Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 42 It’s too late

Meanwhile, on the street leading to the biotechnology building, a heavily modified Goodwood SUV roared like a beast as it frantically weaved through the congested traffic.

Falco gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Every gear shift and every sharp turn was precise and swift, showcasing the skills of Night City's top drivers to the fullest.

The car body barely grazed the edges of other vehicles, and the wind it generated made the holographic billboards on the roadside sway, drawing a cacophony of horns and angry shouts from all around.

"Faster! Falco! Haven't you eaten yet?! Sasha can't wait that long!" Rebecca squirmed restlessly in the passenger seat, slamming her small fists against the vibrating dashboard.

Her short green hair stood on end with excitement, and her prosthetic eyes were fixed on the biotechnology building ahead—brightly lit in the night, yet exuding an invisible sense of oppression, as if she wanted to burn it through with her gaze.

"Rebecca, calm down! I've already pushed this wreck to its limit!" Falco roared, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead to his brow bone.

How could he not be anxious? Sasha's disappearance had long exceeded the safety threshold for any infiltration mission, which was definitely not a good sign.

In the back seat, Mann's brows furrowed into a deep, unyielding knot.

He tried calling Sasha's encrypted channel again and again, but all he heard from the receiver was an unsettling static and the occasional jarring signal interruption.

"Damn it! The internal shielding field of the biotechnology is even stronger than we expected!"

Meanwhile, Pila nervously fiddled with the replica servo skull that Chen Yu had lent them, known as "Test Subject 1".

The modified skull, with its eye sockets shimmering with a faint blue light, hovered quietly inside the carriage, exuding an eerie aura that was neither alive nor dead.

“Hey, boss,” Pila’s voice carried a hint of hopeful expectation, “Do you think this thing the boss gave us… besides scanning and recording, might have some other functions? Like… forcibly penetrating shields or something?”

He grasped at it like a lifeline, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cold, smooth metal surface of his skull repeatedly.

Before Mann could answer, Rebecca whirled around, her bloodshot prosthetic eye glaring at Pila: "Then what the hell are you standing there for? Give it a try! Ask this metal brute if he can get in touch with Sasha!"

Pila trembled at the shout, and almost instinctively stammered to Test Subject 1, "Uh... 'Test Subject 1'? Can... can you find a way to contact Sasha?"
"It's our hacker! She's probably in big trouble in the biotechnology building right now!"

The blue light in the eye socket of test subject 1 instantly became brighter and more focused, and the jawbone emitted an extremely slight "click" sound, as if it were making some kind of internal logical judgment.

After a brief silence, a voice devoid of any emotion rang out in the oppressive carriage: "Designated target detected: Sasha. Identifying associated communication protocols... attempting to establish a connection... high-intensity corporate-grade signal jamming network detected."

The hearts of everyone in the car sank.

However, Experiment 1 did not stop its analysis. It continued speaking at a steady pace: "Analyzing network vulnerability shielding... Attempting to use non-standard packet injection and frequency hopping protocols... Bypassing the main gateway... Connection established..."

A few seconds later, under the incredulous gazes of Mann and the others, a faint, familiar voice, mixed with strong electrical interference and rapid breathing, actually came from the built-in speaker of Experiment 1! "...Pila? Is...is it you? How is this possible..." It was Sasha's voice, filled with shock and undisguised weakness.

"Sasha! How are you?!" Pila shouted excitedly, leaning forward, almost falling onto the floating skull.

“I…I’m trapped…in the Biotechnology Building…on the 27th floor…the east office area…” Sasha’s voice was broken and intermittent, with clear explosions and the sharp sound of metal being torn apart in the background. “They’re breaking down the door! How…how did you contact me?”

"It's a new toy the boss gave me!" Rebecca interrupted, her voice rising with excitement, even cracking slightly. "Sasha! Listen! We're almost there! Hang in there! Don't do anything stupid! Find a sturdy place to hide!"

On the other end of the communication line, Sasha was silent for a moment, then spoke again with an unusually urgent and resolute tone: "No! Don't come! This time is different! This is my own business! I can't drag you into this! Biotechnology is on full alert! You'll be sending yourselves to your deaths if you come!"

"Bullshit!" Rebecca instantly exploded, roaring at the skull, "What do you mean 'your own business'?! You're one of us! You're family! Understand?! Family! Swallow your 'don't implicate' bullshit theory back to me!"
"You'd better wait patiently! We're here to rescue you! You took my plasma gun! And you owe me a drink! You dare die before you pay me back?! I'll dig you out of your grave and beat you to a pulp!"

Rebecca's roar was like a scorching metallic storm, filled with undeniable arrogance and a burning worry buried deep in her heart, violently impacting Sasha on the other end of the communication link.

“…Rebecca…” Sasha’s voice trembled with barely suppressed sobs, but was immediately interrupted by the sounds of more intense and closer gunfire.

The communication signal began to fluctuate violently, and her voice became indistinct: "...They're in!...The plasma gun is overheating...I have to..."

Zila——!
Communication suddenly ceased, leaving only a chilling busy tone in the carriage.

"Sasha! Sasha! Damn it!" Rebecca frantically pounded on the cold outer shell of Experiment 1, as if that would reconnect the life-saving circuit.

"We've arrived!" Falco slammed on the brakes, the Goodwood's tires screeching violently against the ground, finally stopping a block away from the main entrance of the Biotechnology Building.

There was no way to advance any further—the airspace around the building had been completely blocked off by several hovercraft with flashing glaring police lights, and swarms of small reconnaissance drones hovered low in the air like bloodthirsty locusts.

At the ground entrance, a heavy blast-proof gate was crashing down. Security personnel, dressed in bio-tech armor and fully armed, had already formed a tight temporary defense line, their guns coldly pointed outwards.

"Damn it! I'm too late!" Mann slammed his fist into the car door with a dull thud, his face turning ashen.

The situation before them far exceeded the level of a typical infiltration mission going wrong; biotechnology had clearly come to regard Sasha as a major threat that had to be eliminated.

Rebecca stared at the impenetrable defenses before her, her eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.

"Never mind! Charge in! Get Sasha out!" she screamed as she reached for the car door handle, but Mann held her down firmly with his strong arm.

“Rebecca! Calm down! Look outside! That’s the company’s regular security force! Not street thugs! If you rush in like that, you’ll be riddled with bullets in a second! You won’t be able to save Sasha, and you’ll drag us all down with you!” Mann’s growl was like ice water, trying to extinguish Rebecca’s almost suicidal impulse, but he himself was holding Rebecca’s arm, which was also trembling slightly.

Forcibly storming the company's core stronghold is a death taboo recognized by almost all Night City mercenaries, and no one can bear the consequences.

(End of this chapter)