Chapter 967
The Newcomer's Side Quest
Just then, a clear, girlish voice suddenly rang out behind Qingchen.
"So, you're Optimus Prime's second-in-command, Sir? And you are Jetfire?"
Li Qingqing's words stunned the three people present.
Qingchen turned his head and looked over in confusion.
Li Qingqing instantly realized that this person had never seen Transformers, so she quickly leaned close and whispered what she knew into his ear.
After a few words, Qingchen finally understood.
Although Li Qingqing had only watched the Transformers movies in a general way.
However, some of the most memorable scenes are still very impressive.
And coincidentally, the two figures in front of her were among the famous scenes the girl remembered.
The short, pure silver Jazz once single-handedly confronted Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, in the first book of the original story.
Despite his eventual death, one cannot deny his strength and courage.
As for the other large, weathered figure leaning on a cane, his origins are even more extraordinary.
Jetfire, one of the original Transformers, was once an underling of the Fallen. He was a Decepticon scientist from Cybertron who later landed on Earth and ran out of energy, so he hid in an American museum.
In the second movie, he was awakened by the protagonist Sam using a fragment of the AllSpark and switched sides to the Autobots.
Of course, these are all background introductions. What Li Qingqing really remembered was that in the second movie, the newly resurrected Optimus Prime was extremely weak and no match for Megatron and the Fallen.
At the critical moment, Jetfire sacrificed himself, sending out his own AllSpark core to temporarily merge with Optimus Prime.
He transformed into Skyfire Optimus Prime, completely overwhelmed Megatron and the Fallen, successfully killed the gods, and achieved final victory.
"...You know us?"
Jazz, the small, silver robot, was the first to recover from his surprise.
His polished, gleaming body leaned slightly forward, the mechanical chains on his body making a crisp metallic scraping sound.
Despite being restrained, his posture still exuded a warrior's alertness and curiosity.
"Would humans from beyond Earth... know our names?"
The jazz's electronic tones carried a distinct sense of bewilderment, echoing through the dimly lit metal cage.
“‘Jazz,’ ‘Skyfire’… these codenames are not known to all robots, even on Cybertron.”
The enormous head of the Skyfire, covered in rust and scratches, slowly turned.
The metal joints creaked under the strain.
A faint but steady blue light flickered in his single eye, which was not completely covered by the mask.
It was fixed on Li Qingqing.
“Especially the name ‘Skyfire’.”
The sound of the fire was deeper than before, as if each syllable was rubbing against the rusted parts inside.
"I haven't heard it from any carbon-based life form for a very, very long time, so long that I've almost forgotten about it myself."
His cane, which had been supporting his body, and his spear, which could instantly transform into a deadly weapon, lightly touched the ground.
But now, as this person trembles with excitement, several pieces of rust peel off.
"Little girl, where did you learn all this?"
There was no threat in Tianhuo's question; instead, there was a sense of weariness and searching buried by the long passage of time.
"If you say you are humans from outside Earth, then it's even less likely that you would know of our existence."
Qingchen felt Li Qingqing's body tense up slightly beside him and was about to speak up to explain for her.
But the girl took a deep breath and gripped Qingchen tightly.
“Because in our world,” Li Qingqing said, her voice soft yet steady.
"Your past and your future."
"Those heroic sacrifices have been passed down in the form of 'stories'."
"Some people have recorded these moments with images and words."
"We have witnessed Optimus Prime's conviction, Megatron's ambition, and we also remember... Jazz, your courage, and Skyfire, your ultimate sacrifice."
As she spoke, Li Qingqing began to recount a story that should have happened in this world but did not.
This dramatic story ends with Optimus Prime defeating The Fallen.
As the girl recounted her story...
This "prison" fell silent once again.
After a long while, Tianhuo finally came to his senses.
"Dedication?"
A hoarse sound, like an old engine idling, came from Tianhuo's throat; it was perhaps the bitter laugh of a mechanical life form.
"You mean I handed over my spark and these old bones to Optimus Prime, so he could beat up Megatron and the Fallen?"
Li Qingqing nodded affirmatively.
