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

Chapter 228 Three Days Later

The two men got out of the car and walked straight through the crowd into the factory. A forensic doctor was examining the body and several detectives were searching for clues.

"What's the situation?" Lynn asked the agent in charge of the scene in a low voice.

"The victim is a male, approximately 30 years old, whose identity has yet to be confirmed. His manner of death is identical to previous cases—a slit carotid artery, fatal stab wounds, and the body was placed in a ritualistic position," the detective replied, a hint of fatigue in his tone. "And there's that red rose on the wall again."

Lin En nodded and approached the body to examine it. The victim's expression was contorted by the intense agony of death, and there were traces of dried blood on the ground. Lin En squatted down and carefully examined the surroundings of the body.

"Detective, there's something here!" An agent suddenly shouted from not far away.

Lynn immediately stood up and walked towards the direction of the sound. The agent was standing next to a pile of waste, holding a bag with a conspicuous yellow wallet in it.

"What is this?" Lynn asked, taking the bag.

"We found it near the exit at the scene. It looked like the murderer dropped it in a hurry," the detective explained.

Lin opened her bag and carefully pulled out her wallet. It was a plain yellow leather wallet, a bit worn but not old. Inside were a few cards, some cash, and a crumpled receipt.

"This could be an oversight by the murderer." Carter leaned over and whispered, "But it could also be a deliberate disguise."

Lynn didn't respond. He quickly looked through his wallet and found a bank card. The name on the card was clearly visible - Daniel Walker.

"Daniel Walker?" Lynn frowned. "Did you find this name?"

"Not yet." The agent shook his head, "But we can check right away."

Lynn nodded and handed the wallet to Carter: "Immediately let the technical department track the background of this name and check all his records to see if there is any connection with other cases."

"Understood." Carter took the wallet and left quickly.

Meanwhile, Lin En continued searching the scene for other clues. He walked over to the red rose pattern and scanned the wall with sharp eyes. The pattern was spray-painted with incredible precision, as if by the hands of a professional with professional training.

"Detective," the medical examiner came over and whispered, "there's another anomaly. The victim's carotid artery wound is similar to the previous case, but the knife technique this time is more crude. The murderer may have been in a greater hurry than before, or perhaps a different person committed the crime."

"Different people?" Lynn repeated in a low voice, quickly sorting out the clues in his mind. "This means that our previous hypothesis may be correct - the murderer did not act alone. He may be part of a group, and the perpetrator this time is not the same person as in the previous cases."

The medical examiner nodded. "That's a possibility. However, we need further confirmation."

After leaving the scene, Lynn returned to the office, where Carter had brought back preliminary investigation results on "Daniel Walker".

"Daniel Walker, 38 years old, is an ordinary office clerk. His address is in Lower Manhattan, and according to records, he hasn't exhibited any noticeable abnormal behavior in the past few months." Carter handed over the investigation report, a hint of confusion in his tone. "However, there's a name in his social circle that caught my attention—Elliot Weiss."

Lynn's eyes turned cold. "Elliot Weiss? Is he the mutant philanthropist we investigated before?"

"That's right." Carter nodded. "According to records, Daniel has attended private parties organized by Weiss many times. There seems to be some connection between them, but we don't know what it is yet."

Lin En picked up the report and took a deep breath. "This further proves that our murderer did not act alone. There is some connection between them, and these gatherings may be their bond."

"What's next?" Carter asked.

Lynn's eyes were grim. "Track Daniel Walker's location. If he's the murderer's accomplice, his movements might lead us to other key figures. At the same time, re-examine Elliot Weiss's activities. We might be very close to the truth."

Lynn stared at the report, his thoughts racing. He knew the name "Daniel Walker" might be the key to breaking the case. Why did this ordinary office worker appear in the clues at the murder scene? Was his connection to Elliot Weiss the core of the whole incident?

"Technical personnel are tracking Daniel Walker's cell phone signal," Carter reported. "His last recorded activity was at a convenience store in Lower Manhattan after 9 p.m. on the night of the incident. His phone is currently turned off."

"Turn it off?" Linn looked up, frowning. "This is to avoid being tracked. Daniel might have realized we were tracking him."

"How else can we find it?" Carter asked.

Lin En thought for a moment and stood up. "Contact his relatives and friends to see if he has mentioned any recent plans or unusual behavior. At the same time, send people to search his residence and workplace to find any possible hiding places."

"Understood." Carter nodded and immediately arranged the action.

A few hours later, Lynn was sitting in his office, with files and surveillance records piled up on Daniel Walker in front of him. The technical department had analyzed Daniel's activities over the past few months, and although his life seemed calm on the surface, some details caught Lynn's attention.

"Look here." Lin En pointed to a record, his tone a little nervous. "Daniel has been frequently appearing in an abandoned industrial park over the past three months. He doesn't stay there for long each time, but always late at night."

"An abandoned industrial park?" Carter frowned. "That sounds suspicious. What would he be doing there?"

Lin En nodded: "Send someone to investigate and see if there is anything unusual there. If Daniel is an accomplice of the murderer, then this place is likely one of their bases."

Late at night, the FBI investigation team quietly arrived at the abandoned industrial park. It was shrouded in thick darkness, overgrown with weeds, and the dilapidated buildings looked particularly eerie in the moonlight.

"This place looks like a ghost town," one scout whispered.

"Search separately and be careful." the captain ordered.

The investigators moved cautiously through the park, their flashlight beams flickering across dilapidated walls and abandoned equipment. Soon after, one investigator discovered something unusual in a warehouse.

"Detective, there's a situation here." An urgent voice came from the radio.

