Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 130 Back to Cyberpunk (Ten Updates)
The desolate landscape of the dead world was gradually left behind as Chen Yu's escort ship smoothly arrived at its orbit and landed on the expanded landing pad of the ruins stronghold.

After this period of construction, the exterior of this ancient site has been completely transformed into a sturdy outpost in accordance with the teachings of Omnisaiah.

The original natural rock face was massively cut and flattened, covered with thick, high-quality gold composite armor plates, with the plates fastened together by large rivets, and the surface etched with continuous binary prayers and gear emblems.

These defensive walls form prominent fortress-like structures at key nodes, with the deep muzzles of heavy explosive guns or thermobaric cannon arrays faintly visible through their firing ports.

Four automated turrets, modified from standard templates, stand like steel altars atop a high point.

Their bases are rigidly connected to the earth, and the multispectral sensor array slowly rotates, scanning the wasteland. The mechanical gear emblem branded on the cannon barrels remains clear in the wind and sand.

Any unidentified life signal that enters its destructive range will be met with a meticulously calculated barrage of crossfire.

Inside the base, the passageways were widened to meet sacred standards, allowing small combat vehicles or dreadnoughts to pass through.

The arched ceiling is supported by intersecting metal trusses, from which servo skulls with incense burners hang, their low, binary chants mingling with the muffled hum of the ventilation system.

The walls were completely covered, with heavy-duty energy conduits embedded in the wall on one side, their protective grilles emitting an ominous dark red glow; on the other side were dense bundles of data cables, neatly bound in metal channels, with indicator lights flickering like stars.

Clergy soldiers, clad in dark red robes, patrolled the passageway in perfect sync.

Their footsteps tapped out in a unified rhythm on the metal floor, and the cold light from their optical lenses swept across their surroundings in the shadows of their hoods.

The enhanced robotic arm grips a standard laser rifle or plasma weapon, the gun body also inscribed with prayers.

The air was filled with the scents of incense, ozone, and metallic abrasives, and the entire space was permeated with the austere atmosphere unique to the Mechanicus stronghold, a blend of absolute rationality and mysticism.

Chen Yu's upgraded, more robust and heavy dark red body walked through the passage, his slightly forward-leaning posture conveying a sense of weight like carrying a furnace, and the power joints emitted a subtle but clear hydraulic sound when bearing the weight.

His crimson optical lens swept across these construction achievements without pausing.

The completion of these fortifications and infrastructure was as expected and a testament to Ignis's execution capabilities, but it was not the core focus of his trip.

Behind him followed the batch of "new products" brought back from Neksam.

They were all dressed in simple red apprentice robes. Their height and build varied slightly due to differences in their basic templates, but their eyes all carried a blank and docile look, which was the standard result of large-scale gene modulation and basic memory instillation.

During the voyage from Neksam back to the world of the dead, Chen Yu had used the time on the ship to conduct preliminary training and instill basic memories in them.

They have now mastered the most basic knowledge and operating procedures within the mechanical teaching system, and theoretically have reached the entry standard for apprentices.

Although they still looked young, their movements were stiff and formulaic, and their eyes held a mixture of awe for the unfamiliar environment and uncertainty about their own position, according to the usual procedure, they should have received more systematic training and practical observation before officially taking up their posts. But Chen Yu didn't have that much time to waste.

For an exploratory sage, training methods can be highly efficient.

He casually modified a servo skull, connected its database to a set of rigorous basic training protocols, and appointed it as the temporary instructor and supervisor of this group of novices.

Upon arriving at the base, this newly recruited workforce was immediately "thrown" into an area within the ruins that had been converted into a laboratory. Under the supervision of a suspended, servo skull with a constantly opening and closing jaw that emitted deep binary beeps, they would be herded like sheep, familiarizing themselves with the environment, performing basic equipment maintenance and data processing, while simultaneously receiving cramming-style, unquestionable further training.

Efficiency is the only criterion they are required to uphold.

Chen Yu himself did not delay at all, and did not even glance at the apprentices a second time.

He went straight to the main teleportation chamber, located deep within the ruins and heavily guarded by a squad of fully armed friars.

The upgraded energy core emitted a more stable and powerful pulse, and the light from the dimensional teleporter shone steadily under the carefully adjusted parameter control.

A rift was torn open in the spatial structure, and the familiar, precisely controlled tearing sensation enveloped his heavy mechanical body.

Moments later, the workshop's unique smell, a mixture of engine oil, coolant, and ozone, replaced the scent of the dead world's dust and holy oil.

He's back, back to the cyberpunk world, to the abandoned workshop town.

(Intelligent Control Legion) —
While Chen Yu was busy advancing to Sage, negotiating deals, and planning warships in the Warhammer world, time was also quietly passing in the Cyberpunk world.

The calendar turned from 2075 to 2076, and Night City remained the same neon-lit, perilous giant nest. On the surface, nothing earth-shattering had happened.

However, things were not always the same for Mann's squad, which was entrenched in the abandoned town. Two new faces joined the team.

First, there's a female hacker named Lucy.

This white-haired girl arrived in Night City alone and helpless. In order to survive in this city, she had no choice but to make a living on the subway lines that ran underground.

Using her impressive hacking skills, she stealthily stole small change from passengers' chip accounts.

During one operation, her aloof demeanor, which seemed out of place with her surroundings, and her slightly clumsy yet effective methods were noticed by Rebecca, who was also on the subway and on her way to "work" somewhere.

Rebecca herself came from the streets, so she was all too familiar with this kind of struggle for survival.

Looking at Lucy, who looked like a cat soaked in the rain, wary yet unable to hide her disheveled state, I felt a sensation akin to finding a stray animal in a garbage dump.

Without much thought, she walked straight up to Lucy, without questioning or threatening her, but instead with a somewhat domineering "invitation," pulling Lucy out of that dangerous and hopeless profession and almost forcibly "picking up" the silent girl and bringing her back to the abandoned town outpost.

After Mann and Dorio's careful probing and assessment, they determined that although Lucy was not talkative, had a slight European accent, and had a mysterious background, she was at least a skilled hacker and her personality was not unpleasant once they got to know her.

More importantly, after Sasha and Qiwei were transformed by that "boss," their electronic warfare capabilities had surpassed the scope of conventional hackers. As they gradually shifted their focus to higher-level confrontations, the team did indeed need a skilled person who could reliably handle routine network affairs.

So, Lucy naturally stayed and became a member of the team.

(End of this chapter)