Chapter 116: Unabashed
With three months left until Jurassic World opened its park, Logan simply spent the greater part of his time on his private island.
On the day the renovation of the island Villa was completed, he had Anna send Ares over.
When the big dog just got off the helicopter, it ran around like it was having the time of its life, rushing all the way along the lawn to the seaside, until it saw a Megalodonhead over twenty meters long popping out of the feeding pool.
It slammed on the brakes on the spot, all its fur standing on end, tucked its tail and jumped three feet backward, emitting a vigilant whine from its throat.
"What a coward." Logan walked over and patted its big head, pointing at Poseidon swimming leisurely in the pool. "He's one of us, stop barking randomly."
Ares tilted its head to look at him, then looked at the behemoth in the water, obviously not quite understanding the concept of 'one of us'.
Growing up this big, the largest aquatic creature it had ever seen was a swan in the lake. How could it have ever seen such a prehistoric monster that could swallow it in one bite?
For the first two days, Ares stubbornly refused to approach the feeding pool, walking around it when being fed. Poseidon, on the other hand, was curious and always loved to crowd toward the shore, resting its big head on the edge of the pool, staring straight at the big dog on the shore, flicking its tail to splash up a sheet of water.
Every time the water splashed onto Ares, the big dog would get angry and bark woof-woof at the shark. After barking twice, it would fear the other party rushing over, barking while retreating backward, looking just like a fierce-looking but weak little firecracker.
Logan didn't rush it either, just leaning on the lounge chair on the terrace to watch the show.
Until the fifth day, Ares had probably figured out that this shark only splashed water and wouldn't actually come ashore, so its guts gradually grew larger.
When Logan threw beef to feed Poseidon, it dared to scurry over to snatch a piece of minced meat that had fallen on the shore. After snatching it, it would run away, look back after running far away, and seeing that Poseidondidn't chase, it would trot right back.
Another half month later, the man, the dog, and the shark had actually forged a strange tacit understanding.
Ares would carry a small dried fish to the edge of the pool, throw the dried fish into the water, and Poseidon would crowd over to swallow it in one bite, then gently nudge the water surface with the tip of its nose, splashing fine water droplets as a return gift.
"A pair of idiots." Logan evaluated with a smile, his hands not idle though, raising his hand to throw another slab of beef down.
After raising it to be tame, Logan was too lazy to always keep Poseidon locked up in the pool.
Anyway, the nearby waters were remote with no fishing boats passing by. He often opened the alloy floodgate in the middle of the night and took Poseidon out for a spin.
At first, they just wandered around the offshore waters, but later seeing it becoming more and more obedient, he simply headed to the open sea. Sometimes when the mood struck him, he would leap directly onto Poseidon's back and let it swim forward.
A Megalodon over twenty meters long plowed through the waves on the sea surface, the sea breeze carrying a salty dampness blowing right into his face, and the splashing waves hitting his trouser legs. It was much more open and magnificent than riding Tony's private yacht.
Logan didn't deliberately hide either, neither wearing a hat nor covering his face. Anyway, there were few people in this area, and even if they bumped into someone, it was no big deal.
He couldn't possibly hide and tuck away just for raising a pet; that would be too oppressive.
Therefore, what was bound to come would eventually come.
That afternoon, a multinational cruise ship happened to pass by the nearby waters.
Tourists on the deck were holding their mobile phones to take pictures of the seascape when they suddenly saw huge waves churning on the distant sea surface. A grayish-black shark dorsal fin cut through the water surface, and there was actually a person standing on the dorsal fin.
At first, everyone thought they saw wrong.
"That is... a shark? How can it be so big?"
"There is a person standing on it? Are they crazy? Riding a shark?"
"Wait... why does that person look a bit familiar? Holy shit! Isn't that Wolverine?!"
The cruise ship instantly exploded in an uproar, dozens of mobile phones aiming at that direction simultaneously, zooming the lens to the maximum, clearly capturing the man standing on the shark's back.
Biting a cigar, shirtless revealing a body of knotted muscles, wearing beach shorts, and beneath his feet was a prehistoric Megalodon over twenty meters long, leisurely cleaving through the waves.
The video was uploaded to the Astral Platform that very day.
At first, some people didn't believe it, saying it was some special effects composite, until more and more passing merchant ships and fishing ships released videos from different angles, and even the coast guard's patrol boats captured footage from afar, causing the entire internet to completely explode.
The topic #Megalodon is kept in captivity by Wolverine# surged to the top of the hot list with crushing momentum, squeezing Jurassic World's promotional advertisement down to second place.
The comment section refreshed faster than a stopwatch:
"Case solved! I was wondering how it mysteriously vanished, it turns out it was kidnapped home as a pet by the Wolf King?!"
"Those who previously guessed it swam back to the deep sea, come out and take a beating! It's someone's private pet!"
"Other people raising pets: cats, dogs, hamsters. Logan Howlett raising a pet: prehistoric Megalodon. The class difference is instantly pulled apart."
"Is it only me who noticed the way he stood on the shark's back biting a cigar? Explosively handsome! This is the true Aquaman!"
"Were the people at the research station stupid? They looked for the Megalodon for half a month, while he was riding it out for a spin every day."
Inside the research station at the Mariana Trench, when DJ brushed across the video, a mouthful of coffee sprayed directly onto the screen.
"Jax! Jax, come take a look!" He tugged at his colleague's arm, his fingers shaking so much he could hardly hold the screen down. "Megalodon! The Megalodon we've been looking for for half a month! It's been raised by Mr. Howlett!"
Jax leaned over to take a look, his eyes going straight.
The familiar shark silhouette in the footage, and the familiar figure standing on its back, who else could it be other than the Megalodon and the investor they had been searching for for so long?
Zhang Wenxuan and Mark came over upon hearing the sound, staring at the video for a long time. The two looked at each other in dismay, and finally smiled helplessly.
"No wonder we searched ten nautical miles and couldn't find it," Mark rubbed his brow, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "it turns out it already had an owner."
"No wonder he wasn't in a hurry at all back then," Zhang Wenxuan sighed, but couldn't help smiling, "After all this fuss, the one who knew the Megalodon's whereabouts best was none other than himself."
Jonas leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and watching the man and shark cleaving through the waves in the video, and whistled: "I told you it wasn't that simple. To make a twenty-meter Megalodon vanish into thin air, besides this big shot, who else has this ability."
While the whole internet was in an uproar, Logan had just brought Poseidon back to the feeding pool, squatting by the edge of the pool to wipe the seawater off his body.
Ares trotted over, carrying a towel and handing it to him, its tail swinging with a whistling wind, as if claiming credit—it had guarded the shore just now and didn't run around blindly.
"Good boy." Logan rubbed its head, and just as he picked up his phone, he saw Tony's call popping up on the screen, followed by a string of unread messages whose number was absurdly high.
As soon as he answered the phone, Tony's bristling voice smashed over him head-on:
"Logan Howlett! You're something else! You hid deep enough!"
