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

Lynn didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked to the car window next to him, took out his phone, and dialed a number. His gaze darted between the deceased's body and the surrounding police officers. Although the situation was chaotic, he knew this was just the beginning, and many more mysteries awaited him to unravel.

The call connected, and it was Mark's voice. "Lynn, we've collected all the evidence at the scene, and the deceased has been identified as a 30-year-old man named Joseph Harris, who lived alone in the northern part of the city. As for his job, he was a truck driver for 'Pioneer Transport Company.' Our initial investigation revealed that his work was stable and didn't seem to involve anything particularly noteworthy."

"Does he have any enemies?" Lynn asked calmly, but every word carried a heavy weight.

Mark paused for a few seconds, then replied, "We haven't found any direct records of enemies. According to our information, Harris lives a quiet life, and his colleagues describe him as a very low-key person. Apart from occasional work-related disputes, he doesn't seem to have had any obvious conflicts with anyone."

Lynn frowned, filled with doubt. It was highly unusual for an ordinary truck driver with a stable job to be shot in the middle of the night. He didn't say anything more to Mark, hung up the phone, and turned to Kate, saying, "I'm going to check on him at the company and find out about his relationships. Maybe we can find some useful clues."

Kate nodded, clearly aware of the seriousness of the situation. "Then I'll go with you. I happen to be doing an in-depth report on this case, to get more details, and maybe you can get some new information from my colleagues."

Lynn hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, but you'd better keep a low profile and not let outsiders know your identity."

Kate naturally agreed; her professional instincts told her that the more complex the case, the less she should rashly reveal her identity.

The two drove to 'Pioneer Transportation Company'. Lynn's mood was heavy the entire way, his gaze constantly fixed on the scenery outside the window. Although the case seemed to lack many clues on the surface, he knew that every detail could be a breakthrough. He didn't want to miss any small clue; after all, he never trusted appearances.

Upon arriving at the company, the streets were still bustling with people, except for the main entrance of the transportation company, which was unusually quiet. A security guard at the entrance cautiously approached Lynn and Kate's car as it drew near.

"You are..." The security personnel looked at Lynn, their tone hesitant.

Lynn showed his identification. "I'm an FBI detective investigating the case of Joseph Harris. May I come in and learn some information?"

A flicker of wariness crossed the security personnel's eyes, but after seeing the identification, they finally nodded. "Please wait a moment, I'll notify the company manager."

A moment later, the company's manager, a middle-aged man, strode out. He looked to be around forty years old, wearing a simple suit, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes. "Detective Lynn, I'm Jason Phelps, the manager of this transportation company. I heard about Joseph's death; it's truly shocking."

Lynn didn't mince words and went straight to the point, "I need to know something about Joseph Harris. Can you tell me how he's doing at the company?"

Jason's expression grew even more somber. "Joseph is a regular driver for our company. He's always worked very hard and has no bad records. As a driver, he always completes his tasks on time, and his clients and colleagues all speak highly of him." He paused, as if recalling something, "However, in recent months he seems to have been somewhat depressed. Sometimes he would suddenly disappear, and once he even took a long leave of absence, saying there were some family matters."

"Family?" Lynn immediately grasped the key point of the sentence. "Do you know what happened in his family?"

Jason seemed somewhat embarrassed. "Well... I don't know. He hasn't explained it to me in detail. I only overheard him mention it once, apparently about his parents' health problems. Other than that, he hasn't said anything about his family to me or any of his colleagues."

Kate overheard this and quietly took notes. She knew that this seemingly simple information might be able to unravel part of the mystery.

Lynn then asked, "Could you give me the contact information for Joseph's colleagues and friends? I need their help."

Jason nodded, then provided a list of Joseph's colleagues and their contact information. "I hope you can find out the truth as soon as possible. Joseph was a good man; he shouldn't have died so unjustly."

Lynn briefly thanked Jason, then left the company with Kate and began contacting Joseph's colleagues one by one. Through their descriptions, Lynn learned that although Joseph wasn't particularly outgoing, he was well-liked at the company and hadn't had any heated arguments with any colleagues. The only minor conflicts seemed to be work-related frictions and disagreements with other drivers in the company.

As Kate continued her interview, she learned that Joseph had recently experienced several emotional ups and downs, particularly concerning his parents' health. Kate also learned that Joseph had taken an extended leave of absence from work, but had not disclosed the reason.

Just then, Kate's phone rang. She answered it; one of her informants was on the other end. She spoke a few words in hushed tones and then hung up. "Lynn, I just got word that Joseph may be involved in some illegal cargo transport. It's possible his parents' health problems have gotten him into this mess."

A hint of doubt flashed in Lynn's eyes, "Illegal cargo transportation?"

Kate nodded. "Yes, some people have heard about his unexplained income and even a few black market transactions. Do you think he might be a target because of some illicit dealings?"

Lynn was silent for a moment, then finally made a decision. “We must find more evidence to confirm these suspicions. I feel that Joseph’s death is not just a simple shooting; there must be more truths we haven’t yet uncovered.” The next day, Lynn arrived at the FBI office early in the morning. With a heavy heart, he sat down at his desk and began reviewing Joseph Harris’s dashcam footage. Yesterday’s investigation had uncovered some clues, but these clues were too scattered to present a clear picture of the truth. Lynn knew he had to find more evidence, especially those unknown secrets that might be hidden behind Joseph’s daily work routine.

