Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 23 Miraculous Healing

Rebecca drove the weathered Goodwood, its engine roaring almost torn apart, carrying Chen Yu and herself, and sped madly toward Night City.

Chen Yu's massive frame almost filled the passenger seat, and his dark red robe clashed with the messy interior of the car.

The servo skull floated quietly in the back seat, the eerie light in its eye sockets flickering in the dim car interior.

Rebecca's heart was pounding almost in sync with the roar of the engine.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force, and every now and then, through her blurry, tearful eyes, she would glance at the silent red figure beside her.

Chen Yu remained unusually calm, his optical sensors scanning the desolate landscape rushing past the window, gradually being replaced by a dense, dilapidated, yet neon-lit mega-building complex.

The air began to mingle with the complex smells of ozone, exhaust fumes, cheap spices, and some indescribable urban metabolites—this was Night City, gradually overlapping with fragmented information in his database and game impressions from distant memories, but more real, rough, and oppressive.

“We’re almost there… right in Watson District, at the ‘Thousand Needles’ clinic, near Glenn…” Rebecca’s voice still trembled.

She jerked the steering wheel, and the car sped into a dimly lit alley filled with garbage. The screeching of brakes drew a few alert barks from dogs and a peeping look from behind a window.

The car stopped at the back door of an inconspicuous shop, where the neon sign was flashing with a misspelled spelling: "Thousand Needle Puncture Modification and Repair".

Rebecca practically jumped out of the car, staggering as she pushed open the reinforced metal door that required considerable force to shove open.

Chen Yu bent down and crawled out of the car door, the servo skull silently following him.

His tall figure immediately attracted several malicious glances from the shadows in the alley, but the crimson optical lens merely swept across him casually, and the chilling inhumanity made those gazes instantly retract.

The clinic's interior was smaller and more cluttered than it appeared from the outside. The air was thick with the stench of disinfectant, burnt electrical wires, cheap lubricant, and an unmistakable smell of blood.

Various second-hand or scrapped prosthetic parts of unknown model and dubious origin are piled up in shelves or boxes, almost filling every corner.

An old medical chair and a makeshift operating table occupy the center, covered with stains of varying ages.

A tall, thin man with messy hair and sunken eyes was frantically operating a life monitor, trying to stabilize Pira, who was on the verge of death on the operating table.

He was wearing a dirty leather apron, and his arms were bare, revealing a rough, homemade data interface.

Dorothy was also there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her face serious. When she saw Rebecca and Chen Yu come in, especially when she saw Chen Yu's attire, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

On the operating table, Pira's face was ashen, her breathing weak, and her abdomen was covered with thick gauze soaked in blood.

Several rudimentary, buzzing instruments were attached to him, displaying extremely unstable vital signs. A strange odor of burnt tissue and molten metal lingered in the air.

"Glen! How is he?!" Rebecca rushed over, her voice trembling.

The prosthetic doctor, known as Glenn, raised his head, his face filled with anxiety and helplessness, sweat soaking his temples.

“Rebecca… God, you’re here… I… I did my best! The bleeding has slowed down a bit, but the internal organ damage is too severe, the nerve bundles are all rotten, and the infection rate is off the charts! And those damned, low-quality prosthetic fragments… I can’t do anything here… unless I get her to a major hospital immediately and use the highest-grade…”

His voice abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed on Chen Yu behind Rebecca, especially the floating servo skull, his mouth slightly agape, revealing an expression of disbelief.

"This...who is this?"

"Glenn, stop asking! This is the boss, he can save Pila! Boss, please!" Rebecca almost cried out, placing all her hopes on Chen Yu.

Ignoring Glenn's astonished gaze, Chen Yu walked straight to the operating table.

His optical lens quickly performed a full scan of Pira, and a detailed damage report, down to the nanometer level, instantly cascaded down the visual interface: the situation was critical, consistent with Rebecca's description, and slightly aggravated by Glenn's rough initial handling.

Chen Yu raised a hand, interrupting any questions Glenn might ask.

His voice came through the visor, calm and without a trace of emotion: "The situation has been assessed. It can be handled. The area needs to be cleared and an absolutely sterile environment maintained."

"N-sterile? Here?" Glenn looked at his messy, blood-stained clinic and thought the other person was joking.

Chen Yu did not explain.

