Soundwave

Escorted out of the base by Barricade as if under arrest, Sun Cheng was taken straight into a desert far from Tucson. Only then did Barricade transform back and toss him out again.

"I need to meet an old friend. Send the interstellar message here. Wait here for me once you're done as well..."

"Yes, Lord Barricade!"

After watching him quickly transform back into a police car and drive off in another direction, Sun Cheng looked up at the enchanting, Milky Way-like starry sky overhead. He sighed softly, sat down on the sand, and obediently began composing the interstellar message.

He had no intention of running away, even though he truly wanted to.

Putting aside whether he could actually escape, Sun Cheng simply did not believe Barricade's words.

For all I know, he could be hiding nearby and watching me!

With that vigilance and unease, he forcibly suppressed the urge to flee and began drafting the contents of the interstellar message.

He had to admit that Cybertronian writing was truly remarkable. It resembled the programming languages humans had created for computers, yet it was far more sophisticated.

This mechanical civilization had perfected the technology of compressing images and language into written characters. Every character, which looked like the random scribbles of a child, contained a wealth of information left behind by its writer. Even more unbelievably, he had heard that high-ranking Decepticons had mastered methods of encrypting text. Just thinking about it was incredible.

Sun Cheng had already realized that Starscream likely had designs on his boss, Soundwave. However, that bastard seemed convinced that victory was already assured and had not forced Sun Cheng to compose the message according to his instructions. That gave Sun Cheng, who had been swallowing plenty of grievances these past days and was already in a foul mood, room to maneuver.

Writing as he thought, it took him over half an hour to produce a message he found highly satisfactory. Sun Cheng glanced around the eerily quiet desert, then even used [Spy Template] to scan the surrounding area. Only after confirming that he had detected no suspicious electromagnetic waves did he gently press a spot on the back of his head, revealing a crystal radiating an intense blue glow.

That blue crystal was his [Core], as well as the most important part of the body Sun Cheng had taken over.

If it were damaged, the mildest consequence would be falling into a coma. If the damage were more severe, it could mean death. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no Decepticon would easily expose their [Core] beyond the protection of their body.

But he had no choice now. Interstellar communication required the use of the [Core], so he had no choice but to expose it despite the risk of being ambushed and severely injured.

Soundwave's transmission frequency was stored in his memory chip. After making some angular adjustments in the direction of the moon, Sun Cheng gritted his teeth and activated the interstellar communication function. Once he had locked onto Soundwave's transmission frequency, he entered all the content he had prepared.

The instant he silently issued the command to send through his [Core], he felt as though all strength had been drained from his body. Weakness, nausea, and unbearable exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he could no longer maintain his humanoid form. He directly reverted to his cassette recorder form.

Warning... warning. Stored energy has fallen below the alert threshold. Some functions cannot be maintained. Automatic defense function disabled... intrusion function disabled... body maintenance function disabled... Ding. Absorbable energy source detected. Absorption function automatically activated... Warning. Energy source cannot be absorbed... hibernation function activated...

Before his consciousness faded, Sun Cheng instinctively looked up at the sky. A beam of light shot into the heavens from where he was, straight toward the moon. In midair, a Decepticon insignia was clearly visible.

On the far side of the moon, within a massive crater that looked as though it had been formed by a fallen meteorite.

Soundwave emerged from the crater with a gloomy expression. In fury, he kicked a meteorite whose surface rock had completely weathered into sand. The immense force sent it flying like an artillery shell until it vanished from sight.

"Master, did Dirge refuse to awaken Starscream again?"

As a sharp, fawning voice rang out, a huge bird-shaped robot with two machine guns mounted beneath its belly slowly circled around him. Only after Soundwave extended his right arm did he obediently land upon it. It was Laserbeak of the [Cassette Corps].

"Hmph, foolish Dirge!" Soundwave said furiously. "How long has Lord Megatron been gone? That fool already wants to find himself a new master!"

"He's not the only one with such thoughts," Laserbeak said. "I just received an interstellar message from Ravage. Lord Onslaught has also left Cybertron and vanished without a trace. Lord Shockwave sent Lightning to track him, and he has also ordered Ravage and Buzzsaw to come support us!"

"Onslaught?" Soundwave clearly had not expected that. "That guy finally left Cybertron?"

Onslaught was one of the upper ranks of the Decepticon Corps. Everyone who knew him naturally labeled him as both "wise" and "dangerous." Even the proud and volatile Megatron trusted him deeply.

