America: I'm causing trouble for environmental organizations

Detroit.

West Jefferson Avenue.

Everywhere you look, there are abandoned factories and warehouses. This area borders a Black ghetto and was largely ignored by the Detroit government in 09.

People often say that the gap between the rich and the poor is huge in the United States.

How big is it exactly?

Meng Ran experienced it all again today.

Half an hour earlier, he was at the Grosspoint golf course, a place of exquisite luxury.

I heard that the membership fee alone is $8, and the annual membership fee is another $2, not even counting additional expenses.

And here...

"I'm paid daily, it used to be $100, but now it's been reduced to $80. Some people are paid by piecework, they don't have insurance, and they don't have to pay taxes."

Tessa, the Black mother, was sitting in the passenger seat of Mike's car.

The fingers holding the cigarette were unnaturally pale.

The back of my hand was covered with tiny cuts.

Sitting in the back row, Meng Ran pretended to be a reporter and asked, "What kind of waste are you all dealing with?"

Tessa didn't answer. Instead, she took a drag of her cigarette, turned around, and stared intently at Meng Ran.

Meng Ran understood what she meant, reached into the inner pocket of her chest, took out her wallet, pulled out two 20-yuan bills, and handed them over.

Tessa happily slipped the money into her bra through her neckline.

He then continued, "I heard that the waste paint residue left over from the painting line costs $1200 per ton to process by other companies, but it's much cheaper to process it with us."

There were also defective lead-acid batteries from the final assembly line, as well as waste catalytic converters, circuit boards, cutting fluid, hydraulic oil, and so on—many kinds, I can't remember them all.

After saying that, she added, "However, they're all unclean stuff. The clean metal scraps are recycled by the manufacturers themselves."

Goodness, Meng Ran's eyelids twitched when he heard what Tessa said.

It's all highly poisonous.

So he took the opportunity to ask, "When you were handling these things, did you distribute any protective equipment?"

Upon hearing the question, Tessa immediately burst into laughter: "Mr. Reporter, you seem rather naive. Does a mask count? The kind nurses wear."

Meng Ran knew this question was stupid, but that was his purpose in asking it.

Mike chimed in, "So how do you dispose of these things? For example, the waste cutting fluid and paint residue—do you just dump them directly into the river through hidden pipes?"

Tessa did not answer.

Meng Ran thought she wanted more money, so she took out another 20 yuan from her wallet and handed it over.

This time, Tessa didn't answer. She took a deep drag of her cigarette and exhaled, saying, "I'm sorry, there are some things I can't tell you."

"Which company owns your factory? Is it affiliated with any environmental NGOs in Detroit?"

"I don't know." Tessa shook her head. "All I know is that there are at least dozens of illegal waste processing plants here. It's probably the largest waste processing center in Detroit."

The largest concentration?

Meng Ran blinked. So, it's highly likely that the company Howard is working with is also located here?

Mike became curious too: "Are they all African Americans?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Are they all around your age?"

"Many were teenagers. The youngest I saw was only 12 years old. His hands were so rotten that you could see the bone. Fortunately, there was that pungent waste, so no flies were biting him."

"..." Mike regretted speaking up.

Meng Ran's brows immediately furrowed: "Could you introduce me to him?"

"I can't see him, he's dead. People die here and in the neighborhood every day..." Tessa said, lighting another cigarette in frustration.

She took a couple of deep breaths, as if to comfort herself, "But I'm different from them. My main job is dancing in clubs. I'll be leaving here soon."

Because I have a great figure, maybe I'll meet an older man willing to be my sugar daddy for life and cover part of my daughter's medical expenses... Hahaha... Fuck!!

He threw the cigarette in his hand away abruptly.

Tessa covered her face in pain.

She didn't let Mike and Meng Ran comfort her, but quickly composed herself, rubbed her face and said, "Anyway, if you want to investigate, you can sneak in tonight."

Of course, I don't recommend you do that, it's very easy to get yourself killed. The River Rat Gang is guarding this place, they won't allow anyone to cut off their source of income.

Perhaps you could bribe a few people working in the factory to take some photos for you, provided you have the kind of equipment that can be hidden...

