Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

Chapter 37 Initial Probe

In the days that followed, the gravitational vector did not appear to change much.

That evening, she was on her way to the arena when her terminal lit up.

It's 1997, carrying a typical SOS tone of an overtime flight crew desperately trying to squeeze themselves out of work.

Could you help me with the second half?

Something urgent has come up.

I'll make it up to you next time.

The vector looked down for two seconds, didn't ask any further questions, and simply replied:

【Row. 】

Go get busy.

The reply came almost instantly.

[A lifesaver.]

[I'll treat you to something that won't taste bad next time.]

The corner of his mouth twitched when he saw the vector.

This might sound like a perfunctory remark from another machine, but it actually seems quite sincere coming from a bar.

She put away her terminal, turned around, and went straight to the energy bar outside the technology area.

She was now quite familiar with the place. The low hum of the machines, the metallic scraping of supply boxes sliding in and out, and a bunch of ordinary Cybertronians rushing around carrying energy blocks and concentrates—the air was filled with the slightly sweet smell of heat and cheap energy liquid.

As soon as the vector arrived, the simple screen behind the front desk automatically recognized it.

She delegated the shift replacement authority and took over the original half of the 1997 shift schedule.

It was fine at first, but it got annoying when there were too many people.

While she was busy with most of the planet, her brain module had automatically entered a "don't talk nonsense, just tell me what you want" mode, and her hands were dispensing energy liquid, changing supply boxes, and scanning orders faster and faster. There was a short break in the middle, and she had just piled up a newly delivered box of low-end energy blocks when a machine stood in front of her.

I glanced up at the vector, as was my habit.

His outer armor was clean, his posture was steady, and his expression was polite in a very standard way.

The moment her light lens fell on the other person, her brain module clicked.

Something's not right.

The man looked at her and spoke first, his tone polite but distant.

"A substitute?"

Ignoring the casual remark, Yin Zong continued working: "What are you buying?"

The other person chuckled, seemingly unconcerned by her somewhat unwelcoming attitude, and glanced across the table: "High-concentration concentrate, one regular serving. Plus a box of energy bars."

Which flavor?

"Anything is fine."

Yin Vector glanced at him and said, "Anything is fine, but it's the most annoying. You choose."

Na Ji couldn't help but chuckle: "Then it's the one you think isn't bad."

The fact that the vector ignored her words sounded like an attempt to get closer to her. She lowered her head and scanned the order according to the procedure, giving him the most basic one. When the item was pushed over, the other person didn't leave immediately, but instead focused his gaze on the edge of her forearm terminal and her nameplate.

You seem to be quite busy lately.

The vector scrolled down the record page, busy already looking at the next order.

"Did you check my work schedule?"

"I've only met you a few times by chance," Naji said calmly. "Qingqiu City, Iron Fortress, the Arena. You've appeared in quite a variety of places."

The vector finally stopped moving.

She looked up at the other person, her tone becoming even: "So, are you here to buy something, or to write an observation report?"

The other person carefully observed her reaction, taking in every change in her expression and tone. Two seconds later, he spoke: "Don't misunderstand, I just think that there aren't many people like you who are running around to several locations at the same time."

"Well, you've seen it all today." Yin Vector pushed the concentrate forward a little more. "Buy it and leave, don't keep me from getting to work."

The machine didn't move; it continued following her line, as if they were having a casual chat.

"Sometimes, there's no need to make your life so hard," he said. "Especially when you're working for a certain organization, there are many problems that you don't have to shoulder."

Yin Xiang looked at him, understanding dawning on her: Oh, I'll stop pretending and see if she'll take that step.

Unfortunately, she doesn't understand social niceties when it comes to such people.

She raised her hand and slammed the order confirmation onto the counter with a "smack," each word clear and distinct.

"If you really want to advise someone, I suggest you put away your insincerity first."

The other person looked at her without speaking, and the vector force wasn't in a hurry either, continuing to speak:

"Also, whether I'm tired or not, and who I'm standing next to, is none of my business as someone who comes to buy regular concentrate and has to spend ages choosing an unfamiliar machine."

The machine paused for a moment, the smile on his face didn't fade, but it thinned slightly.

"You're quite guarded."

"Nonsense," said Vector. "It's because there are always those who love to reach into places they shouldn't."

After that sentence was sent, the other party finally stopped probing and accepted the confirmation form.

"You're harder to pry than you look."

The vector almost laughed out of anger at this remark: "Have you guys gone so far as to test people without any restraint these days?"

Naji finally reached out and picked up the regular concentrate, saying in a calm tone, "Just confirming which communication method suits you better."

"So what was confirmed?"

The other person looked at her, their expression polite but indifferent.

"It's not a good time to waste."

After saying that, he finally turned and left.

The vector stared at the figure for two seconds, and even after the figure disappeared from sight, the guide fins on her back were still taut.

They were definitely trying to find out what was going on with her.

The second half of the shift was handled even more efficiently by the vector generator than before.

The brain module was completely jolted awake by that sudden movement. She jotted down every word, detail, and tone of that machine. Once her shift ended, she reverted to her previous privileges and, without even taking a detour, immediately sent a frequency to Zhen Tianzun.

Someone just came looking for me.