"What is it?" Logan wiped his hands leisurely, asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"What is it?!" Tony's voice pitched up by an octave, "Megalodon! Astral Platform is completely flooded! You actually secretly raised a prehistoric giant shark?! I study armor and chat about energy cannons with you every day, and you? You secretly got an ocean overlord as a pet behind my back? You didn't even tell me about such a big matter?"
Logan couldn't help laughing out loud: "You didn't ask me either. I can't possibly go around telling everyone I raised a shark."
"Nonsense! Wouldn't you proactively mention this kind of thing?" Tony was so angry that he paced back and forth on the other end, and in the background audio, Ironhide's muffled voice could be heard chiming in, "Ironhide and I guessed for half a month, guessing where it swam off to, guessing if it was caught by the authorities, and it turns out it was sunbathing in your pool?"
"Not entirely in the pool either," Logan added with a straight face, "When the weather is good, I take it out for a spin."
"You even take it out for a spin?!" Tony's voice went up another degree, "Standing on its back for a spin? Do you know how dangerous that is? What if it throws you off..."
"It doesn't dare." Logan's tone was understated, yet carried full confidence, "It's very obedient, even easier to train than Ares."
The other end of the phone fell silent for two seconds, followed by the sound of Tony grinding his teeth:
"I don't care, I'm flying over tomorrow."
"What are you coming for?"
"To see the shark!" Tony said with righteous confidence, "I want to see what a living Megalodon looks like, and by the way, give it a full body check and test its genetic sequence. Right, I'm bringing a set of small sonar locators over to install on it, just in case it runs away and gets lost one day..."
"Stop right there." Logan immediately interrupted him, "Poseidon doesn't like messy electronic equipment, don't mess around. Come and take a look if you want, but stop plotting against its genes."
"What I do isn't messing around, it's scientific research!" Tony unconvinced, "My biometric detection technology is extremely precise and causes no harm to it... Hey, don't rush to refuse, big deal I'll bring it two tons of top-grade beef as a greeting gift?"
Logan rubbed his brow, knowing that this fellow couldn't move his feet once he smelled something fresh.
"Leave the beef, forget about the equipment." He took a step back, "Come over if you want to look, but keep your hands to yourself. The big guy is not familiar with strangers, watch out it swallows you in one bite."
"Not familiar with strangers? Impossible, I, Tony Stark, am popular everywhere I go." Tony bragged a bit, then said hastily, "Alright, I won't talk to you anymore, I'm going to pack my things and arrive early tomorrow morning! Right, keep a close eye on your big dog, don't let it fight with the shark..."
After nagging for a long time, Tony finally hung up the phone.
Logan threw the phone on the stone table nearby, lowered his head to look at Poseidon poking its head out of the pool, and then looked at Ares lying by his feet, shaking his head helplessly.
Once Tony came, there's no telling what kind of trouble he would stir up, and he might even drag Ironhide along with him, making the harbor even livelier by then.
Chapter 117: Lunar Signal
The next morning, when a roaring sound came from the harbor's tarmac, Logan was leaning back on a lounge chair on the terrace, watching Ares and Poseidon interacting from across the water.
The big dog picked up a branch in its mouth and threw it into the water, and the Megalodon flicked its tail to splash the water back, having a great time playing back and forth.
The helicopter door pulled open, and the first to jump down was Tony. Even a casual outfit couldn't hold back his energetic drive, and he was carrying a metal briefcase in his hand, his eyes shining as if he had discovered a new toy.
Following closely behind him was Ironhide, whose massive metallic body made the tarmac vibrate slightly, and his shoulder cannons weren't completely retracted yet, clearly having flown a fighter jet all the way here.
"Logan! Where is the shark?" Before Tony even walked close, his voice arrived first, his footsteps so fast they brought a breeze. "Let me tell you, I stayed up all night modifying three sets of detection protocols, and I even pulled up Cybertron's biological scanning technology, guaranteed to cause zero harm to it..."
"Did you bring the beef?" Logan slowly sat up, interrupting his technical fantasies.
"Brought it, brought it," Tony waved his hand, and the staff members behind him unloaded several cooling boxes. "Two tons of top-grade Wagyu beef, enough for it to eat for three days. Quickly take me to see it. I want to see what a prehistoric apex predator looks like, and whether it's harder than the titanium alloy shell of my armor."
Logan couldn't be bothered to bicker with him, so he got up and led the two of them toward the breeding pool.
Ironhide followed behind, his optical sensors scanning around, muttering under his breath: "This harbor environment is alright, but the defense is too poor, not even an energy shield. I'll have Dr. Q install one for you later..."
"No need." Logan didn't look back. "With Poseidon here, no one dares to come into the sea."
Walking to the edge of the breeding pool, just as Tonyleaned over to look down, the water surface broke open with a splash. Poseidon's huge head emerged, its cold eyes staring straight at the two strangers, a low rumbling sound emitting from its throat, carrying the oppressive aura of an apex predator.
Tony froze on the spot, the case in his hand almost dropping to the ground—not out of fear, but out of excitement.
"Holy crap... It's even bigger than it looked in the video!" He took two steps forward, pressing against the guardrail to look down, his eyes staring blankly. "Look at those teeth, that bone density—it's simply a walking biological armor! Ironhide, look quickly, with this skin thickness, ordinary bullets probably wouldn't even leave a mark!"
Ironhide also crowded over, his optical sensors flickering on and off, scanning Poseidon for a long time before giving a muffled evaluation: "The size is good, but the defense is too weak. The epidermis can't even withstand an energy impact, and it would be pierced immediately upon encountering heavy weapons."
"Right! I think so too!" Tony instantly found a kindred spirit, clapping his hands. "Look, we can make it a set of lightweight nano-armor using Cybertron's memory metal, conforming to the body's curves without affecting swimming, and install a small energy shield generator on its chest to protect against torpedoes and strong acid..."
The two of them chatted more and more congenially, simply squatting by the pool. Tony pulled out his tablet and started drawing sketches, while Ironhide pointed and gestured beside him, saying for a moment, "The shoulder armor needs to be thickened, it can be useful when ramming ships," and then, "Install thrusters on the tail fin, the speed can triple."
Poseidon seemed to sense that the two of them were plotting against it, flicking its tail. A huge splash slapped onto the shore with a smack, soaking half of Tony's body.
"Hey!" Tony wiped the water from his face, not angry at all, but rather even more excited. "Good reaction speed! Just right for testing water resistance. This armor needs to be waterproofed, and the circuits must be sealed..."
Logan leaned against a nearby coconut tree, biting on a cigar as he watched the two tech nerds' wild imaginations, and couldn't help muttering: "With so much stuff installed, can it still swim? Do you two want it to be an underwater tank?"
"What's there to fear if it can't swim? Add thrusters!" Tonydidn't even raise his head, his fingers swiping rapidly across the tablet. "Besides, the armor is lightweight, and the total weight is less than one percent of its body weight. Think about it, in the future when Poseidon goes out wearing armor, sperm whales, giant squids—it'll ram them all flying and walk sideways across the ocean!"
"We can also install two small energy cannons," Ironhideadded, his optical sensors glowing. "Encountering pirates or enemy submarines, just blast them to pieces with one shot, much more useful than human warships."
