Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 68 One-Click Clear (Nine Updates)

The clamor of the battlefield was instantly replaced by an eerie silence.

The military technology soldiers, who were firing fiercely, were horrified to find that the aiming assist HUD on their weapons suddenly went out, and their tactical eyepieces were covered with jagged static.

But this is just the beginning.

A sharp, abnormal buzzing sound came from their bodies; it was the final wail of the military-grade prosthetic cores upon which they depended for survival and combat.

Immediately afterwards, a pungent smell of burning emanated from their neural interfaces and joint connections. The overloaded current instantly burned out the sophisticated control circuits and sensing components, paralyzing their originally powerful military prosthetic bodies and rendering them incapable of fighting.

Those drones buzzing in the air, trying to find a new shooting angle, had their internal control systems overwhelmed by an irresistible stream of commands within the same microsecond. Their navigation chips burned out, their rotors stopped spinning, and like insects crushed by an invisible hand, they fell from the sky, shattering into pieces on the sand and ruins.

The two mechs, which were advancing with heavy steps, suddenly dimmed their scarlet optical sensors like extinguished cigarette butts. Their massive bodies abruptly stopped, and the hydraulic systems at their joints hissed as they released pressure. Fine sparks of electricity shot out from the gaps, and then they froze completely in place, turning into two silent piles of scrap metal.

Even those combat robots that lack direct neural interfaces and rely on internal program control seem to have been collectively infected with some kind of deadly electronic plague.

Their core logic was violently altered, plunging their programs into complete chaos: some spun wildly in place until their motors burned out and emitted black smoke; others mistakenly identified friendly units as threats and turned their guns on other paralyzed robots or immobilized soldiers.

Although most of the weapons had also malfunctioned, the scene only exacerbated the chaos and despair.

All the military technology personnel who remained conscious and whose brains had not been directly burned out heard, at the same time, a cold, emotionless voice, like the grinding of rusty gears, through their not-yet-completely-failed auditory prosthetics or built-in communicators. This voice was directly imprinted on their perception: "Clear."

In just a moment, the military technology task force, which had been so aggressive and held an absolute advantage, was completely paralyzed and thrown into chaos.

Only a very few infantrymen, who were barely equipped with complex cybernetic devices and wore only basic bulletproof vests, were still able to move. However, they were completely terrified by this bizarre scene that resembled divine punishment. Their hands, which were holding guns, trembled violently, and they stood there helplessly, having lost all will to fight.

"I...I'm speechless..." Rebecca's mouth dropped open.

At this moment, Chen Yu's voice rang out in the team channel, still in that calm and even tone, but the content left no room for doubt: "Mann, take that modified soldier, along with those two mechs, and all the weapons and electronic equipment I marked, and move them to that still-functioning hovercar."

As he spoke, highlighted markers automatically appeared on the team members' visual interfaces, indicating the items that needed to be retrieved and the "awakened" hovercar whose engine was emitting a low rumble again.

“You’ll take it back,” Chen Yu added. “Now.”

"Understood, boss!" Mann reacted immediately, suppressing his shock, and began to direct everyone, "Quick! Do as the boss says! Load the stuff onto the truck! Dorio, you're in charge of guarding! Rebecca, Pila, don't just stand there!"

The group immediately sprang into action, quickly loading the unconscious modified soldier, the key components removed from the frame, and various marked weapon and equipment wreckage onto the hovercar suspended in the open.
-
On the other side, in the military technology command center, the virtual conference room was deathly silent.

All the surveillance screens either turned into static or froze on the last chaotic scene.

All contact with the forward action team was completely severed.

“Report…we…we’ve lost signal to all units.” The operator’s voice was hoarse. “Including drones, robots, mechs…and the ‘Switchblade’ squad. The last thing we received was a massive, indiscriminate electronic overload response…”

The operations manager slammed his fist on the control panel, his face turning ashen.

He didn't even know who the enemy was or what methods they used.

The other party completely destroyed his well-equipped action team in an instant, simply through the internet.

This power was beyond his comprehension. The biotechnology observer was equally pale, muttering to herself, "This network intrusion capability... the Black Wall... it must be related to the Black Wall..."

They watched helplessly as the last blurry footage transmitted back showed Mann's team loading their most advanced experimental cybernetic soldiers, mech wreckage, and other equipment onto a hovercraft that was supposed to be disabled. Then, the hovercraft took off smoothly without a driver, turned south, and disappeared into the desert night.
-
Mann's team squeezed into the slightly cramped airship cabin, watching the desert rushing past the window, their feelings complicated.

The relief of surviving the ordeal, the awe of Chen Yu's strength, and the anxiety about the uncertainty of the future were all intertwined.

"Damn it, I almost got screwed this time," Pila muttered, still shaken.

“We’ll settle accounts with Faraday when we get back.” Mann’s voice was low and menacing.

Rebecca stroked her plasma pistol, her eyes shining: "But the boss's move just now was fucking awesome! He took care of everything in one go!"

Dorio silently examined the shallow, almost healed scar on her arm, feeling the surging power within her.

Qi Wei, who was far away in the city, regained control of her body after Chen Yu's consciousness left.

She slumped into the chair, her back soaked with cold sweat.

The brief feeling of being "possessed" just now made her deeply realize how terrifying that "boss" was.

She dared not hesitate any longer and immediately began packing her things and contacting vehicles to leave the city.

Night City was no longer safe for her; she had to get to the abandoned town as soon as possible to reunite with Mann and the others.
-
This failed operation was like a heavy blow, shocking and instilling in the top management of both companies an unprecedented sense of...greed.

Losing a squad and its equipment was certainly painful, but the technology displayed by the Mann team, or rather, the entity behind them, was even more coveted.

Powerful energy weapons, biological enhancement technology beyond comprehension, and most crucially, the most terrifying, network intrusion capability that can instantly paralyze all electronic devices.

This is no longer just a small-scale skirmish by street mercenaries; behind it must be a powerful force or individual possessing cutting-edge, or even epoch-making, technology.

Military technology and biotechnology quickly reached a deeper, more secret cooperation agreement.

They need to mobilize more resources and use more covert methods to find out the truth and seize this power.

The undercurrents in Night City have become even more turbulent because of this brief exchange of fire on the edge of the desert.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned town workshop, Chen Yu had already turned his attention back to analyzing the data from the dimensional teleporter.

For him, this minor conflict was just an interlude, an opportunity to test the local forces' reaction and gather practical data.

He obtained several good "samples" and roughly figured out the company's bottom line and methods.

“Hopefully these ‘samples’ will yield some valuable data.” He watched the hovercraft approaching outside the workshop, its crimson optical lens flickering slightly. “As for the company’s retaliation… if they’re smart enough, they should know when to stop.”

If they're not smart enough, he wouldn't mind making them pay a deeper price.

(End of this chapter)