At the end of September, a hurricane made landfall in Lone Star City. The storm surge thoroughly washed away the polluted port that the federal government had been struggling to clean up for a month, and also left the isolation zone in complete chaos.

  The most terrifying part was the research camp stationed near the coast. They were directly facing the hurricane, as if the sea itself was trying to drag the corpse of a sea giant back into the unfathomable depths. When the GFS issued a warning about the formation of the hurricane and its movement toward the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. military and expert teams worked tirelessly to secure the sea giant's body on the shore and relocate important equipment and samples. Despite their efforts, the overwhelming forces of nature poured down on them, and the command of the sea giant research project had no choice but to give the order for full evacuation at the last moment.

  Nemo was watching this scene through the storm. He was hiding nearby with Salamander, prepared to assist if the evacuation went awry or any supernatural phenomena emerged.

  The U.S. military, always prepared for the worst, had even made contingency plans for an alien mothership landing on the coast. As a result, their evacuation proceeded smoothly.

  KS man used his long, feathered back to shield himself from the hurricane's fury, wearing a raincoat that offered little comfort but kept him from getting drenched, occasionally sipping hot tea with chocolate to avoid losing warmth. Despite all communication being completely cut off, he kept watch over the sea giant's corpse on the shore for half the day.

  Just standing close to his comrade, Nemo felt his resolve and physical abilities strengthening. He could sense that Angie also felt the same from the warmth radiating from Salamander’s scales.

  If Nemo were part of the forces trying to steal the sea giant's body, this would be the perfect time to send in a superpowered thief. Luckily, the U.S. military was no fool, having placed heavy main battle tanks not far off on standby.

  When the eye of the storm passed, a strange calm overcame Nemo, making him forget his exhaustion. Without thinking, he looked up at the sky.

  At the most dangerous moment, the enemy didn’t appear. Perhaps they were intimidated by the military’s readiness or maybe even the superhumans feared being swept away by the waves. The hurricane’s immense energy didn’t seem to have any unusual effect on the sea giant's body, and the revival phenomena some scientists were worried about didn’t occur.

  Once the storm had passed and the military returned to the site, the massive canopy and scaffolding that had been used to shield the kaiju’s body were destroyed.

  Some parts of the sea giant’s remains, which had been loosely tethered, were dragged back into the sea. The remains had locator devices embedded in different sections. Exhausted, KS Man and Salamander saw that the military had regained control of the research camp, and they returned to the Grimm Group headquarters to report their findings to Matthew.

  "Previously, the research team reported that the fluorescent green substance filling the cells, the kaiju's energy, was supposed to mysteriously disappear as the cells degraded, right?" Nemo was certain that the Grimm Group’s experimental zone must also have sea giant tissue samples.

  "Disappearance doesn’t mean destruction," Matthew replied, placing a cup of hot cocoa in front of Nemo.

  Having just finished a hot shower, Nemo didn’t look like someone who had almost passed out in the shower earlier.

  Nemo had insisted on monitoring the sea giant's remains during the hurricane’s landfall and had used his superpowers during the communication blackout, exceeding his limits for nearly double the time. The curly-haired youth had nonchalantly said he was going to take a shower and change clothes, and Angie had done the same.

  Nemo barely managed to finish his shower and wrap himself in a bathrobe. Angie had collapsed in the corridor, and Matthew dispatched Salamander’s medical team to quickly attend to her. Given Nemo’s condition, Matthew figured KS was probably in a similar state, so he went to the rest area to check on him. He found Nemo, barely conscious, attempting to sleep with wet hair, and angrily dragged him to get an IV while drying his hair.

  Whenever Nemo began to feel drowsy, his digestive function weakened, a phenomenon Matthew had observed. At this point, an IV was more effective than food in replenishing energy. Of course, the best method was a combination of both. Relying solely on nutritional fluids wasn’t enough to support the consumption of a superhero.

  "Earth microorganisms can't survive on the kaiju's body. In other words, the remains theoretically won’t rot. So, I suspect the parts of the body that have decomposed and the disappearing fluorescent substance are undergoing a ‘concentration’ effect," Matthew explained.

  "That's why I had to monitor it—when I heard you and the experts discussing the possibility of the sea giant partially reviving, like the heart or brain starting up again. Even the Greens can infect ordinary people, so it’s clear that the kaiju's energy isn’t so easily destroyed. I’m guessing the bones are probably a safer medium than muscles or blood vessels, right?" Nemo couldn’t participate in large-scale battles, but at least this kind of observational warning task wasn’t too risky—just a physically exhausting job. He didn’t want to miss out on challenges that suited him.

