Chapter 36: First Encounter with Humans
"Grandfather, I see something approaching fast! Could it be a house? Maybe if we go there, we'll be saved!"
The voice belonged to a young woman. Judging by her clothing, she didn't seem to come from a poor family...but for some reason, both she and the old man beside her were ragged and filthy.
In this endless desert, such a pair looked completely out of place.
"Girl! Don't be so naive! Have you already forgotten the bandits we ran into a few days ago? What if that's their hideout? Going there now would be like walking straight into a slaughterhouse!"
The old man was clearly far more cautious than the innocent girl. She was likely a young lady from a wealthy merchant clan that traded along the Silk Road...explaining how she ended up in the middle of this desert.
Unfortunately, their caravan had been ambushed, and only the grandfather and his granddaughter had managed to escape. Despite their hunger and exhaustion, they had been extremely careful on their journey.
Perhaps because the navigation lights on Red Spider's body were flickering constantly as night fell, the two mistook them for a distant campfire. Despite the old man's warnings, they couldn't resist moving closer, step by step.
"Ding! The host's surveillance radar has detected intelligent lifeforms on this planet. Transmitting images to the control panel. Danger level: low. Weapon defense not required."
Just as the pair approached, Red Spider's versatile system instantly detected their presence.
"What's going on? Humans? Why does that word sound so familiar?"
For some reason, when the term humans and their image appeared in Red Spider's central processor, he suffered a brief system glitch...perhaps a lingering effect of his recent damage...but quickly recovered.
So this planet's civilization level is that low? They haven't even developed basic firearms, relying mainly on melee weapons for combat.
Though Red Spider was still undergoing major repairs, human armies posed no real threat to him...and these two unarmed civilians even less so.
A few minutes later, the old man and his granddaughter finally saw Red Spider's true form. The old man immediately dropped to his knees, bowing repeatedly toward the jet and muttering prayers.
"I don't know which god rests here… This foolish old man was blind to your greatness! Please, mighty deity, forgive me!"
Red Spider's body, resembling a fighter jet, was something the locals had never seen before. Bathed in pulsing lights, it looked divine...perhaps even monstrous. Overwhelmed, the pair believed they had encountered a desert god or spirit, and so they knelt in worship.
"What are these two talking about? System God, do you have a translator? At least tell me what they're doing!"
In Starscream's memory, this was his first time encountering these kinds of creatures up close. Judging from their actions and expressions, they seemed frightened. What's there to be afraid of? I look magnificent!
"I can attempt to access their linguistic systems, but I advise the host not to communicate with them directly. Doing so may interfere with this planet's natural development...a violation of interstellar law!"
"Fine, fine. Seems like our Transformer System's a law-abiding one. But come on...my real identity is the Decepticon Air Commander! Megatron himself was the first to break universal law on Cybertron!"
Seeing that Red Spider remained motionless, the old man and his granddaughter prayed a few more times, then exchanged puzzled looks.
"Grandfather, I think this being might be asleep. Maybe we should leave before it wakes up. If something happens, I might not be able to escape!"
"Yes, yes! This divine being is clearly letting us go. He must be the guardian of the desert! We are truly blessed today!"
Alright, fine. Godzilla shows no interest because he's got nothing in common with you primitive humans...but that doesn't mean he doesn't understand you.
"Host, a dozen more humans have entered radar range. They appear to be armed with crude weapons. Danger level: medium. Should I activate temporary armaments?"
Well, well...this is getting interesting. Red Spider had been here for nearly half a month, and aside from a few desert scorpions, he hadn't seen a single living creature. Yet tonight, not only had he seen humans...but they were arriving in groups.
"Keep the weapons offline for now, but set them to standby. I want to see what these interesting little humans plan to do."
Although the humans on this planet looked alike in physical form, their adrenaline levels and behavioral patterns revealed clear distinctions. The grandfather-granddaughter pair and the group approaching from the distance were obviously two very different factions.
In this confusing situation, Red Spider decided to observe quietly...for now, he would study the behavioral patterns of ordinary humans. At the very least, it would serve as entertainment while he waited for his self-repairs to finish.
…
After only a few minutes, the two humans beside Red Spider suddenly screamed and fled in terror, as if they had witnessed something horrifying.
"Help! Help! Grandfather! Grandfather!"
It turned out that the second group approaching were none other than the bandits who had ambushed them earlier. They had been following the pair all along, intending to finish the job.
The old man already had a knife lodged in his back, while the young girl...miraculously...was still unharmed.
(End of Chapter)
If you want to see the character profiles, I invite you to my Patreon; they are listed as public content.