Fairytales Are All Lies

"No problem. Cherish it well—this may be the last hour of your life."

"I’ll return those exact words to you!"

Hearing Sentinel Prime’s forceful response, Soundwave and Shockwave both frowned deeply. He was far too arrogant. If Sentinel Prime had not controlled Space Bridge technology and been an indispensable part of the plan, the two of them would have killed him long ago.

Soundwave and Shockwave were capable of killing Sentinel Prime. Though the latter was a leader-class Transformer, the two of them were not far behind, especially Shockwave, one of the few powerful Decepticons who could fight Megatron one-on-one.

The three stood silently while Decepticons around the world awaited orders.

At last, an hour passed, yet Soundwave and Shockwave still had received no message from Megatron.

"Time’s up. The plan must proceed; we can’t delay any longer." Blue light flickered in Sentinel Prime’s electronic eyes. He had a bad feeling, fearing that further delay would bring unforeseen changes.

Soundwave and Shockwave exchanged glances, each sensing a trace of unease in the other’s eyes. Something had definitely gone wrong. Otherwise, there was no reason Megatron and The Fallen together could not have dealt with Optimus Prime.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!

Electric Arcs flashed behind the three amid trembling space. Sentinel Prime’s eyes narrowed as he drew the Energy Gun from his back and fired four dissolving rounds in rapid succession at maximum output.

Cybertronian black technology capable of dissolving shields, it was also a deadly weapon personally developed by him.

Sentinel Prime moved incredibly fast. Almost the instant the Electric Arcs flashed, he had completed his attack. He had sensed Optimus Prime’s spark, which meant the plan had gone awry. The Fallen and Megatron had failed, and were very likely already dead.

The reason Sentinel Prime made that assumption was Optimus Prime’s presence. A master and disciple could sense each other, but today was different. Optimus Prime’s presence had never been so powerful.

Soundwave and Shockwave followed immediately, unleashing a mad barrage at the uninvited guest. Their instincts told them the newcomer was an enemy, not a friend—and an extremely powerful one.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—

Soundwave’s firepower was fairly standard. His true strength lay in stealing intelligence. His sensors could receive the faintest electronic signals and, from close enough, even detect currents in an opponent’s brain circuits—the Transformer version of Mind Reading.

Shockwave possessed the greatest firepower among the three. His arm cannon was connected to the nuclear reactor on his back. Though he could not fire continuously, every shot caused astonishing destruction.

The roaring bombardment continued for half a minute. The Metropolitan Museum of Art suffered terribly, rapidly being reduced to level ground beneath the savage artillery fire.

Before the ruins of shattered walls, Sentinel Prime and the other two stood ready for battle, their expressions exceedingly grave. Under their all-out assault, the enemy’s sparks had not weakened in the slightest—and there were two of them.

What did that mean?

Two enemies beyond leader class had appeared, and one of them was Optimus Prime!

The three did not dare move rashly. They raised their weapons and remained alert, while Soundwave sent out a signal calling all Decepticons to assemble.

From the flames, Russell and Optimus Prime strode out. The unmoving shields around them made the three’s sparks pound wildly.

They couldn’t win. Even if the other side stood still and did not fight back, they still couldn’t win!

Clang!

Russell drew two blades and combined them into a broad two-handed sword, sweeping his gaze over Sentinel Prime and the other two. "Optimus Prime, do you want them, or should I take them?"

Of the three, only Soundwave had triggered two draws. Russell intended to save them for when he returned to the real world. The Character Cards of The Fallen and Optimus Prime were still in his inventory; Soundwave no longer interested him.

"Leave Sentinel Prime to me. He was the former leader of the Autobots. I have the responsibility and duty to end his spark."

"OK, then I’ll take Soundwave and Shockwave. As it happens, I’m a Decepticon too!"

Everyone said Optimus Prime was upright, compassionate, kind, and possessed the aura of a leader. But he was not a saint and had the same personality traits as ordinary people. Take the bombardment just now: he clearly could have dodged, yet chose to stand there and take it head-on, showing off his shield defense. Evidently, he not only cared about appearances but also liked showing off.

Of course, Russell had not dodged either. The two of them were in agreement on that point.

"Optimus Prime…"

Sentinel Prime’s eyes flickered as he considered the likelihood that he was about to die today. Optimus Prime was fully equipped, stood even taller than him, and possessed an absurdly powerful spark.

He could not be defeated by force, and outsmarting him would be difficult as well. That left only survival.

Sentinel Prime was just about to reminisce about their days as master and disciple, hoping to soften Optimus Prime’s heart and earn his forgiveness, when he saw a cannon aimed at him.

Boom!!!

A blast powerful enough to send The Fallen flying struck Sentinel Prime, instantly stripping away eighty percent of his shield energy.

Too terrifying!

Sentinel Prime crawled out of the huge crater in a sorry state, his helmet lying off to the side and exposing his bald metal head. "Optimus Prime, I only did it to save Cybertron, to save our race. You need to understand that I had no choice but to betray you. If I had not cooperated with the Decepticons, our race would have been doomed to decline!"

"Sentinel Prime, you did not betray me. You betrayed yourself."

"No, give me another chance!"

"Fine. Where is the Space Bridge transmission pillar?"

