CHAPTER 73: ONI

Dawn of the next day met Ethan already up early and scribbling something on a boom he had requested for.

Maybe he had gone insane after all, because no sane person would spend the entire night drawing and scribbling down formulas only to end up burning them.

But strangely enough, he didn’t look the least bit sleep deprived. On the contrary, he looked pretty energized, probably a side effect of the system upgrading his brain.

Still, he couldn’t let this go on as he was constantly distracted and wouldn’t focus for a moment without starting to randomly design and calculate stuff.

Conveniently, one of the burnt notes contained an idea on how to fix this.

’System, open the TDI,’ he mentally commanded, and the familiar lattice of holographic 3D boxes unfolded in the air before him.

The Idea Incubator pulsed faintly, awaiting his input.

Ethan stretched his fingers and exhaled slowly. ’A partition for the human mind... separating thought streams into manageable lanes and allow for multitasking with each different partition. A cognitive hypervisor1.’

He dragged one glowing cube into the center, and lines of data immediately started scrolling before him. A new category appeared:

[Concept Initiated: Ocular Neural Interface (ONI)]

Objective: Partition brain activity via optic nerve stimulation.

Method: Contact lens-based bioelectronic system.

Risk Factor: Severe (High probability of neural overload if calibration fails).]

Ethan thought for a while about it. This was a cruder method than his first idea, but beggers couldn’t be choosers.

His knowledge and proficiency only allowed for this much and he’ll either have to go with this for now or risk his brain overloading from processing information.

Finalizing the idea, he let the system scan his internal knowledge and proficiency before another tab popped up:

[Required Proficiencies: Tier 3 Neuroengineering, Tier 3 AI, Tier 3 Biotech.]

[Status: Requirements met.]

Ethan smiled. He didn’t think he’d meet the requirements but turns out, his knowledge covered a wider range than he expected.

[Simulation Pathway Opening...]

The tabs shifted again, and the glowing cube fractured into dozens of interlinked strands. A holographic human brain rotated slowly before him, glowing arcs tracing neural pathways from the optic nerve to higher cortical regions.

"Beautiful," Ethan murmured As he was in awe at the sheer potential of the TDI.

He hadn’t used the simulation chamber previously and this positively surprised him.

The Simulation Chamber came to life, filling his vision with branching outcomes:

[Positive Simulation: Increased partitioning efficiency by 47%. Simultaneous focus streams possible.

Neutral Simulation: Cognitive partition successful, but high energy drain → migraines, sleep disturbances, emotional detachment.

Negative Simulation: Neural overload → seizures, permanent optic nerve damage, coma. ]

He watched as the brain literally exploded in the negative simulation. Ethan’s lips curled. "So either this works or I fry my brain, seems fun."

The system screen changed again.

[Prototype Feasibility: 61%]

[Enhancements Suggested: Adaptive AI Regulator + Bio-gel calibration layer.]

Ethan tapped the floating data stream, expanding the AI regulator design. This part wasn’t that hard since he already had Athena, he just had to tweak a few things in her code, essentially making her... a babysitter for his brain.

The bio-gel was trickier. He frowned. It wasn’t something he could whip up casually in his apartment.

He’d need lab access and specialized biomaterials, something that he couldn’t get easily.

"Baby steps first."

He locked in the Ocular Neural Interface concept, archiving it in the Prototype Hub for when materials became available.

Just the act of owning the idea relieved the chaos in his head; his thoughts temporarily quieted down, allowing him to clearly think.

The constant itch and relentless need to scribble formulas, eased. His mind was... quieter.

Ethan leaned back against the pillow. "Good. That should keep me sane enough to observe the negotiation."

But just as he was about to close the interface, the system chimed again.

[Notice: Due to continuous overclocking of host’s cognition, mental stability has dropped below safe parameters.]

[Warning: Suppression temporarily activated. Long-term solution required.]

’That explains that,’ he mentally thought before asking, ’why can’t you just allow me to do that at will?’

[Because that will cause overreliance on the system, which should be avoided.] It replied, it had gone back to responding with the holographic text screen, allowing Athena back in control.

