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

"Do you have his contact information?" Lynn asked. "His phone number or address?"

“I have his cell phone number, but I’ve tried calling several times and haven’t been able to get through,” Emily said. “I’m not entirely sure of his address, but it should be in the school records.”

“Thank you,” Lynn said. “One more thing—do you know Jason Miller?”

Emily's expression suddenly changed. "Jason? Of course, he's also in our lab, wait a minute. Why are you asking about Jason? Did something happen to him?"

Lynn hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Jason Miller was found dead this morning."

Emily's face turned deathly pale. Her hands began to tremble, and tears welled in her eyes. "No, it can't be... Jason..."

“I’m sorry,” Lynn said softly. “I know this is a huge blow. But I need to ask you some questions that might help us find the killer.”

Emily wiped away her tears with trembling hands, trying hard to control her emotions. "Alright, ask away."

What is the relationship between Matthew Green and Jason Miller?

Emily paused for a moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "They...aren't good," she finally said. "Matthew always felt Jason stole his opportunities."

"What opportunity?"

“Professor Zhang’s lab has a very important research project that requires a graduate student to lead it,” Emily explained. “Matthew and Jason were both vying for the opportunity. In the end, Professor Zhang chose Jason, and Matthew was very disappointed.”

Did he have a conflict with Jason because of this?

“There were a few arguments,” Emily said, “mostly verbal, no physical fights. But I could sense a strong, unsettling resentment Matthew harbored towards Jason.”

Lynn nodded, memorizing the information. "There's one more thing—do you know what the relationship is like between Matthew and his brother Alexander?"

“Alex?” Emily thought for a moment. “Their relationship seems rather complicated. Matthew rarely mentions his brother, but I overheard him on the phone once, and it sounded like he was arguing with Alex. I heard him say something like, ‘You always mess everything up.’”

Have you ever met Alexander the Great in person?

“I met him once,” Emily said. “About six months ago, he came to visit Matthew at school. He seemed like a very outgoing and enthusiastic person, completely different from Matthew.”

Lynn thanked Emily for her cooperation, and then left the office with Kevin.

They walked down the empty corridor, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

“It seems Matthew Green had a strong motive,” Kevin said. “He was jealous of Jason Miller and felt Jason had stolen his opportunity. Maybe he’s the killer.”

“Perhaps,” Lynn said, but with a hint of doubt in his voice, “but there’s a problem—the killer used mutant abilities, the ability to make objects pass through solids. We need to confirm whether Matthew Green is a mutant.”

How do I confirm?

“Check his medical records to see if there are any X-gene test results,” Lynn said. “Also, we need to find him and ask him some questions.”

His phone rang. It was Inspector Webber.

“Detective Ashford,” Weber’s voice came through the receiver, “we haven’t found Alexander Green at his apartment. The neighbors said he left about a week ago and hasn’t returned.”

“A week ago,” Lynn repeated, “around the same time Matthew disappeared.”

“There’s one more thing,” Weber said. “We found something interesting in his apartment—lots of photos of our three victims, and some other people we don’t recognize. They look like photos of some kind of party or event.”

"Is Matthew Green in those photos?"

“Yes,” Weber said, “he’s in almost every photo. He and his brother seem to be frequently seen together at various events.”

Lynn pondered for a moment. The two brothers were missing, and the three victims were all connected to them; things were becoming increasingly complicated.

“We need to find Matthew Green’s address,” he said. “He’s probably at home.”

“I’ve found him,” Weber said. “He lives in a neighborhood near the university, 127 Silver Oak Road. Should I send someone over to check it out?”

“No, Kevin and I are going there now,” Lynn said. “You continue investigating Alexander Green and see if you can track him down.”

"clear."

Lynn hung up the phone and gestured to Kevin. "Let's go, we're going to Matthew Green's place."

127 Silver Oak Road is an old, three-story apartment building located in a quiet block on the east side of the university campus. The building's exterior walls are made of dark red brick, with some sections peeling away to reveal the gray cement underneath. Snow is piled up on the entrance porch, clearly indicating it hasn't been cleared in a long time.

Lynn parked the car on the side of the road and got out with Kevin.

It was late at night, and the streets were almost deserted. The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, casting long shadows on the snow. Occasionally, the sound of a car passing by could be heard in the distance, before silence returned.

“This is it,” Kevin confirmed, looking at the address on his phone. “Third floor, room 302.”

They entered the apartment building. Half the lights in the lobby were broken, with only a faint glow coming from one still-functioning bulb. Some of the mailboxes on the wall were rusty, and advertising flyers and junk mail were scattered on the floor.

They climbed the stairs to the third floor. The door to room 302 was at the end of the corridor; the paint on the door was starting to peel, revealing the mottled wood grain underneath.

Lynn walked to the door and knocked. "Matthew Green? FBI, we'd like to speak with you."

no respond.

He knocked a few more times, this time louder. "Matthew Green, please open the door."

Still no response.

Lynn and Kevin exchanged a glance. He pressed his ear against the door, listening intently to what was happening inside.

There was nothing. No footsteps, no voices, no signs of life.

But he smelled something—a faint, unsettling odor—wafting from under the door.

That was the smell of decay.

“Kevin, step back,” Lynn said, his hand already on the holster at his waist.

He took a step back, then kicked hard at the spot next to the lock. The door slammed shut with a loud crash, the lock broke, and the door flew open inwards.

A stronger, more pungent stench wafted over, causing Lynn and Kevin to involuntarily frown. The apartment was pitch black. Lynn switched on his flashlight, the beam sweeping through the darkness.

