Labor Is Most Glorious

Three days later, at dusk.

The SUV, covered in mud, was still bumping along the national highway.

Sing Sing 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 too far 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 recommendation was to cover the entire drought-stricken area. I was simply fulfilling my expert duties, and all the areas receiving rainfall were within the approved scope."

"You were allowed to rain, but you weren't allowed to turn the Tarim Basin into a water park! Yesterday in Korla, you almost flooded the experimental fields of the Academy of 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. Water accumulation on roads in the project area causing vehicle pollution is a necessary expense incurred during the mission."

"Huh? You've only been here three days, how come you've already learned how to deal with finance? At this rate, another fifteen days of training and you'll be ready to 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:

"This province has experienced its largest-scale effective rainfall in nearly a decade! Runoff has returned to many dried-up river systems on the edge of the Tarim Basin!"

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

Storm lowered her volume, glanced at Sing Sing, 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!"

Sing Sing 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 pounded against 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 have to open the car window!"

Storm turned and glared at him. "The rain will come in. Besides, your act of throwing the 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 Sing Sing 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 meteorologist also serves 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 everyone else and forced me to always be careful who I might hurt."

Sing Sing lowered the car window slightly, letting the smoke drift out through the crack 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 donned our uniforms to fight those who wanted to destroy the world, but after each battle, all that remained was ruins."

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

Sing Sing 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 Mutants 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, while Stryker wants to eliminate all Mutants.

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

"Because you went astray from the very beginning."

Sing Sing Chow stuffed the cigarette butts he had smoked 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 living through 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, no 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 Riptide, Riptide brother, that kid checks documents more thoroughly than he checks household registrations!"

Sing Sing's teeth started to hurt when he talked about it.

Storm laughed out loud; this was the first time she had laughed so easily since leaving X Academy.

Thank you, Stephen.

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

"I will memorize it. I will also study the Ability Management Regulations carefully. I have already reviewed 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; it adds up to over three hundred pages."

"You memorized it?"

"I'm the field operations supervisor! 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 meticulous? The leader is responsible for grasping the general idea, 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."

Sing Sing 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 Charles has gotten himself into a rut; he's always thinking about saving all of humanity, and the burden he carries is too heavy."

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

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." Sing Sing stepped on the gas, and the SUV picked up speed again. "You have to look forward, Xiao Ao."

I'm five years older than you.

"Alright, Sister Ao, you're with the 749 Bureau now. We'll settle those old scores later."

"As long as I'm here, as long as 749 Bureau is here, no one can 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 find it tiring.

"That's great! We can discuss salary and benefits when we get back."

"Okay, as long as you don't take me to the next drought-stricken area 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!"