My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The address Fang Li gave was in an inconspicuous alley in Chinatown.

It was a small general store with a faded signboard hanging above the door that read "Chen's General Store". Most of the paint had peeled off, leaving only shallow dents.

Behind the glass window were several boxes of instant noodles, a stack of old newspapers, several bags of rice, and other odds and ends.

When Li Fu pushed the door open, the hinges made a dry creaking sound. The goods on the shelves were sparse, as if no new stock had been received in a long time. It looked more like a small shop used to cover up some kind of business that was inconvenient to talk about.

Behind the counter stood a man in his fifties with gray hair, wearing a faded blue work jacket. One of the buttons on the cuff was missing, revealing frayed threads.

He was wiping an enamel teacup with an old towel, moving slowly as if doing something that didn't require any rush. When he heard the door open, he looked up.

His expression showed no surprise or panic; he simply placed the teacup on the counter and wiped his hands on his apron.

"Mr. Li, did you come to deliver it in person?"

"Are you Chen Long?" Li Fu was surprised to actually meet him in person.

He originally thought he would experience some setbacks.

"Yes, I'm afraid that if too many people find out about our deal, it might have a negative impact on you."

Chen Long's voice was somewhat hoarse, with the roughness characteristic of someone who had been smoking for a long time. His face was deeply wrinkled, and his eyes were droopy. He didn't look like a broker who had spent half his life operating in the gray area...

He's more like a retired immigrant who's spent his whole life in Chinatown.

"Mr. Fang said you are very law-abiding," Li Fu said, standing at the door without going inside. "I also want to see what kind of shop a law-abiding person runs."

A bitter smile appeared on Chen Long's lips. "As you can see now, it's not dignified at all; it's just barely enough to survive."

He gestured with his chin towards the private booth opposite the counter. "Mr. Li, please come this way. The tea is ready, and the water is freshly boiled."

Li Fu sat down in the chair opposite the counter.

Chen Long took a brown paper envelope from under the counter, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Li Fu. The envelope was not sealed, and inside was a folded piece of paper.

"This is an abandoned dock warehouse in Brooklyn, near the river. Nobody goes there usually. The girl is in a room on the second floor of Warehouse No. 3. I have someone bring her food every day. She doesn't have any major problems, she's just a little homesick."

Li Fu did not open the envelope. "Are you sure she's still there? If you're lying to me, you won't have a place in New York anymore."

"Of course I believe you have the ability," Chen Long poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "Mr. Li, I have done many bad things in my life, but I know this girl is very important to you. I knew that two years ago, so I dare not be negligent in the slightest."

He spent his early years in the underworld, living a life of constant danger and bloodshed. Later, he lived on the fringes of the law for many years, knowing all too well who he could and could not mess with.

"Two years ago? Looks like you're a smart man," Li Fu said, a gun tucked into his trench coat pocket, his eyes also scanning the grocery store. He was ready to strike at the first sign of trouble.

"I'm fairly well-informed in New York. There was quite a stir in Tennessee two years ago. The priest was tried, and the entire cult network was uprooted. The media said it was because of a missing girl named Odovia," Chen Long put down his cup and looked calmly at Li Fu. "I remembered what she looked like, and I detained her as soon as I saw her."

His idea at the time was to take a gamble, hoping that this girl could bring him good luck.

Li Fu looked into Chen Long's eyes. In those cloudy eyes, whose edges had been smoothed by the years, there was no greed, no scheming, only a calmness that came from having seen the ups and downs of life.

"You wanted a million, and I brought it."

He placed the box on the table and pushed it to Chen Long for inspection.

"The money isn't urgent," Chen Long said, pouring himself another cup of tea. "Before I get the money, I'd like to ask Mr. Li a question."

"Go ahead and ask," Li Fu nodded slightly.

"After you take her away, what do you plan to do? That girl was locked up in a warehouse in Brooklyn for two years, and she must have met other people during the transfer. Who can guarantee that she won't tell anyone about these things?" Chen Long asked calmly.

"I can't guarantee that," Li Fu shook his head.

He hadn't met Odovia yet, so he didn't know if her emotions were stable, or what she had gone through during her journey.

It is understandable for a victim to come forward and accuse those beasts one day.

Chen Long was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "This is very dangerous. I'm not afraid of going to jail, but I'm thinking of you. The human trafficking network is enormous, and we are just a part of it. It involves many powerful forces and big shots..."

In New York's underworld around 2009, Chinese gangs played a key role in human trafficking networks as "key execution nodes" between "logistics providers" and "warehousing providers."

Of course, sometimes this role is played by other gang members, depending on who the upstream smuggler will specifically ask.

One advantage of Chinese gangs is that they are not as careless in their work, while Mexican gangs often make many mistakes at the final execution stage.

As far as Chen Long knew, many smugglers served important figures, so the risks he took in hiding in Odovia were very high.

In the end, they covered it up by saying the person died during transport.

"You don't need to worry about that. I promised to send you away, so I won't let this matter involve you," Li Fu was not a man of his word. "As for your worries about me, you don't need to. I have no reason to investigate further."

Even if he wanted to investigate further, he wouldn't let outsiders know.

"OK, you can send your men to take the girl away now," Chen Long texted his subordinates, instructing them to evacuate. He then simply opened the cash box, glanced at it, and left.

He believed that a big shot like Li Fu wouldn't cheat someone over such a small amount of money.

Of course, he can't take the money yet; he has to wait for Li Fu's men to take the girl away.

Li Fu sent the address to Thompson.

About forty minutes later, Thompson called to say that he had left with his sister Odovia and that they were safe.

The deal was thus concluded.

Li Fu pushed the money box over, turned around, and walked out of the general store.

The door hinges creaked again, and the outdoor light poured in, casting a long shadow of Chen Long onto the sparsely arranged shelves.

"It may take a few days to send you back to your country, so please be patient," he said, turning to look at Chen Long.

Chen Long nodded slightly. He had something important in his hand, which he would hand over if he could return to China smoothly.

That was detailed information about the human trafficking network that he knew.

If the investigation goes deeper, there's a chance of uncovering some important figures. This would be a way for him to repay Li Fu's favor, and he believes it will definitely be useful.

Li Fu is not a policeman, but those things could be crucial bargaining chips to overwhelm his opponents.

Isn't this exactly what the big shots need for their struggles?