Bought for $250, Sold for $25,000

"Sam, what's up?"

After introducing herself again, Mikaela finally figured out Sam's name; whether she remembered it or not was another matter.

"Yes, I've come to see Mr. Russell!"

Sam was incredibly frustrated by Mikaela's attitude. Less than 36 hours had passed since Mikaela got into the Lamborghini, so what had happened in that time to cause things to escalate to this point?

Sam dared not ask, fearing he could not bear the weight of the truth!

"You're looking for Russell? You two know each other?" Mikaela was quite surprised. Although Deuluth City wasn't very big, this circle of friends was far too small.

"Yes, yesterday at the lake... I was the one who invited him there." At this point, Sam felt like he wanted to die.

Mikaela clapped her hands and smiled gratefully, "Ha, so that's how it is. This must be fate's arrangement."

No, this is the biggest mistake of my life!

"Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Russell... Russell." Seeing Russell again, Sam lost all confidence. If Mikaela wasn't blind, she wouldn't choose a loser like him if the two of them were put together.

The gap was too big, so big that even Optimus Prime couldn't save him.

"It's so late, and you're still out outside. Aren't you afraid your parents will worry?" Russell asked casually. In his memory, Sam's parents were a bunch of goofy people.

"Thank you for your concern, I've already spoken to them..." Sam took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of all his worries, and got to the point. "I came to you because I want to buy the glasses back. I couldn't sleep all night after the transaction yesterday, and I just couldn't live without them."

Russell laughed and said, "Don't say that. It's just a pair of glasses. You're exaggerating. People who don't know better might think I bought your girlfriend."

Sam: "..."

You did indeed buy my girlfriend, for only $250, you bought the safety of the planet and your goddess together!

"Oh, I almost forgot, this is the entrance. Let's go inside and talk!"

"No, my parents set a time limit. I'll leave as soon as I buy the glasses." As he spoke, Sam pulled out $250: "The money is here, I haven't touched it yet."

Russell pushed the $250 in front of him back, shook his head and said, "Sam, do you know why I was able to own a car repair shop in my twenties?"

Sam was completely bewildered. Why was he suddenly bringing this up?

"Because I'm good at business!" Shameless.

"What!?"

"I bought in at $250 and sold at $25,000. That's why I succeeded."

"..."

Sam's eyes bulged out; $250 increased a hundredfold in a day—that's outrageous! Even inflation doesn't move that fast.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Russell put away his shrewd businessman's face and said seriously, "Sam, I can't sell you these glasses. To be honest, I wouldn't sell them to you for 2.5 million US dollars."

"Why? It's just junk!"

"It's not junk, it's a pair of priceless glasses." Russell said with a straight face, "Last night when I was playing with the glasses, I found that the lenses were inscribed with a script I've never seen before. I'm pretty sure it's not from Earth."

Sam gaped in disbelief. The difference between people was too great. With the same pair of glasses, Russell could discover extraterrestrial civilizations, while Sam could only think of exchanging them for money and picking up girls.

"Sam, I've copied down the text above. Guess what I found?"

"What..."

"I compared the newspaper photos you posted on eBay and discovered a startling fact about your great-great-grandfather, Captain Witwicky." Russell stared directly into Sam's eyes, his imposing presence making the latter unable to meet his gaze. "The newspapers say that he suffered an accident during his Arctic expedition, went blind and went insane, and while in a mental hospital, he frantically wrote strange words and kept claiming that he had discovered a giant Iceman."

"So what?" Sam couldn't help but swallow.

"I compared the text published in the newspaper with the text on the glasses..." Russell lowered his voice and said, "Putting these clues together, your great-great-grandfather encountered an alien civilization, and the text on the glasses could very well be some kind of message that the aliens wanted to convey."

"You... you must be overthinking this. You know, this is absurd!" Sam was sweating profusely, his mind screaming: Optimus Prime, come quick! There's a monster here.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but that doesn't matter. Even if I fail in the end, I've still enjoyed the exploration." Russell said nonchalantly, continuing to delve deeper into the topic, "I suspect the writing on the glasses is a coordinate, the place where your great-great-grandfather had his accident. Aliens are using the glasses to transmit information to the outside world. There must be a vital treasure in the Arctic, a secret treasure of an alien civilization!"

Sam's mind went blank, but Russell's next sentence made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, instantly snapping him out of his daze.

"Sam, yesterday you sold me the glasses for $250, hoping to use the money to pick up girls. This shows you didn't know their value..." Russell raised an eyebrow and smiled meaningfully. "But today, you're acting very strangely. When I shared my hypothesis, you seemed very unnatural. Can I assume that you already know the secret of the glasses, and that someone else told you... that aliens have come looking for you?"

