Chapter 12: This is Humanity?!

"Is this what humans are?"

The Fallen felt completely unwell. No, his entire mechanical being felt as though it was about to jam... This destructive force, reminiscent of a meteor plunging from the heavens, was something that not even a handful of Cybertronians could unleash.

And yet, it was now being displayed in a war between humans and Decepticons... Megatron, were you actually my enemy all along rather than my disciple?

"Ancestor, I know that human. Previously, that girl wasn't nearly this strong."

Starscream scurried over, trying to put in a fair word for his boss.

"Then explain to me how hundreds of Decepticons were just wiped out! Is this a fixed match?"

With a flick of his telekinesis, the Fallen effortlessly hoisted Starscream right up in front of him. "Who on earth is she? If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll have you lead the charge yourself!"

"Her name is Mikaela! She's Sam's girlfriend!"

Panicking, Starscream blurted out Mikaela's background, then strained every gear to explain, "During the battle a few days ago, she was still running for her life from us. I have no idea why she can suddenly vaporize Decepticons..."

"Hmph! I don't care whether what you said is true or false. Remember one thing: only by destroying the sun does Cybertron have a future."

The Fallen violently hurled Starscream to the ground. Glaring at Megatron, he commanded, "Once Sam resurrects Optimus Prime later, I want you all to use every ounce of your strength to stall the humans! Especially that woman—buy me the time needed to destroy the sun!"

"As you command, Prime!"

Megatron and Starscream dropped to their knees, trembling violently. For the very first time, the Fallen revealed his absolute majesty as a Prime right before them.

A Prime must not be insulted—among the Transformers, this was an absolute truth!

On the ground, Mikaela, who had just unleashed her all-out area-of-effect strike, dissolved back into particles of light and fell into the interior of Bumblebee. Given her current strength, executing that move had drained nearly two-thirds of her energy.

After all, she had only ascended to Fatherhood a single day ago; her proficiency was far too low, and she had wasted far too much energy.

To ask her to do it again was practically out of the question.

"Bumblebee, hurry up and charge through."

"You've worked hard, Mikaela. Leave the rest to me, and get some good rest."

Sam comforted his girlfriend, speaking with utter confidence. He could faintly sense that he was the Chosen One selected by the other eleven Primes who had fallen on Earth! The Matrix of Leadership could only be restored in his hands to resurrect Optimus Prime!

"Stop right there! Halt!"

Just as they were about to break through the combat zone, a voice suddenly rang out from ahead, ordering them to stop!

Bumblebee swerved in an arc and came to a halt. As everyone stepped out of the vehicle, they realized that the one calling out to them was the Air Force Lieutenant Colonel—the very soldier who had been secretly assisting them all along!

"Colonel, why won't you let us pass?!"

Sam asked anxiously, his voice carrying a trace of accusation. "You must know that only by resurrecting Optimus Prime can we defeat the Fallen and destroy the Sun Harvester! Only a Prime can deal with a Prime!"

The Colonel wore a bitter smile. Aside from himself and his immediate unit, how many in the entire US military actually believed their words?

"You can't go through! There are four specialized Decepticon robotic units buried underground. The moment any vehicle drives over them, it will be destroyed!"

"Then why haven't they sneaked over to completely destroy Optimus Prime?"

Mikaela asked with a clear head.

The Colonel and Sam exchanged glances. That was true—if they possessed such specialized Decepticons, wouldn't it have been better to directly destroy Optimus Prime? Or were they waiting for something?

"Could it be that only I can restore the Matrix? Are they waiting for me to restore the key before seizing it to activate the energy source?"

Sam blurted out instinctively. The gazes of the Colonel, Simmons, Leo, and Mikaela instantly locked onto him!

"Yes, that's the only explanation!"

The Colonel said loudly, "I've been wondering why the Decepticons clearly had the capability to destroy our temporary base, yet never made a move. What you just said is the truth! They're blocking us here because they don't want Bumblebee and the others to go and protect him!"

"Then what do we do? If we don't resurrect Optimus Prime, how can we win this war?"

Sam was torn. If he resurrected Optimus Prime, the key would be restored, and if it were seized, they were doomed; if he didn't resurrect him, the Fallen was an ancient Prime, and only a Prime-class robot could stand against him.

To advance meant death, and to halt also meant death... What a agonizing dilemma!

"Colonel, what do your instincts say?"

For a moment, Sam dared not issue an order that concerned the survival of the entire human race, and could only look to the highest-ranking officer among them.

The Colonel gave him a deep look, then glanced at his comrades fighting a grueling battle in the distance. "I cannot make the choice for you, but you must know that no matter what decision you make, we will do our utmost to help you deal with the aftermath!"

Sam shifted his gaze to Mikaela... Mikaela flashed an encouraging smile. "Go on, Sam. Even if the key is taken, I'm here, and so is my master!"

He then looked toward Simmons and Leo; both offered looks of encouragement, and not a single person was willing to give up.

"If we simply let the Decepticons run amok on Earth, we might as well take the gamble! At the very least, our future remains in our own hands!"

Indeed, without resurrecting Optimus Prime, no one could deal with the Fallen. With such a supreme powerhouse suppressing them, the Decepticons' forces would only grow, ultimately grinding humanity down to a slow death.

By resurrecting Optimus Prime, even if the key were seized back afterward, they would at least have a fighting chance to kill the Fallen!

Let us not forget that on the human side, they had the supreme powerhouse Mr. Potts backing them up from the shadows!

"Colonel, Mikaela, cover me!"

Sam roared, lowering his head and charging toward the Transformers under the protection of the Colonel and Mikaela...

Sure enough, without Bumblebee and the other Autobots accompanying him, the four Decepticons lurking beneath the ground did not move an inch! Even their gunfire grew somewhat weaker, allowing Sam and his group to charge forward unhindered!

Mikaela felt a slight weight lift from her heart... Then, just as he was about to reach Optimus Prime, a sudden artillery shell struck dead center in the sandy ground three meters behind Sam, blasting his entire body airborne and causing him to crash violently onto the earth!

The pouch containing the ashes of the Matrix of Leadership in his hand was also shattered by the blast, its fragments scattering across the ground!

"Sam!"

Mikaela lunged toward Sam in a panic, but his heartbeat had already vanished, and there was no longer any rise and fall to his chest!

"Get the medical chopper over here right now!"

The Colonel shouted loudly for reinforcements... What they did not know, however, was that at this very moment, Sam's consciousness had entered a peculiar, pure white realm!

"Where am I? Am I dead?"

Sam looked around in a panic as he tumbled into the unknown space... The surroundings consisted solely of an expanse of pristine white light, devoid of any other living soul.