Chapter 58: The Terminator Among the Survivors

Upon spotting Optimus Prime in pursuit, the High-Altitude Hunter immediately released another Swallowtail fighter from its belly to intercept him. Yet, the moment the Swallowtail detached from the mothership, it was blasted apart by two shots from Optimus Prime’s railgun.

Realizing the situation was dire, the High-Altitude Hunter executed a series of sharp maneuvers, attempting to evade further attacks from Optimus Prime’s railgun. At the same time, its onboard cannons opened fire in retaliation, releasing a hail of bullets that clattered harmlessly against Optimus Prime’s unyielding armor, failing to inflict any real damage.

Seeing his adversary’s attacks were ineffective, Optimus Prime grew bolder, surging forward at full speed. With a precise shot, he destroyed the rear-mounted cannon, then transformed into his humanoid form and landed atop the aircraft. Drawing his longsword, he watched as its blade ignited crimson, and with a powerful slash, he severed the right-side main engine.

Instantly, the High-Altitude Hunter lost speed, and deprived of one engine, it veered off its original course. Without hesitation, Optimus Prime lopped off the tail fin, stripping the aircraft of its directional control and sending it further off trajectory.

But then, the central booster engine quickly rotated its thrusters, causing the plane to roll violently. The sudden movement nearly threw Optimus Prime off, but he managed to cling tightly to the fuselage, avoiding an undignified fall.

Enduring tremendous centrifugal force, he sheathed his sword, transformed his right hand into an ion cannon, and destroyed the central booster. With all sources of propulsion gone, the High-Altitude Hunter plummeted toward the earth. At its current descent speed, the prisoners inside would surely be killed upon impact, rendering all his efforts in vain.

Determined, Optimus Prime dove beneath the falling craft. His twin engines roared at maximum output, blue flames streaming far behind him. The immense weight pressed him to his limits, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. Thanks to his efforts, the descent slowed to a speed survivable by humans. When they were only twenty meters from the ground, Optimus Prime darted aside from beneath the plane. Had he remained, even he would have been gravely injured by the impact.

From a height of twenty meters, the crash—cushioned by the deforming fuselage—caused only minor internal injuries among the prisoners. Most of the harm had occurred earlier, during the violent roll, when they were thrown and battered about.

There were more than a dozen with broken bones of varying severity, and nearly everyone bore cuts, scrapes, or bruises. After landing, Optimus Prime immediately approached the cockpit, tore away the High-Altitude Hunter’s control terminal, and crushed it underfoot.

He then moved to the side vent, slashed open a gap with his longsword, and allowed the survivors inside to exit. As the first survivors emerged and beheld the towering figure of Optimus Prime—whose size rivaled that of the Reapers—they instinctively recoiled in fright. In this world, robots were synonymous with death and terror, and the larger the robot, the more fearsome the association.

Nevertheless, a few among the survivors remained clear-headed. It was obvious that this robot had just saved them, and his appearance was nothing like that of a Terminator. As one of them hesitated, unsure whether to step forward and speak, the sound of helicopter rotors in the distance drew everyone’s attention.

But when they saw the newcomers disembark, each clad in powered exoskeleton armor, the survivors again shrank back in fear. At that moment, Optimus Prime transformed back into a fighter jet, and the transformation process sparked another wave of panic among the survivors.

“If you don’t want to die, get onboard now! The Terminator support troops will be here any minute!” Wang Jing shouted to the still-dazed survivors.

“Are you with the Resistance?” one survivor asked.

“No, but if you don’t get onboard soon, you can wait here for the Resistance to rescue you yourself!” Wang Jing replied impatiently. With Terminator reinforcements likely to arrive at any moment, he had no desire for a firefight.

Faced with the threat of imminent death, the survivors reluctantly complied and boarded Optimus Prime in his jet form. After all, getting on the plane didn’t guarantee death, but staying behind certainly did. For these survivors, who had struggled for years in the apocalypse, the choice was clear.

Once everyone had boarded, Wang Jing transported Optimus Prime, the helicopter, and the dimensional squad back to the primary world. When the survivors looked out the window and saw the world outside change in an instant, anxiety and panic swept through the cabin once more.

Moments later, the hatch opened and Song Guohua entered with a group of soldiers. Upon seeing the uniformed troops, the survivors finally calmed down.

“Everyone, you are safe now. Please disembark in an orderly fashion,” Song Guohua announced.

The bewildered survivors were herded off the plane by the soldiers. Only after everyone had disembarked did Optimus Prime return to his humanoid form.

Surrounded by unfamiliar sights, the survivors huddled together and, guided by the soldiers, proceeded to the temporary base’s showers. While the survivors cleansed themselves, Wang Jing found Song Guohua.

“After they’ve finished, ask if anyone knows the location of the Resistance’s contact base,” Wang Jing instructed.

“Understood, I’ll see to it right away,” Song Guohua replied with a nod.

Just as he was about to leave, Wang Jing stopped him. “Wait. Once they’re done, make sure each of them gets a thorough checkup. Don’t let any Terminators slip in.”

“Right. I’ll assign more personnel,” Song Guohua answered solemnly.

“And remember to cut off all network connections between the base and the outside world,” Wang Jing reminded him.

After briefing Song Guohua, Wang Jing headed to logistics. There, he spoke to the technicians repairing the stealth helicopter. “Remove all the rocket pods and replace them with armor-piercing rounds.”

Only after these tasks were complete did Wang Jing allow himself a moment’s rest. The recent battle had been harrowing—he’d nearly been blown apart.

An hour later, a soldier urgently summoned him outside.

“What’s going on?” Wang Jing asked as he walked.

The soldier, his expression full of wonder, replied, “We found a Terminator among the survivors.”

Wang Jing was stunned. He had only warned Song Guohua as a precaution, never expecting they’d actually uncover a Terminator.

“Is anyone hurt?” Wang Jing quickly inquired.

The soldier shook his head, still looking perplexed. “No. It seems... it doesn’t realize it’s a Terminator.”