msmithbooks Chapter 139 Iron Fortress Plan
Chapter 139 Iron Fortress Plan
Smoke and fire separated the two machines, and the battlefield was so noisy that it was as if the entire Iron Fortress had been thrown into a crusher, but Megatron's gaze was only fixed on the point of light on Optimus Prime's chest.
Leadership module.
They searched for so long, turning over Iron Castle, the old parliament's archives, ancient temples, and old files of the judicial center, even disassembling and analyzing all the legends and possible coordinates.
But now, it's on Optimus Prime.
The absurdity of it almost made Megatron laugh.
He had long since stopped believing in so-called predestined things.
However, at the most critical moment, Cybertron handed over the leadership module to Optimus Prime.
What a callous and utterly ridiculous joke.
Megatron's Fusion Cannon roared, and the red optical mirror stared intently at the white and blue glow of the Leadership Module: "So it was waiting for you."
He walked forward step by step, and several Decepticons around him immediately made way for him.
"I'm really touched," he said. "Cybertron has finally handed over the leadership module."
Before he could finish speaking, the Fusion Cannon roared into action, and Optimus Prime raised his weapon to block it.
The explosion swept between the two machines, and the shockwave overturned the surrounding debris.
A violent rage was completely ignited.
Optimus Prime and Megatron clashed head-on in the center of the eastern block.
They had fought countless times, but this time Megatron's offensive was more brutal than ever before, each swing seeming to smash something to pieces.
The Fusion Cannon came at close range, and Optimus Prime dodged to the side, the ground beneath his feet shattering and creating a deep crater.
The leadership module shone brightly deep within his ignition chamber, making it all the more imperative for him not to fall.
Megatron swung his fist at Optimus Prime, who raised his arm to block it and pushed him back half a step.
Megatron's eyes widened in fury, his gaze filled with malice. He could certainly sense that Optimus Prime had not only changed in appearance, but his power had also been amplified.
He sneered, "You think you can win like this?"
Optimus Prime's voice was calm and steady as his battle mask closed in front of his mouth and automatically activated: "I just want to protect this place."
-
The Iron Fortress was riddled with holes.
The police cars re-divided the eastern defensive line that had been vacated after the Ironclad Dragon was knocked down, and Ultra Magnus took over the front command, with every order clearly echoing through the channel.
"Straighten out, cover the fire gap on the east flank. Do not pursue."
"Ironhide, prepare to charge the right-side cannon of the Sky Leopard."
"Thunder Rescue Team, the third turret is about to be restored, hold on!"
Even amidst the gunfire, Jack was about to say something to "boost morale," but Langguang slapped him back, saying, "Shut up! Focus on maintaining your survival rate first!"
The battle between the Guardian and Hercules had nearly turned the industrial zone into ruins; both behemoths were already badly damaged and their movements were sluggish.
The police car looked at the multi-layered damage data in front of it; the brain module was even getting hot.
In the medical area, a medic dragged a wounded soldier like a sack of potatoes as he ran by: "The medical line is open over there in Arcee!"
The ambulance continued its operation, but didn't lift the barrier: "Understood."
Arci stood outside the medical passage, using the barrier to save her life and the deformity of her arm to maintain the passage, which finally escorted the last batch of medical teams.
She didn't dare look at the bodies placed behind the barriers in the medical area, nor did she have time; she heard Alita calling her over the channel.
"Arcy, there's another enemy squad approaching from the left."
"I saw it."
She said no more, enduring the churning pain in her body and the soreness in her eyes, and fired precisely.
This is what the war looked like afterwards.
-
Optimus Prime gradually pushed Megatron back to the outskirts of Iron Fortress.
Ironhide and Sideswipe provided flank support, forcing back the Autobot convoy attempting to reinforce Megatron. Bumblebee led a group of Autobot scouts to reactivate the heavy artillery turret on the east side, cutting off Megatron's rear pursuer reinforcements.
The jazz returned to the Iron Fortress battlefield from the other side, his outer armor bearing scorch marks from the rusty explosion.
"We found the space bridge, but we took care of it," he said on the channel. "In the process, we angered Shockwave."
The police car remained silent for a moment, as if its CPU was processing the excessive information in those two sentences at high speed, before replying only: "Record."