I'd like to explain a couple more times.
As a result, Tianhuo said directly.
“I believe you, because if it’s really as you say, then I will indeed make that choice.”
"So now there's only one possibility."
Skyfire's single eye flickered.
"...The timeline of the universe has too many branches."
"Young lady, the 'story' you're talking about might just be one of countless possibilities."
Tianhuo's gaze swept over the layers of heavy chains binding almost every major joint of his body.
"But now I'm trapped here, the AllSpark is dim, and it's hard to even stand up straight, while Megatron is out there building his metal empire with the AllSpark Cube."
"Optimus Prime's whereabouts are now unknown."
As Tianhuo spoke, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Although I am still alive now, it would be better to die like in your story."
"I have lived too long."
After saying that, the massive mechanical body coughed, and more pieces of rust peeled off.
The jazz interrupted, his tone as sharp as ever, but he seemed to be in a much better mood:
"So I must have been really handsome back then!"
Looking at Li Qingqing's narcissistic nature, I couldn't help but laugh:
"Yes, you were really handsome back then."
The knight, who had received praise, nodded appreciatively at Li Qingqing and gave her a thumbs-up with his bound arm.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Tianhuo spoke again:
"It seems that the technology you possess has already touched upon the timeline, but information doesn't appear out of thin air."
"The fact that you know these code names and key events, even if they are just 'stories,' means that information has been 'leaked' across dimensions or time."
"Even..."
Tianhuo didn't finish speaking; instead, he suddenly turned to Qingchen.
"You said that Megatron is currently under attack from another 'terrifying entity,' which forced him to move the AllSpark Cube yesterday afternoon."
Qingchen's brain is working at lightning speed.
Li Qingqing, through her knowledge of film, inadvertently opened a door.
Combined with the information he had previously revealed, it now seems that a perfect misunderstanding has been formed.
He didn't know what identities those senior figures used when contacting the U.S. military.
But at this moment, Qingchen felt as if he had guessed the correct answer.
"Yes."
"As fellow extraterrestrials, once they learn that the AllSpark Cube, which contains infinite energy, exists in this world, they will definitely not give up."
"And they can also save humanity on Earth, which is also their purpose in coming here this time."
Upon hearing this somewhat roundabout answer, the jazz finally blurted out:
"So this means that the wicked will be punished by the wicked, right?"
"After Megatron obtained the AllSpark, he swaggered around, which attracted the attention of the forces behind humanity on Earth." Qingchen nodded with a smile:
"You can understand it that way too."
Upon seeing that this was indeed the case, the bound jazz burst into laughter.
However, his mood suddenly turned somber again after he had been laughing.
"If that's the case, then it would have been better if they had come sooner."
"That way, the metal sheet and the ambulance wouldn't have died."
"Of course, it might not be long before we go down to join them."
The three people present understood what the jazz meant.
No matter what happens outside, even if the two sides really fight, even if the fight is so fierce that the sky collapses and the world turns dark.
Regardless of whether Megatron wins or loses, they will most likely face death in the end.
A thoughtful silence fell over the cell.
Only outside this metal space could one faintly hear the heavy footsteps of some Decepticon robots patrolling by.
Faced with this metal space without even a door, they really didn't know how to escape.
The enormous body of the fireball leaned against the cold wall.
His rusted head hung low for a moment, then he raised it, his eyes gradually brightening with blue light:
"Humans, since Megatron moved the AllSpark Cube..."
Where did he go? What are his new coordinates?
Qingchen and Li Qingqing exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
"We were locked up here, and all we knew was that he left New York, but we had no idea where he went."
"Actually, I was about to ask you this, but it seems you don't know either."
Jazz's silver fingers tapped lightly on the wall behind him.
"Old man, what are you thinking? Even if we know the coordinates, so what? In our current state..."
He shook the four shackles on his body, which, though few in number, were sturdy enough, and then looked at the terrifying restraints on Tianhuo's body.
"There's nothing we can do."
Skyfire did not give Jazz a direct answer.
His weathered gaze fell once more upon Qingchen and Li Qingqing.