Meanwhile, Russell strode toward Shockwave and Soundwave. He ignored their unceasing barrage of firepower, and whenever they tried to take to the sky and flee, he blasted them back down.

Before long, Shockwave and Soundwave had been forced into a dead end.

Russell’s body had reached a staggering fifteen meters. Shockwave’s savage Cyclops form looked as frail as a child before him.

"Who exactly are you?"

Who was this guy? Why had they never seen him before?

Soundwave was nearly going mad. As the Decepticons’ intelligence officer, he knew every Decepticon inside and out. Yet an unknown figure had suddenly appeared and beaten him and Shockwave down so thoroughly they could barely raise their heads.

Russell did not answer. He bared his fangs in a vicious grin and made a move that drove Soundwave and Shockwave to despair. He held his hands level before his chest, forming a fusion cannon—Megatron’s signature weapon.

Boom! Boom!

One shot each sent Soundwave and Shockwave flying backward. They crashed violently to the ground, crushing a stretch of ruins. Soundwave’s shield was blown apart outright; Shockwave was slightly tougher, but only a sliver remained.

"Impossible! That’s Megatron’s weapon. Why is it on you?"

The two loyal Decepticons had already guessed something, but they could not accept it. The leader they had sworn to follow for life had actually had his spark fused by someone else. He had died without even a body left behind, making resurrection impossible.

"There is no possible or impossible. This is reality." Russell flicked his hand, sending six blades shooting out and pinning the two firmly to the ground.

"Tell me where you hid the Space Bridge transmission pillar and the Energy Matrix."

Time was pressing, and Russell had no time for nonsense. He directly used force to interrogate them. He was somewhat interested in both pieces of black technology, especially the Energy Matrix. Rather than merely converting stars into energy cubes, it was more accurately a stellar-class weapon.

Shockwave said nothing, his red Cyclops eye staring coldly at Russell. Soundwave simply closed his eyes, looking prepared to die a righteous death.

Honestly, Russell regretted it a little. If he had known things would turn out this way, he should have spared Starscream.

To stay alive, Starscream would definitely have told him everything.

"Then how about we make a deal?"

A strange smile appeared on Russell’s face. It made Shockwave go dazed for a moment, reminding him of Megatron.

Just as Shockwave suspected, Russell’s voice suddenly changed, becoming Megatron’s hoarse, sinister voice. "Soundwave, Shockwave, my will exists within this body. I am not truly dead."

Soundwave: "…"

Shockwave: "…"

This time, even Shockwave closed his eye. The meaning was obvious: the act was too fake. They would not be fooled.

Boom! Boom!

Two cannon shots rang out. Flames erupted from Soundwave and Shockwave, and they shattered piece by piece amid brilliant explosions, leaving only twisted, charred metal scattered across the ground.

The one who fired was Optimus Prime. The instant Russell had changed his voice into Megatron’s and tried to recruit the two, Optimus Prime had fired two shots without a second thought.

Russell turned to look and saw that Sentinel Prime had already been cleaved in two by the Heat Axe. Optimus Prime had not only personally killed the Autobot traitor, but also stolen Russell’s two kills.

Triple kill achieved, yet there was not the slightest sense of accomplishment. The difference in level had simply been too great.

Optimus Prime pulled a shining red metal pillar from behind his back and sighed. "This is the Space Bridge’s main control pillar. We arrived in time and prevented a tragedy."

Russell’s eyes lit up as he examined the control pillar from top to bottom. But just as he raised his hand, he saw Optimus Prime forcefully twist the pillar into a spiral, toss it high into the air, and blast it into ashes.

Russell: "…"

"Mr. Russell, what’s wrong?" Optimus Prime turned around and saw Russell standing there dumbfounded, clearly confused.

Russell rolled his eyes speechlessly, reaching a new conclusion about Optimus Prime’s personality. No wonder he was the big brother—he really was ruthless and calculating.

Several Decepticon robots flew across the distant sky. Intimidated by Optimus Prime’s overwhelming strength, they had barely shown themselves before turning around and flying away.

Seeing this, Russell’s heart tightened. He gave Optimus Prime a deep look but did not ask about the Energy Matrix. The situation was already obvious. Russell would not believe for a second that Optimus Prime did not know where the Energy Matrix was, but if he asked, Optimus Prime would certainly refuse to tell him.

Destroy one star, and the Autobots could gain prosperity and strength. What would Optimus Prime do?

Would he destroy the Energy Matrix and abandon his race’s future just so people on Earth could see one more star while looking at the moon?

What a cold joke!

"Sure enough, fairy tales are all lies…"

Russell sighed deeply. Whether Autobots or Decepticons, neither had come to Earth with good intentions. It reminded him of a conspiracy theory he had read about, concerning the Transformers cartoons…

The Decepticons seized Earth’s resources to create energy cubes, after which the Autobots appeared and helped humanity defeat them. Deeply moved by the Autobots’ righteousness, humanity gave the energy cubes to the Autobots.

At the next level, the plot repeated itself. The Decepticons robbed, and the Autobots came to the rescue.

As the act went on, the Decepticons suddenly had enough energy, and both sides returned to Cybertron.

Humanity: "…"