Jazz glanced at the front lines: "Wow, looks like I missed the Optimus Prime upgrade service."
Bangpao shouted, "This is not the time for jokes!"
"You actually said that?" The jazz priest gave him a smile. "War really can change everything."
Horizontal Cannon gritted his teeth, turned around as if deflated, and slashed at the charging Decepticon.
Flying Over the Mountain then connected to the channel, his voice slightly tired and hoarse: "The Steel Cable Team has not been found in Rusty Sea."
The machines heard it, but could not be distracted for the time being.
Megatron seized the moment, unleashing a close-range fusion cannon attack while simultaneously slashing at Optimus Prime's armor with his telescopic blade.
Optimus Prime raised his arm to block, his armor scorched, and he slid back a few steps before regaining his balance and slamming his backhand into Megatron's chest armor.
Megatron clearly took a few steps back.
The red spider, seeing this from high above, glanced at it, while the laser bird, also watching from above, captured the scene.
This was the first time Megatron had been completely overwhelmed by Optimus Prime.
Megatron gritted his teeth, a furious roar emanating from between his shark-like teeth, and charged forward again, attempting to deliver a heavy blow to Optimus Prime in close combat.
The leadership module briefly lit up in Optimus Prime's chest cavity.
He blocked the first blow, dodged the second punch by turning to the side, grabbed Megatron's arm with his backhand, and slammed him heavily into the broken platform with an over-the-shoulder throw.
Megatron crashed into the wreckage, then quickly got up, but his chest armor cracked open, and the internal energy circuitry flickered erratically.
Optimus Prime walked towards him step by step, interrupting the charging of his Fusion Cannon in advance, and the blade cut a deep gash in his arm armor.
Sideswipe tried to rush forward, but Jazz stopped him, saying, "Don't try to steal the spotlight from the leader's one-on-one fight."
"Can you please be a little more normal when you're trying to persuade someone to stop?"
Taking advantage of Megatron's moment of retreat while clutching his arm armor, Optimus Prime punched him in the chest. Megatron was sent flying backward, crashing through a section of broken wall. The entire chest armor exploded in a blinding burst of sparks, and the energy liquid in the ruins was now just a common sight.
Chaos immediately erupted in the Decepticon channel.
Megatron is seriously injured!
"Retreat from the main battle line!"
Soundwave had already taken action; Laserbeak swept through the air, briefly disrupting the Autobots' lock-on system. Several Decepticon assault units quickly filled in, blocking the Autobots' pursuit for Megatron.
Starscream watched coldly from high above, though he could have easily made the gap much larger.
What an enticing opportunity.
However, the speed of this loyal minister, Sound Wave, was too fast.
Red Spider hesitated for a moment, then swallowed back those sharp and tempting thoughts, and coldly ordered: "Trackers, form up and cover the retreat."
Soundwave carried Megatron away, while Shockwave oversaw the main force's retreat. They appeared to have almost recovered from the Space Tower's attack: "Heavy forces retreat. Devastator return to defense. Brutus disintegrate and exit the tunnel."
Red Spider temporarily took command, while the Tracker unleashed a barrage of fire to cover the ground troops' escape.
The Decepticons began their retreat.
Although they failed to capture Iron Fortress, they still managed to seize control of a small area surrounding it and reduced the eastern industrial zone to ruins.
-
At the height of the Battle of Iron Fortress, in a separate storage room deep within the archives, Master Titanium stood in the center.
He could no longer fight; his time was indeed running out.
The Ark's dock is in operation and loading in the distance, with most of its structure already completed, and more work still underway.
The Iron Fortress outside was being torn apart by artillery fire, and Optimus Prime successfully obtained the Leadership Module.
In front of Master Titanium, an emergency teleportation device slowly started up, with many small storage boxes floating around it.
Some contained strange sacred objects, some contained data or knowledge storage containers, and some contained fragments that might one day change the course of the war.
The Iron Fortress Project: all these important things need to be sent away.
The coordinates are located on a blue planet in a distant galaxy—Earth.
"It's finally come to this."
Master Titanium sighed and began sending the items one by one.
One by one, the sealed boxes disappeared into the light. The coordinates were confirmed, but the landing points were scattered, making it extremely difficult to crack the code.
Finally, with only one important item left in his hands, he summoned the young and lively Iron Fortress guard.
