Chapter 325: Blood of a God! Deep Dive into the Planetary Core! The Head of the Prime!
Seeing the situation, Chisaji Fox and Cage immediately decided to have the entire team fall back to standby aboard the Hyperion, dispatching only a small vanguard unit to accompany Sentinel on the mission ahead.
There was no other choice—Cybertron's hostile environment was simply too harsh for a proper scientific expedition while planet-side.
As the scientific and advance teams from the Universal Megacorp restructured their plans, Sentinel began rummaging through the junk piles, salvaging parts to construct a spacecraft.
With practiced ease, he extracted Sparks from dead Transformers and repurposed their bodies. Once the frame was assembled, he directly infused Spark energy, instantly revitalizing the construct.
In the Transformers universe, the dominant lifeforms are various Transformers, and their foundational material is Transformium—a special metal with highly unique properties. When paired with specific transformation cogs, it allows them to morph freely into any form.
Even rusted, long-dead Transformers could be reconstructed into a functional base structure, and with a Spark recompiled and injected, they could be reshaped into any Transformer desired.
Bzzzzt—!!
As the welding sparks gradually faded, a crude spacecraft—little more than a bare-bones frame—was completed.
As the top craftsman among the Autobots, Sentinel was more than worthy of his title as Chief Scientist. With just a pile of scrap, he'd cobbled together a working vessel.
Crude as it was, it had all the basic flight functions.
Watching Sentinel cobble together a spacecraft in the time it took to say a few words, Chisaji Fox stood dumbfounded. Compared to this, the Megacorp's shipyards looked laughably inefficient.
If the Universal Megacorp could acquire Cybertronian technology, building warships, factories—even megastructures—would be as easy as flipping a switch.
"If you're not afraid of dying and you want to come along, then keep up. I don't have time to babysit you fragile humans."
Sentinel clearly didn't care what Chisaji Fox and the others planned. His only responsibility was to guide the Megacorp's scientific team—whether they could keep up was not his concern.
With that, Sentinel boarded the ship and tapped a few commands on the crude control panel. A holographic screen appeared, and he marked several locations before the ship lifted off and began its journey.
Back on the Megacorp side, Cage immediately dispatched two Hunter Mech squad members to follow Sentinel, along with a swarm of AI drones to closely monitor his movements.
The rest of the team returned to the Hyperion, staying on standby and awaiting data transmissions from Sentinel and the AI drones.
"Ironhold, Kaen City, … even Skull Fortress is gone!"
Sentinel flew over the scarred, devastated surface of Cybertron, seeing the ruins of once-familiar places—all razed to the ground by war.
Massive craters and fused glass plains covered the land, the aftermath of high-temperature devastation. No wonder the Cybertronians had fled their homeworld in droves.
Before long, the ship hovered over an enormous planetary fissure.
In fact, even before the Megacorp fleet had arrived at Cybertron, they'd already observed this terrifying rift on the planet's surface.
At first, they thought it might be some strange meteorological phenomenon, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a nightmarishly massive chasm.
Just the average width alone was close to fifty kilometers—as for the length, it was unmeasurable. One could not see the end, no matter how far they looked.
"What in Primus' name did Optimus Prime and Megatron do during that civil war? How did a mere conflict between factions leave a fissure like this?!"
Sentinel stared into the abyss, stunned. He couldn't believe that a civil war between two factions alone could leave such a catastrophic mark on Cybertron.
[We have to go down there and find out.]
Chisaji Fox's voice came through the comms, issuing a direct order to Sentinel .
Sentinel remained expressionless. He glanced at the ultrasonic radar scan—the fissure exceeded sensor range and likely led straight to the planet's core.
He tapped a few buttons, setting the ship to autopilot and descending steadily into the seemingly bottomless planetary rift.
As the ship descended, the Hunter Mechs assigned to monitor Sentinel could only remain behind. Only the AI drones were capable of continuing pursuit.
These drones not only trailed Sentinel but continuously scanned the fissure's interior, relaying data back to headquarters in real time.
