American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

The pickup truck drove into the Tennessee countryside in the morning light. The scenery on both sides changed from cornfields to pastures, with the occasional cow grazing peacefully in its enclosure. This was a typical scene in the heart of America—tranquil and peaceful, as if all the dangers of the world did not exist.

But Lynn knew this was just an illusion.

His gaze darted constantly between the rearview mirror and the road ahead, alert for any potential threat. His pistol lay on the passenger seat, within easy reach. Though the magazine was nearly empty, it offered at least a little reassurance.

“You look nervous,” Sarah said from the back seat, having just woken up and rubbing her eyes.

“Just stay vigilant,” Lynn said.

"We've come so far, maybe they've given up?"

“They won’t give up,” Logan’s voice came from beside him. Though his eyes were closed, he was clearly not truly asleep. “Not after we took Victor. To them, Victor knows too much; a living Victor is a huge threat.”

“What about Victor, who died?” Sarah asked.

“The dead don’t talk,” Logan said, “but they’ll try to save him first, because Victor is also valuable to them. Only if they’re certain they can’t save him will they resort to killing him.”

“That’s so reassuring,” Sarah said sarcastically.

The pickup truck crossed a small concrete bridge over a shallow stream. Lynn noticed a fork in the road at the other end of the bridge; one road led to a small town, while the other continued along a country highway.

"Which way?" he asked.

“Keep going straight,” One-Eyed Dragon said, checking the map on his phone. “After about twenty kilometers, we’ll connect to the interstate highway. There’s more traffic there, so we’ll be safer.”

Lynn nodded and continued driving the pickup truck along the country road.

The sun rose higher, its rays bathing the golden wheat fields like a golden carpet spread across the earth. If not for their circumstances, this could have been a pleasant road trip.

“There’s a car ahead,” Storm suddenly said. She was in much better condition than yesterday and was able to sit up straight and observe her surroundings.

Lynn looked ahead. About half a kilometer away, two black SUVs were parked on the side of the road, looking like they had broken down. Several people were standing outside the cars, seemingly checking the engines.

“They’re probably just ordinary passengers,” Sarah said.

“Maybe not,” Logan opened his eyes, leaned forward, and stared sharply ahead. “Slow down, but don’t stop.”

Lynn slowed down, letting the pickup truck approach the two SUVs at a leisurely pace. When they were about two hundred meters apart, he noticed something was amiss—the men "checking the engine" were wearing almost identical black jackets, and their attention seemed entirely focused on the approaching pickup truck, rather than their "broken-down" vehicle.

“It’s a trap,” Lynn whispered. “Hold on tight.”

He slammed on the gas, and the pickup truck's engine roared as its speed suddenly increased.

The men's reaction confirmed his judgment—they immediately abandoned their disguise, pulled out weapons from under their jackets, and began shooting at the pickup truck.

Bullets struck the pickup truck's hood and windshield with a piercing metallic clang. Lynn instinctively ducked and jerked the steering wheel, making the pickup truck swerve to avoid the two SUVs.

“Behind us!” Sarah screamed.

Lynn glanced at the rearview mirror, and his heart sank.

Three other black SUVs sped out from a side road behind them, rapidly approaching. It was a meticulously planned encirclement, a pincer movement.

"Damn it!" he cursed, flooring the accelerator.

The pickup truck accelerated wildly on the country road, but it was just an ordinary old pickup truck with limited engine power, while the SUVs were obviously modified and much faster.

The two SUVs ahead have started moving and are in pursuit. The three vehicles behind are also closing the distance. It's five against one, and the enemy has a weapons advantage.

“We need to fight back!” the one-eyed man said, his hand already on the adjuster of his goggles.

“Wait,” Lynn said, his mind racing, “I have an idea. Hurry!”

He jerked the steering wheel, and the pickup truck veered off the road and into the adjacent wheat field. The golden ears of wheat were crushed under the wheels, raising a cloud of dust.

“Are you crazy?” Sarah screamed. “This will make us even slower!”

“They will too,” Lynn said, “and their numerical advantage will be reduced in the fields. Come with me.”

