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Chapter 788: The Golden Beetle (Part 1)
🕑 Added 2023-10-31 17:57:30 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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There was no doubt that Skyfire was a formidable Pathfinder. Despite the long period of dormancy that had begun to take its toll on his mechanical body, Sun Cheng could still sense the former strength of Skyfire.
According to his speculation, Skyfire was very likely a Leader.
Of course, this speculation would remain unverified unless Sun Cheng was willing to use a shard of the All Spark to awaken Skyfire, a decision he was hesitant to make.
Skyfire was ancient!
Born during the era of the Cybertron Council of Primes, he had survived for millions of years. Cybertronians, unlike Earthlings, had naturally longer lifespans, and the energy within their Sparks did not deplete over time. Barring ailments like Cosmic Rust, they could potentially live indefinitely.
But Skyfire had no faction of his own and had not enjoyed the protection of the Skytiger Legion or the Autobots. His mere survival to this day was a remarkable feat.
When Sun Cheng and his team discovered him, Skyfire's transformation into a high-altitude strategic reconnaissance jet, resembling a black bird, seemed pristine on the outside. However, internally, irreversible decay had already set in.
Nevertheless, as a great scientist, Skyfire had clearly invested considerable effort in guiding the evolution of his mechanical body.
According to Atlas' tests, Skyfire's mechanical body likely surpassed Forerunner, Thunder, and even Sun Cheng's current mechanical body in terms of speed and agility.
So, by studying Skyfire's mechanical body data, they stood to gain a great deal.
Sun Cheng's new mechanical body was rapidly taking shape as he personally oversaw its development.
A week had passed since his return from Mars, and the deadline for his planned trade with Optimus Prime was fast approaching. Sun Cheng had begun urging the base to gather the materials, equipment, and enriched uranium ore required to build ten nuclear power plants and store them in designated warehouses.
He would then transfer them into the Spherical Space within his body, awaiting the day of the trade.
Unbeknownst to Sun Cheng, as he busied himself with preparations for the upcoming meeting, thousands of kilometers away in Africa, within the Autobot's New Iron Fortress, a new warrior was about to be born.
Inside Jack's research facility, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Sideswipe, and other high-ranking Autobots had gathered in a spacious laboratory. Their attention was focused on a golden mechanical body wrapped in a dense network of wires at the center of the room.
Standing around the golden mechanical body were Jack, Ratchet, and Shake, three Autobots.
At this moment, Ratchet, with a serious expression, was performing final checks and adjustments on the golden mechanical body.
Jack, on the other hand, voiced his impatience, saying, "Ratchet, I've always taken Bumblebee's memory backup very seriously. And we've awakened warriors together before; you don't need to be so cautious."
"Just routine checks, my dear friend," Ratchet replied without looking up, but he was meticulous in his work.
This was the preparation for an awakening ceremony, and the Autobot to be awakened was none other than Bumblebee, who had been missing for over three months and was presumed dead by most of the Autobot leadership.
It was not surprising that Optimus Prime would attempt to awaken Bumblebee. Bumblebee was one of his close aides and one of his most elite spies and agents, having contributed significantly in the past.
The critical reason Bumblebee could potentially be revived was that, among Optimus Prime's several aides, he was the only one who had willingly backed up his most precious memories in advance and entrusted them to Optimus Prime for safekeeping, knowing that his missions were perilous and his life could be at risk at any moment.
Unlike the Decepticons, most Autobots had a profoundly different perspective on death. Many traditional Autobots saw death as merely the beginning of a new journey, a return to the embrace of the Primus, the ancient god of Cybertron.
Therefore, for a long time during the Cybertron Civil War, even though the Autobots had acquired the technology to awaken deceased Autobots, similar to the Decepticons, most Autobots were against using this technology on their own kind.
Some radicals, such as those who worshipped the Thirteen Primes' legacy and another faction within the Autobots known as the Fountain of Life, not only opposed the proliferation of awakening technology in the parliament but also launched more aggressive attacks on laboratories and research institutions conducting awakening ceremonies.
To suppress these dissenters, Sentinel Prime had even sent troops to forcefully take control of the temple and labeled the Fountain of Life as rebels.
Despite these measures, the Autobots' deep-seated beliefs about death and life persisted.
This meant that even within the military, the majority of outstanding Autobot warriors were unwilling to save their memories in advance. They would rather stand on the battlefield than have their privacy exposed to others.
Optimus Prime's several aides were no exception. Jazz and Ironhide, for example, had refused to preserve their memories in advance.
So, when Jazz sacrificed himself, Optimus Prime, despite his grief, had no way to revive this highly regarded Autobot.
But Bumblebee, who had willingly saved his memories, held the hope of returning.
Optimus Prime anxiously awaited Bumblebee's return. Meanwhile, they had already rescued Sentinel Prime from the Moon more than two months ago.
Despite the warnings from his subordinates and Frenzy, Optimus Prime had resisted the pressure and had not yet awakened Sentinel Prime.
During this time, the rumors within the New Iron Fortress had become increasingly disturbing.
Although Optimus Prime sensed something was amiss, the Cassettebots were far from matching Bumblebee's expertise in intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. They could not uncover the root of the problem, putting Optimus Prime in a more passive position.
In the past few days, a batch of new Autobots had arrived at the New Iron Fortress, bringing the number of Autobots loyal to Superior General Sentinel Prime to over fifty.
This was an extremely dangerous number, and if there were any fanatical followers of Sentinel Prime among them, they might attempt reckless actions, such as storming a medical facility to rescue Sentinel Prime.
But it would be a mistake to assume that all Autobots were peace-loving. On Cybertron Planet, there had been numerous organizations even more extreme than some of Earth's fanatic religious or cult groups, and most of them were from the Autobot faction.
In this chaotic situation, Optimus Prime had no choice but to set aside the traditional Autobot beliefs.
He needed Bumblebee, who might have fallen in battle, to return and help him uncover the instigators behind these troubling developments.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 789: Golden Beetle (Part 2)