Back at the Universal Megacorp's central control room in the Myriad Worlds Base, Li Ang stood at the main console, his brow instinctively tightening.
The size of this planetary rift was too abnormal. One possibility was that the Prime Sovereign was awakening, which might explain such a cataclysmic anomaly!
Meanwhile, the various department heads of the Megacorp's scientific division engaged in intense discussion.
"The whole planet is metallic, but the concentration of Transformium is very low. I suspect most of it was mined and consumed long ago," said Dr. Halsey, frowning at the holographic display.
In the Transformers universe, Cybertronians were fundamentally dependent on Transformium. Unfortunately, the means to produce it were held by only a select few—like the Thirteen Primes, once followers of the Prime Sovereign, or his hidden creation, the Creator Civilization.
Transformers on Cybertron themselves never held the capability to generate new Transformium. They could only use what was already available, consuming it to sustain and grow their civilization.
Once their Transformium reserves dwindled, Cybertronian development hit a bottleneck. To progress, they had two options:
Extract more energy to maximize the utility of existing Transformium, advancing tech and upgrading individual Transformers;
Or acquire the technology to manufacture Transformium—an endeavor that ultimately proved impossible.
So the Cybertronians chose the first path: energy extraction, and energy conquest.
"In other words, the hollowing out of Cybertron's core was inevitable from the beginning. The development of any spacefaring civilization is a process of exploitation," another supervisor, Zuma, remarked coldly.
Zuma, one of the earliest scientists to join Li Ang 's team, and head of the High Knight Research Division, had long since adopted the Megacorp's pragmatic worldview.
The natural law of the universe is simple: devour to evolve. Civilizations consume other civilizations to grow stronger.
The Megacorp could afford to be less brutal because it had access to endless untapped universes. Li Ang 's promises were many—but they could actually be fulfilled.
But should the day come when every universe under the Megacorp's rule has been mined dry and they still haven't ascended to godhood, they too would face the same desperate situation.
"This fissure is most likely the result of civil war and extreme overexploitation of resources. Judging by its state, it's still expanding and collapsing," said Alt Cunningham, nodding in agreement.
At that moment, the AI drones—still tracking Sentinel —had reached the bottom of the fissure.
On the base's central holoscreen, an ocean of glowing blue liquid appeared—but this was no ordinary sea. Its temperature was nearly 7,000°C, on par with a planetary core.
Back aboard the Hyperion, Chisaji Fox immediately ordered the drones to collect samples for analysis.
The drones deployed miniaturized gravitation field beams, dredging up portions of the liquid and beginning composition scans.
The analysis results soon arrived.
This "sea" was not composed of a single material—but its primary components were olefins and ester compounds.
In simpler terms: oil.
But what shocked everyone was the purity.
On Earth, crude oil is viscous, black, and full of contaminants—hydrocarbons, sulfides, nitrogen compounds, trace metals. It needs extensive refining to be usable.
Yet the oil at the bottom of this fissure was nearly chemically pure. No way this occurred naturally.
As the data came in, the various department heads at headquarters were in awe, discussing it feverishly.
Meanwhile, upon receiving the same report, Sentinel narrowed his eyes, then suddenly murmured:
"This is the blood of the Prime Sovereign Primus."
At first, everyone in the scientific department froze—then quickly grasped what he meant.
If Transformium was the Sovereign's skin and bones—then this blue oil was undoubtedly his blood.
"Send the composition data to the Science Nexus. Have them attempt to synthesize a working prototype immediately," ordered Alt Cunningham without hesitation.
To put this in perspective: even industrial heat transfer oils can only handle up to 400°C—500°C at most.
Even the most advanced oil developed by the Megacorp tops out at under 1,000°C.
But the Prime Sovereign's "motor oil"? It could endure nearly 7,000°C without issue.
If they could replicate or extract this substance, the Megacorp's industrial capabilities could evolve yet another step.
For instance, increasing the durability of various mechanical types or constructing massive, super-giant machines would all require this top-grade oil!
