Transformers: Survival of Defective Products

The first thing the vector probe did upon returning to the temporary judicial liaison point was to switch to its private frequency: [Arrived.]

On the other end of the message, Megatron replied reservedly: 【Hmm.】

The vector successfully closed the communication.

Then, looking up, I saw 97, AZ, and several mini-Gundams all gathered around the main control panel, with an old Cybertronian data storage container in the center of the table.

That was the data container that the vector had almost forgotten about before leaving, which they had casually mentioned, and they had efficiently dug it out and retrieved it.

Rumble lay beside it, its face full of anticipation: "Has it come out yet?"

Without looking up, Jiuqi replied, "Not yet."

The vector walked over: "What's going on?"

AZ retrieved the peripheral scan results: "Hardware structure is intact, with no active energy response or self-starting program."

The circular sawbird added, "There is currently no abnormal activity."

Jiuqi then looked up and said, "But we dare not go directly through the main network."

"Well done."

Having experienced the Dark Super-Energy Being, the Gray Death, and most recently, that pile of dangerous relics, the judicial central authority collectively maintains extremely high respect for unknown ancient equipment.

After all, these things are like blind boxes. You might find energy technology, or you might find weapon designs. At worst, you might find a virus, malware, or the dying words of some ancient Cybertronian, along with a complete explosion.

"It might just be ordinary information," Rumble whispered.

"I hope so," the vector prayed slowly.

-

Everyone has already set up an independent read-only environment.

Once the first level of index expands, the main screen starts jumping around with data.

The scale of data continues to grow.

Insufficient cache space.

Unable to complete local indexing.

Staring blankly at the ever-increasing estimated decompression volume, he was utterly shocked: "Just how much stuff is crammed inside?"

AZ: "It is currently impossible to determine."

"Is it bigger than this base?"

"The concept of data volume cannot be compared with building volume."

Rumble looked at the chaos and said, "That's huge."

After staring at the system for a few seconds, the vector expert decisively stopped parsing: "Let's just go somewhere else; this can't be parsed."

Jiuqi immediately nodded in agreement.

Rumble looked around and asked, "Is our place really that rudimentary?"

Several machines turned to look at him at the same time, then silently shut up. Compared to the real headquarters of the judicial system, this place was indeed just a temporary box that could be used for normal office work.

The vector control invoked the highest-security line: "Make a complete read-only image. Do not run the original data or attempt to repair it. Send it directly back to Cybertron's judicial headquarters and process it using a completely offline parsing cluster."

AZ nodded; this is currently the safest approach.

The vector then takes the opportunity to enter the relevant targets into a new sealed document.

[Ancient Cybertronian data storage jar.]

[Content: Unknown.]

[Risk Level: To be confirmed.]

[Scope of informed consent: a core aspect of the judicial system.]

After a moment's thought, 97 realized that the current situation wasn't suitable for informing the Autobots and Decepticons, but the humans were a different matter. So she asked, "Should we tell Agent Fuller?"

The vector paused for a moment: "Let's wait until we confirm what's inside before we say anything more."

Telling the human government now would probably only further damage Fuller's already fragile work ethic.

-

Therefore, the data container itself is temporarily sent to the judicial central headquarters for analysis, and the transfer record is simultaneously written into the sealed archive. After the analysis is completed, it will still be sent back to Earth.

BICk0 then connected to a video call, and in the background, one could see the familiar high-level offices of the judicial center.

"The data has been received." She dealt with official business first. "Headquarters will establish an independent analysis environment, and Crystal Prism has agreed to increase the security level. The first layer of indexing is expected to take several cycles, but complete decompression is uncertain."

The vector nodded: "Extract the structure and keywords first, don't do anything else."

"Understood." BICk0 quickly jotted it down. "Any other requirements?"

"Not at the moment."

She nodded but did not disconnect.

After waiting a moment, the vector expert asked, "Is there anything else?"

BICk0 lifted his busy head, finally escaping briefly from a pile of documents, and crossed his arms: "Yes, this is the personal part."

The vector has encountered this opening line far too many times; there's no need to even guess: "Human identity?"

"Yes," BICk0 answered crisply, "I don't have any complicated opinions."

Yin Xiang raised an eyebrow: "That simple?"

BICk0 leaned back in his chair: "Do you remember when I first went for my interview at the judicial center?"

Of course I remember that back then, the judicial center was far smaller than it is now. The office area was always short of machines, the budget was tight, and the system was revised three times a day.

When BICk0 came for the interview, her work experience was pitifully thin, and she herself didn't have much confidence.

"I was extremely poor back then," BICk0 said. "I had to plan ahead for what to eat the next day. I couldn't believe I was actually here for an interview."

"Then you chose me, saying I was capable, quick at organizing documents, had a good memory, and could distinguish the important points." She paused for a moment, "Back then, there was no opportunity to evaluate me like that."

"But that's the truth," he said.

"It might have been true for you, but it wasn't for me at the time. You gave me my first job that I wanted to stick with and that I could do well. Later, I slowly realized that I could not only survive, but also find my purpose."

