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

Just as Lynn was about to respond, he suddenly stopped and looked warily at the street behind him.

"What's wrong?" Banner asked, immediately alerting Lynn.

“It might just be my imagination, but I feel like someone is following us,” Lynn whispered, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. This part of Brooklyn was unusually quiet in the dead of night, and the shadows cast by the streetlights seemed to harbor potential threats.

Banner swallowed nervously, his voice becoming hoarse, "Are you sure?"

Lynn didn't answer immediately, but gently pulled Banner along as they continued walking, carefully changing course and turning into a narrower side street. "Not sure, but years of intuition tell me something's wrong. We're being watched."

The two quickened their pace, but maintained a stealthy speed. Lynn's right hand stealthily moved towards the pistol concealed at his waist, ready to respond to any potential threat.

"How far are we from the rendezvous point?" Banner asked, his voice tinged with obvious tension.

“About fifteen minutes,” Lynn replied, while looking around for possible escape routes or cover, “if we maintain this pace.”

However, just as they turned the next corner, Lynn's intuition was confirmed. A tall figure stood in the shadows about twenty meters ahead, its silhouette blurred in the dim streetlights. Most unsettlingly, the figure seemed to be waiting for them, its posture confident and relaxed, as if it had known they would be there all along.

Lynn immediately stopped, shoved Banner behind him, and swiftly drew his pistol. "Stand there and don't move!" he shouted, his voice authoritative. "FBI! Identify yourself!"

The figure moved slowly forward, entering the circle of light from the streetlamp. It was a tall man with unusually pale skin and light blond hair that almost glowed in the night. But what was most striking were his eyes—even from several meters away, Lynn could see that those eyes gleamed with an unnatural amber light, more like those of a wild beast than a human.

“FBI Agent Lynn Hall,” the stranger said, his voice low and husky, with an almost malicious pleasure, “and Dr. Bruce Banner. What an interesting combination.”

Lynn gripped the gun firmly, pointing it at the stranger's chest. "Who are you? Who sent you?"

The stranger gave a cold laugh. "My name is Victor. As for who sent me, I think you've already guessed. Black Hawk International is very interested in you."

Banner breathed heavily behind Lynn. "He's not an ordinary person," he whispered. "He's...like me. Some kind of mutant."

Victor's smile widened. "Insightful observation, Doctor. Yes, I am a mutant. One of my abilities is an extraordinary sense of smell. Your scents are unique, especially yours, Doctor. You have two distinct scents intertwined on you—human and something else."

Lynn quickly assessed the situation. If Victor was indeed a Black Hawk mutant agent, then the danger they faced was far greater than they had anticipated. Ordinary weapons might have limited effectiveness against superhumans, and reinforcements were likely on their way.

“We mean no harm,” Lynn tried to say, while slowly moving to find a better defensive position. “We just want to get out of here.”

Victor let out an almost animalistic chuckle. "I'm afraid this isn't an option, Agent. Black Hawk has a special plan for Dr. Banner, and you know far too much about it."

Just then, Lynn noticed a metal collar around Victor's neck, gleaming faintly red. "That collar," he observed, "is a control device, isn't it? You didn't work for Black Hawk voluntarily."

Victor's expression briefly turned angry and pained. "Insightful observation, agent. Yes, that's how they ensure my 'cooperation.' But that won't change your situation."

Lynn's mind raced, searching for a possible breakthrough. "We can help you, Victor. We're meeting with people who can help people like you. We can remove that collar and set you free."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Victor's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. "Anyone can say nice things, Agent. But right now, I have a mission to complete."

With that, Victor suddenly charged forward, his speed astonishing, closing the distance between them almost instantly. Lynn immediately opened fire, but Victor dodged the bullets with incredible agility and continued advancing.

"Banner, run!" Lynn shouted, continuing to fire as he began to retreat. "To the rendezvous point! Activate the beacon!"

Banner hesitated for a moment, clearly unwilling to leave Lynn to face the danger alone, but in the end he turned and ran back to their original route.

Lynn knew he was likely no match for Victor, but he needed to buy time for Banner to escape. He loaded his last magazine and prepared to fight back as much as possible.

Victor lunged at Lynn with fluid, ferocious movements, like a large feline hunting its prey. Lynn barely dodged the first attack, simultaneously firing at close range. A bullet grazed Victor's shoulder, but appeared to cause only minor injury.

“Your weapons are useless against me, Agent,” Victor scoffed, closing in again. “My healing abilities are far superior to those of ordinary people.”

Lynn realized that conventional tactics were ineffective here, so he quickly switched to close combat, using his FBI-trained skills. He successfully parried several attacks and even counterattacked, but Victor's strength and speed were clearly beyond human capabilities.

After a swift exchange, Victor grabbed Lynn's arm with astonishing strength, almost crushing his bones. Lynn groaned in pain but still struggled to break free.

“You’re brave, Agent,” Victor commented, “but this battle was unfair from the start.”

Just as Victor was about to deliver the fatal blow, a strange whooshing sound suddenly came from the air, followed by a dark figure leaping down from a nearby rooftop at incredible speed, crashing directly into Victor.

The sudden attack caused Victor to release Lynn and be forced to take a few steps back. The newcomer stood between Lynn and Victor, her posture wary and menacing. She was a slender Latina woman, dressed in tactical gear, her eyes gleaming with alertness in the darkness.

“You’re late, Agent Hall,” the woman said, her gaze never leaving Victor. “I’m Erin Sanchez, part of the Omega Plan. I think you’ve already met our friends.”

