DOTM: Chapter 432/433

Chapter 432: Spokesperson

A convoy made up of Autobots, with military Hummers leading and following behind, meant that no one would be foolish enough to try and stop them on their journey.

So the trip would be smooth, but there was still some distance to the Hoover Dam, and Ethan had some relatively boring time to get through.

Now, it seemed, it would not be particularly boring.

He glanced at Mikaela beside him. After the convoy officially set off, he directly asked her about her intentions.

"I want a better future!"

She said this with conviction, showing that Mikaela had thought about it for a long time before saying it so smoothly.

After all, she was not facing an ordinary young man, but a being with incredible power who could live for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, a being who could be called a god on Earth.

She did not know if he would agree, but she felt that if she encountered such an opportunity and did not seize it, letting it pass her by, she would definitely regret it later.

Mikaela was just that kind of person. When an opportunity was presented to her, she would never let it slip away.

At the same time, she was also very realistic.

In the original plot, Mikaela and Sam went through a lot and finally got together, but their relationship did not last long. Although the real reason was the actor being kicked out in reality, the actual situation in this world still made sense.

When they were both young, their relationship could be maintained by love. At that time, Sam was just a student, and even in the second movie, he had just entered college.

What about later? After graduating from college, Sam's life was very difficult. He could not find a job.

Mikaela understood the cruelty of society better than Sam. After all, she had started working early to support herself. She knew that love alone would not lead to a good outcome without stability, so she left Sam.

As for why Sam's later girlfriend could accept him not having a job, it was because the new girlfriend was not lacking in stability.

As the daughter of a car thief, with a criminal record with the authorities, and poor academic performance making it almost impossible for her to enter college, Mikaela's future was basically set:

Either become the successor to her father's car theft career, going further and further down the path of crime,

Or work as a bottom-tier laborer in society, struggling for meager income.

Want to turn things around? With her somewhat outstanding looks, there might be a slight hope, but it could not be relied on for the long term. Besides, what good were looks alone?

Growing up in Los Angeles, Mikaela often saw all sorts of beautiful women on Hollywood Boulevard. These women with excellent looks were living bottom-tier lives, worse than average people, for that slim chance.

While success meant a completely different world, how many actually succeeded?

Compared to that, interacting with Ethan, this miraculous being, could very likely completely change her life. She did not know what kind of changes there would be, but the worst outcome was being rejected and returning to her original life path. What was that compared to the potential gain?

"You are very honest and very brave."

Mikaela definitely did not lack courage. Not everyone could remain calm in a war-torn environment, or even drive a tow truck to help Bumblebee fight the Decepticons.

"So what kind of future do you want?"

Ethan did not mind lending a hand to people he encountered. He did not need friendship or even find them particularly likable, as long as they did not annoy him. What was wrong with helping out if it was easy?

Essentially, it was because his abilities were strong and he was wealthy, so acting like a big shot from time to time was good for his mind and body.

However, he still threw the question back at Mikaela. He was curious about what kind of future this young girl actually wanted.

He believed that with his current ability, fulfilling a young girl's request would not be difficult.

"Hmm..."

Mikaela bit her lip, struggling with what kind of future she wanted. It had to be admitted that this action was very alluring. No matter what expression Mikaela made, it seemed to invite mischief. She was simply a natural-born seductress, truly living up to the surname Fox.

"You still have some time, but if you haven't figured it out by the time this incident is resolved..."

Ethan did not say what would happen, but with Mikaela's intelligence, she could definitely figure out the unspoken part.

Once the Decepticons were dealt with, Sam's crisis would naturally be resolved. The Autobots would have no reason to keep Sam with them and would send him back to his original peaceful life.

And Mikaela, who was with Sam and happened to be involved in the joint operation, would be even less likely to be involved with these aliens. She was even less connected than Sam. At least Sam's great-great-grandfather had a connection with the Transformers.

She was just Sam's classmate, at most someone Sam had romantic thoughts about, but unfortunately, she had no such feelings for Sam.

So Mikaela's interaction with Ethan and the others would only last during this period. After this, there would be no further interaction between them. Whether Ethan became a VIP guest of important figures or returned to the vast universe to continue his adventures, it would have nothing to do with her.

