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

After the man returned to the table, the discussion among the four became even more tense. Tony took out a cell phone and made a call. Although they were far apart, Lynn could hear a heavy Spanish accent coming from the other end of the line.

“Yes, boss, we’ll proceed as planned tomorrow,” Tony said on the phone. “The new kid has been found; there won’t be any problems this time.”

The person on the other end of the phone spoke some Spanish, and Tony replied, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Tony said something to the other three, and then the man missing his little finger stood up to leave.

“Should we follow him?” James asked in a low voice.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Lynn replied. “We already have enough information.”

But then, something unexpected happened. As Lynn was observing the four men, the bar's front door opened again, and two men in suits entered. One of them looked around the bar, his gaze lingering on Lynn and James for a few seconds.

The man walked to the bar and said a few words to the owner. The owner's expression immediately turned tense, and he glanced in the direction of Lynn and James.

“I think we’re being suspected,” James said quietly.

“Stay calm,” Lynn replied. “Continue to act like a normal customer.”

But the situation continued to worsen. The man in the suit walked to a table in the back corner and spoke a few words to Tony and the others. Tony immediately looked in Lynn's direction, his expression becoming alert.

“We need to leave,” Lynn decided, “but naturally.”

They finished their beer, Lynn left some money on the table, and the two got up to leave. But just as they reached the door, the man in the suit blocked their way.

“Wait, friends,” the man said, “have we met before?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Lynn replied, trying to keep her tone calm. “We just got off work and came here for a drink.”

"Really? Where do you work?" the man continued to ask.

“The nearby car factory,” James replied, “just finished his night shift.”

The man's eyes swept back and forth between them. "A car factory? Which car factory?"

Lynn realized this question might be a trap. If they gave the wrong factory name, or mentioned a factory that didn't exist, they would be exposed immediately.

“Sorry, we’re in a hurry,” Lynn said, trying to walk around the man. “My wife is waiting at home.”

But the person didn't move aside. "Don't rush, I just want to meet some new friends."

The atmosphere in the bar became tense. Other patrons began to notice what was happening, and some stopped talking. Tony and the three men also stood up and slowly walked over.

Lynn knew things were getting out of control. If their identities were discovered, not only would the mission fail, but their lives would also be in danger.

“I think we might have misunderstood,” Lynn said, gesturing to James to prepare to act. “We just want to have a quiet drink.”

"A misunderstanding?" the man in the suit sneered. "I don't think there's any misunderstanding. You don't look like workers, you look more like..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

At this crucial moment, the bar's sound system suddenly emitted a piercing sound, drawing everyone's attention. This gave Lynn and James an opportunity.

“Now,” Lynn said softly.

The two men immediately rushed towards the door. The man in the suit reacted and tried to stop them, but James was faster; he shoved the man aside with his shoulder.

"Grab them!" Tony shouted.

Lynn and James rushed out of the bar and ran towards their pickup truck. They heard hurried footsteps and shouts behind them, and several people gave chase.

"Get in the car!" Lynn shouted, pulling out his car keys.

Just as they were about to reach the vehicle, a gunshot shattered the silence of the night. The bullet struck the rear window of the pickup truck, shattering the glass instantly.

“They have guns!” James shouted a warning.

Lynn quickly started the car, the tires screeching against the pavement. Another shot rang out, this time the bullet struck the car body.

"Contact backup!" Lynn said to James as he drove.

James immediately radioed: "All units, emergency! We're under armed pursuit at Starlight Bar and need immediate backup!"

Sarah's voice came through immediately: "Roger that, the SWAT team is on their way and should arrive in two minutes."

Lynn drove his pickup truck away quickly, but through his rearview mirror, he saw a black SUV and two motorcycles chasing after him. One of the motorcycles was the modified Harley-Davidson.

“They’ve caught up,” James reported. “An SUV and two motorcycles.”

Lynn sped through the narrow streets, trying to shake off his pursuers. But the motorcycles were more agile and quickly caught up.

The Harley rider pulled out a pistol and fired at the pickup truck. The bullet hit the side window, and James instinctively ducked.

“We need to get to the main road,” Lynn said. “There are more witnesses there, and they won’t dare to fire indiscriminately.”

They turned onto a wider street, where more vehicles and pedestrians appeared ahead. Just as Lynn had anticipated, the pursuers stopped firing but continued to follow closely.

“At the next intersection, turn left,” James said, looking at the GPS navigation. “That road leads to the police station.”

But just as they were about to turn, the black SUV suddenly accelerated, attempting to ram the side of the pickup truck. Lynn braked sharply, avoiding a collision, but this maneuver cost them some of their speed advantage.

"Where is the SWAT team?" Lynn asked.

James called out again: "Support units, where are you?"

“One minute to target area,” Rick Sanders’ voice came through. “Maintain the current route; we will intercept the pursuers.”

At another intersection, Lynn saw hope. In the distance, the flashing lights of police cars appeared, and SWAT vehicles were rapidly approaching in his direction.

The pursuers had clearly seen the police car, and the black SUV began to slow down, but the two motorcycles continued the chase.

“They don’t give up,” James observed.

Just then, a SWAT vehicle appeared at the intersection, blocking the path. Rick Sanders shouted through the megaphone, "FBI! Stop for inspection!"

The black SUV immediately turned and fled, but the two motorcycles were surrounded. The Harley rider tried to escape through a side alley, but another SWAT vehicle blocked his way.

“The suspects are in custody,” Rick Sanders reported. “Two motorcyclists have been arrested, but the SUV escaped.” Lynn and James were finally able to stop. Although the pickup truck was shot at several times, neither of them was injured.

