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Kate laughed heartily and said in a lighthearted tone, "Don't worry, Lynn. I'll be careful. Besides, with you, my 'righteous detective,' around, what can't we handle?"

Lynn shook his head, a helpless smile on his face, but he had already made a decision in his heart: if Kate really insisted on going, he had to accompany her personally to make sure she wouldn't cause any trouble.

The next morning, Lynn had just arrived at the police station when she received a text message from Kate: "Lynn, I'm going to check out the eastern suburban forest today. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'll let you know when I have any leads." The smiley face emoji following the message made Lynn's brows furrow instantly.

"This woman won't listen to reason at all," Lynn muttered to herself, picking up the phone and dialing Mark's number.

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

"Kate has decided to go to the eastern forest to investigate the 'Hunter's Lodge' herself." Lynn's tone was tinged with helplessness and a hint of unease. "I have a case to handle today, so you'll go in my place. Don't let her find out you're following her; protect her secretly."

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

"Stop talking nonsense," Lynn said impatiently. "Kate isn't an ordinary person. Once she gets interested, 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 readily agreed. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on her."

After hanging up the phone, Lynn turned his attention back to his work, but a sense of unease lingered in his heart. He knew Kate's personality well; her persistence could sometimes border on recklessness, and the eastern suburban forest was far more complex and dangerous than she had imagined.

Meanwhile, Kate was already driving towards the eastern suburban forest. On the passenger seat were a detailed map, a small recording device, a bottle of water, and some snacks. She was relaxed, even humming a tune, filled with anticipation for the adventure ahead.

When Kate arrived at the forest entrance, Mark was already following at a distance in a discreet car. He stopped, put on sunglasses to make sure Kate wasn't aware of him, and then carefully followed her into the forest.

Kate walked along, recording her observations on her phone: "The eastern forest is quieter and more desolate than I imagined. This kind of environment is certainly conducive to the spread of those mysterious rumors, especially that hunter's cabin..."

Mark followed her a few dozen meters away, keeping a safe distance. He watched Kate look around and take pictures with her phone, a helpless smile appearing on his lips: "What a stubborn woman."

As Kate ventured deeper into the forest, the air grew damp and chilly, and the surrounding trees became increasingly dense. She soon found the "Hunter's Hut" marked on the map. It was a dilapidated wooden hut with most of the windows broken and the door ajar, revealing a dim interior.

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

She pushed open the door and stepped into the small house, her footsteps creaking underfoot. The house reeked of mildew, and broken furniture and dust piled up in the corners. Kate looked around with a flashlight but found nothing unusual.

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

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

Mark noticed the strange noises too. He hid in the bushes next to the cabin, staring in the distance. There seemed to be several figures moving around, but they were too far away for him to make out clearly.

Kate held her breath, gripped her phone tightly, and cautiously moved towards the window. Through the broken window, she saw several men in dirty clothes approaching the hut, carrying toolboxes; they didn't look like ordinary tourists.

"Looks like I've found something unusual," Kate muttered to herself, taking out her phone to start recording.

Mark frowned, inwardly cursing, "This woman is definitely causing trouble." He quickly pulled out his walkie-talkie and contacted Lynn: "Detective, Kate might be in some trouble. There are a few people approaching the hunter's lodge in the forest, and they don't look right."

Lynn frowned instantly upon receiving Mark's message. He quickly flipped through the documents in his hand, pushed them aside, and stood up, grabbing his coat. "Tell me the exact location, and I'll be there right away." His tone was cold and firm, brooking no argument.

"The western part of the eastern suburban forest, outside the hunter's lodge," Mark's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Those people don't seem like ordinary hikers; they're more like... they came with a purpose."

"Protect Kate and don't let her find you. We'll move when I get there." Lynn quickly ended the call and left the office.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere outside the cabin grew increasingly tense. Kate hid by the window, her eyes fixed on the strangers. Their behavior was highly suspicious; one of them was using a crowbar to pry open the floorboards at the back of the cabin, while another stood guard nearby. Kate raised her phone, trying to record the whole scene, but her heart was pounding uncontrollably.

"Is something hidden under the floor...?" she muttered to herself, her palms sweating with nervousness.

Suddenly, one of the men turned and glanced into the cabin. Kate quickly crouched down, hiding under the windowsill, and held her breath. Her mind raced—what were these men looking for? Should she risk staying here?

Mark, who was outside, also noticed something was wrong. He lowered his voice and said into the walkie-talkie, "Detective, they seem to be searching for something, and they've started damaging the cabin's floor. If Kate doesn't retreat soon, we might be exposed."

Lynn's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Try to stay calm and don't act rashly. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Mark gritted his teeth and continued to lie in ambush in the bushes, but his hand was already gripping the gun at his waist, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

Kate then noticed that the group seemed to have pried open the floorboards; an old wooden plank had been flipped up, revealing a hidden space underneath. A man crouched down, shining a flashlight down, and after a moment, he whispered, "Found it!"

The others immediately crowded around, and one of them pulled a heavy-looking metal box from the hidden space. Kate's curiosity was instantly piqued, and she couldn't help but look up, secretly recording everything on her phone.

"Hurry up and load it onto the truck, don't dawdle!" a man commanded in a low voice.

However, at that very moment, Kate's phone screen lit up unexpectedly as her finger swiped, and a faint light flashed in the small room.

