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#624 - Chapter 1: Return of the Autobots

At dawn, the city's edge was littered with ruins, broken overpasses, and overturned railcars, still smoldering with smoke.

Due to the damaged roads, vehicles were unable to pass. Large groups of disheveled people, in twos and threes, walked together, all fleeing the city.

Several cars slowly drove up, out of sync with the fleeing masses. The road into the city was blocked by debris, forcing the cars to stop. A large group of people got out, armed with various types of firearms.

As they climbed a section of the collapsed overpass, Sam murmured in disbelief, "What happened here?"

Only then did they fully grasp the state of Chicago. The city was filled with smoke and flames. From time to time, they could see alien aircraft attacking from above, a scene of utter devastation.

Just then, a four-plane formation flew overhead. Epps looked up, carefully observing: "Those are F-18As, Navy fighters." Before he could finish, seven or eight alien aircraft appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

A dense barrage of fire streaked across the sky, and one of the fighters was instantly blown apart. The naval aviators were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Decepticons, scattering to avoid the incoming barrage while returning fire.

The Decepticon airships were extremely agile, capable of even lateral maneuvers. "Boom!" Another fighter was hit, half its wing torn off. The pilot reacted quickly, initiating an emergency escape, the ejection seat firing and launching the two pilots out.

But before their parachutes could even open, a plasma blast struck, instantly turning the two pilots into dust without so much as a scream.

Soon, another fighter was shot down. The pilot of the last remaining F-18, whether out of anger or despair, flew his fighter straight into a Decepticon aircraft, intending to take it down with him before being destroyed.

The pilot's efforts were not in vain. "Boom!" After the explosion, two Decepticon aircraft plummeted downward, smoking, but quickly recovered.

Witnessing the horrific scene, the retired veterans Epps had gathered were filled with trepidation. One of them asked, "Hey, buddy, are we really going in there?"

Another veteran: "Are you kidding me? Going in there is suicide. I'm not going."

Epps shook his head: "The Decepticons are blockading the city. No one can get in."

Sam hesitated for a moment, then slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking in: "No, I have to go in. Carly is waiting for me. Even without you guys, I'm going to save her."

Seeing this, Epps gritted his teeth and said, "That kid's got guts. We can't just stand by and watch him go to his death." With that, he followed Sam into the blockaded city. The other veterans looked at each other, and one of them shouted, "Damn it, let's go together."

Sam looked back and saw everyone following him, a newfound determination in his eyes. However, they had barely taken a few steps when a Decepticon gunship spotted them and swooped in, or rather, the Decepticons noticed a large group of people gathered there.

The fleeing crowd, who had been limping along just moments before, immediately scattered and ran. Several veterans reluctantly raised their weapons and fired at the aircraft, buying some time for the civilians. But their efforts were insignificant to the Decepticons, who indiscriminately strafed the ground with their machine guns.

The Decepticon gunship's plasma cannons required about 5-8 seconds to charge, and each blast could vaporize humans within a five-meter radius. Seeing living people turned into piles of bones before your very eyes was something no one could accept.

Just when everyone thought they were about to die, a projectile shot out and unfolded in mid-air into a large metal net. It accurately covered the Decepticon gunship, and the aircraft shook as electricity coursed through it before crashing to the ground.

"Pfft-" The cockpit hatch opened, and a Decepticon struggled to get out. Just then, a red figure darted out and grabbed his arm, snapping it along with his weapon.

It was Roadbuster of the Autobots. Then a blue figure landed on the cockpit, forcibly dragging the Decepticon out, and a green figure joined him, working with Topspin to tear the Decepticon in two.

Epps exclaimed in surprise: "It's the Wreckers! Leadfoot's here too. It's so good to see you guys again." After retiring, he had been working at the launch center and was most familiar with the Wreckers, who guarded the ships.

Roadbuster forcefully tore off the Decepticon's head, crushed it into a ball of scrap metal in his hand, stood before them, and emitted an electronic voice: "Haha, didn't expect that, did you? We're back, the Wreckers are!"

Sam: "You guys didn't die? But I saw your ship get blown up with my own eyes."

Leadfoot: "We never even got on the ship. We hid in the first-stage booster and landed in the Atlantic as planned."

Then Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Sideswipe, and Dino appeared one after another. Even Brains and Wheelie were back.

Optimus Prime: "Your human leaders understand now, don't they? Even without us Autobots, the Decepticons will not spare Earth. Today is the day of the final battle, not only for humanity but also for the honor of us Autobots."

Epps raised his gun: "Well said! The Autobots are risking their lives. We can't fall behind, guys."

Optimus Prime: "Now, Skyfire has blockaded the entire city. We must figure out where they are and launch a surprise attack to take out Sentinel Prime and Megatron. This is our only chance."

Sam looked at the Decepticon aircraft and said, "I have an idea! Who knows how to operate this thing?"

Bumblebee shrugged: "I've never flown this model before, but I can give it a try."

Sam: "Alright, as long as it can fly. We don't have a choice at this point."

With Bumblebee's tinkering, the gunship actually took off, wobbling and flying erratically, nearly crashing into buildings several times.

Watching the departing aircraft, Optimus Prime said, "Alright, let's move out! Everyone be careful along the way and avoid being detected by the Decepticons."

Bumblebee carefully maneuvered the gunship, weaving through the city, and was becoming increasingly skilled at piloting it.

Sam pointed to a building, excitedly saying, "It's there, the location Simmons gave, that tallest building."