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

As evening fell, Lynn sat alone in his office, all the case files laid out before him. He carefully reviewed each document, searching for any details that might have been overlooked.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a document—a post Jack had screenshotted from a forum, the poster being the suspect. The post was radical, but Lynn noticed not the content, but the timestamp and IP address.

The post was published at 3 a.m., a strange time—most workers should be asleep at that hour, preparing for the next day's work. Furthermore, the post's language style differed from the workers' usual vocabulary; it sounded more like a highly educated person imitating the workers' tone.

More importantly, if the FBI's technical team can trace this IP address, they might be able to find the poster's real identity. Although the poster may have used a VPN or other anonymity techniques, there's always a trace left behind.

Lynn immediately contacted the technical department, "I need you to trace an IP address; it's from a forum post."

The tech expert on the other end of the phone took over the task. "I'll handle it as soon as possible, but if they're using professional anonymization techniques, it might take some time."

“Do what you can,” Lynn said. “This could be the key.”

After hanging up the phone, Lynn continued reviewing the documents.

He picked up the coffee on the table; it was cold, but he took a sip anyway. Tonight would be a long night, but he was prepared. The battle had only just begun, and he wouldn't back down easily.

The phone rang; it was the hospital. Lynn answered immediately, "Agent Holt, this is Mrs. Morrison. Jack is awake and wants to speak with you."

“I’m coming right away,” Lynn said.

On the way to the hospital, Lynn drove through the relatively empty streets at night, with streetlights casting long shadows in the darkness.

Twenty-five minutes later, Lynn arrived at the hospital. ICU visits are strictly limited at night, but his FBI credentials granted him special permission. The nurse on duty at the nurses' station recognized him—the same agent who had sped Jack to the hospital two days earlier.

"How is Mr. Morrison?" Lynn asked.

“He’s recovering well,” the nurse said with a smile. “His vital signs are stable, and his wounds are healing very well. The doctor said that if this continues, he can be transferred to a regular ward in a few days.”

“That’s great,” Lynn said with a sigh of relief.

Entering the ward, Lynn saw Jack reclining on the bed. Although he was still a little pale, he was in much better spirits than the night before. Mrs. Morrison was sitting by the bedside. When she saw Lynn enter, she stood up to greet him.

“Agent Holt, thank you for coming so quickly,” she said.

“Mrs. Morrison,” Lynn nodded in greeting, then looked at Jack, “how are you feeling?”

“Much better than yesterday,” Jack’s voice was still a little weak, but much clearer than last night. “The doctor said I was lucky; the bullet didn’t hit any vital organs.”

“You are indeed very lucky,” Lynn said, walking to the bedside. “You said you wanted to talk to me?”

Jack nodded, then looked at his wife. "Honey, could you give us a little time?"

Mrs. Morrison nodded understandingly. "I'll go call Emily." She left the ward and gently closed the door.

“I heard Mark was released on bail,” Jack said directly, his eyes flashing with anger and worry.

Lynn didn't hide anything. "Yes, this afternoon. The judge granted bail."

“That’s impossible,” Jack said excitedly, then frowned as he aggravated his wound. “He incited the riots, which led to the shooting. How could he be released on bail?”

“There’s a powerful force at play,” Lynn confessed. “Greystone Capital is clearly exerting influence. They’ve hired the best lawyers and may have even influenced judges through certain channels.”

Jack was silent for a moment, then his expression became even more serious. "Then you need to listen to what I have to say."

“I’m listening,” Lynn said, sitting in the chair by the bed and taking out her notebook.

“I’ve been thinking back on what’s happened these past few weeks,” Jack began. “There are some details I didn’t pay much attention to at the time, but now they seem very suspicious.”

"What details?"

“About a week ago, I saw Mark meeting someone at a coffee shop near the factory,” Jack said. “The person wasn’t a worker; he was dressed very formally, in a suit and tie, and looked like a businessman or lawyer.”