Logan listened and kept shaking his head.
These two guys—one loves adding accessories to armor, the other loves installing weapons on everything—put together, it's simply a disaster. If they keep modifying it like this, Poseidon will sooner or later turn into a Decepticon of the sea.
Ares beside them also seemed unable to listen anymore, barking twice before running to Ironhide's feet and rubbing his metal leg with its head.
Ironhide lowered his head to look at this Blue Bay Shepherd, which was a size larger than an ordinary dog. Hesitating for a moment, he still extended his thick metal fingers and gently touched its head, the movement surprisingly having a clumsy tenderness.
"This dog is quite well-behaved," Ironhide said in a muffled voice, "much more sensible than Skids and the other little fellow."
Just as the two tech nerds on the island were daydreaming about the "Ocean Armor Project" facing the Megalodon, far away on the other side of the continent in the Autobots' underground Base, the alarm in the monitoring room suddenly sounded.
The urgent beeping sound broke the peace of the Base. Ratchet stood guard in front of the console, his fingers rapidly adjusting the signal frequency, his optical sensors staring closely at the bouncing waveforms on the screen.
"Strange..." he muttered softly, "The signal source is on the back of the moon. The encoding is a Cybertron military distress frequency, but the signal is very weak and intermittent."
Optimus Prime walked in briskly, his red and blue-colored armor casting a cold gleam under the lights. He leaned over to look at the screen, his brow slightly furrowed: "Are you sure it's a Cybertron signal?"
"Can't be wrong," Ratchet nodded, pulling up the encoding sequence. "It's an old version of the distress code, commonly used during wartime. The sender's identity cannot be identified, and the signal is heavily interfered with. But we can be sure the signal source is in a crater on the back of the moon."
The Base instantly fell somewhat quiet.
After the fall of Cybertron, very few Autobots were left drifting in the Universe. How could there be a distress signal on the moon? Are they lost compatriots, or... a trap?
Optimus Prime was silent for a few seconds, his fingers gently tapping the edge of the console. His steady voice carried unquestionable determination: "I'll go take a look. Ratchet, you come with me. Dr. Q, prepare a small shuttle. We'll take a covert route and avoid alarming the ground."
"Optimus Prime, could this be a Decepticons trap?" Ratchet was a bit worried. "Starscream and Soundwavehaven't been caught yet, what if..."
"Even if it's a trap, we still have to go." Optimus Primeshook his head, his tone resolute. "If they truly are compatriots, we cannot stand by and watch them die. If it's a trap, it's a good chance to trace it to its source. Base is left to Ironhide and Hound to guard; contact us at any time if there's a situation."
Ratchet knew his personality; once he decided on something, he wouldn't change it, so he nodded and turned to prepare medical equipment and weapons.
Dr. Q quickly tuned the shuttle. The compact model was painted with a deep-space coating, capable of evading the vast majority of satellite detections.
Optimus Prime and Ratchet boarded the shuttle, and the cabin door slowly closed. Accompanied by a slight hum, the shuttle rose into the high altitude along the underground passage, quickly disappearing into the clouds and flying toward the direction of the moon.
And what they didn't notice was that just half an hour after the shuttle left the Base, in Earth's geosynchronous orbit, a seemingly ordinary commercial satellite quietly shifted its lens and captured the shuttle's exhaust plume.
After hopping through several signals, it finally connected to the top-floor office of a skyscraper in downtown Chicago.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling city night view. Dylan Gould stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a modified satellite phone, a smug smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.
On the other end of the phone was a low voice altered by an electronic modulator, as harsh as metal scraping—it was Soundwave, who had been lying low for a long time.
"Optimus Prime and Ratchet have set out, target is the back of the moon." Soundwave's voice had no fluctuations. "According to plan, they will find'survivors' in the crater."
"Well done." Dylan gently twirled the red wine glass in his hand, the liquid tracing a dark red arc against the rim of the glass. "Are the other arrangements ready?"
"Already in place. Lord Shockwave is ready to raid Hoover Dam." Soundwave paused, adding, "Starscream has already hidden the energy pillars."
Dylan let out a chuckle, taking a sip of red wine: "The energy pillars on the moon, the betrayal drama... This deal is worth it. Tell Starscream to be neat with his hands and feet, don't let Logan Howlett notice the commotion. That guy is a trouble right now."
"Understood." Soundwave's voice was cold and hard. "We will avoid his private harbor. Currently, he is together with Stark and Ironhide, and their attention is all on the Megalodon."
Hanging up the phone, Dylan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city beneath his feet.
He had spent so many years laying out the plans, from secretly funding the Decepticons to planting personnel to infiltrate the government, waiting precisely for this day.
As long as they get the allspark and the space bridge energy pillars, the Decepticons can make a comeback, and he will become the human representative in the new order of Earth, sitting on endless power and wealth.
As for Logan Howlett... Dylan's gaze turned cold.
That guy truly was a variable, but as long as the plan went smoothly, once Optimus Prime died and the Autobotswere leaderless, no matter how strong he was, he wouldn't be able to stop the Decepticons' army.
Far away on the island, Logan suddenly sneezed.
He rubbed his nose, looked at Tony and Ironhide who were still fiercely discussing armor design by the pool, and then raised his head to look at the faintly visible moon in the night sky, the corner of his mouth biting the cigar curving slightly upwards.
Although the signal fluctuations on the moon's surface were weak, they didn't escape his magnetic field perception.
The Decepticons' little tricks, he sensed them from far away.
It seemed Sentinel Prime's appearance was inevitable. This guy was Optimus Prime's mentor. In the original trajectory, it was because he failed to notice the collusion between this guy and Megatron that led to Ironhide being killed, New York falling, and even Cybertron almost being pulled over to assimilate with Earth.
It seemed he also needed to give Optimus Prime that blockhead a reminder, lest he be caught off guard.
"Logan, come over and look!" Tony excitedly waved at him. The tablet displayed a set of dark silver shark armor with smooth lines and stabilizing wings resembling two small wings. "I designed it, is it handsome? Tomorrow I'll have the factory open a mold, and it can be done in half a month!"
Logan walked over slowly, glanced at the tablet, and scoffed: "You install two wings on it, do you want it to fly?"
"Hey, don't say that," Tony's eyes lit up, "Underwater flight is also flying! With jet thrusters added, the speed will definitely..."
Ironhide nodded heavily beside him, expressing deep agreement.
Logan shook his head and turned to walk toward the Villa.
Whatever, let them have their fun.
Chapter 118: Nipped in the Bud
In a crater on the far side of the moon, thin dust was stirred up by the shuttle's airflow before slowly settling back to the bottom.
Optimus Prime and Ratchet stepped out of the hatch one after the other, their optical sensors scanning the massive metallic wreckage at the crater's floor.
It was the Cybertron Ark. Emblazoned with the ancient Autobots insignia, most of the hull lay buried under meteoritic rock, with only its fractured bow exposed.
"It's the flagship that fled Cybertron back then," Ratchetsaid, his voice grave. "The signal originated from the bridge."