A flash of blue light appeared in the eye socket of the servo skull, and an invisible low-power antibacterial ultraviolet field and air purification wave rapidly spread out from it, precisely covering the entire surgical area.

At the same time, several slender and precise mechanical tentacles gracefully emerged from beneath Chen Yu's sleeves, their tips gleaming with the light of various precision medical tools: a high-frequency laser scalpel, a nano-suture device, a tissue regeneration induction probe, a microscopic substance extraction claw...

Glenn and Dorio stared wide-eyed, speechless with astonishment at the display of technology that was beyond their comprehension.

"Servo skull, assist scanning, monitor vital signs in real time, and provide optimal surgical path planning," Chen Yu ordered. "Command confirmed," the skull responded, the mandible opening and closing, projecting a clear holographic image that perfectly presented the damage inside Pira's body in three dimensions, with astonishing detail.

Chen Yu's surgery began.

His movements were faster than human visual perception could capture, yet they possessed an absolute precision and elegance akin to a machine.

Laser precision cutting, nanoprobes cleverly remove debris, regenerative energy stimulates rapid tissue healing, and nanorobots even repair and optimize damaged neural networks and outdated prosthetic interfaces at the microscopic level.

Glenn was completely stunned, and the tools in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Like an apprentice, he stared greedily and blankly at each operation he couldn't comprehend, muttering unconsciously to himself, "This is impossible... such precision... such technology... I've never heard of it before..."

Dorothy held her breath, the sight before her making her fully understand the source of Rebecca's confidence.

Rebecca covered her mouth tightly, tears streaming silently down her face, but her eyes were filled with renewed hope.

The surgery lasted less than an hour.

When Chen Yu retracted the last mechanical tentacle, the terrible wound on Pila's abdomen had disappeared, leaving only new skin that was almost invisible.

His complexion returned to a rosy hue, his breathing became steady and strong, and he even appeared healthier than before his injury.

Chen Yu took out a syringe from under his robe and handed it to Servo Skull. Inside was a synthetic medicine he had made, rich in nutrients and energy. He injected it into Pira's jugular vein: "Wake him up."

The medicine takes effect very quickly.

Pira's eyelids twitched a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

He first looked blankly at the ceiling, then subconsciously touched his abdomen, where there should have been a large hole.

"I...I'm not dead?" His voice was a little hoarse, but clear and strong.

"Pira!" Rebecca rushed to the operating table, crying and laughing at the same time.

Pila tried to sit up, a movement that startled Glenn, but Pila did it with ease. He even moved his limbs and waist in surprise: "My God...it feels...it feels amazing! Like a completely different person! All those little ailments seem to be gone?"

He looked at Chen Yu, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude: "Boss...it's you..."

Chen Yu nodded slightly: "It's part of the deal. Remember your sister's promise about 'medical expenses'."

Glenn finally snapped out of his shock and stepped forward excitedly, his voice trembling: "Sir... Master? How... how did you do that?"
This technology…this is simply a miracle! I…I’ve been in the Watson area for over a decade, and I’ve never seen anything like it…May I ask you…”

His eyes burned with a thirst for knowledge and awe of absolute technology.

Chen Yu turned his crimson optical lens toward Glenn and calmly sized him up.

This prosthetic doctor was technically clumsy and worked in a rudimentary environment, but he seemed to have done his best, and the desire for technology in his eyes was genuine.

Perhaps... there is potential to cultivate an acolyte who can carry out his will here?
But he did not immediately respond to Glenn's excited question, and simply said, "Your methods need to be standardized and your knowledge needs to be updated."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Glenn and turned to Rebecca and Dorio: "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Take him back to rest for 24 hours to adapt to the new neural interface."

His attitude was cold and direct, as if what he had just accomplished was not a miracle of bringing the dead back to life, but just a routine equipment repair.

This contrast further highlights his unfathomable depth.

He said nothing more, turned and walked towards the door, the hem of his dark red robe brushing the ground.

The servo skull silently followed.

Rebecca nodded quickly and, together with Dorio, helped Pira, who was still adjusting to her new body, to her feet.

Glenn stood there, watching Chen Yu's red figure disappear outside the door, and the pale skull that floated behind him, his heart filled with turmoil.

He knew that everything he had witnessed today had completely overturned his understanding of prosthetic medicine.

The mysterious master's last words were like a bucket of cold water, yet also like a faint starlight guiding us into the unknown.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything, his heart unable to find peace for a long time.

(End of this chapter)