Tolya drove the freight truck eastward, passing the interstate highway and entering the Louisiana state border. Along the way, he passed several small towns, but he never strayed from the highway. According to the map, he needed to pass one more town before entering the New Orleans area.

  The Russian made a turn at the last small town, switching to a side road that would lead to the old warehouse coordinates Nemo had given him—faster and more discreet.

  Just as they left the town and entered the outskirts, a taxi suddenly shot out from an intersection and stopped right in front of the truck, blocking the way. Tolya braked and gripped the handle of his gun with his left hand.

  The car door opened, and a tall figure stepped out. The taxi immediately drove off. The masked superhero, who had made a stunning debut during the giant bloodsucking mosquitoe incident and further cemented their presence in the battle against the sea giants, walked straight toward the truck—exuding an overwhelming presence like a model on a catwalk. A short stretch of asphalt road suddenly felt like a runway.

  Nemo’s so-called comrade-in-arms… turned out to be none other than the rising star of the superhero world, Salamander.

  The black-robed, masked superhero approached the passenger side—it was clear they were hitching a ride.

  Tolya put his gun away and unlocked the door. Salamander got into the passenger seat, and as they did, the sleeve of their robe brushed over the back of the Russian’s hand resting on the gear shift. The smooth, cool sensation was oddly ambiguous, making him instinctively move his hand to the steering wheel.

  "Salamander, I thought we were meeting at the rendezvous point," Tolya said.

  He liked superhero comics and movies, but he didn’t actually idolize real-life superheroes. The threats that came with supernatural powers were too great—especially now that Nemo had been drawn into this world of superpowered individuals. With an unpredictable and dangerous future ahead, Tolya found it impossible to admire superheroes.

  His apparent enthusiasm for superhero gossip and news was, to be honest, just casual banter and a way to cheer up his roommate. That said, he didn’t dislike superheroes either. They had, after all, bled and fought hard to do a lot of good.

  "KS recommended you as the driver, but since we’re unfamiliar with each other, I thought I’d say hello and let you adjust early," Salamander spoke in a clear, harp-like synthetic voice—it seemed they were another hero who used a voice modulator.

  "Nice to meet you, but I haven’t had time to put on my mask," Tolya said.

  Was this their real reason for showing up? A surprise hitchhike just to see what the driver looked like? That seemed kind of dull. But considering Nemo and Salamander’s relationship—close enough for Nemo to take care of an injured comrade—it was hard to believe Salamander didn’t already know who was driving for this hostage rescue mission.

  Hopefully, Nemo hadn’t babbled like a nanny, saying things like, "My roommate is an ordinary guy, please take good care of him." Tolya was an adult; he could take responsibility for his own actions. He didn’t need some unfamiliar superhero treating him like a child.

  Besides, wasn’t KS man mostly dealing with common criminals, spending more time in safe houses running surveillance and investigations? How did they even get close to Salamander? Tolya knew his roommate’s solitary nature—he wouldn’t casually call just any superhero a "comrade-in-arms." If Nemo used that term, it meant they had truly been through life-and-death situations together.

  Nemo had indeed mentioned that he usually worked solo and was still in the basic combat training stage, targeting domestic abusers or sexual predators who preyed on vulnerable victims. If he had been riding Salamander into battles, it would have made the news. This was probably one of the few times his roommate had unintentionally let something slip.

  There was another possibility—Salamander might actually be one of Nemo’s "comrades" from before his amnesia. That would explain why two superheroes with abilities unsuited for indoor or alleyway combat had such an unusual bond of trust. Even without regaining his memories, as long as their background checked out, Nemo would still acknowledge that connection.

  After all, Nemo refused to recover his memories to protect the secrets of his past comrades. The Grimm Group probably had ways to verify Salamander's identity, or maybe Salamander was the so-called "mutual friend" who had initially asked Matthew Grimm to recruit Nemo and help him with his amnesia.

  Damn it, Tolya was incredibly curious now—but he neither wanted nor could afford to ask the guy sitting beside him.

  "It’s fine. You can put it on now or later; it doesn’t matter," Salamander said, clearly unbothered.

  "Please fasten your seatbelt. I don’t want to get pulled over by a traffic cop," Tolya said flatly.

