The Most Urgent Matter

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be so good at shabu-shabu, even though you can't handle hot pot," Xiao He said with a laugh while simmering lamb. "I was actually thinking of taking you to get a half-and-half pot or a clear broth pot."

"Chili peppers are dead, but people are alive," Ye Wanqing smiled, picked up some vegetables and poured them into the pot, scolding, "Don't just eat meat, eat some vegetables too."

"Don't rush, don't rush, we'll eat eventually." Xiao He said as he ate, then took a sip of beer and sighed, "Ah! Perfect..."

"I want to drink too." Ye Wanqing handed over her glass, and Xiao He poured her half a glass of beer, then raised his glass. "Come on, let's celebrate that from now on the world will no longer be troubled by the problem of Plastic Decomposition."

"I hope this world gets better and better," Ye Wanqing said with a smile, clinking glasses with him.

"Speaking of which, Old Xiao," Ye Wanqing said after taking a sip of her beer, "Didn't you escort a prisoner last time? What were that prisoner's abilities? His file didn't mention them."

"They say he's invincible in a direct confrontation," Xiao He said, touching his forehead. "But his Superpower is incredibly stupid... Once activated, he can't retreat, and he's full of openings once a fight starts. It's only good for me to use to trigger my Superpower."

"Anyway, I'm glad you're alright," Ye Wanqing said, placing a beef ball on his plate. "I think it's much better to use your abilities to benefit humanity than to fight and kill outside."

"Tsk tsk, you've learned to be considerate now," Xiao He teased. Ye Wanqing smiled slightly, not backing down at all. "Of course, you even dare to kill cockroaches yourself now!"

"..." The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then continued eating.

However, halfway through the meal, Cui Man barged in, her face beaming, suggesting she had received a scathing compliment from her superiors.

She excitedly grabbed two sets of bowls and chopsticks as soon as she came in, sat down at the table, and started eating by herself. "Oh, I'm in such a good mood!"

Then, Xia Yu timidly greeted them at the door before coming in and closing the door behind her.

"We saw you guys having hot pot on the security camera, so we came over to celebrate with you," Cui Man said, waving to Xia Yu. Only then did Xiao He notice that Xia Yu was carrying a bag of hot pot ingredients.

"Brother Xiao, Wanqing." Xia Yu waved to them shyly, "Sorry to bother you..."

"No, it's more fun eating hot pot with a group of people," Ye Wanqing said with a smile, handing over the bowl, chopsticks, and cup.

"Sister Man, what are you here to report this time? Wait a minute." Xiao He said, straightening himself up. "Alright, now you can praise me."

He knew Cui Man was there because of the Plastic Decomposition issue, so he was prepared.

"About that..." Cui Man sighed, "Although Darling, you did a good job, things aren't that simple. Some countries have shown strong resistance to this plan..."

"Are they idiots? Why would they object to this?" Xiao He asked incredulously. "Using this method to Plastic Decomposition is cheaper than shipping it to other countries or dumping it into the sea, right? Because the decomposed resources can be reused! Not only can it process plastic waste, but it can also make money. Only a fool would object!"

"I also think only an idiot would refuse this plan, but the world is very complicated." Cui Man sighed as she poured the dried bean curd into the hot pot. "Those who refused, led by the M Country, then the Y Country and A Continent..."

"I roughly understand," Xiao He said with a sneer.

"If M Country interferes, many countries will become hesitant," Cui Man waved her hand reassuringly. "However, some countries have chosen to befriend us, such as D Country and some developing countries. F Country and Country R Country are also playing a game of Tai Chi with M Country. And those poor countries that have poor relations with M Country have already begun to negotiate relevant cooperation with us. So... although there is a malignant tumor causing trouble in the middle, the world is still gradually uniting, it just needs more time."

"They can use it or not, it's their loss anyway," Xiao He spat out irritably. "I'll invent a solution later that they'll be begging me to use it..."

"Actually, whether they accept it or not won't stop this plan from becoming widespread," Cui Man said with a smile. "Currently, many poor countries have chosen to cooperate with us, whereby they build Plastic Decomposition production lines to process plastic waste for developing and developed countries. The materials obtained from the decomposition are then sold for profit, making it a win-win situation."

After eating a piece of hot pot mutton, Cui Man sighed, "Let's get down to business. This time, M Country submitted a... proposal to the United Nations, which I personally believe leans more towards 'coercion'."

"What did they propose?" Ye Wanqing frowned, her face showing displeasure.