"Did you see his face clearly?"

“I’m not sure, I was just passing by,” Jack said with some regret, “but I remember the car that person was driving—a silver-grey Mercedes S-Class, very new. I don’t remember the license plate, but I remember there was a small blue and white sticker on the rear window, which looked like the logo of some club or organization.”

Lynn noted this detail down. "Anything else?"

“I happened to go in to buy coffee while they were talking,” Jack continued. “Even though they were sitting in the corner and speaking very quietly, I still caught a few words. The man in the suit said ‘timetable’ and ‘board,’ and ‘proposal number three.’”

“Proposal number three,” Lynn repeated the term, “sounds like an internal company resolution number.”

“I think so too,” Jack said, “but I don’t know which company proposed it.”

“It’s very likely an internal proposal from Greystone Capital,” Lynn analyzed, “about a plan to acquire Hudson Steel. If we can find the contents of that proposal, we might find direct evidence.”

“There’s one more thing,” Jack said. “Mark has a notebook, a dark brown leather notebook, that he always carries with him. I’ve seen him writing in it, but he never lets anyone see it. Once, he put it on the table to answer the phone, and I managed to peek at it.”

"What does it say?" Lynn's attention immediately focused.

“I only saw part of a page,” Jack tried to recall. “There were some dates and numbers, and a few abbreviations. I remember the abbreviation ‘VG’ with ‘200K’ written next to it. There were also words like ‘Phase 2’ and ‘Post-event’.”

“VG,” Lynn pondered, “is probably an abbreviation of a name. The CEO of Greystone Capital is named Victor Gray.”

"Is 200K two hundred thousand dollars?" Jack asked.

“Very likely,” Lynn said, “it could be payment to Mark. If we find that notebook, it might contain a detailed plan of the entire conspiracy.”

“But now that Mark’s out on bail, he’ll definitely destroy that notebook,” Jack said worriedly. “Not necessarily,” Lynn said. “If he thinks the notebook is safe, hidden somewhere we can’t find it, he probably won’t risk moving it. Moving it might attract attention.”

“There’s something else very strange,” Jack continued, “the night before the riots, I saw Mark meeting with several people in the parking lot outside the factory. I recognized one of them; he was the factory accountant, named Paul Jenkins.”

"The factory accountant?" This information made Lynn frown. "What's his relationship with Mark?"

“I don’t know either,” Jack said, “but the way they talked made them seem familiar, not like they were meeting for the first time. And Paul seemed nervous, constantly looking around, as if he was afraid of being seen.”

“Paul Jenkins,” Lynn noted the name, “he might be an inside man. If Greystone Capital wants to accurately assess the plant’s assets and financial condition, having an in-house accountant would make things much easier.”

"Will he leak the company's financial information?" Jack asked.

“If the money's right, some people will do anything,” Lynn said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “And if he knew the factory was going to close, he might as well make some money since he was going to lose his job anyway.”

“This is outrageous,” Jack said angrily. “He was our colleague, he knew we were all going to lose our jobs and struggle to make ends meet, but he betrayed us for money.”

“Human greed sometimes triumphs over conscience,” Lynn said, “but that’s a good thing for us. Insiders are often the weakest link in a conspiracy because they’re usually not career criminals and have limited psychological resilience. If we put enough pressure on Paul, he might break down and confess everything.”

Will you go to see him?

“Yes, it will be the first thing tomorrow,” Lynn assured him. “Any other details? Anything that seems off?”

Jack thought for a moment. "Mark keeps mentioning a place called 'Old Dock Warehouse.' He says it's quiet there, good for meetings. I don't know if it's important, but he's mentioned it several times."

“The old dock warehouses,” Lynn repeated, “the dock area of ​​Hudson Town?”

“Probably,” Jack said. “There are a lot of abandoned warehouses there, originally used for transporting goods, but most of them are now empty.”

