At just past six in the evening, on one of New York City's many crowded highways, an SUV with red and blue lights flashing on its roof weaved its way rapidly forward.

"Hospital?"

Hearing Chenier's words, Reesi in the passenger seat silently fastened her seatbelt and quickly asked:

"What happened there?"

"There's a survivor who has just woken up."

Chenier indicated that the scene of the explosion was at a design company closely related to women's cosmetics and women's clothing.

The package bomb exploded, instantly killing 5 people and severely injuring 8 others who are currently undergoing emergency surgery in the hospital; nearly 20 people sustained minor injuries and were admitted for treatment.

The survivor mentioned by Chenier was one of the eight severely injured. She introduced her saying:

"The survivor is a female designer who said the explosion was an act of retaliation."

"Retaliation?!"

Reesi's expression turned grave, looking up at Luo An. Luo An remained composed but, since he couldn't use his phone while driving, instead asked directly:

"What exactly happened?"

"This female designer is named Mary, and one of her male colleagues is Carlton. He was the victim sitting in the middle of the office, opening the package bomb when it exploded and scattered his remains everywhere."

Chenier went into a less crowded area over the phone and explained:

"Mary said that Carlton was a staunch gun advocate, believing that owning guns was a sacred and inviolable fundamental right of the people."

"Wow."

Luo An raised his eyebrows without speaking, while Reesi's mouth curled into a smile as if something occurred to her, asking:

"So, did this Carlton have conflicts with any anti-gun organizations or groups?"

"Correct."

Chenier replied:

"Carlton worked normally during office hours but would engage in debates with some anti-gun organizations after work.

Because he was knowledgeable and articulate, many anti-gun organizations couldn't out-argue him, so he ended up on many of their blacklists."

"That's really... a talent."

Reesi smacked her lips, unsure of what to say. Luo An overtook another car while driving the SUV and asked:

"Didn't the design company warn Carlton about these issues?"

"No, you know, 'freedom of speech.'"

Chenier laughed and said:

"Additionally, Carlton was one of the top designers at that company, nearly single-handedly responsible for an eighth of its business. There's no way he could have been fired."

"That's because you haven't seen 'rational optimization.'"

Luo An said offhandedly and then asked:

"Does Miss Mary have any specific suspects or organizations in mind?"

"Yes, and quite a few."

Chenier answered:

"I've already recorded a list of them."

"Remember to send the list to Mona later."

Luo An nodded in appreciation of Chenier's work, then Reesi hung up the phone.

Leaving the center of New York City, the road became less congested and the SUV's speed increased even more. Reesi stared at the swiftly receding street lights and pondered before asking:

"The anti-gun organizations Chenier mentioned seem to have nothing to do with you, Luo An. If the killer really is one of those people, why would they leave a piece of paper with your name at the scene of the explosion?"

"That's why I said before, it's highly likely they were targeting me."

Luo An's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke:

"It seems that person wants me to handle this case."

Reesi's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this:

"But what would their motive be for doing this? Could it really be to tarnish your reputation?"

Luo An didn't respond to Reesi, his mind racing with myriad thoughts, considering another possibility.

The SUV sped along, and after twenty-five minutes, Luo An and Reesi finally caught sight of the bus.

Seeing the bus ahead, Reesi had already removed the red and blue flashing lights from the roof, and Luo An drove the SUV slowly behind, careful not to draw the target's attention.

It wasn't long before the bus arrived at the rest stop ahead. The driver brought it to a gentle stop at the side of the road, stood up, and turned to shout at the passengers:

"We're at the rest area, everyone!

The bus will stop here for ten minutes. I need to check the vehicle, and you can get off to breathe some fresh air or use the restroom at the end to take care of your personal hygiene!"

"OK!"

"I'm exhausted..."

"Finally, I can use the restroom..."

The passengers inside the bus got off one after another, taking their personal belongings with them to rest.

The folk customs of the federal citizens are rather simple, and no one dared to leave their valuables directly on their seats.

Meanwhile, at another parking spot not too far away, Luo An and Reesi, having checked their firearms and ammunition, opened the door and stepped out of the SUV.

Behind the bus, a white man with disheveled, graying hair, wearing a brown jacket, carrying a travel bag in his left hand, and with a frail figure had just come down from the bus and was fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette, ready to smoke one to relieve his fatigue.

It was at that moment, the frail white man suddenly noticed the change in the expressions of some other passengers nearby; some even started to run away. He hurriedly turned back to see what had happened.

Bang—

The next second, a tremendous force suddenly came from behind. The frail white man only felt a pang of pain in his back, then uncontrollably stumbled forward.

Luo An sprinted forward swiftly, kicking the target, Ham Mark, to the ground, while Reesi quickly followed suit, pulling out handcuffs. She grabbed his hands, cuffed them together, and pressed her knee hard against his back:

"FBI! Don't move!"

"Fu-k!"

Pinned to the ground, Ham Mark's face turned crimson with rage as he struggled and cursed loudly:

"Let go of me! Let go of me now!

I'm telling you, there's a bomb in my bag!

If you don't release me immediately, we'll all die together!"

Hearing the word 'bomb', Reesi's face turned white, and bystanders who had been watching from a distance thought of riding in a bus with a bomb for so long; they broke out in a cold sweat and screamed as they ran in all directions:

"Run! There's a bomb!"

"Help!"

In the blink of an eye, everyone but the three around Luo An had vanished without a trace.

Glancing at the travel bag on the ground not far away, Reesi swallowed hard and looked nervously at Luo An:

"What do we do?"

"Release me quickly!"

With a sneer, Ham Mark yelled out:

"If you don't let me go, we'll all go to Heaven together!"

"Don't even think about Heaven; Hell might be more fitting for you."

Unlike the tense Reesi, Luo An was calm as he holstered his gun. He answered Ham Mark dismissively and gave Reesi a reassuring look before walking step by step towards the travel bag.

The travel bag was entirely black, with two straps hanging loosely on either side. The word 'bomb' brought beads of sweat to Reesi's forehead, and the onlookers at a distance had faces full of tension.

Watching Luo An squat down by the bag and slowly unzip it, everyone held their breath.

Seconds ticked away, and Luo An quickly finished checking, then looked up with a smile, saying to everyone's tense gaze:

"No bomb. It's just clothes, food, and cash."

"Phew—"

Reesi let out a huge sigh of relief. Onlookers at a distance also unclenched their fists and eased their anxious hearts. They looked at Luo An admiringly.

Even knowing Luo An was an FBI agent, the fact that he had the courage to approach a potential bomb with no protective measures was still quite shocking.

"Congratulations, Mr. Ham Mark."

Throwing the travel bag to Reesi, Luo An pulled Ham Mark up from the ground and chuckled:

"You're under arrest."