He turned on his computer and entered Joseph's driving records from his time at the company. The data page quickly popped up, showing rows of transport routes, departure times, arrival times, and even the types of goods transported for each trip. This data, seemingly simple, gradually formed a vast network in Lynn's eyes. As he browsed through it, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Lynn noticed significant discrepancies in Joseph's transport records. His routes deviated from the prescribed paths more than once, especially during his so-called "private vacations." These unusual records raised questions in Lynn's mind. Normal transport should strictly adhere to the prescribed routes, and Joseph's deviations were clearly not accidental.

He carefully examined several particularly unusual routes. One, from last month, saw Joseph's delivery route deviate directly from the normal delivery point to a remote warehouse outside Manhattan, a location not listed as a legitimate delivery point in the shipping company's records. Looking at several similar records, Joseph consistently deviated from the company's prescribed routes on these deliveries, going to unknown locations, and even twice making late-night deliveries. Lynn's intuition told him that these were likely not ordinary work errors, but rather involved some clandestine activity.

Lynn dialed Mark's number. "Mark, could you help me get details of Joseph's transport missions over the past few months? I want to find out what's behind these deviations from the routes."

"Understood, I'll handle it right away," Mark's voice came through the phone, followed by the sound of typing.

Lynn leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, brow furrowed. He increasingly felt that Joseph's death was no simple accident. Why would an ordinary driver deviate from his route in the middle of the night? And, according to his records, this wasn't the first time. Perhaps Joseph was involved in some illegal activity, even a criminal network; all the clues pointed to a more complex mystery.

Less than ten minutes later, Mark called back. "Lynn, I found out. Besides the unusual routes you mentioned, I also discovered that Joseph was in charge of transporting a batch of 'special supplies' a few months ago. The specific contents of these supplies were not recorded, and there were no official documents related to them." Mark's tone was somewhat grave. "Moreover, the destination of that shipment did not go through the normal transportation review process."

Lynn's heart skipped a beat. "Special materials? You mean, he's transported illicit goods before?"

Mark paused for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure, but I found a company called 'Wall Street Freight.' There's no record of it being a legitimate freight company, but it has crossed paths with Joseph's shipping routes multiple times. I'll investigate this company's background further."

Hearing this, Lynn began to consider more and more possibilities. "Okay, Mark, keep following up. I need more details about 'Wall Street Freight'." Lynn hung up the phone, a bold guess suddenly forming in his mind. Joseph might be involved in an underground transportation network, one that wasn't just about smuggling, but could even be linked to larger criminal activities.

Suddenly, Lynn's phone vibrated; it was a message from Kate. Lynn opened his phone and saw a voice message from Kate. "Lynn, I just contacted some of Joseph's friends and got some interesting information. He mentioned someone named 'Mark Scott,' who seems to be someone he's been frequently contacting lately. It sounds like he might be one of Joseph's deals. This 'Mark' seems to have some connections in the transportation industry; I'm looking into his background."

Lynn stared at her phone screen, her doubts deepening. "Kate, give me more details. I need to know 'Mark Scott's' background."

Kate quickly replied, "Okay, I'm continuing to look into his information. Wait for my reply."

Lynn leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. He knew Kate's investigation might yield some breakthroughs, especially regarding those insider deals and hidden connections. Moreover, the name Mark Scott seemed unusual; if Kate's claims were true, Joseph's death might be linked to an entire complex criminal network.

A few minutes later, Mark called back. “Lynn, I found some information about ‘Wall Street Freight.’ This company is registered in the suburbs of Manhattan, and on the surface, it’s a regular freight company, but after digging deeper, I found that it doesn’t have a legal transportation license. More importantly, it has taken on several large transactions in the past few months, all of which were conducted without any formal documents or transportation agreements, making them completely illegal transportation.”

“Illegal transportation?” Lynn’s voice suddenly rose a few decibels. “Then can we confirm that this company is involved in some black market transactions?”

“Possibly,” Mark replied. “Moreover, this company appears to have an extremely complex underground network involved in smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal arms dealing. I’m continuing to investigate them.”

Lynn took a deep breath, and a terrifying image gradually pieced together in his mind. What role had Joseph played in this gray chain? He was clearly caught up in a deal from which there was no escape. And behind these deals lay a vast criminal network.

“Okay, Mark, we need more detailed information,” Lynn said in a deep voice. “I’ve decided to go to ‘Wall Street Freight’ myself and check it out; maybe we’ll find something.”

After hanging up the phone, Lynn knew time was of the essence. Kate had just messaged her; she had found some basic information about Mark Scott, and now it was time to uncover his true identity.

He quickly gathered his information and immediately got up to head to 'Wall Street Freight'. As he walked out of the FBI building, Kate called again. "Lynn, I found some information on Mark Scott. He's someone who's been involved in numerous illicit transportation cases; his name has appeared in several smuggling cases over the past few years. He doesn't have a good reputation in the industry and is clearly linked to some large-scale criminal activity."

Lynn gripped her phone, her gaze resolute. "Thank you, Kate. Now, I'm going to go to 'Wall Street Freight' and see if we can find any more leads there. You follow Mark Scott and see if you can track him down."

“Understood, Lynn. I will continue the investigation.” Kate’s tone was full of confidence. (End of Chapter)