Chapter 12: The Revival of Optimus Prime
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Tony finally rushed out of the parking garage. The little Transformer caught up, but Tony grabbed it, and it transformed back into a mobile phone.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't stop him.
It was as if two entirely different worlds existed. Outside, everything remained as before, pedestrians living peaceful, tranquil lives, completely unaware of the danger. Meanwhile, the underground parking garage was sealed off; fierce battles had raged within, leaving many dead or injured, and even more crippled, condemned to spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs.
Tony felt no useless sentiments like repentance or guilt.
He already had nothing; why would he care about anything else?
Tony understood even more clearly how dangerous this world was.
Fight, and there might be life; don't fight, and death is certain!
Tony had the clearest understanding of the future: countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, continuous World-ending Events, and sudden Multiverse Resets.
Tony sped away on his motorcycle. Soon, more people followed closely behind him, either on motorcycles or in cars.
However, they still had reservations, not daring to shoot indiscriminately and cause civilian casualties.
Someone rushed out ahead, wearing glasses and looking refined, standing far off, seemingly intending to block Tony in advance.
"Mr. Tony, our Boss is very keen to recruit you!" the man shouted, waving his hands.
"Who is your Boss?"
"Kingpin," the man said.
Bang!
Tony fired, wounding the man. He had no interest in associating with Kingpin; the scope was too small, the top-tier combat power too weak. Once a World-ending Event occurred, such a force would instantly turn to ash.
Kingpin was, after all, just a Crime Lord, nothing more.
Tony continued to speed forward, his astonishing speed causing many pedestrians to scream in fright and some to curse.
Tony turned into some small alleys. Earlier, from the Empire State Building, he had silently memorized the terrain of the area, most importantly firmly remembering the locations of various small alleys and vendors. These could all serve as his cover, making it easier for him to escape.
The terrain here could restrict some people, and more importantly, it was a shortcut, saving time.
*Pfft!*
A wound appeared on Tony's stomach, making him widen his eyes in shock!
As blood flowed, it outlined the silhouette of a dagger, and a finger resting on the hilt could barely be discerned.
An Invisibility user! Skilled in assassination!
Finally, a Mutant had made a move against him!
Tony's face was pale. His motorcycle rapidly transformed into its Transformer form, one arm embracing Tony, while the other assembled a blade and swung fiercely at the air. But it hit nothing, only the dagger still lodged in Tony's stomach.
A successful strike, followed by immediate concealment. This was a cautious Mutant with Invisibility, extremely difficult to deal with.
The Allspark in his mind pulsed continuously, its light flickering erratically. A large amount of Allspark energy flowed to the wound, helping to stabilize and repair it.
Tony pulled out the dagger, his face grim. He had never expected to escape unscathed; that was unrealistic. Some injuries were inevitable, but he hadn't anticipated his first wound being so severe.
While the Allspark was indeed miraculous, Allspark energy was limited, and the stinging pain in his head also diverted his focus.
This sudden injury greatly invigorated the pursuers, making them as excited as if they had been injected with a stimulant.
A wounded Mutant – this was the most direct evidence! No matter how strong this monster was, he was still human! If he was human, he could be injured; if injured enough, he would die!
Some people grew excited, no longer caring about accidentally harming civilians, and brazenly drew their guns and fired.
As for who that Invisibility Mutant was? Who cared, it wasn't important. But they were certainly sent by some faction, and their goal was also to kill Tony.
Tony cursed aloud. He had considered that someone might hire a Mutant to deal with him, but he hadn't expected the first one to possess Invisibility, and almost achieve a one-hit kill. If the stab had been to his head just now... Tony couldn't help but shiver in the face of danger, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Bullets occasionally flew in from behind, but thankfully, they were all blocked. Tony just needed to reach his destination, that hospital, as quickly as possible.
The pursuers grew increasingly excited, their breathing heavy, eyes bloodshot. They felt they were about to succeed.
Suddenly, bursts of machine gun fire erupted, and large numbers of pursuers screamed as they were killed, falling to the ground. Some vehicles had their fuel tanks blown up, exploding with a roar!
