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

Lynn nodded. "This means Charlie isn't just a scientist; he's been bought off by certain countries or criminal groups, becoming a tool for their specific purposes. The question is, what exactly are those purposes?"

“Perhaps we should find out Charlie’s last destination directly,” Mark suggested. “His most likely hiding place is somewhere with the closest ties to these military forces and pharmaceutical companies.”

Lynn wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes gleaming. "I agree. We need to find Charlie's current hiding place. Once we find his location, all the mysteries will be solved."

"Then what do we do?" Mark asked. "These companies have strict defenses; barging in might expose our identities."

“We can find their core base by tracking the flow of funds at ‘Roski Bio,’” Lynn said in a deep voice. “Charlie’s cooperation with them is no longer an open business transaction, but a deep-seated government partnership. We must rely on the flow of these funds to deduce their final base.”

Mark quickly scanned the data in his hand, then suddenly pointed to a number and said, "There's a huge money transfer here, amounting to tens of millions of dollars, from a military contractor called 'New Star Group.' This contractor has powerful political connections. We can start tracing the flow of funds from here."

Lynn's eyes flashed coldly. "'New Star Group' is very likely a bridge between Charlie and certain international forces. We need to find the exact location of this group and uncover the secrets behind it."

Without wasting any time, the two quickly gathered their materials and decided to launch a more in-depth investigation. Their goal was clear—to find the "New Star Group" and uncover the true nature of Charlie and these forces.

“This is the place we’re looking for.” Lynn looked at the map, a slight smile playing on his lips. “The ‘Nova Corp.’ base is located in this abandoned military base. They seem to be conducting experiments related to the ‘X-12’ drug here.”

Mark nodded. "It seems that Charlie's experiments are not limited to the pharmaceutical company; he has extended his research into the military field. We must act quickly to find out Charlie and the ultimate plans of these forces."

The two immediately began planning their operation, preparing to head to the military base.

Hours later, Lynn and Mark arrived at their destination in the Midwest—the abandoned military base. Located in a vast desert, the desolate landscape created an atmosphere of profound oppression. The base's outer walls were dilapidated, and thick layers of dust covered the iron gates and fences, clearly indicating it had been neglected for a long time.

“This place doesn’t look like an active base,” Mark said in a low voice. “It looks more like an abandoned military site.”

Lynn's gaze was deep. "Don't forget, 'Nova Corp.' has a powerful political background. Although this base appears abandoned, it's likely just a facade. Charlie and his collaborators may be using this base to conduct secret experiments."

The two quickly concealed themselves, bypassed the base's perimeter, and began approaching the main entrance. The base was extremely secure; although it appeared desolate, it was still heavily equipped with cameras and infrared detectors. Based on previously gathered intelligence, Lynn had already prepared hacking equipment.

“I’ll take care of it,” Lynn whispered to Mark. “You stay here and wait. If anything unusual happens, notify me immediately.”

Mark nodded, nervously observing his surroundings. Lynn moved to a secluded corner, quickly connected the equipment, and began hacking into the base's intrusion system. After a few minutes of operation, the alarm system was successfully bypassed, and the main door slowly opened.

"They're going in," Lynn said in a low voice, gesturing for Mark to follow.

The two quietly entered the base, where the interior environment contrasted sharply with the outside. It was well-maintained, and the equipment looked extremely advanced. Clearly, the base hadn't been completely abandoned but had been reused. The corridors were wide, the walls were equipped with various surveillance devices, and a security guard patrolled every few meters.

“This place doesn’t seem as open as we thought,” Mark said in a low voice. “We have to be careful; we could run into something unexpected at any moment.”

Lynn didn't say much, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings. They slowly walked down the corridor, approaching a room marked "Laboratory." According to previous intelligence, Charlie's core laboratory was located here.

“We’re here.” Lynn stopped and said in a low voice, “We must go inside and find Charlie’s research data.”

They quietly entered the room, where the scene inside was completely different from the laboratory outside. This was a highly classified research area, filled with various equipment and reagents. On the central lab bench, test tubes and bottles of reagents sat quietly, emitting a strange odor.

Lynn quickly scanned the documents and equipment in the room. "This is Charlie's research lab. His drug development is in its final stages, and the experimental data and samples are all here."

Mark opened a document. "The drugs here seem to be more than just for enhancing physical strength; they're designed to control the body's genes and may even activate certain latent superpowers."

Lynn stared at the experimental data in front of him. "That's right, this data proves our previous guess. Charlie's ultimate goal is to create a drug that can activate superpowers in human genes. This is not just for combat power, but to give test subjects superhuman abilities through genetic modification."

“This is terrifying.” Mark was stunned. “If this drug is widely used, the consequences are unimaginable.”

“We have to destroy this data immediately and stop Charlie’s plan,” Lynn said, as he rapidly operated the equipment, attempting to destroy all the relevant documents.

However, at that moment, the laboratory door was suddenly kicked open, and several fully armed security personnel rushed in, their guns pointed at Lynn and Mark.

"Don't move!" one of the security guards shouted. "You're surrounded!"

The moment the security personnel stormed into the lab, Lynn and Mark had almost no time to react. Several armed security guards stood in the doorway, their guns pointed directly at them. Lynn and Mark instinctively dodged to the side, reacting swiftly. A tense atmosphere filled the air, and after a few seconds of standoff, a fierce battle suddenly erupted.

"Move!" Lynn commanded in a low voice, instantly distancing himself from the security personnel. He quickly crouched down, nimbly circled around to the table, flipped over a bottle or jar, and hurled it at the security guards at the door. The bottle struck the ground with a loud cracking sound, and the thick smoke that instantly obscured the guards' vision. Lynn seized the opportunity to grab a laboratory syringe, aimed it at one of the security guards, and precisely injected him into the leg.

