Risking His Life for Two Hundred and Fifty Yuan?

"Okay, okay, here's the box, but you have to move first."

Sing Sing pulled a red plastic bag from his office, stuffed everything inside, and even remembered the two packs of tissues hidden in the inner compartment.

Da Vinci stared at the tissue in astonishment. "This counts as equipment?"

"Tch! You're so ignorant! This is tactical cleaning kit for overseas business trips! One pack for your face, one for your butt, and it can even be used to plug a gun hole in a pinch. Its functions are beyond your imagination!"

Da Vinci pulled the empty box over and peered inside. "You took everything out. How am I supposed to test the compressed internal load-bearing capacity now?"

"Are you crazy?! Are you trying to fill this with rocks?! Rocks carbonized at high temperatures won't get them reported to the disciplinary committee!"

This reason is surprisingly sound.

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm done to see the finished product."

He leaned halfway back into the doorway and said, "Oh, Ah Qi, I'm planning to research a new set of equipment. Come over and test it out when it's ready!"

Sing Sing was carrying a red plastic bag, the bottom of which had been chipped with sharp edges by a throwing knife.

He turned back to his leader, his face once again displaying professional enthusiasm.

"Director Wang, about reimbursement..."

"Roll!"

Fifteen minutes later, at the reimbursement window.

Anton pushed the approval form out from under the glass:

"The reimbursable expenses for the New York operation totaled 11,842 yuan. After deducting unapproved vehicle damage, missing personal payment documents, and the remaining balance of the initial contingency fund, the final payment was 250 yuan."

Sing Sing's gaze moved from the first line to the last line, and then back along the last line.

I checked it twice.

"Two hundred and fifty?"

"Two hundred and fifty yuan."

"Could you please remove the word 'whole'? It's now carrying a strong personal attack connotation!"

Anton pulled out an invoice from the documents. "Six hundred dollars for office supplies and five hundred dollars for cultural promotional props. Neither of these items can be provided in person, and the supplier's registered address is still the same strip club."

"This is the cultural industry; cross-cultural exchanges need some 'water' (resources/influence)!"

"The back of the invoice has a drinks menu; the drink is called 'Widowmaker.'"

"United States give such extravagant names! It's just a drink! Does drinking it really create widows?"

Anton ignored him, unscrewed the stamp, and with a snap, stamped the four red characters "Not Reimbursable" in the center of the invoice.

Old Zhou stared at those red lips, trembling.

"I risked my life overseas! And you give me nothing but a bunch of idiots in the end?"

"There's also a two-hundred-dollar labor dispatch subsidy, which you've already given to Wade Wilson. This money will be deducted from your overseas temporary activity expenses."

"That's my money? Shouldn't the bureau pay for it?"

Sing Sing's eyes were bloodshot as he pressed the approval form against the window. "He took my money to go to Mueller, and I still have to write a report explaining why I used my money to hire him to find someone?"

Anton reorganized the materials, not even letting his work stop him from answering. "Yes."

"What happened to the promise of unlimited funding?"

"But Director Zhou, you're back now. And you didn't use the funds to do anything with the Silver Peak Consortium."

"Anton! Leave some room for maneuver! You might need it in the future!"

This is not included in the financial regulations.

After an hour of arguing, Comrade Old Zhou finally couldn't win against the stubborn Anton.

As Sing Sing walked out of the archives, he leaned against the corridor wall and opened his mobile banking app. Just then, a notification popped up that 250 yuan had been deposited into his account.

The efficiency is quite fast.

He stared at the string of numbers for half a minute, then raised his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eye. "A man doesn't easily shed tears, but this is because my reimbursement application failed."

Scroll down through the friends list, and Sand Rat's name appears.

Sing Sing thought for a moment and then clicked on the video.

Soon, a face covered in yellow mud filled the screen, the helmet tilted to the left, and the two nostrils were clearly visible.

