Chapter 319: Chapter 319

319: Chapter 99: ‘Doctor 319: Chapter 99: ‘Doctor “Performance” has its distinctions.

Performances on stage, on the silver screen, and even a con artist’s “performance” are all different.

This depends on how the audience views these performances.

For stage actors, their audience sits in fixed seats, watching their performance from a distance.

Therefore, they must use exaggerated physical movements and emotionally charged language to magnify the message they want to convey.

For screen actors, the audience sits in front of a screen.

Their perspective is entirely determined by the director.

Close-ups of an actor’s face are entirely possible. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel⸺fire.net

Screen actors do not need the exaggerated expressions required by stage actors, but their faces must be “expressive.”

Humans are constantly conveying information “beyond the literal words” through their voices, facial expressions, and body language.

When reading written text, an average person has only a pitiful 56% accuracy rate in interpreting tones such as “sarcasm.”

Only by adding voice tone, expressions, and gestures can one accurately convey the emotions they wish to express.

Stage actors, fearing that the audience might miss these due to the distance, have no choice but to use exaggerated body movements and makeup.

This applies to voice actors for animated works as well.

Until the early twenty-first century, animations couldn’t show overly delicate facial expressions, so voice actors had to compensate with overly emotive performances.

A talented voice actor does not need to train their facial expressiveness, while a talented screen actor might appear stiff and wooden if they use their usual acting habits to voice an animated character.

Language, text, coupled with expressions, actions, body language, and so forth, all these together form the path by which humans outwardly express their inner selves.

As early as 1982, people noticed the communication barriers brought by the absence of tone, gestures, and facial expressions in online text communication.

Hence, there were suggestions to use symbols forming “smiley” or “sad” faces to supplement.

This suggestion eventually evolved into a mature “emoticon language,” a supplement for “information beyond the text.”

Cybermen face a similar issue.

Highly cyberized individuals often lose their facial expressions or even their entire face.

Many industrial prosthetic bodies used by workers are very rigid and not versatile.

Emotional voice synthesizers that can mimic emotions mostly come with a subscription.

Still, a master of Internal Strength can accurately judge a person’s emotions and even the “persona” these emotions sketch out.

The entry into Internal Strength starts from targeting the Soth area of the human brain that governs “language functions.” Through special meditation, stimulating specific brain activities, supplemented by Restoring Enzyme, Reverse Transcriptase Virus, and other hormones, it creates and strengthens the connections between the Soth area and other higher functional zones, reshaping the brain neural network.

In this process, the “language” function will keep expanding, encompassing other functions.

Once it deeply links with the brain areas that identify movements and expressions, even the inadvertent small actions of others appear as obvious as “spoken words” or “text” to a master of Internal.

For instance, the posture formed inadvertently when standing, or the habits unconsciously manifested while talking.

All these factors together constitute a person’s “overall behavior”—which is the “trace” of “persona” in social relations and cultural life.

Just as particle physicists infer the properties of unobservable subatomic particles by capturing the trajectories of microscopic particles, a master of Internal Strength can pinpoint that “persona.”

Legend has it that some members of the Life-Chasing Cavalry specialize in this aspect of Internal Strength.

That is precisely why they are feared—if they lock onto someone, no matter how often that person changes their prosthetic body, they will be relentlessly pursued.

Hu’s Internal Strength Cultivation is considered decent within the Scientific Knight Order, having reached the high stages of Assembly Realm.

Although this level of cultivation wouldn’t stand a chance before disciples of King Aqini from the high stages of Mechanical Realm, it was already enough to read a human’s persona through their actions.

He suppressed his excitement.

He reminded himself, there were still many followers of the Martial Ancestor now, and mimicking a few behaviors was not challenging.

Hu forced himself to remain calm, looking at the person and said, “The biological brain of a Scientific Knight is also soft.

At least I won’t harm patients.”

“Do you take responsibility for your patients?” the person in the black robe asked with a hint of sarcasm, “Can you treat patients without discrimination based on their status or position?

For you, a child of the Protector versus a child of the Hero…”

“They are the same,” said Dr.

He desperately wanted to keep this person here, to observe closely.

The person seemed to mention something about the Old Era just now—something that the Eighth Martial God had also mentioned to him.

The person covered in a black robe looked at him a few times: “Oh, is it?”

Hu said, “I have never sworn an oath like the healers of the Old Era, nor do I understand the significance of making pledges in front of fictional entities and using a collective imagination without enforcement to bear witness.

But, at least, I want to save lives.”

The robed person was silent for a few seconds: “I see…

Let’s assume it is so.”

