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Chapter 455: Thinking Too Much
In the rear, Shuri watched the enemy legion surging forward to attack, her expression terrifyingly calm.
From her perspective, the map of Wakanda displayed on the screen was being besieged by a dense torrent of steel. The outermost protective shield served as the first line of defense, holding back a large number of Decepticons.
"Open a gate. Let them in," Shuri said calmly. The Old King then repeated her command.
A section of the protective shield at the front was deactivated. The Transformers that had been held back swarmed in, along with over a hundred Insecticons that flew in swiftly.
Instantly, these Transformers raised their weapons and launched long-range attacks. Their energy cannons and kinetic weapons, far exceeding Wakanda's specifications, immediately caused casualties in the Wakandan army's formations.
There was nothing to be done. The lethality of weapons made from Vibranium was genuinely limited.
Against ordinary humans of flesh and blood, a single sound wave weapon could take down a large swathe of them.
But against these metal behemoths, the effect was greatly diminished.
Although some weaker Transformers could be seen getting knocked down by enemy fire, they would quickly get back up and continue their charge, enduring the pain.
And every attack from the Transformers caused massive casualties.
Even when many Wakandan warriors lifted their robes to deploy small energy barriers, it was useless. Many Transformers simply threw bombs by hand, lobbing them over the small shields.
The Wakandans endured the deaths of their warriors, waiting for the right moment, waiting for the vast majority of the Transformers to gather at the front where the shield had been opened.
Unfortunately, events did not unfold as the Wakandans had hoped.
"Damn it, are they all blind and stupid?! Why aren't they moving toward the opening? Why are most of the enemies still pushing against the protective shield??"
T'Challa, on the front lines, was dumbfounded, gritting his teeth fiercely.
That's right. Only the Transformers in the immediate vicinity of the opening were pouring in. Those in other areas, as if they hadn't seen it, continued to batter against the protective shield.
In just that short time, a few more Transformers had their bodies sliced apart by the shield. Some, with tenacious life force but missing their lower bodies, crawled forward with grim determination on their two steel arms, firing their weapons from time to time.
The sight sent a chill through the hearts of the Wakandans.
"What's going on? Is their commander a lunatic? Why isn't he concentrating his forces to attack the front?"
Unrest spread through the ranks of the Wakandan army.
Logically, they should have swarmed the front to break through in one go, which would also reduce their losses.
But this bunch of robots did just the opposite.
"There's no time, brother. I have to activate the device," Shuri said, biting her lip. She glanced back at the Old King, whose face was ashen, then, after a flurry of operations, pressed the button.
A device resembling a radar slowly rose from the ground and aimed toward the front, where the number of Transformers was greatest.
Well, relative to other areas where a large number of enemies were still wrestling with the protective shield, the area in front of the opening did indeed have the "most" enemies.
About thirty thousand of them.
"If we don't do this, we won't stand a chance!" Shuri said through clenched teeth.
This device was a powerful weapon she had developed to turn the tables, specifically targeting the Transformers. Originally, she had wanted to wait until all the enemies were gathered together before using it. To that end, they had been willing to sacrifice the lives of many warriors to withstand the first wave of intruders.
Unfortunately, it seemed the enemy had seen through their plan, preferring to suffer more casualties and waste more time to stick to their original attack plan.
If they didn't use this device, they wouldn't have even a sliver of a chance. The thirty thousand robots that had already charged in were more than enough to annihilate their own tens of thousands of warriors.
"Oh, Black Panthers of ages past, I, T'Chaka, beseech the blessings and protection of all my ancestors..." the Old King prayed in a low voice, his face terrifyingly grim. A faint hint of terror appeared in his eyes.
It seemed Wakanda was truly doomed.
"Activate!"
The giant radar device suddenly vibrated, then emitted a cacophony of sounds at the thirty thousand Transformers. Immediately after, an indescribable suction force emanated from it, seemingly attacking the very life cores of the Transformers.
"A device that forcefully affects their life cores. In theory, it should be most effective against these living robots," Shuri murmured, seated at the console.
That's right, it was only effective against living Transformers. The others tacitly avoided asking why it was ineffective against puppet Transformers.
Because if that one person were to arrive, they wouldn't even have a hope of turning the tables.
Shuri avoided the gazes of the elders from the other tribes and cast a subtle glance at the Old King. Their eyes met for an instant before they both looked away.