"Director Zhou! Leader! Benefactor! I was just about to report my work to you!"

"Move the camera further away! I can only see two nostrils; anyone who didn't know better would think a new cave had been discovered in Guizhou!"

The Sand Rat quickly adjusted its angle.

The camera pans across a dug construction trench, where several workers are hoisting gray pipe sections.

"I'm doing rainwater and sewage separation renovations in an old residential area in Guiyang! The roads here are very narrow, and whenever an excavator comes in, it blocks the fire lane. I crawl under it, hollow out the collapsed pipe section, and then have the workers install the jacking pipe."

Sing Sing noticed the loose clods of earth by the ditch and moved away from the wall. "Where's the safety officer?"

"I was on guard the perimeter. The safety officer and construction worker were there, and the comrades sent by the 749 Bureau were also there. I didn't wander off! I even ate lunch inside the enclosure."

The Sand Rat turned the camera around.

Two aluminum lunch boxes were pressing down on the construction drawings, and a temporary work permit was placed next to it, with a muddy handprint on the lower right corner of the permit.

"The director told me that if I perform well this time, pass the safety inspection, and the project acceptance goes smoothly, he'll give me a chance to be promoted."

Miguel wiped the mud off his chin and chuckled, "I drilled over 600 meters today and didn't hit a single gas pipe! The construction foreman said I was more relaxed than a ground-penetrating radar."

Old Zhou nodded repeatedly, his mood improving considerably. "Where's Lao Mo? Didn't he come with you?"

"He's training new recruits at the sinkhole. He even messaged me this morning, saying he'd treat me to a feast when I get my permanent position."

"Don't worry about the banquet yet, put your helmet on properly."

The Sand Rat adjusted its hat and fastened the strap. "Director Zhou, when I become a full-time employee, will I also get seven types of insurance and three types of housing funds?"

"You'll have everything you need, provided you don't slack off."

"How could I possibly do that! My biggest fear right now is that my company won't want me anymore!"

"Okay, do a good job. After the inspection, I'll put in a good word for you."

"You're my boss, I promise..."

Three minutes later, the video call was disconnected.

He pledged his loyalty for a full three minutes!

This kid's fastest improvement in Chinese has all been in flattery.

After putting away his phone, Sing Sing went back to the Siheyuan to put his things away, and then called a car to go to the Fourth Medical Center of the Capital Military General Hospital.

The door to the burn intensive care unit was open, and the bed sheets were neatly made.

The Mayflies have vanished without a trace.

Old Zhou stopped the doctor on duty. "Where is the patient in this bed?"

The doctor flipped through the handover record. "They were picked up by your 749 Bureau two days ago. The transfer was arranged at 10:40 AM. There were transfer documents and a dedicated medical vehicle. The receiving unit is the Adult Tissue Repair Joint Laboratory."

Who signed it?

"It was stamped by your bureau, and the patient also affixed their fingerprint for confirmation."

Sing Sing took the record; his name and office number were neatly written on the contact page.

No?

To take people away in his name?

He still doesn't know?

Sensing something was wrong, Sing Sing called the Blue Elf, who was drinking milk tea again.

Where are Mayflies?

"You went to the hospital?"

"Yes, the doctor said the research lab picked them up, and I was listed as the contact person for the transfer. What's going on?"

The Wandering Girl hesitated for a moment before saying, "I... I came to find you."

Upon hearing this, Sing Sing was furious again.

Oh no!

The last time the Blue Elf used this tone was the day the Mayfly got into trouble.

Will there be another unexpected incident?

Old Zhou, who was anxiously pacing around, finally saw the blue-purple light.

The Wandering Girl freed one hand to grab his wrist, and when her feet touched the ground again, Old Zhou's eyes widened.

The transparent incubators stretched all the way to the corner.

Arms and wing membranes, along with eyeballs and countless internal organs, are suspended on a rack and immersed in culture medium.

What the hell is this place?