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

Chapter 226 Recognized this person
Lin En pondered for a moment, then softened his tone. "You're right. Perhaps we've limited our perspective to the framework of 'punishing evil and promoting good,' and thus overlooked something deeper."

Lynn stood up and walked to the whiteboard, reviewing every detail of the case. He circled the key word "lyncher" with a marker and wrote a new question next to it: "What other possible motives might the murderer have?"

He looked at Carter. "Reopen the investigation and reconstruct the connections between the victims. Eliminate the possibility that the motive was 'punishing evil and promoting good,' and look for any more hidden commonalities."

Carter nodded. "I'll immediately arrange for the team to reorganize the data. Also, do you want to put the clues about the mutant population on hold for now?"

"No," Lynn shook his head. "We can't completely rule out the possibility of mutants. Some of the details in these cases are too precise, like the wound techniques and the anomalies at the scene. These are not something ordinary people can do. But we need to broaden our perspective and not be trapped in a single logic."

Throughout the afternoon, Lynn and his team diligently re-examined the case's clues. The victims' backgrounds, behavioral patterns, and social circles were analyzed one by one. Although some clues remained vague, Lynn gradually discovered subtle commonalities.

"Lynn," Carter suddenly pushed the door open, holding a new investigative report in his hand, "We found a possible connection."

Lynn looked up: "What?"

"The victims' social networks share a secret connection—they've all participated in some kind of private gatherings in the past year. These gatherings aren't illegal, but the content of the events is highly confidential, even requiring the signing of a non-disclosure agreement." Carter handed the document to Lynn. "Moreover, the organizers of these gatherings happen to be connected to an underground mutant group."

Lin En took the document and quickly glanced through it, his eyes becoming increasingly profound. "What is the purpose of these gatherings?"

"It's unclear at the moment. But the records we found indicate that the party was hosted by a man named 'Elliot Weiss.' He's a well-known philanthropist in Manhattan and an openly mutant."

"Elliot Weiss..." Lynn repeated the name in a low voice, with a hint of alertness in his eyes.

He stood up, picked up his coat, and said to Carter, "Arrange the support team, and let's go visit Mr. Elliot. Perhaps he can provide us with some different answers."

As night fell, the streets of Manhattan gradually quieted down, and neon lights cast mottled shadows on the wet streets. Lynn and Carter led the team and drove to Elliott Weiss's residence.

Elliott lives in a beautifully designed brownstone on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He is a prominent Manhattan philanthropist known for his support of mutant rights and social causes. However, he is also a key figure in the mutant underground, a fact he has never publicly acknowledged.

The car stopped in front of the building. Lynn looked up at the luxurious yet low-key mansion, and a sense of vigilance crept in. He gestured for Carter to lead a few agents to guard the perimeter, while he and another agent headed towards the gate.

They rang the doorbell, and soon a well-dressed butler opened the door.

"Excuse me, who are you two looking for?" The butler's tone was polite but distant.

Lynn pulled out his ID: "FBI Agent Lynn, we need to speak to Mr. Elliot Weiss."

The butler was obviously stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure: "Please wait, I will go and inform you."

A few minutes later, the butler returned and motioned Lynn and the detective into the living room. Elliot Weiss was sitting on a carved sofa, a glass of red wine in hand, a full-length bookshelf behind him. He looked to be in his early fifties, with graying hair and a face that was stern yet imbued with authority.

"Inspector Lynn." Elliot smiled slightly and said in a calm tone, "Welcome. I heard you are here to investigate. How can I help?"

Lynn looked directly at Elliot and got straight to the point: "Mr. Weiss, we are investigating a series of serial homicides. The victims have one thing in common - they have all attended private parties organized by you. We need to understand the purpose of these parties and the circumstances of the participants."

Elliot raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his face faded slightly. "Oh? These cases are related to my gatherings? This really surprises me. I'm just an ordinary philanthropist. The original intention of organizing these gatherings is to provide a platform for mutants and ordinary people to communicate."

"A communication platform?" Lin En asked in a cold tone. "We've found out that these gatherings are highly confidential, even requiring a signed agreement. If it's just a normal communication, why is it so secretive?"

Elliot put down his glass and sighed softly. "Inspector, you should know that mutants don't have an easy situation in society. My gatherings are designed to create a safe environment where mutants can discuss their problems without worrying about being judged or suppressed by the outside world."

"A safe environment?" Lin En's eyes were sharp. "But these victims all became targets of the serial murders after attending the party. Is this really a coincidence?"

Elliot was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Inspector, I understand your doubts, but I don't think my gatherings are directly related to these cases. In fact, I don't know all the participants. These gatherings are operated by the team, and I don't participate in every specific activity."

"Who are your team members? I need a list of all the participants." Lynn said firmly.

Elliot's expression changed slightly, but he remained calm. "I'm sorry, Inspector, according to our agreement, I can't reveal the identities of the participants. This is to protect their privacy."

"Protecting privacy?" Lynn sneered. "When your 'privacy' agreement could potentially cover up a serial murder case, it's no longer protection; it's obstruction of the investigation."

Elliot's eyes turned slightly cold, and he was about to say something when he was interrupted by Lynn: "Mr. Weiss, if you are really innocent, you should fully cooperate with us. If you continue to conceal it, we will apply for a search warrant according to the law and find out every detail."

Elliot was silent for a moment, and finally sighed: "Okay, Inspector. I can provide a partial list of names, but only those participants who have publicly expressed their willingness to assist in the investigation. For the others, I must obtain their consent."

Lynn nodded: "This is a start."

That evening, Lin returned to the bureau with the list. He and his team immediately began analyzing the backgrounds of the individuals involved, hoping to find clues related to the case. However, most of the people on the list were ordinary people, without any criminal records or unusual behavior.

