In the laboratory, the weighty air seemed to be solidified by the invisible atmosphere of focused research.
David stood before a holographic projection, Gloria's physiological data flowing across the pale blue screen like stars.
He was no longer the helpless youth who could only watch his mother's life slip away. Now, he held the tools to change destiny—the complete biological knowledge from the Mechanicum's system.
His fingers moved rapidly across the console, calling up three parallel neural synapse repair protocols.
Detailed molecular formulas and action principles were annotated next to each protocol. When he discovered that the catalyst enzyme in the standard treatment plan was difficult to stabilize in Night City's environment, he showed no sign of panic.
Instead, he immediately accessed the local chemical database, spending a full six hours comparing alternatives, and finally determined to use a modified local compound as a stabilizer.
Late into the night, David was still double-checking the gene-editing sequence.
Shadows of fatigue hung under his eyes, but his gaze remained fixed.
When he discovered a potential mismatch risk in the seventh base pair, he did not hesitate to scrap the plan and redesign the entire carrier structure.
This nearly obsessive rigor was the very first lesson he had learned on the Death World.
At the other end of the laboratory, Lucy's progress also reflected the results of her systematic training.
A complex design blueprint was spread before her, densely annotated with parameters for every component of the four-legged automaton.
When she found that the standard joint transmission device could not adapt to Night City's humid and dusty conditions, she did not simply copy the solution from the textbook.
For three continuous days, she repeatedly tested the wear resistance of different materials.
More than a dozen alloy test pieces were scattered across her workbench, each marked with detailed performance data.
Ultimately, she chose a titanium alloy composite material and added a simple dust cover to the transmission structure.
This seemingly minor improvement tripled the automaton's projected service life.
The toughest challenge came from the miniaturization of the power core.
The existing standard energy module was too large to fit within her compact chassis design.
Lucy did not lose heart; instead, she creatively used two smaller energy units in parallel and redesigned the energy distribution system.
This work consumed nearly a week, during which she experienced several failures due to circuit overload, yet she maintained astonishing patience.
During the assembly phase, Lucy's meticulousness was fully apparent.
She double-reinforced every circuit interface and added backup lines at critical nodes.
When the last sensor was installed, the internal structure of the four-legged automaton was organized like a textbook example; every wire harness was routed along the optimal path, and every solder joint was evenly perfect.
Osiris occasionally passed through the laboratory, but he never interfered.
He quietly recorded how rigorously David adjusted the drug dosage and how patiently Lucy optimized the structural design.
These seemingly small details were the most core embodiment of the Mechanicum's knowledge system—integrating rigorous logic and precise operation into every decision.
The two young people were proving, in their own ways, that they had not only learned knowledge but had learned how to apply it. In this challenging process, they were completing the crucial transition from apprentice to practitioner.
Osiris' massive mechanical body passed through layers of protective doors and stepped into the core construction area of the plasma reactor.
The colossal annular structure had already taken shape, thick energy conduits coiled and stretched like metallic pythons, and the central reaction chamber gleamed with a cold metallic sheen under the construction lights.
The air was permeated with the unique smell of ozone, welded metal, and coolant.
His crimson optical lenses slowly scanned every critical node, while his built-in precision sensors silently collected environmental data: radiation levels, structural stress, and energy circuit integrity.
Several dexterous mechanical tentacles extended from his back, probing into several preset testing interfaces to directly read the core control system's raw logs and real-time operating parameters.
"Overall structural integrity conforms to design standards, with a deviation rate of less than zero point five percent," Osiris' synthesized voice echoed across the empty construction platform, betraying no emotion.
"However, the secondary buffer layer paving in Section Seven of the main energy conduit has a thickness variation of zero point three millimeters, and the synchronization frequency of the constraint magnetic field generator requires recalibration by zero point zero seven standard units."
The engineering supervisor, a technician covered in oil and grease, who was standing nearby, quickly recorded the data on a slate, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
The deterrent power of the Magos in this world was, without a doubt, more terrifying than the former Arasaka Emperor.
Leaving the reactor core area, Osiris met the Triumvirate in the workshop's command center.
Yorinobu Arasaka was the first to report, displaying a holographic engineering diagram clearly marked with progress nodes:
"The main structure is ninety-four percent complete. The final energy core injection and master control system commissioning will be finished within ten standard workdays.
The current primary bottleneck is insufficient local synthesis efficiency for certain high-purity energy-conducting crystals, but we have found an alternative solution that will not affect the final deadline."
His report was pragmatic and well-structured.
Johnny Silverhand's holographic projection impatiently fidgeted and interjected: "The kids down below are all waiting for this big guy to turn on! The rationed synthetic trash we get now isn't even enough to wet our teeth.
I say, finish it fast and let everyone see what real energy looks like!"
His words went straight to the core issue, representing the widespread impatience and expectation of the populace.
"Administrator," Saburo Arasaka's data stream, seamlessly connected and provided details: "Based on existing data model projections, the city's energy deficit will be fundamentally solved once the reactor is online.
I recommend prioritizing energy supply to medical, water purification, and basic manufacturing zones to quickly stabilize social sentiment, as the marginal benefit is highest."
Osiris listened quietly to the three reports without comment.
He raised a hand, and a more complex, new blueprint—filled with flowing energy paths and material structure decomposition schematics—overlaid the original reactor diagram.
"This is the complete technical blueprint for the 'Matter Replication System,'" his synthesized voice remained steady, but the weight of the content was palpable to the three individuals present. "After the plasma reactor reaches critical output and operates stably for forty-eight hours, commence Phase One construction of the replicator."
He pointed to the core module on the blueprint: "Prioritize establishing the basic element database and standardized material templates. The initial product catalog is restricted to high-nutrition food, pure water, basic medical supplies, and standardized construction materials."
His gaze swept across the three: "Yorinobu, coordinate resources to ensure construction needs are met. Johnny, have your people guard the construction site; I tolerate no accidental interference. Administrator, you are responsible for the entire system's data architecture and operational logic, ensuring absolute control."
There were no questions asked, no room for discussion, only clear instructions and an unquestionable timeline.
After transferring the highest authority of the blueprint data, Osiris no longer focused on the specific execution of the matter.
To him, the technology and the plan had been provided; the remaining implementation details were merely the inevitable extension of the logic chain.