Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 95 Ignis (Second Update)
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

It was a humanoid being completely encased in metal.

She stood with a sculpted composure, her height similar to Mann's, around 1.9 meters, giving off a quiet sense of pressure.

The limbs are purely functional metal prostheses without any bionic skin covering. Their surfaces are not smooth, but rather have fine machining lines and faint scratches left by long-term use.

The joint structure is particularly large and robust, with the complex hydraulic rods and multi-axis bearing structure faintly visible, ensuring that its movements combine power and precision.

The torso is covered with thick, dark red composite armor plates with obvious riveting marks. These plates are spliced ​​together in a layered manner, with thickening treatment in key areas.

His robes differed from Chen Yu's loose robes, resembling a standard combat uniform with reinforced shoulder armor and a skirt armor structure made of layers of metal plates, facilitating movement while providing additional protection.

His head was completely covered by a simple, rugged metal helmet, with a set of optical lenses on one side of the helmet that moved with his gaze.

The top of the helmet was decorated with a feathered crest resembling half a precision gear, its sharp edges remaining still with the slightest movement of her head, adding a touch of timeless majesty and inhumanity to her overall image.

The appearance of this metallic monster immediately brought a strong sense of oppression.

Its design is completely different from the streamlined, bionic prosthetic style popular in Night City, and is full of retro, hardcore, and even barbaric mechanical feel.

However, the reason why Mann's team did not fire immediately was not only because the other party did not show obvious hostility, but also because a familiar device was floating next to this metal monster—a servo skull.

The empty eye sockets gleamed with a cold red light, just like the servo skulls in Chen Yu's workshop.

Just as the tense atmosphere was about to freeze, the metal monster stopped in its tracks.

The next voice was clearly female. Although it had been synthesized and had a metallic resonance, a careful listener could still discern the underlying soft tone.

Her voice was steady and clear, transmitted directly through air vibrations rather than relying on the prosthetic body's communicator.

"You are our guests?" Ignis turned to them, the optical sensors under her helmet scanning the fully alert Mann squad before finally landing on Mann, who was being subtly protected in the middle by the others: "I am Ignis, the commander of Father Chen Yu's Guard."

The priest has informed me of your arrival, and I will be in charge of your hospitality for the next few days.

“Wait…” Mann frowned, stepped forward, and used his burly body to block Ignis and his teammates.

His tone was a mixture of confusion and intense doubt, and a series of questions blurted out: "You said you knew we were coming all along? What's going on? Where is this place? Boss... what does Father Chen Yu want us to do?"

His question undoubtedly expressed the sentiments of all the team members.

Although Rebecca did not speak, she still gripped the massive heavy bomb gun tightly with both hands. Although the muzzle was not explicitly raised to point at the other party, her fingers never left the trigger guard, and her knuckles turned slightly white from the force.

Ignis showed no emotional fluctuation in response to Mann's barrage of questions.

Her metal-cast head turned slightly, the smooth visor sweeping across the crowd. The movement was difficult to decipher; it seemed to be both a meticulous observation and perhaps simply a procedural response.

At this delicate stalemate, the servo skull that had accompanied Mann's team through the dimensional rift slowly floated to the open space between the two sides.

In its hollow eye sockets, red light flickered at a constant frequency, as if intricate components were operating inside.

Immediately, a voice that was both incredibly familiar and strangely distant at that moment emanated clearly from the speaker built into the servo skull, echoing throughout the empty cave. It was Chen Yu's unique, cold voice, devoid of any emotion.

"Explain the reason." The voice went straight to the point, without any pleasantries: "My original origin is this world. My journey to your world was an accident."

The main purpose of this teleportation experiment is to find and stabilize a reliable path for me to return to this world from my current location.

The servo skull paused slightly, as if processing the information flow, before continuing in an unquestionable, objective tone: "As for why we didn't reveal all the information to you beforehand, it's to avoid introducing unnecessary interfering variables and complex emotional factors before the mission is executed, which could affect the purity and accuracy of the data collected in this experiment."

Chen Yu's voice was as direct as ever, carrying a cold indifference that treated everything as experimental parameters.

"Your mission remains unchanged: survive here for at least seventy-two standard hours, or three days. Adapt to the environment, collect basic physiological and sensory data, and when the time is up, I will reopen the dimensional rift and bring you back."

The servo skull paused, seemingly processing information, then turned towards Ignis, emitting a series of rapid and complex binary electronic sounds.

The servo skull next to Ignis immediately flew forward and briefly exchanged data with its companion from the cyberpunk world. Several small indicator lights on the side of the skull flashed rapidly.

After receiving the information, Ignis immediately performed a strange yet solemn salute to the servo skull that transmitted Chen Yu's instructions, and then bowed slightly.

“As the priest commands, the message has been received.” Ignis’s voice remained steady, but the respect within it was evident.

Having completed the transmission of instructions and the exchange of information, the servo skull from the abandoned town workshop fell silent, hovering quietly in mid-air, entering standby mode, as if it had completed its mission.

Ignis turned back to Mann's squad. Although her metallic face remained expressionless, her demeanor seemed to soften slightly. "The question has been answered. Now, please follow me. You need to rest and acclimatize. Temporary accommodations have been prepared for you at the camp."

After saying that, without waiting for Mann and the others to react further, she turned around and walked with regular, heavy steps back to the passage she had come from.

The servo skull that belonged to her followed closely behind.

Mann quickly exchanged a glance with Dorio and Falco.

Although the current situation remains shrouded in mystery, Chen Yu's personal explanation and Ignis's "hospitable" attitude have temporarily dispelled the worst-case scenario of conflict.

"Keep up, maintain formation, and stay alert," Mann ordered in a low voice.

In any case, they are now in a completely unfamiliar environment, and following Ignis, who seems to be "one of their own," is the most reasonable choice at present.

(End of this chapter)