Rebecca was next.
She practically bounced into the modification zone, face radiating irrepressible excitement.
"Boss! My turn, my turn!" She hollered, voice especially loud in the cavernous workshop. "I want bigger guns! More firepower! Preferably the kind that can blow an armored car sky-high in one shot!"
Cairo's tall dark-red figure turned. Crimson optical lenses calmly swept over her, offering no comment on her racket.
His synthesized voice rang out steadily, cutting straight to business: "Your current physical foundation cannot sustain continuous recoil from higher-tier heavy weapons. Requires comprehensive systematic enhancement to support subsequent weapon platform integration."
Without giving her chances to haggle further, several nimble yet cold mechanical tentacles extended over, irresistibly guiding her to specialized examination tables, securing her limbs and torso.
Rebecca felt the slight touch of metal restraints closing. Excitement finally mixed with traces of tension facing unknowns.
Modifications began.
Unlike Maine's modifications emphasizing localized defense and strength improvements, Cairo conducted on Rebecca a deeper, more comprehensive systematic reconstruction.
First came skeletal reinforcement. High-frequency energy fields enveloped her major limb bones. Nanoscale reinforcement materials under precise manipulation were injected into bone microstructures, tightly bonding with original bone matrices.
Rebecca felt waves of deep, widespread soreness emanating from bone depths—as if her entire skeleton was being reforged.
Next came muscular system optimization.
Finer probes penetrated her major muscle groups, releasing specially-formulated catalytic enzymes and energy flows, stimulating muscle fibers undergoing structural changes while implanting miniature biomechanical coordinators to boost contraction efficiency and power output ceilings.
This process accompanied obvious tearing sensations and heat. Rebecca clenched teeth tight. Fine sweat beaded on forehead. But what throat suppressed wasn't pained cries but near-excited low growls.
Circulatory and nervous systems also synchronously received upgrades.
High-efficiency synthetic oxygen-carrying components were introduced into blood. Neural conduction pathways optimized to handle enhanced bodies' higher metabolic demands and faster reaction requirements under extreme states.
Throughout the entire process, complex vital signs data and energy flow readings rapidly scrolled across floating interfaces beside Cairo's vision. He resembled a precise conductor orchestrating this internal symphony.
Enhancement processes lasted several hours—far longer and more meticulous than Maine's modifications.
When main enhancement stages concluded, Rebecca felt reborn—unprecedented power surging through her body, environmental perception becoming sharper.
Only then did Cairo extract new weapons prepared for her.
It was an extremely rugged firearm filled with violent aesthetics. Its size and weight far exceeded any firearms Rebecca had previously used—nearly as long as most of her height.
"Heavy bolter, mortal-grade variant." Cairo's introduction was concise and cold. "Uses .75 caliber bolt rounds. Single hits suffice effectively destroying light armored vehicles or shredding most known heavy armor.
Recoil extremely massive. Bodies without systematic enhancements cannot safely operate. Even in your current state, must mind continuous firing loads."
He skillfully mechanically connected the heavy bolter to reinforced spinal interfaces and shoulder load-bearing points on Rebecca's back, conducting neural synchronization calibrations.
Next, he installed an externally-mounted composite sighting device on her right eye: "Sighting systems integrate ballistics calculation, threat-level assessment, and dynamic target tracking functions. Use ammunition carefully. Current bolt supplies limited—cannot support prolonged sustained combat."
Rebecca couldn't wait activating weapon systems.
The heavy bolter emitted low, powerful charging hums, stably hovering on her mechanical arm mount points.
She felt that reassuringly hefty weight plus destructive power fluctuations transmitted from weapon cores. Face showing nearly obsessive brilliant smiles—previous exhaustion and discomfort swept clean away: "Awesome! Fucking awesome! Now THIS packs punch! Thanks, Boss!"
Next came Pilar's turn.
Unlike Rebecca's pursuit of ultimate firepower, Cairo's modifications for him emphasized more functionality and battlefield support.
