American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

"Here, I see people's simplest and purest joy. Perhaps this is the true face of the world—not just darkness, but also much light. It's just that we don't usually see it."

Sarah looked at him, a gentle light in her eyes. "You said many profound things today, Lynn."

“Perhaps it’s the magic of this place,” Lynn said, “that makes people more sentimental.”

After they finished eating, they continued strolling around the park. The afternoon sun was still scorching, but the shade of the palm trees and the occasional breeze made it feel quite comfortable.

"Would you like to take a picture with those characters?" Sarah pointed to a staff member dressed as Donald Duck in the distance, interacting with tourists.

"Me?" Lynn was a little surprised. "A photo with Donald Duck?"

“Why not?” Sarah said. “It’s part of the Disney experience.”

Lynn hesitated for a moment. He was already in his thirties; taking photos with cartoon characters seemed a bit childish, didn't it?

But then he thought, wasn't the reason he came here today to temporarily escape the constraints of "how adults should behave" and enjoy a day of simple happiness?
“Alright,” he said, “let’s go.”

They walked over to the Donald Duck statue and lined up to take photos with it. Donald Duck, dressed in his classic blue sailor suit, made all sorts of funny gestures, amusing the children around him.

When it was Lynn's turn, Donald Duck warmly opened his arms to him. Lynn stood stiffly next to Donald Duck, unsure of what pose to strike.

“Relax,” Sarah said, holding up her phone. “Smile!”

Lynn forced a smile, but it felt very unnatural. Donald Duck seemed to sense his nervousness, wrapped his wing around Lynn's shoulder, and made an exaggerated face.

This action inexplicably made Lynn actually laugh.

“Okay, got it!” Sarah said. “You and Donald Duck look great together.”

Lynn looked at the photo and realized his smile was much more natural than he had imagined. The comical expression of Donald Duck contrasted interestingly with his relaxed smile.

“I’m going to keep this photo,” Sarah said. “If you ever put on that FBI poker face again, I’ll show it to you and remind you that you can actually smile happily.”

“No,” Lynn said, but there was no real objection in her tone, “that would ruin my image.”

“What image? A cold-blooded federal agent?” Sarah quipped. “That image is ruined. From the moment you agreed to come to Disney.”

They continued strolling around, playing a few more games and buying some souvenirs. Sarah bought herself a pair of Minnie Mouse ear headbands, which made her look playful and cute. She also bought a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and handed them to Lynn.

"Here you go."

“I won’t wear this.”

“Come on,” Sarah said, “today is a special day.”

Lynn looked at the Mickey Mouse ears, black round ears, and red bow. He had never worn anything like that before and felt extremely ashamed.

But Sarah looked at him expectantly, and he found it hard to refuse.

“Okay,” he sighed, putting the Mickey ears on his head, “but only for a little while.”

“So cute!” Sarah picked up her phone and took a few more photos. “I definitely have to show these photos to the team.”

"You dare."

“Of course I dare,” Sarah laughed. “Just imagine Lynn Ashford, that ruthless FBI agent, wearing Mickey Mouse ears and laughing like a child at Disneyland. That would be a legend in the department.”

Lynn shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

In the evening, they had dinner at a restaurant in the park. The restaurant was decorated in the style of a medieval castle, with knight's armor and dragon decorations hanging on the walls, and the waiters dressed as princesses and princes.

“This place is truly well-designed,” Lynn said, looking around at the decorations. “Every detail creates a fairytale atmosphere.”

“That’s the magic of Disney,” Sarah said. “They don’t just build a theme park; they create a whole world where fairy tales are real and dreams come true.”

"Do you believe in fairy tales?" Lynn asked.

“I believe people need fairy tales,” Sarah said. “Reality is cruel enough; sometimes people need a place to escape, even if only temporarily. That’s what makes Disney what it is.”

Lynn thought for a moment. "Perhaps you're right."

After dinner, they returned to the square in front of the castle to wait for the fireworks display. It was completely dark, and the castle looked even more magical under the lights. The square was packed with people, all eagerly anticipating the upcoming show.

“It’s said to be one of the best fireworks displays in the world,” Sarah said. “They use projections, lights, and fireworks to create various scenes from Disney movies on the castle.”

Lynn found a good spot to stand and waited for the performance to begin.

As the music began, the lights on the castle started to change, projecting various familiar Disney characters—Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White, and Cinderella. Each character was accompanied by their corresponding movie theme song, eliciting cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Then, the fireworks began.

Colorful fireworks burst across the night sky, illuminating the entire park. Gold, red, blue, and green—various colors intertwined to form dazzling patterns. Some resembled flowers, others stars, and still others shooting stars across the heavens.

As the music reached its climax, a giant Mickey Mouse head appeared on the castle's projection, accompanied by the words: "Dreams Come True."

Lynn stood there, looking up at the fireworks in the night sky, feeling an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

At this moment, he was not an FBI agent, not a hunter chasing criminals, not a special agent dealing with mutants. He was just an ordinary person, standing in a magical place, enjoying simple beauty.

After the fireworks display ended, the crowd began to disperse. Lynn and Sarah followed the flow of people toward the exit, neither of them speaking, seemingly still immersed in the beauty of the spectacle.

"How was your day?" Sarah finally broke the silence.

Lynn thought for a moment, then said, "This is the happiest day I've had in a long time."

"real?"

“Really,” Lynn said, “thank you, Sarah. Thank you for inviting me here.”

Sarah smiled slightly. "You're welcome. I'm happy too."

They left the magical kingdom and took the monorail back to the parking lot. The cool night breeze contrasted with the daytime heat, making it very comfortable.

