"No? I feel as though the subtle connection between the Allspark and my own spark has vanished. Before, I would always feel a strange sensation whenever I came into contact with it," Optimus Prime expressed, a note of doubt in his deep voice.
Ratchet thought for a moment and tried to offer an explanation. "Is it possible that your senses have simply become dulled due to the lack of contact for so many years?"
"It is possible," Optimus conceded. It was the only explanation he could come up with for now.
"I feel like the bigger problem is the massive compression ratio. How did you compress it into such a small size? It's completely unreasonable!" Tony interjected, coming over to ask Optimus about the compression problem once again.
"Tony, I don't quite understand the principles behind it myself. You should communicate more with Ratchet on these technical matters," Optimus Prime said, a hint of helplessness in his tone. This was not the first time Tony had asked him this question.
Ratchet thought for a moment and said, "I don't really understand it either. Perhaps it is a topic we can delve into more deeply together."
Hearing this, Tony waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about that later. You should first help me study JARVIS's situation. His current condition is really strange."
As he spoke, the computer on the lab table lit up, and JARVIS's voice, now tinged with a new and unfamiliar warmth, rang out. "Sir, are you looking for me?" Then, streams of raw data flowed out from the computer, converging in mid-air and solidifying into the metallic form of the Transformer JARVIS.
Optimus Prime and Ratchet looked at this scene in astonishment. Tony shrugged and explained, "I've discovered that JARVIS can digitize his own information, then move that data through various media, converting seamlessly between a data stream and a physical entity."
"I have never heard of a Cybertronian possessing such an ability," Ratchet said, approaching JARVIS and looking him over carefully for a while, though he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"I suspect it's because JARVIS himself began as a pure artificial intelligence," Tony theorized. "After being activated by the Allspark, he retained the ability to travel through the informational world, and it seems to have even been enhanced." As Tony spoke, he waved to JARVIS. The newly-sentient being immediately understood and reached out to touch Tony's hand. JARVIS's mechanical body began to deform, quickly wrapping around Tony and encasing him within it. Then, under the astonished optics of the two Autobots, Tony, wearing JARVIS, dissolved into a string of data and entered the computer. After a few seconds, on another computer across the lab, the screen lit up, and Tony, still wearing JARVIS, reappeared.
"Someone wearing JARVIS can also be digitized and travel through the data stream," Tony explained as JARVIS's body opened up and he stepped out. "I haven't figured out the principles behind this yet."
"A very powerful ability," Optimus Prime commented, recognizing its potential. "Very suitable for gathering intelligence and for assassination."
"Since we can't figure out the cause of JARVIS's unique abilities for now, we can try to recreate the previous scene," Tony suggested. "I have a few other AIs we can try with a new suit of armor." After a pause, he waved to the back of the lab and said, "Come on out, FRIDAY."
"Amon, why do you always hold that metal lump? Are you planning to turn yourself into a robot?" Ilyana asked, sinking the yellow ball into the corner pocket with a single, expert stroke. She was currently in the billiard room of the 'Different' Ballroom, playing a game with Artemis.
While speaking, Ilyana was momentarily distracted, and her next shot, aimed at the green ball, brushed the edge of the hole and stopped just short of going in. "It's your turn, Artemis," she said. "And you must show your true strength this time. I feel like you're letting me win."
Artemis, who had taken on the appearance of a beautiful woman with long black hair and a flowing white dress, hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Ilyana's request. "Yes, Miss."
Then, Ilyana watched in mock frustration as Artemis proceeded to sink her balls into the pockets one by one, without a single mistake, until there was only one ball left on the table that belonged to her. Only then did Artemis "make a mistake" and fail to score.
"You're cheating!" Ilyana accused, though there was no real heat in her voice.
Artemis smoothed her simulated black hair and explained calmly, "Miss, my data processor surpasses the world's top supercomputers. I have calculated all the possible movements of the billiard balls, so it is quite normal that you cannot beat me."
"Forget it, forget it. It's no fun to play with you. Amon, stop holding that iron lump and play a round with me."
Amon made the Allspark sink into the void, where it disappeared from view. He adjusted his monocle and laughed. "Oh, do you really want to play with me? Don't cry if you lose."
"Humph, you think I'm still a child? Don't you be the one to deny your defeat later," Ilyana snorted, not even considering the possibility that she would lose.
"Then let's get started. You can break," Amon said, placing the billiard balls in order and signaling for Ilyana to start the game.
The game went even better than Ilyana had expected. She kept sinking her shots, while Amon hadn't scored a single goal yet. Now, all she had to do was sink the black eight-ball to win. "Haha, Amon, you're such a wimp that you can't even score a single goal! Why were you so arrogant just now?"
After her taunting laughter, Ilyana took her shot. But perhaps because she was a little too happy, she missed the black eight. After it bounced off the rail, it inadvertently knocked one of Amon's balls into a pocket.
"Haha, Ilyana, you're quite kind. You even helped me score a goal."
Ilyana certainly wouldn't lose to Amon in a verbal spar. "I'm letting you have it," she retorted immediately. "Look how pitiful you are. You haven't scored a single goal."
Amon shrugged and smiled at Ilyana. "Have you ever heard of 'one shot to clear the table'? Now, there won't be any balls left on the table for you."
"What do you mean?" Ilyana looked confused.
Amon didn't say much. He leaned down and struck the cue ball with tremendous force. The white ball bounced rapidly around the table under the violent impact. One, two... six, and finally, the black eight-ball also rolled toward the pocket under the impact of the white ball. Because Ilyana had helped him score a ball earlier, there were no more of his balls left on the table after Amon pocketed all seven, including the black eight, in a single, impossible shot.
Amon put down the cue, clapped his hands, and said with a smile, "It's over. Do you want to play the next round?"
"Hmph! You must have used your special ability to cheat! You always do this! No more playing! No more playing! Artemis, let's go find someone else to play with. We can't play with this cheating bastard anymore!" Ilyana put her cue back in the rack and walked out with Artemis.
After watching Ilyana leave, Amon sat back down on the reclining chair and took out the Allspark again. He gently moved his fingers over its surface, and it began to rotate like a large Rubik's Cube. During the rotation, symbols representing "errors" and "glitches" emerged one by one, constantly being engraved on the surface of the artifact before disappearing again. With the help of the Allspark, Amon seemed to see the entire universe spread out before him. There were countless points of light distributed throughout the cosmos, and the solar system was the area with the highest density of these light points.
"Interesting..."
In Tony's private laboratory, the armor equipped with his backup artificial intelligence, FRIDAY, slowly approached the Allspark, which was now sitting on the experimental table, under Tony's precise command. This suit of armor had been simply assembled by Tony and only had the most basic functions. After it touched the Allspark, Tony flipped a switch, and the experimental table began to discharge a powerful electric current into the cube. Under the stimulation of the current, the energy of the Allspark slowly began to overflow, falling like liquid light onto the waiting armor.
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