Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 435 Xi Dejia's Electromagnetic Crossbow

“I can tell you take good care of it. Even though it’s worn down to this extent, the machine spirit is still active.” Olivia carefully inspected the electromagnetic crossbow, the sensors on the mechanical tentacles gently scanning every bit of wear.

As a mechanical sage, she did not look down on the weapon because of its simplicity; on the contrary, she keenly sensed the effort that Sidgar had put into it.

Although the manufacturing process is rough, every part is carefully maintained; although the design is simple, every detail has been carefully considered.

In the eyes of the Mechanicus, incompetence and misconduct are completely different—the former can be forgiven, while the latter is unforgivable, and Sidgar clearly belongs to the former.

Olivia did not roughly disassemble the electromagnetic crossbow. She first extended her mechanical tentacles and gently stroked every wear mark on the crossbow, as if sensing the story this weapon had experienced.

She then removed the nano incense hanging from her waist; it was an exquisite brass device, its surface engraved with Mechanicus runes.

She pressed the button on top of the incense burner, and a wisp of pale blue smoke slowly rose, swirling around the electromagnetic crossbow.

Olivia chanted ancient prayers in a low voice, performing a ritual to appease the machine spirit.

After completing the ceremony, Olivia, under Sidgar's astonished and slightly worried gaze, used her intricate mechanical tentacles to disassemble the entire electromagnetic crossbow.

Her movements were precise and elegant; each tentacle was like the most nimble fingers, easily untying fasteners that would be difficult for ordinary people to handle.

For a mechanical sage, the technical level of this electromagnetic crossbow was simply not worth mentioning.

Olivia's casual creations during her apprenticeship were far more advanced than this.

She could point out more than a dozen design flaws and shortcomings of the crossbow with just a glance.

Those rough welds, unreasonable structural layouts, and inefficient energy conduction systems were all exposed to her.

Even with her eyes closed, Olivia could conjure up at least three improvement plans in her mind, each of which could increase the power of the electromagnetic crossbow several times over.

But she didn't do that; instead, she chose the most conservative approach.

She carefully disassembled the electromagnetic crossbow's casing, examining each internal component meticulously, like a careful doctor inspecting a patient.

She used nano-spray to clean every rust spot and micro-laser to repair every crack, ensuring that every part of the crossbow was restored to its best condition.

After completing the basic maintenance, Olivia turned to Sidgar to ask if further improvements were needed.

Xi Dejia immediately flipped out the data panel excitedly, her slender fingers flying across the screen, quickly filling it with a long paragraph.

Her request was somewhat naive and whimsical, but Olivia showed no impatience.

Instead, she read each item carefully, nodding or shaking her head from time to time, and occasionally pausing to think for a moment.

As she took notes, Olivia offered advice based on her extensive professional knowledge.

When Sidgar suggested adding a rapid-fire function, Olivia patiently explained the limitations of energy supply; when Sidgar wanted the crossbow to be lighter, Olivia pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of several new materials.

They continued their discussion in this way, with Olivia maintaining a professional and friendly attitude throughout, respecting Sidgar's wishes while ensuring that every improvement was feasible.

Ultimately, after this meticulous maintenance and modification, Sidja's electromagnetic crossbow underwent a complete transformation. The once mottled crossbow body now gleamed with a metallic luster, the rough structure became precise and elegant, and the entire weapon radiated a newfound vitality.

The entire crossbow body uses a new type of lightweight alloy invented by Olivia herself. This specially treated metal material significantly reduces weight while ensuring strength, allowing Sidgar to hold it more easily for extended periods of time.

The alloy surface undergoes nano-level polishing, giving it a subtle metallic luster under light, and a cool and delicate feel.

The bow arm is made of multiple composite materials, and each layer of material has been precisely calculated and specially treated.

This composite structure allows the bow arm to have excellent elasticity while withstanding huge impact forces without easily deforming or breaking.

Olivia also made revolutionary improvements to the structure of the bow arm, enhancing its power while maintaining its original shape, and achieving limited rapid fire.

This crossbow can now fire three arrows simultaneously to create a dense barrage, or it can be set to single-shot mode for precise firing.

Most amazingly, after firing three arrows in succession, simply pulling a handle on the side of the crossbow will automatically complete the entire process of rewinding and reloading, with the built-in mechanism working as smoothly as flowing water.

“This magazine can hold twenty arrows.” Olivia’s mechanical tentacles pointed to a delicate metal box under the crossbow and demonstrated the action of pressing the magazine release button: “After use, just press here to remove the magazine and replace it with a new one.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated, and the magazine and the crossbow body made a crisp "click" sound as they were inserted into the slot perfectly.

The mechanical sage continued, “I improved the electromagnetic acceleration track on the crossbow, which can now provide 3.76 times greater electromagnetic repulsion than before.”

She pointed to the newly installed miniature coils inside the track: "At the same time, these coils will form a rotating magnetic field, which will cause the arrow to spin when it is fired, just like the rifling of a rifle, thus achieving a more stable trajectory."

For a mechanical sage like Olivia, these improvements were nothing more than trivial tricks.

But for Sidja, this was like infusing her beloved weapon with a completely new soul, giving it an enhancement of power far beyond imagination.

What surprised Sidja the most was that Olivia also added a multi-functional composite sight assembly to the electromagnetic crossbow.

This ingenious device integrates multiple aiming modes, including optical magnification, infrared imaging, and low-light enhancement. Different functions can be switched simply by rotating the adjustment ring on the side of the sight.

The sight housing is made of lightweight alloy with precise engravings on the surface, and the lens uses state-of-the-art coating technology to provide a clear field of view in any lighting conditions.

Xi Dejia's fingers trembled as he stroked the sight he had longed for, his eyes glistening with tears of excitement.

She had always longed to own a professional sight, but the price of high-precision optical equipment was astronomical for the poor nun's apprentice.

And now, this professional equipment, more advanced than any commercial sight she had ever seen, was mounted on her beloved weapon.

“No need to thank me, it was just a small favor.” Olivia didn’t care about Sidja’s thanks, and simply said to her, “Your passion for machines touched me. I can see that you’ve put a lot of effort into this electromagnetic crossbow.”

Take good care of it! Although my modifications have given it a more robust casing, the sight is still relatively fragile. If you are not using it daily, you can remove it and put it in your protective case, and put it back on when needed.

I designed a small automatic calibration program. Once you install the electromagnetic crossbow's "mechanical soul," it will automatically calibrate the sights in just three seconds. This way, you don't have to worry about bumping into things and damaging the sights.

"Thank you!" Sidja bowed deeply to Olivia.

(End of this chapter)