“We almost got exposed,” James said with a sigh of relief, “but we obtained valuable information.”

“Indeed,” Lynn agreed. “Now we know that Starlight Bar is indeed their meeting place, and they have plans for tomorrow night.”

“The situation with the ‘new kids’ worries me,” James said. “They may be coercing other teenagers again.”

“We must stop them,” Lynn said firmly, “but first, I want to interrogate the two motorcyclists who were arrested and see what information we can get.”

“We need to find that new victim,” Sarah analyzed, “before they were forced to participate in the crime.”

“We also need to confirm the exact address of 47th Street,” James added. “That could be the location for tomorrow’s operation.”

“Interrogating those two motorcyclists is key,” Lynn decided. “They might know more details.”

At 2 a.m., the interrogation began. The first person to be interrogated was the man who rode the Harley-Davidson, the same man Michael had described who was missing his little finger. His name was Carlos Mendes, 32 years old, and he had a history of violent crimes.

“Carlos Mendes, you are arrested on charges of assaulting a federal agent, illegal possession of a weapon, and dangerous driving,” Lynn read the arrest warrant.

Carlos remained silent, simply staring coldly at Lynn.

“I know you were at the Starlight Bar tonight, and I know you were involved in threatening Michael Chen,” Lynn said bluntly. “Now you have a chance to reduce your charges if you cooperate.”

“I don’t know anything,” Carlos finally spoke. “I just went to the bar for a drink.”

"Then why did you chase us? Why did you shoot?" Lynn questioned.

“You ran away first, I thought you stole something,” Carlos argued.

“Carlos, stop wasting time,” Lynn said. “We have the recording of you at the bar discussing tomorrow’s operation. We also know you were involved in the threats against Michael Chen.”

Carlos's expression changed, but he remained silent.

“I can tell you your current situation,” Lynn continued. “You face federal felony charges, which could carry a sentence of fifteen to twenty years in prison. But if you cooperate with our investigation and provide information about this criminal network, the prosecutor will consider a reduced sentence.”

Carlos thought for a long time, "If I tell them, they'll kill me."

"Who would kill you?" Lynn pressed.

“You know who I’m talking about,” Carlos replied, “that boss won’t let a traitor get away with it.”

“We can offer witness protection,” Lynn suggested, “but you’ll need to provide valuable information.”

Carlos fell into thought, and finally said, "I can tell you some things, but I need your assurance."

"What kind of guarantee?"

“If I provide information, you must guarantee my safety, and I need to see the prosecutor to discuss specific conditions for a reduced sentence,” Carlos said.

Lynn nodded. "It can be arranged, but you need to show us some sincerity first, proving that your information is valuable."

Carlos was silent for a moment, then said, "The operation tomorrow night does take place, but not on 47th Street."

Where is it?

“In Flushing, at another Chinese restaurant,” Carlos revealed, “the owner thought the FBI was paying too much attention to Michael Chen’s family, so he decided to shift the focus and teach you a lesson.”

This information shocked Lynn. If the criminal group decided to retaliate, other Chinese families in Flushing would be in danger.

"Which restaurant?" Lynn asked urgently.

“I don’t know the exact name, but I know it’s on Roosevelt Avenue, near the subway station,” Carlos replied. “The owner chose this target because they were also targeting the son of that restaurant.”

"What's the meaning?"

“Like Michael Chen, they found another child,” Carlos explained. “If this child refuses to cooperate, they will take action against his family.”

At eight o'clock the next morning, Lynn called an emergency meeting. Carlos's testimony made the situation even more urgent—another innocent family was under threat, and the criminal group might make contact with the new target teenager that very day.

“According to Carlos’s testimony, the target restaurant is on Roosevelt Avenue near the subway station,” Lynn reported to the team. “Sarah, you take a team to Flushing and pinpoint the exact restaurant.”

“Understood,” Sarah nodded. “I will investigate any reports of missing teenagers or unusual behavior in recent weeks.”

“James, contact the local police department and ask them to increase patrols in the Flushing area,” Lynn continued, “but don’t tell them the specific reason, to avoid alerting them.”

“What about interrogating the other arrested motorcyclist?” James asked.

“I’ll handle it myself,” Lynn replied. “Hopefully I can get more details about today’s operation from him.”

At 10 a.m., Lynn began interrogating the second arrested motorcyclist, Raymond Cruz, 26 years old, who looked more nervous and younger than Carlos.

“Raymond, I hope you’re a bit smarter than your friend,” Lynn said bluntly. “Carlos has already begun cooperating with our investigation.”

Raymond's eyes flickered. "What did Carlos say?"

“He told us some details about today’s operation,” Lynn replied, though it wasn’t entirely true, but it was an effective interrogation tactic. “Now I’d like to hear your version.”

“I don’t know anything about the operation,” Raymond insisted. “I was just responsible for riding the motorcycle.”

“Chasing federal agents on a motorcycle?” Lynn questioned. “Raymond, you’re facing federal felony charges. If you don’t cooperate, you could face fifteen to twenty years in prison, just like Carlos.”

Raymond was silent for a moment, then said, "If I tell you something, can you guarantee my safety?"

“We can provide witness protection,” Lynn promised, “but the information must be valuable.”

“At three o’clock this afternoon,” Raymond began, “someone will contact a boy named Li Xiaoming on his way home from school.”

The specific name shocked Lynn. "Where?"

“Near Roosevelt High School,” Raymond replied. “If that kid refuses to cooperate, we’ll take action against his family’s restaurant tonight.”

Who is responsible for contacting this child?

Raymond hesitated for a moment. "There's a new guy, we don't know him very well. The boss says he has 'special skills' that can ensure mission success." (End of Chapter)