She looked at the gravitational vector: "So I don't care what you were before, human or Cybertronian, all I know is that you chose me back then."

BICk0's voice softened: "Now it's my turn to choose you."

The vector was stunned, opening its mouth but unable to utter a single word.

BICk0 quickly regained his normal tone: "Anyway, I choose to continue being your secretary, cleaning up your messes and urging you to rest."

The two machines stared at each other for a while, and BICk0 suddenly laughed, and the vector also smiled.

"So don't overthink it. I know you, not your soul's birth certificate."

Before ending the call, she added, "I'll let you know as soon as there's any progress on the data storage tank."

"it is good."

The main screen went dark. Yin Vector stared at his reflection for a few seconds. Nine Seven didn't say anything, nor did AZ.

Vector: "You guys are coming too?"

97: "Otherwise?"

Vector: ...So she has to talk about everything?

-

AZ spoke first: "I looked into something, about awarding medals."

The vector didn't react immediately.

AZ retrieved a piece of information found on the Earth's public network: a knighting ceremony in human history, where knights kneel on one knee, swords touching their shoulders, and swearing an oath of honor and responsibility.

After reading the vector diagram, I was immediately reminded of the small ceremony before going to Aquitron.

"You actually went to check?" She scratched her face awkwardly.

“I prefer to get to the bottom of things,” AZ said, looking at her. “Traditionally, a charlatan doesn’t have a loyal follower.”

He spoke more slowly: "But AZ is not entirely the same as the Thousand Faces."

The optical mirror of the vector sensor brightened slightly, as if the kid meant, "What does my AZ business have to do with Thousand Faces?"

AZ continued: "I have received your medal and sworn an oath, which by human definition represents knighthood, and I will continue to fulfill that duty; that is my choice."

He bowed his head slightly, just as he had when he took the oath: "The human soul does not constitute a condition for the release of this oath."

For some reason, I suddenly felt like laughing. How come this machine actually adheres to human chivalry?

"Then, Sir Knight, please don't be so mysterious in the future."

This time it was his turn to laugh: "That's fair."

-

Jiuqi, who had been waiting patiently, finally asked, "Is it my turn?"

Vector: "Please explain it in simpler terms."

Jiuqi smiled and sat down next to her: "Don't worry, I don't think there's anything to re-evaluate about this."

Why?

"Because I met you too early, when we were both working."

The lighting there is never very good, the cheap energy drinks are diluted, and customers will bang on the table and argue when they get drunk. They will also haggle with the waiters over small tips.

Jiuqi was responsible for running around, and Yincheng was also there to earn his initial living expenses.

"Do you remember that boss who always made us extend the game by one hour, saying, 'Anyway, the customers haven't left yet'?"

"Don't even mention it."

"And then there's that customer who always says he'll definitely pay today, but in the end he still ends up paying on credit."

"Later, you cornered me at the door."

"Because he owed it four times!"

The vector laughed out loud, as did 97.

"Back then, we never imagined things would turn out this way. You're not the Chief Justice, and I'm not some Knight of Justice."

Her tone softened and became more gentle: "I've seen what you were like at the beginning, and you've seen me, and we've witnessed each other's growth."

Jiuqi stared at her and gently nudged her with his elbow: "I haven't known you since the day the judicial center was established."

She thought for a moment: "What if you told me now that you used to be a fish..."

The vector: "Wait! Isn't this example a bit too far-fetched?"

"I ask most often what kind of fish it is."

"You actually asked?" "Just curious."

Yin Vector leaned back in his chair speechlessly. After laughing, Jiuqi added seriously, "Anyway, you've always been the machine I turn to when I encounter problems, and I hope I'm the same to you."

The vector looked at her: "Of course you are."

-

Later that evening, Crystal Prism's private frequency band also sent a message.

The first clause is very formal: [As a representative of Crystal City, it is confirmed that the source of your consciousness does not affect the existing authorization of the judicial center, nor does it affect Crystal City's recognition of your position.]

Following this: [You have demonstrated your competence, stability, and responsibility through long-term conduct. As long as your current duties continue to be performed normally, Crystal City will not withdraw its recognition due to issues related to your past life's species.]

A while later, a new message appeared: [The following are personal thoughts.]

Yin Vector stared at those few words, and before he could reply, the other side sent a string of text:

My trust is something you earned yourself, and it has nothing to do with where you come from.

There is currently no evidence to suggest that I should retract my decision.

After a moment of silence, the vector replied: 【Thank you.】

Crystal Prism quickly replied: "Crystal City and I still welcome you."

-

The day was finally drawing to a close, and just as the vector was about to go to rest, the main control panel suddenly made a sound.

From Cybertron's judicial headquarters, the first round of analysis of the data storage tank has yielded results.

BICk0 first sent a parsing prompt: [First-level index decompression complete, extracting keywords.]

Jiuqi leaned over to look, and Yin Vector was also staring at the screen.

Please, please, this is the real blind box!