Questions Raised by S.P.E.A.R.

New York, the backyard of the Chen-Style Chinese Medicine Clinic.

The familiar circle of golden sparks lit up once more. With barely any vacation time left, Lin Hai said goodbye to his parents again and returned to New York.

He stepped out of the Portal and took a breath of New York's slightly chilly air. A faint melancholy from leaving home lingered on his face, but there was even more relief at being back in familiar surroundings.

Chen Bing was drying medicinal herbs in the backyard. Hearing the movement, he turned around and saw Lin Hai standing in the courtyard, a smile appearing on his face. "You're back?"

"Yeah, Master, I'm back." Lin Hai nodded with a smile and set down the large, bulging backpack on his back. "I brought back quite a few local specialties from home again."

As he spoke, he opened the backpack and began pulling things out. Before long, a small mountain of ingredients had piled up on the nearby stone table.

Chen Bing looked at the sheer amount of food. "I can't possibly finish all this by myself. Invite your friends over too. Looks like we can make another medicinal hot pot."

Lin Hai smiled as well. "Yeah, Master. Everyone's been craving it! Of course, you'll still be the head chef. Gwen and the others and I will be your assistants!"

"Sure, no problem!" Chen Bing readily agreed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

Lin Hai immediately took out his phone and sent a message to their group chat of four: [@Everyone Get to the clinic backyard now! The medicinal hot pot ingredients are ready, and we urgently need labor! Anyone late has to wash all the dishes!]

Less than a minute after the message was sent, replies came in.

Gwen: [Be