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

Carter frowned: "What does it mean? This doesn't seem to be a simple game content."

Lynn put away the note and key and whispered: "I think this may be the clue left by the murderer. The place where roses bloom may point to his next action."

After the two left the warehouse, Lynn immediately notified the technical department to inspect the notes and keys. However, there is no information that can be traced back to the murderer on the note and the traces on the key. This "urban puzzle" activity still failed to provide them with a clear breakthrough.

"Did we miss something?" Carter asked in a low voice, his tone full of annoyance.

"Maybe it's time to think from another perspective." Lin Neng's eyes were deep and his tone was low. "If the murderer really locked the victim through activities, then his motivation was not just to kill, but to convey some message to us. We It is necessary to find out the logic behind this information."

"The question is, where should we start?" Carter asked.

Lynn pondered for a moment, speaking firmly: "Start with the meaning of the rose. Every act of the murderer seems to revolve around it. We must figure out what the rose actually symbolizes."

After Lynn and Carter returned to the office, they immediately began to dig deep into the symbolic meaning of "rose". They gathered a small team of analysts to list all possible cultural, historical, and psychological explanations.

Love and beauty: a symbol of tradition, but has nothing to do with the case.

Sacrifice and death: Commonly common in religious symbols in the Middle Ages.

Mystery and Secret: Rose is often used as a symbol of hidden messages.

Rituals and Worship: In certain hidden organizations, roses represent a certain ritual or power.

Lynn stared at the whiteboard and pointed to the last item: "We know the murderer's behavior has a sense of ritual. If it was a ritual of some kind, then the rose might be more than just decoration, but the core clue."

"The question is, is this a personal ritual or a group act?" Carter rubbed his temples, "this will determine the direction of our next investigation."

Lynn circled the words on the whiteboard: "We want to assume the most complex situation. What if this was not an isolated case, but part of some larger plan?"

At this time, a technician knocked in and handed Lynn a report: "Inspector, we have conducted a detailed analysis of the notes found in the warehouse. Although the handwriting on it cannot match the database, the source of the paper is somewhat strange- This paper is handmade and sold only in an antique bookstore located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.”

Lynn immediately grabbed the clue: "Address?"

The technician handed over a note: "Kana Bookstore, East 79th Street."

Lynn looked at Carter: "Let's go and check it out."

Kana Bookstore is an old small shop hidden on the corner of Manhattan. When I pushed the door open, I saw an old smell of paper and ink. The thick bookshelf almost occupied the entire space. The sunlight shone mottled light and shadow through the windows, making people feel like they had traveled to another era.

An old shop owner wearing gold-rimmed glasses was sorting out his account book behind the counter. Hearing the footsteps, he raised his head and said in a kind tone: "Welcome, what do you need?"

Lynn showed his ID: "I am FBI Inspector Lynn, this is my colleague Carter. We are investigating a case and found some clues that may be related to your store."

The old shop owner pushed his glasses and looked a little surprised: "Case? What does it have to do with me?"

"We found a note of paper that was sold from you." Lynn cut straight to the subject, "Can you tell us if anyone has bought this paper in large quantities recently?"

The old shop owner frowned, thought for a moment, nodded: "This paper is a special product in our store, and few people really buy it. However, a few months ago, a woman bought two dozen in one go."

"Woman?" Carter asked, "Do you still remember her appearance?"

The old shop owner touched his chin: "I don't remember it very clearly, but she looks a bit special. She is tall and dressed very elegantly, as if she has a pair of... blood-red eyes."

"Red eyes?" Lin En's heart tightened, and his tone increased, "Are you sure?"

"I thought it was some kind of special contact lens." The old shop owner shrugged. "She gave a strange feeling, but she was very polite, and she was very low-sounding and very elegant."

"Have she left her name or contact information?" Carter continued.

The old shop owner shook his head: "No, she paid cash. However, I remember she asked about a certain book at that time."

"What book?" Lin En asked immediately.

The old shop owner searched for a while and took out a yellowed registration book: "Let me see...ah, I found it. This is a book about secret symbols and rituals called "Rose and Thorns: Shadow Rituals" "Secret". She asked, but I didn't have any stock at that time."

Lynn wrote down the title of the book and his eyes became even colder: "What is the content of this book?"

"It is about an ancient ritual involving the mysterious worship of roses as a symbol." The old shop owner's tone became low, "It is said that participants will connect with the 'unknown force' through the ritual to obtain some kind of blessing. 'or 'redemption'. '

Lynn exchanged a solemn look with Carter, and he vaguely felt the context of the case gradually became clear.

After returning to the office, Lynn immediately began to track the flow of the book. He contacted the collection network of antique books and soon discovered that the Rose and Thorns is indeed a rare book, but a private library in Manhattan may have a full version.

Meanwhile, he shared the information with the technical department and ordered them to investigate all recent activities related to the Secretology.

"Rose, ritual, secret sect." Lynn whispered to herself, "The murderer is not just a cold-blooded killer, she may be part of a larger organization, and these victims... may be some kind of sacrifice of her. 'Object. "

"If so, then other participants may also be targets. We have to find the core of this organization as soon as possible and stop more people from being killed."

Lynn took a deep breath and stared at the keywords on the whiteboard. He knew that the next step would be a life-and-death battle, and Rose's secret is likely to be the only key to unlocking it all.

Kate left her apartment, holding the latest interview notes and materials in his hand, ready to continue working at a quiet cafe. She has been digging deep into the details of serial murders recently, trying to restore the truth through her own way. However, as she walked on the street, her keen intuition made her sense of a strange atmosphere.