Lynn quickly regained his balance; his arm was still sore but he could still move it. "Black Hawk's mutant tracker. He found our scent."

Eileen nodded. “Victor Creed. Part of Black Hawk’s ‘Special Assets’ program. Superior sense of smell, healing abilities, and enhanced strength and speed.” She turned to Victor, her voice hardening. “Long time no see, Victor.”

Victor's expression became complex, a mixture of surprise and a hint of respect. "Eileen. I thought you were dead."

“Many people think that,” Eileen replied coldly. “Obviously, Black Hawk caught you. I’m sorry.” A flicker of pain crossed Victor’s eyes. “Do you know what they did to me? Experimentation, modification, control like an animal.”

“We can help you, Victor,” Eileen said, her tone softening, “but first, you must stop hunting these people. They’re trying to stop Black Hawk, to stop them from doing the same thing to more people like us.”

Victor seemed to be struggling internally, but then his collar began to flash more violently, and he convulsed in pain. "I have no choice, Eileen. They'll activate the control protocol. If I don't complete the mission..."

Eileen glanced at Lynn, then quickly exchanged a look. "We need to destroy that collar. But it likely has an anti-tampering mechanism. A direct attack might trigger some kind of penalty system."

Lynn quickly thought, "How is Dr. Banner?"

“My partner Marcus has found him and is escorting him to the rendezvous point,” Eileen replied. “We need to resolve the situation here and then evacuate immediately. Black Hawk reinforcements are likely on their way.”

Just as she expected, she heard the sound of a vehicle engine approaching rapidly in the distance.

Victor's expression turned pained and angry. "Too late. They're here. You should have run."

“We won’t abandon you,” Eileen said firmly. “Lynn, do you have any equipment that can interfere with electronic devices?”

Lynn quickly checked his equipment. "Just a standard stun gun, but the power might not be enough to safely disable the collar."

Eileen thought for a moment, then seemed to have made a decision. "Okay, we'll have to try another method." She turned to Victor. "Trust me this once, okay?"

Victor hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Eileen's body suddenly began to change in a strange way; her outline blurred, seemingly merging into the surrounding shadows. The next second, she vanished completely, leaving only a slight ripple in the air.

Lynn watched in shock, quickly realizing it must be Eileen's mutated ability—some kind of invisibility or ability to merge with shadows. But he didn't have much time to think, because Victor suddenly let out a painful howl, clutching his neck. The lights on the collar flickered wildly, then abruptly went out.

Eileen reappeared behind Victor, holding a small device. "Black Hawk's technology is advanced, but they always underestimate our capabilities." She tucked the device back into her waist pocket. "This is an electromagnetic pulse generator for a specific frequency, specifically designed to interfere with their control systems. The collar is now disabled, but we need to physically remove it as soon as possible."

Victor touched the collar around his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't feel its control anymore."

“This is only temporary,” Eileen warned. “We need to move, now!”

The sound of the black armored vehicle's engine grew closer, and its lights shone into the entrance to the street.

Lynn made a quick decision, "Victor, we can help you, but I need to know which side you're on."

Victor's expression hardened, his amber eyes flashing with determination. "I will never go back to the cage." He turned to Eileen. "Take your friends away. I'll hold them off."

Eileen shook her head. “We’ll go together. You know what they’ll do after they retreat—detonate the collar. We need to remove it somewhere safe.”

Victor hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement. "Okay. But we need to distract them."

Lynn's mind raced. "I have an idea." He pulled a small device from his pocket. "This is a tactical flashbang, an enhanced version. It can provide enough disruption for our retreat."

Eileen nodded. "This should work. Victor, do you know this area? Is there a quick evacuation route?"

Victor pointed to a small alley. "There's a path over there leading to an abandoned subway tunnel. We can go through there to the docks."

Lynn agreed with the plan. "Perfect. Let's go."

As the Black Hawk armored vehicle turned into the street, Lynn activated a flashbang and threw it at the vehicle. The device arced through the air, landing a few meters in front of the armored vehicle before exploding in a dazzling flash and a deafening explosion.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the three quickly retreated into the alleyway Victor pointed out and disappeared into the night.

Inside the abandoned underground tunnel, only a few emergency lights provided dim illumination, and the air was damp and musty. Lynn, Eileen, and Victor moved quickly but cautiously, wary of any potential pursuers.

“Your partner and Dr. Banner should have reached the rendezvous point by now,” Lynn said to Eileen, his voice slightly hurried from their rapid movement. “What about Gwen and Ethan? Are they safe?”

Eileen nodded. "Marcus confirmed they've arrived safely. Everyone's waiting for us."

Victor's steps were slightly tense, and he occasionally stopped to sniff the air. "We've shaken them off, at least temporarily. But they'll continue searching. When they realize they can't remotely control the collar, they might resort to more extreme measures."

Eileen's expression turned serious. "We need to get to the ship as soon as possible. There's equipment there to safely remove the collar."

Lynn pondered Black Hawk's possible next move. "Do they know we're going to the docks?"

Victor shook his head. “I didn’t tell them the specific rendezvous point. I was just ordered to track you down and call for backup. But Black Hawk has the resources; they’ll check all possible evacuation points, including the docks.”

The three continued onward, traversing a winding tunnel, occasionally having to climb over collapsed sections or jump over flooded areas. The tunnel had clearly been abandoned for many years, its walls covered in moss and graffiti, and the air thick with the scent of oblivion.

"How far are we from the dock?" Lynn asked, checking his watch. Nearly half an hour had passed since the agreed meeting time, and he worried that a delay might cause changes to the plans. (End of Chapter)