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

“Almost,” Lynn admitted honestly, “how’s your position?”

“I’m close to the core area,” Sarah reported. “I can sense very strong energy fluctuations; Viktor Sadov should be nearby. But the defenses here are stronger than expected.”

"What are the specifics?" Lynn asked with concern.

“There are at least six people in the core area, three of whom are mutants,” Sarah sensed in detail. “Victor is in the innermost office, surrounded by heavy security.”

Lynn realized that Sarah would be in great danger facing such a powerful defense alone. Although her perception was strong, she lacked direct combat ability.

“Sarah, wait for me,” Lynn decided. “I’m coming to meet you now.”

"But your injuries..."

“It’s just a scratch, it won’t affect our movements,” Lynn examined the wound on his thigh. “Besides, we need to work as a team to deal with so many enemies.”

Lynn quickly cleared the scene in the ventilation center. He secured all the unconscious enemies with restraints to ensure they wouldn't wake up and pose a threat anytime soon. He then collected any useful equipment and ammunition.

“I’m now heading to your location via the duct,” Lynn began re-entering the ventilation system. “Keep concealed, and we’ll move together once I arrive.”

“Roger that,” Sarah replied. “I will continue to monitor enemy movements.”

Lynn crawled quickly through the pipes, heading towards the core area. Although his thigh was injured, the adrenaline made him feel almost no pain.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at Sarah's location. This was the closest observation point to the core area, and the situation below could be seen through the ventilation grilles.

"How is it?" Lynn asked softly.

“It’s more complicated than we thought,” Sarah pointed downwards. “Look.”

Through the grille, Lynn could see a spacious office area. It contained several rooms, with a large open-plan office space in the center, surrounded by several individual offices.

The most striking feature is the personnel: all six people are indeed here, three of whom are clearly mutants—a tall man with metallic hands, a woman who can levitate, and a young-looking person with a cold gaze.

“That floating woman is the gravity manipulator mentioned in the data,” Sarah pointed out. “The metallic sheen suggests she’s a metal manipulator, the younger one. I sensed an anomaly in time; she might be the ‘clock’ that can manipulate time.”

"Where is Victor?" Lynn searched for his main target.

“The innermost office,” Sarah pointed to a room with glass walls, “is where he’s destroying documents; it looks like he’s preparing to leave.”

Lynn observed the overall layout; it was indeed a difficult defensive formation to breach. The three mutants each controlled different areas, with regular armed personnel providing fire support, while Victor remained in the innermost, most secure office.

“We need a detailed plan,” Lynn thought. “A frontal attack is almost impossible to succeed.”

“I have an idea,” Sarah suggested, “what if we could create chaos and distract them?”

Just then, the alarm system in Viktor's office suddenly went off. The red alarm lights began to flash, and everyone became alert.

“The main attacking force may have already broken through the outer defenses,” Lynn analyzed. “This is an opportunity for us.”

Sure enough, intense gunfire and explosions erupted outside. The main assault force was approaching the core area, diverting the enemy's attention.

“Now is the perfect time for us to act,” Lynn decided. “While they’re dealing with the external threat, we’ll raid Victor.”

“But how do we get past those mutants’ defenses?” Sarah asked worriedly.

Lynn carefully observed the room's structure and suddenly noticed a detail—Victor's office had a separate vent that connected directly to the duct system they were currently in.

“Look there,” Lynn pointed to the ventilation grille above Victor’s office, “we can get into his office directly from above.”

“But the distance is too far, at least eight meters vertically,” Sarah observed.

“I have ropes,” Lynn checked the equipment, “which can get me down into the office.”

"What about the other mutants? They'll come to our aid immediately if we're exposed."

“That requires perfect timing and execution,” Lynn said. “We must subdue Victor before he cries for help.”

The gunfire outside was getting closer, indicating that the main assault force was approaching. Lynn knew the window of opportunity was short—if the main assault force arrived first, Victor might escape in the chaos.

“Sarah, you stay here and monitor the other mutants,” Lynn devised the plan. “Report their reactions immediately once I begin my operation.”

“Are you sure you want to deal with Victor alone?” Sarah asked worriedly. “His mind control abilities are dangerous.”

“I have a nerve stabilizer,” Lynn patted the equipment, “and we have no other choice.”

Lynn began preparing the descent equipment. He secured the rope to the pipe's support structure and checked all the connections. Then he rechecked the weapons—the tranquilizer gun was fully loaded, and the spare equipment was in optimal condition.

“Prepare for action,” Lynn said to Sarah. “How’s Victor doing?”

Sarah focused her senses. "He's still destroying documents, very focused, and hasn't noticed us. The other mutants are focused on the battle outside."

“Very good,” Lynn began, “Now.”

He carefully opened the ventilation grille and began descending the rope. Victor's office was below; through the glass wall, he could see him busily working on documents.

The descent went smoothly; Lynn moved lightly and quietly. Victor remained unaware of the threat as he approached the office floor.

Lynn landed lightly and immediately raised the tranquilizer gun, aiming it at Viktor. But just then, Viktor suddenly turned around, as if he had known someone would come.

“Welcome, FBI agent,” Victor said calmly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Lynn felt a chill run down his spine. Viktor Sadov's words carried an unsettling confidence, as if the entire situation was under his control.

“You knew I’d come?” Lynn held up the tranquilizer gun, but didn’t fire immediately. Something was wrong. Victor slowly turned to face Lynn. This was the first time Lynn had seen the leader of the Shadow Alliance up close. He was about fifty years old, of medium build, with graying hair, but his eyes were sharp and intimidating. Most striking were his eyes—at certain angles, they seemed to gleam with a faint silver light.