She vaguely felt a look behind her, and her pace couldn't help but speed up. As she walked a corner, she quickly glanced at the window with her side eyes and found a man in a dark coat following behind her. The man always maintained a delicate distance, neither far nor near, but it made people feel oppressed.

Kate's heartbeats faster and various possibilities flashed through his mind. She kept calm, pretended to take out her phone inadvertently, switched to lens mode, and used the selfie function to observe the movement behind. The man still followed, his pace was steady and his eyes were dull.

"Someone is following me." Kate only had this idea in his mind.

Instead of going home directly, she quickly moved into a commercial street with a lot of crowds. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that the man still had not left. Kate thought quickly that she needed a safe place while also being able to observe the other person's intentions in a hidden way.

She found a fast food restaurant, quickly entered and chose a seat by the window, deliberately putting her phone on the desktop. Through the window glass, she clearly saw the stalker parked across the street. Instead of entering the fast food restaurant, he leaned against a newspaper booth, pretending to be flipping through the newspaper, but his eyes swept into the store from time to time.

Kate felt nervous. She knew she could no longer delay, so she immediately took out her cell phone and dialed Lynn's number.

The phone rang twice and was picked up, Lynn's voice was low and calm: "Kate? What happened?"

"Lynn, someone follows me." Kate lowered his voice, trying to calm himself down, but there was still a hint of nervousness in his tone, "A man in a dark coat. He has been following me since I left home and is still here. Staring at me across the street.”

Lynn on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, and then his tone became more serious: "Where are you now? Don't hang up the phone and tell me the details."

Kate quickly reported the name of the fast food restaurant and the neighborhood he was in and continued, "He didn't approach me, but I didn't dare to leave rashly."

Lynn's voice showed calm command: "Very good. Stay in the store and don't show any abnormalities. I will rush over immediately and send nearby police officers to support me."

Kaite nodded, realizing that Lynn couldn't see it, so he whispered, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Kate put his phone on the desktop, pretending to be writing something with his head down, while using his light to observe the movement across the street. The man was still leaning there, occasionally pretending to read the newspaper, but his eyes swept to her place from time to time.

"Who is this person? Why are you eyeing me?" Countless questions emerged in Kate's mind. She guessed that this might be related to her report, but the other party's purpose was completely unsure.

About ten minutes later, Lynn's figure appeared outside the glass window of the fast food restaurant. He was wearing plain clothes, but his eyes were sharp, and as soon as he entered the door, he walked straight to Kate's desk.

"Are you okay?" Lin En asked in a low voice, his eyes quickly glanced out the window.

Kaite nodded and lowered his voice: "He is still across the street. It's the man leaning against the newspaper booth."

Lin En glanced quickly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. After sitting down, he took out his cell phone and pretended to make a random call, but was actually calling for reinforcements. At the same time, his voice was still low: "Very good, listen to my arrangements next. Don't look at him or show any abnormalities. I need to confirm whether he is alone."

Kaite nodded and continued to pretend to flip through the notes. She could feel the tension in Lynn, but she also felt a little more secure because of his existence.

A few minutes later, an unmarked police car parked on the street, and two plainclothes police officers got out and quietly approached the target. Lynn whispered to Kate: "Stay here and I'll go see who he is."

Kate nodded nervously, watching Lynn stand up and walk out of the fast food restaurant without any intention. His pace was slow and calm, but his eyes were always fixed on the suspicious man. At the same time, the two plainclothes police officers encircled from different directions.

The man seemed to notice something, suddenly looked up and glanced around, quickly turned around and left. His movements were straightforward and clear, and he had obviously received some kind of training. Lynn immediately raised his voice: "Don't let him run!"

The police immediately chased after him, and the pedestrians on the street stopped by the sudden pursuit. Kate saw through the window that the man was very fast, but Lynn and the police cooperated tacitly and eventually pressed him to the ground at the entrance of an alley.

A few minutes later, Lynn returned to the store with a cold expression and said to Kate: "We caught him. He had no identification and refused to answer any questions, but judging from his equipment, he was not ordinary people."

Kate's heart sank: "Did he come to me, or is it because of the case?"

Lynn sat down and approached Kate, his tone getting deeper: "I don't know yet, but you have to be careful. Don't go out alone in the next few days. I'll arrange for someone to protect you until we figure out his identity and intention. ”

Kate bit his lip, but although he was afraid, he pretended to be calm: "Linn, I can protect myself, but you must tell me the truth."

Lynn nodded, his eyes firmly: "I will find the answer. And, no matter who they are, don't think of hurting you."

Lynn and Kate were about to leave the fast food restaurant when his cell phone rang, and it was called by a plainclothes officer chasing him. The sound of rapid breathing and faint moans came from the other end of the phone.

"Inspector, that person..." The plainclothes policeman's voice was shocked and painful, "He is not an ordinary person. When Jack and I surrounded him, he suddenly turned around and stretched out his hand. I...I feel like myself It seemed like an invisible force was thrown out and hit the wall. Jack... Jack was injured."

Lin Neng's face immediately sank, and his tone was low: "Invisible power? Describe it in detail."

"It's like... a shock wave suddenly burst out in the air." The policeman's voice trembled slightly, "We didn't touch him at all. He just waved his hand and we were thrown three meters away. This guy was very fast Soon, I ran away in a blink of an eye.”

Lynn clenched his fists clattered as he hung up the phone. He turned to Kate, his voice low but firm: "Now it's OK to confirm that the person who is following you is probably a mutant."

Kate was slightly stunned, then widened his eyes: "Mutant? Are you saying...has something to do with serial murders?"

"It's not certain, but this ability is obviously not something that ordinary people can have." Lynn frowned. "If he is a mutant, it's definitely not easy for him to follow you."