Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 304 Coming in Person (Seventh Update)
The cave was completely silent.

Despite coming from a colder world where human life is cheap, the members of Mann's team could feel the deep grief Kirk was radiating from the loss of his dear friend.

Valerie maintained a respectful silence, and Jack also abandoned his usual nonchalant expression.

They may not be able to fully understand this deep affection, but respecting the genuine emotions expressed by the strong is a common principle that transcends world boundaries.

Savik, a fellow Vulcan, suppressed her emotions with powerful logic, but her pointed ears twitched almost imperceptibly. She lowered her head slightly, expressing her condolences for the passing of a distinguished colleague in the Vulcan way.

Carol stepped forward and gently took Kirk's arm, offering silent comfort.

She knew that words would be inadequate at this moment.

Kirk snapped out of his daze, raised his head again, and regained some of the determination he had shown as a commander. He looked at Mann and Valerie: "It seems your portals haven't been opened yet?"

Valerie nodded. "Yes, General. We are still awaiting the 'Sage's' instructions and coordinate calibration."

Kirk pondered for a moment, seemingly making a decision.

He glanced at the vibrant cavern, then at the group of visitors from other dimensions before him.

“In that case, you will share this place until I take Dr. Marcus and Lieutenant Savic away. But I need your assurance that you will not cause any damage to the facility or attempt to enter the core restricted area.” His tone carried an unquestionable bottom line, but it also revealed a subtle trust in these “visitors from another world” based on their shared experience after this incident.

A crisis that transcends dimensions has been temporarily averted, but new reflections on life, sacrifice, and the subtle relationships between different civilizations have quietly taken root in everyone's hearts.

Kirk, burdened by the loss of his dearest friend and relieved to have completed his mission, prepared to leave with his companions; while Mann's team continued their wait, in this strange world that had just witnessed a miracle of life and the fall of a hero, awaiting the signal for their return.
-
After several days of waiting, the dormant dimensional portal finally showed signs of reappearing.

A deep blue light slowly illuminated the Creation Cave, and the energy flow gradually stabilized from chaos, forming a rotating vortex of light.

"The portal has been activated!" Pila, who was in charge of monitoring the equipment, immediately issued a warning.

Mann's team members, Valerie, and Jack quickly assembled in front of the portal, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief—the return passage had finally opened.

Following established procedure, Valerie immediately sent a prepared briefing via encrypted data link to the other side of the dimension, outlining the circumstances of the unexpected contact, the current environmental assessment, and the existence of the Federation of Interstellar Nations. She concluded by requesting instructions: "...The mission team has completed initial reconnaissance and contact; the current environment is relatively stable. Requesting instructions: Should we return immediately?"

After the message was sent, the azure vortex continued to rotate steadily. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the "Sage's" instructions.

However, the expected permission to return or further instructions did not come.

Under everyone's bewildered gaze, the light of the portal, which had just stabilized, began to rapidly diminish. The rotating vortex of light suddenly went out as if the power had been cut off, and the huge ring structure returned to its lifeless state, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

"What's going on? Is the energy unstable?" Jack couldn't help but exclaim, his face full of astonishment.

Mann frowned, and Valerie looked puzzled. They quickly checked the local monitoring equipment, confirming that the signal had been sent successfully and that the portal hadn't closed due to energy overload or malfunction; it seemed more like... the other side had actively severed the connection. Just as a sense of unease and doubt began to spread, less than ten minutes later, the dimensional portal activated again without warning!
A deep blue light suddenly shone, and the energy surged violently, far exceeding the intensity of the previous event, even causing the entire cave to tremble slightly.

Immediately afterwards, to everyone's astonishment, the outline of a huge, dark red mechanical figure rapidly solidified in the center of the light vortex—Chen Yu had actually personally traveled through time!
His imposing metallic body was completely solidified, and his metallic lower limbs slammed heavily onto the ground of the Creation Cave.

The crimson optical lens swept across the entire scene, taking in Mann's team, Valerie, Jack, as well as the onlooker Savik and the astonished Carol and her son.

“Sage!” Valerie and Mann exclaimed almost simultaneously, their voices filled with surprise.

Chen Yu did not immediately respond to their surprise.

His data processing core was operating at top speed, and the keywords extracted from the briefing just sent back by the Mann team—"United Nations," "Enterprise," and "James T. Kirk"—were instantly activated, compared, and confirmed in his vast database.

As a time traveler, how could he not know the meaning behind these names?
That legendary golden age, depicting humanity's exploration of the stars and contact with countless extraterrestrial civilizations, filled with idealism!

He clearly remembered that although the interstellar federation of this world possessed technologies far beyond his current understanding, such as warp drive, teleportation, and holographic decks, its main purpose was exploration and peace, not war and conquest.

The Enterprise is a starship whose primary mission is scientific exploration.

Such a universe, containing almost limitless technological treasures and with a relatively peaceful overall atmosphere for humanity, is fatally attractive to an exploratory sage.

The instant he received the information and confirmed the stability of the coordinates, a long-lost, almost "impulsive" emotional surge overwhelmed his normally absolutely rational mental barrier.

To personally set foot in this world that only exists in "stories," to witness firsthand and even acquire those legendary technologies...

This intense thirst for knowledge and possessiveness led him to almost immediately interrupt the continuous energy output maintaining the portal without hesitation. On the other side, he quickly adjusted and poured in a massive amount of energy sufficient to support his own body in a one-way traversal, seized the window where the coordinates had not yet dissipated, and personally descended upon it.

"I have received the briefing." Chen Yu's synthesized voice finally rang out, with a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation of excitement that seemed to be present compared to usual.

His optical lens bypassed his subordinates and locked directly onto Savik and Carol, especially the still-operating terahertz recorder in Savik's hand and the aura of a top scientist emanating from Carol.

"This world... the Federation of Interstellar Nations..." Chen Yu's mechanical head turned slightly, as if "breathing" the air of this unfamiliar dimension, sensing the technological atmosphere it contained, which was different from the Warhammer universe and the cyberpunk world, "...containing a highly valuable knowledge system."

His massive frame turned to Mann and Valerie, issuing new instructions: "Exploration mission changed. Priority raised to highest. I will personally lead the initial contact and technical assessment of this dimension."

He knew perfectly well that dealing with a civilization that valued rational exploration was far "safer" and potentially more rewarding than dealing with Chaos or the Empire in the Warhammer universe.

He absolutely could not miss this opportunity.

His instinct to explore overwhelmed all careful consideration, prompting him to make this seemingly impulsive, yet actually calculated decision after a moment's weighing of pros and cons—to personally risk his life to seize that technological treasure that shone with golden light.

(End of this chapter)