Starscream's One-Man Show

That was right—at this critical moment, Starscream and Elita ran into an Autobot attack.

All this time, the Autobots had been stuck in passive defense. It had been a very, very long time since they had launched any kind of proper offensive.

But tonight was different. Judging by the density of distant gunfire and the number of rocket shells streaking across the sky, it was clear that the scale of this attack was unprecedented. Their main force had definitely come, and Optimus Prime might even be among them.

But those Autobots had no idea Elita was here, and Elita had no way to tell her companions about her current predicament. Otherwise, all they had to do was open a small gap in the firepower net, and Elita could rejoin her unit in just a few minutes. But that could only be laughable wishful thinking—the bullets on the other side had no eyes! So, for the moment, Elita had no choice but to give up on escaping and huddle in the trench with Starscream, lest she die at the hands of her own people!

Bullets had no eyes. They did not care whether you were a Decepticon or an Autobot. As long as you blocked their path, they would not even recognize their own father!

But why would the Autobots launch such a large-scale attack? It was truly puzzling. The Decepticons stationed on the outskirts had been hoping these Autobots would come out on their own, saving them from launching carpet sweeps again and again. The Autobots, who normally stayed holed up in their base and rarely showed themselves, had completely changed their usual behavior tonight and become aggressive instead.

Although the Decepticon vanguard had been caught off guard at first, as reinforcements continued to pour in, they quickly seized the initiative on the battlefield and gradually suppressed the Autobots' momentum. And since Starscream was a high-ranking Decepticon commander, command over this area naturally fell into his hands.

"Starscream, this is Megatron. You seem to be doing pretty well, kid! Did you find some parts and fix that stupid head of yours? Our scout units just detected Optimus Prime attempting to break through toward your sector. I'll leave the interception to you for now. Soundwave and I will be there to reinforce you shortly!"

What the hell is going on? How did that old Megatron bastard know I was here? And isn't Optimus Prime Elita's boyfriend? He's also the current supreme commander of the Autobots. If I want to restore my original identity, that guy may be my only way—but does Optimus Prime know about an old undercover agent like me?

Boom! Boom! Rat-tat-tat!

Just as Starscream's mind was in complete chaos, towering sparks suddenly erupted at his four o'clock. The thunderous blasts of exploding laser cannons accompanied them, as though an intense firefight was taking place there.

"Commander Starscream, Commander Starscream! A small Autobot assault team has been spotted in front of our position. Their leader is that guy named Ratchet. What should we do? Please issue your orders!"

Before Starscream could figure out the situation, a Decepticon tank Transformer ran over to report the battle. Clearly, they had all received Megatron's orders.

"What should we do? Are your brains full of viruses? At a time like this, of course we stop them with everything we have! We cannot let those Autobots break through the line! You—take everyone and charge forward! Let even one Autobot get away, and I'll have every last one of you demoted!"

Starscream's order was practically the same as saying nothing, but the tank Transformer saluted him, then waved at the thirty-odd Decepticon warriors of various types behind him and took the lead in charging out.

"Brawl, transform!"

So this tank Decepticon was called Brawl. The guy really was noisy enough. Starscream was still trying to figure out how to send the female Autobot beside him away when Brawl came forward to volunteer. Starscream could not exactly refuse him outright. What a mess...

"Mr. Starscream, do you truly wish to return to the Autobots? What exactly did you mean by what you just did?"

Unexpectedly, just after Starscream had sent those Decepticon soldiers away, Optimus Prime's girlfriend became unhappy again. Was she questioning him?

"Miss Elita, please do not misunderstand me! I told them to hold the defensive line; I never ordered them to launch an attack! So long as your Autobot friends do not force the issue, they will be perfectly fine. Besides, I sent every Decepticon soldier here to the front precisely to create an opportunity for you to escape!"

Women truly were astonishing creatures, and female Transformers were no exception. They always focused only on what was right in front of them, then latched onto it and refused to let go, without any sense of the bigger picture. Could Elita, who had spent so long with Optimus Prime, also be a brainless Autobot? Starscream was helping her so much, yet she turned around and doubted him. Truly, good intentions went unrewarded!

"I-Is that so? Then... then please accept my apology, Mr. Starscream. I... I should not have doubted you just now. I..."

Realizing her own rudeness, Elita immediately became embarrassed, and even her voice turned hesitant.

"Enough. This is not the time for that. Once the battle ahead escalates, we will leave immediately."

"Mm!"

Although there was no one on the rear defensive line now, making it the best possible time to let this female Autobot go, if Starscream really did that, his undercover career would probably end right there. Megatron was no fool. If he found out Starscream had somehow lost Optimus Prime's girlfriend, he would definitely tear him directly into parts.

So Starscream's current plan was to stage an encounter battle. The rough script would be that the Decepticons' rear defensive line came under a surprise attack from elite Autobot warriors. Starscream fought desperately to stop them, but in the end, he was outnumbered and accidentally let the female Autobot escape.

Though it looked like a very clichéd act, with Starscream's wholehearted performance, it ought to be at least a little convincing!

Having made up his mind, Starscream picked a dark corner, raised the cannons and laser missiles mounted on his body, and began wasting ammunition like mad.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rat-tat-tat! Whoosh! Whoosh!

It had to be said that Starscream with his firepower fully unleashed really looked the part. In the blink of an eye, everything before him had turned into a sea of flames. Countless explosions, large and small, rose and fell one after another. It was quite a lively scene!