A Murky Mess

Starscream clearly did not care whether Sun Cheng was sincerely willing to help. Once he agreed, a meaningful smile appeared on his face, making Sun Cheng feel uncomfortable all over. Only then did he suddenly say, "Come out!"

"Hm?"

Sun Cheng was still wondering why he had suddenly shouted that when the [Spy Template] within him reacted far faster than his conscious mind.

Almost the instant Starscream finished speaking, the [Spy Template] detected a peculiar electromagnetic frequency.

Both pairs of electronic eyes instinctively turned toward the source of that suddenly appearing electromagnetic frequency. Only then did Sun Cheng notice that, in a corner not far behind Starscream, a short Decepticon of roughly his own height had emerged.

"Did you summon me, Master...?"

Perhaps sensing Sun Cheng's scrutiny, the short Decepticon looked up at him, bared his teeth, and let out a low growl, making no attempt to hide his hostility.

As though he had not noticed any of this, Starscream gave the order without turning his head. "Beam Splitter, take our little friend around the base. Make sure he sees everything!"

So this newly appeared short Decepticon was called Beam Splitter.

Sun Cheng found the name somewhat familiar. The moment a thought surfaced in his mind, a stream of information flooded out from his memory chip.

After carefully reading through it, understanding dawned on him. When he looked at the hostile Beam Splitter again, he was considerably more cautious.

"Beam Splitter," one of the scouts under the Decepticon Corps' "Camera" team.

Camera had once been one of the Decepticon Corps' intelligence teams, with three members: Reflector, Beam Splitter, and Spyglass.

Though all three members of Camera were merely Level Two low-ranking Decepticons, rumor had it that they had all been created through a grand project by some mad Decepticon Corps scientist long ago. The three possessed a special combination transformation method that could temporarily raise their strength to that of advanced warriors—Level Four advanced Decepticons like Barricade.

However, compared to the [Cassette Corps] led by Soundwave, Camera's intelligence-gathering efficiency was vastly inferior. It seemed they had even been exploited by their surveillance targets several times in the past, causing losses to their own side. In the end, they had been kicked out of the Decepticon Corps' intelligence ranks.

Perhaps that was why Beam Splitter, as a member of Camera, was so hostile toward him, someone from the [Cassette Corps].

Having figured out the reason, Sun Cheng became even more wary of Beam Splitter.

Although there was only one level between them, the difference in strength between a Level One and a Level Two Decepticon was beyond imagination. Besides, combat was not Sun Cheng's specialty. If the other party truly singled him out, Sun Cheng would definitely have a hard time.

Upon hearing Starscream's orders, Beam Splitter's eyes lit up. He hurriedly agreed, "Master, leave it to me. I guarantee I'll properly show him around the base!"

The moment he finished speaking, he turned toward Sun Cheng with a toothy grin. The malicious intent on his face was completely undisguised.

"Take him around..." Starscream ordered directly without even looking at him.

Barricade, however, seemed to have noticed that Beam Splitter had some ideas about Sun Cheng. He snorted a warning. "Put away those little thoughts of yours. Lord Starscream still has work for Frenzy afterward..."

"Yes, Lord Barricade!"

Beam Splitter looked disappointedly at Starscream. Seeing that he did not object, he lowered his head and answered.

Yet from the way his eyes kept darting around, Sun Cheng knew Barricade's words had been wasted. This guy had probably not listened at all.

Although he knew Beam Splitter might target him, Starscream had given the order. Sun Cheng did not dare linger, so he could only brace himself and follow the grinning, seemingly unhinged Beam Splitter out of the hall.

After confirming that the two had gone far away, Barricade suddenly spoke. His voice was cold but dripping with sarcasm. "What is Soundwave thinking? When he resurrected Frenzy a few days ago and sent him to help me, I already found it strange. I did not have much contact with Frenzy on Cybertron, but we had carried out missions together. Yet he did not recognize me!"

"His memory chip was sealed. Just a little punishment!" Starscream rubbed his chin, a cold smile spreading across his face. "The [Cassette Corps] expanded too quickly during the war. Laserbeak, Frenzy, and Rumble all had thoughts of replacing Soundwave. A pack of idiots, thinking a few military achievements would earn them Megatron's favor. In the end, Soundwave used a few tricks and got Laserbeak and Frenzy killed before the war ended. Without Frenzy, Rumble was nothing."

He gave a wicked smile. "I'm starting to appreciate Soundwave. I never expected him to resurrect Laserbeak and Frenzy again—turning the former into a pet and demoting the latter into cannon fodder! Unfortunately, he is still a little too narrow-minded. If it were me, I would have left both of them their memories!"

What a madman!

No wonder he was an evil existence capable of challenging Megatron!

Barricade's gaze flickered. "The [Cassette Corps] is no longer worth worrying about. Do we still need to be so wary of Soundwave?"

"Wary of him?" Starscream sneered disdainfully. "So what if I leave the Moon base and let him investigate? Only three people knew about that deal. Megatron is absent, and that old fellow is sleeping. Right now, I am the only one who knows the truth. Shockwave may have noticed something, which is why he hurriedly sent Soundwave over. But we have already finished all preparations. He came too late!"

However, he quickly wiped the smile from his face, his expression turning somewhat ugly. "Still, we cannot let Soundwave remain on the Moon forever. The other old fellow is about to awaken as well. As expected of legendary elders—every protective mechanism they left behind would only awaken them early if destroyed by force. It seems we need to find the [AllSpark] and Megatron as soon as possible..."

"That is why you had me bring Frenzy here, to lure Soundwave to Earth?" Barricade asked.

"Not just because of him..."

Starscream's eyes flickered. "A few days ago, one of the probes I released into the asteroid belt was accidentally detected by one of your old rivals. He seems to have become interested in the Solar System as well, and he has already arrived on Earth."

"My old rival?" Barricade froze.

"An Autobot. Bumblebee!"

"It's him!" Barricade's body shook excitedly. The metal joints in his clenched palm crackled. "Where is he now?"

"I have already sent Reflector and Spyglass to track him. There has been no reply yet. He is probably in another country or on another continent!"

Starscream saw how eager he was to fight Bumblebee and reminded him coldly, "You are no match for him. Last time, you pierced his throat, but he cut off half your body. Right now, the only advanced warriors I have are you and Onslaught. Before I find the [AllSpark] and complete your advancement, do not make pointless sacrifices. That would expose us and draw those damned Autobots to Earth as well!"

Barricade clenched his fists unwillingly and said nothing!

When Starscream glared at him again, he finally lowered his head in reluctance. "Understood!"

After forcefully suppressing Barricade's urge to seek out Bumblebee, Starscream turned his attention elsewhere. Thinking of Sun Cheng, who was currently being led around the base by Beam Splitter, red light flickered in his eyes. "Should I give Soundwave a little more trouble? For instance, help Frenzy recover his memories?"

At the thought of something amusing, a dreadful smile crept onto his lips.