Retracting the menacing, whirring mechanical arm, Bonecrusher addressed the other Decepticon. " I'm just toying with this human." After speaking, Bonecrusher leaped back into the dark chasm from which he had emerged. Roadblock, having acquired the glasses, saw no further reason to linger and departed in a different direction. Perhaps they considered the human boy an insignificant nuisance, as both Decepticons left without finishing the job, leaving Sam alive but terrified.
After the two towering robots had gone, Sam collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. The injury on his chest was only a superficial wound, but the terror of the encounter left him shaking.
On the street not far away, the two Decepticons who had been fighting Bumblebee also received the news that the objective was secured. They ceased their attack and promptly left the scene. Bumblebee did not give chase. He was a single Autobot, and with at least three Decepticons in the area, it was far too risky to pursue them alone.
"Sam!" The thought suddenly struck Bumblebee. The Decepticons' abrupt withdrawal must mean that something had gone wrong on Sam's end. He hurriedly followed the path of destruction to find his human companion.
When Optimus Prime and Ironhide arrived at the location Bumblebee had indicated, they found only the battered yellow Autobot and Sam, who now had his chest crudely bandaged. With a symphony of shifting plates and whirring gears, the truck and the pickup truck unfolded, transforming into the towering forms of Optimus Prime and Ironhide.
Optimus Prime asked with grave seriousness, "Bumblebee, where are the Decepticons?"
Bumblebee replied through his radio, cycling through various channels, "Clues... secured. Enemies... departed."
Optimus Prime did not blame Bumblebee for losing the crucial item. He said with comforting authority, "Your language module is severely damaged. Find an opportunity to have Ratchet treat it. If the clues are lost, then they are lost. We have other methods."
At this time, Sam carefully walked up to the towering Optimus Prime. Perhaps because he was afraid the giant robot couldn't hear him, he asked loudly, "Are you Bumblebee's partners? Can you please tell me what's going on? I've been hunted all night!"
Optimus Prime and Ironhide exchanged a meaningful glance. Optimus spoke a few more words to Bumblebee before turning his attention to Sam. "Young man, you are very brave. I am sorry that you have been dragged into this disaster because of us. Now that you are involved, it is impossible for you to completely stay out of it. You can come with us to a place where your safety can be guaranteed."
Sam looked back at Bumblebee, who gave him a reassuring nod. Without hesitation, Sam agreed. "Okay!" He still trusted Bumblebee completely.
The Autobots wasted no more time and transformed back into their vehicle modes. Sam got into Bumblebee, and they headed toward Tony Stark's laboratory.
Back in Tony's private lab, Tony, having momentarily escaped from his own research, listened to Optimus Prime's account of what had happened. After hearing the story, Tony said, "It doesn't matter if the clues are lost. I've already figured out the principle of the positioning device and have a solid improvement plan. I'll probably have a new version ready by tomorrow!"
"So fast!" Optimus Prime said, genuinely surprised.
"Of course. I'm a genius inventor," Tony declared proudly.
"I am consistently shocked by Tony's talent," Ratchet added in agreement.
"However," Tony continued, "you went out to rescue someone without calling me. My armor is specifically designed for this kind of situation!" After he finished speaking, he thought of something and looked at Sam, who was sitting awkwardly to the side. He said with a smirk, "Sam, right? What, sitting in a room with a real dude makes you nervous?"
Sam replied excitedly, "Mr. Stark, I'm so excited! You're my idol, and my father even bought shares in Stark Industries. I never thought you'd have actually established contact with aliens!"
"Haha! You have a good eye, kid!" Tony laughed. "Believe me, even though Stark Industries' stock has plummeted, it will soon go right back up again as long as I take action."
The next day at noon, in Tony's laboratory, Sam, Optimus Prime, and Ratchet watched as Tony expertly clicked away at a console. Bumblebee and Ironhide stood guard outside to prevent any potential Decepticon attacks. Under Tony's skilled operation, the black box on the workbench began to whir, and the projected model of the Earth began to rotate rapidly.
"I've imported data on the Earth's global energy field into the system, which has greatly reduced interference and increased accuracy. I've also completely rewritten your energy identification algorithm to make the positioning even more precise, and..."
"Mr. Stark," Optimus Prime interrupted Tony's enthusiastic rambling. "Could I ask about the positioning accuracy of your improved instrument?" He was not skilled in these technical matters and was not particularly interested in the details.
Hearing this, Tony stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "After my improvements, the positioning error will not exceed thirty kilometers, and the accuracy will be even higher as we get closer."
"Thirty kilometers... the error margin is not that large. We can finish a search of that area in half an hour!" Optimus Prime's voice became noticeably excited. They might be able to find the Allspark before the Decepticons.
At this time, Ironhide walked in, carrying a man who was tied up. The man was wearing a suit and had a dangerously receding hairline. "Alien visitors, let me go! You are provoking a direct conflict with the people of Earth!"
Ironhide addressed Optimus Prime and Tony, his voice a low rumble. "Optimus, Stark, this human was sneaking around outside, trying to get in, but Bumblebee and I caught him."
Upon hearing this, the tied-up man, Coulson, quickly tried to explain himself. "Big guy, I think you've misunderstood. I came here to visit Mr. Tony Stark, but I seem to have accidentally gotten lost."
Tony looked over and saw the tied-up middle-aged man. He felt a vague sense of familiarity, so he asked his AI, "Jarvis, has this person been here before?"
"Sir, Agent Phil Coulson was here four days ago, right after you held your press conference. However, you did not meet with him at that time. Ms. Potts met with him on your behalf."
"Oh, right," Tony shrugged noncommittally.
Optimus Prime said to Ironhide, "Put him down."
Ironhide said nothing, simply put Coulson down, and then sliced the rope with the blade on his arm. After being put down, Coulson stretched his arms, which were a little sore from being tied up. He barely managed to control himself from staring at the giant Autobots on either side of him and smiled at Tony. "Ah, Mr. Stark. I came here mainly to ask you about the alien robots, but I didn't expect your connection to them to be quite so deep."
At this time, the instrument on the workbench began to flash, indicating that the retrieval was complete. Seeing this, Tony didn't waste any more time with Coulson and quickly went to the workbench to continue his work. The projected Earth stopped at a specific location. Tony reached out to zoom in on the map and asked Jarvis, "Jarvis, where is this?"
"Sir, this location is on the border of Nevada and Arizona, near Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam. Testing has shown that the energy from the fire source is concentrated around this reservoir."
Tony kept adjusting the map position until it finally stopped, centered on the image of the Hoover Dam. "This is the largest structure in the area, and it's covered in thick concrete, which makes it perfect for hiding things. Jarvis, help me retrieve all available information about the Hoover Dam, and be sure to search the Pentagon's classified database."
After receiving the instructions, Jarvis quickly began to search for the information.
Coulson, who had been left to the side, heard Tony asking for information about the Hoover Dam, and his pupils contracted slightly. He asked, his voice tight, "Why are you looking for information about the Hoover Dam?"