Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 201 Recruiting Valerie (Fourth Update)

With the prototype assembled, the next crucial step was the field testing. However, the selection of the test pilot briefly caused Chen Yu to grapple with a difficult decision.

Those with military technology skills were excluded first.

He doesn't intend to share the technology contained in this prototype, especially the "machine soul" system and shield technology, with the forces of this world for the time being.

The members of Mann's squad? He retrieved their neural reaction speed and combat skill data.

Rebecca might be brave enough to drive, but she's better suited for wild assaults than precise control; Mann and Dorio are more used to fighting with their own cybernetic bodies; Falco is a driver, not a mech pilot; Pila and Qiwei are technical support personnel.

Their average level of education and their fine motor skills were less than ideal to Chen Yu.

David Martinez is a promising talent; his sharpness and learning ability meet the requirements.

However, it seems a waste to use him as a technical apprentice whom Chen Yu has invested resources in training, who might be damaged, as a prototype tester.

Lucy? The hacker girl who longs for the moon.

His abilities are passable, but his loyalty is questionable.

Chen Yu certainly didn't want to one day discover that she was driving this power armor, the culmination of her hard work, defying Earth's gravity and heading straight for the moon.

Although this was just a prototype for testing, for Chen Yu, building another one would just be another round of training his apprentices, but for the mechanical priest, any unnecessary loss was shameful.

His gaze swept across the database, finally settling on a figure who had been somewhat "idle" lately—V, Valerie, the former deputy head of the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department.

At this moment, Valerie is undergoing basic rehabilitation training in a relatively quiet corner of the abandoned town outpost.

Her right arm was still wrapped in a medical brace, and her face was pale from blood loss and recent hardships.

Betrayed and hunted down by her company, she nearly lost her life. Although she is now temporarily safe, her eyes reveal not only the weariness of surviving a disaster, but also a deep sense of resentment and uncertainty about the future.

Chen Yu retrieved her detailed file and recent behavior records.

As a former top executive in Night City, V's abilities are beyond question. His combat skills, on-the-spot adaptability, and mental resilience have all undergone rigorous testing.

She was ruthlessly abandoned by Arasaka and nearly silenced, and her loyalty to the company has long since vanished. She is currently in a stage where she urgently needs to find a new foothold and goal.

“A capable, experienced, resentful candidate who has nowhere else to go for the time being…” Chen Yu’s voice carried a hint of certainty, as if he had just finished calculating. “What do you think, old buddy?”

The servo skull flew half a circle around him, emitting a buzzing sound of approval.

“It seems we need to talk to this former employee.” Chen Yu’s massive body turned toward the workshop exit, his metal feet striking the ground with a steady thud. “Perhaps we can offer her… a chance to prove her worth again, or even to take revenge on the past.”

He needed to assess V's physical recovery, and more importantly, test whether she had the potential to initially synchronize with the power armor "Soul," and her attitude toward piloting this war machine to serve the "Sage."

If all goes well, the first combat data collection for this unnamed power armor will be completed by this former Arasaka agent.
-
Chen Yu's summons was conveyed through Mowell, brief and without superfluous words.

Valerie followed the silent female guard through the labyrinthine passages of the abandoned town outpost, finally stopping before a heavy metal door.

The door slid open silently, releasing a mixture of engine oil, static electricity, and some indescribable energy field. Valerie stepped inside, her gaze quickly and discreetly sweeping across the interior.

The space was more expansive than she had anticipated, with various unfamiliar instruments emitting faint lights, and thick cables coiling around the edges of her field of vision.

Her professional instincts led her to try to memorize the layout and possible exits, but she couldn't deduce the function of most of the equipment.

Then, her gaze settled on the center of the workshop.

The enormous, dark red metal construct stood there silently, its structure inhuman, carrying an almost blasphemous mechanical feel.

It reminded Valerie of the ultimate creations of mad scientists in old-fashioned science fiction films, but at the same time it evoked a strange, almost religious solemnity.

When the crimson optical lens turned to her and locked onto her, Valerie's breath hitched, and she involuntarily stopped in her tracks.

Despite having some preparation for this "wise man" based on intelligence fragments and descriptions from Mann's team, the impact of what she saw with her own eyes far exceeded any report.

At that moment, she completely understood why Arakasaka had chosen to back down after paying such a heavy price.

This is not simply a difference in military strength, but rather an instinctive fear when facing something beyond our comprehension.

“…Sage.” Valerie forced herself to calm down, nodded slightly, and tried to keep her voice steady. She had been the deputy head of the counterintelligence department in Arasaka and had seen countless grand scenes, but standing in front of this being, she felt as if she were facing a deep starry sea, and a sense of insignificance arose spontaneously.

Ironically, not long ago, her task was to try to make contact with or even assess this existence.

"Valerie." Chen Yu's synthesized voice echoed in the empty workshop, steady and without any inflection, revealing no emotion. "I understand your situation. Arasaka abandoned you, as if discarding a tool that had lost its usefulness."

Valerie's lips curled into a small, bitter smile: "That's how the company always is."

“I have a position here.” Chen Yu didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, “Work for me.”

Valerie looked up at the pair of scarlet lenses, without immediately showing either elation or hesitation.

Having experienced betrayal and persecution, she was no longer the company employee who easily believed promises: "Work for you? What exactly do I do? How is this different from working for Arasaka before? I don't want to be a company dog ​​anymore."

“You are only responsible to me and carry out my orders,” Chen Yu replied. “You don’t need to pay attention to the will of military technology or any other forces. You are not an employee of any company; you are my subordinate.”

Valerie hesitated for a moment before speaking again, this time with a touch of her usual pragmatism: "So... what can I get, Mr. Sage? My brother Jack and I have always dreamed of making a name for ourselves in Night City and becoming someone important."

"Night City?" Chen Yu's synthesized voice seemed to carry an extremely faint, almost mocking tone. "Ambition limited to one city is too insignificant. Serving me will allow you to reach heights far beyond what a 'big shot in Night City' could ever hope to achieve."

“Anyone can make empty promises, Mr. Sage,” Valerie said calmly. “At the very least, I need some money to settle down so that Jack and I can live without any worries.”

“Okay.” Chen Yu said without hesitation, “You and Jack Wells, one ton of gold each. As initial… settlement allowance.”

Valerie's pupils contracted slightly. A ton of gold? One ton per person? Even during her time as a high-ranking executive at Arasaka, this was an unimaginable sum. The move was simple, brutal, yet incredibly convincing.

(End of this chapter)