American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

Chapter 224 A simple personal symbol?
Kate pursed her lips, the composure on her face finally wavering: "Lynn, does this... does this mean that this case is not just an ordinary serial murder case?"

Lin En didn't answer. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed the FBI internal communication. He said calmly, "This is Detective Lin En. I need access to all mutant files in the Manhattan area. Level A clearance or above. Open it to me immediately."

After confirming Lynn's identity, the other party immediately gave authorization. Lynn took Kate back to the bureau and went straight to the archives.

The lights in the archives were dim, and the air was thick with the smell of stale documents. Lynn stood before rows of densely packed electronic filing cabinets, rapidly operating a terminal. He typed in keywords: "Manhattan, mutant, suspected abilities: shockwave/air control."

A series of files popped up on the screen, each with a corresponding photo, code name, and ability description. Lynn's eyes quickly scanned each file, trying to find a suspect that matched the intelligence just now.

Carter arrived at this moment, holding the briefing report submitted by the police officer who had been pursuing him. "Lynn, the guy's specific characteristics have been confirmed: male, approximately 1.85 meters tall, wearing a dark windbreaker, with light brown hair. Most notably, he seemed to have deliberately concealed his face while fleeing, but someone caught a glimpse of his pupils during the pursuit, and they were a strange purple."

"Purple pupils?" Lin En's eyes searched the screen faster, and he quickly entered "abnormal pupils" as a new screening condition.

A file popped up on the screen, and the information of a mutant codenamed "Hurricane" jumped out.

name: unknown

Codename: Hurricane

Ability: Air flow manipulation, able to create high-pressure shock waves through the air for attack and defense, and even instantly increase one's movement speed.

Record: This individual was noted for numerous thefts and violent incidents, but was never apprehended. His last recorded activity was two years ago, when he vanished after attacking a cash transport truck. It is believed he may possess significant evasion capabilities.

Lynn stared at the photo in the file. The man in the photo was wearing a baseball cap and his face was mostly hidden in shadow, but his light brown hair and cold temperament were highly consistent with the characteristics described by the police officer.

"Him." Lynn pointed at the screen. "This mutant—Hurricane. We have reason to believe he has at least some connection to this serial murder case. His abilities are exactly as described by the plainclothes police officer."

Carter frowned. "But the question is, why is he following Kate? If he is the serial killer, what is his motive? If he is not, what is the relationship between him and the real murderer?"

Lin En was silent for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "No matter who he is, the fact that he's targeting Kate means that her report has touched a sensitive point. We must find out what Hurricane wants, or who is behind him."

At this moment, Kate stood behind Lynn, staring at the file on the screen, and asked abruptly, "If he is a mutant, could he also be related to the contents of the book 'The Rose and the Thorn'?"

Lin En was slightly startled, then nodded: "It's possible. Secret cult rituals, rose symbols, serial murders, mutants, these seemingly independent clues may be pointing to the same truth."

Kate bit her lip. "Lynn, I want to help you. I can try to find out more about the hurricane through my channels. Maybe he has contacted certain people or appeared in certain places."

Lynn turned around and looked at Kate seriously: "Kate, this is too dangerous. The hurricane is already targeting you. The only thing you have to do now is to protect yourself."

"Protect yourself?" Kate raised an eyebrow, her eyes revealing stubbornness. "I'm a journalist, and my job is to pursue the truth. If I just hide like this, not only will the truth never come to light, but I'll also live in constant fear."

Lin En was silent for a moment, then nodded in compromise: "Okay, but you have to promise me that you will tell me everything you do. I will arrange a team to protect you around the clock, no matter where you go."

Kate nodded. "Deal."

Just as Lynn and Kate were gathering their thoughts, Carter's phone suddenly rang. He picked up the call and listened for a few seconds before his expression suddenly turned serious. "Lynn, there's been another murder downtown... There's a red rose painted on the wall."

Lin En's eyes suddenly darkened: "The murderer is on the move again."

He grabbed his coat and turned to look at Carter and Kate: "Let's go to the crime scene. This time, the murderer will definitely leave more clues."