He drove his pickup truck zigzagging through the wheat field, using the undulations and ditches as cover. The SUVs hesitated for a moment, then rushed into the wheat field as well, but their formation was disrupted, and they could no longer maintain their encirclement.

“Logan, can you take down a few?” Lynn asked.

"In this kind of bumpy ride?" Logan roared, but he had already opened the car door and leaned half his body out of the car, his adamantine claws gleaming in the sunlight.

The nearest SUV caught up, almost alongside the pickup truck. Lynn could see the driver inside—a man wearing sunglasses, with a cold expression, his hands on the steering wheel.

Logan didn't hesitate. He jumped off the pickup truck and landed on the hood of the SUV, his claws piercing the roof. The SUV driver panicked, jerking the steering wheel, and the car rolled out of control, disappearing into the wheat field.

Logan jumped off the overturned vehicle, landed steadily, and then started chasing the pickup truck—his speed was astonishing, almost keeping up with the pickup truck as it slowed down due to the bumps.

“Come pick me up!” he shouted.

Lynn slowed down, and One-Eyed opened the back door, grabbed Logan's hand, and pulled him back into the car.

“One down,” Logan said breathlessly, “four more left.”

But the remaining four SUVs weren't deterred. They regrouped and flanked from both sides. Lynn could see the windows roll down and gun barrels protrude from inside.

"Get down!" he shouted.

A burst of gunfire rang out, bullets raining down on the pickup truck. The windshield shattered, shards of glass flying everywhere. Lynn felt something graz his cheek, a burning pain shooting through him—a bullet had grazed his skin, leaving a bloody gash.

“One-eyed dragon!” he shouted.

One-Eyed Dragon was ready. He leaned out of the shattered car window, his goggles gleaming red. A beam of energy shot out, striking the tire of the SUV on the left with pinpoint accuracy. The vehicle went out of control and plunged into a ditch beside the field.

“Three more!” Sarah shouted.

Lynn drove the pickup truck out of the wheat field and back onto the highway. On the smooth asphalt, the pickup truck could finally unleash its speed. He floored the accelerator, the engine whirred sharply, and the speedometer needle climbed steadily.

But the three SUVs caught up, and they were even faster. They formed a V-shape on the road, chasing their prey like three cheetahs. "Something ahead!" Storm shouted.

Lynn looked ahead and saw a truck parked on the highway, completely blocking the road. Several people were standing next to the truck—Lynn recognized one of them.

Jason.

The super-powered mutant stood in the middle of the road, arms crossed, a cold smile on his face. He had clearly fully recovered from yesterday's explosion and had brought even more helpers.

They were blocked in front and pursued from behind. They were trapped.

“I’ll deal with him,” Logan said, his adamantium claws already extended.

“No,” Lynn said, his eyes fixed on the obstacle ahead, “I have a better idea.”

Instead of slowing down, he accelerated, and the pickup truck hurtled toward the truck like a bullet.

“You’re insane!” Sarah screamed. “We’ll be run over!”

“No,” Lynn said. “Trust me.”

When he was fifty meters away from the truck, he saw what he needed—a ramp next to the truck, the entrance to a farm, with a slope just right for the vehicle to get over low obstacles.

He jerked the steering wheel, and the pickup truck veered off the road and lurched up the slope. The moment the wheels left the ground, Lynn felt as if his stomach had turned inside out.

The pickup truck flew through the air for about two seconds, passing over the cab of the truck, before crashing heavily to the other side of the road. The impact of the landing left everyone dazed and confused, but the vehicle was still moving, and the engine was still running.

Jason's expression shifted from confidence to shock, then to anger. He roared and began to give chase, but Pikachu had already created a significant distance.

"We did it!" Sarah exclaimed in disbelief. "We did it!"

“It’s not over yet,” Lynn said, glancing in the rearview mirror.

The SUVs didn't give up. They bypassed the truck's obstacle and continued the pursuit. And Jason—the super-strong mutant—jumped onto the roof of one of the SUVs, closing in on them as the vehicle approached.

