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

Rodriguez greeted Lynn and the others immediately, his face full of urgency: "Detective Lynn, you've finally arrived! Please come in. We've secured the scene and prevented anyone from causing any damage."

Lynn nodded, put on gloves and shoe covers, and walked into the alley: "Where is the deceased? What's the situation at the scene?"

"The deceased was found deep in the alley," Rodriguez said, leading him forward. "His name was Carlos, a local resident who made a living by doing odd jobs. He was rather introverted and didn't have any enemies. When we received the report, he had no vital signs. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, only the deceased's body and some strange marks."

Walking deeper into the alley, Lynn saw a middle-aged man lying on the ground, his chest caved in, covered in blood, and no longer breathing. Beside the body was a huge fist mark deeply embedded in the ground, along with some fragments of black vines scattered around the corpse. There were also a few drops of black blood on the ground, exactly the same as the blood on the mutants they had captured earlier.

Jason crouched down, carefully examining the scene. He picked up a fragment of vine with tweezers, placed it in the evidence bag, and said to Lynn, "Lynn, look, these vine fragments are the same as the vines controlled by that mutant with the scar on his face. And this black blood must have been left by the mutant."

Lynn crouched down and examined the victim's wounds, his brows furrowing even more: "The fatal wound was a shattered chest cavity. The force was immense, similar to that of the mutant with the thick arm from before. Moreover, there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, indicating that the victim was attacked suddenly and had no time to resist."

"A surprise attack?" Rodriguez was taken aback. "So that means this mutant came prepared? But Carlos was just an ordinary citizen; he shouldn't have had any connection with mutants or the Cullen organization. Why was he killed by a mutant?"

"It's hard to say," Lynn shook his head. "It's possible that Carlos accidentally saw the mutants' secret and was silenced; or it's possible that the mutants acted randomly, purely to vent their anger. Miller, go and ask the witnesses around here if anyone saw any suspicious people, especially tall people with strange eyes, or saw any traces of vines or huge fists."

"Understood!" Miller nodded, immediately turned around, and walked towards the onlookers to inquire about the situation.

Lynn stood up and scanned the alleyway. It was narrow, with high walls on both sides, and only one entrance with no other exits. There were some messy footprints on the ground, clearly left by onlookers, but they were no longer of much use. "Jason, examine the scene carefully again. See if you've missed any clues, such as mutant hair, clothing fragments, or other traces. Also, send the black blood and vine fragments from the scene for testing to see if they can be linked to the mutants we captured earlier."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away," Jason nodded and immediately gathered his team to begin a thorough investigation of the scene.

Rodriguez stood aside, watching Lynn and the others work methodically, a hint of admiration on his face: "Detective Lynn, to be honest, our police force really can't handle these mutants. In the previous few similar cases, the scene was the same, with only some strange traces, and we couldn't find the killer at all. People are afraid to go out at night now."

"Most of these mutants are controlled by the Karen organization," Lynn said calmly. "They commit numerous atrocities, not only robbing and drug trafficking, but now they've started killing civilians indiscriminately. It seems the Karen organization's influence in Honduras is even more rampant than we imagined."

“Yes,” Rodriguez sighed. “We want to fight them too, but our officers don’t have advanced equipment or experience dealing with mutants. Every time we encounter mutants, we can only take the hits. Several officers have even been killed while fighting mutants.”

Just then, Miller rushed over, his face showing excitement: "Captain, we've got something! I found a witness, an old lady who lives next to the alley. She said that around 5 a.m. this morning, she saw a tall man with thick arms walk out of the alley. He was covered in blood, and she also saw that the man had the same black markings on his arms as the mutants we captured before."

"Thick arms, black markings on his body, and traces of black blood and vines," Lynn's eyes lit up. "It seems the perpetrator was a mutant from the Karen organization, and very likely in cahoots with that power mutant who robbed us before. What else did the old lady say? Did you see which direction that man went?"

"The old lady said that the man went east in the alley, which is a slum, a mixed bag of people, with many gangsters and mutants wandering around," Miller said. "And the old lady also said that in the past few days, she has often seen some strange mutants wandering around the alley, as if they are looking for something."

"Looking for something?" Lynn frowned. "Carlos is an ordinary citizen. What could he possibly have that would make mutants specifically look for him, or even kill him? Officer Rodriguez, check Carlos's background. See if he's been in contact with any suspicious individuals recently, or if there's anything unusual about him."

"Okay, I'll have someone investigate right away," Rodriguez immediately took out his phone, dialed the police officer's number, and instructed them to investigate Carlos's background.

Jason then walked over, holding an evidence bag containing a black hair: "Lynn, we found a black hair in a crack in the wall next to the body. It doesn't look like human hair; it should have been left by a mutant. Also, the black blood at the scene, according to preliminary tests, is similar in composition to the blood of the mutants we captured before. They should be from the same group of mutants."

"Jason, take two men and guard the entrance to the alley. Make sure no unauthorized personnel approach. Also, have someone expedite the delivery of the test samples. We need the results within an hour," Lynn said, squatting beside the corpse. His fingertips lightly brushed across the black vine fragments on the ground. His tone was calm and undisturbed. "Also, thoroughly search the area around the wall. Don't overlook even the smallest trace. No matter how cautious mutants are, they will always leave clues."

