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

Chapter 228 Three Days Later

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

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

"The victim is a male, around 30 years old, whose identity has not yet been confirmed. His manner of death is exactly the same as previous cases—his carotid artery was severed, a fatal stab wound, and his body was placed in a ritualistic position," the detective replied, a hint of weariness in his voice. "And that red rose has reappeared on the wall."

Lynn nodded and approached the body to examine it. The victim's expression was contorted with the intense pain he had endured before death.

Dried bloodstains remained on the ground. Lynn crouched down and carefully examined the area around the body.

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

Lynn immediately stood up and walked towards the direction from which the sound came. The agent was standing next to a pile of junk, holding a bag containing a conspicuous yellow wallet.

"What's this?" Lynn asked, taking the bag of items.

"We found it near the exit at the scene; it looks like the killer dropped it in a hurry," the detective explained.

Lynn opened the bag and carefully took out the wallet. It was an ordinary yellow leather wallet, slightly worn but not old. Inside were a few cards, some cash, and a crumpled receipt.

"This could be an oversight by the killer," Carter leaned closer and whispered, "but it could also be a deliberate disguise."

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

"Daniel Walker?" Lynn frowned. "Have you found that name?"

"Not yet," the agent shook his head, "but we can investigate immediately."

Lynn nodded and handed the wallet to Carter: "Immediately have the tech department track down this name's background, check all his records, and see if there are any connections to other cases."

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

Meanwhile, Lynn continued searching for other clues at the scene. He walked up to the red rose pattern, his sharp eyes scanning the wall. The pattern was spray-painted with extreme precision, as if it were the work of a professionally trained hand.

"Detective," the forensic doctor approached and said in a low voice, "there's another anomaly. While the victim's carotid artery wound is similar to previous cases, the knife work this time is much rougher. The killer may have been in a greater hurry than before, or it could be a different person committing the crime."

"Different people?" Lynn repeated in a low voice, quickly piecing together clues in his mind. "This suggests that our previous hypothesis might be correct—the killer wasn't acting alone. He might be part of a group."

The perpetrator in this case is not the same person as in the previous cases.

The forensic doctor nodded: "That's a possibility. However, we need to confirm it further."

After leaving the scene, Lynn returned to her office, where Carter had brought back preliminary findings regarding "Daniel Walker".

"Daniel Walker, 38, an ordinary office worker. His address is in Lower Manhattan, and according to records, he has not exhibited any obvious unusual behavior in the past few months." Carter handed over the investigation report, a hint of confusion in his voice. "However, one name in his social circle has caught my attention—Elliot Weiss."

Lynn's gaze turned cold: "Elliot Weiss? The mutant philanthropist we investigated before?"

“That’s right.” Cate nodded. “According to the records, Daniel has attended several private parties organized by Wes. There seems to be some connection between them, but we don’t know exactly what it is.”

Lynn picked up the report and took a deep breath: "This further proves that our killers are not acting alone. There is some kind of connection between them, and these gatherings may be their link."

"What do we do next?" Carter asked.

Lynn's gaze turned cold: "Tracking Daniel Walker's location. If he's an accomplice of the murderer, his movements might lead us to other key figures. In the meantime, re-examine Elliott Weiss's activities."

We may be very close to the truth.

Lynn stared intently at the report, his mind racing. He knew that the name "Daniel Walker" might be the key to breaking the case. Why would this ordinary office worker be among the clues at a murder scene?

Is his connection with Elliott Weiss central to the whole affair?

"The technology department is already 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 day of the incident."

His phone is currently switched off.

"Turn it off?" Lynn looked up, his brow furrowed. "This is to avoid being tracked. Daniel may already realize we're investigating him."

"Then how else can we look?" Carter asked.

Lynn pondered for a moment, then 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." Cardi nodded and immediately arranged the operation.

Hours later, Lynn sat in his office, surrounded by files and surveillance footage of Daniel Walker. The tech department had analyzed Daniel's activities over the past few months, and while his life appeared calm on the surface, some details had caught Lynn's attention.

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

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

Lynn nodded: "Send someone over to investigate and see if there's anything unusual there. If Daniel is an accomplice of Qu Shou, then this place is very likely one of their strongholds."

Late at night, an FBI reconnaissance team quietly arrived at the abandoned industrial park. The area was shrouded in dense darkness, overgrown with weeds, and the dilapidated buildings appeared particularly eerie under the moonlight.

"This place looks like a ghost town," one of the investigators said in a low voice.

"Split up and search, be careful," the captain ordered.

The investigators moved cautiously through the park, their flashlight beams darting between dilapidated walls and abandoned equipment. Soon after, one of the investigators discovered something unusual inside a warehouse.

"Detective, there's a situation here," came an urgent voice over the radio.

