BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the ground trembled violently. Everyone watched in shock as the massive Decepticon was slammed into the earth with tremendous force.
The impact alone was nothing short of breathtaking.
Especially for General Ross.
Before the Decepticon could even get back on its feet, a blur flashed before everyone's eyes.
Alex had already leapt several meters through the air and landed squarely on the Decepticon's chest.
BANG!
His fist crashed down with unstoppable might, smashing a deep crater into the robot's armored torso.
Sparks exploded in all directions. Shards of metal scattered like shrapnel.
Even the Decepticon's Spark—the core of its mechanical life—was exposed under Alex's devastating blow.
If Alex destroyed it now, the Decepticon would be truly, utterly dead. Not even God could bring it back.
But he didn't. He needed this one alive.
"Cough! Cough!"
The Decepticon coughed violently—yes, even a machine could choke in the face of such overwhelming force. That one punch had nearly wrecked it completely.
It might be a mechanical lifeform, but it couldn't withstand the sheer power of hundreds of tons concentrated into Alex's fist.
And this was Alex holding back. If he hadn't… that one punch could've sent the Decepticon straight to robot heaven.
Yes, Alex was that terrifying now. Against a standard Decepticon, it was pure domination. He didn't even need his heat vision—just raw, physical strength was enough to crush them.
"Get… off me!"
A weak, growling roar came from the Decepticon. It gathered all its strength and swung a heavy punch toward Alex.
But Alex caught the punch effortlessly with one hand.
Then he raised his other hand… and pulled.
CLANG!
With a sickening metallic rip, Alex tore the Decepticon's arm right off.
General Ross and Howard Stark, watching from the side, nearly had simultaneous heart attacks. They looked utterly stunned, practically brain-dead from the shock.
"Between him and the robot, who's the real monster here?"
General Ross murmured in disbelief, staring at Alex's dominant figure.
"Who knows?" Howard Stark sighed deeply. "But I'm sure it's not the robot."
CLANG!
Another loud snap. Alex ripped off the Decepticon's other arm.
Then, with a casual kick—like he was kicking aside trash—he sent the limbless Decepticon flying off to the side.
After Alex's furious assault, the Decepticon was little more than a pile of scrap metal.
With its weapon systems destroyed and both arms ripped off, it was no longer a threat.
"All done!"
Alex clapped his hands and turned to Howard Stark, like he'd just finished a trivial chore.
"Alex, tell me you didn't kill it?"
Howard peeked out from behind cover, glancing nervously at the motionless Decepticon, then back at Alex.
"Nope. Still breathing," Alex replied nonchalantly.
"Whew…"
Howard let out a long sigh of relief.
They'd just managed to get their hands on another Decepticon. If Alex had smashed it to death, everything would've been for nothing.
A dead Decepticon wasn't completely useless, but once the last trace of energy faded, all that remained was a heap of rare alien metals.
"Stark… So it's all true?"
General Ross's voice trembled with disbelief. He walked up to Howard, eyes locked on the battered remains of the Decepticon.
He circled it, inspecting it from every angle.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would've believed that this mechanical behemoth… used to be his car.
Everything Howard had said earlier about mechanical lifeforms—no matter how absurd—was real!
"Yes, General Ross. As you can see, it's all true," Howard nodded seriously.
At that moment, General Ross finally turned his gaze from the Decepticon… and looked at Alex.
His expression grew even more complicated.
"Stark… Who exactly is this guy?"
Ross leaned closer, voice low.
"That's… a long story, General. Not something I can explain in a sentence or two," Howard replied with a helpless shrug.
"Well, Stark, I think we've got a lot to talk about."
Ross gave Howard a pointed look, clearly unwilling to let the matter drop.
Between his shape-shifting car and this inhumanly powerful man… Ross felt like his entire career had been a lie.
He needed answers.
"Of course, General. Anytime." Howard quickly agreed.
Now that Ross had seen everything with his own eyes, keeping S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret research under wraps was no longer an option.
Might as well face it head-on.
"God, what happened here?"
"What the hell is that thing?"
"Aliens?! Is that… an alien?!"
…
Though the fight hadn't lasted long—"quick and brutal" would be a better description—the commotion it caused was impossible to ignore.
People inside the mansion had already been stirred up.
One by one, guests came rushing over… and were left speechless by the scene in front of them.
The growing crowd gave both Alex and Howard a headache.
This was exactly what they didn't want: a public spectacle. Especially not at a high-society event full of influential figures.
If it were just ordinary civilians, a bit of hand-waving and cover-up could work.
But this? These were all big names. Not something that could be easily brushed off.
Damn it all…
"Mr. Stark, since things here are handled, I'll take my leave."
Seeing the scene getting out of control, Alex knew there was no point staying.
Without wasting words, he walked up to Howard to say goodbye.
Howard was already swamped trying to manage the chaos. He barely had time to deal with Alex.
Still, he offered a quick thank you and an apology… and watched as Alex turned and walked away, alone.
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