American comic: From Beijing with Love, starting with a mutant.

Darwin pulled his hand back as if he had been electrocuted.

"No, who are you? Who's involved in disaster relief?"

The bald man shook his shiny head like a rattle-drum. "I'm telling you, don't come any closer! I have a severe case of stress disorder. When I get angry, I'll even bite a tin can. One bite and I could tear half of your suit sleeve off!"

Stephen Chow clicked his tongue.

Why are the current overseas high-end technical talents so backward in their thinking?

They have absolutely no ambition to actively participate in infrastructure construction.

"Don't be nervous. We're all here to sell our labor, so we should strive for fair trade. If you don't believe me, ask your mom. I'm someone who values ​​the business environment and the spirit of contracts the most."

Margaret ignored him completely, busying herself with poking at the firewood in the fireplace, making it crackle and pop.

Harry, the old hunting dog lying on the floor next to me, rolled over, belly up, and started gurgling in his throat, clearly not wanting to talk to anyone.

The scene was very embarrassing.

"Alright, it's our first meeting, so I understand your wariness." Zhou Xingxing casually stuffed the contract back into his inner pocket, rolled up his suit sleeves, and immediately set his sights on the canvas bag Darwin had brought back.

"As the saying goes, 'Man is made of iron, food is steel; you'll feel uneasy if you skip a meal.' Today's welcome dinner is a special expense approved by the Talent Introduction Office of our 749th Bureau! Today, I'll show you what the value of a specially hired head chef from the Logistics Department really means!"

Half an hour later.

The iron pot was bubbling and steaming.

A can of luncheon meat, two handfuls of aged oats, and half a dehydrated onion dug out of the old lady's cellar were stewed by Stephen Chow into an overpowering aroma that didn't belong to this extremely cold place.

Stephen Chow filled a large bowl to the brim and slammed it down in front of Darwin.

"Try it, our uniquely made, soul-stirring stewed meat paste."

Darwin swallowed.

He had run all the way through the blizzard, and his physical strength was greatly depleted. By now, his stomach was rumbling with hunger.

But he still stared warily at the bottom of the bowl, fearing that there might be a miniature listening device or a contract of servitude hidden inside.

"Eat up, are you afraid I'll poison you?" Stephen Chow picked up a bowl and slurped down a big mouthful.

"Our bureau's financial reimbursement audits are extremely strict. Even buying rat poison requires a formal invoice. Where am I supposed to get poison to entertain you?"

"Let me be honest with you, you know Charles Xavier, right? I was sitting in his basement drinking instant coffee just the other day!"

Darwin had just taken a small sip of the meat paste with the tip of his spoon when he heard the name. He shuddered, choked on the paste, and coughed until his face turned bright red.

"You know those jinxed X-Men? Stay away from me! The further the better! Wherever they go, the world collapses!"

"I finally found a place where even bears find it too cold to live, so don't spread your bad luck of stepping on a landmine as soon as you go out to me!"

"Perspective! Look at you, you're back to your old ways. Why can't you broaden your horizons? Working for that old bald guy is like a street brawl with no job security, no base salary, and no labor law protections! If you win, there's no bonus; if you lose, you have to go to a small clinic for stitches! Do you think working for me is the same? Free meals and accommodation, year-end bonus into your personal account, and holiday benefits! Do you understand the seven insurances and three funds? Do you understand statutory holidays and weekends off?"

"I'm not going."

Darwin kept to himself and ate his meal with unwavering determination.

"I'm quite comfortable being freezing in the Arctic. There are no Strykers or sentries here. I can visit my mom occasionally and bring her some food. Life is so comfortable."

"Comfortable my foot! What you're doing is lacking long-term career planning and wasting your prime years..."

"Say it again and I'll bite you." Darwin looked up, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

Stephen Chow opened his mouth, then finally sighed.

"Alright, let's stay friendly even if the deal falls through. Forced relationships are never sweet; it might quench your thirst, but I don't care."

He listlessly picked at the onions in his bowl, his heart bleeding.

What a great tanky guy...

For the next three days.

The wind and snow outside gradually subsided, but the atmosphere inside the house grew more and more eerie each day.

Stephen Chow, with the salesman spirit of "as long as I am annoying enough, you will eventually give in", bombards Darwin's bald head with a full-range, 360-degree mental bombardment from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning until the lights are turned off at midnight.

"Hey bro, seriously not interested? Our department just released some new thermal underwear."

"Bro, your skills are perfect for cleaning pipes at a nuclear power plant. The salary is negotiable."

Darwin was going crazy.

On the morning of the fourth day, it was just getting light.

The bald man slung his empty canvas bag over his shoulder and gave Margaret a quick hug.

"Mom, I really have to go now. I'll come back to see you in a couple of months when the weather gets warmer. The feng shui in this house is bad; something unclean has gotten in. If I listen to him nagging for another two days, my brain stem will shrink."

Margaret pushed up her glasses, a hint of amusement in her eyes, patted his shoulder, and said nothing.

Darwin had barely stepped out of the cabin and into the knee-deep snow when he was left, not even having a chance to breathe in the free and cold air.

Someone pressed against my back.

"Hey, up so early, buddy? Where are you headed? Perfect timing, we're on the same route!"

When Darwin turned around, he was almost blinded by Stephen Chow's radiant smile.

"Why are you following me?!" the bald man yelled in frustration. "I haven't even signed a contract, and you're still trying to kidnap me?!"

"Look at what you're saying," Zhou Xingxing said matter-of-factly, tightening his suit jacket.

"Everyone goes their own way. Does this Alaskan snowfield have your name on it? Besides, I don't have GPS. Don't I need to find a local to guide me in this wilderness? Don't worry, I will never mention work to you."

Darwin turned his head away through gritted teeth and quickened his pace.

"Hey, slow down, wait for me! This snow is too thick, it'll ruin your leather shoes..."

Stephen Chow followed behind, his mouth never stopping.

The two trekked across the vast snowfield for nearly two hours.

Stephen Chow was still analyzing whether bringing Old Harry back to China would be considered importing a high-quality foreign dog breed.

Suddenly, a low, rumbling sound came from behind the distant mountain ridge.

Darwin stopped and looked up at the gray sky.

Two dark figures broke through the clouds and sped toward them.

"It's a helicopter!" Darwin breathed a sigh of relief. "Could it be a search and rescue team? Great, now that you're all packed up and sent away, I can finally have some peace and quiet."

Stephen Chow didn't respond.

He squinted, his gaze piercing through the wind and snow to fix on the belly of the leading black heavy helicopter.

A silver mountain-shaped logo was printed there.

Comrade Zhou's face fell.

He knows that logo all too well.

I've seen this thing more than once in Las Vegas.

"Search and rescue my ass!"

Stephen Chow grabbed Darwin by the back of the neck and shoved him into a deep snow pit.

"Those are people from the Silver Peak Consortium! If you don't want to be turned into a specimen for experiments, you'd better shut up!"