Chapter 586: Fishing (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Without needing a signal from Sun Cheng, Forerunner stepped forward, carrying five Energon Cubes to their side.

Starscream only watched Sun Cheng and his team's cautious actions with a sly smile, making no immediate response.

This was his confidence – as strong and domineering as Megatron, he didn't bow down to anyone, let alone to someone as insignificant as Frenzy.

Did they really think Megatron was forgiving and lenient, letting numerous betrayals slide?

No, Starscream understood the tyrant better than anyone. The reason Megatron hadn't completely eliminated him was because Starscream held too many secrets and technologies from the Skytiger Legion. Furthermore, he had a loyal following within the Legion.

Even though Megatron had Shockwave by his side, if they pushed Starscream to the brink, it would be a disaster for the Skytiger Legion.

The armor on his abdomen slowly opened, revealing a metal storage plate containing the coordinates of the Nameless Temple.

Sun Cheng tossed it to Starscream. "The Leadership Module is hidden by the six Primus within a temple. Here are the coordinates. Please be cautious. Skyfire, Onslaught, and I have visited the location three times, and we can confirm that the Leadership Module is there. However, due to the protection measures of the six Primus, we couldn't locate it."

"So, you sold this information to me?" Starscream asked with his trademark sly smile, looking at Sun Cheng.

His response was silence. Sun Cheng didn't deny it. He knew that someone as clever as Starscream would easily deduce this.

The Leadership Module, as a sacred artifact of the ancient Cybertron, was even more powerful than the All Spark. Cybertronians who knew about it would never give up on it – unless they had no choice.

Lies that were hard to see through were always a mix of truth and falsehood. Sun Cheng tacitly accepted Starscream's assumption, which was another layer of deception, just as Onslaught and Skyfire had also visited the temple.

Sun Cheng knew that many wanted him dead now: Soundwave, Megatron, and quite possibly Starscream himself.

Shortly after the Mariana Trench battle, Sun Cheng had released an unmanned deep-sea probe into the trench. Apart from scattered Decepticon and Autobot wreckage, he had found Megatron's mangled body. A welcome discovery but also a disturbing one, as Megatron's head was missing.

Cybertronians possessed the technology to access the memories of their deceased comrades, as long as the memory chip remained intact. Without a doubt, Megatron's head had been taken by victorious Decepticons. It wouldn't be long before a new, possibly more formidable Megatron would emerge, hunting Sun Cheng relentlessly.

This is why he needed to continue bluffing. Being outnumbered was a vulnerability, but Sun Cheng's opponents also had to consider the cost.

The trade concluded, and Sun Cheng prepared to leave. In Starscream's presence, he first inspected the five Energon Cubes, ensuring they didn't contain any hidden control mechanisms.

Starscream observed this with a deeper smile, adding a touch of fierceness to his already sinister demeanor.

Once he was sure there were no issues, Sun Cheng touched the five Energon Cubes.

In an instant, they disappeared.

"Oh?" Starscream's crimson optics flickered, his expression shifting from amusement to scrutiny. "It seems you've learned a few tricks from Skyfire!"

The ability to make objects vanish had many applications, but given the value of Energon Cubes, Starscream's first thought was Space Bridge technology.

Space Bridge technology allowed the transfer of objects, even entire armies, across vast distances instantly. It was considered cutting-edge even during the Cybertronian civilization's peak, and only a select few possessed this knowledge.

Starscream had attempted to master Space Bridge technology himself, but his progress hadn't been as smooth as creating Decepticon cannon fodder or studying Combiners. To date, he still relied on Energon Cubes and various devices and machinery to make it work.

As a Decepticon elder, Starscream had experienced the era of the Council of Primes. While Skyfire had left Cybertron long before the civil war, he had studied Space Bridge technology alongside Shockwave and had advanced further in the field.

Seeing Sun Cheng's display, Starscream momentarily thought Sun Cheng had learned Space Bridge technology from Skyfire.

Sun Cheng didn't explain; he merely bowed to Starscream. "So, Lord Starscream, I hope you find this information valuable."

"Let's go!" He and Forerunner leaped into the air, transforming into two aircraft and disappearing from Starscream's sight.

Starscream stood there in silence, and after a while, a cold voice sounded behind him.

"Why the sudden change of plans?"