Lynn and Carter rushed to the scene. The warehouse was filled with discarded boxes and equipment, but in one corner...

Several folding chairs scattered about and a table were particularly eye-catching. On the table were several maps, some documents marked with dates, and a few items that looked like tools.

"The dates marked on these documents match the dates of several of our previous murder cases perfectly," Carter said, his tone growing increasingly somber as he flipped through the documents. "This is very likely their command center."

Lynn picked up a map and noticed that several locations were circled in red, one of which was the scene of a recent murder.

"They're planning their operation here," Lynn said in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes. "Daniel..."

Walker was clearly not acting alone; he had others behind him, and their identities were more clearly defined than we imagined.

Meanwhile, the technical department reported that they had successfully located a possible hiding place for Daniel Walker—a budget hotel in Manhattan's East Side.

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

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

The technicians quickly removed the computer's hard drive and began analyzing it on-site. A few minutes later, they discovered an unsent email that mentioned a mysterious name—"Rose Overlord."

"Rose Overlord?" Carter frowned. "Is that someone's code name?"

"It's very likely the leader of this organization," Lynn said in a deep voice. "Their actions revolve around the Red Rose, and this 'Rose Master' may be the mastermind behind it all."

Lynn's heart raced. He knew they had finally touched the heart of the case, but at the same time, he was also aware that the enemy's counterattack might be even more dangerous.

"Traces the source of this email and finds out the true identity of 'Rose Overlord' as soon as possible." Lynn gave the order, his eyes filled with a resolute coldness. "This time, we won't let them have another chance to escape."

The technical department immediately began analyzing the source of the unsent email. After several hours of effort, they finally traced it to a complex IP address, which was extremely well-masked, but ultimately located in a remote villa in the suburbs of Manhattan.

Lynn and Carter immediately led a small team to the scene. The villa looked quite ordinary from the outside, seemingly a private vacation home, but the surrounding environment was too quiet, even making people feel a little uneasy.

"Prepare for the assault," Lynn whispered the order, and the squad quickly spread out around the villa, completely surrounding it.

The villa was eerily quiet, with a faint metallic smell in the air. Lynn and Carter led the way in, their weapons at their ready. They scanned each room step by step, finally stopping before a hidden door in the basement.

Carter switched on his flashlight, illuminating the heavy metal door: "This is probably their command center."

Lynn nodded: "Pry it open."

The detective pried open a door latch with tools, and a blast of cold air rushed out. The scene inside the basement made everyone gasp.

The walls were covered with spray-painted red roses, each one as intricate 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 times and locations.

"These maps and documents—" Carter flipped through them, his tone growing increasingly somber, "each marked location corresponds to a known crime scene. And there are also some future targets—several landmarks in Manhattan."

"Their plan isn't just about killing," Lynn said in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes. "They want to create even greater panic; this is a long-planned operation."

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

"Inspector Lynn, welcome. You're a little earlier than we expected, but that's alright, everything is under control."

Lynn stared at the screen, his voice calm but authoritative: "Who are you? The Rose Ruler?"

"A name is just a code," the voice chuckled softly. "What matters is our ideology and our actions. What you see is merely the beginning of our plan. Manhattan will witness a true purification."

"Purification?" Lynn sneered. "You kill innocent people, and you dare call yourself a purifier?"

"Innocent?" The rose pattern on the screen trembled slightly. "Those so-called victims, each of them is unforgivable, they just hid it well enough. We simply exposed their disguise and let the world see the truth."

"The truth?" Lynn lowered his voice. "This isn't justice, this is a morbid killing. And I will stop you, I will bring you all to justice."

A low chuckle came from the screen: "Then give it a try, Inspector. But time is running out."

We have entered the next phase, and soon you will see our determination.

The screen suddenly went black as soon as the words were spoken. At the same time, a faint buzzing sound came from a corner of the basement.

"Back off!" Lynn shouted immediately.

Everyone quickly evacuated the basement. Just seconds after they ran out of the villa, the entire building suddenly exploded violently, with flames shooting into the sky and turning the surrounding night sky crimson.

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

"They are more dangerous and more organized than we thought," Carter said in a low voice.

"And ruthless." Lynn clenched his fist. "We've just reached their core, and this explosion shows they won't let us uncover any more of the truth easily."

Cardinal nodded: "But at least we know their next goal."

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

"These are all potential targets for them," Lynn said coldly. "We must take them down before they do."

Lynn sat alone in his office late at night, a map spread out in front of him, marking several target buildings. These landmarks were not only symbols of Manhattan, but also home to large numbers of people; a successful attack would have unimaginable consequences.

He stared at the date on the map, mentally calculating the time: "The next operation—it's three days from now." The next morning, the FBI conference room was packed. Lynn stood at the front, a whiteboard in front of him filled with clues and targets. His cold gaze swept over each agent present.