Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 125 Cloud-Mist Mountain City - Joint Braking

The battlefield in the misty mountain city is even more complex.

It is built between high mountains, floating cities and cloud-covered waterways, and is surrounded by low-temperature fog belts and ionized clouds all year round.

The lower level of the mountain houses civilian streets, medical stations, and evacuation routes; the middle level, a suspended platform, connects the college district, the judicial branch, and several old-style energy towers; further up, there is an aerial airway that cuts through the clouds.

There is another famous place in Yunwu Mountain City called Crystal Garden.

Crystal flowers are not plants, but semi-natural structures cultivated by the early builders of the mountain city using crystal minerals and light-guiding metals. They take root in the cold rock layers high up, with thin and transparent petals that refract cloud light during the day and glow with a faint blue-purple light along their veins at night.

Many college students went there to take their first urban structure class, while many others simply went to observe.

-

The Decepticons stormed into Cloud Mountain City, taking advantage of the thick fog.

The first group of trackers flew in from the high-altitude flight path, skimming along the lower edge of the clouds. Their wings tore through the low-temperature fog, leaving brief, silvery trails.

Red Spider personally commands the air force.

After the Qingqiu City incident, he became particularly sensitive to the words "air force dispatch." Shockwave had seized a layer of power from his sphere of influence with a brilliantly executed, almost grotesque, control operation. Starscream, of course, hadn't forgotten.

Therefore, he needs to fight the battle at Cloud Mist Mountain City spectacularly.

He wanted to make all the aircraft remember again who the aerial battlefield belonged to.

"Trackers Squadron 3, descend and blockade the outer edge of the airspace above the Academy District," Starscream's voice crackled in the Decepticon channel. "Overwhelming, Skyscraper, go around the eastern cloud ridge and don't let the Autobots' air support get in."

Thunderclap responded quickly: "I know."

"The chaos started a little late: 'That area is close to a civilian shelter.'"

Red Spider sneered.

"I said block the shipping lanes, not that you should bomb the refuge area into a monument."

There was a brief silence in the channel, then a loud reply came through: "Received."

Above the clouds, Skyfire, accompanied by Autobot air support, rushed to meet them.

The two sides clashed in close combat amidst the clouds and mist.

Artillery fire lit up the white mist, only to be quickly swallowed up. The navigation lights of the high-altitude airway flashed one after another, then were distorted into a blurry red.

The interference from sound waves seeped out from deep within the clouds.

Communication delays, coordinate shifts, and the battlefield layer being fragmented layer by layer.

The police cars immediately switched to the short-range confirmation protocol, while simultaneously disengaging all evacuation routes within the city from the automated system.

"Do not connect to the high-altitude relay link," the police car ordered in the Autobot channel. "All evacuation teams, use ground beacons as references. Repeat, use ground beacons as references."

The metal sheet, braving the gunfire in the lower-level streets, pushed a squad of civilian aircraft that had not yet finished evacuating into the refuge passage.

"Did you hear me? Follow the lights! Don't look at the things in the sky, even the road signs over there look like they're drunk now."

One of the young guards was taken aback.

Tin Man turned and glared at him: "Run!"

The guard ran away immediately.

The baffle and shield guarded the other side of the passage. Heavy firepower bombarded in from the outer layer of the mountain. The baffle pushed the entire machine forward, blocking half of the collapsing protective panel.

The barrier pushed the two students further in: "Don't look back, walk towards the medical station!"

Not far away, Bumblebee glided past from the side, his short-range signal flashing on his arm armor. He reconnected several sets of malfunctioning beacons to the ground beacons, his movements as swift as a bright yellow line.

Tinplate glanced at him: "Kid, don't go too deep!"

Bumblebee raised his hand to indicate that he had received the message, then turned and rushed towards the next extinguished beacon.

Ironhide watched his retreating figure and muttered under his breath, "None of them are afraid of death."

Tongtianxiao confirmed the queue after the offline process was completed.

"The second evacuation from the college area is complete. Three groups of wounded personnel remain in the medical area."

"Give me a place," Alita's voice broke in.

She led her team to guard the outer perimeter of the college area, maintaining stable firepower and issuing clear orders.

