Chapter 912: Meeting 1

The owner of the familiar voice was none other than one of Optimus Prime's lieutenants—Ratchet.

When he saw his figure emerge from the dark forest, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed Optimus Prime's face, but it quickly turned serious again.

"Boss..."

Optimus Prime's massive frame was far too conspicuous by the open lakeshore.

As it turned out, just as Ratchet pushed aside the trees and stepped out of the forest, a casual glance immediately caught sight of Optimus Prime by the lake.

With a joyful shout, he hurried toward Optimus Prime.

"Ratchet..."

Optimus Prime sighed, stepped forward to look at his partner who was excitedly circling him, and swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

Some time ago, as his teacher Sentinel Prime kept inciting his followers to stir up trouble, he felt weary of such dirty and base tactics and took the initiative to convene a meeting attended by all the high-ranking officials of New Iacon.

At the meeting, he directly admitted to all the slanders against him and used that as an excuse to announce his resignation as the leader of the Autobots, immediately exiling himself and leaving New Iacon without taking a single trusted subordinate with him.

Optimus Prime's goal was very clear: he did not want the Autobots to fall into internal division because of him, just as the Cybertronians had split into the Decepticon and Autobot factions back in the day.

But looking at the results, his goal had clearly failed.

"Boss..."

Ratchet sat down on his side, "Do you think Sentinel Prime will let us go after you leave?"

"Ironhide was relieved of his position as Commander of New Iacon, Sideswipe and Bumblebee were sent out to sweep up those Decepticons within Africa... Wheeljack was assigned to redesign weapons... and I, I lost my job immediately after you left..."

Optimus Prime's face froze, and he then fell silent.

He had not expected that teacher of his to be so decisive.

He had only just left, and already the purge of those Autobots in New Iacon loyal to him had begun.

"Teacher..."

Sighing deeply in his heart, Optimus Prime looked up at the night sky, and a thought could not help but emerge in his mind.

"Those who have already decayed, perhaps they really should be left to sleep in history forever... Maybe Frenzy is right; the Autobots, just like the Decepticons, have reached a time when a revolution is needed..."

This was undoubtedly a terrifying thought, so much so that as soon as it emerged, it startled Optimus Prime himself.

From his birth until now, even having awakened the memories of two lifetimes.

But Sentinel Prime was a supreme existence who had ruled Cybertron since the era of the Cybertronian Elder Council.

Perhaps in the later civil war, he had indeed made some mistakes.

But he was Sentinel Prime, he was the Leader, and he was his teacher!

Hastily suppressing that terrifying thought in his heart, Optimus Prime looked at Ratchet: "You shouldn't have left New Iacon, and you shouldn't have come looking for me, Ratchet..."

Ratchet shrugged, "That is our ideal home, but I don't believe that warmonger can build it into something better!"

Optimus Prime was silent; he could not refute Ratchet, because as Sentinel Prime's student, he understood his teacher better than Ratchet did.

The silent atmosphere lasted for a long time, only gradually broken as more noisy sounds came from the forest.

"... Damn it, I think I need a bath..."

Accompanied by a rough voice, a disheveled figure covered in mud walked out of the forest.

It was Ironhide, who kept shaking his arms to shed the mud from his body.

"Leader, it is good to see you again!"

After the disheveled Ironhide greeted Optimus Prime, he jumped straight into the nearby lake.

"This damn forest, I accidentally fell into a mud pit just now!"

Soon having cleaned his body, Ironhide walked out of the lake and came to Optimus Prime's side.

"Hi, Ratchet. I didn't expect you to be the first to find the Leader..."

Ratchet shook his head and pointed to the sky, "It wasn't me, it was Frenzy's drone... That guy can probably scan Autobots within hundreds of square kilometers at once, otherwise it couldn't have found us so easily!"

Hearing this, Ironhide looked up at the sky; thousands of meters above, that drone was still circling above their heads at this moment.

"Troublesome guy!" he muttered.

As a weapons expert among the Autobots, Ironhide knew very well how much convenience such drones could provide for the Decepticons in war.

After all, not every Cybertronian was strong enough to be comparable to a mobile radar on the battlefield, discovering and avoiding enemy ambushes.

"You all..."

Optimus Prime did not know how to speak; after Ratchet found him just now, he had sent several communications to the outside world.

With Ironhide's arrival, a group of Autobots who had left with them also began to gather toward him.

"Leader!"

"Leader!"

"Reporting to you, Leader!"

Watching more and more Autobots gathering, Optimus Prime's expression became increasingly serious.

"You all shouldn't have left New Iacon!"

"If we don't leave, should we stay there and wait to be purged?"

Ironhide, who had the hottest temper, ignored the attempts of his girlfriend—Chromia—to stop him, and retorted full of fire.

Optimus Prime opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

Ratchet had already told him just now that after he left, Ironhide was immediately relieved of his post as Commander of New Iacon by Sentinel Prime.

And as for New Iacon, perhaps all the Autobots combined had not done as much work as Ironhide.

Ever since the decision to build New Iacon, he had contributed the most; not only did he participate in the planning and construction of New Iacon, but he also personally designed New Iacon's defense system and trained a security patrol system.

He had poured too much heart and soul into New Iacon; the position of Commander could be said to be well-deserved.

Yet such a meritorious hero was stripped of his position immediately after Optimus Prime left because of the internal power struggle of the Autobots.

To say it wasn't chilling would be impossible.

Arcee interjected, "Alright Ironhide, don't make it difficult for Optimus Prime!"

As the leader of the female Autobots, Arcee still held a great deal of prestige among the Autobots.

However, she quickly turned her head to look at Optimus Prime again, "After we left New Iacon, we were soon hunted down by the Decepticons. Your teacher has completely changed; perhaps Frenzy was not lying, and he and the Decepticon Legion must have already reached some kind of agreement. Optimus Prime, you are the leader of the Autobots, and your authority comes from all Autobots, not from your teacher. Therefore, please shoulder this responsibility well!"

"Yes, Leader!"

"Please continue to lead us forward!"

"Leader..."

"Leader!"

With the arrival of more Autobots, the calls and voices supporting him grew louder and louder, one after another.

Optimus Prime watched these companions who were willing to follow him to the death in silence, and after a long while, he suddenly raised his head and looked up at the sky.

"Frenzy is looking for me, right? Help me tell him that I need to meet with him!"

The voice was not very loud, but he was certain that the drone circling in the sky could hear it.

And the result was self-evident; the drone soon seemed to have received some kind of order, suddenly began to climb in altitude, and then flew off in the direction of the sea.