DOTM: Chapter 440/441

Chapter 440: Force

For someone who already knew the plot and had a cheat by his side who could access any information from the internet at any time, finding Dylan Gould was not difficult, especially since this person was somewhat of a celebrity.

Towards this human traitor, Ethan did not show much politeness either. He directly used magic to restrain him, and then dismantled Soundwave and Laserbeak, who had been following him for communication and monitoring, into scrap metal right in front of him.

Then, under the shocked gazes of countless bodyguards, he took Dylan away from his residence and returned to the office building he had just acquired.

This building had already been cleared out. There was no office equipment inside, not even tables, so the space was very spacious.

Tony had already checked it. It was very clean, with no listening or surveillance devices.

So things like poaching from the Decepticons were very suitable to be done here.

"Who exactly are you?"

Although the energy restraint emitting blue light had disappeared, Dylan Gould still did not dare to make any drastic moves.

He had seen with his own eyes this young man in front of him dismantling Soundwave and Laserbeak, two powerful Decepticons, into scrap metal like dismantling toys.

In his eyes, the powerful and terrifying Decepticon Transformers had died just like that at this person's hands. He knew very well that this was not someone he could contend with.

He was very good at assessing the situation and knew what attitude he should have at this moment.

"Similar to the Decepticons you've dealt with before."

"An alien?"

While Ethan nodded, he was also sizing up the man.

Dylan Gould had a good outward appearance. It was clear that this person lived a life of ease and had not experienced much hardship.

Judging from the original plot, this person probably could not tolerate that kind of life, which was a good thing for Ethan. It meant his material desires were high, and such people were easier to control.

"Why did you capture me?"

Dylan Gould's mind was very sharp. During this time, he had figured out that his life was not in danger and gradually regained the composure of a successful person.

"Because you work for the Decepticons."

Dylan was momentarily stunned, then looked at Ethan in confusion, having some guesses in his mind but feeling something was not right.

"You don't need to guess, I'm not an Autobot Transformer," Ethan knew what this guy was thinking and directly denied his suspicion. "However, I killed the Decepticon leader Megatron not long ago, so I can also be considered an enemy of the Decepticons."

"Megatron is dead?"

Dylan did not deny that he knew who Megatron was. This person killed Soundwave as soon as he arrived, forcibly removed the transforming mechanical watch from his wrist, and killed Laserbeak, who had transformed into a regular appliance and hidden himself. He clearly knew Dylan's situation perfectly, so denying these things was completely meaningless.

"Dead."

However, Ethan could not be sure if this guy would be resurrected. Scientists in movie worlds often had astonishing luck, constantly messing around and creating scientific miracles that others could not replicate. It would not be surprising if they accidentally resurrected Megatron. After all, this guy had been resurrected in the original plot, and furthermore, Megatron's corpse was currently in the hands of the US military.

He replied casually, but in Dylan's heart, he began to calculate. The Decepticon leader is dead, should I consider changing bosses?

Dylan was a very shrewd person. Otherwise, he would not have been able to become a successful person and still live so comfortably under the supervision of the Decepticons. The Decepticons did not have much patience. If Dylan were useless, he would have been abandoned and killed by them long ago.

"You want me to work for you now?"

"Talking to smart people is easy."

Ethan briefly explained his situation, finally pointed to the building under his feet, and mentioned his various cooperative relationships with the White House.

"But why should I accept your offer?"

"Then why did you accept the Decepticons' employment?"

Mentioning this point, Dylan looked helpless and spread his hands in displeasure. "Do you think I had a choice?"

Ethan smiled, smiling like a child who had just received a favored toy. "Do you think you have a choice now?"

Only then did Dylan realize that although this seemingly young alien was acting very politely, he was actually no different from the Decepticons. He wasn't asking for his opinion at all. He directly used his peculiar abilities to capture him, simply wanting him to work for him.

Just as Ethan had just said, Dylan had no room for choice at all.

"Don't worry, the work I give you will be much simpler than what the Decepticons gave you... and absolutely legal."

Trading with the human government was naturally legal.

Dylan tried his best to think in a positive direction. He found that working for Ethan was not bad at all. At least he did not have to continue being a human traitor.

Of course, this did not mean he would truly be loyal to Ethan. Dylan planned to observe for a while. If Ethan only had somewhat miraculous personal strength, then he could still think of ways to get away.

