Chapter 37: Completely Vulnerable
"Run! Run back to that place! The gods will protect you, my child!"
Human life is truly fragile. A dagger had pierced the old man's back, and under Red Spider's silent watch, his life force was rapidly fading...approaching zero, with no chance of recovery.
Though all this unfolded mere meters away, Red Spider showed no intention of interfering in human conflicts, observing everything with a cold, mechanical indifference.
"Grandfather! Grandfather, what's wrong? Please, don't leave me!"
The girl was in shock. Even as the bandits approached, grinning wickedly, she refused to abandon her grandfather's lifeless body.
"Heh, who would've thought we'd find such a beauty in the desert? Seems today's our lucky day!"
"She must be the daughter of that caravan owner who escaped last time. She's gorgeous!"
"Hahaha! I've heard the Western Regions are famous for their beauties. Looks like tonight's going to be a feast!"
…Interesting. These humans were chaotic creatures. The strong preyed on the weak. The males, in particular, exhibited spikes of adrenaline...something quite rare among Transformers. This immediately piqued Starscream's curiosity.
"No! Stay away from me! Somebody help! Please!"
Seeing the predatory gleam in the bandits' eyes, the girl stumbled backward in panic, taking only a few steps before collapsing to the ground, trembling in terror.
"Oh, little one, you've already taken the perfect pose. Isn't that ideal for our pleasure?"
"Hahaha! My sweet lamb, we've been starving for so long...finally, a feast fit for kings!"
All the while, none of the bandits noticed the small, rotating object embedded in a nearby sand dune Red Spider's surveillance drone. Every move they made was being watched and recorded by the Decepticon warrior.
"System Core, have you ever seen descriptions of these inferior beings in your database? Their behavior seems odd. That female's outer shell looks delicate...would she be pleasant to eat raw? There's evidence these creatures can cook with fire, but how do you explain what I'm seeing now…?"
Our dear Starscream, despite the system's translation, didn't fully understand what the humans were saying.
When the bandits said they wanted to "eat" the girl, he took it literally...failing to realize they were referring to a primitive and indecent act. As they began removing their clothing, the misunderstanding only deepened.
Among Transformers, such base instincts simply didn't exist. While there were both male and female Cybertronians, emotional connection came only through resonance with the AllSpark...like that shared between Optimus Prime and his mate.
This kind of behavior was utterly incomprehensible to Starscream.
"Click, click, click!"
Perhaps disturbed by what he was witnessing, Starscream unintentionally broke the silence...his observation drone recording the bizarre scene with an audible snap.
The sudden sound echoed through the vast desert, freezing everyone in place.
The bandit leader...who had just begun unbuckling his belt...jumped in shock, drawing his knife and shouting toward the source of the noise.
"Who's there?! How dare you interrupt my fun! Show yourself if you've got the guts!"
"Yeah! Which fool's hiding out there? You won't escape us tonight!"
As the leader roared, the others drew their crude weapons. To Red Spider, their blades and clubs looked laughably primitive. What truly surprised him was that such insignificant reptiles dared to challenge him...a superior lifeform.
What a bunch of fools.
By now, Red Spider's body had almost fully recovered. With nothing better to do, he decided to play a little game with these ignorant creatures.
"Red Spider...Transform!"
"Shhh!"
"Clang!"
"BOOM!"
The enormous robotic body erupted from beneath the sand, its towering silhouette blotting out the moonlight.
"G God! A god has descended!"
"W What is that thing?!"
Standing over twenty meters tall, Starscream loomed above the tiny humans. The bandits, terrified beyond words, dropped their weapons, while the girl...still trembling on the ground...stared up at the metallic giant, speechless.
Humans possess an instinctive fear of the unknown...even when the unknown is made of cold metal.
"Were you… threatening me, little humans? I, Starscream, despise being threatened! I don't know why...but your actions have angered me greatly!"
Starscream was referring, of course, to what the bandits had tried to do to the girl. He might not have understood human behavior, but witnessing that scene had ignited a strange, unfamiliar spark within him...an emotion he couldn't name, but one that burned with fury.
In an instant, he raised his laser blaster and aimed it directly at the bandit leader.
"G Great God… please, we..."
The man's voice trembled. Though he didn't understand what weapon Red Spider held, his instincts screamed danger. But before he could utter another word...
"Zap!"
A brilliant blue beam burst forth, engulfing him completely. In an instant, the arrogant bandit vanished...vaporized, leaving nothing but a few scraps of fabric drifting to the sand as proof he had ever existed.
(End of Chapter)
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