Jason gripped the evidence bag tightly and nodded vigorously. "Understood, Lynn. I've already contacted the lab. The other two team members are searching over the wall. They'll report back immediately if anything comes up." He paused, then added, "Should I send two more people to search the outskirts of the slums to the east? That old lady said the killer ran that way; he might not have gone far."

"No," Lynn immediately rejected, checking the deceased's pockets without even looking up. "The slums are a mixed bag, and mutants are incredibly skilled. Going in with too few people would be suicide, while going in with too many would alert them. Let's wait for the test results to confirm whether the killer is in cahoots with the mutants who blocked our way before we can formulate an investigation plan."

Rodriguez crouched down beside him, looking at the huge fist print on the ground with a serious expression. "Detective Lynn, do you think this mutant might be an accomplice of the strength mutant you captured before? After all, their abilities are too similar, both possessing superhuman strength and these black vines."

Lynn stood up, dusted off his hands, and scanned the alleyway sharply with his eyes: "That's possible, but we can't rule out other mutants. The Karen organization has recruited so many mutants in Honduras, it's inevitable that some will have similar abilities. However, the old lady said that the killer had black markings on his arms, just like the mutants we captured before, so that's no coincidence."

"By the way, Officer Rodriguez," Lynn turned to him, her tone serious, "have you gotten any news from your investigation into Carlos's background? Has he been in contact with any suspicious individuals recently, or shown any unusual behavior?"

Rodriguez took out his phone, glanced at the message from the officer, and frowned: "Just received a message. Carlos is indeed very introverted and rarely interacts with people. He just does odd jobs and goes home every day, a very routine. He doesn't have any enemies. However, for the past week, he's been going to an abandoned warehouse near the slums every night. I don't know what he's doing there, and someone saw him recently spending a lot of time with a strange man. That man is tall and looks very suspicious."

"An abandoned warehouse? A strange man?" Lynn's eyes lit up. "Where exactly is it? Can anyone describe the strange man's appearance?"

"The abandoned warehouse is just west of the slum. It used to be a grain warehouse, but it's been abandoned for a long time," Rodriguez said. "As for that strange man, no one can describe his specific physical characteristics. All we know is that he's very tall, always wears a hat and mask that covers most of his face, and he's always very secretive when he meets Carlos, as if he's hiding from something."

"It seems that Carlos's death is definitely related to this strange man and that abandoned warehouse," Lynn said firmly. "Miller, go and ask that old lady again if she has seen that strange man, or if she has noticed Carlos's recent unusual behavior, such as whether he has brought anything strange home, or whether he has had any arguments with anyone."

"Understood, Captain!" Miller immediately turned around and walked back to the crowd of onlookers. He found the old woman and patiently asked her questions.

Not long after, Jason rushed over, his face beaming with excitement: "Lynn, we've found something! We found a clear footprint at the top of the wall, probably left by the culprit. The footprint is large, a whole size larger than a normal man's footprint, and the sole has a special pattern, making it look like a specially made boot. Also, we found a small metal fragment in the grass next to the wall; we don't know what it is."

Lynn took the evidence bag Jason handed him. Inside was a small, sharp, silver metal fragment with black stains that looked like blood. "Send this fragment for testing to see if the bloodstains are Carlos's. Also, investigate the origin of this metal fragment and find out what it came from."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away," Jason nodded, turned to leave, but his phone suddenly rang. He answered, listened for a few moments, and his expression instantly turned serious. He hung up and said to Lynn, "Lynn, the lab results are in. The black blood at the scene matches the blood composition of the strength-type mutant we captured before, and that black hair also belongs to that mutant!"

"It really was his accomplice!" Lynn clenched his fist. "After we injured that strength mutant, he was taken to the police station's infirmary. His accomplice must have wanted revenge or to save him, but Carlos accidentally saw something and that's why he killed him."

Rodriguez's expression changed: "What? That mutant is still in the police station's infirmary? Are we in danger? Will his accomplices go to the police station to rescue him?"

"Don't worry," Lynn shook his head. "I've already arranged for my team to guard the police station, and that mutant was injured in the knee by our shot and can't move at all. Even if his accomplices wanted to rescue him, it wouldn't be that easy. However, we still need to be vigilant. The fact that they dare to kill people on the street shows that they are very arrogant, and they might really take a risk."

Just then, Miller rushed over, his face showing excitement: "Captain, we've got something! The old lady said she saw that strange man three nights ago. When she got up to use the bathroom, she saw him meeting Carlos at the alley entrance. The man was holding a black box, which he handed to Carlos. After taking the box, Carlos looked very nervous and looked around, as if he was afraid of being seen."

"A black box?" Lynn frowned. "Did the old lady see what the box looked like? Like its size, shape, or if there were any markings on it?"

"The old lady said the box wasn't big, about the size of a palm, and it was black. There seemed to be a silver mark on it, but it was too dark for her to see what the mark was," Miller said. "Also, the old lady said that after Carlos took the box, he rushed home, and since then, he has been going to that abandoned warehouse every night, as if he were hiding something."

"It seems that the black box is what the mutants are looking for," Lynn said firmly. "Carlos accidentally obtained the box, which was discovered by the mutants. They demanded that Carlos hand it over, but he refused, or perhaps he tried to hide it, which is why he was killed by the mutants." (End of Chapter)