Of course, none of that was the main point. Mikaela realized that Ethan had not rejected her request, and it seemed that as long as she proposed a future, he would agree to help her fulfill it.

"I don't want to be an ordinary mechanic. Actually, what I wanted to ask is... when you are adventuring in the vast universe, do you recruit helpers or employees or anything?"

Mikaela thought about it again and again and felt that this request was the most reliable. Her demands were not high. It sounded more like a job application, and the requirements for the position were not high.

Ethan turned his head to look at the young girl beside him. He did not expect her to ask this question. Did she realize that his abilities could be learned? Was this girl that smart?

But when he noticed Mikaela's uneasy expression and awkward movements, as if she could not sit comfortably no matter how she tried, he realized that Mikaela had not thought too much. She had simply asked this question innocently.

Mikaela had no clear idea about her future. She just did not want to be a criminal, so she was unwilling to inherit her father's business and become a car thief.

With the skills she had, the best way out was to become a mechanic, or wait for her father to get out of prison and open a repair shop together. That was the limit. If things went smoothly, she could live a stable life with the shop.

But she was at an age full of expectations for the future, and she really did not want to accept a future where she could see the next few decades and even the final outcome at a glance.

If possible, she was willing to try working for aliens. Although she did not know what kind of compensation or treatment she would receive, at least she could experience a part of life that ordinary people would find impossible to have.

"You want to work for me?"

"If you're hiring."

Seeing that Ethan did not directly refuse or mock her, Mikaela was no longer so nervous. It seemed there was room for discussion.

"My ship does recruit people long-term, but not just anyone can join."

Ethan rubbed his chin. From an ability standpoint, Mikaela's talent was limited to mechanics at most, and that talent was completely insignificant on the Prinz Eugen.

However, Ethan did not entirely recruit based on ability. Otherwise, the siblings Jonathan and Evelyn would have been kicked off the ship long ago. How could they have lived so comfortably on the Prinz Eugen? Not only did they have good food and drink, but they were also provided with various enhancements, cosmetic surgery, and lifespan extension. Now they did not even have to do the work of cleaning the deck and cabins.

Ultimately, who could join depended on Ethan's personal preference. Anyone he found agreeable could join, even if that person had no talent whatsoever.

However, he felt that the greatest possibility of taking Mikaela back directly was being squeezed to death by a certain goddess. Diana was not stupid. Bringing back a young girl with little talent and no fighting ability, why would he do that?

Fortunately, Mikaela did not notice Ethan's actions. She thought Ethan's previous words were a veiled refusal.

"However, I will be staying here for a while longer, and there are quite a few things to deal with. For this period, you can be my assistant. If you perform well..."

"Assistant?"

"Yes, help me handle some trivial matters."

It was predictable that if he had to deal with those government figures, there would definitely be all sorts of messy trivial matters in the future, and he indeed needed someone to help him handle them.

Furthermore, if he was really going to operate and develop in this world, he would at least need to leave behind someone who could serve as a liaison bridge. In the Marvel world, Tony, Thor, and even Fury were such characters. In the King Arthur world, there were Arthur and Merlin, and even in the DC universe where he had not done much management, there were Diana and Hippolyta.

But there was no suitable person in the Transformers world. Was he going to rely on Optimus Prime?

Do not be silly. Whether he interfered or not, conflict between humans and Transformers was hard to avoid. It would be ridiculous if the next time he came, he found that his representative had been made into Transforium by humans.

So the Transformers could not be his spokespeople, and most of the humans who appeared in the Transformers series were on the government's side, so there were not many he could recruit.

Besides Sam, Mikaela, and other protagonists, it seemed there was only that human villain in the third movie.

If Ethan remembered correctly, this person had actually been in contact with the Decepticons for a long time and was considered the Decepticons' spokesperson among humans, or one could say, a human traitor.

Even if he claimed he had no choice, it still proved that this person would choose to obey rather than resist when facing a stronger power.

This also meant that Ethan could poach him from the Decepticons.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 433: Which Company Has the Best Freezing Technology?

Ethan was focused on poaching from the Decepticons and did not notice Mikaela's excited gaze.

Of course, she was excited. Although Ethan was an "alien" and not a truly omnipotent deity, in the eyes of ordinary people, his abilities were indistinguishable from those of a god.