But Onslaught was not a powerful warrior, which was precisely why Megatron dared to place such importance on him. As a result, Onslaught's position within the Decepticon Corps was rather awkward. All his authority came from Megatron's trust rather than military achievements.

When Megatron was still leading the Decepticon Corps, Onslaught had been imposing and unstoppable. But after Megatron disappeared, the Decepticon Corps rapidly split into two major factions led by Starscream and Shockwave. Under the tacit suppression of both sides, Onslaught's standing declined day by day after the [Cybertronian Civil War] ended.

By the time Soundwave left Cybertron, Onslaught's status there was even lower than that of some high-ranking warriors.

Therefore, Soundwave was not particularly surprised that Onslaught had left Cybertron.

What made him frown instead was that Shockwave had sent Buzzsaw over.

The [Cybertronian Civil War] had cost the Decepticon Corps dearly before they finally defeated their mortal enemies—the Autobots—and gained control of Cybertron.

Although there had not exactly been grand rewards for meritorious service after the war, it had been close enough. Most high-ranking Decepticons who survived the war and had contributed to the Decepticon Corps during the civil war received satisfactory rewards.

Soundwave was one of the beneficiaries. He had obtained quite a bit of life source energy and energy blocks, and had even replaced certain others to become one of the Decepticon Corps' current commanders.

The members of the [Cassette Corps] had also benefited alongside him, especially Buzzsaw. Without Laserbeak and Frenzy keeping him in check, Rumble, with his simple-minded thought process, could not suppress him at all.

As a result, Soundwave had only recently dealt with several subordinates who had challenged his authority, only to discover that new challengers had emerged.

"Never mind. It's time to let him see what has become of Laserbeak and Frenzy. I do need more manpower now. With him and Ravage, along with Blackout and the others, even Starscream should no longer dare delay the search for Lord Megatron..."

At that thought, Soundwave's expression eased somewhat. He continued questioning Laserbeak, "How much longer until Blackout and the others reach the Solar System?"

"About two months!"

"So long? Tell them to pick up the pace!" Soundwave ordered irritably. "Starscream has been gone for several days now. Although Dirge claims he is upgrading his weapons, I have a feeling this is just a delay. He arrived on the moon decades before us and has hidden too many secrets here! I'm even beginning to suspect that he may still be on the moon!"

"Yes, Master!"

Laserbeak flapped his wings. "I'll go urge Blackout and the others to move faster..."

Just as he was about to take flight, Soundwave's expression suddenly changed. The next instant, the spark housed within his chest cavity flared brightly.

Immediately realizing that this was an interstellar transmission, Laserbeak folded his wings and waited quietly at the side.

Around two or three minutes later, after Soundwave finished reading the message he had just received, his face had completely darkened. "...Damn Starscream. So he really is no longer on the moon? That bastard Dirge actually tried to keep it from me..."

"Master, whose message was it?" Laserbeak asked curiously.

"Frenzy sent it from Earth!"

He reached out and tapped Laserbeak on the forehead, instantly transmitting the contents of the message into his mind.

Laserbeak quickly finished reading it and was equally startled. "Starscream has another base on Earth? It looks newly built, but why does it have a [Breeding Chamber]? From the information Frenzy sent, this base is far inferior to the one on the Moon. It simply couldn't possibly hatch [Newborn Eggs]."

"Could the [AllSpark] really be on Earth?"

Soundwave snarled through gritted teeth, "Damn it! We absolutely cannot let Starscream find the [AllSpark] first!"

As one of the Decepticon Corps' commanders, Soundwave had not only seen the [AllSpark], but also understood better than anyone how important it was to the Decepticons.

From what he knew of Starscream, if the [AllSpark] truly was not on Earth, there was no way he would have left Cybertron and come to this remote star system.

And if a schemer like him gained control of the [AllSpark], another civil war within the Decepticon Corps would likely not be far off.

At that thought, Soundwave's face could only be described as savage. He immediately gave Laserbeak an order. "Urge Blackout and the others to move faster. I want you to go to Earth and meet Frenzy as soon as possible, then verify whether the transmission is true!"

"As you wish, my master!"

PS:

In the Transformers movies, Bumblebee sent out a signal, and Optimus Prime and the others arrived within days. To keep all those coffin lids from flying open, I'll be making some adjustments to the timeline and travel speeds!

I'm starting to regret writing the protagonist into the Decepticon faction. When I caught up on the Transformers cartoons a few years ago, I didn't pay much attention, but looking back now—this is absolutely a group of schemers.