Footsteps soon came from outside the door, and Yanmu rushed in. His white armor was covered with dust from the outer layer of the Iron Fortress battlefield, and the red and blue lines were rubbed darker.
"Master Titanium!" He paused, noticing the surrounding equipment. "You called me? Outside—"
"They're outside," said Master Titanium.
Smoke opened its mouth as if to say something, its flaps trembling in its haste.
Master Titanium looked at him and smiled gently.
"Smokescreen, come here. There's something I need your help with."
Smokescreen wasn't on high alert. She jogged up to Master Titanium, but when she saw his expression, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What's so important?"
Master Titanium raised his hand: "You'll find out later."
Smokescreen: "Listen to this—"
The next second, the titanium master chopped him in the back of the neck.
As the smoke screen optical lens darkened, the entire machine tipped forward, and Master Tai reached out to catch it.
"Feel sorry."
He sincerely apologized and then stuffed the important object into the smokescreen's chest cavity.
The smokescreen won't immediately know what it's carrying.
Master Titanium looked at the unconscious young guard and said softly, "Your story hasn't even begun yet."
He gently placed the smoke screen at the edge of the teleportation platform. Having done this, he stood up.
The Iron Fortress Project is complete.
The rest should be left to the younger generation and her.
Master Titanium picked up the Holy Covenant of Samantabhadra, slowly sat down on the steps, and gazed into the distance, as if looking back on a long time ago and foreseeing a long time to come.
"That's fine too."
The wise old man closed his eyes peacefully.
-
Some time after the Battle of Iron Fortress, Arcee arrived in Crystal City late at night.
Her battle wounds have been treated, but the pressure marks on her arms from supporting heavy beams are still waiting to heal.
She entered the hibernation chamber and came to the hibernation pod.
The vector was lying there, much taller than before, even taller than her.
Arcee observed for a long time: "The Iron Fortress has been defended."
"The barrier held up the medical access... for a long time."
The hibernation chamber was silent. With her glasses down, she finally had the strength to utter the news of her death.
"But he didn't come back."
She stood there, too weak to move.
"I've already lost you once."
"Now I've lost him again."
"I don't know who it will be next time."
Arcee gently raised her hand, placing her palm on the outer layer of the hibernation pod, her voice choked with emotion:
"Should I...stop letting any machine get too close to me?"
She pressed her forehead against the edge of the cabin, paused for a moment, and then forced herself to pull herself together.
She also had postwar inventory, a request for the disposal of the deceased's remains, and a bunch of reports she didn't want to see at all.
"You can scold me after you wake up."
"As long as you wake up."
-
Psyche arrived later than Arcee.
He carried with him the complete record of the Battle of Iron Fortress.
Records of battle damage, evacuation, casualties, and deaths in the barricades, etc.
Each item is clearly labeled with its file name and number, ensuring that each one can be found in the future.
"Your Honor."
Tongtianxiao walked to the hibernation pod, uploaded the battle report to the intersecting storage area between Crystal City and the Judicial Central Bureau, and slowly spoke.
"I took over a period of command."
"The evacuation was carried out in an orderly manner."
"Judging from the results, it should be considered satisfactory."
He stopped and finally voiced his confusion.
"But I still feel it's not enough."
He lowered his gaze and his voice softened:
"I thought that as long as the orders were clear, the losses could be minimized."
"Optimus Prime obtained the Leadership Module."
"When he returned to the battlefield, all the planes were looking at him."
It is clear that Tongtianxiao has no jealousy.
He suddenly realized that his desire to share Optimus Prime's burden and become a reliable, clear-headed, and always-right second-in-command couldn't be achieved through procedures and discipline alone.
"I want to share his burden."
"But I am not him after all."
He rarely spoke like this, and even Tong Tianxiao himself felt unfamiliar with him.
The war forced many aircraft to become unlike themselves, and also allowed many aircraft to hear their true voice for the first time.
Tong Tianxiao looked at the gravitational vector inside the hibernation pod.
"If it were you, how would you judge me?"
Tongtianxiao remained silent for a long time before uploading the final supplementary document.
The agreement on judicial neutrality remains in effect.
Iron Castle recognizes the independence of Crystal City's judicial center.
[Wartime records await review by the Chief Justice.]
He closed the interface.
"Wait until you wake up."
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