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

Chapter 229 A New Goal

"According to the intelligence we have," Lynn began, his tone menacing, "this organization has moved to the next phase. Their targets are several key buildings in Manhattan, with the aim of creating even greater panic."

Carter added, "We salvaged some documents from the abandoned villa. Although much of the information was destroyed, we can confirm that the operation involved at least three locations: the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan Financial Center, and Grand Central Station."

A murmur rippled through the conference room. Each location represented the heart of Manhattan, a symbol of social stability.

"These places are densely populated, and if they succeed, the consequences will be unimaginable," Lynn continued. "But their specific methods are not yet fully clear, and we need to prepare for the worst."

One detective asked, "Detective, will this 'Rose Overlord' personally participate in the operation?"

Lynn shook his head: "Based on current analysis, 'The Rose Overlord' is more likely a behind-the-scenes mastermind. He's unlikely to act directly, but we can't let our guard down. Everyone must remain vigilant."

After the meeting, Lynn led the technical team to continue investigating the identity of the Rose Overlord. Based on clues from remaining documents in the basement, they discovered a deeply hidden encrypted server. This server appeared to be the communication hub of the entire organization.

"This encryption is extremely complex," the technician said while typing on the keyboard. "It will take some time to decrypt, but I can assure you that we will be able to trace it back to its source."

Lynn stood in the tech room, his eyes glued to the screen: "Speed ​​up. Time waits for no one."

Several hours later, the technicians finally deciphered part of the encrypted data and located an unexpected location—a high-end hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

"The signal from this server is coming from the hotel's penthouse suite," the technician said excitedly. "But we can't confirm whether the person who sent the signal is still there."

Lynn and Carter exchanged a glance and quickly decided, "Let's set off. We must find out the truth."

Lynn and Carter led their team quickly to the hotel. Under pressure from the police, the hotel management agreed to cooperate, and they obtained the key card to the penthouse suite.

"Prepare to move out," Lynn whispered, leading his squad silently toward the target.

The door opened quietly, and Lynn entered the suite first. The room was luxuriously decorated, but empty. A laptop sat on the table, its screen displaying a bright red rose.

"Nobody here?" Carter asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed.

Lynn did not answer. He quickly walked to the computer and found that an encrypted video was playing on the screen.

In the video, a masked man sits in a dark room, his voice low and cold: "Detective Lynn, I knew you would find this place. Too bad, you're too late again."

"This guy is provoking us," Carter said through gritted teeth.

The video continued playing: "Our plan has already been launched, and every step you take is under our control."

Three goals? No, that's just a smokescreen. The real action will be in places you never expect.

Lynn clenched his fists, staring at the masked man on the screen: "He's trying to distract us."

After the recording ended, the computer screen suddenly went blank, clearly indicating that the self-destruct program had been triggered.

"Take it back and see if we can recover any data," Lynn ordered the technician.

Just as Lynn was preparing to leave, Carter received a phone call. After answering it, his expression changed drastically.

"Lynn, we just received an urgent message: there has been an explosion outside Central Station."

Lynn looked up abruptly, his eyes blazing with anger: "They're moving faster than we thought."

When Lynn and Carter arrived at Grand Central Station, it was already in chaos. Police officers and paramedics were providing first aid, injured people were being carried onto stretchers, and the air was thick with tension.

"What's the casualty situation?" Lynn asked a field commander.

"We have confirmed three deaths and more than ten injuries so far," the commander replied, his tone somber. "The explosive device was placed in a trash can outside the station. It wasn't very powerful, but it caused a great deal of panic."

Lynn scanned the scene and quickly noticed a red rose pattern on the ground. This was the killer's mark, meaning the explosion was undoubtedly their doing.

"This is just a warning," Lynn said in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes. "Their real operation is yet to come."

Carter frowned. "Lynn, if this is just the beginning, what exactly is their goal?"

