Chapter 916: Meeting 5 (Second Update)

After the meeting ended, the Autobots dispersed.

Wheeljack was also silent, walking toward his own Laboratory.

The Laboratory, once so familiar, had now completely changed its appearance.

Many experimental devices were currently being dismantled.

Looking at the chaotic mess of the Laboratory, Wheeljack let out a sigh.

"I really should have left with Ironhide and the others back then!"

Shaking his head, he was now plunged into deep self-reproach for his initial hesitation.

Although he was a Scientist, Wheeljack was not completely ignorant of politics.

On the contrary, when Optimus Prime and the others rescued Sentinel Prime from the Moon, he had vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

The subsequent changes in New Iacon also verified his premonition.

As the Leader who had ruled the Autobots for millions of years, the former King of Primus.

Sentinel Prime had a group of die-hard followers within the Autobots who pushed all their dissatisfaction with the Autobots' defeat onto Optimus Prime, stubbornly believing that it was his incompetence that led to the Autobots' defeat, forcing them to abandon their home planet Cybertron and linger on a satellite.

And later, the order from Optimus Prime for Autobots to spontaneously travel to various parts of the galaxy to find more resources for the Autobots, as well as a home where everyone could thrive again, also deeply offended a group of Autobots who were unwilling to leave their homeland.

Coupled with the Autobot Council, which had been trying to seize power from behind the scenes, all kinds of dissatisfaction combined, ultimately resulting in the young Autobot Leader, Optimus Prime, having difficulty commanding respect within the defeated Autobots, and his reputation was not much better.

Because of this, the return of Sentinel Prime immediately divided a group of Autobots who had previously thought they had no choice.

Having lost their home planet Cybertron, they were tired of continuing to wander like Wanderers in the dangerous galaxy.

Like the Decepticons, they longed to use force to occupy Africa, and even the entire Earth, taking all the resources on Earth for their own use, in order to re-arm and strengthen the Autobots.

It was clear that the strategy Optimus Prime tried to seek—a peaceful way to coexist with humans and even the Decepticons—could not satisfy those Autobots who had been traumatized by war and had become increasingly radical.

His fate was predictable; self-imposed exile was the best choice Optimus Prime could make under the circumstances.

"What a pity!"

New Iacon, what a beautiful name; it should have had a better future, but war had inevitably descended, and Wheeljack could no longer see its future.

Walking straight to a pile of materials, Wheeljack was just about to start working.

Suddenly, he felt something move in a shadow within the Laboratory.

Just as he turned around vigilantly to look, Wheeljack immediately saw a familiar figure.

"It's you!"

The figure appearing before him was none other than the Autobot—Drift.

Wheeljack had had quite a bit of contact with Drift; back when Drift was a Triple Changer modified by the Decepticon faction, after defecting to the Autobot faction, he was arranged by Sentinel Prime to be studied at the Academy of Sciences for a long time.

And Wheeljack was a member of the Autobot Academy of Sciences at the time, also participating in the research project on Drift.

However, the relationship between them was not good; after all, Sentinel Prime's attitude toward the Decepticons at the time determined that the first batch of Decepticons who defected to the Autobots would definitely not be treated well.

Aside from the shiny treatment on the surface, in private, they were suspicious targets under close surveillance by the Autobots, like lab rats being studied in a Laboratory.

Because of this, many of the defected Warriors who had been studied, especially Triple Changers like Drift, were very dissatisfied with Sentinel Prime and were also not on good terms with the Autobot Scientists who had studied them.

And at this moment, seeing Drift take the initiative to find him, Wheeljack's clever Brain turned for a moment, and he immediately had a guess.

"You came here to ask me to leave this New Iacon with you?"

Drift nodded calmly, "Wheeljack, I know you are not a bellicose person. Sentinel Prime is crazy now; the arrogance and bellicosity of the Decepticons have already destroyed our home planet Cybertron. And now, he, Sentinel Prime, has become the very thing he hated most, actually wanting to learn from the Decepticons and start a war with humans."

The first batch of Warriors who defected from the Decepticon faction to the Autobot faction were all people who longed for peace.

Drift was like this, and so was Sideswipe; although they did not fear battle, they also yearned for peace.

If they had never witnessed the light, it would be one thing, but in the past period, under the leadership of Optimus Prime, they had personally rebuilt New Iacon and enjoyed a rare period of tranquility and peace.

Like a beam of warm sunlight shining into their lives, that period, though short, allowed every tired Autobot Warrior to feel happiness from the bottom of their hearts.

And now Sentinel Prime had used means to expel Optimus Prime, and subsequently carried out various reforms in New Iacon with great fanfare, almost completely overturning some of the development plans of the Optimus Prime era.

He had reignited the engine called war, preparing to lead the Autobots into the quagmire of endless war once again.

Drift would never agree to this kind of action.

He might not be a match for Sentinel Prime, nor did he have the power to stop Sentinel Prime and his fanatical followers.

But Drift was prepared to leave this New Iacon, which no longer had any hope, to follow that true Autobot Leader.

"This city has no hope left; leave with us. Follow the traces of Ironhide and the others to follow our true Leader—Optimus Prime!"

When Optimus Prime left earlier, he happened to be out on a Task.

After returning and learning about this, he already had the idea of leaving to follow Optimus Prime.

As a result, before he could act, Ironhide and the others had already left a step ahead.

Today, there was this war mobilization meeting by Sentinel Prime, which really stimulated the nerves of many Autobot Warriors who were already somewhat war-weary.

That was why, as soon as the meeting ended, Drift came to see Wheeljack.

Wheeljack looked outside cautiously, and after confirming that there were no other Autobots nearby, he shook his head and sighed.

"Drift, I will not tell anyone that I have seen you. If you want to leave, leave quickly. If you wait any longer, I suspect it will be difficult for you to leave."

New Iacon was undergoing war mobilization, and the entire city was also undergoing fortress-style modifications.

Once the modifications were completed, it would be much more difficult to enter or exit New Iacon without being discovered than it was now.

"You are not planning to leave with us?"

Drift asked; this Wheeljack was one of the few Autobot Scientists who had studied him in the past who did not treat him like a lab rat, but treated him as an equal.

Because of this, he came to ask the other party before leaving, not wanting him to be trapped in Sentinel Prime's war machine.

"Me?"

Wheeljack shook his head, his face somewhat bitter, "I cannot leave; Sentinel Prime needs me. Once he discovers I am gone, I am afraid that even Lord Optimus Prime might be implicated!"

This was the truth; after all, most of the scientific research and weapon development in New Iacon now required him to be in charge.

Drift looked at him deeply, then, without any hesitation, turned and left.

Leaving behind only Wheeljack, who sighed and stood rooted to the spot for quite a while, before he began to tidy up the cluttered Laboratory.