Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 53 The Price of Help

However, when faced with Sasha's question and everyone's hopes, Chen Yu simply asked them, "Why should I help you?"

The workshop fell into a deathly silence, with only the deep hum of the energy core and the slight airflow of the equipment's heat sinks echoing through it.

The excited hope on the faces of the Mann team members vanished like a flame extinguished by ice water, leaving only wisps of smoke and a bone-chilling cold.

Chen Yu's steady synthesized voice broke the silence. Although her tone was still monotone, it precisely dissected the reality: "It is technically feasible to help Sasha implement the 'Black Wall Announcement' plan."

However, targeted operations against the Black Wall come at a price.

Energy, rare materials, my time, and specific knowledge are all finite resources. You need to provide a reason sufficient to justify this cost.

His words carried the directness characteristic of a technologist, and the crimson optical lens steadily swept across the crowd, as if conducting a necessary assessment.

This purely rational scrutiny made Rebecca uncomfortable; she disliked the feeling of being quantitatively analyzed.

Mann took a deep breath and stepped forward. His tall figure still seemed somewhat intimidating in front of Chen Yu, but his tone was solemn: "Boss, this time, on my behalf, on behalf of our entire team, we owe you a huge favor."

"From now on, whenever you need our help, just ask, and as long as it doesn't cross our bottom line, we will never refuse."

This was the most important promise he could make as the team leader; in Night City, the favor of a top mercenary team was indeed quite valuable.

He tried to use street tactics, offering his future potential value in exchange for this crucial assistance.

Chen Yu shook his head slightly, as if correcting a technical parameter: "The concept of human relationships is too broad, difficult to quantify and value, and cannot balance the actual risks and resource consumption I have to bear due to hacking into the Black Wall."

I understand the weight this commitment carries in your values, but to me it is not enough to offset the full cost; this offer is insufficient.

In his logical framework, unfulfilled promises are indeed no different from empty checks; what he needs is a clearer and more easily measurable cost for their value.

"What about me?!" Rebecca lunged forward, her green prosthetic eye flashing with excitement. She practically shielded the medical bed with her petite frame, her voice filled with a desperate resolve. "You can do modifications, right? What do you think of me? I... I can be your... your girlfriend! I'll be there for you anytime! As long as you can help Sasha!"

Her words carried the bluntness of a street girl, betting herself as her last chip on the gambling table.

This was the most "direct" way she could think of to give, even though the idea itself was naive and impulsive.

Upon hearing this, Pila was so startled that she forgot to rub her aching chest. Dorio frowned, and Mann immediately hissed, "Rebecca! Don't talk nonsense!"

He knew that Rebecca would do anything for Sasha, but such a sacrifice was something they were never willing to see.

A very faint sound, like air passing through, came from under Chen Yu's mask.

His lens lingered for a moment on Rebecca's obviously childish face and short stature, his tone steady but clear: "First of all, I'm not a lolicon, and I have no interest in physical characteristics like yours."

Secondly, although I retain some biological instincts, my emotional needs outweigh my purely physiological needs.

"Your proposal doesn't conform to the principle of efficiency, and... it's not practical." He paused briefly, then added, maintaining the objectivity of a technical assessment, "From the perspective of biocompatibility and social fit, this proposal is not the optimal choice, and it will cause me trouble." Rebecca's face flushed instantly, whether from embarrassment or anxiety, she didn't know. She wanted to argue, but Mann stopped her with a look.

A sense of powerlessness enveloped her; she realized that even "sacrificing" herself seemed so impractical in the face of this red-robed being.

Mann realized that Chen Yu was not deliberately making things difficult for Sasha, nor was she completely unaffected by Sasha's situation.

He was simply following a set of efficiency-oriented exchange principles that they did not yet fully understand.

What he needs is not vague promises or impulsive dedication.

Mann took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and looked firmly into Chen Yu's crimson optical lens: "Boss, just say it. You know we won't give up on Sasha's only hope, and you know we can't afford the cost of you using the Black Wall technology. What exactly do you want? Please tell me clearly."

He gave up trying to negotiate and prepared to accept the most direct terms.

Chen Yu seemed to approve of Mann's frankness. He nodded slightly and finally stated his specific conditions, his voice steady and clear: "My request is very clear. I need you, Mann, and your entire 'Fringe Walker' team, to swear allegiance to me."

We will establish a strong hierarchical relationship, not a loose collaboration. You need to follow my instructions and serve my goals. In exchange, this will offset the costs and risks I will incur in using the Black Wall technique to help Sasha.

“Loyalty?” Mann’s brows furrowed immediately; the word triggered his instinctive resistance.

As a veteran who survived the unification war, he had witnessed firsthand the ruthlessness of too many companies and those in high positions.

He left the army to form this team in order to escape the fate of being controlled by others and to retain the last bit of autonomy in the city with his trusted "family".

To pledge allegiance to another mysterious and technologically unfathomable "superior"?
This almost crossed his bottom line.

The image of his comrades falling under the company's guns flashed through his mind, and the freedom bought with blood constantly reminded him.

"What exactly is the mission?" Mann didn't refuse immediately, but asked in a deep voice. He needed to assess the actual risks. "If it's just a high-difficulty mission, my team can carry it out immediately and use the mission reward to compensate for the cost of your actions."

He is still trying to maintain the relationship at a relatively equal employment level.

Chen Yu shook his head again, rejecting Mann's suggestion: "No, Mann. You've underestimated the danger of the future mission and overestimated the team's current capabilities."
Your current state—outdated equipment, insufficient compatibility with cybernetic bodies, and tactical thinking still limited to street conflicts—means that executing the mission I've planned will inevitably result in total annihilation.

His analysis was calm and accurate, revealing the flaws beneath the apparent strength of Mann's team, much like a diagnostic report.

His words clearly reached everyone's ears: "The survival of the team itself is not my primary concern; it's just a matter of losing some test data and potential tools."

But the failure of the mission is something I cannot accept. It concerns matters far more important than Sasha's life, even more important than the existence of your entire team.

Chen Yu does not hide his "pragmatic" stance, and this frankness makes him seem genuine.

In his view, the value of the Mann team lies in their malleability and future potential, and to unlock that potential, they first need to be completely under his control.

(End of this chapter)