Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 39 Sasha's Thoughts

The noise of the bar seemed to be blocked out by a thick layer of soundproof glass, but in the booth area where the Mann team was usually located, the atmosphere was like an overloaded battery, scorching and expanding, almost bursting with sparks.

"Ha! You guys didn't see the pathetic state of those company dogs!" Pila waved his arm, which had just been optimized by Chen Yu, spitting almost onto Rebecca's face, while his other hand deftly twirled an empty wine glass.

"The moment their escort vehicles activated their interception stance, the boss unleashed a nuclear meltdown bomb—Zzz! The entire convoy's electronic systems went completely awry! Like chickens with their necks snapped, they were paralyzed!"

Rebecca kicked Pila in the shinbone, making him wince and shut up, but her own cheeks flushed with excitement, and her green prosthetic eyes shone brightly in the dim light.

"My plasma gun hadn't even warmed up yet, and Dorio had already smashed the last idiot who tried to resist into the ground, armor and all! A biotechnology convoy? Nothing special!"

Mann sank deep into the large sofa, his thick arm draped over Dorio's shoulder, a smug look on his lips.

There was a half-empty glass of strong liquor on the table in front of him, but more often than not, his fingers unconsciously rubbed the heavy metal box at his feet.

The box contained the most crucial takeaway from this operation—not only a batch of di-wheat seeds that could fetch exorbitant prices on the black market, but also several rare catalysts and gene-modifying serum stock solutions listed on Chen Yu's inventory, which were used for deep biochemical enhancement of Dorio.

This successful raid not only allowed them to raise the "reward" to pay their "boss" in one fell swoop, but also made the name "Fringe Walker" famous in the mercenary circles of Night City.

The fact that they dared to directly attack the company's fleet and succeeded is itself a symbol of strength.

The confidence brought about by the increase in strength surged through every team member like strong liquor. Even the usually composed Falco had a sharper look in his eyes than usual.

“With this shipment, the ‘boss’ should now fulfill his promise.” Mann’s deep voice was filled with satisfaction. “Once Dorio’s modifications are complete, we’ll be able to take on tougher jobs in Night City and establish ourselves more firmly.”

Dorio didn't say much, but simply tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, his bronze skin seemingly radiating power.

She is excited about the upcoming enhancements, which mean she can better protect the team and crush more obstacles in the way.

However, Sasha, sitting in the corner, seemed out of place amidst the sweltering heat.

The wine in front of her was barely touched, and her hood was pulled low, covering most of her face, revealing only her tightly pursed, bloodless lips.

Her fingers unconsciously traced patterns on the cold glass, her gaze wandering as if she were lost in thought.

Her body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, especially when Pila exaggeratedly described how she attacked the convoy and burned cargo bearing biotechnology markings.

Just then, Mann's private communication channel started flashing.

He glanced at it and saw a familiar encrypted signal—from Faraday, the middleman he had worked with several times.

"Hey, Mann. I heard you guys are getting on in style lately." Faraday's voice, with its typical smooth middleman tone, rang out. "There's a job I've got, but I don't know if you'd still be interested."

It's internal research data from a biotechnology company, and it needs to be obtained 'quietly'. The payment? The usual way.

In the past, Mann would have carefully weighed the risks of such infiltration and theft commissions.

But now that he had just pulled off a big one, he subconsciously felt that this kind of "small-scale" activity seemed unworthy of the team's current "level".

“Biotechnology? It’s them again.” Mann’s tone was tinged with impatience. “Faraday, we have more important things to do right now. This sneaky stuff…”

“I’ll do it.” A cool voice interrupted him.

It was Sasha. She looked up, her eyes beneath the hood meeting Mann's, her gaze calm yet unwavering: "I can handle this job all by myself."

Mann paused for a moment, and the rest of the team looked at Sasha with surprise. Solo operations were uncommon for core members, especially infiltration missions, which usually required external support.

“Sasha, are you sure?” Mann frowned. “Even though it’s just stealing data, the internal security of biotechnology is no joke.”

“I know.” Sasha’s voice remained steady, even too calm. “Precisely because their convoy was just moved, their attention is now mostly focused on external defense and retaliation, and they may be complacent internally.”

Besides, data theft is more easily exposed the more people involved. Being alone makes me a smaller target and more agile.

Her reasons were reasonable, but Mann felt that something was not quite right.

He scrutinized Sasha, trying to glean something from her face, but her amber eyes remained as still as a deep pool.

“Alright,” Mann finally nodded, trusting his partner’s abilities, or perhaps his recent victory had lulled him into a false sense of security. “Since you insist, what kind of support do you need?”

“No need. Just give me the target data and access point information.” Sasha stood up, her movements still light and agile. “I’ll take action tonight.”

Sasha left the booth and headed towards the bar's exit.

Rebecca watched her somewhat frail figure disappear into the shimmering neon lights of the entrance to the afterlife, and unconsciously frowned.

She grabbed her beloved plasma pistol and quickly followed him out.

“Hey! Sasha!” Rebecca called out to her from the bar entrance.

Sasha stopped and turned around, her face hidden in shadow beneath her hood, making it difficult to see clearly: "Rebecca?"

"Are you alright?" Rebecca asked directly, her green prosthetic eye scrutinizing Sasha. "I've felt something was off about you since earlier. Is it... because of biotechnology?"

Sasha was silent for a moment, a few strands of her hair fluttering in the night breeze. She gently shook her head, her voice soft: "It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Come on!" Rebecca didn't believe her. "We just pulled off a big one, you should be celebrating like that idiot Pila. Do you have some past conflict with biotechnology?" She tried to lighten her tone, but her eyes showed genuine concern.

Sasha's lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just shook her head again: "It's really nothing, Rebecca. Don't worry about me. It was just a simple data theft mission."

Seeing Sasha's expression, Rebecca knew further questioning would be futile. She sighed and shoved the heavy, warm plasma pistol into Sasha's hands: "Here, take this. Even though you're good at stealth, in case... I mean, in case you run into something tough, this thing is way better than your little pistol. Don't fucking lose it!"

Sasha looked down at the roughly designed weapon in her hand, a weapon brimming with destructive power, then looked up to meet Rebecca's eyes, which seemed to say, "Try refusing me if you dare." A slight ripple seemed to stir in her icy heart. She nodded gently and carefully tucked the pistol inside her large bulletproof jacket: "Thank you."

“Come back and buy me a drink!” Rebecca patted her arm hard, watching her turn and disappear into the deep shadows of Night City.

Back at the booth, Mann had already stood up. "Alright, we should get going. The sooner we deliver the 'goods' to the boss, the sooner Dorio's modification can begin." He picked up the metal box containing the precious materials, his face regaining its expectant look.

Rebecca looked at the elated Pila, the composed Falco, and then at the spirited Dorio and the smug Mann beside her. Her lingering worries about Sasha were temporarily suppressed by the team's high spirits. Perhaps she was just overthinking things? Maybe Sasha was simply tired.

They left the afterlife and drove to that familiar desert wasteland that held hidden secrets.

Meanwhile, Sasha, the usually taciturn hacker, was sneaking alone into the cold, steel jungle of the biotechnology building.

On the surface, her goal was a set of research data, but deep in her eyes burned a kind of desperate determination unrelated to the team's mission.

Rebecca held the plasma pistol she had given her against her chest, feeling as if it were a warm yet uneasy heartbeat.

(End of this chapter)