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

[The previous chapter has been revised; the picture of Yukio has been changed, and more pictures have been added later. Feel free to take a look if you're interested~]

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Xuexu turned her head and stared at Zhou Xingxing, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

Stephen Chow chose to ignore it and reached out to pat the splinters off her shoulder.

"We're all decent people, why are you so hostile?" he drawled, his face full of helplessness.

"I was just asking about the Jin family's genealogy, why the big reaction?"

Yukio kept her lips tightly shut and remained silent.

What should I do...?

This woman has been trained to withstand pressure; she's a tough, unyielding piece of meat.

Should we go straight for the ultimate memory restoration technique?

inappropriate.

Old Jin is an unreasonable guy; if he ever holds a grudge later, he'll definitely use his steel claws to cut himself.

Since brute force won't work, we'll have to resort to some high-tech solutions.

"Fine, don't tell me then."

Stephen Chow pulled out his phone. "I'm a very democratic person. If you don't believe me, I'll have the person involved tell you himself."

The screen lit up, and Stephen Chow opened the "We Are a Loving Family" chat group.

Zhou Xingxing quickly searched and soon found a video file that had been uploaded just two hours earlier.

Upon opening the link, his face immediately darkened.

Ok!

I'm here in Japan acting like a coward and a high school student because of your petty affairs, and you, old man, actually have time to fish by the lake?!

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Zhou Xingxing shoved the screen right up to Xuexu's nose.

"Come on, open your eyes wide and look carefully."

A mocking glint flashed in Yukio's eyes, and she was about to close them and ignore it.

But when I caught a glimpse of that familiar, rugged face on the screen, I couldn't look away.

Stephen Chow noticed the change in her emotions.

"Did you look closely? Logan is living a much better life in China than I am. He eats braised pork every day and goes fishing every day."

Stephen Chow took his phone back, rubbed the screen on his trouser leg, and said, "Now, do you believe I'm checking your household registration?"

Yukio remained silent, simply turning her face away to avoid his gaze.

"If you still don't believe me, how about we make a video call to him right now and confront him?"

"Don't hit him!"

This reaction is very unusual.

Old Jin had clearly stated that back then, they had an unbreakable bond, someone who could trust each other with their backs and even had in-depth conversations.

This kind of confrontational emotion, as if encountering a mortal enemy, is highly abnormal.

"You can refuse to fight, but do you believe me or not?"

Yukio closed her eyes.

It took her more than ten seconds to nod.

"It's good that he's alive." Yukio opened her eyes again.

"But you'd better not let him show his face in front of me. If I see him, I will use all my skills to plunge a knife into his heart!"

Stephen Chow was genuinely shocked this time.

The plot took a completely different turn from his intelligence predictions.

"No, big sister, are you sure you've got something wrong?" Zhou Xingxing spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

"Old Jin said you two used to have a good relationship? How come it's suddenly turned into a bloody battle?"

"Good relationship?" Yukio scoffed.

"Did he tell you that we met on the street, fought side by side, and I was captivated by his wildness and strength? That we had a deep and unforgettable relationship?"

"He's just fooling himself! He only remembers the so-called heroic moments he wants to remember!"

Stephen Chow remained silent.

Yukio's hatred, mixed with extremely suppressed pain, didn't seem feigned.

"I grew up in the slums of Kansai," Yukio said in a hoarse voice.

"I was adopted by a blind old woman who ran a run-down izakaya (Japanese pub). When Logan wandered there, he was covered in blood and looked like a stray dog."

"My mother-in-law took him in. I stitched him up and watched his raw, bleeding wounds heal. That was the first time I had ever seen a mutant."

"I thought he was a hero who could protect us all."

"And then?" Stephen Chow squinted.

"Then, his pursuers arrived—a group of fully armed mercenaries."

"Logan was a formidable fighter; he tore those people to shreds. But he also went completely insane! He killed his way from one end of the street to the other, completely disregarding his surroundings and who was dying!"

"When he came to his senses, all the mercenaries were dead, but the entire neighborhood was destroyed."

"My mother-in-law's izakaya was hit by incendiary bombs fired by mercenaries. When I crawled out of the rubble and ran back, all I found was a charred piece of my cane."

"Logan stood in the fire, staring blankly at his claws. Then he turned around, said nothing, and walked alone into the snow. After that, he was completely forgotten."

Xuexu stared intently at Zhou Xingxing, her eyes bloodshot.

