Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 145 David's Capture (Fourth Update)

Lucy's findings largely dispelled David's doubts.

If the foundation is indeed involved in Arasaka's drug production, then it makes sense that they could provide drug assistance.

As for impure backgrounds? In Night City, which large organization has a completely clean background?

David's intense desire to save his mother ultimately overwhelmed his last shred of caution, and he decided to go to the "Quiet Water" clinic.

But he did not completely lose his mind.

He found Rebecca, explained the situation, and asked her and Lucy for backup.

He planned to enter the clinic alone, and if he did not come out within half an hour, or if communication was lost, he would ask them to find a way to meet him.

"You're pretty clever, aren't you? You know to find someone to back you up." Rebecca patted his shoulder. "Alright, Lucy and I will go with you. If those guys in white coats try anything funny, I'll raze their clinic to the ground!"

Lucy nodded in agreement.

The three arrived at the "Quiet Water" clinic in the Charter Hills in an inconspicuous vehicle provided by Falco.

The clinic does indeed look like a high-end private medical institution; the environment is quiet and the access is tight.

At the clinic entrance, David took a deep breath, nodded to Rebecca and Lucy, and then went inside alone.

The receptionist seemed to have known he was coming and warmly led him to a private assessment room; everything seemed normal.

However, the atmosphere changed abruptly the moment the door to the assessment room closed behind him.

Two "doctors" dressed in white uniforms, but with strong physiques and sharp eyes, walked in and locked the door behind them.

“Mr. Martinez, we need to perform some basic physiological tests on you to ensure the safety of subsequent medication use.” One of them said, taking out a scanner-like device and moving closer to him.

David sensed something was wrong and instinctively took a step back: "What test? This step wasn't mentioned before."

"It's just standard procedure, please cooperate." The other person's tone became harsh, and he reached out to grab his arm.

David tried to struggle, but apart from a basic neural interface and a data cable for learning, he had no combat prosthetics.

His strength and speed were no match for the company's operatives, who had undergone professional training and possibly basic reinforcement.

The other person easily twisted his arm and pinned him against the wall.

Another "doctor" quickly took out a prepared syringe and precisely inserted it into the side of his neck.

The cold liquid was injected into his veins. David felt a strong wave of dizziness and weakness wash over him; his vision blurred rapidly, and he collapsed to the ground.

Before he completely lost consciousness, he vaguely heard one of them whisper into the communicator: "Target under control, prepare to transfer."

Rebecca and Lucy waited in their car outside the clinic, watching the time tick by.

The agreed-upon half hour passed, but David did not come out. Rebecca tried to call David's phone, but only heard a busy signal.

"Damn it, something's happened!" Rebecca slammed her hand on the car door, her face grim.

Lucy immediately tried to track David's personal terminal signal and found that the signal disappeared shortly after entering the clinic, obviously because it was blocked or destroyed.

"Contact Mann!" Rebecca decided immediately, drawing her pistol. "Lucy, try to find something on the network! I'll keep an eye on the door!" The message quickly reached the abandoned town outpost.

Mann, Dorio, and the others immediately sprang into action, gathering equipment and vehicles in preparation for their journey to the Charter Mountains.

Deep within the workshop, Chen Yu's massive frame stood before a control console, analyzing the microscopic data about the Bartholomew's neural structure transmitted back by the servo skull.

Suddenly, a low-priority alert from an external monitoring system triggered a thread in his processing core.

The alert was linked to a tiny subroutine he had implanted in David's personal surveillance program.

The biological signals and location data transmitted back by the program showed abnormal interruptions and drastic changes, consistent with the characteristics of a violent kidnapping.

Chen Yu's crimson optical lens flickered slightly as he quickly retrieved the data records before and after the alarm and the last known location—the Charter Mountains, the "Quiet Water" clinic.

“An expected development.” His steady synthesized voice echoed in the empty workshop, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. “Those who lack the power to protect themselves are always easy prey in the eyes of others.”

He did not take immediate action, by which time he already knew about Mann's squad's operation.

Now that Mann's team has been deployed, this incident is a good opportunity to test the ability of the team he has invested resources in to deal with sudden crises.

At the same time, this will be the first severe test from the real world that the young apprentice will have to face.

He needed to observe—to observe David's reaction, the efficiency of Mann's team, and the true purpose of the mastermind behind it all.

Then, his attention returned to Bartmouth's unique map of neuronal connections in the brain.

In contrast, the kidnapping of an apprentice is not enough to disrupt his established research schedule for the time being.

The city's shadows devoured a young soul, while a far greater being calmly watched everything from the darkness.
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The abandoned town stronghold was instantly enveloped in a tense atmosphere.

Mann's roar echoed in the empty space: "Everyone! Equipment check, departing in five minutes! Falco, drive the car to the door!"

Dorio quickly stuffed a heavy magazine into her tactical vest, her tone calm but unwavering: "The target is the 'Quiet Water' clinic in the Charter Mountains. David is missing inside and is likely under control."

The other party's identity is unknown, but their methods are professional; everyone be on your guard!

She didn't wear the power armor Chen Yu had made for her; that thing was far too conspicuous. Even just removing the two power gauntlets from the power armor would be extremely eye-catching in Night City, and might even attract the attention of the Terrorist Mobile Squad.

Therefore, she would not easily use this treasured piece of equipment unless absolutely necessary.

As Pila inspected the weapons and ammunition, he muttered, "I knew this kind of 'charity' was never good... Now look what's happened, the kid's been used as a guinea pig."

Qiwei and Sasha were already seated in front of the data terminal, their fingers flying across the screen.

Qiwei was tasked with trying to infiltrate the municipal surveillance system around the clinic to look for suspicious vehicles and people.

Sasha, on the other hand, tried to start with the information about the foundation provided by Lucy and delve into the network traces behind it, hoping to find clues about the transfer routes.

Rebecca and Lucy waited anxiously for help outside the clinic.

Rebecca tapped anxiously on the car window frame, her green prosthetic eye scanning the clinic exit and the surrounding streets. "Why aren't Mann and the others here yet! If they keep dragging this out, David's been sent to who-knows-where!"

Lucy remained relatively calm. She reconnected to the network, and although she couldn't penetrate the clinic's internal shielding, she began scanning the surrounding area for communication signals, trying to capture any encrypted communications that might be related to the kidnapping.

(End of this chapter)