Chapter 26 - Galactus Prime

[Bonus Chapter]

David turned his gaze to the remaining grunts, who were desperately clinging to their hostages, fear etched on their faces.

Grunt number one said , voice trembling but trying to sound tough, shouted, "Stay back! I swear, I'll kill them!"

Another one, his grip tightening on a young student, screamed, "You think we're scared of some tin can? You're dead meat!"

The others echoed similar threats, their panic rising as David stepped closer, seemingly unfazed.

His back flared with movement as small armaments unfolded from his metallic form, each locking precisely onto the 35 targets scattered across the room.

One of the grunts, voice cracking with terror, shouted, "I'll do it! I'll—"

Before he could finish, a barrage of non-lethal electric shots fired from David's armaments, each hitting their mark with perfect accuracy.

The grunts barely had time to react before they collapsed to the ground, convulsing as the electric shocks incapacitated them.

Their threats died in their throats, replaced by groans of pain.

David stood still for a moment, the calm after the storm settling over the room.

He looked at the children, now free from their captors, their wide, astonished eyes scanning his awe-inspiring mechanical form.

One of the kids, voice shaky with both fear and admiration, asked, "Are you a hero?"

David's deep, mechanical voice resonated through the room, calm but firm. "No,... I'm not a hero."

A silence fell, heavy with confusion and curiosity.

Then, another child, a bit braver, asked, "Then who are you?"

David turned, ready to leave, but paused mid-step.

He glanced back over his shoulder, his blue eyes flaring slightly as he spoke, his voice filled with weight and purpose.

"Prime... My name is Galactus Prime."

With that, he launched himself into the sky, disappearing in a flash, leaving behind the disarmed villains and a room full of awestruck survivors, their confusion and fear now replaced by a strange sense of hope.

---

David flew through the sky, his mechanical form gliding smoothly as the impulsive thoughts from the incidnet slowly ebbed away.

He wasn't angry or ashamed of what he'd done.

It had been a clean intervention—efficient and precise.

But as the moment began to subside, a quiet realization settled over him.

The Matrix of Leadership. It was affecting him in ways he hadn't fully understood before.

His actions during the battle felt natural, almost too natural.

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation, no second thoughts, no fear—just the clear-cut decisiveness of a warrior, ready to face anything.

He had felt more like a machine of purpose than a person making choices.

As he descended toward Kaede's house, reverting to his normal form, David mulled over the feeling.

The Matrix wasn't just boosting his intelligence or giving him access to vast amounts of knowledge.

It was reshaping how he thought, how he felt—or how he didn't feel—during moments of conflict.

He couldn't deny it; he was changing, becoming more aligned to the ideology of primes.

But, he didn't want to think about it.

He needed a distraction, something to take his mind off of it.

He landed softly on the rooftop, his mind already turning toward the one thing that he actuwly needed to do and was perfect for it.

He made his way over to his setup, turning on his laptop with a practiced motion.

David pulled up his stream dashboard, his fingers tapping quickly at the keys.

Within moments, he had everything ready to go—mic, camera, overlays.

He thought for a moment going over what he had planned for this one.

And then hit the go live button.

---

David settled into his gaming chair, adjusting the camera to frame himself just right.

As the stream was now live, he plastered a bright, cheerful smile on his face. "Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Minecraft stream! I'm feeling great today, and I can't wait to dive in!"

He clicked around the game, the familiar sounds of blocks breaking and crafting filling the background.

As he navigated his character through the pixelated world, the chat began to fill with comments from his viewers.

>RedRocket39: Let's go! Can't wait to see what you're gonna do with the legendary game.

>CosmicBanana81: Dude, you sound way too hyped!

>PickleWizard67: What are you drinking? LOL!

>ToastMonster42: Glad you're back! Hope you're feeling better!

David kept the conversation flowing, his tone bright and animated. "Thanks, guys! I'm really excited! Today, we're going to build an epic fortress! It'll be so cool!"

He swung his character around, gathering resources, his movements lively and exaggerated.

As the first hour of the stream went by, David maintained an upbeat facade like the many children youtubers did, but the chat began to notice a strange uncanny nature.

>SourGrape33: Bro, you're really into this today. It's kinda uncanny.

>LuckyLlama99: I dunno, man, you seem... different?

>CrazyCabbage43: Just keep playing! You're doing great!

>AngryPineapple77: Is it just me, or does he look kinda... jumpy?

David laughed, brushing off the comments. "Oh, come on! It's just Minecraft! Nothing can scare me here! Haha!"

His voice was a touch too loud, the laughter too forced.

He continued to mine and build, though his glances toward the side of the screen became more frequent, like he was checking for something just out of view.

As he crafted a new sword, he forced himself to keep the energy up. "Look at this shiny new sword! Gonna take on the Ender Dragon with this bad boy!" He swung the sword around, a wide grin plastered on his face, though the glint in his eyes seemed less joyful.

>TheNinjaSloth: You sure you're okay? You're acting kinda weird...

>WackyWombat24: Dude, you look like you're watching your back.

>ChocoPanda55: Chill out, man! Just play the game!

>FunkyChicken23: LOL, is someone there? You keep looking away!

As the hour progressed, the atmosphere shifted subtly.

David's earlier enthusiasm felt more strained, and the forced cheerfulness began to wear thin.

He continued to glance sideways, as if trying to convince himself that there was nothing to worry about.

>FuzzyNinja78: I'm getting some serious vibes from you, dude is something wrong with you again.

>EpicFalcon32: Just keep building, man! You're fine!