Tessa paused at this point.

He then turned to look at Mike and Mengran and said seriously, "Can you not report on what's happening here? There are nearly a thousand people working here, and everyone needs this job."

As you know, the cash relief and food stamps issued by the government are simply not enough to support ourselves, and there are too many rules. Everyone really, really needs this job!

You could actually report more on children with lead poisoning; there are countless children with lead poisoning in Detroit. Maybe the government could even allocate some funds because of it.

Upon hearing this, Mike looked at Meng Ran.

He originally didn't intend to report on anything related to waste or anything like that; his initial target was children suffering from lead poisoning.

Meng Ran really didn't know how to reply.

Is this the world's number one developed country?

Taking a deep breath, but choking on the smoke in the car, Meng Ran coughed a few times before asking one last question: "Any of this scrap metal you're dealing with is shipped overseas?"

It is indeed possible not to report on waste treatment plants.

Simply focusing on the act of shipping goods abroad can also lead to a conviction.

Tessa hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know."

"Thank you." Meng Ran didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, she already knew that the waste treatment plant Howard was cooperating with was probably located here, and there would be plenty of time to investigate.

"Can I get off now?" Tessa asked again.

"Of course," Mike nodded.

"Wait," Meng Ran called out to Tessa, who had already gripped the handlebars.

Then he took out his wallet again, pulled out the remaining two hundred yuan in cash, and handed it over.

Tessa hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the pressure of reality and took the money. She said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't provide you with much information."

After saying that, she looked at Meng Ran and said, "Perhaps you need some other form of repayment? I had a physical examination recently and I don't have any infectious diseases."

"Don't do that. You're a strong mother. This money is just a small token of my respect." Meng Ran shook her head, her tone gentle.

The sudden compliment made Tessa's gaze wander. She nodded unconsciously, took a deep breath, and finally forced a relaxed smile: "Okay~~"

After saying that, she pushed open the car door and left as if fleeing.

The figure walking forward, occasionally glancing up at the sky, seemed to be holding back tears.

"What do we do next?" Mike sighed.

"Let's go back. Let me think about this carefully. Things are a bit more complicated than I thought." Meng Ran also opened the car door. His car was parked in the back.

But as soon as I got to the car, my hand touched the door handle.

Tessa, who had already walked several dozen meters, suddenly turned around and ran back.

Standing slightly out of breath beside Meng Ran, she said, "I remembered something, I don't know if it will be of any use to you."

"you say."

"When I was sleeping with the leader of the River Rat Gang, I overheard him talking about how a lot of lead-acid batteries, circuit boards, and scrap metal would be shipped to... Country Z."

"Where to?" Meng Ran's expression changed.

"Country Z, and India. He said that when shipping these things, they would mix large amounts of toxic waste that couldn't be processed in Detroit into the containers."

"Huh?" Meng Ran let out a cold laugh.

"The law doesn't seem to allow this. So, they usually donate under the guise of charitable donations. This time, an association that collects a lot of secondhand items is planning to cooperate with us."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ran immediately recalled the second piece of information from the [Intelligence Card].

Howard recently discussed with Ullens the possibility of requiring all unpaid interns in the association's project teams to participate in secondhand recycling work, primarily involving used electronics, clothing, and other similar items.

Isn't this a perfect match?

In an instant, Meng Ran's temper flared up.

It's fine if they ship it to Mexico, India, or Africa.

You're fucking transporting this to my hometown?

Suppressing her anger, Meng Ran asked, "Is there anything else?"

"A batch of goods may be shipped out in 10 days, but I don't know about any more than that."

"Do you know where he was collected and transported out from?"

"Does Detroit have many docks?" Tessa asked in return.

"Thank you. Here's a business card. You can call me when you have time, and I can give you some more money." Meng Ran said, taking out a business card from his pocket and handing it to Tessa.

Tessa took the business card, looked at it, and shook her head, saying, "No need for money. You're a good person, Mr. Cole."

After saying that, she turned and left.

As they walked, he turned back and warned, "Don't come here unless you have to. Your looks and skin color are too eye-catching; you'll get targeted."