"Crash."
Su Ming placed a heavy silver-white pillar in the corner of the office, took off his uniform, and hurried to the bathroom to shower; the smell of burnt flesh and skin lingered on him.
Yes, he had returned to Marvel smoothly, and the plan... was generally successful.
Except for the adverse consequences caused by forcefully breaking into the Seventh District.
Megatron was dealt with, but perhaps the action was too fast, or maybe Red Spider once again sold out Megatron; the other Decepticons didn't come at all...
Instead, Su Ming and the Autobots engaged in a war in Egypt with the so-called "United Nations" army.
The assault on the dam itself wasn't a problem; they were just mistaken for aliens invading Earth.
Upon finding the Leader Module, Su Ming and his team intended to do good and help Earth dismantle the Fixed Star Extractor, but they encountered an army's siege.
In the end, the United States even fired ballistic missiles at them in the Pyramid, and the subsequent process was full of obstacles.
Aside from not seeing nuclear weapons, they encountered all conventional human military means.
It was only when Su Ming declared himself the alien leader and flew alone to the White House to have a "friendly conversation" with the president that he exchanged for a carrier rocket to help Optimus Prime and the others return to space.
The president was actually quite pleased because after the aliens left, he immediately delivered a televised speech saying the United States had defeated the aliens for Earth, calling it a glorious feat in human history, entirely due to the democratic lighthouse.
Next, he was set on making America great again.
At that Earth's White House, Su Ming also met the "Red-haired Woman" and the "Duke," members of the "Special Forces."
It seems the world really had converged, though it's a shame the previous convergence process wasn't seen.
Heroic figures are always very trustworthy; once he returned to Ark Two and Optimus Prime fused with the Leader Module, Su Ming received the reward he wanted.
An Information Processing Module placed in a large jar, a sub-tier Cybertron life form without limbs and unable to transform.
Su Ming knew not to rush things; now that the Pillar had become Cybertron's rightful ruler, he could cultivate a good relationship and exchange for anything next time by going to Cybertron planet.
The material civilization of Transformers is highly developed, but their spiritual enjoyment is far less than that of humans. For instance, Bumblebee has taken a liking to human music and movies, and much online culture has penetrated his core.
Next time, Su Ming plans to trade cultural products with them, including games, movies, novels, and comics, all of which should be valuable.
Bumblebee can stay on Cybertron; being Optimus Prime's trusted aide, it's good to have familiar faces to help with matters.
The next time Su Ming visits, he will skip that Earth and head straight to Cybertron, and upon landing, he must have a vehicle and guide, right?
The reason for carrying such a big jar back was partly the need for heat insulation when passing through the atmosphere, and partly because the era here is too early, making it discreet to disguise such high-tech equipment.
Su Ming finished his shower, dried his hair, and walked out with only a bath towel: "Adjutant, start collecting intelligence from radio waves, gather supplies."
A door on the tall white jar slid open, and a human race adjutant from StarCraft II emerged from inside.
"Yes, Chief."
Needless to say, this was another of Su Ming's personal interests. Although the adjutant Jim Raynor found appeared dilapidated, Su Ming felt a sort of incomplete technological beauty, like a cyberpunk version of Venus.
When Optimus Prime asked him what kind of thinking module he wanted, Su Ming immediately drew a diagram for him...
Optimus Prime's expression was very accepting of the time; the essence of Cybertron technology, yet with a human-like appearance, was proof of the friendship between the two sides.
He promptly ordered "Jack" to mold one for Su Ming with Se Alloy from the ship, containing a special analysis Matrix with primary Cybertron intelligence, what humans would call a super smart brain.
Autobots' thinking is actually very simplistic. After fighting side by side, they are good friends, and the newborn Cybertron life form, the Autobot "Adjutant," received a task from the Leader to help Deathstroke.
Unfortunately, the era in Marvel is too early, and Su Ming can't let her run everywhere yet. After a few decades, he will go to Cybertron to exchange for some resources to upgrade her and allow her to act independently.
It is now that Su Ming noticed the calendar on his office desk had reached 1943.
"What's Earth's current time, Adjutant?"
"Based on the just-collected information, it's now February 2, 1943, and humans are engaged in a massive civil war."
"Tsk, spent a few days with Transformers, and half a year had passed. It seems the first crossing between two worlds may have caused temporal shifts..."
Upon realizing this, Su Ming armed himself and returned to the DC universe.
Fortunately, nothing had changed. Entering the Origin Wall and using Jester's badge, he discovered he was still lying in Harley's apartment's single room, with Harley and Ivy laughing and drinking outside.
He returned to the point in time when he left, not a minute or second off, as if the later events hadn't occurred at all.
