Chapter Forty-Two: Defying the Celestial Nemesis

Optimus Prime gently set Ultra Magnus down, then reached into his chest and drew out the Matrix of Leadership.

The azure Matrix floated in the air, swirling slowly as it followed the movement of Optimus Prime’s palm.

“Leader Ultra Magnus, awaken!” With these words, Optimus Prime thrust the Matrix into Ultra Magnus’s chest.

With a shudder, Ultra Magnus regained consciousness. Just as Wang Jing had predicted, the moment he awoke, Ultra Magnus drew his long blade and lunged at Optimus Prime.

Fortunately, thanks to Wang Jing’s earlier warning, Optimus Prime seized the blade firmly and shouted, “I’m Optimus Prime, Optimus Prime! It’s all right, it’s over! The war has ended—you’re safe now!”

Ultra Magnus, now fully awake, sheathed his sword and stood up. “Battle... The Decepticons are closing in.”

“The war is over, and we lost, Ultra Magnus,” said Optimus Prime as he rose to his feet.

Hearing this, Ultra Magnus looked around, recognizing many familiar faces and quite a few strangers.

“Cybertron has been devastated by the war, and now we’re no longer in our original universe,” Optimus Prime explained, picking up the floating Matrix.

“We’re not in our old universe anymore?”

“That’s right. This is Earth in another universe—a sanctuary for us.” Optimus Prime gestured to Wang Jing and the others nearby.

“What about my ship? I remember it was hit by the Decepticons,” Ultra Magnus recalled.

“The Ark is still in the old world, but we did recover all the energy pillars you were guarding.”

“With the energy pillars, Cybertron still has a chance!” Ultra Magnus exclaimed excitedly.

At this moment, Wang Jing stepped forward and addressed Ultra Magnus. “Don’t even think about it. This isn’t the world you once knew. Any agreement between you and the Decepticons means nothing here.”

Ultra Magnus’s brows knitted in suspicion as he stared warily at Wang Jing. “Who are you?”

“I’m the savior personally recognized by your ancestors. I’m also the one who brought you back from the moon!” Wang Jing declared, cocky and self-assured.

Ultra Magnus frowned at Wang Jing’s attitude. “You should learn to show some respect for your elders!”

Wang Jing let out a dismissive laugh. “I don’t say hello to traitors who collude with the enemy.”

Stung by the remark, Ultra Magnus roared in anger, “What do you know? Everything I did was for Cybertron!”

Unfazed by Ultra Magnus’s fury, Wang Jing replied, “That’s exactly why you’re still here, yelling at me. If it weren’t for Optimus Prime pleading on your behalf, I would’ve blown your head off by now!”

Ultra Magnus glanced at Optimus Prime, who nodded and said, “Ultra Magnus, even if your deal with Megatron was meant to save Cybertron, you can’t do so at the expense of enslaving another race. Otherwise, how would we be any different from the Decepticons?”

Feeling both discouraged and chastened by Optimus Prime’s words, Ultra Magnus lowered his head slightly.

At this, Wang Jing added, “Saving Cybertron doesn’t have to mean enslaving humanity.”

“The real reason Cybertron fell to ruin was because of energy. The Fallen wanted to destroy the sun for energy to sustain Cybertron, but the other seven Primes disagreed and sealed away the Matrix.”

“With no energy, Cybertron plunged into crisis and civil war broke out. They even lost the AllSpark recently.”

“So, as long as we find a suitable star, destroy it, and collect the energy, Cybertron can be saved. And since I can travel between worlds, I’ll eventually find the right one. Once we master faster-than-light travel, the universe is vast—finding a lifeless star system won’t be hard,” Wang Jing explained.

Ultra Magnus looked at Wang Jing in surprise. “You’re willing to save Cybertron?”

Wang Jing nodded. “That’s right. It’s the price your Primes asked for, in exchange for the AllSpark and the Matrix.”

“When do you plan to start searching for the right star?” Ultra Magnus’s tone was noticeably more polite now.

“No need to rush. Finding the right star will take time. But it will certainly happen within my lifetime, you can count on that.”

“And we also have a backup plan. Right now, we have a dying star at our disposal. If all else fails, we can destroy that star and extract its energy.”

“Then why not blow up that star now?” Ultra Magnus asked, perplexed.

“Because in that world, Earth hasn’t yet left the solar system. Destroying the star now could affect the humans living on that planet,” Wang Jing answered.

“Earth leaving the solar system? You must mean the spaceship called Earth! That would indeed affect the ship’s electronic systems,” Ultra Magnus mused, nodding to himself.

Wang Jing didn’t bother to correct him. Truth be told, Earth as a spaceship wasn’t entirely wrong; it was just far larger than anyone imagined.

“Before we search for the right star, there’s one thing that must be settled first,” Wang Jing said, holding up a finger.

“What is it?” Ultra Magnus asked solemnly.

“Eliminate Megatron. You don’t want all our efforts to be stolen by the Decepticons in the end, do you?”

Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement. With a flourish of his double-edged sword, he declared boldly, “That’s easy. Send me back, and I’ll personally take his head for you!”

Wang Jing immediately waved him off. “Killing Megatron alone isn’t enough. If we’re going to do this, we do it thoroughly. We set a trap and wipe out the Decepticon leadership in one blow.”

“Without their leaders, the Decepticons will fall apart. Then we won’t have to worry about them taking the fruits of our labor,” Wang Jing said confidently.

“What’s your plan?”

“Now isn’t the time to strike. Shockwave hasn’t arrived on Earth yet. Besides Megatron, he’s the only one truly capable of seizing power. We have to wait until he’s here.”

“I can use the energy pillars to open a space bridge to Cybertron, and bring Shockwave to Earth early so we can act sooner,” Ultra Magnus suggested.

“Exactly. That’s what I had in mind. Megatron doesn’t know you’ve changed sides yet. You can pretend to fall out with us, then open the space bridge and let him summon the Decepticons. I’m sure he’ll seize the opportunity to call Shockwave over,” Wang Jing replied with a smile.

“Where do you plan to set the battlefield? Once the space bridge opens, the Decepticons from Cybertron will be beyond my control, and the destruction and casualties will be immense,” Ultra Magnus warned.

“I’ve already thought about that. Just open the space bridge in the United States—Megatron is there anyway,” Wang Jing answered, grinning wickedly.

“Aren’t you afraid the casualties will be too high?” Ultra Magnus frowned.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re not on our side. No matter how much damage is done, it won’t trouble us.”

Ultra Magnus nodded. “Understood. When do we set out?”

“No rush. We need to make sure we’re strong enough to keep the chaos contained before we act.”