Chapter 662
Passive Defense!
“I’ve already contacted them. Officer Rodriguez said they’ll send someone over as soon as possible,” Jason said while sorting through the seized weapons and evidence. “In addition, I’ve had my team search the area around the port to see if we can find any clues, but so far, Verus has done a very clean job and hasn’t left any useful traces.”
Lynn nodded, understanding that Verus was a cautious man. Since he dared to land at La Ceva, he must have made thorough preparations, making it very difficult to find clues at the port. "Once the police arrive, we'll return to our temporary base, prepare the interrogation outline, and focus our interrogation on Marcus. He's worked with Verus for many years and must know many secrets we don't, especially the location of Verus's secret base in Honduras and information about the Karen organization."
Not long after, several police cars arrived at La Ceva Port with sirens blaring. Rodriguez, accompanied by a few officers, strolled over leisurely. When he saw the bloodstains on the deck and the subdued smugglers, a hint of surprise appeared on his face, but he quickly regained his perfunctory expression: "Detective Lynn, I didn't expect you to actually engage in a firefight with Verus's men. It seems that Verus did indeed land here."
“Officer Rodriguez, please send someone to take over these smugglers and bring them back to the police station for thorough interrogation,” Lynn said calmly, without any extra emotion. “Especially this Marcus. He is Verus’s partner and knows a lot of important information. We must find out the location of Verus’s secret base and the situation of the Karen mutant organization’s branch in Honduras.”
Rodriguez glanced at Marcus, who was slumped on the ground, his eyes flickering, and said dismissively, "Don't worry, Inspector Lynn, I'll arrange for someone to interrogate him. I'll let you know as soon as there's any news." He waved his hand, signaling the officers to take Marcus and the smugglers away, while he stood aside with his arms crossed, looking completely unconcerned.
Looking at his expression, Lynn knew that Rodriguez was unlikely to conduct a serious interrogation and might even secretly pass messages to Marcus. However, he didn't have the energy to investigate further at the moment and could only say in a deep voice, "Officer Rodriguez, I hope you understand that Verus is an extremely dangerous criminal. His existence not only endangers the security of the United States but also the security of Honduras. A serious interrogation will benefit both of us."
Rodriguez chuckled awkwardly, offering no reply, but simply waved his hand, saying, "Alright, Inspector Lynn, I've taken over the case. You've all worked hard, go back and rest. I'll contact you if I have any news." With that, he turned and boarded the police car, leaving La Ceva Port with his officers, without even carefully checking the evidence at the scene.
“This Rodriguez is definitely unreliable,” Jason said, watching the police car drive away. “He probably won’t interrogate us seriously. We can’t count on him. When we get back, we’ll go to the police station ourselves and watch the interrogation process. We have to get some clues out of Marcus.”
“Yes,” Lynn nodded. “You’re right, we can’t count on him. Let’s go back to the temporary base, treat the team’s wounds, get some rest for the night, and go to the police station first thing the next morning to interrogate Marcus personally. Also, arrange for two team members to continue searching the area around Port La Ceva. We can’t let any clue slip by.”
Afterwards, Lynn and his team returned by vehicle to their temporary base in Tegucigalpa—a secluded apartment arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Honduras, which was relatively safe and convenient for their work. Back at the base, the team members treated each other's wounds. Everyone had some kind of injury; some had been slashed by machetes, some grazed by bullets, and others were injured by the shockwaves from the mutants' strength. But no one complained; their eyes remained filled with unwavering determination.
Lynn sat on the sofa, looking at his team members' tired but determined appearance, and his heart was filled with guilt and respect: "Brothers, you've all worked hard this time. It was all because I was too hasty and didn't make sufficient preparations, which allowed Varus to escape again and caused everyone to get injured."
“Captain, don’t say that,” one of the team members said with a smile, wiping the wound on his arm. “We are federal agents, and it is our duty to arrest criminals. This injury is nothing. Besides, we already have a general idea of Verus’s whereabouts. As long as we continue to investigate, we will definitely be able to catch him.”
“Yes, Captain,” another team member chimed in. “Although Verus escaped, he’s become a nervous wreck. As long as we follow the trail of Marcus, we’ll definitely find his secret hideout. Then we can wipe him out and completely destroy his evil empire.”
Jason walked over to Lynn and patted him on the shoulder: "Lynn, don't blame yourself. We know you're under a lot of pressure, but we're a team. No matter how difficult things get, we'll face it with you and bring Verus to justice together. Get some rest. We have to go to the police station to interrogate Marcus tomorrow, and there's a lot of work waiting for us."
Lynn nodded, his guilt gradually fading, replaced by an even stronger resolve. He knew now was not the time for self-reproach; he had to quickly regain his composure, lead his team, and continue the search for Verus. He couldn't let him escape again, and he couldn't let the families ravaged by drugs continue to suffer.
No one slept soundly that night. The lights in the base stayed on all night as the team members took turns resting and keeping watch, constantly on guard against retaliation from the Karen mutant organization. Lynn lay on the sofa, his eyes closed, Verus's smile and the scene of the battle constantly flashing through his mind. He repeatedly recalled every detail of the battle, trying to find any clues left by Verus, while also thinking about the interrogation plan for the next day, how to extract useful clues from Marcus.
The following morning, just as dawn was breaking, a few pedestrians were already appearing on the streets of Tegucigalpa, the air still thick with an atmosphere of poverty and unease. Lynn and his team ate a quick bite, packed their gear, changed into civilian clothes, and set off by vehicle towards the Honduran police headquarters. They didn't inform Rodriguez, intending to go directly to the interrogation room to personally interrogate Marcus and prevent him from interfering.
