Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 80: Is it shamelessness or shamelessness?

The date arrived quickly.

The vector tool included everything that was supposed to be included. Explicit information and authentication, backup interfaces, and multiple layers of locally encrypted audio and video recordings and associated files—nothing was missing.

Megatron stood beside her, his outer armor gleaming with a cold, hard metallic light, his aura undiminished.

The vector glanced at him, and a sentence popped into his mind module first:

This guy doesn't look like he's going to the hearing; he looks like he's going to take over the hearing.

Orion arrived right on time.

He was more formal than usual today, his outer edge was neatly finished, and his performance was very stable.

When the three machines collided, none of them uttered any unnecessary words.

Yin Vector looked down and swiped the terminal, seemingly doing a final check, but actually flicked his finger and quietly connected the group voice call.

The group chat lit up instantly.

"It's working?" This is Jazz.

"Connected." Then a sound wave.

"You're only starting now?" Red Spider jumped out as well.

While closing the interface, the vector quickly typed:

Shut up, all of you.

I'm leaving.

97 immediately chimed in: "I'm actually a little nervous right now."

Knock her down and immediately pick her up.

Why are you so nervous?

"It's not like you're the one going up there."

97 replied very sincerely.

"Because I'm currently eavesdropping on a Supreme Council hearing in a really outrageous group."

Am I worthy?

There was a half-second silence in the group chat, then Deadfire chimed in: "Not worthy."

97: '...'

The vector almost burst out laughing on the spot, and quickly added with his fingers:

Please be quiet.

We'll talk about it once we're inside.

After she finished sending the message, she looked up and met Megatron's gaze: "Finished the examination?"

"More or less." She put away the terminal without changing her expression. "I brought everything that works."

Megatron grunted in response and didn't ask any further questions.

Orion merely glanced at her, as if he knew she wouldn't follow the rules obediently, but he didn't expose her.

All three machines went out together.

⸻

The Iron Fortress High Council is a very oppressive place.

Every line, every angle, even the direction of the light seems to have been calculated, specifically to tell you that this is not a place you should easily enter.

The vector pointer stood in front of the outer entrance and looked up:

Is this the Imperial Capital Building that's often mentioned in online novels?

Megatron didn't even glance at it and walked straight inside.

Orian followed on the other side, his expression relatively calm, but the seriousness reflected in his optical glasses was more obvious than usual.

They went in, first passing through the outer layer of identification, and then the authorization verification.

The staff member in charge of guiding us was polite to the letter, but his voice was flat and he spoke only in a routine manner.

"The three of you, please follow me."

The vector rolled its eyes as it walked along the core.

Man-machine.

Once inside, the road was longer than she had imagined.

A long lower passageway, the metal walls even reflect light, footsteps landed and bounced back, so cold that even the echoes seemed to carry an air of officialdom.

Further inside was an enclosed elevator, so fast that she felt a slight jolt when she arrived at her destination.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, the optical mirrors were so sharp that the vectors were straightened.

The outer hearing seats stretched out in front of them, extending outwards in layers, encircling the central circular area, like an excessively large ring-shaped well opening.

The attendees who had already arrived sat scattered about; some were talking in hushed tones, some sat quietly, and some were looking at them.

Being truly noticed is completely different from being glanced at twice in the neighborhood.

The view here is more direct and less concealed.

The vector subconsciously scanned the area and quickly spotted Alita.

The other person was sitting upright in a seat near the front of the outer row, and their gaze was fixed on her. They didn't speak, but simply met her eyes for a moment.

Someone in the group then spoke up to ask a question.

"Can you see the outer seating area?" Arcee asked.

Without lowering his head, he switched the internal communication to a more concealed one-way radio mode and lightly tapped it during a gap in his movement.

She opened a small window to share the view.

The audio has been synchronized on the sound wave side: "Environmental recording is normal."

'97 also emerged.

"Holy crap."

"Why is this place so precious?"

The ambulance driver calmly replied, "This is a hearing room."

They didn't stop, but continued walking inwards along the edge of the outer seating area.

Further ahead is the road leading to the central circular area.

The closer you get to the center, the more you feel the presence of the overhead platform. The platform is deliberately positioned at just the right distance, forcing the aircraft to look up.

When the vector finally reached the edge of that separately defined circular area, it mentally complained:

This place is definitely not designed for an airport base station.

There's no place to lean against, no seats, not even a spot where you can relax naturally. Standing inside feels like being deliberately placed there for show.

She let out a soft breath, but didn't slow her pace.

Megatron walked ahead, acting as if this high and mighty thing and the surrounding gazes had nothing to do with him.

He didn't deliberately look up at the platform; the entire machine seemed to be saying, "You should be looking at me."

Orion, on the other side, remained calm and composed. Vector knew that Orion's brain was currently rapidly processing the prepared information.

She was caught in the middle and suddenly felt that the scene was rather strange.

One of them came to overturn the table.

One of them is the one who tries to reason things out.

He had prepared for both possibilities, and also brought along an illegal eavesdropping group.

Two more messages popped up in the group chat at that moment.

"You've reached the middle." This is a sound wave.

"This layout is really annoying." This is Starscream's line.

He casually added insult to injury, saying, "I like it. The more pretentious they are, the more interesting it becomes later."

The vector held back from replying.

At this moment, they truly stood in the central circular area.

The platform above was obscured by a projection, but its outline and position were visible, and the general shape and sequence of its structure could be discerned. However, the faces and details were blurred.

I looked at the vector for two seconds and found it a bit annoying.

Thirteen top councilors refused to even show their faces.

Weak chicken.

Her gaze swept across the very center few positions, not lingering for long.

When you can't see a face clearly, it's easier to identify someone by listening and other details.

Posture, habits, and manner of speaking—we can listen to them, observe them, and then examine the traces in the documents; it's not impossible to discern these differences.

She had just looked away when a message suddenly popped up in the group chat.

97: "This looks just like a trial."

This time, AZ picked her up.

AZ: "They weren't invited here to chat in the first place."

Megatron, who was standing next to him, finally looked up at the platform.

The pale blue optical mirror stopped on the projection layer, its expression unchanged.

The vector, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow.

She was genuinely afraid that he might take action later.

Orion also raised his head, his gaze more serene than Megatron's, as he confirmed his position and the podium.

The recorder in charge spoke first, calmly and politely reading out the procedures, then confirming the identities of those present before proceeding to the formal questioning.

The outer seating area was completely quiet, with only a very faint noise.

The projected outline on the platform remained unchanged, like a fixed shadow enveloping everyone.

Then, just as the recorder was reading out the names of the members of the Supreme Council, the person on the far left of the center of the platform suddenly moved.

The projection layer was off, and behind that blurry layer, the light changed in one spot.

The vector instinctively stared at it.

She couldn't see their faces clearly, but she could see that the machine in that spot had tilted slightly forward, its gaze seemingly falling on them. The movement wasn't obvious, yet it had a strangely familiar feel to it.

The group chat fell silent. Even the group of people outside who were just listening to the commotion realized that the real show was about to begin.

After the recorder finished speaking, the entire hearing room fell silent.

On the high platform, behind the projection that had never revealed its true form, a sound finally came down.