“They won’t stop,” One-Eyed said. “We need more firepower.”

“Storm,” Lynn asked, “what can you do about it?”

Storm hesitated. "I'm not fully recovered yet, but perhaps..."

She closed her eyes and raised her hands to the sky. Lynn could see beads of sweat on her forehead and her face growing even paler.

The sky began to change. Dark clouds began to gather in the once clear blue sky, swirling and expanding at an unnatural speed. The wind began to howl, and the trees on both sides of the road swayed violently.

“Storm!” the one-eyed man warned, “Don’t push yourself too hard!”

“I…I can hold on,” Storm said through gritted teeth. “Give me a few more seconds.”

Lightning struck from the clouds, hitting the nearest SUV. The vehicle jolted violently in the electric shock, then caught fire. The driver lost control, and the car veered off the road and crashed into a roadside utility pole.

But this was Storm's limit. Her hands fell limp, her body went slumped into the seat, and she passed out.

"Storm!" Little Rascal shouted from the back of the truck, having been looking through the rear window.

“She’s just exhausted,” One-Eyed said, quickly checking Storm’s pulse. “She’ll be fine. But we’re on our own now.”

Two more SUVs were in pursuit, and Jason was on the roof of one of them. The distance between them was closing—the modified SUV was eventually faster than the old pickup truck.

Lynn's mind raced, searching for anything he could use. He noticed a sign for a small town ahead—"Knoxville, 15 miles."

Knoxville. It's a mid-sized city in Tennessee with hundreds of thousands of people, a police department, traffic, and surveillance cameras. If they could get there...
“We’re going to Knoxville,” he said. “They won’t dare attack us openly in the city.”

“Fifteen miles,” Sarah said. “Can we hold out that long?”

In response, a burst of bullets struck the pickup truck's rear fender, creating a row of bullet holes.

“We have to hold on,” Lynn said, his foot already floored on the gas.

The next fifteen minutes were the longest fifteen minutes of Lynn's life.

The two SUVs were hot on their heels, firing relentlessly. The pickup truck was a wreck—half the windshield was shattered, the body was riddled with bullet holes, and the left side mirror was blown off. But the engine was still running, the tires were still turning, and they were still moving forward.

The one-eyed man relentlessly retaliated with energy beams, suppressing his pursuers and preventing them from getting too close. Logan remained in the truck bed, protecting the unconscious Storm and the bound Victor with his own body—bullets struck him, but his healing abilities allowed the wounds to close within seconds.

The little rascal huddled in the corner of the truck bed. She had no weapons, no abilities—at least not the ones she dared to use. But her eyes were fixed on her pursuers, burning with a complex emotion.

Sarah found a pistol she'd salvaged from the gas station fight. Though ammunition was limited, she did her best to provide fire support. Each shot forced the pursuers to take cover, buying Pikachu precious seconds.

Jason tried several times to jump onto the pickup truck, but each time he was forced back by the one-eyed man's energy beams. He roared and slammed his fists into the roof of the SUV, leaving deep dents, clearly furious at failing to catch his prey.

“Ahead!” Lynn saw the Knoxville skyline, skyscrapers appearing on the horizon like lighthouses in the darkness.

"Hold on for two more minutes!" he shouted.

But the pursuers also spotted the city. They knew that once the target entered the city, the operation would become much more difficult. They began to gamble, with both SUVs accelerating simultaneously, attempting to intercept the pickup truck before it entered the city.

Jason made a crazy decision. He jumped off the roof of the SUV, arcing through the air before landing directly on the pickup truck.

"Watch out!" Logan shouted.

Jason landed in the truck bed, the impact shaking the entire vehicle. He stood up, his eyes filled with murderous intent, his fist already aimed at the nearest person—Little Rascal.

But the little rascal did not dodge.

Just as Jason's fist was about to strike her, she reached out and pressed her bare palm against Jason's face.

The moment their skin touched, Jason froze. His eyes widened, his mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound came out. His power, his memories, his life force began to be absorbed and flow into Rogue's body.

“Anna! Stop!” Logan shouted, “You’ll kill him!” (End of Chapter)