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

The two continued to search with the drone and eventually found a suspicious mine entrance about a mile from the main entrance. The mine looked abandoned for many years, but the surrounding soil showed signs of renovation, indicating recent activity.

"It might be here." Lin En pointed at the screen and said, "Let's go in and take a look, but we have to be careful."

After retrieving the drone, the two men equipped themselves with portable tools and weapons and headed towards the mine on foot. The mountain path along the way was steep, and if they were not careful, they could fall into the ravine, but Lynn and Mark were fully focused, carefully avoiding any possible traps.

When approaching the mine, Lynn carefully observed it with a telescope and confirmed that there were no obvious guards or surveillance equipment around before taking Mark closer. They carefully checked the entrance of the mine and found an iron door half-open with a complex electronic lock on the door frame.

"Looks like this is a backup entrance," Mark whispered. "They use it to transport equipment or for emergency evacuation."

"We have to try not to alert them." Lynn took out a portable decoder from his tool kit and carefully cracked the door lock. After a few minutes, the lock made a slight "click" sound and the iron door slowly opened.

The mine tunnel was dark and damp, the air thick with the smell of mold and rust. Lynn turned on his flashlight and carefully led Mark forward. The walls on both sides of the tunnel were lined with rusty tracks, which seemed to have been used to transport ore.

"They may be using old mine tunnels for transportation," Lynn said, "but we have to find the specific path to the base."

The two men advanced along the mine corridor, careful to avoid any possible sensors or alarms. About half an hour later, they found a fork in the road that ended in a newly installed metal door with a fingerprint scanner mounted on the door frame.

"Looks like we've arrived," Mark whispered, "but we can't break this lock."

Lin En frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "We need more intelligence to see if we can find a simpler way to sneak in. The security here is too tight, and we can't risk alerting the enemy."

The two decided to retreat and bring back the intelligence they had found for further analysis. They carefully retraced their steps, making sure to leave no trace.

After returning to the temporary base, Lin En imported all the footage taken by the drone into his computer and began to analyze it frame by frame. He noticed that there seemed to be a hidden ventilation duct next to the mine tunnel, which might be another route for them to sneak in.

"This is our breakthrough point," Lin En said, pointing to the screen. "The ventilation duct is more hidden than the main entrance and the mine tunnel. If we can find a way to enter the duct, we may have a chance to enter the base directly."

Mark nodded: "But we have to prepare more equipment. The defense here is no joke, we can't make any mistakes."

Lin En took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination: "No matter how difficult it is, we must find the truth. This is not only for Allen's parents, but also for all those who have been harmed by this organization."

After repacking their equipment, Lin En and Mark decided to head to Black Rock Mountain again. This time, they planned to bypass the mine and enter the experimental base directly through the ventilation duct. Although this route was more concealed, it also meant that they had to face more unknowns and greater dangers.

It was late in the evening, the air was chilly, and the mountain path was still bumpy and uneven. Using drone data and previously gathered intelligence, Lynn and Mark deduced the location of the ventilation duct. After some climbing, they finally reached their target location, hidden behind a massive rock.

“This place doesn’t look like something that ordinary people can find easily.” Mark muttered, pressing his hands on the rock and carefully examining the surrounding environment.

"Yes, indeed." Lin En stared around with a sharp gaze, "This is one of their secret passages. It should be covered with protective devices outside. We can't let them find us."

The two began to examine the ventilation duct entrance. As Lin had expected, there was an iron door with a complex security system. Lin pulled a decoder from his bag and began to slowly crack the door lock. Outside, the night deepened, and silence fell everywhere, as if everything was awaiting their decision.

A few minutes later, the door lock clicked gently, and the iron door opened silently. Lynn and Mark exchanged a glance, signaling them to enter.

The ventilation duct was extremely narrow, and the air was damp and heavy. The two men carefully squeezed into the duct, keeping a low profile and avoiding making too much noise. Due to the complex layout of the duct, they followed the map they had prepared, trying to track the route closest to the core area of ​​the base.

"According to our previous intelligence, this pipeline should lead directly to the central control room of the experimental base." Lin En whispered, "We must try not to attract attention. If we are exposed, we may get into even bigger trouble."

Mark nodded. "We'll be careful not to set off any alarms. But I have to admit, this kind of place is really unsettling."

"Yes." Lynn took a deep breath, his eyes firm. "But we can't retreat. This concerns the fate of many people. We must find out the true identity of 'Daedalus'."

After groping in the ventilation ducts for about half an hour, Lynn and Mark finally approached the core area of ​​the base. They stopped in front of a ventilation vent and looked out through the small window. They saw some clear signs: several uniformed security personnel were patrolling. It was obvious that the security measures here were more stringent than they had expected.

"It seems we can't go in directly." Lin En whispered, "There must be surveillance cameras nearby. We need to find a way to bypass them."

Just as the two were about to continue looking for a better entry point, they suddenly heard footsteps and a bright searchlight swept across the entrance of the pipe. They immediately crouched on the ground to stay hidden.

"They've discovered us." Mark whispered, holding his weapon tightly in his hand, "We have to retreat quickly."

However, the experimental organization's security was clearly tighter, and soon, Lynn and Mark found themselves completely surrounded. Several heavily armed security guards suddenly appeared in the surrounding corridors, seemingly having noticed the unknown intruder.

"Damn, we didn't expect them to react so quickly." Lin En whispered, frowning. "We've been discovered."

Mark quickly drew his pistol, preparing for the impending conflict: "We have to break the siege and find a chance to evacuate." However, an alarm suddenly sounded, the security system of the experimental base was activated, and red warning lights began flashing all around. The guards took quick action and quickly surrounded Lynn and Mark's position.