’I see,’ he thought before standing up from the hospital bed and walking towards the window, pulling the blinds.

The sun had barely peeked at the horizon. Doctor Gabriel would soon come check up on him before he was discharged and he’d finally get out of the hospital....a place he definitely didn’t like.

_________

A bit farther from the hospital and at the hotel where Ethan stayed, Lillian also found herself up this early.

As much as she wanted to stay by Ethan’s side until he left the hospital, she knew she had a deal to close and impress him.

In her hand was the files Aria had refused her on their first day here. She was making sure nothing was out of place before the meeting in a few hours.... In seven hours.

Aria, on the other hand, lay peacefully asleep, snoring the night away.

Lillian shut the folder and pressed her palms flat against it. She had memorized every clause, every contingency she had outlined with her last night, and yet, her heart still beat like she was about to sit for the biggest exam of her life.

The proposal was straightforward: Google would be given annual licensing rights to use Sentinel across its global infrastructure.

A recurring fee that would scale depending on the breadth of its deployment. A deal that would ensure OmniTech remained in their ecosystem for years to come.

She checked her watch. Seven hours until the meeting. Amelia Rhodes, Google’s law team and a few executives would attend the meeting, an information that didn’t help her nerves.

"Breathe, Lillian," she whispered to herself, rubbing her temples." You’ve got this. He trusted you with this."

On the bed, Aria stirred and muttered something incoherent before pulling the blanket over her head. Lillian chuckled at her actions.

Even while asleep, Aria somehow found a way to make her calm down.

"Alright, I’ve got this." She hyped herself up.

The hours ticked by faster than she would have liked. Morning traffic hummed outside the hotel, the city coming alive. Aria eventually stirred for real, groaning as she opened her eyes.

"You’re already dressed like you’re about to fight a war," Aria muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"I guess I am," Lillian responded with a small chuckle.

Aria sat up, tilting her head. "Google’s not going to bite. Well, not literally. And besides, you’re better than you think you are. You’ve done all the prep, all the work. They’ll fold—trust me."

"Thanks," she responded in appreciation.

"Now then," Aria stood up from the bed, dropping covers and walked towards Lillian, "let’s get you looking beautiful-er for the this meeting."

Taking the file from her hands, Aria put it to the side and started dragging Lillian towards the bathroom.

"At least brush your teeth first," Lillian protested, half-laughing as Aria shoved her toward the sink.

"Not until I’m done with you."

By the time they finished getting ready, the weight in Lillian’s shoulders had quickly faded. She slipped into her blazer, checked the folder one last time, and watched Aria tie her hair into a loose bun.

"There," Aria said, giving her a once-over. "Now you look like the kind of woman who makes billion-dollar companies sweat."

"Hopefully," Lillian murmured.

"Not hopefully," Aria corrected, tapping her on the chin. "Definitely, now go close that deal and make me proud."

Lillian gave her a small nod before Aria finally moved to the bathroom for a relaxing soak.

There was only a couple of hours left before the meeting which would be taking place at the Google HQ and Lillian’s team were already at the hotel’s lobby, waiting.

The elevator ride down was tense, though Lillian forced herself to keep her breathing steady. By the time she reached the lobby, her team was already assembled—each of them dressed sharply, faces filled with determination.

"Right on time," Mark, her legal lead, said with a nod. He was a former corporate lawyer who had built up quite the reputation for himself... until he was suddenly accused of insider trading two years back.

The case had nearly destroyed his career. Though nothing was ever proven, that scandal had forced him out of the firm he’d helped build.

No one was willing to work with him again and just like that, he was forgotten. At least until Lillian stumbled upon him again.

Behind Mark stood the rest of the team which consisted of a mix of trusted veterans and newcomers who Lillian saw potential in.

The convoy was already waiting outside—two black cars provided by Google to ferry them directly to the HQ.

Lillian and her team walked out the hotel and she slid into the backseat of the lead car, her folder tight in her hands.

"Let’s win this." She muttered quietly.

In simpler terms, it's a way to split his mind into sections... so each one can handle a different task at the same time.