The two walked in through the damaged hatch. Most of the ship's instruments were offline; only a stasis pod at the deepest point still glowed with a faint blue light.
Lying inside the stasis pod was a tall Cybertronian clad in heavy gold-and-red armor. His face was dignified, bearing the solemnity of countless battles. It was none other than Optimus Prime's mentor and the former Autobots leader—Sentinel Prime.
"It is Sentinel Prime," Optimus Prime said, a subtle tremor in his voice. "He was here all along."
Ratchet quickly checked the stasis pod's parameters and nodded. "His vital signs are stable; he has merely fallen into a deep stasis. If we take him back to the Base and use the matrix of leadership, we can awaken him."
The two carefully loaded the stasis pod onto the shuttle, along with five uniquely shaped energy pillars quietly stacked in the corner of the cabin—the crucial devices for opening the Space Bridge.
As the shuttle departed the moon, Sentinel Prime's finger twitched almost imperceptibly inside the stasis pod, so swiftly it seemed like an illusion.
Back at the underground Base, the lights in the med bay stayed on throughout the entire night.
Optimus Prime drew the matrix of leadership from his chest. A gentle blue light enveloped Sentinel Prime's chassis, and in the next moment, he inserted the matrix of leadership into his mentor's spark chamber.
With a soft whir of engaging gears, Sentinel Prime's optical sensors slowly illuminated, clearing from murky to lucid before finally focusing on Optimus Prime standing before him.
"Optimus Prime," his voice was deep and raspy, carrying an ancient cadence. "Where... are we?"
"Earth, Master," Optimus Prime bowed slightly, his tone filled with respect. "You are safe."
Propping himself up on his arms, Sentinel Prime sat up. His gaze swept the surroundings and soon settled on the five energy pillars in the corner. He frowned. "Only five energy pillars? Where are the rest? The Ark carried over a hundred back then—the complete set of keys to activate the Space Bridge. Without enough pillars, the Space Bridge cannot function at all."
"We only found these," Optimus Prime shook his head. "The whereabouts of the remaining pillars are unknown. They might have been lost in the Universe."
"How could this be..." Sentinel Prime showed a look of shock and regret, sighing heavily. "Never mind. Surviving is a blessing in itself."
Though he expressed regret, a faint, almost undetectable glimmer of satisfaction flickered deep within his optical sensors.
Five was enough to establish a foothold.
Once Megatron was freed from his frozen state in the Hoover Dam and the remaining energy pillars hidden by Starscream were retrieved, the plan to activate the Space Bridge and pull Cybertron into Earth's orbit could proceed step by step. Rebuilding the Cybertronian homeland—everything was progressing along his intended trajectory.
Just as he was calculating in secret, Optimus Prime's private comm channel suddenly chimed.
Only a very select few core allies knew this channel. Sentinel Prime had just awakened, so no one should have been contacting them so precisely at this exact moment.
Optimus Prime frowned slightly, yet raised his hand to connect. "This is Optimus Prime."
"It's me, Logan."
A casual voice came through the channel, slightly muffled as though speaking around an object—undoubtedly puffing on a cigar again.
Sentinel Prime paused, clearly not expecting a human to be able to access the Autobots' encrypted private comms.
Optimus Prime was also a bit surprised. "Mr. Howlett? Is something the matter?"
"Just a heads-up," Logan said in a nonchalant tone, as if remarking that the fish weren't biting today. "That mentor of yours you just revived has long been in cahoots with Megatron. They plotted to use the energy pillars to build a Space Bridge, drag all of Cybertron to Earth, and harvest Earth as raw material for reconstruction. When that happens, humanity and Earth's ecosystem will be completely wiped out."
At those words, the med bay instantly fell dead silent.
Ratchet's optical sensors widened sharply, staring at Sentinel Prime in utter disbelief.
Sentinel Prime's expression darkened instantly, and he barked sternly, "Utter nonsense! Who are you to sow discord between Autobots leaders?!"
"Whether it's discord or not, you know best," Loganchuckled lightly. "Starscream hid the rest of the energy pillars at an undersea Base in the Gulf of Mexico. I've sent you the coordinates; go check them yourself. Besides, Shockwave is currently leading the Driller on an assault at the Hoover Dam, aiming to rescue the frozen Megatroninside. If you don't believe me, wait three to five minutes, and the alarms should start blaring."
As his voice trailed off, a chime sounded over the comm channel, transmitting a set of undersea coordinates accurate to the meter.
Optimus Prime's expression changed.
He was righteous, but not foolish.
Logan was never one to make wild claims, and had no reason to fabricate a lie that would crumble so easily.
Optimus immediately recalled that upon waking, Sentinel Prime's first words were not about the war on Cybertron or the state of the remaining Autobots, but straight to the energy pillars.
Back then, he assumed his mentor was simply concerned for their homeland; looking back now, it was riddled with inconsistencies.
"Optimus Prime, do not listen to an outsider's instigations!" Sensing his shifting demeanor, Sentinel Prime's tone grew heavier. "I have bled and fought for the Autobots for so many years! How could I possibly collude with a traitor like Megatron?!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Base's emergency alarms shrieked shrilly.
Hound's voice blasted through the communicator: "Optimus Prime! Urgent dispatch from the Hoover Dam! Shockwave has burrowed underground with the Driller! Their target is clear—Megatron in the cryo-pod! The defense squad is already engaged!"
The med bay fell utterly silent.
When all the coincidences lined up, they were no longer coincidences.
Optimus Prime slowly turned around to look at Sentinel Prime, the respect in his gaze turning cold bit by bit.
He did not lash out immediately, merely raising his hand to summon his Energon sword. The azure blade gleamed with blinding light, its tip slowly rising until it came to rest right before Sentinel Prime's neck.
"Master," his voice was heavy, laden with suppressed disappointment. "Tell me this isn't true."
Sentinel Prime looked at the Energon blade inches away, then at Dr. Q and Hound rushing to the doorway in shock. He knew the truth was out.
The disguise on his face shed away bit by bit, replaced by cold obsession. "And what if it is? Optimus Prime, you are too naive! Rebuilding Cybertron requires sacrifices! What is a mere Earth in comparison? Once the Space Bridgeactivates and Cybertron's glory is restored, our people will return to their homeland!"
"Trading all life on one Planet for the rebirth of another?" Optimus Prime's voice was tinged with sorrow. "That is not restoration. That is conquest."
"Survival of the fittest is the law of the Universe!" Sentinel Prime retorted sharply. "If you hadn't insisted on showing mercy to the Decepticons back then, Cybertron would never have fallen completely! Everything I did was for the future of Cybertron!"
"For Cybertron, or for your own obsession?" Optimus Prime shook his head, inching the Energon blade forward another fraction. "You are wrong, Master. Earth is not our prey, and the lives here should not be sacrifices for our restoration."
The surrounding Autobots were stunned.
The Energon cigar dangling from Hound's mouth dropped to the floor as his optics widened, murmuring, "Sentinel Prime, My Lord... really conspired with Megatron?"
Dr. Q adjusted his spectacles, sighing with emotion. "Such an upright old leader... how did he stray down such a crooked path?"
