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

“Communications check,” Lynn said softly, adjusting his headphones; his voice was deep and clear.

“Received, signal clear,” Mark replied, his voice low but barely concealing his tension.

Lynn took a small device from his pouch, turned it on, and displayed a detailed map of the island. “We’re here now,” he said, pointing to the southwest corner, his rough fingers tapping lightly on the map. “According to satellite imagery, the entrance to the research facility should be about two kilometers from here, through this jungle and canyon.”

Mark studied the map intently, his young face appearing particularly focused under the blue light of the device. "It looks like there are two routes to choose from. Following the coastline might be more discreet, but it's farther; going through the central jungle would be faster, but we might encounter patrols."

Lynn thought for a moment, then frowned, his brows furrowing from years of exposure to the elements. "We'll go mid. Time is precious to us, and the darkness and rain will provide extra cover." He looked up at the sky; dark clouds filled the air, and the air was thick with the damp scent of impending rain.

The two began to advance into the island along a barely visible path. The jungle was dense and damp, the scent of wild plants mingling with the salty sea breeze, creating a unique and slightly oppressive atmosphere. Their night-vision equipment tinted everything around them in a ghostly green, making ordinary trees and rocks look like alien landscapes.

After walking for about half an hour, Lynn suddenly raised his hand, signaling to stop. His body tensed instantly, like a leopard preparing to hunt. He pointed to a faint light source about fifty meters ahead. It was the beam of a flashlight, moving back and forth in the jungle.

“Patrol,” he whispered, his voice almost blending into the night wind, “two men, armed, are moving in our direction.”

Mark gripped his weapon tightly, his fingers turning slightly white with tension, but Lynn shook his head and pointed to the bushes nearby. The two quickly concealed themselves, almost blending into the darkness.

Soon, two fully armed guards in black uniforms came into view. They looked well-trained but somewhat tired, probably having been on patrol for a long time.

“This awful weather,” one of the guards complained, his voice distorted by the communication equipment, “the forecast says there will be a storm tonight.”

“Stop complaining,” another guard responded, his voice even hoarser and more authoritative. “We’ll be changing shifts in an hour. Keep following the route; the boss’s been particularly security-sensitive lately.”

The first guard snorted and wiped the rain off his helmet. "Yeah, ever since that new project started, he's been on pins and needles. I heard there are government agents investigating us?"

"Shut up, it's best not to talk about this. Keep going," the second guard said sternly, adjusting the weapon on his back.

The two continued onward, their boots making a soft sound on the wet ground, and soon disappeared into the depths of the jungle. Lynn and Mark waited a moment, making sure they were far enough away, before emerging from their hiding place.

“They mentioned a ‘new project,’” Mark said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with excitement and tension. “It seems our intelligence was accurate.”

Lynn nodded, a thoughtful look flashing across his experienced face. "But they also mentioned the government agents' investigation. Black Hawk may have become alerted; we must be extra careful."

They continued on, this time more cautiously. Lynn walked ahead, each step precisely calculated, making almost no sound. Mark followed closely behind, mimicking his movements, but occasionally stepping on branches or stones, causing slight noises. As they ventured deeper into the island, the terrain became rugged, the paths disappearing, replaced by boulders and sloping ground. Rain began to fall, at first light drizzle, soon turning into a steady downpour, the soft patter against the leaves and ground providing them with additional cover.

About an hour later, they reached the edge of a small canyon. About twenty meters below, the outline of a building could be seen, hidden among the rocks and camouflage netting. Several safety lights flickered in the rain, illuminating the surrounding area.

Lynn took out a small pair of binoculars and carefully observed the building below. Rain streamed down his sharply defined face, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's. "That's the entrance," he said, his voice revealing the calmness that came with years of combat experience. "It looks like there are four guards, patrolling in pairs at the entrance, along with surveillance cameras and motion sensors."

Mark pulled out a small device and began operating it. His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, demonstrating his professional technical skills. "I can hack into their security system, at least temporarily disabling the cameras. But that might raise suspicion."

Lynn pondered, his brow furrowed, then pointed to a ventilation opening on the right side of the building. "That might be a weak point. If I remember correctly, that type of ventilation system has a maintenance passageway large enough for one person to pass through."

Mark looked at where he was pointing, nodded, raindrops dripping from his hair. "But it will most likely also have sensors and alarm systems."

“That’s when you come in handy,” Lynn smiled slightly, revealing a row of neat teeth, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes betraying his age. “Get your electronic jammers ready. We need precise timing to operate during the gaps in the guards’ shifts.”

They spent twenty minutes carefully observing the guards' patrol patterns and discovered that there was a window of about twenty seconds every fifteen minutes during which the two groups of guards would turn in opposite directions at the same time, creating blind spots in the surveillance.

“Now,” Lynn said decisively after confirming the opportune moment for the third time, “Prepare to move.”

Mark activated his device, emitting a brief but intense electronic jamming signal. Several cameras below almost simultaneously turned in the wrong direction, and the guards' communication devices experienced brief static, distracting them.

Lynn and Mark seized the opportunity, quickly but silently sliding down the ramp and approaching the building under the cover of the rain. They pressed themselves against the wall, their backs pressed firmly against the cold concrete, and moved to the vent. Just as Lynn had predicted, there was indeed a maintenance panel outside the vent for inspection and cleaning. Mark took out a set of precision tools and began working on the electronic lock on the panel. His fingers were slightly slippery in the rain, but he remained steady, focusing intently on every detail. A few dozen seconds later, the lock made an almost inaudible click, and the panel loosened.

