Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

The day after Yin Xiang fell into a coma, the judicial authorities issued a public notice.

BICk0 repeatedly confirmed the wording, the ambulance checked it three times, and Optimus Prime and Megatron each received a copy in advance.

[Judicial Central Announcement]

[The Chief Justice stated that Vector suffered severe brain module overload due to contact with an unknown ancient device; his vital signs are currently stable, and he is receiving medical observation.]

The relevant devices have been isolated, and the investigation is ongoing.

The judicial system continues to operate as usual; established rulings, compensation procedures, identity verification, and asylum clauses remain unaffected.

The announcement caused a stir on the public platform within a minute of it being posted.

[Hot Topic] What exactly does it mean when vital signs are stable?

[Hot Topic] Why is "severe overload" mentioned in the same sentence as "stable"?

[Hot Topic] When will the Chief Justice wake up?

[Hot Topic] Will the judicial system really not come to a standstill?

[Hot Topic] What if she sleeps for many more years?

-

[Cybertron Historian (Unofficial History) - Cardon]: Will the compensation process really not stop?

【Judicial Center - BICk0】: No.

【Cloudy Mountain City Citizen - stern】: What about the asylum application?

[Judicial Center - BICk0]: Normal processing.

[Crystal City Citizen - Orange Bar]: Will the identification of the Giant Frenzied continue?

【Judicial Central Hub - BICk0】: Yes.

[Kalis's errand runner - Wanwanyu]: Will the Chief Justice really wake up?

It took a few seconds to get a reply to this message.

[Ambulance]: Her vital signs are stable.

[Karon Arena Audience - Nebula Blaze]: Please answer the question.

[Ambulance]: Medical decisions are not subject to urging from public platforms.

[Jack]: To put it another way, he can wake up, but if anyone asks him again, he'll start yelling at the machine.

[Ambulance]: You shut up too.

-

The ambulance driver really wanted to curse.

The vector lay on the medical table, the brain module load slowly decreased, the spark stabilized, and the energy cycle did not deteriorate.

Based on the data, all she needs is time.

But these words did nothing to comfort the group of people outside the medical room.

They had a terrible experience with the idea of ​​"waiting for her to wake up".

Rumble and Confusion didn't leave on the first night. The mechanical dog lay outside the door, looking up to confirm whoever approached. The circular sawbird huddled high up in the medical room.

The laser bird landed on the other side, keeping its data synchronized with the sound waves, with each data refresh occurring only five seconds apart.

Megatron reviewed all the records and then had Soundwave check them again.

The ambulance waited until the next day, and finally looked up abruptly when he asked again, "Why hasn't the activity of the brain modules improved significantly?"

"Because recovery cannot be sped up simply by giving an order."

Megatron stared at the gravitational vector on the medical table: "She's been like this before."

Everyone knew what he was talking about, so even though all the data indicated that she would wake up soon, not many dared to truly believe it.

The ambulance driver concluded by saying, "This time is different."

Megatron still hasn't left.

Optimus Prime comes every day.

He didn't stay long, didn't obstruct the ambulance, and just stood there for a short while.

Afterwards, he went back to handle the Autobots' affairs, calmed the smokescreen, and suppressed the voices that were beginning to discuss whether to strengthen control in all aspects.

Smoke screens are harder to persuade than any other machine.

"The thing was taken out of my chest!"

"You didn't put it in there," the ambulance driver said.

"But I was right next to her when she touched it. If only I had noticed sooner—"

"You don't even know you have something in your chest."

The smoke hung low, and the car door flaps drooped down.

The ambulance driver looked at him for a while, then his tone softened somewhat: "All you can do is wait for her to wake up."

Yanmu didn't fully listen, and although she didn't say anything, she felt guilty.

BICk0 is busier than usual.

She had to handle everything, from the division of judicial central tasks and visitation lists to medical data backup, public opinion management, isolation permissions for unknown devices, and temporary approval rules for the chief judge during his coma.

She even blocked seven applications for commemorative events!

Two of the proposals sought to erect statues ahead of schedule, one proposed turning the outer wall of the judicial center into a memorial wall, and the remaining three applied to name the plaza, produce commemorative images, and establish an annual day of mourning, respectively.

Another proposal is to permanently preserve the Chief Justice's office intact as a spiritual symbol of the Chief Justice's life.

BICk0, suppressing his anger, pressed send twice forcefully when requesting a callback.

The Chief Justice is not dead.

