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

Just as she was trying to refocus on the documents in her hands, a sudden, loud explosion came from the distant streets, shaking the entire building. Kate instinctively jumped up from the sofa, her heart pounding. The explosion was so loud it almost made her eardrums vibrate.

She rushed to the window, drew back the curtains, and saw a huge ball of fire on the distant horizon, illuminating the entire block. Then, thick smoke rose rapidly, almost obscuring the night sky. Kate's eyes widened, a wave of worry washing over her. She knew from that violent explosion that it was no ordinary accident.

“What is this?” Kate murmured to herself, her brow furrowed. Through the window, she saw smoke-filled flames; the crowd below seemed to be evacuating, but the road was still obscured by smoke, making it almost impossible to see what was ahead.

She immediately rushed to the door, put on her coat, grabbed her car keys, and dashed out without hesitation. She knew it was her responsibility as a journalist, but more than that, it was an intuition—this explosion couldn't just be an ordinary accident, or perhaps it was related to the case she had been investigating. She quickly started her car, sped away from her apartment, and headed towards the scene of the explosion.

Outside the car window, streetlights flashed by, and Kate's heart pounded faster. She wasn't sure why she was so fixated on the explosion; perhaps it was because it happened in one of Manhattan's busiest areas, or perhaps her intuition told her it was all connected to the mutant case. Kate didn't give herself much time to think; the car was already speeding ahead, heading straight for the source of the fire.

It was more than ten minutes later when she finally arrived at the scene of the explosion. Police and firefighters had already arrived, and a large crowd had gathered on the street; the police cordon was clearly visible. Kate parked her car in a corner some distance from the scene, quickly got out, locked the doors, and rushed to the scene. Police were setting up a cordon; the situation was clearly quite complicated.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" A police officer saw Kate approaching quickly and immediately reached out to stop her.

Kay steadied himself, held up his journalist badge, and showed it to the other person. "I'm a reporter from The Manhattan Daily, and I need to know the details."

The police officer hesitated for a moment, still watching her warily. "No one is allowed in now unless you have special permission."

Kate's eyes widened, a sense of urgency rising within her. She knew that a press pass alone might not be enough to get past the police cordon, but she wouldn't give up. "I understand, but if you tell me what happened, I'll make sure my reporting is beneficial to the public." She knew the police were just doing their job, but right now she needed to get more information quickly.

Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the crowd. Kate recognized him—it was Lynn. He was wearing a black trench coat and stood outside the police line, his expression grave; he had clearly just arrived at the scene.

“Lynn!” Kate rushed forward and stood beside him almost immediately. “What happened?”

Lynn glanced at her and frowned. "Kate, don't get too close. You can't imagine what's going on here."

“Tell me what happened,” Kate said, looking directly into Lynn’s eyes with a firm tone.

Lynn hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "I don't know the details either. The explosion happened a few minutes ago in an old residential building. We can't get inside now, but from the outside, the explosion was quite powerful. At least several people have been injured, and the exact number of casualties is still being confirmed."

Kate's heart raced, but she didn't stop asking questions. "Are there any indications that it was done by someone?"

Lynn took a deep breath, staring at the plume of smoke, his eyes filled with doubt. "We've just received preliminary reports that the explosion wasn't caused by an electrical malfunction or a gas leak. What's even stranger is that the explosion points inside the building don't seem random. Our initial assessment is that it was likely targeted at a specific location."

Kate's intuition told her this couldn't be a simple random attack, especially since Lynn mentioned a specific target, making the situation more complicated. She looked at Lynn, her gaze fixed on him. "Mutants? You think it's related to them?"

Lynn's expression became more complicated. "Everything is under investigation right now, but we can't rule out this possibility." After saying this, he suddenly noticed a few people in a corner in the distance who seemed to be discussing something anxiously, their expressions tense.

Kate's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed on, "So, what new developments have you made?"

Lynn hesitated for a moment, his gaze drifting towards the explosion site. "We just received an anonymous tip that might be related to an underground experiment. The explosion site used to be a private laboratory, a hideout for some illegal genetic research," he added in a low voice, "and these experiments could very well involve mutant abilities."

Kate's body trembled slightly, her doubts growing clearer. Images of the genetic mutation experiments and the rumors she'd heard about mutant powers spiraling out of control flashed through her mind. Her journalistic instincts kicked in; it all seemed to align perfectly with her previous investigations.

"The secret of the laboratory? What kind of experiment is this?" Kate asked.

Lynn was silent for a moment, then sighed. "We don't have concrete evidence yet, but these secret experiments may be related to some unidentified individuals. Those people are clearly very interested in mutant research, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve it." He pointed in the direction of the explosion. "This explosion may be evidence that someone wants to eliminate."

Kate's mind raced. She knew there must be a huge conspiracy behind this, and she might be able to uncover the truth. "We need more clues," she said. "If this really is a case of violence caused by mutants, there could be more similar incidents in the future."

Lynn stared at Kate, a complex emotion in his eyes. "Kate, you'd better not get involved in this case anymore." His tone was heavy, as if he were warning her.

Kate didn't back down; instead, her resolve only strengthened. "I know what I have to do, Lynn. Don't worry, I can handle it." Looking at the explosion site before her, thoughts of mutants, laboratories, and that uncontrollable force kept flashing through her mind.