Cui Man poured some chili oil into her bowl. "The Mutant Competition is a gathering of Mutant from all over the world for an 'exchange.' They say it's to exchange techniques for using Superpower, and also to help scientists study the principles of Superpower. Maybe through this competition, they can figure out how you utilize 'White Light.'"

"I don't care... As long as I have a powerful Trigger, I can easily defeat them all," Xiao He said nonchalantly.

"That's the problem." Cui Man picked up a clove of garlic and started peeling it. "This competition has a set rules, and it's very likely that it will assess the comprehensive abilities of the Mutant. This gives the M Country a significant advantage, as they've bought quite a few Mutant from other countries. Moreover, they basically control the competition rules, and they'll definitely come up with some rules that are disadvantageous to us. But I suspect that whoever proposed this plan has ulterior motives, and what they're after is most likely related to 'Yinglong'."

"Then why don't we just not go?" Ye Wanqing asked, puzzled.

"No way," Cui Man sighed. "They've dared to provoke Yinglong. Yinglong is currently our country's flagship Mutant. If we don't fight back, all the publicity we've done about Yinglong will be wasted, and they'll definitely make a big deal out of it..."

"We only have three Mutant we can fight..." Xiao He raised an eyebrow.

"That's the problem. They require at least six people, five to compete and one as a substitute. If we don't have enough Mutant, we'll have to team up with other countries. But that's too embarrassing, absolutely not," Cui Man said, distressed. "The good news is, the proposal has only just been submitted. We'll try to delay it, and with things like preparing the venue, securing sponsorships, and advertising... we should have three or four months to prepare."

"Should we take advantage of this time to find a few more Mutant?" Xiao He pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

"Yes, it's good if they're willing to cooperate, but if they're not, we can use them as Trigger. In any case, finding the Mutant is beneficial to us." Cui Man nodded. "So we'll be quite busy these days, but I don't know if you've noticed, but the frequency of Mutant appearing in our country has been increasing recently."

Xiao He thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true. In the first two months, they only found him and Ye Wanqing, but not long after that, they discovered Xia Yu, then the Yangtze finless porpoise finless porpoise, the Flu virus, and the humans Jin Shaokang and Yue Feng...

However, thinking of this, Xiao He suddenly remembered "Lin Tiannan 001" in the Mutant Prison. When was that guy discovered?

"But no matter what, you did a very good job this time." Cui Man patted Xiao He's head and smiled. "Keep it up! For now, continue working on your project, but don't neglect your skills training. You need to be fully prepared for the upcoming Mutant Competition. After all, you are the face of China. Regardless of what others do, you absolutely cannot lose."

"Don't worry, after my last showdown with AME Influenza, I don't think there's another 'Lin Tiannan' who can defeat me," Xiao He said confidently.

"That's true," Cui Man said with a sigh. "But that's also what's worrying. I suspect someone might use this Mutant Competition to try and get the 'Miracle Factor' from you or poach your talent. After all, there are so many people and so many eyes on the field in this competition. Who knows who might infiltrate? On the surface, a simple 'exchange' is enough to get by, but in reality..."

"There are undercurrents at play," Xiao He thought to himself, frowning.

"However, the most urgent task right now is to search for more Mutant." Cui Man poured the tripe into the pot. "Starting tomorrow, I will apply to my superiors for more manpower and resources to intensify the search for Mutant."

As Cui Man spoke, she placed a crispy sausage on Xia Yu's plate. "Xia Yu, you should also perform well! As long as you can choose the type of enhancement to target your opponent's abilities, your abilities are actually quite formidable. Let Yinglong test the opponent's abilities first, and then you'll be able to dominate the battlefield."

"We shouldn't have to kill anyone, right?" Xia Yu asked hesitantly.

"Theoretically, that's how it is. Everyone will try to stop when they've reached their limit, but..." Cui Man sighed, resting her chin on her hand, "I'm afraid some people will do something sabotaging behind the scenes. You have to understand one thing: these people are clamoring to hold Mutant Competition, but it's definitely not, as they say, about 'researching Superpower's or 'allowing Mutant to have more interaction.'"

"Watch me beat them to a pulp!" Xiao He laughed triumphantly, patting Ye Wanqing's head. "Then it'll all depend on you, Little Pufferfish."

"We'll have to see then," Ye Wanqing said, frowning. "There could be a lot of variables. The contestant information might be fake, and if there are commentators on site, the contestants themselves will definitely find it strange when their names are announced."

"So, the safest way is still for us to have our own 'Trigger'." Cui Man nodded in agreement, then raised her glass and smiled, "But before that, let's have a good drink, shall we?"