Seeing the resolute look in Optimus Prime's eyes, Sentinel Prime knew further argument was pointless. He simply closed his eyes, assuming an air of submission. "Do with me as you wish—kill me or tear me apart. I only lament that we can never return to Cybertron."
Optimus Prime looked at him, his grip on the Energon sword tightening and then loosening.
In the end, he did not strike with the blade.
The glow of the Energon sword faded, replaced by an energy pulse gathering in his palm.
"I will not kill you," he said, his voice calm yet resolute. "But neither can you be allowed to act freely. For your obsession, remain in stasis and reflect upon your deeds."
With those words, the energy pulse struck squarely at the core hub in Sentinel Prime's chest that had just been reactivated.
Sentinel Prime's optical sensors snapped wide, then dimmed bit by bit as his body stiffened once more, plunging back into a state of permanent stasis.
"Return him to the stasis pod under encrypted surveillance. No one is to approach him without authorization." Optimus Prime lowered his hand, his back bearing a hint of weariness yet devoid of hesitation. "Pass the order: full Base alert. Hound, take a squad to the Gulf of Mexico, purge Starscream's undersea Base, and recover all remaining energy pillars."
"Understood!" Hound immediately acknowledged, shouldering his cannon and heading out.
"Furthermore," Optimus Prime added, "contact Drift's squad at the Hoover Dam and ask if Megatron was taken."
Even before he could ask, battle reports were already coming in.
Over at the Hoover Dam, Shockwave had devised what he thought was a foolproof plan.
While the Autobots Base was distracted by the moon, the Driller was to breach through the underground foundations, launch a direct raid on the cryo-chamber, rescue Megatron, and catch the Autobots off guard in a coordinated pincer attack.
But he never expected that four ruthless powerhouses were stationed at the dam: Drift, Sideswipe, Grimlock, and Crosshairs.
The moment the Driller burrowed through the dam's foundation, before it could even unfurl its massive frame, Crosshairs' precision explosive charges were already slapped onto its segmented joints. Several consecutive blasts went "BOOM," stunning it into rigidity and lodging half its body in the concrete.
Utilizing the blast's momentum, Sideswipe leaped into the air, driving his twin blades deep into the joint seams and violently severing three of its main tentacles.
Drift sped past in the form of a blue-and-black sports car, drawing his twin swords mid-transformation; a cold flash sliced through the air, shearing off a section of the Driller's boring disc.
Grimlock was even more direct, unleashing full heavy firepower, raining shells onto the Driller as if they cost nothing, blasting debris everywhere and shaking chunks of plaster off the cryo-chamber's outer wall.
Standing deep within the tunnel, Shockwave glared at the battle with his single optic, his processor overheating with fury.
He had assumed raiding the dam would be effortless, yet he ran into four reckless, hardcore Autobots. The Drillerwas getting battered into several pieces, on the verge of total scrap.
If he lingered any longer, forget rescuing Megatron—he would end up dead right here.
"Retreat!" Shockwave gritted his teeth and ordered. Covered by the explosive smoke, he dragged the mangled Driller into the underground tunnel and fled in disarray, without so much as touching the door of Megatron's cryo-chamber.
When the news reached the Base, Dr. Q couldn't help but chuckle. "Drift and the others really are the Decepticons' bane."
Optimus Prime nodded, his expression easing slightly.
At least Megatron remained frozen and hadn't been released—a small mercy amidst the misfortune.
Meanwhile, in a Chicago skyscraper, Dylan Gould stood before floor-to-ceiling windows, sipping red wine and dreaming of becoming the proxy of Earth's new order.
Calculating the time, he thought Shockwave should have already freed Megatron, and Sentinel Prime should have taken control of the Autobots Base.
Once the Space Bridge was activated, he would be the Decepticons' earthly sovereign, with power and wealth beyond measure.
Right in the middle of his daydream, the office door was suddenly kicked open with a loud "BANG."
Dylan whirled around, only to see Coulson storm in with a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, their gun barrels aimed squarely at him in unison.
"Dylan Gould," Coulson flashed his badge and said calmly, "you are suspected of colluding with alien Decepticonsforces and endangering Earth's public security. Come with us."
Dylan turned deathly pale. The wine glass in his hand shattered onto the floor with a clatter. "You... how dare you? I am..."
"You are the Decepticons' human proxy, we know," Coulson interrupted, gesturing for the Agents to cuff him. "Soundwave's encrypted comm logs, your financial trail transferring funds to the Decepticons, and evidence of your meetings with Shockwave—we have it all. The evidence is conclusive, so don't bother struggling."
Dylan's legs gave out, nearly collapsing to the floor.
He couldn't fathom how the plan had been completely exposed after just a single day in motion.
What about Sentinel Prime? What about Shockwave? Had they both failed?
Of course, he had no way of knowing that from the moment Logan detected the anomalous signal on the moon's surface, this conspiracy had already been doomed to fail.
From the moon to Earth, from Sentinel Prime to Dylan, all their schemes crumbled like paper in the face of an absolute information gap and overwhelming power.
Far away at the harbor, when Logan received Coulson's case-closed message, he was lounging in a recliner watching Tony and Ironhide crouch by the pool, modifying the armor schematics for Poseidon on a tablet.
He tossed his phone aside casually, not paying it much mind.
"Resolved another mess? Being all mysterious," Tonyasked without looking up for long, his stylus still gliding across the tablet to add two anti-collision ribs to the shoulder armor.
"Nothing much," Logan said nonchalantly around his cigar. "The Decepticons pulled a little stunt trying to break Megatron out, but they got stomped down."
"Megatron?" Tony's eyes lit up. He dropped his stylus and leaned in, eager for action. "The one frozen at Hoover Dam? My newly modified Mark XII hasn't seen real combat yet!"
Ironhide also turned his head and leaned over.
"Still frozen solid; they didn't rescue him," Logan waved a hand. "Settle down and go back to designing your shark armor. If a real fight breaks out, you'll get your turn."
Tony curled his lip in slight disappointment, but didn't press the matter. He turned back to discussing the caudal fin thruster's power parameters with Ironhide.
Poseidon flicked his tail in the pool, splashing water that dampened the hem of Tony's trousers.
"Hey! You rascal!" Tony hopped aside, but then grew excited again. "Perfect! Let's test the waterproof coating! Base it on this splash intensity!"
Logan watched the noisy pair, then glanced at Aressquatting on the shore watching the fun, wagging his tail into a breeze, and chuckled while shaking his head.
Chapter 119 Shark Armor
For a full two months, Tony treated Logan's private harbor like home.
Piles of design blueprints half a meter high littered the floor of the guest room in the Villa, Cybertron parts in the maintenance workshop lined up from the workbench all the way to the poolside, and even his precious Mark XII armor was tossed into a corner collecting dust, leaving him single-mindedly focused entirely on Poseidon's armor.
Ironhide had also stayed stubbornly for two months, jumping in and out every day carrying armor plates, dumping all the routine training of the Base onto Hound, and happily tinkering with this prehistoric oceanic overlord alongside Tony.
