NovelsAlex Chapter 146 Aquitron Days 4 & 5
Chapter 146 Aquitron Days 4 & 5
On the fourth day, Aquitron deployed more data, which was sent in batches to the independent ports of the Ark and the Retribution, with clear permissions, complete sources, and passed security verification.
The police car immediately checked each floor.
The original images were transcribed in a format that conformed to the standards of the observation system previously opened by Aquitron, with no obvious traces of secondary rewriting, and even retained some noise and old data loss, as if they were pulled out from a complex historical fragment.
Bumblebee stood to the side, his optical glasses fixed on the screen: "Are they real?"
The police car could not answer.
On the screen, the image pauses at the moment Optimus Prime shuts down a section of AllSpark trajectory data.
Optimus Prime's movements, the background of the Ark's bridge, and the low-frequency noise from the power module at the time all matched up.
The police officer said, "All I can confirm is that they are not simple forgeries."
Hot Rod stepped forward: "What does this mean?"
"We do not have enough evidence to determine that it is fake."
Hengpao paced around irritably: "Then we still don't know?"
The police officer, watching the footage, still felt something was wrong: "I need more original footage."
Bumblebee whispered, "But they've already given us a lot."
He finally looked at Optimus Prime: "You really haven't seen this file before?"
Optimus Prime stood in front of the control panel, silent for a moment: "I didn't."
Hotburn's voice betrayed his anxiety: "But it shows you sealed it away."
"That's not my record."
"The police car showed no signs of being forged."
Sideswipe glanced at Hot Rod, then looked at Optimus Prime: "We're not saying it was definitely you who did it, but... isn't there something you haven't told us?"
Bumblebee opened his mouth: "I don't want to doubt you either."
This statement is harder to accept than a direct accusation.
Optimus Prime looked at them.
He knew very well that this was not Bumblebee's intention, nor was it because Hot Rod and Sideswipe suddenly distrusted him.
However, they have already seen enough "evidence".
The Spark Source, the Leadership Module, and the pursuit brought by the Ark—none of these are entirely fictional.
Optimus Prime lowered his gaze, the leadership module on his chest glowing quietly, and the words the Quintessons had spoken yesterday surfaced in his mind.
You have carried this burden for too long; a leader should not rely solely on himself.
What if he really never relied on them?
What if he unknowingly places a lot of judgment on himself?
"I will reopen the records related to the Ark," Optimus Prime said. "All voyage data will be reviewed by Police Car and Alita."
Hot Rod seemed to want to say something, but was pulled by Bumblebee.
Bumblebee looked at Optimus Prime and said softly, "We just want to know the truth."
Optimus Prime nodded: "Me too."
-
Alita was not involved in the bridge incident.
She sat in the tactics room, with war-related documents sent by Aquitron laid out in front of her.
Those cities, the evacuation teams, and ordinary planes that were unable to leave due to delayed orders.
If the outer civilian districts are sacrificed, can the inner city be saved? If medical neutrality is not maintained, will the enemy's supplies be cut off sooner?
Each problem was like a blade without a handle; she couldn't grip it, nor could she put it down.
Her anger had no direction.
Why didn't you act sooner?
Why didn't you go any further?
Why do you still abide by those boundaries even when you're angry?
You obeyed the rules, but how many people were saved?
Alita turns off one screen, and the second screen automatically lights up.
She saw herself among the elite guards she had left on Cybertron.
The images are not real-time, but rather a set of projections.
If the Ark cannot return in time, Cybertron continues to lose its spark, and the war escalates again after they leave, how many Cybertronian years will those machines left behind be dragged into a new cycle of attrition?
Alita clenched her fists, wanting to destroy something, yet feeling that nothing would make a difference.
The door to the tactics room opened, and Arcee walked in, more silent than yesterday.
Alita glanced at her: "What did you see?"
Arcee glanced to the side, and after a moment, she said, "A lot slower."
Alita understood.
Arcee walked to the window and looked out at the outer port area.
Both machines fell silent.
-
Megatron saw new module images deep within the Energy Harbor.
A set of dark projections slowly took shape in front of him.
It has a structure similar to the leadership module, with wing-like outlines extending from both sides, while the central core is a deep, dark purplish-black.
The light swirled inside, like dark tides trapped in a container.
The curator stood to the side.
"This is not the leadership module in your old sense."
Megatron looked at him coldly: "What is that?"
"A high-level energy-carrying core," the curator said. "It can coordinate the command chain of a specific life group and also serve as a symbol of a new order."
