American comic book: I, with my abundant martial virtue, love to do good to others.

Chapter 225 caused a stir.

Dr. Green paused for a moment, then said, "He may be making his judgment by observing these people's behavior, speech, and even their social circles. He may believe that these people represent some kind of 'evil' that he cannot accept."

Carter interjected, "For example, Peter's gambling debts might be considered a sin in the eyes of the murderer?"

"Very likely," Dr. Green nodded. "Moreover, the killer may have a strong sense of self-identity. He may believe that his actions are for a greater justice, even if that justice is completely distorted."

Lynn leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of his chin, his eyes gleaming: "So, we need to start with the details of the victims' lives, to find their common 'crime.' Not necessarily a crime in the legal sense, but a 'crime' as defined by the killer."

Dr. Green smiled and nodded. "That's right. The killer's psychological clues are hidden in some kind of connection between these victims. Find that clue, and you'll find him."

After leaving Dr. Green's office, Lynn stopped, took a deep breath, and looked at Carter: "Notify the technical department to thoroughly review the background of each victim, especially their daily behavior, social circles, and any possible secrets. No seemingly irrelevant detail should be overlooked."

Cardi nodded: "I understand. This time we'll dig deep until we drag him out of the shadows."

'

A cold glint flashed in Lynn's eyes: "The murderer thinks he's judging others, but soon he'll find that he's the one who's truly being judged."

Night fell over Manhattan, but the FBI office was brightly lit. Lynn sat at his desk, his eyes glued to the computer screen, a cup of coffee long since cold beside him. He had been poring over mutant files in the Manhattan area for hours, trying to find suspects whose behavior matched the "punishing evil and promoting good" pattern.

The files on the screen scrolled by one after another, and Lynn's brows furrowed more and more. Finally, he stopped at two files, his gaze sharpening.

Suspect 1: Codename "The Judge"

Real name: Max Sloan. Abilities: Telekinesis, ability to manipulate objects, and create high-intensity shockwaves.

Background: A former lawyer, he suffered immense guilt after a failed case led to the conviction of an innocent person. Tormented by guilt, he resigned and disappeared from public view. Years later, he reappears as "The Judge," focusing on punishing criminals he believes have escaped justice. His methods are typically precise and brutal, using telekinesis to inflict fatal injuries.

Latest record: He participated in an "underground trial" in Brooklyn two years ago, and has not been seen since.

Suspect 2: Codename "Thorns" Real Name: Carolyn Perez Ability: Plant manipulation, able to rapidly grow and manipulate vine-like plants to cause damage or disable targets.

Background: A former environmentalist, she vehemently opposed pollution and corporate greed. The death of her family in a chemical plant leak shattered her trust in the so-called "system." She then began using her abilities to fight against "evil," including executives of polluting companies, corrupt officials, and violent criminals.

Latest record: She appeared in a case six months ago in Manhattan's Upper East Side, targeting a wealthy businessman suspected of illegally hunting animals, but she managed to escape.

Lynn stared at the screen, deep in thought for a moment. Both men exhibited clear characteristics of "lynchers," consistent with the analysis of psychologist Dr. Green. They used violence in the name of "justice," placing themselves above law and morality.

"The Judge and the Thorns, one of them could be our killer," Lynn thought to himself.

He quickly reviewed the two men's files, beginning to search for potential connections between them and the victim. He noticed in particular that Thorn had been in Manhattan's Upper East Side six months earlier, an area less than two miles from the location of the most recent crime. As for the Judge, his description of his abilities closely matched certain traces at the scene, especially the wounds that appeared to have been caused by external force.

"Carter," Lynn dialed Carter's number, his voice weary and cold, "I've found two suspects. One is 'The Judge,' and the other is 'Thorns.' They both have prior convictions for fighting crime, and their abilities overlap somewhat with the killer's methods."

Carter's voice came from the other end of the phone, clearly still awake: "Who do you think is more suspicious?"

“They’re both very serious.” Lynn rubbed his temples. “But we can’t rely on guesswork. I need you to bring the technical team to investigate the recent movements of these two, especially whether they’ve been near the crime scene.”

"Understood, I'll get to it right away," Carter replied crisply.

After hanging up the phone, Lynn leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and reviewed all the clues. Although both suspects met certain criteria, some mysteries remained in the case. Was the killer's act of leaving the roses connected to one of their past experiences? Or was it someone else entirely?

Late at night, the office was quiet except for the ticking of the clock. Lynn reopened Thorn's file, carefully studying her modus operandi and targets. Her actions were filled with protest against social injustice.

But will she cross the line and reach out to ordinary people who are not directly related to the system?

He then switched to the judge's file. Max's past was filled with regret and anger, and he harbored a deep hostility towards "crimes that the law cannot punish." Perhaps this gave him even more motivation to target these seemingly ordinary yet flawed victims.

Lynn finally came to a conclusion: the judge's behavior pattern was a better match for the victim's background.

While Thorn may be involved in some of the cases, she is more of a peripheral participant.

He picked up the phone and dialed Carter again: "Keep a close eye on the judge, find his location. This time, we can't let him get away again."

Carter chuckled on the other end of the phone: "Understood, Inspector. We'll make him pay this time."

Early morning, after the rain, the streets of Manhattan were still damp, the air thick with the smell of earth and cooking fumes. Lynn sat in the car, holding a file—a detailed report on the movements of Judge Max Sloan. Carter, in the passenger seat, glanced at a map and muttered:

"According to the technical department's investigation, Max did indeed appear in Manhattan multiple times in the past six months, but we tracked his bank records, public transportation records, and some surveillance equipment records and found something interesting."

