Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 26 The Uninvited Guest

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

However, inside the only well-preserved large building in the abandoned town center occupied by Chen Yu, time has quietly slipped away while he is focused on his work, and the scene has been completely renewed.

Several days later, the once somewhat empty workshop has been efficiently reconstructed, with every inch of space given a clear function and order.

The most striking feature is the nascent power core at the center of the workshop. It is no longer the initial rudimentary battery array, but a composite structure consisting of a primary fusion reactor and multiple magnetic confinement rings.

The exposed energy conduits and the not-yet-fully-encapsulated reaction zone temporarily reveal a rough industrial form, but the stable low-frequency harmonics inside and the continuously rising energy readings on the operating terminal indicate an almost limitless energy supply potential.

The entire workshop was therefore operating under overload: the lighting system output was constant and glaring, the tool torque was maintained at its peak, and the air purification unit was running at full speed, almost completely filtering out metal particles and exhaust fumes.

Along the wall, four fighter jet servants had completed their initialization procedures. They stood silently, their reinforced alloy shells gleaming coldly, their head optical sensors still dormant, their lenses completely dark.

All weapon systems have passed final verification, energy batteries are fully loaded, physical ammunition chains are fully loaded, and they can be activated at any time to become silent guardians, efficient tactical units, or ruthless extensions of the operator's will.

Chen Yu stood in the center of the workshop, examining his creations. Tools on the workbench were arranged with millimeter-level precision, and the surfaces of the newly made parts shimmered with the faint light of cold working. Data streams on the terminal screen refreshed steadily like a waterfall.

The servo skull, an "old friend," floats on one side of the energy core, performing monitoring tasks, with blue light flashing at a constant frequency in its eye sockets.

The space is filled with a uniform energy field, and all systems are in precise control and optimal operation, presenting a profound sense of satisfaction brought about by near-perfect integration.

His gaze finally settled on the wall—a high-precision regional map mapped and updated in real time by a servo-controlled skull cluster.

Topographic data, resource coordinates, and the location of mutated creature nests are all marked with extremely fine lines; while several new trajectories radiating from the southeast toward the town are spreading across the map as highlighted red vector lines.

Just then, a replica servo skull that had been patrolling and monitoring the perimeter transmitted back an encrypted data stream.

[Alert: Large-scale vehicle movement detected. Location: Southeast, Distance: Approximately 22 kilometers. Quantity: Seven vehicles. Model: Heavily modified armed pickup trucks and one suspected armored personnel carrier. Heat signature database matching: 87% probability of being identified as "Luan Dao Hui" (乱刀会). Behavioral pattern: Low-speed cruising, intermittent stops, wide-area scanning. Speculated intention: To search for previously missing units and conduct retaliatory armed reconnaissance.]

Chen Yu's optical lens instantly focused, magnifying those few glaring red vector lines, and the logic core operated at high speed, cross-comparing the data.

"Larger in scale and equipped with upgraded gear. It seems they're not just after revenge, but also want to completely eradicate the threat and save face."

He calmly analyzed the sound and found that the synthesized sound was clearly audible in the empty, buzzing workshop, without any discernible fluctuations.

“The behavioral patterns remain inefficient, but the objective threat level has significantly increased.”

He felt no fear, only a calm acceptance that "the expected trouble has finally come knocking," and even a hint of anticipation that he could "test the new equipment."

His core logic began to rapidly calculate the success rate, resource consumption, and potential risks of various response plans.

Should we notify Mann's team? The idea was put aside as soon as it surfaced.

His relationship with Mann was one of equals, an employer-employee partnership, and he even held a dominant position on a technical level. Using that force to deal with this kind of trouble would be both unnecessary and an overreaction.

This is his territory, his troubles, and he should resolve them personally. This is not arrogance, but rather based on a clear understanding of his own capabilities and the fundamental principle of efficient problem-solving.

"I can handle it."

He spoke to himself, and to the suspended servo skull, his tone calm and confident, stemming from his strength.

Thanks to the trading channels established with MAN's team, he not only obtained high-quality batteries and materials, but also, through MAN's secret network of connections, successfully purchased a small batch of high-purity, stabilized secondary fusion fuel rods for a considerable but entirely worthwhile fee.

