Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 152 I'm Getting Impatient (Fourth Update)

Chen Yu's surveillance network switched cameras, intermittently tracking her movements.

Using her familiarity with the airport structure, she evaded the search, eventually sneaking into the underground vehicle dispatch area, hijacking a truck, crashing through the guardrail, and breaking out of the airport control zone to merge into the intercity traffic.

Shortly after she entered city traffic, Chen Yu monitored a brief outbound call made by her personal encrypted communicator. The target number was forwarded multiple times, but was eventually traced back to a registration information belonging to Jack Wells.

“Seeking external assistance is a logical choice,” Chen Yu murmured.

He then intensified surveillance of Jack Wells's frequently used communication channels and the area around his residence.

Soon, the footage showed Jack driving his car to the agreed-upon hiding place with Valerie and picking her up, who was covered in blood and pale.

Inside the car, Jack was clearly shocked and anxious about Valerie's injuries and the fact that she was being hunted down by the company.

Chen Yu hacked into the two individuals' personal terminals and used a lip-reading analysis system to read parts of their conversation.

Jack: "My God! Valerie! What... what's going on? Why would the company kill you?"

Valerie's voice was weak but clear: "Political purges... Jenkins fell... and I became one of those who needed to be eliminated... an insider..."

Jack: "Damn it! What do we do now? Should I take you to the priest? Or..."

Valerie: "No... the priest might not be able to stop Arasaka's pursuit... we need... stronger protection."

Jack: "Mann! Yes! Find Mann and the others! They just clashed with Arasaka and won! And the mysterious 'boss' behind them..."

In Chen Yu's processor, the weight of the variable representing "Mann's Squad" was slightly increased.

Their actions did indeed attract wider attention, and they even became potential beneficiaries for those in despair.

Just as Valerie was struggling to operate a one-time encrypted communicator with her undamaged hand, trying to contact Mann, Chen Yu's monitoring showed that the alarm level of the Arasaka internal security system had been raised again.

A special task force was activated, its members were codenamed indistinctly, and their equipment signal characteristics were distinct from those of regular security forces. Their movement trajectory was predicted to point directly to the area where Valerie was last seen.

“Cyber ​​ninjas, compared to the assassins of the Assassin's Court, are so rudimentary and primitive.” Chen Yu identified the type of this group.

These are the terrifying assassins that Arasaka uses to carry out various covert missions, although in Chen Yu's eyes they are like the clumsy creations of a naughty child.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned town outpost, Mann and his team received a faint distress signal from Valerie on their communication channels.

On the communication channel, Mann's voice was filled with astonishment: "Valerie? How could you... What did you say? Arakawa is chasing you? This..."

Dorio, Rebecca, and the others gathered around, their faces filled with disbelief and hesitation.

Rescuing a former company executive, especially one who is being relentlessly pursued by Arasaka, carries risks far exceeding those of the street conflicts they handle on a daily basis.

Just as Mann was pondering and weighing the pros and cons, a cold, steady, and unexpected synthesized voice abruptly cut into their communication channel.

This voice completely overshadowed the original frequency, carrying an unquestionable sense of authority.

"Allow her to enter the abandoned town area." It was Chen Yu's voice.

The channel fell silent instantly.

Mann and the others were clearly taken aback by this sudden and direct intervention.

Ignoring their astonishment, Chen Yu continued in a factual tone, "The coordinates have been sent to your navigation system, Jack Wells."

Following the indicated route will temporarily evade regular pursuit. The pursuers are three cyber ninjas, estimated to arrive at the outskirts of the abandoned town in twenty-seven minutes.

His words were devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were reciting a weather forecast.

But to Mann and the others, this brief message contained a huge amount of information and a suffocating sense of oppression—the boss not only knew that Valerie had asked for help and that Jack was present, but he also had information on the specific models, numbers, and exact arrival times of the pursuers!

Valerie and Jack also heard the sound on the other end of the communication.

A look of shock flashed across Valerie's pale face, followed by a complex mix of emotions, like she had been given a narrow escape.

Jack almost instinctively jerked the steering wheel, driving off according to the new route that suddenly appeared on his navigation screen.

Chen Yu cut off direct communication with Mann's team and returned his attention to the control panel.

A mechanical tentacle gently tapped an interface, and the defensive monitoring system on the outskirts of the abandoned town and several dormant automated weapon platforms were quietly activated.

At the same time, he intensified his surveillance of the cyber ninja squad's route; their signal was as clearly discernible as a firefly in the night amidst the city's background noise.

He had no intention of personally dealing with these shoddy toys in his eyes.

Mann's team needs real-world experience to test and improve; Valerie's survival or death makes no real difference to him.

What truly shifted the balance between "efficiency" and "cleanliness" at the core of his logic was Arasaka Corporation itself.

Once, twice... like an ineradicable virus, it continues to create unplanned disruptions.

Jenkins' compromise failed to bring stability; instead, it provoked a more aggressive purge and manhunt from headquarters.

In his view, this cycle of internal chaos and external provocation is proof that the system itself has fatal redundancy and inefficiency.

Continuing to invest resources in passive response or limited deterrence is no longer the optimal solution.

His crimson optical lens appears to be refocusing on Barthes Moss's neural map, but a high-priority, independent process has been activated.

Previous penetration and monitoring data of the Arasaka network were quickly retrieved, integrated, and analyzed.

The objective is no longer merely observation or intelligence gathering, but rather a systematic vulnerability assessment: the physical location and defense level of core data nodes, the biometric signals and behavioral patterns of key personnel, the encrypted communication links between headquarters and the Night City branch, and even its main energy supply hubs...

Inside the workshop, the hum of the energy pipelines seemed to carry a different frequency, a low hum concealing a sharp, pent-up energy.

He was no longer satisfied with simply cutting off the tentacles that were reaching out.

He planned to pinpoint the root cause of the ongoing trouble and then perform a thorough, physical formatting.

In the darkness outside the abandoned town, Arasaka's killing machine is rapidly approaching.

They thought it was a hunt to purge traitors.

Unbeknownst to them, they were rushing toward the focal point of an observer who, due to the constant noise interference, had lost his last bit of patience and was preparing to completely erase the object of observation from reality.

Everything unfolded methodically under the watchful gaze of those crimson lenses hidden deep within the workshop.

However, that gaze no longer contained the slightest interest in exploration; it was merely a cold countdown before the final elimination of a massive system that was about to be deemed "waste."

(End of this chapter)