Counterattack (3)

The square robot quickly detected the television's interference with its signal. Just as it was about to shoot through the screen, a notification sounded from Castle's database: "Target has entered optimal firing range!"

Castle seized the moment. At the very instant the square robot activated its firing program, it sprang high into the air. A bowl-sized ball of intense light flared at the tip of the firing device in its hand, instantly illuminating the entire living room as brightly as day. Even Pei Shao, hiding nearby and watching the battle, was nearly unable to keep his eyes open under the glare!

Bang!

The television and the square robot's body exploded violently at the same time!

Countless fragments shot in every direction! Pei Shao could even feel the floor beneath his feet trembling violently, but it soon fell still again.

"Did Castle... win?"

When Pei Shao opened his eyes again and peered inside, he discovered that something even stranger had happened!

Seven or eight data cables extended endlessly from Castle's body, all plugged into the square robot's body at once. "What is this doing?" Pei Shao stared, dumbfounded.

"Pei! Come out. The battle is over!" Castle's voice rang out, cold and impassive. It quickly added, "The opponent's database is temporarily under my complete control!"

However, just as Pei Shao listened to Castle and was about to step out, the square robot—still under control and motionless until then—suddenly moved!

Castle's electronic eye flickered violently! Pei Shao's face changed drastically. He was about to turn and flee back into the kitchen when he saw the square robot abruptly break free of Castle's data cables. Then, faster than the eye could follow, it dashed into the bedroom, shot out the window like lightning, and jumped down with a whoosh.

"Damn it!" Pei Shao rushed into the bedroom after it and strode to the window. He looked outside, only to find that the square robot had already vanished into the vast night.

"That guy was really fast!" Hearing footsteps behind him, Pei Shao turned and said this to Castle, who had also hurried over.

"Very regrettably, my energy was still insufficient at the crucial moment. It escaped in the end!"

"Forget it, it's fine!" Pei Shao withdrew his gaze and glanced at the large hole in the window. Then he suddenly remembered that the square robot had seemingly jumped straight out of the window just now, yet he had not heard any glass shatter. Could it have jumped in through the window from outside when it arrived?

With a bitter smile, Pei Shao said to Castle, "It seems only silicon-based people like you can possess the ability to come and go without a trace!" After a pause, as if recalling something, he asked, "Mr. Castle, just what was that square robot? Can you infer it?"

Castle's electronic eye flickered for a moment before it said, "There is a 100% probability that it evolved from a 'motor.'"

Pei Shao was taken aback. "Why are you so certain?"

"Because I invaded its central system using the data cables just now. Although the time was brief, I still found a great deal of useful information!" After saying that, Castle swiftly returned to its phone form and displayed the images it had found on its screen. One glance was enough for Pei Shao to see that the highly precise data listed around them was indeed related to motors. But one point left him deeply puzzled. "What kind of machine did this motor come from? If it came from a modern car, it couldn't possibly be square. It should be long and rod-shaped."

"Could it be from a helicopter or a fighter jet?" Pei Shao remembered seeing a similar diagram in some magazine. "Mr. Castle, what do you think?"

"There is a 71.88% probability that its shape matches a fighter jet motor, and 15.34% for a helicopter..."

Just as Castle was processing the data, its infrared port began flashing wildly again.

After spending so much time with Castle, Pei Shao had learned that whenever it entered this state, something extraordinary must have happened. He immediately asked, "What is it? Did you find something new?"

Castle did not answer right away. Instead, it flashed even more intensely. After a long while, Castle finally said, "Pei! We are in trouble this time!"

"What is it?" Pei Shao asked nervously. He could not help being nervous, because he had never heard Castle speak such words before. In his mind, Castle had always been omnipotent. Judging from the fact that it had dared challenge a "motor-form Transformer" despite having only one-third of its energy, one could tell how confident it was. Yet now, it had personally uttered the word "trouble." One could only imagine how thorny that trouble was.

"In the opponent's database, I discovered optical energy signals from two other members of its kind!" As Castle spoke, it transferred the information it had found to the screen. Pei Shao immediately saw two metallic objects with extremely blurry outlines. They reflected a faint gleam, but their exact forms could not be made out. "My energy was limited just now, so the information I found by invading its system was also limited. We cannot determine from their appearances what prototypes those two evolved from. But one thing is certain: those two members of its kind had unusual contact with the motor!"

"What does that have to do with us?" Pei Shao still did not understand.

Castle explained, "Because there is over a 95.7% probability that this information indicates they have fought each other, just as we did now..."

Pei Shao's eyes suddenly lit up. His body shook, and he said, "If their battle ended with the motor's defeat, then the ones that beat it might have invaded its memory system like you did. Does that mean our record of fighting the motor could be exposed as well?"

"Yes! Your guess is completely correct. That is why I said we are in trouble... Moreover, according to my analysis, your guess has an accuracy rate of over 86.34%!"

"Oh my god, does that mean we'll have to live in fear every day from now on? And could your other two kind come knocking at our door like today, launching a surprise attack on us from the shadows?" Pei Shao said, somewhat losing control of his emotions.

"Pei! Don't panic so much yet. The information I found was incomplete, so I still cannot determine what type those other two members of my kind are. It is also possible that, like me, they do not enjoy starting wars on Earth. The only bad thing is that I cannot determine whether there are other silicon-based people besides those two who have fought the motor!"