Arcee and Cliffrunner flanked the abandoned bridge, forcing back a Decepticon squad attempting to flank into the medical area. Arcee moved swiftly, and Cliffrunner followed precisely; the two machines coordinated seamlessly.

Black Widow appeared briefly in the fog further away; Arcee only caught a glimpse of her dark figure.

She frowned.

The next second, the figure disappeared into the dust cloud to the side.

Flying over the mountain, it asked, "What do you see?"

"Troublesome," Arcee said.

"What kind of trouble?"

"The kind that makes your machine shiver."

Flying over the mountain paused for a moment: "That sounds really exciting."

"Don't get your hopes up," she replied coldly.

-

On the mid-level floating platform, Optimus Prime and Megatron faced off head-on, with neither side engaging in any unnecessary probing.

The energy weapon exploded at close range, the shockwave shattering the protective railings at the platform's edge. Clouds of mist poured up from the breach, like the entire city exhaling chilling air amidst the flames of war.

Jazz glided past from the side, casually dragging back a Transformer that had been thrown back by the impact.

Sidewinder followed closely on the other side, his twin swords gleaming, his optics brighter than a battlefield alarm: "I can cut in from the left!"

"No," the jazz said.

"You didn't even watch it!"

I could tell from your tone that it wasn't possible.

Sideswipe looked very dissatisfied.

The next second, the dead fire's artillery fire came from the left platform, turning that route into a sea of ​​fire.

Jazz glanced at him and shut up.

"You've learned it?" the jazz asked.

"I've learned it for now."

"Very good, keep up this excellent form."

Barricade led a squad of Decepticons in an attack from a side street, and the detective and police cars rushed over to intercept them. The detective's firepower was direct, while the police cars kept forcing them back to their pre-arranged route, drawing lines in the chaos.

On the police car's tactical screen, the misty mountain city was broken into countless sections.

Aerial walkways, suspended platforms, mountain supports, college area, medical area, judicial branch, crystal garden, three cloud ridge stabilization towers.

Every sector is issuing warnings, and every line is turning red.

He didn't look up: "Iron sheet, the structural damage around the third stabilizing tower exceeds forty percent."

"I saw it." The metal man's voice came from the lower channel, accompanied by the sounds of explosions and metal scraping.

"You'd better not just see it."

"I'm telling those idiots not to blow it up!"

After Ironhide finished speaking, he raised his cannon and blasted the bridge beam next to the feet of a Decepticon machine, forcing the opponent back to the other side of the street.

In the distance, a deviated heavy artillery shell grazed the mountainside and crashed directly into the edge of the Crystal Garden.

A blinding light erupted from there, shattering large swathes of crystal flowers.

Countless transparent petals burst open from above, like a crystal-clear, cold rain. The blue-purple light veins were severed by the artillery fire, and half of the garden's crystalline structure collapsed, with fragments rolling down the mountainside.

There was a brief moment of silence on the channel.

No one on the battlefield has time to stop fighting for pretty things.

But the light was too bright, and something beautiful that shouldn't have been destroyed shattered right before their eyes.

Alita's voice came through the school district channel, speaking very quickly:

"The north side of Crystal Garden is damaged. The remaining area is close to the second evacuation line."

The police car immediately marked the area in red:

"All heavy firepower should avoid the Crystal Garden remnants. There are student evacuation routes below."

Red Spider also saw that light.

He turned high in the sky, avoiding the suppression of the heavenly fire, and coldly gave the order:

"Trackers, move away from the lower levels of the garden. A collapse there would benefit no one."

Nao Fantian muttered, "Shall we start protecting the flowers now?"

The chill in Red Spider's tone could scrape off a layer of paint.

"I'm protecting our escape route! You idiot."

Jingtianlei silently turned the cannon muzzle a few degrees.

-

As the battle raged on until energy supplies were nearly exhausted, two of the three Cloud Ridge Stabilization Towers in Cloud Mist Mountain City had entered a dangerous state.

The police car's tactical screens began flashing warnings.

[The suspended platform is out of balance.]

The second stabilizer tower is not cooling sufficiently.

Damage to the third stabilizing tower support is increasing.

The academic and medical areas are within the impact radius of the fall.

He stared at the data, his optical glasses sinking.

