Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 13 Recruiting Rebecca and her siblings

Pila took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and began to explain their names, professions, how they got into trouble, and everything they knew about Night City gangs, companies, important locations, nearby vagrant settlements, and wasteland rumors as clearly and in as much detail as possible.

Rebecca occasionally added a few words, her tone sharp but her points precise, emphasizing their local knowledge and practical value, trying to make this fearsome red giant think they were useful.

“Roger from the Next Life Bar? Yes, I’ve heard of him. He’s supposedly a ruthless character.” Chen Yu suddenly interjected, his voice still calm, but it startled both of them—he actually knew Roger? “Go on.”

Pila swallowed hard and continued speaking, feeling even more uncertain.

Rebecca's eyes lit up, as if she had found common ground: "You know Rogge too? Then do you know her rules? She's the most powerful middleman in Night City! The Queen of Night City!"

Chen Yu's camera panned slightly, focusing on Rebecca: "I have relevant records in my database. Continue to provide useful information, and don't stray from the topic."

The brother and sister had no choice but to continue their report, feeling as if they were in a life-or-death interview.

Chen Yu listened in silence, occasionally making subtle adjustments to the focus of the optical lens, inputting the information into the database for cross-validation.

The servo skull floated silently beside his shoulder, recording everything without a sound.

When he heard some particularly interesting information, his brow under his helmet might have twitched almost imperceptibly, and some long-forgotten fragments of memory might have been slightly touched, but they were quickly filed as "potentially verifiable data" by the logic processor, rather than as an emotional fluctuation.

“…That’s all we know,” Pira said finally, her voice pleading, as if she had just finished a long and agonizing debate. “We just want to live, sir. No offense intended. If we can, we’ll leave right away.”

Chen Yu remained silent for a moment, seemingly processing information. His massive body, like a silent red colossus, exerted immense psychological pressure on the two of them.

He then took a step forward, the metal soles of his boots making a clear sound as they hit the concrete.

The brother and sister's hearts raced again, almost leaping out of their throats.

However, Chen Yu did not attack them.

One of his tentacles, as nimbly as the most dexterous mechanical arm, reached out to the corpses, ignoring their gruesome deaths, and precisely and efficiently disassembled the still valuable prosthetics, chips, and usable parts. His movements were so fluid and dazzling that they were categorized and placed aside.

The entire process was conducted with the calmness of handling scrapped equipment, with a pure concern for the intrinsic value of the material rather than the loss of life. This inhuman calmness was more chilling than rage.

“Waste is shameful,” he explained calmly, as if he could read their minds. “Resources should be used effectively.”

Only after he finished did he turn his attention back to the two tense, almost stiff people.

"Current situation assessment: You are being pursued by armed groups, your vehicles are damaged, and resources are scarce. Based on existing environmental data and threat models, your chances of independent survival are less than 18 percent." His voice remained calm, as if he were delivering an objective technical report. "Proposal: Work for me in exchange for shelter and necessary survival resources."

He paused briefly, and a tentacle curled up a prototype of his self-made power gauntlet, an integrated tool set, from the workbench. The gauntlet, resembling an arm guard, had sharp lines and a rugged beauty. "And high-performance weapons," he added, the camera seemingly panning across Pira's left shoulder. "In addition, it can provide necessary physiological repair and optimization."

The arm armor gleamed with a cold and efficient luster under the light, representing an irresistible chance of survival and the allure of power for them, who were currently penniless and living hand to mouth.

Rebecca's eyes were immediately drawn to it, a pure craving for powerful weapons that made her almost forget her fear.

"Wow, this thing looks like it could punch right through a wall!" she exclaimed.

Pila swallowed hard, glancing at the powerful power boxing gloves, then subconsciously touching his aching shoulder that was hindering his movements. His eyes were a mixture of fear, intense desire, and surprise: "How did you know my shoulder was injured?"

“Your posture and range of motion indicate approximately 11.7% signal attenuation in the neural network of your left shoulder,” Chen Yu interrupted him directly. “This is most likely due to improper installation of a cheap prosthetic or subsequent impact damage. It affects precise operation.”

Pira opened his mouth, speechless. That level of observation was terrifying.

"What exactly... do I need to do?" Rebecca pressed, her tone softening considerably, wary yet probing, her gaze barely leaving the power gauntlets.

“Resource gathering, intelligence gathering, miscellaneous tasks, equipment testing. Your local knowledge and non-standard operating methods have some value,” Chen Yu answered directly, making no attempt to conceal their instrumental purpose. “The rewards include: security guarantees within my territory, customized enhancements to improve survivability, including repairing the neural interface wear and signal attenuation in your left shoulder to stabilize shooting accuracy, and,” he looked at Rebecca, his lens flashing red, “adapting more efficient weaponry to your combat style.”

Rebecca's eyes lit up even more: "More efficient weapons and equipment? For example?"

“It depends on your performance and resource availability,” Chen Yu replied pragmatically. “It could be an enhanced firepower platform or a more flexible mobile system.”

Pila's body stiffened, clearly showing great interest in Chen Yu's proposal.

Rebecca blinked, her interest in the words "more efficient weaponry" temporarily overshadowing her fear of the red-robed giant.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance and quickly communicated with their eyes.

Refuse? Outside lies the menacing Chaotic Blade Society and the dangerous wasteland, while this red-robed man, though terrifying, seems to follow some kind of logic and reason (on some level), and is more powerful than imagined.

Accepting? It means working for this mysterious, inhuman technician, losing some of your freedom, but also gaining a precious opportunity to survive and even become stronger.

"Does it include food and lodging?" Rebecca suddenly asked, trying to salvage something tangible in this strange, unequal negotiation, her eyes never leaving the arm armor, as if it were a bargaining chip.

The voice from under the visor paused for half a second, as if analyzing this request that was too basic and deviated from the core of the technology.

"Basic energy replenishment and physiological maintenance can be provided, including synthetic nutrients and hydration," Chen Yu finally confirmed, her tone as calm and even as she stated a standard technical support clause.

(End of this chapter)