Chapter 49 : That Boy's Name Is General Rylen?
"Yes! Kill us or torture us as you wish! It's worth dying on the battlefield alongside General Rylen!"
Wow… Who would've thought these simple humans possessed such a grand spirit? Red Spider could clearly sense the surge of hormones within the three humans before him, but she hadn't expected them to be so indifferent toward death.
"Humans, the three of you have great courage. I want to know the name of your leader. Surely, you don't wish to die as nameless warriors, do you?"
For some reason, Red Spider suddenly felt curious about who this "General Rylen" was, and the question slipped from her lips.
"I never change my name, nor my surname. Remember this well: I am General Rylen, General of Cavalry of the Eclipse Court! I will not allow you...demons who should have been sealed long ago...to return to the human world!"
What was this strange feeling? Why did flames suddenly ignite in Red Spider's core upon hearing that name? It seemed there was truly something on this planet that disturbed the Transformers. Starscream still didn't know what it was, nor how it was affecting his steel body.
"What is this 'demon' you speak of? Do you recognize this mark?"
For some reason, Starscream felt a peculiar curiosity about why these ordinary humans fought so desperately, and why they were willing to sacrifice their lives. Could it all be related to the Decepticon symbol carved into his chest?
The young man before him, this General Rylen, evoked in Starscream a strange sense of familiarity...something both close and foreign...as though that name had once been engraved deep within his core, though he couldn't find any trace of it now.
Of course, Starscream rationally attributed all these odd sensations since arriving on this planet to some kind of sensor or circuit malfunction. He'd definitely need to run a full recalibration once he returned to Cybertron...there was far too much chaos in this universe.
"You're a messenger of those demons, aren't you? Don't you know what the Xiongnu are doing? Our ancestors struggled to seal away those vile creatures underground, yet the Huns have found a way to release them! But remember this...the heavens have eyes! You, who represent the darkness, have returned… but one day, the light shall rise again upon this earth!"
What was going on here? Was a mere human threatening a powerful Transformer? This boy named General Rylen not only gave irrelevant answers but also spoke in strange, cryptic riddles that left Red Spider both confused and annoyed.
"It seems you won't tell me the truth, then. Perhaps I should send your two comrades to that so-called underworld you spoke of. How about that?"
Although this human appeared uncooperative, Red Spider had already analyzed his behavior with her systems and pinpointed his weaknesses. Perhaps these three claimed they didn't fear death, but threatening the lives of his subordinates right before his eyes might yield different results.
"Wait...what's wrong with you? As the vanguard of the demons, don't you know what these Huns are doing?"
This boy surnamed Rylen clearly wasn't very bright. If Red Spider already knew the answer, why would she be asking humans about it?
"Zap!"
Naturally, Red Spider had no patience for these ridiculous exchanges. Her only response to General Rylen's words was to raise her weapon and aim it directly at the heads of his two fellow soldiers.
The message was clear: if they didn't give her a satisfactory answer, the soldiers' heads would explode the next instant. This time, however, the boy named General Rylen finally understood Red Spider's intent and quickly shouted for her to stop.
"Wait! I'll talk, I'll talk! The Huns are searching these plains for the Tomb of Chi You, hoping to resurrect that great demon king and his followers. Back then, our ancestor, the Yellow Emperor, fought fiercely to banish those demons. As a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, how could I allow that tragedy to repeat? My brothers and I came here to sabotage the Huns' plan, but..."
What was this? Chi You? The Yellow Emperor?
This human was recounting ancient myths of this planet...and Starscream couldn't help but feel that it all sounded eerily like an interstellar war!
Due to the limited understanding and perspective of ordinary humans, they often attributed what they couldn't comprehend to mysticism. Yet the information this human provided painted a very different picture in Starscream's mind.
For instance, those "red and green magic spells" could easily have been laser missiles used in battle by Transformers. And those so-called giant flames capable of toppling Mount Buzhou sounded more like a massive spacecraft crashing into the ground.
It seemed everything these humans described as "mythical" could, in fact, be explained by advanced technology...which only fueled Starscream's fascination.
"Fascinating! I never imagined your planet had such an interesting history. Do you know the exact location of this 'Chi'...or this 'oil' you mentioned? I'd love to verify whether your story is true."
In Red Spider's view, the "seals" and "slumbers" these humans spoke of resembled more the sight of a spaceship shutting down after running out of power. These primitive ancestors, who had never seen such technology, exaggerated what they witnessed and mythologized an interstellar war into a legend of their own world.
But it was clear now: long ago, two powerful interstellar forces had clashed on this planet.
And given how the Huns revered the Decepticon insignia emblazoned on Red Spider's chest, it was easy to deduce that the Decepticons had indeed been one of those two forces...perhaps even the dominant one.
"Even the Huns themselves don't know the exact location. We only planned to unearth something... but who could've imagined..."
General Rylen once defeated tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers with only 800 cavalry and captured their golden idol used for sacrificial rites. These feats are recorded in historical texts.
But what was the true purpose of that golden statue?
(End of Chapter)