Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 25: Servant Transformation

The desert night is cold and silent, with only the eternal wind howling through the twisted metal and broken concrete of this forgotten ruin.

But inside the only intact large building in the center of this abandoned town occupied by Chen Yu, the scene is quite different.

The energy pipelines emit a steady, low-frequency hum, while the subtle sounds of various automated tool arms working in tandem weave together a highly efficient yet chilling industrial symphony.

The air was thick with the sharp smell of ozone, the scorching heat of molten metal, and the chemical odor of freshly applied insulating paint.

The "medical expenses" paid by Mann's team, along with the resources from several subsequent exploratory transactions, are being neatly categorized and stacked in a corner of the workshop.

Unlike the truly "scrap" that Rebecca and Pila had previously scavenged, the quality of this batch of supplies represented a qualitative leap: well-sealed military-grade high-energy batteries, complete with the logo of the military technology company; a prototype of an advanced neural processor with clear patterns and a faint glow, clearly an unregistered outflow from some laboratory; several alloy ingots with special compositions, exhibiting subtle iridescence under specific lighting, and marked with undecipherable internal company codes; and even a small box of rare metals that had undergone preliminary refining and were sealed with inert gas—the foundation stones for many high-precision devices.

These are the real hard currency that the Mann team obtained through their underground channels and unconventional means, from the "unplanned outflow" of the corporate fringe lab, the secret circulation of the black market network, or some "accidental" gains that are never made public. They are the wealth under the shadow of Night City.

"The resource channels have finally stabilized, and the utilization rate is quite good." Chen Yu stood in front of the central workbench, a slender but powerful mechanical tentacle skillfully picking up a high-energy battery and precisely embedding it into the power supply module that was being assembled.

His voice came through the mask, and although it was still a synthesized voice, it carried a hint of almost imperceptible satisfaction.

"Old friend, it looks like we can move on to the next phase."

On one side of his view interface, a complex holographic blueprint data stream continuously scrolled.

The most important project is a high-efficiency, stable power supply module specifically designed for the dimension transmitter.

"Old buddy, help me recalibrate the stability of the output waveform. The fluctuation should ideally be controlled within 0.03 percent," Chen Yu said, his eyes never leaving the circuit he was soldering.

"Command confirmed." A faint blue light flowed in the eye sockets of the servo skull, and a fine laser beam was projected onto the nascent power supply module.

Several mechanical tentacles work together to arrange the battery pack in an optimal array.

Before investing more resources in expanding the power supply module, Chen Yu once again placed the dark golden dodecahedron in the specially made energy field in the center of the workbench and connected it to the output end of the newly built module.

"Old buddy, keep an eye on the energy flow and structural feedback for me. Let me know immediately if there are any anomalies."

“Command confirmed.” The servo skull hovered quietly to the side, its scanning beam enveloping the dimensional teleporter.

A steady flow of energy surged into the artifact, gradually illuminating the intricate patterns on its surface and radiating a soft yet profound light. Chen Yu observed the data stream with rapt attention.

“Interesting…” he muttered to himself, his fingers swiping rapidly across the virtual interface. “It’s not just absorbing energy; it seems to be verifying something, recording something…”

After half an hour of intensive calculations and data screening, two relatively stable coordinate parameters with unusual structures were separated and clearly marked on his field of view.

“Two coordinates…” he murmured, his metal fingers gently tracing the cold, smooth surface of the dimensional teleporter. “One might be the way home? And the other… where does it lead? Or is it this world?” An indescribable tremor ran through his core processor, a pure yearning for the unknown that transcended simple curiosity.

However, when he tried to inject more energy, the light on the surface of the dimensional teleporter quickly dimmed, and all reactions came to an abrupt halt.

"The energy is still not enough, less than five percent." Chen Yu finally concluded, with a hint of regret in his tone: "All the deep functions are locked. Old friend, it seems we need to expand the power supply module a bit more first."

He carefully removed the dimensional teleporter from the energy field and placed it back into the specially made shielded box: "There's no rush. Let's try again when the power level is higher."

Temporarily setting aside his exploration of ancient artifacts, Chen Yu turned his attention to a more pressing practical need—defense.