Lynn and Carter rushed to the scene. The warehouse was filled with discarded boxes and equipment, but in a corner, a few messy folding chairs and a table stood out. On the table lay a few maps, some dated documents, and a few objects that looked like tools.

"The times marked on these documents are exactly the same as the times of several previous murders we have encountered." Carter flipped through the documents, his tone becoming increasingly heavy. "This may very well be their command center." Lynn picked up a map and found several locations circled in red pen on it, one of which was the scene of the recent murder.

"They're planning their operation here," Lin En whispered, a cold glint in his eyes. "Daniel Walker obviously isn't acting alone. There are other people behind him, and their goal is clearer than we thought."

At the same time, news came from the technical department that they had successfully located a possible hiding place of Daniel Walker - a cheap hotel on the east side of Manhattan.

Lynn and Carter immediately led the team there. When they rushed into the hotel room, they found that the room was empty, with only a computer screen still on, as if it had just been used.

"He just left." Lynn said coldly, his eyes sweeping over every corner of the room. "Check everything to see if there are any clues left behind."

Technicians quickly removed the computer's hard drive and began on-site analysis. A few minutes later, they discovered an unsent email that mentioned a mysterious name: "Rose Master."

"Rose Lord?" Carter frowned. "Is this someone's code name?"

"It's very likely that he's the leader of this organization," Lin En said solemnly. "Their actions revolve around the red rose, and this 'Rose Master' is probably the mastermind behind everything."

Lin En's heartbeat quickened. He knew they had finally gotten to the heart of the case, but at the same time, he knew the other party's counterattack might be even more dangerous.

"Trace the source of this email and find the true identity of the 'Rose Overlord' as soon as possible." Lin En gave the order, his eyes filled with a resolute coldness. "This time, we won't let them escape again."

The technical department immediately began to analyze the source of the unsent email. After several hours of effort, they finally traced it to a complex IP address that was disguised as extremely secretive, but eventually locked it to a remote villa in the suburbs of Manhattan.

Lynn and Carter immediately led a team to the scene. The villa looked very ordinary, like a private vacation home, but the surrounding environment was so quiet that it even made people feel a little uneasy.

"Prepare for the assault." Lynn gave the order in a low voice, and the team quickly dispersed around the villa and completely surrounded it.

The villa was unusually quiet, with a faint metallic smell in the air. Lynn and Carter led the way in, weapons in hand, keeping their weapons at arm's length. They scanned each room, finally stopping in front of a secret door in the basement.

Carter clicked on the flashlight, illuminating the heavy metal door. "This might be their command center."

Lynn nodded: "Pry it open."

The agent used tools to pry open the door, and a stream of cold air rushed out. The scene inside the basement made everyone gasp.

The walls were covered with spray-painted patterns of red roses, each one as detailed as a work of art. In the center of the room stood a large wooden table, upon which were placed several computers, maps, and a series of documents marked with dates and locations.

"These maps and documents..." Carter flipped through them, his tone growing heavier. "Every marked location corresponds to a known crime scene. Furthermore, there are some future targets—several landmark buildings in Manhattan."

"Their plan isn't just to kill people," Lin En whispered, a cold glint in his eyes. "They want to create even greater panic. This is a long-planned action."

Just as Lin En was carefully examining the documents, a computer screen suddenly lit up. A bright red rose pattern appeared on the screen, followed by a synthesized voice with an eerie low tone:

"Inspector Lynn, welcome. You're a little quicker than we expected, but that's okay. We have everything under control."

Lin En stared at the screen, his voice calm but oppressive: "Who are you? The Rose Master?"

"The name is just a code name," the voice chuckled. "What's important are our philosophy and actions. What you see is only the beginning of our plan. Manhattan will witness a true cleansing."

"Purification?" Lin En sneered, "You kill innocent people, and you still dare to call yourself a Purifier?"

"Innocent?" The rose pattern on the screen trembled slightly. "Those so-called victims are all guilty of unforgivable crimes, but they hid their crimes thoroughly. We simply exposed their disguise and let the world see the truth."

"The truth?" Lin En lowered his voice. "This is not justice, this is sick killing. And I will stop you and bring you all to justice."

The voice on the screen chuckled. "Then give it a try, Inspector. However, time is running out. We have entered the next phase, and soon, you will know our determination."

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen suddenly went out. At the same time, a faint buzzing sound came from a corner of the basement.

"Retreat!" Lynn shouted immediately.

Everyone quickly evacuated the basement. Just seconds after running out of the villa, a violent explosion suddenly occurred in the entire building. Flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the surrounding night sky red.

A few minutes later, Lynn and Carter stood not far away, looking at the burning ruins with gloomy faces.

"They are more dangerous and more organized than we thought," Carter whispered.

"And they're merciless." Lin En clenched his fists. "We've just reached their core. This explosion proves they won't let us dig out more of the truth so easily."

Carter nodded. "But at least we know where they're going next."

Lynn took out the map that he had rescued from the basement, on which were clearly marked the names and dates of several Manhattan landmarks.

"These places are their potential targets," Lin En said coldly, "We must catch them all before they do."

Lynn sat alone in his office late at night, a map spread out before him, with several target buildings marked on it. These landmark buildings were not only symbols of Manhattan, but also attracted a large number of people. If the attack was successful, the consequences would be disastrous.

He stared at the date on the map, calculating the time repeatedly in his mind: "The next operation... is in three days."

The next morning, the FBI conference room was packed. Lynn stood at the front, a whiteboard covered with clues and targets. His cold gaze swept over each agent present.

(End of this chapter)