Bumblebee Is Standing By

"A robbery and murder have taken place in Queens, New York. The killer is currently on the run..."

"Recently, a mysterious masked vigilante has appeared on the streets of New York, fighting crime. New Yorkers have affectionately dubbed him the Justice Kid..."

"The Justice Kid has been appearing on the streets frequently. After knocking out criminals, he habitually checks their wrists, seemingly searching for something..."

"Chief George Stacy of the Queens Police Department publicly condemned the Justice Kid's actions, stating that he had no authority to enforce the law and was abusing violence and showing contempt for the law. He declared that the department would do everything in its power to arrest the Justice Kid!"

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed like a white pony flashing by a crack in the wall.

Li Si sighed as he read the news reports from the past two days, then closed his laptop and stood up, stretching his stiff neck.

"Max, continue the tests. Get ready to record!"

Li Si called out as he stretched.

"No problem!"

Max, who had been resting, sprang up and picked up the camcorder beside him.

The garage, which had been a chaotic mess piled high with all kinds of parts, had now been cleared out. Only a towering silver-white robot stood in the very center of the warehouse.

"Recording: starting the twelfth power-on test!"

Li Si turned his head toward the camcorder Max was holding and spoke calmly. Then he pressed the wireless earpiece on his right ear and issued a command: "Bumblebee, power on!"

"Beep~"

A warning tone sounded from the robot. Its eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant azure glow, and a mechanical synthesized voice came from its speaker:

"Transformer-Bumblebee, sleep mode canceled. Executing default self-diagnostic command..."

"Self-diagnostic complete. All systems operating normally. Bumblebee is standing by!"

Li Si gestured to Max and said, "Run the voiceprint recognition test, Max!"

"OK!"

Max made an OK sign, took the earpiece Li Si handed him, and put it on. Then he faced Bumblebee and said, "Bumblebee, transform into vehicle mode!"

"Voiceprint mismatch. Command rejected. To use special permissions, please speak the emergency voice password."

"Activate the combat program module!" Max tried next.

"Voiceprint mismatch. Command rejected..."

"Deploy remote weapons..."

"Voiceprint mismatch. Command rejected..."

After a string of tests, Max handed the earpiece back to Li Si.

"Voice recognition test passed. Beginning transformation test and body performance test..."

Li Si took the earpiece, put it back on his right ear, and spoke toward the camcorder for the record before continuing with the remaining tests: "Bumblebee, transform into vehicle mode!"

"Command received. Beginning transformation into vehicle mode!"

The lights in Bumblebee's eyes flickered, and its parts began shifting rapidly.

First, the chest plate shaped like the front of a car lifted up, covering its head, then joined with the back plate. Next, its whole body crouched low, and its limbs folded inward against its sides, forming the car's chassis. Finally, the doors, wheels, and other scattered parts shifted into place.

The transformation was incredibly smooth and took less than two seconds in total. When it was over, a sleek, streamlined silver-white sports car stood in its place. Its engine started automatically, letting out an exhilarating roar.

"We did it!"

Li Si and Max both broke into delighted smiles.

"Transformation time: 1.08 seconds. All sticking has been eliminated. Transformation completed perfectly!"

Li Si turned toward Max's camcorder again. He was incredibly excited, but he still had to keep a record of the experiment.

After that, the two of them ran a series of tests on the mechanical arms' flexibility and the built-in weapons. Bumblebee performed perfectly across the board, meeting all their expectations.

"Li, we did it!"

Once all the tests were finished and they'd confirmed there were no other defects, Max cheered.

"Spray on the shock-absorbing coating, then we'll go celebrate with a feast!"

Li Si was just as thrilled. The fatigue of the past three days vanished, and he eagerly led Max into the final paint job.

Naturally, the paint had to be bright yellow. They had named him Bumblebee, after all, so they had to respect the original design.

But this wasn't ordinary car paint. It was a special coating Li Si had formulated using technology from Earth. It had excellent shock-absorbing properties. Even a watermelon coated with it could be dropped from the third floor without sustaining any damage—and might even bounce like a billiard ball.

"It still has some trouble dealing with exceptionally agile superhumans like Spider-Man, but it should be more than enough for the Lizard. It could even go toe-to-toe with Hulk right after he transforms."

Once the coating was applied, Li Si looked at the enormous bright-yellow robot towering over four meters tall beside him and smiled with satisfaction.

Bumblebee's limbs used a hybrid hydraulic and electric drive system. Each arm exerted ten tons of force, with a maximum theoretical output of eighteen tons after accounting for mechanical transmission, inertia, and other parameters. Each leg exerted sixteen tons of force, with a maximum output of twenty-four tons.

Its entire body was covered in a high-strength Gold-Titanium Alloy shell, with a special coating on top that resisted explosions and impacts. Its defensive capabilities were absolutely outstanding.

In vehicle mode, its power system used a conventional internal combustion engine, equipped with a generator for everyday recharging. In combat mode, it drew power from eight graphene battery packs connected in series.

Its weapons included a six-barreled Gatling gun concealed inside the forearm armor and two Micro Missile Pods mounted on its shoulders. A huge ammunition compartment was built into its chest. It had more than enough firepower. It could stay quiet, but once it started, it could blanket the area with a barrage of bullets. Li Si had designed it specifically for agile superhumans.

On top of that, it had a special weapons system invented by Max.

Max had not only improved the circuitry inside the body, but had also designed a discharge system. Once activated, the entire shell would be surrounded by a powerful electric current. Anyone who felt that jolt in close combat would never want to experience it a second time.

Unfortunately, the system had its drawbacks. Bumblebee's power source was a battery pack, not the miniature nuclear fusion power of something like an Arc Reactor. Its stored electricity had a limit, and that limit wasn't very high.

The discharge system could only run for a short time. If it failed to take down an enemy quickly, Bumblebee would be left short on power.

Still, having another way to fight was always a good thing. The modifications required weren't extensive, either; all they needed to do was alter the wiring and add an insulating layer inside. It wouldn't affect the robot's performance at all.

"Max, get in. Let's go for a drive!"

Li Si climbed into Bumblebee's cockpit and patted the passenger seat, calling Max over.

The engine roared. With an exhilarating growl, the car shot out at high speed like a streak of yellow light.