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

Lynn considered for a moment. “No, it’s too late now, and we need to prepare more. If he really is a mutant, acting rashly could be dangerous. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the incident sites in other cities to complete our investigations and gather more evidence. Then we’ll decide how to contact Daniel Parker.”

“A wise decision,” Dr. Chen agreed. “I need more data to confirm the nature and strength of his ability.”

“In either case, we need more evidence,” Lynn concluded. “Tomorrow we’re going to St. Louis, where a much more serious incident happened—the hospital’s ICU equipment malfunctioned. If we can find similar electromagnetic residue and suspicious individuals there, it will further solidify our direction.”

“I have contacted the St. Louis branch,” Morrison reported. “They will cooperate with our investigation.”

“Very good,” Lynn glanced at the time; it was already 10 p.m. “That’s all for today. Everyone, get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

The next morning, Lynn received an urgent call from Dr. Chen in her hotel room.

“Lynn, you need to take a look at this,” Dr. Chen said, his voice filled with both excitement and concern. “I’ve been analyzing data all night and have discovered an important pattern.”

"What mode?" Lynn immediately snapped out of his daze.

“I compared the electromagnetic residue data from all the incident sites,” Dr. Chen said quickly, “and discovered a startling pattern—the time intervals between each incident are getting shorter, and the affected area is getting larger.”

Lynn's heart sank. "What does this mean?"

"This means that both the equipment and capabilities are becoming increasingly powerful, or rather, increasingly difficult to control," Dr. Chen explained. "If this trend continues, the next event could affect a larger area and last for a longer period."

How long will it take?

“According to model predictions, if the pattern remains unchanged, the next event could occur today, affecting an area that could encompass a city block or even larger,” Dr. Chen said seriously. “If it happens in a hospital, airport, or major transportation route, the consequences will be extremely serious.”

Lynn immediately made a decision, "Change plans, we're not going to St. Louis. We'll go see Daniel Parker today."

“I agree,” Dr. Chen said, “but we need to be careful. If his abilities are spiraling out of control, he could be in danger—for us, and for himself.”

An hour later, Lynn, Dr. Chen, and Morrison held an emergency meeting at the FBI Kansas City office. Lynn contacted Chief Inspector Jensen and Deputy Chief Inspector Carter, reporting the situation to them via video conference.

“Based on the current evidence, I believe we need to contact Daniel Parker immediately,” Lynn concluded. “Delay could lead to more serious consequences.”

“I agree with your assessment,” Jason said, “but you need a complete plan of action. If he really is a mutant and his abilities are spiraling out of control, a forced arrest could provoke a confrontation.”

“I suggest a non-confrontational approach,” Lynn proposed. “I will bring a small support team and approach him through dialogue rather than arrest. The goal is to assess the situation, offer assistance, and, if possible, persuade him to cooperate with the investigation.”

“What if he refuses to cooperate?” Carter asked.

“Then let’s consider other options,” Lynn said, “but I don’t think he meant any harm. None of the incidents caused any real harm, which suggests he might be trying to control himself, or simply testing the limits of his abilities.”

“Your intuition is usually right,” Jason nodded. “Approve the operation. But keep communications open, and call for backup immediately if the situation gets out of control.”

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lynn, Dr. Chen, Morrison, and two other local agents arrived at the address registered to Daniel Parker—an old apartment building in the city center. It was a working-class neighborhood; the buildings were somewhat dilapidated, but still well-maintained.

“He lives on the third floor,” Morrison checked the records, “Apartment number 302.”

“The other agents will remain outside,” Lynn instructed. “Only Morrison and I will go up. Dr. Chen, you stay in the car and monitor the electromagnetic readings. Notify me immediately if anything unusual occurs.”

“Understood,” Dr. Chen said, taking out a portable testing device.

Lynn and Morrison entered the apartment building. The hallway was quiet, and although some of the paint on the walls was peeling, it was generally clean. They climbed the stairs to the third floor and found room 302.

Lynn stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and then knocked gently.

no respond.

He knocked again, this time a little harder. "Daniel Parker? I'm FBI Agent Lynn Hall. We need to talk to you."

There was a slight noise coming from inside the door, but no one opened it.

“Daniel, we’re not here to arrest you,” Lynn continued, trying to keep her tone gentle. “We just want to talk. We know what happened, and we want to help you.”

After a few seconds of silence, the door slowly opened a crack. A young face emerged from the gap—the same person from the surveillance footage. Daniel Parker looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and his face pale.

"How...how did you find me?" His voice trembled.

“Surveillance footage, license plate, routine investigation,” Lynn said truthfully. “May I come in? I promise, we just want to talk.”

Daniel hesitated for a long time, his gaze shifting between Lynn and Morrison. Finally, he opened the door. "Come in. But if you're trying to arrest me, I... I don't know what will happen."

This was both a warning and a plea for help. Lynn sensed the despair in it.

The apartment was small, with only one room that served as both bedroom and living room, along with a kitchenette and bathroom. The room was cluttered, with notebooks, electronic devices, and various handwritten notes piled on the table. Charts and formulas were pasted on the walls, making it look like some kind of scientific theory was being studied.

“You’ve been studying your own abilities,” Lynn said, observing the notes.

Daniel nodded, walked to the window, and kept his distance from them. "I'm trying to understand it, to control it. But it...it's getting stronger, and I'm losing control."

"Did you cause the incident at the shopping mall?" Lynn asked directly.

Daniel paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. There were incidents in several other cities. But I swear, I didn’t intend to hurt anyone. I just needed to know how powerful it was and how far its impact would extend.”