Chirp chirp!

A mechanical transformation sound rang out, and Optimus Prime, who had been waiting on the side, finally couldn't help but show himself. Russell had already guessed everything, and there was no point in him continuing to hide.

"Ah—ah!"

A giant robot, over 8 meters tall, transformed and strode in. The intense visual impact made Mikaela scream, but Russell covered her mouth, forcing her to swallow the rest of her scream.

At the same time, vehicles such as the Chevrolet Camaro emitted the same mechanical sounds, and fine cracks appeared on the brand-new body. The metal of the body moved continuously, and after a dazzling series of operations, four tall robots appeared in front of Russell one after another.

Optimus Prime stopped, bent down, and knelt on one knee, bringing his metal sledgehammer close to Russell's face. The series of unexpected events caused Mikaela to gasp repeatedly, and like a startled rabbit, she darted into Russell's arms.

Sam: Let him go, come at me with whatever you want!

"Hello, wise Earthling. I am Optimus Prime, a mechanical life form from Cybertron, the alien you've speculated to be." Optimus Prime first introduced himself, and then introduced his comrades Ironhide and the others one by one.

"The aliens can actually speak English..." Mikaela looked up and muttered.

That's normal; even the people from other worlds speak Chinese!

Russell responded mentally, then politely addressed Optimus Prime: "I am Russell, you can call me that. I'm hardly a wise Earthling. I guessed you were nearby, but I didn't expect it to be a car!"

After a brief introduction, Optimus Prime stated directly, "The coordinates of the AllSpark are recorded on the glasses. It was scattered into space due to the war on Cybertron, and we Autobots Decepticon are all searching for it..."

Next, Optimus Prime recounted what he had told Russell Sam, pointing out the terrible consequences of Megatron obtaining the AllSpark, while the Autobots would destroy AllSpark.

"If the Decepticon obtain the AllSpark first, Megatron will use it to alter the machines on Earth and build a terrifying army."

Ironhide chimed in, "Megatron won't consider himself a guest. He'll take over Earth, destroy all life, and transform this place into a suitable habitat for us Transformers."

"Therefore, we must find the AllSpark before the Decepticon!" Optimus Prime looked at Russell and said in a deep, metallic voice, "Russell, those glasses are very important. They contain the location of the AllSpark. This is not an exaggeration. The fate of Earth is in your hands."

Sam: "..."

This dialogue sounds so familiar; aside from the name, not a single word has been changed.

Russell nodded, took his glasses case out of his pocket, and handed it to Optimus Prime.

"!"

The process went too smoothly, far beyond Optimus Prime's expectations. Russell's actions were too hasty; after all, his assessment of who was better between the Decepticon and the Autobots was only one side of the story. In Optimus Prime's view, Russell's intelligence was undoubtedly among the best on Earth, and he shouldn't have so easily entrusted the safety of their home planet to a group of outsiders.

Russell smiled faintly, pointing at Optimus Prime and the other four Autobots: "Whether what you say is true or false, I have no choice, do I?"

Sam: "..."

Why did I believe it so easily?

Optimus Prime took the glasses and nodded deeply to Russell: "Rest assured, we have come to atone for our sins and have no intention of starting a war. In my name, Optimus Prime, we Autobots will never intentionally harm any human."

Russell smiled and shook his head, "That would be difficult, because humans can also decide whether to start a war."

"What do you mean?" Optimus Prime sensed the hidden meaning in Russell's words.

"Captain Witwicky is indeed insane, but there are 41 crew members with him. They are very clear-headed. The AllSpark has definitely been transferred, and there is a 100% chance it was the America government." At this point, Russell shrugged. "Greed is written into human genes. The America government would never hand over the AllSpark to you, even with the threat of the Decepticon."

Optimus Prime remained silent for a long time. "Hopefully... the AllSpark is still at the coordinates!"

Russell shook his head. As a good friend of Earth, Optimus Prime was a qualified hero, but as the leader of the Autobots, Russell could only say: He failed Cybertron!

Of course, this is just something I think to myself. As an Earthling, I would love to have as many aliens as Optimus Prime as possible!

"Bumblebee, you stay here to protect them. If you encounter the Decepticon, retreat immediately. Remember to stay in touch," Optimus Prime instructed Bumblebee, then transformed into a muscle truck tractor unit. "Autobots, let's go!"

Unable to participate in the battle, Bumblebee was very depressed. He sadly transformed back into Chevrolet Camaro and expressed his dissatisfaction through the speakers. "We promised never to let go of each other's hands, but reality says that love alone is not enough. When we reached the fork in the road, you went left and I went right..."

"Russell, what's wrong with him?"

I'm heartbroken!