Lynn carefully opened the panel, revealing a narrow passageway inside. He turned to Mark, raindrops dripping down his sharply defined jawline. "I'll go in first, you follow, and make sure to close the panel properly."

The ventilation ducts were narrower and damper than expected, forcing them to crawl forward, carefully controlling every movement to avoid making a sound. Lynn's broad shoulders almost filled the entire duct, requiring him to move even more cautiously to avoid bumping into the walls. The ducts were intricate and branched frequently, but Lynn, relying on the architectural blueprints he remembered, accurately chose his direction.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at a vertically downward-facing pipe. Lynn took out a miniature endoscope and carefully inserted it downwards. The lens revealed a large laboratory below, almost empty, except for a researcher in a white lab coat working at a computer in the distance.

“Looks like we’ve found the right place,” Lynn said in a low voice, his tone unusually clear in the narrow conduit. “The main laboratory is down here. Judging by the time, most of the staff should have finished their work for the day.”

He carefully opened the vent grille, and after confirming there were no alarm devices below, signaled Mark to prepare to descend. Using a miniature rope device, they silently descended to a corner of the laboratory and immediately took cover behind a set of large equipment.

The laboratory was larger than they had imagined, occupying most of the underground level. Bright white lights illuminated the clean floors and walls, and various high-tech devices were neatly arranged in every corner of the room. The central area contained several enclosed glass cubicles, each housing various precision instruments and computer equipment. Large screens on the walls displayed various data charts and biometric monitoring results.

The researcher in the distance seemed completely absorbed in his work and hadn't noticed their arrival. Lynn gestured, and the two began to move slowly along the wall, carefully avoiding potential surveillance areas.

As they approached the center of the lab, Mark suddenly grabbed Lynn's arm and pointed to one of the compartments. Inside were several large culture chambers, each containing a humanoid object floating inside, connected to various pipes and monitoring equipment.

“My God,” Mark exclaimed softly, his face turning pale, “what is that?”

Lynn's expression turned extremely serious, his eyes, which had witnessed countless dangerous missions, narrowed. "It looks like human experimentation. We need to gather more evidence."

They cautiously approached the compartments, their eyes clearly visible through the glass. The humanoid beings inside the incubation chambers appeared to be adult males, but their skin was an unnatural bluish-gray, and certain parts of their bodies had clearly undergone genetic modification or mechanical enhancement. Their muscle tissue was abnormally developed, and metallic patterns were visible beneath their skin, suggesting that some kind of enhancement substance had been implanted within them. Next to each incubation chamber was a control panel displaying various vital sign data and genetic sequence information.

Mark pulled out a miniature camera and began taking pictures, his fingers trembling slightly with shock. Lynn, on the other hand, took out a data collection device and carefully connected it to the nearest computer terminal.

“I need a few minutes to download this data,” he said softly, his eyes glued to the screen. “You keep shooting, especially the tags and specific data.”

Mark nodded and continued his work, the camera clicking almost imperceptibly. Moving to another area, he found a row of labeled sample storage cabinets. He approached and examined them, discovering that each drawer was marked with a different code and date.

“Hall,” he called softly, using Lynn’s last name with a tense formality, “I’ve found the sample library. There’s blood, tissue, and so on. What is this?”

He carefully opened one of the drawers, inside which were rows of small freezing tubes, each filled with a dark blue liquid. The label read, "Enhancer XR-27, Batch 3, Test Phase 2."

Lynn quickly snapped photos of the images, his eyes gleaming with professional expertise. "This could be their secret weapons development project. Those humanoid creatures in the incubation pods are likely test subjects."

Suddenly, a sound came from the distance of the lab. The researcher stood up, stretched, and seemed to be preparing to leave. He was a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing glasses and looked exhausted. Lynn and Mark quickly hid behind the equipment, holding their breath. Lynn's hand stealthily moved towards the weapon at his waist, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

The researcher strolled slowly towards the exit, paused for a moment as if forgetting something, then went back to shut down the computer before finally leaving the lab. After the door closed, the entire space fell into relative silence, broken only by the low hum of the equipment.

“Almost,” Mark breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow. “We need to speed things up.”

Lynn nodded, his gaze returning to the data terminal. "The data download will take another two minutes. Go check the filing cabinet over there and see if there are any paper documents we can take."

Mark carefully moved to the filing area on the other side of the lab and began rummaging through the folders marked "Confidential." The filing cabinets were made of metal and made a slight scraping sound when opened. One folder caught his attention; it was titled "Project Revelation: Interim Report." He quickly scanned the contents, his expression growing increasingly serious.

“Hall,” he returned to Lynn, his voice slightly tense, his eyes widening at the gravity of the discovery, “this project is far more dangerous than we imagined. They’re not only conducting gene enhancement experiments, but also developing a biological weapon that can target specific gene sequences. According to this report, they’ve successfully created a compound capable of rapidly mutating target tissue in a short period of time.”

Lynn's expression turned unusually serious, his weathered face tense. "This has gone beyond arms trafficking; it's entered the realm of bioterrorism." He glanced at the device in his hand; the screen showed the download was nearing completion. "Download complete. We have sufficient evidence to report to headquarters."

Just then, the laboratory door suddenly opened, and two fully armed guards walked in, carrying automatic weapons. Lynn and Mark immediately crouched down, hiding behind the equipment. Lynn's hand was already on his weapon, ready to deal with any possible conflict. (End of Chapter)