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

“Suspicious vehicle spotted,” Lynn reported to the team through his headset. “Dark van, license plate NJ-847-KLM, parked across from the restaurant.”

"Received, checking vehicle information," James's voice came through.

A few minutes later, James reported: "The vehicle registration information shows the owner as a person named Robert Smith, but this identity may be fake because the registered address is an empty apartment."

Lynn's vigilance increased further. False identities usually meant that these people had ulterior motives.

At 7 p.m., another car stopped near the restaurant. This time it was a black sedan, parked at the entrance of a small alley to the side of the restaurant. Again, the occupants did not get out of the car, nor did they turn off the engine.

“A second suspicious vehicle has appeared,” Lynn continued, “a black sedan, located at the alleyway to the side of the restaurant.”

“It looks like they’re surrounding the restaurant,” Sarah said through her headset. “I also spotted a suspicious motorcycle; the rider has been loitering around the school.”

Lynn realized the situation was becoming dangerous. If someone was indeed planning to take action against Michael's family, the timing was clever: dinnertime, with guests in the restaurant, which could serve as cover while also increasing law enforcement's concerns.

"Attention all units," Lynn commanded over the encrypted channel, "the target may be about to make a move. SWAT teams, are you ready?"

"SWAT team, two blocks from target," Rick Sanders' voice came through. "We can be there in three minutes."

At 7:30 p.m., the van door suddenly opened, and three men dressed in dark clothes got out and quickly walked towards the restaurant. At the same time, two men also got out of the black sedan and approached the restaurant from the side.

"Operation begins! All units respond immediately!" Lynn shouted, rising to enter the restaurant.

He rushed out of the coffee shop, pulled out his FBI badge and service weapon, and shouted, "FBI! Cease operations!"

Upon hearing the shouts, one of the three men who got out of the van immediately drew a weapon. Lynn quickly sought cover, hiding behind a parked car.

"Gunman! Gunman!" Lynn warned over the radio, "There are armed men on the scene!"

Gunshots rang out immediately. The first shot came from the man who had drawn his gun; the bullet struck the car behind Lynn, leaving a bullet hole. Lynn immediately returned fire, his first shot hitting the gunman's shoulder accurately, causing the man to drop his weapon.

Upon hearing the gunshots, the restaurant patrons began to panic and flee. Michael's parents tried to protect their daughter, and the three of them hid behind the cashier.

Two men approaching from the side also began to move, one of them trying to enter through the restaurant's back door. But Sarah was already approaching from another direction, and she shouted a warning: "FBI! Hands up!"

The man ignored the warning and pulled out a handgun. Sarah reacted quickly, firing before he could aim. Her shot was accurate, striking him in the chest, and he immediately collapsed.

Meanwhile, James surrounded the area near the van from another angle. The remaining two suspects, seeing their accomplice shot, began to try to escape. One fired in Lynn's direction, attempting to subdue him, while the other ran towards the van.

Lynn moved to a better shooting angle under the cover of the car. He saw the suspect running towards the van and preparing to drive away, and immediately aimed at the tires and fired. Two bullets hit the front tires accurately, and the van immediately lost control and crashed into a fire hydrant on the side of the road.

The suspect who had fired at Lynn had run out of ammunition and was reloading. Lynn seized the opportunity, rushing out from behind cover and shouting, "Drop your weapons! Final warning!"

As Lynn approached, the suspect raised his gun to fire, but Lynn was faster. His bullet struck the suspect in the chest, and the suspect immediately fell to the ground, his weapon sliding to the side.

The entire firefight lasted less than three minutes. By the time the SWAT team arrived, the battle was essentially over.

"The scene is safe," Lynn reported over the radio. "Two suspects are dead, and three suspects are in custody."

Rick Sanders led the SWAT team to quickly bring the scene under control. Ambulances and more police cars arrived shortly afterward to treat the injured and maintain order.

Inside the van, they found the third suspect, injured in the vehicle collision but still alive. The first suspect, who had been shot in the shoulder by Lynn, was also alive and receiving medical treatment. Of the two men who approached from the side, one was shot dead by Sarah, and the other surrendered when he realized the situation was dire.

“The target family is safe,” Sarah reported. “Michael’s parents and sister were not injured, just shaken.”

Lynn walked into the restaurant and saw Michael's family still hiding behind the cashier, their faces filled with fear and confusion.

“Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen,” Lynn showed his badge, “I am FBI Inspector Lynn Hall. You are safe now.”

Michael's father, a middle-aged man in his forties, stood up trembling. "What happened? Why is someone attacking us?"

“This concerns your son Michael,” Lynn explained briefly, “but don’t worry, we will protect your safety.”

Michael's mother hugged her daughter tightly and comforted her in Chinese. The girl looked frightened, with tears in her eyes.

"Do we need to leave here for a while?" Michael's father asked.

“Yes, for safety’s sake, we will arrange for you to stay in a safe place for a few days,” Lynn replied, “until we completely eliminate this threat.”

The cleanup operation lasted two hours. Forensic examiners began examining the deceased, technicians collected evidence, and the three surviving suspects were taken to hospitals and detention centers respectively.

At 10 p.m., Lynn returned to the precinct to begin the interrogation. The first suspect to be interrogated was the one who had surrendered, a 28-year-old man named Jeremy Brown. He had a history of violent crimes, and his most recent release from prison was three months prior.

“Jeremy Brown, you are arrested on charges of attempted kidnapping, possession of a weapon, and assaulting a federal agent,” Lynn read the arrest warrant. “You have the right to remain silent.”

“I know my rights,” Jeremy interrupted him. “I want a lawyer.”

