Chapter 713: It's Not the Right Time Yet (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Thunder and Hynix, who had been quickly summoned by Optimus Prime's Autobots, strolled through the new Iron Fortress city.

With no outsiders around, Optimus Prime invited Sun Cheng into the Council Hall.

As Sun Cheng gazed at the Cybertronian architecture that resembled an ancient temple on Earth, he wondered what Optimus Prime wanted to discuss. The young Autobot leader couldn't wait and immediately revealed a secret.

"Bumblebee has gone missing after I dispatched him to the moon!"

Sun Cheng's eyes widened. "When did this happen?"

Optimus Prime sending his troops to the moon was within his expectations. Initially, he had used information about Sentinel Prime as bait to enlist Optimus Prime's help in dealing with Soundwave and deterring Starscream, who might have been lurking in the shadows, ready to take advantage.

Subsequently, Sun Cheng had informed Optimus Prime about Sentinel Prime's spaceship crashing on the far side of the moon, based on intelligence obtained from the Decepticons. Despite Sun Cheng never showing any hostility toward the Autobots, trust was not easily built between two races that had been engaged in a civil war for millions of years.

It was inevitable that Optimus Prime would send his troops to the moon to investigate, but Sun Cheng had not expected Bumblebee to go missing.

As the Autobot intelligence expert Sun Cheng had interacted with the most since arriving in the Transformers Universe and taking possession of Frenzy's body, he had extensively documented and dug into information regarding Bumblebee.

In reality, only a handful of Autobots likely knew anything substantial about Bumblebee's past. Even Frenzy, who hailed from the Cassette Legion, only knew Bumblebee's past name as Goldbug.

Within the Autobot ranks, whether as Bumblebee or his former self, Goldbug, he was not a formidable warrior. Their mechanical bodies were quite fragile, even among the elite Autobot warriors, they were considered among the weakest.

However, while still known as Goldbug, Bumblebee served as the Autobot intelligence chief, an exceptional spy and operative. It was said that he had successfully infiltrated the Decepticon ranks, and although he ultimately met a tragic end, just this fact alone earned him the respect of the Autobot high command.

Thus, he was resurrected and given the name Bumblebee once again.

During the second Cybertron Civil War, the Cassette Legion had not engaged Prowl in direct combat very often. Their primary adversaries were the Autobot Cassettebots, responsible for intelligence gathering and counterintelligence, and Bumblebee, who periodically infiltrated Skytiger Legion-controlled areas for sabotage, espionage, and even assassination.

While Bumblebee might not have been a qualified warrior, he excelled in intelligence gathering, infiltration, and assassination, which made him a valuable asset.

This was the reason why Optimus Prime had entrusted him with the task of investigating the moon after Prowl's disappearance.

However, this skilled spy and infiltration specialist had seemingly vanished without a trace shortly after entering the moon.

"Could it be that he encountered Decepticons?"

A thought quickly crossed Sun Cheng's mind, and he furrowed his brow in contemplation.

Such a speculation was not without merit, given that there was a Decepticon base on the moon. Starscream was likely in charge of that base, and with his abilities, capturing a Bumblebee would not be a difficult feat.

As Sun Cheng pondered, Optimus Prime provided his response.

"A little over a month ago, I dispatched Bumblebee to the moon, and shortly after his arrival, we lost contact with him. Do you have any leads, Your Excellency?" Sun Cheng inquired.

Sun Cheng shook his head and replied, "Almost two years ago, I was awakened by Soundwave on the moon at the Decepticon base. Shortly afterward, I was assigned to Earth along with Barricade to search for the whereabouts of the All Spark."

"Shortly thereafter, that disagreeable character Starscream awakened my sealed memories in retaliation against Soundwave. Since then, I haven't returned to the Moon Base!"

"At present, my knowledge of the moon is limited to the existence of a Decepticon base located on the far side of the moon. The crash site of Sentinel Prime's spaceship is not far from that Decepticon base!"

Optimus Prime did not entirely trust himself, and Sun Cheng expected as much. Just as he still didn't fully trust the Autobots, the enmity and hatred that had accumulated between the Decepticons and Autobots over millions of years couldn't be easily brushed aside with a few words.

Optimus Prime didn't find anything amiss from Sun Cheng's account, and he sighed with a hint of disappointment.

"It seems likely that Bumblebee was discovered by the Decepticons on the moon," Sun Cheng nodded in agreement. "Starscream is in charge on the moon, and he is likely working to create a new mechanical body for Megatron. I haven't seen any Decepticon activity on Earth recently. It's safe to assume that they have temporarily withdrawn their forces to the moon."

This was precisely what Optimus Prime feared!

He was now regretting why he hadn't decisively destroyed Megatron's remains back during the Mariana Trench battle. Although Ironhide had nearly obliterated Megatron's mechanical body with explosives before evacuating, when Optimus Prime sent someone to inspect the battlefield afterward, they only found a gruesome corpse but conspicuously lacked Megatron's head.

He had no doubt that Megatron would be awakened again, just as he had used the Leadership Module to revive Autobot warriors who should have perished. After all, within the Skytiger Legion, Megatron's position and prestige were not to be challenged by those ambitious individuals.

Optimus Prime fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Lord Frenzy, can you use your channels to gather information about the moon for us?"

Sun Cheng immediately refused, shaking his head. "Your Excellency, I only recently killed Soundwave and the others. I'm now on the Decepticon hit list. The reason I've been conducting extensive trade with humans is to accumulate resources to strengthen my warriors and myself before Shockwave's forces arrive. Otherwise, we'll face certain death!"

He could sense that Optimus Prime seemed inclined to go to the moon but had some reservations.

After pondering for a moment, Sun Cheng continued, "Starscream may not be a leader, but dealing with him is no easier than facing Megatron head-on. He is an ambitious one and values his life greatly. Starscream, who is in charge of the Skytiger Legion Vehicons' development, always has a ready supply of cannon fodder soldiers, and he also holds the Hercules card."

No one knew how many tricks Starscream, who had rebelled twice and been suppressed twice by Megatron but was still alive and well, had up his sleeve.

Optimus Prime was probably waiting for more Autobots to arrive on Earth. Until then, he needed to exercise patience. It was not yet the time to rescue Sentinel Prime and Bumblebee.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 714: Four Major Projects