"Ah!" the security guard cried out, collapsing to the ground, the numbness in his leg quickly rendering him unable to stand. Mark had already seized the opportunity, pointing his gun at another security guard from the side and pulling the trigger. The bullet struck the man's shoulder, forcing him to stumble back a few steps, but not immediately fatally. The security guard abruptly rolled over and threw himself to the ground, quickly returning fire. Gunshots echoed through the laboratory, filling the entire space with a tense atmosphere.

"Quick!" Lynn shouted, leaping to dodge an incoming bullet and running towards the lab's exit. He had only one goal—to escape the base and find Charlie's final destination.

Mark followed closely behind, quickly lunging at the nearby filing cabinet and forcefully pushing it over to create cover, temporarily shielding the security personnel from the gunfire. Meanwhile, Lynn began searching for the emergency exit buttons on the wall.

"There's no time! We have to get out!" Lynn shouted.

As the security personnel drew closer, Lynn pressed the emergency exit button. The door swung open, but didn't fully reveal the exit. Lynn knew this was just a hidden passage and he had to get through quickly.

“Keep coming with me!” Lynn rushed out of the door and led Mark through the narrow corridor. The two walked almost side by side, each step careful and quick. As their footsteps echoed, the sound of pursuit grew increasingly urgent behind them. The security personnel were clearly not going to give up on them easily.

“These guys are fast,” Mark said, panting. “We need to find a way to escape.”

Lynn glanced back and saw more and more security personnel rushing into the corridor. He gritted his teeth, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. "Let's go to the parking lot first; we should be able to find the car we arranged in advance there."

"Understood." Mark said no more and quickly followed.

They ran through the base's underground passages, the faint sound of security personnel's footsteps echoing around the corner ahead. Lynn whispered a reminder: "Quick, turn right, quick!"

They circled around corner after corner until they finally saw the parking lot exit in the distance. Several black military vehicles were parked not far away. Lynn and Mark rushed towards them almost without hesitation, their hearts pounding in their chests.

However, just as they had taken half a step, two fully armed security personnel suddenly rushed out from a door on their right. They quickly raised their guns, locked onto their targets, and pointed them directly at Lynn and Mark.

"Don't move! Surrender now!" one of the security guards shouted.

Lynn's heart leaped into his throat, but he remained calm. He nodded slightly to Mark, then swiftly dodged the bullets aimed at him with lightning speed. At the same time, he pulled a flashbang from his waist, pulled the pin, and hurled it at the two security guards.

The flashbang traced a bright arc through the air, followed by a blinding flash and a deafening roar. The security personnel's eyes were instantly stung by the flash, their vision completely impaired, making it impossible for them to aim accurately.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lynn rolled to the side, quickly stood up, and fired without hesitation. The bullet struck one of the security guards in the shoulder, and the man fell to the ground in pain, his weapon dropping. Before the other security guard could regain his sight, Lynn shot him in the leg, knocking him to the ground.

"Go!" Lynn commanded in a low voice, and quickly ran towards the exit of the parking lot.

Mark followed closely behind, and the two finally arrived at the designated vehicle. Lynn opened the car door without hesitation and started the engine. "Get in!"

The car started quickly and sped out of the base's parking lot. However, they hadn't gone far when they saw a convoy of military vehicles following closely behind in their rearview mirror. Clearly, security personnel had noticed their escape and were giving chase.

“They’ll catch up with us soon,” Mark said anxiously, glancing in the rearview mirror. “We can’t just drive straight back to the city.”

“I know,” Lynn replied calmly, turning the car onto a secluded side road. “We need to shake them off and find somewhere to hide.”

Driving through several deserted streets, Lynn skillfully maneuvered the off-road vehicle, relying on his familiarity with the terrain, and traversed the edge of the desert. The pursuers behind him weren't so easy to catch up with, but Lynn knew that the security personnel had abundant resources and they would likely launch a new pursuit soon.

“Keep going. There’s an abandoned factory here; we should be able to hide here for a while.” Lynn quickened his pace, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The car entered the area of ​​the abandoned factory, where the surrounding buildings had long been eroded by time, with rust and dust covering the entire area. Lynn skillfully drove the car into a secluded parking lot, and after parking, they quickly got out and hid in the shadows of the factory.

“We should be safe for now,” Lynn said in a low voice, “but that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. We need to be even more careful on the road ahead.”

Mark wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with tension. "What if the security personnel come after us again? What will we do?"

“We’ll try to contact headquarters via radio to get more support,” Lynn quickly assessed the situation. “But right now, the most important task is to find Charlie’s final base. Only when we completely uncover his secrets will this chase be meaningful.”

After a short rest, Lynn and Mark began to reorganize the data and quickly formulate their next plan. They had to infiltrate Charlie's core base and stop him from completing his final experiment using the "X-12" serum, but they also understood that their enemies were not only Charlie, but also complex international forces and dangerous military organizations.

“We know that Charlie’s lab is just the tip of the iceberg,” Lynn said in a deep voice. “We must be extra careful with every step we take from now on, because the consequences of being exposed would be unimaginable.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve reached a crucial moment.” Mark nodded. “Next, I believe we will be able to uncover an even bigger secret behind Charlie.”

Lynn raised his head, looking ahead with a determined gaze. "We must succeed. This isn't just to stop Charlie's plan, but also to prevent this disaster from spreading to the entire world." (End of Chapter)