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

Chapter 225: Wavering

Dr. Green paused for a moment. "He might have made his judgment based on their behavior, words, and even their social circles. He might have believed that these people represented some kind of 'evil' that he couldn't accept."

Carter interjected, "For example, Peter's gambling debts might be a sin in the eyes of the murderer?"

"It's very likely." Dr. Green nodded. "Furthermore, the murderer may have a strong sense of self-identity. He would believe that his actions were for a greater justice, even if that justice was completely distorted."

Lin En leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands before his chin, his eyes flickering. "So, we need to start with the details of the victims' lives and look for their common 'crime.' Not necessarily a crime in the legal sense, but a 'crime' as defined by the murderer."

Dr. Green smiled and nodded. "That's right. The killer's psychological clues are hidden in some connection between these victims. Find this clue, and you will find him."

After leaving Dr. Green's office, Lynn stopped, took a deep breath, and looked at Carter. "Notify the technical department to review the background of each victim, especially their daily behavior, social circles, and possible secrets. No seemingly irrelevant details can be overlooked."

Carter nodded. "I see. This time we'll dig deep until we pull him out of the shadows."

A cold light flashed in Lin En's eyes: "The murderer thought he was judging others, but soon he will find out that he is the one being judged."

Night fell over Manhattan, but the lights in the FBI office were still bright. Lynn sat at his desk, his eyes glued to his computer screen, a long-cold cup of coffee beside him. He had been poring over the mutant files in the Manhattan area for hours, searching for suspects who fit the "punish evil, promote good" behavioral pattern.

As the files on the screen slid past one after another, Lin En's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, he stopped at two files, his eyes sharpening.

Suspect 1: Codename "The Judge"

Real name: Max Sloan
Abilities: Telekinesis, can manipulate objects and create high-intensity shock waves.

Background: A former lawyer whose failed case led to the conviction of an innocent man. Tormented by guilt, he resigned and disappeared from public view. Years later, he resurfaced as "The Judge," focusing on punishing those he believed had escaped justice. His methods are typically precise and brutal, using telekinesis to inflict fatal injuries.

Latest record: Participated in an "underground trial" activity in Brooklyn two years ago and has not been seen since.

Suspect 2: Codename "Thorn"

Real name: Caroline Perez

Ability: Plant manipulation, able to quickly grow and manipulate vine-like plants to cause damage or imprison targets.

Background: A former environmentalist, she fiercely opposed pollution and corporate greed. The deaths of her family in a chemical plant accident left her with a loss of trust in the so-called "system." She then used her abilities to fight against "bad actors," including polluting executives, corrupt officials, and violent criminals.

Latest record: Six months ago, she appeared in a case on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The target was a wealthy businessman suspected of illegally hunting animals, but she managed to escape.

Lynn stared at the screen, deep in thought. Both men possessed distinct "vigilante" traits, consistent with the analysis of psychology expert Dr. Green. They unleashed violence in the name of "justice," placing themselves above law and morality.

"The Judge and the Thorn, one of them might be our murderer." Lin En muttered to himself.

He quickly reviewed their files, searching for potential connections to the victims. He noted in particular that the thorn had appeared six months prior on Manhattan's Upper East Side, less than two miles from the site of the most recent murder. As for the Inquisitor, his description of his abilities closely matched certain traces at the scene, particularly the wounds that appeared to have been inflicted by external forces.

"Carter," Lynn called Carter, his voice filled with fatigue and grimness. "I've found two suspects. One is 'The Judge' and the other is 'The Thorn'. They both have a history of punishing evil and promoting good, and their abilities overlap to some extent with the murderer's behavior."

Carter's voice came from the other end of the phone, obviously still not resting: "Who do you think is more suspicious?"

"They're both huge." Lin En rubbed his brow. "But we can't just rely on guesswork. I need you to bring the technical department to investigate the recent movements of these two individuals, especially whether they appeared near the crime scene."

"I understand. I'll get started right away." Carter responded decisively.

After hanging up the phone, Lynn leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and thought about all the clues. Although both suspects met certain criteria, there were still unsolved mysteries in the case. Was the murderer's leaving roses somehow connected to the past of one of these two people? Or was it someone else?

Late at night, the office was so quiet that only the ticking of the clock could be heard. Lynn once again opened Thorn's file, carefully studying her modus operandi and targets. Her actions were full of protest against social injustice, but would she cross the line and reach out to ordinary people not directly connected to the system?

He then switches to the Inquisitor's files. Max's past is filled with regret and anger, and he harbors a deep hostility toward "crimes unpunishable by law." Perhaps this gives him even more motivation to target these seemingly ordinary yet flawed victims.

Lynn finally came to a conclusion: the judge's behavior pattern was more consistent with the victim's background, and although Thorn might be involved in some cases, she was more like a marginal participant.

He picked up the phone and called Carter again: "Focus on the Judge and find his location. This time, we can't let him get away."

Carter on the other end of the phone smiled and said, "Got it, Inspector. We'll make him pay this time."

In the morning, after the rain had cleared, the streets of Manhattan were still damp, and the air was filled with the smell of dirt and oil smoke. Lynn sat in the car, holding a file in his hand. It was a detailed whereabouts report of the judge, Max Sloan. Carter sat in the passenger seat, looking at the map and whispering:
"According to the technical department's investigation, Max has indeed appeared in Manhattan many times in the past six months. However, we tracked his bank records, public transportation records, and some surveillance equipment records... and found something interesting."

