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Bang! Bang!
Amid a hail of bullets, Jack leapt into the air, moving with lightning speed as he kicked a robot squarely in the head.
Boom!
The robot's head snapped back with a crunch. As Jack landed, he grabbed the towering three-meter-tall machine and hurled it forward, sending it crashing into two more robots, knocking them clean off their feet.
"Out of my way," Jack muttered, kicking over a nearby motion sensor. The thing emitted a sweeping green light—one scan, and it would detonate with lethal force.
Seeing Jack clear the path, Cade rushed forward and shouted, "Tessa!"
At that moment, Tessa was being restrained by a grotesque, slimy tongue. A hideous creature, suspended upside-down inside a cage, had extended the tongue through the bars. It had pierced Tessa's calf, pinning her in place and making escape impossible.
She struggled, pulling on her leg. "Ah! Ah! Let go of me!"
As she thrashed, her hand brushed against a knife. Desperate, she seized it and drove it into the tongue. "Die! Just die already!"
The revolting creature screeched in pain, trying to retract its tongue—but it was too late. Tessa slashed it clean through.
Free at last, she ran forward, limping slightly but not stopping.
"Tessa!" came a voice.
She froze for a second. "That's Dad! It's Dad! Dad, I'm here!"
"Tessa, don't be afraid. I'm here to save you!" Jack called out.
They both ran toward each other, following the sound of the voices, and finally met. Cade's face lit up with relief. "Tessa!" he cried, arms wide open, ready for a fatherly hug.
But Tessa ran right past Cade and threw herself into Jack's arms. "Jack! You saved me!"
Cade's expression froze mid-hug, utterly stunned. He stood awkwardly, as if reality had sucker-punched him.
"Jack, I was so scared," Tessa said breathlessly, her voice trembling with relief. "But I knew you'd come. I knew you'd rescue me—I waited and waited."
"I know," Jack replied gently. "That's why I came."
"Thank you… Thank you so much," Tessa cried.
"Your thanks give my life meaning," Jack whispered in her ear.
Standing off to the side, Su Yueming crossed her arms, eyeing the scene with frosty disdain. "No wonder he came running here like a hero. Turns out she's his little sweetheart. Looks like a high school student. You perv."
Tessa turned toward the new voice and asked sharply, "Who's she?"
Jack grinned. "Someone who might be family someday. Just call her your sister."
"Sister?!" Tessa repeated, eyeing Su Yueming with a flicker of jealousy.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Su Yueming snapped.
Cade had finally had enough. "Why the hell are you still holding my daughter? Put her down!"
"Fine, fine. We'll continue this later," Jack said, letting Tessa go.
---
Elsewhere on the spacecraft, Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs stood before a massive iron gate.
Hound nodded. "Check it carefully. I'm opening it now."
As the gate slid open, Hound called out, "Come on, brothers! Get in! Let's go!"
"This must be a supercell," Drift said, scanning the room. "Let's make sure nothing's hiding in the corners."
"Lots of cages… looks like some of them still have creatures in them," Crosshairs observed, glancing around.
"I don't even want to imagine what's been in here," Hound muttered, stepping up to a cage housing a grotesque spider-like monster. "You don't look so tough."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Drift warned.
"Disgusting," Hound grunted.
Suddenly, the spider creature spat a jet of green acid that splashed across Hound's nose.
"Agh! It's burning! My nose is melting!" he howled, dropping to the floor. "That stings like hell!"
"Gross," Drift muttered. "Looks like it's sizzling."
Hound wiped the acid away, flinching. "I swear, if I get some alien infection from this, I'm suing somebody."
"You better hope it's not contagious," Crosshairs chuckled.
Glaring at the spider, Hound pulled out his gun. "You've just signed your death warrant. Die, you freak."
Boom!
The spider exploded in a mess of goo.
Suddenly, a distant cry echoed through the chamber. "Hound!"
"It's Optimus Prime! He's alive!" Hound shouted.
"Boss! Where are you?" Drift yelled.
"I'm up here! Hurry!"
"Hang on—we're coming!" Drift responded.
Optimus was hanging upside down inside a cage, his voice urgent. "This is the Knight ship's escape pod. It's isolated—we can leave using it! But it won't wait long!"
"Where's the cockpit? Left or right?" Hound asked.
"Right side!"
"I'm on it!" Hound said, already sprinting off. "Man, I've always wanted to fly one of these things!"
"Hurry, we're out of time," Optimus said.
Drift raised his massive sword and began hacking at the cage bars. "We'll get you out of there!"
---
Meanwhile, Jack and the others reached the edge of the spaceship. Below them was a 500-meter drop. The only way out was to cross a set of anchor cables stretched to a building on the opposite side.
"My God, I can't do this," Tessa said, staring down in horror. Her legs trembled uncontrollably.
"This is nuts," Su Yueming muttered, glancing at Jack. "Now it's really getting fun."
Cade stood confidently on a cable. "Tessa, don't worry—it's stable. You can make it. Come on."
"I can't! I really can't!" Tessa cried.
"You can do this. Trust me—I'll protect you," Cade pleaded.
"I don't trust you!" she shot back.
Jack stepped forward, patting his shoulder. "Tessa, do you trust me?"
She nodded, hesitating. "Yes."
"Then hop on."
She climbed onto Jack's back, clinging tightly. A wave of calm washed over her.
Su Yueming rolled her eyes. "What about me, huh?"
"If you don't mind, my strong arms are at your service." Jack swept her up in his arms.
"Ah! You jerk!" Su Yueming yelped, startled.
Tessa looked at Su Yueming, now being carried bridal-style, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "You're just… hugging her?"
"This girl," Su Yueming muttered, sighing, "he's carrying you piggyback, and I'm the one being accused? He's a flirt, not a saint."