"Who's inside?" The man outside immediately became alert and rushed towards the hut.

Kate's heart skipped a beat, cursing herself for her carelessness. She quickly got up, looked around for an exit, but the cabin only had one door, which was already blocked. She gritted her teeth, hid her phone in her pocket, grabbed a broken stick, and stood against the wall, ready to fight back.

The moment the man pushed open the cabin door, Mark finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up from the bushes, drew his gun, and shouted, "FBI, drop what you're holding and put your hands on your heads!"

The men froze for a moment, but quickly recovered. One of them drew a knife, while another dropped the metal box and tried to escape. Mark fired a shot without hesitation; the bullet struck the ground, stunning them.

Kate heard the gunshot, peeked through the crack in the door at Mark, and instantly realized: "This guy has been following me!" She was both surprised and angry, but mostly relieved.

Just then, Lynn's car sped up, and he jumped out, quickly taking control of the situation. He walked towards the men, his voice cold and stern: "Anyone who dares to move again, I guarantee you'll be lying here in the next second."

Seeing this, the group completely lost the will to resist and obediently squatted down, covering their heads. Lynn glanced at the metal box on the ground and asked coldly, "What is this?"

No one answered. Lynn's gaze grew even colder: "Not going to talk? Very well, go back to the police station and talk about it."

Mark quickly stepped forward and handcuffed the men. Lynn then turned to Kate, her tone complex: "Should I be thankful you're alright? Or should I give you a good scolding?"

Kate pursed her lips, but a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes: "You knew I'd be here, didn't you? That's why you sent Mark with me."

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Lynn sighed. "I know that once you've made up your mind, no one can stop you. But Kate, this isn't a game; you almost got yourself into big trouble."

Kate nodded, unusually not arguing back: "Okay, I was too impulsive this time. Thank you, Lynn." Her tone was sincere.

Lynn nodded, turning his gaze back to the metal box: "However, now we need to figure out what secret this thing holds."

Lynn walked over to the metal box, squatted down, and examined it closely. The box was covered in rust, but judging from its weight and structure, it was clearly specially designed, seemingly to protect what was inside. He put on gloves and carefully opened the box.

Inside the box was a thick protective cloth, beneath which lay a stack of old documents and some strange little objects—a rusty pocket watch, a seemingly ordinary ring engraved with intricate patterns, and several yellowed black and white photographs.

Kate couldn't help but lean closer, her eyes filled with curiosity: "These things... look like a private collection, maybe they belong to that hunter?"

Lynn nodded, but his gaze fell on the documents. After flipping through one of them, his expression instantly turned serious: "These are not ordinary private collections. These documents involve land transactions, and there are also some that appear to be unpublished contract records."

Mark leaned closer, frowning as he looked at them. "These contracts seem to be related to this forest? They look like they were signed decades ago, but why would they be hidden here?"

Kate said softly, "Perhaps that's why those people came here. They didn't find this place by chance; they knew there was something they needed in this box."

Lynn carefully placed the documents and items back into the box, closed the lid, and stood up to look at the handcuffed suspects. His gaze was cold, and his voice was low: "Now you can tell me, what importance do these things hold to you? Why did you risk coming here to dig them up?"

The men kept their heads down, clearly unwilling to speak. But Lynn's aura finally made one of them unable to hold back any longer. He raised his head and said in a low voice, "We're just doing this for money. Someone hired us to find these things. We don't know exactly what they are, but they said they're worth a lot of money."

Lynn sneered, "Something valuable? That seems more like a secret. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it; I have plenty of ways to make you talk."

He gestured for Mark to take the men to the police car, and ordered the cabin to be cordoned off as an investigation scene. He turned to Kate, his gaze complex: "Do you understand now? This is far more complicated than you think; it's not something you can figure out on your own."

Kate bit her lip, her voice filled with resentment: "I know, I was wrong this time. But Lynn, you can't deny that this matter is indeed very important. These documents may be involved in a much larger conspiracy."

Lynn sighed and said slowly, "Kate, you're an excellent reporter, but some things can't be solved by taking risks. You need to know when to step back and let us handle it."

Kate was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll do as you say. This time, I'll cooperate."

Lynn smiled slightly, though her tone still carried a hint of resentment; this was the biggest concession he could get from Kate. He patted her shoulder: "Let's go back to the police station. We need to investigate these things carefully and see what secrets are hidden behind them."

Back at the police station, Lynn carefully placed the metal box on the evidence table. Several investigators were already prepared, waiting to analyze the documents and items. Kate followed closely behind; although not a member of the police force, she stood firmly to the side, her eyes fixed on the objects on the table, clearly unwilling to miss any details.

Lynn opened the box, took out the top document, and handed it to Mark: "Take a look at the contents of this contract first. I suspect it has a direct connection to the ownership of that forest."

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

Kate couldn't help but interject, "The Blackwood family? I've heard of that name! Decades ago, they were one of the wealthiest families in the area, but then they suddenly went bankrupt and almost all of their assets were auctioned off. I even saw related reports when I was looking through newspaper archives."

Lynn nodded, turning his attention to the other items in the box. He picked up the ring with its intricate engraving and handed it to a forensic expert: "Check if there are any inscriptions or special markings on it; they might provide some clues." (End of Chapter)