Covering the Autobots' Retreat

"Megatron, it's been a long time. Are you still dreaming of conquering the universe?"

A voice rang out across the sky, accompanied by several massive beams of signal light that pierced through the fog of war and lit up the battlefield between the Autobots and Decepticons.

"Lord Megatron, Lord Megatron, we... we really can't hold them back anymore. He, he..."

As that enormous voice rang out, a burly Decepticon warrior came running over for his life. He was Shockwave, Megatron's right-hand man.

"Damn it, Shockwave! What the hell was wrong with your intelligence? How did you miss a giant like that?"

Having arrived in a hurry, Megatron had brought only a few trusted subordinates. The rest of his armed forces came from the local Decepticon troops. Their overall combat strength should have far surpassed the Autobots' forces, but Fortress Maximus's arrival had completely changed the tide of battle. This guy was known as the Autobots' number-one colossal warrior!

Logically, an Autobot of this level should have been under strict surveillance. Megatron had previously assigned Trypticon to keep watch over Fortress Maximus one-on-one. Since this guy had appeared here, that idiot Trypticon might well have already been taken out.

And the Decepticon squad led by Shockwave had no chance of stopping a giant like this, so it was quite wise of him to retreat to Megatron's side.

Very soon, as Shockwave's defensive line collapsed, Brawl, the leader of the local Decepticon forces, also retreated with his surviving men.

"Greetings, Commander Megatron and all my lords. Our frontline position had completely suppressed the Autobots' attack, but then a giant suddenly appeared. He crushed more than a dozen of our brothers flat with one foot. Terrifying... it was terrifying!"

Brawl might have been a powerful new-generation Decepticon warrior, but before absolute strength like Fortress Maximus's, he still seemed incredibly small.

The situation on the battlefield seemed to have been turned around by the Autobots in an instant. Now, it was the Decepticons who appeared to be at a disadvantage.

Soon, the owner of that massive voice appeared before them. Behind him followed more than ten Autobot warriors carrying laser guns. They quickly gathered around Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Elita, confronting the Decepticons across from them.

"Megatron, today may be the day I extinguish your spark. What do you think?"

With such powerful reinforcements at his back, Optimus Prime straightened up and began flaunting his strength at Megatron. Yet as the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron remained neither servile nor overbearing, leading his men in a stance that suggested they were ready to fight to the death.

Of course, this was Decepticon territory. Reinforcements could arrive at any moment. They only needed to hold their ground and stall for a while. Colossal warriors like Fortress Maximus were difficult to deal with, but he was not immortal. Once the Decepticons' numbers increased, they could still take him down.

Because everyone understood the situation clearly, the battle fell into a stalemate. No one was willing to fire the first shot.

But right then, a new mission from that almighty system appeared in Starscream's mind: help the Autobots escape.

What the hell? Optimus Prime and the others clearly have the advantage right now. Why does it say to help the Autobots escape? Does this shitty system even have eyes?

But thinking about it, even though Fortress Maximus had arrived, the Decepticons' main reinforcements were steadily rushing this way. Once the Autobots were surrounded, even ten Fortress Maximuses would not be enough.

But how could he cover the Autobots' safe retreat without arousing Megatron and the others' suspicions? That was truly a headache. If he did not quickly come up with a solution, the trouble afterward would definitely be even greater.

How about suggesting that Megatron retreat first?

Starscream's memory bank contained plenty of records about this Decepticon commander's temperament. He might look imposing now, but deep down, the old bastard was an extreme coward who feared death. If he sensed the threat of death, this top Decepticon leader would definitely be the first one to run.

"Boss Megatron, Fortress Maximus isn't someone to mess with. Trypticon was probably already taken out by him. Why don't we retreat first? Once the Combaticon catches up, it won't be too late to settle the score with these Autobots!"

After all, everyone knew Starscream as someone who feared battle, so no one found it strange when he suggested retreating, especially those old comrades who had known him for a long time.

But there were still the local Decepticon warriors here. If they simply ran away like that, where would Megatron put his old face?

"Starscream, you useless bastard! All you know how to do is run, run, run! If all Decepticon warriors were like you, when would we ever unify Cybertron?"

"But Boss Megatron, you saw it too. Even Shockwave, the strongest warrior among us Decepticons, isn't a match for that giant. Is there anyone here who can take down Fortress Maximus?"

Starscream's words actually made a lot of sense. At least, the other Decepticon warriors present thought so too. But if the boss did not give the order, who would dare take the lead in retreating?

"You coward, get out of my way! Watch how your boss deals with these Autobot rebels!"

Megatron's transformed form was an incredibly powerful laser gun, and he had absolute confidence in his own strength! On top of that, Starscream's cowardice had made him look bad. If the Decepticon leader did not do something now, it would probably be difficult for him to command respect in the future!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Megatron truly possessed earth-shaking power after transforming. At the very least, each of the three shots he fired was louder than the last, nearly drowning out all the other explosions around them.

All three of Megatron's shots targeted Fortress Maximus, and every one was aimed at his head. Because the giant was so huge and moved rather slowly, Megatron hit him with all of them.

"Yes! As expected of Lord Megatron! Every shot hit! Hahaha!"

Seeing Megatron display such might, Soundwave was the first to clap and cheer. The other Decepticons around him immediately followed suit, and the atmosphere became jubilant.

But... why had Fortress Maximus not even swayed?

And after Megatron's gunfire faded, a fist larger than three Megatrons combined appeared above the Decepticon commander's head.

Not good! Fortress Maximus was counterattacking! Not only had he not been injured, he had seized the chance to strike back!

"Megatron, watch out!"

At the critical moment, the quick-witted Starscream hurriedly dragged the stunned Decepticon leader aside and shouted at the group of flatterers behind him.

"All Decepticons, retreat!"