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Chapter 770: Armed Transport Ship (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-10-25 13:51:20 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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The newly constructed trio of warships under Sun Cheng's command had yet to be christened by his Decepticon engineers.
They hadn't even settled on a model number.
However, internally, the Decepticon engineers who had modified this class of warship didn't consider it a regular battleship. Instead, they viewed it as a transitional vessel, evolving from a mere transport spaceship into a military warship with true space combat capabilities.
"No wonder the missile bays on both sides are larger, storing only aviation cannon ammunition, and the lower bay houses just a few dozen missiles. Aside from the cockpit, there's also a specially designed large hanger..."
At first, Sun Cheng was somewhat perplexed. But after closely studying the specifications, he gained a deeper understanding of these three transitional spaceships.
"They've altered the power system. Although its speed is nearly half inferior to that of the Hope-class, it still retains the capability to navigate within the Star system..."
"Significant overhauls in the power system and mechanical body have expanded the hangar space. Now, this spaceship can transport up to 16 Decepticon soldiers or nearly a hundred tons of materials at once..."
"Equipped with an array of weaponry, each spaceship possesses four missile launchers and two aviation cannons..."
"This is essentially an armed transport ship..."
Regarding these three vessels, which, like the Hope-class, were experimental, Sun Cheng didn't hold excessive expectations. However, they indeed sparked significant inspiration in him.
Even if the Hope-class were to be extended, weighted, and heightened, its capacity remained limited due to its design as a small-sized spaceship.
But Sun Cheng could entirely direct his Decepticon engineers to follow this blueprint, designing several mid-sized transport spaceships capable of carrying thousands to tens of thousands of tons, or even an authentic interstellar battleship.
Suppressing this emerging idea required a great deal of effort on his part.
Sun Cheng recognized the merit in this concept, but Base Two had already overextended its resources. With the current human and material resources, they were barely managing the existing research tasks, pushing their limits.
"Let's wait a bit longer..."
Base Two had assimilated the new Decepticon breeding technology from Decepticon medic Scalpel, initiating large-scale troop production.
Over the past few months, the rate of new Decepticon cultivation at Base Two had risen from twenty to thirty per month to one hundred and sixty to seventy, increasing more than fivefold, with growth still accelerating.
Although the newly cultivated Decepticons were all low-level Engineers, a few months of training could prepare them for advancement into higher technical or combat roles.
In contrast, Starscream's side, despite possessing a more efficient Vehicons breeding technology, required two to three years for the full development process of a single Vehicon.
What Sun Cheng needed most was time.
Given a few more years, if anyone dared to provoke him, Sun Cheng, with resources from two worlds at his disposal, would ensure they regretted it.
The three vessels, temporarily designated by Sun Cheng as 'armed transport ships,' were swiftly recalled by the Engineers he summoned. They reactivated the optical stealth devices and returned to Base Two.
Their technical sophistication was considerable. Terindad Island had just endured two successive, intense 'Meteor Rains,' and all the foreign diplomats stationed there had been forcibly evacuated by Sun Cheng.
With these representatives from Earth's major powers departing, news of the extraterrestrial explosive warfare on Terindad Island would undoubtedly spread across nations.
The number of international satellites focusing on Terindad Island from outer space was already considerable, and now, it was bound to increase even more.
Sun Cheng always preferred to have several aces up his sleeve. One might argue that his nature was overly suspicious, but he had spent nearly two years in the Transformers Universe, and that was justification enough.
During these years, he had faced numerous schemes, especially evident in today's surprise raid by Starscream on the Black Market.
Had it not been for Sun Cheng's cautious nature, which led him to anticipate attacks from Earth's various nations and preemptively deploy substantial anti-aircraft forces around the group of islands near Tristan da Cunha, he might now be in a hasty retreat, and the Black Market would certainly be undefended.
Sun Cheng even considered broader and more far-reaching matters. The Black Market on Terindad Island, after nearly half a year of his management, could already be considered a hallmark of his self-proclaimed Decepticon revolutionary faction.
If this stronghold were to be effortlessly destroyed by Starscream, how would the Autobots regard him, this 'prospective ally'? Earth's inhabitants would surely perceive the inherent weakness in Sun Cheng, complicating any future attempts to reestablish the Black Market.
Previously, the tacit understanding among the nations not to dispatch troops directly to seize traded goods from the Black Market was primarily due to the shock they had experienced six months ago. The Decepticons had effortlessly decimated the second and fifth fleets of the United States, instilling widespread fear.
In scenarios not escalating to nuclear weaponry, skirmishes between any nation's military and a small squad of Decepticons could equal a full-scale war.
Sun Cheng believed that defending the Black Market and annihilating hundreds of invading Decepticon Vehicons would compel Earth's nations to reassess Terindad Island's strategic significance.
Indeed, Sun Cheng, victorious in the defensive battle, had no intention of closing the Black Market. Over the past several months, through reselling various mechanical equipment here, they had acquired more rare metals than they had in the previous year.
After all, Sun Cheng's operations had previously only been in collaboration with Far East and Polar Bear, conducting modest mining operations in South America. Now, the Black Market was conducting business with some of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on Earth, and this success was no surprise.
"The order on Terindad Island must be restored as soon as possible," he asserted.
He instructed Base Two to dispatch additional engineers and Decepticon soldiers promptly.
After waiting for over an hour, Sun Cheng received the casualty and damage reports.
"...Forty-three Decepticon soldiers killed in action, twenty-nine engineers sacrificed, a total loss of 947 combat robots of various types, and over 1,300 other kinds of robots..."
"...The S-300 series anti-aircraft systems require comprehensive repairs and ammunition replenishment, with thirty-four heavy artillery units destroyed..."
"...Over 97% of the constructed buildings on the island were lost..."
These losses were incurred despite the island's formidable anti-aircraft defenses and the immediate launch of anti-aircraft missiles that intercepted a significant number of the invading Decepticon Vehicons.
"Starscream!" Sun Cheng clenched his fists, the grating sound of metal incredibly jarring.
He would remember this grudge. Although the forces at his disposal were not yet sufficient for large-scale retaliation against Starscream, now that the facade had been torn away, he wouldn't make life easy for Starscream.
A gentleman's revenge might not wait overnight, and after brief consideration, Sun Cheng already had a target in mind.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 771: A Gentleman’s Revenge Does Not Wait Overnight
