Chapter 43
The dealership paperwork went through unusually smoothly.
The manager stared at the check Yang Jian casually pulled out, eyes wide. Less than twenty minutes later, all documents were completed.
Mikaela gripped the shiny new car keys, still a little dazed: "So… this car is yours now?"
"Borrowing it to you for now." Yang Jian handed her the purchase documents.
"You have a driver's license, right?"
"Of course!"
Mikaela puffed out her chest, then lowered her voice again: "But earlier… how did we suddenly just…"
Yang Jian made a shushing gesture: "Let's go somewhere first."
He gave the address of a remote used car lot.
Mikaela frowned: "Why there?"
"To meet a new friend."
Ten Minutes Later
The brand-new Camaro pulled into a rusty used car lot. The lot owner's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He rubbed his hands and hurried over: "Sir, which one are you interested in? We just got some fresh stock last month."
Yang Jian walked straight to the corner where a dust-covered yellow Chevrolet sat.
"This one." He patted the hood.
"I want it now."
The owner and Mikaela both showed expressions of utter disbelief.
"Sir, this car is practically scrap," the owner said awkwardly with a laugh.
"How about looking at one over there instead?"
Yang Jian directly pulled out a stack of cash: "Is this enough?"
The owner's mouth opened and closed, then he took the money: "Deal!"
The owner left with the cash. Mikaela watched in confusion as Yang Jian climbed into the driver's seat of the junky car.
Even stranger—he started talking to the empty cabin.
"Wake up, Bumblebee."
Silence.
Then the radio suddenly turned on by itself. Channels flipped wildly before finally piecing together a sentence.
"You… are… who…"
Mikaela stepped back two paces: "Holy shit?!"
Yang Jian's fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel: "I know where the AllSpark is."
The entire car suddenly shook violently. Rusty doors groaned under impossible strain.
The radio frantically reassembled words.
"Prove… it… to… me…"
"Not here." Yang Jian pushed open the door and glanced at Mikaela.
"Get in the new car. Follow me."
The junk car was silent for a few seconds.
Then—
VROOM!
The engine roared with a sound completely mismatched with its battered appearance. Bumblebee reversed sharply.
With a beautiful drift, it stopped right in front of Mikaela.
The door popped open automatically. Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" blasted from the radio.
Two cars—one new, one ancient—drove out of the city side by side, heading toward an abandoned industrial area in the suburbs.
Mikaela gripped the wheel tightly, heart racing.
Through the rearview mirror, she watched the beat-up yellow Chevy weave through traffic with unbelievable agility.
It didn't look anything like the wreck it appeared to be.
"What the hell is going on…" she muttered to herself.
But everything felt like a puzzle. She took a deep breath and just kept following.
Twenty Minutes Later
They arrived at a desolate plain.
Night had fallen over the barren suburbs. All around was only the sound of wind rustling through dry grass.
Mikaela stepped out of the Camaro onto the gravel, frowning.
"Honestly, I don't get it. Why did we have to come to a place like this?" She looked around uneasily. "This godforsaken spot doesn't even have a streetlight."
Yang Jian didn't answer. He just looked at the beat-up yellow Chevy.
The next second—
Creak! Creak! Creak!
The sound of metal deforming suddenly rang out. Mikaela spun around, pupils shrinking.
The junk car was transforming!
Doors folded into arms, hood extended into chest armor, front end split and reformed.
In just a few seconds, a five-meter-tall mechanical giant knelt on one knee. Blue optics lit up in the darkness.
Mikaela stumbled back, nearly falling: "What the hell?!"
Bumblebee lowered his head. The radio channels switched rapidly before finally piecing together a sentence.
"I am Bumblebee. Cybertronian!"
"My God! What the hell is this thing?!" Mikaela's voice trembled. She instinctively hid behind Yang Jian.
Yang Jian smiled: "Now you know why we came here."
Bumblebee's metal fingers lightly tapped the ground. The radio continued to assemble words.
"You know AllSpark?"
"Of course. Hoover Dam. Sector Seven." Yang Jian said bluntly.
"Megatron is frozen there. The military has been reverse-engineering his body for decades. The AllSpark is there too. I can help you."
Mikaela listened in total confusion: "Wait—what are you two talking about? What AllSpark? Who's Megatron?"
Bumblebee's optics flickered, seeming hesitant.
Yang Jian turned to Mikaela: "Simply put—they're extraterrestrial mechanical lifeforms. They came to Earth looking for something."
"Aliens?!" Mikaela's eyes widened.
"So you already knew? Who the hell are you?"
Yang Jian shrugged: "Just a kind passerby."
Bumblebee's engine gave a low rumble. The radio continued piecing together sentences.
"How… can you… help us?"
"I can take you straight into Sector Seven." Yang Jian said calmly.
"Or you can stick to the original plan and wait for Optimus Prime to arrive."
At the name Optimus Prime, Bumblebee's optics flared brightly. He stood up, turned toward the empty wilderness, chest armor opened, and a blue signal beam shot into the night sky.
While Bumblebee sent the signal, Mikaela pulled Yang Jian aside and whispered urgently.
"Are you insane?! If these really are aliens, and the military is hiding another one… doesn't that mean we just learned a top-secret? They'll make us disappear!"
Yang Jian smiled: "Relax. They don't have that kind of ability."
"Where do you get that confidence?!" Mikaela was freaking out.
"I'm just a mechanic's daughter! I turned 18 last month! I don't want to get silenced!"
"Too late." Yang Jian pointed at the sky.
"Look—your normal life just ended."
In the night sky, four meteors streaked through the clouds, plummeting rapidly toward their location.
Mikaela's face went pale: "What the hell are those?"
"The Autobot leader." Yang Jian said softly.
"Optimus Prime."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four blazing meteors crashed into the open ground in the distance. Shockwaves kicked up clouds of dust.
In the smoke, four massive figures slowly rose.
At the front was a red-and-blue semi-truck that transformed into a robot over ten meters tall—dignified and steady.
Mikaela was completely stunned.
Optimus Prime's optics scanned the area and finally locked onto Yang Jian.
"Who are you?"
Yang Jian met his gaze: "Someone who knows the truth."
He pointed toward the distance: "The AllSpark is at Hoover Dam. Megatron is about to awaken. If you want to stop the Decepticons, you'd better move now."
Ironhide immediately became alert: "Humans can't possibly know these things!"
"Ordinary humans, no." A faint red glow appeared in Yang Jian's eyes.
"But I'm not ordinary."
Mikaela watched everything unfold. Her legs gave out and she sat down hard on the ground: "My God… what the hell did I just get dragged into?!"
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