Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 80 Contact Between the Two Sides (Eleventh Update)
Once the decision is made, an efficient execution mechanism is immediately activated.

A highly skilled special team, codenamed "Probe," was quickly assembled within hours.

The team leader was Dr. Mara Sorensen, a woman in her forties who holds a doctorate in cutting-edge materials science and extensive experience in international technical negotiations. She is known for her calmness, pragmatism, and ability to understand the psychology of others.

Her deputy was Major Richard Ward, an operations expert from the External Security Service with a proven track record of low-profile missions in sensitive areas. He was calm, collected, and had keen observation skills.

The core team also includes a top cyber operations expert responsible for ensuring communications security and analyzing potential cyber traps, and a behavioral analysis expert who aims to assess the true state and intentions of those they are contacting through subtle observations.

Through cross-analysis of Guan's testimony, unusual data streams that may have been left around the crime scenes of Strange and Winters and were not captured by regular surveillance, and in-depth investigation into Mann's team and his social connections, the team quickly identified a possible indirect link.

Instead of heading directly to the abandoned town, which would have been tantamount to provocation, they attempted to establish initial communication near a long-abandoned communications relay tower on the outskirts of Night City using a pre-set physical beacon with a specific identification signal.

The wait was not long.

Mowell appeared at the ground floor entrance of the abandoned tower, her posture relaxed yet alert, like a cheetah patrolling its familiar territory.

She was wearing a dark gray combat uniform with a functional long coat over it, the hem of which fluttered gently in the breeze.

Those meticulously modified eyes scanned the members of the "probe" team; the irises were an almost realistic sea blue, with a faint red glow visible only from certain angles.

Major Ward's breathing paused almost imperceptibly.

He recognized that unique posture and weight distribution, characteristics that could only be acquired through the highest levels of combat training and modification using military technology.

But to his surprise, the figure before him was far more powerful than any of the "Switchblade" squad members he could remember.

Her movements possess a sense of coordination honed through countless trials, yet also contain a fluidity that transcends mere mechanical precision.

Dr. Mara Sorensen stepped forward, maintaining a safe distance.

She displayed a professional and prudent demeanor, cutting straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries: "Madam, we are here representing military technology. We have received and carefully analyzed the message conveyed by Mr. Elliott Guan."

We understand that your 'owner' wishes to avoid unnecessary escalation of future conflicts.

She was extremely careful with her words, avoiding any words that might cause misunderstanding: "We have taken note of the specifics on the list and our initial assessment is that there is grounds for further discussion on these requirements."

But what interests us more is exploring the possibility of moving beyond a simple framework of reparations and ceasefires to open a more constructive, future-oriented channel of dialogue.

We believe this could mean even greater value for both sides.

Throughout the presentation, Dr. Sorenson, Major Ward, and the behavioral analysis experts behind them carefully observed Mowell.

Mowell listened quietly, his right hand unconsciously touching his left forearm.

Her facial expression remained neutral, but her eyes were unusually focused, as if assessing the weight of each word.

When Sorenson mentioned "more constructive dialogue," her eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, as if she had taken a liking to the idea, but she quickly regained her composure. Dr. Sorenson concluded with her core request: "Therefore, we hope your 'host' will grant you an opportunity for more direct communication."

Whether through highly secure, encrypted communication or face-to-face meetings in mutually acceptable, neutral, and secure locations, we are willing to demonstrate sufficient sincerity.

Mowell was silent for a moment, his optical lenses flickering slightly, as if exchanging data with something in the distance.

A few seconds later, she responded, her voice processed yet carrying a peculiar resonance: "Message received, I will pass it on."

Her gaze lingered on Sorenson's face for a moment before she added, "Wait for a reply. I'll contact you later."

As soon as she finished speaking, she nodded slightly, then turned and left, her movements swift and efficient yet polite.
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Mowell transmitted back to the depths of the abandoned town workshop without missing a single detail of the complete record of the "probe" team's contacts, including the composition of the other party, precise wording, subtle changes in tone, and data on the surrounding environment.

During a break in data transmission, she looked down at her palm and flexed her knuckles.

This simple movement reminded her of the years she practiced repeatedly on the military technology training field, but now the force driving this body was completely different.

She gently shook her head, clearing her mind of irrelevant thoughts.

She knew that the message that her master Chen Yu had conveyed through her had been delivered accurately, and in response, military technology had offered a proposal that went beyond mere compromise or fear, and was of a strategic probing nature.

Now, the final decision rests with the being who gave her new life and a mission.

In the core area of ​​the abandoned town workshop, illuminated by a constant cold light source, Chen Yu's tall, dark red figure stood before the holographic control console.

His crimson optical lens calmly swept across the detailed report sent back by Mowell, while on another interface beside him, the real-time energy readings and resonant waveforms of the dimension transmitter were steadily jumping.

His core logic is operating at high speed, with massive data flows surging, calculating, and simulating within it.

Proposals for military technology, potential retaliatory actions using biotechnology, the potential risks of maintaining the status quo, the benefits and uncertainties of initiating contact...

All these variables are transformed into cold parameters and input into his decision-making model based on efficiency and goal prioritization.

For him, whether he chooses to respond to the provocation of biotechnology with more violent force, thoroughly hurting the other party to deter them from acting rashly, or to accept the probing of military technology and start a transaction game with ulterior motives, they are just different paths and strategic tools to achieve the ultimate core goal.

Emotional revenge, the desire for power, or anger at being provoked—these complex human motivations have been greatly simplified and marginalized in his thought system.

The sole and fundamental criterion for his choice is which path, at the current juncture, can more efficiently acquire the necessary resources, minimize interference with his core research work, and most effectively avoid the risk of potentially large-scale conflict that would consume valuable time and energy.

Inside the workshop, the only sounds were the low hum of the equipment and the slight hiss of energy flowing through the conduits.

Chen Yu's mechanical fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the control panel, producing a regular, cold tapping sound.

A decision that could affect the balance of power in Night City and even a wider region is quietly brewing in the silent space beneath this desert.

(End of this chapter)