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

Kate laughed heartily, her tone light and cheerful. "Don't worry, Lin, I'll be careful. Besides, with you, the 'Justice Detective,' around, what can't we handle?"

Lin shook his head, a helpless smile on his face, but he secretly resolved that if Kate insisted on going, he would personally accompany her to ensure she didn't stir up trouble.

The next morning, Lin had just arrived at the police station when he received a text message from Kate: "Lin, I'm going to check out the eastern suburban forest today. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'll let you know if I find any leads." The smiley face at the end of the message made Lin's brow furrow instantly.

"That woman never listens to reason," Lin muttered under his breath, picking up the phone and dialing Mark's number.

"Detective, what's up?" Mark's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Kate's decided to go to the eastern suburban forest on her own to investigate that 'hunter's cabin,'" Lin said, his tone filled with helplessness and a hint of unease. "I'm tied up with a case today, so I need you to go in my place. Don't let her know you're following her; protect her from the shadows."

Mark chuckled lightly. "Detective, this isn't like you. When did you become so cautious?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Lin said irritably. "Kate isn't an ordinary person. Once she gets interested in something, she can turn the world upside down. Besides, that place isn't safe to begin with. You have to keep an eye on her, understand?"

"Understood, understood," Mark agreed readily. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close watch on her."

After hanging up the phone, Lin turned his attention back to the work at hand, but he still felt uneasy. He knew Kate's personality; her persistence was sometimes close to reckless, and the eastern suburban forest was far more complex and dangerous than she imagined.

At the same time, Kate was already driving on the road to the eastern suburban forest. On the passenger seat next to her was a detailed map, a small recording device, a bottle of water, and some snacks. She was in a light mood, even humming a song, full of anticipation for the adventure ahead.

When Kate arrived at the forest entrance, Mark was already driving a low-profile vehicle far behind her. He stopped the car, put on sunglasses, made sure Kate hadn't noticed his presence at all, and then carefully followed her into the forest.

As Kate walked, she recorded her observations on her phone. "The eastern suburban forest is quieter and more desolate than I imagined. This kind of environment is indeed suitable for the spread of those mysterious rumors, especially that hunter's cabin..."

Mark followed her from a distance of several dozen meters, keeping a safe distance. He watched Kate look around from time to time, taking pictures with her phone, a helpless smile on his lips. "What a stubborn woman."

As Kate went deeper into the forest, the air gradually became damp and cold, and the surrounding trees became denser. She soon found the "hunter's cabin" marked on the map. It was a dilapidated wooden cabin, most of the windows were broken, and the door was half-open, revealing a dark interior.

Kate stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, took out her phone and started filming. "This place looks like it's been abandoned for a long time... but why do people say it's haunted? Maybe there are some clues inside."

She pushed open the door and stepped into the cabin, her feet making creaking sounds. The room smelled of stale mildew, and the corners were filled with broken furniture and dust. Kate looked around with a flashlight, but found nothing special.

"Is that it?" Kate muttered. "It doesn't look like a 'haunted' place at all; it's more like a forgotten abandoned house."

Just as she turned to leave, a faint noise came from outside. Kate immediately became alert, quickly turned off the flashlight, and leaned against the wall, holding her breath.

Mark also noticed the strange sound at this time. He hid in the bushes next to the cabin, staring at the direction not far away. There seemed to be a few figures shaking there, but they were too far away for him to see clearly.

Kate held her breath, gripped her phone, and carefully moved towards the window. Through the broken window, she saw several men in dirty clothes approaching the cabin. They were carrying toolboxes and didn't look like ordinary tourists.

"Looks like I found something unusual," Kate muttered to herself, taking out her phone and starting to record.

Mark frowned, cursing inwardly. "This woman is really asking for trouble." He quickly took out his walkie-talkie and contacted Lin. "Detective, Kate might be in a bit of trouble. There are several people approaching the hunter's cabin in the forest, and they don't look right."

