The Harder They Cursed Before, the Lower They Bowed Now

Sing Sing stared at the statue for half a minute, looking up at it, and found it increasingly absurd.

The carving is quite lifelike, and the base is also engraved with the four large golden characters "May the winds be favorable and the harvests plentiful".

The group of elderly men and women knelt on the ground, kowtowing loudly, chanting a series of phrases.

He reached out and pulled at an old man who was holding up a large incense stick.

"Grandpa, the Dragon King Grandma has appeared before, and you're worshipping her like this?!"

The old man turned his head and glared at him impatiently.

"Go away! What do you young people know? Our Dragon King Grandma is incredibly powerful! As long as she circles in the sky, the rain pours down, and the crops grow exceptionally well!"

Isn't this just Storm carrying out an artificial rainmaking mission?

How did this turn into feudal superstition?

These elderly folks really worship Mutants like gods!

The old man, annoyed that he was in the way, simply shoved his hand away and continued to push forward while holding the incense stick.

Lao Zhou tugged at his red tie, left the crowd, flagged down a leaky rickshaw on the roadside, and headed straight for the Provincial Meteorological Bureau.

After a nearly half-hour of soul-shaking "putt-putt-putt" sounds, the tuk-tuk finally stopped in front of the meteorological bureau.

Sing Sing adjusted his hat, pulled out some change from his pocket and handed it over, casually tossing out, "Keep the change!"

The driver opened the box and found that he had only overpaid by one dollar.

"Pah! What a stingy piece of crap!"

The driver slammed on the gas pedal, cursing, and sped away.

I strode up the steps with an air of indifference, only to be stopped by a security guard as soon as I reached the door.

"What are you doing here? This is a government building! Don't barge in!"

Sing Sing reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold-embossed red booklet, waved it around, and then said nothing more.

The security guard's legs went weak at the sight of the bright red stamp. He quickly bowed and led him to the back of the office building, wiping his sweat as he walked, pointing to the large room at the very top of the second floor.

"Sir, please go up yourself. Our bureau chief is currently in a meeting with leaders from another province..."

Sing Sing waved the security guard away and strolled up the stairs. Just as he reached the door, he heard arguing coming from the conference room.

"Lao Li! Don't push your luck! The rainfall in Shanxi lately is almost as much as in the water towns of southern China!"

"I was just walking around here yesterday, and that loess plateau is practically covered in moss. And you're still clinging to the Dragon Maiden Empress? Don't you have any sense of reason?!"

A gruff male voice slammed his hand on the table, but was quickly silenced by a man with a local accent.

"Bullshit! The Dragon Maiden Empress is our lucky star!"

"That's a legitimate cooperative project in our province, with approved funding. What's the meaning of you Qinghai people trying to steal our people? Do you really think I, the bureau chief, am made of clay?!"

Sing Sing stood at the door, completely bewildered.

The nickname "Dragon Maiden Empress" gave him goosebumps. These meteorologists really know how to come up with good words!

He even heard someone smashing a teacup inside; the sound was quite invigorating.

"The project's due, so resources have to be reallocated! Your crops are practically rotting from overwatering. This guy has to come with us today! If you don't let him go, I'm sleeping in this conference room!"

"You dare! I'll risk my life to keep the Dragon Maiden Empress here! Security! Throw these troublemakers out!"

Sing Sing Chow straightened his tie, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The group of people in the conference room, who were all ready to fight, were startled and stared at the uninvited guest.

Lao Zhou swaggered in.

Leaders with red faces and thick necks sat on either side of the long conference table, and the person in the head seat almost made Lao Zhou burst out laughing.

Sitting there was Storm, who had long since lost her former aloof and queenly demeanor.

She was wearing a set of moon-white cross-collar Hanfu that reached her waist, with a wide-sleeved robe embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns over it, and her long silver-white hair was tied up in a bun with a jade hairpin.

I must say, this design is really well done!

This outfit, paired with her dark brown skin and sculpted features, didn't feel out of place at all; instead, it exuded a mysterious and ethereal oriental charm.

You'd think she was a flying apsara straight out of a Dunhuang mural!

You know what! It's actually quite good-looking!

However, the goddess's expression was now more bitter than if she had eaten a bitter herb.

He pressed his temples with both hands, his face full of despair, clearly his head was throbbing from the noise from these two groups.

"What are you doing here? Who let you in? Get out!"

The local Bureau Chief Li was looking for someone to vent his anger on, and when he saw a stranger, he pointed at Sing Sing's nose and started cursing.

Sing Sing ignored him completely, plopped down, and casually grabbed an orange from the fruit plate on the table and started peeling it.

"Keep arguing, keep arguing, why did you stop? It would be best if it turned into a fight and bloodshed. Since you're looking for excitement, then go all the way!"

He chewed on an orange while making sarcastic remarks.

The dark-skinned man from Qinghai had a fiery temper. He slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "Who came from, you little punk, daring to cause trouble here? Believe me or not, I'll beat you up too!?"

Storm had been pretending to be dead with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them upon hearing that irritating voice, her icy blue eyes filled with immense joy.

She quickly got up, her flat cloth shoes clicking as she rushed around the table.

"Stephen! You've finally arrived!"

Storm grabbed Sing Sing's arm, extremely excited.

The group of leaders who were about to explode were completely dumbfounded.

Bureau Chief Li's jaw nearly dropped as he pointed at Sing Sing and stammered, "Dragon... Dragon Maiden Empress, who is this...?"

Storm composed herself, pointed at Sing Sing, and loudly announced:

"This is my direct supervisor at the 749 Bureau! Director Zhou of the Overseas Special Talent Recruitment Office! My future is entirely up to him!"

"Oh my, it's Director Zhou from Beijing! My apologies for not recognizing you! Quickly! Serve Director Zhou some good tea!"

Bureau Chief Li's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book; he rubbed his hands together and leaned in so close he was almost bent over.

The man from Qinghai strode forward, shoved aside Bureau Chief Li, pulled out a pack of Huazi from his pocket, and took a lighter from someone else to light it for Lao Zhou.

"Director Zhou, please have a smoke! We from Qinghai have come with the utmost sincerity. Just give us your approval, and we'll expedite all the other procedures!"

Taking a deep breath, Lao Zhou sized up the two groups of people and said with a grin:

"Weren't you arguing quite a bit just now? You want to borrow our bureau's prized talent, what are you going to offer in exchange?!"

Storm tugged at Sing Sing's sleeve and pulled it back, whispering, "Stephen, stop messing around! Let's get this over with!"

Sing Sing Chow patted Storm's hand and gave her a reassuring look.

"What's the rush? Look how beautifully you're dressed! If this were in United States, those bumpkins wouldn't understand how to appreciate our Eastern aesthetics!"

He lowered his voice and muttered in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"With a broader perspective, since they're vying for our personnel, we need to maximize their value."

"After all, you are the Dragon Maiden Empress..."