Soon, Dante's proposal was put into action.
For him, it was just a matter of notifying Professor X.
"This way, we'll be colleagues from now on."
Dante shook hands with Linda, then with Amanadiel.
But the moment he touched Amanadiel's hand, the angel jolted like he'd been electrocuted.
He looked at Dante in disbelief.
"Dante, why do you have such a strong aura on you!"
"Aura? What aura?" Lucifer immediately grew alert. Amanadiel's expression now was even more intense than when he came looking for his child. "Why don't I feel anything from Dante? Explain yourself!"
Amanadiel glanced at his noisy brother, took a breath, and said seriously, "On Dante, there's a strong aura of divine creation."
"And it carries one-hundred-millionth of the All Father's true spirit."
"At the very least, it's equivalent to a living saint."
Lucifer's expression changed drastically.
He grabbed Dante's hand immediately but found... nothing.
Amanadiel knew his brother too well. He shook his head. "Don't bother, Lucifer. You still wield Hell's authority, and that authority has obscured your perception of the All Father's power."
"But for me, the aura of divine creation is too obvious," Amanadiel said, pausing to find the right words. "It's as obvious as a skunk farting on Dante."
Dante's mouth twitched.
"Amanadiel, if your education level is low, don't try so hard to explain. Although, that was… vivid."
"So, Dante, have you recently come into contact with anything strange?" Amanadiel asked. "This creation infused with divine life might not necessarily be alive itself."
Dante slapped his forehead.
Damn it.
It's Teddy, that foul-mouthed, five-poison little bastard.
"There really is something. It's a Teddy Bear doll. Still made of cotton and fabric, but alive and well. Proficient in every vice: eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and even smoking weed!"
As soon as Dante said that, he and Amanadiel instinctively looked at Lucifer.
After all, the former Archangel and current King of Hell was also proficient in every vice: eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and smoking.
Looked at that way, it wasn't that strange.
"I can confirm, it's definitely the Teddy Bear you mentioned."
"Father always liked doing this, giving life to inanimate objects."
"Moreover, this Teddy Bear wasn't created on a whim. Otherwise, he wouldn't possess one-hundred-millionth of the All Father's true spirit."
Amanadiel's tone was resolute.
Hearing that, Dante suddenly grew suspicious about Teddy's motives for entering the FBI Academy.
Was he really just brought there by a random delivery truck?
"Amanadiel, I put a tracker on that little bastard. Can you come with me to check it out?"
"Sorry, Dante. I cannot, nor do I wish to interfere with Father's decisions." Amanadiel shook his head. "Besides, Linda and I need to head back and pack before going to Washington, remember?"
Dante nodded. Understandable.
Compared to him, they'd obviously trust their Father more.
But there was someone present who didn't exactly get along with his Father.
"Dante! I'll go with you! I must see what kind of twisted schemes Father is up to!" Lucifer grabbed Dante's hand. "I can't wait to expose the old man's true face!"
Chloe frowned, but she knew Lucifer's hang-up about the All Father, so she didn't try to stop him. She just said to Dante, "Officer, I'll come too. Someone needs to keep an eye on Lucifer and make sure he doesn't go off the rails."
Dante nodded and opened a portal to the FBI Academy.
Chloe's expression instantly froze.
"What's wrong, Agent? So shocked by this little trick that you're speechless?" Lucifer said, dragging her hand as he stepped through the portal.
Dante followed right after.
In an instant, the portal vanished into the void.
...
Kansas.
After John picked up Teddy, he drove straight onto the highway, heading full throttle toward the farm his grandparents had left him.
The farm was in Smallville.
John's old '76 Chevrolet suddenly displayed terrifying performance completely unlike its worn-down look.
It exceeded F1 race car speeds without a single hiccup.
John even took his hands off the steering wheel occasionally to snatch chicken nuggets from Teddy's paw, but the car still maintained its blazing speed.
Maintaining that speed, the old Chevy roared straight into the farm, plowing into the large barn.
Except for a sliver of sunlight seeping in through the entrance, the interior was swallowed by darkness.
John and Teddy got out of the car and shouted into the blackness.
"Guys, we got it!"
The moment he spoke, several pairs of bright mechanical eyes lit up in the dark.
Massive Transformers stepped forward.
And the old Chevrolet that had carried them at top speed began to transform, turning into a slightly smaller Transformer.
If Dante were there, he would've shouted,
"Damn Bumblebee!"
"Ratchet, Hound, Drift, Crosshairs, how's Optimus Prime's condition?"
Ratchet shook his head, his steel brows furrowing in a strangely human way. "His condition is bad. This time, Galvatron and the U.S. Military joined forces. The pursuit even damaged Optimus Prime's Spark."
At that, all the Transformers showed expressions of grief.
"Didn't Teddy and I go find a solution for you?" John tried to cheer them up. "You said that to repair Optimus Prime's Spark, you'd either need another Spark to merge with his, or an energy source just as powerful to mend it!"
As he spoke, John extended his hand to Teddy.
Teddy's two comical eyebrows furrowed.
"Hey, buddy, what's the rush? You know how much it hurts to shove this thing into my body?"
"Damn, I really look like some little freak who'd shove anything inside himself for money or weed!"
Teddy's complaints were still filled with 18+ commentary, but his movements didn't hesitate at all.
He reached into his empty crotch.
After fumbling around...
He pulled out a cylindrical object from his cotton stuffing.
Its scientific name: Palladium Arc Reactor.
And its Master, everyone knew too well...
Tony Stark.
(To be continued.)