Chapter 436: Illusion

"Someone is coming!"

A bright blue light flared in his eyes. The Pioneer suddenly released the hand that had been gripping the 【Lead Box】, reached out to his side, grabbed a thick iron rod, and slammed it into the hard, rocky ground beside him. With a harsh, grating sound, the iron rod was driven deep into the mountain stone.

【Wheelie】, who had been thinking about how to escape, had not yet reacted when he felt a stumble and hurriedly exclaimed, "Hey, what do you think you're doing..."

Amidst his shouting, the Pioneer's other hand pulled on the 【Chain】 tethering 【Wheelie】, fastened the chain to the iron rod, and simultaneously, his fingertips rapidly transformed into a welding torch, welding the chain and the iron rod together.

After nimbly finishing all this, he then grabbed the 【Lead Box】 and, without even looking at the grumbling 【Wheelie】 on the side, looked vigilantly toward the southwest.

Just a moment ago, he had suddenly captured two targets emitting strong electromagnetic fields, and they were approaching rapidly.

The Pioneer had no intention of retreating, although with his speed, few could catch him if he chose to run.

However, this was the meeting place he had agreed upon with Sun Cheng, and besides, he knew that even if he wanted to escape, it would be useless.

As long as he remained within Mexico, it would not take long for the other party to catch up to him again.

Although he had previously crafted a 【Lead Box】 and placed the piece of 【AllSpark】 he had obtained from the human boy Sam inside it.

But the 【Lead Box】 could not completely isolate the energy radiation emitted by the fragment, and this special radiation had a fatal attraction for Mechanical Life. As long as a trace leaked out, even from hundreds of kilometers away, it could be captured by Autobots and Decepticons. The reason he had withdrawn from the United States was precisely because of this. If the Pioneer had not been sufficiently alert, he likely would have already been caught by Barricade, Bumblebee, and the others.

For the past few days, the Pioneer had suspected that the Autobots might have known long ago that there was a piece of 【AllSpark】 fragment in the home of that human boy, Sam.

Otherwise, just because that boy named Sam had helped them, Optimus Prime would have to dispatch his capable assistant and intelligence officer—Bumblebee—to stay by Sam's side and protect him; no matter how one thought about it, it was highly suspicious.

Recent encounters made the Pioneer feel the trickery behind it all the more.

He had previously been dispatched by his master several times to visit the city where Sam lived. Although he had never had close contact with that human boy and his little girlfriend, he had been within a few dozen kilometers, yet he had never felt a trace of the fragment's radiation.

Especially not long ago, he had visited the city where Sam was, and he had similarly not captured a single bit of 【AllSpark】 energy radiation.

Yet, in the span of a few days, a Decepticon suddenly appeared at Sam's house, and Bumblebee, who was always known for being alert and calm, was easily lured away by Barricade.

The Pioneer did not doubt for a second that if he hadn't intervened, 【Wheelie】 would have easily stolen this fragment.

Thinking about all these things, the more he thought, the more he felt something was strange!

However, now was clearly not the time to be distracted by any of this.

The Pioneer narrowed his eyes, and the distracting thoughts in his mind vanished in an instant.

As the targets drew closer, he had confirmed that they were coming for him.

"Have I been locked on..."

Feeling two special energy fluctuations brush over his body, the 【Spark】 within him beat wildly. Surging energy poured continuously from the 【Spark】, flowing into his Core and limbs. Every part of his body, stimulated by the energy, became unprecedentedly excited.

He was ready for battle!

The two incoming targets were moving very fast. When the Pioneer first detected them, they were still over a hundred kilometers away.

But in a very short time, the two had already moved to within twenty or thirty kilometers.

At this distance, not only had he been locked on by the other party, but the Pioneer had also confirmed their identities. The electromagnetic spectrums emitted by the two targets rapidly rushing toward him were frantic and irritable—they were Decepticons, plain and simple.

"Only two targets... Extreme area scan complete, confirming no other Autobots or Decepticons within a 450-kilometer range... Electromagnetic spectrum mapping complete, comparing with database... Comparison successful, confirming target identities: 【Sideways】, 【Demolishor】..."

Just like humans on Earth, every individual possesses different physical characteristics; even if their appearances are infinitely close, they can still be distinguished by fingerprints, blood, and so on.

Cybertronians are also different from one another after birth, and one of the easiest ways to identify the differences between Mechanical Life is to observe the electromagnetic spectrum they emit.

All along, Sun Cheng had been working hard to collect the electromagnetic spectrums of all the Decepticons and Autobots he had encountered, and he kept them updated in the Base's database.

The benefits of doing this were very obvious. Even if the Pioneer had never met 【Sideways】 or 【Demolishor】 before, he only needed to capture the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by the other party from afar and compare it with the database he received from the Base to immediately confirm their identities.

With his body slightly hunched, the Pioneer's brain was exceptionally calm.

Decepticons never hide their malice or intentions; he felt that the newcomers were not here with good intentions.

【Sideways】 and 【Demolishor】 belonged to the Decepticon Legion. Even Sun Cheng could not be sure whether they were subordinates of Starscream or The Fallen, but one thing was certain: his own master would never hand over a piece of 【AllSpark】 fragment to the Decepticon Legion.

Sun Cheng's attitude toward the Decepticon Legion had always been very clear: he acknowledged his Decepticon identity, but he did not acknowledge the Decepticon Legion.

The Pioneer had spent the longest time by his side, so he understood his thoughts the best.

"A fierce battle is about to begin!"

He thought calmly, but in his heart, he couldn't help but feel eager to try.

When he finished receiving the modifications from the Base, because 【Brawl】 was there for comparison, the Pioneer knew his own strength very well.

Compared to his master, he was naturally far inferior, but his Level 5 body, according to the Base's design and classification standards, was enough to contend with most Advanced Warriors among the Autobots and Decepticons.

Although he was only Level 4 and still had a significant gap compared to Advanced Warriors like Bumblebee and Barricade, it did not mean he was without the power to fight.

The Base adhered to the principle of firepower supremacy. As the master's plans were realized bit by bit, Sun Cheng was not short on energy now, so the New Bodies of his subordinates all had firepower that was more than one level higher than Autobot and Decepticon warriors of the same rank.

The Pioneer was naturally no exception!

"Stay here and don't try any tricks..."

He glanced sideways at 【Wheelie】, who had suddenly become active, a sneer flashing across his eyes.

He flashed the controller in his hand; there was no need for further threats. The Pioneer knew the other party must understand what he meant.

If he dared to escape or play tricks, he would directly detonate the 【Controllable Electromagnetic Pulse Bomb】 tethered to 【Wheelie】.

"Hey hey... big guy, I'll stay here honestly..."

Blue light flickered incessantly in 【Wheelie】's eyes, but his mouth remained very honest.

The Pioneer gave a soft snort and said nothing. He knew this guy definitely couldn't be honest, but so what?

Neither 【Sideways】 nor 【Demolishor】 belonged to the ranks of Decepticon Advanced Warriors. In this battle, he had confidence.