This person was Xiang Shan.

After passing through the tunnel, he came upon the highlands.

After a period of forced march, they arrived at the hometown of the Eighth Martial God, Delacruz City.

For now, only by reaching this place first could they thwart King Aqini’s intentions.

However, before that, there was a very important matter.

The girl had fallen into a self-preservation induced deathlike state and had not awakened the whole journey.

Xiang Shan thought he might need to find a doctor of this era.

Although he knew some surgery, it was entirely limited to the field of “neuro-surgery”—which was probably only useful for cyber people with a full transformation rate.

But he had never tried to operate starting from an almost zero cyberization rate.

Before that severe injury, Yuki’s limbs and a significant part of her internal organs were cyberized.

Purely physical humans are already very fragile, not to mention one who has been severely injured and was once on the brink of death.

In order to ensure thorough preparations, Xiang Shan planned to find a doctor more familiar with Benchmark Men for a consultation.

Yuan Wenren stayed behind to watch the house, while he, Yuki, and Borshu took the girl to Delacruz City.

Borshu was specially brought along partly because Xiang Shan did not feel comfortable leaving him behind at the vehicle, and partly in hopes that witnessing the girl’s treatment might help Borshu resist the Green Forest Will.

However, he was mistaken about one thing.

Wang Yi Emery, a Scientific Knight in the medical field, had set up many medical points in the city to access newer technologies.

These medical points had encroached on the ecological niche of other city’s “black market doctors.”

He found the best medical point online, but upon arrival, he realized that this “null hall” was much larger than he had imagined.

It resembled a hospital from the Old Era.

If one were to remove those devices more commonly seen in 4S repair shops, placing this hospital into the late 21st century wouldn’t feel out of place at all.

And those seemingly arrogant doctors were actually knight apprentices.

Xiang Shan was certain this was a stronghold of the Scientific Knights.

For that reason, he was somewhat reluctant to enter.

Then, a strange Cybernetically Enhanced Person approached from behind.

For some reason, this person reminded Xiang Shan of Tao Enhai.

Perhaps some qualities of this Cybernetically Enhanced Person were very close to those of Tao Enhai.

This made Xiang Shan slightly lower his guard.

Thus, Xiang Shan and his group followed Dr.

Hu into the hospital, carrying the girl.

He observed many who were likely knight apprentices respectfully making way.

Meanwhile, a few knight apprentices seemed eager to approach, their physical movements betraying an “anxious” mindset.

Xiang Shan casually spoke, “Mr., how should I address you?”

(DR.Hu) That’s quite a classic title.

Moreover, doctors from the Old Era are equivalent to apprentices through to Official Knights now, aren’t they?”

The term ‘DR’ here purely refers to medical, unrelated to science,” Dr.

Hu said, “a friend used to call me that a long time ago.

“I heard that Scientific Knights are the eagles and hounds that chase the truth,” Xiang Shan said, “‘Unrelated to science’, that’s a strange aspiration.”

“I guess I’m someone who doesn’t strive for progress,” Dr.

Hu chuckled, “Even my mentor disdains me now.”

Hu quickly walked into an inner surgical area.

There was an apprentice already there.

He went over and gave a few instructions, seemingly wanting to perform the surgery alone.

The apprentice nodded, preparing to leave.

In the process, he reached out to pull Borshu, trying to get these unrelated civilians out as well.

Borshu was almost about to throw a punch in defense.

But Xiang Shan swiftly intervened, pressing down on Borshu’s back with successive bursts of soft strength, gently pushing Borshu into a stagger to break his stance.

The apprentice was startled, ready to scold them.

He never fought, so he did not realize the external strength contest in that brief moment.

Hu spoke up, “Let them watch.”

The apprentice was taken aback, unsure why his boss was going mad.

It was one thing for him not to allow observers during surgery, but if spectators were permitted, why not let their knight apprentices watch, and instead show these ignorant people?

The apprentices were hoping to enhance themselves through this means.

However, the hierarchy within the Scientific Knights was very clear.

Apprentices could not contradict the opinions of more experienced professionals.

The apprentice withdrew reluctantly.

Hu examined the girl’s injuries and said, “This is severe.

How did this happen?”

Xiang Shan’s tone was morose, “Martial Arts Cultivation.”

This reason was very perfunctory.

After all, since the era of the Martial Ancestor, “Martial Arts” had become unreachable for physical humans.

But from then until now, both parties had tacitly overlooked some facts—such as origins.

Hu nodded, said nothing more, but made a judgment to “increase the modification ratio.”