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

Lynn immediately became alert: "Could you describe what that person looks like?"

Rothschild recalled: "He introduced himself as Alexander Cotter, a European collector. He was of medium build, around forty years old, and spoke with a slight Eastern European accent. He appeared very cultured, knowledgeable, and quite professional in his understanding of wine."

Lynn took out her phone and pulled up a photo of the person: "Is this the person?"

Rothschild examined the photograph closely and shook his head. "It's not him. Kurt looks completely different; he's thinner, has brown hair, and wears glasses."

Lynn put his phone back in his pocket: "It could be another member of the Black Crow, or a middleman they hired. Either way, it confirms one thing: their interest in this bottle has lasted at least a month, and it's been very intense."

Sarah ended the call and walked back to Lynn's side: "Mark has begun investigating the history of that alchemist family and the wine. He's also discovered something interesting: in the past six months, there have been three similar antique wine thefts worldwide, all targeting French wines from the late 18th to early 19th centuries, and all using similar methods to bypass security systems through unconventional means."

Lynn's eyes lit up: "It seems this isn't an isolated incident, but rather a series of operations. Black Crow is collecting these special wines, but the question is, why?"

Rothschild looked even more confused: "You mean, there have been many similar thefts around the world? What do those wines have in common?"

Sarah checked the message on her phone: "According to preliminary analysis, these wines all come from the same region in France, produced between 1789 and 1850, and may be related to the alchemist family you mentioned. Mark is investigating further."

Lynn turned to Rothschild: “We need detailed information about this wine: the exact vintage, origin, production process, and any possible special ingredients. Also, if you have a photo of the wine, please provide it to us, the more detailed the better.”

Rothschild nodded. “I have a complete file in my office, including high-resolution photos of this bottle and relevant information from family records. Please follow me.”

He led Lynn and Sarah to his office on the second floor of the wine cellar, a room with a classic ambiance, the walls covered with wine-related artwork and certificates. Rothschild took a thick folder from a locked drawer.

“This is all the information about this bottle of wine,” he said, handing the folder to Lynn, “including all records from my great-grandfather’s time and recent professional appraisal reports.”

Lynn opened the folder, which contained a wealth of detailed information about the wine: vintage, grape variety, place of origin, historical provenance, and even a chemical analysis report from a professional test conducted in the 1980s. The last few pages featured high-resolution photographs of the wine taken from different angles, clearly showing the bottle, label, and special markings on the bottom.

“This is incredibly detailed, thank you so much,” Lynn said. “This information will be very helpful to our investigation.”

Sarah was looking at the photos when she suddenly pointed to a close-up of the bottom of a wine bottle in one of them: "Lynn, look at this mark."

In the photo, a delicate symbol is engraved on the bottom of the wine bottle. It looks like a complex geometric pattern with an eye-shaped mark in the center, surrounded by ancient text.

“What is this?” Lynn asked.

Rothschild leaned closer to examine it: "This is the winemaker's personal mark. It's said that each generation of the head winemaker in this alchemical family would inscribe their own mark on special batches of wine, symbolizing a blessing or a special recipe. This mark belongs to Jean-Louis Laville, one of the most famous winemakers of the early 19th century."

Lynn took out his phone and snapped a picture of the mark. “We need to know more about this Ravel and his recipe.” He turned to Rothschild, “Do you know the specific meaning of this mark? Or is it mentioned in the family records?”

Rothschild shook his head: "The specific meaning has been lost to history. All we know is that this batch of wine was very special at the time, provided only to specific customers, and supposedly had the effect of 'enhancing vitality.' Of course, people in that era had many mystical explanations for things; it might just have been a marketing tactic."

Lynn looked at the photograph thoughtfully: "Enhancing vitality. If there's a real scientific basis behind this, and it's not just superstition, then the Black Crows' interest becomes easier to understand. They might believe this wine contains some ingredient that can enhance mutant abilities."

Sarah's phone rang. She glanced at the screen. "It's Mark." She answered, listened for a moment, then turned on speakerphone. "Mark, you're online. Lynn's listening too."

“Lynn, I’ve found some interesting information about the Ravel family,” Mark’s voice came through the speaker. “They weren’t just winemakers, but also renowned natural scientists and medical practitioners of their time. Jean-Louis Ravel was once a physician in Napoleon’s army, and after retiring, he focused on winemaking and herbal research. Records indicate that he added a special herbal mixture to his red wine, claiming it could enhance the body’s self-healing abilities and physical strength. Even more interestingly, his diary mentions several times a rare alpine plant called ‘Dragon’s Blood Flower,’ which is said to grow only in specific areas of the Alps and must be harvested during a full moon.”

Lynn and Sarah exchanged a glance: "It sounds like some kind of plant with special medicinal properties. Mark, do you have any more information about 'Dragon's Blood Flower'?"

“I’m searching modern botanical databases,” Mark replied. “There’s no exact match yet. But one thing might be relevant: there have been four thefts from ancient European herbaria in the last three months, all involving dried plant specimens from the late 18th to early 19th centuries. One case report specifically mentions that a specimen marked 'sanguis draconis'—Latin for 'dragon’s blood'—was among the stolen items.”

Lynn's interest was fully piqued: "The Black Crows aren't just collecting antique wines, they're also gathering related plant specimens. They seem to be trying to replicate Ravel's recipe, but the question is, why? What connection do these wines or plants have to mutant abilities?"

Rothschild looked both confused and worried: "So they stole my wine not to sell it, but to study it? That seems far-fetched."

