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

“I know,” Lynn understood her concerns, “mutants’ abilities vary greatly, making them difficult to predict. But this might not be a mutant at all; it could be some kind of new electronic jamming device.”

“Hopefully so,” Sarah said. “The equipment can at least predict.”

At 2 p.m., Lynn and Dr. Chen boarded a flight to Kansas City. On the plane, Dr. Chen continued to explain the technical details to Lynn.

“We conducted a detailed forensic analysis of all the affected devices,” Dr. Chen said, opening his laptop to display complex technical charts, “and discovered some interesting patterns.”

"What model?" Lynn asked. Although he was not a technical expert, his years of investigation experience allowed him to understand the basic technical concepts.

“During the failure, the internal clocks of all devices stopped,” Dr. Chen explained. “When the devices recover, the clocks resume from where they stopped. This indicates that the devices were not destroyed, but rather 'frozen' in some way.”

“Frozen?” Lynn repeated the word.

“Yes, it’s like time has stopped,” Dr. Chen continued, “but that’s technically impossible. There’s no known technology that can do that, unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless it involves something other than traditional electromagnetic interference, but some phenomenon we don’t yet understand,” Dr. Chen said hesitantly, “it could be a quantum effect, a new type of energy field, or…”

“Or perhaps it’s an extraordinary ability,” Lynn finished for him.

Dr. Chen nodded. "I'm a scientist, and I believe everything can be explained scientifically. But sometimes, the boundaries of science are broader than we imagine."

Three hours later, they landed at Kansas City International Airport. An FBI vehicle was already waiting for them. The driver was a young agent from the local branch named Jack Morrison.

“Welcome to Kansas City, Agent Hall, Dr. Chen,” Morrison helped them carry their equipment. “My supervisor has instructed me to assist you throughout your investigation.”

“Thank you,” Lynn said. “Take us to the scene of the most recent incident first.”

“It’s South Shore Shopping Centre,” Morrison explained as he drove. “It happened around 8:15 last night. We’ve cordoned off the area and are waiting for your arrival.”

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the shopping mall. It was a typical mid-sized American shopping mall with dozens of stores, restaurants, and a movie theater. Although nearly 24 hours had passed since the incident, police tape and several local officers were still visible maintaining order.

"How many people were present when the incident occurred?" Lynn asked.

“According to preliminary statistics, approximately three hundred people,” Morrison checked his notes, “including shoppers, store clerks, and security guards. Everyone experienced sudden electronic device malfunctions—cell phones crashed, the store's checkout system stopped, and the lighting system flickered briefly but didn't completely go out because of the emergency power supply.”

"Is anyone injured?"

“There were no physical injuries, but several people required medical attention due to panic,” Morrison replied. “Mainly the elderly and those with a history of heart disease, who were frightened by the sudden event.”

Lynn, Dr. Chen, and Morrison entered the shopping mall. Although it had reopened, there were significantly fewer customers than usual, many still shaken by the events of the previous night.

"Where do we begin?" Morrison asked.

“Let’s review the surveillance footage first,” Lynn decided. “Then Dr. Chen will conduct the technical analysis, and I’ll interview the witnesses.”

They arrived at the mall's security office. The security supervisor, a middle-aged man named Tom, still seemed confused and uneasy about last night's events.

“I’ve worked here for fifteen years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Tom said, pulling up the security camera footage. “All the cameras malfunctioned at the same time, and the image just froze.”

Lynn carefully observed the surveillance footage. The time was 8:15:32 PM, then the screen suddenly froze. Each camera showed ordinary shopping scenes—people shopping in stores, dining in restaurants, and walking in corridors. There was nothing obviously unusual.

"When will the video be restored?" Lynn asked.

"At 8:27:18," Tom fast-forwarded to that point, "look, the picture suddenly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened."

Lynn noticed that when the footage returned, the scene was completely different. The people who had been shopping were now gathered together, looking panicked; some were making phone calls, and others were checking their devices.

