Beep—beep—beep—0

When he opened his eyes, Gao Yang found himself lying topless on a semi-automatic surgical bed, covered in a sealed translucent tent to shield him from the dim, damp, and cold environment outside.0

Through his blurry vision, he saw a man in surgeon garb working on him with surgical instruments, assisted by a cybernetic arm. Gao Yang felt nothing but a crushing exhaustion weighing him down.0

He slid into sleep.0

…0

Then he opened his eyes to quiet.0

There was a respirator in his mouth, and his body was connected to numerous IV drips. There was something strange about his body, but he couldn’t quite grasp what felt wrong.0

Swish. He heard the rustle of a cape being removed. A tall, slim figure came up to him and inspected him. Gao Yang’s vision was so blurry that he only caught a long thin scar.0

He was tired. He closed his eyes once more.0

…0

Gao Yang woke...0