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

But Lynn was prepared. He dodged to the side, letting the burly guard's fist graze past him, then seized the opportunity to grab the guard's wrist and slammed him heavily to the ground with a standard over-the-shoulder throw.

Although the burly guard's body had been enhanced, the impact still temporarily rendered him immobile. Lynn gave him no chance to recover, delivering another chop to his neck, knocking him completely unconscious.

The entire fight lasted less than two minutes, with both guards being cleanly and efficiently dealt with. Lynn checked the corridor to make sure no one else had noticed the commotion, then quickly dragged the two guards into a storage room and hid them.

Now he needed to get into the lab to rescue Emily. Lynn found a key card on the skinny guard and carefully swiped it to open the lab door.

The interior of the laboratory was far more complex than what could be seen through the crack in the door. Various sophisticated instruments were neatly arranged, and screens on the walls displayed vast amounts of data and charts. The air was thick with the smell of chemicals and a faint whiff of ozone.

Emily sat in a special chair in the center of the laboratory. Various detection devices surrounded the chair, and she wore a complex helmet with over a dozen wires attached to it. Her eyes were closed, and her face was pale, but the rise and fall of her chest indicated she was still alive.

Around Emily, three researchers were working busily. They were wearing white lab coats, intently observing the readings of various instruments, and occasionally writing something on a whiteboard.

Lynn approached stealthily, but just as he was about to make his move, one of the researchers suddenly looked up.

"Who?" the researchers exclaimed.

Knowing that a sneak attack was no longer possible, Lynn immediately charged forward. The three researchers, clearly inexperienced in combat, hastily retreated, one of them even falling to the ground.

“Don’t hurt us!” an older researcher cried, raising his hands. “We’re just doing research, we mean no harm!”

"Take the equipment off her!" Lynn ordered, pointing his gun at them.

"We can't just dismantle it!" the older researcher exclaimed hastily. "She's currently in a deep hypnotic state; a sudden interruption could damage her brain!"

Lynn frowned. He wasn't a medical expert and couldn't determine whether the researchers were telling the truth. But Emily's safety was paramount, and he couldn't take the risk.

“Then let’s follow the correct procedure,” Lynn said. “Hurry up!”

The older researcher nodded and began carefully operating the various instruments. He first adjusted a few parameters, then gradually reduced the current output. About ten minutes later, the helmet on Emily's head was completely removed.

Emily slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was somewhat dazed, clearly not fully awake yet. When she saw Lynn, a flicker of surprise and hope flashed in her eyes.

"Who...who are you?" Emily asked weakly.

“This is FBI Agent Lynn Hall,” Lynn said. “We’ve been looking for you. How are you feeling?”

Emily struggled to sit up, but was clearly still very weak. "I...I remember being kidnapped. They said I was some kind of mutant and they wanted to experiment on me. But I'm not a mutant at all!"

This news surprised Lynn. According to previous investigations, Emily should have the ability to sense emotions, which was the reason she was kidnapped.

"Are you sure you don't have any special abilities?" Lynn asked.

“I’m sure!” Emily said firmly. “I’m just a regular college student. I don’t know why they would think I’m a mutant.”

Lynn turned to the older researcher, "What's going on? Why did you kidnap an ordinary person?"

The older researcher looked nervous. "Our orders were that she has a unique genetic sequence that might conceal mutant abilities. The doctor wants us to conduct in-depth testing to confirm the type of her abilities."

"And then what happened?" Lynn pressed.

"The results show that she is indeed a normal person," the researchers admitted, "without any mutant genetic markers. However... the doctor didn't believe the results and asked us to continue with more in-depth testing."

Emily's face darkened with anger upon hearing this. "You kidnapped me here and subjected me to these horrific experiments just because of one wrong judgment?"

“We’re sorry,” the researchers said, “but we were just following orders.”

Lynn helped Emily stand up from the chair. Her legs were still a little weak, and she needed Lynn's support to stand.

“Let’s get out of here now,” Lynn said to Emily. “Can you walk?”

“I’ll give it a try,” Emily nodded.

Just then, the laboratory alarm suddenly went off. The piercing alarm echoed throughout the building, indicating that someone had discovered the guard's disappearance.

“Damn it,” Lynn cursed, “we have to get out of here right now.”

He helped Emily walk quickly towards the laboratory door, but footsteps could already be heard outside. Clearly, more security personnel were on their way.

“Are there any other exits?” Lynn asked the researcher.

“There’s an emergency exit,” the researcher pointed to the other side of the lab, “through that door you can reach the emergency staircase.”

Lynn had no choice but to believe him. He helped Emily quickly through the laboratory and pushed open the emergency exit door.

There was no one in the stairwell, but Lynn could hear a commotion coming from downstairs. They had to act quickly, or they would be surrounded soon.

“Emily, can you run?” Lynn asked.

“I’m trying my best,” Emily said, taking a deep breath, clearly trying to regain her strength.

The two began to descend the stairs cautiously. At each floor, Lynn would peek out to check, only proceeding when it was safe. When they reached the second floor, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the stairwell; someone was coming up from below.

“This way,” Lynn said, pulling Emily into the second-floor corridor.

The second floor was the office area, with many rooms where they could hide. Lynn chose an office that looked unused and hid inside with Emily.

Through the blinds, Lynn saw several security personnel emerge from the stairwell and begin searching the various rooms. Their movements were professional, clearly indicating they had received specialized training.

“We can’t stay here any longer,” Lynn whispered to Emily. “They’ll find us here soon.”