"If this continues, the city's mid-level structure will become unbalanced within fifteen cycles."

There was static on the communication channel, but Tin Man quickly connected: "To put it simply..."

"If we keep attacking, the mid-level suspension zone will collapse."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line: "Then tell them to retreat."

"Both sides are still making progress."

"I know they're advancing!" Ironhide roared, accompanied by the booming of artillery fire, "That's why I ordered them to retreat!"

The police car didn't return; he had already begun synchronizing the city destruction threshold, and the Cloud Mist Mountain City tactical restrictions were forcibly pushed to all levels of the Autobot channels.

[City destruction threshold triggered.]

The college area, medical area, and judicial branch are all within the area affected by the fall.

[Advance towards the Third Stabilization Tower is prohibited.]

Prioritize the evacuation of non-combat units.

Tongtianxiao confirmed it immediately.

"Prioritize withdrawing units. All units cease pursuit and protect the perimeter of the stabilizing tower."

Alita's team immediately retreated half a block and re-established the outer defense line of the academy district.

Arcee and Flyover broke away from the flank and headed towards the medical corridor.

Looking at the attack window that had been forced open ahead, Sideswipe gritted his teeth: "We can push through."

The jazz officer pressed down on his shoulder armor: "That's why you can't press it down."

"What?"

"You'll understand later. Let's go, newbie."

Sideswipe clearly didn't like the answer and the title, cursing as he and Jazz retreated.

Optimus Prime received the city destruction threshold and was blocking a powerful attack from Megatron.

The two machines were briefly locked in a stalemate in the center of the shattered platform.

Megatron also received the structural data transmitted by the sound waves.

The probability of urban structural collapse is increasing.

The college area, medical area, and judicial branch are all within the impact radius of the fall.

Continuing the fight could force the Autobots to retreat.

Next came supplementary suggestions regarding shock waves.

If the third stabilizing tower is breached, the Autobots' mid-level defenses will be completely destroyed.

Estimated returns: High.

[Probability of preserving urban structure: Low.]

Megatron paused for a moment.

Red Spider chimed in: "Withdraw now? We've already pushed this far."

His voice betrayed a clear sense of resentment.

This battle could have reaffirmed the value of the Air Force; the Red Spider could still tear through the battlefield in complex airspace, and the Shockwave's sinister "structural guidance" was not the only useful thing.

But the sound wave data is still being updated.

Everything is within the radius of influence.

Tianzhen's voice came from high above: "Attack on the Stabilization Tower is not a matter of honor for a warrior."

Haunted Wing then added, "That's destroying the city."

Red Spider said coldly, "Now you're talking about honor?"

Tian Zhen did not back down: "We've been talking about it."

Megatron looked at Optimus Prime.

The mist rolled up between them, and half of the Crystal Garden in the distance was still lit, with the remaining crystal flowers swaying in the smoke and dust, casting shimmering light.

Those crystals refracted a line that they could indeed break by stepping on it, but they all knew what would happen if they did.

Megatron finally spoke: "Withdraw the troops."

Starscream turned his head sharply: "Megatron—"

"I said withdraw the troops."

No one spoke again.

In the Decepticon channel, Soundwave quickly issued an escape route.

The Trackers formation closed in, the Sky-Shattering Strike and the Thunderclap broke free from their high-altitude entanglement, and Shockwave remained silent.

-

The Autobots didn't give chase.

With the battle at Yunwu Mountain City reaching this point, everyone has reason to believe that a little more pressure would bring about a result.

The Decepticons felt they could continue their advance.

The Autobots thought they could take advantage of the withdrawal to retaliate.

But the police cars pushed the city destruction threshold to all channels.

Those red figures are too clear for anyone to pretend they don't see.

Iron Skin stood below the third stabilizing tower, a piece of his shoulder and back missing from the explosion, the muzzle of the cannon still hot.

He watched the Decepticon forces retreat into the fog and muttered under his breath, "At least they still have some brains."

The police car drove off another broken bridge: "It's a calculation."

Tinplate glanced at him: "A big difference?"

"Sometimes it's very big."

The police car looked towards the Crystal Garden in the distance.

Half of the place was destroyed, but the remaining crystal flowers were still shining.

The broken flower stem drooped from the edge of the shattered platform, the remaining light in the petals flickering.

