Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 167 Violent Courtroom

The five-faced judge's remaining four faces spun rapidly, the mechanical creaking disrupting the solemnity that the courtroom had been deliberately maintained.

It won't die, but it will definitely be in pain.

The curator stood below the judge's bench, his previously perfectly gentle expression now twisted into a grimace.

"Violence disrupts the trial process!" he said. "Chief Justice, you are interfering with the Creators' Court by force."

The vector didn't even glance at him.

The long-barreled sword-cannon retracted, and the left arm detached from the right arm cannon, snapping back onto the shoulder. The outer armor of the right arm closed, and the bluish-green afterglow retreated inch by inch along the magnetic traction ring.

Optimus Prime was restrained in the field, with the shoulder and back braces pressed tightly along the edge of the armor.

He strode toward him.

Several shark-like bailiffs immediately rushed out from both sides, their restraints glowing. The executioner attempted to stop them, but the prosecutor's screen suddenly flipped, displaying a large amount of records and origin statements simultaneously, clearly intending to use these "regulations" to restrain her.

Megatron stepped into the courtroom from outside, raising the Fusion Cannon.

The shark demon and the bailiffs in the first row paused on the spot.

"Move aside." The tone was as flat as if it were just an announcement.

Horizon Zero Dawn pushed his way in from the entrance, securing one side of the bailiffs. The Knights of Justice followed him in, quickly circling the courtroom and blocking several paths that could directly threaten the witness area.

The mechanical dog bit a shark demon that lunged out and dragged it away from the area where Optimus Prime was.

At the same time, a loud bang was heard from the west entrance.

The thunderous hammer-like arm smashed through a section of the blockade, allowing Chaos to slip in. The elite guards secured the edge of the witness zone, pulling several Autobots who weren't fully conscious into a protective circle and checking Alita's condition.

The curator finally realized that it was not a machine that had broken in.

Cybertron has extended its reach into Aquitron's courtroom.

Vector walked up to Optimus Prime: "Don't move."

Optimus Prime stopped upon hearing this.

She raised her left hand and used magnetic attraction to scan along the edge of the field, finding several fixed points that connected it to the courtroom's ground system.

The curator's voice came from behind, tinged with anxiety and a sinister undercurrent of his plans being disrupted:

"The restraint of a person under trial shall not be lifted by external intervention."

"You have no right to speak!" Yin Xiang shouted sternly.

The curator choked, and several machines in the witness area that had just regained some consciousness also looked up.

Her left arm energy blade sliced ​​through the anchor point of the binding field, while her right hand simultaneously used magnetic attraction to rip open the ground lock. The Quintessons' binding field emitted a piercing noise, attempting to re-secure Optimus Prime, but she ripped it apart.

The binding force crumbled layer by layer.

The last layer broke, Optimus Prime's shoulders sank, the sparks stirred violently, and the entire machine swayed slightly.

He instinctively reached out and helped him up.

"Vector." Optimus Prime called her name softly, his voice still carrying weariness and a renewed hope.

His knuckles were tightly gripping her wrist, as if he had so much to say.

Those words, suppressed by the trial proceedings, the origin story, the clamor, and the sense of responsibility, were finally pried open by her bright eyes.

"I've thought about this many times," he said, "how you would deal with all of this if you were awake."

The vector held him tightly without interrupting.

Optimus Prime looked at her, his steady voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Later I realized that I was thinking about more than just those things."

The courtroom remained in chaos during the brief silence.

Bailiffs, shark spirits, crocodile spirits, executioners, prosecutors—all sorts of beings are trying to regain control of the scene.

Fighting has broken out on the outer ring, with the Knights of Justice and the Elite Guards retaking both sides of the Witness Zone.

But in that instant, Optimus Prime only wanted to finish saying that one sentence.

"I miss you so much."

The voice wasn't loud, but many machines in the witness area heard it.

Alita, who was standing to one side, suddenly turned around. Arcee stared at them, stunned.

The ambulance driver muttered something under his breath. Jazz, standing at the edge of the witnessing area, tilted his head, the weary smile on his face finally showing genuine warmth.

Starscream's optical scope spun rapidly between Optimus Prime, Graviton, and Megatron, his expression revealing a fascinating mix of emotions.

The sound wave display screen went silent for a moment. Both Rumble and Confusion saw him, but neither of them uttered a sound at that moment.

Megatron stood not far away, his Fusion Cannon firing at the Quintessons with even greater firepower.

He certainly heard it, but he didn't look over.

Vector looked at Optimus Prime, and this time he didn't leave the matter for later.

"That incident with Sentinel Prime wasn't your fault."

Optimus Prime's optical mirrors locked onto her firmly.

