Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 61 Military Region

After leaving their lodgings, the two men didn't talk much on the way.

Midway through the journey, Yin Vector asked where they were going, and Zhen Tianzun simply replied, "You'll know when we get there," without saying anything more. She didn't press him for details and followed him as they walked further out of the city.

When she actually arrived at the destination, she was still taken aback for a moment.

From the outside, the place doesn't look like anything special; it's just a angular structure with dim lighting, but there are quite a few access control points and patrol points. It doesn't look conspicuous, but once you get closer, you can tell that this isn't an area that ordinary government agencies can freely enter, or even civilian land.

The vector subconsciously glanced at the outer recognition terminal and several guard positions. Just as it was about to take a closer look, the recognition gate in front of it opened.

Her own terminal didn't require verification; it was Zhen Tianzun who directly took her inside.

She understood immediately.

This place still outwardly carries the shell of a military region under the leadership, but at least this small section is already tacitly under the jurisdiction of Zhen Tianzun.

As she walked further in, she noticed something else.

Zhen Tianzun was much the same as when he first left; he didn't talk much and his steps were still long and steady. But the further they went in, the less he seemed to be as casual and quick to tease her in front of her.

He wasn't deliberately putting on airs; it's just that in places like this, his entire aura changes.

Occasionally, someone would pass by on either side of the corridor, and upon seeing him, they wouldn't ask any questions, but would simply make way for him. Zhen Tianzun ignored them, not even glancing at them, and walked straight ahead.

Following behind, looking at his back, she suddenly felt that his state was very similar to her aunt, who was a director, with a natural sense of control.

When the innermost door opened, there were two people sitting inside.

One is taller, with a widened back and shoulders, a sharp body outline, a green main armor pressing down on an orange chest armor, and the head sculpt and shoulder armor edges are slightly protruding.

The other one is heavier, with a dark blue main color pressing down on the gold facial structure and shoulder edges, creating a more noticeable sense of oppression.

Both machines were looking at their screens when they heard the noise, so they looked up at the same time.

My eyes first fell on Zhen Tianzun, and then I looked at Yin Xiangmu.

The vector was positioned slightly behind and to the side of the Heavenly Venerable. Before speaking, he scanned them.

The same goes for the other side.

That view wasn't offensive, but it was definitely not just a casual glance; they were trying to find out why she had been brought here.

The room was silent for two seconds before the green one spoke first, its gaze sweeping over the vector of energy before returning to the face of the Heavenly Venerable Zhen.

"Did you bring this?"

Zhen Tianzun took two steps inside, his tone flat: "Yes."

The green machine raised an eyebrow and finally turned its gaze back to the vector.

"Earthquake".

The dark blue one next to it simply replied, "Hackerwing."

"A vector," she replied.

Tianzhen stared at her for two seconds before speaking directly.

"The fact that he brought you here at least shows that you're not an outsider."

After listening, Yin Vector didn't respond immediately. He first glanced at Zhen Tianzun, who was standing to the side. He didn't interrupt or speak for her.

She then turned back.

"I wasn't an outsider to begin with," she answered decisively.

Tianzhen's lips twitched slightly, as if he had heard something that was somewhat agreeable, but he didn't let it go so easily: "Then you should also know that this place isn't something you can just bring a machine to visit and then forget about it."

"That's why I'm standing here now," the vector said. "Isn't that right?"

After saying that, Haiyi finally spoke: "You're not all talk."

"There's no need to be coy." Yin Xiang looked at him. "If he was just bringing me here to take a look, he wouldn't have led me through this door in the first place."

The room fell silent for a moment.

This time, neither Tianzhen nor Haiyi responded immediately; they simply looked at her again. The initial probing intent hadn't completely dissipated, but it was no longer about whether she could hold her ground; it was about reassessing her position.

Because what she just said was correct.

Being brought here by Zhen Tianzun already says a lot.

Zhen Tianzun finally spoke, his voice still low: "She will always be here."

There was still no further explanation.

This time, Tianzhen actually leaned back a bit, and the previous scrutiny in his eyes finally faded somewhat.

"Okay," he said. "Then they're on our side."

Haiyi added casually, "In that case, there are some things she really should know."

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiangzong remained silent, but his gaze still unconsciously fell upon Zhen Tianzun.

The latter stood in the cold light cast by the data screen, his expression different from usual in front of her. It wasn't fierce or cold, but rather a direct acceptance that things should be done his way.

Zhen Tianzun didn't look at her, but simply raised his hand and pushed the military region dispatch map hanging on one side forward.

"Let's get down to business first," he said, "about the recent developments over there."

Tianzhen immediately turned around and opened a record on the data terminal.

"On the surface, it's still the same as before," he said. "Nominally, the military region is under the leadership's control, and there haven't been any obvious changes in recent assignments and rotations. But there have been several batches of aircraft that weren't on regular assignment, and their origins are all very clear. They're not actually conducting regular patrols."

Haiyi continued, "There were a few more covert transfers. Ostensibly to fill vacancies, but actually to plant spies here."

The vector optical mirror shrank slightly.

Zhen Tianzun's tone remained unchanged: "How many did you block?"