Lynn looked at the burning ruins in the distance and said in a low voice, "We must find out the true purpose of the Rose Domination, or Manhattan will fall into an even greater crisis."

Lynn stood before the ruins of Central Station, his mind racing, piecing together the clues. Every explosion, every attack, was sending him the same message—this was not just a murder, but a psychological war, a meticulously planned act of terror.

"Detective," Carter said in a low voice, walking over from a distance, "we just found a clue on the surveillance footage. Someone left the area where the explosives were placed five minutes before the explosion, but their face was covered, so we can't see their identity."

"Take me to see this," Lynn said in a low voice, following Carter toward the command vehicle.

Inside the command vehicle, the technician zoomed in on the surveillance footage and adjusted the angle, finally locating the suspicious figure. He was wearing a gray hoodie, head down, hands in his pockets.

"Look here." The technician pointed to the screen and paused the video. "He lingered near the trash can for a few seconds, then quickly left."

Lynn stared at the screen, his brow furrowed. "Can we track his route?"

The technician nodded: "We tried it. After he left the station, he walked north along Sixth Avenue, entering a blind spot for surveillance cameras. But shortly after leaving the station, his image was captured by the dashcam of a taxi."

Lynn's eyes lit up: "Track that taxi's route and find its passenger records."

The technician acted swiftly, and within ten minutes had the results: "The taxi driver confirmed that his passenger got off in an industrial area of ​​Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn again." Carter frowned. "These guys seem to have a particular fondness for that place."

"The Brooklyn industrial area could be another stronghold for them." Lynn looked at the markings on the map, his tone becoming more resolute. "But this time, we can't afford to be any later."

Lynn led a fully armed squad to the Brooklyn industrial area. By the time they arrived, it was already late, and the industrial area was deathly silent, with the dilapidated factories looking particularly eerie in the night.

"It's so quiet here, too quiet," Carter said in a low voice, raising his weapon, his nerves on edge.

"Search separately, don't miss any corner," Lynn ordered, and the team quickly dispersed.

Shortly afterward, an agent discovered some suspicious items in a warehouse. Upon entering, they found a long table in the center of the warehouse, on which were several laptops and a stack of documents.

"These guys always like to leave something behind," Carter muttered.

Lynn quickly flipped through the documents and found that they contained detailed floor plans and security arrangements for several important buildings in Manhattan.

"These are the targets for the future," Lynn said in a low voice, his tone chilling. "They have no intention of stopping yet."

Just then, a laptop suddenly started up automatically, and the familiar red rose pattern reappeared on the screen.

"Detective Lynn," the Rose Sovereign's voice rang out, tinged with a hint of provocation, "Welcome back again. I guess you're trying to stop our operation again, but unfortunately, you're still too slow."

Lynn moved closer to the screen and said coldly, "This game is over. It's only a matter of time before you expose more and more of yourselves."

The Rose Sovereign chuckled softly: "A game? No, Inspector, this isn't a game, it's a belief. This city has been consumed by corruption for too long; it's time for a change. And we are the ones who will carry out that change."

"Killing innocent people is change?" Lynn suppressed his anger. "You're nothing but a bunch of cowardly terrorists."

"Innocent?" The Rose Sovereign's tone turned cold. "No one is innocent. We simply exposed their disguise and did what the law dared not do."

Just as Lynn was about to retort, the screen suddenly switched, displaying a series of coordinates.

"I'll give you a chance, Inspector," said the Rose Overlord. "If you're quick enough, you might still be able to stop what's to come. But I must warn you, time is running out."

After he finished speaking, the screen suddenly went dark.

Lynn quickly noted down the coordinates and immediately ordered his team to head to the target location. This time, the coordinates were located inside an abandoned building in downtown Manhattan.

When they arrived, the building was pitch black, but the air was filled with a strong chemical smell.

"It smells like explosives," Carter said in a low voice, his expression growing more tense.

