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

“Then begin immediately,” the senior official ordered. “We need to stop the symbiotes before they complete further assimilation.”

After the meeting, Lynn and his team returned to their office area. Everyone realized that they were about to face a threat far more dangerous than the Shadow Alliance.

“We can definitely succeed,” Sarah tried to boost morale. “We succeeded in stopping the Shadow Alliance before, and we can do it again.”

“Yes,” Lynn nodded, “but this time we need to be more careful. Symbiotes aren’t like human mutants; they are a completely alien threat, and we know very little about them.”

“Where shall we begin?” Emily asked.

“Let’s start with the clues we have,” Lynn outlined the initial plan. “First, find other individuals controlled by the symbiotes. Second, locate other symbiote bases. Finally, identify the core members of the Symbiote Council and their ultimate goals.”

Just then, the alarm system suddenly went off, and red warning lights flashed in the office.

"What happened?" Chen Kai asked.

Lynn's communicator rang, and an urgent message came from the dispatch center: "Attention all agents, the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. has been attacked, and several high-ranking officials are missing. It is suspected to be a symbiote-related incident."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then Lynn said solemnly, "It seems we have no time to prepare. The war has begun."

The alarm was still blaring when Lynn's phone rang immediately. The screen displayed an emergency call from Deputy Director Stone.

“Lynn, the situation is worse than we thought,” Deputy Director Stone’s voice was filled with unprecedented tension. “The attack on Washington headquarters is just the beginning. We’ve just received information that a senior government official, suspected of being controlled by the symbiote, is on his way to the Pentagon.”

"Which official?" Lynn asked immediately, while signaling to his team members to prepare to depart.

“Undersecretary of Defense Martin Weber has an important meeting this afternoon on national security,” Stone explained, “if the symbiote gains access to military secrets through him.”

“The consequences would be unimaginable,” Lynn finished. “We need to intercept him before he reaches the Pentagon.”

“That’s right, but there’s a problem,” Stone’s voice became more serious, “Deputy Secretary Weber has a full security team and official escorts. We can’t directly accuse him of being controlled by alien beings; nobody will believe it.”

"Then what should we do?" Sarah asked.

“I’ve already devised a plausible excuse,” Stone replied, “to intercept the convoy under the guise of a routine security check. Your task is to confirm whether Weber is under the symbiote’s control, and if so, to subdue him without revealing the symbiote threat.”

Lynn checked the time. "Where is he now? How far is he from the Pentagon?"

“According to GPS tracking, his convoy just passed Baltimore, about an hour’s drive away,” Stone reported. “You need to set up checkpoints on the Maryland highways.”

“Received, we’ll depart immediately,” Lynn confirmed.

After hanging up the phone, Lynn turned to his team members. "Everyone heard that. This is our first official operation against the symbiote threat. Peter, would you like to join us?"

“Of course,” Peter nodded without hesitation, “my understanding of symbiotes could be very useful.”

“Alright, let’s go now,” Lynn announced. “Michael, take the prototype of the sonic detection device you mentioned. Emily, prepare strong sedatives and medical equipment. The rest of you, fully armed.”

Ten minutes later, two FBI vehicles left the Manhattan precinct and sped off onto the Maryland freeway. Lynn, Sarah, and Emily were in the first car, while Michael, Chen Kai, Carlos, and Peter were in the second.

On the way, Lynn relayed the mission to the team via communicator: "Based on our understanding of Deputy Minister Weber, he is a mild-mannered and extremely rational person. If he is indeed controlled by the symbiote, his behavior should change significantly."

“My senses should be able to immediately identify the symbiote’s energy,” Sarah added.

“But we need to be careful,” Peter warned. “If Weber is truly under control, the symbiote might react extremely if it senses a threat.”

"What kind of extreme reaction?" Emily asked worriedly.

“When symbiotes feel threatened, they can completely take over their host, at which point their power and aggression reach their maximum,” Peter explained. “And they may not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way.”

