The Spider-Alliance had already finished their day. They wandered the city, took down a few thugs, and were just about ready to head home.
On the rooftop of a skyscraper, the Spider-Alliance stopped to rest. Each of them held a bottle of milk tea. They sat together on the edge of the building, legs swinging as they sipped their drinks and watched the sun slowly sink toward the horizon.
Of course, it wasn't just the four of them—there was also a robot. The crimson glow of dusk washed over all five figures. A light breeze passed by. The four girls' hair flowed like waves in the wind.
It was a scene of pure beauty.
Then Mayday suddenly thought of something and asked,
"Captain Gwen, where are you sleeping tonight?"
The moment she spoke, Cindy and Peni acted as if they hadn't heard a thing. They didn't join in or stir the pot.
Gwen leaned forward slightly, turned her head past Peni in the middle, and locked eyes with Mayday on the far right. Peni leaned back even further. Gwen narrowed her eyes.
"Come find me tonight, and I'll tell you."
A chill ran down Mayday's spine. She quickly shook her head and backed off.
"Forget it, forget it."
If she really went, she might not make it back. Pinned down and beaten flat by Gwen.
Behind Gwen, Cindy silently gave Mayday a thumbs-up.
You're braver than I'd ever be.
Just then, Gwen's phone buzzed. She pulled it out—it was Wanda calling. She answered.
"Hey, Wanda. You're not calling to get back at me for last night, are you?"
"That's what little girls do, Gwen." Wanda chuckled warmly. "I've got something bigger. An operation."
"The Annihilation Wave is about to attack the Transformers. Sector 28 at the edge of the Solar System has already become a war zone."
"Bring the other girls from the Spider-Alliance and come see for yourselves. Hurry back—if you're late, you'll miss it."
At those words, Gwen's eyes went wide in shock.
"It's really happening? I'll be right there!"
"No time to talk—hanging up. I'm bringing them now. Wait for me!"
She ended the call. Standing at the edge of the building, she shouted,
"Come on, let's go home. Hurry!"
"A live viewing of interstellar war. Miss it once, and you'll never see it again."
Mayday, Cindy, Peni: ???
The three of them stood up, baffled. But Gwen knew exactly what they were wondering. She shot a strand of web and added quickly,
"Home first, explanations later. I'll fill you in over the channel."
With that, Gwen swung away. Mayday, Cindy, and Peni glanced at each other, then hurried to follow.
Judging from Captain Gwen's tone, this had to be serious!
As they soared through the sky, Gwen's voice came through the channel.
"Just a warning—when you actually see the interstellar war, don't freak out in front of Lorien. I'll look like a total amateur."
The three girls were caught off guard.
"Something that huge? What kind of interstellar war is this? Aliens?"
Answering their questions, Gwen stuck to the essentials.
"You all remember the Transformers, right? Jetfire?"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." The girls nodded.
"What I mean is… Jetfire isn't the only Transformer. He's just one member of a civilization."
"Mm-hmm… wait, what!?"
They'd been nodding out of habit—but then the key point hit them!
Especially Peni. She caught on fastest.
"Civilization!? Gwen, you don't mean the Transformers civilization, do you?"
"Exactly."
At her answer, the three girls' eyes flew open.
"0.0!"
Civilization?
That word wasn't to be taken lightly. It meant a complete system of life, society, and countless structures—only then could it be called a civilization.
And if something was recognized as a civilization, then it was anything but small!
But that raised another problem...
"The Transformers civilization... interstellar war? The Transformers are going to wage a cosmic war across the universe!?" Peni suddenly realized.
Mayday and Cindy also asked in astonishment.
"Who is the Transformers civilization going to wage a cosmic war against?"
"Annihilation Wave."
Gwen said this as they were almost back at the Northern Tower. She quickly added,
"But I don't know much about the Annihilation Wave either—just their name."
"Just follow me. I promise this will be the most spectacular sight you've ever witnessed."
Gwen's assurance was enough. The three girls immediately nodded, their hearts brimming with anticipation for what was to come.
...
Not long after, the four of them returned to the Northern Tower. Lorien and Wanda were already there, changed into fresh shoes and clothes, waiting with Hela.
Peni's Spider-Mech Warrior had returned to its storage bay inside the building. The three girls then prepared to retract their nanotech battle suits, their nano-masks beginning to fold away.
But Gwen noticed and quickly stopped them.
"No need to retract the suits. Keep them on. Space is a vacuum. The suits will supply you with oxygen."
"Oh, right!"
Only then did the three realize. Space battles were fought in space, and space had no oxygen. They'd need the suits to breathe.
Once everyone was ready, Lorien casually ruffled Hela's hair and said,
"If you're all set, then let's get moving."
