DOTM: Chapter 434/435

Chapter 434: Fanatic Fans

Ethan drained all the energy stored in the Arcane Spring, ensuring the ice layer on Megatron was thick and solid enough that he would not suddenly awaken in sub-zero temperatures. Even in temperatures above freezing, melting these magic-infused ice layers would not be possible in just a few hours unless the weather was extremely severe.

The problem that had caused John Keller immense headaches was so simple for Ethan to solve, which gave Senator Kevin Smith a more direct understanding of Ethan's power. It was somewhat terrifyingly strong, wasn't it?

He was not the type of politician who only focused on political struggles and knew nothing else. He had been sent as a representative of Congress and the President because he possessed considerable knowledge and training. He instantly analyzed that if Ethan's previous move had been directed at people or cities...

The human body simply could not withstand such low temperatures. This meant that with Ethan's casual move, sending any number of troops would be futile. Not just soldiers, but in such extreme low-temperature environments, current weapons and equipment would also become useless.

In other words, Ethan alone could wipe out a well-equipped elite force with a wave of his hand, and this was clearly not his limit.

The temperature in the secret base was already very low, and due to Ethan's action, it was even lower than usual. However, sweat appeared on Kevin Smith's forehead. He was now probably grateful that Congress and the President had not chosen an aggressive action plan when they received the report.

In fact, it was not just Senator Smith who was startled. Everyone present was, including a group of special forces team members who had just been transferred. They were survivors from the US military base that was initially attacked by the Decepticons. They had experience fighting Transformers, which was why they had been transferred here this time.

"What the hell is happening to this world? First alien robots, then mages? This is definitely not the world I'm familiar with."

When Ethan cast his spell, the mysterious symbols and magic circles surrounding him immediately made people think he was a mage. No one considered the possibility of superpowers.

Moreover, this time he had deliberately taken out a staff to cast the spell. Aside from his somewhat jarring attire, he was a genuine mage.

Before coming, they had already read the basic report and knew that Sam and Mikaela were just ordinary Earthlings who had somehow gotten involved with these aliens, so they did not need to pay too much attention to them.

As for the other one...

"Why are you all looking at me?"

Suddenly attracting the attention of a group of soldiers, Tony could not continue to quietly hide in the corner. In fact, he had been secretly scanning the various equipment here, and the data he obtained made him curl his lip. The technological level of this world was too ordinary. There was no technology here that impressed him, except for Megatron himself.

As for the Allspark that Ethan had mentioned earlier, he had already detected a high-energy reaction, but he was not in a hurry to go over. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a group of soldiers suddenly focused their attention on him.

"Tony... Stark?"

A black soldier smiled and approached, seemingly trying to strike up a conversation.

"Can you do magic too?"

"A little."

Tony's progress in magic was very fast. Although he could not freeze a Transformer as large as Megatron with a casual wave like Ethan, it was not difficult for him to conjure a few fireballs or ice arrows with a flick of his hand, especially when he could use the energy from his Arc Reactor to cast spells. He could instantly draw and mobilize a large amount of energy to unleash powerful spells, which was currently his trump card.

"But isn't Tony Stark a technological genius who relies on science?"

Only then did Tony realize that this guy was also joking with him about "Iron Man".

"Haha, very funny. So, do you think I look very much like Iron Man now?"

The nanotech suit quickly assembled, taking only a few seconds for Tony to transform into a metal man. The arrogant gold and red color scheme did not look out of place in this slightly gloomy base. In fact, the cold environment made the whole suit exude a chilling aura.

"Holy shit!"

The black soldier was startled by Tony's sudden transformation and immediately stepped back a few paces, putting distance between himself and Tony. However, the other party did not lunge forward, which made him slightly relieved.

Especially when Tony immediately retracted the head armor and smiled, spreading his hands. "How's that?"

"Oh my god!"

The commotion in the corner also attracted the attention of others. John Keller was still coordinating the personnel in the base to load Megatron and was not aware of what was happening in the corner.

Meanwhile, Smith, who had been observing the surroundings and had designated Ethan and Tony, who looked like humans but were aliens, as key surveillance targets, watched the two closely.

So he clearly saw the entire process and noticed how Tony's suit assembled itself.

"Is that also a magic-like ability?"

Present were not only military personnel and Pentagon politicians but also technical advisors. They followed discreetly behind everyone, never speaking unless necessary, and only in this situation did they whisper a reminder. "It looks like nanotechnology, and quite mature nanotechnology at that."

Nanotechnology was not some unknown secret technology. Even ordinary people knew about it.