While the research heads from various departments were still marveling at this discovery, Sentinel was already getting to work.
He dismantled the assembled spacecraft and rebuilt it into a spherical deep-diving device, seemingly preparing to dive into the depths of the nearly 7,000-degree oil sea.
At this, Alt Cunningham's composure instantly broke. Her brows furrowed deeply as she hurried to remind Li Ang :
"Boss, if this liquid is actually the blood of Primus, then the bottom likely connects directly to his inner core."
"Are we really going to let Sentinel enter Cybertron's core alone?"
The AI drones deployed by Megacorp couldn't withstand such extreme conditions and were currently unable to descend into the 7,000-degree core. They would need additional protective measures.
But in the short term, there wasn't enough time to deploy new high-temperature equipment for this batch of AI drones to carry out the exploration.
Letting Sentinel dive into the Cybertronian core alone could easily lead to unforeseen problems!
At the same time, other department heads also began urging Li Ang to suspend Sentinel 's mission.
After all, if the six long-dead Founding Primes could still leave behind enough residual energy to communicate with Sam, that meant high-tier Cybertronians could communicate spiritually with lower-tier ones.
And the possibility of some form of conscious energy influence could not be ruled out!
As the creator deity of the Cybertronians, Primus forming a connection with Sentinel wouldn't be all that difficult.
"Boss, we must stop Sentinel immediately and suspend this exploration!"
Zuma spoke up nervously. He understood that Primus was a celestial-level Transformer—if such a being were to awaken, it could cause immense disruption to Megacorp's unification efforts.
Even if Primus awoke in a severely weakened state, only able to fight in close combat, he would still be a terrifying force.
If Primus managed to trigger a stellar explosion and absorb energy from other planets to recover some strength, Zuma didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
An ancient Transformer ancestor possessing powers like teleportation and divine enlargement—who knows how such a being would retaliate against a high-dimensional force like Megacorp!
Zuma's warning quickly gained the support of all the research directors.
Primus was already known as a peak-tier powerhouse in the Transformers universe. His resurrection was, without question, a grave threat to Megacorp's ambition to unify the cosmos.
However, just as most were voicing their opposition to Sentinel continuing the dive, frontline commander Chisaji Fox unexpectedly voiced her support.
"Everyone, let Sentinel proceed with the dive. I'll have him share his visual feed in real-time so we can monitor everything he sees."
Chisaji Fox understood just how rare this exploration opportunity was. If they didn't push forward now, a future civil war might make it impossible to explore again.
Given the current rate of fissure expansion on Cybertron, no one could guarantee the environment would remain viable for scientific expeditions much longer.
"Besides," she added, "Primus is already suffering from an energy shortage. Even his oil is leaking to the surface. So what if he does wake up?"
She pleaded sincerely, "If you're genuinely concerned about potential danger, we can always activate the jump engine to retreat, and deploy military forces to establish defensive lines."
"But right now, this might be our best shot at reaching Primus. Miss it, and there might not be another chance!"
As those words ended, the research chiefs all turned to Li Ang . They knew only one person at Megacorp held the final authority— Li Ang himself.
And at that moment, Li Ang had already made up his mind: let Sentinel continue the descent and explore to the very end!
If Sentinel could truly awaken Primus, Megacorp would have a golden opportunity to record his internal mechanical operations.
Studying how his body transformed would provide valuable data for building future mega-scale machines.
And even in the worst-case scenario—if Primus woke up and was still capable of combat—Megacorp had more than enough weapons and firepower to bring him down.
Much like Megatronus, a newly awakened Primus would likely be in a depleted state, with no energy to activate his powers.
If he relied solely on melee combat, it would be difficult for him to endure Megacorp's fleet assault.
First, use the Wanderer-class Dreadnought to generate a gravity field and restrict his movement, then fire a round of main cannons to deal damage, followed by launching neutron bombs for the final kill sweep.
With that combo, even a god would be forced to show a health bar!
Immediately, Li Ang issued an order to Chisaji Fox: "Have Sentinel activate visual sharing. He can proceed with the dive on his own. If necessary, provide him with support."