The words she didn't say aloud were perfectly delivered by Jiuqi on public platforms.

This includes, but is not limited to, "Don't think about this and that while you're still working hard! She'll live a long life!" and "Say that again and I'll sue you for defamation. I've got your ID, I'm going to get Megatron to take you down..."

-

The vector does not always remain in darkness.

In a fleeting moment, she seemed to see the void being sliced ​​open by a thin line of light.

The twelve primordial ancestors stood further away, just out of her reach.

She was so angry that all she could do was grit her teeth and curse these guys for being so shrewd.

One of the figures took a half step forward—based on the silhouette, she could only guess that it might be Yin Tianxing.

Something compressed very small passed through the crack and silently fell into a storage compartment inside her body.

The vector knew what it was, and in that instant, her magnetic field instinctively spread out, covering all the fluctuations.

The crack closed immediately, as if nothing had happened.

All that remained was a vague and apologetic statement: "It's not the right time yet."

-

On the third day, the gravitational vector woke up.

The first thing that was restored was sound; she could hear the equipment running and someone speaking softly.

"The load has decreased."

Did she move just now?

"Boom! Don't lie on the medical table!"

When the optical lens is opened by the vector, the field of vision is initially a blurry white.

A few seconds later, the ambulance's face gradually became clear, and it looked like it hadn't rested for several days, ready to yell at her the next second.

The vector stared at him for a moment: "How long am I supposed to sleep?"

The medical room fell silent instantly.

The ambulance driver closed its optical goggles, seemingly relieved: "Three days."

The vector thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."

The ambulance driver's expression immediately darkened: "You're in such a terrible state! After being unconscious for three days, your first words upon waking were, 'How are you?'"

"Shorter than before."

A sudden burst of energy and confusion rushed over; one grabbed her arm, while the other nearly pushed onto the medical table before being pulled away by the ambulance.

The mechanical dog raised its head and nuzzled the back of her hand, while the circular sawbird fell from a height and landed on the stand next to her shoulder.

BICk0 stood a short distance away, trying his best to control his expression, confirming that the vector optical lens had refocused and that he could really speak, before walking over.

"Attraction vector".

The vector responded with a sound, and the BICk0 car door flaps swayed gently.

Yanmu stood by the door of the medical room, not daring to go forward.

The vector saw him and waved: "Don't worry about it, it's not your problem."

The smoke slowly moved closer to her: "But—"

Her brain was still throbbing, and she spoke more slowly than usual, but her voice remained clear: "Don't take responsibility for things you shouldn't."

The smoke screen suddenly lit up and felt a little sore. With her tacit permission, I carefully touched her fingertips.

After lying down for a while, Yin Vector belatedly realized that there were too many machines in the medical room.

"Why are you all here?"

Everyone remained silent.

She looked at the expressionless ambulance and listened as he explained, "On the first day you were unconscious, they almost mistook the medical room for a long-term residence. The judicial authorities were even going to hold a memorial event for you."

Pointer vector: "..."

BICk0 added: "All have been rejected!"

"...Why are there commemorative events?"

BICk0 paused for a moment: "Public sentiment is quite intense."

Slowly raise your hand and press it against your forehead.

She had only been in a coma for three days, and these Cybertronians were already planning to give her a major makeover.

-

Megatron and Optimus Prime arrived quickly after receiving the message.

Megatron walked to the medical table and first checked that she was awake. Although he confirmed that she was alright, his face still looked like he had drunk the final battle bubble.

"You still know to wake up."

He looked at her with a piercing gaze: "What else? Should I lie back down and show you?"

Megatron didn't answer, closed his eyes briefly, and seemed to be angered by her again.

Finally, he simply raised his hand and touched the outside of her wrist.

Optimus Prime, standing on the other side, asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Too much stuff in your head."

"Can you tidy it up?"

"Yes." The vector paused for a moment. "It will take time."

The ambulance driver immediately replied, "What she needs most right now is rest. We'll take care of anything you need to ask within ten minutes."

Megatron looked towards the quarantine zone: "What is that thing?"

The medical room fell silent.

The vector knew that this problem couldn't be avoided.

The ultimate key in the isolation container has been transferred to the highest-level storage area of ​​the judicial center, and only BICk0, the ambulance, and she can directly open it.

After a few seconds of thought, the vector figure said, "A very ancient device."

Megatron stared at her: "Anything else?"

"It contains some information from the Yuanzu era."

"What information?"

"Incomplete".

"Attraction vector".