The projection showed Megatron a group of shark demons turning in unison under the module pulse.
Those creatures were fierce in appearance, with dense teeth and rough, strong armor, born for tearing and biting.
"It can control the army."
"It can unify chaotic wills," the curator corrected.
Megatron sneered, "Your wording is always so elegant."
"Being pretty doesn't affect practicality."
This made Megatron look at him again.
The curator subtly enticed, "The Leadership Module represents the choice of Old Cybertron, but Old Cybertron did not choose you."
The energy storage rings in the energy port operate slowly, emitting a low and regular sound.
"This doesn't mean you don't deserve to have a symbol."
Megatron remained silent. He had taken everything, but the Matrix of Leadership ultimately ended up inside Optimus Prime's chest.
The curator's voice seemed to come from a great distance.
"New Cybertron need not continue to use the seal of the old Cybertron."
Megatron stared at the dark core in the projection.
He knew this thing was dangerous, and he knew that Aquitron was feeding it to him.
Worse still, he knew he was listening.
"I want to see the complete information," he said.
The curator smiled and nodded: "Of course."
-
When Starscream saw the model of Megatron's command error for the fourth time, he finally burst out laughing.
The host stood beside him, speaking calmly: "During these pursuits, if we had adopted the alternative route you proposed, the Nemesis's energy consumption could have been reduced by thirteen percent, and the pursuit distance could have been shortened by two flight segments."
Red Spider said lazily, "Continue."
"After the Battle of Iron Fortress, you temporarily took command, and the Decepticon front contraction was more efficient than expected."
The red spider's wings fluttered gently.
"Although the interception operation of the transport vehicles went out of control, the main reason for the loss of control was the deviation in the execution of the armored vehicle team."
"I like this line," said Red Spider.
The receptionist said, "This conclusion is not meant to please you."
Red Spider raised an eyebrow: "Do you Aquitron all like to disguise flattery as sincerity?"
"To tell the truth."
"Come on."
Red Spider turned his head and continued watching the projection.
Megatron is powerful and violent; he can make the Decepticons obey him, but he can also make them perish when he is angry.
A legion cannot sail on anger alone. Starscream knew this long ago, but he had never been able to get all the machines to acknowledge it.
He feels good right now, and he doesn't want to let go.
But then, a gentle, casual approval echoed in the audio receiver.
The red spider froze. The receptionist asked, "Are you experiencing memory lapses again?"
Red Spider said coldly, "Shut up."
He suddenly felt annoyed because he realized he could no longer distinguish which kind of recognition he cared about more.
-
The sound waves are still processing the data.
Aquitron has opened up more: space field data, local ocean nucleus cycles, port broadcast frequencies, observation tower echo records, and ship disabling models.
Everything can be explained, but explanations require time to verify.
The sound wave display flickered continuously during the calculation.
[Abnormal interference: Present.]
[Aggression: Unconfirmed.]
[Memory retrieval delay: Repeated occurrence.]
Search term: vector.
[Delay: 1.4 seconds.]
The delays gradually increased, the data spread, and there was more and more of it, like a surging undercurrent.
The Aquitron technician asked, "Do you need any assistance?"
The sound wave display showed one word: 【No】.
-
At the end of the fourth day, a dispute broke out inside the Ark.
Hot Rod said, "I'm not questioning your purpose, Optimus Prime. I just want to know why so much information points to the same thing."
Hengpao added from the side, "If we've been misled, then we'll produce evidence to prove it's fake."
Bumblebee didn't join in the accusations; he just looked at Optimus Prime, a painful hesitation reflected in his optics.
"You said before that we need to trust each other."
Optimus Prime said softly, "Yes."
"Then you have to trust us too," Bumblebee said. "Don't try to carry everything yourself."
His words were not malicious, yet they left Optimus Prime speechless.
Alita stood on the other side of the conference room, not immediately defending him.
She knew that Bumblebee and his friends had been affected, and she also knew that these criticisms were unfair.
But she also knew that Optimus Prime had indeed shouldered too much, was used to putting himself first, and had many things he didn't say.
The Quintessons didn't give them pure lies.
-
On the fifth day, the curator invited both parties into the deepest courtroom in Aquitron.
Ostensibly, it was to formally display the ancient records of the Quintessons and explain the origin of clues about the source of the AllSpark.
Both the Ark and the Retribution received invitations.
Optimus Prime remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.
Megatron agreed.
They entered through different passages and were separated outside the courtroom, so they did not meet directly.
