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

“Then why did you show up while we were diving?” Lynn demanded. “Did you know that would scare the other people?”

Jack seemed embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just curious. Very few people come to this area to dive, and I wanted to see what you were doing up close."

"Close-up observation?" Lynn frowned. "Your actions constitute an invasion of privacy and could pose a safety hazard. If we panic because we see you, it could be dangerous underwater."

“I’m so sorry,” Jack said sincerely. “I didn’t expect it to cause such a problem. I usually swim alone in the sea and rarely encounter other people.”

"Do you live here?" Lynn asked.

“Yes, I’m a local,” Jack replied. “I grew up in these waters. My abilities are natural; I can breathe underwater and swim at high speeds.”

Lynn's expression softened slightly. He realized that the young man meant no harm; he had simply done something inappropriate out of curiosity.

“Jack, I understand your curiosity,” Lynn said, “but you need to understand that while your abilities are special, you also need to consider the impact on others. Appearing suddenly while others are engaged in water activities could cause panic.”

“You’re right,” Jack said, humbly accepting the criticism. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Furthermore,” Lynn continued, “if you’re interested in diving or other water activities, you can participate through legitimate channels, not by secretly observing.”

Jack's eyes lit up. "You mean I can participate in the hotel's activities?"

“Of course,” Lynn said, “you can act as a guide or assistant, using your abilities to help others better understand the ocean. This way, you can satisfy your interests while also helping others.”

“That’s a fantastic idea!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. “I know this area very well; I know where the most beautiful corals are and where sea turtles often appear.”

Lynn handed Jack her business card. "If you're interested, you can contact the hotel's activities center. Tell them I recommended you. But remember, don't follow tourists on your own again."

“I promise I won’t,” Jack said earnestly. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

After resolving this minor incident, Lynn returned to the hotel. Emily was waiting for him on the balcony of his room, clearly worried about his sudden departure.

"Where have you been?" she asked with concern. "Did something happen?"

Lynn told Emily about what had just happened. After listening, Emily laughed.

"So the mysterious figure we saw today was actually a curious mutant?" she said. "It sounds like a movie plot."

“Yes, he meant no harm, he was just too curious,” Lynn said. “But it also reminds us to stay vigilant, even on vacation.”

“You handled it very well,” Emily praised. “You solved the problem while giving him a legitimate opportunity to participate. That’s what I admire about you—you always find the most humane solutions.”

Lynn was touched by her praise. "Thank you for your understanding. So, aside from that little incident, how was your diving experience today?"

“Absolutely unforgettable!” Emily exclaimed excitedly. “The underwater world is so beautiful, even more spectacular than I imagined. And with you by my side, I feel incredibly safe.”

“I really enjoyed exploring the underwater world with you,” Lynn said sincerely. “Seeing you so excited and happy made me very happy too.”

“Let’s go diving again tomorrow,” Emily suggested. “Maybe we can explore different areas.”

“Good idea,” Lynn agreed, “and maybe Jack has become the hotel’s guide; he can take us to even more special places.”

In the afternoon, they rested on the beach, and Emily kept excitedly reminiscing about her diving experience that morning. She described every kind of fish and every piece of coral she saw, her eyes sparkling with joy.

“You know what,” she said, “when I’m underwater, I feel like I’ve entered another world. The tranquility and beauty make me forget all my worries and fears.”

“Diving does indeed have this therapeutic effect,” Lynn said. “Underwater, time seems to stand still, and you are in harmony with nature.”

As the sun set, they sat on the beach watching the sunset. Golden sunlight spilled across the sea, and the distant mountains looked exceptionally beautiful in the twilight.

“Today is a perfect day,” Emily said contentedly. “Even that little incident didn’t spoil my wonderful mood.”

“Yes,” Lynn said, looking at her beautiful profile in the sunset, “it truly is a perfect day.”

The next morning, Lynn woke up an hour earlier than scheduled. He stood on the balcony of his hotel room, looking at the distant mountains, his mind racing through all the information he had gathered the day before.

"You're up early," Emily's voice came from the neighboring balcony. "Thinking about yesterday's case?"

“Yes,” Lynn turned around, “I think we may have been misled by the legends and mystique. I want to re-examine the whole case, starting with the most basic evidence.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“What I mean is, we should temporarily forget about the sea god, the ancient legends, and the mutant abilities, and focus on the physical evidence in the case,” Lynn said. “A statue weighing five kilograms couldn’t just disappear into thin air; there must be traces of human intervention.”

At eight o'clock, they met with Sheriff Kahana and Officer Nakamura in the hotel lobby. Lynn directly expressed his thoughts.

“I want to re-examine all the museum’s evidence,” he said, “especially the surveillance system. I have a feeling we missed something important yesterday.”

“But we’ve already reviewed the surveillance footage very carefully,” Officer Nakamura said, somewhat puzzled, “and found nothing unusual.”

“It’s precisely because there’s ‘nothing unusual’ that it’s unusual,” Lynn explained. “A perfect crime scene often indicates that the perpetrator has invested a great deal of effort in covering up the evidence.”

Back at the museum, Lynn this time requested to see the technical specifications and operational logs of the surveillance system. Mark Wilson, the technician in charge of the security system, a local in his thirties, looked somewhat nervous.

“Please explain in detail how the monitoring system works,” Lynn said to Mark.

Mark cleared his throat. "We're using the latest digital surveillance system, with 32 high-definition cameras recording around the clock. The video data is stored simultaneously on three different servers to ensure data security."

"Is the video stored in real time?" Emily asked.

