69novels Chapter 155 The Third Space Bridge
Chapter 155 The Third Space Bridge
When they arrived at the last signal point of the shockwave, the scene was even more lively than it sounded over the radio.
Just as the vector stepped out of the high-speed passage, a loud bang was heard from inside.
The voice from the shockwave inside the tower seemed to remain calm: "Stop damaging the main calibration ring. This structure is irreplaceable."
Then came the steel cable's furious roar: "I don't care what you do!"
Immediately afterwards, there was another roar.
They rushed in and burst through the door; it was hard to say who had the upper hand in the scene before them.
Shockwave is still alive. One of his shoulder armors is dented, and there are several obvious impact marks on his chest armor. His red monocle remains calm, and the muzzle of his left arm is gathering energy, which has not yet been fully released. His other hand is tightly protecting the control panel behind him.
Behind the console is a huge, broken ring-shaped structure, with a large number of temporary support frames attached to the outer layer, and energy rails, calibration columns and quantum stabilizers are laid out around it.
It wasn't built yet, but several fluorescent blue arcs of light flickered intermittently inside.
On the other side, the Steel Cable Squad was facing several giant mechanical dinosaurs attempting to turn the entire experimental field into a prehistoric disaster site.
The mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex form of the steel cable charged at the forefront, its heavy armor covered in sparks and dust, and the energy light in its mouth flashing on and off.
Several other team members, also dinosaur-shaped, were circling around the shockwave and equipment.
Darts flew low overhead, pterosaur-shaped wings brushed against the half-collapsed support frame; Iron Slag used Triceratops-shaped horns to pry open the outer guide rail; a massive, muddy, long-necked dinosaur-shaped block blocked the other exit; a howling Stegosaurus tail swept across the ground, sparks exploding all the way.
The moment the vector saw them, the processor paused for a moment, quite inopportunely.
Earth dinosaurs.
She stared at the shape of the steel cable for two seconds, and her first thought in her brain module was: Why would Cybertron have this?
My second thought: There must be something hidden in the wartime records uploaded by the shockwave.
My third reaction was: Now is not the time to ask this.
The steel cable swung its head, preparing to crash into the calibration post behind the shockwave once again.
Shockwave blocked the impact, but was knocked back two steps, the armor beneath his feet scraping deep grooves in the ground, yet he still didn't fall.
"He hasn't been torn to shreds yet," Yin Zong couldn't help but say. "That's impressive."
Ultra Magnus stepped forward: "Cease fire!"
Grimlock turned its head and looked over, the mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex's optical lens gleaming fiercely: "Ultra-Magnus can't command Grimlock!"
"And what about the Chief Justice?" the lead officer asked.
All of the mechanical dinosaurs of the Steel Cable Squad stopped abruptly, and the shockwave also paused for a moment.
The vector was guided into the experimental field.
The magnetic ring on her chest lit up softly, and several broken support beams stopped in mid-air. She raised her hand and pushed, pulling the metal debris aside by the magnetic force and smashing it into the rubble pile.
The scene finally quieted down for a bit.
Steel Cable looked down at her: "You're awake."
The vector head tilted upwards: "Obviously."
Steel Cable stared at her for two seconds, then turned to look at Shockwave: "He's modifying us."
Shockwave calmly replied, "Correction. That's an optimal reconstruction based on your machine's structure and battlefield requirements."
The steel cable roared, "We didn't agree!"
Shockwave: "Judging from the combat results, you have gained greater destructive power, stronger armor adaptability, and superior non-standard terrain suppression capabilities."
Vector: "Oscillation wave".
The shockwave turned towards her.
Vector: "Shut up first."
Shockwave: "My statement is based on facts."
"I know," Vector said, "but with every word you say now, the justification for the Steel Cable Squad to dismantle your equipment increases a little more."
Shockwave remained silent; it was hard to say whether he was agreeing or calculating the logical flaws in her statement.
Vector looked back at the steel cable: "I will keep a record of your affairs."
The steel cable spewed out a scorching exhaust: "Records are useless."
"After being recorded, it will enter into a formal review," said Vector. "Unauthorized modifications to the aircraft, reconfiguration of vehicle forms, and the boundaries of wartime experimental authorization will all be included."
Shockwave: "If it goes under review, the battlefield conditions and the necessity of the experiment at the time must be taken into account."
The vector turned to look at him: "You kept quiet for much shorter than I expected."
Shockwave: "Adding additional conditions helps to make the conclusion more accurate."
"I'll interrogate you later," Vector said. "It's not your place to explain yourself now."
The Steel Cable Squad seemed to like what she said, while Shockwave remained unaffected.
The vector opens the temporary judicial record interface, and BICk0 immediately gains access.
A pending trial record appeared on the screen, and the chief judge raised his hand to sign it.
"The complaint filed by the Steel Cable Team against Shockwave for unauthorized modifications has been formally recorded and is temporarily suspended."
Steel Cable stared down at the record: "How long?"
"Wait until the illegal trial in Aquitron is over."
The optical mirror on the steel cable was slightly reduced, but the vector was not concealed.
"Optimus Prime was captured and convicted by the Quintessons in Aquitron."
The steel cable team stopped abruptly and fell silent.
The steel cable slowly turned its head: "Who will judge him?"
"The Five-Faced Monster".
"What gives them the right?"
"That's the problem," said Vector.