"When did your abilities begin to manifest?" "Six months ago," Daniel said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands behind his head. "At first, it was only on a small scale; I could freeze a phone, restart a computer. But then it got stronger and stronger, and I started affecting more devices, on a larger scale."

"Did you seek help?" Lynn asked.

Daniel gave a wry smile. “Who can I ask for help? Tell the doctors I can break electronic devices with my mind? They’ll think I’m crazy. Tell the government? You’ll lock me up as a threat.”

“Not necessarily,” Lynn took a step closer, but maintained a safe distance. “Some organizations specialize in helping mutants understand and control their abilities.”

“You mean Professor X’s school?” Daniel looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know how to contact them. And I don’t know if they would accept me.”

“I can help you get in touch,” Lynn said, “but first, you need to cooperate with our investigation to ensure that nothing like this happens again.”

Just then, Dr. Chen's urgent voice came through Lynn's earpiece: "Lynn, the electromagnetic readings have suddenly spiked! His emotions may be affecting his abilities!"

Lynn immediately noticed the changes in the room—the lights began to flicker, the digital clock on the wall started jumping erratically, and Morrison's phone screen showed static.

“Daniel, take a deep breath,” Lynn said calmly and gently. “I know you’re scared, but you need to calm down.”

“I…I can’t control it,” Daniel’s voice was filled with panic. “It flares up every time I get emotional. When I’m scared, when I’m angry, even when I’m too excited.”

The electronic devices in the room were malfunctioning more and more severely. Lynn's phone also started freezing, and the lights in the hallway began to flicker.

“Look at me, Daniel,” Lynn walked up to him, crouching down to meet his gaze, completely ignoring the electronic chaos around them. “You’re not alone. I’ve seen many people like you who once thought their abilities were a curse, but eventually learned to control them, even use them to help others.”

"Really?" Daniel's eyes filled with tears.

“Really,” Lynn said firmly. “I once worked with someone who could control symbiotes. His abilities were far more dangerous than yours, but he learned to control them. I also know several mutants who are now living normal lives.”

“But I’m scared,” Daniel cried. “I’m afraid of hurting someone. Last time in the hospital, the ICU equipment malfunctioned, even if it was only for a few minutes, but what if a patient died because of it?”

“But no one died,” Lynn pointed out gently, “because subconsciously, you don’t want to hurt anyone. Your abilities sense that. Now, I need you to follow my instructions and breathe slowly.”

Lynn began guiding Daniel through deep breathing exercises, a technique he had learned from a psychologist. Morrison stood by, also affected by the electromagnetic field—his watch stopped and his headphones malfunctioned—but he remained calm and did not do anything that might exacerbate Daniel's panic.

“Inhale, count to four,” Lynn said slowly. “One, two, three, four. Hold your breath, count to four. Exhale, count to four. Good, one more time.”

Daniel followed Lynn's instructions regarding breathing. Gradually, the electromagnetic interference in the room began to weaken. The lights stopped flickering, and the electronic devices began to function normally again.

“Very good, you did very well,” Lynn encouraged. “You see, you can control it. Just stay calm and focus on your breathing.”

A few minutes later, all the equipment was back to normal. Daniel slumped onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

"I...I did it?" he asked in disbelief.

“You did it,” Lynn confirmed. “This proves your ability is controllable. All you need is the right guidance and training.”

Dr. Chen's voice came through the earpiece again, "Electromagnetic readings are back to normal. Well done, Lynn."

Lynn stood up, giving Daniel some time to recover. Then he said, "Now, we need to talk about what to do next."

"Are you going to arrest me?" Daniel asked, his voice still filled with fear.

“It’s up to you,” Lynn said honestly. “From a legal standpoint, you did cause public disorder and could face some charges. But given the special circumstances—that you did it when you were unable to control your abilities and that no actual harm was caused—we have room for negotiation.”

"What kind of negotiation?"

Lynn sat down in the chair. “First, you need to formally cooperate with the investigation and provide detailed information about all incidents. Second, you need to agree to accept assistance—whether it's Professor X's school or other organizations that can help mutants. Third, until you learn full control of your abilities, you need to be supervised to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.”

"What would happen if I agreed to these things?"

“I will recommend a lenient sentence or probation to the prosecutor, taking into account your cooperation and special circumstances,” Lynn said. “Furthermore, I will personally connect you with organizations that can provide assistance.”

Daniel thought for a long time. During this time, Lynn didn't rush him, but waited patiently. Finally, Daniel looked up, "If you can really help me control this ability and prevent it from hurting anyone, I'm willing to cooperate."

“That was a wise choice,” Lynn said, then took out his phone. “Now, I need you to tell me the details of everything that happened. From the very first incident.”

For the next two hours, Daniel recounted his story in detail.

Six months ago, he began to notice that the electronic devices around him were malfunctioning inexplicably. At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but as the situation became more and more frequent, he began to realize that it might be related to him.

“I did all sorts of tests,” Daniel said, pointing to the notes on the wall, “recording the circumstances each time it happened—my emotional state, the distance, the type of device. I found that the impact was strongest when I was emotionally agitated. And over time, the range of my influence expanded.”

“Why are you going to those cities to conduct ‘tests’?” Morrison asked.

“Because I need to understand its limits,” Daniel explained. “If I don’t know how far I can go, I could unintentionally cause more damage. Going to other cities is to get away from people I know. I don’t want to test it near my home; what if it gets out of control and hurts the neighbors?”

While the explanation was logical, it still caused public confusion. Lynn understood his motives, but he also needed to make him understand the consequences of his actions.

“I understand your intentions, but do you realize how much panic you’ve caused?” Lynn said. “In St. Louis, patients and their families at the hospital were terrified. In Chicago, that ambulance almost caused an accident.” (End of Chapter)