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

Chapter 205 More Dangerous Than She Initially Thought

Kate sat on the living room sofa, her laptop screen still lit. She tried to organize her next reporting plan, but Lynn's warning before he left kept resurfacing in her mind. He'd said the Blood Alliance was targeting her and urged her to be careful. She knew he wasn't exaggerating, but she still felt she owed the truth, even at the risk of her own life.

"It's too quiet," she whispered to herself, trying to break the tension in her heart with these words. But she knew that this silence itself was a dangerous signal.

Kate stood up and stretched, then walked to the window, parted the curtains slightly, and glanced out at the street. She saw an unfamiliar black car parked across the street, its windows covered in dark blast-proof film, obscuring the interior. Although it seemed normal, Kate's sixth sense made her uneasy.

She returned to the sofa and tried to relax, telling herself that it was just an ordinary car, but her hand unconsciously touched the self-defense gun hidden in the drawer of the coffee table. This gun was what Lynn asked her to carry with her. He knew Kate would not give up this battle easily, but at least he hoped that she could protect herself.

Meanwhile, in the shadows not far from the apartment building, Lynn was standing next to a low-profile SUV, observing Kate's apartment in the dim streetlight. He leaned against the car door, his expression grim, a silenced pistol in his hand.

Ever since Kate published that article, he knew the Holy Blood Alliance would never let her off easily. This dark organization was known for its efficiency and ruthlessness; they wouldn't tolerate anyone exposing their secrets to the light of day. And Kate had undoubtedly become a thorn in their side.

Suddenly, a faint electric sound came from Lynn's headphones, followed by a familiar voice: "Lynn, this is Hans. How are you doing?"

"I'm outside Kate's apartment." Lynn's voice was low and calm. "The situation is normal for now, but I suspect they have already started to take action."

"Is there any movement over there?" asked Hans.

"No, but there's a car parked across the street that doesn't look right." Lynn glanced at the black car with a sharp gaze. "I plan to wait a little longer."

"Okay, I'll send a support team over, but it'll take some time." Hans' voice was filled with worry. "If they do send someone, don't confront them head-on."

Lin En didn't answer, simply hanging up. He knew he couldn't wait for reinforcements before taking action. Time was of the essence, and the Holy Blood Alliance wouldn't give them much of a chance.

At that moment, the doors of the black car suddenly opened, and several figures stepped out. Their movements were swift and stealthy, clearly trained assassins. Wearing dark clothing and hats, they quickly dispersed, two of them heading straight for Kate's apartment building, while the other two remained guarded by the car.

Lin En's eyes instantly turned cold. He cursed under his breath, then quickly turned around and took out a thermal imaging device and a spare weapon from the car.

Kate sat on the sofa, feeling a growing sense of unease. Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps coming from the hallway, followed by the sound of the lock on her apartment door being pried open. Her body froze, and she slowly reached for the coffee table drawer and pulled out the self-defense gun.

"Who?" she shouted, trying to make her voice sound more intimidating.

The answer was the click of the door lock being unlocked. Kate held her breath and pointed her gun at the door. The next second, two men in black rushed in, holding silenced pistols.

"Kill her off!" one of them whispered, raising his gun and pointing it at Kate.

Kate pulled the trigger, the first shot hit the door frame, but the second shot hit one of them in the shoulder. The other fell to the ground with a muffled groan, and the other killer quickly raised his gun and fired back. The bullet grazed Kate's ear, and she quickly rolled behind the sofa and used it as cover.

The bullet penetrated the back of the sofa with a low "puff puff" sound. Kate's heartbeat was so fast that it seemed to jump out of her chest. She tried to steady her hand and aimed and fired. But the other party's pace was amazingly fast and he quickly circled around her side.

"Damn it!" Kate cursed under her breath, feeling her strength was about to be swallowed by fear.

However, just as the killer was about to pull the trigger, a muffled sound suddenly came from outside the window. The killer's body suddenly leaned forward and fell to the ground, with a stream of blood spurting out of his head.

Kate was stunned. She turned her head to look out the window and saw Lynn standing on the roof of the building opposite, holding a sniper rifle in his hand, his eyes as cold as a hawk.

"Get down!" Lynn whispered through the headset.

Kate immediately obeyed, crawling to the ground, while Lynn started to move. He slid down from the roof quickly, with the agility of a cheetah.

At the same time, the other two killers downstairs heard the gunshots and were about to rush into the apartment. After Lin En landed, he aimed the gun in his hand directly at their backs. After two muffled sounds, the two bodies fell to the street.

Without hesitation, Lynn rushed to the apartment, jumped up the stairs, and rushed into Kate's room. He quickly swept his gun around the house, and after confirming that there were no other threats, he walked over to Kate who was hiding behind the sofa.

"Are you okay?" His voice was cold, but with a hint of concern.

