Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 33 Can't Sit Still Anymore

A few weeks after the matches, she took advantage of a free day to find a good spot in the arena and watch the previous matches as well. Lately, she's been coming more often; watching the matches is no longer just about the excitement.

She can now discern to some extent who is accustomed to dragging out the pace, and who, despite having mediocre physical attributes, makes special use of the opponent's center of gravity and openings.

She walked up a bit along the edge of the stands, just about to find a less crowded spot to stand, when her gaze first met that familiar dark silhouette of a machine at the edge of the observation area.

The vector didn't stop, but it sighed honestly to itself: Here we go again?

The sound wave was standing in a very conspicuous spot today.

As long as she looks up in that direction, she'll see him immediately. The angle is just right; it doesn't block other cameras, nor does it make it seem like she's deliberately waiting for someone, yet she can spot him at a glance.

Some machines are so deliberately designed that they just don't look natural no matter how you try to hide them.

After the vector stabilized, I stared at him for two seconds.

Sure enough, the sound wave spoke first.

His words still sounded like a sentence that had been edited down to its most important point: "You've been appearing more frequently lately."

Pointer vector: "..."

She slowly turned to look at him: "Are you keeping track of my attendance?"

Soundwave looked at her, his tone revealing neither his thoughts nor his emotions: "Yes."

The word "vector" almost made me laugh.

Okay, at least be honest.

She leaned against the railing, her tone not exactly polite, "You seem to have a lot of free time."

"It's not about being idle," the sound wave said. "Observation requires a sample size."

The vector's lips twitched.

Look! She said that this machine still sounds like a report form come to life.

She took a deep breath, but couldn't help herself: "You know, when a normal person wants to strike up a conversation, they usually don't categorize the other person as a sample, right?"

The sound waves didn't connect immediately.

His face, which resembled a display screen, remained as still as before, without any obvious changes. Yet, for some reason, it seemed as if the other person had taken those words to heart.

A few seconds later, he spoke: "It's been corrected."

The vector was taken aback: "What?"

"The way it's expressed," the voice said, "is being revised."

She choked on her throat and couldn't get it back in.

Coming from Soundwave's mouth, those words were far too... frank. And they sounded absurd.

She raised her hand to rub her temples, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Your machine really makes everything seem like you're writing revision notes."

Soundwave looked at her: "Is this a negative comment?"

What do you think?

"Tentative. Partly negative."

The vector method is completely baffling.

She had originally wanted to say a few more sarcastic remarks to him, but he wasn't having a seizure today, and was even seriously trying to make his conversation sound more like normal conversation. Under these circumstances, if she suddenly exploded, it would only make her seem like the one with the unstable brain module.

She could only sigh to calm her anger and turn to look at the field.

A round had just ended below, and traces of energy liquid that hadn't been cleaned up yet still lingered in the arena. The announcement was changing the venue, and the cheers from the audience rose and fell in waves.

The sound wave's voice came from the side again: "Zhen Tianzun's appearances have changed recently."

He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids: "Don't you have optical glasses?"

"Observed," the voice said. "Cross-validation is needed."

Vector sneered: "Then you've got the wrong machine."

"No." The voice remained steady. "You're often backstage, so your perspective is closer to the main story."

The vector then turned to look at him: "Aren't you still trying to get information out of me?"

Surprisingly, the sound wave didn't deny it: "Yes."

……

Sometimes she really wonders how this machine has survived to this day. With that kind of way of speaking, wouldn't anyone else get beaten up eight times a day?

This time, instead of pressing further, he simply added, "You don't have to answer."

Yin Xiang crossed his arms, stared at him for two seconds, and said, "Then why did you ask?"

"You will give a response," the voice said. "The answer is not unique."

The vector of vision lingered on his screen for a while.

This machine did indeed want to find out about Zhen Tianzun's situation, but now it changed its approach, starting to observe how she blocked and dodged, and how she subconsciously changed her expression and tone when talking about Zhen Tianzun.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a damned machine.

She straightened her lips and said, "Your outfit isn't exactly healthy either."

"It's more efficient than the previous method," Soundwave said.

"Where does your confidence come from?"

"You're still here."

Pointer vector: "..."

She'll smash all those dots onto the other person's screen one day!

She simply stopped feeding him and changed the subject.

"Since you watch the game yourself," she gestured with her chin towards the arena, "then you can continue watching. Anyway, you'll see what's going on with Zhen Tianzun sooner or later."

Soundwave's gaze returned to the arena, pausing for two seconds: "They'll face off."

She knew that the vector wasn't connected too quickly.

Those in the arena who understand the situation probably already know. The popularity, winning streaks, buzz, and management attention of both Soundwave and Thunder God are no longer unrelated parallel lines. In the later stages, a direct confrontation between the two sides is inevitable.

The only questions are how long it will take and what the consequences will be.

She remained silent for a moment, and finally said only, "That's your business."

Soundwave tilted his head to look at her: "Are you sure?"

Without even thinking, the vector replied directly: "At least it's none of your business."

She knew that her statement already implied taking sides, but she didn't change it because it was the truth.

She now lives with Zhen Tianzun, her training and daily life are tied to his. She's no longer just a passive observer on the sidelines. To be honest, in her own mind, she's pretty much categorized herself as belonging to Zhen Tianzun's side.

Logically, that's how it works.

The same applies to interests.

Soundwave looked at her but didn't press the matter. He simply responded with a soft "yes."

"clear."

The vector was too lazy to argue with him any further, since the answers would likely be rather bland anyway.

She turned to head backstage, but before leaving, she couldn't help but say, "If you want to keep talking to me, at least use normal conversation."

Soundwave stood still, looking at her: "Received."

The vector almost made him stumble.

That's insane! She shouldn't have said that.

She walked away without looking back, and even as she turned into the backstage corridor, she still admitted to herself that the sound waves were indeed trying to continue the conversation in a way that wouldn't easily make her lose her temper on the spot.

Okay, she'll just have to be magnanimous and tolerate this guy with negative emotional intelligence for now.

-

The battle with Zhen Tianzun was even faster than usual.

When Yin Vector arrived backstage, the final results were being announced over the loudspeaker. The cheers from the audience were no longer cheers for Yin Vector; they were screams.

After skillfully turning into the road outside the rest area, she casually pulled out a piece of metal fabric from the side.

Not long after, Zhen Tianzun returned from the other side.

The edge of the shoulder armor had several traces of liquid that hadn't been wiped off, and there was also some residual condensation on the side waist and forearm after the game.

As Yin Vector stepped forward, intending to shove the metal fabric into his hands, he saw him plop down on the bench.

OK, as always, he acts like a big shot.

So she skillfully took action and wiped away the splatter marks on the edge of his shoulder armor.

"You're getting more and more skilled now," Zhen Tianzun said casually.

"That's because you didn't wipe it yourself." Yin Xiang lowered his head and wiped away the almost dried mark. "Since you've already admitted it, why should I pretend to be polite?"

Zhen Tianzun scoffed but didn't refute.

No sooner had he finished speaking than three machines arrived at the other end of the passage.

Their steps were unhurried and measured, and their outer armor wasn't overly extravagant. They were all clearly not ordinary staff members, but rather the management type who didn't need to personally participate in the match. Their positions were very stable. Upon approaching, I first noticed Zhen Tianzun before my gaze fell on Yin Xiangzong.

Those gazes made the metal structure at the back of the vector's neck tighten.

Intuition gave her the answer before her brain modules could process it.

The visitor is not good.

And that fleeting glance definitely included her as well.