He's on the State Payroll! Got It?
This is the first time in all his years that Sing Sing has ever sat on top of a fire truck, eating a steamed bun in the wind.
"The deputy squadron leader is awesome!"
A head popped out of the carriage, yelling at the top of its lungs.
Sing Sing was hit by a mouthful of air; crumbs of steamed bun in his mouth choked him, causing him to cough several times.
"Bullshit! My head was covered in bumps from those pebbles he kicked up! If my face gets disfigured later, the station will definitely consider it a work injury!"
He cursed, but his eyes remained fixed on the tornado.
The engine speed was stable in the Brooklyn basement. The airflow convergence radius precisely matched the convoy's route, without affecting the surrounding green areas in the slightest.
After joining the organization, even his superpowers have taken on the meticulousness of standardized operations.
Shortly after, the fire truck screeched to a halt outside the chemical plant gate.
The scene before us was straight out of a disaster movie.
Dark green toxic smoke shot straight into the sky, estimated to be over forty meters high.
Thick, toxic gases obscured the sunlight, turning midday into dusk.
Yellow and black striped warning tape was set up around the perimeter. The white mist sprayed by water cannons was futile against the toxic fumes. Several firefighters in hazmat suits were dragging a comrade whose suit was leaking out.
"Everyone back! The wind has changed! Back!"
Riptide landed firmly on his feet and turned to look at Zhang Tiezhu.
Zhang Tiezhu gritted his teeth and shoved the hazmat mask into Riptide's hand. "You better come back alive."
Zhang Tiezhu was really unsure of himself.
This was Riptide's first time on a real combat mission, and he encountered such a high-risk chemical fire. As the team leader, he couldn't bear the responsibility of losing manpower.
Drills are drills, but real combat is all about life and death.
The Riptide pushed aside his mask, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Sing Sing recognizes this expression all too well.
Back in the Brooklyn underground lab, before this guy rushed in to save his brother Anton, he had this same "I'm about to show off" attitude.
A fierce wind arose, sending sand and stones flying.
The Riptide transformed into a high-speed tornado, plunging straight into the dark green wall of toxic smoke.
Sing Sing flipped off the roof of the car, brushed the dust off his trousers, took out an apple from his pocket, and used Pig Butchering Knife to peel it.
"Director Zhou... Director Zhou, what time is it and you're still eating?" A young firefighter next to him stared wide-eyed at the apple peel falling off.
"Rest assured."
Sing Sing took a big bite of fruit and mumbled, "This kid survived being riddled with bullets by a Gatling gun in New York. This bit of poison gas is nothing compared to the bitter melon and scrambled eggs in your cafeteria."
Zhang Tiezhu turned his head and glared at him, without saying a word in rebuttal.
Inside the toxic fumes, it was pitch black.
The toxic cloud continued to expand and become sharper, its internal airflow churning the entire sky.
The dark green column of smoke began to deform.
The strong crosswinds split it into layers in the middle, twisting it into several long, narrow cyclones, which, driven by the wind, headed straight for the high-altitude clouds to disperse.
Two minutes and seven seconds later, a gasp of surprise erupted from inside the command vehicle.
Sing Sing leaned over and glanced at the big screen.
The countdown timer for the gas diffusion model jumped directly from "estimated two hours" to large green text: Danger averted.
The commander slammed his hand on the table, straightened up, and shouted, "This soldier is amazing! I want him! No matter which unit he's from, I have to recruit him today!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiezhu's dark face was filled with smugness as he puffed out his chest. "That won't do! Our deputy battalion commander is one of a kind in the entire brigade; we won't replace him with anyone else!"
Emerging from the toxic zone through Riptide torrents, their protective suits were covered in chemical residue, and their faces were coated with a layer of dust.
The three rescued firefighters took off their protective suits, gathered around, and their eyes were red-rimmed.
An older firefighter patted Riptide on the shoulder. "Deputy Captain, your skill is truly amazing!"
A young man holding a mobile phone gimbal squeezed from the outer edge of the crowd into the inner circle.
The online celebrity reporter pointed the camera directly at the face of the Riptide.
"Big brother! Are you Mutants? Aren't you afraid of being treated like a monster by society?"
"Is your ability something you were born with or something that mutated? Is there anything you'd like to say to the viewers in the live stream?"
Riptide stood frozen in place, his gaze sweeping over the long lenses and cameras.
He hesitated for a long time before finally uttering five words.
"Serve the people."
The reporter was taken aback and was about to ask further questions when the veteran firefighter stepped forward.
He shoved the phone gimbal away and yelled at the camera.
"What monster?! Who do you think you are, spouting nonsense like that?! He's our deputy captain!"
"They're on the payroll! Do you understand?! They're on the payroll! They're paid by the government!"
The reporter shrank back as he was yelled at, while the live stream chat was filled with rapidly scrolling comments.
[Holy crap! It's a government-affiliated position, haha!]
[This guy's fighting prowess is off the charts; he should just go straight to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!]
[Reporter: I asked him if he was Mutants, and he showed me his organizational chart? He really got me cornered.]
Mutants taking civil service exams? This is the first time I've seen this! It's truly eye-opening!
Sing Sing stood aside, recorded the entire process, and sent it to Director Wang with a note attached:
Chief, we have the promotional materials for the 749 Bureau's year-end campaign. We must capitalize on this wave of popularity. By the way, could you share some of the money from monetizing this traffic with me to cover our losses?
It was already 2 PM when the team returned to the detachment.
Pushing open the cafeteria door, a rich aroma of soy sauce wafts into your nostrils.
The cafeteria lady brought out braised pork that had been kept warm in the pot; the skin was translucent from the stewing.
The pork belly was cut into bite-sized pieces, the sauce was thick and dark, and it was steaming.
"Captain Zhang instructed before he left that even if you come back late, you should still have something hot to eat."
The aunt placed the stainless steel bowl on the table and turned to serve rice.
Riptide unfocused at the braised pork in front of him.
Sing Sing didn't care about any of that; he had already picked up a piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and was chewing it with grease dripping from his mouth.
He looked up at the Riptide and mumbled, "What are you staring at? If it gets cold, Auntie will have to heat it up again. It's a waste of electricity."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stretched out his chopsticks, picked up the largest piece of pork belly, and pressed it into the bowl of Riptide.
Riptide to shovel rice into the rushing water, his chopsticks moving faster and faster.
Sing Sing leaned back in his chair, took out his phone, and started scrolling through the screen.
The rescue video has gone viral, with views climbing rapidly and comments flooding the screen.
[Mom, I saw the real Captain China!]
Just as he was about to lock his screen, a comment popped up at the top of the comments section.
[I recognize this person; I saw him in the sewers of Queens, New York, three months ago!]
Sing Sing raised an eyebrow and clicked on the person's profile.
The profile picture is blurry; upon closer inspection, it reveals a donut with a bite taken out of it.
I don't know him. I need to have someone investigate this guy's background.
The cafeteria lady brought out a pot of pork rib soup, muttering, "Young people should drink more soup."
Riptide picked up the soup bowl and took a sip, only to grimace at the heat.
Sing Sing looked away, locked his phone screen, and continued to focus on eating the white rice in his bowl.
No matter who that donut is, no matter how big the world is, rice is the most important thing.
Um...
The braised pork was cooked well!
Next time I visit, I'll have to choose a mealtime.
"Alright. No need to see me off." Sing Sing waved his hand. "I have to rush to my next event. You better do your job well here, don't embarrass our Overseas Recruitment Office."