Working for such a being, she might gain benefits she had never dreamed of before.

Mikaela once again felt longing and anticipation for her future. The thought of clinging to a dilapidated shop, repairing various cars day after day, year after year, was slowly fading away.

She was eager to know what kind of compensation Ethan would give her, but was also a little embarrassed to ask, as she had not officially "joined" yet.

The car became quiet. Fortunately, this awkward atmosphere did not last long, as they soon arrived at the Hoover Dam.

Normally, the Hoover Dam was a tourist attraction, but not today. The military had sealed off the area around the dam in advance to ensure that information which could cause panic and chaos among ordinary people, such as the presence of aliens, would not leak out.

Ethan had no objection to this. After arriving at the dam, he met with Secretary of Defense John Keller again.

Beside him was Senator Kevin Smith. Ethan had no memory of this Senator Smith; he likely had not appeared in the movie.

However, considering the current situation, it was impossible to leave all the tasks akin to diplomatic negotiations to the Secretary of Defense alone. Sending a congressman as a representative for some contact was a more appropriate choice.

"Nice to meet you."

Mr. Kevin Smith looked to be in his fifties, wearing a proper suit, his slightly graying hair meticulously styled, maintaining a friendly smile at all times.

Ethan could not say he liked this type of pure politician, but as long as the other party did not cause him trouble, he did not dislike them either. After exchanging greetings, Ethan cut straight to the point.

"You're moving Megatron? How do you plan to do that?"

"Starting two hours ago, the staff began rapidly freezing NBE-1. Then NBE-1 will be placed in a special vehicle, and staff will continue to freeze it during transport to ensure it remains in a dormant state."

The answer came not from the Secretary of Defense, but from a Sector 7 agent. This agent looked much more serious than Simmons, also wearing a suit and with perfectly neat hair.

"We estimate it will take another two hours to freeze NBE-1 to a relatively safe level, and then we will have four hours for the transfer operation."

There was not much time, so they could not move him too far. Even with continuous use of freezing equipment to maintain Megatron's low temperature during the process, they could not guarantee he would remain in a dormant state the entire time.

"The ambush site can only be chosen in the nearby desert area."

Fortunately, there was no shortage of desolate open space nearby. The only problem was that no one could guarantee Megatron would not suddenly wake up during transport. If Megatron woke up, the plan would completely fail.

John Keller did not have a better solution for this, as it was limited by current human technology.

However, this was not a problem for Ethan.

"You just need to arrange the ambush plan. Don't worry about Megatron waking up early."

"You have a way?"

This was exactly what was giving John Keller a headache. If Megatron suddenly sprang up and initiated a battle before entering the ambush zone, all the previous arrangements would be for nothing.

"Just freezing Megatron is not a difficult task."

Following them into the secret facility inside the dam, besides helping freeze Megatron, he could also see the Allspark, and perhaps even have a chance to get close to its energy.

As someone who had personally experienced Ethan's "power", John Keller had a lot of confidence in him. As for Kevin Smith and the other Sector 7 agent, they did not know much about Ethan.

As the Sector 7 agent who knew more about NBE-1, he felt a bit of aversion to Ethan's attitude of not taking NBE-1 seriously.

This was only human nature. When someone spends almost a lifetime researching and pondering something, and then someone suddenly appears, treats that thing like garbage, and expresses various forms of disdain, any normal person would feel aversion.

However, some people were just bragging, while others genuinely thought the thing was garbage.

Which kind was Ethan? Everyone would soon find out.

"Is this Megatron?"

The Autobots slowly drove into the secret base behind Ethan and the others. Originally, to facilitate the transport of various large equipment, this base had a sufficiently spacious entrance that even heavy trucks like Optimus Prime could easily drive in and out.

Inside the base, the vast interior space allowed Optimus Prime to move freely in his humanoid form without worrying about bumping into anything.

The appearance of the Autobots attracted the attention of all the staff present. Kevin Smith, who was standing beside John Keller, witnessed an Autobot transform for the first time. Earlier, he had only been slightly surprised by a few driverless cars. Although he knew these cars were also aliens, he had not had a strong intuitive feeling about it.