As if guessing his thoughts, Ethan casually drew a complex magic circle in the air with his finger. Then, with a light tap of his finger, the magic circle erupted with dazzling light, causing everyone present to squint slightly.

When the light faded, they found that the complex and mysterious magic circle had disappeared. Instead, an identical magic circle pattern appeared on the back of Dylan's left hand, just like a vivid tattoo.

"What is this?"

His intuition told him this was not a good thing, and Ethan's explanation also made him understand that it was indeed not a good thing.

"A mark."

Ethan briefly explained the function of this mark. Simply put, it was a positioning device. No matter which corner of this universe Dylan hid in, Ethan could easily lock onto his location and then use teleportation magic to appear before him.

This was not a difficult task. Even a skilled assassin could leave a long-lasting mark on their opponent that did not disappear for over a decade, let alone the current Ethan.

If it were just for this, it would not need to be so troublesome. Drawing a magic circle specifically, its function naturally would not be this simple.

When necessary, he could directly drag Dylan in front of him. This meant it was useless no matter how far Dylan ran.

Dylan's face turned very ugly. He had originally thought this alien would be easier to deal with than the Decepticons, but he did not expect to be left with this mark after only a few sentences.

Although he doubted if this mark was really that miraculous, he could not bring himself to even think about testing it.

Especially after personally experiencing Ethan's miraculous method of instantly bringing him from his home to another unfamiliar place.

If Ethan's previous explanation was true, then he had come from his mansion in Washington on the East Coast to Los Angeles on the West Coast, crossing the entire North American continent.

Watching the mark on the back of his hand fade and disappear, and his left hand returning to its original appearance, Dylan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although that magic circle mark was quite nice to look at, it did not fit his identity.

"Alright, Boss."

Dylan quickly gave in. Anyway, he was working for an alien, and this new boss looked a bit more pleasing to the eye.

Ethan nodded and did not continue saying anything intimidating. He was different from the Decepticons. He did not need to simply rely on threats to force his subordinates to work.

The best way was to use the carrot and stick approach, that is, to use benefits to motivate subordinates to work harder and better. And the resources he controlled would make many ordinary humans go crazy. He believed that as long as he revealed a little information, Dylan would enthusiastically help him manage the forces here.

"Although working for me will make you lose the status of being the overseer of six billion slaves, you will gain a better future."

The Decepticons' plan was to turn Earth humans into slaves to help the Transformers rebuild their homeland.

If the Decepticons' plan succeeded, Dylan, as a human traitor, would be rewarded by being in charge of managing these six billion human slaves, provided the Decepticons kept their promise.

Ethan was not optimistic about this. He thought that after it was done, Dylan would suffer the same fate as those six billion compatriots. Considering that traitors were never popular, his end would likely be even worse.

"Future? What future will I have?"

Dylan did not have much confidence in these aliens. He felt that he should just enjoy life to the fullest one day at a time. The future was too distant for him.

"Compared to the future, I think you, Boss, should first solve my safety problem, otherwise, in a couple of days, you'll have to collect my corpse."

Dylan valued his life greatly, so he was the first to realize this point. Only when he mentioned it did Ethan remember this issue.

The human traitor, who was a key development for the Decepticons, was poached by him just like that. The Decepticons definitely would not do nothing. When Dylan was by his side, he naturally did not need to worry about Decepticon attacks, but he could not follow him all the time and might even leave this world, while Dylan had to stay here and help him build his influence.

"Do I still need to cooperate with the Autobots?"

Problems emerged one after another. Things were completely not as simple as he had thought.

He had originally thought that poaching Dylan and establishing a good relationship with Senator Smith would largely solve the problem.

As a result, he had not even built a framework yet, but there was already a pile of problems to solve.

Turning his head to look at Sam and Mikaela, who had been quietly and obediently not speaking, Ethan suddenly had the thought of not playing anymore and just leaving.

But as soon as he turned his head and saw Tony's expression, clearly waiting for a laugh, his stubbornness flared up. He refused to believe that this logistics world could not be managed.

However, this time also taught him a lesson. Next time he wanted to manage a logistics world, he must make choices beforehand, create a detailed plan, and then complete it step by step. He could not just act on impulse like this. This endless trouble was truly torturous.

