Chapter 181: Operation.
For five hours straight, Larry didn’t move from his spot by the surgical table. His hands moved consistently, and so did the mechanical arms extending DAEDALUS.
He divided his work by muscles and worked on each area separately. First, he would cut a roughly square-shaped patch of the skin using his scalpel, then he would command the mechanical arms to remove it by carefully separating the connective tissue of the hypodermis layer using a blunt dissector and other specialized tools.
The exposed part is then separated into a modular grid using the same neon green lines that map the incision route. Then comes the most interesting part of a bionic implantation surgery: placing the implant.
First, a layer of smart neural mesh is applied to the exposed parts, placating the severed nerve endings. A specialized mechanical arm then reaches into the box containing the segmented parts of the KAPSU-L15 and takes hold of the hexagonal plates one at a time. Simultaneously, a different arm applies biocompatible Nanobonding gel to the section of the grid where the plate is meant to be placed.
The KAPSU-L15 plates were made from smart polymer. Though they appeared rather soft and barely thicker than a piece of cardstock paper, their properties allow them to absorb the kinetic force of anything that comes into contact with them, making them capable of stopping bullets and protecting the bones and organs behind them.
Each of the plates is placed into its dedicated spot with calculated precision, leaving barely any gaps between them. Once the entire section is completed, it appears as if it has been covered in a layer of hard scales.
The same process is then repeated with the other parts, and once it’s done, a layer of Anti-inflammatory fluid is applied, and the previously removed skin is then sutured back in place using absorbable stitches and a small dose of Nanomeds.
Some people prefer to replace the outer layer of their skin with a synthetic substitute that offers additional protection, but many keep using their natural skin until it’s completely destroyed.
Done with the first part, Larry let the Nanomeds do their job and went to take a break, eating some lunch and having a much-needed smoke. When he returned to the operating room about an hour later, the front side of KAPSU-L15 had already settled in its place, and the skin around it healed, leaving fresh scars behind as proof of the successful procedure.
With that done, it was time to move on to the second part of the surgery.
Removing the straps holding the patient in place, Larry commands some of the mechanical arms to lift him up and flip him over. The surgical table is then replaced with one that has a wide gap at the center. When Dante is placed on it, the new table adjusts itself so the gap at its center surrounds his chest and abdomen, leaving the areas that had been operated on untouched.
The surgery resumed and Larry went about the same steps, gradually implanting the subdermal armor to Dante’s back. This time, it took him only four hours to finish, but by then, he was completely exhausted.