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

Elisa stopped in her tracks. Her telepathic abilities told her that this person was indeed in some kind of pain and despair. However, because she was still learning how to control her abilities, she did not delve deeper into his true thoughts.

"What difficulties?" Elisa asked, her kind nature making her unable to bear seeing others suffer.

“It’s like this,” Tony said, pulling a hospital diagnosis from his pocket, “My daughter has leukemia and needs urgent treatment. I’ve spent all my money on treatment, but the hospital said they’ll stop treatment if we don’t pay today.”

Elisa took the diagnosis and looked at it. The paper looked very formal, with the hospital's stamp and the doctor's signature. The diagnosis did indeed show that a little girl named Sarah Martinez had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“I only need five hundred dollars,” Tony continued, tears welling in his eyes. “I know it’s a lot of money, but I really have no other choice. If you can help me, I promise I’ll pay you back. I have a job, but my boss has temporarily stopped paying me because I’ve taken too much time off work lately because my daughter is sick.”

Elisa felt a pang of heartache. A father's desperate plea for help to save his daughter's life touched the softest part of her heart. She thought of her classmates who had lost loved ones in college and understood that pain and helplessness.

"How old is your daughter?" Elisa asked with concern.

“She’s only eight years old.” Tony’s voice choked even more. “She’s my everything. I don’t know how I would live if I lost her.”

Alyssa hesitated. Reason told her to be cautious, but her compassion prevailed. Five hundred dollars was a considerable sum, but if it could save a child's life, it would be well worth it.

“Okay, I’ll help you,” Alyssa said, taking five hundred-dollar bills from her wallet.

Tony took the money, so moved he almost knelt down. "Thank you, thank you! You're an angel! I'll pay you back, I swear!"

“No need to pay it back,” Elisa shook her head. “As long as your daughter gets better, that’s all that matters.”

“You’re so kind!” Tony squeezed Alyssa’s hand tightly. “Sarah would be so lucky to have such a kind person like you. Can you tell me your name?”

“Elisa,” she answered simply.

“Alyssa, you are the kindest person I’ve ever met.” Tony thanked her again, then hurried away. “I have to get to the hospital to pay the bills!”

Watching Tony's retreating figure, Alyssa felt a sense of fulfillment she had never experienced before. She had helped someone in need, and perhaps saved a child's life. This feeling of truly being able to help others made her feel that her existence was meaningful.

With a cheerful mood, Elisa returned to her apartment. She busied herself in the kitchen, preparing her first homemade meal according to a recipe she found online. Although the process was a bit clumsy, she enjoyed every step—washing vegetables, chopping, seasoning, and cooking.

The kitchen soon filled with the aroma of food. Elisa made a simple scrambled eggs with tomatoes, beef stew with carrots, and heated up some bread. When she finally sat down to taste her own creation, although the taste wasn't perfect, she felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Just as she was enjoying this special lunch, her phone rang. It was Lynn calling.

"Elisa, how was your day?" Lynn's voice sounded concerned.

“Great! I went to the market, bought groceries, and even made lunch myself,” Elisa said excitedly. “Would you like to come and try some?”

"That sounds great. I happen to be handling a case nearby, I'll be there in a bit."

Twenty minutes later, Lynn knocked on Elisa's apartment door. She excitedly welcomed him in and showed him her culinary creations.

"It smells wonderful," Lynn said sincerely. "It's amazing that your first time cooking was so successful."

“Thank you!” Elisa served him a bowl of beef stew with carrots. “I also encountered something special.”

"What is it?" Lynn asked while enjoying his food.

Elisa excitedly recounted her experience helping Tony at the market that morning. She described in detail the father's despair, the daughter's illness, and how she decided to help them.

As Alyssa recounted her story, Lynn's expression gradually turned serious. When she mentioned giving Tony five hundred dollars, Lynn put down his spoon.

“Elisa, do you remember the specific characteristics of that person?” Lynn’s tone became more professional.

“I remember, about forty years old, brown hair, a beard, wearing worn-out clothes.” Elisa looked puzzled. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Lynn sighed, took a photograph from his briefcase, and handed it to Alyssa. "Doesn't this person look a lot like the Tony you described?"

Alyssa took the photo and examined it closely. The man in the photo did indeed resemble Tony, whom she had met earlier that day, but he was dressed more neatly and had no beard.

"It looks a bit like it, but not exactly the same," Elisa said, puzzled. "Who is this?"

“This is Michael Rodriguez, a seasoned conman who specializes in scamming people in markets and commercial areas,” Lynn said with a hint of sympathy. “His usual tactic is to fabricate stories about his sick daughter needing medical treatment. He even has a set of fake hospital diagnoses.”

Alyssa felt a wave of dizziness, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head. "You mean... I was tricked?"

“Most likely,” Lynn nodded. “These kinds of scams are common in New York, specifically targeting kind people, especially young women like you who seem naive.”

Alyssa slowly sat down, the photo in her hand falling to the ground. Five hundred dollars was a large sum of money for her, but what was even harder to accept was that her kindness had been taken advantage of. She remembered the tears in Tony's eyes, that desperate expression, and the gratitude in his hand as he gripped hers.

“But he looked really pained.” Alyssa’s voice weakened. “I could feel his emotions…” “Alyssa,” Lynn sat down beside her, his voice softening, “these con artists are masters of acting. They know how to project sympathy, how to evoke compassion in kind people. And…” He paused, “your abilities, though powerful, are not omnipotent.”

“What do you mean?” Elisa looked up at him.