"There doesn't seem to be any direct breakthrough along this line." Carter leaned back in his chair, his tone full of fatigue.

"Not necessarily." Lynn flipped through the list, her eyes fixed on a name. "Look at this person—Lisa Harris. A few months ago, she publicly expressed her dislike for Wes's party, believing it was too 'mutant-biased.' But strangely, she attended another event after the party."

"Why would someone who dislikes an activity continue to participate?" Carter frowned.

"That's exactly the problem." Lynn put down the documents and said in a low voice, "Perhaps our murderer is not just targeting victims, but is carrying out some kind of self-righteous 'screening'. Lisa may know something. We must find her as soon as possible."

At night, Manhattan was still bustling with traffic. Kate sat in a quiet cafe, a cold cup of coffee in her hand. Across the table sat a nervous-looking man in a plain jacket, clutching a USB drive. "Is this the video?" Kate asked quietly, her eyes calm but wary.

The man nodded and said in a low voice, "Yes. This video was accidentally captured from a blind spot in a surveillance camera. I went through a lot of trouble to get it. It captured a person near the crime scene, and he's very suspicious."

"Why not hand it over to the police?" Kate asked, a hint of distrust in her tone.

The man swallowed, looking a little uneasy. "You know, if I hand this stuff over to the police, I might not end up in any good way. Besides, I think as a reporter, you can make this video more valuable."

Kate stared at him, obviously not completely believing what he said. But she knew that every clue in the serial murder case was extremely valuable, and she couldn't miss any possible breakthrough.

"How much?" Kate asked bluntly.

The man hesitated and held up three fingers. "Three thousand. This is an exclusive item."

Kate knew the other party was asking for an exorbitant price, but she gritted her teeth and agreed: "Deal. But I need to see it first."

The man, clearly concerned, reached into his jacket and pulled out an old portable player, inserting the USB drive. A blurry but reasonably clear nighttime video began playing on the screen.

The video shows a secluded alley near the crime scene, and the time stamp indicates it was taken at night when a crime occurred. In the footage, a figure in a dark coat can be seen walking quickly through the alley. Although his face is obscured by shadows, his steady steps and smooth movements clearly indicate he is no ordinary passerby.

Then, the figure stopped and turned to look in the direction of the surveillance camera. At that moment, the video captured a pair of cold, strange purple pupils.

Kate's breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat. These purple eyes were exactly the same as the suspected mutant characteristics Lynn had mentioned earlier.

"See?" the man urged. "This video is not something you can just get."

Kate calmed down for a moment, took out her wallet, pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the other party: "Three thousand, take it."

The man quickly took the money, handed the USB drive to Kate, and hurriedly got up and left, disappearing into the night. Kate sat there, her heart still pounding because of the scene just now.

After returning home, Kate inserted the USB drive into her laptop and watched the video repeatedly. She used professional video software to amplify the image of the purple pupil. Although it was still a little blurry, it was enough for her to confirm that this was definitely an extremely unusual phenomenon.

Countless questions flooded her mind: Who was this man? What was his connection to the case? If he was the murderer, why did he allow his features to be exposed in the video?

Kate hesitated for a moment, then finally picked up the phone and dialed Lynn's number.

"Lynn, I have an important clue." Her voice was filled with urgency. "I just got a video that may have captured a suspicious figure near the crime scene."

Lin En's voice on the other end of the phone was low: "Video? What's the content?"

"A figure, his eyes are purple." Kate took a deep breath, "Exactly the same characteristics you mentioned before."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, and then Lynn's voice became more serious: "Bring the videotape over, I need to see it immediately."

"Okay, I'll be there right away." Kate hung up the phone, quickly packed up the USB drive, rushed out of the house, and went straight to Lynn's office.

Half an hour later, Kate stood in Lynn's office, inserted the USB drive into his computer, and played the video. Lynn and Carter stared at the screen intently. When the image of the purple pupil appeared, Lynn's eyes became cold and focused.

"This is him," Lynn whispered, a hint of confirmation in his tone. "He matches the description given by the police officer exactly."

Carter frowned and asked, "But the question is, why did he appear within the surveillance range? He has always been cautious, and this time is obviously a flaw."

"Perhaps he didn't know this video existed," Lin En analyzed calmly, "Or perhaps he left a clue here on purpose."

Kate was stunned: "Stay here on purpose? Why?"

Lin En's eyes were sharp. "If he truly believes he's 'punishing evil and promoting good,' perhaps this is a challenge of some kind—a provocation to us, to society as a whole. He wants us to know he exists, but without being able to catch him."

"So what do we do next?" Kate asked.

Lin En stood up and said firmly, "We're tracking this figure's movements. Since he's been exposed, it means he's not untouchable. Let the technical department analyze the context of this video and find his escape route and possible hiding place."

He glanced at Kate with a hint of warning, "Also, you'd better be careful. The other party has already set their sights on you, and this clue may not be simple."

Lynn sat in his office, staring at the video Kate had brought, playing it over and over again, his eyes focused and sharp, as if trying to peel off the hidden truth from every frame.

The figure with purple pupils in the image still made him feel uneasy. "This person is clearly not an ordinary person. His actions may seem random, but they have a purpose," Lin En thought to himself.

However, when he zoomed in and looked closely at the background, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

In the video, about 50 meters away from the crime scene, a tall, well-dressed man hurried past. His profile briefly flashed across the camera, and although the image quality was blurry, Lin En immediately recognized the man.

“Elon Musk?”

Lin En's brow furrowed in a moment, a wave of anxiety rising within him. Musk was a world-renowned entrepreneur and technological pioneer; his presence near the crime scene was bizarre enough. Why would he be in such a remote location? More importantly, what was the connection between his presence and the suspicious figure with purple pupils?
(End of this chapter)