Su Ming felt at ease and returned again to Marvel. DC would face many issues, but since he now had plenty of time, he decided to wait until his power expanded a bit before moving his chess pieces there.
Su Ming picked up the phone and dialed Gin, asking him to come over as some information couldn't be understood through the broadcast.
Gin arrived quickly, as he had always been efficient for decades.
"Boss, you've been gone quite a long time this time." Gin took off his felt hat and hung his coat on the rack by the door: "The key thing is, none of us knew where to find you."
"Ah, it's my fault."
Su Ming smiled, inviting Gin to sit down and opened the bottle of wine on the table.
Not being found was the real goal, or else your boss might have been caught to work in Kama Taiji.
"I noticed there's a new piece of art in your office. What is it? A sculpture of classical art and future technology confrontation?"
Gin turned to scan the office and quickly noticed the Adjutant in the corner, displaying a puzzled expression.
Expecting people of this era to understand what robots are is challenging. In their minds, those things that exist only in science fiction should be covered with large sheets of metal, fixed with rivets and screws.
"Actually... it's a lamp."
Su Ming stood up and touched the Adjutant's head. The Adjutant cooperatively emitted blue light from its eyes, genuinely resembling a floor lamp.
"If you, boss, mysteriously disappeared for half a year just for a floor lamp, I can only say that the lighting effect and its size don't quite match."
Gin subtly mentioned his disbelief. He always knew the boss didn't use any magic or blinding technique but genuinely traversed the cosmos, and this thing definitely wasn't a floor lamp.
"Alright, Gin, you said you were looking for me. What was it for? Public relations has Jos, legal matters have Vodka, each factory has its manager, and moreover, you oversee the overall situation. I don't see any reason for me to stick around the office signing documents all day long."
Su Ming and Gin clinked glasses, diverting the topic.
Apart from initially handling the brewery operations due to manpower shortages, afterward, many things were handed over to Gin.
Gin was loyal and always available when called upon, making Su Ming trust him with the business operations without requiring too much professional knowledge, just keeping everything under control.
"Remember, boss, more than half a year ago you mentioned wanting to build a school..."
"Ah, of course." For Su Ming, it was only days ago: "Is it already completed? You haven't built just a small building for me, have you?"
Gin laughed and returned to the doorway to retrieve a map from his coat, spreading it on the table and brightening the lamp.
"Here, Vodka purchased a significant portion of land in Montauk Town, the easternmost part of Long Island, thanks to the stock market crash and World War, as it was previously just vast farmland with manageable prices."
"I estimate Jos also put in considerable effort. Undertaking a large-scale land purchase so close to New York must have required navigating through some paths."
Su Ming took a sip of wine, gazing at the map. If it was Montauk, then the scale of this school must be substantial.
"Fortunately, the local government expressed interest, as we plan to build a school. While Montauk yields grapes and carrots, more professors and artists should be more welcome compared to agricultural products."
Gin gestured across the map, smiling despite not every farmer being willing to sell their ancestral land; when Jos and Vodka teamed up and embarked, few could rival their rhetorical skills.
At the time, the farmers were persuaded by reasons like 'building a school will foster the future hopes of the United States,' 'your children can receive a quality education,' and 'Wilson Enterprises will be grateful to you,' combined with some purchase premiums, motivating many to relocate.
Nonetheless, some were greedy or uncooperative, and that became Gin's responsibility.
Remember, Wilson Enterprises was once a 'brewery.' In dealings with the underworld, logic wasn't always persuasive, and Gin's team of enforcers continued growing.
Only now, those people are legally armed corporate security personnel.
Whenever Su Ming saw these former street enforcers, now sharply dressed, energetic, with guns and money in their pockets.
He always felt gratified, considering his contributions to society significant.
"Tell me, how big is my school once completed?"
If it weren't the middle of the night, Su Ming would genuinely want Gin to take him there.
"We hired many construction companies, almost every campus bench involved dozens working simultaneously, completing the school's construction in more than half a year. It's virtually a mini-city, boss, covering 2000 hectares."
2000 hectares, or if square-shaped, 20 square kilometers—this number for Su Ming, who was Hua Country's nationality in a previous life, isn't much.
But in today's United States, this area for school construction is ample. For instance, in the future, Stanford University spans only 33 square kilometers, Duke University 40 square kilometers.
However, Su Ming also knew that Montauk's terrain, being on a peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides, likely means substantial land was acquired but usable space is limited.
Gin naturally explained this point. Fortunately, this wasn't a conventional school; rather, it resembled a training facility.
So in addition to the typical school buildings and facilities, it also possessed a swamp, a beach, and a vast forest.