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

The Arctic winds were still howling outside, but the atmosphere inside the command post was much more positive than before. Although the first operation had failed, the lessons learned from the failure gave everyone more confidence for the next operation.

“When will Martin Foster arrive?” Lisa asked. Despite her broken ankle, she was in good spirits.

Lynn glanced at his watch. "Six more hours. Then we'll finally meet this legendary aquatic mutant."

“I hope he’s really as capable as Dr. Smith says,” Jack said, “otherwise we’ll have made another wasted trip.”

“No,” Lynn said firmly. “This time we are fully prepared, have the right support, and have valuable experience. I believe we will succeed.”

Six hours later, an FBI plane landed at Barrow Airport. Although the weather was still harsh, it was considerably milder than the Arctic Ocean. Lynn and his team gathered in the waiting area, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the legendary aquatic mutant.

After the plane came to a stop, the cabin door slowly opened. The first person to step out was Dr. Smith, followed by a man of medium build. This man appeared to be about thirty-five years old, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a standard FBI uniform, and with a calm and composed expression.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you,” Dr. Smith said. “This is Agent Martin Foster, a key member of the FBI Special Operations Group.”

Martin approached Lynn and extended his hand. "Detective Lynn, I've heard a lot about you. I've heard you've encountered some formidable opponents."

Lynn grasped Martin's hand and immediately felt a strange sensation. Martin's hand was warm, but it seemed to have a flowing quality, like touching flowing water.

“Agent Foster, welcome to our team,” Lynn said. “Time is of the essence, and I need to familiarize myself with your capabilities as soon as possible.”

Martin nodded. "I understand. Dr. Smith gave me a brief overview on the way. Ice mutants are indeed a troublesome opponent, especially in the Arctic environment."

Emily looked at the new team member with curiosity. Although Martin looked ordinary, she could sense a special quality about him, like the depth and tranquility of the sea.

“Agent Foster, what exactly are your capabilities?” Michael asked directly.

Martin looked around. "This might not be the best place for a demonstration, but I can give you a brief overview. I can control water in all its states: liquid, solid, and gas. Within a certain range, I can manipulate any water-containing substance."

"Any water-containing substance?" Jack asked with interest, "Including the human body?"

Martin's expression turned serious. "Theoretically, it's possible, but I would never use this ability on humans. My principle is to use only necessary force against enemies."

This answer won everyone's favor towards Martin. Clearly, he not only possessed great abilities but also unwavering moral principles.

Dr. Smith added, "Martin's abilities are top-notch within the FBI. He has participated in numerous high-risk missions, including maritime rescue, flood relief, and combating other mutant criminals."

"So what strategy do you have for dealing with ice mutants?" Lynn asked.

Martin pondered for a moment. "Ice is just a form of water. Theoretically, I can convert the ice created by the enemy back into liquid water, or directly control it. But in the Arctic environment, ice mutants would receive environmental advantages, and I would need more effort to maintain control."

"So, your abilities will cancel each other out?" Mark asked.

“Not entirely,” Martin explained. “Ice mutants can typically only create and manipulate ice, while I can control the water cycle. If we coordinate properly, I can neutralize his attacks and even turn his ice into weapons that are to our advantage.”

Lynn began to see hope. "That sounds promising. What about the Storm Mutants?"

“Storms contain a lot of moisture,” Martin said. “While I can’t completely control a storm, I can influence the distribution of that moisture and weaken its power.”

David approached, holding the latest intelligence report. "Detective, I just intercepted some electronic signals. The enemy seems to be accelerating their experiments, possibly starting the final phase ahead of schedule."

This news put everyone on edge. If the enemy acted ahead of time, they would have even less time to prepare.

"How much time do we have left?" Lynn asked immediately.

“Based on signal analysis, it’s at most 24 hours,” David replied. “Furthermore, I discovered some strange data transmissions; it seems they are sending experimental results to the outside world.”

Martin's expression turned serious. "It seems the situation is more urgent than we anticipated. Inspector Lynn, I suggest we begin joint training immediately."

“Agreed,” Lynn decided, “but where do we train in this weather?”

A local Inuit man named Amak approached. "Detective," he said, "there's an abandoned research station about ten kilometers from here. It has plenty of space and is relatively secluded."

“Great!” Lynn made the decision immediately. “Everyone get your gear ready, we’re going there for coordinated training.”

Half an hour later, the team traveled by snowmobile to the abandoned research station. It was a difficult journey; the snowmobile bumped and jolted along the rugged ice, and the snowstorm outside was still fierce.

The abandoned research station was a group of low-rise buildings that appeared to have been abandoned for several years. However, the structure was still sturdy enough to withstand the wind and snow outside. Inside, there were several large rooms, perfect for training.

“This is a good spot,” Martin said, looking around. “There’s enough space, and plenty of snow and ice to practice on.”

Lynn nodded. "Then let's begin. First, I need to understand your capabilities and limitations."

Martin walked to the center of the room and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he stretched out his hands, and the temperature in the room seemed to subtly change. The snowflakes on the ground began to move, as if drawn by an invisible force.

“My control range is approximately fifty meters in radius,” Martin explained as he demonstrated. “Within this range, I can sense and manipulate all the moisture.”

With a gentle wave of his hand, the snowflakes on the ground instantly gathered into a snowball, which then spun in the air. The snowball then began to change shape, sometimes becoming an icicle, sometimes a stream of water.

“It’s amazing,” Emily exclaimed.

“This is just basic application,” Martin said. “In actual combat, I can perform much more complex operations.”

He waved his hand again, and a large pile of snow in the corner of the room suddenly rose up, forming a thick ice wall. Then, the ice wall began to change, displaying various complex shapes and patterns.

