Encountering Sector Seven

"The [Baglin Meteor Crater] is definitely hiding something!"

Sun Cheng could not help but feel a surge of excitement. He had found a biographical novel titled Interesting Earth, written by an American using the pen name "Bert Quinton."

Carrying the book back to the administrator's desk on the first floor, he used a computer to search online, only to find that no information about Bert Quinton could be retrieved. It was clear that he was not a well-known American author.

However, the book validated some of his theories. The two professors mentioned in the text, Brewster and Clement, were undoubtedly the same "Neville Octavian Brewster" and "Wallace Wilson Clement" he had just discovered in the university's historical records.

The book undoubtedly proved that the two men had indeed launched a scientific expedition to the [Baglin Meteor Crater] in 1912. Furthermore, they had definitely discovered a meteorite there—a meteorite that had shocked everyone who laid eyes on it.

That meteorite had to be strange; otherwise, no one would have proposed moving and hiding it for further study.

With that, all the scattered clues finally connected.

The reason Professors Brewster and Clement left the [University of Arizona] the following year was due to the intervention of the United States Government. As the discoverers of the mysterious meteorite, the two had joined a government agency and begun studying it.

As for why Bert Quinton suddenly lost contact with Professor Brewster a few years later, it was likely because the latter had exposed the location of the meteorite.

"Black Canyon? It seems I need to make a trip there."

After finishing the book and confirming there were no further records regarding the [Baglin Meteor Crater], Sun Cheng tossed the book onto the administrator's desk and went back online to search for information on "Black Canyon."

There were no cities in the United States named "Black Canyon," but there were two small towns—one in Wyoming and one in Colorado.

Interestingly, he also discovered that beyond the towns, the canyon where the Hoover Dam was located, on the border of Nevada and Arizona, was also known as Black Canyon.

Having memorized the locations of the three "Black Canyons," Sun Cheng quickly shut down the computer.

"The Hoover Dam? That doesn't seem too far from Onslaught's base..."

With a sudden thought, he reached a decision: he would head to the Hoover Dam first.

On the way, he planned to return to Onslaught's location. After several days of exploration, Sun Cheng felt that while his new body was strong, it was not perfect and still had a few minor issues. He intended to have Onslaught help him make some modifications.

Having finally found a suspicious clue regarding the [AllSpark], his mood began to improve, and he soon departed from the [University of Arizona].

Dodging the United States National Guard units still patrolling the streets, Sun Cheng deliberately chose to avoid the area where Starscream's base was located, planning to take some time to exit the city of Tucson from a different direction.

Not long after leaving the [University of Arizona], having found some leads, he relaxed his guard. As a result, while passing a street corner, he accidentally exposed himself to a machine placed in the corner that looked exactly like an ordinary electricity meter.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

The machine suddenly emitted a harsh "beep" warning sound. A sudden, inexplicable surge of crisis gripped Sun Cheng's heart. Reacting quickly, he subconsciously glanced at the machine. When he saw a gauge labeled "21" with a needle flickering erratically, his [Spy Template] immediately captured the fluctuations from several surveillance devices.

"Warning... warning, D4G19 Zone radiation detector has captured an abnormal energy target!"

Twenty or thirty meters away, a generic commercial van that Sun Cheng had assumed was just parked on the side of the road suddenly emitted a harsh communication signal. The doors flew open, and Sun Cheng immediately saw three or four grown men in black suits, each wielding weapons as they charged toward him.

"Suspicious target detected..."

The lead man in black spotted Sun Cheng, who had nowhere to hide. As he moved to intercept him, he shouted a warning: "This is the United States Sector Seven office. Suspicious intruder, stay where you are and do not move..."

"Damn it..."

Sun Cheng's heart sank. Before entering the city, he had noticed the United States National Guard patrolling Tucson, but he had never expected that the Americans could develop machines capable of detecting Decepticons in such a short amount of time.

However, with his sense of danger intensifying, he had no intention of being captured by the United States Government to be dissected and studied. Quickly activating all functions of his [Spy Template], he shifted from his human form back into his beast form and bolted without a second thought.

"Damn it, he's trying to run!"

The man in black roared, simultaneously raising the UMP45 in his hands and opening fire on Sun Cheng. "Rat-tat-tat..."

The crisp sound of gunfire quickly caused quite a commotion in the vicinity.

But Sun Cheng's troubles had only just begun. After relying on his speed to shake off the men in black, he soon heard a piercing roar from the sky. Shortly after, several blinding high-altitude searchlights locked onto him.

"Warning... intruder, stop running immediately and stay where you are..."

"This is your final warning. Cease all resistance and stay where you are..."

"Attention all units, a suspected high-energy radiation target has been detected in the D4G19 Zone. The target is fleeing toward the D5 Zone. Capture alive if possible..."

The [Spy Template] captured one communication transmission after another from the humans nearby, but Sun Cheng realized with dread that although he had pushed his speed to the limit, there were few ground units in the city capable of keeping up with him.

However, the U.S. military armed reconnaissance aircraft in the sky were using their altitude and high-mobility advantages to lock onto his position, repeatedly firing at him from above.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat..."

The hail of fire from the sky could hardly damage Sun Cheng's current chassis. The enemy clearly realized this after he withstood several volleys, but they did not switch to other weapons, clearly determined to capture him alive.

After enduring a few more hits and acutely sensing that his body was struggling to hold up, Sun Cheng grew anxious and began to consciously evade the fire.

However, this move hampered his escape speed.

"BOOM!"

Finally, after several warnings failed to make him stop, and seeing him getting closer to the city outskirts, the threat from above began to escalate.

With a violent explosion, Sun Cheng, having taken a direct hit from a ground-attack missile at close range, tumbled through the air several times before crashing back to the ground.

Seemingly convinced that he was no longer capable of combat, one of the attack helicopters lowered its altitude and continued to shout at him, "Final warning, intruder. Cease all resistance immediately and stay where you are..."

Sun Cheng shook his head. After a quick diagnostic revealed a tear in the armor of his back caused by shrapnel, he felt no pain and simply reached back to rip the metal shards out of his chassis.

Seeing the two attack helicopters circling him above, with four more approaching in the distance, he cursed his luck. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a manhole cover nearby. He quickly deployed an Insect Reconnaissance Drone to scout the area, and his eyes lit up.

He had to admit that the Americans' urban underground pipeline engineering was excellent; it was a vast network that ran through almost the entire city, and old cities like Tucson were even better equipped.

Immediately, he summoned two rapid-fire machine guns from his body, fired a precise burst at the low-flying attack helicopter, and then leaped up. He sprinted toward the manhole cover, abruptly shifted back into his human form, ripped the cover off, tossed it aside, and jumped into the sewer.

PS:

Thanks to readers "Monkey Stick Ghost" and "?Little Wu?" for their tips and support.