She threw all the trial records and related summaries into the air above the experimental field, clearly explaining the cause and effect.
Images of the Quintessons, the courtroom, the restraining facility, and Optimus Prime being trapped flash by.
The steel cable team completely stopped dealing with the shockwave equipment.
The vector interpretation states: "Now we need a third space bridge, and for Shockwave to survive."
The steel cable looked at the shockwave, and the shockwave looked back at him; there was no friendliness between them.
The vector continued, "If you want to make a move, there are Quintessons on Aquitron's side."
The steel cables and the optical mirrors of the several mechanical dinosaurs were clearly shiny.
"She's so good at persuasion," Honglonglong immediately whispered.
Confusion: "This is inducement."
Steel Cable looked down at the vector: "We'll go."
"Okay," said Vector, "but follow orders."
"We don't like orders."
"Then understand it as a necessary step to avoid accidentally injuring Optimus Prime."
Steel Cable reluctantly agreed: "I understand."
Shockwave then spoke up: "If the Steel Cable Squad joins the operation, the external protection capabilities of the third space bridge will be significantly enhanced."
The steel cable immediately turned its head: "We're not here to protect your tower."
Shockwave: "Correction. You will protect the critical channels required to secure the operational objective."
Steel Cable: "...You'd better shut up."
Vector: "Agree".
Shockwave glanced at her, ignoring the gravitational vector.
She walked toward the third remaining space bridge facility, which was even more complex than it appeared from the outside. It seemed that Shockwave had somehow found the blueprints for the space bridge from the Golden Age and rebuilt it, incorporating the warp structure and Shockwave's own modified space folding scheme.
The screen next to it displays a highly encrypted alien coordinate model.
The vector's gaze lingered briefly on one of the numbered sections; the model looked remarkably like the Earth, and she noted it down.
"Will it work?" she asked.
Shockwave replied: "It can be completed provided that the main calibration ring is not further damaged."
Steel Cable: "We haven't had time to touch the core yet."
Shockwave: "You destroyed two auxiliary stabilizers, four energy couplers, and one low-frequency deflection node."
Steel Cable: "So?"
Shockwave: "This statement does not justify your actions."
Steel Cable: "We want to hit you again now."
The vector raised its hand, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things it was causing her: "Stop."
She looked at Shockwave: "I want to buy the rights to use the third space bridge."
The brightness of the optical mirror of the shockwave changed slightly: "Define 'buy'".
"The judicial authorities and I personally will fund the continued completion of the third space bridge. Ownership will remain yours, research authorship will remain yours, and the core design will not be directly confiscated."
"However, the right to use it is controlled by the planetary support operations command chain. Without the approval of the judicial center and the operations command, you cannot activate it without authorization, you cannot disclose its coordinates without permission, and you cannot hand it over to the Decepticons as a strategic springboard."
Jack leaned back with a smile, fiddling with a grenade: "I like this request."
Tong Tianxiao nodded: "Necessary restrictions."
Shockwave finally spoke: "If ownership still belongs to me, and the research data is not taken away, restricting the right to use it makes some sense under the current action objectives."
Vector: "Does that mean you agree?"
"I need to confirm funding, permissions, subsequent maintenance, and the scope of data access."
"BICk0 will draft it."
BICk0 had already opened the draft terms during their conversation and had basically completed them.
Shockwave glanced at it, then looked at Graviton: "According to Decepticon standards, I have no obligation to accept this agreement."
Vector looked at Shockwave: "By Decepticon standards, you don't need to save Optimus Prime right now."
The shockwave subsided for a moment.
"The Quintessons' illegal trial of Optimus Prime will further destabilize Cybertron's overall political structure," he said. "Assistance is in line with long-term stability."
Although the words were still somewhat convoluted, the vector understood and expressed its willingness to assist in the rescue.
"The equipment must be repaired before an agreement is reached."
"Jack, take the Thunder Rescue Team to check for external damage."
Jack raised an eyebrow: "I knew I couldn't escape fixing things."
"Or continue to attend the meeting."
The jack immediately turned around: "I'm going to fix something."
"Skyfall, the position of the Steel Cable Squad is yours. They absolutely cannot stay with Shockwave."
Tongtianxiao: "Understood."
"BICk0, please prepare the licensing agreement and the pending review record for me."
BICk0: "It's already being written."
"Crystal Prism, the Crystal City passage needs to connect directly to this."
Crystal nodded: "I'll arrange it."
"AZ".
AZ looked at her.
"Tell me everything you know that you shouldn't know," said the vector.
AZ's lips curled up, clearly sensing the slight accusation in her tone: "I'll cooperate."
Finally, the Graviton looked at Shockwave: "You're responsible for staying alive, continuing to build the space bridge, and not messing with the Steel Cable Squad."
Shockwave: "Executable, the latter depending on the steel cable squad's reaction threshold."
Steel Cable: "We have audio receivers."
Vector: ...She suddenly realized that the five-faced monster was just one of the higher priority issues.
The broken ring of the third space bridge glowed with an unstable blue light again in the center of the experimental field. The steel cable team retreated to the perimeter, and Shockwave reconnected to the main control console.
The vector stood between the two sides, looking at the unfinished passage.
They still don't have a precise location of Aquitron, and they don't even know how many defenses the Quintessons have deployed there.
She sighed, but at least they finally had a possible bridge to that planet.
"Fix it," said Vector. "We don't have much time."