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

The next morning, Lynn received a call from Kate. Kate's voice was tinged with excitement: "Lynn, I've found an interesting lead. A relative of a missing person had appealed to the media for help, but the report was quickly suppressed. That relative is willing to talk to us."

"Great." Lin En immediately cheered up. "Tell me the location and I'll be there right away."

Kate and Lynn met the relative in a cafe. The man, a middle-aged man with suppressed anger and pain in his eyes, told Lynn that his wife had disappeared two years ago and had received a strange email before her disappearance.

"The content of the email was vague, but it mentioned a 'life-changing opportunity.'" The man handed the printed email to Lynn. "I think it must be related to her disappearance, but the police said there's not enough evidence."

Lynn looked at the email and found that it mentioned an 'advanced medical research project', which was the usual cover used by experimental organizations.

"We'll get to the bottom of it." Lin En accepted the email and reassured him, "Don't worry, we'll do everything we can to find the truth."

After leaving the cafe, Kate looked at Lynn with a hint of relief in her tone: "It seems we have found a new direction. It feels good to work with you."

Lin En smiled and nodded, saying, "Indeed. Perhaps we should cooperate more often."

Kate is a reporter who never gives up on a lead. When she realizes that there is a bigger conspiracy behind this case, she is determined to use all her resources to help Lynn. After returning to the newspaper, she immediately contacted several friends with deep connections in the journalistic circle, hoping to dig out more information about "Daedalus" and the experimental organization.

The next morning, Kate called an old friend, a senior reporter named Sam whom she had met while reporting on some international investigative news. He had been tracking the gray areas of science and technology and biomedicine for many years and knew a lot of inside information.

"Kate? Sounds like you have big news to catch up on." Sam's slightly tired but excited voice came from the other end of the phone.

"You guessed it, Sam." Kate said straight to the point, "I'm following a lead involving genetic experiments, involving an organization code-named 'Daedalus'. I need you to help me look up the background of this name and the experimental organization."

Sam was silent for a moment, then whispered, "I've heard of the name 'Daedalus'. It appears in some confidential documents related to the development of biological weapons. It's said to be a multinational research program, disguised as medical progress, but actually involving illegal gene editing and human experiments. How did you get involved in this?"

Kate didn't reveal too much, simply explaining the general background of the case: "This is a missing person case, but there are many people involved. I need to know more about this organization, especially their funding sources and operating methods."

"I understand." Sam's voice became serious. "I need time, but I will do my best to help you. You should also be careful. The forces behind this kind of organization may be more terrifying than you think."

"Thank you, Sam." Kate hung up the phone, but her heart was even heavier. She knew she was walking on a dangerous road, but thinking of Lynn's persistence and those innocent people who were persecuted, she did not hesitate at all.

A few days later, Sam sent a detailed report containing background information on Daedalus. Kate carefully read it and discovered that the organization, as Sam had described, was not only involved in illegal experiments but also had financial ties with multiple multinational corporations and private institutions. These institutions provided Daedalus with financial support through a series of offshore accounts and shell companies, concealing their true purpose.

Even more alarming is the report's claim that Daedalus has experimental facilities in multiple countries, many of which are located in areas with weak legal oversight. One of its main bases is a facility near Manhattan, used for experiments on "enhanced individuals."

Kate immediately contacted Lynn and arranged to meet him at a nondescript cafe. She handed him the printed report, her tone a little nervous. "Lynn, these are the details I obtained about Daedalus through a friend. Their background is more complicated than we imagined."

Lin En flipped through the report, his brow furrowing ever deeper. His gaze rested on a table showing the source of funds. "I've seen some of these multinational companies before. They have some overlap with the missing persons files."

Kate nodded. "Yes, they disguise themselves very well. On the surface, they run it under the guise of charity and medical research, but in reality, they are involved in these illegal experiments."

“If we can find the ultimate beneficiary of these fund flows, we can uncover the mastermind behind this organization.” Lynn’s tone was firm.

Kate looked at him and said softly, "Lynn, this is beyond the scope of an ordinary case. If you continue to investigate, you may face greater resistance or even danger."

Lynn put down the report and looked at her firmly. "I know. But these missing families, and Alan's parents, they need answers. I can't give up."

Kate was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly: "In that case, I will continue to help you. No matter how dangerous it is, I will stand by your side."

Lynn was slightly startled, then nodded: "Thank you, Kate."

Over the next few days, Lynn and Mark, using the information Kate provided, investigated the Daedalus organization's funding. Using their technical team, they tracked the funds and uncovered a key chain of transactions. The funds ultimately flowed to a private research institute, registered at the same address as the previously discovered "Safe Haven" base.

"This is our breakthrough point," Lynn said at the briefing. "Haven is probably their most hidden base and a key facility for their continued experiments."

Mark nodded. "But we can't act rashly. If this is really their core base, the defense must be tighter than the previous base."

Lin En pondered for a moment and then made a decision: "We need to thoroughly understand the internal structure of the safe haven before formulating a raid plan. We can't make any mistakes this time."

Meanwhile, Kate was also busy, following reports about the Haven base through a network of journalists and discovering that a few years ago, residents had reported unusual activities near the base, including late-night cargo deliveries and the occasional appearance of strange vehicles.

Kate passed this information to Lynn immediately, and it became an important reference for them to formulate an action plan.

Over the next few weeks, Lynn's team conducted detailed intelligence gathering, using drone surveillance and technical means to gradually uncover the safe haven's layout. They discovered that the base was hidden underground in an abandoned industrial area, disguised as an ordinary warehouse on the surface, but the underground facilities were massive and contained advanced equipment.

