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Chapter 703: The Pathfinder Stone
🕑 Added 2023-10-08 10:59:37 +0000 UTCTransformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Unbeknownst to Sun Cheng, a tale was unfolding on the moon.
At the moment, he was engrossed in mastering his very own Primus weapon and contemplating how to acquire more of the "Leadership Module" energy from the Autobots.
The data transfer between Explorer 203 and Phantom took over a day to complete.
This Central Main Control AI from the New World Explorer had archived a myriad of voyage diaries, along with data from various planets visited by the spaceship's former master during their interstellar explorations.
Much of this data was incredibly valuable to Sun Cheng, who had yet to step into the realm of interstellar civilizations.
Given the immense volume of data, even Phantom, another supercomputer, needed time to process it all.
Sun Cheng had no intention of lingering in Base Two for long. After delegating some tasks, he discreetly returned to Terindad Island in the same manner he arrived.
Having been away for two days, the Black Market on Terindad Island was still under construction.
However, significant changes had taken place over these two days. The treacherous reefs scattered offshore of the southeastern docks of the island had been largely cleared by Forerunner and his team, making it accessible for large freighters.
The rudimentary dock in the southeast corner had been expanded. The original simple dock was deepened, widened, and extended, now able to accommodate over a dozen freight ships simultaneously.
Following Sun Cheng's previous instructions, Forerunner had allocated an area on the island to construct four helicopter pads and a hangar that could simultaneously house over twenty helicopters. This would facilitate future negotiations, allowing human factions to fly directly from their warships.
By the time Sun Cheng returned to Terindad Island, the steel-framed helicopter hangar was more than halfway constructed.
The massive Hynix, as per Sun Cheng's earlier instructions, had been stationed prominently on the island as a showpiece.
The intent was clear: to let any interested parties know that extraterrestrials were present on the island.
"Master, you're back!"
As soon as Sun Cheng set foot on the island, he encountered Hynix, who was leisurely roaming around.
Sun Cheng nodded and, with a smile, addressed the seemingly naive Hynix, "Stay here for a while. Once everything is ready at Base Two, I'll help upgrade parts of your mechanical body and Core..."
"Great!"
Hynix chuckled with joy, albeit appearing a tad simple-minded. His Core was insufficient to support such a vast mechanical body and its intricate combat systems. As a result, most of its computational power was used up, leaving limited capacity for daily cognition, rendering Hynix somewhat slow-witted.
Yet, Sun Cheng didn't mind this side of the Decepticon at all!
Thunder and Swindle, who were supervising the island's construction, quickly detected his electromagnetic spectrum and approached him.
"Master, everything has been normal on the island in the two days since you left. However, a few humans have arrived and are currently being hosted by Lord Forerunner," Swindle reported first, eager to earn favor. This Decepticon had always been the opportunistic kind, prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Not long ago, Sun Cheng's collaboration with Starscream and the Autobots against Soundwave, Cassette Legion, Astrotrain, and other Decepticons left a profound impression on Swindle. Both Sun Cheng's combat capabilities and tactics were astonishing, reshaping Swindle's perceptions fundamentally.
His demeanor had undergone a significant transformation after that battle.
"A few humans have come to the island?"
Sun Cheng's interest was piqued. He didn't care whether Swindle sincerely pledged allegiance to him or not. In the "Transformers Universe", there hasn't been a single entity so far that he could completely trust.
Even the loyal Forerunner and Thunder were subjects of Sun Cheng's cautious skepticism, let alone Swindle.
Thunder, deeming himself above vying for favor against Swindle, stood quietly aside, processing the combat experience from their previous battle.
Swindle, glad that he wasn't contending with Thunder, replied with a sycophantic smile, "Yes, Master, a few humans arrived on the island about three hours ago. Following your previous orders, the island's defense system did not harm them. Lord Forerunner has since escorted them to the Trading Hall. It's still unclear how the negotiations are proceeding."
The Trading Hall was the main building of the Black Market on the island, constructed as per Sun Cheng's request on the original site where Bahia's naval soldiers had been stationed.
The name "Black Market" hadn't been finalized yet, but such details were minor concerns to Sun Cheng.
After hearing Swindle's explanation, Sun Cheng immediately connected to the communication channel they had established on the island. He directly asked Forerunner, "Forerunner, I heard some humans arrived at the island and you're hosting them?"
"Yes, Master, would you like to join us now?"
"Which faction are they from?"
"They're from the Middle Eastern nation of Israel."
"Israel, I see. Continue your reception; I won't be joining."
Disconnecting the communication, Sun Cheng gazed thoughtfully northwards.
Israel, a nation no one with even a smidgen of interest in Earth's politics would overlook.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, even in the modern history of Earth, this tiny nation has carved a distinct mark solely for itself.
Although, on Earth's scale, Israel is considered a regional powerhouse and a military juggernaut, their voice in international politics remains somewhat limited when standing alone.
Earth is relatively small, housing four major races, over two hundred countries and regions, and nearly two thousand ethnic groups.
Even the "Five Big Bullies" of the United Nations have varying degrees of influence. As for other countries, they're mostly just set pieces on a board.
The United States' strategy for global dominance was fundamentally sound. Earth's resources could sustain only one nation advancing into aerospace civilization. Other countries would either serve as fuel or be assimilated.
Regrettably, internal strife amongst politicians and the so-called elite obscured this strategy. Despite their half-century-long global dominance, the U.S. failed to transition into aerospace civilization.
Following the fall of their old nemesis, the Soviet Union, the U.S. squandered too many resources on inciting wars and internal friction. They blew their golden opportunity to conquer the universe, plunder the entire Solar System's resources, and solidify Earth's dominance.
Although previous conflicts between the Decepticons and Autobots took place in Jordan and Egypt, neighboring Israel, combined with the special relationship between Israel and the U.S., Sun Cheng wasn't surprised that they knew about the extraterrestrials.
However, Israel's stature as a minor Middle Eastern powerhouse, despite its mere population of a few million and its surroundings, would remain unchanged, even if they obtained extraterrestrial technologies.
"It seems like Israel is a scout thrown out by the United States," Sun Cheng speculated soon after.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 704: Opening of the Black Market
