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

“Damn it, there are real mutants among them,” Eileen gritted her teeth. “This is worse than I expected.”

Lynn Hall quickly adjusted his tactics. "Can you handle the one using energy attacks? I'll deal with the other one."

Eileen nodded. "Cover me."

Lynn Hall fired continuously, forcing the enemy to take cover and creating an opportunity for Eileen. She charged towards the mutant who could unleash black energy like lightning, her speed almost impossible to keep up with the naked eye. Before he could launch another attack, she was already in front of him, delivering a swift pulse shot to his chest.

Meanwhile, the final attacker had already charged at Lynn Hall. The assailant wielded a tactical knife, his movements swift and ferocious. Lynn Hall dodged the first blow, but the attacker was far faster than an average person. The second strike tore through Lynn Hall's jacket sleeve, leaving a shallow wound.

Despite the pain, Lynn Hall grabbed the attacker's wrist and used the momentum to slam him to the ground. But the attacker flipped over like a cat and pounced again.

This time, Lynn Hall was well-prepared. He grabbed a metal pipe from the ground, using it to block the blade at the crucial moment, then pushed hard, driving one end of the pipe into the attacker's leg. The attacker cried out in pain but continued to advance, his eyes flashing an unnatural red light—clearly a sign of drug use.

The sirens grew closer, but the fight continued. Lynn Hall knew he had to end the conflict quickly. He feigned retreat, luring his attacker to charge again, then at the last moment, sidestepped and tripped him. The attacker lost his balance, and Lynn Hall seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful chop to the neck.

The blow was enough to knock an ordinary person unconscious, but the enhanced attacker only staggered a few steps. However, this brief pause gave Lynn Hall enough time to pull out a spare handcuff and quickly cuff one of the attacker's hands to a nearby fire hydrant.

The attacker struggled frantically, but even with the added drugs, he couldn't break free of the strong handcuffs. Lynn Hall took a few steps back, panting, and looked in Eileen's direction.

She had successfully subdued another mutant attacker and was dragging him toward Lynn Hall. “This one requires special handling,” she said, her voice urgent. “His ability is energy manipulation; even unconscious, he could be dangerous.”

Lynn Hall nodded and pulled a pair of specially made handcuffs from his pocket—equipment developed by the FBI to combat mutant crime, capable of partially suppressing mutant abilities. He placed the handcuffs on the energy manipulator's wrists.

The police car finally arrived at the scene, its blue and red headlights illuminating the entire street. Jennifer was the first to jump out of the car, her gun already drawn.

“Hall!” she called out, quickly scanning the scene to assess the threat.

“Over here, Morrison!” Lynn Hall responded. “All four suspects are subdued. They require medical assistance and special restraints. One of them is an energy-type mutant.”

Jennifer quickly issued orders, and more FBI agents poured into the scene to bring the situation under control. She approached Lynn Hall and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lynn Hall then noticed the wound on his arm. "It's just a scrape, nothing serious." He turned to Eileen, but was surprised to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it," he muttered, looking around, but the blonde woman was no longer in the shadows of the street.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer noticed his unease.

“There was a woman,” Lynn Hall explained briefly, “a mutant who helped me deal with these attackers. She called herself Erin Sharp and said she represented an organization that protects mutants.”

Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "She disappeared?"

“Yes,” Lynn Hall nodded, “extremely agile, possibly superhuman. She knows about the Dragonblood Tears and the Black Raven’s plans.”

Jennifer looked thoughtfully at the subdued attackers. "It seems this case is more complex than we initially thought. Deal with these people first, then we need to reassess the whole situation."

Lynn Hall agreed with her assessment. Medical personnel arrived and began treating his wounds and assessing the attackers. One of the doctors told Lynn Hall, "These people have unstable vital signs, abnormally high heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and dilated pupils. Typical symptoms of drug-induced hypertension."

"Can you identify what kind of drug it is?" Lynn Hall asked.

