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

The next day, Stephen Chow walked to the wooden house and pushed open the door, but no one was inside.

When they went around to the backyard, they found Wolverine shirtless, chopping wood. With one swing of his axe, the pine log split in two.

The stack of firewood next to them was already taller than a person.

"Hey buddy, I have to go now. Stay here and don't harm any protected animals!" Stephen Chow shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Otherwise, I can't protect you if you end up in jail!"

"Okay, bring me some cigars next time you come."

"Quite a few demands. The convenience store here only has Red Plum cigarettes. Take it or leave it," Zhou Xingxing muttered as he turned and left.

As I walked through the snow to the mountainside, two bars of signal appeared on my phone screen.

Stephen Chow couldn't wait to dial the Smurf's number.

"Hey there! Yeah, yeah, I'm suffering in the woods! Send a car to pick me up! I'll treat you to a double-sugar taro boba!"

"I'm not coming."

Stephen Chow put his phone away and checked the screen to make sure he hadn't dialed the wrong number.

"What are you doing? Trying to rebel? Refusing a ride with your direct supervisor? Don't you know any workplace etiquette?"

Edith's burping voice came from the other end of the phone: "Director Wang said that if you dare to rip me off for transportation expenses, he'll cut off my two thousand yuan milk tea subsidy. So bye-bye."

"beep!"

The phone call ended, and Zhou Xingxing stood there. The north wind blew up two pine needles, which hit him on the face with a thud.

......

More than twenty hours later, at the 749th Bureau Courtyard in a hutong in Beijing.

Zhou Xingxing pushed open the courtyard gate and shouted, "Comrades! Your beloved Director Zhou is back! Hurry up and boil water and make tea to welcome our guest!"

No one paid him any attention; the courtyard was unusually quiet.

Stephen Chow slid into the east wing, where it was empty and the bed was neatly made.

He rushed into the small hut next to the water room, but the humidifier had stopped and everyone had disappeared.

Even the gerbil that grinds its teeth in the corner all day long can't be caught at all.

Stephen Chow's Adam's apple bobbed. He'd only been gone a few days. Including travel time, it hadn't even been a week.

Could it be that all the team I painstakingly brought back from across the ocean has run away?

A mass defection?

This is a huge responsibility; it could potentially lead to a military court-martial.

Seeing that things were going badly, Zhou Xingxing rushed towards the 749 headquarters.

"Bang!"

He kicked open the wooden door. Director Wang was holding an enamel mug; with a flick of his wrist, a few goji berries spilled from the rim of the mug.

"Don't you know any rules? Can't you knock before coming in? If the door's broken, I'll deduct it from your paycheck!"

Zhou Xingxing, hands on the desk, exclaimed, "Chief! Where are they?! All the people I went through so much trouble to bring back from overseas have vanished into thin air?!"

"What?" Director Wang scoffed. "Without you, Zhou Xingxing, would Bureau 749 have come to a standstill?"

With that, he pulled a stack of documents stamped with a red seal from his drawer and slammed them on the table. "Open your eyes and take a look! You really think I sit in my office drinking tea all day?"

Zhou Xingxing grabbed the document and opened it to the first page, which had Harry Kane's name on it.

A passport-sized photo of Harry Kane is pasted in the upper right corner.

In the photo, Harry has a buzz cut and is wearing neat blue overalls, looking like an honest and unassuming fitter.

Job placement: Water quality inspector in a special engineering team under the Ministry of Water Resources.

Director Wang, with a stern face, said, "That kid's abilities are underwater breath-holding and tasting toxins. What's he doing in the yard? As a water filter?"

"The South-to-North Water Diversion Project's central route is stuck on the exploration of underground rivers; any underwater robots that go down there would be rendered useless. Let him put on a diving suit and go down there to investigate; he'll understand the water quality risks and chemical composition just by tasting it!"

He turned to the second page.

Luke Shaw.

Job placement: Specially appointed observer at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

"That kid has insect wings on his back and is more sensitive to the smell of pesticides than a police dog."

Director Wang crossed his arms and said, "We are currently arranging for senior experts to treat his burns. Once his wings have grown back, we will hang him directly at the National Forest Fire Prevention Command Center for high-altitude patrols and pest and disease detection."

Stephen Chow swallowed hard. "You're not even letting the injured go... You've got a better plan than I do!"

Director Wang glared at him: "What nonsense! This is called realizing the value of labor! Let them earn their living through their real skills! Who dares to treat them like monsters? Keep reading!"

Stephen Chow rubbed the pages between his fingers and then turned the page.

Martha Barton.

Job placement: Special consultant and logistics manager for the Northwest Desertification Control and Afforestation Project Team.

"The survival rate of crops on tens of millions of acres of yellow sand in Northwest China has always been a major problem. Masha's skill is like a natural super water-retaining agent!"

"Let her guide the restoration of dryland areas and also serve as the logistics manager for the project team. She'll have hot meals, someone to soothe the young people's emotions, and she can still achieve results!"

This is brilliant; it completely exploits the unique characteristics of the system to squeeze out all the mutant traits.

Stephen Chow turned to the last page. The underage girl, Nina Stewart, could see the red lines of death and the black lines of pursuit on other people.

Job placement: Specially appointed risk warning consultant (internship) at the Security Department of Bureau 749 Headquarters.

Director Wang picked up his water bottle and took a sip: "She's still a minor, and her psychological trauma is severe. She'll stay in the bureau to work on security and early warning systems. Once she receives psychological counseling, she can be moved to major projects to provide advance risk assessments. That's called tiered training!"

Stephen Chow closed the file and nodded in approval: "Where's that sleazy guy?"

He didn't see Miguel the gerbil's name on the document.

Director Wang's lips twitched, and he snorted, "That thief who stole the cafeteria's steamed buns? I packed him up and airlifted him to the Tiankeng in Guizhou!"

"Go to that construction site with the toad man?"

"Exactly!" Director Wang slammed his hand on the table. "Isn't he fond of digging holes in the ground? Isn't he fast at digging? Old Mo is up there setting up the safety net, and he's in charge of drilling anchor bolts at the bottom of the pit! There aren't even any extra wires in that area! Let's see where he can steal them!"

He glanced sideways at Stephen Chow. "What? You have a problem with the personnel arrangements?"

Stephen Chow stood at attention: "No objections! The leader has great foresight!"

When it comes to exploiting surplus value, this guy is the real master. Compared to him, all the villains in America are a bunch of idiots.

Seeing that the boss was in a good mood, Zhou Xingxing took out his crumpled train ticket, placed it on the table, rubbed his hands together, and smiled ingratiatingly: "Boss, since we all have bright futures ahead of us, could you please approve this train ticket?"

Director Wang stared at the train ticket, his eyes darkening: "You think I don't know you've been getting foot massages on the run? And now you dare ask the bureau for transportation expenses?"

Stephen Chow took a half step back: "I'm going to settle important foreign nationals! It's an in-depth investigation to gauge the situation at the grassroots level!"

"Get lost!" Director Wang sprang up from behind his desk, his right leg rising high in the air, creating a gust of wind. "Watch out, or I'll fly up and snap your dog's head off!"