Chapter 404: Optimus Prime's Decision (Patreon)

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While Sun Cheng was still troubled by Forerunner's discovery at the National Air and Space Museum in the United States, in Duluth City, St. Louis County, Northwest Minnesota, a team of Autobots was also in distress because of him.

"My Leader, what do you think of the credibility of this intelligence?"

Seeing the data flickering in Optimus' eyes finally recede, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Ratchet, and the others, who were waiting on the side, all gathered around. The first one to speak was Ironhide, who had suffered a loss against a Decepticon not long ago.

Optimus furrowed his brows, seemingly pondering the credibility of the intelligence, so he did not reply immediately.

His gaze fell on the small metal disk, or data disc, with the Decepticon symbol on it, which was only the size of his finger. After almost a minute of silence, the Autobot leader looked towards Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, what's your opinion?"

As he spoke, even Ironhide, who was usually impatient, held back his urge to inquire further and turned to look at Bumblebee.

In general, all creators were fair, so intelligent beings, whether humans or Cybertronians, were never perfect from the moment they were born.

The Autobots were no exception; during the rule of their enemy, they had been cruel to Decepticon prisoners of war, even more so than Decepticons were to them.

They also had their flaws, such as greed and hierarchical thinking, which made them no more civilized than humans.

Bumblebee's position in the higher circles of the Autobots had always been awkward.

Although he earned Optimus' trust and was appointed as one of his four lieutenants, he was disliked by the more conservative factions due to his youth and impulsive personality. Furthermore, he was seldom given the opportunity to showcase his courage in direct combat as he was tasked mainly with intelligence gathering.

All these factors combined, making Bumblebee's situation quite delicate.

Optimus valued him greatly, even considering him as a potential future Autobot leader, but he could never gain the complete approval of most Core higher-ups.

Ironhide and the others were relatively better since they were also lieutenants under Optimus and had more frequent interactions with him.

On the other hand, Autobots warriors like Sideswipe, Roadbuster, and Hound, known for their pride, stubbornness, or unruliness, as well as main fighting squads like the Targetmasters, Wreckers, and Aerialbots, had a rather contemptuous view of Bumblebee. They saw him as a mere intelligence gatherer who had earned his position by collecting military merits.

Bumblebee looked up at Optimus and, seeing him nod slightly, began to organize his thoughts.

Although Bumblebee seemed idle during most of his time in Duluth City for the past half-year, he was, in fact, responsible for collecting human and Decepticon activities within the United States, besides protecting Sam.

Having lost his vocal system, Bumblebee used a short-range local communication ability typically employed in battlefields for urgent mission coordination and communication between commanders and subordinates separated by long distances. He was using it now since his vocal system remained unrepaired, but Optimus and the others understood the reason behind it.

"My Leader, this Decepticon that provided us with this intelligence, I have never seen him before, so I couldn't gather more information about his identity... However, during the last battle, I had many encounters with the Cassette Legion, and I did see Frenzy's corpse. I can confirm that he died during that battle... So, the 'Frenzy' we've encountered on Earth should be a completely new resurrection..."

Bumblebee's analysis was logical, considering the limited information available.

"Considering our lack of information about this revived 'Frenzy,' I cannot make an accurate assessment... However, regarding the mention of 'Onslaught,' I believe we are all familiar with him..."

Optimus nodded, "He was the Decepticon Warcar Commander, and we have encountered him on the battlefield. He's a very formidable Decepticon, and we have suffered losses at his hands before..."

Ironhide touched his chest silently, recalling the time he faced 'Onslaught' during the civil war. He almost got shot through the chest and died on the battlefield.

"He's an ambitious individual who is arrogant and unwilling to be beneath others. While Onslaught might not be as cunning as Starscream, he also might not be as loyal to Megatron as Soundwave or Shockwave..."

Bumblebee paused for a moment but quickly continued, "So, I suspect that after the Battle of Las Vegas, with Megatron's death, the Decepticon forces may be in chaos. Without Shockwave to keep everything in check, Starscream's cunning and Onslaught's arrogance might drive them to clash over power... I believe that Onslaught and Frenzy may be planning to use us to eliminate Starscream and completely destroy Megatron's corpse..."

"As for Soundwave and Shockwave's situation, I think the intelligence is credible. The Guerrilla team has reported Soundwave's disappearance, and Shockwave is indeed assembling troops. They may arrive on Earth soon!"

"As for the last piece of intelligence, please forgive me, but I cannot interpret it. My knowledge of Megatron is limited, and I am not aware of whether he had a mentor. As for the 'Leadership Module,' I have no information about it. So, I feel the credibility of this part of the intelligence is low!"

Admittedly, with such little information, Bumblebee's analysis was quite reasonable.

