Head Pats! The Great Smoke-Clearing Bet

Sing Sing, who had spent a week in Space City, sat on a little folding stool, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. He nodded with satisfaction at the bustling scene ahead.

"Line up, line up! No pushing! Sir at the front, here's your research-life-extension special. Remember to throw the paper cup in the recycling bin when you're done. Protecting the environment starts with us space workers!"

The line in front of the cold-drink cart now stretched over a hundred meters.

The authorities had even recruited volunteers to maintain order.

Soft Serve's hands fluttered deftly, and cup after cup of frosty ice cream appeared out of thin air.

Meanwhile, in the laboratory building.

Polaris was surrounded by seven or eight white-haired experts.

"Look at the internal stress distribution in this titanium alloy nozzle. Could it be optimized further?"

"Master, this is our newly designed fuel pump schematic. Could we trouble you to take a look?"

Polaris still looked aloof and proud, but the wariness and hostility had long since vanished from her eyes.

She patiently helped the experts adjust the metal components.

After confirming that both of them were doing well, Sing Sing decided it was time to head back.

He strolled over to the laboratory building. "Ahem... comrades, visiting hours are over for today. Our comrade Lorna is getting off work."

"It's only four in the afternoon! Let Expert Lorna guide us for another half hour! Just half an hour!"

"No, no. Working while sick isn't something we encourage."

With that, Sing Sing pulled Polaris out of the crowd of old men and headed toward Soft Serve under their disappointed gazes.

"Lorna, I'm heading back to Beijing. Do a good job here. There are a few things you need to remember."

Polaris shot him a sidelong glance. "What things?"

"Capitalist exploitation is outright robbery. Here, we believe in dedication, but you can't just work without getting fed. You're a bona fide expert now."

"If anyone dares make you work overtime for free, or dangles empty promises instead of paying you overtime, twist them... twist their equipment into a pretzel!"

Polaris burst out laughing, her smile showing a rare warmth and ease.

"What if I break it and they make me pay for it?"

She raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing.

"What are you afraid of? If anything happens, drop Director Wang's name. Say he told you to do it!"

Polaris's smile faded, and she nodded seriously. "All right. When you get back, give Anton and Riptide my regards."

"Don't worry."

Just then, footsteps approached.

Soft Serve, Amy, who had finally found a moment to rest, came running over with a large paper cup.

"Stephen! This is for you!" Soft Serve ran up to him, smiling sweetly.

The ice cream in the cup had been carefully shaped into a sunflower in full bloom, giving off the delicate fragrance of vanilla and mint.

"Wow, I didn't expect a surprise before I left!"

"Huh? You're leaving?" Her voice was full of reluctance.

Sing Sing took the ice cream and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Don't cry. It's not like we're parting forever."

"This is your new workplace now. Look, everyone likes you."

"If anyone dares bully you, have your big sister Polaris stand up for you."

After chatting with the two of them for a while and finishing his ice cream, Sing Sing said goodbye.

He caught a ride on one of Space City's internal transport planes, stingily saving himself the travel expenses, and made it back to Beijing without a hitch.

After winding his way back to the 749 Bureau, he stepped into the lobby and saw Riptide Jie sitting in a chair, reading a dictionary.

He had changed into a dark blue special-operations fire service uniform.

To be fair.

The uniform was well-made, with crisp fabric.

But on Riptide, it looked awkward no matter how one looked at it.

Exile, hunger, and constant fear had left Riptide skin and bones.

With the uniform on him, he looked like a bamboo pole draped in a giant sack.

Sing Sing came over and clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "That uniform on you takes the 'what the buyer actually gets' look to a whole new level, huh?

"Come on, I'll take you to report to your new unit! Eat more once you're there!"

Two and a half hours later.

The courtyard of a special-operations fire and rescue detachment somewhere in Beijing.

The moment they entered the gate, the thunderous sound of shouted slogans startled Riptide.

Dozens of shirtless firefighters were training on the hundred-meter obstacle course and hook ladders under the blazing sun.

A cheerful Sing Sing led Riptide into the captain's office.

A dark-skinned man sat behind the desk.

Captain Zhang was in his fifties, with a crew cut and an immensely powerful build.

His thick forearms and chest muscles strained against his clothes.

At the moment, Captain Zhang was holding the transfer order, looking thoroughly troubled.

"High-risk weather intervention and special smoke extraction brigade... deputy captain? Are you messing with me?"

Sing Sing remained completely unruffled. Smiling, he stepped forward, pulled a pack of Chunghwa cigarettes from his pocket, and offered it to him.

"Captain Zhang, take it easy! He's a specialist with technical skills, specially approved by the higher-ups. As the saying goes, you can't judge a man by his looks, just as you can't measure the sea with a bucket..."

"Don't give me that useless nonsense!"

Captain Zhang refused the cigarettes and stood up with a scowl.

"I don't care if he's from overseas or right here at home! We're a real front-line combat unit! We have to charge into fires, haul hoses, and carry dozens of pounds of gear up high-rises to save people!"

Captain Zhang walked up to Riptide and, without ceremony, reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

"Look at him!"

"Does he look like he's got an ounce of strength? Turn on a high-pressure hose and the kickback would send him straight up to the third floor!"

"What's going on? Does your 749 Bureau think this is a welfare home? You send us every well-connected outsider who comes along? People risk their lives in a fire! People really die!"

Riptide couldn't understand the Chinese mixed with dialect, but he could keenly sense the man's disdain and doubt.

His fists tightened slightly, but he thought of his younger brother and forced himself to hold back.

"Captain Zhang, Captain Zhang, calm down."

Sing Sing took out a tissue and wiped the flecks of spit from his face.

"Modern firefighting is about scientific rescue! It's about coordination between different specialties! We can't just rely on brute strength."

He patted Riptide on the chest and assured him, "He's a little skinny, sure, but he can get the job done! Besides, he's not here to haul hoses. He has special abilities!"

"Special abilities?"

Captain Zhang pointed at the fire engine on the training ground.

"I've only heard of exhaust fans and ventilation ducts! I don't care what special abilities he has. Here, if he fails the physical fitness test, he can get the hell out!"

"I won't let someone like him throw his life away in a fire, and I sure as hell won't let him drag my men down!"

"Oh, Captain Zhang! Aren't you letting experience blind you?" Sing Sing wore an expression that said, You can't talk about ice to a summer insect.

"Exhaust fans are such a hassle, aren't they? Our comrade Riptide is a zero-emission, self-propelled human special-operations smoke extractor!"

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

"I'm telling you right now! Unless he can prove he's better than my men, I won't accept this transfer order! If I have to, I'll go to the chief's office and complain!"

Sing Sing's eyes lit up. Those were exactly the words he had been waiting for.

"You said it! Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, so how about a bet?"

Chief Captain Zhang narrowed his eyes. "What kind of bet?"

"It's simple! Start a fire in a training building and make some thick smoke. Then we'll see whether your exhaust fans clear it faster or our master of special abilities here does."

"If he loses, I'll take him straight back and won't cause you any trouble. How about it?"