  "The head has already been moved off the coast. According to ancient rules, the body and head must be separated," Matthew shrugged.

  "Next, are we going to scatter the ashes at the crossroads?" the curly-haired youth snorted.

  "The changes in the bodies of the sea giants and the East Coast Kaiju are also important research projects. If any part of the remains becomes especially dangerous, Michael will throw it into an active volcano, just like he handles other Fragments."

  "You mean he's been throwing all the Fragments he's collected into the lava?" Even though Nemo had already witnessed various bizarre acts by the world's wealthiest man, he still couldn't believe Michael's actions.

  "Tolkien has really led people astray! These experimental samples are so valuable, but we agreed not to meddle in each other's Fragment affairs. I had no choice but to let him do his thing, but it's clearly unfair! Did I have hands to pick up treasures when I became Leviathan?" Matthew couldn't help but express his discontent.

  "Does that really destroy the items?" Nemo asked skeptically.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "I'm not sure. Let's just consider Michael's stash as his personal vault. After all, there aren’t many people on Earth who could dive down and retrieve those Fragments, though I might be one of them. But I don’t know which volcano he threw them into," the billionaire admitted honestly.

  "If it weren't for a colossal opponent, you wouldn't need to transform into Leviathan," Nemo said. Since learning of Matthew’s superhero identity, he had been called in for help twice, but both times Leviathan’s actions hadn’t appeared in the media. Most likely, Matthew and Michael had gone into remote areas to secretly battle monsters.

  Nemo couldn’t get a clear number from Matthew, but Michael was obedient enough to report how often he had teamed up with Leviathan. Excluding the times Matthew had transformed on his own, Leviathan had transformed about once every three weeks on average. Given the monstrous workload of the Grimm Group's leader and the immense power of Leviathan itself, three weeks still remains a relatively frequent danger number.

  "Take it easy, Nemo. I know you've made progress, but I don’t like unnecessary risks," Matthew said, staring at Nemo's increasingly heavy eyelids.

  "Your 'necessary' number seems quite high."

  "That's why Michael and I need you to stay stable. Angie certainly doesn't want anything to happen to you."

  "How’s she doing?"

  "Salamander has also maintained its transformation for the longest time, requiring more detailed checks. So, you two are both fools!" Matthew emphasized the last word. "Is your superhero codename supposed to invite enemies to deliver finishing blows?"

  Nemo gave Matthew an exasperated look and downed his hot cocoa in one go. "If nothing else, I'm going to brush my teeth and sleep. I want to recover my combat strength quickly."

  "Where are you sleeping?" Matthew asked, his tone suddenly more sensitive.

  "In a safe house. If that doesn't work, then the small room next to your office."

  "The office lounge, no discussion," Matthew declared firmly.

  Nemo was very averse to letting unfamiliar researchers get close while unguarded. As for Matthew, he had been involuntarily taken care of by Nemo several times. Ordering the world’s richest man around didn’t give Nemo any guilt. After all, taking care of a tired Leviathan was quite the hassle. This guy would start moving around as soon as he regained any strength, and eventually even began to be picky with food! Compared to that, Nemo was easier to handle—he would eat when he could, and when he couldn’t, it was just IV fluids and proper sleeping posture.

  "Alright, I’ll inform my roommate. I’ll stay at the Grimm Group headquarters for the next couple of days." Originally, Nemo had planned to seamlessly transition from the sea giant observation mission to a hurricane night movie marathon with his Russian roommate, but he had overestimated his stamina.

  "You seem to care a lot about your roommate's opinion," Matthew remarked, a little sarcastically.

  "I work a high-risk, secretive job. Tolya is effectively my emergency contact. Reporting my whereabouts is part of the responsibility I gave him when I assigned him that role. Maybe one day, you'll need to get news about me from him," Nemo shot him a glance. "Usually, Angie and I exchange safety updates, but when we’re on a mission together, the backup choice is Tolya."

  "It won’t ever happen!" Matthew said confidently.

  "The more backup plans, the better. Isn’t that your motto?"

  "My point is, you won’t tell that Russian guy any critical movement information, in case he ends up like you or your former group’s colleagues—kidnapped and tortured to death. If he’s captured by the enemy as a superhero’s relative, he'd be more valuable alive as a hostage, threatening KS Man," the billionaire lazily smiled.

