Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 83 Crimson Eyes

After Orion finished speaking, the hearing room remained silent for a long time.

The group on the platform finally realized that the interrogation couldn't proceed as they had originally planned.

After a while, a sound finally rang out.

The person in the middle of the platform spoke with a tone that, compared to before, seemed to be seriously considering something.

"Your remarks are closer to what we really want to hear today than those before."

The vector was standing below, and upon hearing this, his eye twitched.

She didn't like that kind of opening.

The voice didn't stop; it continued.

"Cybertron is indeed going through a dangerous period, with old problems piling up and new conflicts surfacing. The situation no longer needs more intense division, but rather a direction that can be understood, accepted, and guided."

"Orion, you have proven that you have this ability to express and guide."

Another voice from the platform followed suit, carrying a ridiculously fake appreciation.

"You are neither avoiding the issue nor denying the need for change."

"Instead of simply appealing to anger and intimidation, Cybertron needs an opportunity to clearly articulate its future."

The vector was so strong that even the masked man was practically numb from listening.

It's disgusting.

They praise you so sweetly, but what kind of shady ideas are they really plotting?

She glanced at Orian.

Orion clearly realized that things were going wrong. His expression tightened slightly behind his optical glasses, and he remained silent, as if waiting to see how far they wanted to go with their conversation.

As it turned out, the people on the platform were even more shameless than she had imagined.

"In the current situation, Cybertron does not need more extreme flames, but rather leaders capable of rebuilding order."

"And you, Orion Parks, have shown us that possibility."

A commotion broke out in the outer seats, and the group chat fell silent for a moment.

97: "...Did I hear that right?"

AZ: You heard me right.

As Yin Xiang stood in the central circular area, before he could even furrow his brow, a projection on the platform, slightly to the left of center, suddenly dimmed.

She looked up instinctively.

The obstruction wasn't completely removed; only the projection layer in one location turned off by itself.

Then, a face appeared.

Titanium Master.

……really.

She had felt that the movements in one of the positions were somewhat familiar.

Master Titanium showed up, but didn't say anything harsh right away. He first looked at the three machines below, his gaze lingered on Orion for a second, then glanced at Megatron, and finally chuckled softly when he looked at the Graviton, before slowly speaking.

"Cybertron has truly reached a point where it can no longer pretend that nothing has happened."

"Anger and chaos do not arise from nothing."

"That's why, at times like these, we need an opportunity that truly makes our direction visible."

His tone was gentle, but he still gave a slight purse of his lips.

She knew he wasn't siding with the other members of parliament. But in the current situation, those few words were objectively handing a ladder to those on the high platform.

Master Titanium continued:

"What he just said proves that Orion is more than just good at pointing out problems."

"He also has the ability to convince more Cybertronians that the future is not sustained by fear and oppression."

"If we had to ask today, has the company already demonstrated the qualifications to take on that position...?"

He paused for a moment.

"In my opinion, yes."

The atmosphere on the platform was completely different.

Sure enough, a member of parliament quickly took over.

"In that case, the Supreme Council will not turn a blind eye to candidates who have demonstrated their qualifications."

"It's no secret that Cybertron needs a new leader."

"Now, finally, one of them has appeared here."

Orion finally spoke up.

"etc."

He was clearly stunned by this development.

"I'm standing here today not because..."

Before he could finish his sentence, someone on the platform interrupted him.

"We can certainly tell that it's not about vying for power."

"That's precisely why it shows you're well-suited for that position."

Okay. You push him up, and the first thing he does is try to back away, but you even interpret his "back away" as "suitable."

Something started going wrong in the group chat.

Arcee: "What's going on now?"

Sound waves: 'Directional propulsion.'

The unexpected events at the Orion Optical Lens gradually evolved into something more complex.

He wasn't flattered by this; he simply realized that the councilors on the platform weren't respecting his words, but were merely using them to pave a new stage for themselves.

But Megatron, standing next to him, reacted even more obviously.

At first, Vector was listening to the high platform continuing to make grand pronouncements about "the responsibilities of a leader," "the new direction of Cybertron," and "not all anger is suited to wielding power." But as he listened, he sensed that the air pressure on his left was off.

A pressure that grows heavier, harder, and sharper, ready to burst open at any moment.

She subconsciously tilted her head slightly.

Then the entire machine jolted and almost got stuck.

Megatron's optical mirror has become red.

Clear, direct, and burning red with suppressed rage.

