Wee-woo! Wee-woo! Wee-woo!
Shrill sirens tore through the night as they rapidly approached.
More than a dozen police cars screeched to a halt, surrounding the entire house in an instant.
Moments later—
Several black SUVs stormed in.
Doors burst open.
Heavily armed agents poured out, swiftly taking up tactical positions.
Above them—
The thunder of rotors filled the sky.
Two armed helicopters hovered overhead, their searchlights flooding the entire area in blinding white light.
At the same time—
A deep mechanical roar echoed.
Three vehicles smashed through the blockade—
And transformed mid-motion.
Optimus Prime.
Ironhide.
Ratchet.
Their towering forms landed heavily on the battlefield, completely sealing off Shūjin's escape routes.
"Release the young man."
Optimus Prime's deep voice reverberated through the night.
Shūjin calmly surveyed his surroundings.
Police rifles.
Agent weaponry.
Autobot artillery.
Helicopters above.
A perfect encirclement.
Carrying Sam out of this…
Would be troublesome.
He let out a cold chuckle—
And released Sam.
"We'll end it here today."
"We'll meet again."
The moment his words fell—
His figure blurred.
Then—
It split.
Into over a hundred palm-sized white paper figures.
Like snow caught in a storm—
They scattered into the air, swirling in all directions.
"Open fire!"
The agent commander shouted.
Gunfire erupted instantly.
Bullets tore through the sky—
But passed uselessly through the fluttering paper forms.
Under the searchlights—
The paper figures danced.
Faded.
Turned translucent—
And finally dissolved into faint specks of light, vanishing into the night.
Ironhide growled, firing a blast into the sky.
"Damn magic tricks!"
Ratchet quickly moved to Bumblebee, who had dropped to one knee.
Scanning the severe corrosion in his right leg joint—
"This is… some kind of highly acidic substance?"
"But the corrosion pattern is… abnormal."
It began emergency repairs while muttering in confusion.
Optimus Prime turned toward the NEST commander on-site—
Colonel William Lennox.
His tone carried clear dissatisfaction.
"You've deceived me again."
"What is that human with supernatural abilities?"
"Don't tell me you knew nothing."
Lennox raised both hands slightly, trying to calm him.
"I swear on my honor as a soldier—we truly had no idea."
"If we knew Earth had this kind of… supernatural threat, we would never have concealed it."
His gaze shifted toward Bumblebee.
"That man's abilities are beyond our understanding."
"I can't rule out the possibility that it's some kind of advanced technological disguise."
Meanwhile—
Sam stumbled into his parents' arms.
His mother hurriedly checked him for injuries—
Then froze.
On the back of his neck—
A strange black mark.
It was composed of intersecting lines and arcs—
A complex geometric pattern surrounded by multiple concentric circles.
"Oh my God, Sam!"
"When did you get a tattoo like this?!"
"What tattoo? I didn't!"
Sam reached back in confusion.
The commotion drew Lennox's attention.
He stepped closer, studying the mark carefully.
"These patterns…"
"They look like some kind of ancient occult symbol."
"Optimus, do you recognize this?"
"Occult?!" Sam's mother tightened her grip around him.
"What is going on?!"
Optimus Prime leaned down, observing the mark closely.
"This is not Cybertronian technology."
"According to Earth database records…"
"It resembles Taoist talisman patterns from an Eastern nation."
"But… there are many differences."
Lennox's eyes lit up.
"An Eastern nation… Taoist talismans?"
"And that man was clearly of Asian descent."
"That's a lead."
He immediately contacted command.
"I need a full list of experts in Eastern mysticism."
"Especially those specializing in talismanic studies."
At that moment—
Ratchet finished stabilizing Bumblebee and joined the discussion.
"My scans indicate that this mark contains structured energy."
"Similar to… a programmed energy circuit."
Ironhide snorted.
"So now we're studying witchcraft?"
"Not exactly," Optimus said thoughtfully.
"This resembles a form of technology we do not yet understand."
"That human's abilities may be based on this system."
He turned back to Lennox.
"You truly know nothing?"
Lennox was about to respond—
When a calm, steady voice interrupted.
"I'll handle the explanation."
Everyone turned.
A middle-aged man in a dark suit stepped out from the shadows.
Composed.
Sharp.
A security advisor badge pinned to his chest.
He nodded slightly to Optimus.
"Seymour Simmons."
"We do have some intelligence regarding tonight's incident."
"Return to base. I'll brief everyone there."
Then—
He pointed toward Sam's family.
"And bring them."
"Wait!" Sam stepped back in panic.
"We're not going anywhere!"
His father immediately shielded his family.
"This is our home. We have the right to decide—"
Simmons raised a hand.
Agents moved instantly—
Surrounding them.
"I'm sorry."
"This is not a request."
His tone was absolute.
"That mark means you are now facing an unknown threat."
"We must ensure your safety."
"You can't do this!" Sam's mother cried, holding him tightly.
But the agents—
Firm yet controlled—
Separated them and escorted them toward an armored vehicle.
Neither Lennox nor Optimus objected.
Because they both understood—
This was protection.
The enemy had clearly targeted Sam.
And it involved the AllSpark fragments.
Caution was necessary.
Before the convoy departed—
Simmons issued two final orders.
"First—"
"Pack everything from the house."
"Every object. Every screw. Nothing gets left behind."
"Second—"
"Have local police seal off the entire area."
"No one gets in until a full sweep is complete."
The operation escalated instantly.
Forensic teams collected debris in vacuum-sealed bags.
Even bullet holes were carefully cut from the walls.
Police established three layers of perimeter.
Helicopters circled overhead.
"Move out."
Simmons nodded to Lennox and entered the armored vehicle.
The convoy vanished into the night—
Leaving behind a devastated home—
And a heavily fortified lockdown zone.
...
Several blocks away—
Uchiha Shūjin stood in the shadows.
Through the mark—
He could clearly sense Sam's location.
And his movement.
A faint smile curved his lips.
The game of cat and mouse—
Had only just begun.
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