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Chapter 159: The Great Retreat Under the Cover of a Hero
The battle grew more brutal by the day.
The number of Transformers now active on the battlefield had reached one hundred and fifty. Tony always kept their numbers strictly within a certain range to prevent them from growing too quickly and arousing widespread suspicion.
With his power, Tony could have easily killed Ross; a single finger would have been enough. But unfortunately, he couldn't withstand a nuclear bomb.
If not for his reverence for humanity's ultimate weapon, the nuclear bomb, Tony would have found an opportunity to kill Ross long ago.
Up until now, he had incited the Military's greed and goaded Ross into launching a doomed attack on Wakanda. Tony finally had the opportunity he craved.
He would seize the chance to kill Ross, then find a plausible way to shift responsibility for the defeat onto him. Tony, in turn, would become a hero and take over everything Ross possessed.
Until he possessed the strength to resist a nuclear bomb, Tony had to act cautiously, playing it safe and developing his power discreetly. It didn't matter if he was a bit arrogant or eccentric, and killing ordinary people was even less of a concern. But if his involvement in Ross's death were exposed, he'd be confined to New York for life; the moment he left, a nuclear bomb would surely be deployed.
He was no Magneto; to Magneto, a nuclear bomb was a laughable toy. He was no Professor X, who not only possessed miraculous Mind Control but was also needed by The Government to stand against Magneto, thereby maintaining the balance between the Mutant Factions and bleeding the Mutant Faction dry.
Tony was neither of them, nor did he possess their various abilities or advantages.
"Soon, I will soon have the power to resist a nuclear bomb, once I reach Level Four..." Tony muttered to himself.
Ross's daughter, Betty, would be transformed by Tony into a new-generation She-Hulk. If cultivated properly, she might even be able to take a direct hit from a nuclear bomb and survive.
His loyal subordinate, Electro, just needed a bit more training before he could use his formidable electric currents to instantly control an incoming nuclear bomb.
Putting those two aside, once Tony reached Level Four, he would certainly integrate and apply Adamantium Alloy Technology to upgrade the Transformers' alloy bodies. Research into heat and radiation shielding would have to be put on the agenda, which would give him the bare minimum ability to withstand a nuclear bomb.
"Besides, once I'm Level Four, I won't be foolish enough to take a nuke head-on. By then, my Allspark will be able to cover half the Earth. Not to mention instantly animating launch systems, countless Transformer Legions could also frantically collide with the nuclear bomb mid-flight, detonating it prematurely."
Killing Ross was merely the first step. The Hulk and countless other alien foes were the most terrifying challenges.
On the chaotic battlefield, numerous tanks and military vehicles were on the move. Tony took advantage of the confusion to quietly slip back. When he reappeared, his face was pale, feigning exhaustion from constantly controlling the Transformer Legion.
For every Transformer that was destroyed, Tony would immediately animate a new one. The endless stream of carrier-based aircraft and the remaining tanks on the ground were Tony's best source material for animation.
The Transformers stood on the perimeter while the remaining soldiers hid behind the Transformer Legion, looking for opportunities to shoot the enemy.
Tony appeared on the battlefield and summoned the only remaining colonel-ranked division commander.
"How many soldiers do we have left?" Tony roared.
"Over twenty thousand. An optimistic estimate would be close to thirty thousand," the colonel replied.
The battle was mainly concentrated on the vast plains. Both sides were fighting out in the open, and although battalion and regiment commanders were trying their best to direct their troops, it was utter chaos.
Fortunately, Wakanda was in a similar state. Their battlefield command was hardly impressive, after all. They were a small nation that had been isolated from the world for a thousand years, and their greatest conflicts had been a few brawls with the surrounding African natives.
"Order everyone to retreat! I will personally lead my Legion to cover the rear. At the same time, order the four Carrier Battle Groups to send every last one of their carrier-based aircraft over here! I know this is sending the pilots to their deaths, but if we don't, none of you will get away, except for me! Tell the carrier commanders that I will bear all responsibility!"
Tony bellowed, issuing an order to the colonel despite being only a Lieutenant. The colonel hesitated for a moment, then looked at Tony with a complex expression and gave a solemn military salute.
"Thank you, Sir. You are our hero."
The colonel immediately turned, picked up his communicator, and ordered the various units to retreat in an orderly fashion. Tony's Transformer Legion fought fearlessly, using a barrage of exploding sparks to hold back the enemy.
By now, Wakanda's casualties had reached four thousand, the vast majority of whom had fallen at the hands of Tony's Legion. That battered Devastator, in particular, was far too destructive.
King T'Chaka's expression was grim as he sat on his throne. Roaring, he ordered the deployment of all reserve spaceships. They were to spare no expense to keep Tony there.