The first half-month was simply a disaster scene.
Poseidon had never seen the spectacle of metal plates being pasted onto its own body; every time Tonycommanded the mechanical arm to snap the armor onto its neck and shoulders, a flick of its tail would send water splashing everywhere—at best drenching Tony's meticulously styled hair, and at worst knocking the mechanical arm half a foot crooked.
Once, Ironhide wanted to reach out and hold down its dorsal fin to help secure it, and was almost bitten right on the shoulder armor, the shock knocking his optical sensors slightly askew.
" Why is this thing even harder to deal with than Loki! " Tony wiped the seawater off his face, looked at the crooked fitting data on the tablet, and jumped with anger, " Ungrateful wretch! This is Cybertron memory metal, and countless people beg me to install it and I still refuse! "
Ironhide chimed in with a muffled voice: " Its temper is too wild. "
In the end, it was still Logan who stepped in to clean up the mess.
During the day, he fed it double portions of top-tier Wagyu beef and coaxed it by stroking its fur; at night, he used psychic illusions to instill a conditioned reflex into it that ' wearing armor equals being able to smash through reefs faster equals having endless meat to eat '. After three days of coaxing and tricking, Poseidon finally reluctantly agreed to lie motionless in the shallow water area, allowing the mechanical arms to paste parts onto its body.
Ares became the most punctual spectator.
Every morning, he would squat punctually by the poolside, holding his own beef jerky in his mouth, staring with wide eyes as Tony and Ironhide clanged away at the armor.
When Poseidon splashed water, he would jump far away, barking twice as if egging it on; when Poseidon quieted down, he would creep back to the poolside, holding his beef jerky in his mouth and tossing it into the water, wanting to feed this big-sized new friend.
" Hey! Those are your snacks! Don't give them to it! " Tonygot a headache every time he saw it, " It eats half a ton of meat in a single meal, your little bit isn't even enough to fill the gap between its teeth! "
Ares would tilt his head to look at him, his tail wagging with a whooshing sound, and turning his head, he would grab another piece and toss it in, making Tony stamp his feet in anger.
During the two months, the two of them quarreled endlessly over parameters every day.
Tony wanted extreme lightweight design to ensure swimming speed; Ironhide stubbornly refused to budge on defense, insisting on adding two more layers of alloy to the ventral armor.
They argued from morning till night, and sometimes when the argument reached mealtime, Logan would have to toss over two boxes of bento just to shut the two of them up.
Argument was argument, but the work wasn't delayed at all.
From the anti-collision structure of the shoulder armor to the thruster power of the tail fin, from the energy shield module on the chest to the waterproof seals at the joints, as the two argued, they actually polished the plan to become more and more comprehensive.
By the day they finally installed the core components, even their movements had become tacitly coordinated.
Tony handed the tools, Ironhide held the armor plate, and the mechanical arm clicked into place and locked, without a single hair's breadth of error.
The day of completion was a sunny day, and the seawater was crystal clear blue.
With a click as the last piece of ventral armor embedded into the slot, the entire set of dark silver nano-armor completely fitted onto Poseidon.
The Cybertron memory metal perfectly replicated its body curves without a shred of redundancy, and the shoulder armor was made into a thickened wedge-shaped anti-collision layer, exuding a chilling metallic luster.
Two small pulse thrusters were embedded on both sides of the tail fin, with clean and fierce lines.
A palm-sized energy shield generator was hidden at the chest, which would almost be covered by the scale patterns if not looked at carefully.
Wrapped in this armor, the prehistoric predator, which was already over twenty meters long, looked even more like a steel behemoth crawling out from the deep sea.
Just floating quietly on the water surface caused the pool water to sink slightly along with it, and the sunlight spilled onto the dark silver armor, dazzling people so much they couldn't open their eyes.
" Let's go! Try out the speed! " Tony's eyes were frighteningly bright as he pressed the controller on his bracelet.
Poseidon was initially a bit unaccustomed, shook its head, gave its tail a gentle sway, and the thrusters on both sides simultaneously lit up with a light blue glow.
With a sudden explosive crash of " splash ", it shot out like an arrow off a bowstring, swimming toward the deep sea along the open-sea floodgate, dragging a straight white wake behind it, its speed a full twice as fast as before.
Swimming to its heart's content, it crashed head-on into a half-person-high reef by the shore.
With a muffled, heavy thud, the reef shattered into several pieces on the spot, and gravel splashed high into the air.
Yet Poseidon was like a fish that nothing had happened to, flicking its tail, turning around, and swimming back, without even a single scratch on its shoulder armor.
" Perfect! " Tony swung his fist excitedly, turning around to bump fists heavily with Ironhide, " I told you this design has no problems! Cybertron materials plus my nano-fitting technology, absolute perfection! "
" If I hadn't reinforced the locking structure at the joints, the armor would have fallen apart from that impact. " Ironhideadded in a muffled voice, though his optical sensors clearly spelled out complacency.
When Logan walked over with a cigar in his mouth, he happened to see Poseidon moving close to the poolside, gently rubbing its armored snout against his palm. The metal was ice-cold, but its movements were obedient beyond belief.
" Not bad, the two months of tossing about weren't wasted. " Logan tapped the shoulder armor with his fingertips, producing a muffled metallic sound, his tone casual yet carrying approval, " Don't turn around and install those flashy weapons on it, enough for a casual cruise normally will do. "
" How can that do! " Tony immediately retorted, leaning over and counting on his fingers, " Next time I'll install two small pulse cannons on it, and when we encounter Decepticons submarines directly... plus add a deep-sea sonar, fish schools within ten nautical miles can all be scanned out... "
" Stop right there. " Logan raised his hand to interrupt him, casually tossing a piece of Wagyu beef down. Poseidonopened its mouth and steadily caught it, eating with great relish, " It's just a pet, not an underwater warship. If you want to install cannons, install them on Ironhide. "
Ironhide: " ? "
The two tech geeks lingered for another day, testing the armor strength, propulsion power, and shield threshold from start to finish three times, and after confirming every piece of data was flawless, they reluctantly prepared to return.
While packing their things, Tony was still repeatedly looking at the test footage on the tablet, the corners of his mouth almost curling up to the sky.
Ironhide also carefully packed away the replaced scrap pieces, intending to show them to Hound upon returning to prove that he wasn't just a brute who only knew how to shoot cannons.
When the helicopter propellers started spinning, Tony still clung to the cabin door and shouted: " Next time I'll bring the upgrade module over! Add an underwater communication system to it! "
Ironhide also waved his big hand: " Call me anytime if there's any damaged part from a crash! "
Logan waved his hand with a cigar in his mouth as a response.
The helicopter took off, piercing through the clouds and flying toward the Autobots Base.
