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

Stephen Chow squatted by the sofa, holding a butcher knife in his hand, the blade still glistening with oil.

"What are you doing with that knife?" Polaris turned his head warily.

"Retrieve the chip."

"You used a butcher's knife to perform surgery on me?"

Polaris raised her voice; if it weren't for her current position, she would have let the knife shove into Stephen Chow's nostril right then and there.

"Don't worry, my knife can cut through the membrane of the pork kidneys without breaking it; it's all about precision and minimally invasive surgery."

Stephen Chow flicked his finger at the blade, causing it to vibrate and hum.

"Back in the day at the market, Mr. Wang, who sells pork kidneys, offered me a thousand yuan for this knife, but I refused."

"Those are my dearest relatives and friends, my brothers and sisters."

"Shut up!"

Seeing that the patient was emotionally unstable, Zhou Xingxing sighed, tucked the butcher knife back into his waistband, and casually took out a small knife from his pocket.

"Alright, since you have a prejudice against traditional crafts, then let's use fine tools."

Polaris was biting the sofa cushion.

"hurry up."

"Don't be nervous, take a deep breath."

Stephen Chow rotated his wrist to loosen his joints.

"I'll first use air to seal off your local blood vessels, which is equivalent to physical general anesthesia, ensuring that not too much blood is drawn."

The soft-serve ice cream asked quietly.

"Do you need it disinfected?"

Stephen Chow pulled out half a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

"A national staple liquor, a medical disinfectant, a battle-ready beverage, and a social icebreaker all in one."

"It won't cause headaches when drunk, and it won't cause infection when applied externally."

Polaris almost jumped off the sofa.

"If you dare pour me any more wine, I'll kill you!"

Stephen Chow regretfully took back the bottle.

"If the patient is uncooperative, treatment will be very difficult."

Soft Ice Cream tucked the sheets back in, her fingertips trembling.

This was the first time she had participated in something as an assistant.

Stephen Chow pressed down with his fingertips, and the knife made a cut along the skin.

The movement was extremely fast; Polaris felt only a light prick from a needle.

With a flick of the blade, a tiny chip the size of a grain of rice detached from the flesh.

The chip is wrapped in a gray material, and its surface flashes with red dots.

"Found it."

The tracking chip lies in Stephen Chow's palm.

Polaris got dressed and sat up from the sofa.

"Crush it."

Stephen Chow glanced at her.

"Crushing it would be such a waste."

"That thing stayed inside my body for a year!"

"That's why you absolutely cannot crush it."

Stephen Chow said seriously.

"It has been working in your body for a year, which means it has stable quality, excellent battery life, and reliable signal strength."

"It's rare for a US military product to be usable; directly destroying it doesn't conform to the principle of resource recycling."

The soft-serve ice cream standtally to the side, holding its paper bucket, and asks a question.

"So what do you want to do?"

Stephen Chow held the chip above his head, aiming it at the light.

"Let it continue to shine and give off warmth."

Polaris squinted.

"You're going to use it to fish for Stryker?"

Stephen Chow shook his head.

"I call this grassroots research."

"What are you researching?"

"Investigating the contradictory relationship between the security environment of American gangs and the military's outsourced pursuit system."

Speak like a human.

"Find some unlucky guy and stuff him in there, then let Stryker chase after him."

Zhou Xingxing walked to the window and looked down. Several thugs from the Black Snake Gang were still lying on the side of the street.

After being dealt with by Number One, very few survived.

Most of the men who came carrying gasoline cans to collect protection money are now gone.

A bald thug clutched his severed arm, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number with trembling hands.

Stephen Chow pointed at him.

"Let's choose him."

Polaris frowned.

"He was so scared he almost peed his pants."

"Poor mental resilience is not an excuse to avoid employment."

Stephen Chow put the chip into a plastic bag and sealed it.

"Doesn't the Black Snake Gang like to collect protection money?"

"Now we'll arrange a protective post for him."

The soft-serve ice cream asked in a low voice.

"What position?"

Zhou Xingxing said earnestly.

"Stryker's Attention Buddy."

Polaris looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"You're a madman."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"But now we need to pack our things and get out of here quickly."

The soft-serve ice cream froze. "Now?"

"What else? Wait for Stryker to send a second, a third, and a fourth one to your house for a tea party?"

Stephen Chow walked to the door, looked down at the split door panel, and then turned back to stare at the soft-serve ice cream.

"Identity documents, cash, personal clothing, important keepsakes, pack them up within five minutes."

"Don't bring the ice cream bucket."

The soft-serve ice cream instinctively hugged the tub tightly: "I bought this tub for three dollars."

Stephen Chow was filled with respect, saying, "Frugality and thrift are excellent qualities."

"Comrade Xiaoruan, you already possess the basic qualities required for employment in a grassroots unit."

Five minutes later, the three walked out of room 604.

Polaris is wearing an old jacket and jeans she found in a soft-serve ice cream parlor. The fit is tight, making her legs look taut.

Stephen Chow's eyes had only been glancing over for half a second.

"Let's see what the fees are."

"I'm checking if your gait is abnormal after the chip was removed."

Stephen Chow said righteously, "Do you understand post-operative observation? Our company cares about the physical and mental health of our female colleagues."

In the corridor, the rusty water pipes creaked and groaned.

Stephen Chow stared straight ahead.

"Recovering well, with excellent mobility, and able to participate in light physical labor."

The soft-serve ice cream carries a canvas bag and holds an ice cream bucket.

As she approached the stairwell, she stopped, turned around, and looked towards the apartment.

"Reluctant to part with it?"

The soft-serve ice cream lowered its head.

"It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it."

"I'm constantly moving; every time it's an escape."

My adoptive parents don't want me anymore, I'm running away.

"I was kicked out by the landlord and had to escape."

"My neighbors found out I'm a mutant, so I ran away."

"This is the place where I've lived the longest."

Polaris stood to the side, saying nothing.

She understands that feeling.

They were transferred to foster families, lived in temporary shelters, went to police stations, and entered laboratories.

There is no door in the world that, once opened, will have someone tell her that this is her room.

Stephen Chow was silent for a second.

Then he took out a piece of paper with the note for compensation written on it from his pocket, thought for a moment, and added a few more lines on the back.

He stuck the paper to the door frame of room 604 and held it in place with tape.

Look over at the soft-serve ice cream.

It says:

The original resident of this house has been transferred due to joining a key overseas infrastructure project.

The door panel is damaged and needs to be reimbursed.

For any debt disputes, please contact the temporary overseas office of the Seventh Urban and Rural Infrastructure Construction Team.

Note: The Black Snake Gang's protection fee is an illegal charge; it is recommended that you cancel it yourself.

Signed: Ling Lingqi.

The soft-serve ice cream was looking at the paper.

She knew that the piece of paper had no legal effect, and that the phone number might not even be reachable.

"Hey, hey, don't cry."

"I'm most afraid of women crying."

"If you cry, I might make a mistake when I submit my expense report."

"If I write your three dollars as three hundred dollars, Director Wang can send me to guard a border post."

He pulled his felt hat down and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

"What are you standing there for?"

"Let's go, let's hurry downstairs and deliver that bald guy's secure job; he'll be out of luck if we're late."

Polaris watched his nonchalant back as his guarded figure receded slightly. She tilted her head gently towards the soft-serve ice cream who was still wiping away tears.

"Let's go."

His tone was calm and unsarcastic.