"Kill that Mutant! Concentrate all forces and kill him first!"
A large number of carrier-based aircraft, loaded with explosives, managed to reach the battlefield. After a wave of bombing runs, the pilots immediately ejected, leaving their planes for Tony to transform into Mech Warriors.
Wakanda had, after all, been at peace for too long and lacked sufficient strategic reserves of spaceships. They wanted to destroy the carrier fleet first, but the fleet's insane firepower was no joke. Sending too few was a suicide mission, but sending too many meant they couldn't stop Tony.
Under King T'Chaka's command, they focused their attacks on Tony, who was protected by the Transformer Legion. If they killed Tony, the rest would be unable to escape their pursuit.
This move also created an opportunity for the remaining soldiers to retreat.
The Transformer Legion expanded once again, reaching two hundred units. Tony even temporarily animated several of the enemy's spaceships, turning them into warriors, which infuriated the Wakandans.
With a wave of Tony's arm, invisible Spark Energy Particles covered one of the enemy spaceships, partially animating it. Tony then controlled this semi-animated spaceship to viciously collide with other spaceships, turning them into fireballs that crashed to the ground.
The price was the astonishing rate at which Tony's Allspark was being consumed. Although he had understood the structural principles of Wakandan spaceships, effectively increasing the animation speed somewhat, they were ultimately made of Vibranium, requiring more Spark Energy Particles to permeate them. This greatly increased Tony's workload.
Inside his brain, the luminous Allspark pulsed faintly, functioning like a supercomputer. Massive amounts of particles were dispersed, and the Allspark became like a super-brain for Tony, processing his enormous computational load.
This included calculations for animating enemy spaceships on the battlefield and for controlling the Transformers to fire their cannons at various angles and intensities.
The battlefield was ever-changing, but all of this was calculated in an instant. The Transformer Legion was a veritable killing machine, destroying the enemy's will and resistance in the most efficient way possible. Even though Tony's Legion was now surrounded by numerous spaceships and Wakandan warriors, they appeared to handle it all with ease.
Amidst the fierce battle, Tony covered the soldiers' successful retreat to the shore.
The four Carrier Battle Groups also began to exert their power, blanketing an area just beyond Tony's position with intense artillery fire, doing their utmost to create a barrage that would cut off the enemy's pursuit.
(end of chapter)
The battle grew more brutal by the day.
The number of Transformers now active on the battlefield had reached one hundred and fifty. Tony always kept their numbers strictly within a certain range to prevent them from growing too quickly and arousing widespread suspicion.
With his power, Tony could have easily killed Ross; a single finger would have been enough. But unfortunately, he couldn't withstand a nuclear bomb.
If not for his reverence for humanity's ultimate weapon, the nuclear bomb, Tony would have found an opportunity to kill Ross long ago.
Up until now, he had incited the Military's greed and goaded Ross into launching a doomed attack on Wakanda. Tony finally had the opportunity he craved.
He would seize the chance to kill Ross, then find a plausible way to shift responsibility for the defeat onto him. Tony, in turn, would become a hero and take over everything Ross possessed.
Until he possessed the strength to resist a nuclear bomb, Tony had to act cautiously, playing it safe and developing his power discreetly. It didn't matter if he was a bit arrogant or eccentric, and killing ordinary people was even less of a concern. But if his involvement in Ross's death were exposed, he'd be confined to New York for life; the moment he left, a nuclear bomb would surely be deployed.
He was no Magneto; to Magneto, a nuclear bomb was a laughable toy. He was no Professor X, who not only possessed miraculous Mind Control but was also needed by The Government to stand against Magneto, thereby maintaining the balance between the Mutant Factions and bleeding the Mutant Faction dry.
Tony was neither of them, nor did he possess their various abilities or advantages.
"Soon, I will soon have the power to resist a nuclear bomb, once I reach Level Four..." Tony muttered to himself.
Ross's daughter, Betty, would be transformed by Tony into a new-generation She-Hulk. If cultivated properly, she might even be able to take a direct hit from a nuclear bomb and survive.
His loyal subordinate, Electro, just needed a bit more training before he could use his formidable electric currents to instantly control an incoming nuclear bomb.
Putting those two aside, once Tony reached Level Four, he would certainly integrate and apply Adamantium Alloy Technology to upgrade the Transformers' alloy bodies. Research into heat and radiation shielding would have to be put on the agenda, which would give him the bare minimum ability to withstand a nuclear bomb.
"Besides, once I'm Level Four, I won't be foolish enough to take a nuke head-on. By then, my Allspark will be able to cover half the Earth. Not to mention instantly animating launch systems, countless Transformer Legions could also frantically collide with the nuclear bomb mid-flight, detonating it prematurely."