The doctor shook his head. "A blood test is needed to confirm, but based on the symptoms, it strongly resembles one of those underground mutant enhancement drugs."

Lynn Hall nodded, confirming Eileen's statement. He looked at Jennifer: "We need to get them to a safe facility as soon as possible, especially that energy manipulator. And we need blood samples to compare with the Dragon's Blood Tears."

Jennifer is already making the arrangements. "Hamilton has been informed and is on his way to the medical center. This attack has changed a lot, Hall. The Department of Homeland Security will likely take this case much more seriously."

“Detective Hall?” an agent interrupted his thoughts. “We found this in the SUV.”

The agent handed him a small device that looked like some kind of tracker.

“How did they find me?” Lynn Hall frowned in thought. He checked his coat and trousers but found nothing suspicious.

Jennifer walked over and looked at the tracker. "Maybe it wasn't on you. It might be some kind of mutant ability that can track specific people, or..."

“Or there’s someone inside,” Lynn Hall whispered, voicing a possibility they were both considering.

Jennifer nodded seriously. "We can't rule out any possibilities. From now on, we need to be even more careful."

“To the medical center,” he told Jennifer. “I need to interrogate these people myself, especially that mutant. They might know more about Project Black Crow.”

Jennifer nodded in agreement, and the two got into an FBI vehicle together.

The FBI Medical Center is located in an unassuming building in Midtown Manhattan, resembling an ordinary medical clinic from the outside, but its interior facilities are designed to handle special criminal suspects. Especially after the public emergence of mutants, it added specialized isolation wards and ability suppression equipment.

Lynn Hall's arm wound had been treated; it was just a shallow scratch and didn't require stitches. Jennifer was standing in the hallway, calling Hamilton to give him an update.

“How are the suspects?” Lynn Hall approached a doctor and asked about the condition of the attackers.

The doctor—an Asian woman in her forties, wearing square-rimmed glasses and with a serious expression—looked at the tablet in her hand. "The blood test results for the three ordinary human suspects are in. They contain a synthetic stimulant in their systems, with a chemical structure similar to the active ingredient in that bottle of red wine you seized today, but much lower in purity and stability."

"What about the side effects?"

“It’s already starting to show,” the doctor explained. “Their body temperature is rising, their heart rate is unstable, and their muscles are beginning to spasm. Without intervention, this could lead to multiple organ failure within hours. We’ve begun cooling them down and stabilizing their vital signs.” “What about the mutant suspect?”

The doctor frowned. "The situation is more complicated. Besides the side effects of the enhanced medication, his abilities have become unstable. We've had to place him in a special isolation room using an ability-suppressing field. Even so, the energy fluctuations within his body are still extremely dangerous."

Is he conscious? Is he fit to be interrogated?

“It’s barely possible,” the doctor replied, “but I recommend keeping it brief. His condition could worsen at any time.”

Lynn Hall nodded in understanding. "I need to speak with him. It might be my only chance to get information about Black Crow."

Jennifer ended the call and walked over. "Hamilton is already on his way with advisors from the Department of Homeland Security. They're very concerned about this attack, especially the involvement of the mutant suspects."

“We need to get some information before they arrive,” Lynn Hall said, “otherwise the whole investigation could be taken over.”

Jennifer understood her partner's thoughts. "I'll go prepare the interrogation room. Are you sure you're okay? That person's abilities seem dangerous."

“It’s alright,” Lynn Hall said confidently, though the wound on his arm still throbbed slightly. “Don’t worry, I won’t take any risks.”

A few minutes later, Lynn Hall stood outside a specially designed interrogation room. The walls were covered with an energy-suppressing material, and the ceiling was equipped with an energy neutralization device. Through a one-way mirror, he could see the mutant suspect inside—a young man, about twenty-five years old, with pale skin, disheveled black hair, and his hands bound by specially made handcuffs. Most striking were his eyes—the pupils glowed an unnatural purple light, flickering between bright and dim, indicating the unstable state of energy within him.