But truly applicable nanotechnology had not yet appeared, at least not in this world.

Smith quickly realized what this meant.

Not only were their life forms far superior to humans, possessing power comparable to gods, but they were also far ahead of Earth in terms of scientific technology.

This seemed normal. Since they claimed to be a civilization capable of venturing into the universe, it would be strange if the technology they possessed was inferior to Earth's.

Ethan noticed the senator and his advisor whispering to each other. He was very happy to see Tony show off a little. The stronger the abilities they displayed, the less likely the other party would dare to act against them, and they would eventually have to sit down and negotiate properly.

Robert Epps was that black soldier. He cautiously approached Tony and then reached out to touch the Iron Man suit on Tony.

It was cold to the touch, with the texture of metal.

"Wow! What is this? Is it magic too?"

"No, this is nanotechnology."

Tony retracted the nanotech suit again. This time, everyone clearly saw the entire Iron Man suit flow over his body like liquid, finally disappearing under his clothes and into his left wrist, becoming a wristwatch.

No one could see what was happening under his clothes, and no one dared to go over and strip Tony's clothes off for a closer look, but everyone could see the wristwatch on his left wrist. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed to be just an ordinary watch.

"Tony Stark, right?"

"Uh-huh! I am Tony Stark!"

Tony felt he had proven his identity well, but Epps's next sentence almost made him furious.

"So, aliens like reading comics too..."

Rolling his eyes, Tony gave up. He felt that nothing he said could change these guys' preconceived notions. In their eyes, he was probably now a weird alien freak who really liked Iron Man and, thanks to mastering high technology, could perfectly play the role of the comic book character Iron Man.

After this delay, Megatron had been loaded into a special container. Optimus Prime looked at the ice sculpture of Megatron, then firmly transformed into a heavy-duty truck cab.

During this time, he had engaged in various probes and exchanges with the Secretary of Defense and had confirmed that it was impossible for humans to give up the Allspark. The possibility of the Transformers directly taking back the Allspark was not high.

However, the other party had not completely shut down the possibility, suggesting that everything could still be discussed.

Optimus Prime naturally would not think in a negative direction. He felt that since both sides could communicate further, they would definitely be able to understand each other in the future.

At least they had secured the opportunity to jointly safeguard the Allspark with humans. The Allspark was, after all, something of the Transformers. Humans currently needed to win over the Autobots, so it was impossible and inconvenient to outright refuse the Autobots access to the Allspark. Therefore, they proposed the method of "joint safeguarding", giving the Autobots a chance to access the Allspark.

This barely opened a door, giving the Autobots a glimmer of hope and thus a basis for continued cooperation.

The convoy carrying Megatron set off from the Hoover Dam. This time, Tony and Ethan did not ride in any Transformer. They rode with the Secretary of Defense and the Senator in a command vehicle further back in the convoy.

Front-line command was entirely handed over to Major William Lennox, who had experience engaging with Decepticon Transformers. At the same time, after the convoy departed, they began to deliberately "leak" that the item being transported was Megatron.

As for whether the Decepticons would fall for it, the Decepticons were almost going crazy trying to find their leader, and the few currently active on Earth seemed to be somewhat lacking in intelligence. Ethan did not think they could see through this simple trap.

In other words, even if they saw through it, what could they do? Megatron was here. Are you coming or not?

Just as Ethan expected, not long after the convoy departed, and before they even approached the ambush zone, signs of the enemy appeared.

"It's a Raptor fighter jet. I haven't even ordered air support yet."

"No need to think about it, that's a Decepticon."

Even without Ethan saying anything, everyone guessed that this fighter jet was the enemy. Now the situation was awkward. How should a ground convoy fight a supersonic jet? It seemed there were no countermeasures other than being bombed unilaterally.

Even if fighter jets were called for support, they could not arrive immediately. This time would be enough for the enemy to bomb the convoy several times over.

Looking at the few important figures who were in a dilemma, Tony adjusted his collar and pushed Ethan back, who was about to say something.

"Finally, it's my turn to make an appearance?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 435: A Meteor

As a billionaire, philanthropist, genius, and superhero, Tony was someone who loved nothing more than having all eyes on him, feeling utterly uncomfortable if he was not showing off.

During his time with Ethan, having to constantly watch Ethan steal the spotlight was an agonizing experience for him.

Tony simply could not bear it any longer.

He knew Ethan was incredibly powerful, and perhaps many of Ethan's actions were genuinely effortless and not intended as displays of power, although, deep down, he harbored serious doubts about that last part.

