Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 152 The Knight of Law

As the vector left the medical area, the medical team abandoned their attempt to stop her. The mobile monitoring device was attached to her back and kept silent the entire way.

Rumble clung to her right shoulder, Confusion sat in the crook of her left arm, the mechanical dog walked lightly along her feet, and AZ followed a little behind, all the way.

BICk0 walked at the front, and the outer door of the medical tower slid open silently, revealing Crystal City before the vector.

The optical vector blinks slowly.

Crystal towers intertwine, blue light flowing deep within their structures, like the glowing skeleton of the entire city. Beyond these beautiful buildings lie layers of wartime protective panels, energy barriers, and relay towers. Heavy armor is fixed behind transparent crystal surfaces, and refuge passages are hidden beneath sharp, high bridges.

After looking at it for a few seconds, the vector expert asked, "Has Crystal City always been like this?"

BICk0 said, "She was prettier before."

Traffic to the judicial center had been cleared, and many planes stopped along the way to watch her. Some were staff members of the judicial center, some were residents of Crystal City, and some were clearly just onlookers who had come after hearing the news.

News of the Chief Justice's awakening spread.

She herself was walking on the main passage of Crystal City, with two small machines, one blue and one red, hanging on her shoulders and arms, a mechanical dog following at her feet, and an AZ beside her.

She declined to comment on this; what she was more interested in now was why the judicial center looked the way it did.

Several floors were added to the building. The original main structure remained, but new archives, evidence storage towers, wartime arbitration rooms, and connecting passages to Crystal City were stacked on top. Several layers of protection surrounded the outside, making it practically a towering fortress.

The vector looked up at it.

"You've built the judicial center like this...?"

BICk0 answered calmly: "The increased volume of files and expanded functions require space for asylum registration, evidence preservation, and wartime arbitration."

After much hesitation, Yin Vector finally said, "Your way of using buildings is truly cruel."

BICk0 almost burst out laughing.

There was a line of planes waiting at the entrance.

Their outer armor varied in color, but all bore the insignia of the judicial center—a small scale—embedded on their chests. The ranks were orderly, weapons were sheathed, and their posture was solemn.

The captain of the guard stepped forward and bowed to her: "The Judicial Central Guard is reporting to the Chief Justice."

The vector looked at them, remained silent for two seconds, and guessed that this team might have been organized during the war.

The captain of the guard stood up straight under her gaze.

BICk0 whispered from the side, "They are responsible for the perimeter defense of the judicial center, the escort of evidence, the maintenance of order at arbitration sites during wartime, and the protection of the enforcement of laws in special circumstances."

The vector question was: "Who came up with the name?"

BICk0: "Temporary wartime name".

"So long already?"

BICk0 paused for a moment: "Hmm."

The vector slowly turned to look at her, and BICk0 smiled seriously, clearly knowing that the answer was absurd.

Vector then looked at the group: "Don't call them the guards anymore."

The optical lenses of several machines were simultaneously staring brightly at her.

The vector looked at the judicial insignia on their chests.

Over the course of four million years, Cybertron has been constantly fragmenting, shifting, and collapsing, but this place remains, with an organic force willing to stand at the door for justice.

"Call him Knight of Justice," she said.

"What we are upholding is not the central authority, but the law."

"They're not protecting me, they're protecting Hengzhun."

The entire team straightened up almost simultaneously, and Yin Xiang seemed to see himself as a child being praised by his elders.

Rumble leaned on her shoulder and whispered, "So handsome."

Confused also chimed in softly, "A little."

Vector: She realized she was being a bit childish after she finished speaking, but seeing how well they accepted it... Oh well, childish it is.

The captain of the Knights of Law's voice was even more solemn than before: "Knight of Law, accept the naming."

BICk0 seemed quite satisfied: "I will update the official staffing of the judicial center in a timely manner."

At that moment, a crisp sound came from the other side of the entrance to the judicial center.

"Crystal City will also update the corresponding access records."

Vector rotation head.

A female mecha stands beside the crystal pillar at the entrance. The lines of the mecha are clear and sharp, and the outer armor has the cool luster unique to Crystal City, like a crystal with precise facets.

BICk0 describes it as: "Representative of Crystal City, Crystal Prism."

The crystal edge attraction vector nodded slightly.

"Welcome back to Crystal City, Chief Justice, though it is regrettable that this welcome is nearly four million years late."

The vector looked at her: "Such a realistic welcome speech."

Crystal replied, "Cities that are too optimistic wouldn't have survived this long."

The vector was amused; well, she liked it.