The fusion cannon on the right has a tiny preparatory movement; it might be raised at any moment in a fit of rage.

Pointer vector: "..."

Her brain module's first reaction was not a political judgment.

It's a very simple and honest statement:

Wow!

Are you that angry?

Of course she knew that Megatron was ambitious and eager for that position.

But now that she has seen him so angry, she suddenly realizes that this matter is far more complicated and important to him than she had just understood.

Those on the platform continued their discussion.

I don't want to hear a single word about vectors.

She glanced at Orion first, then at Megatron.

That bastard is really going to fire the gun any second now.

Without thinking, she raised her left hand first and lightly touched the outer armor plate of the fusion cannon on Megatron's right hand.

A very small, subtle, but clearly defined action.

Don't blow it up yet.

Megatron paused briefly, but the people on the platform and those in the outer seats didn't notice.

He tilted his head and glanced at her.

Just as he was about to fly into a rage, someone gently touched him, and he was suddenly pulled back to his senses for a moment.

Even the vector itself was a bit confused.

She was startled by those red glasses and instinctively tried to push him back.

When she looked back, the meaning in her eyes was clear.

Are you that angry? But don't move in this situation.

Megatron looked at her, the red in his optical glasses hadn't faded, but the anger that was almost burning to the edge was abruptly stopped by her touch.

They were still talking on the high platform.

The vector could hear the fire starting to rise.

She placed her left hand on Megatron and pressed down gently to make sure he wouldn't fire on the spot, at least not now.

Then she looked up and gazed at the platform again.

She finally understood completely.

This slag is a trap.

They defined Megatron as "dangerous," "ambitious," and "unsuitable," while placing Orion in the category of "rational," "guiding," and "leader candidate."

It doesn't matter whether Orion is willing or not, nor does it matter whether Megatron will be forced to explode, as long as things are arranged the way they want.

She stood between the two machines, and the optical lens slowly cooled down.

Is this how you play it?

So you're good at arranging things, huh?

Then she doesn't need to give them any face anymore.

⸻

As soon as the spark sank, the magnetic force gently pushed it to both sides.

Megatron and Orion were both visibly pulled back half a step by that invisible force.

Step back first, I'll handle this.

She took half a step forward, standing just in front of the two machines, and looked up at the blurry projection on the platform. Her voice was clear.

"Have you said enough?"

The entire hearing room fell silent for a moment.

The recorder finally realized what was happening, and his tone turned serious: "Vectoring, this isn't something you can interrupt at will..."

"Oh, then continue." The vector didn't even turn its head. "Continue listening to them force a position onto an unprepared machine, and then conveniently label another machine they wanted as a dangerous element, right?"

The recorder was momentarily stunned.

The voice of the right-leaning senator who was first on the platform was somewhat gloomy.

Watch your wording.

The vector gave a cold laugh.

"You're already assigning locations to other planes, and I have to worry about how to phrase things for you?"

This time, someone in the group couldn't hold back any longer.

97: "...She started."

Knocked down: "Finally."

Another legislator on the platform spoke up, trying to steer the conversation back to proper procedure.

"The Supreme Council made its judgment, which is more favorable to Cybertron's future, based on your statements just now."

"If you have any objections, you can raise them based on facts and logic, rather than disrupting the inquiry with this emotional approach."

The vector looked up at the projection.

On one hand, he was criticizing people in front of her, and on the other hand, he had to pretend that he was making a fair judgment about the future.

When she spoke, her voice became even more flat.

"Okay."

"Then let's do it your way, based on facts and logic."

She paused for a moment, then looked up at the platform.

"Megatron is ambitious, that's true. He wants power, and he wants that position, what's wrong with admitting that?"

"Orion has all the qualities you've mentioned, and that's fine. He's articulate, clear-headed, and can definitely get the machine to listen."

The commotion on the outer seats had gone beyond a small one; many passengers were noticeably sitting up straight, waiting to hear her important points.

The vector stood in the center of the field, its impact resounding.

"I'm not here to argue with you about whether these judgments are right or wrong."

"I want to ask, why do you always only watch the half that you want to see?"

The hearing room fell into a deathly silence.

She continued speaking, at a slow pace and with clear enunciation.

"Megatron is ambitious, you can see that."

"Then why can't you see his judgment, his ability to act, and his decisiveness?"

"When Caron was making such a mess, you were sitting up there explaining the procedures. He was actually doing things down there, and you all turned around and called it all 'dangerous'."