"Tell me, should I hate him?"

A blind old woman?

Kansai slums?

Fire at an izakaya?

The woman's despair and anger as she recounted this story were genuine.

If it were an ordinary person, they would most likely have been moved to tears.

Unfortunately, standing in front of her was the ace field agent of the 749th Bureau of China.

Stephen Chow reached out and touched his chin.

That unlucky old man, he really does bring disaster wherever he goes.

But that doesn't mean the woman in front of you is telling the truth.

Zhou Xingxing pulled a photo out of his pocket and waved it in front of Xuexu.

"You really could try to get an Oscar for Best Actress."

Upon seeing the photo, Yukio's angry expression vanished instantly.

In the photo, she is dressed in a traditional kimono, standing respectfully behind a serious-looking old man.

"Entered the Yashida family's assassin training camp at the age of eight, and became the personal bodyguard of the young lady, Mariko Yashida."

"Kansai slums? Blind old women? Dude, when you're writing a script, you should at least consider reality!"

"You don't even put your heart into a supporting role? That's ridiculous! I can't possibly give you a high score!"

"We're all just trying to make a living, so if we're going to put on an act, we have to go all the way!"

"When you were talking about the izakaya fire, you were really gritting your teeth."

"but!"

Stephen Chow raised one finger.

"His eyes held only hatred, not the despair of losing loved ones!"

"All you showed was hatred for Old Jin, not a trace of the grief and sorrow of the blind old woman's death!"

"Your facial expression was too exaggerated, but your body's trembling didn't keep up."

"Your performance in this scene... completely lacks depth!"

Yukio's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

What is this lunatic saying?

This is a life-or-death interrogation confrontation, and you're commenting on my acting?!

Stephen Chow shook his head, his face full of disappointment.

"With your exaggerated acting skills, if you were a background actor in Hengdian World Studios, the director wouldn't even give you a lunchbox!"

"At most, you'll get to play a minor role as a Song soldier who gets beaten to death as soon as he appears!"

"And it's the kind of thing where they don't even have a single line; they're just dragged off to feed the dogs!"

His true colors were exposed to his face, and he was pinned to the ground and brutally humiliated for his proud act of disguise.

His pride as an assassin was shattered.

"I kill you!!!"

Yukio let out a scream and twisted her body wildly like a mother leopard guarding her food, trying to break free of her restraints by dislocating her joints.

Stephen Chow chuckled and activated the Da Vinci-made, high-toughness, adaptive anomalous biological containment restraints.

The more Yukio struggled, the tighter the ropes binding her became.

Stephen Chow stood to the side, deep in thought.

Wenxi, that lousy thing, finally proved reliable for once. When we get back to China, I'll have to treat him to a pig's feet meal.

Stephen Chow took out his cigarette case, shook out a cigarette, and lit it.

"Phew~"

A bluish-white mist sprayed onto Yukio's face.

"I'm a very reasonable person."

Stephen Chow, with a cigarette between his fingers, said earnestly, "As long as you cooperate obediently, we'll be good friends."

"First question: When you were working for Logan back then, did you secretly become pregnant and give birth to a little Longhair for that old scoundrel?"

"Me?! To have his child?!?!"

Yukio collapsed hysterically.

"That furry monster that just pokes around with its claws, stinks all over, and has a mind full of destruction!"

"That beast who finds even taking a bath too much trouble! Smokes cheap cigars! Eats raw meat!"

"I'd rather commit seppuku! I'd rather be bitten to death by wild dogs! I'd rather look down on him!!!"

She yelled so hard that her spittle almost landed on Stephen Chow's face.

Zhou Xingxing showed no signs of anger. He placed two fingers of his right hand together on Xuexu's carotid artery, sensing the flow of blood and qi in her.

His pulse was rapid, without the nervous confusion one would have when lying.

A person's physiological reactions when they are extremely angry do not lie. Does this woman really think that Old Jin is disgusting?

He withdrew his hand.

The image of Old Jintou's slovenly behavior—picking his toes, picking his teeth, and spilling beer on his clothes—came to mind.

Stephen Chow nodded in deep agreement.

If it were him, and he had a daughter who brought this kind of guy home, he would be unable to resist splitting the guy in two with a butcher's knife.

But there are still doubts. Old Jin is not the kind of person who speaks carelessly.

There must have been physical intimacy between the two. Could it be... that Old Jin forced himself on her?

Or perhaps it was a case of starting something and then abandoning it?