Lynn led his team quickly into the building. In an empty room, they found a box full of explosives, and a timer showed 30 minutes left.

"They plan to blow up the whole building," Lynn said calmly. "Technical team, begin defusing the bomb immediately."

The technical team sprang into action, while Lynn and Carter remained on guard. Time ticked by, and everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit.

Just as the technical team completed the dismantling, Lynn received a message from another squad through his earpiece: "Detective, we've spotted two suspicious individuals nearby, and they're rapidly evacuating!"

Lynn immediately led his men in pursuit. They chased along the alleyways and finally cornered the two fleeing suspects in a dead-end alley.

"Don't move! Hands up!" Lynn shouted.

The two men raised their hands, and one of them turned around with a sinister smile. He whispered, "Detective, you've won a round, but the game isn't over yet."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he pressed a device in his pocket—and suddenly another building in the distance exploded violently, flames shooting into the sky.

Lynn clenched his fists, his gaze as cold as a knife.

Lynn stood at the edge of the ruins, illuminated by the firelight, the air filled with the sirens of police and the screams of the crowd. In the distance, the destroyed building lay a charred wasteland, thick smoke billowing into the night sky. Although the building was long abandoned and there were no casualties, the impact of the explosion was still devastating.

Carter rushed in, panting, and reported, "Lynn, the technical team has confirmed that the bomb in the other building is much more powerful than the one we just had. They clearly used the first explosion to distract us."

Lynn clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury: "The Rose Overlord knows we'll be following his trail; he's toying with our reaction time."

Cardi nodded, his expression grave: "However, there's good news. The two people we caught have been brought back to the station for interrogation, and one of them has been identified as Daniel Walker."

"Daniel Walker?" Lynn sneered. "Finally caught you."

Inside the interrogation room, Daniel Walker sat in a chair, a stubborn smile on his face. Lynn pushed open the door, walked straight to him, placed his hands on the table, and stared at him with a sharp, piercing gaze.

"Daniel Walker, don't even think about playing tricks." Lynn's voice was deep and menacing. "We have enough evidence. The abandoned industrial area, the explosion site, and your connection with the Rose Overlord. Confess honestly, and maybe you'll suffer less."

Daniel chuckled and shrugged. "Detective, what do you think I'd say? I'm just a regular employee, how could I possibly get involved in this kind of thing?"

"A regular employee?" Lynn slammed a stack of documents on the table. "These are records of your attendance at Elliott Weiss's gathering, and surveillance footage of you appearing at multiple bomb site preparation locations. How many people are in your organization? What is the Rose Overlord's plan?"

Daniel's expression finally changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "The Rose Overlord? You mean our leader? He won't let you find him easily."

"So you admit that you are a member of this organization," Lynn pressed on.

Daniel sneered, "So what if you admit it? The Rose Lord anticipated you'd catch me. He sent me with a message—every time you capture someone, it will trigger an even bigger operation."

Lynn's gaze turned cold: "What is his plan?"

Daniel's smile grew even more sinister: "Detective, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. And..."

I guarantee you'll never forget that scene.

Just as Lynn was about to press for more information, Carter pushed open the door and whispered in his ear, "Lynn, there's a new lead."

Lynn nodded, giving Daniel a cold look: "Enjoy your time here. You'll wish you'd never joined this organization."

Daniel watched Lynn leave, a disdainful smile still on his face.

Carter handed Lynn a document: "The tech team has cracked some of the data brought back from the villa. They discovered a hidden message, sent using a special encryption method, that mentions a new target."

Lynn opened the file and saw a map marked with a new location—the Manhattan Bridge. "The Manhattan Bridge?" Lynn frowned. "This bridge is not only a vital transportation hub, but also a symbolic landmark. What are they planning?"

"Judging from the data, the scale of this target may be much larger," Carter said. "Their plan may not just be an explosion, but to completely paralyze the entire city's transportation system."