Lin received Mark's message, and his brow furrowed instantly. He quickly flipped through the documents at hand, pushed them aside, and immediately got up, grabbed his coat. "Tell me the exact location; I'll be right there." His tone was cold and almost unquestionable.

"The area west of the center of the eastern suburban forest, outside the hunter's cabin," Mark's voice came from the walkie-talkie. "Those people don't look like ordinary hikers; they look more like... they came with a purpose."

"Protect Kate, don't let her find you. Wait for me to arrive before taking action," Lin quickly ended the call and strode out of the office.

At the same time, the atmosphere outside the cabin became more tense. Kate hid by the window, her eyes fixed on the strangers. Their words and actions were very suspicious. One of them was using a crowbar to pry open the floor behind the cabin, and another was on guard around the perimeter. Kate raised her phone, trying to record the entire scene, her heart beating faster.

"Under the floor... could there be something hidden?" she whispered, her palms sweating nervously.

Suddenly, one of the men turned his head and glanced into the cabin. Kate quickly squatted down, hiding her body below the windowsill, holding her breath. Her mind raced—what were these people looking for? Should she risk staying here?

Mark, who was outside the house, also saw something was wrong. He lowered his voice and said into the walkie-talkie, "Detective, they seem to be searching for something and have already started destroying the floor of the cabin. If Kate doesn't retreat, I'm afraid she'll be exposed."

Lin's voice came from the walkie-talkie: "Try to hold on, don't act rashly. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Mark gritted his teeth and continued to lurk in the bushes, but his hand was already gripping the gun on his waist, ready to respond to emergencies at any time.

Kate noticed that the group seemed to have pried open the floor. An old wooden board was lifted, revealing a hidden space below. A man squatted down and shone a flashlight down. After a moment, he whispered, "Found it!"

The others immediately gathered around, and one of them took out a metal box from the hidden space. It looked very heavy. Kate's curiosity was instantly ignited, and she couldn't help but raise her head, secretly recording everything with her phone.

"Load it into the car quickly, don't dawdle!" a man ordered in a low voice.

However, at that moment, Kate's phone screen accidentally lit up due to a finger slide, and a faint light flashed inside the cabin.

"Who's in there?" The man outside immediately became alert and rushed towards the cabin.

Kate's heart tightened, cursing her carelessness. She quickly got up, looked around, looking for an exit, but there was only one door to the cabin, which was already blocked. She bit her lip, hid her phone in her pocket, grabbed a broken wooden stick, and stood by the wall, ready to resist.

Just as the man pushed open the cabin door, Mark finally couldn't help it. He stood up from the bushes, drew his gun, and shouted, "FBI, drop what's in your hands, hands behind your heads!"

The men were stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted. One of them quickly pulled out a knife, and the other dropped the metal box and tried to escape. Mark fired a shot without hesitation, the bullet hit the ground, deterring them.

Kate heard the gunshot and saw Mark through the crack in the door, instantly understanding: "This guy has been following me!" She was surprised and angry, but more relieved.

At this time, Lin's car sped up and he jumped out of the car, quickly joining the situation control. He walked towards the men, his voice cold: "Anyone who dares to move again, I guarantee you'll fall here in the next second."

The group completely lost the courage to resist when they saw this and squatted down obediently with their heads in their hands. Lin glanced at the metal box on the ground and asked coldly, "What is this?"

No one answered. Lin's gaze became even colder: "Don't want to say? Very good, we'll talk slowly back at the police station."

Mark quickly stepped forward and handcuffed the men. Lin then turned to Kate, his tone complex: "Should I be glad you're okay? Or should I give you a good scolding?"

Kate pursed her lips, but there was a hint of gratitude in her eyes: "You knew I was coming here, right? So you sent Mark to follow me."

Lin sighed: "I know that once you've decided on something, no one can stop you. But Kate, this isn't a game; you almost got into big trouble."