“Of course, that’s your right,” Lynn said, “but before the lawyer arrives, I want to ask you a simple question: Who hired you?”

Jeremy was silent for a moment. "I won't say anything."

“Okay, then I’ll tell you the situation,” Lynn said calmly. “Your two accomplices are dead, and two others are injured. You face serious charges including attempted murder and assaulting a federal agent, which could carry a life sentence.”

Jeremy's expression hardened. "We didn't kill anyone."

“But you tried to do it,” Lynn pointed out, “and you assaulted federal agents. Those are very serious charges in federal court.”

“We were just hired to scare those people, not to kill them,” Jeremy inadvertently revealed.

"Who hired you?" Lynn immediately pressed.

Jeremy realized he had let something slip and immediately shut his mouth.

“Jeremy, listen to me,” Lynn leaned forward, “you now have a chance to mitigate your sentence. If you cooperate with our investigation and provide useful information, the prosecutor will take those factors into consideration.”

“They’ll kill me,” Jeremy whispered. “If I tell them, they’ll kill me in jail.”

This response confirmed Lynn's suspicions: these people were indeed hired, and the organization behind them had the capability to carry out retaliation within the prison system.

“We can arrange witness protection,” Lynn suggested, “but you’ll need to provide valuable information.” Jeremy considered for a long time, then finally shook his head. “I need a lawyer.”

The second suspect interrogated was Mark Wilson, 31, who also had a criminal record and a shoulder injury. His injury had received medical treatment, but he remained handcuffed.

“Mark Wilson, this is FBI Detective Lynn Hall,” Lynn began the interrogation. “You are charged with attempted kidnapping, possession of a weapon, assaulting a federal agent, and other offenses.”

Mark seemed more nervous than Jeremy, likely due to the pain and blood loss.

“I want a lawyer,” Mark said immediately.

“Of course, but before the lawyer arrives, would you be willing to tell me who hired you?” Lynn asked.

“I don’t know,” Mark replied. “We got the job through an intermediary.”

"What kind of middleman?"

“A guy whose real name we don’t know, we call him ‘the agent,’” Mark said. “He specializes in finding jobs for people like us.”

This information is very valuable. The "broker" system is a common method used by organized crime to separate the real employer and the executor through intermediaries, so that even if the executor is caught, it is impossible to directly point to the mastermind behind it.

"How did this 'agent' contact you?" Lynn continued to ask.

“Through an encrypted mobile app,” Mark replied. “We never meet in person; all communication is electronic.”

"So how do you collect the money?"

“Through Bitcoin,” Mark said, “complete anonymity.”

Lynn realized they were dealing with a highly organized and modern criminal network. The use of encrypted communications and digital currency made tracking extremely difficult.

"What are the specific instructions for this mission?" Lynn asked.

Mark hesitated for a moment. "It's just to scare the restaurant owner and let them know the threat is real."

"You're not going to hurt them?"

"The instructions say to avoid causing harm as much as possible, but if resistance is encountered, the necessary force can be used," Mark explained.

"Did you know this was related to a teenager named Michael Chen?"

“We don’t know the specific reason,” Mark shook his head. “All we know is that the target is the restaurant owner and his family.”

"Besides the five of you, are there any other people involved in this operation?"

“No, it’s just the five of us,” Mark confirmed, “but the ‘agent’ said that if we fail, someone else will take over the mission.”

This threat worried Lynn. Even if they successfully prevented the attack, Michael's family would still be in danger.

The third suspect interrogated was Danny Rodriguez, 26, who was injured in the car accident. He had a head injury but was conscious.

“Danny, I know you’re injured, but I need to ask you a few questions,” Lynn began his interrogation.

“I want a lawyer,” Danny said weakly.

“Okay, but can you tell me what other jobs this ‘agent’ has arranged for you?” Lynn asked.

“A lot,” Danny replied unexpectedly, “mostly threats, debt collection, and sometimes attacks on specific targets.”

"Are they all for the same employer?"

“I don’t know,” Danny said. “The ‘agent’ never tells us who the real boss is.”

How long have you been doing this kind of work?

“About six months,” Danny replied. “The money is good, and it’s relatively safe because we never have direct contact with the employer.”

“Relatively safe?” Lynn repeated, “but two of your accomplices are dead tonight.”

Danny's expression turned dejected. "We thought this was just a simple threat mission; we never expected to run into the FBI."

What specific instructions did you receive?

“Enter the restaurant, take control of the people inside, make them understand that the threat is real, and then leave,” Danny explained in detail. “If anyone resists, appropriate force may be used, but avoid causing permanent harm.”

"Was there any mention of encountering law enforcement?"

“No, the ‘agent’ said it’s just an ordinary immigrant family and there won’t be any problems,” Danny said.

Lynn realized that his employers were deliberately withholding information. They knew the FBI was protecting Michael's family, but they hadn't told the mercenaries, effectively using them as cannon fodder.

After the interrogation, Lynn and his team conducted a case analysis.

“It’s clear these people are just hired executors,” James concluded. “They know nothing about their real employers.”

“But we obtained some useful information,” Sarah added, “such as this ‘broker’ system and the communication methods they use.”

“The problem is, even if we capture these people, there will be others to complete the mission,” Lynn said worriedly. “We need to find this ‘broker’ and then find the real employer through him.”

"Can the tech department track that encrypted app?" James asked.

“We can try, but if they’re using military-grade encryption, it could be difficult,” Sarah replied.

“There are also Bitcoin transactions,” Lynn added. “Although Bitcoin is anonymous, all transactions are recorded on the blockchain, and if we can find the transaction records, we might be able to trace the source.”

“I’ll contact the cybercrime unit,” James said. “They have expertise in this area.” (End of Chapter)