Lynn's car was silent as it drove through the rainy streets of Manhattan. Kate sat in the passenger seat, notebook in hand, occasionally looking up at Lynn. His gaze remained focused, his face tense, as he was clearly mentally reviewing the case.

When they arrived at the crime scene, a cordon had already been erected. Alternating blue and red police lights pierced the rain, casting an even more gloomy shadow on the dilapidated neighborhood. The crime scene was an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by police officers and onlookers.

"You stay in the car," Lynn instructed Kate sternly before getting out.

Kate was unwilling to accept this, but she knew that Lin En's professional judgment was more important at the scene, so she could only nod and say, "Be careful."

Lynn walked to the police cordon, showed his ID, and was released. Carter was already waiting for him at the scene, his face looking grim. "This time, the victim is a small business owner named Peter Reynolds. According to preliminary investigations, he runs a small restaurant and has no apparent enemies. The incident occurred between midnight and early morning last night."

"Are there roses on the wall?" Lynn asked directly.

Carter nodded. "Yes, the exact same red rose, spray-painted on the wall. It's still the killer's mark."

Lin En walked past the police officers and into the warehouse. It was dark and damp inside, the air thick with the smell of decaying blood. The victim's body was laid out in the center, his hands folded across his chest, as if in some kind of ritual. Lin En crouched down to examine it more closely, noting that the stab wound to the carotid artery was clean and sharp, practically a single blow to the head.

"The knife skills are still precise, showing extremely high control." Lin En said in a low voice, then stood up and scanned the entire scene. "Have you found any other traces around?"

Carter handed over a photo. "A set of footprints were found next to the body. The shoes were small, so they seemed to be from a woman. But the surveillance footage outside the warehouse showed a man sneaking around nearby."

Lin En frowned. "A man? Are there any specific characteristics?"

"He was wearing a dark windbreaker and a baseball cap, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. We're trying to get clearer surveillance footage, but he could be a witness, or..." Carter paused, "possibly an accomplice of the murderer."

Lin En made a quick decision: "We must find this man. If he's an accomplice, we can track him down to the murderer; if he's a witness, he might hold important clues." Just as Lin En was analyzing the situation, a police officer rushed over, panting, "Inspector! We found a suspicious man on the street corner. He was trying to leave, but we've stopped him."

Lin En immediately followed the police to the corner outside the warehouse and saw two police officers surrounding a man in a dark windbreaker. His hat was pulled low, his face hidden in the shadows, and he looked panicked.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Lin En asked in a deep voice with a sharp look.

The man looked up, revealing a thin face. His eyes were wandering, and he was holding a small leather bag tightly in his hand. "I... I'm just passing by. This place has nothing to do with me!"

"Passing by?" Lin En sneered. "This place is desolate and remote, and it's raining. You came here in the middle of the night?"

The man looked even more nervous and stammered, unable to speak. Lynn motioned for the officer to search his belongings, and they quickly pulled out a stack of bills and a business card of the victim, Peter Reynolds, from his wallet.

"Do you know Peter?" Lynn raised her voice.

The man's face turned pale instantly: "I... I don't know him, I just happened to pick these things up here!"

"Don't lie." Lin En's tone was cold. "What are these bills and business cards? You'd better tell the truth, or you'll go to jail."

The man's psychological defenses were clearly broken, and cold sweat streamed down his face. "Okay, okay, I'll be honest... Peter owed me money! He lost a lot in my underground casino, and then he didn't pay me back, so I came to him!"

"Underground casino?" Lin En's brows furrowed even deeper. "So you followed him tonight?"

"Yes, I followed him, but when I got here, he was already dead! God knows how scared I was when I saw his body!" The man's voice trembled. "I just wanted to get my money back. I didn't do anything!"

Lin En stared at him coldly, trying to judge the truth of his words. The man's fear didn't seem to be a disguise, but Lin En still felt something was wrong. "You said you found these things just now. Where did you find them from?"

