Chapter 42: Those Who Offend the Mighty Eclipse Court Shall Be Punished, Even from Afar
While Red Spider and the so-called Hunnic worshipers were busy excavating an underground facility, they were unaware that several suspicious and hostile eyes were already watching them from afar.
"My lord, what should we do now? The mark on that giant's body… it's the same one mentioned in the ancient texts. Is this truly the end of our Eclipse Court? If they uncover that power, no one in all of China will be able to stop the iron cavalry of the Xiongnu!"
"Yes! Lord Huo, we're helpless. If it were just the Xiongnu, we could still rally a great army and crush them. But that monster… if they awaken its original power, there will be more of those things...and then we're finished!"
This was a hushed conversation between several "slaves." But in truth, they were only pretending. Judging by their stance and movements, these men were martial artists...top-tier warriors among humans. Especially the burly young man called Lord Huo...broad-shouldered, disciplined, and clearly no ordinary laborer.
However, no matter how strong a human might be, none could compare to Red Spider. Not even ten thousand of them could rival the aerial commander of the Decepticons. Such was the superiority of an advanced civilization.
"Silence, all of you! Don't lose your morale! General Wei sent us here to gather intelligence and prevent exactly this from happening. I don't care who they're trying to awaken...Chi You or some other demon...remember this: Those who offend the mighty Eclipse , even from afar, shall be punished!"
So they did have ulterior motives after all. Yet despite their whispering, speaking almost directly into one another's ears, the Transformers' surveillance system easily picked up their words, and Starscream received the data instantly.
Normally, Starscream couldn't care less about the petty chatter of ordinary humans. To them, a Transformer of his caliber was practically a god...it was only natural they'd gossip among themselves. He wasn't about to waste system memory analyzing such trivialities.
However, when those disguised soldiers uttered the words "Eclipse Court" and "punished even from afar," Red Spider's spark flickered violently...as if those words resonated with him on some deep level.
"System, what's going on? Why did my spark react to those humans' words? I shouldn't have had any contact with them before! Is there some kind of energy fluctuation tied to those characters they mentioned?"
"Host, I suspect you're overthinking it. There's no trace of energy in their speech. Perhaps those words appeared somewhere in your memory banks? I suggest running a system self-diagnostic."
After scanning his memory and language modules, Red Spider still couldn't determine the cause of the spark's fluctuation. It was brief, and quickly subsided, but he saved the data log for later analysis...perhaps someday he'd understand.
"For now, ignore them...but keep a close eye on those humans. I have a feeling they're not aligned with these Huns. Could they be part of some rival faction?"
This was the first time Starscream had ever shown genuine interest in a human conflict...but his main priority remained the excavation of the Decepticon outpost. And soon enough, progress arrived.
"Boom!"
"Crash!"
Whether due to a hollow space beneath or some mechanical trigger, a massive cave-in suddenly occurred about two hundred meters from Starscream. At least a hundred soldiers and slaves fell into a huge pit. Fortunately, it wasn't very deep, and the loose soil cushioned their fall...no casualties.
Moments later, excited shouts rose from the Huns.
"Look...what's that?! There's another mark here! We found it!"
Excellent. It seemed the Decepticon outpost wasn't buried too deep. A massive metal slab was soon pulled from the collapsed area...it looked like a door, with the Decepticon insignia engraved beside it, clearly marking a security system.
"Lord Huo, those Huns and that enormous monster seem to have found something. Should we follow them?"
Indeed, the Eclipse soldiers were also searching for this Decepticon outpost...but in their records, it was known by another name, one that fit their human worldview.
"No, this place is too dangerous. Even if we don't fear the Huns, we must be cautious of that giant. I'll go down with a few men. The rest of you slip away and report to General Wei...tell him to move the troops quietly. We can't let the Huns unearth that thing!"
"General Huo, it's too dangerous. You should withdraw and deliver the message yourself."
Clearly, this Decepticon outpost meant a great deal to the humans...perhaps their system's ancient developers had done something unusual to them long ago.
Starscream, however, cared nothing for their politics. He simply descended into the pit, scattering the humans aside, until he stood alone before the metallic door.
"Host, this is a photosensitive access-control system. Though it's ancient...perhaps millennia old...the developers designed it for long-term compatibility. You only need to charge your Decepticon insignia to project the proper light pattern inside."
Impressive. So only a Decepticon could open this kind of door...it made sense that the Huns had struggled for so long to get in.
"Heh. Let's give it a try. I want to see what those ancient Decepticon pioneers were really doing on this planet. I still can't imagine what could've drawn their attention to such a primitive world."
Following the system's instructions, Starscream activated the mechanism.
(End of Chapter)