As soon as Howard Stark finished speaking, Alex instantly understood his true intentions.
Because both the Decepticons and anything they'd come into contact with would emit a unique energy radiation, merely detecting traces of that radiation only proved that General Ross's car was suspicious.
But it wasn't definitive proof that the car itself was a Decepticon.
Under normal circumstances, S.H.I.E.L.D. could've simply confiscated the vehicle for research, regardless of whether it was actually a Decepticon or not.
But not this time.
Because the car belonged to someone important—a general.
So Howard Stark needed to be absolutely certain the vehicle was a Decepticon before taking any action.
And the only person capable of making that confirmation?
Alex, without a doubt.
That's precisely why Howard had brought him in.
Alex understood everything now.
Wait a second!
Just as he was putting the pieces together, something else clicked.
"General Ross?"
Alex's eyes locked onto Howard Stark.
Could this General Ross be that Ross? The future Secretary of State Ross?
"Wilson Ross. Lieutenant General of the 7th Air Division in the Western Air Defense Zone. Why? Is there a problem?" Howard looked puzzled by Alex's reaction.
"Wilson Ross? Does he have a son?" Alex asked after thinking for a moment.
"He does. If I remember correctly, the kid should be around thirteen now. Do you know the General?" Howard asked, surprised.
"Do you know his son's name?"
"Let me think… I believe it's Thaddeus E. Ross."
Bingo.
It was that General Ross.
Alex wouldn't have recalled the name on his own, but once someone mentioned it, it clicked.
That guy was Hulk's lifelong nemesis!
Which meant… he was about to meet the father-in-law of a future green rage monster—back when the guy was still a kid?
How amusing.
"What is it, Alex?" Howard's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Nothing. The name just sounded familiar. Probably just a coincidence," Alex waved it off casually before changing the subject. "Mr. Stark, can I ask—how many UB6 units have you found so far?"
Howard's expression immediately turned a bit awkward.
"Alex, it's not as simple as you think. We knew nothing about the UB6s before. Even the detectors we're using to find them were only recently developed…"
Howard's tone grew darker as he tried to explain.
"You could've just said you haven't found a single one, Mr. Stark," Alex cut him off flatly.
Howard Stark: "…"
This kid really doesn't hold back.
"So that intel about Megatron being in some icy location—you haven't found any leads on that either?"
"Alex, that's classified information. Even I can't just go around revealing it…"
That confirmed it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't discovered anything.
Bunch of useless morons.
At this rate, how long would it take before they even realized Megatron was buried in the Arctic?
"So you see, Alex, if we can confirm just one UB6 this time, it could be a huge breakthrough," Howard said solemnly.
Fine.
If it meant speeding up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation and getting them on the right track toward Megatron, Alex had no choice but to lend his pig-teammates another hand.
Besides, who knew? Maybe he'd even trigger a mission in the process.
He made up his mind quickly.
Without wasting more words, he grabbed the suit Howard had handed him and changed into it in one smooth motion.
"Wow. Alex, I'm starting to regret bringing you along," Howard said as he looked at the young man standing before him, handsome and stylish. "You're going to steal all the spotlight from me."
"You're just realizing that now, Mr. Stark?" Alex raised a brow with deliberate flair.
"You know, Alex… you kind of remind me of my younger self—charming, arrogant, and way too cool," Howard smirked, shrugging.
"Oh really? Then I don't feel honored at all."
"You should," Howard replied with mock offense.
The two of them bantered as they made their way to the underground garage, where a sleek, silver car was waiting for them.
"Mercedes 220SE. This is one of the latest fin-tail models. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Oh, and let's not forget—it's the first to combine an energy-absorbing deformation zone with a rigid body chassis. Cutting-edge stuff!"
Howard couldn't resist bragging a little.
Unfortunately, just like that old Cadillac from before, the car still looked incredibly outdated to Alex.
"But it's not a UB6, right?" Howard joked.
"You sound like you wish it was," Alex shot back as he hopped into the passenger seat.
Howard fired up the engine and peeled out, leaving a trail of smoke as the car sped away.
Roughly forty minutes later, the luxury vehicle pulled up in front of an extravagant mansion.
This was their destination.
Inside, a high-profile private auction was underway—attended by movers and shakers from across America's elite circles. According to Howard's intel, there was something there that caught the military's attention.
Which meant Wilson Ross would be attending too.
"Mr. Stark!"
"Look, it's Mr. Stark!"
"Howard Stark is here!"
The moment Howard stepped out of the car, reporters swarmed in from every direction. Flashbulbs went off like crazy, blinding anyone who dared look straight at them.
And when they realized that the famously flirtatious Howard Stark had brought a young man instead of one of his usual dates… they all picked up on something.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
They immediately turned their cameras toward Alex as well, curiosity piqued.
Who was this kid?
Everyone rushed to interview them, bombarding both Howard and Alex with questions.
Howard gave a sheepish smile, shooting an exasperated glance at Alex.
Damn kid.
Scared off his date and now made him look like a total oddball in the eyes of the press.
But Howard was no stranger to such situations. With a calm smile on his face, he strode confidently into the mansion hall under the escort of security guards.