Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 85 Abandoned Town Stronghold (Sixteenth Update)

The two precise and ruthless actions carried out by Chen Yu through Mowell were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the surface anger of military and biotechnology.

Although undercurrents are still swirling, at least on the surface, the arrest warrant for Mann's team has been withdrawn, and the ubiquitous tracking and harassment have temporarily ceased.

Night City’s massive news machine quickly shifted its focus to other hot topics, but Mann understood the company’s style better than anyone else, and this brief calm seemed to him more like the calm before the storm.

He knew that the company's compromises were never out of kindness, but rather a shrewd cost calculation.

Once they find a more cost-effective and efficient method, the retaliation will only be more covert and deadly.

“The warrant has been lifted, but our names are probably already at the top of some ‘special attention’ list within the company,” Mann told everyone at the team meeting.

His weathered face showed no sign of relaxation, and his thick prosthetic fingers tapped the table unconsciously, making a dull thud that only made him more cautious: "Before, we were just mercenaries with a bit of a reputation on the streets, but now... we've become 'troublesome figures' who can cause the company to suffer losses and force them to shut up temporarily."

This means the work will be more dangerous, and we'll be under more scrutiny.

After repeated discussions and deliberations, the team made an important decision: not to move their main base back to the familiar warehouse in Night City, filled with modified equipment and weapon cases.

Although the place was full of traces of life and memories of the past, it was too obvious a target, and if it were targeted again, it would be easy to wipe them out in one fell swoop. They decided to concentrate their resources on the abandoned town stronghold on the edge of the badlands, transforming it from a temporary shelter into a fully functional base capable of long-term garrisoning and combat.

Not everyone readily accepted this decision.

Pila complained non-stop from the start, waving his long, thin mechanical arm and exclaiming in an exaggerated tone, "God, this place is all sand and wind, and we can't even find a decent Mewtwo experience store!"

Even if I want a proper drink tonight, I have to go back to the city! The internet signal in this godforsaken place is so bad it's unreliable, and my 'artistic' gear—" he pointed to his brightly colored prosthetic body paint, "is almost completely worn away by the sandstorm!"

Rebecca, on the other hand, expressed her longing for the "lively" and "exciting" aspects of city life more directly.

She pouted, even the light in her green prosthetic eye seemed to dim slightly: "At least in the city you can find a fight anytime. What about here? What can you do besides watch lizards crawl around?"

However, both Dorio and Falco supported Mann's decision.

Dorothy crossed her arms, her bronze muscles gleaming under the lights. She stated calmly and firmly, "Safety first! The city is too easy to infiltrate. Cameras, middlemen, even homeless people on the street could be informants. Here, we can see who's coming."

Falco analyzed the situation from a tactical perspective. He habitually pushed up his sunglasses and calmly said, "The abandoned town has a wide field of vision with almost no tall buildings to block the view, making it convenient for deployment and early warning."

The surrounding badlands have complex terrain and many escape routes. If you are familiar with the terrain, you can shake off most of your pursuers.

If we manage this place well, we can attack or defend as needed.

Qiwei remained silently huddled in the shadows of the corner, the collar of her dark red coat turned up high.

Her attitude was also clear: after witnessing Chen Yu's almost godlike power and the company's subsequent insane retaliation, a place far from the city's network center, in a secluded location, and with a powerful figure in charge, would allow her tense nerves to relax a little.

She added in a low voice, "There's less background noise in the electronic signals here, so if... if an emergency encrypted link needs to be established, there will be much less interference."

Mann finally made the decision: "It's settled then! This will be our home and our fortress from now on, and we're going to make it a proper place."

Thus, a major overhaul of the abandoned town stronghold was quickly launched.

They used the euros they had saved from previous missions, plus the occasional technical support from Chen Yu that was far ahead of its time.

For example, some efficient energy transmission line designs and simple signal shielding schemes were used to begin a complete renovation of this abandoned maintenance station.

Mann reconnected with a family of wanderers operating in the Badlands through past connections.

The Solo family is known for their good reputation, solid skills, and tight-lipped nature. They are familiar with the bad soil environment and know how to make use of limited resources for construction.

The team leader was Buck, a robust middle-aged man with rough skin rubbed raw by the wind and sand, sharp eyes, and a straightforward and pragmatic manner typical of a wanderer. "We'll bring the materials from the border, priced at market value, but the quality is guaranteed. They're all surplus military supplies or good stuff salvaged from abandoned outposts," Buck said, shaking hands firmly with Mann. "Don't worry about the manpower; my lads are quick and efficient, they know how to work in the wasteland."

The renovation began with structural reinforcement.

The Solo family's heavy transport trucks carried thick composite metal plates to the abandoned town, where workers used large hydraulic equipment to dismantle the original fragile brick and wood walls and replace them with alloy plates that could withstand heavy firepower.

The blinding blue light and hissing sound emitted during welding became the main theme of the abandoned town during that period.

Buck personally oversaw the construction of the critical load-bearing structures to ensure nothing went wrong.

“In bad soil, houses aren’t sturdy, and you can’t sleep soundly at night,” he explained to Mann, who came to check on the progress.

Windows are a key point of defense.

The original window openings were enlarged and recalibrated, and fitted with multi-layered bulletproof glass that had been sourced from the old military base.

It also features a hydraulic alloy baffle designed by Falco and handcrafted by wandering artisans.

These baffles have a matte finish, so when closed they blend seamlessly with the exterior wall and are not easily noticed.

Falco spent a lot of time debugging their opening and closing speeds and linkage mechanisms to ensure they could quickly enter a defensive state in an emergency.

Roof renovation is also crucial.

The workers first laid a thick layer of insulation and waterproof membrane, and then covered it with a lightweight but very tough composite armor plate.

With her enhanced power, Dorio personally helped install several concealed hemispherical firing pods and periscope observation devices.

These locations were carefully planned, covering all access routes around the outpost.

Falco focused most of his energy on building the outer defense system.

He led a group of young homeless people who knew about electronic devices to build several seemingly chaotic but actually ingenious obstacle courses using the ruins scattered throughout the abandoned town.

They cleverly embedded highly sensitive vibration sensors and low-visibility wide-angle monitoring probes within these obstacles.

All sensor wiring was redundantly arranged and ultimately connected to a newly established small monitoring center in the basement.

At the heart of this system is a server hardened and encrypted by Qiwei, which processes all sensor data and connects to the team members' personal communicators and prosthetic eye displays.

The interior of the settlement has also been redesigned to balance functionality and long-term living comfort.

The originally spacious main hall has been divided into several functional areas using a lightweight but sturdy alloy frame and soundproofing panels.

Near the fortified gate is the tactical deployment area, where a huge electronic map of Night City and the Badlands hangs on the wall, with markers updated in real time. Below it is a large metal conference table with several sturdy chairs beside it.

In the middle is the living area, furnished with sofas and several single chairs that were salvaged and repaired from the city's flea markets, and even an industrial-style coffee table made from a discarded oil drum.

The innermost area is separated into a men's and women's rest area by thick curtains, and there is also a small armory with enhanced ventilation and fire prevention measures, where weapons and ammunition are neatly categorized and placed.

Rebecca had somehow acquired some extremely drought-resistant cacti and succulents from a homeless market and placed them in several corners of the living area.

These tenacious green lives add a small but reassuring touch of vitality to this place filled with metal, cement, and the smell of engine oil.

(End of this chapter)