But Tony simply could not hold back any longer.

It had to be his turn now.

Tony's eyes were practically spitting fire. Ethan, sitting calmly in his seat, made a "please, be my guest" gesture, which finally earned him a satisfied look from Tony.

Secretary of Defense John Keller and Senator Kevin Smith turned their heads to look at Tony, extremely curious about how this man who called himself Iron Man intended to handle the Raptor fighter jet in the sky.

That was not an ordinary F-22 Raptor fighter jet. It was a Raptor fighter jet transformed by a Decepticon. Beyond its parameters far exceeding the original Raptor, its most formidable asset was its terrifying maneuverability. The physical strength of a Transformer was far beyond that of a standard fighter jet, and it did not need to worry about its body being unable to withstand extreme maneuvers.

To put it simply, up in the sky, this guy could fly however he pleased. Suddenly transforming and shifting sideways during a linear acceleration was well within its capabilities.

If an ordinary Earth pilot tried flying like that...

Transformers held an absolute advantage in maneuverability, which was also the fundamental reason why Starscream, a single Decepticon, could wipe out a squadron of Raptor fighter jets in the original film.

Watching Tony don the Iron Man armor, leave the command vehicle, and rocket into the sky, Ethan, concerned that the people in front of him would not be able to clearly see the battle unfolding above, used magic to give them a live broadcast.

As Ethan lightly spread his hand, an incredibly clear image appeared among the group. Everyone was only surprised for a brief moment before quickly returning to normal.

After all, Ethan was a "god" with miraculous abilities, so it was not strange for him to possess even more miraculous methods. However, Kevin Smith, seeing the scene before him that displayed almost all the surrounding situation, realized that Ethan possessed extremely powerful reconnaissance capabilities.

Whether it was his personal ability or some technological means Earth had not yet mastered, Ethan, possessing this capability, could perfectly grasp all situations within a certain range around himself.

Under Ethan's control, the "camera" gradually zoomed in on Tony, who was rapidly flying through the sky. Only then did everyone finally get a clear view of the Iron Man armor on Tony's body.

Just moments ago, as soon as Tony's armor was fully donned, he had already rocketed into the sky. Everyone, except for Ethan, who possessed extremely sharp eyesight and reflexes, had not managed to get a clear look at the details of the Iron Man armor.

What they had not expected was to get such a perfectly clear view of it through this spell of Ethan's.

Although there were some differences compared to the armor in the comics, this Tony Stark truly lived up to being an Iron Man fanatic. No matter how you looked at it, his armor was extremely similar to the one in the comics, and his flying posture was practically identical.

As Tony caught up to Starscream, everyone began to focus on the air battle.

Starscream, transformed into a Raptor fighter jet, could easily break the sound barrier. Even without considering the inherent ability enhancements of a Transformer, the prototype F-22 Raptor fighter jet itself had a maximum speed of 2.25 Mach (2.25 times the speed of sound).

All of Tony's subsequent Mark series armors, except for the prototype hammered out in the cave, were capable of supersonic flight.

If not for Ethan's interference, in the original third movie's plot, Tony had manufactured a whole batch of armors as if producing them wholesale, including the Mark 40, which was specifically focused on increasing speed and could reach 5 Mach.

As for the subsequently developed nano-armor, although no specific data was ever given, Tony used this armor to chase a spaceship leaving Earth. The armor's thrust was terrifying, especially its instant acceleration capability, which was practically cheating.

Now, Tony's nano-armor was no worse than the one in the original movie, and was even stronger in many aspects. This meant that in terms of speed, Tony would absolutely not be at a disadvantage.

And as for flexibility, the Transformer's biggest advantage, it was also significantly offset when facing Tony in his armor. Tony's armor had always been known for its excellent maneuverability. As single-person equipment, his early armors were not made too thick and lacked energy defense layers, so he could only focus on flexibility.

One more point: compared to Starscream's size, Tony was simply too small.

To Starscream, Tony was like a flexible and irritating little bug, constantly circling him and launching attacks that were giving him a headache.

Do not be fooled by the small size of Tony's armor; its weapons were incredibly powerful. If Starscream took a few consecutive hits, he would not fare well.

What's more, Tony was also a mage.

The period of aerial dogfighting had not managed to shoot down Starscream, which likely made Tony feel a bit embarrassed. He had come out full of confidence, but after fighting for so long, he still had not taken down a single Decepticon. His "show" was not landing right.

Actually, he was overthinking it. The soldiers below were already stunned. Even if they could not, like Ethan, John Keller, and Kevin Smith, sit in the command vehicle and freely zoom in and out to see all the battle details clearly, they could still see the battle unfolding in the sky from the ground.