They lingered for a moment, especially on the strange "stone armor" fragments that had fallen off their bodies and were now scattered on the ground.
“These residual energy on your bodies…” Tianhuo said slowly.
"Although it is faint and fading away, it is peculiar."
"It does not belong to Cybertronian technology, nor does it resemble a purely Earth-based creation."
"Perhaps those humans you're talking about really can fight against Megatron, who possesses the AllSpark."
Seeing the Heavenly Fire's emotional expression, the knight on the side interjected again:
"Old man, and then what?"
"Regardless of who wins in the end."
"We probably won't all survive!"
"To be honest, I'm already starting to miss Bumblebee and Leader."
"I wonder how they are doing now."
"I really wish I could see them one more time before I die."
"Old man, what about you?"
"Is there anyone I want to see?"
Tianhuo rattled the mechanical chains binding him.
"You're admitting defeat before the battle even begins; that's not the Autobot style."
The knight listened to the man's sermon, looking at the layers upon layers of chains binding the body opposite him, and said:
"Old man, when you get old you have to admit defeat and face reality. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Skyfire paused, and a low, resonant sound of an energy pump emanated from within the massive mechanical chest cavity.
"Perhaps, we are not without hope."
While the two robots were discussing...
Li Qingqing, who was behind Qingchen, finally couldn't suppress her curiosity.
After slowly walking closer, he cautiously extended a finger and poked at the heavenly fire in front of him.
Qingchen, lost in thought, did not notice this scene.
And just as Li Qingqing touched the cold metal.
A completely emotionless voice echoed in Li Qingqing and Qing Chen's minds.
Side Quest: The Allies' Redemption.
Rescue the imprisoned lieutenant, Sir, and scientist, Skyfire, and restore their freedom. For each successful rescue, you will be rewarded with a B-rank side quest and 5000 reward points.
-
South America, 10,000 meters above the ground.
As Li Xiao stood atop the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword, a surge of true energy within his body evaporated.
The longsword beneath his feet trembled slightly, as if it possessed a spirit.
The speed is also increasing steadily.
Li Xiao's figure soared upwards with the sword.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the restricted airspace. Because of the great height, the distant scenery appeared as an arc.
At this moment, the light shield surrounding his body was squeezed by the wind and deformed into a half-shuttle shape.
I glanced down at the tiny mountains below.
After breaking through another barrier.
Looking at the transparent ring of air rolling backward around him, Li Xiao couldn't help but be surprised.
I have to say: it's fucking fast.
Such speed was something that had never existed before when flying on a sword.
The reason he was able to expend so much energy without restraint was...
It all depends on the core of the fire source in the Demon Refining Pot.
With the backing of the US government, the Zhongzhou team was fortunate enough to acquire a large number of Spark Cores.
Although the condensation process in the Demon Refining Pot is a bit slow and the quality is mostly D-grade or even substandard energy stones, the quantity produced is enormous.
This also made the Zhongzhou team pay more attention to the Fire Source Cube.
However, Li Xiao had to stop after only a few minutes of enjoying himself.
"I really miss Moss!"
As he spoke, Li Xiao produced a Bagua compass and began to determine his location by comparing it with the position of the sun in the sky.
Compared to Zhan Lan's mental scan, Li Xiao naturally had to resort to a crude method.
However, this also has an advantage, which is that after determining the approximate location...
Li Xiao only needs to take out the Deep Blue and then he can sit back and wait for it to come to him.
Take now, for example.
Having confirmed the location, I activated the sword light and descended. Sure enough, I soon saw a dilapidated human city.
Li Xiao finally stopped at a central square with a huge billboard.
After confirming that there were no problems around, he took out an orange sports car directly from his spatial bag.
Before the sports car even hit the ground, a metallic clanging sound rang out.
"Bumblebee" appeared brazenly at the intersection of this abandoned commercial street.
A few minutes later, several Transformers arrived.
The slug on the shoulder also relayed the information to the base camp.
Li Xiao took the opponent's AllSpark, immediately put away Bumblebee, and decisively flew towards the next city.
-
(End of this chapter)