Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 196 Shield Failure (Nine Updates)
After suffering laser ablation on its left shoulder armor, an Arasaka "Onimusha" power armor successfully approached a military-tech "Assault Team" power armor that was changing its ammunition belt.

Without hesitation, the pilot, Arasaka, manipulated the mechanical arm and slammed the heavy fighting spike hammer down on the opponent.

Based on previous combat experience, this attack will most likely be deflected by that blue energy shield.

This time, however, the spiked hammer slammed solidly into the "commandos'" breastplate, producing a sickening metallic tearing sound.

The power armor of the machine suddenly staggered, the cockpit area was clearly dented, and the entire machine instantly stiffened.

"Melee is effective! Their shields are ineffective in close combat!" the Arasaka pilot roared excitedly in the internal channel.

This discovery quickly spread throughout the Arasaka attack force.

The Arasaka power armor pilots, who had been hampered by the shields, were greatly encouraged and began to consciously push forward despite the enemy's long-range fire, attempting to engage in close combat with the defending power armor.

"Attention all powered armor units! Abandon long-range firefights, immediately close in on the target, and use melee weapons to end the battle!" The frontline commander of Arasaka immediately issued a new tactical order.

The battlefield situation changed accordingly.

With their numerical advantage and the discovery that their melee shields were ineffective, Arasaka Power Armor began to put more pressure on the defenders.

The military-technological "commando" power armor is clearly at a disadvantage in close combat. Its design focuses more on fire support, lacks effective heavy close-combat weapons, and its armor protection is relatively weak.

Once entangled by an "Oni Warrior," it is often difficult to defend oneself.

Even the mercenaries on Lhasa Road felt the pressure. Although they were highly skilled, they had to be more cautious when facing multiple "Oni Warriors" who had abandoned ranged attacks and focused solely on melee combat. Their room for maneuver was also reduced.

Shintaro Takayama, from the command center at the rear, keenly observed this change through real-time footage transmitted by drones.

A cold smile finally appeared on his tense face.

"As expected, every technology has its weaknesses." He ordered into the communicator, "Order all attack groups to intensify the frontal pressure, and power armor units to advance at full speed and engage the enemy in close combat! Break through their defenses at all costs!"

Under his orders, Arakasaka's attack became even more frenzied.

The armored forces advanced relentlessly, disregarding casualties. The power armor formations, like sharks smelling blood, charged wave after wave towards the defending positions, focusing on finding opportunities to engage the enemy's power armor in close combat.

The casualties among the Ghost Hounds worsened, and the defensive line was in dire straits in many places, showing signs of faltering.

Inside the workshop in the abandoned town center, Chen Yu's massive metal body stood silently in front of the main control panel, his scarlet optical lens steadily scanning the data stream flowing like a waterfall on the screen.

The deafening explosions and intense gunfire from the outside world were reduced to a muffled background noise by the thick soundproofing material.

"Old friend, it seems our shield system has run into some interesting problems." Chen Yu's voice rang out in the workshop, tinged with a thoughtful tone.

The servo skull hovering to the side responded with a soft hum. It was receiving and analyzing massive amounts of combat data from the front lines in real time: "Look at these energy consumption curves, and these failure time point distributions... especially the shield response data during melee engagements."

The results of the data analysis clearly confirmed some of his previous speculations and also revealed the bottlenecks in the current application of technology.

“Make a note of this, old buddy,” Chen Yu said to the servo skull, the optical lens flickering slightly. “The combat data confirms our suspicions. This miniaturized kinetic shield system has inherent limitations in its design.”

To ensure energy efficiency and avoid false triggering, the sensing threshold is set to be particularly sensitive to high-speed projectiles, but sluggish in responding to slowly approaching objects.

He paused briefly, as if organizing his thoughts: "In close combat, the relative movement speed of the power armor simply doesn't meet the shield's trigger conditions. This design flaw renders our defense system completely ineffective at close range. You get what I mean, old man?"

The servo skull emitted a regular humming sound as the eye beam swept across the data stream.

Chen Yu's processing core was operating rapidly, dynamically revising and supplementing the original upgrade plan based on this new data: "It seems that relying solely on defensive shields is no longer enough, old buddy. The enemy is adapting to our technological characteristics and adjusting their tactics."

We need more direct and effective means of killing, especially in close combat where shield systems have significant weaknesses.

Almost simultaneously with reaching this conclusion, a new weapon design was generated, simulated, and preliminarily verified in his core database: "It's time to prepare some new toys for the lads on the front lines, don't you think, old buddy?"

“Mower.” Chen Yu’s voice rang out in the workshop.

Mowell, who had been standing guard like a shadow, immediately stepped forward: "Master."

"Send the technical drawings and production parameters of 'Solution β' to the military technology representative and Colonel Hansen. Priority: highest." Chen Yu's instructions were clear and unambiguous. "Inform them that this is an immediate solution to the current disadvantage in close combat."

“Instruction confirmed.” Mower did not hesitate and immediately turned to carry it out.

The encrypted data stream instantly traversed the battlefield, arriving at the rear military technology coordination center and the frontline Ghost Dog command post, respectively.

Colonel Hansen was overwhelmed by the rapidly rising casualties and the increasingly strained front lines. When he received a new data packet from the abandoned town and read its contents, a flicker of surprise flashed in his one eye, followed by a sharp glint.

“A chainsaw sword?... That’s really... simple and straightforward!” He growled, and without hesitation, he connected to the emergency communication with the military technology representative. “This is Hansen! Immediately mobilize all frontline 3D printing and rapid manufacturing equipment to prioritize the production of the new equipment just sent by the ‘Sage’—the power armor chainsaw sword codenamed ‘Ripper’! Produce at full capacity and send it to the front lines as quickly as possible!”

When reviewing the blueprints, the military technology representatives were also impressed by the efficiency and direct, brutal aesthetics embodied in the design.

The battlefield situation was changing rapidly, and he immediately ordered his technical support troops to fully cooperate with production.

In a relatively safe area behind the abandoned town, several large military 3D printers and rapid prototyping equipment began operating at full power.

High-strength alloy powder is precisely sintered under a laser beam, rapidly forming powerful components: a robust single-handed grip, a sturdy handguard, and the most crucial element—the chainsaw blade with its menacing serrations and intricate internal structure, along with its power transmission mechanism.

(End of this chapter)