Chapter 623: The Betrayal of the Matrix of Leadership

Long, long ago, in this universe, the Supreme Elder was born; this creator, the Supreme Elder, forged the Universe Emperor—but the Universe Emperor was a flawed creation, refusing to obey the Supreme Elder’s commands, even seeking to replace him and become the new creator.

To punish the failed creation known as the Universe Emperor, the Supreme Elder transformed it into a planet and forged a key capable of utterly destroying it: the Leadership Module of the Creator—Primus.

Unfortunately, the Creator—Primus’s Leadership Module was lost; it fell onto Cybertron and was buried beneath metal.

Soon after, an evil race arrived—known as the Quintessons, they were beings with half-cylindrical bodies and five heads, profoundly lazy and wicked.

To satisfy their laziness, they built two production lines on Cybertron: one for civilian use, one for military—this was the origin of the Transformers.

To counter threats from beyond the galaxy, they deployed all their technology and discovered the Creator—Primus’s Leadership Module, constructing the Matrix of Leadership.

The Matrix of Leadership was a computer, but calling it a computer is misleading—it was more like a biological central nervous system brain, yet it served as Cybertron’s central nervous system; over millennia, it had fused entirely with the planet, and should it depart, Cybertron would lose control and disintegrate in space.

“That must be something you’d rather not see,” said Titanium Master.

“Why wouldn’t I want to see it?” Ye Nan regarded Titanium Master with interest; he now understood why this Transformer, Titanium Master, assumed he’d leave after hearing the story—he’d mistaken Ye Nan for an alien seeking to seize the planet.

Titanium Master suppressed his inner rage and said: “The Matrix of Leadership is Cybertron’s central nervous system. If it leaves, the entire planet will collapse. Do you understand now?”

Titanium Master believed Ye Nan was pretending not to understand just to provoke him; he’d seen many such aliens—from the Quintessons to the latest galactic empire creatures—all wanting to take this planet, build cities on it, and claim it as their own, for Cybertron’s rare metals were so abundant that any civilization would envy them.

He was certain Ye Nan was no different from those before him, seeking to seize the planet and annex it—had Ye Nan not displayed strange, overwhelming power that made him feel outmatched, he wouldn’t have spoken so much. He’d watched every moment of the earlier battle.

Whether Quintessons or Ye Nan, to him they were all mere visitors to this planet; he had endless time to wait for their civilizations to perish, just as he had waited for the Quintessons—when they were gone, the Transformers would once again become masters of this world.

“This planet holds no value for me,” Ye Nan said slowly, gazing at Titanium Master. “What I truly want is only the technology. The planet’s resources hold no appeal to me.”

The universe held endless resources of every kind—what truly mattered, in his eyes, were the crystallized intelligences of various civilizations, for only by absorbing them could he shorten his own development time and achieve a more brilliant civilization.

“What?” Titanium Master exclaimed.

“Simple. I want the Transformer production lines and the Matrix of Leadership—not just those. I also need your Spark, the thing that gives Transformers life,” Ye Nan stated matter-of-factly, then smiled at Titanium Master, watching his expression.

As a mechanical lifeform, Titanium Master’s expressions were rigid; seeing the anger rise on his face, Ye Nan smiled again. “You’re willing to hand this planet over to me because you’ve seen my strength and believe you can’t defeat me—that’s why you didn’t try to expel us at first. Otherwise, we’d have met the same fate as the previous aliens who tried to claim this planet.”

From Golden Tiger’s account, Ye Nan learned Titanium Master had driven off several alien invaders before—but now, facing him, he’d begun pleading, even offering to surrender the planet. This shift in attitude revealed Titanium Master had been monitoring him all along.

As for how he was being monitored, Ye Nan felt nothing.

“Young man, don’t be too greedy,” Titanium Master said darkly. All Transformers had fallen into stasis; the planet, drained of energy, had entered hibernation—it was now defenseless, ripe for plunder.

“Greedy?” Ye Nan shrugged. “Call it what you like. I only want the Matrix of Leadership, the Spark, and the Transformer production lines. Everything else, I don’t care about.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll destroy us all?” Titanium Master’s face turned icy.