He knew this matter had been standing between them for too long. She had gone to see him, saying she wanted some peace and quiet, and he hadn't stopped her.

She later killed Sentinel Prime and fell into a deep slumber. Four million years is enough time for many issues to be buried by war, archives, and duties, but it won't make them truly disappear.

"I've thought about it," Optimus Prime's voice choked with emotion, "if I had stopped you back then—"

"That's not your responsibility," the vector interrupted him. "You didn't stop me, so it's not dereliction of duty."

Optimus Prime looked at her.

"You didn't treat my choice as a mistake that needed to be corrected; that's respect," the vector continued.

She paused for a moment, then gently stroked his cheek: "It's also a very precious form of care."

Optimus Prime fell completely silent, something gathering within the optical mirror.

"So don't take this personally," Vector said. "Optimus Prime, you've carried enough. Orion Pax needs a break."

The courtroom was noisy, but Optimus Prime's audio receiver only carried her voice.

The curator finally interrupted, saying, "Personal feelings do not constitute grounds for objection in court!"

The vector turned to look at him: "You're right."

The curator paused slightly.

Vector withdrew his hand from Optimus Prime, stepped forward, and stood in front of him: "So now let's talk about the law."

The five-faced monster's angry face lit up with a blinding red light.

"You forcibly broke into the Creator's Court, disrupted the trial proceedings, and attacked the judges!"

The vector wasn't directly connected; the Holy Grail Golden Fruit symbol of the judicial center lit up on her chest. BICk0 connected synchronously from Cybertron, and the Crystal City relay projected the symbol onto the courtroom's public channel.

"First, the Quintessons did not submit their identities to Cybertron's judicial authorities."

Curator: "The creator does not need to ask the created for recognition."

The vector continued: "Claiming to be a creator does not equate to completing identity verification."

"Second, you have not proven that you have jurisdiction over Optimus Prime."

A Quintesson prosecutor's voice was chilling: "Optimus Prime possesses the Leadership Module; he represents Cybertron."

"Representation rights also require specific scenarios and scope of authorization," said Vector. "Holding a leadership module does not mean that one can be arbitrarily restrained and judged by external entities like you who claim to be creators."

Tongtianxiao came to the side of Yinxiang, ready to assist at any time.

"Third, this trial was not recognized by any legitimate Cybertronian authority. It was not authorized by the Cybertronian judicial center, by wartime arbitration, or by the procedures of the civilization to which the trial was conducted."

The Quintesson Inspector's screen flipped rapidly: "The Quintessons are the origin of life on Cybertron—"

"The claim of origin is pending verification, and the claim pending verification cannot be directly converted into judicial power."

Every word she uttered dissected and clarified the concepts that the Five-Faced Monster had deliberately tangled together.

"Fourth," she said, looking at the curator, "you restrained the person being judged, forced witnesses into the courtroom, and imposed low-frequency cognitive interference in the Aquitron environment."

The curator's expression turned completely cold.

The vector stared directly at the five-faced judge: "This is an invasion of external legal rights."

Most of the Cybertronians in the courtroom regained their senses and looked at the Quintesson judge with considerable hostility.

The five-faced monster, with its four faces, gritted its teeth and spoke simultaneously.

"We created you."

The patterns on the courtroom floor lit up completely, and the sound of the tide suddenly amplified.

"Your civilization, forms, and laws are merely extensions of the tools provided by the Creator."

The vector remained stationary, without retreating.

"Creating life is not the same as owning life."

Providing tools does not equate to owning the user's entire future.

She unsheathed her double-edged sword, leaning slightly forward in preparation for the attack.

The five-faced monster suddenly stood up, its angry face briefly dominating: "You have no right to deny the Creator!"

The vector gave a cold laugh and remained silent.

The trial proceedings were completely broken.

The curator drew his weapon, and the five-faced prosecutor also held a red search line. The executioners' long arms were fully extended, like a group of slender monsters.

The eccentric man slowly turned from the edge of the courtroom, while the bailiffs, shark spirit, and crocodile spirit moved in an instant.

Optimus Prime raised his heavy cannon, while Megatron's Fusion Cannon was fully charged.

Alita and Arcee drew their weapons at the same time, while Jazz had already scaled the fence of the witness area. The ambulance driver cursed as he tried to calm his companions down.

The hammer arm thudded as it moved, and the mechanical dog stealthily circled behind, baring its fangs.

Red Spider's missile was just one pull away from being fired when Sonic's mechanical tentacles extended, knocking down the arm and transforming it into a gear saw.

The vector stood in front of Optimus Prime, the double-edged sword glowing with golden patterns in his palm.

"Then let's have a violent trial."