  "I’ll make my movements sound critical," Nemo said, licking the remaining cocoa off his lips.

  "You’re terrible."

  "Thanks for the compliment. If you’re still going to hang around the experimental zone, please take me to the exit. I’m about to fall asleep."

  "I’m going to watch you lie down on the bed, lock the door, and set the password before I’m at ease," Matthew said.

  The hurricane had caused them to lose contact earlier, and Nemo hadn’t retreated with his comrades during the storm. Instead, he had teamed up with Salamander to push the limits of his superpowers. Matthew found it outrageous and considered it a major infraction!

  ※※※

  Not only had the date changed on the phone, but even the natural breeze blowing through the billionaire’s office window had turned much colder. After one hurricane had swept through, Lone Star City seemed to have magically shifted into a new season.

  Lone Star City is located about seven degrees north of Taiwan, and thanks to the Gulf Stream and mountain ranges, the city historically experienced a mild, wet autumn and a short, rainy winter. Both seasons were marked by moisture! Extreme weather changes only occurred due to issues with the Gulf Stream or other factors. However, Nemo, who grew up in Taiwan where the seasons aren't as distinct, always thought of autumn as the time to switch to thin long sleeves and pants.

  Maybe it was because he had been in the rain for too long during the hurricane, but Nemo was starting to feel chilly again. It was all thanks to Matthew, who kept the air conditioning on 24/7. The heat-averse American was still sitting there, enjoying the cold air.

  The curly-haired youth lay on a single bed in the billionaire’s office lounge, scrolling through his phone. In the past, he would only visit the Meteor Shower Watchers Forum to browse rumors and hot topics. Now, with his own superhero inbox management system, the content he could access had expanded significantly.

  To prevent superheroes from being bombarded with spam, Matthew had set up an AI to automatically filter important messages from the heroes' inboxes. These messages could be genuine distress calls or criminal declarations. Even so, Nemo, being a relatively low-profile rookie superhero with no flashy powers or performances, had hundreds of "worthwhile" messages flooding his inbox every day.

  He could only imagine how much worse the inboxes of higher-ranking superheroes must be.

  Several emails stood out with gold-green stars next to the subject, indicating that Matthew had read them and recommended Nemo take a look.

  One of the starred emails was from an account called "Crazy Doctor Asian." Nemo recognized the ID. It was the same person who had rallied the Asian community to support KS Man when he first appeared on the superhero rankings, causing Nemo to rise by over a hundred spots in the rankings. Of course, "Crazy Doctor Asian " had also faithfully voted for him every day since then, always being one of the first.

  Subject: Help

  From: Crazy Doctor Asian

  Content:

  KS, I need your help with something important.

  Can we meet?

  Hako

  "Life really is full of surprises," the curly-haired youth muttered through gritted teeth.

  He stared intensely at the four-character signature, hoping it might be a careless mistake by a Japanese girl named "Hanako," but the gold-green stars seemed to mock him. There was no escaping reality.

  Nemo didn’t hesitate long. Anyone contacting a specific superhero through such a message was clearly in desperate need of help. The situation could not be delayed.

  Subject: Re: Help

  From: KS Man

  Content:

  Meet me at our last meeting place tomorrow. Alone.

  KS

  After replying with this brief message, Nemo wasn’t in the mood to check the other important emails. His focus had to be on this mysterious distress call.

  Why did Hako, the kingdom's delegate, reach out to him so subtly for help? Could the situation be serious enough to require the intervention of the Grimm Group behind Nemo? Why didn’t he seek assistance from other regional delegates or his own superiors? Could it be like S.H.I.E.L.D., discovering that their organization had been infiltrated by aliens to the point of becoming a sieve?

  If it were a trap, making the message public would be more effective, but if it was a genuine call for help, perhaps KS Man was the only superhero Hako knew and trusted enough to ask.

  After all, "Crazy Doctor Asian" had been voting for him daily even before he had any real combat experience, a true fan, or maybe even a stalker.

  Hako was currently the only Kingdom delegate actively showing support for superheroes. Nemo had met him a few times and had a basic understanding of his personality and abilities. Anyway, with his combat strength nearly restored, it was time to stretch his muscles.

  Regardless of whether the distress message was real or not, the significance behind it was much more serious than a prank.

  That was enough for KS Man.