Chapter 31: Program on the Brain
"He-san, don't be nervous. Tensing up only makes it worse. Just open your mind and let the data wash over your nerves, and it'll be over."
Yet as Gu He slipped on the deep purple installation helmet, it was Sakai Huaqing beside him who grew tense.
"Miss Sakai is right," Ayane Kumiko said. She personally held the Thermos Cup to Gu He's lips, feeding him a sip of goji berry water to calm his nerves as she offered her final guidance before the installation: "Little He, you're about to enter a strange space. Don't panic. That's just your own mind—a microscopic neural network made up of your neurons. All you need to do is accept the program data, and it will be over soon."
If Gu He hadn't already experienced that mysterious connection with the Console, he might have been terrified.
As it was, he was already starting to get used to this transcendent world.
"Understood." Gu He straightened up. Container it was, then. He just absolutely could not afford to fail the installation and go mad.
"What's different about this from installing other programs," Old Fan threw cold water on the mood from across the room, "is that the Container program forces your nerves to multiply. It hurts worse than being forced into a thousand splits all at once."
"But don't say I didn't warn you. No matter how much physical agony you're in later, you have to endure it. Otherwise, you're done for."
"Old Fan is right," Ayane Kumiko added. Before Gu He could get cold feet, she pulled the electronic visor down over his helmet. "Get ready. I'm powering it up. In ten seconds, the helmet will start uploading the program to your brain."