Killing Ross was merely the first step. The Hulk and countless other alien foes were the most terrifying challenges.
On the chaotic battlefield, numerous tanks and military vehicles were on the move. Tony took advantage of the confusion to quietly slip back. When he reappeared, his face was pale, feigning exhaustion from constantly controlling the Transformer Legion.
For every Transformer that was destroyed, Tony would immediately animate a new one. The endless stream of carrier-based aircraft and the remaining tanks on the ground were Tony's best source material for animation.
The Transformers stood on the perimeter while the remaining soldiers hid behind the Transformer Legion, looking for opportunities to shoot the enemy.
Tony appeared on the battlefield and summoned the only remaining colonel-ranked division commander.
"How many soldiers do we have left?" Tony roared.
"Over twenty thousand. An optimistic estimate would be close to thirty thousand," the colonel replied.
The battle was mainly concentrated on the vast plains. Both sides were fighting out in the open, and although battalion and regiment commanders were trying their best to direct their troops, it was utter chaos.
Fortunately, Wakanda was in a similar state. Their battlefield command was hardly impressive, after all. They were a small nation that had been isolated from the world for a thousand years, and their greatest conflicts had been a few brawls with the surrounding African natives.
"Order everyone to retreat! I will personally lead my Legion to cover the rear. At the same time, order the four Carrier Battle Groups to send every last one of their carrier-based aircraft over here! I know this is sending the pilots to their deaths, but if we don't, none of you will get away, except for me! Tell the carrier commanders that I will bear all responsibility!"
Tony bellowed, issuing an order to the colonel despite being only a Lieutenant. The colonel hesitated for a moment, then looked at Tony with a complex expression and gave a solemn military salute.
"Thank you, Sir. You are our hero."
The colonel immediately turned, picked up his communicator, and ordered the various units to retreat in an orderly fashion. Tony's Transformer Legion fought fearlessly, using a barrage of exploding sparks to hold back the enemy.
By now, Wakanda's casualties had reached four thousand, the vast majority of whom had fallen at the hands of Tony's Legion. That battered Devastator, in particular, was far too destructive.
King T'Chaka's expression was grim as he sat on his throne. Roaring, he ordered the deployment of all reserve spaceships. They were to spare no expense to keep Tony there.
"Kill that Mutant! Concentrate all forces and kill him first!"
A large number of carrier-based aircraft, loaded with explosives, managed to reach the battlefield. After a wave of bombing runs, the pilots immediately ejected, leaving their planes for Tony to transform into Mech Warriors.
Wakanda had, after all, been at peace for too long and lacked sufficient strategic reserves of spaceships. They wanted to destroy the carrier fleet first, but the fleet's insane firepower was no joke. Sending too few was a suicide mission, but sending too many meant they couldn't stop Tony.
Under King T'Chaka's command, they focused their attacks on Tony, who was protected by the Transformer Legion. If they killed Tony, the rest would be unable to escape their pursuit.
This move also created an opportunity for the remaining soldiers to retreat.
The Transformer Legion expanded once again, reaching two hundred units. Tony even temporarily animated several of the enemy's spaceships, turning them into warriors, which infuriated the Wakandans.
With a wave of Tony's arm, invisible Spark Energy Particles covered one of the enemy spaceships, partially animating it. Tony then controlled this semi-animated spaceship to viciously collide with other spaceships, turning them into fireballs that crashed to the ground.
The price was the astonishing rate at which Tony's Allspark was being consumed. Although he had understood the structural principles of Wakandan spaceships, effectively increasing the animation speed somewhat, they were ultimately made of Vibranium, requiring more Spark Energy Particles to permeate them. This greatly increased Tony's workload.
Inside his brain, the luminous Allspark pulsed faintly, functioning like a supercomputer. Massive amounts of particles were dispersed, and the Allspark became like a super-brain for Tony, processing his enormous computational load.
This included calculations for animating enemy spaceships on the battlefield and for controlling the Transformers to fire their cannons at various angles and intensities.
The battlefield was ever-changing, but all of this was calculated in an instant. The Transformer Legion was a veritable killing machine, destroying the enemy's will and resistance in the most efficient way possible. Even though Tony's Legion was now surrounded by numerous spaceships and Wakandan warriors, they appeared to handle it all with ease.
Amidst the fierce battle, Tony covered the soldiers' successful retreat to the shore.
The four Carrier Battle Groups also began to exert their power, blanketing an area just beyond Tony's position with intense artillery fire, doing their utmost to create a barrage that would cut off the enemy's pursuit.
(end of chapter)