This warning made everyone more vigilant.

Forty minutes later, they arrived at the designated interception point—a service area on Maryland's Interstate 95. The terrain was open, making it easy to control the situation, and it was far from residential areas, so even if an accident occurred, innocent people would not be harmed.

“Michael, is the testing equipment ready?” Lynn asked.

“Almost there,” Michael was giving a final tweak to a device that looked like a handheld scanner. “This device emits sound waves of a specific frequency, and if there are symbiotes nearby, they will react negatively, and the device will display abnormal readings.”

"How far is the test distance?"

“It works within a range of about ten meters,” Michael replied.

Just then, Chen Kai pointed into the distance and said, "The convoy is here."

On the distant highway, a convoy of three black SUVs was approaching. The size and presence of the convoy certainly matched the standard configuration for high-ranking government officials.

"Everyone, to your positions," Lynn commanded. "Remember, we are now FBI agents conducting a routine security check."

After setting up the roadblocks, Lynn stood in the middle of the road, with the other team members scattered around him. Sarah focused on preparing for the sensory detection, while Michael concealed himself to the side with the detection equipment.

The convoy slowed down and stopped, and the driver of the lead vehicle rolled down his window.

“Routine FBI check,” Lynn said, showing his badge. “We request your cooperation, Deputy Secretary.”

The driver, an experienced special agents, carefully checked Lynn's credentials and then communicated with the convoy via walkie-talkie.

A few minutes later, the back door of the middle car opened, and a man in his fifties stepped out. This was Martin Weber, the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

From his appearance, Deputy Secretary Weber was not significantly different from his public photos. He was dressed in a standard dark suit, and his expression was serious but cooperative, consistent with the normal reaction of a senior official facing a security check.

“Detective, I hope this inspection can be completed as soon as possible,” Webber said. “I have an important meeting to attend.”

“Of course, Mr. Deputy Minister, we will try to be as quick as possible,” Lynn replied, while observing Weber’s behavior.

Sarah then whispered through her earpiece, "There's unusual energy, but it's very weak. I'm not sure if it's a symbiote or something else."

Michael slowly approached the examination area, his equipment beginning to hum faintly. When he was about eight meters away from Webber, the indicator lights on the equipment began to flash.

“There’s a response,” Michael reported through his headset. “The readings are abnormal, but not very strong.”

At that moment, Peter noticed a detail. He said through the headset, "Notice Weber's eyes; there's a faint reflection at certain angles, which isn't normal." Lynn observed carefully and indeed noticed that Weber's eyes occasionally flashed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.

"Vice Minister, how have you been feeling lately?" Lynn asked tentatively.

“Very well, thank you for your concern,” Weber replied, but his tone was somewhat mechanical, lacking the natural variation found in normal human communication.

Just then, Weber suddenly stopped speaking, his expression blank, as if he were receiving some kind of internal instruction. This unusual behavior lasted for about ten seconds.

"Sarah, how are you feeling now?" Lynn asked in a low voice.

“The energy suddenly surged,” Sarah reported nervously, “and I felt very…angry.”

Weber began to speak again, but this time his voice was noticeably different—lower and more threatening: "What are you checking? Why is it taking so long?"

“Standard procedure, Deputy Minister,” Lynn said calmly, “we’ll be done in no time.”

But Weber's behavior became even more suspicious. He began looking around as if assessing a threat, and his posture became more tense, like a beast preparing for battle.

“Something’s wrong,” Peter warned through his headset. “His behavior is changing, and the symbiote may have sensed something.”

Just then, Webber suddenly looked directly at Michael's location, even though Michael was trying to hide the detection equipment.

“What kind of device is that?” Weber’s voice became lower and more dangerous.

Lynn knew their disguise had been exposed. "Everyone prepare yourselves; the situation could get out of control."

Deputy Secretary Webb's Secret Service team sensed the tension and became alert, their hands already reaching for their weapons.

