Honk, honk—!!
"Coming, coming!"
Luke stepped outside and saw a battered Chevrolet parked at the entrance.
The window rolled down, revealing Sam's panicked, terrified face.
Seeing the familiar figure, Sam immediately brightened and blurted out incoherently, "Luke, save me!"
"You might not believe this, but I've been kidnapped by this car!"
Sam wanted to open the door, but he didn't dare touch it.
The car seemed to have a will of its own—it could drive itself, open and close its doors automatically, and even reach two hundred miles per hour.
And that was in the city!
Heaven knew how he had survived.
Luke patted the car door. "Alright, I'm here. I have the glasses. You can let the ornament go now—he's completely useless to you."
Sam froze. Who was Luke talking to?
Could it be… a ghost?!
Damn it, I should've realized that earlier!
But then Sam suddenly reacted. "You bought my grandfather's glasses?!"
Luke nodded. "They took five days to arrive. I suggest you don't list things on eBay next time you sell something. I hate their logistics."
Sam looked extremely embarrassed.
The main reason he'd chosen the cheapest shipping option was simply to save money.
Bumblebee stayed silent, only opening the car door on his own.
"Bumblebee, do I have to call your name before you'll speak?" Luke frowned, clearly impatient. "While you're wasting time here, the Decepticons are already gathering. Are you sure you want to keep wasting time developing feelings?"
"You know me?" Bumblebee, who had been pretending to be lifeless, suddenly opened the driver's side door and kicked Sam out.
Sam tumbled out and scrambled behind Luke, finally feeling safe.
But the very next second—Click! swoosh! click!
"Damn it! It's an alien!" Sam cried out in terror as Bumblebee transformed from a beat-up Chevrolet into a yellow Autobot nearly five meters tall.
Faced with that "ferocious" body and overwhelming height, Sam was so frightened that he turned around and ran.
"Run! Aliens are invading Earth!"
Sam had barely taken two steps when Bumblebee grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air.
"Calm down, descendant of Archibald Witwicky. I am not your enemy."
Sam flailed helplessly, his limbs kicking like a turtle grabbed by the shell.
Bumblebee was momentarily speechless. When it looked at Luke, it saw him standing there with his arms crossed, calmly examining its steel body as if admiring a work of art.
That composed, relaxed, and even satisfied expression stood in stark contrast to Sam's panicked screaming.
Yet that gaze felt strange—like it was seeing straight through him.
It left Bumblebee feeling deeply unsettled.
Sam was far too unstable, while Luke was far too calm—so calm that it made Bumblebee feel a faint sense of fear.
When Sam noticed the menacing cannon barrel on Bumblebee's thick arm, the last spark of courage in him was instantly doused with cold water.
He quieted down immediately.
"Good. Just like that. Be brave like your great-great-grandfather. Don't embarrass him, buddy!"
Bumblebee set Sam down, then turned to look at Luke, who had been watching the whole scene unfold.
"Human, I am Bumblebee."
"I am an intelligent mechanical life-form from the planet Cybertron. You may call me an Autobot."
"Autobot?" The one speaking was Sam. As an ordinary high school student, he had no idea what those words meant.
"Then how do you speak Earth languages?" Sam asked curiously.
"We learned Earth languages from the World Wide Web. It was easy for us—just like it is for you humans… Hmm?"
Bumblebee suddenly turned his gaze toward the second floor of a nearby house.
Emma was staring wide-eyed at Luke and Bumblebee below.
The menacing cannon barrel, the cold steel frame, and the tall, powerful body completely stunned the little girl.
It was as if a brand-new world had opened before her eyes, and she stood there in a daze.
"Ignore her. She won't talk about it," Luke said. He had known Emma was eavesdropping but hadn't bothered to stop her.
Hearing that, Bumblebee ignored Emma as well.
At first, Emma had been afraid Bumblebee might fire at her. But realizing that no one below paid her any attention only made her bolder.
She actually slipped out of her house under cover of darkness and crept closer to listen.
"Mr. Luke, where are Sam's glasses? We urgently need them. Just as you said, the Decepticons are already on their way, and the glasses are their target.
You are currently in danger."
"If the Decepticons obtain the glasses, your world will face war—and it could even lead to destruction."
As Bumblebee spoke, Luke interrupted him. "I know what you're about to say. You can call the others now. I need to speak with your leader, Optimus Prime."
Bumblebee grew even more confused. Wait—how did you know about Optimus Prime?
"How much do you actually know?"
