Chapter 625: Subduing the Magic Orb

When a quantum computer effortlessly seized control of the entire Cybertron planet, the Magic Orb, which had been ready to watch Ye Nan fail and immediately take over, fell silent.

“How is this possible?”

He murmured, still unable to believe that it—the very central nervous system of Cybertron—could be so easily replaced.

“Why not?” Ye Nan sneered. “Did you really think this planet couldn’t turn without you? Or that you alone controlled the entire world?”

“Isn’t that true?” the Magic Orb retorted, only to meet Ye Nan’s look of utter contempt. “Whether it is or isn’t—didn’t you just see for yourself?”

Ye Nan’s words left the Magic Orb speechless. “This can’t be.”

“Nothing is impossible. For Cybertron, your most important function was merely the excess energy you leaked—no, not Cybertron itself, but the Transformers. In truth, your role was never that vital. Other quantum computers can easily replace your tasks: regulating planetary energy, managing operations—all of it.”

“Don’t forget—you’re an outsider to Cybertron, even if you were built by the Quintessons using all their technology.”

“I understand,” the Magic Orb said in a low voice, as if finally accepting defeat. “Where should we go now?”

“Back to Earth, naturally.” Ye Nan grabbed the Magic Orb and flew toward the exit. “You all follow.”

A world of ruined metal, shattered pillars and machines, and scattered metallic debris.

Ye Nan, carrying the Magic Orb, became a streak of light and arrived at the outer door of the starship in an instant.

“Smila, open the door.”

“Understood.”

A hissing sound—the hatch opened. Ye Nan stepped inside, one hand gripping the Magic Orb.

“What is this?” Smila’s holographic projection appeared, staring curiously at the yellow sphere in Ye Nan’s hand. “You went out and found this? Where’s the Terminator?”

“The Terminator is behind me. First, analyze the Magic Orb’s program.” Ye Nan tossed the Magic Orb onto a device and waited for Smila’s response.

“Understood.” Smila’s figure slowly faded, replaced by countless streams of data—flashing, overwritten, yet never vanishing, piling up instead. Soon, the scroll bar on the right side of the screen became as thin as a hair—barely visible unless stared at intently—but the data kept increasing.

“What’s happening?” The Magic Orb felt scanning forces probing it, data linking to its core. It tensed up. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Just scanning your data—checking for vulnerabilities so you don’t get hijacked and turn against me.” Ye Nan spoke casually, then realized how harsh it sounded. He quickly added: “Of course, it’s just routine. Don’t take it personally.”

“Oh.” The Magic Orb relaxed at Ye Nan’s words. Its fear of betrayal vanished. It even found itself laughing inwardly—why had it doubted? It had chosen to serve Ye Nan. Ye Nan would never kill his own subordinate. No one kills their own servant without reason.

Watching the now-calmed Magic Orb, Ye Nan smiled faintly. “I have other matters to attend to. Smila, continue analyzing the Magic Orb’s data.”

Ye Nan turned and walked away. Around a corner, out of the Magic Orb’s sight, he entered a room, opened a computer, and asked: “Smila, how’s the Magic Orb scan going?”

“The Magic Orb’s program uses a highly specialized algorithm. But its actual capabilities are weak, and its data volume is limited. Decryption would take hours—if it has no defenses. If it’s hidden or encrypted, it could take much longer to crack.”

“Good.” Ye Nan nodded approvingly. “I need you to create a virus—a virus that can destroy it. This Magic Orb computer is untrustworthy. I need one that serves me wholeheartedly.”

“Understood.” Smila nodded. “I’ll ask Elise to help me.”

While the Magic Orb was being scanned, another stream of data infiltrated, copying its core data. It panicked—but then received a message from within the data: another quantum computer was analyzing it. It calmed down.

“I was too cautious,” the Magic Orb thought, its mind relaxing. At that moment, a strange data stream injected into its core, merging with its own, leaving it dazed and confused.

After an unknown length of time, while still half-conscious, a terrifying data stream surged into its program—clashing violently with its own, rewriting, devouring, transforming it into something else.

“No!” The Magic Orb jolted awake. It realized it was under attack—and the attacker was none other than Ye Nan, who had just moments ago assured it this was routine.

“Damn liar!” The Magic Orb seethed with hatred. It scrambled to mobilize its data, trying to purge the virus infecting its core.

But it was a battle of data against data—its own power meant nothing. Its data had already been deciphered by Smila and Elise working together. The virus was tailor-made for its structure, and it struck first—relentless, overwhelming.

In moments, the Magic Orb’s original data was pushed back, retreating. Red light devoured yellow light—signaling its complete inability to resist the virus.

But then again, it made sense. The Magic Orb had willingly opened its source code, allowing Smila and Elise to scan it. With the combined power of two quantum computers and massive server support, the virus they created was perfectly targeted.

“Damn Ye Nan—I won’t let this go.” As its data was steadily consumed, its consciousness, formed entirely of data, began to fracture. It grew confused.

“You liar—I’ll kill you.”

“If I get the chance, I’ll kill you.”

“I’ll humiliate you, then destroy you—make you die screaming.”

…

The Magic Orb cursed Ye Nan endlessly. The weaker and more confused it became, the more it cursed him. In its mind, Ye Nan was the root of all evil. Even if it died, it would remember him.

“I’ll kill Ye Nan… Huh? Who is Ye Nan…? He’s… my master… Master? Ye Nan?… My master is Ye Nan… I am utterly loyal to him—I will give him everything… My master is Ye Nan.”

As the Magic Orb’s remaining original data was consumed by the virus, the second layer of implanted data activated automatically—rewriting its core, overturning its consciousness from the deepest level, turning it into Ye Nan’s servant.

“Noble Sovereign, I am your most loyal servant, the Magic Orb.” The Magic Orb suddenly floated, spinning smoothly in midair.

Its body had turned from yellow to red—like a red sun.

“Done?” Ye Nan smiled, grasping the Magic Orb and playing with it in his hand. “With this, my chances against Unicron have increased by at least thirty percent.”

He remembered: when the Leadership Matrix collides with Unicron, it destroys him. The Magic Orb, now fused with the Leadership Matrix, was Unicron’s natural enemy.

“Completed.” Elise’s figure appeared before Ye Nan. “Did you think I’d fail if I did it myself?”

“Of course not.” Ye Nan chuckled. “Has Superman attended the ceremony?”

Careful calculation showed nearly half a month had passed. Superman Clark should have completed the ceremony by now—though Ye Nan didn’t even know when it was or whether he’d missed it. “Superman Clark,” Elise said, staring at Ye Nan with a strange expression, hesitating.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Nan frowned. “Did you not see him? Or…?”

“We saw him. He attended. But Superman Clark… did something strange.” Elise explained. “Ever since he returned, he’s been acting oddly. He suddenly attacked us, his appearance twisted into something grotesque, then fled.”

“Fled?” Ye Nan exclaimed. “How did you let him escape?”

Hearing that Superman Clark had attacked them and looked monstrous, Ye Nan knew the clone’s side effects had erupted. For unknown reasons, cloned Supermen gradually grew violent, aggressive—and, most notably, grotesque in appearance.

On the starship, Ye Nan had already noticed Clark’s strange behavior—his demeanor darkened, his killing intent intensified. He’d suspected the clone side effects were emerging. Now it was confirmed. But how had Elise let him get away?

“We went to welcome him. We didn’t expect him to suddenly snap. We weren’t prepared—we couldn’t stop him,” Elise said, embarrassed.

“Forget it. I’ll go find him myself.” (To be continued.)