"Understood, sir."
Assistant Mark Harrison nodded immediately, fingers flying across the keyboard. After executing several rapid commands, he stood up and hurried out of the office.
Only after the door closed did Seymour Simmons turn to William Lennox, his expression grave.
"William, I need you to ensure the safety of Sam and his family at all costs."
"Especially Sam. He's likely the key to everything. Nothing must happen to him."
"It's already arranged," Lennox replied with a nod. "Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Ratchet will stay with them at all times."
"Good."
Simmons seemed to recall something and continued,
"I remember the Decepticons mentioning multiple times that The Fallen would return, right? And according to your reports, they've been searching for something across the globe."
"That's correct."
Lennox pulled up a global surveillance map.
"Over the past two years of covert conflict, we've tracked Decepticon activity in regions like Egypt, the Middle East, and East Asia."
"All centered around ancient civilization sites."
"Optimus doesn't know anything about this?"
"…No."
Lennox let out a frustrated breath.
"According to Optimus Prime, all Cybertronian history was stored within the AllSpark—and now it's gone."
"The only way to recover that knowledge would be to find another fragment… and revive an old Transformer who still remembers."
He clenched his jaw.
"If the military had handed that fragment over to NEST instead of hiding it…"
"Maybe it wouldn't have been stolen. Maybe those men wouldn't be dead."
"And now? That fragment revived Megatron."
"And who knows if there's another one out there?"
Simmons removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to steady his thoughts.
He understood Lennox's anger all too well.
That helpless feeling—
Of being held back by your own side—
Of falling behind, step by step—
It haunted him too.
"Blame won't solve anything, Captain."
He put his glasses back on, eyes sharp once more.
"If the Decepticons are targeting ancient ruins…"
"Then we'll turn every possible site upside down."
He gestured across the glowing map, circling multiple highlighted locations.
"Captain Lennox—you'll lead an elite NEST unit."
"Under the cover of anti-terror exercises, conduct on-site investigations in Egypt and other key regions."
"I'll coordinate with intelligence agencies."
"Every location that matches 'ancient legend' plus 'energy anomaly' gets top priority screening."
He paused, then added:
"And inform Optimus Prime."
"As leader of the Autobots, I believe he's… different."
"Have him dig into his memory. Any detail—no matter how small—could be the key to breaking this deadlock."
He looked directly at Lennox.
"We must get ahead of the enemy."
"..."
...
Meanwhile—
On the other side.
Following the address provided by Inabi, Uchiha Shūjin arrived at a safehouse in another district of Los Angeles.
Though "safehouse" might be too generous.
It was little more than a hastily modified apartment serving as a temporary base.
When Shūjin entered, Inabi was already standing by the window, peering through the blinds at the street below, his expression as cold as ever.
The fat man named Lide was slumped in a computer chair, completely absorbed in multiple news feeds playing across his screens.
"You're here."
Inabi greeted him without turning around.
"Mm."
Shūjin responded lightly, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on the unfamiliar figure.
"And this is…?"
Before Inabi could answer, Lide spun around the moment he heard a new voice.
The instant he saw another imposing figure—
His bloodshot eyes lit up.
His face broke into an eager, almost fawning grin.
"Boss! Another member of the organization?! Hello, hello!"
"My name's Lide—friends call me Ghost!"
"I'm currently working under Boss Inabi!"
He practically sprang out of his chair, reaching out to shake hands—
Only to freeze mid-motion under Inabi's cold glance.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, but the excitement on his face didn't fade at all.
"A local," Inabi said flatly.
"Knows a few tricks online. Useful for now."
His tone carried the characteristic Uchiha detachment.
This "subordinate" wasn't someone he truly acknowledged.
Shūjin nodded in understanding.
He looked at Lide with a hint of curiosity—and faint amusement.
A normal human who, after being placed under Sharingan genjutsu…
Didn't develop fear—
But instead, fanatical loyalty?
Interesting.
He smiled faintly.
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Lide."
"Not at all! Not at all!"
Lide waved his hands frantically, nearly incoherent with excitement.
"It's an honor to serve the organization!"
"Whatever you need—just say the word! I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Inabi had long grown used to this exaggerated loyalty and didn't even bother responding.
Shūjin, on the other hand, found it rather entertaining.
He walked over to the desk, glancing at the flowing data on the screens.
"Any new findings?"
"Yes! Plenty!"
Lide immediately snapped back into work mode, pulling up several windows.
"That video from the other boss has gone completely viral worldwide!"
"There are all kinds of theories floating around."
"From my analysis, the speed of its spread suggests Decepticons are helping push it."
Shūjin listened quietly.
His eyes drifted back to the footage—
Uchiha Mo's figure shifting between solid and intangible—
Cleaving through reinforced alloy doors like paper.
A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
So when he said we'd see him in the news… this is what he meant.
Bold… very bold.
And that ability—
That seamless transition between reality and intangibility—
It felt familiar.
He clearly remembered experimenting with the Main God's entry and exit permissions back in the ninja world.
That sensation—
Of consciousness detaching—
Of the body vanishing and reappearing—
As if briefly slipping out of the current layer of space—
It was almost identical.
But that was during non-mission time.
A safety privilege granted by the Main God.
Inside a mission world—
That ability should be locked.
So how…
Was Mo replicating it here?
Had he exchanged for some unknown ability—
Something that partially bypassed the Main God's restrictions?
Or…
A more dangerous thought surfaced.
Perhaps—
He wasn't just using the system.
Perhaps—
He possessed a higher level of authority.
Or something even more fundamental.
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