Kate nodded, rarely retorting: "Okay, it was my fault this time. Thank you, Lin." There was some sincerity in her tone.

Lin nodded and turned his gaze back to the metal box. "However, now we need to figure out what secrets this thing holds."

Lin walked to the metal box, squatted down, and examined it carefully. The outside of the box was covered in rust, but judging from its weight and structure, it was obviously specially designed, seemingly to protect the contents inside. He put on gloves and carefully opened the box.

The inside of the box was lined with a thick layer of protective cloth, and underneath were a stack of old documents, as well as some strange little objects—a rusty pocket watch, a ring that looked ordinary but was engraved with complex patterns, and several yellowed black and white photos.

Kate couldn't help but come closer, her eyes full of curiosity: "These things... look like private collections, maybe from that hunter?"

Lin nodded, but his gaze fell on the documents. After opening one of them, his face instantly became serious: "These aren't ordinary private collections. These documents involve land transactions, and some look like unpublished contract records."

Mark also came over, frowned and took a look: "These contracts seem to be related to this forest? It looks like they were signed decades ago, but why were they hidden here?"

Kate said in a low voice: "Perhaps, this is why that group of people came here. They didn't find this place by accident; they knew that this box had something they needed."

Lin put the documents and objects back into the box, carefully closed the lid, stood up, and looked at the handcuffed suspects. His gaze was cold, and his tone was low: "Now you can tell me, what is the importance of these things to you? Why did you risk coming here to dig them up?"

The men lowered their heads, obviously not wanting to speak. But Lin's aura made one of them finally couldn't help it. He raised his head and said in a low voice: "We're just taking money to do things. Someone hired us to find these things. We don't know what they are, but the other party said these things are worth a lot of money."

Lin sneered: "Valuable things? It looks more like a secret. It doesn't matter if you don't want to say it. I have plenty of ways to make you open your mouths."

He signaled Mark to take the men to the police car and arranged for people to seal off the cabin as an investigation site. He turned to Kate, his gaze carrying a hint of complexity: "Do you understand now? This matter is far more complicated than you imagined. This is not something you can figure out alone."

Kate bit her lip, her tone revealing unwillingness: "I know, it was my fault this time. But Lin, you can't deny that this matter is indeed very important. These documents may involve a bigger conspiracy."

Lin sighed and said slowly: "Kate, you are an excellent reporter, but some things can't be done just by taking risks. You need to know when to take a step back and let us handle it."

Kate was silent for a while, then nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you. This time, I'll cooperate with you."

Lin smiled slightly. Although her tone still carried unwillingness, this was the biggest concession he could get from Kate. He patted her on the shoulder: "Let's go, let's talk back at the police station. We need to study these things carefully and see what secrets are hidden behind them."

Back at the police station, Lin carefully placed the metal box on the evidence table. Several investigators were already ready, waiting to analyze the documents and items. Kate followed closely behind. Although she was not a member of the police station, she stood firmly aside, her eyes fixed on the items on the table, obviously unwilling to miss any details.

Lin opened the box, took out the top document, and handed it to Mark: "First, look at the contents of this contract. I suspect it has a direct relationship with the property rights of that forest."

Mark took the document, read it carefully, and said in a low voice: "Detective, you guessed right. This is a land ownership transfer contract, which mentions that this forest originally belonged to a private manor called the 'Blackwood Family,' but was later sold to a company at a low price for some reason."

Kate couldn't help but interject: "Blackwood Family? I've heard that name! Decades ago, they were one of the richest families in this area, but they suddenly went bankrupt, and almost all of their property was auctioned off. I even saw relevant reports when I was reading newspaper archives before."

Lin nodded and turned his attention to the other items in the box. He picked up the ring engraved with complex patterns and handed it to a forensic expert: "See if there are any inscriptions or special marks on it, maybe it can provide some clues."

(End of this chapter)