Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 225 Under Order (Third Update)
The broadcast ended, and the city fell into a tightly controlled silence. The neon lights still flickered, but the former chaotic clamor had been replaced by a cold sense of order.

On the streets, apart from the heavy footsteps of the regular patrols of the Imperial Guard squads and the Kangtao military forces, there were only a few scattered figures hurrying to their designated work posts.

People stayed at home or in dormitories, receiving cold work instructions and precisely calculated rationing notifications through terminals.

Amidst fear and confusion, there is a surrender to the instinct for survival, but it is not entirely without ripples.

In the depths of back alleys unlit by neon lights, sporadic gunshots and explosions occasionally rip the silence of the night—these are the futile resistance of some street mercenaries or stubborn gangs who refuse to be "organized" and attempt to fight back in the only way they know.

However, these acts of resistance were like pebbles thrown into a deep pool, causing only a few ripples at first before being quickly wiped out by the Guards' efficient and ruthless suppression, leaving only more charred marks and warnings.

A new social structure based on absolute rationality and efficiency, like an irresistible torrent of steel, is forcibly reshaping the once chaotic body of Night City, but beneath its crushing force, undercurrents still surge.

In their respective command centers, the top executives of Military Technology and Kangtao analyzed this cold regulation that unified survival, labor, and efficiency.

They clearly recognized that this "sage's" control over the city went far beyond force; his management logic was more like a highly centralized production system optimization algorithm, treating people as deployable parts.

Although the cooperation continues, their doubts and calculations have become more complex.

The military technology strategy department is assessing the stability of this system, and they doubt whether this model, which completely deprives individuals of their freedom and is driven solely by survival, can be sustained in the long term, especially in a place like Night City where rebellion is deeply ingrained.

But what they feared even more was the army under Chen Yu's command, an army unlike any they had ever seen before, whose technological approach was completely different from any known system in the world—the energy supply, weapon principles, and even the very form of existence of those "Guards" had aroused countless speculations and anxieties among intelligence analysts.

Kangtao's technical experts attempted to analyze the operation of the "manager" AI. They were amazed by its efficiency in processing massive amounts of urban data, but also felt a chill about this governance method that was completely unaffected by human emotions.

On the one hand, they hope to learn something from this efficient management, but on the other hand, they worry whether it is wise to cooperate with an entity that "instruments" everything in the long run.

They were equally curious about the origins of Chen Yu's technology. The shields and energy weapons that were far ahead of their time represented a level of technological prowess that was both coveted and terrifying.

Arasaka's temporary retreat does not mean its disappearance. Its remaining forces are like wounded vipers, licking their wounds in the shadows. Hatred and the chaos brought about by the new order are the breeding ground they can exploit.

All factions understand that any future interactions must strictly adhere to this new "efficiency first" rule, and any attempt to retain redundant or inefficient links may violate taboos.

But beneath this outward compliance, seeds of doubt, fear, greed, and rebellion have been quietly sown in the soil covered by the ironclad order, awaiting unknown variables.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned town workshop, Chen Yu was assessing whether everything was operating as he had expected.

On the main control panel, data streams representing urban operational efficiency, resource turnover rate, labor attendance rate, and health index flowed smoothly and were set as background processes.

He successfully transformed Night City into a large-scale social experiment, observing how human society is reconstructed and operates under absolute rationality and a "contribution-distribution" model.

The takeover of the city and the establishment of its systems are just the prelude; a stable and observable sample has been placed on the experimental table.

The data stream representing the city's operational status flows smoothly like a gentle stream on the secondary monitoring screens.

All key indicators show that the system is operating according to the parameters he set.

Takashi Arasaka, or rather, the "manager," is efficiently fulfilling his duties with the absolute rationality he has been given and his faithful execution of the underlying logic.

For Chen Yu, controlling a city was not about satisfying his lust for power or accumulating worldly wealth. These base desires, belonging to an organic being, had long been stripped away and diluted during his centuries-long career in the Mechanic Church and his grand expeditions across the stars.

He would even deliberately access some of his pre-transmigration memories to maintain the anchor of "humanity" in his self-awareness, preventing himself from completely sliding into the same state as his colleagues who had extinguished even the last spark of emotion and become nothing more than logical machines.

However, this does not mean that he will be controlled by it.

Power, money, beauty... these variables are insignificant in his decision-making matrix.

His view of Night City was no different from his view of a complex machine awaiting repair, an ancient star map in need of analysis, or an experimental field full of unobserved variables.

The city’s unique value lies in its “independence” and complexity.

It is not governed by a single country or traditional political entity. Major companies compete here, and ordinary people struggle to survive in the cracks, forming a unique and inefficient chaotic social ecosystem.

Now, he has the opportunity to bring this chaotic system under control, impose an absolutely rational dominant variable—AI management—and observe its evolution.

His core purpose is clear and pure, serving entirely the grander goals of knowledge exploration and efficiency principles.

For him, Night City was a tool to achieve two more valuable goals.

First of all, this is an unprecedented social management experiment.

This city serves as a near-perfect example, showcasing a highly complex yet deeply corrupt and inefficient human society.

Chen Yu aims to verify whether, under absolutely rational AI governance, a "contribution-guarantee" system that forcibly binds the right to survival with the obligation to work can drive human society to its theoretical efficiency limit.

If this model proves to significantly improve overall operational efficiency, maintain long-term stability, and optimize resource utilization, it will have extremely high transplant value.

He thought of the vast, corrupt, and bloated hives in the Warhammer world, their massive, bloated structures riddled with unbearable resource misallocation and administrative rigidity.

These inefficiently operating urban clusters are the best application scenarios to verify this management model.

Modifying them will not only enhance the empire's resource acquisition capabilities but also provide a more stable source of troops, perfectly aligning with the pursuit of higher levels of efficiency and power.

Even more potentially rewarding is the path to ancient technological treasures.

Nest City itself is a dormant treasure trove of technology.

Chen Yu knew perfectly well that at this point in time, the probability of discovering complete technological creations deep within these giant structures was far higher than he knew of in the future.

The only way to acquire this lost knowledge is to systematically control, analyze, and ultimately excavate the Nest City.

Any discovery from humanity's golden age could lead to a technological leap or gain undisputed influence within the Cult of Mechanics.

(End of this chapter)