Bang! After hitting the ground, Starscream transformed into robot mode and rolled several times before raising his head in shock to look at his attacker.
"Who was that?"
"Arcee?" Bumblebee, having recovered from the explosion, had clearly spotted Arcee flying overhead, utterly transformed. He called out uncertainly.
After all, Arcee's Sisters had always been far inferior to them in firepower and engine equipment. But what the hell was that thing flying in the sky now?
A Vulcan Machine Gun rested on her shoulder, laser pistols filled both hands, and two spindle-shaped missile pods were mounted on her back. Her Atomic Engine spewed blue flames, keeping her body suspended in midair.
Compared to the formerly slender Arcee, who had only two pistols, the one before them had become a one-woman arsenal.
Starscream and Barricade stared at Arcee in the sky in utter disbelief. They had dealt with the Autobots often enough on Cybertron, and Arcee had basically been a small scout. Her attacks had barely even tickled them.
But now... there was no trace of what she used to be.
"Oh, shit. You still had the spare capacity to modify a little robot? You really are a bunch of idiots who only know how to waste resources." Starscream immediately mocked her once he came to his senses.
Cybertron's resources were critically scarce now, and every bit needed to be used where it mattered. The modifications on Arcee were undoubtedly a waste.
"What I have isn't Cybertronian technology, you brainless idiot!" Arcee snapped back without hesitation.
"I'll let you know that no matter how you modify yourself, you're still just a weak little bug." Seeing the tiny figure in the air dare to taunt him, Starscream's back engines ignited. Carrying his massive mechanical body, he soared into the air and charged at her.
Several missiles shot out with blazing tails, hurtling toward Arcee.
But facing the incoming missiles, Arcee instinctively took a deep breath. It did nothing, of course, but the psychological effect still made her engine output feel much greater.
It was a habit left over from when she had transformed into a piston engine.
Instead of retreating, she charged forward.
Inside her translucent pale-red goggles, the virtual display flashed continuously. After the red targeting boxes flickered a few times, the missiles were swiftly locked on.
Arcee raised both pistols and pulled the triggers.
Red laser beams abruptly shot from the pistols, striking the incoming missiles with pinpoint precision.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!! Fireballs blossomed across the sky in an instant.
Whoosh! Arcee burst through the smoke and arrived right in front of Starscream.
"Try this!" The barrels of the Vulcan Gatling began to turn. Then a dense stream of bullets, merging into a pillar of light, poured directly into Starscream's face.
Ultimate at point-blank range!
Rat-a-tat-tat!!!!
Sparks flew and fluid splattered from Starscream's face in an instant.
"Ahhh!!!" Having just wanted to teach Arcee a lesson, he once again wailed in agony as he crashed to the ground.
"Starscream?" Barricade, who was fighting Bumblebee, stared in astonishment at Starscream as he fell back down clutching his face.
Since when had Arcee become so strong?
At that moment, Arcee pressed her advantage from above. Deadlock Missiles rained down from the sky like a curtain of rain upon Starscream and Barricade.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
"Get out of here!" Arcee glanced at Starscream and Barricade, who were engulfed in explosions, then suddenly shouted at the still-dazed Bumblebee.
Starscream had been right. No matter how much she was modified, her size and reserves were limited. In that series of attacks just now, apart from her pistols' lasers, most of her missiles and ammunition had already been used up.
There was no benefit in continuing to fight.
"Right!" Bumblebee snapped out of it and hurriedly transformed into a sports car. Carrying the still-shaken Sam, he sped away after Arcee overhead.
The smoke from the explosions gradually dispersed, revealing Starscream. His face was twisted in rage, fluid still leaking from it, and his battered body made him look like a vicious ghost.
After taking the Vulcan Machine Gun's point-blank barrage, his mouth, the corners of his eyes, his cheeks... almost nowhere on his face remained intact.
"Arcee!!!" Watching Arcee and Bumblebee disappear, Starscream let out an unwilling growl, as though the sound had been forcibly squeezed from his throat.
Barricade glanced fearfully at Starscream. His current appearance, coupled with that voice, was genuinely terrifying.
That night, Merlin's Custom Shop.
"What? You made me part of the prize too?" After getting off the helicopter one after another, Stark's voice rang out.
"You were worth ten kills. Otherwise, everyone would have gone off killing people, and no one would have been willing to rescue you." Merlin and Punisher carried Erica's body down as they spoke.
Natasha and John carried Bullseye down together.
"Come on, this bet shouldn't have existed in the first place. It was way too childish." Stark was displeased at having been made part of the prize.
"Because of this bet, they scared the hell out of me."
"You people are way too unprofessional. How could you recruit a lunatic like that?" He pointed at Bullseye, then spoke regretfully.
"What a pity about the red-clad beauty who saved me."
Things had happened too fast back then. By the time he reacted, the two had already fallen together.
"Can't be helped. The people who accept missions are chosen at random. You should pray that there was only one lunatic in the team." After placing Eliza on the ground, Merlin waved dismissively.
"If the rescue team had been made up entirely of people like that, you'd probably have suffered a massive hemorrhage by now."
"That makes sense... The people on this Game Platform really were all over the place. Looks like I can't casually post missions there anymore." Hearing that, Stark felt lingering fear as well.
He had no desire to escape a tiger's den only to enter a wolf's lair.
"What should we do with these two?" Natasha asked after she and John placed Bullseye on the ground.
They all knew Bullseye and Erica were outstanding mercenary assassins, but they knew very little about their relatives and friends.
"Leave it to me," Merlin said.
"Tony!" At that moment, the long-waiting Pepper and Happy hurried over excitedly.
After Tony confirmed that the mission was complete, he had left ahead of time with Pepper and the others, while John and the rest began dividing the reward.
Since Bullseye had not died, his fifty-million share was still transferred to his player account as agreed.
Erica's share, meanwhile, was left to Merlin to handle.
No one cared much about the money. Once they had gotten what they wanted, they prepared to leave.
"So who ended up winning the prize from this bet?" Natasha suddenly asked.
Frank and John, who had been about to leave, stopped in unspoken agreement.
"Let me see..." Merlin opened the computer and checked.
"The final winner... Punisher."
Before you continue