"In the natural world, animal sleep states, aside from being classified as REM and NREM, can also be divided into two other types: BSWS, or bihemispheric slow-wave sleep, and USWS, or unihemispheric slow-wave sleep.

Humans experience bihemispheric slow-wave sleep, which is characterized by full immersion, with both cerebral hemispheres in a sleeping state.

Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, on the other hand, is characterized by one cerebral hemisphere sleeping while the other remains alert,"

Li Ang said slowly. "The most notable examples are whales, dolphins, pigeons, and mallards.

Sperm whales, for instance, sleep 8-10 times a day for about 10 minutes each time, maintaining a vertical, suspended position in the sea.

Dolphins and mallards, meanwhile, will keep one eye open to watch the surroundings while in USWS. They move around vigilantly in a half-asleep, half-awake state, alert to predators."

PAT.

The comatose Ma Bonde suddenly lifted an arm, then slammed it down heavily. Then, his entire body began to convulse slowly, as if he had been electrocuted.

Chaichai exclaimed in shock, "Holy shit, he's not going to die, is he?!"

"No. With me here, how could he possibly die?"

Li Ang said calmly, "The human brain is like an extremely precise and complex machine, yet it possesses some ability to repair itself.

In some situations, it can self-regulate and reorganize its functional areas, transferring the responsibilities of damaged regions to undamaged ones.

This gift, known as neuroplasticity, can be utilized by the powers of the Origin of Life.

With just a little guidance, the brain can fill its own gaps and perfect itself."

"That sounds so unreliable!"

Miss Chai couldn't help but retort, "Isn't that like handing a scalpel to the patient and letting them perform surgery on themselves using only instinct?"

"It's a bit different."

Li Ang casually spread his hands. "The Origin of Life is an extremely powerful and bizarre artifact. Uncontrolled, it will automatically modify any organism it touches, causing drastic mutations. Most of these mutations are benign, reliable, and align with evolutionary laws.

Most mutants in that Deformed World could move freely without collapsing from genetic mutations, which is almost a biological miracle.

Even when controlled, the Origin of Life constantly exercises its optimization instinct. As soon as Ma Bonde's brain came into contact with its power, it began to evolve, following the subtle laws of the universe.

So, this surgery is primarily guided by my medical plan. The Origin of Life and Ma Bonde's brain are collaborating to meet my requirements as closely as possible."

Li Ang paused, his eyes shining with a thirst for knowledge. "Willing patients who come to me are rare. With this experience, perhaps I can evolve simple yet durable brain structures for all Worms and Soldier Bees in the future.

This way, I wouldn't need to use Divine Power for real-time remote control. The operational range and endurance of these biological weapons would also significantly improve. However, I must be careful to install a backdoor. Otherwise, if the biological weapons lose control, the situation could become difficult to manage..."

As Li Ang murmured to himself, he didn't neglect to continue Ma Bonde's surgery.

Fortunately, Prefect Ma always considered his strange dreams the biggest secret of his life and hadn't even told his wife or children. When he invited Li Ang over just now, he specifically instructed his subordinates to wait outside the mansion, forbidding anyone from entering.

Therefore, the surgery could proceed undisturbed.

"Although current real-world science cannot precisely explain the mechanism of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, my modification requirements can still be achieved through the proactive transformative abilities of the Origin of Life and the neuroplasticity of the human brain.

Now, I just need to expand the patient's commissural fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex. I also need to increase the volume of the corpus callosum, anterior commissure, fornix, and fornix commissure. Additionally, I will adjust key structures. These include the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) of the hypothalamus, as well as neurons in the posterolateral hypothalamus, such as orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and histaminergic neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN).

This will allow his VLPO structure to manage the neuro-inhibitory signals for both brain hemispheres and oversee information exchange and physiological regulation during unihemispheric sleep. Ultimately, this will affect his sleep-wake cycle.

In short, it means transforming his brain into a structure similar to that of a dolphin...."

PAT. PAT.

Ma Bonde convulsed even more violently, arching his back like a freshly caught fish, flopping back and forth on the ground.

"That..."

Miss Chai couldn't help but ask, "Is he okay?"

"He should be fine."

Li Ang watched Ma Bonde flop around and praised, "I call this move 'Fish Out of Water.'"

HISSSS—

A stream of blood suddenly shot out from Ma Bonde's left nostril, tracing an arc in the air before landing with pinpoint accuracy in a teacup on the table.

Miss Chai exclaimed, "Is this also fine?"

Li Ang pressed Ma Bonde down firmly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Should be fine..."

HISSSS—

A colorless, transparent liquid began to leak from Ma Bonde's right nostril, trickling down past his mouth to his chin.

Miss Chai was stunned. "What's that? Snot?"

"Umm..."

Li Ang squinted and observed for a while. "Oh, it's fine. That's not snot; it's cerebrospinal fluid from his brain."

"??!!!"

"Don't worry. About 500ml of cerebrospinal fluid is produced daily, roughly the amount in a bottle of cola. Losing a little like this is no problem."

Li Ang laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up. "By the way, I prefer Pepsi with less fizz."

"No one asked you that!"

Miss Chai felt an intense wave of frustration and lost all interest in debating with Li Ang whether Coke or Pepsi tasted better.

"Alright, the intracranial pressure has decreased sufficiently."

Li Ang nodded slightly and lifted his finger a fraction. All the mycelium slowly retracted from Ma Bonde's brain, releasing substances that would allow him to gradually awaken from his coma.

Li Ang shook his hands. The mycelium at his fingertips automatically fell off, landed on the ground, and coiled into a ball. He then incinerated it completely with the lighter from the "Ruitu Military Knife 300."

When Ma Bonde gradually regained consciousness, he found himself slumped over a table, his arms numb from having his head resting on them.

Across the table, Li Ang sat sipping tea leisurely, as if nothing at all had happened.

"Taoist Master, what's...?"

Ma Bonde pushed himself up with one hand on the table, the other clutching his forehead. He felt dizzy and disoriented.

The last thing he remembered was Master Xi Menzi shouting, "Supreme Heavenly Master, grant my urgent command! Stabilize!"

And then he passed out.

Li Ang set down his teacup, smiled faintly, and said with an air of profound mystique, "Your illness has been cured."

"Really? That's great!"

Ma Bonde let out a long sigh of relief, his mind a whirlwind of emotions.

Just as he was about to thank Li Ang again, he felt something sticky on his nose. He touched it and found a clot of dried blood stuck to his upper left lip.

"Uh, this is..."

"You might have some internal heat; you had a nosebleed just now."

"Oh, oh."

Ma Bonde nodded and prodded again. He found a semi-dried, clear, sticky gel-like substance on his right lip. "Uh, what's this..."

Li Ang said without batting an eye, "You might have a cold; you had a runny nose just now."

"Oh, oh."

Ma Bonde nodded somewhat confusedly. He hid his face a little with his sleeve, brushed away the blood and mucus, and said in a stuffy voice, "Taoist Master, for saving my life, mere words of thanks are not enough. I shall offer a generous gift and build a shrine for you in Goose City to express my gratitude..."

"'A healer's heart is benevolent. Prefect Ma, you dedicate yourself to the people of Goose City; how could I, a humble Daoist, not offer my aid?'"

Li Ang said with a grin, "Oh, by the way, Prefect Ma, since you've just recovered from a long illness, it would be best not to go out for the next few days. Stay at home to recuperate. Get plenty of sleep and food, so we can observe the effects of the treatment."

Hmm, losing so much cerebrospinal fluid in one go, it's time indeed to rest properly and also to provide me with some experimental data for brain remodeling.

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