This was a gamble. Primus' power far exceeded Megatronus's, so Li Ang couldn't be certain whether a newly awakened Primus would be capable of using his full arsenal.
That's why Li Ang had already prepared for the worst. If things turned south, he would dispatch a suicide squad to force a Matrix connection with Primus.
As long as they could pull Primus into the Matrix, Megacorp could still maintain control over him.
"Boss, do you think the current Primus exists as a planetary consciousness?"
At this moment, Secretary-General Lucy raised a question.
Based on Megacorp's previous experiences integrating other universes, the most unique being they had encountered was the planetary consciousness "Eywa" on Pandora, the main universe.
And considering Primus was the body of Cybertron itself, thinking of him as the planet's consciousness wasn't far-fetched.
"There's a strong possibility," Li Ang replied, though without drawing any firm conclusions. His knowledge of Primus was limited, with most insights being educated guesses.
The true nature of the entity remained unclear. But based on his status, it was very plausible that Primus had survived as a dormant planetary consciousness.
Still, an even more likely scenario was that Primus had fallen into a death-like slumber.
After all, if Primus were still active like Eywa, operating as a planetary mind, he should have been directing the Cybertronians to gather energy for his revival…
Not sitting back and letting his "loyal descendants" fight one another to the brink of extinction while hollowing out his planetary structure.
If not for Megacorp's intervention, Cybertron's eventual fate would have been total structural collapse.
In that case, Primus wouldn't even survive long enough for any higher civilization to attempt a rescue. He'd simply die on his own.
Meanwhile, with the visual sharing activated, Sentinel received the exploration command and began his descent.
The density of the high-temperature blue oil was similar to water—not as viscous as expected—so the submersible quickly sank.
Even Sentinel himself wasn't sure whether he'd find a passage leading to the core. If luck wasn't on his side and he couldn't locate one, he would have to turn back.
Luckily, fortune favored him this time. Not long after reaching the bottom, he discovered a pitch-black tunnel.
"Lucky break," Sentinel muttered in relief.
He piloted the submersible into the tunnel, navigating the narrow passage for nearly ten minutes before it suddenly opened up into a larger chamber.
This new zone no longer contained high-temperature blue oil, but the surroundings still felt claustrophobic and oppressive.
Opening the hatch, Sentinel jumped out and proceeded on foot.
Thanks to the ultra-light-speed communication link, even in Cybertron's core, Megacorp HQ was able to receive real-time data from Sentinel 's feed.
Soon enough, through Sentinel 's eyes, the scientists at HQ saw a face—crafted in unmistakable Cybertronian style.
It was Primus' head!!
The research directors at the Multiverse Base erupted in joyous celebration.
Even Li Ang let out a sigh of relief—this mission had been a resounding success.
Fortunately, Megacorp had arrived early in this Transformers timeline. Had they come after Cybertron collapsed into a wormhole, there would have been no chance to locate Primus.
According to the original plotline, Cybertron would be forcibly dragged through an interdimensional voyage by Sentinel 's space bridge.
During that journey, the collapsing wormhole would devour nearly the entire planet, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell and a few shattered organs.
In that state, Primus would be well and truly dead—utterly, completely beyond revival.
"Cybertron's core is Primus. Earth's core is Unicron. Once we're done with Primus, we should drill into Earth next and explore Unicron's remains!"
Zuma cheered excitedly.
As the two founding gods of the Transformers universe, seizing the remains of Primus and Unicron was practically equivalent to acquiring the cheat codes for clearing the entire cosmos.
They were the handpicked heirs of the Supreme Elder, entrusted with the divine tech gifts of the Pangu gods—what might be called "divine abilities."
From Megatronus's ability to generate wormholes manually and freely wield entropy energy, to rudimentary teleportation techniques—it all hinted at the sheer power of Primus and Unicron.
For Megacorp, these dormant god-beings were technological treasure troves waiting to be mined.
And with enough effort, they were bound to uncover countless god-tier technologies.
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