The newcomer was Barricade, and several hundred meters behind him stretched a long line of vehicles in motion, signaling a convoy of no less than a dozen.

"An interesting opponent," Starscream said with a smile. He walked to a nearby sand dune and exhaled a breath.

A strong wind blew, and the low sand dune quickly flattened, revealing a massive spherical object beneath.

Barricade inspected it. "Electromagnetic Bombs?"

His expression shifted slightly, but Starscream continued to another inconspicuous spot and started digging. Soon, another Electromagnetic Bomb was uncovered.

"In this area alone, Frenzy has set up at least a hundred Electromagnetic Bombs," Starscream explained. "He's a clever one, not bothering to hide it. I sensed the ticking timers as soon as I arrived, and they stopped only after he left."

Barricade fell silent. If there were truly hundreds of Electromagnetic Bombs in the vicinity, triggering them would result in not only Starscream but even Barricade himself suffering severe damage.

However, Barricade didn't know that Starscream had one more thought he hadn't voiced.

"He has more tricks up his sleeve than this. I can sense that I'm being tracked by something. He's a formidable adversary. Perhaps it's time to have a talk with Soundwave."

"How many Decepticons have been detected?" Sun Cheng and his team had flown deep into the rainforests of Central Africa before coming to a halt.

They had chosen the desert as the location for the trade, as previous tests had shown that electromagnetic weapons were more effective against Cybertronians than conventional ones. Base Two had manufactured a significant number of Electromagnetic Bombs for this trade.

Furthermore, the location was within the range of attack for three nuclear submarines cruising in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sun Cheng had also placed detectors in the vicinity, all under Forerunner's control. He didn't trust Starscream entirely; even though the trade had been successful and they were safe for now, Sun Cheng believed Starscream would likely analyze the experience.

"Fourteen... I've detected Barricade, Excavator, Hook, Mixmaster, Scrapper, Long Haul, and Drawer," Forerunner replied.

"Did he bring a Digger Tiger team with him?" Sun Cheng was somewhat taken aback but also relieved. He had made ample preparations, making Starscream think twice. Otherwise, if Digger Tiger had transformed into Hercules, it would have been nearly impossible for Sun Cheng and Forerunner to escape.

Selling the information about the Leadership Module to the Decepticons was one thing, but Sun Cheng was unsure about how to proceed with the Autobots. He couldn't directly share this information with them; it wouldn't withstand scrutiny.

Sun Cheng wasn't afraid of offending Starscream, as Decepticons were all selfish and treacherous. This trade had already shown that Starscream would gladly search for more detailed information from Sun Cheng's memories if given the chance.

However, when it came to the Autobots, Sun Cheng preferred a more subtle approach, allowing them to step into the trap rather than deceiving them into it. Otherwise, the Autobots might eventually realize what had happened, and the fragile cooperation between the Autobots and the Skytiger Legion would be severed.

It was a valuable card, and Sun Cheng wasn't ready to give it up easily.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly had an idea.

"...Sound Nest... Right, how could I forget about the United States!"

A while back, due to the sudden and widespread attacks by the Skytiger Legion on various countries, their exposure and the Decepticons' ruthless destruction of the United States' second fleet, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of U.S. soldiers, the U.S. government had unilaterally terminated its cooperation agreement with the Autobots. They even attempted to hand over United States boy Sam to the Skytiger Legion in exchange for peace.

As a result of this policy change, the Sound Nest, which had cooperated with the Autobots, became a political pawn. Gabriel, who had always held animosity towards the Autobots, temporarily took control of Sound Nest. The unit was being systematically dismantled, with soldiers and equipment being transferred to other U.S. bases and divisions.

Sun Cheng had been closely monitoring this unit because of the two previous attacks by the Autobots and the Sound Nest's response. According to the information he had gathered, Colonel William Lennox was the day-to-day commander of Sound Nest. He was one of the rare pro-Autobot figures within the United States, and many reports indicated that under his command, Sound Nest had treated the Autobots favorably. Moreover, they had resisted many requests from the U.S. Department of Defense to collect information on the Autobots.

"He's the one!" Sun Cheng decided. He didn't want to cooperate with the greedy United States government. Who knew if those power-hungry individuals would turn around and sell him out?

However, this decision didn't stop him from fishing. He wanted to test the depths of the unknown Decepticon faction he had discovered, their level of infiltration into the United States.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 587: Everyone's Involvement