Lynn looked up. "What's going on?" Carter turned the laptop in his hand towards Lynn, showing a timeline: "The first two serial murders occurred within two weeks three months ago. During that time, Max was not in Manhattan at all. He was in Philadelphia, staying in a cheap hotel. The bills and surveillance footage can fully confirm his alibi."

Lynn's brow furrowed even more as he took the notebook and flipped through the records. Indeed, Max's credit card spending records, hotel check-in records, and multiple public surveillance footage from that period all indicated he was in Philadelphia. More importantly, the timing didn't add up—he couldn't have been at the crime scene.

"This is interesting." Lynn whispered, with a hint of helplessness in his voice, "Max's modus operandi fits some of the characteristics of a murderer, but his alibi is impeccable. It seems he is not our murderer."

Carter sighed and leaned back in his chair. "So, this line of inquiry is a dead end. But he does have vigilante tendencies. What if he has some connection with the murderer? For example, maybe he's been in some mutant community, or has instigated someone?"

Lynn nodded. "This possibility cannot be ruled out. Notify the technical department to continue monitoring Max's activities to see if he has any contact with other mutants, especially those with similar tendencies."

Carter turned on his phone and began to make arrangements, while Lynn put the file aside, rubbed his brow, and a trace of fatigue appeared in his eyes. They had spent two full days investigating Max, but in the end they had to rule him out as a suspect, which doubled his pressure.

"What about Thorn?" Carter asked, "Shouldn't she be the first suspect?"

Lin En pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Thorn's behavior is more like a targeted attack. Her victims are mostly clearly 'big villains' in society—owners of polluting companies, corrupt officials, poachers, and the like. However, our serial killer victims don't have such clear commonalities. She might be a possible line of inquiry, but I tend to believe that our killer hasn't surfaced yet."

At noon that day, Lynn brought Carter to the conference room of the Manhattan FBI branch. He called all the members of the team together, reviewed the case again, and officially announced that Max had been cleared of the charges.

"We've ruled out our main suspect, Max, and Thorn is just an alternative. We may be facing a new possibility - the murderer may not be a mutant in the known archives, or even a deeply hidden individual."

There was silence in the conference room. Several detectives looked at each other, obviously realizing that the case was far more complicated than they had imagined.

"Inspector," a young technician said, "if the killer is a mutant who's hiding deep within the city, how can we identify him? We've checked all the known mutant files in Manhattan, but there's no clue."

Lin En's eyes were stern. "Then expand the scope. Contact the federal mutant database and retrieve files from the entire state of New York. At the same time, we need to re-examine the backgrounds of these victims. I believe the murderer's logic is hidden in some common characteristics of the victims, but this commonality may be very hidden."

Carter added: "The commonalities among the victims are not just their occupations or life trajectories. We also need to investigate their social circles to see if they may have come into contact with a specific type of mutant or participated in some unknown activities."

Lynn nodded. "That's right. Also, have psychology expert Dr. Green join the analysis team to focus on studying the underlying psychological connection between the victim and the murderer. The murderer believes he's 'punishing evil and promoting good,' so what is his standard for 'evil'? We must find that logic."

In the afternoon, Lynn returned to his office and flipped through the files alone. Although Max's suspicion had been cleared, the sentence in the file still surfaced in his mind: "A crime that cannot be punished by law."

“Justice outside the law…” Lin En murmured softly, and the red rose at the crime scene appeared in his mind, as if it was conveying some message to him.

Suddenly, the phone on the table rang. It was Carter calling.

"Lynn, I've found something new." Carter's tone was a little nervous. "Two of the victims, Peter Reynolds and college student Alyssa, had appeared in the same place a week before the crime—an underground bar in Manhattan. And this bar happens to be a gray area where mutants and ordinary people intertwine."

Lynn raised her eyebrows. "A speakeasy? Are you sure?"

"Yes. And this place has been marked as a possible 'mutant stronghold' by intelligence agencies many times, but because there has been no direct illegal behavior, no action has been taken." Carter replied.

Lynn stood up and said firmly, "That's our next target. Get the support team ready. We'll go to that bar tonight."

Lynn leads the team to investigate the second suspect, Caroline "Thorn." Her abilities, motivations, and past behavior overlapped with the case, making her a focal point. However, further investigation reveals a deviation from Lynn's expectations.

Carter placed a detailed report on Lynn's desk, his tone filled with resignation: "We've also investigated Thorn's activities at the time of the crimes. She wasn't in Manhattan at all when the last three cases occurred."

Lin En flipped open the report and saw a detailed account of Jingci's movements. She had been participating in a violent environmental protest at the time of the incident, with multiple witnesses, video footage, and even a public speech she had given. The time and location all matched up.

"This record proves she can't be the murderer," Carter added. "Also, based on our leads, her recent actions have nothing to do with the case we're investigating."

Lin En frowned, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice: "This means that our second suspect has also been ruled out."

The office fell into a brief silence. Lynn leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, a flicker of fatigue and confusion in his eyes. He had always believed that the murderer was a mutant who claimed justice in the name of justice, but now that the two most likely suspects had been proven innocent, his judgment began to waver.

"Lynn," Carter began tentatively, "Could it be that we were wrong from the beginning? Although these cases show signs of mutants, the murderer may not be the 'vigilante' we imagined."

"You mean, these cases may have nothing to do with mutants at all?" Lynn asked in a low voice, his eyes sharp.

"It's not completely unrelated." Carter shook his head. "But perhaps we're so focused on finding the motives of the 'lyncher' that we've overlooked other possibilities. For example, the true connection between these victims, or the symbolism of the rose."

(End of this chapter)