Many American films set in modern times share a basic premise: anything not explicitly mentioned or shown in the plot exists as it does in the real world.

This is why the Marvel Cinematic Universe includes movies like Star Wars and Alien, and why Tony likes to blast AC/DC wherever he goes.

The Transformers film mentioned Freddy Krueger and Wolverine.

Similar situations have appeared in many movies, and Ethan had long since confirmed this. Logan had once been surprised that Ethan could even travel to the world of The Lord of the Rings.

So, encountering a situation in another world where Iron Man comics existed was something Ethan had anticipated, though he had not warned Tony about it beforehand.

From Tony's reaction when Simmons made the comment, Ethan guessed Tony had already discovered it himself. With his easy access to all kinds of information online, it would not be surprising if he had searched his own name and found the Iron Man comics.

The fact that Tony had never asked about it showed that he simply did not care.

And the reason for that was Ethan.

The first time Ethan went to the Marvel Universe, he was accompanied by a figure whose real existence was debatable but nonetheless famous.

If King Arthur might have existed in real history, then the great sorcerer Merlin was almost certainly a legendary figure. At that time, Tony had not yet met the Ancient One.

Therefore, Tony himself could just be a fictional or legendary existence in other worlds, and this time he had simply confirmed it.

He was entirely indifferent. The original Tony was not the pretentious type, and now that he had learned magic and stepped into the mystical realm, he cared even less.

If a mage gets hung up on whether they truly exist, then that person is better suited to studying philosophy rather than magic.

Otherwise, when they reach a high enough level and encounter different versions of themselves from various timelines, or completely different selves in parallel universes, they will go mad questioning, "Is the me in that world still me?"

So Tony had long accepted this. He would not be surprised by anything he encountered in another universe. So what if he was a comic book character? It was no big deal. The only thing that bothered him was that the comic was not very popular.

However, Simmons' suspicion still annoyed him, so he replied with a classic line:

"I am Iron Man!"

"If you're Iron Man, I'm Captain America, okay? Want to fight? I can do this all day!"

Ethan covered his face. Tony was speechless. Sam was completely bewildered. Mikaela had no idea what was going on.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing!"

Tony rolled his eyes and gave up trying to prove he was really Iron Man. As long as no one mocked his name, he could enjoy the trip.

For Tony, coming to this world with Ethan was just a trip, and meeting these amazing silicon-based lifeforms was already worth it.

As for everything else, he did not care.

Simmons, seeing that Tony had stopped talking, felt he had won and straightened proudly before introducing Ethan and the others to the various living facilities.

"You might need to stay here for a while."

"Don't be ridiculous, are you trying to put us under house arrest?"

Everything else was fine, but Tony absolutely could not accept resting in such a "simple" warehouse. Not even if there were amazing silicon-based lifeforms nearby to chat with, unless he could freely research the Autobots. In that case, he would not care about the living conditions.

"It's safer this way..." There was no need to say who it was safer for.

Normally, Simmons would have bluntly stated that this was house arrest and they could not leave.

But the Secretary of Defense had repeatedly stressed not to neglect these "guests," so he could not be too forceful.

Ethan stepped in to smooth things over.

"Forget it, we don't need to rest anyway. We'll leave the rooms to Mikaela and Sam. We'll go discuss the next plan with Optimus Prime."

Ethan did not avoid Simmons. The diligent agent immediately became alert upon hearing that Ethan was going to discuss the next steps with Optimus Prime. What were they planning? To invade Earth? Partition it?

So Simmons followed them back to Optimus Prime, pretending to be invisible, hoping to eavesdrop on useful information.

Of course, his actions fooled no one. Tony had already noticed that this man's thinking was not like a normal person's and could not be bothered with him.

Tony was far more interested in discussing the peculiarities of silicon-based life with Ratchet, such as the Transformers' bodies. He felt their structure had great reference value for improving his Iron Man suit.

