Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 113 New News (Fifth Update)
Mowell's detailed report on the contact between Mann's squad and Arasaka was uploaded to the workshop's central information processing system in accordance with procedure after the incident.

According to the information filtering protocol set by Chen Yu, this report was automatically classified as "non-urgent/non-technical external dynamics" and received by a rotating servo skull and stored in the pending database without triggering a high-priority alarm.

At that time, Chen Yu was fully immersed in her research.

He first optimized the energy flow structure of the dimensional teleporter, and then devoted himself to the final assembly and calibration of the exoskeleton power armor and power gauntlets.

During this critical research phase, any external information that does not pose a direct threat or involve the exchange of core technologies will be systematically suspended.

After completing the setting of the last calibration parameter, Chen Yu slowly withdrew from her highly focused work state.

As he moved his slightly stiff mechanical fingers, he habitually whispered to the servo skull floating beside him, "Old buddy, let's see what chores have piled up lately."

His gaze calmly swept across the list of tasks to be completed, finally settling on the message about Arasaka.

“Ah, this,” he said softly, his tone tinged with a hint of realization, as if he had finally remembered something trivial. “It seems that while we were focused on our research, some companies finally learned some manners.”

As the report was opened, the information that Arasaka was trying to access officially came into his view.

He manipulated the mechanical tentacles to retrieve the report, and the scarlet optical lens quickly scanned the text.

In the silent workshop, only the low hum of the energy pipelines and his calm, almost soliloquizing voice echoed.

“Old pal, look at this,” he whispered habitually to the servo skull floating beside him, even though the metal skull would only quietly execute preset commands. “Arasaka… has finally learned his lesson and knows to extend tentacles instead of wielding clubs.”

He continued browsing the report, his thoughts flowing through the data, his words following suit, as if he were organizing his thoughts: "Showing goodwill... as expected. It's just that they were hurt last time, and now they smell the savory scent of military technology. Seeking profit and avoiding harm, typical corporate logic."

His gaze lingered briefly on the section of the report analyzing Arasaka's underlying motives, and a slight mechanical turning sound came from his neck.

"These behemoths, old buddies, are essentially no different from automated mining machines. Input resources, output profits... As long as they don't jam my gears or pollute my energy, their internal struggles and greed are just background noise."

He closed the report interface and archived it in a directory labeled "potential transaction nodes".

"No need to respond for now. If they behave themselves, perhaps in the future we can treat them like military technology, discarding a few useless scraps in exchange for some rare minerals we need or simply clearing the way. But if..."

His tone remained relatively stable, but his next words carried a chilling decisiveness: "...If either side misjudges the situation again and thinks they can test my bottom line."

"Old pal, then we need to clean up the waste faster and more thoroughly than we did with biotechnology and that lousy supervisor Arasaka. The noise must be eliminated."

This monologue ended there.

Chen Yu's attention had been completely diverted from the report, as if he had merely brushed a speck of dust off a precision instrument.

For him, the company's movements have been categorized, assessed, and clear response principles have been established, and the matter is considered resolved.

His mind immediately turned to the next task: the encrypted report from the Warhammer world, sent by Ignis—that was the real problem that required his computing power to decipher.

Chen Yu's mechanical fingers tapped lightly on the control panel, unfolding the encrypted file on the projector. "Old friend, it seems the news we've been waiting for has finally arrived." He whispered to the silent servo skull, slightly adjusting the focus of the optical lens to lock onto the key information in the projection.

The report clearly confirms two things: the forging world Neksam has completed the review of his previously submitted exploration report, and more importantly, his sage ascension ceremony has entered the substantive preparation stage.

“At least three weeks faster than expected,” he continued to mutter to himself, his mechanical tentacles tapping unconsciously on the edge of the console, making a regular clicking sound. “Even when Casper Vox was pushing it himself, the bureaucratic gears of the Mechanicus rarely turned this smoothly.”

This sudden development surprised him somewhat.

In accordance with the consistent practices of the School of Mechanical Engineering, such promotion-related processes usually require weeks or even months of tedious paperwork and layers of approval to complete.

"Old friend, what do you think?" He turned to the servo skull, as if seeking the opinion of his silent companion. "Is it that our oversight sage suddenly needs to strengthen the faction, or... that stray AI sample from this world, under the Martian evaluation standards, unexpectedly revealed a value we hadn't anticipated?"

Several possibilities flashed through his highly efficient logic.

However, he quickly brought these wandering thoughts back to the surface.

"Pointless speculation, without supporting data, is just a waste of time." He decisively shut down the projector. "Now that the promotion path is open, it aligns with our core interests. As for the specific reasons..."

His voice carried a hint of certainty: "Once we return to the world of forging, we will naturally uncover the truth."

At this moment, what he needs to do is make full preparations for this important return journey. The current situation is clear: he needs to return to the Warhammer world as soon as possible to complete the promotion process.

“The title of Sage is more than just a title, old friend.” He continued to mutter to himself as he accessed other relevant data interfaces. “It means the authority to independently lead large-scale projects, the qualification to mobilize more Guardians of the Faith, the right to apply for personal shipbuilding, and… access to that strictly sealed knowledge. This is an indispensable part of our plan.”

However, before initiating interdimensional teleportation and returning in person, he must ensure that this temporary outpost and research base in the cyberpunk world can remain operational during his absence.

“We can’t leave and then have our base taken over.” He retrieved the recent status reports of the abandoned town stronghold and Mann’s squad, and combined them with the current power dynamics in Night City to begin a rapid and thorough risk assessment.

"Regarding military technology," he said, browsing through relevant data records and transaction logs, "through previous transactions and deterrence, we are currently in a relatively stable 'cooperative' state. As long as we don't actively cut off the supply of those technology fragments, they shouldn't risk provocation in the short term."

“Biotechnology…” His voice carried a chilling aftertaste, “Although he appears silent, the resentment left by Elliott Guan’s death will not dissipate easily. We need to remain vigilant.”

“As for Arasaka,” he said, pulling up recent counterintelligence activity records and Mowell’s cleanup report, “he’s just paid the price and should be busy with internal restructuring and probing contacts. The risk of a large-scale operation is low.”

His analysis then shifted to Mann's team: "The team has undergone initial enhancements and their combat capabilities far exceed the average street fighter. They both rely on and fear our strength... but their ability to independently handle corporate-level conspiracies remains limited."

Finally, his attention returned to the real-time, fluctuating data stream from the Dimension Transmitter.

"Although the stability has been improved through multiple optimizations, transporting a unit with such a high energy response as mine..." He quickly calculated the energy requirements and the tolerance limits of the space structure, "still requires meticulous preparation. The round trip, plus the necessary stopover time, is expected to take several weeks to several months."

Chen Yu's mechanical body rotated slightly in front of the control panel, and the scarlet optical lens swept across the orderly equipment and flashing indicator lights in the workshop.

"It seems, old friend, we need to make some careful arrangements before we leave."

(End of this chapter)