“Yes, each camera transmits data to the control room in real time, and then synchronizes it to the storage server,” Mark replied.

Lynn carefully observed Mark's facial expressions and body language. As an experienced agent, he was keenly aware of the other man's nervousness.

“Could I see the system's operation log?” Lynn requested. Mark hesitated for a moment. “The operation log…that’s rather complex; it might take some time to retrieve.”

“It’s alright, we have time,” Lynn insisted.

While waiting, Lynn began to observe the equipment in the monitoring room more closely. He noticed that the timestamp on one of the devices was slightly different from the others, differing by about two minutes.

"Why is the time on this device different?" he asked, pointing to the device.

Mark glanced at it and explained, "Oh, that's a backup recording device; there might be a problem with time synchronization."

"Backup equipment?" Officer Nakamura asked. "Why wasn't this mentioned before?"

Mark seemed even more nervous. "It's usually not used; it's only used as a backup. The main recordings all come from the main system."

Lynn's suspicions deepened. He demanded to see the recordings from the "backup device." Mark tried to stop him, claiming the device might have a technical problem, but Lynn insisted on seeing them.

When the backup equipment started playing the recording, Lynn saw a completely different picture. During the time the statue was stolen, the equipment recorded two people in museum uniforms entering the gallery, one of whom was Mark Wilson.

“What’s going on?” Sheriff Kahana asked sternly.

Mark's face turned deathly pale instantly. "I...I can explain."

“I think you had better explain yourself,” Lynn said calmly, “because you are now the prime suspect.”

Faced with overwhelming evidence, Mark finally broke down. He admitted to tampering with the main surveillance system's recordings, replacing the actual theft with pre-recorded "normal" footage.

“I’m not the mastermind,” Mark hurriedly explained. “I was just hired to handle the technical aspects.”

"Who hired you?" Officer Nakamura questioned.

Mark hesitated for a long time before finally saying a name: "Richard Black. He's an art collector from the continent."

Lynn recognized the name. "Richard Black. I remember the FBI had a file on him. He specialized in collecting illegally acquired ancient art."

"How did he contact you?" Emily asked.

Mark, head bowed, said, “Three months ago, he visited the museum and noticed the ‘Tears of Poseidon.’ Later, he contacted me privately and offered to buy the statue. When I refused, he proposed an even bolder plan.”

"What plan?" Sheriff Kahana pressed.

“He wanted me to help create a ‘perfect theft,’” Mark explained. “He said if the statue mysteriously disappeared, with no evidence pointing to a deliberate theft, the insurance company would pay out, and the museum wouldn’t suffer too much loss. He would get the statue, and I would get a $100,000 reward.”

Lynn shook his head. "You've been used. Mark Black just wants the statue; he doesn't care about the consequences."

“Where is the statue now?” Officer Nakamura asked.

“I don’t know,” Mark said. “My job is just to monitor the system. Blake said he’d arrange for someone else to take the statue away.”

Lynn began to reanalyze the entire crime. "Could you describe last night's events in detail?"

Mark took a deep breath and began to recount: "Last night at 10:30, I received a call from Blake confirming the operation had begun. My first step was to disable the exhibition hall's infrared alarm system, and then I replaced the live surveillance with pre-recorded video."

"A pre-recorded video?" Emily asked. "When did you record it?"

“A week ago,” Mark replied, “I chose a completely calm night and recorded several hours of 'normal' footage. Last night I played those recordings on a loop to create the illusion that everything in the exhibition hall was normal.”

"So what was the actual theft like?" Lynn continued to ask.

“Around 11 a.m., Blake’s men entered the museum. They had information about the internal passageways I provided and avoided other surveillance cameras. Once inside the exhibition hall, they used special tools to open the protective glass enclosure and remove the statue.”

"What about those seawater marks?" Officer Nakamura recalled this detail.

Mark looked confused. "Seawater? I don't know what you're talking about. The removal of the statue was done cleanly; there shouldn't have been any traces left."

Lynn and Emily exchanged a glance. The seawater traces were clearly not part of this organized crime; they might indeed be related to Jack's "sense" from last night.

“Do you know where Blake is right now?” Sheriff Kahana asked.

“He said he would leave Hawaii immediately after the operation,” Mark replied. “He’s probably already back on the mainland.”

Lynn immediately contacted FBI headquarters, requesting an arrest warrant for Richard Black and an investigation into his recent movements. He also requested a review of all flight and ship records departing Maui.

“Wait a minute,” Emily suddenly realized something, “Mark, you said Blake’s people avoided the other security cameras, but what about the cameras around the museum?”

Mark's expression grew even more tense. "External surveillance... I can't control those."

"So, the external surveillance might have recorded them entering and leaving the museum?" Lynn realized this was an important clue.

They immediately went to the museum's security control center to retrieve the perimeter surveillance footage. Sure enough, at 11:05 PM last night, the footage showed a black van parked near the museum's back entrance. At 11:40 PM, three people emerged from the museum's back entrance, one of them carrying a cloth bag, just the right size to hold the statue.

“Enlarge that license plate,” Lynn instructed the technicians.

The license plate number was clearly visible: HTV-2847. Officer Nakamura immediately requested information about this license plate via radio.

A few minutes later, a reply came: "This car belongs to the rental company and was rented yesterday morning by a man named John Smith."

“John Smith,” Lynn said with a wry smile, “that’s an obvious pseudonym. Check the identification information provided when you rented the car.”

Further investigation revealed that the driver's license provided by the renter was forged, but the rental company employees remembered some distinctive features of the man: approximately forty years old, of medium build, with a noticeable scar on the back of his left hand. (End of Chapter)