After everything was ready, Lynn and Mark led the commando team to secretly approach the safe haven. They knew that this would be a life-or-death operation, but everyone knew that they had the mission of upholding justice for those who were persecuted.

Before the operation, Kate sent Lin En a message: "Be careful. No matter what happens, I'll be waiting for you outside." Lin En looked at the screen of his phone, his lips curled up slightly. He put the phone in his pocket, his eyes becoming more determined: "Action begins."

The commandos led by Lynn and Mark quietly approached the "Safe Haven" base, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, after they entered the underground facility, they found that the situation was not as expected.

The inside of the base was in a mess. The file cabinets in many rooms had been emptied, the floor was littered with burnt papers and debris, and the air was filled with a faint burnt smell.

Mark squatted down to examine the scraps of paper on the ground, frowning and saying, "They're more alert than we thought. They obviously knew we were coming in advance, and all the key information has been destroyed."

Lin En looked around, his eyes fixed on the smoking fragments of a hard drive. He walked over, flipped it over a few times with his foot, and whispered, "They're even willing to destroy the equipment. This means we're really close to the truth."

A technician ran over and handed Lin En a fragment of a file recovered from a discarded hard drive. "Inspector, we tried to recover this data, but much of it has been completely destroyed. The only readable information is a transfer record, which mentions that their core experimental personnel and subjects have been evacuated to a 'backup facility.'"

"Backup facility?" Lynn quickly flipped through the document, but it only mentioned the code name, not the specific address.

Mark stood up with a look of frustration on his face. "They leave us too little time. We must find that backup facility, otherwise these people will disappear again."

Lin En nodded. "Continue the search and don't leave any corner untouched. Even if they destroyed the documents, they might have missed some."

The commandos intensified their search, but nearly every room had been thoroughly cleared. Aside from a few experimental instruments and a damaged hard drive, there were few other valuable clues. Just as Lin En felt the situation was becoming increasingly complex, a team member discovered a hidden chamber in a corner of the underground facility.

"Inspector, there's something here!" the team member shouted excitedly.

Lin En quickly arrived at the scene and discovered several servers and backup copies of experimental records inside the secret room that hadn't been completely damaged. The technical team immediately took over and began trying to extract the data.

At that moment, a sudden sirens blared from the base. Lin En overheard a report from the perimeter security staff through his headset: "Inspector, unidentified armed individuals are approaching the base! We may be surrounded!"

"Damn it!" Lin En gritted his teeth and immediately ordered: "Evacuate the team and take all the equipment that can be taken away! We can't stay here for long."

While directing the team to evacuate, Mark anxiously asked, "What should we do if they catch up with us?"

Lin En's eyes were calm. "If necessary, we will engage in direct combat, but the key is to preserve this evidence. It is our only hope to continue the investigation."

The commandos moved quickly, but the evacuation wasn't smooth. Armed personnel quickly surrounded the base, and a firefight raged for nearly ten minutes, nearly trapping the commandos. Ultimately, under Lin En's precise command, they successfully broke through the encirclement and retreated to safety, carrying the salvaged servers and files.

After returning to headquarters, the technical team immediately began analyzing the data extracted from the server. However, the results disappointed everyone.

"Inspector, this data is highly encrypted. Decryption may take weeks," the technician said helplessly. "Also, many files have been partially damaged. We may not be able to fully recover them."

Lin En leaned back in his chair, frowning. He knew that time was of the essence for them, and the current situation had clearly brought the investigation to a standstill.

At the same time, the experimental organization also began to take countermeasures. Lin En found that several key witnesses had suddenly disappeared, and even informants reported that they had been threatened. To make matters worse, the action report he submitted raised doubts within the headquarters.

Lin En's superiors questioned him at the meeting: "Your actions resulted in multiple injuries and even triggered a direct conflict with an unknown force. We cannot confirm whether the equipment and data are valuable enough to warrant further investment."

"Sir," Lynn said calmly but firmly, "The experimental organization has clearly demonstrated their danger. Not only are they involved in illegal genetic experiments, they may also pose a threat to social security. Our mission is to stop them, no matter the cost."

"But there's no solid evidence to support your claim." The superior shook his head. "We need you to suspend this investigation until the decryption is complete before deciding on the next steps."

Lin En knew that this meant that the initiative of the investigation would be completely taken away. After leaving the meeting room, he returned to his office, looking exhausted.

Mark pushed the door open and sat opposite him: "So, they asked us to stop again?"

"That's right," Lynn said coldly, "They don't think this is the highest priority task. But we know that if we give up, the experimental organization will continue to act recklessly."

Mark was silent for a moment, his voice low but full of determination: "Inspector, if our superiors don't support us, we can continue the investigation on our own. We have come this far, there is no way we can just give up."

Lynn looked at Mark and smiled tiredly, "You know what? You remind me of myself when I was younger. I was always so impulsive."

"Be it impulsiveness or persistence," Mark shrugged, "the first thing you taught me is that justice requires someone to uphold it."

Lynn stood up and patted Mark on the shoulder: "Okay, let's do it ourselves. We'll start with the transfer records and find the location of the backup facility. This will be our breakthrough point."

The two worked overtime overnight, using existing records and previously collected data to try to deduce the possible location of the backup facility. After hours of analysis, they finally found some clues: a logistics list showed that a batch of experimental materials had been transported to a remote mountainous area. (End of this chapter)