Chapter 164: C146
Jameson was thinking about it when he saw Anton's expressionless face and nodded helplessly. "Okay."
As the words fell, Anton took out his phone and clicked it indiscriminately.
Huh!
In the next second, a figure appeared out of thin air.
Batman!
Jameson's eyes widened as he looked from Anton to Batman, his expression one of shock, as if he had seen a ghost.
Keller remained very calm, as if he had anticipated this scene. "The teleportation device!"
He murmured to himself, seriously marveling at the wonders of alien technology.
Batman stood still, his avatar scanning the room. His eyes landed on the face of Secretary of Defense, John Keller, and his tone was calm.
"Secretary Keller, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Batman..."
Keller wasn't surprised that Batman knew who he was. As the Secretary of Defense, his face was well-known globally.
"We need for you because of the aliens..."
Keller repeated what he had said to Anton, addressing Batman directly.
In reality, Keller didn't know that none of the three—well, two—people in front of him were paying him any attention at all.
Jameson's gaze flicked back and forth between Anton and Batman before finally settling on Anton, his expression turning slightly hostile.
He had initially thought Anton was just fooling around when he claimed to be Batman, but now… Jameson felt like he had almost been duped into publishing a wild story!
Anton shrugged nonchalantly at Jameson, and Jameson nearly exploded.
If Keller weren't present, Anton would have surely faced the wrath of Jameson's indignation.
"I understand!"
The Batman avatar suddenly spoke, pulling the attention of the two back to the conversation.
"Secretary Keller, I have only one question," the Batman avatar said. "What is the relationship between the Justice League and the military—are we subordinate, or are we cooperating?"
"Nominally, it's subordinate, but in reality, it's cooperation." Keller didn't hesitate to answer. "You know, we've investigated your group. While we haven't gathered much, we understand your nature, especially your desire for freedom..."
He continued, "After discussions, we decided not to interfere with the internal workings of the Justice League. However, we hope that when necessary, as part of a military alliance, you will act in coordination with the military and follow its orders."
To be honest, Keller's terms were quite reasonable.
There was none of the aggression typical of people like General Ross.
It was clear that the military had conducted a detailed investigation into the Justice League's current operations.
Taking the advice of military staff, they presented the most reasonable terms—terms that the Justice League couldn't refuse.
These terms were far more appealing than the aggressive demands of SHIELD's black ops.
"So, we are an equal alliance," the Batman avatar said. "But with the understanding that the Justice League will only intervene in critical situations, such as an alien invasion. On this basis, we can share intelligence, including details about this alien invasion."
Sharing intelligence?
Keller's eyes gleamed, and he nodded with a smile. "No problem."
"Then, here's to a successful partnership," the Batman avatar said, nodding. He then looked back at Anton.
Both sides exchanged a brief glance.
Huh!
Another figure appeared in the room.
Cyborg!
Jameson saw this and didn't even bother to marvel.
As a media mogul, he was the least informed person in the room and had no power to complain at this point.
Keller's eyes lit up again. He was amazed by the teleportation device, now realizing its true potential. However, he didn't comment further.
The military committee had taken a soft approach toward the Justice League.
After thorough research and investigation, they believed that the Justice League's hallmark was their usual rejection of hardline tactics. The Justice League was more likely to respond to a soft approach and would not refuse cooperative overtures.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had recently conducted a poorly executed demonstration.
In short, according to S.H.I.E.L.D., it wasn't necessarily right, but at least it wasn't completely wrong.
Second, even if the Justice League possesses advanced technology, as long as the military keeps in contact with them, it can naturally try to borrow and use that technology after building a rapport, or, with the Justice League's permission, send researchers to conduct joint studies on alien technology.
It's worth mentioning that if the teleportation device truly originates from the NBE aliens, it's possible that the Justice League isn't the only one in possession of it.
The military could potentially seize other teleportation devices from other NBE aliens in future joint operations.
Keller's thoughts raced.
In front of him, Batman spoke to cyborg: "Show them the information about the Autobots and Decepticons."
"Understood."
Cyborg glanced at Keller, and the look he gave him felt as cold as that of a true robot—devoid of humanity, sharp as a knife, and it made Keller feel it on his face.
Then, the electronic eye on Steel Bone's right side projected a virtual screen. A giant metal planet was spinning.
"The Autobots and Decepticons are from the planet Cybertron. We named this mechanical race the Transformers."
"Cybertron orbits Alpha Centauri. It's a massive metal planet, similar in size to Saturn, Earth's neighbor. It's composed of various metal ores with different properties, which allow its inhabitants to take robot forms and other various shapes. It's the home of powerful mechanical life forms that transform between different forms."
"The Transformers living on Cybertron are divided into two major factions: the Autobots and the Decepticons. These two factions have been locked in civil war for years, depleting the planet's energy resources, which forced them to leave Cybertron, drifting through the universe in search of new life resources..."
"For some reason, Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons, came to Earth thousands of years ago, but he is currently missing..."
The room fell silent after this.
Keller was deep in thought.
"Megatron..."
He seemed to realize the true identity of the mechanical alien, whom he and others had referred to as "NBE-ONE" at Hoover Dam.
"But whether it's the Decepticons or the Autobots..."
Cyborg continued the explanation: "Their purpose for coming to Earth was a result of the civil war on Cybertron. They lost their energy source and crash-landed on Earth in search of the 'AllSpark.'"
"AllSpark?"
Keller's eyes widened as he glanced at cyborg, his gaze flickering. "What is the AllSpark?"
"A strange cube-shaped artifact," cyborg replied. "It's essentially the soul of the Transformers. It's the origin and the destination of their power. In other words, it can give life to machines and transform all mechanical objects into sentient beings like humans. It can also be used to absorb energy and create new life forms."
Upon hearing this, Keller's pupils dilated slightly, but he maintained a tight control over his expression.
"It seems you know where the AllSpark is."
Though Keller tried to conceal it, the Batman clone immediately saw through his attempt. His tone was calm but carried a weight that resonated with everyone in the room.
….
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