"Your analysis is accurate!" Optimus said, smiling and nodding in approval. He wasn't very fond of Bumblebee's talkativeness, but he recognized that Bumblebee was one of the few younger Autobots who balanced prudence and bravery, which is why he had promoted him despite his young age.

But the smile soon faded, and the Autobot leader furrowed his brows again.

Optimus emerged as an Autobot warrior during the two Cybertronian civil wars, rising through the ranks with military merits to become the protege and confidant of the previous Autobot leader.

However, he had not held the position of Leader for very long.

Near the end of the second civil war, as the Autobots faced a crushing defeat on the battlefield and the Decepticon forces had already taken over all territories except for their headquarters, Iron Fortress, where Shockwave had assembled an overwhelming force to lay siege, Optimus was appointed as the new Autobot Leader by his mentor, who entrusted him with the command in a critical moment.

Since then, just over a century had passed.

With his mentor missing after an accident while escorting a batch of crucial energy columns to a secret base on a Cybertron satellite during the second war, Optimus had not only lost a mentor but also many of the highest-level secrets passed down among Autobot Leaders for generations.

Therefore, he didn't know if Megatron indeed had a powerful mentor as mentioned in the intelligence.

He also didn't know what the 'Leadership Module' really was or if it truly existed.

Due to the scarcity of intelligence, this young Leader responsible for the fate of all Autobots had to fall into silence for a short while before making a decision.

"Regardless of whether Onslaught and Frenzy are planning to betray the Decepticon forces and become independent or have other motives for providing us with this information, we must prepare a counter-strategy!"

"I will immediately issue a warning to the White House and urge humans to strengthen their military presence near the Mariana Trench. Considering that humans have never fully trusted us, this request may not be given much attention. Therefore, Ironhide, I will also request that you lead a team to stay temporarily in Guam, ready to patrol the Mariana Trench at any time to prevent any unforeseen events! I apologize for making you go through this inconvenience!"

The United States government, or the military-industrial complex behind it, had always sought to obtain more advanced military technology and extraterrestrial knowledge from the Autobots.

However, Optimus had consistently refused to provide technology to the United States government, leading to increasing friction between them as casualties on both sides piled up during their cooperation.

After the failure of Ironhide's raid on North Dovinsk not long ago, tensions between the two sides were intensified for the first time. Optimus hoped for broader cooperation with all human nations to combat the Decepticons, rather than exclusively with the United States.

Of course, the United States wouldn't agree and demanded once again that the Autobots provide them with advanced technology from Cybertron, threatening to expel them.

Both parties realized that they couldn't currently do without each other, so despite their unhappiness, they managed to reach a new supplementary agreement.

The agreement stipulated that the Autobots were not allowed to establish contact with countries other than the United States, and even if necessary for missions, they must go through the United States to contact other human nations.

They also needed to send more warriors to work under joint command to fight the Decepticons hidden on Earth.

In exchange, the United States agreed to form a new cooperative management department based on the original Sound Nest. This new department had higher authority and could directly report to The Pentagon and the White House without being managed through staff meetings as before.

The United States government also made concessions, allowing the Autobots to use more U.S. overseas military bases when necessary. However, they would be under the supervision of the U.S. military during their use.

Naturally, the Autobots, especially those with bad temperaments, couldn't easily accept this form of surveillance. Hence, Optimus reminded Ironhide of this arrangement.

Ironhide's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't say much and simply nodded firmly.

Although he had a hot temper, he could tolerate it for the sake of the mission.

As a seasoned elite warrior, Ironhide still held considerable influence among the Autobots.

Seeing that Ironhide accepted the arrangement without complaint, others who were dissatisfied with humans could only temporarily suppress their discontent and patiently listen to Optimus' instructions.

"Bumblebee, you continue to stay with Sam and the others. Since the Decepticons have been maintaining this line of communication, regardless of their intentions, we cannot afford any mistakes regarding Sam and the others' safety. You need to be more vigilant in ensuring their security, and I will send Shake to assist you."

Bumblebee hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Having spent half a year in Duluth City, he was somewhat tired and eager to return to the frontlines to fight the Decepticons.

However, over the past six months, he had formed a strong bond with his human friend, Sam. Bumblebee couldn't leave him in a dangerous situation.

"Good. As for Soundwave and Shockwave, I will contact Cybertron as soon as possible. If it's confirmed that they have left, I will order the Wreckers and Aerialbots to come to Earth and support us at once!"

"As for the mention of Megatron's mentor and the 'Leadership Module'..."

Optimus paused, then spoke firmly, "Regardless of whether the intelligence is true or false, I will personally lead the team to investigate!"

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 405: Siege (Part 1)