This is precisely the key to the successful ignition and stable operation of the nascent fusion reaction core beneath our feet.

While these fuel rods are far from comparable to the sacred fusion cores of the Mechanicus, their energy density and stability far surpass those of common energy sources in this world.

Just yesterday, he personally carried out the fuel rod replacement and injection process. The process was solemn and precise. He shut down the non-core area of ​​the reactor, and the mechanical tentacles, like performing precision surgery, removed the old, inefficient fuel units and then precisely inserted the new fuel rods, which shimmered with a deep blue light, into the core compartment.

As a deeper hum resounded, the energy output curve instantly became stable and robust, leaping several orders of magnitude.

The surging energy flow instantly permeated every pipe in the workshop and filled every energy conduit in his own body.

A long-lost feeling of power has returned.

His Martian creations—whether it was the radiation pistol hidden under his sleeves, the laser cutter integrated into his robotic arm, the menacing-looking Destroyer pistol hanging at his waist, or the phosphorescent weapon capable of melting a Leman Rustank into scrap metal in the Warhammer universe—had all completely shaken off their previous energy-starved state of "hunger."

They now docilely clung to his body, their internal energy capacitors fully charged, emitting a faint, dangerous heat signal that only he could perceive, like a sleeping beast, waiting for him to give the thought, and then it would awaken and spew out the destructive flames from another dark universe.

Although he is not a sage of the Cult of Mechanics, as an experienced Mechanicus priest, his full combat power has finally been restored, enough to deal with most of the challenges of this world.

"All external monitoring units are raised to the highest alert level. Continuously track the convoy's movements, calculate the most likely approach route, the estimated contact time, and simulate the best ambush point."

"Old pal, preload the threat response protocol 'Fortified' into all defense units. Commands ready."

He smoothly issued a series of instructions, his voice remaining steady, yet revealing a sharp, honed edge.

"Command confirmed. Protocol 'Fortified' is ready. All systems are responding to the highest level command."

The servo skull responded with a click, and the data stream on the projected light screen suddenly accelerated.

Chen Yu walked steadily toward the four stationary combat servers.

He reached out, his cold, metallic fingers brushing over one of the shoulder-mounted rocket launchers as if stroking a loyal dog, sensing the slight tremor of its internal mechanisms as they prepared for action.

"Initialization is 100% complete. It's time for a real-world performance test."

His tone was as calm as if he were arranging a routine test, but the destructive potential it contained was unmistakable.

"Activation order pending. Deployment plan: Utilize the complex terrain of the town ruins to carry out multi-layered ambushes and mobile obstruction, prioritize concentrated fire to destroy its mobile vehicles and heavy firepower points, and divide and annihilate them."

He was not anxious about the impending conflict; instead, he became even more focused and calm.

He returned to the main workbench, brought up the servant weapon system interface, performed a final quick soft check, and fine-tuned their coordinated combat command sequence and firepower allocation priority.

His movements were meticulous and precise to the millisecond, as if what was happening before him was not a bloody battle, but a sophisticated technical demonstration.

Inside the workshop, the atmosphere remained focused and orderly, even more so than usual, with a touch of cold, sharp tension poised to strike.

The energy core operates stably, emitting a reassuring low-frequency hum; the servants stand silently, like ancient warriors in steel coffins; the servo skulls move silently, and on the monitoring screen, the red dots representing threats in the distance are slowly and steadily approaching.

Chen Yu stood among his creations, his dark red robe concealing a mechanical body brimming with powerful energy, the hem of his robe fluttering even without wind.

Outside the window, the setting sun was painting the boundless desert into a curtain of hazy yellow and crimson, and the eternal sound of the wind seemed to be mixed with an unusual, clamorous noise, like the clash of metal.

The storm is gathering on the horizon, but it has already erected technological barriers, sharpened the blades of steel, and awakened the dormant rage.

This is the calm before the storm, a calm supported by absolute technological confidence, ample material preparation, and newly restored, formidable individual combat power capable of tearing apart tanks.

He simply waits for those uninvited "guests" to step into the ultimate testing ground he, the mechanical priest, has meticulously prepared for them—a place that blends ruins, steel, and flames of destruction.

(End of this chapter)