Ethan, meanwhile, discussed the next plan with Optimus Prime.

"It may take some time for the human government to reach a decision, and we can't just sit here waiting."

Although Optimus Prime was not in a rush, he still hoped to retrieve the Allspark as soon as possible if there was an opportunity.

"We'll go to Hoover Dam tomorrow."

Ethan had initially wanted to wait for the Secretary of Defense's reply, but he decided he could not simply go along with everything the humans wanted. Not only would that be too passive, it would also make them seem like pushovers.

The difficulties the Autobots later faced on Earth were largely due to them appearing too accommodating, which led humans to believe they would never retaliate, until humans eventually turned against them first.

Ethan would not make that mistake. Even if he wanted to cooperate with this world's government, it did not mean agreeing to everything.

"Hoover Dam?"

Simmons had been listening. When Optimus Prime spoke with John Keller earlier, he had mentioned the Allspark and Megatron, but not Hoover Dam. It sounded like they already knew the location of those things.

"You know what's there, and I know you want to report it to your superiors right now. Go ahead, and tell them we'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

As Ethan said this, he thought of something and added a warning. "Oh, and you'd better be careful. Your communications might already be intercepted and monitored by the Decepticons. Don't mention what's actually there in your report, or don't blame me if it attracts a Decepticon attack."

Simmons was too anxious to notice Ethan's reminder. He hurried off to report, but did not leave the building. There were communication devices in the warehouse, so he could "watch" the aliens while reporting.

"What if humans refuse to hand over the Allspark?"

"Actually, if it were me, I wouldn't hand over the Allspark either."

The Allspark's ability to give life to electronic and mechanical equipment, turning them into Transformers, was useless to humans.

But there was a problem. It was unclear whether it was because human electronics were reverse-engineered from Megatron, making all Earth-made devices naturally have Decepticon genes, or because Megatron had tampered with the Allspark, causing all newly activated Transformers on Earth to be Decepticons.

Given the sheer number of electronic and mechanical devices on Earth, if the Allspark was left unchecked and its energy activated all electronic equipment worldwide, it would cause a catastrophe for humanity. That would be the end of humankind.

So humans definitely would not hand over the Allspark. It was the ultimate weapon of mass destruction for human civilization, and no civilized race would give such a threat to others.

Forget the distinction between Autobots and Decepticons. In the original plot, the Allspark was eventually destroyed by Sam. If the Autobots had obtained it, a major war between Transformers and humans would have been inevitable.

Ethan explained the situation to Optimus Prime, and the Autobot leader fell into thought, understanding how troublesome it was.

"Then what about destroying the Allspark?"

"Without the pressure of a powerful external enemy, it's unlikely they would agree to destroy it either."

After all, it was an object containing miraculous power and immense energy. Humanity's need for energy was nearly limitless, so how could they willingly destroy it?

It was a deadlock. The simplest solution would be to start a fight and take it by force, but Optimus Prime would never choose that.

Just then, Simmons returned with a grim expression and said something that surprised both Optimus Prime and Ethan.

"The Secretary of Defense will arrive tomorrow morning to personally accompany you to Hoover Dam."

"Oh?" Ethan had not expected the officials to react so quickly. But for them to respond so fast and be so accommodating meant they likely had their own plans. "Is there anything you need help with?"

Simmons' expression darkened further.

"We are grateful to the Autobots for providing information, so we believe it is very dangerous to keep the item you call the Allspark together with NBE-1—that is, Megatron."

"So..." Ethan prompted.

"So we are going to transfer NBE-1!"

The Allspark was easier to move, but keeping Megatron hidden in the dam was too dangerous. If the Decepticons attacked and destroyed the dam, it would cause a disaster downstream.

Therefore, transferring Megatron was the only option.

More importantly, the military wanted to use Megatron to draw out the Decepticons hiding on Earth. They planned to move him to a relatively desolate and open area, so they could fight the Decepticons without restraint.

(To be continued.)