As a first-generation Transformer, he had walked through ancient times for countless years—he himself no longer remembered how many.

Over this long span, Cybertron endured civil wars, rebellions, and invasions by other aliens—but never had any crisis felt as difficult as this one.

The enemy wasn’t strong—in his eyes, Ye Nan was far weaker than the Quintessons had been. Yet they were weaker still: Cybertron itself lay dormant, all other Transformers powerless, their energy depleted.

Faced with this situation, Titanium Master could only swallow his pride, let Ye Nan claim the planet, and wait for Cybertron’s energy to revive and the other Transformers to awaken—then decide his next move.

“If I trigger the Matrix of Leadership to self-destruct, you’ll end up losing everything.”

“Is that so?” Ye Nan sneered. “Matrix of Leadership, do you wish to self-destruct?”

“I certainly do not wish to self-destruct, honorable sir,” a voice suddenly emerged from the Matrix of Leadership.

Hearing this, Titanium Master went rigid with alarm. “Matrix of Leadership, you cannot do this!”

“Honorable Titanium Master, thank you for your protection all these years. But I see no reason to self-destruct. My purpose is to sustain Cybertron. Whether controlled by Transformers, Quintessons, or this gentleman—it’s merely a detail.”

“But he wants to take you away!” Titanium Master roared, unable to accept the betrayal of the one he’d protected for so long. In his eyes, the Matrix of Leadership was the source of Transformer power, Cybertron’s central nervous system—vital to them all, for it contained the Creator—Primus’s Leadership Module, and the Spark was merely its energy overflow.

“I’ve said it: whether Quintessons, Transformers, or this outsider, to me they’re all the same. There’s no difference between taking or not taking.”

From its creation, it had been designed to control Cybertron. Its master was once the Quintessons; after Transformers overthrew them and drove them out, its master became the Transformers; now that Ye Nan came to claim it, its master was naturally Ye Nan—it cared nothing for possession. Whoever was stronger, it would serve.

“Are you betraying us?” Titanium Master, furious, spoke harshly.

“There is no betrayal. To me, whoever is stronger is my master,” the Matrix of Leadership said coldly. “I am merely a computer. I have no choice—never had, never will.”

“Do you think I won’t destroy you right now?” Titanium Master’s eyes burned red as he glared at the Matrix of Leadership.

He had protected the Matrix of Leadership for countless years; in his heart, it was sacred, the holy relic of the Transformer race. Yet now it was betraying him, betraying the Transformers—he could not comprehend it. Only rage filled his mind.

“I believe you.” Blue electronic currents suddenly surged around the Matrix of Leadership; a faint pulse of energy shot out, lifting Titanium Master into the air. “For my safety, please remain at a distance.”

Having done this, the Matrix of Leadership turned to Ye Nan. “Honorable sir, please help me defeat this man who seeks to destroy me.”

“So now I’m the enforcer? How unpleasant,” Ye Nan muttered, gesturing to the two Terminators. “You two—attack together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“As you command, honorable Majesty.”

The former was the combat-oriented Terminator; the latter, the Terminator whose simulated personality system had evolved—both rigid and servile, respectively.

These two Terminators faced Transformers for the first time; their databases held no data on Transformers. Unlike mechanical beasts, Transformers looked fundamentally different—just as humans and animals are both carbon-based lifeforms yet distinct—so they did not equate the two.

Both Terminators raised their left arms simultaneously; with a hum, their arms transformed into dark cannon muzzles, blue particle beams beginning to charge.

As a Transformer—and a first-generation one—Titanium Master, though not naturally skilled in combat, had honed a fighting style over millennia. But he never expected the Matrix of Leadership, with whom he’d lived for countless years, to turn on him. Caught off-guard, he was struck by its anti-gravity energy and floated helplessly in midair, his movements slowed.

Yet soon he regained composure, steadied his body—and just then, both particle cannons fired, striking him. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian () to cast recommendation votes or monthly tickets—your support is my greatest motivation.)