Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 156 Physical Connection (Eighth Update)
Limited by her own hacking skills, Lucy was unable to fight against Arasaka's anti-hacking department on her own, nor was she able to infiltrate the heavily defended Arasaka Tower, so she knew nothing about what was happening inside the tower.

However, this numerical barrier, which was insurmountable for Lucy, was practically nonexistent in front of Chen Yu.

He not only kept track of every move of the Mann squad in real time, but his invisible tentacles of consciousness had also long since penetrated the internal network of the entire Arasaka Tower.

The tower's structural layout, the real-time mobilization of security forces, and even the precise location and environmental data of Mann and others are all clearly presented in the form of data streams in his processing core, and he can issue precise instructions to them at any time as needed.

Chen Yu's calm voice rang out in the empty workshop, devoid of any emotion: "The first phase of the advance is complete. The target building is now within direct fire range. Now execute the building breach protocol. Primary objective: locate and establish a physical connection with the underground 'Divine Carriage' data fortress."
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Inside the Arasaka Tower, in a metal corridor, Arasaka Security is desperately trying to stop Mann's team from advancing, but it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—almost futile.

Mann raised his left arm, and the muzzle of the precision-engineered plasma cannon once again gathered a deep blue light.

After a muffled roar, a large hole with glowing red edges and a diameter of more than three meters was melted out in the center of the heavy blast door, and molten metal dripped down like lava.

"Advance." Mann's voice came through the mask, cold and firm.

The squad entered the tower in standard tactical formation.

The interior of the Arasaka Tower is spacious, but at this moment it feels unusually crowded and dangerous.

The alarm lights spun, turning everything an ominous red.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of ozone, gunpowder smoke, and some kind of high-end air freshener.

As soon as they stepped into the hall, crossfire from all directions swept over them like a metal storm.

Heavy machine gun bullets struck Dorio's instantly deployed kinetic shield, creating dense energy ripples.

Rebecca immediately retaliated with her bomb gun, blasting a machine gun bunker in the distance, along with its crew, into pieces with a single .75 caliber bullet. Concrete fragments and human tissue were splattered across the smooth wall.

"Left corridor, assault team!" Falco's voice crackled through the channel. His modified vehicle couldn't enter the tower, but he provided battlefield intelligence via drones and sensor data shared with his team.

Mowell vanished like a ghost. The next second, several short, sharp sounds of blades cutting through metal and flesh came from the left corridor, and then the gunfire stopped abruptly.

They advanced along the main passage toward the core area of ​​the tower.

Arakasaka's resistance was frantic, but futile.

The security personnel wore advanced bulletproof armor and used standard smart weapons, but their defenses were as fragile as paper against the firepower of Mann's squad.

Pira's flamethrower spewed out viscous promethium flames, the eerie blue tongues licking at the security personnel who were trying to hold off the attackers using the office partitions. The shrill screams were quickly extinguished by the high temperature, leaving only charred remains and burning synthetic materials.

Dorothy was like a human battering ram. Facing the reinforced security door, she didn't need to look for the key. She simply rammed it with her shoulder, and the built-in vibration generator activated, causing the door frame and the surrounding walls to shatter and collapse.

The ambushers behind the door were often buried by the collapsing building materials or exposed to Mann's plasma cannon or Rebecca's bomb gun before they could even fire.

Sasha and Qiwei followed closely behind the group; they didn't need to fire directly.

When enemy drone swarms emerge from ventilation ducts, or when an attempt is made to disable a squad's equipment with an electronic pulse weapon, the two men can instantly open an invisible electronic warfare domain with just a thought.

The drones were crushed as if by an invisible giant hand, their internal components overloaded and smoking, causing them to crash.

The energy waves emitted by the pulse weapon dissipate into nothingness upon contact with the edge of the field.

They can even infiltrate the enemy's tactical network, exposing their location and equipment information in real time on the squad's tactical interface, turning Arasaka's ambush into a trap.

The battle inside the tower escalated layer by layer. They breached the main hall, cleared out the middle-level office area, and broke through the second line of defense set up in the large atrium.

On every floor, at every corner, new resistance may be encountered.

But these resistances crumbled quickly in the face of overwhelming power and technological disparity.

“Abnormal energy signal and heavy armored unit detected.” Sasha’s voice rang out in the channel, calmly reporting the scan results. “At the end of the passage ahead, there is a suspected elevator shaft entrance leading to the underground data center. Security level: highest.”

Mann's team arrived at an exceptionally spacious circular hall.

In the center of the lobby are several large elevators that require special authorization to operate.

At this moment, five heavy mechs, clearly different from ordinary security guards, stood in the hall. They had a ferocious appearance and their arms were equipped with rotary machine guns and rocket launchers.

"Finally something decent has arrived." Rebecca licked her lips and aimed her bomb gun at the nearest one.

The battle broke out instantly.

The heavy mech's rotary machine guns spewed deadly flames, and bullets rained down like a storm.

Dorio was at the very front, her kinetic shield bearing immense pressure and rippling violently.

Rebecca's explosive gun slammed into the mech's armor, creating bursts of dazzling flashes, but failed to penetrate it immediately.

Mann's plasma cannon on his left arm recharged, and a bright blue ball of light shot out, hitting the chest of a mech.

The armor shattered instantly due to overload, and the high temperature of the plasma melted through the upper half of the mech, vaporizing the pilot and the precision components inside.

The wreckage of the powerless mech crashed to the ground.

Using the extreme speed provided by S.A.S.S., Mowell weaved through the barrage of bullets, his sonic blades precisely slicing through the mech's joints and weapon connections.

Just as one of the mechs raised its rotary machine gun, she severed it at the base, and the heavy barrel crashed to the ground.

Pira then covered the entire area with a flamethrower. Although the promethium flame could not burn through the heavy armor immediately, it could effectively interfere with the mech's sensors and cooling system, and block any subsequent infantry support.

Sasha and Qiwei focused their efforts, their electronic warfare domain concentrating on the heavy mechs, attempting to disrupt their fire control systems and shield generators.

The shield of one of the mechs suddenly began to flicker, and its movements momentarily froze.

Rebecca seized the opportunity and fired a high-explosive missile precisely into the cockpit, blowing it open from the inside.

The remaining two mechs were quickly reduced to burning scrap metal by the coordinated attack of Mann's squad.

After clearing away the guards, Mann walked to the largest elevator in the center.

The elevator doors are locked and require the highest level of authorization to open.

"Boss, we have arrived at the target elevator entrance. Access permission is required," Mann reported via the encrypted channel.

(End of this chapter)