Rogandao stared at a map of the United States, muttering, "From the positioning system you gave me, this location is in St. Louis City, situated between two states. That entire area has already been dismantled by countless robots, the whole city completely reconstructed into an iron fortress. The ground is steel, the buildings are steel, and surrounding the city are four towering metal spires, each hundreds of meters high. In effect, it's a fortress made entirely of metal."

"What's the footprint?" Chu Xuan asked, frowning deeply.

Rogandao shook his head. "I didn't have time to look closely at the exact area it covers, but judging by the visible scale, the fortress isn't actually that large—at least smaller than the original St. Louis City. There are still some ruins from the original city lying around uncleaned. However, when I approached it, hordes of robots swarmed out from within. The sheer number was overwhelming. Most of the robots couldn't even transform, but the sheer volume of bullets fired from the ground was unbelievable. Fortunately, I was still several hundred meters above ground, and the Dragon Crystal Necklace proved immensely useful; otherwise, just a few seconds would have been enough to tear me to shreds."

"I knew right then that I had found the main base of the Decepticons. But before I could even activate my jet boosters to flee, hundreds of various flying machines suddenly shot out from beneath the base—helicopters, fighter jets, and even a few robots that transformed into space shuttles. The firepower of these aerial units was ferocious. Their first volley consisted entirely of explosive light-particle energy projectiles, each particle about the size of a basketball, detonating violently against my shields."

"After taking fire for only a second or two, the energy reserves in my chassis were already down to half. I then used my jet system to flee madly, and now my energy level is only about ten to twenty percent remaining."

Rogandao spoke with a mixture of relief and awe.

Yet, the content of his report made everyone present knit their brows. Zheng Zha frowned. "Are there really that many transforming robots? In the original movie plot, there were only a few Decepticons. Even if they called for reinforcements from space later, surely there wouldn't be this many? Hundreds of robots capable of flight transformation?" The inherent Decepticon robots and those mutated by the radiation from the AllSpark possessed vastly different levels of power. The difference lay in the composition of their outer metal plating and the weaponry they employed. Robots mutated by the radiation used Earth's conventional weapons, like heavy machine guns or small anti-tank missiles. In contrast, the original Decepticons, those alien mechanical life forms from space, utilized energy weapons and high-yield solid projectile weaponry, while also benefiting from transformation for enhanced maneuverability. One genuine Decepticon could hold off dozens of the ordinary, radiated robots.

Xiao Honglv, however, shook his head. "That might not be entirely accurate. Uh, how should I put this? Let's start with the origins of both the Autobots and Decepticons. Based on the movie plots I've reviewed... not the animated series—since we are currently in the world of the original film narrative—we should stick to the film canon. The origin of these Transformers lies in the existence of the AllSpark, an infinite energy source. Its radiation can transform human machinery into robots. So, wouldn't the same happen on their native planet? If they are all robots, why are the Earth-mutated ones weaker while the extraterrestrial ones are stronger? Is it solely due to the different metal compositions of the two planets? That still doesn't explain it; at best, it only accounts for different external plating and weaponry. The inability to transform into other forms is the difference between the Earth-radiated robots and the alien ones. My hypothesis is..." ...The strength of these robots is intrinsically linked to their exposure to the AllSpark. The longer a robot has been exposed, the stronger it becomes. While this is merely a conjecture, it explains the power disparity I noted earlier. It also clarifies why hundreds of transforming robots might suddenly appear: they have been exposed to the AllSpark for a significant period, long enough for some of their elite units to evolve."

Evolution. Just like humans unlocking their Gene Locks to continuously grow stronger, these robots undergo a similar process. While driven by an external force, it is nonetheless startling. If this trend continues, eventually there could be tens of millions of transforming robots, or perhaps even more terrifying super-robots. This makes the extraterrestrial robots seem even more insurmountable.