Kate looked up, her face filled with shock, but she still shook her head, "I'm still alive, thanks to you."

Lynn nodded and helped her up, "We have to go. This place has been exposed. They might send more people."

Kate gritted her teeth and nodded, then followed Lynn out of the apartment. As she walked down the stairs, she couldn't help but whisper, "Will they really kill me at all costs?"

"Yes." Lin En's voice was low. "You are their target now, but you don't know these people well enough. Their methods are not just killing. They will make you understand what true despair is."

Kate didn't say anything, but her eyes became more determined. She knew she was involved in a battle that was more dangerous than she had imagined, but she also knew that there was no turning back.

In the night wind, Lynn helped Kate into the car, started the engine, and quickly drove away from the scene.

Lynn's car sped through the streets of Brooklyn. Kate sat in the passenger seat, her hands gripping the seatbelt tightly, her expression still lingering. The atmosphere inside the car was heavy and oppressive, only the low roar of the engine filling the silence. Lynn gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his gaze as cold as a blade. His other hand gently pressed against the communicator at his ear, his voice low and impatient.

"Hans, where are your people?" Lynn's tone was filled with urgency.

"We just arrived, Lynn." Hans' voice came from the headset, mixed with the faint sound of sirens in the background, "We have captured a small leader, he is the commander of the task force. He is being sent to the interrogation room at headquarters. You'd better come back immediately."

Lynn nodded and turned to look at Kate, who still looked a little shaken. "We have to go to headquarters."

Kate raised her head, took a deep breath, and tried to make her voice sound calmer. "Will that little boss cooperate?"

"If he doesn't cooperate, I will make him understand that cooperation is his only option." Lin En's eyes were like knives, and his voice was as low as a muffled thunder.

Kate nodded and said nothing more. Although she still had doubts about Lynn's methods, at this moment, she could only trust this cold agent.

The atmosphere in the interrogation room at FBI headquarters was like a taut bowstring. The room was dimly lit, with only a single bright spotlight shining directly on the center of the table. A bearded man sat in a chair, his hands handcuffed to the table. His face was still stained with fresh blood, and a sneer played at the corners of his mouth, seemingly unfazed by his situation.

Hans stood aside, his arms crossed, his face gloomy. He looked at the man sitting in the chair, then at Lynn pushing the door open, and nodded.

"This is our guy." Hans pointed at the man. "His name is Michel Renaldo. He's a low-level leader of the Holy Blood Alliance, specializing in assassinations and 'clean-up' missions. He was the one who commanded the attack on Kate tonight."

Lin En walked over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He didn't say anything, just stared at Reinaldo with a cold look that seemed to penetrate anyone's soul. Reinaldo raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair with a lazy expression. "Let me guess, you're going to tell me next that I'm in big trouble, right?"

"You're in bigger trouble than you think." Lynn's voice was low but menacing. "But it depends on how you answer my questions next."

"Question?" Renaldo scoffed. "Don't bother. I won't say anything."

"Oh?" Lin En leaned forward slightly, a sneer on his face. "You think you're smart, don't you? Well, let me tell you, when we caught you, we already found your devices and communication records. We know that tonight's orders came from the core of the Holy Blood Alliance. And you're just an errand boy."

Renaldo's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to his previous indifference. "If you knew all this, why would you ask me? Why not just lock me up for life?"

Lin En ignored his provocation and tapped the table lightly with his fingers. "We have time, but I don't think you do. Do you think the Holy Blood Alliance will take risks for a pawn like you? If you fall into our hands, they will only consider you a burden. They will abandon you and even clean up every trace of you, including yourself."

The corner of Renaldo's mouth twitched, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "You agents only know how to use these psychological tactics, but they don't work on me."

"Then give it a try." Lin En stood up and looked at him coldly. "We've contacted several witnesses and the technical team to gradually reconstruct your action plan for tonight. How long do you think you can hold out?"

"Fuck you!" Reinaldo slammed the table, clearly losing control of his emotions. "You lousy investigators, you know nothing!"

Lin En stopped and turned slightly to look at him, his tone still calm, "Then why don't you tell us so that we can know more."

Reinaldo opened his mouth, as if about to say something, but ultimately closed it. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and the chains of his handcuffs made a slight metallic clang as he moved.

At that moment, in the observation room outside the interrogation room, Kate watched all this through the one-way glass, feeling both nervous and shocked. She had seen Lynn's actions before, but now she was witnessing his interrogation techniques for the first time—his calm yet oppressive aura seemed to make the air seem thinner.

"Do you think he will give in?" Kate whispered to Hans who was standing beside her.

"People like Reinaldo..." Hans shrugged. "They're only loyal to their own interests. If we can make him feel that cooperating with us is safer than keeping the Holy Blood Alliance secret, he'll tell us."

