Ves underwent an hour's worth of checks. He already received a short inspection at the damaged operating chamber, but many of the scanners and instruments could no longer be relied upon.
This was why it became imperative for Ves to undergo a proper physical inspection at the medical facilities that remained intact at Diandi Base.
The biotech experts in charge of examining his current state emphatically told Ves that he must not unfold his true body or do anything else for that matter. They clearly understood the risks of doing so and did not want to trigger another accident.
While Ves patiently endured all of the scans and poking, he could also feel he was being studied through more metaphysical ways.
The Saint Kingdom of the First Sword Mark III and the Command Field of the Minerva Mark II never ceased to scrutinize about Ves that they could reach.
While Ves was pretty sure that they could not read his mind or anything, he still fell awfully exposed by their unscrupulous examinations.
Others joined the party as well. Many design spirits spread their awareness to Diandi Base and cautiously probed Ves to verify that he was still the same person for the most part.
The Golden Cat, Lufa, the Illustrious One, the Phase King, Gaia and even the Superior Mother extended a sliver of their power to refamiliarize themselves with the new Ves.
Fortunately, Ves never sensed any malice behind all of the probing. Ves had built up good relations with many of them, and that alone was enough to earn him the benefit of the doubt.
Ves could sense the tension and paranoia among the surrounding clansmen fade.
They did not necessarily doubt his identity, but they could not afford to let down their guard.
The Larkinsons needed to be 100 percent instead of just 95 or even 99 percent.
Perhaps a single favorable data point might not sound convincing enough, but when many different data points supported the same conclusion, then the Larkinsons tentatively relaxed.
Only partially, though.
Ves continued to wait until a Larkinson bodyguard finally led him to a familiar conference room.
It had already been secured using the super-class gadgets that he relinquished before the surgery.
The powerful Saint Kingdom of the First Sword Mark III continued to maintain a strong degree of privacy and security.
Ves nodded in approval at the men and women who had already taken a seat at the conference table.
It was rather convenient that the furniture still remained, though the members of the Premier Branch had already emptied it of much of the artwork and various other objects.
"Meow."
A certain gem cat kept lounging on his shoulder. His continued presence served as a reassuring endorsement.
Though Lucky largely played the role of a mascot these days, many clansmen knew that the cat was not stupid. If he thought that a foreign entity had taken over Ves' body, then he would have meowed his suspicions!
"Vice Director Abselon." Ves greeted the head of the Larkinson Biotech Institute.
"High Captain Gilbert de Raanvanchas." He nodded his head towards the captain as well as the de facto fleet commander of the Premier Fleet.
"Gavin." He made a another greeting to his personal assistant.
All three of them maintained serious expressions. They certainly had an inkling of what happened to him. While Maria and Gilbert shouldn't be too familiar with him, the same could not be said for Gavin Neumann.
His personal assistant was among the people who were highly familiar with him and his unique personality. He could easily distinguish between the normal Ves and the strange alter ego that posesssed delusions of godhood.
There was one more person in the conference room that was arguably more familiar with him on a personal level.
"Hello, honey."
"Ves…"
Gloriana Wodin's expression towards her husband conveyed both vigilance and distress.
This made Ves more curious about how his other self behaved in the short amount of time he was in charge of his true body.
The differences must have been really obvious for his own clansmen to continue to regard him with suspicion!
"I need to know what happened." Ves broke the awkward silence. "I lost awareness of what was happening after the implantation of the lesser Pelmir organ. It is clear that an unknown party launched an attack on us. Given that my body is hale and healthy, I assume we managed to beat back the attackers without suffering serious damage. However, it is clear that my true body did not remain prone and unmoving. I need to know. I need to see it for myself."
Another awkward silence ensued as the Larkinsons tried to figure out a proper response.
"Show the footage." Saint Commander Casella Ingvar transmitted to the conference room. "Each of us deserves to obtain clarity, including the patriarch himself. Let him see the enemies that have befallen us and how 'he' reacted against this incursion."
A projection came to life. It depicted the events that took place in the operating chamber on a large scale.
The initial minutes proceeded without issue. The implantation of the lesser Dofner organ and the lesser Pelmir organ came with numerous risks, but Ves' true body remained under control.
When the surgeons asked whether Ves was ready and willing to commence the fourth and final organ implantation, Ves deliberately blinked his eyes and made another thumbs up gesture.
"That was not me." Ves plainly admitted. "My awareness already started to fade by the time my body hooked up with the lesser Pelmir organ. I was completely out of it by the time my body formed a connection to the lesser Arcis organ."
Vice Director Maria Abselon frowned. "Our readings of your physiology indicated that you were in a greater state of calm than usual. We assumed that contrary to our initial expectations, you have managed to improve your control over your true body. This assumption turned out to be false. A different intelligence had already begun to emerge."
"Dise. Casella. Did you manage to detect anything amiss?"
"No."
"It is difficult to notice any differences while you remain in a state of calm. Your serenity made you so still that it was difficult for us to detect any deviations. It was only when your true body was forced to defend itself that we recognized that you were not yourself anymore."
Shortly after the surgeons began to wrap up the surgery and close the holes in his massive true body with the help of advanced biotech instruments, the ceiling suddenly collapsed!
The footage paused.
"That shouldn't have happened." Ves said with a frown. "While the facility is not buried too deep, it is being held together by multiple layers of transphasic hyper alloys and thick soil. On top of that, the entire facility is also covered by a modern medium-sized titan shield. Then there is the First Sword Mark III's Saint Kingdom. How could an enemy possibly penetrate through all of those defenses and collapse the ceiling all at once?"
"The rules have changed, sir." Saint Commander Casella Ingvar said. "From what we have been able to surmise with the help of the Devos Ancient Clan, one of the orbital defense platforms had become compromised. One of its gauss cannons launched an exceedingly powerful kinetic projectile at the fastest possible speed towards the surface at an angle. The parameters of this orbital attack made it difficult for us to intercept in time. Although my Vassals and Minerva Mark II attempted to shoot down the rapidly closing projectile as it cut through the atmosphere, none of our attacks were effective."
That sounded strange. As fast as the projectile must have descended from orbit, an ace commander should have been skilled and fast enough to intercept it in time!
Another projection came to life. This one depicted a zoomed-in image that did a good job of tracking the special gauss projectile as it soared down towards the surface of New Constantinople VIII like divine punishment.