Inside the cabin, Tony flipped through the 3D modeling and test data on the tablet, becoming more smug the more he looked, and nudged Ironhide beside him with his elbow: " Hey, don't you think Dr. Q's jaw will drop when he sees this design back at the Base? He has studied Cybertronmaterials for so long, yet he never thought of installing armor on a prehistoric creature. "
" That's for sure, " Ironhide nodded heavily, his coarse voice lowered significantly, yet failing to hide his smugness, " And Hound, who said I was messing around blindly last time—this time let him see what true defensive modification is. "
" Hey wait, no, " Tony suddenly straightened up, his perfectionist streak flaring up again, " The lion's share of the credit has to be mine. The overall design and nano-fitting technology were all done by me, you were just a helper pitching in to move parts. "
" Bullshit! " Ironhide immediately retorted, his metal fingers tapping loudly against the cabin wall with a thump, " Without me reinforcing the load-bearing structure and tuning the anti-collision bite, the armor would have fallen apart after it swam two laps! That lightweight design of yours is all show and no substance! "
The two of them exchanged words, arguing all the way from the sea to the airspace above the Base, neither able to convince the other, and by the end of the argument their throats were hoarse, yet the more they argued, the more spirited they became.
When the helicopter landed steadily on the landing pad and the cabin door pulled open, the two of them instantly straightened their postures, uniformly putting away their previous bickering appearance, and walked side by side into the Base, their footsteps carrying an understated air of smugness.
Dr. Q was holding a stack of circuit boards coming out of the laboratory, and upon looking up and seeing the two of them, he was stunned for a moment and adjusted his glasses: " You two are finally back, anyone who didn't know would have thought you planned to live there permanently. "
Tony gave a light cough and handed over the tablet, his tone feigning casualness, as if he had just done a trivial matter casually: " Nothing much, just installed a set of armor on a Megalodon and casually tested the parameters. Take a look if you want, just ask me if there's anything you don't understand. "
Ironhide also added a sentence from the side, his vocal line steady: " I supervised the defense structure, not even a scratch after crashing into a half-person-high reef. The load-bearing and impact-resistance capabilities are three times higher than conventional tank armor. "
Dr. Q lowered his head and glanced at the armor modeling on the tablet, his gaze sweeping across the lines of data: " Memory metal fit degree 99.7% ", " Impact resistance level S-Rank ", " Propulsion efficiency increased by 120% ", and his hand adjusting his glasses abruptly paused.
He raised his head, looked at the calm-faced Tony, then looked at the deadpan Ironhide, the shock in his eyes impossible to hide.
" You... installed armor on a Megalodon? " The old Professor's voice was a bit floaty, " This train of thought... is simply too unrestrained and fantastical. "
Watching Dr. Q's reaction, Tony and Ironhide exchanged a quick glance, both seeing three words in each other's eyes.
" Nailed the brag! "
Tony was blooming with joy inside, but on the surface he still had to keep a straight face: " Small matter, mainly because the material foundation is good. Later I'll send the design drafts to you, if you're interested, we can further optimize the underwater energy system. "
Ironhide also nodded steadily: " Just say the word if you need anything. "
The two of them sang in harmony, attracting Hound who happened to pass by.
Hound leaned over and took a look at the tablet, the energetic cigar in his mouth almost dropping down: " What the hell? You two actually installed armor on a shark? And it even has anti-collision features? "
Seeing more and more onlookers gathering, Tony and Ironhide became even more spirited, talking about the modification details one sentence after another, even turning the embarrassing experiences of being splashed with water every day for two months into something sounding like glorious battle achievements.
Meanwhile, Logan, far away at the private harbor, was completely oblivious to this.
He leaned back on the lounge chair, watching Poseidonclad in dark silver armor swimming leisurely in the water.
Ares ran along following the poolside, barking twice from time to time, and Poseidon would flick its tail to splash some water to tease him.
There were about 20 days left until the opening of the Jurassic Theme Park.
Chapter 120: Ribbon-Cutting for the Opening
Twenty days later, the port of Isla Nublar was packed to the brim.
The opening day's sunlight warmed the tropical island, with palm trees lining both sides of the main road in two rows. Tourists holding astral phones could be seen everywhere, continuously pointing their lenses at the dinosaur logo on the park gate, and the bullet comments in the livestreaming rooms scrolled faster than the ocean waves.
"Family members! It is the opening day of Jurassic World! I managed to grab the first batch of tickets!"
"Did you see that! Those gyroballs over there! I'm going to sit inside shortly to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex up close!"
"Will Wolverine and Iron Man really come? President Simon sent them invitations!"
"Stop dreaming, with their status, how could they possibly come to an amusement park like this..."
As soon as those words fell, a sharp piercing sound suddenly echoed through the sky.
Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a gold-and-red figure cutting through the clouds. The Mark 12 armor trailed pale blue exhaust flames, tracing a graceful arc in mid-air and landing steadily beside the main stage of the opening ceremony.
The armor's mask snapped open with a swish, revealing Tony's flamboyant face. He casually brushed back his wind-mussed hair, waved at the surroundings, and couldn't suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.
"It is Iron Man! He really came!"
The crowd instantly exploded into a frenzy, their cheers almost blowing the roof off. Countless astral phones aimed at the stage, and the number of viewers in the livestreaming rooms broke one million in seconds, with bullet comments flooding the screen like "Tony is insanely cool" and "Mr. Stark actually came to make an appearance."
Simon Masrani stood on the stage, smiling as he stepped forward to shake hands, though he muttered inwardly—he had thought that having Tony come would have been impressive enough, and the spotlight would definitely be sufficient.
But he didn't expect that even more explosive things were yet to come.
Just as Tony had struck a pose to soak in the cheers, an even louder scream suddenly came from the direction of the port.
"Quick, look at the sea! What is that?!"
Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw a dark silver giant dorsal fin cutting through the waves on the distant azure sea surface, moving as fast as a small speedboat.
Standing atop the dorsal fin was a man wearing a floral shirt and board shorts, stepping in flip-flops with one hand casually shoved into his pocket. Who else could it be but Logan?
The Megalodon under his feet was wrapped in a full set of Cybertronian nano-armor, its dark silver metallic scales glinting coldly in the sunlight. Its body, over twenty meters long, split the waves and churned the water wherever it passed, radiating an aura even more imposing than Tony's armor.
"Holy crap! A Megalodon!"
"Wolverine came riding a shark?! This is way too cool!"
"Oh my god! Other people invite stars for their park openings, but Masrani directly invites two big shots to hold down the fort?!"
The cheers were twice as loud as when Tony had made his entrance earlier. Tourists at the port squeezed and surged forward, and security guards fought desperately to hold back the crowd.
The smile on Simon's face froze for a fraction of a second, then turned into a helpless, bitter smile.
He had originally invited the two to cut the ribbon and show support to boost the atmosphere. Now look at what happened—all the spotlight had been stolen. He guessed that out of today's top ten trending topics, eight would be about "Wolverine riding an armored Megalodon," turning Jurassic Park into mere background scenery instead.
Poseidon stopped steadily in the shallow waters of the port. Logan leaped gracefully, landing lightly on the dock, and patted the shark's large head.
Poseidon obediently flicked its tail fin, splashing fine water droplets, and then turned to swim toward the designated special waters—after all, they couldn't let a twenty-meter prehistoric giant shark block the port and affect the park opening.
