Everyone's Gone? They've All Gone to Work!
The next day, Sing Sing walked to the wooden house and pushed open the door, but no one was inside.
When they went around to the backyard, they found Wolverine shirtless, chopping wood. With one swing of his axe, the pine log split in two.
The stack of firewood next to them was already taller than a person.
"Hey buddy, I have to go now. Stay here and don't harm any protected animals!" Sing Sing shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Otherwise, if you end up in jail, I can't protect you!"
"Okay, bring me some cigars next time you come."
"Quite a few demands. The convenience store here only has Red Plum cigarettes. Take it or leave it," Sing Sing muttered as he turned and left.
As I walked through the snow to the mountainside, two bars of signal appeared on my phone screen.
Sing Sing couldn't wait to dial the Blue Elf's number.
"Hey there! Yeah, yeah, I'm suffering in the woods! Send a car to pick me up! I'll treat you to a double-sugar taro boba!"
"I'm not coming."
Sing Sing put his phone away and checked the screen to make sure he hadn't dialed the wrong number.
"What are you doing? Trying to rebel? Refusing a ride with your direct supervisor? Don't you know any workplace etiquette?"
Edith's burping voice came from the other end of the phone. "Director Wang said that if you dare to rip me off on transportation, he'll cut off my two thousand yuan milk tea subsidy, so bye-bye."
"Beep!"
The phone call ended, and Sing Sing stood there, the north wind whipping up two pine needles that smacked him in the face.
More than twenty hours later, at the 749 Bureau Siheyuan in a hutong in Beijing.
Sing Sing pushed open the Siheyuan gate and shouted, "Comrades! Your beloved Director Zhou is back! Hurry up and boil water and make tea to welcome our guest!"
No one paid him any attention; the courtyard was unusually quiet.
Sing Sing slid into the east wing, where it was empty and the bed was neatly made.
He rushed into the small hut next to the water room, but the humidifier had stopped and everyone was gone.
Even the Sand Rat spends all day sharpening its teeth in the corner can't be caught in the slightest.
Sing Sing's apple bobbed. He'd only been gone a few days. Including travel time, it hadn't even been a week.
Could it be that all the team I painstakingly brought back from across the ocean has run away?
Mass defection?
This is a huge responsibility; it could potentially lead to a military court-martial.
Seeing that things were going badly, Sing Sing dashed off towards the 749 Bureau General Headquarters.
"Bang!"
He kicked open the wooden door. Director Wang was holding an enamel mug when he flicked his wrist, spilling a few goji berries over the rim.
"Don't you know any rules? Can't you knock before coming in? If the door's broken, I'll deduct it from your salary!"
Sing Sing Chow, hands on the desk, cried out, "Chief! Where are they?! All the people I went through so much trouble to bring back from overseas have vanished?!"
"What?" Director Wang scoffed. "Without you, Sing Sing, would 749 Bureau have come to a standstill?"
With that, he pulled a stack of documents stamped with a red seal from his drawer and slammed them on the table. "Open your eyes and take a look! Do you really think I sit in my office drinking tea all day?"
Sing Sing grabbed the document and opened it to the first page, which contained the name Harry Kane.
A passport-sized photo of Harry Kane is pasted in the upper right corner.
In the photo, Harry has a buzz cut and is wearing neat blue overalls, looking like an honest and unassuming fitter.
Job placement: Water quality inspector in a special engineering team under the Ministry of Water Resources.
Director Wang, with a stern face, said, "That kid's abilities are underwater breath-holding and tasting toxins. What's he doing in the yard? As a water filter?"
"The South-to-North Water Diversion Project's central route is stuck on the exploration of underground rivers; any underwater robots would be rendered useless if they went down. Let him put on a diving suit and go down there to investigate; he'll understand the water quality risks and chemical composition just by tasting it!"
He turned to the second page.
Luke Shaw.
Job placement: Special Observer, Plant Protection Research Institute, Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
"That kid has insect wings on his back, and he's more sensitive to the smell of pesticides than a police dog."
Director Wang crossed his arms. "We are currently arranging for experienced specialists to treat his burns. Once his wings have healed, he will be immediately transferred to the National Forest Fire Prevention Command Center for high-altitude patrols and pest detection."
Sing Sing swallowed hard. "You don't even spare the injured... You've got a better plan than I do!"
Director Wang glared at him. "What nonsense! This is called realizing the value of labor! Let them earn their living through their real skills! Who dares to treat them like monsters? Keep watching!"
Sing Sing rubbed the pages between his fingers, then turned the page.
Martha Barton.
Job placement: Special consultant and logistics manager for the Northwest Desertification Control and Afforestation Project Team.
"The survival rate of crops on tens of millions of acres of yellow sand in Northwest China has always been a major problem. Martha's method is like a natural super water-retaining agent!"
"Let her guide the restoration of dryland areas, and also be the logistics manager for the project team. She'll have hot meals, someone to soothe the young people's emotions, and she can still achieve results!"
That's brilliant! It completely exploits the unique characteristics of the system to squeeze out Mutants traits.
Sing Sing turned to the last page. The underage girl Nina Stewart, could see the red lines of death and the black lines of pursuit on other people.
Job placement: Specially appointed risk warning consultant (internship) at the 749 Bureau Headquarters Security Department.
Director Wang picked up the water tank and took a sip. "She's still a minor, and her psychological trauma is severe. She'll stay in the bureau to work on security and early warning systems. Once her psychological counseling catches up, she can be moved to major projects to provide advance risk warnings. That's called talent development!"
Sing Sing closed the file and nodded in approval. "Where's that sleazy guy?"
He didn't see Sand Rat Miguel's name on the document.
Director Wang's lips twitched, and he snorted, "That thief who stole the cafeteria's steamed buns? I packed him up and airlifted him to the sinkholes in Guizhou!"
"Go to the construction site with the Toad?"
"That's right!" Director Wang slammed his hand on the table. "Isn't he fond of digging holes? Isn't he fast at digging? Lao Mo is up there setting up the safety net, and he's in charge of drilling anchor bolts at the bottom of the pit! There aren't even any extra wires there! Let's see where he can steal them!"
He glanced sideways at Sing Sing. "What? You have a problem with my personnel arrangements?"
Sing Sing stood at attention. "No objections! The leader has great foresight!"
When it comes to exploiting surplus value, this guy is the real master. Compared to him, all the villains in United States are a bunch of idiots.
Seeing that the boss was in a good mood, Sing Sing took out his crumpled train ticket, placed it on the table, rubbed his hands together, and smiled ingratiatingly, "Boss, since we all have bright futures ahead of us, could you please approve this train ticket?"
Director Wang stared at the train ticket, his eyes darkening. "You think I don't know you've been getting foot massages on the run? And now you dare ask the bureau for transportation expenses?"
Sing Sing took a half step back. "I'm going to settle important foreign nationals! It's an in-depth investigation to gauge the situation at the grassroots level!"
"Get lost!" Director Wang sprang up from behind his desk, his right leg rising high in the air, creating a gust of wind. "Watch out, or I'll fly up and snap your dog's head off!"