"I will have the Autobots cause trouble for the Decepticons so they won't have time to care about you." Ethan thought for a moment and felt this was not enough. "Also, I'll give you a few items to protect yourself."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 441: Souvenirs

After temporarily crafting a few warning, defensive, and escape items for Dylan, Ethan's newly acquired subordinate could finally start working.

With Dylan Gould's connections and abilities, Ethan's shell company quickly took shape, and Ethan also did not have to waste time getting bogged down in trivial matters.

Dylan was very good at dealing with various people. As long as he was introduced at the start, Dylan could naturally handle everything that followed.

Dylan's identity was no secret to these politicians. What puzzled them was why this man had been chosen by Ethan to become his representative on Earth.

Ethan offered no explanation for this: let them guess all they wanted.

Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Ethan did not stay in Los Angeles to enjoy the warm sunshine but instead went to Egypt with Tony.

He did not intend to take the Matrix of Leadership. That thing contained the wills of countless powerful Transformers, and only a Transformer leader recognized by them could wield its power.

It was useless for ordinary people to find that thing. Even if Ethan was a powerful mage, he would first have to engage in a mental battle with the Transformer wills that had resided within for who knew how many years, and only after achieving an overwhelming victory might he gain control.

The risk was too great, and the potential reward was not necessarily high, so Ethan could not be bothered to take it.

This time in Egypt, what he was truly after was the energon cube manufacturing device hidden within the pyramid, that is, the machine capable of destroying a star, collecting its energy, and manufacturing it into energon cubes.

Ethan was very curious about this device, and Tony was also interested in this powerful equipment, so the two of them came to Egypt together.

With Ethan's current abilities, there was naturally no need to waste time getting visas and flying. He already knew the exact location from the plot. After opening a portal in their hotel room, the two of them stood at the foot of the pyramid, craning their necks to carefully observe the structure before them.

Tony, wearing special sunglasses, was also analyzing the entire pyramid, trying to see if he could penetrate the pyramid's ordinary outer layer and peer into its internal secrets.

"It looks like just ordinary stones, but it contains peculiar energy fluctuations that block many detection methods."

Tony took off his glasses. He found that the various high-tech detection devices on his glasses had no reaction to the pyramid. The energy fluctuations on it were something he could only sense using the magical methods he had recently mastered.

This did not mean the Transformers had mastered magic. It was just that their technological civilization had reached a certain level, allowing them to create energy fields with effects similar to magic, blocking most detection and ensuring the device would not be easily discovered.

It was precisely for this reason that this device could remain hidden within the pyramid for thousands of years, unknown to humans.

"We can't scan the structure directly, what should we do next?"

Ethan, however, could scan the entire pyramid using Merlin's Book of Inheritance. Given the book's unique nature, he believed that no matter how advanced Transformer technology was, all the secrets within the pyramid would be completely recorded.

"Since we're already here, how can we leave empty-handed?"

Besides, it could be considered helping this world resolve a hidden danger. Otherwise, if this device remained here, the Fallen might suddenly appear at any time and blow up the sun.

If the sun were destroyed, Earth would naturally be finished.

Although Ethan was not a saint, he could not just watch this world be destroyed like this, so he placed the device capable of destroying the sun into a specially made glass container.

Looking at the exquisite item, now only palm-sized and resembling a model, Ethan felt no reluctance whatsoever. After recording its structure in his Book of Inheritance, he casually handed the model to Tony.

"Take it as a souvenir. It won't be a wasted trip."

Tony was grinning from ear to ear. This trip was definitely not in vain. The corpse of a small Transformer awaited his detailed research, and now he had another such amazing device. He no longer had to worry about not having fun when he returned to his own world.

He did not intend to replicate a star-destroying device in the Marvel universe. What he wanted to do was thoroughly understand its technology, further understand some characteristics of Transformer technology, and then integrate some of its advantages into his own knowledge system.

From this perspective, what Tony and Ethan wanted was quite similar: the exploration and collection of new things, expanding their oceans of knowledge, and thus improving their realms or levels.

Having obtained this item, the two of them had no need to stay in the desolate desert, enduring wind and eating sand. They directly teleported back to Los Angeles.

As for the pyramid missing a section? Ethan could not be bothered to care.