"A decision must be made," the Old King thought with a bitter heart.
Outside, the giant radar was having a stunning effect. Half of the thirty thousand Transformers that had poured through the opening collapsed instantly. However, the more powerful individuals were still resisting, and some were even continuing their attacks as if nothing had happened.
The life core that the radar affected was, in fact, the Spark in the Transformers' chests.
This device was a superweapon developed by the cosmic-level intellect, Shuri, specifically designed to target living Transformers.
If Tony himself were here, this device would be useless. Since it was fundamentally still a machine, he could instantly animate it.
As expected, this strange scene stunned the Transformers in other areas, and all attacks came to a momentary halt.
"Shockwave." The red light in Megatron's eyes flickered as he called Shockwave's name.
"High-frequency oscillation ray detected, my master. It is a powerful device targeting the warriors' Sparks, capable of causing direct damage to the Spark," Shockwave stated dispassionately.
Right now, for many of the warriors attacked by that strange device, the "Spark" entry in their status template had already changed.
[Spark: Damaged (Continuously decaying)]
Megatron sneered, his expression unchanging.
Just as the Wakandans breathed a sigh of relief, the Transformers' assault became even more frantic, the pace suddenly quickening.
Bruticus had no time to settle scores with Devastator; he just charged forward head-on.
All the Transformers seemed to have gone mad, charging at the Wakandans. They crashed into the crowds and began a wanton slaughter.
Under Shuri's control, the radar quickly swiveled to attack Transformers in other areas, but it couldn't cover the entire battlefield.
"You must make the decision, Father!" Shuri's lips quivered as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
She saw T'Challa get grabbed by Devastator, who was furiously slamming him against the ground over and over. If this continued, his internal organs would be crushed.
T'Chaka took a deep breath, his face deathly pale.
"Relay my command! All units, retreat! Retreat into the forest behind us! Preserve a glimmer of hope for Wakanda! This is an order from your King!"
After saying this, T'Chaka nearly lost his footing and collapsed.
"Retreat? You're thinking too much. None of you will escape today." A chilling voice drifted over, making everyone present feel as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern.
(end of chapter)
In the rear, Shuri watched the enemy legion surging forward to attack, her expression terrifyingly calm.
From her perspective, the map of Wakanda displayed on the screen was being besieged by a dense torrent of steel. The outermost protective shield served as the first line of defense, holding back a large number of Decepticons.
"Open a gate. Let them in," Shuri said calmly. The Old King then repeated her command.
A section of the protective shield at the front was deactivated. The Transformers that had been held back swarmed in, along with over a hundred Insecticons that flew in swiftly.
Instantly, these Transformers raised their weapons and launched long-range attacks. Their energy cannons and kinetic weapons, far exceeding Wakanda's specifications, immediately caused casualties in the Wakandan army's formations.
There was nothing to be done. The lethality of weapons made from Vibranium was genuinely limited.
Against ordinary humans of flesh and blood, a single sound wave weapon could take down a large swathe of them.
But against these metal behemoths, the effect was greatly diminished.
Although some weaker Transformers could be seen getting knocked down by enemy fire, they would quickly get back up and continue their charge, enduring the pain.
And every attack from the Transformers caused massive casualties.
Even when many Wakandan warriors lifted their robes to deploy small energy barriers, it was useless. Many Transformers simply threw bombs by hand, lobbing them over the small shields.
The Wakandans endured the deaths of their warriors, waiting for the right moment, waiting for the vast majority of the Transformers to gather at the front where the shield had been opened.
Unfortunately, events did not unfold as the Wakandans had hoped.
"Damn it, are they all blind and stupid?! Why aren't they moving toward the opening? Why are most of the enemies still pushing against the protective shield??"
T'Challa, on the front lines, was dumbfounded, gritting his teeth fiercely.
That's right. Only the Transformers in the immediate vicinity of the opening were pouring in. Those in other areas, as if they hadn't seen it, continued to batter against the protective shield.
In just that short time, a few more Transformers had their bodies sliced apart by the shield. Some, with tenacious life force but missing their lower bodies, crawled forward with grim determination on their two steel arms, firing their weapons from time to time.
The sight sent a chill through the hearts of the Wakandans.
"What's going on? Is their commander a lunatic? Why isn't he concentrating his forces to attack the front?"