“Of course,” Viktor said calmly, “did you really think your infiltration was a secret? I knew the moment you arrived at this base.”

Lynn's heart sank, but she remained vigilant. "Then why didn't you stop us?"

“Because I need you, Agent Lynn Hall,” Victor smiled, “or more precisely, I need your brain.”

Just then, Sarah's voice came urgently through the communicator: "Lynn! Watch out! Other mutants are moving towards your location!"

But what shocked Lynn even more was that he found his body starting to malfunction. The tranquilizer gun in his hand began to tremble, making aiming difficult.

"Can you feel it?" Victor's voice seemed to resonate directly in Lynn's mind. "This is true mind control. Not simple suggestion or hypnosis, but direct control over your nervous system."

Lynn focused his mind and activated the neural stabilizer in his equipment. A faint current flowed through his helmet, helping him regain control of his body.

“A neural stabilizer?” Victor was slightly surprised by Lynn’s reaction. “Interesting. Your technology is more advanced than I imagined. But it can only protect you temporarily.”

Taking advantage of his brief moment of consciousness, Lynn immediately pulled the trigger. The tranquilizer dart was fired at Viktor, but shockingly, Viktor only moved his head slightly, and the bullet grazed past him.

“Your reaction,” Lynn said in surprise.

“I control not only other people’s brains, but also my own,” Victor explained. “Through precise control of neural responses, I can achieve superhuman reaction speed and physical coordination.”

The glass wall of the office was suddenly shattered with force, and the gravity manipulator floated into the room. She was an Asian woman in her thirties, and the surrounding objects slowly floated under the influence of her gravitational field.

"Boss, do you need help?" Her voice was cold.

“No need, Eileen,” Victor waved his hand, “I’m having a private conversation with Agent Hall. Go deal with the FBI forces outside.”

“I understand,” Eileen nodded, then turned to Lynn, “but what if he hurts you?”

“He won’t,” Victor said confidently, “because he’ll soon be one of us.”

After Eileen left, Victor refocused his attention on Lynn. Lynn could feel an invisible pressure invading his brain, and the neural stabilizer emitted a faint hum, indicating that it was working at full capacity.

"Why did you do this?" Lynn tried to buy time through conversation while observing whether there were other weapons or escape routes in the room.

“Do you really want to know?” Victor walked toward his desk, but his eyes remained fixed on Lynn. “Then I’ll tell you a story.”

“Twenty years ago, I was an ordinary scientist researching neurobiology,” Victor began. “My wife and daughter were killed in a terrorist attack. The attackers were a group of extremists calling themselves the ‘Purity of Humanity,’ who specifically targeted people with potential for superpowers.”

As Lynn listened, he began to understand the motives behind Victor's actions.

“In my grief, I discovered my power—mind control,” Viktor continued. “Then I realized that in this world filled with hatred and prejudice, only those with true power can protect those they love.”

“So you founded the Shadow League,” Lynn concluded.

“Yes, an organization composed of capable people, no longer subject to the fear and hatred of ordinary people,” Victor’s eyes gleamed with fanaticism, “and you, Lynn Hall, are a key part of this plan.”

“I don’t understand,” Lynn said, puzzled.

“The leadership skills, tactical thinking, and talent for working with superhumans you’ve demonstrated are exactly what I need,” Victor explained. “Through mind control, I can make you the perfect commander for the Shadow Alliance, working for us within the government.”

Just then, even more intense gunfire and explosions erupted outside. The main attacking force had clearly broken through the outer defenses and was advancing towards the core area.

“Time is running out,” Viktor said. “Now, let me finish this process.”

He raised his hands, and silver light shot from his eyes, aimed directly at Lynn's brain. This mental attack was far more intense than before, and Lynn felt immense pressure tearing at his consciousness.

The neural stabilizer sounded an alarm, indicating that it was overloaded. Lynn's vision began to blur, and he gradually lost control of his limbs.

“Don’t resist,” Victor’s voice echoed in Lynn’s mind, “It will be over soon, and then you will understand the greatness of our cause.”

But just as Lynn was about to lose consciousness, Sarah's voice suddenly came through the communicator: "Lynn! Focus on my voice! I'm interfering with his abilities!"

It turns out that Sarah had been monitoring Lynn's condition through her sensory abilities. Although she couldn't directly counter Victor's mind control, she could create interference through the fluctuations of her own superpowers.

This interruption gave Lynn a brief respite. He immediately pulled a flashbang from his waist and hurled it to the ground.

A blinding white light instantly filled the entire office, abruptly interrupting Victor's mind control. He covered his eyes and backed away.

"Damn it!" Victor cursed angrily.

Lynn seized the opportunity to pounce on Viktor, and the two began close combat. But Viktor's physical abilities were far greater than they appeared—by controlling his nervous system, he had gained superhuman strength and speed.

The two wrestled in the office, knocking over desks, chairs, and filing cabinets. Victor tried to re-establish mind control, but the flashbang's effects temporarily disrupted his concentration.

“You don’t understand,” Victor said during the fight, “we’re the same kind of people! You also have latent superpowers, I can sense it!”

"What?" Lynn asked in shock.

“Yes, mental resistance,” Victor explained, “that’s why you’ve been able to resist my control for longer than others. You’re born with the ability to resist mental attacks!”

This momentarily distracted Lynn, and Victor seized the opportunity to forcefully push Lynn away before attempting mind control again.

But this time Lynn was better prepared. He focused on Sarah's voice and presence, using her supernatural fluctuations as an anchor to resist Victor's intrusion.

"Impossible!" Victor exclaimed incredulously. "No one could withstand my full-force attack without the aid of equipment!" (End of Chapter)