Emily nodded, but she still looked very weak. "Agent Lynn, I need to tell you something."

“What is it?” Lynn asked. Emily hesitated for a moment. “During my kidnapping, I overheard some information about their experiments. They’re not just researching mutants; they’re conducting other, more dangerous experiments.”

"What kind of experiment?" Lynn immediately became alert.

“I don’t know the specifics, but I heard them mention terms like ‘genetic modification’ and ‘artificial mutant creation,’” Emily said. “And they seem to have some successful cases.”

This information shocked Lynn. If Emily's words were true, then this criminal organization was far more dangerous than he had imagined. Artificially creating mutants was not only morally wrong, but also a serious crime under the law. More importantly, if this technology were misused, it could pose a huge threat to society as a whole.

“Do you remember any other details?” Lynn asked.

Emily shook her head. "I'm mostly in a semi-comatose state. But... but one time, I secretly saw the Doctor doing something on the computer. The data displayed on the screen looked like a gene sequence map."

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open. A security guard stood in the doorway, holding a weapon.

"We've found them!" the security personnel shouted.

Lynn reacted instantly, lunging towards the security guard. The guard attempted to fire, but Lynn had already grabbed his wrist, deflecting the gun to the side. The bullet struck the ceiling with a deafening roar.

Lynn kneed the security guard in the stomach, causing the guard to bend over. Then Lynn delivered a chop to the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious.

"Let's go!" Lynn grabbed Emily and rushed out of the office.

More security personnel had gathered in the corridor, and upon seeing Lynn and Emily appear, they immediately gave chase. Lynn protected Emily while searching for an escape route.

They rushed to the window at the end of the corridor, and Lynn smashed the glass with a chair before assessing the situation outside. The second floor wasn't too high, and there were some bushes below that could provide some cushioning.

"Do you dare to jump?" Lynn asked Emily.

Emily glanced out the window, her face pale, but she nodded firmly. "I can."

Lynn jumped first, rolling to absorb the impact upon landing, then opening his arms to catch Emily. Emily took a deep breath and jumped as well. Lynn successfully caught her, and both landed safely.

Hearing the commotion, the security personnel outside the building immediately ran in their direction. Lynn pulled Emily along and ran quickly towards the parking lot, where his car was parked.

Several bullets flew past behind them, one of which struck the rear window of Lynn's car, shattering it instantly. But Lynn and Emily had already gotten into the car. Lynn started the engine, and the car sped out of the industrial park.

In his rearview mirror, Lynn saw several cars chasing them. But he was familiar with the terrain and managed to shake off his pursuers with a few sharp turns.

Lynn and Emily both breathed a sigh of relief after the car stopped in a safe place.

“We’re safe,” Lynn told Emily. “I’ll contact FBI headquarters to arrange for security.”

Emily nodded, but her expression seemed complicated. "Agent Lynn, I need to be honest with you about something."

"What is it?" Lynn noticed the unusual tone in her voice.

Emily hesitated for a long time before saying, "Actually... I did obtain some things while I was in that lab."

"What is that?" Lynn immediately became alert.

"While I was pretending to be unconscious, I saw the doctor hurriedly operate the computer, then insert a USB drive to back up data. Later, when he left, he forgot to remove the USB drive, and I took the opportunity to hide it."

Lynn was shocked. "You mean you have copies of their experimental data?"

Emily nodded. "But I hid it in a safe place. I was worried that if I gave it to you directly, they would find a way to find me and retaliate."

“Emily,” Lynn said seriously, “that data might contain very important information that could help us completely destroy this criminal organization. You must tell me where the USB drive is.”

Emily was silent for a moment. "I...I need some reassurance. I need to be sure my safety will be guaranteed."

Lynn understood her concerns. As an ordinary college student who had experienced the horrors of kidnapping and experimentation, her caution was understandable.

“I assure you, the FBI will provide you with full protection,” Lynn said. “And only with that data can we truly stop them from harming other innocent people.”

Emily looked into Lynn's eyes, seemingly assessing his sincerity. Finally, she nodded.

“I hid the USB drive in the university library,” Emily said. “Behind the bookshelves in the classics reading room, there’s a little hole I dug. The USB drive is there.”

“We’ll go get it now,” Lynn said.

“No,” Emily shook her head. “There are probably still people on campus watching us. Besides, the library is closed at night; we need to wait until tomorrow.”

Lynn considered it for a moment and felt that Emily made a good point. Moreover, after today's rescue operation, the criminal organization would definitely be on high alert, so now was indeed not the best time to act.

“Let’s find a safe place to rest first,” Lynn said. “We’ll pick up the USB drive first thing tomorrow morning.”

Emily agreed to the arrangement. Lynn drove her to a safe house in the suburbs, one of the locations the FBI specifically uses to protect witnesses.

Inside the safe house, Emily could finally relax. She took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and her complexion was noticeably better.

“Emily, I need you to recall in detail everything you saw and heard in the lab,” Lynn said. “This information is crucial to our investigation.”

Emily sat on the sofa, trying to recall. "The doctor looked to be in his fifties, with gray hair and thick glasses. He always wore a white lab coat and walked with a slight hunch."

"Did he say anything special?" Lynn asked.

“He often discussed things like ‘phase three experiments’ and ‘perfect gene sequences’ with other researchers,” Emily said. “And I heard him mention a name, something like ‘Project Prometheus.’”

“Project Prometheus?” Lynn noted the name down. “Anything else?” (End of Chapter)