6934 Inhuman Transformation Although the Larkinsons and the Devosans conducted an investigation in an attempt to track down the people who attempted to scry on the underground facility, none of them managed to find anything useful. There were way too many human groups that possessed the ability and the motivation to spy on Ves' upcoming implantation surgery. More than a few of them also had motives to sabotage or tamper with the operation. Personally, Ves suspected that a hostile cosmopolitan cell may be the ones that were up to no good this time. The cosmopolitans had the most reasons to harbor ill intent towards him. These radicals would love nothing more than to kill or compromise him so that he would no longer be able to help red humanity fend off the invading aliens! However, there was no proof behind this theory. Ves could not simply default to this explanation just because it sounded convenient to him. The cosmopolitans had undeniably committed a lot of sins, but they were not responsible for every misdeed committed against humans. Ves also had to take into account the possibility that the native aliens pulled off the mischief themselves. The arche were famed for sneaking into human space. Their archeships predominantly remained under permanent stealth in order to keep an eye on every move that human forces were making. However, it was not unheard of for the arche to forgo the need for absolute secrecy and take direct action in order to complete an important operation. Ves could only hope that Saint Commander Casella Ingvar remained on guard and that her large Command Field was sensitive enough to detect the approach of any archeships in stealth. As the day of the operation arrived, Ves briefly said goodbye to his wife and children before making his way to the underground operation facility. "It will be okay, Ves." Gloriana said as she caressed his cheek. "Everyone is taking so many precautions that virtually nobody is able to get past the security perimeters without getting caught. The First Sword Mark III and the Minerva Mark II alone can shut down most attempts to disrupt the implantation surgery. The Black Lord is already remaining on standby up in orbit." "I know, but I can't help but worry. This operation is really big. I don't know how long it will last. Even if I am able to remain conscious and rely on my companion spirit to stand guard, it doesn't change the fact that my true body needs to be cut open. I will be in my most vulnerable state in years." "You are worrying too much. Trust in your protectors. They know what they are doing, and you have given them plenty of reminders. With all of the security arrangements you have made, I cannot imagine that anyone would be crazy enough to follow through with an attack." She was right. The presence of a superdimensional ace mech alone should scare off anyone no matter how insane they may be. Ves definitely suspected that there were cosmopolitans and other enemies in the shadows that originally planned to conduct sabotage, but the sheer amount of safety measures should have convinced them that it was better to remain on standby. Ves tried his best to throw his concerns out of his mind and focus on what was important. As he finally made his way over the underground facility, he soon entered a large and completely sterile white chamber. A phase lord-sized operating table had already been prepared in advance. Ves began to shed his clothes and equipment before donning a nanosuit before unfolding his true body. As his body reached a size that he rarely experienced, he could immediately sense a change in mindset and perspective. It was harder for him to take the people around him seriously. They had become so small that he could pick them up in a single hand and squash them by accident if he did not control his strength. Every phase lord and phase whale probably developed a degree of contempt towards those who were not able to grow to their stature. Ves even suspected that this effect may be one of the reasons why the Phase Lord Department of the Red Collective had grown so arrogant all of a sudden. Ves did not like to remain in this state for so long. Even though he felt a considerable amount of physical relief by no longer suppressing the size of his actual body, he became uncomfortably reminded by how inhuman he became. The longer he remained in this state, the more he felt divorced from the human race. This was a development that Ves rejected with all of his heart. Even if his genes and his physique grew increasingly less recognizable, so long as he still appeared like a normal human, he could still retain the illusion that he was 'normal'! Keeping his true body in an unfolded and unsuppressed state made it impossible for him to maintain this lie. Ves would no longer be able to hide the fact that he had become a humanoid-shaped monster. He wanted to get this implantation surgery over with as fast as possible. A few minutes later, the surgery team made their introduction to Ves. Vice Director Maria Abselon briefly recited the surgery plan to him even though he already memorized all of the steps and most of the contingencies. "Due to numerous limitations, we are unable to perform this operation when you are unconscious. You must remain awake and not impaired in any way. Not only that, you must maintain your attention to your own true body and ensure that you suppress any form of spatial activity as much as possible. It will be difficult for you to do so while we begin to cut and displace your tissue. We cannot provide you with any pain relief as any form of anesthesia that is powerful enough to affect your exaggerated physique will almost certainly sap your attention and impair your judgment." In other words, Ves not only had to remain awake, but also bear all of the pain that came with cutting open his body. "I cannot say that I am tough enough to withstand hardships as well as saint, but I am