Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 60 You Were There All Along

For the past day or two, the vector has been much quieter.

It wasn't that she stopped talking, nor that the whole machine suddenly became particularly quiet. She continued to do what she was supposed to do: work with Starscream, checking on Shockwave's status, and keeping an eye on Orion and Megatron's news. She also closely followed the recent movements in the arena, whether the management was recruiting new people, and what Megatron's preparations were.

The whole machine felt tight.

It's like a screw that's always tightened up, holding on tightly until something really goes wrong, afraid that if it loosens up even a little, something bad will happen in the next second.

Zhen Tianzun didn't say anything at first.

She's been very busy these past few days, even more efficient than usual, but this level of efficiency makes people feel something's off.

Even when busy, he never stops talking. He'll still say something if he sees something he doesn't like, and he'll show off his optical glasses if he finds any useful information. Even when he's criticizing management, he does it with great flair and a lot of vocabulary.

Now, it's not that there's nothing to say, but it's all very short, as if all the extra emotions have been cut off, leaving only the usable part.

When Zhen Tianzun returned from outside that evening, she was still sitting in the chair on the second floor, with two or three layers of data interfaces projected in front of her. She was tapping the edge of the data pen in her hand, clearly looking at something, but her gaze lingered for a long time.

Zhen Tianzun stood by the door and looked at her for two seconds.

"The way you've been lately," he began, his tone as blunt as ever, "is like someone stole half of your brain module."

Without even looking up, he said, "No, I've just been busy lately."

"Even with all the fuss, I've never seen you this quiet before."

"I've never seen things this chaotic lately."

She replied quickly, her tone relatively calm, but her data pen didn't stop. Zhen Tianzun glanced at the contents on her terminal and the projector: arena movements, peripheral routes, permission fluctuations, and even several personnel relationship records that she had singled out and compiled.

He walked over and stood behind her.

"You're looking things up now," he glanced down, "you're practically turning the whole of Caron upside down."

"It can't hurt to take a look first." Yin Xiang finally looked up at him. "Otherwise, if you get poked in some crack one day, you won't even know which slag did it."

The room fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

Zhen Tianzun didn't reply immediately, but just looked down at her.

Vector belatedly realized that he had spoken a bit too harshly. Just as he was about to look down and flip the interface a little further, a hand suddenly pressed down on the back of his chair.

The next second, the entire chair was spun halfway around.

"Hey, wait—"

Before she could finish speaking, she was turned to face Zhen Tianzun.

The man pressed one hand against the back of the chair and the other hand on the other side, trapping her between the chair and himself. He was very close to her, staring down at her through his light blue optical glasses, making it impossible for her to continue pretending that she was just busy.

"Look at me," he said.

The vector paused for a moment, then looked up.

Zhen Tianzun stood very close, but his voice was not loud, and it was different from the tone he had used to casually insult her earlier.

"You haven't just been busy these past few days, you've been on edge." He stared at her. "You're afraid they'll use this as an excuse to bother other agencies, and you're also afraid they'll be even more ruthless next time. You're investigating these things not because you're idle, but because now even when you're sitting quietly, you have to think about whether there are any loopholes around you."

The vector remained silent.

Zhen Tianzun's words were so accurate that she couldn't respond for a moment.

That's definitely how she's been these past few days. The more things she has to do, the less she dares to relax. The more people she knows, the more stable her relationships become, the more she feels like those things are laid bare, and anyone can follow her lead and touch them.

Zhen Tianzun looked at her as she quieted down and let out a low hum.

The way you look right now makes it seem like you're preparing to worry about every possible problem for them.

Finally, the vector opened its mouth: "I just feel that lately..."

"It is indeed very chaotic, I know," Zhen Tianzun interrupted her, "and it's certainly not just you who's keeping an eye on things."

She looked at him.

Zhen Tianzun's hands, which were propped up on the side of the chair, did not move, nor did his gaze shift.

"They're rushing at you because they're starting to get scared. They're reaching out to you because they know you're not some small thing they can just pick up and throw away." He paused here, lowering his voice slightly, "But don't get really that nervous. You're not just some random machine blindly trying to fix things."

The vector optical mirror retracted slightly.

Zhen Tianzun stared at her, his tone still habitually a bit harsh.

"I'm still here," he said. "Your friends and acquaintances are still here too. When it really comes down to it, you won't be the one carrying everything first."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Looking at him, the tension that had been building up did ease a little; it wasn't completely gone, but he could finally catch his breath.

She leaned back in her chair and after a while whispered, "I know you're all here."

"Knowing that, why did you still get yourself into this state?"

"Knowing and not being able to resist are two different things." She replied honestly, paused, and then added, "Besides, these slag guys have been getting more and more annoying lately."

Zhen Tianzun looked at her, finally abandoning his previous serious demeanor, and only gave a very soft snort.

"That sounds like you."

Yin Xiang's lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but softly reply, "I wasn't broken to begin with."

Zhen Tianzun straightened up, but his hand remained on the back of the chair for a moment, making sure she was finally feeling better before slowly withdrawing it.

"Alright," he said. "Pack your things away first."

"what?"

"I'll take you to see the two machines."

Vector was taken aback, then looked up at him: "Now?"

"Yes," said Zhen Tianzun. "I was planning to take you there in the next couple of days anyway. Haven't you been worried lately that you'd be left out and wouldn't know the whole story? That's perfect, I'll take you to meet people."

The vector now sat up a little straighter.

"Who?"

Zhen Tianzun glanced at her and said, "Why ask so many questions? You'll find out when we get there."

"...What you're saying sounds like you're planning to sell me off."

"Sell it to you?" Zhen Tianzun sneered. "With a mouth like yours, whoever buys it is doomed."

The vector was momentarily speechless, but then she fully regained her senses. Looking at the Heavenly Venerable, she belatedly realized that this meeting was probably not simple. The person he specifically brought to meet at this time was most likely someone within his sphere of influence.

She blinked through her optical glasses; the sense of crisis in her heart hadn't dissipated, but she was still somewhat moved.

"...Are you planning to show me your stuff too?"

Zhen Tianzun looked at her and said calmly, "Otherwise what?"

He paused for a moment, then added another sentence.

"You were involved in what happened next."