“Both defense and offense are acceptable,” Martin explained. “The key is to apply them flexibly according to tactical needs.”

Mark raised his sniper rifle. "Can I try attacking your ice wall?" "Sure," Martin nodded in agreement.

Mark aimed at the ice wall and pulled the trigger; the bullet struck the center of the ice wall precisely. But surprisingly, the ice wall transformed into a stream of water the instant it was hit, and as the bullet passed through the water, it immediately reformed into an ice wall.

“That’s the advantage of water-based abilities,” Martin said. “They offer far greater flexibility than simple ice-based abilities.”

Jack wanted to test it out too, so he took out a small explosive device. "How about this? Will the explosion break through your defenses?"

“Give it a try,” Martin said.

The explosives detonated in front of the ice wall, the massive shockwave blasting ice chunks into countless fragments. But Martin immediately waved his hand, and the fragments of ice reassembled in mid-air, forming an even larger ice wall.

“The explosion just gave me more materials to use,” Martin said with a laugh.

Next, they began practicing coordinated tactics. Lynn devised several different operational plans, each requiring Martin to work closely with the other team members.

The first strategy is a defensive coordination approach. When the enemy's ice-type mutants launch an attack, Martin is responsible for neutralizing the ice attacks while providing cover for the other team members. The other team members then use the cover created by Martin to launch a counterattack.

“Remember, my defense isn’t absolute,” Martin reminded everyone during practice. “If the enemy’s attack intensity exceeds my control, the defense will fail. So everyone must be prepared to react at any time.”

The second approach is coordinated attack. Martin uses his water abilities to create attack opportunities, such as creating ice surfaces to make enemies slip or using water currents to restrict their movement. Other team members then launch precise strikes during these opportunities.

"The key is timing," Michael summarized during practice. "Martin's attacks and our shots must be perfectly synchronized."

The third option is a coordinated retreat. When the situation is unfavorable, Martin can create large areas of water mist or ice walls to cover the troops' retreat. At the same time, he can also create obstacles in the enemy's pursuit route.

After two hours of training, the team members began to adapt to playing with Martin. While not perfect yet, they had at least reached a basic level of coordination.

“Now let’s simulate a real combat scenario,” Lynn said. “Let’s assume we’re facing the same two mutants we encountered last time.”

Emily volunteered to play the enemy; although she didn't have mutant abilities, she was familiar with the enemy's attack patterns.

“The ice mutants will first launch a ranged attack,” Emily said, gesturing to indicate the attack direction, “shooting ice spikes from roughly this angle.”

Martin reacted immediately, creating an ice shield to block the simulated attack, then countered, "I can turn his ice spikes into a stream of water and attack back at him."

“Very good,” Lynn nodded, “Then the Storm Mutants will create a blizzard to limit our visibility.”

Emily began waving her hands to simulate a storm, saying, "Visibility will drop to almost zero; you'll have to rely on sound and intuition to orient yourselves."

Martin closed his eyes. "In a storm, I can sense the flow of moisture. While it can't completely eliminate the storm, it can create a relatively calm area around us."

This kind of practical simulation benefited everyone greatly. Through continuous practice and adjustments, the team members began to develop a tacit understanding.

"There's another question," Lisa said, though she couldn't participate in training due to a foot injury, she had been observing, "Martin, are there any limitations to your abilities? For example, limitations on usage time or intensity?"

Martin thought for a moment, "Using wide-range abilities continuously consumes a lot of energy. At my limit, I can probably maintain high-intensity combat for about fifteen minutes. Beyond that, the effectiveness drops drastically."

“Fifteen minutes,” Lynn noted down this crucial information, “and we must end the battle within that time.”

“Furthermore,” Martin added, “controlling the water becomes more difficult at extremely low temperatures. It won't fail, but it will require significantly more effort.”

Training continued, and the players experimented with various tactical combinations. Sometimes Martin would take the lead in the attack, with the others providing support; other times, Martin would provide support, creating opportunities for the others.

“I think the second option is the most effective,” Mark said during a break. “Martin creates opportunities, and we execute precision strikes. This maximizes our advantage.”

“I agree,” Jack nodded, “and this approach is relatively less taxing on Martin’s energy, allowing him to sustain the fight for a longer period.”

Just as the training was in full swing, David suddenly received an urgent communication.

"Detective, headquarters has urgent news," David said nervously. "Satellite monitoring shows unusual activity at Arctic Station 2. A large amount of energy is reacting; it's very likely the final experiment has begun."

This news brought everyone to a halt in training. If the enemy had indeed begun their final experiment, they would have even less time left.

"How much time do we have left?" Lynn asked immediately.

David examined the equipment. "Judging from the changes in the intensity of the energy reaction, the experiment should be completed within six hours."

Six hours! This means they have to leave immediately, with no more time to prepare.

“Everyone,” Lynn addressed the team, “our teamwork isn’t perfect yet, but time doesn’t allow us to continue training. We must act immediately.”

Martin nodded. "I've basically grasped everyone's tactical style. Although our teamwork still needs some refinement, it should be sufficient for this mission."

“Then let’s go back to Barrow immediately and get ready to leave,” Lynn decided.

On the way back to Barrow, the team was tense. This operation not only concerned the lives of Emily and the other victims, but could also affect the safety of countless innocent people.

“Martin,” Emily asked from the snowmobile, “are you nervous?”

Martin gazed at the snowy landscape outside the window. "It's impossible not to be nervous. But as FBI agents, protecting public safety is our duty. No matter the danger, we cannot back down."

“Well said,” Michael agreed, “and this time we are much better prepared, so our chances of success are very high.”

Back in Barrow, the Canadian military's Chinook helicopter was ready. Major McDonald checked the aircraft's systems to ensure safe flight in adverse weather conditions. (End of Chapter)