  "There’s no need. I don’t like being restrained. If we do run into an officer, I’ll just tell them we’re in a hurry to rescue someone."

  "Suit yourself," Tolya replied, completely uninterested in making small talk with an unfamiliar superhero. He started the truck. If Salamander thought it was fine, then whatever—it wasn’t like Tolya would be the one paying the ticket.

  They were comrades. He was just the roommate. He had no right to criticize the noble superhero. Hmph!

  For a long while, there was no conversation at all. Strangely, there was no awkwardness either—not because Tolya and Salamander had some kind of freakish natural rapport, but quite the opposite. It was just like how a delivery worker wouldn’t feel awkward about handling a takeout meal. He was simply a driver who happened to be transporting a superhero.

  The superhero, whose face was shrouded in black gauze, remained motionless like a statue—indeed, a humanoid reptile.

  The parking spot was near a small grove, about a kilometer away from the old warehouse. Getting too close risked having the truck destroyed the moment a superpowered battle broke out, or worse, letting the Kingdom representatives' families spot the rescue vehicle and impulsively hijack it to rescue their loved ones. Tolya was instructed to park the truck at the outer edge of the estimated combat radius, so the hostages, assisted by Salamander, could walk and then run before finally escaping by vehicle. This arrangement balanced both efficiency and safety.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  A bus would be too conspicuous and fragile, and Tolya had never driven one. More importantly, this truck was reinforced with internal bulletproof steel plates, military-grade run-flat tires, and bulletproof glass—standard bullets wouldn't penetrate it.

  Elastic ropes and nets were set up inside the cargo compartment, allowing the hostages to grab onto them to secure themselves. This was a clear testament to the intense, unwavering efforts of the kingdom organization's regional representatives, who, within a single day, risked everything to secure the release of their loved ones.

  "I'm going to transform." After saying this, Salamander got out of the truck and headed into the trees, disappearing into the undergrowth within moments.

  Taking the chance, Tolya changed into his camouflage combat gear, equipping himself with the weapons Nemo had provided. A driver on standby also had to be ready for battle at any moment.

  He just waited, but the Russian still hadn't seen Salamander’s combat team—the kind that looked human and could talk. Were they planning to rendezvous directly at the old warehouse? Wouldn't that make it too easy for the enemy to notice them? Theoretically, this was a high-difficulty infiltration and rescue mission. There were at least fifteen hostages, including men, women, and children. Extracting so many ordinary people in one piece would be no easy feat. There was no way they could rely on a single, non-verbal giant lizard—there had to be additional operatives.

  Salamander was clearly in charge of brute-force assault and tanking enemy fire.

  The moment the Chinese arrived, it would mean the hostages had been gathered, and the Kingdom’s superpowered delegates would then engage in battle against the traitors and the armed forces brought by the Chinese buyers. That would be the signal for Salamander to use the chaos as cover and start rescuing people. The surroundings didn’t look like a battlefield yet—there weren’t even gunshots.

  Everything seemed eerily calm.

  Just as the Russian was deep in thought, a massive, crimson lizard head appeared silently at the driver’s side window. Tolya had left the window open for ventilation, and his heart skipped several beats.

  It was like a scene from a monster movie—where a nameless driver gets grabbed and dragged out of the window by a giant creature, devoured in an instant. Some director had definitely filmed something like this before. Too bad Tolya couldn’t remember which movie, since it was such a cliché shot!

  Up close, he finally grasped how massive Salamander really was—easily large enough to swallow a person whole! Even though Tolya knew the giant lizard was just Salamander’s transformed state, he couldn’t stop his pulse from skyrocketing.

  Salamander strode to the front of the truck on their powerful four legs, giving Tolya a clearer view of the beastly form. Including the tail, Salamander was longer than the truck itself. The sinewy, armor-like scales made it clear why Salamander had been able to tear open a sea giant’s throat. If Salamander charged, they could probably flip the truck over without issue.

  Seeing that Tolya had no intention of getting out, Salamander turned and lazily started walking toward the old warehouse.

  What the hell? It was just a giant lizard—was Salamander planning to act alone?

