DOTM: Chapter 424/425

Chapter 424: Talking the Truth

Whoa!

Although Frenzy seemed completely restrained and unable to move, Sam was still startled. More than being scared by Frenzy's appearance, he was astonished by Ethan's magic.

"What is this?"

"A Cybertronian, the same lifeform as the one beside you and the one that was just turned into scrap metal."

Ethan's mastery of the space attribute had greatly improved. During his time in Marvel, although he primarily used the Reality Stone to train his understanding of everything in the world, the Space Stone was still the Infinity Stone he had used the longest. Even without targeted special training, his control over space had been steadily increasing.

Now he could easily use spatial confinement to restrain enemies. Of course, if the target was a divine artifact like Thor or Mjolnir, his current strength was not enough. He could only affect them slightly.

But against ordinary enemies, this spatial confinement was unbreakable. With Frenzy's strength, there was no way he could break through the spatial cage. He could only watch helplessly as Ethan manipulated him at will.

"No, no, I mean what is this? A superpower?"

"This? Just magic."

...

Sam looked at Ethan with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?" He could accept aliens more easily, but magic? That was too big of a leap.

It was not just Sam. Mikaela was also looking at Ethan as if asking, "Are you treating us like kindergarten kids?" At her age, the thing she hated most was being treated like a child.

"This world is far more mysterious and complex than you imagine."

Ethan did not explain further and instead looked directly at Tony. "His head might not be salvageable. You don't mind, do you?"

"It's a bit of a shame, but it doesn't mat—"

Before Tony could finish, Ethan made a gentle squeezing motion. Frenzy's head, still trapped in blue energy, seemed to be flattened by an invisible force.

"But you didn't have to destroy it that completely..."

"I'm not sure if ordinary methods can kill this guy."

In the movie, Frenzy did not die even when cut in half. Only destroying his head could truly kill him. Since he could not be sure of the exact vital point, Ethan crushed the entire head to ensure safety.

Dissipating the magical energy that confined Frenzy, Ethan did not wait for Bumblebee to react and directly stored Frenzy's body away.

This sudden ability to make things disappear surprised Sam and Mikaela again, but they did not ask this time. They knew Ethan would just say "magic."

"Alright, now it seems we can explain. Who exactly are you people?"

Sam pointed to Bumblebee beside him.

"You said he's a Cybertronian. What about you? Are you aliens too?"

Ethan and Tony looked like humans, but one had incredible abilities, and the other... it was unclear whether he was half-human, half-machine, or wearing extremely advanced armor. Either way, they did not seem like ordinary Earthlings.

"It's not wrong to say we're aliens."

Ethan certainly could not be called an Earthling, and Tony was not from this Earth either, so both fit the definition of aliens.

They introduced themselves briefly and learned each other's names.

They did not have time for more. Bumblebee conveyed his meaning through the radio: Follow me!

Ethan and Tony did not hesitate. Tony deactivated his Iron Man armor, and Ethan was already in casual clothes.

Sam and Mikaela were more hesitant, but as Sam's line in the movie went, when you look back on your life fifty years from now, do you want to regret not having the guts to get in this car?

So all four got in. However, since Ethan and Tony took the front seats, Sam and Mikaela had to sit in the back, so the scene of the two squeezed together did not happen. Sam's seatbelt pickup technique unfortunately could not be used.

Some things changed, some did not. Bumblebee was still irritated by Mikaela's remark, "Why did you turn into a beat-up car?" After kicking everyone out, he drove off to scan a new Camaro, then returned with his new look.

"I'm getting more and more interested in this race."

Tony had thought the forms Transformers took were fixed, but Bumblebee changing his appearance proved otherwise.

"You didn't mention they could freely change what they transform into."

"It's not a free switch."

Ethan noticed the two young people in the back were also paying attention. It seemed they were curious about this special race called Cybertronians. After all, they were lifeforms completely different from humans.

Compared to them, Ethan and Tony were indistinguishable from humans. Even their names sounded like Earth names. Without using special abilities, no one could tell they were actually aliens.