She gently tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Why not just say it directly: you're afraid of him?"

The person who spoke first in the group chat.

Red Spider: "That's true."

Shockwave: 'Precise description.'

Ignoring the vector, he continued to stare at the high platform.

"Orion can speak, he can think, and he has the ability to explain things clearly, as you can see."

"But why don't you look at your partners?"

"He clearly wanted to stop, to explain, to take a step back. You heard it, but you pretended not to hear it."

"He didn't nod, so you nod for him."

"Then you tell all the machines, is that called judgment?"

She chuckled, her expression turning indifferent.

"That's not called judgment."

"That's called screening."

Finally, someone from the high platform spoke up in a calm voice.

"Vector, are you now questioning the Supreme Council's ability to judge the leader candidates?"

She took it back immediately.

"No."

"I'm questioning whether you even have the ability to make judgments, like the one described by the mask."

The pressure from the outer seats is starting to get out of control.

The vector continued:

"You define Megatron by ambition and Orion by ideals, as if you're so objective and fair."

"But what about yourselves?"

"Don't you yourselves have any ambition? Don't you yourselves want to keep your positions? Haven't you taken Cybertron's future as your own, and chosen a more convenient answer for yourselves?"

The person on the platform tensed up instantly, clearly losing their balance.

She didn't stop; each sentence became more and more sharp and incisive.

"To put it bluntly, it's not that you can't see what's going on in each of them."

"You know Megatron is powerful, and you also know he's difficult to control."

"You all know that Orion carries weight, and his words are more easily accepted."

"So you're choosing one that's safer for you."

The moment those words were spoken, the commotion on the outer seats changed.

These words directly tore away the pretense on the high platform.

The displeasure in the voice of the councilor in the middle of the platform was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal.

"The position of leader is never an ordinary responsibility that someone can accept when they are ready and someone can step down when they are not."

"This concerns the future direction of Cybertron as a whole, and it's not something that can be controlled by personal emotions."

Upon hearing this, the vector's gaze grew even colder.

"Yes, it's not just a regular duty."

"Then I'm even more eager to ask."

"You just said you wanted Orion to go find the Leadership Module, treating it as a so-called test, right?"

People in the outer seats immediately turned their heads, and there was a brief moment of silence on the platform.

The vectors don't give them any time to think.

"You yourselves have admitted that after the golden age, truly recognized leaders have never appeared normally again, and the leadership module has been absent."

"In other words, this is something you yourselves haven't solved, found, or understood over the years."

"So now you're holding a machine you just set up and saying, 'Okay, go find it.' This is a test."

She was genuinely so angry she laughed.

"You yourselves haven't been able to solve this problem for tens of millions of years, and now you're putting it on Orion's shoulders and calling that proof of qualification?"

"So, should I praise you for being exceptionally fair?"

In that brief, deathly silence, a senator on the left side of the platform, seemingly eager to salvage the situation, blurted out, "If Optimus Prime can truly pass the leadership test, then naturally..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

late.

The entire hearing room heard it.

The vector's eyes have completely changed.

"oh."

Her voice was even more flat: "I've even thought of a name."

Orion froze for a moment.

Being pushed towards the leadership position was one thing, but now that even the subsequent title has been leaked, the meaning is completely different.

These things had been planned long ago.

After a long silence in the group, Jiuqi finally blurted out a comment.

97: "Holy crap."

Red Spider paused for a few moments before speaking.

Red Spider: "How ugly."

Yin Xiang stared at the projection on the high platform, his voice sharp and cold.

"Didn't you hear him say 'wait'? Didn't you hear that he wasn't prepared to take on this heavy burden that you suddenly dumped on him?"

"You actually decided for him, named him, and put up a stupid test that you yourselves couldn't even solve."

"Do you really think you're running for leader?"

Someone on the platform was clearly getting restless; their tone had become aggressive, almost shouting.

"Use vectors, and pay attention to your boundaries."

She doesn't care at all.

"When you're giving away things on behalf of others, why don't you consider boundaries!"

"Now that I've exposed your shameless thoughts, you're already bringing them up?"

She stood at the very front of the central circular area, very close to the platform.

"I'm not saying Orian isn't qualified. He deserves that position."

"What I'm saying is, whether he's qualified or not is something he has to face himself, and it's a path that Cybertron has to take to decide. It's not something you can sit on top of, say a few nice words, throw a stupid test at him, and that's it."