“In our work, the least likely thing is often the truth,” Lynn replied, then turned to the phone. “Mark, I need you to do two things: first, investigate Jean-Louis Ravel’s research and his ‘Dragon’s Blood’ formula thoroughly; second, track down the whereabouts of the other stolen wines to see if they are also related to Black Crow.” “Already underway,” Mark replied. “There’s something else you might be interested in: I analyzed the female mutant’s facial features and found a possible match in the database. Her name is likely Irina Kowalski, who disappeared three years ago from a secret research facility in Russia and is presumed to possess the ability to manipulate molecular structures, especially inorganic materials such as glass and metals.”

Lynn noted the name down: “Thanks, Mark. Keep digging, and contact me immediately if you find anything new.” He hung up and turned to Rothschild, “We need to borrow these files and photographs for our investigation. In the meantime, I suggest you increase security at the cellar in case Black Crow comes again.”

Rothschild nodded. “Of course, you can take these materials. Regarding security, I’ve already contacted a professional company, and they will be installing more sensors and alarm systems today. But to be honest, if someone can walk through walls, I’m not sure any security system will really work.”

Lynn nodded understandingly. "You're right. Conventional security does have limitations when dealing with these kinds of abilities." He thought for a moment, "We can provide you with some special equipment that can interfere with the mutant abilities to some extent. It's not a 100% guarantee, but it's better than nothing."

Before leaving the cellar, Lynn asked the technicians for a copy of the surveillance footage and arranged for several agents to keep watch in the vicinity in case the Black Crow members returned. In the car, Lynn and Sarah began analyzing the information they had gathered.

“So the Black Crows are collecting wine and plant specimens from a specific period,” Sarah pondered. “They might be trying to replicate some ancient recipe, which could be related to enhancing mutant abilities.”

Lynn nodded. "This matches the information we found at the dock base. They've been researching how to enhance mutant abilities, and even grant abilities to ordinary people. This Lavelle formula might be part of their research."

Sarah frowned. "But can a two-hundred-year-old herbal formula really be helpful for modern genetic research? That seems a bit far-fetched."

“Not necessarily,” Lynn said. “There are many historical examples of ancient remedies containing ingredients that modern science has later proven effective. Artemisinin, for instance, was discovered in an ancient Chinese medicine formula and is now a major treatment for malaria. If Ravel had indeed discovered something that could affect human potential, even with the limited scientific knowledge available at the time, it might have been something Black Crow would have been interested in.”

Sarah pondered for a moment: "If this 'dragon's blood flower' truly has special effects, and Laville adds it to red wine, then these antique wines wouldn't just be collectibles, but containers that might contain valuable scientific samples."

Lynn's eyes lit up: "Exactly. That explains why the Black Crows were willing to risk stealing these wines instead of buying them through normal channels. They needed to ensure they got the genuine article, and they might need the original components of the wine to remain intact, undiluted or contaminated."

The vehicle drove into the underground parking garage of the FBI headquarters, and Lynn and Sarah immediately went to the laboratory to hand over the collected data to Mark and his team.

In the lab, Mark had set up a dedicated workstation, the walls covered with information about the stolen wine, plant specimens, and the Black Crow organization. He was rapidly typing on the computer, the screen displaying various data and images.

“Mark, any new findings?” Lynn walked into the lab and placed the files provided by Rothschild on the table.

Mark swiveled in his chair. “There are a few interesting clues. First, I confirmed Irina Kowalski’s identity. She was a research subject in a secret Moscow laboratory and was said to be able to manipulate the structure of inorganic matter at the molecular level. This ability is extremely rare among mutants, which may be why Black Raven recruited her.”

“What about the man who walked through the wall?” Sarah asked.

Mark shook his head: "The identity hasn't been confirmed yet, but based on body type and movement patterns, it's possible that it's the same suspect who appeared in several similar cases before."

Lynn examined the information on the wall: "Any new discoveries regarding the recipes for 'Dragon Blood Flower' and Ravel?"

Mark opened a new folder: "I found some references in old botanical literature. 'Dragon's Blood Flower' may be a now extremely rare alpine plant, scientifically known as *Dracaena sanderiana*, belonging to the Lamiaceae family in modern classification. It was widely used in 18th and 19th century Europe to make medicines, supposedly having the effects of enhancing physical strength, improving immunity, and delaying aging."

“It sounds like an ancient ‘super soldier serum,’” Sarah commented.

Mark nodded. “In a way, yes. What’s even more interesting is that I found a paper by Ravel in a 19th-century medical journal, in which he claimed that combining extracts of this plant with certain varieties of wine could produce a kind of ‘synergistic effect,’ significantly enhancing the body’s self-healing abilities and sensory acuity.”

Lynn looked at the ancient paper displayed on the screen: "This certainly sounds like it aligns with the Black Crow's research direction. If this formula really works, even just a slight enhancement of human abilities would be of significant value to their mutant enhancement program."

Mark continued, presenting his findings: "I also traced the possible destinations of other stolen wines. Based on customs records and intelligence from the black market, these wines may have been shipped to Europe, specifically, possibly to a private research facility near the Swiss Alps."

Lynn suddenly realized something: "Wait, isn't the Alps where the 'Dragon's Blood Flower' is said to grow?"

Mark nodded. "Exactly. And according to botanical records, this plant only grows in specific high-altitude areas, and it seems to be related to lunar phases, being most active during the full moon."

Sarah checked the calendar: "The next full moon is in three days."

A flicker of excitement crossed Lynn's eyes: "If the Black Crows are trying to replicate Ravel's recipe, they might be heading to the Alps to collect 'Dragon's Blood Flower' during the full moon. This could be our chance to catch them." (End of Chapter)