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

Lynn frowned. "A romantic relationship? Are you sure?"

“I’m absolutely certain. Jason was filled with worry and concern for that person, not fear or anger,” Alyssa continued. “And this operation was definitely pre-planned. I could feel Jason’s guilt when he lied; he knew he was deceiving law enforcement.”

"Can you see what the attacker looks like?"

“I could see some things.” Elisa closed her eyes, trying to recall the images she had just perceived. “A young man, about twenty-five years old, dark brown hair, blue eyes. Medium build, seemed mild-mannered, not like a professional criminal.”

Lynn immediately took out her notebook and jotted down these characteristics. "This basically matches the description given by the witnesses last night. So what do you think their motive was?"

“Insurance fraud is a strong possibility,” Elisa analyzed. “But there are other factors. I sensed that Jason was under a lot of financial pressure, a lot of financial pressure. He was desperate and felt he had no other choice.”

“Financial pressure?” Lynn pondered. “Perhaps we should investigate Jason’s financial situation.”

“There’s one more thing,” Alyssa added. “Jason is very worried about the young man’s safety. Jason believes the man did it to help him, not for money.”

This information made Lynn re-examine the entire case. "You mean, this might not be a simple employment relationship, but rather help based on personal feelings?"

“Yes,” Alyssa nodded. “I can sense Jason’s deep guilt towards that person. He knows he’s dragged them into a dangerous situation.”

Lynn took out her phone and started making calls. "I need to investigate Jason's background immediately, including his finances, insurance records, and any potential romantic relationships."

After the call was connected, Lynn quickly reported the situation to headquarters and requested an immediate and comprehensive background investigation.

"Any new discoveries from the technical team?" Elisa asked.

“The enhanced version of the surveillance footage should be complete.” Lynn checked the time. “Let’s go back to headquarters now and see if we can identify the young man you described from the footage.”

On the way to the FBI office, Alyssa appeared somewhat tired. Deep telepathy always consumed a significant amount of her mental energy.

"Can you use Depth Perception again?" Lynn asked anxiously. "If we find that young man, we might need you to confirm it again."

“It should be usable one or two more times today,” Alyssa replied, “but I need some time to recover. Jason's emotional shock just now was stronger than I expected.”

Is his emotional state complicated?

“It’s very complex,” Elisa explained. “The overt fear and victim mentality, the deep-seated guilt and sense of deception, and the profound worry and love for that young man. All these emotions are intertwined, forming a very chaotic psychological state.”

“This also explains why his testimony sounded somewhat unnatural,” Lynn analyzed. “He was trying to maintain the role of a victim, but his true feelings were interfering with his performance.”

Upon arriving at the FBI field office, they went directly to the technical analysis department. Tom Chen, the technician in charge of analyzing surveillance footage, was working at his computer.

"Chen, is the enhanced surveillance video analysis complete?" Lynn asked.

“Just finished, Inspector Hall.” Tom turned around. “We got several clear shots of the mystery customer from the convenience store’s security footage.”

Tom played several enhanced video clips on the big screen. Although the images were still somewhat blurry, the appearance of a young man was now clearly visible.

Alyssa carefully examined the image on the screen, then nodded definitively. "It's him. This is the person I saw inside Jason's mind."

"Are you sure?" Lynn asked again to confirm.

“Absolutely. Dark brown hair, blue eyes, facial features are exactly the same,” Elisa said, pointing to the screen. “And I can feel Jason’s strong emotional reaction to this face.”

Tom continued playing the video. "His behavior pattern is indeed suspicious. Every time he enters the store, he observes the layout, paying particular attention to the location of the security cameras. Furthermore, he only buys non-perishable food items, as if preparing for some long-term plan."

"Did you get any information about his vehicle?" Lynn asked.

“That’s the problem,” Tom shook his head. “He never drives; he always walks or takes public transportation. We’ve tried to track his movements, but he cleverly avoids most of the security cameras.”

Lynn's phone rang; it was a call from her colleague in charge of background checks.

“Detective Hall, we’ve found some important information,” came the excited voice on the phone. “Jason Parker’s finances are in dire straits. He owes about $80,000 in debt, mostly credit card debt and student loans. More importantly, he just bought a large disability insurance policy three months ago.”

"How much?" Lynn asked.

"He is entitled to a full refund of $500,000 if the crime results in permanent disability."

This information confirmed Lynn and Elisa's suspicions. "Any other findings?"

“We uncovered an interesting detail during our investigation into his social relationships. Jason had a roommate named Daniel Rodriguez, 25, who was unemployed,” the investigator continued, “and according to neighbor testimonies, their relationship appeared to go beyond that of ordinary roommates.”

“Daniel Rodriguez?” Lynn repeated the name. “Can you provide him with more details?”

"Of course. Five feet ten inches tall, 160 pounds, dark brown hair, blue eyes. No criminal record, but a few prior charges for minor debts."

Upon hearing this description, Alyssa immediately nodded in confirmation. "It's him. He perfectly matches the image I have in Jason's mind."

“We’ll go find Daniel now,” Lynn decided. “What’s the address?”

"They rented an apartment in Brooklyn, at 342 15th Avenue, Apartment 3A."

After hanging up the phone, Lynn turned to Alyssa. "It seems our suspicions were entirely correct. The problem now is how to find Daniel Rodriguez."

“If Jason is worried about his safety, it means Daniel may have already gone into hiding,” Alyssa analyzed. “They may have had a pre-arranged evacuation plan after the shooting.”

“Let’s go check their apartment first,” Lynn said. “If he’s not there, we’ll need to think of something else.”