"We can still hold off what's on the surface," Tianzhen said. "We're still suppressing what we can here, and morale at the surrounding locations is still high. But they've been testing us more and more frequently lately, which means the higher-ups are no longer just watching the arena."

"They've started following the trail towards the military region," Haiyi said calmly. "They want to see just how far you've infiltrated."

After hearing this, Zhen Tianzun only snorted coldly.

Yin Xiang stood quietly to the side, listening intently. She knew before that Zhen Tianzun controlled more than just the arena; she also knew he had made preparations elsewhere. But only now did she truly see the significance of these territories.

This isn't just about a few supporters; he's already controlling a portion of the military region, which is directly under the leadership.

Only then did Zhen Tianzun turn his head and glance at her.

"Now you know why I brought you here?"

Yin Xiang raised his eyes, met his gaze, and nodded after two seconds: "Understood."

She paused, then honestly added a sentence.

"It's a bit more exaggerated than I thought."

Upon hearing this, Tianzhen finally smiled, though it wasn't a very strong laugh.

"If you can say that, then it's no wonder he brought you here today."

Haiyi didn't laugh, but only glanced at Zhentianzun and then at Yinxiang: "At least what he brought wasn't an empty shell."

This statement already constitutes an acceptance.

Tianzhen dragged out another set of records, and soon several overlapping command lines and regional distributions appeared on the projection.

"It's not just eye-picking lately," he said. "Two outposts on the fringes have already started changing their personnel. It's not a big move, the reasons are plausible, and on the surface it looks like a routine rotation."

"But the batch of machines that were replaced had backgrounds so clean they looked like they'd been specially washed," Hacker added.

Zhen Tianzun looked at the transfer orders, his tone unchanging: "They want to pry open the periphery first."

"That's right." Tianzhen nodded. "Once the perimeter is loosened, it will be much easier to infiltrate further. Even if we don't act immediately, we can still get a pretty good idea of ​​your situation."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Yin Vector stared at the transfer orders for two seconds, then suddenly spoke up: "They're not in a hurry to take them back yet."

Tianzhen and Haiyi both looked at her.

He raised his hand and pointed to two of the adjustment lines.

"If they were really planning to close the net immediately, they wouldn't be using these peripheral outposts to test things out slowly. They're seeing which side is easier to break down." She didn't mince words and said directly, "There's been movement over at the arena, and the military region is starting to probe again, which means they don't want to target any one side individually, but rather want to see if both sides can be cut off first."

Tianzhen's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

Vector continued, "If they can cut it open, they'll hold off Zhen Tianzun while looking for openings elsewhere. But if they can't cut it open, they'll likely be faster and disrupt both sides at once."

Haiyi stared at the projection for two seconds, then said calmly, "She's right."

Zhen Tianzun finally spoke, following up on what Yin Xiang had just said: "Therefore, the perimeter outposts can't just be for defense." He continued, "We also need to keep stabilizing the surrounding areas. Let them know who's planning to use them as expendable resources."

After listening, Tianzhen leaned back a little and his gaze fell back on the vector of attraction. This time, the probing that had been there before had completely faded away.

"Looks like you've been keeping a close eye on things quite a bit."

"It wasn't just staring for nothing." The vector returned naturally.

Instead of discussing it solely with Zhen Tianzun as before, Haiyi directly asked her, "What do you think is the most problematic aspect of the arena lately?"

The vector was not even considered.

"Rhythm," she said. "What they want most right now isn't to kill us or anyone else, but to disrupt the whole situation here. Once you start getting pressured and anxious, your judgment will be more prone to errors."

Haiyi nodded and said nothing more.

As the conversation continued, Tianzhen and Haiyi would occasionally provide some data to Yin Vector or ask for her opinion. Zhen Tianzun didn't specifically say anything to her throughout, only occasionally chiming in when she made a comment to continue the discussion.

When we came out after the conversation, the corridor outside was still quiet and solemn.

As Zhen Tianzun walked outwards, his aura subsided somewhat after he left the innermost area.

The vector followed beside him for a while before speaking: "You've set up this place much more elaborately than I expected."

Zhen Tianzun didn't even look at her: "Or did you think I was just talking nonsense in the arena all along?"

"I thought you were just good at talking and, incidentally, good at fighting," Yin Xiang said half-jokingly, then paused and added, "I didn't expect you to have already taken over a piece of the military region."

This time, Zhen Tianzun glanced at her sideways, and a familiar expression finally returned to his light blue optical glasses: "Now you know?"

"I understand." Vector was honest. "I also know you weren't bragging before."

Zhen Tianzun snorted with satisfaction.

The two machines continued walking out, and when they reached the vicinity of the outer identification gate, he glanced at her again: "You look better now than you did a few days ago."

Yin Xiang raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by 'something decent'?"

"At least he didn't put on that face that's all about worrying about other people's problems first," said Zhen Tianzun. "At least the brain module wasn't constantly spinning wildly."

After listening, Yin Vector was silent for two seconds before finally admitting, "...it's a little better."

"Um."

She paused for a moment, then said bluntly, "Your side really puts Ji at ease."

Zhen Tianzun didn't stop walking, and replied calmly, "It's enough that you know."