“Rewind the footage to five minutes before the incident,” Lynn instructed.

Tom did as instructed. Lynn carefully reviewed the footage before the incident, looking for any suspicious people or behaviors. Most people were engaged in normal shopping activities, but he noticed a detail—in the CCTV footage at Entrance 1, a person wearing a hat entered the shopping center three minutes before the incident.

“Zoom in on this person,” Lynn said, pointing to the screen.

Upon zooming in, the image reveals a young man, likely in his twenties, wearing a dark hoodie pulled low, obscuring his face. His behavior is somewhat unusual—he's not looking at the store, but rather observing the people and environment around him.

“Continue to follow this person,” Lynn said.

Tom switched between different cameras to track the man's movements. The young man moved slowly through the shopping mall, seemingly searching for something. He stopped in the atrium area, looked around, and then found a seat.

“Right here,” Lynn pointed out, “the incident happened shortly after he sat down.”

The footage shows the young man sitting down and taking something out of his pocket—it's hard to tell exactly what it is due to the angle and distance, but it looks like a small device.

"Can you magnify that object?" Lynn asked.

“The resolution is limited,” Tom tried to zoom in, “but it looks like a phone or a small tablet.”

Just seconds after the young man took out the device, the surveillance footage froze.

"Is there any footage of this person leaving?" Lynn asked.

“Let me check,” Tom said, fast-forwarding to the timeframe after the footage was restored. When the footage returned, the seat was empty. Switching to the exit camera, the young man could be seen hurrying out of the shopping mall at 8:28—one minute after the footage was restored.

“He knew when the equipment would be restored,” Lynn observed. “An ordinary person would panic in that situation, but he remained calm and left in a planned manner.”

"You think he's the mastermind?" Morrison asked.

“At least someone relevant,” Lynn said. “Tom, I need all the footage of this person, and the parking lot surveillance footage. If he drove here, we might be able to trace the license plate.”

“Get ready immediately,” Tom began exporting the video file. Meanwhile, Dr. Chen conducted technical checks throughout the shopping mall. He meticulously scanned the atrium area—where the suspicious young man had sat—using an electromagnetic spectrum analyzer, radiation detectors, and other specialized equipment.

Half an hour later, Dr. Chen found Lynn, his expression serious. "I've made a discovery."

“What did you find?”

“In the atrium area, I detected unusual electromagnetic residue,” Dr. Chen displayed the readings on the equipment. “This is not ordinary electromagnetic radiation; the frequency and waveform are very unusual.”

“What does this mean?” Lynn asked.

"This means that some kind of device or energy source is indeed releasing a strong electromagnetic field here," Dr. Chen explained. "But strangely, the characteristics of this electromagnetic field do not match any known interference devices."

"Could it be military equipment? Or some kind of experimental technology?"

“I’ve reviewed all known information on military and experimental electromagnetic interference devices,” Dr. Chen shook his head. “None of these devices can generate this particular waveform. Furthermore, this electromagnetic field has a very strange characteristic.”

"What characteristics?"

“It appears to be pulsed, and rhythmic pulses at that,” Dr. Chen pulled up a waveform graph, “like a heartbeat. Natural electromagnetic radiation or radiation produced by man-made devices is usually continuous or random, but this is rhythmic and regular.”

Lynn stared thoughtfully at the waveform graph. "It looks like it was produced by a biological source?"

“This is precisely what confuses me,” Dr. Chen admitted. “From a technical standpoint, it’s more like a bioelectric field than radiation generated by mechanical equipment.”

“What if it’s a mutant?” Lynn asked directly. “Some mutants can control electromagnetic fields.”

Dr. Chen paused for a moment, then said, "From a purely technical standpoint, I cannot rule out this possibility. In fact, considering all the evidence—temporary failure, the unusual waveform, the rhythmic pulses—this hypothesis is probably the most reasonable."

