Chapter 666: Cassette Legion: Civil War (Part 1) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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The days of waiting passed by much slower than usual.

Sun Cheng knew that worrying about whether Soundwave would be fooled or not wouldn't change anything. In his view, the chances of success were still substantial.

Given Soundwave's suspicious nature, Starscream had taken dozens of Energon Cubes from Megatron's plan for a trade with others. Soundwave would undoubtedly be intrigued by the contents of this trade.

Over the years, Starscream had always harbored thoughts of revenge. This was a trap he set for Soundwave, exploiting his distrustful personality and loyalty to Megatron.

To uncover the secrets and reasons behind this covert trade, Soundwave had to start by investigating Starscream and Sun Cheng, the two Decepticons involved.

Starscream was certain to be directly eliminated by Soundwave. Although he was one of the senior commanders of the Skytiger Legion, he wasn't a skilled warrior.

Despite Megatron's constant suppression over the years, Starscream had yet to rise to the true Leader level. However, his combat capabilities were not much inferior to a Leader, as clearly demonstrated in the battle to assassinate Optimus Prime.

With Lord Fallen gone and Soundwave lacking his protection, Soundwave wouldn't dare to appear in front of Starscream easily. Therefore, he couldn't obtain information about the trade from Starscream. He had to follow Starscream's plan and approach Sun Cheng to uncover the truth.

The plan wasn't particularly ingenious, but it was straightforward and aggressive. Soundwave's inherent suspicion would surely alert him to the danger, but right now, both Starscream and Sun Cheng were counting on him to act impulsively.

The anger and disdain for their former subordinate's betrayal might cloud Soundwave's judgment.

This was why Starscream had decided to collaborate with Sun Cheng. It was only after Starscream had eliminated the spy Soundwave had planted around him following the Energon Cube trade that he realized the extent of Soundwave's plans.

Furthermore, the Energon Cubes were already in his possession, and Starscream hadn't set a strict deadline for the mission's completion. If this attempt failed, Sun Cheng believed Starscream would be even more impatient than himself.

However, Autobots were his primary concern now compared to Soundwave. He had manipulated the Sentinel Prime intelligence to implicate Optimus Prime and his team. If Soundwave didn't show up this time, convincing the Autobots again would be far from simple.

On the fourth day since Laserbeak's expulsion during close observation, even Sun Cheng himself began to doubt whether Soundwave had seen through the trap of Terindad Island.

A piercing alarm sounded across the island.

"Master, the radar center has detected several unidentified targets rapidly approaching Terindad Island from high altitude. Based on their current speed, they are expected to crash on the island in no more than three minutes and seventeen seconds."

Forerunner's voice resonated within a communication network, with Sun Cheng, Thunder, Forerunner, and Hynix, who was still roaming hundreds of kilometers away, all listening in.

"Are they finally coming?"

Sensing impending danger, Sun Cheng suppressed the growing unease that had plagued him during this time.

"How many targets did the radar detect?"

He stepped out of the base located within the Tristan da Cunha Peak and addressed the newly constructed command center in the northeast direction of the island.

"The radar has detected six targets, suspected to be Soundwave and his group. Should we initiate the evacuation plan for the engineers immediately?"

Sun Cheng furrowed his brow. "Not yet."

This Terindad Island is Soundwave's prepared grave.

If we can leave him here, some engineer losses are acceptable.

The immediate priority is not to alert the enemy before they enter the encirclement.

At present, he immediately ordered, "Issue a warning according to the plan, instruct them to prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

The island's anti-air systems, self-propelled howitzers, and patrolling combat robots, all under Forerunner's control, began to work in an orderly manner.

Sun Cheng looked up at the increasingly conspicuous "meteorites" in the sky and secretly contacted Optimus Prime.

"Your Excellency, please endure it. Do not make a move until I summon you. We must not startle the snake in the grass prematurely!"

The Autobots were his trump card, but that didn't mean Sun Cheng was ready to reveal them right away.

Soundwave's cautious nature meant that if he saw Optimus Prime and his team, he would most likely turn and run, making it difficult to find another opportunity.

Moreover, Sun Cheng didn't fully trust Starscream either.

He was well aware of that sinister character who was probably lurking in the shadows, waiting to observe the confrontation.

Until now, Sun Cheng was still unsure of Starscream's true intentions. Was he really only targeting Soundwave? Or were they all on his list for retribution?

So, the Autobots would have to wait a bit longer before entering the fray. Just in case they were the actual target, this trump card could not only save lives but also take lives.

"Warning... warning, you have entered our restricted area. Retreat immediately, or we will initiate an attack on you!"

The piercing alarm was sent three times through a communication method easily readable by Cybertronians, targeting the six rapidly descending "meteorite" targets in the sky.

Unfortunately, there was still no response. Forerunner couldn't help but recall Sun Cheng's earlier orders and decisively commanded, "Anti-air systems, activate. Allow the three-stage missiles to lock on and fire!"

Firm yet concealed, this was the state Sun Cheng required of them.

All the defensive facilities on Terindad Island were actually constructed under this requirement.

They appeared formidable, but in reality, they were not as strong as they seemed.

For example, the several sets of anti-air systems installed on the island were actually upgraded versions of the SAM-5 series of anti-air missiles that Lao Maozi had nearly phased out.

These anti-air missiles were originally designed by Base Two and intended to be "sold to" some small South American countries.

In terms of performance, they could be considered advanced, somewhat inferior to the anti-air systems equipped by the five major rogues on Earth, but not to the point of inadequacy.

At least, under the modifications made by Sun Cheng's Decepticon engineers, the maximum range of these improved SAM-5 missiles had been increased to over 600 kilometers, and their maximum altitude had surpassed 50 kilometers. While maintaining their power, their size had been reduced by one-third, making them entirely capable of threatening rogue nations that liked to approach other countries' coastlines with aircraft carrier fleets in the name of "freedom of navigation."

However, using these missiles, which even Base Two looked down upon, against Decepticons descending from high altitude, proved to be beyond their capabilities.

As soon as the six launch vehicles on the island fired the upgraded SAM-5 missiles, the suspected Invaders, likely Soundwave and his group, easily evaded the first round of missiles by changing their trajectory and triggering decoys in high altitude.

By the time the second round of missiles was launched, Sun Cheng could already see with the naked eye that the "meteorites" approaching Terindad Island were less than ten kilometers away.

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