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Chapter 812: Escalating Conflict (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-11-11 11:48:59 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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"Optimus Prime, you are still young. The Decepticons are the most cunning race I've encountered in my long life," Sentinel Prime advised, shaking his head with a seemingly heartfelt concern, yet his tone grew increasingly stern.
"Deceit, greed, belligerence – these are traits ingrained in the Decepticons' very bones. They are not to be trusted, ever!"
"As the leader of the Autobots, you must be acutely aware of your responsibilities and know our true enemies!"
Optimus Prime opened his mouth to argue but ultimately shook his head, choosing not to continue the dispute.
He knew he couldn't persuade Sentinel Prime, who was not only his predecessor as the Autobot leader but also his mentor.
This dual role meant that Optimus Prime couldn't, and didn't want to, be at odds with him.
As a result, Optimus Prime's commands could not be taken seriously anymore.
The emergency meeting ended on a sour note.
Despite Optimus Prime's restraint, every Autobot present could sense the growing tension and conflict between the two leaders – a foreboding sign.
The conflict wasn't limited to the Autobots. On the Moon, Megatron was furiously roaring due to the failure of Elegy's mission.
"Incompetents, all useless!" he bellowed.
Inside the nurturing tank of the Retribution Spaceship, where Megatron's head was kept, the highest commander of the Skytiger Legion seethed upon learning that the Decepticon squad sent by Lightning not only failed to eliminate Frenzy, who had once peered into his memories, but also lost an Elite Warrior – Thundercracker.
Starscream, standing in a corner of the spacious cabin, bowed his head as if being reprimanded, yet secretly rejoiced.
Ever since Megatron was rescued from the Mariana Trench battle, he had been reduced to just a head. Starscream, wary of the tyrant's potential life-saving tactics, refrained from direct action but didn’t miss any chance to undermine him.
Starscream had severely hindered Megatron, especially in acquiring a new mechanical body and information. The resources required for a leader-class warrior's mechanical body were enormous, beyond even what senior commanders of the Skytiger Legion could afford.
Starscream, pretending to comply while actually obstructing, collected very limited resources for Megatron's new body, mostly basic metals and materials easily found on Earth.
Regarding information, Starscream completely isolated Megatron.
Barricade, the only one close to being both a confidant and friend, was sent to the Asteroid Belt to gather materials for Megatron's new body.
Starscream knew Barricade too well. Although a loyal friend and confidant, Barricade had always been unwaveringly faithful to Megatron.
In a way, Barricade was a double agent.
He could serve Starscream wholeheartedly and fetch some intelligence about Megatron.
Similarly, if Megatron requires it, Barricade would not hesitate to share some of Starscream's intelligence with him.
To humans, Barricade's actions might seem like an outright betrayal.
However, within the conspiracy-laden ranks of the Skytiger Legion, playing both sides is commonplace for the Decepticons.
Moreover, Barricade has always been adept at maintaining a delicate balance, intentionally blurring certain secrets and murder case details in the information he passes to either Starscream or Megatron, careful not to cross either party's line of intolerance.
Thus, both Starscream and Megatron are relatively satisfied with him.
However, while they rely heavily on him, both are cautious of Barricade in certain respects.
For instance, the current Starscream, aiming to completely block Megatron's intelligence sources after Soundwave's death, found an excuse to temporarily send Barricade to the Asteroid Belt far from the Moon.
Caught off guard by this scheme, Megatron indeed suffered a setback.
Since the battle of Las Vegas, he has been cut off from the outside world for over a year and a half.
Megatron's understanding of the current situation on Earth probably remains what it was over a year ago.
Especially regarding Frenzy, although Starscream is not clear why Megatron detests him so, he benefits from his information blockade.
Megatron, and the newly arrived Lightning and others, were all caught off guard.
Lightning hung his head low, and Elegy was so frightened by the angry Megatron that his mechanical body trembled slightly.
He had followed this tyrant since the guerrilla warfare era, witnessing how he used various cruel and ruthless methods to rise from a gladiatorial slave to his current position.
Although as the “fear atmosphere creator” on the battlefield, Elegy’s greatest wish was “to be able to control fear”, Megatron was the source of his fear. In his presence, even the current Megatron, reduced to just a head, exuded enough past might to leave him trembling in fear.
“Elegy!”
Megatron had no intention of letting him off. Although limited in his understanding of Frenzy's situation due to Starscream's information blockade, even if the opponent could become an Elite Warrior, backed by seasoned Decepticons like Attack, with the combat power of Elegy and Thundercracker, they shouldn't have been defeated so miserably.
“You useless trash, I need an explanation!”
Elegy shivered under his piercing gaze, and his eyes caught sight of Starscream at the side, watching with schadenfreude. Anger rushed to his head as he spitefully said, “Your Majesty, we... were deceived by Starscream’s intelligence. When Thundercracker and I arrived, we faced an ambush already in place. We were bombarded with a barrage of electromagnetic weapons!”
The others immediately turned their gaze to Starscream in the corner, but before these Decepticons could react, Starscream, who had anticipated their nature, raised a hand, palm up. He immediately displayed the scene of his ‘serious’ warning to Lightning and Elegy to Megatron.
“My Lord!”
Starscream bowed respectfully, “Before the mission, I had seriously warned them. Clearly, some Decepticons did not take my warning to heart!”
Several cold snorts sounded almost simultaneously, and amidst Megatron's furious roars, the internal conflicts within the Decepticons remained irreconcilable.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 813: Skyfire In Base Two,