Crystal Prism's gaze swept over Rumble, Chaos, and Mechanical Dog, lingered on AZ for a moment longer, and finally returned to Vector's face.

"Crystal City provides preservation, access, and witnessing," Crystal Prism said. "We do not offer blind faith."

She paused for a moment: "Whether it's the Quintessons, Optimus Prime, or you."

BICk0's eyes flickered slightly, and the captain of the Faheng Knights also looked at her.

Vector Insight chuckled and asked, "Was this said on behalf of Crystal City, or is it something you yourself wanted to say?"

Crystal Prism said, "The two are not contradictory."

"That's good." Vector nodded. "I don't need to blindly believe either."

Jingling looked at her for a while, as if she had discovered that the physical object was more interesting than the words.

"Crystal City will cooperate with you in completing the review," Crystal Prism said. "But we will remain neutral until the conclusions are made public."

"Of course, neutrality is not a problem," said Vector.

Crystalline smiled slightly: "It seems we'll have a good working relationship."

"Don't be so optimistic," said Vector. "I just woke up, and my temper is still a bit volatile."

Crystal Prism: "I've seen people with even worse tempers in Crystal City."

Rumble quietly asked Confusion, "Is she talking about Megatron?"

Confused: "Could you please stop whispering?"

AZ is trying hard to control the corners of her mouth that want to turn up a few pixels.

Crystal Prism turned around and activated access to the central review area: "The complete file is ready."

The judicial center is larger and busier than the vector memory.

The main examination chamber had been expanded, with a circular light screen suspended in the center and file interfaces extending along the floor and walls. Crystal City relay backups, Ark original synchronizations, disputed entries from the judicial center, and wartime reactions from various parties were divided into different access levels, awaiting re-verification.

As the lead vector stood at the main review table, just as the medical channel was about to offer a reminder, BICk0 spoke first: "Layered access, no full data injection."

The medical channel sent a permission receipt.

BICk0 will arrange the access hierarchy for her, Crystal Prism will open Crystal City relay backup, and AZ will retrieve the relevant intelligence index for Aquitron.

Confusion pulled Rumble down from the edge of the main examination table to prevent him from touching the wrong spot.

The mechanical dog lay at the feet of the gravity vector, alertly scanning its surroundings.

The data cable was connected to the transmission port on the side of her neck. The vector was not closed, and the data was no longer thrown in like it would be in the medical tower's sealed system.

After this was organized, she read through them one by one: the surface scan of Aquitron, the fragmented images of the Quintessons, the controversial index of the Primus file, the internal judgments of the Autobots and Decepticons, the risk assessment of neutral city-states, and all the loopholes marked in red in the judicial center.

In the Ark's log, Optimus Prime's voice carried a weariness that she could immediately detect.

After reviewing the last set of controversial items, the vector reader unplugged the data cable.

All the staff in the examination room were waiting for her to speak.

"They are very good at talking."

AZ asked, "Praise or sarcasm?"

The vector control operator said, "This is a danger level."

BICk0 is recording data, and Crystal Prism looks at the index vector: "Current conclusion?"

"They are still external civilizations awaiting verification," Vector said. "Their origin identity, creator rights, and universal divine connection are all untenable."

Crystal asked, "Is it going to be made public?"

"Hold off," Vector said. "Cybertron itself cannot withstand such an impact at present."

"Reclaim all available high-mobility teams, long-range support, and spaceflight-related permissions."

BICk0 responded quickly: "Currently organizing."

Crystal Prism: "Crystal City can provide a relay route, but it will not send its main defensive forces."

"I don't intend for Crystal City to take sides," Vector said. "You just need to hold the rear steady."

Crystal nodded slightly: "That makes perfect sense."

Just then, the access control prompt at the entrance to the review room lit up.

BICk0 glanced at it.

"A connection request has been sent from the external access point of Crystal City."

She paused for half a second: "Tongtianxiao."

The vector head is raised.

BICk0 continued, "Confirmed by colleagues, Thunder Rescue Team."

A rumbling sound peeked out from the edge of the inspection table: "Another team?"

Confused, he looked at the newly popped-up team icon: "This one's bigger."

The mechanical dog stood up, and AZ looked at the vector: "The message traveled faster than expected."

Yin Vector glanced at the five faces of the monster on the screen: "But that's just right."

Outside the examination hall, the passageways leading to the outside of Crystal City opened one floor at a time.

On the sixth day after the Ark arrived in Aquitron, Ultra Magnus and the Thunder Rescue Team arrived in Crystal City.