Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 92 Electronic Warfare Weapon (23rd Update)

Sasha and Qiwei were the last to enter the workshop. Their feelings were completely different, yet they shared a similar solemnity.

Sasha's feelings were the most complex and difficult to describe.

She had walked on the edge of death, her body like a shattered doll, with most of her bones broken and her internal organs severely damaged.

It was Chen Yu who, with technological means she couldn't comprehend, forcibly pulled her back from the brink of utter annihilation.

That emergency modification replaced almost all of her original components except for her brain and part of her core nervous system, giving her a new life in an almost "inhuman" state.

Standing here now, facing a deeper level of "upgrade", she felt a mix of gratitude to the creator, trepidation about the unknown, and a sense of bewilderment about her own form of existence—was this body, which was almost entirely made of metal and synthetic tissue, still "Sasha"?
Qi Wei, on the other hand, carried more of a technologist's inquiry and a hint of barely perceptible awe.

She had personally experienced Chen Yu's terrifying power, which was like that of a god, to instantly paralyze an entire company team through the network. The experience of having her consciousness forcibly taken over and her body used as a springboard completely overturned her understanding of "hacking technology".

She longed to understand and master this electronic warfare technology that was beyond the comprehension of Night City, though deep down she remained wary of this power and its origins.

Chen Yu's tall, dark red figure stood beside the lab bench, the crimson optical lens sweeping across the two of them without any superfluous emotional expression or pleasantries.

“Your existing system is inefficient and does not meet the team’s future combat needs.” His straightforward synthesized voice echoed in the workshop, as if stating an objective fact. “The transformation will focus on the head and nervous system, replacing the outdated network access module and hacking kit.”

The surgical procedure was precise, efficient, and even ruthless.

The original implants belonging to the cyberpunk world were removed one by one and replaced with electronic war machines that conformed to the Mechanicus standard.

These newly implanted structures are more complex and highly integrated, with sharp lines and full of functionality, exuding a pure, inhuman sense of efficiency.

The neural connection process was accompanied by subtle energy fluctuations and data stream synchronization. Sasha and Qiwei could sense that something larger and colder was connecting with their consciousness.

"The modification is complete." Chen Yu's voice pulled them back to reality. "Your original hacking equipment has been removed. The new system is a node unit built based on electronic warfare requirements."

He began explaining the specific functions of the new system, his tone as if reading from a technical manual: "First, individual combat capability. In single combat mode, any one of you can proactively deploy a powerful electronic warfare area with a radius of about one kilometer."

This field is not simply signal interference, but rather the release of modulated, high-intensity electromagnetic pulses and a torrent of data corruption.

It is powerful enough to instantly overload and burn out all 'inadequately protected' civilian and some standard military-grade electronic equipment within range.

This means that the vast majority of unshielded prosthetics, communicators, drones, and vehicle control systems will be paralyzed the moment the field is deployed.

"Second, cooperative combat mode. When the two of you are within effective connection range and operate in coordination, the system power and range can be superimposed and amplified."

The coverage area in the electronic warfare domain can be extended to a diameter of up to five kilometers.

At the same time, you can build a relatively stable regional encrypted communication network to provide our units with a reliable command and intelligence link in complex electromagnetic environments.

Chen Yu concluded: "In short, the core advantage of this system is that it targets all enemies that rely on sophisticated electronic devices and network connections."

In a world where the vast majority of combatants are highly cybernetic, its effectiveness will be maximized.

Sasha slowly raised her hand, attempting to subtly activate her newly acquired power. A few barely perceptible arcs of electricity, radiating a dangerous blue light, instantly flickered at her fingertips, filling the air with a faint scent of ionization. She could "sense" the previously invisible electromagnetic signals in the surrounding space, which now seemed to possess outlines and colors, forming a completely new, information-based level of perception.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the slight unease about her self-awareness, and focused her attention on the sense of control brought about by this newfound power.

Qiwei's reaction was more direct and focused.

Almost the instant the system started, she was immersed in the vast ocean of data perception.

She could clearly "see" the wireless data packets flowing in the air, "hear" the electromagnetic whispers emitted by the equipment in the distant workshop when it was on standby, and even vaguely sense the identification signals emitted by the implants on Mann and others on the outskirts of the abandoned town.

What Chen Yu gave her was no longer the skill of hiding in the shadows of data to find system backdoors, but the power to crush everything in front of her and control the entire information battlefield with absolute force.

This leap in power level made her previous hacking skills seem like child's play.

For the first time, she truly realized that choosing to join this team might be the most correct and disruptive decision of her career.

When Sasha and Qiwei walked out of the workshop together, their physical changes were not as noticeable as those of the other team members, but their temperament had undergone a subtle transformation.

Sasha became even calmer, with an invisible flow of data seemingly flowing quietly in the depths of her eyes, carrying a sense of clarity and detachment that comes from having experienced life and death and being reshaped.

Qiwei toned down some of her previous indifference and wariness, replacing it with a focused and passionate exploration of the unknown technological field. Her gaze became sharper, as if it could penetrate the surface of matter and look directly into its inner electronic soul.

The two women are no longer hackers in the traditional sense.

They are mobile electronic warfare fortresses, invisible information barriers, and strategic units capable of instantly reducing technology-dependent enemies to a primitive state.

In future battles, they will not need to pull the trigger directly; their very existence will be enough to open up an absolute advantage for the team in the dimension of information, or, when Chen Yu needs them, they will transform into an all-encompassing electronic storm.

In fact, by the standards of cyberpunk technology, Sasha and Qiwei's current electronic warfare capabilities have reached a level close to strategic deterrence.

Chen Yu's internal simulations showed that if the two of them joined forces and went all out without regard for the consequences, their combined electronic warfare domain would be enough to cover the core area of ​​Night City.

At that time, the nervous systems and prosthetic bodies of the vast majority of the city’s residents, those citizens who are highly dependent on implants to maintain basic physiological functions or social connections, will suffer a devastating blow, equivalent to an indiscriminate electronic massacre of the entire city.

The city's infrastructure, communication networks, and transportation systems will also be completely paralyzed.

This terrifying effect stems not from the fact that the Mechanicus' electronic warfare technology is designed for such large-scale, indiscriminate attacks, but from the cyberpunk world's "lack of defense" against it.

This world's technology tree is extremely biased towards electronics and network interconnection. Whether it is human enhancement or social operation, it relies heavily on sophisticated implants and devices, but generally lacks the ability to withstand high-intensity, specific electronic shocks.

In the Warhammer universe, to cope with various harsh battlefield environments, important military equipment, vehicles, and even the power armor of the Space Marines are equipped with corresponding levels of protection and shielding measures.

Night City's general technological level was exposed as inherently vulnerable when faced with the Mechanicus, a high-powered electronic warfare system designed specifically for brutal intergalactic warfare, aimed at paralyzing intelligent mechs and interfering with enemy communications and sensors.

Perhaps some of the most advanced military technology prototypes or Arasaka Corporation's core security systems can withstand the onslaught for a while thanks to their special structures or independent networks, but such resistance is destined to be short-lived under the onslaught of electronic obfuscation codes specifically targeting their underlying protocols and energy characteristics.

(End of this chapter)