Kate nodded, but she still felt a lingering tension. She knew that Reinaldo might have important intelligence about the Holy Blood Alliance, and that this information could affect the lives of many more people.

A few minutes later, Lin En sat down again, staring at Reinaldo with cold eyes. "This is your last chance. Tell us the next target of the Holy Blood Alliance, and we can consider giving you a way out."

"What can I do if I tell you?" Reinaldo said gritting his teeth, with a hint of despair in his voice, "The Holy Blood Alliance will not let me go. No matter where you lock me up, they will find a way to find me, and then..." He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"That depends on whether they have the chance." Lin En's voice remained calm, but it carried an unquestionable strength. "If you cooperate, we can give you a complete protection agreement. You'll get a new identity and a new life - instead of having your throat slit in some dark corner."

Reinaldo's Adam's apple moved, and he was obviously a little shaken.

"The core of the Holy Blood Alliance has been mobilized," Lin En continued, "and you are just their tool. If you don't tell them now, when they find you in their net, their cleanup process will be faster than ours. You will die, a death even more miserably than those men tonight."

Renaldo's eyes wandered for a moment, and he finally lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice: "Okay... okay. I'll tell you... but you have to keep me safe."

"Speak first." Lin En's voice was as cold as a knife.

Renaldo gritted his teeth and remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking, "Their next target is at the dock. They're arranging a secret transport... of some new test item. The time is the night after tomorrow, at midnight."

A cold glint flashed across Lynn's eyes, but he didn't show any emotion. He just nodded and said, "Continue. Where exactly?"

"The underground warehouse at Pier 7. They've made some arrangements there to cover the transportation of goods," Renaldo said, panting. "But I don't know what the specific goods are... Only the higher-ups know these things."

"What else?" Lynn asked, without a trace of relief in his tone.

Reinaldo hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "They sent a man named Caleb to lead the operation. He's the core executor of the Holy Blood Alliance. If you want to strike back at the Holy Blood Alliance, you have to capture him."

Lin En nodded, stood up, and said to Hans's headset, "Recording completed. Inform the field team, we have a target." He turned to look at Renaldo and added coldly, "I hope your information is true. If not, you won't like the consequences."

Reinaldo lowered his head and said nothing more, but the sweat on his forehead betrayed his fear.

At midnight, Brooklyn's Pier 7 was shrouded in a dead silence and darkness. A cold wind blew in from the sea, bringing a biting chill and stirring the fog above the harbor. The occasional sound of a ship's whistle in the distance sounded like a low warning. Most of the lights on the pier were off, leaving only a few dim chandeliers swaying atop the warehouses, casting a faint glow on the iron doors, mottled by seawater corrosion.

Lin En leaned against an unremarkable van, his eyes scanning every corner of the dock sharply. He was wearing black tactical gear, holding a silenced pistol in his hand, and from time to time he could hear the sound of the team's communication.

"The target area is clear," Hans' voice came through the headset, his usual calmness and professionalism. "The security around the perimeter is fine, but the interior may be more complex than we imagined. I just received intelligence that Caleb has arrived at the scene personally."

Lin En's eyes instantly grew even colder. "Caleb?" he repeated in a low voice, as if chewing on the name.

"Indeed, a high-ranking executor of the Holy Blood Alliance," Hans continued. "He's not just a coordinator, but a cold-blooded killer. It's said that he personally oversaw numerous assassinations, including the 'cleanup' of several mutant test subjects. This man is more dangerous than any enemy we've encountered before."

"Okay." Lin En's voice was low but powerful. "We'll keep him this time."

"Are you sure?" Hans' voice was tinged with worry. "If the information is true, he has a whole team of mercenaries with him. This is their home turf, and we don't have enough men."

"This isn't a matter of numbers," Lynn said coldly. "It's a matter of speed. We must interrupt their plans before they complete the transaction."

Lin En looked up and saw several armored trucks parked at the dock, with several fully armed guards patrolling around. Their steps were neat and orderly, and it was obvious that they were not ordinary street thugs, but professionally trained killers.

He turned on the headset and issued instructions to all the action teams: "Everyone, take your positions. Once we enter, prioritize confirming the cargo and cutting off their transportation lines. Be careful with Caleb; this man cannot be underestimated."

"Understood." Several brief responses came over the communication.

Lin En took a deep breath, lowered the brim of his hat, and with his weapon in hand, he took the lead in sneaking towards the flank of the warehouse. The night became his cover, and his footsteps were as light as a cat, making almost no sound in the darkness.

Kate was currently sitting in the FBI's makeshift command vehicle, nervously watching the operation unfold on the surveillance screen. Lynn had firmly demanded that she remain, and though she tried to argue, she ultimately had to relent. She knew she was no longer a bystander; her reporting was intimately tied to the operation, and she also understood that all this was far more dangerous than she had initially imagined.

(End of this chapter)