Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 207 Technological Upgrade (Tenth Update)

The standoff between Arasaka and military technology on the badlands surrounding Night City has devolved into a brutal yet steady war of attrition.

Both sides tacitly limited the scope of the battle to the area around the abandoned town and the wider wasteland, as if an invisible boundary kept the flames of war away from the neon-lit sea of ​​Night City.

This was not out of kindness, but based on a cold-blooded calculation of interests—maintaining a seemingly intact Night City was far more beneficial to the company's long-term interests than destroying it.

In this designated killing field, the fighting continued from dawn to dusk.

Under the cover of tanks and self-propelled artillery, Arasaka's "Onimusha" power armor horde relentlessly attacked the combined defensive line of the Ghost Hounds, Lhasa Road mercenaries, and military technology experimental units.

The tactics of both sides continued to evolve in bloody practice.

Arasaka, relying on its massive industrial base and manpower reserves, adopted a tactic of continuous pressure.

Despite more than double digits of "Onimusha" being destroyed every day.

Some had their reactors detonated from a distance by Lhasa Road snipers, some had their armor torn apart by the "Tearer" chainsaw sword of the Ghost Hound in close combat, and some were even instantly disintegrated by the elusive dark red experimental machine with its powered gauntlets, but their logistics supply lines always remained highly efficient.

The Beluga and its rear base continued to send new power armor and pilots to the front lines.

Arasaka is also adapting to changes in the battlefield, adjusting the armor-piercing round formula, strengthening close combat training, and even deploying special sniper rifles specifically designed to target the joints of powered armor.

Military technology and its allies are also under tremendous pressure.

The power armor units of the Hound of the Underworld suffered heavy losses. Many pilots who had just completed basic training and were not even proficient in shield energy management were turned into burning wreckage under Arasaka's frenzied attack.

Colonel Hansen's face grew increasingly grim as he watched the list of the dead grow ever larger.

However, technical support from the "wise men" and the military's own emergency production capacity barely maintained the stability of the front lines.

While the "Fanghound" power armor is still inferior to the "Onimusha" in basic performance, it often has an advantage in the trade ratio thanks to its shield technology and constantly updated weapon modules.

The Lhasa Road mercenaries, with their superb driving skills and rich combat experience, act as a fire brigade.

Their commander, "The Butcher," showed great interest in the powered gauntlets of the red experimental machine and made several attempts to acquire the relevant technology.

Unbeknownst to many, the war had become a testing ground for the technological weapons of both sides.

Every piece of battlefield data was carefully collected, analyzed, and fed back to the research and development department at the rear.

Arakawa is constantly optimizing the armor distribution and firepower configuration of the "Onimusha"; while the military technology is accelerating the development of its own derivative models based on the shield technology and weapon interfaces provided by the "Sage".

Behind this seemingly evenly matched confrontation, Chen Yu's presence is quietly shifting the balance of the war.

He did not directly intervene in any specific battles, but the technologies he provided, from the area shields protecting the abandoned town to the kinetic shields that improved individual soldier survivability, and the chainsaw swords and new weapon modules on the experimental machine, have become key factors influencing the course of the war.

He acted like a calm observer, using the battlefield as a massive testing ground to gather data and validate technologies.

Both sides in the conflict, to some extent, became participants in his macroscopic experiment, passively engaging in a brutal competition along the technological path he had defined.

Inside the workshop in the center of the abandoned town, Chen Yu's attention was not on the specific tactical command at the front.

As long as the defense remains solid and valuable combat data continues to be transmitted back, this war of attrition outside the gate will have value to him.

His focus was on the first systematic optimization of the dark red experimental machine. He carefully reviewed the technical proposals submitted by Military Technology and Kangtao.

The two solutions proposed by the military technology team, with high-performance laser weapons as the core and a multi-functional configuration combining rocket pods and electronic warfare modules, demonstrate a solid industrial foundation and a pragmatic approach.

"Standard-perfect, old pal," Chen Yu commented to the silently floating servo skull beside him, its crimson optical lens scanning the data stream of military technology plans.

"It lacks groundbreaking creativity, but its strength lies in its stable structure and mature technology. This level of equipment is quite suitable for the Imperial Guard. After all, the Imperial Guard does not need, nor can it afford, overly sophisticated weapons."

In contrast, Comtau's approach reflects a different technological path, focusing on the collaborative combat network between the fire control system of smart weapons and light weapons.

Chen Yu paid particular attention to its target prediction algorithm.

"The idea behind this algorithm is quite interesting; its accuracy and adaptability exceed the baseline." He whispered to the servo skull, bringing up the relevant data link.

"Although limited by the power of the basic platform, it is not very effective against heavily armored targets, but this intelligent fire control logic... may be used to improve the Space Marine's bomb gun and further enhance its single-target killing efficiency."

He archived these technological solutions from around the world.

The military technology solution was labeled as "applicable to the Imperial Guard's standardized equipment reference," while Contau's intelligent fire control algorithm was extracted separately and noted as "applicable to the optimization potential of high-level individual weapons."

He did not rely entirely on these foreign technologies, but rather used their effective ideas as data reserves and sources of inspiration.

He then integrated the data transmitted back from Valerie's combat tests with general feedback from frontline troops and began a systematic optimization of the experimental machine.

The core framework remains unchanged; the solid linear skeleton, ceramic composite armor, plasma reactor, and shield core all perform reliably and require no modifications.

The focus of the iteration was on refining the details and upgrading the weapon system.

He fine-tuned the response curve of the leg hydraulic transmission system, improving the smoothness of movement under normal conditions.

The human-machine interface in the cockpit has been improved, and the layout and tactile feel of several key physical buttons have been optimized.

At the same time, the tactical suggestion logic of the auxiliary AI has been refined to better suit the thinking habits of drivers like Valerie who have practical experience.

The key to this upgrade lies in the expansion of weapon modules and the complete overhaul of driving modes.

Based on his earlier ideas, he designed and manufactured a variety of weapon modules that could be quickly swapped out.

These include a small laser cannon mounted on the shoulder to provide sustained and precise mid-range suppressive fire; and a replaceable heavy weapon platform for the left arm, with options for a powerful but energy-intensive single-shot plasma bombardment cannon, as well as a faster-firing and more reliable storm grenade launcher.

In addition, a physical shield that enhances frontal defense is also included as standard equipment, serving as a last line of defense in case of shield overload or saturation attacks; the melee option retains the iconic power gauntlets while also providing a spare "Ripper" chainsaw sword with a standardized interface.

At the same time, he completely abandoned the old driving mode based on joysticks and augmented reality interfaces, and installed a brand-new neural direct connection interface for the experimental machine.

This is not the radical technology commonly found in this field that requires deep physical modification, but rather a more "gentle" deep connection protocol designed based on his understanding of the Apostolic Nation's modification technology.

It can directly input the sensor data stream of the powered armor into the driver's brain and transmit the driver's neural commands to the body more quickly and accurately, thereby achieving near-instinctive reactions, significantly reducing operation delays, and greatly improving the efficiency of human-machine collaboration.

“It’s time for the second round of testing, old pal,” Chen Yu said to the floating servo skull, while an internal communication command was sent to Valerie.

"We need to accurately quantify the improvement in combat effectiveness brought about by the neural direct connection mode, and evaluate the most cost-effective weapon module combination in actual combat."

(End of this chapter)