When Tony walked over, his face was plastered with unconvinced defiance: "Not bad, Logan, you did that on purpose, right? Three minutes after my armor touched down, you stole all the spotlight. Riding a shark is one thing, but you even wore a floral shirt, terrified that people wouldn't notice you?"
"It's still better than certain people showing off in armor and parading through the streets." Logan bit down on his cigar, leisurely exhaling a puff of smoke, "I originally wanted to take a boat here, but Poseidon insisted on going for a joyride, and I couldn't stop it."
"Since when can it talk?" Tony rolled his eyes, "I think you just wanted to show off yourself. I helped Ironhide install the armor, why don't you mention giving me half the credit?"
"The credit is yours, the spotlight is mine." Logan patted his shoulder, "Let's go, time for the ribbon-cutting, don't keep their president waiting too long."
The two bickered as they walked toward the main stage. Claire was already waiting nearby with a professional and polite smile, though she couldn't help marveling inwardly.
She had only seen him in the news before; in person, his aura was even stronger than on camera, especially the way he had just stood atop the Megalodon's back.
"Mr. Howlett, Mr. Stark, welcome both of you." Clairestepped forward two paces, gesturing with her hand, "President Simon is already waiting on stage, I will lead you both over."
"Director Claire, right?" Tony raised an eyebrow, saying as he walked, "I looked at the blueprints for the park's security system, and it still leaves a bit to be desired. Right after the ribbon-cutting, I'll give you a few optimization plans to ensure the dinosaurs can't run out."
Claire was stunned for a moment, then smiled and accepted: "Then I thank Mr. Stark very much."
Logan added slowly from the side, "Don't listen to him; his hands just itch to modify things. If they really break out, his little security system is useless."
"Hey, what kind of talk is that!" Tony was displeased, "My Mark 12 equipped with Cybertronian defense modules can block not just dinosaurs, but even the Decepticons if they come..."
The two bickered all the way to the stage, where Simonhad long been smiling and coming forward to greet them.
After some brief pleasantries, the park opening ceremony officially began. Simon held the microphone and spoke for over ten minutes, ranging from genetic technology to popular science significance, speaking with great enthusiasm and emotion.
Logan stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding alloy fences, sightseeing pathways, and the faintly visible carnivorous zone electric grid in the distance, shaking his head inwardly.
It was a pretty good place, but unfortunately it would be ruined before long.
He wasn't gloating; he just felt it was a pity—such a nice island, built with so much money, only to end up being torn to shreds by an Indominus Rex.
"Next, let us invite our special guests, Mr. Logan Howlettand Mr. Tony Stark, to join me in cutting the ribbon for Jurassic World!"
As Simon's voice faded, the etiquette ladies walked onto the stage holding golden scissors.
Each of the three had a pair. As the ribbon was snipped with a snap, earth-shaking cheers erupted from below the stage, and the park gates slowly opened.
"Jurassic World is officially open!"
Tourists surged into the park like a tidal wave, and excited shouts rose and fell one after another.
Tour buses and gyroballs started up one after another, carrying the first batch of tourists toward various dinosaur exhibition areas. Everywhere were people holding up astral phones to take pictures, lively as if it were a festival.
After stepping down from the stage, Simon went to deal with the media, while Claire stayed behind to accompany the two distinguished guests, her tone respectful: "Would the two of you prefer to rest first, or would you like to tour the park first? The carnivorous zone, herbivorous zone, and incubation center are all open, and I can arrange an exclusive tour vehicle."
Just as Tony wanted to say he should go see the Tyrannosaurus Rex exhibition area first and test the fence strength along the way, Logan spoke up first.
"No need to go to all that trouble." He flicked his ash, casting his gaze toward the northern direction of the park, "Let's go to that exhibition area in the north. I heard you guys newly bred a Tyrannosaurus Rex, quite large in size. Let's go take a look."
The smile on Claire's face paused for a moment.
The northern side was the breeding area for the Indominus Rex, which had not yet been officially opened to tourists, and not many people knew about it.
How did this Mr. Howlett head straight for that place right as he spoke?
She was puzzled inwardly, but didn't show it on her face, only saying tactfully: "Mr. Howlett, the northern exhibition area is still in the debugging stage, and that dinosaur... has a relatively fierce temperament with a very high security level, so it's temporarily not open to the public. Shall we go see the Tyrannosaurus Rex first?"
"Fierce temperament?" Logan raised an eyebrow, his tone nonchalant, "How fierce is it? Fiercer than the Chitauri?"
Claire choked slightly.
That indeed couldn't be compared. The Chitauri Fleet had been crushed by this single person all by himself; no matter how fierce a dinosaur was, in his eyes it probably made no difference from a kitten or a puppy.
Tony was watching the fun and couldn't care less: "Exactly, since we're already here, what's there to be afraid of going to see it? With the two of us here, could it possibly run out? If it really breaks out, Logan will twist it into a pretzel with a flick of his hand."
Claire hesitated for a few seconds, and finally nodded: "Alright, please follow me, you two. But we have to look through the observation glass; that dragon has a very high IQ and strong aggressiveness, so please try not to make too much noise."
"Rest assured, we know the rules." Logan smiled and took the lead in stepping forward.
He wasn't deliberately looking for trouble; he just wanted to take a look at this Indominus Rex in advance.
After all, according to the original plot, this thing would sooner or later break out and go on a rampage.
Taking a peek in advance to have an idea in mind would make it easier for him to judge whether to nip this matter in the bud early on or wait until it broke out before dealing with it.
Of course, definitely not because he wanted to raise a dinosaur!
Besides, since Tony was here, he had to give him some fresh gadgets to research.
Otherwise, this trip would be in vain, and he'd end up nagging about it for half a month afterwards.
The three walked northward along the special pathway. The further north they went, the higher the fences, the denser the power grids, and the fewer staff members around.
Looking inward through the heavy reinforced glass, the exhibition area was densely wooded and dead silent, without even a shadow of a dinosaur.
Claire picked up the walkie-talkie and called out twice to the handlers, asking them to find a way to lure the Indominus Rex out.
However, Logan raised his hand slightly, his gaze falling deep into the woods with a playful look on his face: "No need to shout, it's right there."
Tony looked over following his gaze and narrowed his eyes: "Where? How come I don't see it? Even the infrared scan didn't respond... No wait, it can regulate its body temperature?"
"Tree frog DNA, you know." Logan bit his cigar and said nonchalantly, "It's hiding and observing you guys. High-IQ predators all love doing this sort of thing."
Claire whipped her head around to look at him, her eyes filled with shock.
The genetic composition of the Indominus Rex was the park's highest secret; even many internal employees didn't know it, so how did Logan figure it out?
She opened her mouth to ask, but felt it was somewhat impolite, so she ultimately swallowed her words back, only feeling a few more layers of mystery surrounding this big shot in her heart.
Deep within the woods, a pair of cold, vertical pupils were staring fixedly at the few people outside the glass. Its massive body was concealed within the vegetation, and even its breathing was kept extremely light.
It didn't know who these people outside were, but instinctively sensed that the man standing right at the front was very dangerous.
More dangerous than any creature it had ever seen.