“So we might be dealing with a mutant who can control electromagnetic fields,” Lynn concluded. “He’s testing himself in various cities, perhaps practicing his abilities, or maybe preparing for something bigger.”

“But there is another possibility,” Dr. Chen cautioned, “although less likely, it cannot be completely ruled out—it could be some kind of novel technological device that we have never seen before, capable of simulating the characteristics of bioelectric fields.”

“How small is the probability you’re talking about?” Lynn asked.

"Based on my professional judgment, there is about a 20% chance that it is an unknown technological device, and an 80% chance that it has extraordinary abilities," Dr. Chen answered truthfully.

Lynn nodded. "We'll pursue both lines simultaneously. On one hand, investigate the suspicious young man to see if we can confirm his identity. On the other hand, you continue analyzing the technical data to see if you can find more evidence to determine whether it's equipment or a capability."

“Understood,” Dr. Chen said. “I also want to go to several other incident sites to test the electromagnetic residue and compare the different locations to see if there are any common characteristics.”

“Good idea,” Lynn agreed. “Morrison, arrange the itinerary; we’re going to the events in St. Louis and Chicago tomorrow.”

“I’ll contact the local branch right away,” Morrison said, pulling out his phone.

Over the next few hours, Lynn began interviewing witnesses. The shopping mall management provided a list of people who were present that night, and Lynn selected several witnesses in the atrium area for detailed questioning.

The first person interviewed was a woman in her thirties named Susan, who was having coffee in the atrium cafe at the time.

"Could you describe the situation in detail?" Lynn asked, while simultaneously recording the conversation.

“I was scrolling through my phone, looking at my WeChat Moments,” Susan recalled. “Suddenly, the screen went black. I thought it was out of battery, but I remembered it had about 70% charge a moment ago. Then I noticed that everyone around me was also looking at their phones, looking confused. The music in the coffee shop stopped, and the cash register screen went black too.”

"Do you feel anything unusual? Any physical sensations?"

Susan thought for a moment, "Now that you're asking this, it has a strange feeling, like the instant the equipment malfunctioned. It's hard to describe, like the air suddenly becoming very heavy, a sense of oppression. But it might just be my imagination."

“No, this is important,” Lynn encouraged her to continue, “Any other feelings?”

“I felt a little dizzy,” Susan continued, “but it only lasted a few seconds. Then there was chaos, and everyone was talking about what had happened.”

Have you noticed any suspicious people? Especially those who don't seem surprised by the situation?

“Now that you mention it… there was indeed a young man,” Susan said. “I remember him because his reaction was strange. Everyone was panicking, but he just sat there, looked at what he was holding, and then left.”

Could you describe his appearance?

“Young, probably in his early twenties, wearing a hat and dark clothes,” Susan described. “I couldn’t see his face clearly, but he was walking in a hurry, not like he was shopping, but more like he had something urgent to do.”

This description matched the person in the surveillance footage. Lynn interviewed several other witnesses and obtained similar information—some felt brief dizziness and a sense of oppression, while others noticed the young man behaving abnormally.

As evening fell, Tom brought good news: "Agent Holt, we found that person's car on the parking lot surveillance footage."

Lynn rushed to the security room. The screen showed that the young man left the shopping mall after the incident, walked to the parking lot, and got into a blue Honda Civic.

"Can you see the license plate?" Lynn asked.

“Yes,” Tom zoomed in on the screen, displaying the license plate number, “Kansas license plate, KAT-7392.”

“Great!” Lynn immediately contacted Morrison. “Check the registration information for this license plate.”

Morrison quickly checked the FBI database and found that "the vehicle is registered under the name of a 27-year-old Kansas City resident named Daniel Parker."

Do you have a criminal record?

“No criminal record,” Morrison continued, “Occupational registration is self-employed. No further details.”

"What's your address?"

“There’s a registered address, in an apartment building in the city,” Morrison noted down the address. “Shall we go now?” (End of Chapter)