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

Lynn nodded. "He probably realizes we're looking for him. If he really is the murderer, he's probably trying to escape or destroy evidence."

“We’ve already organized a search team,” Thompson said, pointing to the map. “He’s very familiar with this area, but we have more manpower and equipment.”

“I want to join the search team,” Lynn suggested. “I’ve met him and can confirm his identity. Besides, I’m familiar with the scene from yesterday.”

The search operation officially began at 8:00 a.m. Lynn formed a team with three state troopers to search an area north of the crime scene. Based on terrain analysis, this was one of the most likely routes the suspects would have taken to escape the area.

The search in the mountains proved more difficult than anticipated. While there were well-defined trails, the dense forest offered numerous hiding places. Moreover, if the suspect was truly familiar with the area, he might know some hidden routes unknown to outsiders.

“Maintain communication,” Lynn told the team. “If the target is spotted, do not act alone. Remember, he may be armed.”

Two hours into the search, Lynn's walkie-talkie rang.

"Attention all units, we have detected suspicious activity in the southeast direction," the command center announced. "All teams, please assemble at the coordinates."

Lynn's group moved quickly to the designated location. When they arrived, they found another search team examining the ruins of a makeshift camp.

“It looks like someone spent the night here,” the search team member said, pointing to the ashes and some food packaging on the ground, “and it wasn’t long ago; the ashes are still warm.”

Lynn carefully observed the scene. "Judging from the footprints, there was definitely only one person. And this location is very secluded; it's not a place an ordinary hiker would choose."

“He’s probably nearby,” Thompson said over the radio. “All teams stay alert and narrow down the search area.”

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Lynn heard a noise coming from ahead. It wasn't the sound of animals, but the sound of people walking in the dense forest. He signaled to his team members to be quiet, and then carefully moved towards the source of the sound.

Through the gaps in the trees, Lynn spotted a familiar figure. It was the hunter he had seen at the scene yesterday, now carrying a backpack and trying to make his way through a particularly dense thicket of bushes.

“That’s him,” Lynn whispered to his partner, then picked up the walkie-talkie. “Target confirmed. Requesting backup.”

"FBI! Don't move!" Lynn shouted as he stepped out of his hiding place, his hand on his weapon.

The hunter was visibly shocked upon hearing the sound. When he turned and saw Lynn, a look of fear crossed his face.

"No, please don't!" The hunter raised his hands. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

“Slowly turn around and put your hands on your head,” Lynn commanded, while remaining alert. Other officers surrounded them from different directions.

“I know this sounds terrible,” the hunter said as he did so, “but I really didn’t kill that woman!”

“Kneel down and put your hands behind your head,” a state trooper ordered.

The hunter obediently knelt down, but his eyes were filled with fear and despair. "Please believe me, I just want to help her!"

Lynn approached cautiously and began a body search. To his surprise, the hunter was not carrying a gun, only a hunting knife and some basic outdoor supplies.

“Jack McKesson?” Lynn confirmed the identity.

“Yes, sir,” the hunter nodded, “but I didn’t kill anyone, I swear I didn’t kill anyone!”

"Then why did you run away?" Lynn asked as he put handcuffs on him.

Jack's expression became more complicated, as if he was hesitating whether to say something important.

“I…I can’t say,” he finally replied, “you won’t believe me, and it will only make things worse.”

An hour later, in the interrogation room of the local police station, Lynn sat facing Jack McKerson. Jack looked more nervous than he had been in the mountains, constantly wringing his hands and avoiding direct eye contact with Lynn.

“Jack, we’ve found you, that’s good,” Lynn began in the gentlest tone possible. “Now you can tell us the truth.”

“I’ve already told you, I didn’t kill that woman,” Jack insisted. “She was already injured when I found her.”

“Then tell me exactly what happened,” Lynn encouraged. “Start from the beginning, don’t leave out any details.”

Jack took a deep breath and began to recount: “Yesterday morning, around nine o’clock, I was doing my usual routine in the forest. I heard gunshots in the distance, which is normal during hunting season, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.”

"Then what?"

"About half an hour later, I heard cries for help. They were faint, but definitely pleading. I followed the sound and found the woman in a small valley."

"How is she?"

“It’s terrible,” Jack said, his eyes filled with pain. “She was lying on the floor, blood on her chest, having trouble breathing. When she saw me, she tried to speak, but couldn’t get out a complete sentence.”

"What did she say?"

“She said, ‘Help me,’ and ‘It wasn’t an accident,’” Jack recalled. “I immediately checked her wound; it looked like a gunshot wound.”

"Then why did you move her?" Lynn asked the crucial question. "I realized that your location was clearly not the initial crime scene."

Jack's expression grew even more pained. "Because the crime scene isn't safe. I heard other people's voices, they were searching for something. I'm worried, I'm worried the killer might come back."

"So you moved her to the place where I found you?"

“Yes, it’s more secluded there, and I wanted to wait for rescue there. But her injuries are too severe, and I don’t know what to do.”

Lynn carefully observed Jack's facial expressions and body language. Years of interrogation experience told him that Jack wasn't lying about these basic facts. But he was clearly concealing some important information.

“Jack, you still haven’t explained why you ran away,” Lynn asked directly. “If you were really trying to help her, why did you run away when you saw me approaching?”

Jack's body stiffened visibly, his hands clenched into fists, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“I…I can’t say,” he repeated again, “you wouldn’t understand.”

“Give it a try,” Lynn encouraged. “Maybe we’re easier to understand than you think.”

Jack looked at Lynn, his eyes filled with inner struggle. After a few minutes of silence, he seemed to have made a difficult decision.