Cairo first enhanced Pilar's nervous system, especially boosting multi-threaded information processing capabilities and equipment compatibility—enabling better simultaneous control over multiple technical equipment or weapon platforms.
Main modifications were new weapon systems integrated onto his back's existing frames—a structurally compact yet massively powerful flamer.
Fuel tanks were cleverly embedded into his somewhat slender torso rear. Ejection mechanisms connected to his right arm auxiliary mechanical structures.
"Flamer weapon uses locally synthetic-tech preliminary-refined promethium fuel. Though purity falls short of standards, suffices meeting basic combat needs." Cairo explained while connecting. "Suitable for clearing clustered unprotected or lightly-protected soft targets, conducting area blockades and denial, or destroying enemy equipment sensitive to high temperatures."
Simultaneously, Cairo retained and further optimized his signature long-arm characteristics, enhancing joint flexibility plus terminal operation precision and strength—both facilitating technical repairs and equipment operations while unexpectedly effective in close-quarters grappling.
Pilar was very satisfied with his new toys.
He tried moving shoulders, sensing fuel tank weights behind plus ejection mechanism neural connection feedback. Flexibly waved long arms several times, imagining scenes of scorching viscous flames spraying from nozzles—involuntarily emitting his characteristic, slightly neurotic chuckling: "Hehe, now this is fun! Let's see who still complains about my long arms!"
Last entering workshops was Falco.
As team driver, his modification directions differed from everyone.
Cairo didn't install any direct offensive weapon systems but focused on extremely optimizing his nervous system, reaction speeds, and environmental perception capabilities.
A set of precision neural interface arrays and sensory enhancers were carefully implanted into specific spinal segments and related brain cortex regions.
This system dramatically boosted his information processing speeds, dynamic visual capture abilities, spatial perception precision, plus multitasking parallel processing capabilities.
"Your core responsibilities lie in piloting vehicles, ensuring team strategic mobility across various complex, high-risk environments." Cairo explained his design logic during final calibration adjustments. "This 'Vehicle Handler' auxiliary system lets you maintain consciousness clarity, perception sharpness, decision precision under extreme-speed driving, complex terrain evasion—even certain degrees of gravity overload environments.
It assists predicting potential threats, planning optimal pathways. Future—if resources and conditions permit—will equip you with specialized vehicles better matching post-enhancement capabilities."
Cairo's cognitive core already held preliminary concepts. Once dimensional transport technology became sufficiently stable, establishing reliable connections—perhaps from the Warhammer universe side—could somehow procure a relatively versatile "Knight Squire" mech.
Though such war vehicles fell far short of true Knight mechs' power, their control characteristics and pilot requirements precisely matched Falco's current enhancement directions.
Falco sensed post-modification changes.
The entire world in his perception seemingly slowed rhythms. Every minute vehicle feedback, every environmental dynamic—flooded into consciousness with unprecedented clarity, rapidly processing into useful information.
He tried simulating an extremely complex chase route mentally. Calculation speeds astonishingly fast.
He lightly adjusted shades on his nose bridge, steadily nodding.
He understood—within teams, safely, rapidly, efficiently deploying everyone to mission sites or withdrawing from danger zones held importance no less than frontline firepower dumping.
When Rebecca, Pilar, and Falco completed modifications, reassembling outside workshops—Maine crew's tactical configurations received massive supplements and improvements.
Rebecca's heavy bolter provided astonishing destructive power exceeding any previous direct-fire capabilities—sufficient tearing open solid defensive lines during frontal engagements. Pilar's flamer brought precious area suppression and purging abilities—effectively countering human wave tactics or specific environmental targets. While Falco's deep enhancements—like installing sharper eyes and steadier legs for teams—dramatically boosting overall mobility and survival probabilities.
This squad gradually forged by Cairo's hands was transforming toward directions transcending street merc categories.
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