Two shadows, one large and one small, were constantly chasing and grappling in the air. Even from a great distance, the continuous sounds of explosions were enough to make these soldiers understand how intense the battle was.

Furthermore, this time the enemy was a Decepticon, an alien invader, so Tony's Iron Man appearance naturally had a higher degree of acceptance.

"Yeah! That's the way, kill that damned alien jet."

As someone who had fought directly with the Decepticons and seen many comrades tragically killed by them, Robert Epps firmly supported Tony. Although Tony was also an alien, an alien who liked Earth comic book heroes was far more likable than ones who started a massacre the moment they arrived.

Just at this moment, Starscream, who had been engaged in a mobile battle for a while, realized the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable. The injuries on his body were mounting, yet that little figure had been fighting for so long without even a scratch on its paint. His own attacks were almost impossible to land, and even when he finally managed a hit, it would only cause a ripple on the opponent's body. It was clear the opponent possessed an energy defense layer he could not penetrate.

Starscream realized that if this continued, he would simply be worn down and killed by the opponent. As the most cunning among the Decepticons, he had already begun contemplating his escape route.

He performed three consecutive maneuvers in the air, and after shaking off Tony's lock, transformed into a jet and fled straight into the distance. He was confident that if he focused solely on escaping, no one would be able to catch him.

Unfortunately, this time he had run into Tony. Tony was currently brewing a big move, preparing to deliver a devastating blow.

Constantly dogfighting could also kill this Decepticon, but that would damage his image. If he did not unleash a big move to blast the Decepticon into scrap metal, where would the cheers come from when he returned?

Unexpectedly, his big move had only just begun brewing when the guy turned tail and ran.

Seeing that the Decepticon had actually run, the soldiers in the convoy watching the battle let out a cheer. Although it was a bit regrettable that the Decepticon had not been directly killed, as long as this annoying fly's harassment was gone, they no longer faced a threat from the air, and the subsequent battles would be much easier.

But how could Tony possibly let his prey just run away like that?

The nano-armor underwent a series of transformations, and many changes appeared in its appearance.

The soldiers could not see it, but the few people sitting in the command vehicle could see these changes very clearly.

Kevin Smith, seeing that Tony was not pursuing immediately, felt a bit of regret. If that Decepticon could be killed and its body brought back, he would have achieved a great accomplishment on this trip.

The instant acceleration and maneuverability possessed by that Decepticon, transformed into a Raptor fighter jet, had left a very deep impression on him.

If they could obtain the body of this Decepticon, perhaps they could research and develop more advanced fighter jets from it.

Just at this moment, the armor on Tony's body continuously transformed. Several propulsion units appeared behind him, looking like wings or antennas. Then, they suddenly erupted with even more powerful thrust, sending Tony shooting out instantly.

What surprised the few people most was that while Tony was flying at such super high speed, the armor on his body was still constantly changing, with many new devices continuously appearing on it.

As these devices burst out with blue-white light, gradually enveloping the entire armor, Tony completely transformed into a massive blue-white ball of light. Then, dragging a long light trail, he continuously accelerated, instantly catching up to Starscream, who had already flown a great distance away.

Whoosh!

Boom!

They could not tell which sound reached their ears first. Even with Ethan's "broadcast", the few people, including the Secretary of Defense, did not fully understand what had just happened.

They only saw Tony suddenly turn into a ball of light, then flash across the sky like a rapidly flying meteor. This meteor passed directly through Starscream's body. Starscream did not even have time to react before he was pierced by the meteor, turning into a pile of scrap metal and plummeting from the sky.

The blue-white meteor that had killed Starscream, dragging a long tail, drew a beautiful arc in the air. Then, as its speed gradually decreased, it re-emerged in its original form.

The Iron Man armor had also returned to its initial appearance. All the previously unknown-purpose equipment had completely vanished. The gold and red armor swept over the convoy at a very low altitude, basking in the soldiers' cheers, then landed next to the command vehicle, which had already parked and was waiting for his return.

When Tony landed, the Iron Man armor made a "hiss" sound as it stepped onto the gravel road. Ethan immediately stopped John Keller and Kevin Smith, who were about to step forward.

"He's extremely hot right now. It's probably best if we don't get too close."

Tony, who had removed his helmet but not the entire suit of armor, revealed a slightly awkward smile. "My apologies, I can't enjoy your enthusiastic embraces just yet. I need to spend some time 'cooling down'."

(To be continued.)