Ethan's initial idea was to indirectly contact the authorities through the female data analyst from the movie. This analyst had direct access to the Secretary of Defense, and since she had realized early on that something was wrong, persuading her to help relay some messages would not have been difficult.

However, when he had Tony search online for Maggie's exact location, he discovered that the female analyst and the chubby black computer expert she had found had already been taken away by FBI agents.

Facepalm.

Such oversights can happen in multi-threaded narratives. By the time you finish one task and remember another, the plotline on the other side might have already moved on.

"What do we do now?"

"There's no good way. Can you directly hack into the Department of Defense?"

"...?" Tony blinked his big, innocent eyes, then stared straight at Ethan. "What did you just say? I might not have heard you clearly."

"Since there's a lack of suitable intermediaries for communication, we can only resort to a simple and crude method. Hacking."

This kind of hacking should be something silicon-based lifeforms like the Transformers are better at, but not all Transformers are skilled in it. They come in various forms, each with their own strengths, and those strengths can often be inferred from the objects they transform into.

For example, most of the peace-loving Autobots transform into civilian equipment, while the more radical and unstable Decepticons are mostly military hardware.

Small Transformers with special abilities like Frenzy exist on both sides, but the Autobots' small Transformers have not yet arrived on Earth. They will not come until the later two movies.

Compared to the larger ones, the smaller Transformers have weaker self-preservation abilities. The Autobots currently on Earth have not yet treated Earth as their sanctuary. They are here simply to search for the Allspark.

After finding the Allspark, Optimus Prime and the other Autobots will likely return to the universe to continue their life as interstellar refugees, searching for a planet where they can settle.

So, for now, there are only a few Autobots on Earth. Apart from Ratchet, they are all elite warriors who are not afraid to confront the Decepticons directly, but they are not so confident about doing highly technical tasks.

"You want me to do this?"

"Anyway, this is definitely not difficult for a super genius like you."

"All I can say is, you've found the right person."

Tony nodded and casually agreed, leaving Sam and Mikaela stunned. They were talking about hacking into the Department of Defense, not a convenience store. Just a moment ago, Tony had seemed shocked, so how did he suddenly agree with a proud expression?

Sam didn't understand Tony at all. Was Tony the type to care about the Department of Defense or the White House? Besides, this was not the Department of Defense from his own world, so there was even less psychological pressure to hack it.

His nano-suit was re-equipped. Wearing the suit not only made network intrusion easier but also allowed him to use the suit's cameras to capture Optimus Prime's image.

Otherwise, if he, looking like a normal Earthling, started talking to people about alien civilizations and teaming up with Earth to eliminate Cybertronian rebels, they would probably treat him as a lunatic.

Optimus Prime was different. One glance was enough to tell he was definitely not an Earthling. A lifeform completely different from carbon-based life would have far more credibility.

Indeed, when Optimus Prime's robotic face appeared on the big screen in the command center, everyone was stunned.

Ethan was not worried about how Optimus Prime would negotiate. As a qualified leader, he did not need anyone's guidance on diplomatic matters.

In short, Optimus Prime had an initial conversation with the other party, expressing his desire to have a proper discussion. Now it was up to them to choose peace or direct conflict.

Ethan did not care about what negative changes this disruption of the plot might cause.

In fact, in his eyes, if the Transformers realized early that humans did not welcome them and chose to return to the universe after retrieving the Allspark, it might avoid the tragedies in the next few movies. After eliminating the Decepticons, the only remaining threat to humans would be the Autobots. In the frenzied pursuit that followed, Ratchet, who was currently standing next to Ethan, was killed by humans.

That ending was hardly good. If this outcome could be avoided, it would count as helping the Autobots.

"How did it go?"

The communication ended. The Autobots looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Optimus Prime had said everything he could, including the fact that humans possessed the Allspark and were holding Megatron, leader of the Cybertronian rebels, captive.