The vehicle drove along the narrow and chaotic streets. The buildings on both sides were dilapidated, and homeless beggars and wandering gangsters could be seen everywhere. Occasionally, a few tall people with strange eyes would wander along the streets, scanning their surroundings warily, giving people a strange sense of oppression.
"Captain, look at those people," a team member whispered, pointing to several people loitering on both sides of the street. "Their eyes and build are strange. They don't seem like ordinary gangsters. Could they be mutants from the Karen organization?"
Lynn looked in the direction his teammate pointed, carefully observing the people. His brow furrowed slightly. "It's hard to say, but they do look suspicious. Everyone, stay alert and pay close attention to our surroundings. This is Karen's territory, and we could be in danger at any moment."
Jason nodded, gripping his pistol tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. "I think there are more mutants here than we thought. We only knew the Karen organization had a branch in Honduras, but we didn't expect them to have infiltrated the streets of Tegucigalpa. It seems our next operation will be even more dangerous." Lynn didn't speak, but his eyes sharpened as he surveyed the surroundings. He had a bad feeling; this trip to the police station probably wouldn't be smooth sailing, and these mutants on the street might be Karen's informants, their movements perhaps already known to Karen's people.
The vehicle continued driving, passing through several narrow streets, heading towards the police headquarters. Just as the vehicle was about to turn into an alley leading to the police headquarters, three unmarked pickup trucks suddenly rushed out of the alley entrance, blocking their way.
"Oh no, an ambush!" Jason shouted, immediately slamming on the brakes. The vehicle came to a sudden stop, and the inertia caused Lynn and his team to lurch forward.
Three tall men stepped out of the pickup truck. They wore tattered jackets, were burly, had cold eyes, and their faces bore hideous scars. They exuded a chilling aura of oppression, unlike ordinary gangsters. One of the men had unusually thick arms, dark brown skin, and short, steel-like fingers. His eyes were fierce as he stared intently at Lynn and his group's vehicle. Another man was thin but unusually agile, his eyes gleaming as if he could see through everything. The third man had a scar running from his forehead to his chin, his eyes were sinister, and his hands trembled slightly, as if he were brewing something.
"Get out of the car!" The burly man spoke first, his voice hoarse and loud, carrying an undeniable arrogance. "Hand over all your money, weapons, and all your identification! Otherwise, you'll die here today!"
Lynn and his team exchanged glances, realizing that these men were no ordinary robbers. Their eyes and demeanor clearly indicated that they were mutants—it seemed they had indeed encountered mutants attempting to rob them.
"Are you from the Karen organization?" Lynn pushed open the car door and slowly stepped out, placing his hands behind his back and discreetly gripping the pistol at his waist. His eyes were cold as he stared at the three mutants before him. "Did Verus send you? To stop us and prevent us from interrogating Marcus?"
The scarred mutant sneered, his eyes filled with malice, and said, "Kid, what do you know who we are? Enough talk, hand over the stuff! We're just here to rob you, we don't want any trouble, but if you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"Robbery?" Jason pushed open the car door and got out. His teammates followed suit, forming a defensive formation and gripping their weapons. "You three dare to block our way? I advise you to get out of our way, or we won't be polite!"
"You're welcome?" The burly mutant laughed loudly, his laughter rough and savage. "I'd like to see how you treat us rudely!" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his thick arm and charged at Jason, swinging his arm with a powerful gust of wind that seemed capable of easily shattering everything.
"Watch out!" Lynn shouted, immediately firing a shot at the muscular mutant. But the mutant was massive and thick-skinned; the bullet struck his shoulder, only splattering blood, and he felt no pain whatsoever. He continued charging towards Jason, roaring, "It's useless! This little injury is nothing to me!"
Jason quickly dodged to the side, the mutant's fist grazing his chest before striking the vehicle behind him with a loud crash. The car door was dented, and debris flew everywhere. "Such strength!" Jason's heart tightened, and he immediately raised his hand and fired, hitting the mutant in the chest again. The mutant groaned and staggered back a few steps, but still didn't fall, his eyes growing even more ferocious.
Just then, the slender, exceptionally agile mutant suddenly flashed, appearing behind one of the team members like a ghost. He raised his fist and slammed it into the team member's back. The team member screamed and collapsed heavily to the ground, incapacitated. "So fast!" another team member shouted, immediately turning to fire, but the mutant easily dodged the shot. The bullet struck the wall, sending up a spray of gravel.
"Everyone be careful, this mutant is very fast, don't fight him head-on!" Lynn shouted, firing at the muscular mutant while keeping an eye on the thin mutant to prevent him from ambushing the team again.
The scarred mutant also moved. With a wave of his hands, several thin black vines suddenly sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Lynn and his team. "I didn't expect this guy could control plants!" Lynn was startled and immediately dodged to the side. The vines grazed his ankles and wrapped around the street lamp behind him, tightly binding it and snapping it in two in an instant.
"These mutants' abilities are even more bizarre than the ones we've encountered before!" Jason shouted to Lynn while dodging attacks from the burly mutants. "We can't keep playing defensively anymore; we have to take the initiative and subdue them as soon as possible!"
“Understood!” Lynn nodded, his eyes hardening. He aimed at the mutant’s knee, whose arm was thick, and pulled the trigger repeatedly. The bullets struck the mutant’s knee precisely. The mutant let out a piercing scream, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, unable to stand again. “Take care of this power type first, then deal with the other two!”
The team members immediately sprang into action, concentrating their fire on the emaciated mutant. The mutant was incredibly fast, weaving through the bullets, constantly dodging attacks while simultaneously launching sneak attacks on the team members. Two team members, caught off guard, were hit and wounded, falling to the ground, yet still gripping their guns tightly, continuing to fire at the mutant. (End of Chapter)