Chapter 666: Getting What One Wishes (First Update)

Seven days after Sun Cheng left, when the Autobots all thought that the mention of returning Mudflap's remains was merely an excuse he had used to escape at the time.

A familiar drone once again triggered the advanced anti-aircraft early warning system that Wheeljack had recently built and deployed within the temporary base.

"Leader, the one that has come this time is still the same drone we encountered last time; it should be the Decepticon—Frenzy!"

After the Autobot responsible for the base's security—Checkers—conveyed the monitored information to Optimus Prime via the base's internal communication channel, a faint smile could be seen on his face.

"I understand. Continue monitoring; unless the other party makes any threatening moves, let them pass without exception."

"Yes!"

The visitor was indeed Sun Cheng; the drone he had transformed into soon arrived in the airspace a few dozen kilometers away from the temporary base.

Circling in the air, he sent a communication request to the Autobot base.

"I am Frenzy. I have come to return the remains of Mudflap, and I also have matters to discuss with your Leader. Requesting permission to enter the airspace!"

After circling for a while, he received an affirmative response from the Autobots, only then did the drone continue to fly forward. Upon reaching the designated location, it descended slowly, and only when it was about ten meters from the ground did it slowly place the cargo container that had been hanging beneath it onto the ground.

Immediately after, he was seen shifting a distance to the side before landing and transforming back into the combat form of his old body.

By the time Sun Cheng landed, Optimus Prime and many other Autobots had already arrived at the scene.

He walked to the cargo container and tapped it lightly; the five alloy plates of the container opened on their own in an orderly fashion, revealing the remains of Mudflap inside.

Two days ago, upon learning that Sun Cheng was willing to return the remains of his brother Mudflap, Skids could no longer keep his patience to continue helping Ironhide search all over Africa for a site for New Iacon.

He had already returned to the temporary base, and upon seeing Sun Cheng open the cargo container to reveal Mudflap's remains inside, he immediately wanted to rush forward in excitement.

"Skids!"

Optimus Prime reached out to stop him, then turned to look at Sun Cheng, expressing his gratitude for the goodwill he had shown.

"Thank you very much, Excellency. It was our cooperation with the NEST forces to launch a surprise attack on you that led to the tragedy... This matter can be put behind us now..."

The implication was that they would no longer pursue the matter.

Sun Cheng looked at Skids; he did not know if it was because this hot-headed guy had also died once not long ago, but his temper had calmed down quite a bit now.

It was unclear whether Optimus Prime's intervention had worked, or if he had truly let go of his hatred.

In any case, Sun Cheng exchanged a glance with him; he still saw hostility on the other's face, but the original murderous intent that would not stop until one of them died was gone.

"Good!"

He nodded slightly, accepting the goodwill released by Optimus Prime.

"The long civil war has made too many people weary of war, including us traitors to the Decepticons. Excellency Optimus Prime, Excellency Wheeljack, Jetfire asked me to send you his greetings! I know you Autobots have too many reasons to continue maintaining hostility and distrust toward us, but the Earthlings have a saying that I think is very fitting here: the enemy of my enemy is our friend!"

The dozen or so Autobots watching did not affect Sun Cheng in the slightest; he continued to speak unhurriedly.

Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and the others were listening intently. They all knew that Sun Cheng could not easily give up the energy of the 【Matrix of Leadership】. Jetfire was different from Wheeljack; he had left Cybertron a very long time ago and could be said to have struggled on his own for millions of years. During this period, there was also a terrifying Cosmic Rust that did not know how many Cybertronians it had taken away.

Therefore, regarding Jetfire's current state, Wheeljack and Optimus Prime had already made a preliminary estimate after their discussion.

Even if he had been awakened from dormancy by an AllSpark Fragment, he was likely still on the verge of death.

Unless they had the 【AllSpark】 in hand, only the 【Matrix of Leadership】 currently in Optimus Prime's possession could restore him to a healthy state.

"Soundwave and Astrotrain are currently searching the world for us and hunting us down. With the current state of Jetfire and myself, we don't know how much longer we can hold on. You Autobots can continue to watch from the sidelines, waiting for us to be liquidated by the Decepticon Legion before stepping out to continue the war against the Decepticons."

"But I must tell you another piece of unfortunate news: Shockwave has already led an army and is heading toward Earth; it is very likely he will arrive in a year. Before that, an advance force he dispatched ahead of time will arrive in a few months!"

With not a single ripple of expression on his face, Sun Cheng spoke in a very calm tone, relaying to Optimus Prime the classified intelligence he had just obtained from Starscream.

Through his previous contact with Optimus Prime, he had already roughly understood the other party's attitude.

Even the seemingly exceptionally gentle Optimus Prime would not sell the mysterious power within the 【Matrix of Leadership】 to a Decepticon like Sun Cheng for just a little bit of resources.

Therefore, he now kept silent about the trade and first explained the stakes involved.

Sun Cheng wanted to use the general trend to tell the Autobots that they were now grasshoppers on the same string; once they were liquidated by the Decepticon Legion, the Autobots could just wait to continue fighting the civil war against the Decepticons.

Although this method could not be called upright, the attraction of the mysterious power in the 【Matrix of Leadership】 to him was truly too great; he had to and very much wanted to obtain it to catch a glimpse of its secrets.

As soon as the words "Shockwave" appeared, the expressions of all the Autobots present changed.

If the Autobots were to make a list of the Decepticons that posed the greatest threat to them, then even the commander of the Decepticon Legion—Megatron—could only rank second on that list.

Since the two civil wars began, no Decepticon could compete with Shockwave for the top spot as the one who had caused the most casualties among the Autobots and had personally strangled the most Autobots.

He was the first to create the Pretenders, and it was also Shockwave who first developed the Triple Changers and Gestalts.

The cold and ruthless Shockwave had been dedicated to creating various weapons capable of causing larger-scale destruction to the Autobots ever since he joined the Decepticon Legion.

Upon hearing that this devil-like existence was about to lead an army to Earth.

Even the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, felt the slight good mood that had just risen in his heart vanish instantly.

When he had previously ordered Hot Rod to send people to transport resources to Earth, he had indeed heard him mention the news that Shockwave and the Decepticon Legion had suddenly stopped making big moves, and he had vaguely guessed that the other party was likely heading to Earth.

But guessing was one thing; when the cruel reality was placed before him, Optimus Prime looked around at the Autobot warriors standing around him, feeling the Spark in his chest beat even more violently.

"If a third civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons breaks out on Earth, I don't know what Earth will be destroyed into, and how many young warriors will be able to survive!"

By this time, he had more or less understood Sun Cheng's little scheme, but Optimus Prime had to admit that the other party's previous sentence was correct.

"The enemy of my enemy is our friend?"

Optimus Prime looked at Sun Cheng, while Sun Cheng looked back at him calmly without any fear.

After a long while, he was heard speaking slowly: "According to the conditions you proposed last time, I can provide you with three portions of energy sufficient to resurrect an Advanced Warrior. But you must also tell us all the intelligence you possess."

PS:

The first chapter of the guaranteed three-chapter update is here. It's a bit late because I had to take care of some private matters during the day.