Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 76 Mowell's Actions (Seventh Update)
The company square and municipal center of Night City are always the core of power in this city. Even in the dead of night, this area never truly sleeps.

The skyscrapers stand like cold, metallic giants, their silhouettes sharply defined against the backdrop of the artificial sky.

The Arasaka Tower is the most eye-catching of them all. It stands majestically, like a silent monarch looking down on everything below.

The building's exterior is covered with huge holographic billboards and real-time data streams, and the changing lights illuminate the street as bright as day.

These lights, though dazzling, exude an inhuman coldness.

The company plaza is paved with a smooth synthetic material that reflects the intense light from above, and there are almost no stains or damages to be seen.

The streets were sparsely populated, and most of the pedestrians were walking hurriedly, dressed in well-tailored business suits, with standard and aloof expressions on their faces.

Occasionally, a hovercar would glide by silently and land on a designated platform.

The patrolling security personnel were well-equipped, their eyes flashing with a vigilant red light as they systematically scanned every corner.

Despite the bright lights, an unusual silence enveloped the area.

The shadows of the giant building are cast onto the meticulously manicured green belt, creating geometric patterns of light and shadow.

Even the air seemed filtered, carrying an unnatural sense of cleanliness.

The entire area is like a precision instrument, efficient, indifferent, and intolerant of any disorder.

Mowell, once a lieutenant in military technology, has now been completely transformed into a weapon that serves only one person.

Her will and actions were entirely in service of her master and that unfathomable technological power.

At this moment, she was walking through this somewhat unfamiliar street, searching for the target designated by her master.

The first target was Elliott Guan, the biotechnology company's security chief.

He hid on the top floor of a heavily guarded private apartment building near the company headquarters, relying on layers of protection to gain a sense of security.

Mowell chose an unconventional way to enter.

Using an adhesive climbing device, she moved upwards along the smooth glass curtain wall like a shadow clinging to the wall.

Her movements were fluid and steady, precisely avoiding the periodically scanning surveillance cameras.

After reaching a distance below the target floor, she paused and looked for her next foothold.

The balcony of the target apartment is enclosed by a sturdy glass curtain wall, with the living room area inside.

The balcony door lock is an advanced magnetic lock that is connected to the main security system.

Mowell took out a tiny device, attached it to the glass near the door lock, and activated it.

After a barely perceptible energy pulse, the door lock indicator light went out, causing a nearby hidden camera to malfunction briefly.

Taking advantage of this brief gap, she used a monomolecular wire to cut a neat opening in the glass.

She reached in and manually released the backup mechanical lock that had been activated due to a system failure.

After successfully infiltrating the living room, she immediately began to penetrate the apartment's internal network.

Although the system was physically isolated from the outside world, it could not withstand the advanced hacking protocol that Chen Yu had given her.

She sent out fake system self-check commands, quietly taking over control.

The motion sensor was set to "maintenance mode," and the camera looped a static image of an empty room.

According to the intelligence gathered by Mowell, four bodyguards were on duty in the apartment: two in the living room and entrance, one in the kitchen area, and the other outside the master bedroom door. The life signal for the target, Elliott Guan, was located inside the master bedroom.

After assessing the options, Mowell chose the ventilation duct in the ceiling.

She silently removed the grille, entered the narrow pipe, and skillfully climbed up to the master bedroom using the structural diagram from her memory.

After finding the corresponding exit, she used the tool again to unlock the safety lock and quietly entered the dressing room below.

The dressing room and sleeping area were separated by a sliding door. She went through the sliding door and entered the sleeping area.

The room was dimly lit only by the floor lamp. Elliott Guan lay on the bed, fast asleep, fueled by drugs and alcohol. Empty wine glasses and medicine bottles were scattered around the bed.

Mowell did not act immediately.

She first scanned the room to make sure there were no hidden, stand-alone alarm devices. Then, she blended into the shadows beside the bed, minimizing her physical activity and almost becoming one with her surroundings.

She waited patiently until Guan's sleep cycle naturally transitioned to a lighter stage.

His body began to writhe restlessly, and his breathing became heavy.

Just as he was about to wake up, Mowell took a half step forward and entered his blurry vision.

At the same time, her right arm rose, and the sonic blade slid out silently.

When the weapon is not activated, it is just a uniquely shaped piece of dark metal; but when she activates the core, an invisible ultra-high frequency vibration field is instantly formed, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly and heart-poundingly.

When Guan opened his eyes and saw the figure beside the bed and the weapon that exuded a deadly aura, his pupils dilated with fear.

His throat tightened, and he tried to scream.

Mowell's left hand shot out with superhuman speed, precisely pressing down on his jaw joint, instantly robbing him of his ability to speak.

At the same time, the tip of the sonic blade pointed at his Adam's apple, and the faint stinging pain and strong suffocating suggestion brought by the vibration field completely froze his movements.

"Quiet." Mowell's voice was processed, flat and monotone, just loud enough for him to hear: "Listen carefully, this will determine whether you see the sun tomorrow."

She maintained her controlled posture, the tip of the sonic blade still pointing at his Adam's apple, beginning to convey a message.

"First, all hostile actions against Mann's team and those behind him must cease immediately and completely."

This includes, but is not limited to, surveillance, tracking, bounty hunting, armed attacks, and any form of intelligence gathering.

Your tentacles must be completely withdrawn from our surroundings.

The moment he finished speaking, he sent a detailed list of specific minerals, rare elements, and high-precision equipment to the personal communicator on his bedside table via short-range data injection.

The screen lit up, and the densely packed list of projects was particularly glaring in the darkness.

"Secondly, you shall pay compensation for the losses you have caused and the time my master has wasted. A list has been sent, and each item on it represents a price you must pay. This is not a request, but a notice."

She slightly adjusted the angle of the sonic blade, and the invisible vibration field made the hairs on Guan's neck stand on end.

"Your two colleagues, Carl Strange in military technology and Julia Winters in biotechnology, will be eliminated."

This is a direct response to your previous actions and your continued delusions. Their fate was sealed the moment you made your foolish decision.

"And you, Elliott Gwan, are allowed to live. Your only value is as a messenger to deliver exactly what you see and hear, every word I have conveyed, and that list to your superiors."

Make them understand that the consequences of continuing this entanglement will go far beyond simply losing two senior executives.

We possess power sufficient to reduce any hand that dares to extend, along with its owner, to ashes.

“Of course,” her voice remained cold, yet it hinted at room for negotiation, “if you are wise enough to show more ‘sincerity’ beyond just paying compensation, my master might consider limited, reciprocal technical exchanges in the future.”

The decision of whether to choose continued bloodshed and loss, or a path that may allow for coexistence, rests with you.

Remember, your life is only temporary. Whether you can continue to hold onto it depends on whether you can perfectly fulfill your duty as a messenger.

The message has been delivered.

She released her grip, and the sonic blade silently retracted.

She didn't look at the nearly collapsing Guan again, turned around and retreated through the dressing room to the ventilation duct with equally precise and silent steps, restoring everything to its original state.

She returned to the living room via the pipe, and after confirming that she hadn't been noticed by the bodyguards, she left through the cut on the balcony and retrieved the miniature device.

She descended rapidly along the outer wall, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the city's underworld.

The entire operation, from infiltration to evacuation, took approximately thirty minutes.

The target, Elliott Guan, was physically unharmed, but his mental state was on the verge of collapse.

He collapsed on the bed, and after a long while, he struggled to grab the communicator and tried to contact his superiors in a trembling and incoherent voice.

Chen Yu's warning, delivered through this startled messenger, finally reached the highest levels of biotechnology.

(End of this chapter)