  Tolya immediately dialed Salamander’s number using a disposable phone, though he seriously doubted how a lizard was supposed to answer or even dial a call.

  "Hello, driver. I am the relay communicator, responsible for transmitting your messages to Salamander and relaying Salamander’s messages to you. You may speak directly." A mechanical voice introduced itself.

  Looking more closely, Tolya noticed a device resembling a communicator attached to Salamander’s right foreleg. The giant lizard lifted their leg and swiped twice in the air.

  The sensor responded, and the crimson behemoth turned their head toward Tolya—seemed like the communication link was established.

  Salamander was one of Nemo’s comrades, which meant that Matthew Grimm was also their financier. Why did Tolya even bother with such a small issue? Must’ve been the shock from watching that giant beast change form.

  "Salamander, KS only told me to drive. I thought there’d be others working with you to extract the hostages, but so far, I haven’t seen anyone. That worries me—can we get everyone on board in time? What else should I do?" Tolya knew the longer the truck stayed put, the greater the risk. It was their only vehicle capable of transporting all the hostages in one go. If it got destroyed, everything would be over—not to mention they still needed the hostages to cooperate.

  Not even a single human assistant? Was Salamander just expecting Tolya to volunteer as extra manpower?

  Fine. He would.

  The giant lizard pondered for a few seconds, tapping the ground lightly like Morse code. A synthesized voice came through the disposable phone.

  "If you're scared, just stay in the truck and wait. I'll take care of the hostages. But if you’re up for it, come with me—help me get them on my back and keep them calm so we can get out of here fast."

  It was obvious that this message had been pre-recorded. The giant lizard had likely listened to Tolya’s concerns and then used a simple method to select a pre-numbered recording for the communicator to relay key instructions. It was better than having no communication at all.

  Since Salamander was already wearing a communication device, there would definitely be someone to relay Salamander’s commands when the evacuation began. However, having a friendly special forces soldier (albeit a fake one) nearby to reassure the hostages would undoubtedly be even better!

  Don’t ask why his arm patch had the blue-and-white wings of the "Survey Corps"—his entire gear setup was provided by Nemo. Tolya was already thankful there was no American flag on it!

  "You bet I do!"

  Fully geared up, Tolya slung his submachine gun over his back, grabbed two extra pistol magazines, stuffed them into his external ammo pouch, and stepped toward the giant lizard.

  The lizard clawed at the ground, writing out "Come up."

  Could it be what Tolya was thinking? This was way too thrilling!

  Tolya imagined what it would look like when Nemo and Salamander operated together. Perhaps riding? With so many hostages, Salamander would have to carry some of them on their back to evacuate efficiently. The massive frame was practically a perfect troop transport. The giant lizard hero had even used the word "transport" in the recording.

  Gunfire rang out in the distance. The battle had begun.

  The Kingdom was fighting superpowered individuals, and those firing the shots were most likely the armed forces brought by the Chinese buyers.

  "Alright, I’m getting on!" A once-in-a-lifetime experience!

  Muttering to himself, Tolya pulled on his balaclava and bulletproof helmet. His body, however, was far more honest—he climbed up the crouched lizard’s limbs, gripping the base of its tall dorsal feathers with his hands, pressing his arms around them, and lowering his body against the giant lizard’s back to avoid being swept off by bullets or obstacles.

  Salamander's long dorsal feathers weren't soft like down; instead, they resembled separate dorsal fins, capable of swaying side to side, vibrating at different frequencies, or folding flat against their back. At the moment, the hero had retracted them into a streamlined shape.

  The giant lizard gave a slight shake, ensuring Tolya was secure. Then in an instant, Salamander's body color shifted to blend into the surroundings as they dashed through the forest.

  Salamander wasn’t mindlessly charging forward—the hero was remarkably skilled at avoiding obstacles, minimizing any traces of destruction.

  The strangest thing was that despite Salamander's enormous size, comparable to a stretch Rolls-Royce moving through the forest, Salamander barely made a sound. Any faint snaps or rustles blended seamlessly into the ambient forest noise.

  Some kind of innate sound-dampening or shock-absorbing biological force field?

  Now Tolya understood why Salamander was responsible for transporting the hostages. What an incredible advantage.