Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 262 Sigismund (Fourteenth Update)
That was when Chen Yu was still a young priest, working on a research project in Holy Terra with his mentor.

During an expedition to the lower levels of the city, he stumbled upon a group of gangsters attacking a teenager.

The boy was covered in blood, but he still resisted stubbornly like a trapped beast, the broken metal pipe he held tightly in his hand being his only weapon.

What impressed Chen Yu the most were those sharp, hawk-like eyes—even in dire straits, they still burned with an indomitable fighting spirit.

Chen Yu immediately offered his assistance.

He accurately fired several laser beams, taking down a few of the most ferocious thugs, while the rest scattered and fled.

After driving away the thugs, he went to the gangster who was huddled in the corner panting and treated his wounds with the medical tools he carried.

The boy stared at him warily until Chen Yu was actually treating his injuries, at which point his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Sigismund," the boy said in a hoarse voice, his gaze lingering briefly on Chen Yu's prosthetic body and red robe, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Chen Yu simply nodded, completed the necessary emergency treatment, and then got up and left.

This brief encounter was but a trivial episode in the grand scheme of his long research career.

He later learned by chance that the Nest City boy had been selected and taken away by the Imperial Fist recruiter.

Later, Sigismund's name began to spread within the Legion—he rose rapidly through the ranks with his unparalleled swordsmanship and absolute loyalty, eventually becoming a company commander in the Seventh Legion, one of the Emperor's most loyal warriors, and the Primarch of Dorne's most trusted sword and shield.

The turning point in Chen Yu's fate came when his mentor and his faction were purged on charges of heresy.

As a member of this faction, Chen Yu was naturally implicated.

At a critical moment in the review, a strongly worded but clearly positioned guarantee document from the Imperial Fist Legion's top brass was delivered to the Mechanicus Arbitration Tribunal, which was responsible for the review.

The document emphasizes Chen Yu's past technical contributions and uses his indirect assistance in a peripheral technical cooperation project of the Seventh Army Corps as a reason to safeguard his loyalty.

This guarantee largely offset the severity of the charges against Chen Yu, allowing him to escape the core allegations and be subject to only a certain degree of monitoring and restrictions.

Chen Yu later learned through clandestine channels that the person who pushed for this guarantee was none other than Sigismund, who was already in a high position of power at the time.

The company commander had not forgotten the mechanical priest who had helped him at the bottom of the hive.
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Chen Yu did not linger in Star Harbor.

After completing the necessary docking document verification and access permission registration, he led everyone onto the designated ground shuttle.

The shuttle smoothly detached from the starport docking arm, adjusted its attitude, and began its descent towards the surface of the industrial-scarred planet below.

After a period of flight, the shuttle landed in a relatively isolated area on the surface of the Forged World.

Here stands Chen Yu's private research facility, a fortress-like building constructed of heavy alloy and etched with binary prayers and gear emblems.

The towering tower houses the sensor array, while behind the heavy gates lies a heavily guarded interior space.

As the heavy alloy gates closed behind us, the hustle and bustle of the Starport was instantly shut out.

The interior of the laboratory presents a completely different scene—there are no exposed pipes and deafening mechanical roars, but instead a breathtaking precision and order.

Countless uniquely shaped instruments were neatly arranged along the smooth ground, their surfaces shimmering with a ghostly blue indicator light. Several servo skulls hovered silently in mid-air, their eye sockets flashing with regular red light, silently recording everything within the arena.

The thick cables were perfectly concealed in the metal channels on both sides of the wall, and the air was filled with a unique smell of ozone, coolant and holy oil, which was purer and more intense than the smell in the Star Harbor.

Chen Yu's massive, dark red mechanical body appeared extremely imposing under the cold white light.

He turned to the crowd, and a synthesized voice rang out steadily in the empty hall: "Remember where you are standing right now."

His mechanical fingers traced through the air, pointing to the silently operating equipment around him. "This is not only my private laboratory, but also a blessed technological sanctuary. Every instrument has been calibrated tens of thousands of times, and every process carries the will of Om Messiah."

The crimson optical lens slowly swept across each person's face, as if reading their physiological data.

“Next, you will undergo a comprehensive assessment and necessary upgrades here.” He paused briefly, letting the weight of his words sink into everyone’s hearts. “Ignis will take you to the temporary living area and explain the basic rules.”

His voice suddenly took on a metallic sharpness: "Special attention—all areas marked in red are strictly off-limits. Any unauthorized operation will be considered a serious violation. Here, discipline is not advice, it's a prerequisite for survival."

Everyone nodded.

Mann unconsciously rubbed the scar on his chin, his gaze cautiously sweeping over the sophisticated instruments he had never seen before.

Valerie quietly observed her surroundings, paying particular attention to the locations of several devices that clearly bore weapon markings.

Jack, unusually, restrained his usual playfulness and stood properly in place, only his slightly shifting eyes revealing his curiosity.

David's breathing quickened as he stared at an automatically operating analyzer in the distance, his eyes gleaming with longing.

Lucy gently touched his arm, signaling him to stay calm.

Chen Yu's mechanical tentacles input a final command on the control panel, his deep voice echoing through the laboratory: "The changes you are about to experience will far exceed your imagination. Remember: here, efficiency is virtue, and obedience is survival."

As if to confirm this statement, the hum of equipment starting up came from deep within the laboratory, like some kind of solemn announcement.

As Chen Yu turned and walked toward the main control panel, Ignis immediately stepped forward and silently gestured for everyone to follow.

They took one last look at Chen Yu's massive, dark red figure before leaving the main laboratory under the guidance of the commander of the Christian Guard.

As the alloy door closed silently, Chen Yu's data interface was connected to the system.

He input all of each person's detailed physiological data, modification records, and combat performance analysis recorded by the administrators during their time in Night City into the Thinker array in the laboratory.

A massive amount of information surged through his consciousness like a waterfall, with every parameter and every combat performance being precisely analyzed within the core of his logic.

Based on his deep understanding of the technology to strengthen mechanical teaching standards, he began to construct a preliminary framework for the transformation plan.

Each person's potential and shortcomings are clearly revealed in the data stream, like raw materials waiting to be sculpted into a more perfect form.

Just as he was completely immersed in data analysis and solution planning, the communication indicator light at the main entrance of the laboratory suddenly lit up, breaking the silence inside.

An encrypted and verified identity identifier flashed on the communication interface—it was Sigismund.

(End of this chapter)