Chapter 18: The Traitor, Seeking Help from Hao Yun!

Driven out of the base by the Director, Sam harbored a lingering resentment. With his girlfriend in tow, he drove Bumblebee to seek out his former teammate, Simmons.

Unable to locate Mikaela, they had little choice but to turn to the former Director of Sector Seven for help. After all, who else could they turn to when Hao Yun was off traveling the world?

"Sam, I don't think you should get involved in this."

Caty was reluctant to play a part in saving the world. As a woman, she lacked grand ambitions and simply yearned for a peaceful, stable life.

"But Caty, the Decepticons' goal is to conquer Earth. If we just stand by and do nothing—"

"Saving the world is not your responsibility! There's the military, the intelligence agencies, and the government. You used to be just a paperboy, why do you care so much?!"

Caty was growing hysterical. Merely stepping foot inside the base had exposed her to the terrifying power of the Transformers.

The sheer weight of their impacts left massive indentations in the alloy floors! She shuddered to think what would happen if Sentinel Prime brought a fist down—there wouldn't even be meat paste left of a human body!

"Caty... back when Megatron appeared, some chose to surrender. The result? Sector Seven was destroyed, and over a thousand people died in Washington. When The Fallen appeared, people suggested ignoring him, and Egypt was devastated, an entire military legion wiped from existence. Now Sentinel Prime has returned, aided by human traitors.

If even I, a former savior of the world, turn a blind eye, do you have any idea how catastrophic the casualties in New York will be?"

"But..." Caty turned her head away, "The upper echelons of the US military have been infiltrated, and even the Autobots trust Sentinel Prime. What can we possibly do?"

"Do our best, and when the apocalypse arrives, heroes will emerge!"

Sam declared with unwavering determination. In his memories, he could still vividly picture Hao Yun and Mikaela descending like deities! Humanity had never lacked for strong individuals.

"Fine. You can use this building for now, but I'm going back to the dorm provided by my company. I just hope you can save the world once again."

Choosing to escape, Caty gave Sam a quick kiss, got into her car, and drove away in silence.

Watching the departing Mercedes sports car, a flicker of unease crossed Sam's mind... Surely no one would kidnap Caty again just to threaten him, right?

...

While Sam and Simmons began their investigation, Hao Yun, vacationing far away in China, remained entirely oblivious to the events unfolding on the other side of the planet.

He indulged himself in the hunt for lost culinary treasures across China. Having spent three years there, he hadn't even managed to leave Sichuan Province. It just went to show how countless delicacies China had to offer!

Finally, as Hao Yun was savoring a plate of Couple's Slice of Beef at a secluded little restaurant in Chengdu, visitors arrived.

"Mr. Hao Yun, welcome to your tour of China."

A middle-aged Chinese man dressed in a Zhongshan suit approached Hao Yun with a smile.

Hao Yun furrowed his brow slightly. He sensed the distinct aura of a Chinese soldier emanating from this man: steadfast, fearless, and unflinching unto death!

"You are?"

Subconsciously, Hao Yun adopted a respectful tone.

"I am an official of the XX Bureau of the Huaxia nation. The US Embassy has relayed a message, requesting an urgent meeting with Mr. Hao Yun, or for Mr. Hao Yun to return to New York as soon as possible."

"Huh? They didn't notify me..."

Hao Yun took out his phone. Aside from his communication logs with Mikaela and himself, there were no other calls.

The soldier smiled and handed over a document.

Opening it, Hao Yun saw intelligence reports concerning humanity's history of lunar exploration, including classified Chinese records. The documents specifically focused on exploration of the dark side of the moon.

A massive robot, hundreds of space-bridge pillars... Was this the setup for *Dark of the Moon*?

Had the plot of the third movie already begun? Then why hadn't anyone given him a heads-up?!

Wait, it must have been because Sentinel Prime colluded with the Decepticons, combined with the interference of human traitors, which completely severed communication signals.

"I apologize, but please arrange an aircraft for me immediately. I am heading back to New York right away."

Hao Yun stood up and offered an apologetic salute to the soldier. It wasn't that he couldn't return instantly through a spatial portal; rather, he needed to test the waters.

He needed to test whether the Decepticons were truly monitoring him and whether they were actively blocking all of his communications.

If the upper echelons of the US government had indeed been compromised, he might just walk into a trap upon his return. It was better to leave a few flaws for the enemy to expose themselves.

If that proved to be the case, he wouldn't mind teaching the Decepticons a lesson!

The rule of the universe was the Dark Forest theory: the strong could never be insulted with impunity!

"No problem. Please wait an hour."

The soldier nodded, pulled out his phone, and made a call. An hour later, Hao Yun entered a military airfield and was led before a military transport aircraft.

"Please go ahead. Welcome back for another visit whenever you wish."

"Certainly. The cuisine of the Huaxia nation has left me utterly enchanted. It's just a pity I couldn't even eat my way through a single province this time..."

Hao Yun said with a trace of genuine regret. In his past life as a Chinese citizen, he hadn't managed to sample the culinary delights of every province. In this lifetime, having finally seized the opportunity, he had stayed for nearly three years and still hadn't finished exploring just one province!

Damn it, there were simply too many dishes!

"Haha, next time, I'll treat you to a state banquet."

The soldier laughed heartily. Food was, after all, the most prominent symbol of Huaxia!

The fighter jet roared into the sky, carrying Hao Yun toward New York.

Though transport planes lacked the comfort of commercial airliners, their flight speed and security far exceeded civilian aircraft. In just four hours, Hao Yun had re-entered US airspace, and half an hour later, he would be landing in New York.

Looking at the familiar scenery gradually approaching below, Hao Yun rubbed the bridge of his nose. There had been no Decepticon interception along the way; this time, the US government had truly become frightened birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Yet, just as his heart settled down the slightest bit, an alarm suddenly blared inside the plane!

"Warning, warning. An unidentified fighter jet is targeting our aircraft. We have been locked onto by missiles. Please initiate evasion maneuvers immediately!"

Alarms wailed fiercely inside the cabin, and red lights flashed frantically. Hao Yun's expression turned glacial. The plot of *Dark of the Moon* was truly unfolding ahead of schedule!

More importantly, in the original movie plot, only a single corporate tycoon had been controlled by the Decepticons. Now, it appeared that a considerable number of high-ranking US military officials had been compromised!

No wonder he thought a mere corporate tycoon could deploy so many space-bridge pillars across a city—turns out his own backyard had been thoroughly subverted from within?!

"Mr. Potts, there is a parachute beneath your seat. Please bail out as soon as possible!"

"No need to panic. Leave it to me."

Hao Yun unclipped the intercom from the cabin wall, signaling the pilot to remain calm. Then, with a single step, he strode out and stood firmly atop the fuselage of the flying aircraft!

Energy surged within his body, parting the roaring gale winds before him. In the distance, two Sidewinder missiles were indeed screaming toward the aircraft's trajectory!

Farther off, an F22 fighter jet was soaring through the skies!

Very well. Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!

Hao Yun raised his right hand, flipped a coin into the air, and unleashed a technique he hadn't used in years!

"Railgun, fire!"

"Boom!"