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

I don't know if it's because Silver Peak's gang got thwarted and it felt satisfying, or if Bigfoot and Moonboy, those two hairy guys, just got along naturally.

The stove in the checkpoint's small canteen was burning brightly.

The sizzling sound of the fat dripping from the roasted venison onto the iron plate filled the room with the aroma of meat.

Snowbird had two more hot dishes added and invited Stephen Chow, Darwin, and the Moon Boy to sit down.

Stephen Chow, who had initially maintained a bit of the airs of a multinational agent, turned red to the tips of his ears after downing his first glass of vodka. He rolled up his sleeves and slammed his hand on the table.

"Comrade Snowbird, we absolutely have to talk about this!"

The snowbird's hand, holding a cup of hot tea, froze in mid-air, and the Bigfoot monster, who was painstakingly picking bones from a cow beside it, also stopped.

Stephen Chow paid no attention to any of this; he pointed to the window covered in frost flowers.

"In this terrible weather, your Alpha esports team is supposed to be an official organization!"

"Such a big port is left with only the two of you guarding it? Are you treating our employees like stone lions at the gate?"

"Exploiting employees to the point of risking their lives is outrageous! In our area, we'd submit a formal complaint to higher authorities, and it'd be highlighted in bold red!"

Snowbird looked at him for two seconds, her eyes filled with barely suppressed helplessness.

She put the teacup back on the table and pressed her fingertips to her temples.

"We take turns, and this week it's Walter's and my turn."

"Walter?"

Stephen Chow turned his head to look at Bigfoot.

"Oh, so your name is Walter. That's a good name, like the kind that can pick up a bad guy, shake him a couple of times, and then drop out a few pistols and half a bag of cookies."

Bigfoot put the bone down, scratched behind his ear with his big fingers, and didn't understand whether it was a compliment or an insult.

Stephen Chow has already taken advantage of the situation.

"What about the other comrades? Do they work a lot of overtime? Do they get night shift allowances? Does the canteen provide venison? Do they get hand cream in winter?"

"Let me be frank with you two, we recruit exceptional talent from around the world year-round. Staffing quotas don't discriminate by nationality, and the glory of labor knows no skin color!"

"If you're thinking of leaving together, I'll personally cover all the international relocation expenses. I can also look into family arrangements, and we can even discuss things like schooling for the kids and medical care for the elderly."

Darwin covered his face in despair.

He wished he could shrink himself into a ball and roll out from between the chairs.

Sitting at the same table as this guy is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me.

Snowbird skipped over that string of recruitment nonsense.

She pushed a cup of tea in front of Zhou Xingxing, the bottom of the cup tapping lightly on the table.

It means to make him shut up while he drinks tea.

The other end of the table, however, presents a completely different style.

Bigfoot and Moon Boy, two hairy, burly men, huddled together, shoulder to shoulder, looking like long-lost kin who had finally met their secret code.

Bigfoot grabbed a thick deer leg bone that smelled of roasted meat and shoved it into Moon Boy's hand.

"Eat more, you're at the stage of growing taller. Your black hair is so shiny and smooth, what conditioner do you usually use?"

The Moon Boy took the heavy leg bone and took a big bite.

He tore off a large piece of meat and tendons, chewed it until his mouth was full of oil, and grinned foolishly.

"Let's wash with the river water from our hometown!"

"The little fish in the river will come and help, eating away the mud and bugs on your body. It's so refreshing!"

Bigfoot nodded thoughtfully.

"A combination of all-natural spa treatments and biological cleaning sounds quite sophisticated. I'll try it on a clean river sometime; maybe I can save some money on hair conditioner."

The Moon Boy nodded repeatedly, as if he had found someone who truly knew what he was talking about.

All he wanted to do now was finish his meal quickly and get on the road, to escape this place that was turning into a hair care exchange meeting.

"Alright, you can set off now."

The snowbirds finally broke the strange harmony.

She put down her teacup, picked up a brown paper folder with a maple leaf logo, and pushed it across the table.

"But you'd better behave yourselves in Canada."

The snowbird regained its composure.

"If you cause any trouble, we will find you immediately."

Stephen Chow sprang up from his chair and stood ramrod straight, raising his right hand to his forehead and giving a proper salute.

"Rest assured, leaders, we will resolutely abide by local laws and regulations, protect the environment, avoid causing trouble for the organization or the public, and never engage in transnational illegal or disorderly conduct."

Snowbird ignored his banter.

"Continue south along this road until you report to the headquarters in Whitehorse City."

Stephen Chow paused for a moment, then reached for the folder and opened it.

Inside was a map and a simple pass.

"What are we doing at your headquarters? Are you treating us to a celebratory drink because we've had a long and tiring journey?"

"Our leader wants to see you."

The snowbird looked at him.

"You'll be told what it is when you get there."

Stephen Chow held the pass and examined it repeatedly.

"I'm willing to come to your place, but my appearance fee isn't cheap. According to our rules, I'll flip the table if this kind of cross-border business negotiation is less than four dishes and one soup."

"The headquarters canteen provides meals, and the standards are quite high."

"make a deal!"

Stephen Chow agreed with such decisiveness and efficiency.

Darwin, watching from the side, was itching to curse under his breath.

"Your backbone is like the snowdrift at the door; it melts away as soon as the sun comes out."

"What do you know?"

Stephen Chow raised his chin.

"That's called 'a wise person adapts to circumstances'!"

"You, a lone wolf, have no idea what a big picture is. They've extended a warm invitation; if I were to hesitate, wouldn't that hurt the feelings of our international friends?"

"What are you standing there for? Get to work! Go start our luxury car!"

Darwin ground his teeth and pushed open the door without a word.

A few minutes later, the old RV spewed out exhaust fumes and its wheels rolled over the thick snow onto the road.

The atmosphere in the warm carriage was quite pleasant.

The Moon Boy was fast asleep, clutching the enormous bone given to him by Bigfoot, his soft snores carrying a contented rhythm.

Stephen Chow was still sitting in the passenger seat.

The group's representatives had barely left when their headquarters here extended an invitation.

It seems that the invisible key in my hand can open far more than just one door.

"White Horse City Headquarters... Xiao Da, step on the gas, let's go deliver warmth to our friendly nation!"

Darwin stared at the snowstorm through his cornea and cursed impatiently.

"You'd better shut up!"

"I'll just drive you to Los Angeles, and once we get there, I'll buy a plane ticket back to my home in Alaska!"

The entrance to the checkpoint.

The snowbird stood in the wind, watching the RV shrink into a black dot in the snow.

This guy...

They were just chased all over the snowfield by Yin Feng, but they dared to set their sights on the headquarters canteen and even tried to take the Alpha team away with them.

That's outrageously audacious.

That's quite interesting.