As soon as Howard Stark finished explaining, Rorschach immediately understood the situation.
Because the mechanical lifeforms—those Decepticons—left behind a special radiation signature, the detector S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed could identify places where that energy had appeared.
However, that only proved contact.
It didn't prove identity.
If the radiation appeared on a vehicle, it could mean one of two things. Either the car itself was a mechanical lifeform, or the vehicle had simply been near one.
Normally, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't hesitate to take the vehicle for inspection.
But this case was different.
The owner of the car was no ordinary civilian.
He was a general.
That meant Stark couldn't simply confiscate the vehicle without absolute confirmation.
Which was exactly why Rorschach had been invited.
Because the only person who could truly confirm whether something was a Decepticon… was him.
Rorschach understood everything instantly.
But a moment later his expression changed slightly.
"General Ross?"
He looked directly at Stark.
That name rang a bell.
"Wilson Ross," Stark replied. "Lieutenant General of the Seventh Air Force formation in the Western Air Defense Command."
Stark raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Do you know him?"
"Wilson Ross…" Rorschach murmured.
Then he asked another question.
"Does he have a son?"
Stark looked even more surprised.
"He does," Stark said slowly. "If I remember correctly, the boy is around thirteen years old."
He paused briefly.
"Why? Do you know the family?"
Rorschach continued calmly.
"What's the son's name?"
Stark thought for a moment.
"Thaddeus E. Ross, if I'm not mistaken."
That confirmed it.
Rorschach immediately understood.
This was that Ross.
The future General Ross.
The man who would spend half his life chasing the Hulk.
Which meant…
Somewhere out there right now was a young girl named Betty Ross.
Future scientist.
Future Hulk love interest.
Future cause of endless trouble.
Rorschach couldn't help thinking that the situation was becoming increasingly interesting.
"What's wrong?" Stark asked.
He had clearly noticed the strange reaction.
"Nothing," Rorschach said casually. "The name just sounded familiar. I must be remembering someone else."
He smoothly changed the topic.
"Mr. Stark, how many UB6 units have you found so far?"
The moment he asked that question, Stark's expression became slightly awkward.
"Rorschach," Stark said slowly, "things aren't that simple."
"We didn't know anything about UB6 before. The detector itself was only recently completed."
Rorschach waved his hand impatiently.
"You can just say you haven't found any."
Stark froze.
This kid really had no sense of diplomacy.
"Which means," Rorschach continued, "there's still no information about Megatron."
"No clue about any frozen location or polar region either."
Stark coughed awkwardly.
"Rorschach… those are classified matters. Even I can't reveal everything freely."
That answer was enough.
Rorschach immediately understood the situation.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered absolutely nothing.
Useless.
At this speed, when would they ever discover Megatron buried under the polar ice?
Still, complaining wouldn't solve anything.
"So," Stark said seriously, "if we manage to capture even one UB6 unit this time, we'll finally have a breakthrough."
Rorschach sighed inwardly.
Fine.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to move this slowly, someone had to push things forward.
And besides, this kind of situation might trigger a new mission from the system.
That alone made the trip worthwhile.
Without another word, Rorschach picked up the suit Stark had prepared and put it on.
Stark stared at him for a moment.
Then he sighed dramatically.
"Now I regret inviting you."
Rorschach raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Stark gestured toward him.
"You're going to steal all the attention."
Rorschach smirked.
"You're only realizing that now?"
Stark shook his head.
"You know something, kid?"
"You've got the same cool aura I had when I was younger."
"Really?" Rorschach said dryly. "Then I'm not honored."
"You should be."
The two continued chatting as they walked down into the underground garage.
Soon they stopped in front of a sleek silver car.
"Mercedes-Benz 220SE," Stark said proudly.
"This is the new tailfin model just released by Mercedes."
He tapped the hood.
"It's the first car to combine energy-absorbing crumple zones with a rigid safety frame."
"Very advanced design."
Rorschach looked at the vehicle briefly.
Compared to modern cars, it still looked extremely old-fashioned.
"But it's probably not UB6, right?" Stark joked.
"You sound like you hope it is," Rorschach replied calmly.
He opened the passenger door and got in.
Stark climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Moments later the car shot out of the garage.
—
Nearly forty minutes later, Stark's Mercedes stopped in front of a massive luxury villa.
The place looked like it belonged to royalty.
"This is the location," Stark said.
"A private high-society auction."
According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s information, several military-related items were expected to appear at the event.
That was why General Ross would be attending.
As soon as Stark stepped out of the car—
The reporters exploded into motion.
"Mr. Stark!"
"Howard Stark!"
"Over here!"
Cameras flashed nonstop.
Dozens of journalists rushed toward him immediately.
Stark was already a legendary figure in the public eye.
But today there was something unusual.
For once, he hadn't arrived with a glamorous female companion.
Instead, he had brought a young man.
That alone was enough to ignite curiosity.
Cameras instantly turned toward Rorschach.
Click. Click. Click.
Flashbulbs lit up the entrance as reporters tried desperately to capture every angle.
"Mr. Stark!"
"Who is your companion?"
"Is he a new business partner?"
"Is he your assistant?"
The questions came one after another.
Stark smiled helplessly and glanced sideways at Rorschach.
This was clearly his fault.
If the kid hadn't chased away his date earlier, Stark wouldn't be standing here alone with him under a storm of cameras.
Still, Stark handled situations like this all the time.
With practiced calm, he waved politely at the reporters and began walking toward the villa entrance.
Security guards quickly stepped in to hold the crowd back.
Surrounded by flashing cameras and excited voices, Howard Stark and Rorschach entered the grand hall of the villa.
.....
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