Tired, but happy

"Command center, the last group of trapped people in Stone Bridge Village have been transferred. We are requesting assistance from special personnel to end the on-site operations."

Sing Sing flipped through the rescue map, crossed out the red circle outside Stone Bridge Village, and there were still two locations on the paper waiting to be confirmed.

"The structural team should conduct one last check. Once there are no signs of life, evacuate. No one is allowed to enter the rubble alone!"

"Receive."

Director Wang, with dark circles under his eyes, walked into the tent and handed the latest report to Xiao Zhou.

"In seven days, special personnel from the bureau worked with local teams to visit more than a thousand work sites."

"The entire rescue system saved more than 10,000 people and relocated approximately 200,000 disaster victims, who were subsequently handed over to local teams."

Sing Sing stared at the numbers but only noticed that the words on the paper were starting to overlap.

Director Wang took the walkie-talkie away and pressed the master channel.

"All rescue teams, listen up! After completing the current handover, all personnel shall return to the temporary command post. No further operations may be carried out without approval."

Wolverine's voice came through the walkie-talkie first. "I can still do it."

"Of course you can do it! You can even be tied to the front of the excavator when it runs out of fuel! But no one else can!"

Polaris's weary voice followed, "There's still a section of steel beam on the east side that hasn't been cleared."

"Hand it over to the crane."

"The crane will take two hours!"

"You can't even hold a kettle properly, and you want to lift a steel beam?"

Polaris stopped arguing; if they held on any longer, the rescue team would have to send people to save them.

"Understood, I'll hand over the duties."

Half an hour later, the groups that had gone out returned one after another.

The Toad's tongue was worn raw, and he even showed Sing Sing the blisters on it.

"Put your tongue back! I haven't eaten properly for seven days, don't ruin my appetite later!"

The Sand Rat had all ten fingers wrapped in gauze, the Spot's vision started to go double. Anton said he had tinnitus in his head and ears, and his whole body was buzzing.

The Wandering Girl immediately grabbed seven or eight Soft Serve, each as sweet as she wanted, and stuffed them into her mouth.

Sing Sing turned around to look for the Prophet, and found the little girl still sitting by the communications station, her nosebleed already dried on her collar. "Little Nina, time to wrap up."

There was no response.

Sing Sing stepped forward and supported the back of her neck. When he realized she had lost consciousness, he panicked and immediately called for help outside the tent.

"Medical team! Bring a stretcher! She's exhausted!"

The doctor arrived and checked Nina's pupils and pulse, then put an oxygen mask on her.

Sing Sing took two steps with the stretcher, but Director Wang grabbed his collar again.

"Don't go back and cause trouble."

A few hours later, the group returned to the new base aboard 749 Bureau special plane.

Apart from Wolverine, the first thing everyone else did upon landing was to lie down on the stretchers brought from the medical room.

The medical examination lasted three hours.

The doctor slammed the results on the table and pointed to the people sitting in a row.

"Toad soft tissue strain, Sand Rat dehydration, Polaris nerve tremor, Soft Serve thermoregulation disorder, Wandering Girl electrolyte imbalance."

The doctor turned to the next page and looked at Anton again.

"Your continuous amplification of the communication signal has overloaded your auditory nerves. Do not touch any wireless devices for the next three days."

Anton pointed to his ear.

Why do I keep hearing people asking me to review documents?

"That's an auditory hallucination."

"But he said he had a $600 travel allowance but lacked proof of his itinerary."

Sing Sing moved his chair aside a bit. "Doctor, his condition is more serious than you initially thought. I recommend isolating him for two weeks."

Director Wang didn't give them a chance to continue the discussion and immediately announced that everyone would be forced to take a break.

Back in his new dorm, Sing Sing only remembers pushing the door open.

When I opened my eyes again, the light coming through the gap in the curtains had changed direction.

His phone, sitting on the bedside table, showed forty-seven missed calls. He picked it up, glanced at it, and then tossed it back.

After a quick wash, Sing Sing slipped on his slippers and went to the cafeteria, where he happened to find Polaris and Soft Serve sitting in a corner, each holding a bowl of noodles and staring blankly at the chili pepper bottle on the table.

Sing Sing carried three meals and sat down.

Are you studying the molecular structure of chili peppers?

The Soft Serve rolled its eyes. "We're waiting for the noodles to cool."

"Isn't this what you do?"

"Oh, right, I forgot."

Polaris lifted his chopsticks, but the noodles fell back into the soup as soon as they left.

"Your hands are still shaking? What did the doctor say?"

"Rest for five days; do not move more than five kilograms of metal."

Sing Sing handed over his bamboo chopsticks and pushed a plate of steamed buns between the two of them.

How have you been feeling these past few days? Are you tired?

"Tired."

She grabbed a steamed bun with the Soft Serve and took a bite, stuffing her cheeks full.

But I'm very happy.

"Eat two more if you're happy."

The three of them dawdled over their meal, and Polaris and Soft Serve went back to the Medical Zone for a follow-up check-up.

Sing Sing, clutching the materials for his mission to Japan, prepared to try and plead with Director Wang one last time.

Before the director's office door was even opened, a series of snores could be heard coming from inside, evenly spaced, sounding like a diesel generator.

Sing Sing began to have doubts.

Such a high-ranking leader sleeping in his office?

If word gets out, people will think that 749 Bureau can't even afford to provide dormitories.

Just as he was about to leave, the snoring inside the door stopped.

"Who's outside? Come in."

Sing Sing had no choice but to push open the door. Director Wang was leaning back in his chair, with disaster area handover documents spread out beside him.

What are you doing here?

"To show concern for the leader's health and, incidentally, to report on my thoughts and feelings."

Speak like a human being.

I don't want to go to Japan.

Director Wang picked up the water glass, shook it, and put it back after finding it had cooled down.

"What's the reason?"

"Old Jin himself isn't sure who the child's mother is, how am I supposed to confirm? Ask each and every one of you if you had a child with Wolverine? No wonder people call the police!"

Director Wang glared at him. "You think I sent you just to find a child? How does United States deal with Mutants? Tell me."

Those who can fight, use them as weapons; those who can't, send them to the lab.

"Hmm." Director Wang nodded.

"In ordinary society, people are both afraid and curious. The strong can negotiate, but the weak can disappear one day and no one will come after them. So tell me, what do we do?"

"After confirming their identity and wishes, they will undergo medical examinations, competency assessments, and job matching upon returning to China. If their skills are inadequate or they are unsuitable for the position, they can be reassigned, receive treatment, or retire."

Director Wang pulled out a document and placed it on the table, then rubbed his eyes.

"The government of Small Days is not an anti- Mutants government; they value Mutants resources, but at the same time, they worry about Mutants getting out of control."

In summary, Japan is like someone with superpowers, so the government needs to govern you.

"In United States, you have superpowers, so the country needs to use you."

After hearing this, Sing Sing quickly replied, "In our eyes, this means you have superpowers, so let's see what you can do."

Director Wang glanced at him sideways. "Not bad, you've even learned to answer first."

"So, you have another goal: to resolve a historical issue."