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

Three days later, at dusk.

The off-road vehicle, covered in mud, was still bumping along the national highway.

Stephen Chow gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his black felt hat nearly hitting the roof of the car several times.

In the passenger seat, Storm was smiling as she scrolled through videos on her phone.

"Did you go overboard with the rain? That stretch of dirt road ahead is half flooded. I don't remember applying for the inland surfing project?"

"The meteorological bureau's advice was to cover the dry zone of the entire province. I was just faithfully fulfilling my duties as an expert, and all the areas that received rainfall were within the approved scope."

"I approved your rainfall, but I didn't approve your turning the Tarim Basin into a water park! Yesterday in Korla you almost flooded the experimental fields of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences."

"Almost, which means it didn't flood. Didn't you ask them to clear the drainage ditches around the experimental field beforehand? Why are you complaining now?"

"I was just worried about the car!"

"You can include it in your business trip expenses. The water accumulation on the roads in the project area caused vehicle pollution, which is a necessary expense incurred in the course of your mission."

"Huh? You've only been here three days, how come you've already learned how to handle finances? At this rate, with another fifteen days of training, you could be the deputy director of the office."

After arguing for a while and finding it still impossible to communicate, Storm decided to ignore him and swiped the screen to open a news report.

In the video, a reporter wearing a raincoat stands on the reservoir dam, braving the wind and rain to report loudly to the camera:

"The province has received its largest effective rainfall in nearly a decade! Many dried-up river systems on the edge of the Tarim Basin have started to flow again!"

"The meteorological department says this rainfall will completely alleviate the drought!"

Storm lowered her voice, glanced at Stephen Chow, and said with a smile, "They seem quite happy."

"How could I not be happy? The rain you've created in these three days is equivalent to ten years' worth of rainfall!"

Zhou Xingxing took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, glancing at the irrigation canals on both sides that were gradually returning to their original color.

Well done.

He couldn't calculate how many crops these rains would save, but the faces of those who received the rain in Shaliang Village remained in his mind.

The carriage fell silent.

Rain continuously pounded on the metal roof of the vehicle, and the tires occasionally kicked up two waves of mud.

"Smoking is fine, I don't object. But you'd better open the car window!"

Storm turned and glared at him. "The rain will come in. Besides, your act of throwing a cigarette butt just now clearly violated road sanitation regulations!"

"I was already dead before I even launched myself! Besides, there aren't any trash cans on the road!"

Stubborn as ever, Stephen Chow continued to make excuses for himself, saying, "I can't exactly put cigarette butts in my pocket and take them back as souvenirs, can I?"

"Tch, you previously said everyone here should follow the rules, so why should you, as an official, be an exception?"

"Of course not! So from now on, this bottle is your responsibility. International meteorological expert will also serve as the vehicle ashtray manager."

Storm snorted, put the empty bottle in the cup holder next to him, and looked out at the blurry wilderness.

The silence did not last long.

Storm whispered, "I used to believe that my powers were a curse. They made me different from the people around me, and they made me always have to be careful not to hurt anyone."

Stephen Chow lowered the car window slightly, letting the smoke drift out through the gap, without interrupting her.

"When I was homeless on the streets of Cairo, I only dared to steal to fill my stomach. I was chased one day and beaten the next; I was lucky to survive."

"Later, Charles found me and told me that this was a rare talent. I shouldn't deny my existence just because others are afraid."

"We put on our uniforms to fight those who want to destroy the world, but after each battle, all that's left is ruins."

"When ordinary people see us, their eyes are always filled with wariness and fear."

Stephen Chow exhaled a puff of smoke and adjusted the steering wheel position with his hand.

"That's because they can't wrap their heads around it. This mutant threat theory is just nonsense!"

Storm turned her head and looked at the man in the driver's seat.

Magneto wants to turn everyone into mutants, and Stryker wants to eliminate all mutants.

"Charles wanted to find a peaceful balance between the two, but in the end neither succeeded."

"Because you went astray from the very beginning."

Stephen Chow stuffed the leftover cigarette butts into the empty bottle.

"What mutants? What ordinary people? Everyone needs to eat first! We're all laborers who have to work to make a living!"

"You brought rain to the village a few days ago, and the villagers thanked you by giving you walnuts and red dates. This is what it means to earn a reward for your labor."

"Do they care if you have the X gene? No, all they know is that you saved the crops."

Storm's mind flashed back to the scenes of flying over different counties over the past three days.

There were no screaming crowds or fleeing people, and no soldiers with guns drawn.

A farmer wearing a straw hat stood on the edge of the field, tilting her face up to welcome the rain, while others raised their arms and cheered at her.

This was something she had never experienced before.

"Stephen, do you plan everything out this thoroughly before you take any action?"

"We can't be too lenient! That Anton we transferred to finance, that's Ah Ji, Ji Liu's younger brother, that kid checks documents more thoroughly than he checks household registrations!"

Stephen Chow's teeth started to hurt when he talked about this.

Storm laughed out loud; this was the first time she had laughed so freely since leaving Xavier's School of Thought.

"Thank you, Stephen."

"Don't thank me, we're the ones who should thank you. But when you get back, you still have to memorize the employee handbook and take a closed-book exam."

"I will memorize it. I will also study the competency management regulations carefully. I have already looked at part of the attendance system and leave application process. The content is not difficult."

"That's not necessarily true! There are also confidentiality regulations, interdepartmental secondment rules, and safety guidelines for special skills operations at the back of the employee handbook, which add up to more than 300 pages."

"You memorized it?"

"I'm the field operations director! My role is primarily based on practical experience; opportunities for theoretical learning should be prioritized for new colleagues!"

"That means you haven't memorized it."

"Why be so serious? The leader is responsible for grasping the spirit, the secretary is responsible for grasping the content, and we can consult the legal department when we encounter specific problems."

Storm smiled silently, tapping her knee absently with her right hand.

"Charles taught us how to accept, but he failed to teach us how to live an ordinary life."

Stephen Chow stepped on the brakes, and the SUV slowed down in front of the mud pit.

He shifted into low gear, turned the steering wheel, and drove around the edge of the puddle.

"Old Cha has gotten himself into a rut. He's always thinking about saving all of humanity, and he's carrying too heavy a burden."

"Let's not do that. Let's set a small goal: to ensure everyone has work, food, and a place to live."

Storm pulled a bottle of mineral water from the car door compartment, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

"So he preferred to close the academy rather than face reality."

"Running away is shameful and utterly useless." Stephen Chow stepped on the gas, and the SUV picked up speed again: "You have to look forward, Little Ao."

I'm five years older than you.

"Alright, Sister Ao, now that you're with Bureau 749, we'll settle those old messes later."

"As long as I'm here, as long as Bureau 749 is here, no one will ever be able to drag you into the lab for dissection again!"

The rain outside the car gradually subsided, and the setting sun slanted down onto the wet road.

"You'll have plenty of big-scale work like this in the future, just don't complain about being tired."

"I won't feel tired."

"That sounds great! Shall we discuss salary and benefits when we get back?"

"Okay, as long as you don't take me to the next arid region under the guise of tourism."

"It depends on the actual situation... Our country has so many beautiful landscapes, we have to see them all..."

"Stephen."

"Okay, okay, I won't lie to you anymore. Next time, I'll send the official work letter in advance."

"That's right."

"Labor is the most glorious thing!"