tongue-tied in front of Lorna. This kid not only wasn't afraid, but he also chatted and laughed with her. He even had some treatment method from Granny A'Jin that surprised Lorna, and she even ordered a bottle of thirty-year Fenggu."

Devin mused over the tale, the more he spoke, the less he understood.

"That's wonderful!" Ayane Kumiko clapped her hands together in joy, "I really didn't misjudge!"

Her charming smile was full of anticipation:

"Let's observe him a bit longer, and if there's no problem, let's give him a try. Even if he doesn't reach fourth gear to become a transcendent male escort, third gear is enough to choose other suitable professions. Even if he isn't the missing piece, having one more transcendent is good for us."

"That's true, but this guy is odd, I can't see through him. Are you sure he's just a stray dog?"

"An orphan stray dog, wandered over from the Voodoo Ruins," Ayane Kumiko nodded, "My little brother Xiao Zhuang from the Arcade Gang wouldn't deceive me."

Devin frowned deeply, pondering for a moment, still plagued with doubts.

"What if Xiao Zhuang was deceived too? I need to enter the Mind Network, find an old friend to inquire."

"The Mind Network?" Ayane Kumiko fell silent, her smile fading slightly.

That was a hyper-dimensional space, considered the sea of consciousness of all beings in the world.

But no one knew exactly what it was. It wasn't built by any power, nor could anyone control it.

Only transcendents could enter the network, an endless sea of consciousness, a boundless dark forest, a place of complete disorder, filled with data hunters, information ghosts, more enigmatic and dangerous than the real world.

"Is there another way?" she asked, each venture into the Mind Network was a deadly risk.

"If we go brain-to-brain to invade this kid's mind, we might drive him mad."

Devin decisively took another sip of sake, "We can't continue blindly. I'll go and inquire."

Heath's body barely touched the edge of the sofa, and he immediately began to snore loudly, his snores rumbling like thunder.

Devin continued to wipe the glasses behind the bar, watching for a while, then muttered with a frown, "He's still just an ordinary person, huh."

...

At midnight, the rain had not yet stopped.

Eek-ah, the metal door of the small passageway to the izakaya was opened, and Ayane Kumiko came over from the club.

Seeing Devin eating late-night snacks at the bar and Heath sound asleep on the sofa, she was a bit puzzled.

"Devin, is the test done? Does Heath have transcendent talent?"

"This kid's talent isn't that great. He couldn't absorb much of the drink's effects, his nerves are calm, not very fast, barely making third gear. It might work, it might not, just average, nothing special."

"Ah, did I misjudge?" Ayane Kumiko's face fell in disappointment, "I thought Heath was a good person..."

"Then that madwoman Lorna showed up."

"Lorna was here?" Ayane Kumiko looked around in surprise, seeing no signs of a fight, "What happened?"

Devin paused his eating and lifted his personal cypress sake cup, sipping the clear liquor, and recounted the unexpected events with growing confusion.

"Ordinary people would be tongue-tied in front of Lorna. This kid not only wasn't afraid, but he also chatted and laughed with her. He even had some treatment method from Granny A'Jin that surprised Lorna, and she even ordered a bottle of thirty-year Fenggu."

Devin mused over the tale, the more he spoke, the less he understood.

"That's wonderful!" Ayane Kumiko clapped her hands together in joy, "I really didn't misjudge!"

Her charming smile was full of anticipation:

"Let's observe him a bit longer, and if there's no problem, let's give him a try. Even if he doesn't reach fourth gear to become a transcendent male escort, third gear is enough to choose other suitable professions. Even if he isn't the missing piece, having one more transcendent is good for us."

"That's true, but this guy is odd, I can't see through him. Are you sure he's just a stray dog?"

"An orphan stray dog, wandered over from the Voodoo Ruins," Ayane Kumiko nodded, "My little brother Xiao Zhuang from the Arcade Gang wouldn't deceive me."

Devin frowned deeply, pondering for a moment, still plagued with doubts.

"What if Xiao Zhuang was deceived too? I need to enter the Mind Network, find an old friend to inquire."

"The Mind Network?" Ayane Kumiko fell silent, her smile fading slightly.

That was a hyper-dimensional space, considered the sea of consciousness of all beings in the world.

But no one knew exactly what it was. It wasn't built by any power, nor could anyone control it.

Only transcendents could enter the network, an endless sea of consciousness, a boundless dark forest, a place of complete disorder, filled with data hunters, information ghosts, more enigmatic and dangerous than the real world.

"Is there another way?" she asked, each venture into the Mind Network was a deadly risk.

"If we go brain-to-brain to invade this kid's mind, we might drive him mad."

Devin decisively took another sip of sake, "We can't continue blindly. I'll go and inquire."