On the way to Brooklyn, Lynn contacted the local police, requesting their assistance in the search. Meanwhile, he was also considering how to handle this complex case. "Eliza, if we find Daniel, I might need you to use your senses again to confirm the truth," Lynn said. "Will that be difficult for you?"

“I can handle it,” Elisa replied firmly. “But my concern is, if they really made this choice because of financial difficulties, what will happen if we catch them?”

“The law is the law, and insurance fraud is a crime regardless of the motive,” Lynn said. “But if they cooperate with the investigation and tell the truth, the court will consider their circumstances.”

“I understand,” Elisa nodded. “I just hope this whole thing can have a relatively fair outcome.”

Upon arriving in Brooklyn, they discovered that 342 Fifteenth Avenue was an old apartment building. It wasn't very tall, the exterior was somewhat dilapidated, and it looked like the kind of residential area with relatively cheap rent.

Local police were already waiting downstairs. The operation was led by an experienced detective named Mike O'Connor.

“Detective Hall, we’ve been monitoring this building for an hour and haven’t seen any suspicious persons enter or leave,” O’Connor reported. “The lights in Apartment 3A have remained off.”

“Let’s go upstairs and check,” Lynn decided. “If no one answers the door, we might need a search warrant.”

They climbed to the third floor and arrived at the door of Apartment 3A. Lynn knocked on the door, but there was no response. He knocked several more times, but still, there was silence.

“No one was home, or they were deliberately not opening the door,” O’Connor said.

Lynn gestured for Alyssa to come closer. "Can you sense anyone inside?"

Elisa gently placed her hand on the door, closed her eyes, and concentrated. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "I can't sense any life activity; this place must be empty."

"Is the landlord home?" Lynn asked O'Connor.

"We can ask about the situation on the first floor."

The original poster was a man in his sixties named Frank Jenkins. He seemed somewhat nervous when he heard that the FBI was going to investigate the tenants of Apartment 3A.

“Jason and Daniel? They’re good kids, they never cause trouble,” Jenkins said. “But I haven’t seen Daniel for two days. Jason was here yesterday, but I haven’t seen him today either.”

“Could you describe what Daniel looks like?” Lynn asked.

“The young man, probably in his early twenties, brown hair, very thin. They seemed to get along well, but lately they seemed a bit tense,” Jenkins recalled. “I heard them arguing loudly in the apartment a few days ago.”

Did you hear what was going on in the argument?

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seemed to be about money. Daniel said something like, ‘This can’t go on,’ and Jason was trying to comfort him,” Jenkins tried to recall. “They were both good kids, just under too much pressure.”

“We need to enter the apartment to check.” Lynn showed Jenkins the search warrant. “It’s authorized by the court.”

Jenkins led them back to the third floor and unlocked the door to apartment 3A. The apartment was small, with only one bedroom, but it was cozy. Two photos were prominently displayed in the living room—one was a picture of Jason and Daniel together, and the other was a family photo of them with an older couple.

Elisa examined the photos closely. "They look so happy. This isn't just a simple roommate or business partnership; it's a real romantic relationship."

Lynn carefully searched the apartment for any possible clues. In a drawer in the bedroom, he found some important documents: insurance policies, debt collection notices, and some medical records.

“Look at this.” Lynn picked up a medical record. “Daniel suffers from severe anxiety and depression and has been receiving treatment.”

“That explains their argument,” Alyssa said. “Financial stress combined with mental illness made Daniel feel desperate. Jason probably came up with this plan to help him.”

In the desk drawer, Lynn also found a handwritten note. It read: "If things go wrong, I'll wait for you at our usual spot. Love you forever. —D"

“The usual place?” O’Connor asked. “This is probably their pre-arranged meeting place.”

Lynn picked up the family photo and examined it closely. "Perhaps we should try to find out who this elderly couple is. If Daniel is going to hide, the most likely place he'll go is with his relatives."

Elisa suddenly walked to the window, her expression becoming focused. "Wait, I sensed something."

"What?" Lynn immediately became alert.

“There’s someone nearby, and they’re very agitated,” Elisa said, closing her eyes. “A strong sense of fear and despair, right here in this building.”

Lynn immediately signaled for everyone to be quiet. They listened carefully to the sounds around them and could indeed hear faint noises coming from upstairs.

“Fourth floor,” Elisa whispered. “The emotional signal is coming from the fourth floor.”

They quietly climbed to the fourth floor, and Alyssa pointed to one of the apartment doors. "This is it."

Lynn knocked on the door. "Daniel Rodriguez, this is FBI Detective Hall. We know you're inside, please open the door."

A flurry of sounds came from inside the door, followed by a young man's trembling voice: "I haven't hurt anyone! Please leave!"

“We know you didn’t intend to hurt Jason,” Lynn said, trying to remain calm. “We just want to know the truth. If you cooperate with the investigation, things might not be as bad as you think.”

“You don’t understand!” Daniel’s voice trembled with tears. “We had no choice! If we didn’t do this, we would lose everything!”

Alyssa approached the door. “Daniel, I can feel your pain. You did this because of love, because of desperation, I understand. But hiding won't solve anything now.”

There was a few seconds of silence inside the door, then Daniel's voice came through: "Who are you? How can you understand me?"

“My name is Alyssa. I have a special ability to sense other people’s emotions,” Alyssa said honestly. “I know you love Jason, and I know you’re not doing this for money, but for each other.”

Another silence fell, then the lock clicked. The door slowly opened, and a thin, young man appeared in the doorway. His eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying, and his dark brown hair was disheveled. This was Daniel Rodriguez, the man they had been searching for. (End of Chapter)