“Vice Minister, please calm down,” Lynn tried to stabilize the situation. “We are just…”

But Weber interrupted him, "You know what I am, don't you?"

This time his voice was completely different, with an inhuman quality, and his eyes began to emit a distinct silver light.

"All special agents, retreat!" Lynn shouted, brandishing his weapons. "There might be a biological threat here!"

Although confused, the special agents, trained to deal with various threats, immediately followed instructions to retreat and protect other government officials.

Upon seeing this reaction, Webber let out an unsettling laugh. "Too late, agents. We've gone further than you realize."

After saying this, Weber's body began to change. A black, viscous substance seeped from his skin, covering his arms and face. He also grew taller, and his muscles became more developed.

"The symbiote is fully revealed!" Peter warned loudly. "It's no longer hiding!"

Standing before them was no longer a mild-mannered government official, but a monster completely covered in black matter. It retained its human form, but was noticeably taller and stronger than a normal human, its fingers had transformed into sharp claws, and its mouth revealed razor-sharp teeth.

“Our mission is to protect our host as they complete their mission,” the symbiote said in Weber’s voice, but in a completely different tone. “You will not stop us.”

"Michael, activate the sonic equipment!" Lynn commanded.

Michael immediately activated the sound generator, and a piercing high-frequency sound filled the entire area.

The symbiote immediately reacted in pain, clutching its head and roaring angrily. But unlike the symbiotes encountered before, this one seemed to have some resistance to sound waves.

"The effect isn't strong enough!" Michael reported. "It adapts to the sound waves faster than expected!"

The symbiote charged at Lynn at incredible speed. Lynn barely dodged the first attack, but the symbiote's claws left deep scratches on his bulletproof vest.

"It's stronger than the symbiote inside Eddie!" Peter analyzed while dodging attacks. "This symbiote might be a more advanced species!"

Sarah tried to use her perception to interfere with the symbiote's actions, but with limited success. "Its mental structure is too complex; I can't fully control it!"

Chen Kai used teleportation to move rapidly around the symbiote, trying to distract it. However, the symbiote's reaction speed was astonishing, almost able to predict Chen Kai's location.

"It's learning our attack patterns!" Chen Kai exclaimed.

Carlos tried to trap the symbiote with an energy barrier, but as before, those sharp claws were able to cut through his barrier.

“My barrier won’t hold for long!” Carlos reported.

Emily stayed at a safe distance, preparing sedatives and medical equipment, but she realized that ordinary sedatives might not be effective against the symbiote.

The battle was extremely fierce. The symbiote displayed strength, speed, and agility far exceeding those of humans, and it seemed to constantly adapt and learn during the fight.

"We need a new strategy!" Lynn shouted as he fired. "Conventional attacks are ineffective against it!"

Peter then had an idea. "Lynn, Vice Minister Weber's consciousness might still be inside! If we can temporarily awaken his consciousness, perhaps we can weaken the symbiote's control!"

“How?”

“The symbiote relies on the host’s fear and negative emotions to maintain control,” Peter explained, “but strong positive memories and emotions can have the opposite effect!”

Lynn understood Peter's meaning. He stopped attacking and shouted at the symbiote, "Deputy Minister Weber! Think of your family! Think of why you chose to serve your country!"

The symbiote paused for a moment, as if some kind of internal conflict had occurred.

“Keep going!” Peter encouraged. “It’s working!”

“Deputy Minister Weber, your daughter just graduated from college, and she’s so proud of your work!” Lynn continued, “Your wife is waiting for you to come home for dinner!”

The symbiote let out a painful roar, and the black matter began to fluctuate violently. At certain moments, Weber's own face could be vaguely seen emerging from beneath the black covering.

"Weber! Rebel against it!" everyone shouted in unison.

The internal conflict gave the team an opportunity. Sarah concentrated all her mental energy, attempting to support Weber's consciousness. Chen Kai teleported behind the symbiote and used a specially designed restraint to bind its arms. (End of Chapter)