no stranger to pain." Ves said. "We believe you, but this is a lengthy operation that will span multiple hours. Since you have made the risky decision to implant 4 different phasewater organs at the same time, you cannot afford to falter once. Many alien phase lords choose to implant one organ at a time and wait at least several decades before commencing the next step. This not only minimizes the risks, but also subjects you to the least amount of pain." "I am not changing my mind, Maria. Not when I have already reached this stage. I bear a lot of responsibilities. If I cannot endure this hardship, then I am not qualified to fight for a better future for our clan. I would rather die than drag down our clan with my weakness!" Although his words sounded just as brave and stupid as the claims made by mech pilots, Ves truly meant what he said! The vice director stared deeply at him, but she did not try to argue the point further. The patriarch was clearly an adult who could make his own decisions. "When we implant a new phasewater organ to your true body, your physiology will immediately begin to assimilate it. We have learned that this linking process is an abrupt experience. You will suddenly gain access to a brand new phasewater organ that possesses strange new properties. You must do your best to suppress your true body's natural instinct to flex your new organ. For example, once you have integrated the lesser Arcis organ, you may produce an uncontrolled discharge of electrical energy. I cannot emphasize how much you can put this operation at risk if you lose control." "This is why the lesser Arcis organ goes in last, right?" "Yes, but that does not mean you should take the prior organs lightly." After Maria Abselon verified that Ves remembered the plan and understood what he needed to do, they finally began to prepare for the operation. Ves laid on the giant operating table. Restraints emerged from below and held his limbs in place. No space suppressors came online. While their activation could help a lot with suppressing unwanted spatial disturbances, they also suppressed multiple different functions of a phase lord's true body. This was why not any phase lord could install phasewater organs as if they were shopping for groceries. No other human remained in the operation chamber. Maria Abselon had already retreated to an elevated control room where she and her fellow surgeons took control of an extensive collection of high-tech instruments. A robotic arm lowered from the ceiling. It carefully extended a large scalpel that happened to be made out of hull-grade superdimensional alloy! The availability of superdimensional matter provided a lot of boons to the operation. The process of overcoming a phase lord's natural defenses and cutting through phasewater-infused flesh had always presented a serious challenge to the surgeons. However, as soon as the mid-grade superdimensional scalpel began to cut through Ves' enormous belly, it parted through the organic layers like a hot knife through better! Ves experienced less pain than he thought, but he did not forget his assignment and tried his best to minimize the bleeding caused by the expanding cut. This was not a difficult challenge for him as phase lords naturally possessed greater control over their transcendent physiques. The surgeons proceeded to perform other essential steps, many of which he did not understand very well. Ves patiently held in his pain until it was time to implant the first phasewater organ. To be more precise, the surgeons intended to swap a lesser organ for an improved version! This was going to hurt a lot. Ves mentally braced himself as multiple robotic arms lowered themselves until they clamped down on a number of arteries and other organic structures. Then, the superdimensional scalpel neatly severed all of the fleshy channels that held his old Kelsis organ in place! "AAAAH!" Ves immediately experienced a huge spike of pain as he not only lost an essential phasewater organ, but also lost a core capability! The Kelsis organ was responsible for projecting a highly protective spatial barrier around his body. The surgeons did not wait to observe how Ves coped with the pain, but immediately commenced the next step. A larger, more reinforced and more sophisticated version of the same phasewater organ quickly entered his body! Ves suddenly felt as if he regained control over a limb that he had just lost. The problem was that the new 'limb' was a lot stronger than usual! Alarms began to sound as many sensors detected that Ves was unable to suppress the activation of the Kelsis organ. "SIR!" Ves gritted his teeth and did his best to suppress his true body from wildly activating the new Kelsis organ. Even though it felt enormously tempting for him to unleash the power of his new phasewater organ and test how much stronger his spatial barrier had become, Ves practically channeled a mind of steel as he forced himself to set aside his excitement. It worked. Ves was able to exert enough discipline to keep himself under control, if only barely. "Good. Now that you have proven the capacity to suppress your reactions once, you can do so again." Maria Abselon transmitted from the speakers. They moved on with implanting the Dofner organ next. There was no need to cut away any existing organs. The challenge with connecting the Doofner organ to Ves' true body was that he had gained a completely new and exotic spatial ability! Ves became so overtaken by the alien sensations transmitted by the newly implanted Dofner organ that his blood surged faster through his veins! Thank you for reading my work. If you wish to support The Mech Touch, please vote with your golden tickets! Purchase Privilege for The Mech Touch! Read a varying amount of chapters ahead of regular readers while enjoying a 99% discount on unlocking new chapters! Join The Mech Touch's unofficial Discord server: https://discord.gg/APB5KCU