"It seems the city is no longer safe. Although we don't know the exact number of Decepticon robots that arrived from outer space, if an entire city is completely eroded by radiation, it could generate at least over a hundred thousand large robots with formidable combat power. As for the smaller robots that pose a lethal threat to humans—like those formed from televisions, refrigerators, computers, and washing machines—their numbers could easily reach tens of millions... Where have all these robots gone?" Xiao Honglü frowned.

On their way to Base Number One, the group cautiously approached a large city. Relying on Zhan Lan's psychic scan, they easily ascertained the situation inside: the entire city was dead silent, devoid of any living human, save for several hundred robots of varying sizes.

Only some stray animals remained within... Strangely, the robots had not exterminated the animals.

Chu Xuan nodded. "In the original Transformers movie plot, these mechanical extraterrestrial beings possess a civilization far more advanced than Earth's. For instance, they can jam radar scans.

They can completely sever human control over satellites or other machinery. Therefore, even if a massive number of robots migrate, as long as they eliminate every human they encounter along the way and jam signals from the sky, they won't be detected. They might not even need to jam satellites; if there are any first-generation Transformable robots capable of transforming into space shuttles, they probably would have already destroyed humanity's satellites. Under such conditions, who could trace their whereabouts?"

Xiao Honglü and Chu Xuan exchanged a look, then Xiao Honglü stated definitively, "If I'm not mistaken, the concentration point for these robots must be where the AllSpark is located. Only that could cause so many robots to mass together for defense. The crucial question now is: how do we locate their gathering spot? And once found, how do we confront an army of over ten million robots? I don't believe our current strength is enough to directly challenge an army exceeding one thousand robots; these aren't the Orc creatures you encountered in your last horror movie..."

Zheng Zha immediately broke into a slight smile. He knew that these past few days, Xiao Honglü had been grilling Zero Point and the others about Chu Xuan’s past, especially his performance in the previous world, The Lord of the Rings. Only after learning about Chu Xuan’s full layout from Zero Point did the young boy start showing that gloomy expression for several days, only stabilizing his mood after entering the Transformers world... More accurately, his mood stabilized upon seeing Chu Xuan.

(One could only hope they wouldn't clash. However, Xiao Honglü was no outsider; he had experienced several horror movie worlds alongside the team. And Chu Xuan rarely displayed anger. As long as he understood that Xiao Honglü posed no threat to the team, he shouldn't plot against him, right? But Xiao Honglü wasn't a pushover either; as long as the conspiracy wasn't excessively bizarre, he should be able to analyze it...)

Chu Xuan ignored Xiao Honglü’s concluding, provocative statement, merely furrowing his brow slightly. Then he murmured to himself, "In that case, we must use 'that' thing to solve the problem."

"'That thing?'" Zheng Zha's ears immediately perked up. Without hesitation, he roared, "Chu Xuan! I know you have some new idea up your sleeve—spit it out, spit it out! Damn it, if you dare utter half a refusal, I’ll bring this blade down immediately!" Saying this, he actually drew the Tiger Soul Blade from his Ring of Holding, and an undeniable aura of sinister white energy manifested.

Zheng Zha had become utterly exasperated with Chu Xuan’s tone. Initially, it didn't bother him much; if his schemes and plans benefited the team, he didn't mind being trapped within them, figuring he could just scold Chu Xuan later. But who knew that in The Lord of the Rings, Chu Xuan had calculated him right into the middle of it? Although it was only a feigned death, the consequence was that Chu Xuan himself might have actually died there. That was why he erupted in anger, determined to make Chu Xuan explain everything clearly.

Xiao Honglü let out a cold laugh. "What else could it be? It must be that thing... Nuclear weapons, right? Chu Xuan, are you planning to get the control codes for nuclear weapons from the US government?"

Chu Xuan nodded. "The current situation is simple: humanity has nuclear weapons but dares not use them because the robots are immune to nuclear radiation. Furthermore, the location of the AllSpark has not been pinpointed. Even if vast numbers of robots are destroyed, as long as the AllSpark exists, legions of them will be manufactured anew. Robots don't care about environmental degradation; only humans would ruin their own Earth by using nukes. Thus, it’s a net loss. I guarantee the US hasn't deployed nuclear weapons yet..."

"But we are different; we don't need to live in this world. So, we just need to obtain the codes to America's nuclear arsenal, find the likely location of the AllSpark, and drop ten hydrogen bombs first to flatten the city completely before we go in to search for it. Those Transformers are intelligent life forms, and their originating civilization surpasses our current era. Therefore, they must be aware of the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Although humanity doesn't know the exact location of the AllSpark, once they do, who can guarantee they won't resort to using nukes as a last ditch effort? Hence, they must have countermeasures against nukes, at least at the AllSpark's location; relying solely on nuclear weapons will definitely not suffice..."

Just as Chu Xuan was about to continue, Xiao Honglü plucked a strand of hair from his forehead and said, "I know your plan. You intend to use the opportunity while visiting Base Number One to make your move, right? We know the nature of the American government; they will try every trick to acquire our weapons and equipment. Imprisonment is unlikely, as humanity is in crisis now, but they will find various excuses to analyze, or rather, steal, our gear... During that time, you can gain control of the nukes through computers or other means. While it sounds incredible, I learned from everyone that you are a computer expert, correct? So, this shouldn't be difficult for you. But I am curious about one thing: how do you plan to locate the AllSpark?"

Facing Xiao Honglü’s pointed challenge, Chu Xuan did not get angry. Instead, he looked towards Luo Gandao and asked, "Are you afraid of death?"

Luo Gandao froze, then roared agitatedly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "How could I not be afraid of death? Are you setting some kind of trap to intimidate me? Damn it, don't think I'm easy to bully just because I'm not Zheng Zha! I'd rather lose this life, I, I... I can at least run away, right?" Luo Gandao had intended to say something fierce, but he wasn't Zheng Zha. After thinking hard, fear of Chu Xuan’s machinations made him settle for threatening to flee.

Xiao Honglü couldn't help but laugh wryly. He finally understood that Chu Xuan truly held deep authority within the Central Team; shaking that authority in the short term was impossible. Moreover, Chu Xuan’s capabilities were genuine, though still slightly inferior to his own, as Xiao Honglü had already conceived of every plan Chu Xuan had, plus an extra contingency that Chu Xuan hadn't even considered.

Chu Xuan continued addressing Luo Gandao. "I'm not setting a trap. There are just two tasks that require you. First, searching for large concentrations of robots. With the speed of your Type-3 robot, you can scan the entire United States in an extremely short time. So, the first task is for you and Zheng Zha to split up and search the whole country. Zheng Zha can have Zhan Lan accompany him to scan city by city using psychic abilities. Your part is a bit trickier; you need to fire a few shots into the center of every city you visit. Since the entities there will see you are also a robot, they will certainly swarm out. If a city has a large number of robots, they will attack you ferociously..."

Luo Gandao, however, breathed a sigh of relief. "That's not particularly dangerous. My Type-3 robot has an electric propulsion system; its flight speed is even faster than the Green Goblin's hoverboard when using the same system. Does this mean as long as I can lure those robots out, we can just gauge which city has the most robots?"

Chu Xuan shook his head. "That's right, the electric propulsion system can let you escape instantly. The real danger isn't that... it's the radiation. Do you remember the radiation from the AllSpark? Never mind a robot pilot; even a motorcycle would turn into a robot if exposed. If the AllSpark is truly located there, and your robot gets close to it, you, being inside..."

Luo Gandao instantly fell silent, staring blankly at Chu Xuan, unmoving...

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