A group of black-clad figures suddenly appeared, their leader wearing sunglasses and a cold expression. They led their people in a furious spray of bullets at Tony's pursuers, causing countless deaths and injuries in an instant.
As Tony approached, the man in sunglasses cleared a path and tossed a mobile phone to him.
Tony felt doubtful, but he still caught the phone as he passed. It seemed someone wanted to save him, to protect him in his time of crisis, and likely someone would contact him using this phone afterward.
Allspark energy quickly seeped into it, and no bomb-like structures were detected. Tony immediately let out a sigh of relief. Although he was confused about who had saved him, that was no longer important; it was a matter for later.
That group offered slight resistance before swiftly retreating, highly disciplined and without hesitation. Or rather, their mission was simply to deliver that phone.
The pursuers regrouped and continued their chase, vowing not to stop until Tony was blasted to death here.
"Come on, come on, if you've got guts, don't run! I'll fight you with one hand, dare you?" Slim, a scrawny fellow, somehow produced a megaphone and arrogantly yelled at Tony.
Those unaware frowned. This seemingly scrawny man didn't appear very threatening; could he be some famous, formidable mercenary?
Those in the know were flushed red, especially the people who had coincidentally escaped the parking garage with him. They almost wanted to cover their faces and run, too ashamed to be seen.
It was too embarrassing, simply too embarrassing. Why was this kind of character on their side? They couldn't face anyone.
As if provoked by the taunts, Tony drifted, spinning his motorcycle 180 degrees to face them.
He finally stopped running!
Everyone rejoiced, swarming forward to compete for the Mutant's corpse.
But Slim's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a chill. His intuition told him something big was about to happen; all the hairs on his body stood on end, and he unconsciously began to tremble, a fawning expression appearing on his face.
He had possessed a strong sixth sense since childhood, which was why he had survived in this line of work until now. He greatly trusted his intuition.
"Come on, come on, you foolish thing, are you finally not running anymore? Come fight me, I'll let you have one hand!"
Slim yelled loudly, projecting a powerful aura. He constantly provoked, giving speeches to encourage everyone to charge, yet his body swiftly retreated backward. As he retreated, he continued to shout, "I'll let you have one hand! I'll take you down in three moves at most! Are you scared? If you are, say something!"
Many others secretly followed Slim in retreating.
Finally, someone noticed that something was off with a group of people and asked in surprise, "Everyone's charging forward, why are you all retreating?"
Slim feigned calmness: "I'm worried he has backup, so I need to cover the rear for everyone and protect our flanks. The glory is yours; I voluntarily take on the hardest and most dangerous task. Just don't forget me when you make it big."
A Sacred Light rose from Slim's body.
Many were moved, praising Slim's integrity, yet secretly cursing him as an "idiot" in their hearts, then vying to surround and attack Tony.
Tony burst out laughing. He had been fleeing all this time, finally luring this mob here. He could have used simpler methods, but he didn't want to; either don't do it at all, or do it completely!
A deafening roar reverberated through the sky as a somewhat dilapidated truck brutally crashed through the hospital wall and burst out, making countless people widen their eyes!
Wasn't this truck broken? Wasn't it scrapped and unable to move?!
"You will all die here, not a single one of you will escape!" Tony roared furiously. Being chased and attacked this entire way would make anyone seethe with anger.
Although the truck looked dilapidated, it was mostly operational. It swiftly transformed into a three-meter-tall Transformer.
If that were all, it might have been fine, but Tony, with a fierce expression, flung his motorcycle, and it was caught by Optimus Prime!
Under Tony's control, the motorcycle split into countless parts, large and small, which then sequentially pieced themselves onto Optimus Prime!
Clanking and whirring sounds echoed incessantly, like the whispers of a death-calling devil, sending chills down many people's spines, as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.
Their intelligence was still insufficient. This Mutant's abilities were far more complex, varied, and terrifying than they had imagined!
(end of chapter)