He walked to the biological processing table in the cold, dark area on the other side of the workshop, where four human bodies lay flat—the same group of "resource providers" from before.

Memory data was retrieved: A few days ago, a group of homeless people stumbled upon this abandoned town that Chen Yu had begun to renovate.

They saw the lights in the workshop and heard the hum of the machinery, and assumed they had discovered an unguarded treasure.

Without even conducting basic reconnaissance, they laughed wildly as they tried to storm in, claiming the land as theirs with their homemade rifles, machetes, and Molotov cocktails.

Their fate was predictable.

The concealed automatic sentry guns and electric traps around the workshop instantly neutralized their fighting ability.

Chen Yu personally subdued the four strongest among them, while the rest had lost their usefulness.

They are now conscious. The strong effects of the biological sedative are enough to make them aware of their surroundings, yet they are unable to control their bodies.

Fear, like a cold poison, seeped into every nerve of theirs.

His eyes were wide open and bloodshot from extreme terror.

Tears, snot, and uncontrollable saliva soaked their dirty cheeks, and suppressed sobs came from their throats.

“Please…please…” one of the strongest men, with a scar on his face, squeezed out a barely audible plea through clenched teeth, “Let us go…we’ll give you anything…”

Chen Yu's gaze swept over these "materials" as if he were examining a piece of ore or an alloy.

His optical sensors recorded their vital signs—all of which are redundant responses of inefficient biological systems to irreversible logical consequences.

His movements were decisive and precise, demonstrating absolute efficiency.

“The biological tissue activity is not bad. Old friend, prepare to begin the conversion process.” He calmly announced, “Preserve basic motor functions, remove all inefficient and uncontrollable parts, what we need are absolutely obedient combat units.”

Mechanical tentacles, like a swarm of intricate snakes with their own independent will, silently emerged, their ends gleaming with the light of various surgical tools.

The first step is to modify the brain.

A slender probe, guided by a laser servo-guided skull, precisely pierces from above the eye socket, reaching the prefrontal cortex region.

High-frequency microcurrents are precisely released, ablating the neural clusters responsible for personal will, complex emotions, fear, and creativity.

The begging for mercy stopped abruptly.

Those eyes, which were originally filled with extreme fear and pleading, quickly lost their light, becoming empty, dull, and unfocused.

All the struggles, all the personal histories, all the greed and fear, were completely erased in this moment.

“The prefrontal lobe resection is complete. Biological emotional interference has been eliminated.” Chen Yu said to the servo skull, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “Old buddy, get ready to implant the control chip and sensor interface.”

Next, the mechanical tentacles began to fully enhance the body.

The skin was cut open, the muscle tissue was peeled off, exposing the bones underneath.

The bone scaffold, made of reinforced alloy, was precisely implanted and integrated with the existing structure.

The original optical eyeball was removed and replaced with a low-light enhanced optical sensor that flashes a single, relentless red light.

The weapon interface is pre-embedded in the arm or shoulder, and the connecting cable is directly connected to the newly implanted processing center.

The air was filled with a strong mixed smell of disinfectant, blood, and bio-electrolyte.

(Ordinary fighter servant)
(Ordinary fighter servant)
(Mechanical Trainer Heavy Fighter Servant)

“Old buddy, these four combat servo units should be ready for basic initialization in about four hours,” Chen Yu said to the servo skull, as if assessing an investment. “While they can’t compare to the top-of-the-line stuff back home, they should be enough to deal with the trouble here. Not bad value for money, don’t you think?”

The servo skull clicked, indicating its agreement.

Chen Yu turned around, his gaze sweeping over the resource pile, the stably operating power supply module, and the steel guardians that were transforming on the platform.

A subtle sense of satisfaction flowed calmly through his logical circuits.

Although the road home is still long, every step forward is clearly visible.

He picked up an energy soldering iron and threw himself back into the work of expanding the power supply module.

The mechanical tentacles danced silently under his precise mental control, with occasional blue sparks briefly illuminating the hem of his dark red robe, the cold mechanical arms, and the expressionless metal mask.

"Alright, old friend, let's continue."

(End of this chapter)