Optimus Prime and the others quickly transformed into their tall Autobot forms, forming a protective circle around Merlin. They looked solemnly at the lizardmen and Decepticons pouring in from the surrounding streets. "Click! Click!" Weapons popped out one after another as they became alert.
"Where are the platform players? I think we've encountered a hell-level difficulty and could use some support," Stark said, hovering in the sky. Though his tone was relaxed, it was clear he was suppressing his anxiety. The sheer number of lizardmen made him uneasy.
"They'll probably take some time. My location is exposed to the entire city now; they'll show up sooner or later," Merlin replied. The lizardmen had discovered him first, and there were so many of them that it was easy for them to separate and surround him. As for the players, not all of them were focused on the main storyline. Some were still roaming around in vehicles or hiding with sniper rifles.
"Members of the military and our department are also on their way to provide support, but..." Natasha glanced around and then at her teammates. The meaning was self-evident: the gap between their numbers and strength was too great; they might not survive long enough for help to arrive.
"What's in your bag? Can you return it to them?" Tony asked, looking at the backpack in Merlin's arms. Without Megatron and the other aliens pursuing them, they could still escape.
"No. If he gets it, all of Earth's electrical machinery will turn into Cybertronian biological robots, which is much more troublesome than a city of lizardmen," Natasha replied decisively, shaking her head. As an agent, she had received information about the Transformers from District 7 and understood the importance of the AllSpark.
"What should we do? We can't hold out much longer," Stark admitted, feeling at a loss. He resolved that when this was over, he would develop anti-Transformers armor. This battle was truly frustrating.
"If we fail in the end, please place the AllSpark on my chest. I will disappear from the Earth with it," Optimus Prime, who had been silent, suddenly said, turning to face the group.
"Leader!" Ironhide and the others were shocked.
"We'll wait until we fail. For now, let's make the situation a little more chaotic," Merlin said as he got out of the car and stepped onto the ground, pulling the AllSpark cube from his bag.
"What are you going to do?" Arcee, now in her humanoid form, asked with a puzzled expression.
Merlin didn't answer. Instead, he threw the AllSpark into the air.
"Hey! Boy, what are you doing?!" Ironhide and the others were shocked by Merlin's actions.
"Here's some help!" Merlin raised his laser gun and pulled the trigger, aiming at the AllSpark hovering above.
"Whoosh!" The red laser shot out, striking the surface of the AllSpark. Instantly, a massive burst of energy erupted from the cube.
"Boom!!!" A colossal electromagnetic wave exploded from the AllSpark, rapidly spreading out in a circular pattern like a hurricane, reaching the edges of Manhattan. The energy blast caused the surrounding lizardmen to pause and look at the AllSpark in confusion.
"Click!" The AllSpark hovered in the sky for a moment, then, after releasing its energy, it fell back into Merlin's backpack. The surroundings became eerily quiet, with a sense of disorientation lingering in the air. The lizardmen began to panic, patting their bodies to check for injuries, but found none.
"Uh... all that commotion and no harm done?" Stark, who had managed to steady himself in the sky, looked around at the unexpectedly calm scene with some confusion.
"Mr. Stark, your suit seems to have undergone some changes," Merlin called out. "It's like... it has a life of its own, consistent with the biomechanical characteristics of the alien Transformers' bodies!"
"What?" Stark's eyes widened in shock, and then he heard a strange voice from inside his armor.
"Hey! Master, it's an honor to be one with you." A small, chibi version of Iron Man emerged from Stark's shoulder, formed from liquid metal, and greeted him.
"Oh, my God..." Stark muttered, stunned as he looked at the tiny Iron Man on his shoulder, unsure how to process what was happening.
Suddenly, a burst of exclamations rang out from nearby.
"What's going on?!" Natasha shouted. She had lost control of her MK2 Tyrant suit, which was sparking erratically. A white robot with a purple energy core in the center of its chest appeared in the air, emerging from the suit.
Natasha began to fall, but the Tyrant quickly transformed back into its vehicle form to catch her. Unlike Stark's suit, however, it didn't seem to have developed the ability to speak yet.
At the same time, the lizardmen, who were still confused by the recent events, suddenly noticed that the surrounding vehicles, vending machines, and other electrical appliances began to flicker with sparks. To their shock, these objects then transformed into chaotic, robotic forms.
"Da-da-da!!!"
"Boom boom boom!!!"
Suddenly, bursts of machine gun fire and the chaotic sounds of artillery shells erupted from a nearby shopping mall.
"Boom!" An explosion burst out, shattering the glass doors, and from the debris emerged a dense swarm of newly formed robots.
"Wow!!! Quack, quack, quack!!!!" The robots, upon seeing the stunned groups of lizardmen on the street, immediately rushed forward, brandishing the weapons they had created.
Not just in the immediate area, but across the entire Manhattan region, the energy from the AllSpark had taken effect. Televisions that had been playing the news in homes suddenly twisted into violent robots. Kitchen appliances—bread machines, induction cookers, juicers, and even mobile phones—transformed into aggressive Decepticon Cybertronians.
However, there was a difference. While many of the electronic devices turned into Decepticons, violently attacking everything in sight, the vehicles owned by players—after being affected—also transformed into bio-mechanical robots. Unlike the Decepticons, these robots maintained cooperation with their owners rather than going on a rampage.
Many of Earth's technologies were produced through reverse engineering Megatron, so when exposed to the AllSpark's energy, they turned into Decepticons, automatically equipped with weapons and using the AllSpark's energy as their ammunition.
However, the technology produced by Merlin was different. Since it was based on the system game platform and bound to the R Planet subsystem, the vehicles and devices under its influence did not become destructive like the others. Instead, they retained their functions and continued to work harmoniously with their users.
[Chaotic Species!]
[A new race has been added to Manhattan: the Chaos Race.]
[Faction: Chaos]
[The product of energy overflowing from the AllSpark, a mechanical species generated by disordered and chaotic Cybertronian technology.]
[Destroy! Confusion!!]
[Everyone is going to die!!!]
[Congratulations to Manhattan players on their vehicle upgrade. From now on, your vehicle is no longer just a cold machine, but your closest comrade-in-arms!]
-----
Enjoy the chapter
Patreon:patreon.com/Asriel_sain