"I know everything I should know—and some things I shouldn't, like Optimus Prime, Megatron, The Fallen, the AllSpark…"
"Stop, stop!" Bumblebee stared at Luke in shock. "If my detection systems hadn't confirmed that you're not a robot, I'd suspect you were a humanoid spy sent by the Decepticons."
Sam looked like he'd seen a ghost as well.
Why did Luke know everything?
He was supposed to be the protagonist of this whole incident—yet he was the only one who was completely in the dark.
Nearby, Emma, hiding in the shadows, heard words like war and destruction, and her eyes sparkled. How exciting!
The more Sam thought about it, the more wrong everything felt.
Looking at Luke's face, Sam suddenly thought of something impossible—yet frighteningly plausible.
"No way… are you New York's Thor?"
Luke merely glanced at Sam, then continued looking at Bumblebee.
Bumblebee was slightly startled.
As one of the first Autobots to arrive on Earth, it knew a fair amount about this world.
Was Luke really a god? That would explain why he knew so much about Cybertron.
"May I ask… what exactly do you intend to do?"
Luke answered candidly. "Actually, I am a Collector. I enjoy collecting all kinds of rare and exotic items."
"The AllSpark is also one of my targets."
"Since you don't want it to fall into the hands of the Decepticons, how about handing it over to me for safekeeping?"
"Don't worry. The Decepticons won't be able to steal it from me."
Robots could also die—and the dead couldn't steal anything.
If Luke hadn't been worried that, due to world fusion, the AllSpark might no longer be at the Hoover Dam, he would have gone to retrieve it himself already.
"I can't make that decision. I need to consult our leader." Bumblebee was taken aback by Luke's boldness and spoke hesitantly. "You should think this through carefully. The Decepticons aren't some stray dogs. They are military robots with technology far beyond Earth's."
"I understand. That's exactly why I need the AllSpark even more," Luke said, clearly anticipating what kind of attribute boost the AllSpark might bring him.
Logically speaking, the AllSpark was Cybertron's greatest treasure. It had to be a divine artifact on the same level as the Casket of Ancient Winters, right?
Seeing this, Bumblebee said nothing more. It fired an encrypted signal into the sky, calling for the Autobots to assemble.
After a short while, Bumblebee nodded, immediately reverting back into the Chevrolet and opening the door on its own.
"Please, get in."
"Hmm." Luke entered the car without hesitation.
Sam, however, hesitated.
"Sam, get in the car quickly. We'll be leaving soon," Bumblebee flashed its headlights as a reminder.
Luke shook his head and stopped it. "He doesn't need to come. What happens next isn't something an extra should be involved in."
"Unless… he's already prepared to die."
When Sam heard that, any lingering thoughts of resistance vanished the instant the word "die" was spoken.
With such terrifying giants involved, he would definitely die.
Sam felt an intense sense of envy toward Luke, who was like the protagonist of a movie—calm, powerful, and utterly reliable.
Hearing this, Bumblebee was about to close the door.
At that moment, Emma suddenly ran out.
"Can I get in the car too?"
"You?" Bumblebee almost wanted to laugh.
Are human children this overconfident now?
Sam also felt awkward.
If he couldn't go, why should an even younger child be allowed?
"Little girl, people will die, you know. You should stay home and behave."
Emma showed no fear at all. She spoke crisply, "Is death scary? It's just blood and flesh. If you're worried about my life, don't be. I'm already prepared to die."
"…" Sam couldn't hold back anymore.
The FUCK!!??? Do you even understand what death is?
Do you know what it feels like to watch someone die right in front of you?
Go back to your dad!
Luke glanced at Emma and said casually, "Emma, go home and be good. Your dad is waiting for you."
Emma frowned. "Is it because my father exists that I can't go?"
Seeing the seriousness with which Emma was pondering this, Luke's heart skipped a beat.
You're not actually thinking about how to logically eliminate David, are you?
"No. It's simply because you're too weak. It has nothing to do with David."
Luke quickly steered Emma's thoughts elsewhere.
He had no doubts about how sharp Emma's knife could be.
A ruthless character like Emma, who knew no fear, could probably make even Joker or Pennywise kneel and call her Mommy.
Sam and Bumblebee couldn't understand why Luke seemed to value Emma more than Sam.
Wasn't she just a ten-year-old child?
Sam was indignant.
He admitted he was scared, but was Emma's courage and guts really greater than his?
What a joke!
__________
12 Advance Chapters—Patreon.com/HornyFBI