“Your telepathic ability does allow you to sense other people’s emotions, but it has limitations, doesn’t it?” Lynn said softly. “The professor should have told you that this ability cannot be used indiscriminately; there’s a limit to the number of times it can be used each day.”

Elisa nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, the professor said I can only perform deep perception three to four times a day at most, otherwise it will damage my mental state. So normally I only perform surface-level emotional perception and don't delve into other people's hearts."

“That’s the problem,” Lynn explained. “What you’re sensing might just be the surface emotion the conman is displaying, not his true thoughts and motives. A skilled conman can outwardly appear pain and despair while inwardly calculating how to get more money.”

Elisa felt deeply frustrated. She had always thought her abilities would help her distinguish between good and bad people, but now she realized that reality was far more complex than she had imagined.

“I was so naive,” Elisa whispered. “I should have been more careful.”

“No, you shouldn’t blame yourself for being kind,” Lynn said firmly. “Kindness is a precious quality, and you shouldn’t give it up just because someone takes advantage of you. The problem isn’t that you’re too kind, but that there are indeed people in this world who exploit others’ kindness.”

“But I lost five hundred dollars,” Alyssa said with a wry smile. “That was one-sixth of the seed money the professor gave me.”

“Money can be earned back, but if you lose trust and kindness in people because of it, that’s the real loss,” Lynn said. “Moreover, although this experience was painful, it taught you an important lesson—in this complex world, kindness needs to be accompanied by wisdom.”

Alyssa looked up at Lynn, her eyes still filled with tears, but her expression hardened. "Are you trying to tell me that this is why the world needs people with abilities like mine?"

“Exactly,” Lynn nodded. “The complexity of the human heart is one of the world’s greatest challenges. Some people are kind and sincere, some are hypocritical and cunning, and many are somewhere in between. People like you, who can perceive true thoughts, are extremely valuable to those who uphold justice and protect kindness.”

“But my abilities have limitations,” Elisa cautioned. “I can’t use depth perception every day; it would harm my mental health.”

“That’s exactly what the professor and I are worried about,” Lynn said. “While your abilities are powerful, you need to use them cautiously. In daily life, you need to learn to rely on common sense and experience to make judgments, and only use your special abilities when it’s truly important.”

Alyssa paused for a moment, pondering Lynn's words. "You mean, if I used my depth perception today, I could discover that Tony is a fraud?"

“Very likely. Depth perception allows you to see a person's true thoughts and motivations, not just their surface emotional expressions,” Lynn explained. “But you can't squander your precious ability on a potential conman. You need to learn to conserve this ability in everyday life, saving it for when you truly need it.”

“For example, when interrogating criminals.” Elisa understood.

"That's right. In law enforcement, your abilities may be key to solving cases and potentially saving countless innocent lives. But in daily life, you need to learn to recognize scams and dangers just like any other person."

Elisa wiped away her tears, beginning to understand the true meaning of this experience of being scammed. "So the lesson is that I need to learn to protect myself using common sense and experience without resorting to special abilities?"

“Absolutely right,” Lynn said with a smile. “And you must remember, even if you get scammed, it doesn’t mean you should stop being kind. There are indeed many people in the world who genuinely need help, and your kindness is invaluable to them. The key is to learn to distinguish between genuine requests for help and scams.”

“Then how should I learn to recognize it?” Elisa asked earnestly.

Lynn thought for a moment, then said, “First, be wary of anyone who actively asks strangers for money on the street. People who genuinely need help usually seek it through legitimate channels, such as social service agencies, churches, or charities. Second, if someone shows you a hospital diagnosis or other supporting documents, be aware that these are easily forged. Finally, if someone asks for cash, especially a large sum, it's almost certainly a scam.”

Elisa carefully noted down the advice. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

“Trust your instincts, but also think rationally,” Lynn said. “If something sounds too coincidental or too urgent, there’s probably something wrong. Real emergencies usually involve contacting family, friends, or professional organizations, not strangers.”

“I understand.” Alyssa nodded. “Although losing five hundred dollars is painful, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. I’ll be more careful next time, but I won’t lose my kindness and compassion.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Lynn said with relief. “And regarding the five hundred dollars, while I can’t guarantee we’ll get it back, I’ll have my colleagues keep an eye out for Michael Rodriguez. If we catch him, maybe we can recover some of the money we were swindled out of.”

"Really?" A glimmer of hope rekindled in Elisa's eyes.

“It’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth a try,” Lynn said. “More importantly, if we can catch him, we can prevent him from continuing to deceive other good people.”

This thought brought Elisa some comfort. Even if she couldn't get her money back, at least it prevented others from being scammed, which was meaningful in itself.

“Detective Lynn, thank you for your guidance today,” Alyssa said sincerely. “Without your explanation, I might have lost all trust in people because of this scam.”

“It’s what I should do,” Lynn stood up. “It’s my responsibility to help you adapt to this complex world. And I’m also gratified to see you learn and grow from setbacks.”

"So, are we still going to buy furniture tomorrow?" Elisa asked.

“Of course,” Lynn said with a smile. “While the budget may need some adjustments, we can still make your new home comfortable. And this time I'll accompany you and teach you some shopping tips.”

Elisa nodded, feeling much more relaxed than before.

After Lynn left, Alyssa sat by the window, watching the sunset in the courtyard. She remembered Professor Xavier's words: "True wisdom is not about avoiding mistakes, but about learning from them and becoming stronger." She had indeed made a mistake today, but she had also learned an important life lesson from it. (End of Chapter)