Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 133 Even in Death, Debts Must Be Repaid (Third Update)

Just as Glenn was caught in a mental struggle, David took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and stepped forward to block Chen Yu's imposing and imposing figure.

The boy's voice trembled unavoidably with nervousness, but he held his head high, his eyes filled with a desperate resolve: "Boss...please...save my mother...I'm willing to give anything!"

Chen Yu slightly adjusted the focus of his crimson optical lens, locking it completely onto the boy like a searchlight.

Perhaps it was the faint touch of a vague label in the fragmented memories before his transmigration, or perhaps it was the almost burning will in the boy's eyes that was disproportionate to his age that triggered an extremely small variable in the core of his logic called "interest".

He did not respond directly to the request for treatment, nor did he even glance at David's pleading expression.

He simply tilted his head slightly, and a command was issued as an invisible stream of data.

The servo skull, hovering beside him with its eye sockets gleaming with a ghostly blue light, immediately glided silently in front of David.

The eerie stillness of that creation, a combination of pale bone and cold metal, was more unsettling than any direct threat.

Before the boy could react, the skull and jaw opened and closed, projecting a light green precision scanning beam that enveloped David's entire body from top to bottom, outlining his slightly thin frame; at the same time, another thin red beam precisely aimed at his eyes, performing iris and microvascular pattern recognition.

"Remain still." Chen Yu's voice was flat and even, like the warning tone before a machine starts up.

This inhuman testing method elicited various reactions from the onlookers.

Mann crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, and watched silently. He had experienced even more bizarre interdimensional teleportation, but every time he saw this scene of scanning and analyzing people as if they were objects, he still felt a primal resistance.

Dorio instinctively took half a step forward, as if wanting to offer some insignificant support, but ultimately stopped in place, her eyes filled with worry.

Rebecca pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something sarcastic, but seeing David's tense profile and that eerily floating skull, she swallowed her words and instead restlessly moved the fingers of her prosthetic limb.

Lucy's pupils contracted slightly. As a hacker, she was used to the invisible flow of data, but this "scan" that acted directly on her body and had a strong sense of physical intrusion gave her a completely different kind of chill.

Dr. Glenn was completely stunned. Compared to the sophisticated, efficient, and technologically advanced methods he used to make a living, his rudimentary tools and crude techniques seemed like a primitive stone axe. His face was filled with a complex mix of fear and intense longing.

The instant the scanning beam disappeared, an extremely thin probe emerged from the base of the skull and swiftly touched David's arm, collecting a trace amount of blood and tissue samples.

Next, another probe with a sensor gently but irresistibly pressed against David's temple, emitting almost inaudible low-frequency pulses to assess deep neural responses and cognitive potential.

The entire testing process was quiet, rapid, and efficient, with an unquestionable indifference that treated the human body as a precision machine.

David stood stiffly, feeling the cold touch and slight stinging on his skin. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could almost hear the sound of his own blood flowing.

Faced with this absolute, inhuman technology, he felt like an animal being dissected on an experimental table, with no secrets or dignity to speak of.

An indescribable sense of oppression filled the air, with only the faint hissing of the internal components of the servo skull and the almost inaudible friction of the probe touching the skin clearly discernible.

The servo skull transmits all the collected data to Chen Yu's processing core in real time.

A comprehensive and thorough bio-screening and gene sequence analysis, conducted according to mechanical standards, was completed within seconds. A massive stream of data surged through his consciousness, being compared and evaluated.

The analysis revealed that this individual, David Martinez, had a gene sequence stability that exceeded the local average for his age by about 17.3%, considerable potential for optimization of neural synaptic conduction efficiency, and a potential bioelectric affinity for standardized mechanical interfaces that even reached the minimum baseline for the selection of peripheral apprentices in the mechanical education system.

Although this talent is far from outstanding among the many worlds Chen Yu has seen, and can even be considered mediocre, in this world where the technology tree is seriously skewed and the gene pool is generally "crude", being able to find a "raw material" that barely meets the basic standards is a minor accident.

This at least means that this young body is not entirely incapable of undergoing deeper mechanization.

This unexpected discovery led Chen Yu to objectively and slightly adjust the weight of this "variable" in her assessment by a negligible percentage point within the cold logic sequence.

"I'll give you two choices." Chen Yu's voice rang out calmly, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact, but the conditions he offered shocked everyone present. "First, capture a wandering AI entity with autonomous action logic for me. In return, I will completely repair your mother."

This condition caused the air to freeze instantly. Wandering AI—those are elusive and incomprehensible entities that appear and disappear unpredictably in the depths of the internet; their danger and the difficulty of capturing them far exceed ordinary people's imagination.

For a novice student who hasn't even fully grasped the rules of the street, this is an impossible task, akin to asking him to catch lightning with his bare hands.

Whether anyone in the world could actually do this is unknown, except perhaps for the mysterious "boss" in front of us.

“Second,” Chen Yu didn’t give David much time to process his fear, continuing in that flat tone, “become my apprentice. You have a year to master the knowledge system I’ve designated.”

His crimson lens seemed to lightly sweep over Glenn's complicated expression, pointing to the list that had made Glenn hesitate: "Then, heal your mother yourself. In return for this knowledge, you will serve me for two hundred years."

He paused, seemingly anticipating David's concerns about lifespan, and added, "There is no need to worry that your natural lifespan will not be able to support this contract. Even if your life ends, I have ways to ensure that you continue to fulfill the agreement until the two hundred years are up."

Then, seemingly to make the concept of "ensuring performance" more concrete, he coldly offered an alternative that left everyone speechless: "Of course, if you fail to meet the predetermined standard of knowledge by the end of the year, the contract will deem you in breach of contract."

At that time, you will need to pay 'tuition fees' that are twice the value of the knowledge.

I also have the ability to ensure the recovery of this debt, through methods including but not limited to…

As he spoke, a flash of blue light appeared in the eye sockets of the servo skull floating to the side, projecting a holographic image into the air.

The scene features the hottest rock stars in Night City right now, the "Ganglie Band." Dressed in dazzling cyberpunk kimonos, they energetically perform their signature song "Bo Bo Chicken" against a backdrop of spectacular holographic fireworks. The intense electronic sound waves and the frenzied cheers from the audience seem to burst through the projection.

Chen Yu's massive body, covered in dark red armor, remained motionless in front of the somewhat comical and bizarre projection background, with only his voice clearly penetrating the music: "...I will transform you into a specially made entertainment servant, debut as a 'healing cyber idol,' and gradually pay off your debts through commercial performances, merchandise sales, and fan donations."

Based on my calculations of various business models in Night City, this is the fastest way for you to pay off your debts.

The idols' sweet smiles and dynamic dance moves in the video contrasted sharply with the cold meaning in Chen Yu's words and David's sudden deathly pale face, creating an absurd and chilling effect.

Rebecca's lips twitched, and she whispered to Pila, "Damn... this is even worse than killing him outright..."

Dr. Glenn subconsciously took a half step back, completely extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in his heart—the “tuition” for this being was indeed not something ordinary people could afford, whether it was in the form of money, freedom, or… dignity.

(End of this chapter)