Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 410 Time-Space Turbulence (Seventh Update)
However, with ten seconds left on the countdown, the energy flow within the teleportation channel suddenly became violent.

The originally stable, pale blue light exploded with countless chaotic spots of color and black lightning, and the violent shock caused the entire team to experience a brief period of imbalance and warning.

"Warning: Encountering unknown spacetime turbulence. Coordinate locking failed," Pila suddenly reported loudly.

Mann immediately issued the order: "Everyone, hold steady! Iron Guards, activate the stabilizing anchor!"

Valerie and Jack's Iron Guards immediately fired several physical anchor cables from their backs, which sank deep into the energy flow beneath their feet—if that could still be called "ground"—in an attempt to anchor the squad.

However, the shock was too violent, and the stream of light in the field of vision was completely distorted into an incomprehensible chaos.

When the violent shaking and blinding light finally subsided, Mann's team found themselves in a completely unfamiliar environment.

The sky was leaden gray, covered by thick smoke and low-hanging dark clouds.

The air was filled with a pungent mixture of gunpowder smoke, ozone, and the smell of some kind of burning organic matter.

They stood on a muddy, cratered coastline, with the dark green sea rolling with murky waves in the distance. Nearby, the wreckage of burning armored vehicles and collapsed concrete fortifications were scattered everywhere, and the bodies of some people in khaki uniforms lay in the muddy water, clearly from a fierce battle.

The sounds of explosions and rapid gunfire could be faintly heard in the background.

"Location failed, not within any known database coordinates," Falco quickly reported, his sensor field of view filled with unfamiliar environmental parameters.

Pira had already launched the multi-functional environmental sensor sphere he was carrying. Several small detectors spread out like spiders and began collecting data on air composition, radiation levels, background noise, and other parameters: "The atmospheric composition is breathable, and the nitrogen-oxygen ratio is close to the standard for human habitation. Background radiation is slightly above the standard. High-intensity electromagnetic interference has been detected, but its source is unknown."

"High-speed movement detected! Non-human identification code!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed. Her quadrupedal reconnaissance mech had just deployed when its sensors detected the anomaly. Almost simultaneously, Mann and the other team members' optical lenses also locked onto the target.

From behind the mist and wreckage of the coastline, a horde of indescribable creatures emerged.

Their movement is extremely bizarre, sliding like liquid metal, yet possessing the swiftness of arthropods.

The main body is a dark iron gray, composed of countless constantly rotating and waving sharp metal tentacles. It has no obvious head or sensory organs, only a point in the center that flickers with an eerie light.

"Make contact with the enemy!" Mann's synthesized voice was completely flat. "Fire freely and eliminate the threat."

The battle broke out instantly.

Rebecca was the first to react.

The heavy weapon racks on her shoulders spun smoothly, and dangerous, scorching white energy began to condense in the massive muzzle of the plasma bombardment.

"Get out of the way, you scum!" she roared excitedly, and a plasma stream with a diameter of half a meter shot out, accurately hitting the area with the highest density of mimicry.

The violent explosion blasted a crater three meters in diameter into the muddy ground, instantly vaporizing the five mimics within the area at temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees, and even the metal debris sublimated in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, Dorio moved.

Her leg muscles, strengthened by the muscle fibers, contracted and released instantly, propelling her forward like a cannonball.

Without using any ranged weapons, the fists covered in terracotta gauntlets slammed directly into the nearest mimic with a whooshing sound. The moment the fists hit their target, the miniature explosive energy generators integrated inside the gauntlets were triggered. With a muffled explosion, the mimic was not only smashed to pieces by the immense force, but the flying debris was also enveloped in viscous white flames, burning fiercely on the ground with a crackling sound.

"Three on the right, their movement trajectories intersect." Sasha's calm voice rang out in the squad's communication channel. Her prosthetic eye flashed with a pale blue data stream, and her hands moved quickly on her portable tactical terminal.

As she reported the location, Qiwei had already completed the preliminary analysis of the battlefield electromagnetic signals.

“An abnormal data exchange pattern has been detected. There is high-frequency quantum communication between these organisms.” As she spoke, she activated the electronic warfare equipment she was carrying, attempting to interfere with the communication stream.

The promethium flamethrower on Pira's back emitted a deep roar at the right moment, and the blazing white flames swept accurately across the location Sasha had indicated, completely covering the three mimics that were trying to coordinate an attack.

The high temperature caused their metal shells to quickly turn red and melt, emitting a piercing shriek. At the same time, Qiwei's interference seemed to have an effect, and their movements became briefly chaotic.

Falco did not participate in the direct attack; his main tasks were to protect technical staff and monitor the overall situation.

Using the upgraded perception system, he continuously reported the threat locations in the communication channel: "Two to the left rear, approaching under the cover of wreckage. David, watch your three o'clock position."

Mann steadily turned his body, the incendiary gun integrated into his left arm moving with his gaze.

A concentrated beam of heat energy precisely struck the target reported by Falco. The mimic instantly burned violently and exploded like grease thrown into a steel furnace, the splattering burning fluid igniting its nearby companions as well.

"The signal jamming is effective, but its duration is limited," Qiwei quickly reported. "They are switching communication frequencies."

"Continue the interference, prioritize disrupting their coordination." Mann gave the order while firing a second round of bursts with his incendiary gun.

David and Lucy maintained their tactical positioning in the center of the team.

Lucy focused intently on controlling her quadruped mech, using its heavy machine gun to precisely finish off any stragglers, while simultaneously recording combat data through the mech's multiple sensors.

“The target is less resistant to conventional kinetic weapons,” she reported in real time, “but its trajectory is difficult to predict.”

Taking advantage of the brief lull in Rebecca's explosion, David quickly collected a sample of a simulated wreckage shattered by the shockwave and placed it into a portable analyzer.

“The biological structure doesn’t match any known species,” he quickly analyzed the data, “and the proportion of metal components is unusually high.”

Valerie and Jack's Iron Guard remained tactically ready.

At Mann's signal, their heavy bombardment guns and automatic cannons fired several precise short bursts, completely leveling several bunkers in the distance that might be hiding enemies, cutting off any possible reinforcement routes for the mimics.

“The communication interference rate reached seventy percent,” Sasha reported, her fingers gliding rapidly across the virtual keyboard. “Their collaborative efficiency has clearly declined.”

Under the overwhelming firepower and electronic warfare, the first wave of dozens of mimics was completely wiped out in less than a minute, leaving behind only burning, molten remains and still crackling burning liquid.

The battle ended, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt metal and molten metal.

(End of this chapter)