"They have a basic template and can only choose forms that match or are not significantly different from the template."

"For example?"

"For example, Bumblebee can only choose sedans of similar size."

With such a clear example, everyone understood Ethan's meaning. Even with restrictions, Cybertronians were still amazing.

"I have another question."

"Go ahead."

Sam seemed like he could not stay quiet. He had probably been holding back for a long time.

"When you first went to the market and bought this car, was that when you discovered his identity?" Sam paused, then continued without waiting for Ethan's answer. "Also, why was that guy looking for me just now? What did he want? Why did the car you bought suddenly come out and help me? What did he want to get? Or rather, what do you want?"

Ethan glanced at Sam in the back. He was not surprised by the questions. He would have asked the same in Sam's place.

"The reason we bought this car in the first place was exactly as you guessed. We discovered his identity and wanted to make contact. As for why he suddenly appeared and saved you, let him or his fellow Autobots explain that to you personally in a bit."

By this time, Bumblebee had turned into a secluded neighborhood. Ethan knew Optimus Prime and the other Autobots were about to appear.

He signaled Tony not to say too much. From now on, they did not need to intervene. Once Sam and Optimus Prime had talked, they could discuss their own matters with the Autobot leader.

Although Sam did not get the answers he wanted right away, he soon did from Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime's vocalizer was intact. As the Autobot leader, he was eloquent. He clearly explained the situation on Cybertron, the Autobots, and the Decepticons, as well as why both sides were looking for Sam.

It was because of the glasses Sam had obtained from an online auction. They contained a map leading to the Allspark, something extremely important to the Transformers.

Sam had no more questions after learning this, but Optimus Prime had many, mostly directed at Ethan.

"I apologize, but I cannot discern your species."

Their physical structure was the same as humans, but their bodily functions were far stronger than ordinary Earthlings. More importantly, under Ratchet's observation, both individuals contained powerful energy within them.

Tony was fine, but Ethan's situation nearly scared Ratchet. To him, Ethan was a mobile energy conglomerate. Such an existence could not possibly be human.

"I did not expect to encounter intelligent lifeforms from other civilizations on this planet. However, where did you learn about the Allspark?"

As a leader, Optimus Prime could not be completely unguarded, especially since Ethan had mentioned the Allspark, which they valued greatly.

"We're just here for a visit, and we just happen to know a bit more."

"What is your purpose?"

Optimus Prime did not believe that Ethan just happened to meet Bumblebee, happened to know about the Allspark, and brought it up casually. There could not be so many coincidences.

"I travel everywhere, and my greatest wish is to see all sorts of amazing things."

Ethan did not hide his thoughts, but he was not pleased with Optimus Prime's condescending tone. As he spoke, he slowly floated into the air until he was at the same level as Optimus Prime's eyes.

Sam and Mikaela watched Ethan floating. Their worldview had already been shattered and rebuilt multiple times. They thought they had seen enough, yet the surprises kept coming.

"You will not take the Allspark."

Optimus Prime had not spoken yet, but Ironhide had already drawn his weapon and aimed at Ethan. Before he could fire, and before the others could react, Ethan simply lifted a hand. Ironhide's entire arm, weapon included, was wrapped in blue energy. As Ethan's hand slowly turned, the weapon's barrel rotated as well. No matter how Ironhide struggled, he could not stop his arm from turning, and could only watch as the muzzle aimed at himself.

All the Autobots immediately drew their weapons and aimed at Ethan. Just as a fight was about to break out, Optimus Prime stopped them because he noticed Ethan's choice of words.

"You only wish to see the Allspark?"

Seeing Optimus Prime stop the Autobots, Ethan also withdrew his spell. Ironhide, who had been straining, nearly fell over from exertion.

"Yes, I want to see what's special about the Allspark." Ethan spread his hands. "To tell you a truth you might not like, if I really wanted to take it, what could you do? After all, the Allspark isn't even in your hands. You don't even know where it is."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 425: Oops!

