Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 69 Receiving the Spoils of War (Tenth Update)

The hovercar landed with a dull thud on the open ground outside the abandoned town's workshop. Before the dust it kicked up had completely settled, the heavy hatch slowly opened.

Mann and his team began unloading in silence, an indescribable heaviness filling the air.

The mission that had just ended was too brutal, and the unexpected reversal at the end left everyone with lingering fear.

At this moment, they had a more intuitive and awe-inspiring understanding of the power wielded by the being deep within the workshop.

Chen Yu's tall, dark red figure appeared at the workshop entrance, the metal soles of his boots making a rhythmic, soft sound as they touched the ground.

His crimson optical lens slowly swept across the group carrying away the wreckage of weapons and electronic components, finally settling on the unconscious modified soldier whom Dorio was lifting down like a heavy package.

"An operation lacking necessary intelligence support and being overly reckless led to avoidable resource depletion and equipment loss." Chen Yu's synthesized voice was calm and even, without any emotional fluctuation, but the words themselves constituted a stern rebuke. "This fully demonstrates that your existing decision-making mechanisms and risk assessment capabilities are clearly inadequate."

If a similar mistake were to occur again while they are serving me, it would be considered a serious waste of valuable resources.

His accusations did not stem from anger, but rather from a cold judgment based on the logic of efficiency.

For Chen Yu, emotions are a distant and inefficient redundancy; he is more concerned with the final results of his actions and the return on investment.

Mann took a deep breath, made no attempt to explain, and simply nodded heavily: "It was our mistake, boss. We will remember this lesson."

He knew perfectly well that in the face of the already committed losses, any explanation would seem pale and powerless.

Chen Yu did not continue the topic; his attention was completely drawn to the "gains" of this operation.

He walked to Dorio's side, and a nimble mechanical tentacle silently emerged from under the dark red sleeve of his robe, precisely wrapping around the female cyborg soldier's armor collar, lifting her up with ease, as if her heavy military-grade cybernetic body were nothing at all.

"Dispose of these recyclables properly," he simply instructed Mann, then turned and headed deeper into the workshop with the prisoner in his arms.

As he passed by the two light attack mechs that had been transported back together and were supposed to be completely disabled, something strange happened.

A faint hum and the sound of parts resetting came from inside the mecha's shell. Then, they stood up on their own and walked with slightly stiff but unusually steady steps, like puppets controlled by invisible threads, silently following behind him towards the designated storage area in the workshop.

The core area of ​​the workshop was bathed in a constant, cold light.

Chen Yu laid the prisoner flat on the specially made metal experimental table in the center, and the restraint device automatically locked her limbs and torso.

Several mechanical tentacles equipped with different functional sensors quietly descended from above, beginning a comprehensive, all-around, in-depth scan of the body on the experimental table.

Optical lenses, spectrum analyzers, deep biological signal probes...

Multiple scanning modes were activated simultaneously, and a massive amount of data flowed rapidly on the floating interface to the side of Chen Yu's field of vision, like a rushing waterfall.

"Identity confirmed: Lieutenant Mower, belonging to the Military Technology Special Projects Operations Department." Chen Yu read out the identity information directly read from the other party's still not completely damaged military chip in a low voice.

His consciousness, like an invisible probe, easily pierced through the ICE, a military technology that was the pride of itself, and penetrated deep into the other party's chaotic memory area. Countless memory fragments, like shattered lenses, reflected the harsh training, the bloody mission execution process, and the waves of nerve pain brought on by the implant's overload.

Chen Yu browsed through these fragments with an almost absolute indifference, precisely filtering out valuable technical parameters and combat records, while completely ignoring the emotional fluctuations and painful experiences that belonged to the "personal" group.

The scan data quickly constructed a detailed three-dimensional model of Mower's body, clearly marking the precise location, specific model, and real-time energy flow path of each implant.

Analysis revealed that she was equipped with an experimental "Seanwisstan" type neural drive system, version 5.4b. Under extreme acceleration, the delay of neuronal signals could be suppressed to below 0.08 seconds, but its cooling cycle was too long, and continuous use would put a huge burden on the central nervous system.

The "monomer beam" implanted in the left forearm has a rather crude firing mechanism, resulting in an effective range and strike accuracy that are below standard levels.

While the existing reinforced tendons and alloy bone structure within her body provide a basic boost to strength and mobility, the energy transfer efficiency is quite low, with approximately 17.3% of energy being wasted.

The pair of mantis knives named "Night Raven" had a decent high-frequency vibration mode, but the toughness of the material itself and the energy conduction coating had obvious defects, making them prone to metal fatigue.

"Overall assessment:" Chen Yu's synthesized voice carried an unquestionable tone of judgment, "This is merely a product of forcibly piling up various laboratory-grade components. The system integration is poor, the design concept is filled with short-sightedness and utilitarianism, and it has caused irreversible and continuous damage to the carrier itself."

Its actual combat effectiveness fell far short of theoretical expectations.

In his cognitive system, the Mechreek technology tree, which originated from the Warhammer universe, may appear rough and even primitive in appearance, but its internal operating principles, profound understanding of materials science, and control over the nature of energy and matter are far beyond the reach of the technology level of this world.

The prosthetic technology in this cyberpunk world is more like blindly groping in the unknown and crudely applying it with a desire for quick success, full of technical pitfalls and flaws.

His gaze focused on Lieutenant Mower's nervous system, which was on the verge of collapse due to excessive modifications. The deep scan clearly showed that her neurotransmitter levels were extremely abnormal, and there were signs of potential organic damage to the limbic system of her brain—all typical early physiological characteristics of cyberpsychosis.

"Based on the existing data model, if this carrier continues to perform high-intensity combat missions or is implanted with a more powerful prosthetic body under the current load level, its nervous system will completely collapse within twelve to twenty-four standard months, with a probability of over 92%." Chen Yu drew a cold and ruthless conclusion.

This body might be a valuable experimental asset in the eyes of military technology, but in his eyes, it was nothing more than a substandard tool with a short design life and serious defects.

However, this is not entirely without value.

The fundamental qualities exhibited by this vessel—systematic military combat skills, physical adaptability to the S.A.S. system, and a reasonably robust physique—provided an excellent "experimental prototype."

A clear concept began to take shape and be perfected rapidly in Chen Yu's logical core: to completely transform and reshape it into a "rust seeker" that meets the standards of the Mechanical Education.

Within the vast and complex armed ranks of the Mechanicus, the Rust Seekers are cyborg assassins renowned for their efficiency and lethality.

Equipped with specially designed Sikarian series prosthetics and unique ball-jointed upper limbs, they can unleash astonishing speeds and agility thanks to the powerful thrust provided by the micro-fission reactors on their backs.

Their movements are unpredictable and their burst speed can even surpass that of the main Space Marines of the Astartes, approaching the Eldar's ghostly and unpredictable agility. They are especially adept at high-speed pursuit and precise assassination missions.

In Chen Yu's eyes, Lieutenant Mowell was like a poorly made imitation of some characteristics of the Rust Finder, but a beggar's version that was degraded and simplified due to a serious lack of underlying technical capabilities.

She does possess speed and is equipped with melee weapons, but overall she completely lacks the Rustseeker's systematic design that perfectly integrates all systems, creating a seamless, efficient, and deadly whole.

(End of this chapter)