Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 140 0 and 1 (Tenth Update)
Deep within Chen Yu's workshop, the research on the remains of legendary hacker Lucky Bartmore is proceeding methodically.

The mechanical tentacles performed precise operations under the cold light, scanning, sampling, and analyzing. The entire process was efficient, calm, and devoid of any emotion, as if handling a complex antique instrument.

The servo-controlled skull hovers silently, recording every set of data, gradually revealing the physiological secrets of a giant of the era.

Meanwhile, in the humble corner outside the workshop assigned to David, another completely different "analysis" was also unfolding.

There are no cold machines here, but there are just as strict rules and an unquestionable test of will.

David Martinez was sitting on a worn-out sofa, his body relaxed but his nerves on edge, completely absorbed in his work.

A servo skull, specifically designed to teach him, floated in front of him, its bony jaw opening and closing rhythmically, continuously outputting a long and monotonous stream of binary language consisting of the two basic syllables "di" and "ta".

At the same time, a torrent of data transmitted through the servo skull flooded into David's brain without reservation via a cable directly connected to the interface at the back of his neck.

David felt as if his consciousness had been forcibly shoved into a turbulent river of pure information.

Countless "0"s and "1"s were no longer abstract symbols, but transformed into substantial pulse signals with a clear sense of existence, washing over his thoughts wave after wave.

He felt a slight throbbing in his temples, as if the physical space of his brain was being forcibly filled and expanded by this foreign, meticulously structured data.

It's a peculiar feeling of being overwhelmed, like a brain that was originally empty is suddenly being filled, and then being violently stuffed in, trying to stretch the head out.

More importantly, according to the agreement set by Chen Yu, all of David's assistive implants, translation prostheses, and even the most basic neural processing enhancement functions were forcibly shut down.

There is no preprocessor to filter and translate for him, and no memory to relieve his storage burden.

He had to rely on his unenhanced, purely primal biological brain to directly understand, memorize, and attempt to repeat this cold language designed for machine logic.

He needs to use his most basic attention to capture, analyze, and give meaning to every "tick" and "click".

This process strips away all technological assistance, reducing learning to its most primitive and challenging form of mental struggle.

“Syllable spacing error. The second '1' in sequence '010011' is misspelled.” The servo skull emitted a smooth, synthesized prompt.

Before he could finish speaking, a powerful electric shock that instantly pierced through his entire cerebral cortex exploded out of him!

The sensation wasn't a sharp sting, but rather a strong electric shock, as if David had been forcibly "washed" by a high-voltage current. Every nerve ending in David's body screamed, his mind went blank for a moment, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he let out a short gasp.

"Repeat the current sequence." The servo skull began playing the encoded code again without any reaction.

David blinked hard and shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering numbness and buzzing noise in his brain.

He took a deep breath and focused his mind again.

The electric shocks were indeed intense, causing extremely strong discomfort, making him feel like he was about to lose control of his body with each shock.

But it came quickly and went quickly, and just as the servo skull had initially told him—it wouldn't cause any substantial nerve damage, only leaving an incredibly clear memory: you were wrong.

He knew this was not torture, but discipline, a teaching tool prioritizing efficiency.

Chen Yu's method, or rather the mechanical teaching method, is simple and direct; errors must be pointed out immediately and remembered in an impressive way.

At first, these ticking sounds were completely meaningless noise to him, more obscure and difficult to understand than any language or code he had encountered at Arasaka Academy.

He needs to rely on pure biological brainpower to distinguish different logical units from this seemingly chaotic rhythm and associate them with specific concepts and instructions.

Each mistake, each learning process accompanied by intense inductive stimulation, made the process filled with physiological resistance.

The thought of giving up did cross my mind.

When the brain is exhausted from continuous high-intensity operation and intermittent electric shocks, and when frustration accumulates, the temptation to disconnect is incredibly strong. David's gaze kept involuntarily drifting to the temporary cubicle not far away.

In the cubicle, his mother, Gloria, lay on a makeshift medical bed.

The medication kept her in a drowsy state most of the time.

Her face was pale, and her breathing was so weak that her chest was barely rising and falling.

The woman who used to be able to walk briskly down the street carrying a prosthetic body case now finds it difficult to even raise her arm.

Sometimes she would wake up and stare blankly at the ceiling.

But when her gaze falls on David outside the door, her lifeless eyes suddenly come to focus.

Her gaze lingered on his face, tense from studying, and on his sweat-drenched bangs.

Her fingers would tremble slightly on the sheets, as if trying to grasp something.

His lips were slightly parted, as if he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

In the end, it could only turn into a single tear, slowly sliding down the corner of my eye.

The image made David's stomach tighten, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed.

Every time he saw his mother like this, he could clearly feel the weight on his shoulders.

This was more painful for him than any electric shock, but also more powerful than any encouragement.

He can't give up.

He even felt that this suffering was necessary.

Mann and the others said it was a rare opportunity, but David didn't care about opportunities.

He had only one simple thought in his mind: to learn this knowledge and cure his mother.

Chen Yu's conditions were clear: within a year, she would learn everything she needed to learn, and then personally treat her mother.

In return, he would have to work for Chen Yu for two hundred years.

He dared not think about the consequences if he failed.

Whenever he encountered difficulties in his studies, whenever the discomfort from the electric shocks made him want to give up, he only needed to glance at that cubicle to find a reason to continue.

A mother's silent tears are more effective than any spur.

He knew he had to succeed; he had no other choice.

Each electric shock to the servo skull reminded him of the cost and urgency of this goal.

He cannot tolerate any slackness or carelessness on his part.

Someday in the future, when he stands beside his mother, ready for that crucial treatment, any small mistake stemming from today could lead to irreparable regret.

He had to make sure that every syllable and every logical sequence he learned was accurate and memorized.

(End of this chapter)