"How is he?" Lynn Hall asked the doctor in charge of monitoring him.

“His condition is deteriorating,” the doctor replied, pointing to the screen displaying his vital signs. “The energy suppression field is barely controlling his energy leakage, but his internal organs have begun to damage. Without immediate action, he will die of organ failure in at most two hours.”

Lynn Hall took a deep breath. He didn't like to interrogate a critically ill suspect, but time was of the essence. "Give me ten minutes."

The doctor nodded and opened the door to the interrogation room. Lynn Hall entered the room, and the suspect looked up, his purple eyes flashing with a weak but dangerous light.

"Do you know who I am?" Lynn Hall asked bluntly, sitting down opposite the suspect.

The young man gave a forced smile. "Of course, Inspector Hall. You're the target tonight."

"Why did the crows attack me?" Lynn Hall continued, noticing the other's breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

“Because you took what belonged to us,” the young man said, his voice trembling with pain, “the Dragon's Blood Tear Raven needs it.”

"Why? Black Crow already has power-enhancing agents, like the ones you used tonight."

The young man suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with madness. “Those… are just cheap, inferior imitations. Look what they’ve done to us.” He raised his handcuffed hands, and Lynn Hall noticed a purple energy flowing beneath his skin. “Dragon’s Blood Tears are different; they are primal, pure.”

"What will the Black Crow plan use it for?" Lynn Hall pressed, knowing that time was running out.

The young man's eyes suddenly became vacant, as if he were recalling something. "The plan...yes, Raven's plan. He said the Dragon's Blood Tear was the key. The key to open the door."

Lynn Hall frowned. "What door? Which door leads to?"

The young man didn't answer directly, but continued talking to himself: "He needs enough energy, enough X-gene Dragon's Blood Tears to provide it, but he needs a carrier. He needs a suitable mutant."

"Is he looking for a specific mutant?" Lynn Hall tried to understand the fragmented information.

“Not just one. It’s many,” the young man’s voice trailed off, “He needs different types of abilities: telepathy, energy manipulation, matter conversion, elemental control.”

Suddenly, the young man began to convulse, and purple energy began to seep from under his skin. The alarm immediately went off, and doctors and security personnel rushed into the interrogation room.

"He's about to break down!" the doctor shouted. "The energy field can no longer suppress his abilities!"

Lynn Hall retreated quickly, but didn't leave immediately. "Where is the Raven?" he shouted to the struggling young man. "Where is Black Raven's headquarters?"

The young man looked up, his purple eyes staring directly at Lynn Hall, suddenly becoming unusually clear-headed. "You won't find him. But he will find you. He already knows who you are and what you have. When he's ready, he will come to take back what's rightfully his."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling purple light erupted from the young man's body. Security personnel immediately pulled Lynn Hall out of the interrogation room and slammed the lead doors shut. Even so, the entire medical center still felt a tremor.

A few minutes later, the doctor confirmed that the condition had stabilized, but the young man had died—his body could not withstand the damage caused by the collapse of his abilities.

Lynn Hall stood in the corridor, pondering the information he had just acquired.

Jennifer walked over to him. "Are you alright?"

Lynn Hall nodded, then briefly told her the information obtained during the interrogation.

“It sounds like some kind of…” Jennifer searched for the right words, “a ritual? Or a scientific experiment? Requires different types of mutant abilities and Dragon's Blood Tears as a catalyst?”

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Lynn Hall said seriously.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and the Hamilton supervisor stepped out, accompanied by a stranger—a tall woman, about thirty-five years old, wearing a dark blue suit, with her long brown hair neatly pinned up behind her head, and sharp, confident eyes.

“Hall, Morrison,” Hamilton approached them, “this is Katherine West, Special Advisor for Mutant Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.”

Lynn Hall and Jennifer nodded to West. (End of Chapter)