Hardy didn't start the treatment immediately, as he had to wait for Caitlin to finish calibrating the equipment, move Nora into the sterile room, and connect her to the life-support devices that would keep her alive after the nerves were cut.
The ECG, pulse oximeter, MRI, and other devices were all switched on. Hardy and the others donned full sterile gowns before officially beginning the procedure.
Unlike the others, Hardy didn't wear sterile gloves, as medical ninjutsu required direct skin contact to better transmit Yang Release energy.
A faint green glow appeared in Hardy's palm as he placed it on Nora, probing her physical condition.
In terms of fine sensory perception and Yang Release healing ability, Hardy was nowhere near those two Hundred Seal women.
But the first shortcoming could be compensated for with advanced imaging technology, and the latter was just barely adequate.
"Caitlin, make the incision," Hardy said, his voice muffled by the white mask.
Caitlin, calm and focused, skillfully took the scalpel from Victor, who was temporarily acting as a nurse, and made a precise incision in Nora's body.
With medical ninjutsu, external treatment was possible, but Hardy wasn't skilled enough to sense inside Nora's body and perform cell-level precision healing.
This method made the treatment more convenient, less taxing, and faster for Hardy, so this step was essential.
Once Caitlin finished the first stage, Hardy took over the next.
Using the images from the MRI and the Fine Extraction Technique, he precisely identified every diseased area, then infused Yang Release chakra into the corresponding locations with both hands, covered in healing energy.
It was a painstaking task that required long, careful operation.
Fortunately, Hardy was a puppet master—one skilled enough to control multiple puppets at once.
Puppet control was also a delicate art that required multitasking, so in this scenario, nothing unexpected happened.
The sterile room was silent except for the breathing of the few people inside, but Caitlin, while quietly observing, was inwardly shocked.
"Incredible! An unknown biological energy is entering Nora's cells, yet it's not triggering any immune rejection. The nerve cells are actually starting to repair themselves under the influence of this energy!"
Caitlin's eyes widened in astonishment.
As a top biomedical PhD, she knew exactly what this ability meant.
If it could be widely adopted, countless incurable diseases could be healed, and the average human lifespan would be greatly extended.
At that point, Hardy wouldn't just win the Nobel Prize in Medicine—he could even establish an award in his own name, becoming the highest honor in the medical field.
But she also knew that this…
Not very likely.
Methods involving supernatural powers aren't so easily popularized; they'll remain isolated cases.
Time passed slowly. Several hours later—
Nearly all the neural cells in Nora's body had been treated by Hardy's healing technique, which utilized Yang Release, transforming them back into normal nerve cells.
Except for her brain.
However, judging from the previous situation, the degeneration of Nora's neural cells hadn't yet spread to her brain—Victor had frozen Nora before it could reach that point. Otherwise, it would have meant she'd lost all hope of recovery.
Although these nerve cells would eventually start degenerating again, it would take several years before they returned to their previous state and began spreading toward the brain once more.
In other words, Nora's remaining lifespan of just a few months had been extended to several years by Hardy.
Once the treatment was complete, Catherine picked up a needle and thread to suture Nora's wounds, and then Hardy used his healing technique again to fully heal the stitched wounds.
"The surgery went very smoothly. Just make sure she avoids strenuous activity and spicy foods for the next few weeks, and her recovery shouldn't be affected."
While reconnecting Nora's spinal nerves with the equipment, Catherine gave instructions to Hardy and Mr. Freeze.
Mr. Freeze looked at the still-unconscious Nora, then at the instruments displaying her vital signs, all now at normal human levels. For a moment, his cold—yet hot—tears welled up.
"Walter, I really… I really don't know how to thank you!"
"Professor, the knowledge you possess is the treasure I wish to gain from you."
Hardy smiled slightly and rubbed his temples.
Several hours of high-precision work had been exhausting, and even Hardy felt a bit tired.
"I will do everything I can to help you with my knowledge," Victor said solemnly.
Catherine's face was lit up with a smile as she watched the scene.
She couldn't help but wonder how Barry was doing now.
Would returning to the Allen family home help him regain his memories?
"Unfortunately, Barry still hasn't recovered. He's just much calmer now. Alice and Joe are taking him to places they used to visit, hoping it'll help him remember more."
A dozen minutes later, in the S.T.A.R. Labs workshop, Cisco, dark circles under his eyes, spoke to Hardy and Catherine.
He'd spent all last night modifying the Speed Force Cannon, and today he had to help Hardy design a new energy system for the White Samurai to activate the promethium dagger's Speed Force.
Aside from his remarkable Vibe powers, his physical abilities were just that of an ordinary person—maybe even less, being a typical science geek with average athleticism.
"Walter, I don't know what powers your armor, so all my modifications have been additive—I didn't dare remove anything. Since your right arm already has a high-voltage electric sword, I've placed the promethium dagger on the left arm. When you're not using the Speed Force, you can deploy it for combat."
"I've also redesigned an electric power drive system. You can use your own powers to generate electricity and help operate the armor. I even wrote a basic control algorithm for the suit. It's primitive—not true AI—but it'll better integrate all your attachments and display them. The main purpose is to help you control the armor more effectively when you activate the Speed Force. I've also added modules for light projection, retinal virtual imaging, and more."
"If you need to activate the Speed Force, just use your powers to inject electricity into the subsonic buzzer on the left side, and you'll trigger the promethium to release its stored Speed Force."
By the time Cisco finished his explanation, Hardy was already eagerly extending his chakra threads to don the White Samurai.