Chapter 735: The Investigation (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Swindle, the two-bit hustler, was expected to have some tricks up his sleeve. Sun Cheng wasn't surprised.

His current situation wasn't much better than Sun Cheng's.

Once upon a time, the ambitious Swindle was lured into a trap by Starscream, entangling himself in the political power struggle for leadership of the Skytiger Legion between Starscream and Megatron. In both cunning and strategy, it was evident that Swindle was no match for Starscream and Megatron.

Consequently, he became Starscream's pawn, thrust into the forefront to replace him, openly defying Megatron. Given the name "Tyrant," Megatron's methods were predictably ruthless.

Swindle's first rebellion led to his incarceration in the Skull Fortress, a prison specially designed for those who opposed Megatron within the Skytiger Legion, where he endured unspeakable torment.

Then, following Starscream's second rebellion, Swindle was ruthlessly suppressed, handed over to Megatron, and subjected to Shockwave's brutal brainwashing, transforming him into a loyal servant of both Megatron and the Skytiger Legion. He died countless times and only regained his memories of the past upon meeting Sun Cheng.

With such a background, Swindle had limited options.

His previous submission to Sun Cheng was, oddly, the only logical choice for the veteran Decepticon.

During the peak of Cybertron's civilization, countless cutting-edge technologies were developed. Take Swindle, for instance, an unassuming arms dealer who once operated in the Black Market during the Council of Primes era. He still possessed some incredible technology.

Since joining Sun Cheng's ranks, he had created and submitted eleven weapons capable of threatening the Elite Warriors, as per Sun Cheng's requests. Decepticon engineers under Base Two could produce similar weapons, but they had been heavily influenced by the plasma technology of the Hunter Civilization, steering them further away from the path of energy weapons like plasma weapons.

Their research and modification of traditional chemical weapons were only slightly more advanced than the current Earth's nations. However, the weapons Swindle manufactured were not exclusively energy-based; most of them used traditional chemical ammunition.

The conversion of traditional chemical energy into destructive force and the direct conversion of energy into destructive force naturally differed in various aspects. This involved energy consumption during the conversion process, making energy weapons inherently more potent.

Swindle's creations highlighted the astonishing advancements in technology during Cybertron's peak, and it was this technological prowess that earned him some patience from Sun Cheng.

Of course, the patience had its limits.

Thunder patiently waited for a while, observing Sun Cheng lost in thought. Then he spoke, "Master, should I call Soundwave to come here?"

Sun Cheng was startled by the interruption, took a moment to collect his thoughts, and then shook his head.

"No need. I'll have Atlas temporarily halt the production of his new mechanical body and let him come to me."

With the demise of Decepticons like Lord Fallen and Soundwave, Earth had temporarily entered a period of peace. However, Optimus Prime, Starscream, and Sun Cheng all knew that this fragile peace wouldn't last long.

Megatron could return at any time, and Shockwave's Skytiger Legion Major might arrive on Earth at any moment.

Optimus Prime continued to summon more Autobots from various corners of the Milky Way as the sense of impending crisis grew.

This escalating crisis prompted Sun Cheng to invest heavily in enhancing his own power and influence. Apart from handpicking a select group of the best Constructicons from among the hundreds of Decepticon Constructicons under his command and directly elevating them to the level of Decepticon Engineers, Sun Cheng prepared to expand his team of Decepticon Engineers to one hundred within the shortest possible time.

The remaining Constructicons from the second, third, and fourth batches of recruits would all be promoted to technical officers one level below engineers. However, the best among them would be chosen to fill the ranks of the one hundred-member Decepticon Engineer team.

As for the first group of Decepticon Engineers who had been with him from the beginning, Sun Cheng was well aware of the need to address their aspirations. He intended to promote all of the twenty-plus Decepticon Engineers who had followed him from the start to the rank of Senior Engineers within a year.

Senior Engineers already possessed combat abilities no weaker than Senior Warriors, and their mechanical bodies required specialized design to fit the technical path they pursued. This made the manufacturing process considerably more complex than that of a standard Decepticon Engineer's mechanical body, or even that of a Senior Warrior's mechanical body, increasing the difficulty by several folds.

Given the scarcity of capable warriors under Sun Cheng's command, those who followed the technical path, like the Constructicons, would have more opportunities for promotion.

Swindle was no exception. After joining Sun Cheng, he received instructions from Atlas and designed a new mechanical body for himself. However, his production order was scheduled after Forerunner and Thunder, alongside Accel.

Before Sun Cheng had removed some restrictions on the Requiem Blaster, he lacked the power to threaten powerful warriors at the Leader level. This was the reason he had his eye on Lockdown, the bounty hunter. With the Requiem Blaster in his possession, Sun Cheng was now capable of injuring a Leader. Consequently, Swindle, who had Lockdown's contact information, had seen a decline in his importance.

Nevertheless, Sun Cheng wasn't prepared to give up on Swindle immediately. His forces were severely lacking, and the Constructicons he was nurturing would take a considerable amount of time to advance to high-level warriors. Therefore, he didn't mind giving Swindle another chance and was willing to set a timeline for him. Until that predetermined point in time, if Lockdown arrived on Earth or if Swindle proactively explained the situation to him, Sun Cheng would treat the matter as if it had never happened. However, if the deadline passed, it would be a different story.

"I'll have someone find an opportunity to inform Swindle about this and see what choice he makes..."

Thunder didn't question his decision. After answering some of Sun Cheng's questions and helping him understand everything that had transpired on Earth over the past two months, Thunder left.

Upon returning from Mars to Earth, Sun Cheng didn't rush to leave Base Two. He spent more than a week there, addressing issues encountered during the construction of the Mars base, as well as the supplies that Base Two needed for its next replenishment.

Sun Cheng took advantage of this rare moment to assess the current capabilities of Base Two. He also found time to inspect the new mechanical bodies being manufactured for Forerunner and Thunder.

Sun Cheng's return was well-timed, coinciding with the opportunity for the first batch of Constructicons nurtured by Base Two to advance. Over the past year, they had earned enough task reward points to qualify for direct promotion to Decepticon Engineers. Sun Cheng personally met with the three excited young Constructicons, and Base Two's research team was continuing to expand.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 736: Bo Nation's Espionage