Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 150 Lucy's Comfort (Second Update)

Mann and his companions offered words of comfort out of goodwill and concern among comrades, but they seemed to miss the point when it came to David's deep confusion about his own path and the meaning of his existence, which stemmed from Chen Yu's words.

Just then, Lucy, who had been silent all along, walked over.

She didn't look at Chen Yu, nor did she pay attention to anyone else; she simply tugged at David's arm.

“Let’s go,” her voice was soft, yet like a ray of light piercing through the heavy gloom that enveloped David. “Don’t stand here.”

David looked up blankly at Lucy.

Her pale purple eyes held neither excessive sympathy nor the encouragement that Mann and the others had, but rather... understanding? Or perhaps, an invitation.

He grasped at a straw, instinctively following Lucy as they left the somber workshop entrance, leaving behind Chen Yu's massive figure and chilling voice, as well as the concerned gazes of Mann and the others.

Lucy led David through the chaotic yet orderly passageways of the stronghold to her small cubicle.

There are more signs of life here than when she first arrived, but it is still simple and even somewhat empty.

She closed the door, instantly cutting off most of the outside noise.

"Sit down." Lucy pointed to the only relatively clean old chair in the room, and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

David sat down as instructed, placing his hands on his knees, his fingers unconsciously twisting together.

He was still reeling from the shock and self-doubt brought about by Chen Yu's words.

Lucy didn't speak immediately. She took out a Mewtwo headband and fiddled with it in her hand for a moment.

"Want to see?" She handed the headband to David. "It's about the moon."

David paused for a moment. The moon? That seemed to have nothing to do with his current situation.

But he took it anyway and put it on his head; he needed anything to distract himself.

Mewtwo has been activated.

It wasn't a fierce gunfight or a steamy scene, but rather a boundless, silent cosmic space.

Then, the view zoomed in, and the moon's grayish-white surface was clearly revealed.

The crater is like a huge scar, and the tranquil sea is vast and desolate.

There was no sound, only absolute silence and an indescribable desolate grandeur.

As the viewpoint slowly moves across the lunar surface, Earth appears as a sapphire suspended against a black velvet backdrop.

This experience stands in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle, chaos, and crampedness of Night City.

David felt as if he had truly escaped that swamp and found himself in a pure, cold, yet infinitely vast world.

Mewtwo's time was short. When David took off the headband, his eyes were still somewhat dazed, as if his soul was still lingering in that silent vacuum.

“It’s very different, isn’t it?” Lucy asked softly.

David nodded, unsure of what to say for a moment.

“There are no companies, no gangs, no endless neon lights and the noise of hovercars.” Lucy’s gaze fell on the small window in the cubicle that blocked out the sky, as if she could see through layers of barriers to the distant starry sky. “There is only tranquility… absolute tranquility… That is my dream, to leave Night City and go to the moon.”

She paused, then turned her gaze back to David's face. His eyes, which often carried a sense of detachment, now appeared exceptionally clear.

“I know what the boss said sounds harsh and hard to understand. He… he thinks differently from us. In his eyes, everything is probably a machine that can be broken down, analyzed, and solved with knowledge and tools.”

“But,” she continued, “he was right about one thing: you can’t always wait for someone else to give you answers or expect someone else to come and save you. Mann and his team were able to bring you back this time, but what about next time? If you keep relying on others, one day you’ll really have nowhere to go.”

“I’m not telling you to learn from him… to treat everything like a machine.” Lucy carefully chose her words. “What I’m saying is that you have to find your own strength, your own way.”

It might not all be knowledge, but it must be something you can hold in your own hands. Like…” she pointed to the Mewtwo headband, “like when I want to leave here. I know I can't rely on others; I can only rely on myself to save money and find opportunities. This is my path.”

“Your mother’s situation is difficult,” Lucy continued, her tone calm yet firm. “The boss has given you a path, a difficult and demanding one. But at least it’s a path, a path that, theoretically, allows you to find a solution yourself.”

Compared to placing all hope in 'charity' or help from others that may appear at any time, this path, though difficult, is more practical.

She looked David into his eyes: "Being deceived and kidnapped is not your fault; it's the fault of those who set the trap. But if you can't get back up because of this setback, or if you only think about being more careful to 'beg' in the future, then you've truly lost."

You can be afraid, you can be sad, but don't forget why you chose this path. Don't forget what you want to protect.

Lucy's words lacked the boldness of Mann and his companions, and the cold rationality of Chen Yu, but they were like a gentle stream, slowly seeping into David's parched and chaotic heart.

Instead of directly negating Chen Yu, she offered a different perspective, transforming "the pursuit of knowledge" from a cold dogma into a possibility of "taking control of one's own destiny."

She shared her dreams, as if telling him that even in the darkest corners, people should still yearn for the distance and for freedom, and accumulate strength for it.

David looked at Lucy, at the clarity and determination in her eyes that seemed so out of place in Night City, and the turmoil surging in his heart seemed to gradually subside.

Shame and self-blame remained, but something new began to sprout in her heart—not that she immediately understood the logic of Chen Yu's mechanical teachings, but that she vaguely realized the importance of self-salvation, and... the seemingly indifferent but actually delicate concern of the girl in front of her.

He was still confused about the future, and Chen Yu's criticism still felt like a thorn in his heart. But at this moment, in this small cubicle, listening to Lucy's calm narration and watching her longing for the moon, he felt... as if he could breathe again.

"Thank you..." David's voice was a little hoarse, but it had more strength than before.

Lucy shook her head slightly and said nothing more. The room fell silent again, but a silent understanding and support flowed between the two of them.

David knew he needed time to process all of this.

We need to reflect on Chen Yu's words, re-examine our own path, and also... live up to Lucy's guidance and Mann and the others' life-risking rescue.

His apprenticeship may have only truly begun after experiencing this harsh reality and a violent clash with his ideas.

(End of this chapter)