The round trip took them less than half a day in total. Even if the government wanted to strengthen surveillance on Ethan, they could not do it. It was precisely because they realized this that the other party was very polite to Ethan.

It was not that these people did not want to eliminate Ethan, this huge threat. Even if they wanted to do something, they could not truly harm Ethan, who could come and go as he pleased.

If they angered him because of this, he could suddenly appear in front of you anytime, anywhere. Anyone would be afraid of such an existence.

Before they had absolute certainty, they did not dare take this risk.

A more important point was that North America was about to have an election cycle again.

The entire leadership, including the president, everyone hoped to safely get through this final period and put a relatively perfect end to their term.

None of them wanted to cause trouble at this time. If they accidentally stirred up a hornet's nest and caused a war between aliens and Earth, they would all be finished.

How should they deal with aliens in the future? Let the next administration worry about that.

It was precisely for this reason that Ethan had not met the current president yet. It was clear the other party was deliberately avoiding him. Those who contacted Ethan most frequently were politicians with ambitions for the next term, either wanting to cooperate with Ethan or trying to probe for information about the universe.

For these people, Ethan would deal with them if he was in a good mood, and if he was not, he would just leave them all to Dylan to handle. He only occasionally checked in on Dylan's situation through Sam and Mikaela.

The only exception was Senator Kevin Smith. This senator had now formed an alliance with Ethan. Taking advantage of an opportunity to accompany Ethan on a visit to the AllSpark (and conveniently collect a little of its energy), he asked Ethan if he could retrieve a meteorite containing water resources first.

"Need it so urgently?"

"To do some preliminary research."

This was a reasonable request, but it put Ethan in an awkward position. He did not have a spaceship on hand right now, so how could he get a suitable meteorite for Senator Smith?

Even if he could use teleportation magic to travel into space, relying on his current powerful demigod-level body and various spells to survive briefly in space, package this suitable meteorite, and then bring it back to Earth, there was not a suitable target right now.

Although water resources are everywhere in the universe, they are mostly in gaseous form. Solids are mostly found on planets. While meteorites containing solid water can often be seen, it does not mean you can find a whole bunch just by drilling into any corner of the universe.

"This might take some time."

"That's fine."

Even asking someone to go home and get something takes some time, let alone helping find a meteorite. It certainly would not happen in the blink of an eye for Ethan to produce the item. He knew this suspected alien god indeed had such abilities, so he was slightly hopeful for a moment.

"Anyway, I've left my number. I'll notify you when I come over next time, and you can just come directly to pick up the item."

Smith heard another meaning in Ethan's words.

"Are you preparing to leave Earth?"

"I was just here to take a look around. Reaching some trade agreements was already an unexpected gain." Ethan paused, seeming to think of something else. "Besides, I can't always be wandering outside. After all, there are many people waiting for me. When I come to Earth next time, I'll bring my crew, and then I can stay for a longer period."

Smith's eyelids twitched. Ethan's words revealed that he was not just with himself and the companion who liked to pretend to be Iron Man. He also had many crew members and subordinates.

However, since both sides were in the honeymoon phase of their cooperation, the stronger the partner's strength, the more beneficial it was for Senator Smith. Therefore, he stated that when Ethan brought his crew, he would personally host a welcome banquet for them.

After finishing his discussion with Senator Smith, Ethan went to find Optimus Prime and subtly hinted at the news of the Matrix of Leadership being on Earth. Using this information, he hired Bumblebee from the Autobots.

Hiring Bumblebee was mainly to protect Mikaela. Ethan was not planning to take Mikaela away from this world. Although he did not know how long he would be gone this time, he had already locked onto a specific point in time using the space-time orb. When he returned next time, no more than three months would have passed in this world since his departure.

For the people of this world, he would only have been gone for a very short time, consistent with Ethan and Smith's statement about leaving for a brief period.

Furthermore, he could use this time to properly test the abilities of Mikaela, Sam, and Dylan and see if his arrangements were reliable or not.

If their performance was satisfactory, Ethan would not mind giving them more benefits, such as various enhancement potions.

Including Dylan, Ethan would let him know that he was not just talking casually back then. As long as he worked for him wholeheartedly, Ethan would truly give him a bright future, which would definitely be infinitely better than the ending in the original plot where he was electrocuted by the teleportation device.

(To be continued.)