"It's right at the warehouse door... I didn't lie!" the man explained quickly.

Lin En pondered for a moment, and finally said to the police officer: "Take him back for a detailed interrogation. If what he said is true, his presence may have attracted the attention of the murderer. We need more information."

After returning to the warehouse, Lynn looked at Carter and said, "The gambler's testimony may be true, but it also means that the victim's debt problem may be related to the case. Check Peter's financial situation and see if his debt has caused him to provoke dangerous people."

Carter nodded. "I'll follow up immediately and check this man's background in underground casinos to see if he's lying."

Lin En glanced at the crime scene again, his eyes settling on the red rose pattern. Although the gambler's presence explained some of the mystery, the true murderer was still lurking in the darkness, observing their every move.

"We're still chasing, but the murderer is always one step ahead of us." Lin En muttered to himself, a cold look in his eyes. "But he won't be so lucky next time."

Lynn sat in his office chair, the whiteboard in front of him densely covered with notes and clues. His brow furrowed, his mind wandering between the crime scene, the victim's background, and the serial killer's motive.

"The question remains about motive," Lynn muttered, his gaze fixed on the red rose pattern on the whiteboard. "This isn't just a simple act of murder; the murderer is trying to convey some kind of message, but what exactly is it?"

Carter came in from next door with coffee and handed a cup to Lynn. "Lynn, I know you don't like to hear this, but maybe we need to re-examine this case from a psychological perspective. These actions are too symbolic. Perhaps the murderer's inner motives can unlock key clues for us."

Lin En pondered for a moment and nodded: "You're right. Contact the psychological analysis team. I need expert advice."

A few hours later, Lynn and Carter sat in the office of Dr. Emma Green, a psychologist at the Manhattan police station. Dr. Green was a woman in her early forties with a sharp yet gentle gaze and a voice that spoke with a convincing calmness.

"Inspector Lynn, I've reviewed all the case materials you submitted, including the killer's modus operandi and the telltale signs he left behind," Dr. Green said. "This killer didn't simply want to instill fear; he had a deeper motive."

"Deeper?" Lin En frowned. "He killed five people with extremely cruel methods. Isn't this just pure violence and cruelty?"

"No." Dr. Green shook his head. "His behavior suggests that he believes he's carrying out some kind of 'cleansing' or 'judgment.' In other words, he probably believes he's punishing evil and promoting good."

"Punishing evil and promoting good?" Carter looked confused. "But none of these victims have obvious criminal records, and even Peter's debt problem isn't a big deal."

"That's from our perspective," Dr. Green sighed. "But from the killer's perspective, things might be completely different. He might have his own set of moral standards, or some extreme belief system, that sees these victims as 'stains' that need to be 'eliminated.'"

Lynn's eyes sharpened. "You mean, the murderer might think he's doing the right thing?"

"Yes." Dr. Green nodded. "That's why he chose the rose as his symbol. The rose symbolizes beauty, sacrifice, and purity. In his psychological structure, he may believe that he is 'purifying' these people, or even saving society."

Carter frowned. "How is this different from a serial killer?"

"Motive," Dr. Green explained. "Ordinary serial killers are more likely driven by selfish desires or psychopathology, but this killer is more like a 'moral guardian,' perhaps even driven by some kind of religious or philosophical belief. His killing behavior is not only a way to vent his anger, but also carries a sense of ritual and symbolic meaning."

Lin En was silent for a moment, then pointed to the red rose pattern on the whiteboard and asked, "Why did he draw roses? Do you think it's part of his faith, or is it simply a personal symbol?"

Dr. Green thought for a moment and replied, "Probably both. His belief system may have given the rose some unique meaning, such as the virtue of sacrifice, or a tool for purification. And for him personally, it was also a way of showing off—he wanted people to know about his 'great cause,' even if it came at the cost of fear and death."

Lin En nodded, his brow still furrowed. "If he believes he's punishing evil and promoting good, then we should be able to find the logic behind his selection of victims. How did he determine that these people needed to be 'purified'?"

(End of this chapter)