An Hong and Chen Shi's addition brought great joy to Qian Su.

"Fantastic, Chairman, I was just about to ask you for more personnel. The number of couriers is continuously increasing, and the Sheng Snakes can undergo regular checks through Maria Hospital, but the conditions of the Bone Fish have become difficult to assess."

"I'm not sure if it's due to high-intensity work, but the Bone Fish are easily depressed now, sometimes becoming easily angered. However, in comparison to their previous work, I haven't increased their workload; in fact, I've introduced more Sheng Snakes, having them take on a considerable portion of the courier tasks."

"At this point, I'm baffled, and even Doctor Da Vinci can't be certain, as it lacks experience in treating Bone Fish, and there are no specialized cases recorded in the Holy Mountain archives about them."

An Hong and Chen Shi carried out an inspection on the Bone Fish.

Zhou Yi and Qian Su observed the entire process, with Da Vinci also rushing over to watch and learn.

The two Bone Fish Physiotherapists stretched their arms into the gaps in the Bone Fish's bones, checking each and every area individually.

They removed pebbles, small pieces of iron, fishing lines, and some rotten plastic film from the Bone Fish's crevices.

It's impossible to tell from the outside that there could be so many things stuck inside.

The Bone Fish nudged the two Bone Men with its head to show gratitude, then twisted its body and flipped around, the posture noticeably lighter.

An Hong explained to Zhou Yi and Qian Su, "The skeletal structure of Bone Fish makes it easy for them to get all kinds of small objects stuck in them in the Dead Sea. These objects affect the movement of their bones, causing wear and pain between the bones, and over time, can even lead to localized bone death and detachment."

"They are reluctant to move unless it's for seeking bones, because as soon as they start swimming, they encounter all sorts of debris in the Dead Sea. It's also a way for them to protect themselves by nature."

It looked at the lively Bone Fish, "The itineraries of Bone Fish deliverymen far exceed those of ordinary Bone Fish. In a few days, they cover a distance it takes other Bone Fish several months to travel. They move quickly, so their condition is much more severe and they need to be cleaned regularly, otherwise they would suffer unbearable pain."

"I see, my understanding of Bone Fish is still too little."

Qian Su smiled at hearing this, "With your involvement, the health of our couriers is now secured."

An Hong added, "Apart from cleaning, some of their bones also need to be repaired and replaced."

"Our previous approach was to replace severely damaged old bones with new ones. Even though there is a period of adaptation to the new bones, Bone Fish have a strong ability to adapt and quickly grow accustomed to and connect with the new part."

On Da Vinci's bar-shaped screen, function charts quivered rapidly, "May I ask, when performing bone replacement surgery on Bone Fish, there's no need for anesthesia, is that correct?"

"Not necessary, at least we haven't used it."

An Hong was candid in response, speaking gently, "Although Bone Fish aren't smart, they understand that being replaced allows them to survive better."

A question mark appeared on the Mechanical Doctor's screen, "I have attempted to perform a biopsy on damaged parts of Bone Fish in the past, but they struggled fiercely, making it impossible to perform stable surgery, and conventional anesthetics are completely ineffective on them."

"That's probably due to species differences."

An Hong gently touched the skeletal body of the Bone Fish, and though it was their first meeting, the courier had no defenses against it.

Previously, only Zheng Tao and the Black Hand Mushrooms, who had raised it from a young age, could enjoy this treatment; even if Zhou Yi approached, they would show fear and shrink back, their bodies even trembling.

"Within bone life forms, Bone Fish are the most numerous, followed by Bone Men, and the third are Bone Worms."

It spoke softly, "To the outside world, we and humans seem more like two branches of the same species. From a physiological structure perspective, we are closer to Bone Fish, possessing a similar basic physiological structure."

"We hardly ever replace our bones to avoid losing memories and experiences recorded in our bones. But Bone Fish, due to their lifestyle, have a large area of damage on their body surface, and their entire skeletons are continuously wearing and changing. I think this is one of the reasons why they can't retain memories and always seem dazed."

Zhou Yi expressed his sober reverence, "You've been studying Bone Fish before?"

"Not at all, Chairman. I used to be a miner, working together with other Bone Men in mining a Light Amber Mine on the sea floor."

"Honestly, the pay wasn't bad, but it was exhausting, and damage was severe. So later, I left there to live in Small Mountain Town, only to find that the reality was different from what I'd thought, simply another kind of fatigue."

An Hong was quite open about its past, "When we mined, we wore special coats to prevent our bodies from being impacted and clogged by Dead Sea debris; essentially the same as the Bone Fish."

"The difference between us and them is that from the start of our physiological structure, we were able to use tools, which they lack the consciousness and conditions for."

"But how to care for and connect with Bone Fish was something I learned after coming to Small Mountain Town. It took the residents a long time to arrive at effective techniques."

So that's it.

Wild Bone Fish can't remember because of skeletal damage; company Bone Fish have high intensity but lower wear-and-tear, and are more trainable.

Zhou Yi suddenly realized.

That means, if the exoskeletons of Bone Fish could be well protected, they could continue accumulating experiences and memories, and over time, this could lead to a qualitative change from quantitative change.

Zhou Yi immediately proposed this idea.