Lynn left the explosion site, Kate's words and the information he had just received echoing in his mind. The Manhattan night was shrouded in fog, the streetlights casting a dim yellow glow on the hurried pedestrians. Car horns blared incessantly, the bustling activity seemingly endless. Despite the seemingly ordinary streets, Lynn felt an inexplicable unease. The clues behind the explosion remained elusive, yet he knew that some untold secrets lay hidden behind it, secrets inextricably linked to mutants, and even to those uncontrollable genetic experiments. His car moved slowly through the city streets, the scenery outside the window flashing past like images. Lynn gripped the steering wheel tightly, his forehead beaded with sweat. Despite his efforts to remain calm, his unease grew increasingly uncontrollable.

The car entered a narrow alley, where the surrounding buildings became more densely packed. Suddenly, a loud gunshot shattered the silence ahead. Lynn instinctively slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a screeching halt. The gunshot echoed through the alley, as if tearing apart the tranquility of the night. Lynn instantly flung open the car door, his heart pounding. He knew he was once again in a potentially life-threatening situation.

Without a second thought, he quickly drew his pistol and rushed towards the direction of the gunshot. The dim light in the alley prevented him from seeing clearly, but his ears caught the sound of hurried footsteps and another man's low curses. Clearly, the shooting had been a rapid-fire act of violence, but the perpetrator had already fled the scene.

Lynn rushed to the end of the alley and found a man lying on the ground, blood spreading and staining the dilapidated street. The man was pale, his hands clutching his chest, clearly seriously injured. Lynn bent down to examine him, his heart pounding. The wound wasn't large, but it was obviously fatal. The man seemed to have lost consciousness, and a heavy stench of blood filled the air.

He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed 911. "This is the FBI. There has been a shooting. The injured person needs emergency treatment. Please dispatch an ambulance and support personnel immediately."

The voice on the other end of the phone responded quickly, indicating that backup had been arranged. But Lynn knew time was of the essence; he had to ensure the injured person received some emergency treatment before the paramedics arrived. He checked the injured person's pulse and frowned slightly. The man was still alive, but his condition was extremely critical.

Just as he was about to take action, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps. Lynn looked up alertly and immediately pointed his gun at the source of the sound. A man in a black trench coat appeared at the alley entrance, his face showing tension and anxiety. Lynn's gaze lingered on him for a few seconds; his intuition told him that this man might be connected to the shooting that had just taken place.

"Who are you? Stop!" Lynn shouted sharply, his gun still pointed at the man.

The man's face turned deathly pale; he clearly hadn't expected anyone to be waiting there. After a moment's hesitation, he turned to flee. Lynn gave chase without hesitation, his footsteps echoing through the empty alley. As the man ran, Lynn's anger grew stronger—this man couldn't be innocent; he had to pay for tonight's shooting.

The two ran swiftly through the narrow alley. The man clearly had a speed advantage, but Lynn, thanks to his extensive training, quickly closed the gap. Just as the man rounded a sharp bend, Lynn finally caught up, grabbed his collar, and slammed him to the ground.

"What are you running from?" Lynn whispered, panting as he stared at the man on the ground, the gun pressed against his chest. The man's face was contorted in pain, clearly from a hard fall. He opened his mouth, but his throat was obviously constricted, preventing him from making a sound.

"Stop pretending!" Lynn snapped. "Tell me, who are you? Why did you shoot?"

The man's eyes were filled with fear and despair. He was panting, seemingly wanting to struggle but powerless. "I...I had no choice...they...they made me do..." His voice trembled, as if he was trying to squeeze out more words, but he could no longer speak.

"Who are they?" Lynn remained vigilant, his eyes still fixed on the man. "Why did you shoot?"

The man's eyes began to dart around, as if he was struggling with whether to continue. "I was just... I was just following orders..." His voice was almost inaudible, but Lynn could still detect the fear in it. "They ordered me... to eliminate those who know too much, to prevent the truth from being revealed..."

"The truth?" Lynn's heart began to race; all the clues seemed to connect at this moment. "Who are the 'them' you're talking about? What exactly did you do?"

The man's eyes grew increasingly vacant, as if he no longer had the strength to answer. Just as Lynn was about to press further, the sound of police sirens wailed in the distance, indicating that backup officers had arrived.

"Don't move!" Lynn warned, quickly pulling out handcuffs and cuffing the man. "Wait for interrogation."

The atmosphere instantly turned tense with the arrival of the police. Lynn stepped aside, handing the officer over to the officers. "He's the suspect; he just fired a shot here," he said succinctly, then turned and walked toward the victim.

The ambulance arrived quickly, and paramedics began providing emergency treatment to the injured man. Lynn didn't stop; she continued to check on the man lying on the ground. His injuries were still severe, but he was struggling, clearly not wanting to die.

"Quick, save him!" Lynn shouted almost commandingly to the paramedics. The medical staff sprang into action and began providing on-site first aid.

A complex emotion flashed in Lynn's eyes.

Just then, Kate appeared in the crowd. She quickly walked to Lynn's side, her eyes fixed on the injured man lying on the ground. "What happened? Another mutant?" Her voice was filled with urgency and confusion.

Lynn shook his head and took a deep breath. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that more things are going to happen. Everything is heading in an unpredictable direction," he said softly, his eyes filled with deep doubt and unease.

Lynn stood beside the ambulance, his gaze fixed on the man who had already been pronounced dead. Although the paramedics had done their utmost, the man's injuries were clearly too severe, and they could not save him. The fatal bullet had struck a vital organ, and within minutes, life had quietly slipped away in a pool of blood.

Kate, standing beside him, remained anxiously watching him. "Lynn, what happened? How are you feeling?" Her voice was low, her gaze never leaving the body now covered with a white sheet. (End of Chapter)