“Do you know about mutants?” Jack asked suddenly. This question surprised Lynn. After dealing with the symbiote incident, he had become more open to the supernatural, but mutants weren't common in FBI cases.

“I know a little,” Lynn answered cautiously. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I am,” Jack said softly, “I’m a mutant.”

Lynn maintained a calm expression, but inwardly he was rapidly considering the meaning of the information.

"What are your abilities?" Lynn asked.

“I can sense life,” Jack explained. “I can sense the health of living beings and know if they are injured or sick. That’s why I was able to immediately detect the woman’s serious condition.”

“This is a useful ability,” Lynn commented. “Why would it frighten you?”

“Because people don’t understand,” Jack’s voice was filled with anguish, “they think we’re monsters, a threat. If they knew I was a mutant, they’d think I used my powers to kill that woman.”

Lynn began to understand Jack's fear. Although societal attitudes toward mutants have improved in recent years, discrimination and fear remain widespread.

"Then why did you tell me?" Lynn asked.

“Because I need you to believe I’m innocent,” Jack pleaded. “My abilities let me know she was dying, and I wanted to save her, but I didn’t know how to treat the gunshot wound. When you appeared, I was afraid you would misunderstand my presence and think I was the one who hurt her.”

Lynn carefully considered Jack's words. If what he said was true, then his behavior could be reasonably explained. But Lynn needed more evidence to support this theory.

“Jack, can you describe the scene when you found her in detail?” Lynn asked. “Every detail could be important.”

Jack closed his eyes, seemingly trying to recall, "She was lying on a relatively flat patch of ground, surrounded by some bushes. There was a lot of blood on the ground, much more than at the scene after I moved her. Her camera equipment was scattered nearby, and some lenses were damaged."

"Is there anything else? Vehicles, footprints, anything that might belong to the killer?"

“There were footprints, but not just one,” Jack continued, recalling, “and I sensed the presence of other people nearby, though I couldn’t see them.”

"Others?" Lynn immediately became alert. "You mean there were other witnesses?"

“No, not a witness,” Jack shook his head. “What I sensed was hostility. Someone was deliberately hiding, monitoring the scene.”

This information made Lynn reconsider the entire case. If Jack was telling the truth, then the real killer might still be near the scene, observing how things unfolded.

"Why didn't you call the police immediately?" Lynn asked.

“I thought about it, but my cell phone had no signal in that area,” Jack explained. “And I sensed hostility from people lurking nearby. I was afraid that if I left to seek help, they might harm the woman or destroy evidence.”

Lynn began to believe that Jack might indeed be innocent. His story was logical, and his description of the details suggested that he was indeed at the scene, but as someone trying to help, not as the murderer.

“I need you to take us to the scene,” Lynn said. “If what you’re saying is true, there might be important evidence there.”

“I can,” Jack nodded, “but we need to be careful. If the killer is still in the area, they could be dangerous.”

After the interrogation, Lynn discussed the next steps with Officer Thompson.

"Do you believe him?" Thompson asked.

“I tend to believe,” Lynn replied, “that his story has internal consistency, and he proactively provided verifiable information. More importantly, if he really were the murderer, his pattern of behavior wouldn’t make much sense.”

"How to say?"

"First, he wasn't carrying a gun, and the victim was clearly shot. Second, if he were the murderer, why would he move the body to a more conspicuous location? Finally, his description of the scene details suggests he has some knowledge of forensic science, which is detrimental to a murderer trying to cover up a crime."

"So who do you think the real killer is?"

“It’s not certain yet, but based on Jack’s description, the killer may still be in the area, or at least was yesterday,” Lynn analyzed. “We need to re-search the crime scene for more evidence.”

In the afternoon, guided by Jack, the search team arrived at the primary crime scene he had described. Sure enough, the bloodstains here were far more numerous than those found by Lynn the day before, and the layout of the scene clearly indicated that an actual attack had taken place.

“Look here,” the crime scene technician pointed to the ground, “there are clear signs of a struggle, and the blood splatter pattern indicates the victim was injured here.”

Lynn carefully examined the scene. "Anything else you've discovered?"

"We found some fragments of photographic equipment, which appear to have been deliberately damaged," the technician reported. "And this too."

The technician held up a small object. "This is a .308 caliber cartridge case."

“This is a common type of hunting ammunition,” Thompson commented.

“Yes, but importantly, Jack McKesson wasn’t carrying any .308 caliber weapons,” Lynn noted. “We searched all his equipment.”

Further on-site investigation uncovered more evidence supporting Jack's claim of innocence. Footprint analysis showed multiple human footprints at the scene, and the chronological order indicated that Jack arrived after the attack.

“We also found something interesting in the bushes,” the technician continued, “It looks like someone has been hiding here for a long time, observing the scene.”

Lynn arrived at the location indicated by the technician and indeed found a natural hiding spot with a perfect vantage point to observe the location of the attack.

“Ambush point,” Lynn assessed, “the killer waits for the victim here before launching the attack.”

“This indicates that this was not a random crime,” Thompson realized. “The killer specifically chose this location and may have known the victim’s itinerary beforehand.”

The new evidence completely changed the nature of the case. It was no longer a simple murder, but a premeditated attack. And Jack McKesson went from being the prime suspect to a key witness.

“We need to re-examine this case,” Lynn told Thompson. “The real killer may still be at large.”

That evening, at the local police station, Lynn spoke with Jack again, but this time as a witness rather than a suspect.

“Jack, we believe you are innocent,” Lynn began. “Now I need your help to find the real killer.” (End of Chapter)