Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 78 The Reaction of Biotechnology (Ninth Update)

The assassination had a direct and severe impact on the core decision-making levels of the two giants in military technology and biotechnology.

However, due to their vastly different corporate cultures and core values, the shockwaves from this event spread and fed back within their respective systems, ultimately leading in different directions.

The air in the CEO's office on the top floor of the biotechnology headquarters was so heavy it was suffocating.

Nicolo Logagia stood with his back to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, outside which part of the Night City’s outline was distorted and deformed in the artificial halo.

Security chief Elliott Guan stood before him, his usual composure completely gone.

Guan's suit was wrinkled and clung to his body, his tie was askew, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

His eyes were unfocused, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his voice was broken and trembling: "She...she just appeared in my bedroom..."

"Mr. Logagia! In my own apartment, in the innermost room... all the security systems... all of them are as if they don't exist!"

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently: "I didn't even see how she got in... One second I was all alone in the room, the next second... the next second she was standing by my bed."

That weapon... was pressed against my throat... I could feel it vibrating, making that... that low-frequency hum..."

Guan's voice suddenly rose, filled with hysterical terror: "Her voice...it doesn't sound human at all! It's coming from some kind of synthesizer, so cold...so cold it makes my whole body go numb."

She said…she said we must stop all actions against them, all of it! Surveillance, tracking, bounties…everything must stop!

He frantically rummaged in his pocket, trembling as he pulled out a data chip: "This...this is the list she gave me, saying it's compensation...compensation for our 'offense.' I...I don't even dare to look at what's inside..."

Guan's breathing became increasingly rapid, almost suffocating: "She also said... Strange and Winters... they... they've been... eliminated. And I... the only reason I'm still standing here is because... because I needed to bring this news back..."

Just as Guan was rambling incoherently describing the weapon pressed against his throat, Logagia's personal terminal on his wrist suddenly emitted a piercing buzz. Two scarlet encrypted message windows popped up and hovered in the air.

Logagia's gaze swept over the first message, her pupils suddenly contracting. It was an urgent notification from the internal security department: "Confirmation that board member Julia Winters has died at her residence in Charter Hill."

His finger was still on the first message when the second message arrived—an internal notification from military technology, concise and cold: "Lieutenant Colonel Carl Strange, Operations Coordinator of Special Projects, has been confirmed dead."

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly. Logagia slammed his fist on the desk, his knuckles turning white from the force. Guan's report came to an abrupt halt as he stared in horror at the CEO's contorted expression, finally realizing what had happened.

"They...they all..." Guan's voice caught in his throat, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his shirt.

At this moment, he truly understood why he was standing here alive—he wasn't a survivor, but merely a meticulously designed messenger. His adversaries not only intended to kill, but also to precisely control the pace of information transmission; even the exact moment he learned of his colleague's death was calculated down to the second.

Logagia whirled around, slamming his hand down on the hard desk with all his might. The deafening crash echoed in the enclosed space, even the air seemed to vibrate. His face instantly turned from ashen to a deep red, the veins around his temples bulging and throbbing menacingly, as if they were about to burst at any moment.

"Outrageous! Utterly arrogant!" His voice ripped from his throat, echoing through the office with a cracked tone.

But beneath this outward display of rage, his fingertips were trembling uncontrollably. The news of Winters' death struck him like a heavy blow to the stomach; the woman who had always clashed with him at the board meeting, the adversary he had privately wished to eliminate, was now truly dead.

It wasn't in a meticulously planned business battle, but rather it was easily wiped out by an enemy of unknown origin, like crushing an ant.

This realization sent a chill down his spine.

He forced himself to stand straighter and raise his voice, trying to use the volume to cover up the inner turmoil.

"Retaliation!" he practically roared, turning to the executives who had rushed to the scene. Their faces were etched with terror, which only fueled his agitation: "The most severe retaliation must be carried out! At all costs!"

His gaze swept over everyone present, noticing several senior executives exchanging uneasy glances.

This made him even angrier, but also more uneasy.

"Intelligence!" he roared, naming names. "Send out all the analysts! That assassin and whoever was behind her! Don't let any clue slip by! Investigate all the rumors on the streets and in the black market!"

His voice grew louder and louder, as if he wanted to fill the suddenly empty office with commands.

The shadow of death had never loomed over him so vividly.

He recalled Guan's description of the weapon pressed against his throat and unconsciously touched his own neck.

"Security department! Raise the alert level to the highest level immediately! Reassess the security details of all senior executives!" His orders came one after another, so fast that no one could react.

“Black market bounty, astronomical price! I’ll pile up a mountain of euros and get all the hounds in Night City moving!” He paused abruptly, his chest heaving violently.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple, which he roughly wiped away with the back of his hand.

"I need to know which rat hole in the desert that the mastermind is hiding in!" His voice suddenly lowered, carrying an almost obsessive obsession. "Find him...and crush him completely..."

The last few words were practically squeezed out through clenched teeth.

He glanced around at the silent executives and saw the fear and hesitation in their eyes, which made him even angrier, but also made him realize more clearly that if the other side could easily take the lives of Winters and Strange, then taking his life would be no more difficult.

The thought coiled around his heart like a venomous snake, almost suffocating him.

But he could not show the slightest weakness in front of his subordinates.

He forced himself to straighten his back, using all his strength to maintain the appearance of rage, even though he knew perfectly well that to any discerning person, it was nothing more than a show of bravado masking weakness.

(End of this chapter)