Lynn looked up: "What is it?"

Carter turned his laptop toward Lynn, which displayed a timeline: "The first two serial murders occurred within two weeks three months ago. And during that period, Max wasn't in Manhattan at all. He was in Philadelphia, staying at a cheap hotel, and the bills and surveillance footage completely corroborate his alibi."

Lynn's brow furrowed even more as he took the notebook and flipped through the records. Indeed, Max's credit card spending records, hotel check-in records, and multiple public surveillance videos from that period all indicated he was in Philadelphia. More importantly, the timing didn't add up—he couldn't possibly have been at the crime scene.

"This is interesting," Lynn said in a low voice, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Max's modus operandi matches some characteristics of the killer, but his alibi is impeccable. It seems he's not our killer."

Carter sighed and leaned back in his chair. "So, this line of thought is a dead end. But he does have lynching tendencies. What if he has some connection to the killer? For example, he might have interacted with someone in some mutant community, or perhaps he instigated someone?"

Lynn nodded: "This possibility cannot be ruled out. Notify the technical department to continue monitoring Max's activities and see if he has any contact with other mutants, especially those with similar tendencies."

Carter opened his phone and began making arrangements, while Lynn put the file aside, rubbed his temples, and looked weary. They had spent two whole days investigating Max, only to have to clear him of suspicion in the end, which greatly increased his stress.

"What about Thorn?" Carter asked. "Shouldn't she be the prime suspect?"

Lynn pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Thorn's behavior pattern leans more towards targeted attacks."

Her victims were mostly clear-cut "social villains"—owners of polluting companies, corrupt officials, poachers, and the like—while our serial killer victims don't share such clear commonalities. She might be a direction for the investigation, but I'm more inclined to believe that our killer has not yet surfaced.”

That afternoon, Lynn brought Carter to the conference room at the FBI precinct in Manhattan. He gathered all the team members, reviewed the case again, and formally announced the elimination of Max.

"We've ruled out Max as our primary suspect, and Thorn is just a backup option. We may be facing a new possibility—the killer might not be a mutant from the known files, or even a deeply hidden individual."

Silence fell over the meeting room. The detectives exchanged glances, clearly realizing that the case was far more complex than they had imagined.

"Detective," a young technician began, "if the killer is a well-hidden mutant, how should we pinpoint them? We've already checked all known mutant files in Manhattan, but we're completely stumped."

Lynn's gaze turned cold: "Then expand the scope. Contact the federal mutant database and retrieve files from across New York State. At the same time, we need to re-examine the backgrounds of these victims. I believe the killer's modus operandi is hidden in some commonality among the victims, but this commonality may be very subtle."

Carter added, "The commonalities among the victims are not just their professions or life trajectories; we also need to investigate their social circles to see if they may have come into contact with a particular type of mutant or participated in any unknown activities."

Lynn nodded: "That's right. Also, we should have Dr. Green, a psychology expert, join the analysis team to focus on the potential psychological connection between the victim and the killer. The killer believes he's 'punishing evil and promoting good.'"

So what is his standard for "evil"? We must find this logic.

In the afternoon, Lynn returned to his office and went through the files alone. Although Max had been cleared of suspicion, the sentence in the file still lingered in his mind: "Evil that the law cannot punish."

"Justice beyond the law..." Lynn murmured, the image of the red rose at the crime scene flashing through his mind, as if it were conveying some kind of message to him.

Suddenly, the phone on the table rang; it was Carter calling.

"Lynn, I've found something new." Carter's tone was tense. "Two of the victims, Peter Reynolds and college student Alyssa, were at the same place a week before the incident—an underground bar in Manhattan. And this bar happens to be a gray area where mutants and ordinary people intersect."

Lynn raised an eyebrow: "An underground bar? Are you sure?"

"Yes. And this place has been repeatedly flagged by intelligence agencies as a potential 'mutant stronghold,' but no action has been taken because there has been no direct illegal activity," Carter replied.

Lynn stood up, her tone resolute: "That's our next target. Get the support team ready; we're going to that bar tonight."

Lynn and her team investigate the second suspect—Caroline Perez, codenamed "Thorns".

Her abilities, motivations, and past behavioral patterns overlapped to some extent with the case, which initially made her the focus of attention. However, after a deeper investigation, things deviated from Lynn's expectations once again.

Carter placed a detailed report on Lynn's desk, his tone tinged with helplessness: "The records of Thorn's activities at the time of the incidents have also been clarified. She wasn't even in Manhattan when the latter three incidents occurred."

Lynn opened the report and saw that it detailed Thorn's movements. At the time of the incident, Thorn was participating in a heated environmental protest, with multiple eyewitnesses and video recordings, including a public speech she had given; the time and location matched up perfectly.

"This record proves that she couldn't be the killer," Carter added. "Furthermore, according to our leads, her recent actions have no connection to the cases we're investigating."

Lynn frowned, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "This means that our second suspect has also been ruled out."

A brief silence fell over the office. Lynn leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, a hint of weariness and doubt flashing in his eyes. He had always firmly believed that the killer was a mutant operating under the guise of "justice," but now, with the two most likely suspects proven innocent, his judgment was beginning to waver. "Lynn," Carter tentatively began, "could we have been wrong from the start? While these cases show signs of mutants, the killer might not be the kind of 'lyncher' we imagined."

"You mean, these cases might have nothing to do with mutants at all?" Lynn asked in a low voice, his eyes sharp.

“Not entirely unrelated,” Carter shook his head. “But perhaps we’ve focused too much on finding the motives of the ‘lynchers’ and overlooked other possibilities. For example, the real connections between these victims.”

Or the symbolic meaning of roses.