What Ethan said was harsh, but it was the truth.

The Autobots were also helpless about the current situation, but they at least understood that Ethan had actively sought them out, which could be considered a show of goodwill.

"You're right. If you really wanted the Allspark, you wouldn't need to specifically come find us."

Optimus Prime was very reasonable, and the entire Autobot faction shared that trait. Although they were suspected of being Cybertronian traitors, to put it nicely, they were essentially a group of idealists who treated all lifeforms with kindness, firmly believing that such actions would earn them the same kindness in return.

This was also why Ethan was willing to contact the Autobots. If it were the Decepticons, no matter how persuasive he was, it would be useless. The Allspark was their Cybertronian treasure, and they would fight to the death against anyone who dared to covet it, wiping out all life on the planet in the process and transforming it into a new Cybertron.

"You don't want to take the Allspark?"

"That thing isn't very useful to me."

The idea of using the Allspark to turn his Prinz Eugen into a Transformer was only a fleeting thought and was quickly discarded.

He could not accept his "home" becoming an independent lifeform. That would cause endless trouble. He even resisted AI with too much self-awareness. His ideal AI was like Jarvis, capable of perfectly executing assigned tasks without ever making independent decisions (though Jarvis seemed to develop self-awareness later on).

Although a bit rigid, such a "tool" would be more reassuring to use.

Besides that, bathing, sleeping, and relieving himself inside a living body, not to mention engaging in certain intimate activities with Diana, was simply out of the question.

Since he had no desire to create Transformers, what use was the Allspark?

According to official descriptions, it could give electronic products "souls," allowing them to evolve into silicon-based lifeforms, i.e., Transformers. It also contained vast energy that Transformers could use.

Other than that, it was nothing special.

What attracted Ethan was simply the nature of the energy. Coming to this world, he naturally wanted to see what the local specialties were like. Even if it could not directly help him, it could broaden his horizons: So energy can have this kind of property? Let's see if I can experiment with that.

He did not expect to immediately master the characteristics of this new energy, but it could make his magical universe more inclusive and capable of even more wondrous transformations.

Optimus Prime did not know all of Ethan's thoughts, but it seemed he could only believe Ethan's statement: that he had no real greed for the Allspark and only wanted to see it.

"Then can you tell me where the Allspark is now?"

Although Bumblebee could not speak, there were many ways for Transformers to convey information, and communication did not necessarily require spoken words.

Ethan had previously said he knew where the Allspark was. Without this information, Optimus Prime might not have met Ethan at all, instead focusing entirely on Sam, who could help him find it.

"Of course."

This information held no value in keeping secret for Ethan. Both the Allspark and Megatron were hidden inside the Hoover Dam. The thick reinforced concrete was built to prevent them from being detected and located.

After directly revealing the location of Megatron and the Allspark, the Autobots fell into a dilemma.

If they were Decepticons, there would be no such dilemma. They would attack, blow up the dam, and free Megatron without hesitation. As for the disaster it would cause? That was irrelevant to them. In fact, mass casualties might even make their future conquest of the planet easier.

The Autobots could not do that. They avoided conflict with any civilized race. Under Optimus Prime's leadership, they acted with extreme discretion. Even though their activities spanned much of human history, they had always managed to keep the existence of Transformers hidden, leaving most humans completely unaware of them.

The few who did know sided with the Autobots and used various means to cover up the truth. Apparently, Cybertron was not the only place with "traitors"—Earth had its share of undercover allies too. This plot was practically Mission: Impossible.

Now the situation was at a stalemate.

The Allspark was heavily guarded by humans. To retrieve it would inevitably cause conflict, and might even trigger a war between the two civilizations.

Optimus Prime did not know what to do for the moment. Ethan had originally thought he would not need to worry too much, since the Decepticons were bound to...

"Oh no!"

His sudden exclamation startled everyone present. Tony saw Ethan, who had been acting completely in control, suddenly react like this and immediately realized something had gone wrong.

"What did you think of?"

