The Missing Pet Is a Dinosaur

Beside him, Sasquatch nodded solemnly.

"That's right, we also need to check passing vehicles for any prohibited items."

Sasquatch

Sing Sing took the initiative to open the car door, came in front of the two, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Oh? It's Sister Snowbird and Brother Sasquatch! I've heard so much about you! My apologies! My admiration for you both is as boundless as a surging river!"

"Our car is a law-abiding vehicle, with all the necessary exit documents! The leaders can check it however they want; we'll cooperate fully!"

Completely unfazed by the flattery, the Snowbird nodded and said businesslike, "You're all in danger, especially you, you kept changing the subject."

Sing Sing raised his hands high and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm innocent, boss! I'm just an ordinary, poor man who works hard from dawn till dusk taking his family to the doctor!"

Sasquatch stared at him suspiciously, then turned to look at the Moon-Boy was sticking his head out of the car.

"This is called atavism? The thick, coarse body hair all over this body is even more exaggerated than my mutated body!"

Sing Sing quickly stepped forward to explain, "Oh! Don't be like that! This is a medical miracle; his hair follicles were working overtime right there in his stomach."

"Your imposing orange fur is distinctive, while his jet-black coat is a family trait; they're completely different."

A giant man with orange hair, standing 2.5 meters tall, and a boy covered in thick black hair.

The two of them just stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Um... how well does your fur coat keep you warm in winter?"

"It's great. When it snows heavily, I sleep in a snowdrift; it's warm and cozy, and very comfortable."

The Snowbird rubbed its temples in exasperation and raised its hand to interrupt this absurd exchange of feathers.

"Alright, alright, follow me to the checkpoint. The roads are blocked by a blizzard, so the identities of all passengers and their travel purposes must be registered and verified in detail."

Sing Sing rubbed his hands, which were almost frozen, and asked, "Do you have any hot tea or sandwich cookies?"

"Have."

"Alright, as expected of Alpha Flight, you get things done so smoothly!"

Zhou Xing turned and beckoned to Darwin and the Moon-Boy.

"Come on, let's go have some tea and cookies, and actively cooperate with the investigation organized by them."

The checkpoint was kept warm, with the heating on all the time, and the temperature was comfortable.

Snowbird reached out and flipped through a stack of documents on the table, first pulling out Darwin's and reading it aloud.

"Armando Eddie Muñoz, is that you?"

A sharp crack came from the chair beneath Darwin's bottom.

Sing Sing Chow looked down and saw that the guy's buttock muscles had swelled up due to excessive tension.

Sing Sing leaned closer and whispered, "Relax, they're just calling out your name, not sending you to the execution ground."

Snowbird looked directly at Darwin: "Three years ago, you illegally crossed the border into Alaska and hid, then cut off all contact with all Mutants. Now you've come to the border... What is your purpose?"

"I, um, I, this matter..."

Sing Sing chimed in, "Reporting to the leader, this is a normal interstate humanitarian escort mission."

Snowbird nodded. "According to intelligence, the Silver Peak Consortium's armed forces were chasing you relentlessly across the snowfield. What's going on?"

"Malicious competition between companies, they're just jealous of our performance."

"What are their specific reasons for relentlessly pursuing you?"

"Oh dear, their lousy company's business philosophy is completely wrong."

"I couldn't stand it, so I just offered a couple of kind words of guidance."

Stop trying to bluff your way out of this. Give me the real reason.

Sing Sing sat up straight and said seriously, "In fact, those despicable guys are arresting and detaining people everywhere. They use Mutants for illegal human experiments, and I have information about their shady dealings."

Sasquatch's expression turned serious. "Human experimentation... is that really true?"

"Absolutely true, I'd be a dog if I were lying."

Snowbird turned to the next page of the document, where several blurry surveillance screenshots were printed.

"Regarding your true background, the useful information our intelligence network can find is very limited."

"But the information provided by the United States is crystal clear: you've repeatedly sneaked into the United States to sabotage military facilities and taken away a large number of Mutants. Stephen Chow, what are you trying to do?"

"Taking them away is such an awful way to put it. It makes me sound like a human trafficker. I'm a perfectly legitimate businessman!"

"Those people all came to me voluntarily. I provide them with food and lodging, and even arrange jobs for them. I pay their salaries, social security, and medical insurance—a one-stop service. We have signed formal labor contracts and put our fingerprints on them; it's all legal and compliant."

Snowbird's tone revealed no obvious emotional change. "Is that so? But the official report lists you as the number one dangerous individual."

"Come on, that old bastard Stryker calls his underground illegal lab a research base. The people locked up in there are covered in needle marks."

"In the eyes of those United States, they're just consumables, but on our China soil, they're precious gems. They're all outstanding young people who can shine, contribute, and live and work in peace and contentment!"

Sing Sing took a contract out of his suit pocket and handed it over.

[China 749 Bureau Overseas Special Talent Recruitment Office]

Sasquatch glanced at him suspiciously. "What does 'seven insurances and three funds' mean?"

Sing Sing showed a hint of reserve. "That's just the most basic treatment. Our outstanding employees also receive high-temperature subsidies and cold-weather allowances. They get a medical check-up every year. The benefits are so good you'll question reality."

Darwin's ears twitched when he heard this.

Sasquatch held up the contract, his expression growing increasingly bizarre. "So you brought us Mutants back just so they could tighten screws and fix Rockets?"

"That's called 'each person earns their living based on their own abilities'! Those with brains who can repair Rockets can repair Rockets, those who aren't afraid of fire can go to the fire department! Those with strength can go to reclaim wasteland and farm, that's called 'teaching according to aptitude'."

Snowbird closed the file with a slight headache, finding it difficult to communicate with this man.

So she set her sights on the Moon-Boy next to her.

"You... we can't find any information about you in any database. Your genetic sample doesn't match modern people at all. Who are you?"

"I'm the Ape-Man, or you could call me the Moon-Boy; that's what my friends used to call me."

"Where are you from?"

The Moon-Boy tilted his head and remained silent for a moment. Then he reached out and carefully drew a large circle on the table.

Where I live, a super, super big moon appears in the sky every day.

Then he used his finger to draw a towering, pointed mountain.

There were many, many exceptionally thick and tall trees growing on the ground.

Finally, he happily spread his arms wide, making a very big gesture.

"My good friend, the Devil Dinosaur, is also there."

Sasquatch looked at the word with a strange expression. "Wait a minute, dinosaur? You mean that kind of dinosaur that went extinct long ago?"

The Moon-Boy shook his head, looking very serious. "Dinosaurs didn't go extinct! My good friend is all red, and his teeth are this long and sharp!"

Seeing this, Zhou Xing quickly spoke up to smooth things over and provide further explanation.

"Children speak the truth, it's just that a pet is slightly overweight."

"We've come all this way to find our missing family members."

"Our very cute and gentle little dinosaur has gotten lost in the snow, and we're looking for it urgently!"