From the side, Wanda reminded them,
"If you have cameras, bring them. This is a sight you'll never forget for the rest of your lives."
"Got it!"
"Wait!"
"I'll go grab mine!"
At her words, Gwen realized she hadn't brought a camera either. Like the others, she quickly rushed off to fetch one.
But Lorien glanced at them and said,
"Bring them if you like, but your battle suits can also record photos and videos directly through your eyes."
"Huh?!" Gwen was fine—she wasn't wearing a nano battle suit. But the other girls froze.
"It can do that?"
Lorien chuckled. "Looks like you haven't fully unlocked the suit's capabilities yet."
"Uh..."
The three lowered their heads in embarrassment. All this time, they hadn't even discovered the photo and video functions. That felt pretty pathetic.
But Lorien didn't make a big deal out of it.
"Just focus on mastering the combat functions."
"Mm-hmm!"
The three nodded quickly. At the same time, their view of Lorien shifted once again.
Such a master—and yet so thoughtful. Not in the wrong sense, but truly considerate. Being around him didn't feel awkward or stiff. Instead, it was like being warmed by a spring breeze.
It was a genuinely pleasant experience.
...
Once everyone was fully prepared, Lorien raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Snap~"
In the next instant, all seven of them vanished.
They reappeared high above the planet Cybertron.
"Wow~!"
The moment they arrived, Peni's eyes widened instantly.
Everyone looked down.
A massive steel planet. Monumental structures. A dazzling blue starport. Countless robots, Transformers, and transport ships shuttling between worlds.
Such technology, beyond anything their age could comprehend, left the three girls stunned into silence.
Even Peni was no exception.
Gwen caught the astonishment in Peni's eyes and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"In the year 3145, humanity still hasn't colonized Mars in New York? Surely someone by then must have already pushed the Mars colonization plan?"
It wasn't just Gwen wondering.
Everyone was curious.
After all, people were already talking about colonizing Mars back in the 21st century.
So by Peni's 32nd century, it still hadn't succeeded?
That didn't seem possible. People had already walked on the moon.
Peni thought about the question.
"I remember people did migrate there, but it was pointless. What could they even do? There weren't any scarce resources. They couldn't exactly become digital lifeforms."
"Besides, even if Mars is cold, it's not suitable for hosting servers. Every so often it drifts far from Earth, and when that happens, the signal cuts off. Not worth it."
With Peni's explanation, everyone finally understood.
By her 32nd century, humanity had lost its dreams and become purely pragmatic.
Landing on the moon or Mars was only for testing rocket engine technology.
Of course, there were lunar settlements, but most of them were just experimental bases.
So in the end, there was no need.
...
Once everyone understood, Lorien waved his hand, leading the group down beside the Ballerina Twins.
When they saw Lorien, the Ballerina Twins reported elegantly,
"The Decepticons and Autobots have reached the edge of the Solar System. Godzilla has also arrived to take up defense."
"The Transformers civilization possesses a space-time jump disruptor. The cosmic wormholes used by the Annihilation Wave cannot directly penetrate into the Solar System."
Lorien nodded.
"How long until the war begins?"
"Half an hour."
"Have the Transformers calculated their odds of victory?"
"They have, but all calculations are based on templates using invasion data from the Three Great Cosmic Empires."
The Ballerina Twins projected the data for Lorien and the others to examine.
According to the Transformers' simulations,
if the Solar System were attacked with the same force that had invaded the Three Great Cosmic Empires, their probability of failure would be...
"1000%!"
Ahem—100%.
Seeing that figure, Gwen was both shocked and satisfied.
Lorien, however, wasn't surprised at all.
The Transformers' defense systems were simply too powerful now.
If it were only Thanos leading a single legion to attack, they wouldn't even scratch the surface.
No miracle would happen.
The Ballerina Twins added an explanation.
"But this time, the Transformers civilization doesn't know how many Annihilation Wave forces are invading."
"Judging from the fluctuations of the cosmic wormhole, their numbers won't be fewer than those that invaded the three great empires. If anything, they'll be greater."
...
Hearing this, Wanda, Gwen, Hela, and the other three all tensed. Especially the three girls.
After watching the footage of the empires being invaded, they'd been dumbstruck by the endless insect swarm.
In a war of that scale, could superheroes even matter? Probably 99% of them would be useless.
Just food.
But Lorien only nodded.
He waved a hand to dismiss the data, his gaze turning toward the Solar System's edge.
"But that just makes it more exciting, doesn't it?"
"I let the Transformers civilization grow freely to this point."
"Now it's time to test the limits of their potential."
"To live is to have limitless potential."
"To perish is the law of survival."