"I originally thought the Decepticons would find Megatron's location sooner or later. When they launched an attack, if humans could not hold out for long, the Autobots could join the battle as reinforcements, first earning human trust before attempting to retrieve the Allspark."

"Good plan. Where did it go wrong?"

"The Decepticon in charge of gathering intelligence on Megatron's location is the one I just crushed to death."

"Crushed?" Tony froze for a moment before understanding why there had been a small Transformer. So that one was a spy-type Transformer specializing in reconnaissance and intelligence. In other words, the Decepticons' intelligence officer had just been eliminated by him. "You mean, because the Decepticons lost their spy, they won't know their leader Megatron is inside the Hoover Dam, and naturally won't launch an attack?"

"Yes!"

Ethan showed an awkward but not impolite smile. However, everyone noticed only the awkwardness. Who cared about politeness now?

What made him even more uncomfortable was that this was not the first time he had done something like this. He often derailed the original plot by casually doing something, but back then he had not cared much about the consequences.

Now, when he wanted to use the plot to achieve his goal, he found that his own earlier actions had destroyed the very events he had planned to rely on.

"Then what do we do?"

"How about actively contacting the Decepticons and telling them their boss is locked up in the dam?"

It was an option, but a reckless one. Doing so would put the staff and tourists in the dam, and even countless people downstream, in danger.

Unlike in the original plot where the Autobots were not fast enough to stop the Decepticons (a separate issue), now that they knew the risks, the righteous Autobots would absolutely never agree to such an action.

Tony would not agree either. Although he was not from this Earth, he was still a superhero with a strong sense of justice and could not bring himself to endanger civilians.

So Ethan's suggestion received no support, as he had expected. He had only said it half-jokingly anyway.

"How about we just go through official channels?"

"What do you mean?"

All eyes were now on Ethan. At some point, everyone had started to take his words seriously, perhaps because of his strength or because he had revealed such critical information about the Allspark and Megatron.

Sam Witwicky, originally the protagonist of this story, was now completely sidelined.

In truth, Sam was just an ordinary high school student. He had only become involved because of the glasses his grandfather had left him.

Now that the Autobots knew the whereabouts of the Allspark, Sam's most important role had vanished.

Bumblebee had barely interacted with him, and without that bond, there was no deeper connection. The Autobots were polite to Sam but kept their distance.

Even Mikaela, the original heroine who would later go through hardships with Sam and end up with him, felt far less attached to him than in the original plot.

Ethan, who had only just met her, drew more of her attention than Sam did.

She had admitted she preferred handsome and strong men—in simpler terms, she judged by appearances. Sam was not her type, and without shared experiences, there was no chance for feelings to grow.

At this moment, a tall, handsome, and powerful man stood before her, completely overshadowing the ordinary boy at her side. Anyone with a functioning mind would naturally focus on Ethan.

"That little beauty can barely take her eyes off you. Stop showing off."

Tony used a simple little trick to send Ethan a private message. He was also curious about Ethan's so-called "official channels."

"Simple. As far as I know, the U.S. military and Department of Defense are in a state of extreme tension and confusion because of a series of Decepticon attacks. They have no idea who is attacking them."

"So?"

"You are, after all, a leader officially recognized by Cybertron. It is entirely reasonable to contact local authorities in an official capacity to discuss how to deal with 'Cybertronian rebels, the Decepticons'."

Optimus Prime understood Ethan's meaning: treat this as formal contact between two civilizations. In that way, they could openly "discuss" the matters of the Allspark and Megatron.

Considering the Decepticons would inevitably act, negotiating with humans was not impossible.

"I worry that humans are not ready to accept contact from other civilizations."

"They will never be ready. Only when they truly face such events will they start thinking about how to deal with them."

Ethan curled his lip. That was how politicians were.

"This method seems worth considering. So, what should the first step be?"

"The first step..." Ethan thought for a moment. The first step was not easy. If handled poorly, the negotiation could turn into a declaration of war. "It seems this will take more time."

(To be continued.)