Tinplate glanced at it too: "What a pity."

After a while, the police car driver said, "At least half is still left."

Tin Man snorted, "Is this supposed to be comforting?"

"It's just a fact."

"It sounds awful."

-

The Battle of Cloud Mist Mountain City has ended, and the system does not explicitly state which side won.

The postwar records only documented the withdrawal time, the withdrawal lines for both sides, the damage ratio of the Cloud Ridge Stabilizer Tower, the area of ​​damage to the Crystal Garden, and the number of casualties among non-combat units.

The misty mountain city is like half a crystal garden, half broken and half still shining.

The police car and the tin can went to Crystal City after the battle.

When the two machines scanned using the neutral protocol, the metal sheet was clearly not used to it.

The system requires the removal of heavy firepower privileges.

Ironhide glanced down at his weapon lock-on notification and couldn't help but grimac.

"This place has so many rules."

A police station stood nearby, assisting with the authorization verification: "It's precisely because there are so many rules that it still exists."

Tin Man glanced at him: "Why do you always talk like Tongtian Xiaoxue?"

"...I'm not as rigid as him."

"You're proud of that?"

The police car glanced at him, too lazy to say anything more.

The hibernation chamber door opened, and the metal sheet first saw the hibernation pod in the low light before it could see the gravity vector inside.

She lay there quietly, the unidentified silver-gray nameplate on the side of her neck pressed against the edge of her armor. A bluish-green glow shone through, serene and beautiful.

Tinplate stood there for a moment: "She's the gravitational vector?"

The police car looked at him: "You've seen the files."

"Data and seeing the machine are two different things."

As Ironhide drew closer, his gaze swept over the judicial sequestration markings on the outside of the hibernation pod, the Crystal City neutrality agreement, the long-term medical protection clauses, and that somewhat incongruous nameplate.

He frowned. "You've got quite a few things hanging on you."

The police car uploaded the battle record of Yunwu Mountain City to the archive system.

[Battle Record of Yunwu Mountain City]

[City destruction threshold triggered.]

The third stabilizing tower was not breached.

[Evacuation of the college area is complete.]

The medical area was damaged but services were not interrupted.

[Retained by the Judicial Sub-Office.]

[Fifty-one percent of the Crystal Garden has been destroyed.]

The sealing system receives the data.

The police car looked at the confirmation message and whispered to the vector control, "The city destruction threshold you set is effective."

"Without this restriction, both sides would have reason to continue. The mid-level structure of Cloud Mountain City would collapse. The Academy District and the Medical District would not be able to avoid the impact."

Ironhide looked at the hibernation pod: "To put it simply, we almost lost control today."

The police car stopped briefly: "Yes, sir."

Ironhide crossed his arms, looked down at her, and said in a low voice, "The outside is practically a pile of scrap metal, yet you're sleeping so comfortably."

The police car glanced at him, but the man in the metal car didn't move. "I didn't say she was wrong. It's just that when I was standing under the Third Stability Tower today, I really thought that thing was going to collapse."

He paused for a moment: "The Crystal Garden is half destroyed."

There was no response from the hibernation pod, and Ironhide didn't expect any more. He just stared at the faint blue-green flame and said in a slightly softer voice, "Half left."

The police car closed the upload interface: "Cloudy Mountain City did not record the winning side."

Tin Man snorted: "That's good. Sometimes not winning is better than winning."

They stood in front of the hibernation pod for a while without saying anything more.

Before leaving, the police car took one last look at the records in the data storage system.

Those terms, thresholds, restrictions, and agreements—things that sound cumbersome and cold—truly prevented a city from being destroyed today.

He didn't know if this was the result the gravitational vector wanted—after all, he had heard that the Chief Justice set the city destruction threshold in a fit of anger after arguing with Megatron, and used it to torment the council.

If she were awake, she might point out that they shouldn't have fought to that extent in the first place.

The police car turned and drove away.

Tinplate followed behind him, and as they reached the door, he turned back for a final look: "Next time, you'd better not be any worse."

I don't know if he was talking to her or to the war outside.

The door closed.

Far away in the misty mountain city, half of the Crystal Garden is still lit up.

Broken, incomplete, but thankfully not extinguished.