Unrest spread through the ranks of the Wakandan army.
Logically, they should have swarmed the front to break through in one go, which would also reduce their losses.
But this bunch of robots did just the opposite.
"There's no time, brother. I have to activate the device," Shuri said, biting her lip. She glanced back at the Old King, whose face was ashen, then, after a flurry of operations, pressed the button.
A device resembling a radar slowly rose from the ground and aimed toward the front, where the number of Transformers was greatest.
Well, relative to other areas where a large number of enemies were still wrestling with the protective shield, the area in front of the opening did indeed have the "most" enemies.
About thirty thousand of them.
"If we don't do this, we won't stand a chance!" Shuri said through clenched teeth.
This device was a powerful weapon she had developed to turn the tables, specifically targeting the Transformers. Originally, she had wanted to wait until all the enemies were gathered together before using it. To that end, they had been willing to sacrifice the lives of many warriors to withstand the first wave of intruders.
Unfortunately, it seemed the enemy had seen through their plan, preferring to suffer more casualties and waste more time to stick to their original attack plan.
If they didn't use this device, they wouldn't have even a sliver of a chance. The thirty thousand robots that had already charged in were more than enough to annihilate their own tens of thousands of warriors.
"Oh, Black Panthers of ages past, I, T'Chaka, beseech the blessings and protection of all my ancestors..." the Old King prayed in a low voice, his face terrifyingly grim. A faint hint of terror appeared in his eyes.
It seemed Wakanda was truly doomed.
"Activate!"
The giant radar device suddenly vibrated, then emitted a cacophony of sounds at the thirty thousand Transformers. Immediately after, an indescribable suction force emanated from it, seemingly attacking the very life cores of the Transformers.
"A device that forcefully affects their life cores. In theory, it should be most effective against these living robots," Shuri murmured, seated at the console.
That's right, it was only effective against living Transformers. The others tacitly avoided asking why it was ineffective against puppet Transformers.
Because if that one person were to arrive, they wouldn't even have a hope of turning the tables.
Shuri avoided the gazes of the elders from the other tribes and cast a subtle glance at the Old King. Their eyes met for an instant before they both looked away.
"A decision must be made," the Old King thought with a bitter heart.
Outside, the giant radar was having a stunning effect. Half of the thirty thousand Transformers that had poured through the opening collapsed instantly. However, the more powerful individuals were still resisting, and some were even continuing their attacks as if nothing had happened.
The life core that the radar affected was, in fact, the Spark in the Transformers' chests.
This device was a superweapon developed by the cosmic-level intellect, Shuri, specifically designed to target living Transformers.
If Tony himself were here, this device would be useless. Since it was fundamentally still a machine, he could instantly animate it.
As expected, this strange scene stunned the Transformers in other areas, and all attacks came to a momentary halt.
"Shockwave." The red light in Megatron's eyes flickered as he called Shockwave's name.
"High-frequency oscillation ray detected, my master. It is a powerful device targeting the warriors' Sparks, capable of causing direct damage to the Spark," Shockwave stated dispassionately.
Right now, for many of the warriors attacked by that strange device, the "Spark" entry in their status template had already changed.
[Spark: Damaged (Continuously decaying)]
Megatron sneered, his expression unchanging.
Just as the Wakandans breathed a sigh of relief, the Transformers' assault became even more frantic, the pace suddenly quickening.
Bruticus had no time to settle scores with Devastator; he just charged forward head-on.
All the Transformers seemed to have gone mad, charging at the Wakandans. They crashed into the crowds and began a wanton slaughter.
Under Shuri's control, the radar quickly swiveled to attack Transformers in other areas, but it couldn't cover the entire battlefield.
"You must make the decision, Father!" Shuri's lips quivered as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
She saw T'Challa get grabbed by Devastator, who was furiously slamming him against the ground over and over. If this continued, his internal organs would be crushed.
T'Chaka took a deep breath, his face deathly pale.
"Relay my command! All units, retreat! Retreat into the forest behind us! Preserve a glimmer of hope for Wakanda! This is an order from your King!"
After saying this, T'Chaka nearly lost his footing and collapsed.
"Retreat? You're thinking too much. None of you will escape today." A chilling voice drifted over, making everyone present feel as if they had been plunged into an icy cavern.
(end of chapter)