Lin En quickly assessed the situation and decided to use a smoke bomb to create confusion and buy time for evacuation. He pulled a smoke bomb from his equipment bag and hurled it toward the side of the base. Thick smoke quickly filled the air, obscuring the entire corridor in just a few seconds.

"Hurry, now's the time!" Lynn shouted, pulling Mark up and retreating to the other end of the ventilation duct.

They struggled forward in the smoke, and the darkness around them made their movements even more difficult, but Lynn remained calm and accurately judged the direction. At the same time, the guards in the smoke lost their sight one after another, and Lynn and Mark seized the opportunity to quickly retreat deeper.

However, just as they thought they had escaped safely, a powerful explosion suddenly erupted, shaking the entire corridor violently. The chaos caused by the smoke bomb activation did not completely protect them. The base's traps and countermeasures began to take effect, further exacerbating their predicament.

"Hurry up!" Lin En shouted, leading Mark away from the explosion area. The vibrations from the explosion caused the entire pipeline to shake violently, and they rushed through this most dangerous section almost relying on instinct and experience.

Fortunately, the smoke bombs and their previous preparations prevented Lynn and Mark from suffering fatal injuries. But when they finally ran to a relatively safe place, they were so exhausted and nervous that they could hardly stand.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked breathlessly, holding his weapon tightly in his hand and alert to his surroundings.

"I'm fine." Lynn's breathing was rapid. He quickly checked his equipment to make sure nothing important was missing. "This retreat was hasty, but at least we brought back some things."

He took out several hard drives and handwritten records from his backpack. These records were almost the most valuable gains from their incursion into the base. Although they encountered unexpected obstacles and fierce counterattacks during the process, they still managed to obtain more valuable clues.

"Although this operation was a bit chaotic, at least we're still alive and have brought back new clues." Lynn took a deep breath and looked at Mark. "We haven't reached the end yet, but we're getting closer and closer to the truth."

Mark nodded. Although his face was full of fatigue, his eyes still flashed with determination. "Yes, we can't stop. Next, we have to find out the truth behind this data and save them from this dark world."

The two took a short break to regroup and reorganize their equipment before starting their journey back to Manhattan.

Lynn and Mark finally returned to Manhattan, carrying with them the data and records they had successfully retrieved from the Black Rock Mountain base. Though they had escaped the perilous situation, the physical and mental exhaustion had not yet subsided. Lynn knew that while the raid hadn't resulted in fatal consequences, it was still far from enough to uncover the truth. And his heart was always filled with thoughts of Kate.

Kate's care lingered in his mind, especially her words that night—she was always so warm and caring. Whenever he thought of her, he was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. While the pressure and tasks at work were certainly important, every time he spoke with Kate, he always felt a sense of comfort and reliance that was different from the focus and seriousness of his work.

Lynn took out her phone and saw a text message from Kate: "Are you okay? You haven't replied to my message today."

He hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to call her.

"Kate, I'm back." Kate's voice came through the phone, with a hint of anxiety: "Lynn, I finally heard your voice. I just heard that you went to the Black Rock Mountain base. What happened? Are you okay?"

Hearing Kate's anxious tone, Lin En relaxed a little. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "I'm fine, Kate. It's just... there were some accidents. We were almost ambushed, but luckily we managed to evacuate."

Kate was visibly relieved, but then became worried. "Almost ambushed? You're okay? Where are you now?"

"I'm in the office, sorting out some data." Lynn paused, her voice lowered. "Kate, I don't want to make you worry. Really, I'm grateful that you've always cared about me, but you know, this job is never safe. You don't have to..."

"Don't say 'no need'." Kate interrupted him, her tone firm and a little anxious, "Lynn, you always bear it alone, whether it's danger or your own emotions. I know you have done a lot for those missing people, but I also hope you can pay attention to yourself, especially the people around you. If something really happens..."

"No," Lynn comforted her softly, "I've been very careful, Kate. I promise, even though this is an emergency, I will do my best to avoid putting you in any trouble."

Kate listened silently, and after a moment's silence, she said softly, "You really make me angry sometimes, Lynn. You always push yourself so hard, but I know it's not that you don't care about others, it's just... you always blame yourself too much and take all the responsibility on yourself. You feel like you have to protect everyone, but I hope you know that you are not alone."

Lin En listened to her voice, and an indescribable emotion rose in his heart. Kate's concern made him feel warm, but also made him feel a little guilty, because he knew that sometimes he was too focused on work and ignored those around him who cared about him, especially Kate.

"I..." Lynn paused and said in a deep voice, "Kate, I don't want to make you worry anymore. Really."

Kate sighed softly on the other end of the phone: "I just hope you understand, Lynn. You are a good person, but you can't always bear all the responsibilities alone. Sometimes, I also wish I could do something for you."

Lin En stood up and walked to the window, gazing through the glass at the city lights outside. Countless thoughts swirled in his mind. He closed his eyes involuntarily, feeling a strange sense of oppression. Kate's words struck a soft spot deep within him, sending a slight tremor through him.

"Kate..." Lynn's voice was low and firm. "If you can do one thing for me, I hope you can take care of yourself. Don't worry about me anymore. I know what to do."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then Kate said softly, "Okay, I will. But you have to promise me that if you are in danger again, remember to tell me and don't try to hold on alone."

Lynn smiled slightly. Although the other party couldn't see, he knew her concern and persistence. He whispered, "Thank you, Kate. You really made me feel not alone." (End of this chapter)