>LostTaco13: Seriously, what's with the side looks? You good?

>TimidTurtle99: This is getting creepy, not gonna lie...

David tried to play it off, laughing nervously as he fidgeted with his keyboard. "What? Me? No way! I'm just—just focused on the game! I mean, look at this! I'm doing great!" He built a small structure, but his hands trembled slightly as he placed the blocks.

>GlitchyPineapple: You keep saying you're fine, but it really doesn't seem that way.

>ChillyChinchilla: Bro, you're sweating. Is it hot in there?

>PineappleSword77: Just relax and have fun! You're awesome!

"Thanks, guys! You're the best!" David said, his voice a little higher than usual.

He forced a smile, but the tension in his expression was palpable.

He turned back to the game, mining and crafting while casting another glance to the side.

As the stream reached the one-hour mark, David's demeanor shifted noticeably.

The nervous energy transformed into something more unsettling.

He seemed to be holding his breath, his eyes darting around, as if he could sense something watching him.

>CrazyLemon90: I think that thing is back

>ChillSocks85: Is there something in the room with you?

>SleepyRaccoon33: You keep looking like you've seen a ghost or something...

>WanderingTaco42: I'm starting to feel uncomfortable watching this...

David's forced cheerfulness began to crack, and he could feel the chat growing more anxious.

He tried to keep up the act, but the laughter felt hollow. "Okay, okay! So, let's, uh, let's go find some diamonds!"

He turned his character toward a cave, the cheerful tone in his voice slightly faltering.

He paused, breathing heavily, as if trying to catch his breath. "Right, let's just—uh—head into this cave. What could possibly go wrong, right?"

His voice was a strained attempt at humor, his eyes darting to the side again, longer this time.

>ScaredKitty34: Dude, stop looking away! I'm literally shaking here in fear!

>DistortedFrog78: Are you really scared? This is not daijoubu anymore...

>FuzzyDragon88: What's going on? Talk to us!

>SpookySquid43: Yeah, something's definitely wrong here.

David felt the weight of their words, the nervousness creeping in as he tried to focus on the game.

"It's fine, guys! I'm just, um, just... playing! Just playing Minecraft!"

His voice cracked slightly, betraying the calm he was trying to maintain.

He could see the chat spiraling, the comments growing more concerned and frantic.

He smiled internally at the flawless acting.

>OddFrog94: Seriously, man, if something's going on, just tell us.

>PanicPineapple12: You don't have to pretend! Just be yourself!

>SpookyToast22: This is honestly uncomfortable. You need to talk about it.

The tension in David's shoulders seemed to tighten as he looled dead scared.

He glanced sideways again, this time his expression terrorized.

"I... I can't talk about it right now." His voice dropped to a whisper, the forced cheer evaporating.

He felt the chat erupt in confusion, the comments flying by faster than before.

>FreakyFox23: What do you mean you can't talk about it??

>WorryingWombat45: oh Shit!

>LonelyLeaf23: Oh my god he really is haunted 😭

>ScaredyCat57: I'm with my mom at the moment.

David swallowed hard, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he contemplated ending the stream.

He turned to face the camera, his forced smile replacing the look of genuine fear, and murmured, "I think... I think I need to go."

Without another word, he abruptly cut the stream.

---

Two hours after David's unsettling stream, an unedited video abruptly appeared on his channel, catching his audience off guard. The title read, weirdly " Title:23491977800"

As the video began, the camera quality was shaky, revealing David walking through an eerily quiet forest.

The vibrant greens of the trees and the dappled sunlight seemed to shimmer strangely, thanks to his Cybertronian powers, which distorted the footage, giving it a liminal quality.

The atmosphere felt surreal, almost dreamlike, as if the very air around him was thick with unspoken tension.

David walked slowly, the sound of twigs snapping underfoot and distant rustling filling the silence.

The camera was slightly tilted, capturing glimpses of tall trees that loomed like silent watchers.

After fifteen minutes of this uneasy stroll, he suddenly turned the camera to face himself, his expression was one of barely contained panic.

His features seemed almost alien in the dim light filtering through the trees.

"I... I don't know how I got here," he whispered, his voice trembling.

"I thought it would be... fine." He looked around, eyes darting nervously, as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows.

Suddenly, he dropped the camera, and the footage captured the ground as he crouched down, breathing heavily.

The sound of his rapid breaths echoed in the quiet forest, each inhale a frantic gasp.

"Please, no," he murmured incoherently into the microphone, the words barely forming as they spilled out in a rush. "I just wanted to explore... It was just a game..." His voice quivered, and a hint of desperation laced his tone.

After a moment, he abruptly shot up, grabbing the camera again as he began to run.

The frame jostled violently, capturing the chaotic blur of the forest around him.

Branches whipped past as he sprinted, his breath quick and uneven, the sounds of his footsteps pounding against the earth growing louder.

"Get away! Get away!" he gasped, his voice rising in pitch as he ran, the panic evident.

He glanced over his shoulder, the fear palpable in his eyes, as if something unseen was chasing him through the dense trees.

The camera shook and spun as he bolted deeper into the woods, his whispers growing frantic. "I can't... I can't stop ... its not safe.."

The video captured the raw intensity of his fear, the once playful demeanor of the gamer replaced by a desperate struggle for escape.

The screen faded to black as he continued to run the camera lens covered by fabric, the sound of his frantic breathing becoming the only thing audible, leaving viewers with an overwhelming sense of unease and concern.

The video ended abruptly, leaving dread in the minds of the viewers.

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