Zheng Zha sighed. "'Main God' is still operating the same way, setting us up in a seemingly low-risk situation. It's just like the Alien world we faced previously. If we had just stayed with the aliens and returned to Earth, most of us could have survived unscathed. But as the Aliens began to propagate on Earth, within a few years, we would have been completely consumed by an Alien swarm. The current situation is similar. If we simply found a quiet corner on Earth to lay low and continuously hone our strength—say, for one, two, ten, or twenty years—with twenty years to cultivate and refine my inner power, perhaps I could actually achieve true cultivation. Then, what would I fear from robots? By that time, however, the robot numbers would have reached terrifying levels, and after twenty years of radiation-fueled evolution, what unimaginable strength would Megatron and the core Decepticons have attained?" Zheng Zha’s words echoed the thoughts of most present. Although 'Main God' hadn't specified a time limit for completing this horror world mission, the reality was clear: the longer they remained in this world, the greater the danger. After just a few more months of radiation exposure, who knew how many advanced, transforming robots would emerge? It would be better to act now while the high-level robots are still relatively few. They should utilize the nuclear strike, then implement the decoy plan, followed by an assault led by Zheng Zha—this was the paramount task they needed to accomplish immediately.

Since all plans were settled, the Decepticon main base was located, and they had control over the US nuclear launch codes, further delay would only serve to strengthen the Decepticons. Thus, the group immediately took their leave from the US government officials. Following Chu Xuan's signal, Zheng Zha held nothing back and revealed the location of the Decepticon main base. With genuine reverence, he bade farewell to Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Of course, Zheng Zha inwardly wished he could repair those two Autobots, but it was beyond his current capabilities, so he could only part ways with them with deep regret.

"There can be no victory without sacrifice... but sometimes, sacrifice is too painful. If victory could be achieved without any sacrifice, that would truly be ideal."

As he departed, Zheng Zha murmured these words to himself.

The Decepticons' strength was indeed terrifying. Setting aside the tens of millions of ordinary robots, the mere hundreds of transforming units were formidable enough. Even with the protection of the Dragon Crystal Necklaces, facing such an overwhelming superiority in numbers and firepower meant their survival rate would be frighteningly low. Therefore, without a completely concrete plan, no one dared to rush into an attack.

"This is far enough. We are still one hundred kilometers from the base; flying there with the Green Goblin Glider's booster system will take mere minutes. So, the general outline is this: to facilitate the decoy plan, Xiao Honglv and your team will stay to the west of the base. Once you lure away the bulk of the robots, you can simply fly westwards at will. We will remain on the eastern side of the base. Once you have successfully drawn the robots away, the remaining task will be entirely ours," Chu Xuan stated confidently to Xiao Honglv.

Xiao Honglv nervously fiddled with his hair, cautiously asking, "What about the timing? The execution window for the decoy plan—how many days do we have to complete it by?"

"There is no strict schedule for that. Since the nuclear launch codes rotate every five days, I will not activate the viral code within those five days. After the five-day period, you may wait for a random moment. Once the three thermonuclear bombs have detonated in succession, you must enter the impact zone within six hours to conduct a probe attack. The nuclear radiation from hydrogen bombs is significantly less dangerous than that from atomic bombs, and even if you sustain injuries from radiation, they can be fully repaired upon returning to the 'Main God' space, so you need not worry too much about the radiation at the center of the bombing. However, to guard against potential radiation hazards, here are three Daoist talismans from the Three Pure Ones. Affix them to yourselves when you enter the radiation zone." Chu Xuan said calmly, as if merely giving routine instructions.

Xiao Honglv selected Overlord and Zhao Yingkong for the team. One specializing in long-range engagement, the other in close combat—one utilizing high technology, the other a legendary magical weapon. Xiao Honglv, having already injected the original T-virus solution, had also unlocked his Gene Lock, making him fully capable of piloting the Green Goblin Glider to whisk them away once the decoy mission was complete.

Xiao Honglv said nothing further, merely nodding silently to Chu Xuan, then resumed pondering while twisting his hair.

(The American President should have already received the posts and signals I left, right? That means the military can surround this area within a week at the latest. Then, it’s time to utilize the hidden entrance left by Chu Xuan’s earlier arrangements... Once the nuclear strikes begin, my plan can proceed smoothly. Following that... Team Central Continent will certainly complete this horror mission without a scratch. Hmph, then I'll show you that I am absolutely not to be underestimated!) With this thought, Xiao Honglv broke into a smile. He glanced at Chu Xuan, then towards the faintly visible metal spire in the distance... A few more days, and everything will be settled!