“Are we heading back to New York tonight?” Lynn asked. “No,” Sarah said, “I’ve booked a hotel. Our flight back is tomorrow morning. We can get some rest tonight.”

"You've thought of everything."

“Of course,” Sarah said, “it’s a complete plan, not just a quick visit.”

They drove to a hotel within the Disney resort and checked in. The hotel was also decorated in a Disney style, with a giant Mickey Mouse statue in the lobby and various Disney characters painted on the walls of the corridors.

Lynn's room was on the third floor, with a window facing the hotel's swimming pool and artificial lake. The moonlight was reflected on the lake, and the lights of other hotel buildings could be seen in the distance.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, reflecting on everything that had happened that day.

The thrill of Space Mountain, the coolness of Splash Mountain, taking photos with Donald Duck, the comical sight of wearing Mickey ears, the fireworks display in front of the castle—every moment is like a shining pearl, strung together to form this beautiful necklace.

He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

His phone vibrated; it was a text message. He picked it up and saw it was from Sarah.

Did you have fun today?

He replied, "I'm very happy. Thank you."

"That's good. Goodnight, Lynn."

Goodnight, Sarah.

He put down his phone and closed his eyes.

The morning sunlight streamed through the airplane window and shone on Lynn's face.

He opened his eyes and found himself asleep in his seat. Outside the window were layers of white clouds, the plane was flying smoothly, and most of the passengers in the cabin were either dozing off or looking at their phones.

“You’re awake,” Sarah’s voice came from beside me. “You’ve been asleep for about an hour.”

Lynn rubbed his eyes and stretched his stiff neck. "Are we almost there?"

“There are about twenty minutes left,” Sarah said. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Very good,” Lynn said. “Probably the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

“The magic of Disney,” Sarah laughed, “is that it relaxes the mind and body.”

The plane began its descent, breaking through the clouds, and the outline of New York gradually came into view. From above, Manhattan's skyscrapers resembled a dense concrete jungle, the Hudson River shimmered silver in the sunlight, and the Statue of Liberty appeared and disappeared on the distant sea.

“Back to reality,” Lynn said, looking out at the city.

“Yes,” Sarah said, “the holidays are over.”

The plane landed smoothly at JFK Airport. They collected their luggage, walked out of the terminal, and hailed a taxi back to Manhattan.

The taxi moved slowly through the morning rush hour traffic. The driver was a middle-aged man with a large beard, and the radio was playing local news. Lynn leaned back in her seat, looking at the familiar street scene outside the window, feeling as if everything she had experienced at Disneyland yesterday was just a dream.

"Are you going to work today?" Sarah asked.

“Yes,” Lynn said, “Morrison’s leave ended yesterday. Normal work resumes today.”

“Me too,” Sarah said. “Hopefully nothing serious will happen today.”

The taxi stopped in front of Sarah's apartment building. She got out with her luggage and waved to Lynn before leaving.

See you today, partner.

See you today.

The taxi continued on, dropping Lynn off at his apartment. He went home, quickly took a shower, changed into a clean shirt and suit trousers, and then headed to the FBI's New York field office.

The atmosphere in the building was as busy as ever. People came and went in the corridors, phones rang incessantly, and everyone was busy with their own work. Lynn took the elevator to the seventh floor and entered the office of the Special Task Force on Mutant Affairs.

There are already people in the office.

Besides Sarah, there was a young man Lynn didn't recognize sitting at a table in the corner, looking down at a document. He looked to be in his early twenties, with his short black hair neatly combed to one side, wearing a dark blue suit that was clearly new, and his tie was tied meticulously.

“Lynn,” Sarah stood up as she saw him come in, “you’re here. Perfect timing, let me introduce you.”

She walked over to the young man and gestured for him to stand up.

"This is Kevin Zhang, a recent graduate of the FBI Academy, assigned to our task force. Kevin, this is Agent Lynn Ashford, your direct mentor."

Kevin stood up, extended his hand, his expression a mixture of nervousness and excitement. “Agent Ashford, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve heard of you since my time at the academy; your work on mutant affairs is outstanding.”

Lynn shook hands with him, feeling that the other's palm was slightly sweaty. "Just call me Lynn. Welcome to the team, Kevin."

“Thank you, Agent Lynn—uh, Lynn,” Kevin stammered, “I will study hard.”

Lynn sized up the young man. Kevin's eyes were bright and full of enthusiasm, radiating a youthful energy. This reminded Lynn of when he first joined the FBI, when he was just like that—full of curiosity about everything, eager to prove himself.

“Deputy Director Morrison said you’d like to mentor him for a few days,” Sarah explained from the side, “to familiarize him with how the task force operates.”

“Okay,” Lynn nodded, then said to Kevin, “Have a seat. We’ll start with the basics today.”

They sat down in the office, and Lynn began to brief Kevin on the working group.

“The Mutant Affairs Task Force is a newly established department within the FBI specifically designed to handle cases involving mutants,” he said. “This includes mutant-related crimes, crimes against mutants, and any incidents related to mutant abilities.”

“I know,” Kevin said. “I took a course on mutant studies when I was in college. I understand the basics of the X gene and the common classifications of mutant abilities.”

“Theory is one thing, practice is another,” Lynn said. “In the classroom, mutants are an academic concept. In reality, they are living, breathing people with their own personalities, motivations, and behavioral patterns. You can’t treat mutants the same way you treat ordinary suspects, because their abilities can render conventional law enforcement methods ineffective.”

Kevin nodded earnestly, seemingly trying to remember every word.

“There’s another important point,” Lynn continued, “not all mutants are criminals. In fact, most mutants just want to live normal lives, just like you and me. Our job isn’t against mutants, it’s against crime. Don’t let prejudice cloud your judgment.” (End of Chapter)