His interaction with Ethan had not felt particularly different either, because Ethan looked just like a human. If he had not heard John Keller's report, he would never have been able to associate the young man in front of him with the alien life form mentioned in the report.

It was not until this moment that he truly realized he was interacting with alien life forms fundamentally different from humans.

"Megatron."

Optimus Prime looked at the frozen Megatron ahead, unsure of what he should do.

Go up and land another punch? After all, this was the culprit who caused Cybertron to fall into civil war and ultimately collapse. He had every reason to deliver a final blow while Megatron was incapacitated.

But looking at Megatron's current state, Optimus Prime suddenly had a strange feeling. Perhaps one day he would end up like this old adversary?

Optimus Prime remained silent, but the Autobots under him were not thinking as much. Ironhide and Jazz really wanted to rush forward and kill Megatron right away.

"Hold on, even if we're going to kill Megatron, it's not now."

Ethan looked at the situation. A special container had already been placed to the side, clearly prepared for Megatron. It seemed this was what they would use for transport.

As for the truck, Ethan thought it would be more suitable for Optimus Prime to handle the transport, because if anything happened, Optimus Prime could react immediately.

The Secretary of Defense also agreed with this arrangement. Standing in front of the frozen Megatron, Earth humans, the Autobots, and Ethan reached a consensus: the three parties would form a temporary alliance to jointly deal with the Decepticons.

Under this consensus, they continued to discuss other issues.

Issues like the ownership of the Allspark could not be resolved at the moment, but they could probe each other's bottom lines.

What was the status of Ethan and the Autobots on Earth?

This time, with Ethan's reminder, Optimus Prime did not emphasize his status as a "Cybertronian refugee", but focused on his identity as the Autobot leader.

It was just that Cybertron was in a poor state due to war, so Optimus Prime, as the leader, was traveling the universe, searching for a way to save their home.

Even if the actual situation was similar, to outsiders, it sounded completely different.

More importantly, Ethan implicitly reminded the Secretary of Defense and the Senator: there were many Transformers in the universe, and they should not think that killing these few would solve humanity's problems. If they killed both the Decepticon and Autobot leaders in one go, it was not impossible for the remaining Transformers to unite completely and destroy Earth first.

Humans might have short lifespans, but they were a race skilled at summarizing and learning. Their thousands of years of history could be viewed as a chronicle of war. As long as something related to war was involved, humans reacted faster than anyone else. They immediately realized that such an action could lead to retaliation that humanity currently could not withstand. Before they had the means to ensure Earth's safety, winning over one faction and striking at the other was the most feasible method.

Senator Kevin Smith did not speak much throughout the entire process, just quietly observing and listening. It was not until humans and the Autobots had largely settled on some basic cooperation plans that he curiously inquired about Ethan.

"It seems you haven't made any demands?"

In the eyes of the shrewd senator, Ethan not making demands either meant he felt his own strength was insufficient and did not want to provoke human dissatisfaction, or he was extremely strong and simply did not care about these small benefits.

He had to determine which situation it was, as this would directly decide what attitude the human government should adopt towards this "interstellar friend".

During the previous exchange, Ethan indeed had not paid much attention to his own situation, because he simply did not care about these trivial small benefits, nor was he worried about being underestimated.

"I think we can cooperate more, and before cooperating, we should deepen our understanding of each other."

Ethan signaled for all the busy staff near Megatron to evacuate. He did not want to cast a spell and freeze a bunch of unlucky people along with him.

"What kind of cooperation?"

"You know, I often travel in the universe, but there aren't actually that many planets suitable for resupplying."

Senator Smith understood Ethan's meaning. It seemed the other party wanted to engage in long-term trade with the Earth government. This was a good suggestion, but the premise was that the other party had something they were interested in.

More importantly, if the other party had something or technology they were interested in but lacked the power to protect these things, then the transaction might turn into unilateral plunder.

Unfortunately, Ethan's raising of his hand made him abandon the latter thought. With the staff evacuated, Ethan could freely cast his spell.

Megatron was quite large, but for the current Ethan, it was nothing. He waved his hand and took out an Arcane Spring. With a dazzling magical glow, thick layers of ice formed on the tall Megatron, directly turning him into a giant ice sculpture.

(To be continued.)