Shane Freak
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Chapter 847: New Toy
🕑 Added 2023-11-24 11:06:04 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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As Lightning, accompanied by the remaining ten or so Decepticons, made a hasty return to the Moon, an annoying figure appeared before them as soon as they landed.
"Commander, welcome back!" greeted Starscream, his face wearing a smug expression.
Under the piercing gaze of his crimson electronic eye, Lightning snorted lightly. "Are you here to enjoy a good laugh at my expense, Starscream?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" Starscream denied with all his might, but the nauseating smile on his face clearly reflected his true thoughts.
"I just received a warning from the patrol, so I wanted to confirm with Commander if we should send reinforcements over here," he continued.
This question was like a knife stabbing into Lightning's body, making his already unpleasant expression even more grim. The grudges between him, Elegy, and Starscream traced back to the founding of the Skytiger Legion, where they had mutually agreed to resist Megatron's tyrannical rule.
Due to Megatron's political maneuvering, what were once shaky "allies" became enemies, with no quarter given!
So, forget verbal attacks; both Starscream and Lightning were well aware that given the chance, neither would miss an opportunity to stab the other in the back.
With a muffled groan, Lightning impatiently pushed aside Starscream blocking his way and headed towards the Retribution Number.
In the previous battle, he had suffered almost no injuries, just a slightly higher energy consumption within his spark. The mission had failed, and Lightning knew he needed to apologize to Megatron. However, Megatron was currently in need of manpower, and more importantly, they had obtained information about the Quintessons. They believed that Megatron wouldn't do anything drastic to them at the moment.
Starscream seemed to have realized this as well and didn't continue to press the issue.
Quickly entering the Retribution Number spaceship, Lightning made his way to the cabin housing the leader of the Skytiger Legion—Megatron's brain.
Unfortunately, he arrived at a time when a Decepticon was reporting to Megatron.
"Your Highness, your new body is now 37% complete. Please give me another five or six months, and you'll be able to leave the life support unit!"
Reporting to Megatron in the shipyard was a small and slender Decepticon with elongated six limbs. In addition to the normal hands and feet that all Decepticons had, two strange arms extended from his ribcage on each side.
This Decepticon was none other than the renowned medical officer of the Skytiger Legion—Jumping Spider. Although not as famous as Scalpel, his actual abilities were not much inferior.
The reason was simple. When Megatron reassigned Scalpel to be his personal doctor and needed various experiments conducted by Shockwave, a significant amount of resources were invested in Jumping Spider, who had been by Shockwave's side for years.
Until recently, alongside the vanguard force dispatched by Shockwave, Jumping Spider had arrived in the Solar System.
Obviously, Megatron placed much more trust in Jumping Spider than in Starscream.
After his arrival, Jumping Spider was appointed the crucial task of creating Megatron's new mechanical body.
Upon entering the cabin, Lightning waited quietly at the doorway.
After Megatron was satisfied with Wolf Spider's report and asked him to leave, Lightning approached the life support unit containing Megatron's head with a guilty expression. He spoke in a low voice, "Your Highness, the mission you assigned to us has failed again! We were attacked by Autobots, humans, and an unknown force working together. The losses were severe, and we had to abandon control of the carbon-based metals manufactured by the Quintessons!"
The Quintessons' material transformation technology could convert any known carbon-based life into a special metal.
Therefore, the Cybertronians referred to the special metal created by the Quintesson's Planet Modification Squad, encountered on all planets thereafter, as carbon-based metal.
The typically fiery-tempered Megatron, true to form, erupted in anger as soon as he heard Lightning's words.
"Useless trash!"
Lightning hung his head low, his face devoid of any expression.
Given Megatron's tyrannical nature, in the past, they would have likely faced a severe beating for failing to complete the task assigned by the Supreme Commander of the Skytiger Legion. However, now that Megatron was reduced to just a head, even if he wanted to physically punish them, he could only hold it in.
So, while Lightning pretended to be submissive with his head hung low, he didn't actually believe Megatron could do much. At worst, he would be scolded.
Clearly, Megatron soon realized this and coldly stopped his reprimands.
Forcing himself to calm down, he earnestly inquired about the reasons for the mission's failure.
"...Our squadron's major was entangled by the humans' aerial forces. Although their individual combat strength was lacking, their numbers were vast. Despite destroying hundreds of aircraft, the number of human planes kept increasing..."
"...Later, our spark energy was depleted to the alert line, forcing us to abandon the struggle for air supremacy with them..."
"However, the reason we suffered a significant loss and ultimately had to retreat was because the Autobots, who arrived at the battlefield later, conservatively estimated to have deployed at least forty high-ranking warriors... At that time, we were attacked by a temperature difference bomb from an unknown force in outer space. Many warriors were frozen by the temperature drop after the missile explosion, and then the Autobots arrived on the scene..."
Seeing Megatron finally cease his scolding, Lightning detailed everything he had experienced, reporting it truthfully to the tyrant.
There was a moment of silence in the cabin before Lightning heard Megatron roar again, "Starscream, come over here!"
Megatron's command transmitted through the communication device in the cabin.
With a flattering smile, Starscream quickly entered the cabin, one leg half-kneeling in front of the life support unit, bowing respectfully.
"My master, your most loyal servant is here!"
"Put away that disgusting face of yours, Starscream!" Megatron wasn't buying into his flattery.
Despite valuing Starscream's abilities and choosing to keep him despite two rebellions and suppressions, Megatron was well aware of Starscream's true nature. Whenever the opportunity arose, Starscream would not hesitate to deliver the deadliest blow.
"Unfortunately, I can still make use of him now!"
Suppressing the nauseating emotions that emerged due to Starscream's fawning, Megatron coldly issued a command, "Notify Shockwave to expedite his forces. Also, have those humans you've been manipulating on Earth investigate where the temperature difference bombs that attacked Lightning came from."
Temperature weapons, along with electromagnetic weapons, posed a much greater threat to Cybertronians than most weapons on Earth.
With the near certainty that his greatest threat, the former teacher Lord Fallen, had likely perished at the hands of the Autobots according to his plan, Megatron couldn't resist entertaining the idea of conquering Earth.
So, before his new body was manufactured, it was necessary to understand and even eliminate all possible threats on Earth.
In Starscream's crimson electronic eyes, the light seemed to shine a bit brighter than before.
"As you wish!"
He wouldn't tell Megatron that his arrangements on Earth had long been exposed and retaliated by Frenzy, nearly annihilated.
Because that didn't matter to Starscream, who would soon report to Megatron about the temperature difference missiles coming from the traitor Frenzy.
As for whether the missiles were truly Frenzy's doing, Starscream didn't care. After all, conquering Earth was Megatron's ambition, and Starscream had a new toy to play with lately.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 848: Fusion Leopard