"My brain module has just been crammed with a bunch of stuff, and I haven't finished organizing it yet."

It's true, but I didn't say everything.

Megatron understood this tone all too well.

It's not that she can't explain it, it's that she's simply not prepared to explain.

"Are you guarding against me?"

The vector did not avoid his gaze, and this time even its expression did not change, showing considerable candor.

"I'm defending against all machines."

Megatron's expression was not good, but he did not press the matter further.

Once she decides not to speak, no one can pry her open; forcing her will only make her shut the door tighter.

Optimus Prime asked, "Does this information concern the security of Cybertron?"

"possible."

"Do you need the Autobots' help?"

"Not needed for now."

Optimus Prime remained silent for a moment.

He realized he had been rejected too.

But he just nodded: "We'll talk about it when you're ready and willing to."

The vector was a little hesitant about this, but only a little.

The coordinates of the sacred relic cannot be handed over.

Megatron is carrying out the ruling, and he is indeed making changes.

But he is still Megatron.

Star Sword, Phase Shifter, Supreme Armor, Locking Staff, Magnetic Gauntlets...

Any one of these items, if it falls into his hands, could instantly shatter the current fragile balance.

He might not be immediately interested.

But that alone is not enough.

As for Optimus Prime, the question has never been whether he can keep the secret.

Rather, he represents the Autobots.

Once he knew, the relic would no longer be just a secret.

It will become a question of whether the Autobots have the right to know, need to take over, should share, and must prevent the Decepticons from acquiring them.

Then Megatron will find out that the Autobots have the coordinates.

The ceasefire treaty will be more than ten pages long, the public platform will be bombed again, and Cybertron may also restart the civil war.

I only thought about the vector once before my brain started to hurt again.

The ambulance driver, seeing her frown, immediately turned into a fly swatter: "It's time."

Megatron didn't move: "She just woke up."

"So you get out."

Optimus Prime was the first to turn around.

Megatron stared at the ambulance for two seconds, then gritted his teeth and turned around as well.

Before leaving, he glanced at the vector: "You'd better really just be tidying up."

Yin Xiang remained silent, only raising an eyebrow at him, and said nothing more.

-

For the next half day, the ambulance did not allow her to leave the medical station.

BICk0 blocked all the documents piling up in the judicial center from entering.

The vector was lying down and felt uncomfortable all over, so he could only close his optical glasses and sort out what was in his mind.

The amount of information is overwhelming, yet it remains incomplete.

She knew that a large number of sacred objects were buried on Earth, the location of the Hammer of the Pride of the Sky, the Iron Fortress Project, and that there were even deeper sealed documents behind the coordinates.

But what she saw was only a part that had been opened by the ultimate key.

The truly complete record is still in Iron Fortress—the old archives of Master Titanium.

It is not on any public map, and the entrance is hidden underground in the Iron Fortress, which was likely sealed off after the war.

The indexable vector brain module now includes an additional route and a permission sequence.

The optical mirror is opened by the vector.

The first thing to do is to keep the Ultimate Key sealed away, and prevent it from being touched or taken away by any party.

The second task was to access the old archives of Ironforge. This involved confirming the list of relics, their sealing method, their Earth coordinates, and the exact amount of content remaining in that prophecy.

The third thing is to find a way to get to Earth. We can't mobilize a large number of personnel from the judicial center, or publicly apply for flight routes, and we also have to be careful not to be detected by sound waves.

She needed a sufficiently secretive team, an inconspicuous mode of voyage, and a reason that seemed casual and didn't need to be questioned.

The most troublesome part is the Iron Fort archives.

Of course, she could go to Optimus Prime, tell him she needs to enter the deepest old archives of the Autobots, and ask him to delete her travel history without asking why.

It sounds very "reasonable," basically it's like having "I have a secret" printed on your forehead.

He sat up abruptly, and the ambulance driver, without even looking up from the operating table in the medical room, drove off.

"Lie back down."

"I just sat up."

"You've only been awake for a short while."

"I really have something to do."

The ambulance pulled up and forcefully pushed her back onto the medical table: "Even if it were a miracle worker, he'd have to lie down."

Pointer vector: "..."

She obediently lay back down and closed her optical glasses.

The old route leading to the Iron Fortress's underground was still clear in my mind.

Now there's only one way left—sneak in.

As the chief judge of the judicial center, she had only been awake for a few days when she actually began planning how to illegally access the Autobots' archives.

...Great, I hope she doesn't catch those original ancestors!!