“This could be the location of their secret meeting,” Lynn analyzed. “Abandoned warehouses are rarely visited, there are no surveillance cameras, making them ideal secret meeting places. If we’re lucky, we might find some remaining evidence there.”

“I hope this information helps you,” Jack said, his voice weary. “I know it’s all vague and may not be admissible as evidence in court, but at least it gives you some direction.”

“These are invaluable, Jack,” Lynn said sincerely. “Sometimes solving cases relies on these seemingly insignificant details. A car logo, a notebook, a name—these pieces can piece together the whole picture.”

“Agent Holt,” Jack looked earnestly at Lynn, “I know Mark’s bail has frustrated you. But please don’t give up. Those workers who were exploited, including me, need to know the truth. We need to know who’s behind all this, who should be held responsible for this disaster.”

“I won’t give up,” Lynn said firmly. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Jack said, then closed his eyes, clearly exhausted. “I’m sorry, I need to rest.”

“Get some rest,” Lynn said, standing up. “If you remember anything, feel free to contact me. Also, starting tomorrow, FBI agents will be protecting you at the hospital.”

“Protect me?” Jack opened his eyes. “You think someone will come to hurt me?”

“It’s just a precaution,” Lynn said, not wanting him to worry too much. “You’re a key witness, and we need to make sure you’re safe.”

Jack nodded, accepting the arrangement. Lynn left the ward and ran into Mrs. Morrison in the corridor.

"How is Jack?" she asked with concern.

“He’s fine, just tired,” Lynn said. “Mrs. Morrison, starting tomorrow, agents will be protecting Jack. It’s just a precaution, so please don’t worry too much.”

“I understand,” Mrs. Morrison said, though her face showed concern. “Thank you for protecting him.”

“It’s what I should do,” Lynn said. “Take good care of him.”

After leaving the hospital, Lynn sat in her car, took out her notebook, and re-examined the information Jack had provided.

This information is indeed vague and cannot be used as direct evidence in court. However, it is extremely valuable as investigative leads. Lynn needs to follow up on each lead and piece together these fragments into a complete chain of evidence.

On his drive back to the FBI office, Lynn began planning tomorrow's operation. First, he needed to find Paul Jenkins; this potential inside man could be the breakthrough. Then, he'd send men to search the old dock warehouse to see if any remaining evidence could be found. Meanwhile, he'd continue tracking the silver-gray Mercedes—if they could find the owner, they could confirm who the man in the suit who met with Mark was.

As for Proposal No. 3 and Mark's notebook, that requires more work. It might be possible to obtain Greystone Capital's internal documents through a court order, but given the opposing legal team, it will be a tough legal battle.

At 10:30 p.m., Lynn returned to his office. To his surprise, Sarah was still there, her desk piled high with documents and coffee cups.

"You haven't gone home yet?" Lynn asked.

“This case is so important, I can’t sleep,” Sarah said. “I’ve been researching Greystone Capital’s background. It’s a very interesting company.”

“Tell me about it,” Lynn said, walking to her desk.

“Greystone Capital has acquired twelve troubled companies in the past five years,” Sarah said, pointing to the list on her computer screen, “but strangely, these companies have all come to a similar state.”

"What similarities?"

“They all experienced some kind of sudden public relations crisis or internal turmoil,” Sarah explained, “such as product recall scandals, labor disputes, or environmental pollution allegations. These crises caused the companies’ stock prices to plummet, and then Greystone Capital took the opportunity to acquire them at low prices.”

Do you believe these crises were man-made?

“I can’t be sure, but statistically it’s too much of a coincidence,” Sarah said. “Twelve companies, each one acquired by Graystone at the height of the crisis. Either Victor Gray has an incredibly precise ability to time things, or…”

“Either he’s creating these crises,” Lynn continued, “like the Hudson Steel situation.”

“Exactly,” Sarah nodded. “If we can prove this pattern, it will show that this isn’t an isolated case, but rather a systemic form of commercial crime.” (End of Chapter)