The courtroom is located deep beneath the city's core, half of its structure submerged underwater. The walls are like black stone, with water reflecting through cracks, casting a cold blue hue over everything.
At the far end of the hall stood a tall judge's bench.
The curator stood below the steps: "Fellow travelers on your long voyages."
His voice echoed through the hall: "Aquitron has shown you enough information."
"Now, it's time to witness the true source."
Above the judge's bench, the shadows split open.
The enormous, five-faced judge slowly appeared.
It has five faces, each different—smiling, angry, doubtful, sad, and dead.
As those faces turned, the light throughout the hall changed accordingly.
More figures gradually appeared around them.
The prosecutor was recording the files, bailiffs stood on either side, and the strange man was fiddling with a fine light.
Lower down, the shark demons lined up, their heavy breathing emanating from their throats.
Behind the deep water channel, several enormous silhouettes of crocodile demons swam slowly by.
Bumblebee instinctively took a half step back, and Hot Rod stopped talking.
Optimus Prime looked up at the enormous five-faced judge.
Megatron saw it in the other passage as well.
Red Spider lowered his wings and straightened his mouth.
He looked down at the shark demons: "Their aesthetics are consistently terrible."
The five-faced judge spoke: "Descendants of Cybertron."
Its voices were layered, like multiple mouths issuing judgments simultaneously.
"You have sailed here because fate still desires to bring you back to the truth."
Optimus Prime asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"
The five-faced judge slowly turned one of his faces toward him.
"We are the ones who once guided Cybertron."
Another voice chimed in: "We bring order."
The third face: "We teach civilization."
The fourth face: "We acknowledge that our methods were flawed."
The last face is smiling, and at this moment, the smile is almost compassionate.
"But creators are sometimes misunderstood by their own creations."
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
"The creator?" Hot Rod repeated in a low voice.
It felt like someone had tapped Bumblebee's processor; he should refute it!
Countless images, courses, records, waveforms, and repeatedly presented history surged forth, squeezing his rebuttals down to mere faint noise.
The five-faced judge continued:
"After Cybertron rejected us, it succumbed to the decay of the old parliament, the fanaticism of functionalism, and the flames of civil war."
"This is not your original sin."
"This is the long price to pay for misunderstandings."
Optimus Prime's optical mirror shimmered gently.
The Quintessons hold too many things they need: clues to the AllSpark, ancient records, and a terrifying possibility.
If they were truly involved in the creation of Cybertron, and know how to find the source of the fire, they could have stopped the war.
Optimus Prime felt as if he were standing on a bridge that was sinking.
He saw the crack, but he also saw what appeared to be a faint light on the other side of the bridge.
The five-faced judge looked at him.
"The leadership module has chosen you," it said. "This means you are qualified to hear the truth."
The curator whispered from the side, "Optimus Prime, Cybertron needs more than just resistance; perhaps it also needs to rediscover its origins."
Optimus Prime remained silent for a long time, then said in a low voice, "If what you say is true, I need to inform Cybertron about this."
The five-faced judge's deathly expression lifted slightly.
"certainly."
"The Creator will not prevent its creation from seeking answers."
-
That message was sent on the fifth day after the Ark arrived in Aquitron.
It traveled through the Ark's encrypted channel, traversed the vast sea of stars, and made several transfers before finally arriving at Cybertron.
[Ark reporting.]
[Aquitron contains records of civilizations connected to Cybertron's ancient history.]
The local civilization refers to its superior race as the Five-Faced Monsters.
The Quintessons claim to have participated in the establishment of early Cybertronian civilization and possess clues related to the AllSpark.
The information is still being verified.
[They may have been our creators.]
The message reached the Iron Fortress remnant communications station and was then simultaneously transmitted to the Crystal City judicial center.
On Cybertron, many machine readers fall silent when they reach the last sentence.
Organic was shocked, organic was doubtful, organic was excited, and organic immediately pulled up old files to try to find the name "Five-Faced Monster".
There are indeed some vague records in the few remaining documents, but they are old and scarce, and far less significant than Optimus Prime's report.
This was sent back by Optimus Prime, and so the controversy began to spread.
The central judicial archives have listed this as the most controversial file.
[Statement regarding the origin of the Quintessons: Pending verification.]
[Ark Report: Highest Priority.]
[Chief Justice's Authority: Initiating.]
Deep within the medical tower of Crystal City, in a hibernation chamber, Rumble lay nestled in the arms of the Induction Vector, while Confusion sat beside her, making a ruckus.
She saw the report as well.