Now Megatron's subordinates had arrived on Earth, preparing to rescue him. The attacks and anomalies the US military had suffered during this time were all the work of the Decepticons.

Even though these were facts, humans could not immediately believe Optimus Prime. Just as Optimus Prime did not trust Ethan at first, humans were even more wary of him.

They were completely unfamiliar and entirely different lifeforms. The fact that the Transformers could travel freely through space to Earth proved they possessed technology far beyond human capabilities, which only made humans more uneasy.

Moreover, the Secretary of Defense and a group of generals still doubted the authenticity of the communication. They were busy authenticating it, trying to determine if the video was computer-generated.

"Actually, if you want them to act as quickly as possible, all you need to do is broadcast this video on public channels worldwide."

When it is only circulated internally, the efficiency can be surprisingly slow.

Even though they already knew internally about the existence of Transformers, human technology in this world had advanced through reverse engineering Megatron. There was even a special department, Sector 7, dedicated to the Transformers. However, classified information was often not shared between departments, even in the face of a world war.

If those so-called secrets were exposed, things would be different. They would integrate all the information as quickly as possible and make a decision in the shortest time, whether it was good or bad.

"Should we inform them?"

"You decide."

Tony shrugged and casually sent another message: if they could not respond before tomorrow morning, they would directly send the information to public platforms.

With that notification, the other party would definitely make a decision as soon as possible, even if it meant sending troops to surround them. That would still be a reaction.

"What do we do next?"

"Send them home?"

Both the Autobots and Ethan turned to look at Sam and Mikaela.

At this point, Sam had no reason to stay. Whether it was meeting with the US military or fighting the Decepticons, neither was something two ordinary high school students could participate in.

Sending them away directly would not work either, because the Decepticons still did not know Megatron's location. They would still target Sam, hoping to get the information from him.

If Sam were sent back like this, the Decepticons would definitely attack him.

Those lunatics would not care about harming innocent people. Sam might have some value and could survive, but his parents would not be so lucky.

"So, until the Decepticons are eliminated, Sam needs to stay with us."

Although he was a burden, it was difficult to just leave him behind. Bumblebee was ordered to protect Sam.

Mikaela could actually leave, but she did not bring it up. She seemed more inclined to stay. This girl was tough and wild inside, unwilling to leave just like that. She wanted to see what would happen next.

Even knowing a major battle was likely, she did not care. After all, she was at the age of being fearless.

No one wanted to leave. The Autobots transformed into various vehicles, carrying everyone toward the target location.

While they were delayed, the Pentagon finally sent a message. The Secretary of Defense expressed willingness to meet with Optimus Prime, the Cybertronian leader from distant space, and agreed on a relatively open and "safe" meeting location.

Tony, familiar with North American terrain, immediately understood why that location had been chosen.

"While we are on our way, they can mobilize considerable military forces to set up an encirclement."

He made the situation clear. Now it was up to Optimus Prime to choose.

"I hope to complete this negotiation."

He would not give up the chance for face-to-face communication just because they might mobilize troops. He believed that if he showed enough goodwill, they would understand the Transformers had no ill intentions toward humans.

Sometimes Optimus Prime's thoughts left Ethan speechless. Perhaps Optimus Prime always looked at humans from the perspective of a higher civilization, never considering them a real threat, so he did not care about their hostility.

Ethan, however, did not care what Optimus Prime thought. Since this was his proposed plan, if it was supposed to be a negotiation, then it had to be a negotiation. It could not turn into anything else. Otherwise, it would not be Optimus Prime who was embarrassed, but him.

"I guarantee you can complete the face-to-face communication smoothly."

If they wanted to turn this into an ambush against alien invaders, not only would they have to face the Transformers' powerful counterattack, but they would also have to see whether Ethan would agree.

Besides, he was posing as an alien himself right now. This was also about saving face. He absolutely did not want to lose face in front of Tony. Otherwise, he would likely become the source of jokes on the ship for a long time.

(To be continued.)

***

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