Unlike ordinary customers.

I'll tell you when I get back.

They replied very quickly.

【go home.】

Yin Vector glanced at the location sharing interface, which was always open, and she replied very quickly.

[Replying.]

[He didn't wander off.]

When she returned to her residence, Zhen Tianzun was already sitting there waiting.

As soon as the door closed, Vector rushed in and recounted the entire conversation from beginning to end.

She didn't miss a single detail: where the other person was standing, what they asked first, and what their final meaning was.

Zhen Tianzun didn't say a word the whole time, just leaned there and listened.

After she finished speaking, the room was quiet for two seconds.

His first words were: "Your reply was decent."

She looked at him and said, "Can you please be more direct when you're praising me?"

"As long as you can understand it."

Okay, but at least it shows that she handled this matter well.

So she sat down in the chair, leaned back, and sank into it completely.

"So now it's confirmed, they think I'm an easy target."

"Um."

"You don't seem surprised at all."

"It was bound to come," Zhen Tianzun said, looking at her. "It's just a little sooner than I thought."

Yin Vector frowned: "Are they trying to test me first to see if I'll take their approach?"

"Pretty much." Zhen Tianzun said indifferently, "Let's see if you respond better to gentle persuasion, force, or if you just get tired of being treated and start biting."

Yin Xiangdong sneered: "Then they've come for nothing today."

"Not entirely." Zhen Tianzun glanced at her. "They now know you're not someone to be trifled with."

That sounds alright; things are much smoother now that I'm working on the vector core.

The mobile device vibrated at that moment.

She glanced down and raised an eyebrow.

Sound waves.

This machine seems to be appearing at increasingly opportune times lately.

There's still not much extra formatting inside, just one line.

Contact has occurred.

Yin Xiang stared at the line of text for two seconds, then looked up at Zhen Tianzun.

"Did he grow an optical lens inside my terminal?"

Zhen Tianzun glanced at the message but showed no expression.

He said, "He smelled the odor earlier than many other machines."

The vector looked down, glanced at the message "Contact has occurred," and casually replied.

【so what?】

【You even need to record this now?】

There was a moment of silence over there.

Then, a follow-up sentence appears: "[Confirm the variable proceeds to the next stage.]"

Pointer vector: "..."

She stared at the line of text, her mind blank for a second.

Then, looking up, it posed a very sincere question to Zhen Tianzun: "Does this machine even realize how much its speech sounds like an anomaly report?"

Zhen Tianzun chuckled softly beside him.

"He probably knows," he said, "but he doesn't care."

The vector gesture made her lower the terminal, almost uttering a curse. But she didn't immediately retract her fingers. Because she suddenly remembered a question she had wanted to ask him for a long time: besides Zhen Tianzun, what else did he want from her?

Now that she heard that sentence, her curiosity was piqued even more.

So she stared at that channel for two seconds, and finally typed:

Besides Zhen Tianzun, what else do you want from me?

The sound waves didn't return very quickly this time.

There was a few seconds of silence before a voice came out.

You are the variable.

As he looked at those four words, the corners of his mouth gradually drooped down.

She continued, "I saw this sentence. Next sentence."

A while later.

The sound wave finally sent another message.

I do not ignore variables.

Was she included in this too?

Stop calculating, she's already annoyed enough by being included in the management's calculations.

She crossed her arms, looked down at the terminal, and after a long while, replied: "I sincerely suggest you see a doctor to check your brain module."

This time the sound wave returned quickly.

[Known.]

She briefly closed her optical glasses, turned off the terminal, leaned back in her chair, and stomped her foot on the seat. When she looked up, she met the gaze of Zhen Tianzun.

He was waiting for her to explain.

"What's wrong now?" he asked.

The vector remained silent for two seconds before replying honestly.

"I asked him what else he wanted besides you."

Zhen Tianzun's brow twitched: "And then?"

"Then he said, 'I am a variable.'" The vector himself paused for a moment at this point, "and added that he doesn't ignore variables."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhen Tianzun looked at her, his face didn't show any particularly obvious changes, but his aura changed slightly.

Yin Xiang looked at him, sensing something strange in the air, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zhen Tianzun spoke first: "It's been quite lively here lately."

It's that inappropriate sentence again.

My eyelid twitched.

"If you want to say something, can you just get straight to the point?"

Zhen Tianzun glanced at her, his tone strangely calm.

"I told you," he said, "Don't give a seat to just anyone."

Vector: How did we end up back here again?

She's starting to wonder if this damn machine itself hasn't fully figured out what's wrong with it, and is just randomly trying to tinker with the increasingly busy frequencies on her terminal.

She thought about it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so she simply retorted, "I don't plan to add the entire arena contact list."

Zhen Tianzun scoffed: "It's best not to."

Too lazy to think further, she simply turned around to finish the notes she had taken from Iron Fortress that day. After taking two steps, she paused, turning her head to look at Zhen Tianzun.

"But you're right about one thing."

Zhen Tianzun raised his eyes.

"What?"

"They've come to the wrong person today." Yin Xiangzong's lips curled into a slight smirk. "I'm not that easy to pry open."

Zhen Tianzun looked at her, and after half a second, replied calmly, "Of course I know."