This is a small studio apartment with only one room, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. The room is simply furnished—a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. Some science posters and family photos hang on the walls.

The desk lamp was still on, emitting a faint, warm yellow light.

And sitting in the chair was a person.

To be precise, it was a corpse.

Matthew Green—or who was once Matthew Green—sat in a chair, his head tilted back, his eyes open but devoid of light. His skin was an unnatural grayish-white, his lips purple, and his body was beginning to show signs of decay.

“Damn it,” Kevin muttered, covering his nose with his hand in an attempt to block out the stench.

Lynn approached the body and carefully observed the scene.

Matthew Green was wearing a plain T-shirt and sweatpants, with slippers on his feet. His posture was natural, as if he were sitting in a chair resting, without any sign of struggling or resistance.

On the table sat an empty pill bottle and a glass of water. Lynn put on gloves, picked up the bottle, and looked at the label—it was a powerful sleeping pill, a lethal dose.

There was also a note next to it.

Lynn carefully picked up the note and read its contents by the light of the desk lamp:

“I can’t take it anymore. Those sounds, those images, they never stop. I tried to fight back, but I couldn’t. Alex, I’m sorry, I know this will hurt you, but I have no other choice. I love you, brother. Forever. —Matthew”

After reading the note, Lynn fell into deep thought.

This appears to be a suicide note. Matthew Green ended his life with sleeping pills, leaving behind a suicide note for his brother.

But something doesn't seem right.

“Agent Lynn,” Kevin’s voice came from the side, “look at this.”

Lynn turned her head and saw Kevin standing next to the wardrobe, shining a flashlight on something.

He walked over and saw that the wardrobe door was half open, revealing some clothes and miscellaneous items. But Kevin wasn't referring to those—he was referring to some writing in black marker on the inside of the wardrobe door.

“I’m not a monster.” “They deserve to die.” “Why me?” “Alex knows everything.” “The voices are getting louder.” “I have to stop it.”

The words covered the entire door panel in a crooked and messy manner. Some were crossed out and rewritten, while others were circled and underlined. Overall, it looked like the crazy graffiti of a person who had a mental breakdown.

“He’s mentally unstable,” Kevin said in a low voice. “These words... seem like signs of some kind of psychological breakdown.”

Lynn did not answer. He continued searching the room, trying to find more clues.

In the drawer of the desk, he found a diary. The cover of the diary was ordinary, but the contents were shocking.

Recent months of diary entries document Matthew Green's escalating mental breakdown. He writes that he began to hear "voices"—a constant whisper in his mind telling him that those who had "hurt" him should be punished. He writes that he began to have "hallucinations"—seeing people trapped in solid objects, suffocating to death.

He wrote that he was increasingly unable to control these thoughts and increasingly unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. He wrote that he was beginning to fear what terrible things he might do.

The last diary entry was five days ago:

"The voice is becoming more and more real. Today I saw Jason, the one who took everything from me. The voice tells me he should die, he should suffocate, he should feel the pain I feel every day. I don't know how much longer I can hold on. Maybe it's time to end this—either their lives or mine."

Lynn closed her diary, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Based on this evidence, Matthew Green appears to be the murderer—a young man who suffered a mental breakdown due to jealousy and resentment, somehow killed those he believed had "hurt" him, and finally committed suicide due to unbearable psychological pressure.

But there's one question—is Matthew Green a mutant?

The killer used the ability to pass objects through solids—a rare mutant ability. If Matthew Green wasn't a mutant, how could he possibly do that?

“Kevin,” Lynn said, “contact Detective Webber and have him send a forensic pathologist and technicians over. Also, check Matthew Green’s medical records to see if there are any X-ray results.”

"OK."

Kevin went to the side to make a phone call, while Lynn continued searching the room.

He found a box under the bed containing photos and items. Most of the photos were of Matthew and Alexander together, from their childhood to recent times. The items included some seemingly sentimental pieces—an old coin, a concert ticket, and an old scarf.
There is also a ring.

Lynn picked up the ring and examined it closely. It was exactly the same as the one he had found in the forest—a silver ring with "I will always love you—M" engraved on the inside.

“A pair of rings,” he murmured, “one at the crime scene, one here. What does that mean?”

His phone rang. It was Inspector Webber.

“Agent Ashford,” Weber’s voice came through the receiver, “we’ve found some medical records about Matthew Green.”

"What about the X gene test results?"

“Negative,” Webber said. “Matthew Green is not a mutant. He had a full genetic test two years ago, which showed that he does not carry the X gene and has no mutant characteristics.”

Lynn frowned. "Are you sure?"

“One hundred percent certain,” Weber said. “The test was conducted at a reputable hospital, and the results are reliable.”

Lynn hung up the phone, looked at the corpse and the evidence in the room, and fell into confusion.

Matthew Green was not a mutant, but the killer clearly used mutant abilities. Matthew Green's diary and suicide note suggest that he was the killer, but how could someone without mutant abilities embed the victim into solid matter?

Something's not right here.

“Detective Lynn,” Kevin’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “the medical examiner has arrived. Also… I found something on Matthew’s computer.”

Lynn walked over and looked at the computer screen Kevin was pointing to.

It was an email, sent a week ago, addressed to Alexander Green. The email was brief:
“Alex, I know you're protecting me, but you don't have to. Those people deserve to die. I made you do it, it's not your fault. If things come to light one day, remember, all the blame will be mine. Don't sacrifice yourself for me. —Matthew” (End of Chapter)