Chapter 896: Waiting for War (Second Update) (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Inside a fortress, transformed from a crater on the far side of the Moon.

Starscream raised his head to look at the steel dome above him, a look of impatience on his face.

This fortress was built within a crater, covering an area of over 600,000 square meters.

The bottom of the fortress was lined with alloy plates, and the top was constructed with special hardened glass. Inside, there were hundreds of metal pillars ranging in length from a dozen meters to thirty or forty meters.

To call it a fortress was not entirely accurate.

Inside this Iron Fortress, there were not many devices or structures at the moment.

In the center, a space of approximately five to six thousand square meters had been specially preserved. There, a gigantic metal door, nearly thirty meters high, stood proudly.

Above the metal giant door were engraved various intricate patterns, and under the adjustments of some Decepticon Engineers, it occasionally emitted a brilliant blue light.

Starscream's greedy eyes gazed at the masterpiece in front of him, and he exclaimed, "Our Superior General Majesty still possesses some remarkable treasures. This interstellar teleportation technology is making me green with envy!"

"Unfortunately!"

He was reluctant to take his eyes off the metal giant door, afraid that if he stared at it a moment longer, he would not be able to resist tearing it apart for research.

The Space Bridge technology, during the time of the Council of Primes, was the pinnacle of Cybertronian civilization, a technology among technologies.

Because it involved dimensions of space, atoms, universes, and many other fields, even though the Cybertronian civilization during the Council of Primes era had thousands of top scientists, only a very few could learn and master this technology.

The brutal Civil War that had lasted for millions of years had claimed the lives of countless Cybertronian scientists.

As they fell victim to assassinations on both sides of the war, the only Cybertronians Starscream knew of who possessed the knowledge of the Space Bridge technology, apart from Skyfire, who had been missing for many years and was rumored to be with Frenzy now, was Sentinel Prime.

As for Frenzy, even though Swindle had passed on information about him possessing Space Bridge technology to Starscream, he remained skeptical.

The reason was simple; this black technology was incredibly complex and difficult, and even Starscream himself found it incredibly challenging to learn.

Judging others by himself, Starscream did not believe that Frenzy could master it.

Heavy footsteps echoed within the Iron Fortress.

Starscream didn't need to turn around to guess who it was.

Among the Decepticons in the Moon Base now, aside from Megatron himself, Lightning was probably the one who despised him the most.

And the owner of the approaching footsteps was none other than Lightning.

"Starscream, has the Space Bridge sent by Sentinel Prime been successfully calibrated?" Lightning's voice, already full of condescension, reached Starscream's ears before he even arrived.

Starscream's face showed no sign of concealing his disdain. If it were Shockwave, Starscream might have some reservations, but Lightning was just one of Shockwave's lackeys, a pet he kept.

Even though Lightning and Astrotrain were considered the most powerful Triple Changers, Starscream remained unafraid.

Glancing at Lightning, he replied in a sharp voice, "Has our beloved Megatron grown impatient?"

Seeing the sarcasm on his face, Lightning felt a surge of anger.

"I'm asking you a question. Have you and these lowly creatures not finished calibrating it yet?"

While he was being mocked as lowly as a Decepticon Engineer, there was no hint of anger on Starscream's face. Instead, he wore a smile. "Without your wise guidance, these lowly creatures' efficiency naturally drops significantly!"

He had just countered Lightning's remark directly.

Starscream harbored the same animosity toward Lightning. Back in the day, he had invited Lightning and others, including Astrotrain, to join him in rebelling against Megatron's rule.

Astrotrain had been the first to betray, and after being reclaimed by Shockwave, he was given an important role.

While Lightning had assured Starscream that he wouldn't betray him, he had secretly contacted Shockwave, ultimately betraying Starscream as well.

To Starscream, the betrayal by Astrotrain and Lightning had led to the failure of a massive rebellion when they were on the verge of capturing the Decepticons' capital, Caron City.

As a result, Starscream, Lightning, and Astrotrain had become sworn enemies. Although their relationship appeared normal on the surface, underneath, they couldn't wait for each other to die.

Lightning's face immediately turned hostile. Since his arrival with the vanguard team in the Solar System, he had been appointed as the supreme commander of the Moon Base by Megatron himself.

Initially, Lightning had been pleased to outrank Starscream, a veteran of the Skytiger Legion. However, he quickly realized that he was being restricted in every way within the Moon Base. Many orders were only acknowledged by those who had arrived with him as part of the vanguard team.

Lightning wasn't a fool; he knew this was Starscream's doing. If it were another Decepticon, they might have tolerated being a nominal highest commander with Megatron's orders. But Lightning was someone different; he was the Military Commander-in-Chief of the Skytiger Legion, a commander of both land and air forces, and an underling of Shockwave.

Moreover, he and Starscream were natural enemies, so for the past few months, they had been locked in a relentless power struggle, each fighting for even the slightest bit of authority.

Invisible sparks of tension continually crackled between the two archenemies.

Lightning had intended to regain his status, but in the past few months, he had learned just how difficult Starscream could be. While Starscream might be inferior in combat ability compared to Shockwave, he more than made up for it with cunning and manipulation.

After a brief standoff, Lightning, taking advantage of an Engineer who had carelessly approached him, snorted in annoyance and suddenly kicked the Engineer far away.

"Bang!"

Under Lightning's angry kick, the mechanical body of the Engineer burst open in mid-air, with only its head flying several dozen meters away, colliding with a metal pillar, producing a heavy muffled sound.

Starscream didn't get angry. To him, as someone skilled in nurturing Decepticons, Engineers like this one were expendable; he could have as many as he wanted.

Even various Vehicons were, in his eyes, nothing more than cheap cannon fodder, let alone a mere Engineer. However, taunts were always in abundance.

"Did Megatron summon you here just to slaughter a few lowly creatures?"

Lightning felt the anger welling up inside him but was unable to express it due to Starscream's provocations. He snorted, "The Majesty wants me to ask you how much longer it will take to calibrate the Space Bridge. And how many Vehicons have you cultivated in your Legion? After all, we don't have many days left until the time we agreed upon with Sentinel Prime."

Starscream smirked slightly and looked up at the steel dome once again.

"Soon," he replied vaguely.

The Decepticons were also awaiting war.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 897: Gathering Storms of War