Doctor Da Vinci was the first to agree, "From a physiological structure standpoint, it conforms to the laws of growth. Wisdom is the result of the accumulation of survival experiences and learning corrections. As long as accumulation and memory can be achieved, then they can adapt to various environments and change themselves."

Qian Su understood the underlying meaning of Zhou Yi's words, "Chairman, I understand. Our company's Bone Fish couriers need to be well-protected, allowing them to become smarter, and enabling them to complete tasks more skillfully and efficiently."

However, An Hong raised a question, "But how can we achieve this? After all, bones are bones. As long as they wear down in the Dead Sea, it's inevitable. Are we supposed to dress the Bone Fish like us Bone Men, in specially made protective gear?"

Zhou Yi gave a thumbs up, "That's exactly the plan, dress the Bone Fish in courier uniforms! Print our company's logo on them to signify that they are our company's couriers and those of other cooperative Mechanical Cities."

An Hong said, "But the clothing can easily be damaged by various debris, and they need to move long distances at high speeds, so it's impossible to block those sharp fragments and the impact of rapids."

Zhou Yi smiled slightly, "What you say is not wrong. However, the couriers' uniforms I'm talking about are not made of common fabric, but instead, we should follow through on the successful experience of the Sheng Snakes..."

The Sheng Snakes were known for attaching Light Soot Sand to their bodies, creating a set of natural armor. Electromechanical life is affected by the outer layer of Light Soot Sand, which can alter their internal structure. However, the Guangna Organ in flesh-and-blood lives operates independently and doesn't have this kind of pressure.

If the Bone Fish could use their skeletal structure as a base and fix a layer of Light Soot Sand shell on the outside, they could completely block all kinds of debris and residue from their bodies, greatly reducing wear.

Da Vinci lit up the surgical light, "Artificial muscle enhancement surgery, this is enhancement surgery!"

The Mechanical Doctor's four arms whirred with particular joy, "In the medical field, we perform artificial muscle enhancement surgery on individuals with muscle atrophy or those who need to transplant enhanced bodies."

"There are two methods for this surgery. The first is hormone regulation, which stimulates muscle development through muscle enhancement tissue to create the most suitable enhanced muscles for the patient."

"The second is prosthesis filling, inserting or covering specially made prosthetic muscles to cope with harsh environments or to increase the body's load-bearing capacity."

"Using Light Soot Sand, we can achieve prosthesis filling for the Bone Fish. There has been no previous record or researchers of this detailed directional surgery, so I request to undertake this surgery myself! This technology itself is very mature."

With Zhou Yi's permission, Da Vinci immediately began preparing for the surgery.

Da Vinci applied medical gel evenly on the Bone Fish's external bone surface in a precise and complicated process.

The leading Sheng Snake Jiao Tou also participated as a consultant. As an expert in creating external armor from Light Soot, it swam up to Zhou Yi, blinking its single eye.

Through a synchronized consciousness, the Sheng Snake said, "Chairman, here's a natural place to create a shell. Right in the storage tunnel at Yalong Bay, where a large amount of Light Soot Sand can be activated for quicker accumulation and adhesion."

Zhou Yi recalled the Yalong, completely covered in Light Soot Sand.

So, after consulting with Da Vinci, he transferred the athletes to the storage.

Yalong Bay also opened up its tunnel storage to join in on the surgery.

Everyone was busy until it grew dark.

A day passed.

Then another day.

On the afternoon of the third day, Red Kestrel's electronic eye suddenly lit up, "The surgery is complete, very successful!"

Da Vinci, An Hong, and Chen Shi emerged with the Bone Fish after the surgery.

At this point, the Bone Fish 'athlete' was no longer the skeletal being it was before; it was covered in a thin, black, matte outer skin. The Light Soot was much thinner than that of the Sheng Snakes.

The athlete swam in the Dead Sea, moving as flexibly as ever. It seemed curious about its new body, continually circling in place, or making quick returns and changes in direction.

Da Vinci's long screen displayed a stable graph, "After four attempts, we've finally found the optimal thickness. Ensuring a 3mm layer of Light Soot Sand has the minimal impact on the Bone Fish's normal movement while being sufficient to block external debris and gravel."

"If the Bone Fish couriers gradually adapt to this body, they can also be thickened on this basis to improve their defensive strength and resilience to blows."

Zhou Yi looked at the big, black fish-shaped athlete, feeling a wave of satisfaction.

Then, he took out a prepared can of paint to decorate the courier's uniform.

After an hour of busyness.

A few white patterns appeared on one side of the athlete's shiny black body. In the most prominent center was the crab logo representing the Wasteland Development Company, on the left was the dictionary representing Recursive City, and on the right, the coral symbolizing Coral Port.

On the other side of the Bone Fish's body was the number 001, indicating it as the number one courier.

Zhou Yi was very satisfied with this.

"Let's enhance the couriers in this way."

In the following days, six Bone Fish couriers were outfitted with courier uniforms, each with its own number, looking more official and secure.

While Zhou Yi was focusing on the Bone Fish, Red Kestrel transmitted an emergency.

"There's an unidentified creature spotted near Big Buddha."

"Suspected to be a Grade B life form."

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