My absurd experiences in North America over the years

The underground parking garage of the Nashville City Hall was unusually quiet around 3 p.m., with fluorescent lights humming continuously and illuminating the gray concrete floor in a stark white light.

Thompson parked his car in the darkest corner near the elevator entrance, but after turning off the engine, he didn't get out. He rested his hands on the steering wheel and waited for a few minutes.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Lucy stepped out.

She was wearing a light gray trench coat and walked quickly, her high heels making a crisp sound on the cement floor.

Lucy walked to the passenger side, opened the car door, and got in.

"Miss Lucy," Thompson bowed slightly, his attitude extremely respectful, like a medieval knight addressing a nobleman.

Lucy placed a brown paper envelope on the dashboard. "All the documents Li asked me to get are ready. Tell him to use them without worry! Customs and regular checks won't be able to detect them."

The envelope was unsealed and contained a set of brand-new documents—a Tennessee driver's license, a Social Security card, and a photocopy of a birth certificate. The paper and seal were genuine, and the dates and place of issue were all in Nashville.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Lucy," Thompson said in a low voice, his voice trembling slightly.

He was very grateful to Li Fu and Lucy for spending a lot of money and making such a big fuss for his sister Odovia.

"It's no trouble at all, just a small matter," Lucy waved her hand casually. "You don't need to be so polite."

The original files for these documents were not recorded in the system. They were stamped through a temporary passage, and a receipt was left in a corner of the filing room. They were cleared away a few days later, and no one could find them.

Given her current status, it's just a matter of a word.

Li Fu had already told her the general situation; it was truly fortunate that Odovia was found.

"But one thing is certain: he needs to leave as soon as possible," she said, looking at Thompson. "Ideally, within three days."

"He'll leave tomorrow night. I'll arrange for him to fly to Los Angeles first, then transfer to another flight to leave the country. I'll be with him the whole time, so there won't be any problems," Thompson said, making sure he personally watched Chen Long leave the country in case anything happened.

"That's good," Lucy said, paused for a moment, then turned to look out the window. A faded reflective strip hung on the gray wall of the underground parking lot, its color shimmering a dull orange under the fluorescent lights.

"Is Li busy lately? Aren't you safe with him when you're not around?" She was still a little worried about Li Fu.

"Mr. Li has been very busy lately. The project in New York is progressing very well. He has also been keeping an eye on the futures market, preparing for the next round of investment," Thompson said before answering the security question.

"But Miss Lucy, don't worry, I've already arranged all the security matters. Mr. Li has a trustworthy security team around him."

"That's good," Lucy nodded, then instructed Thompson, "If Lee encounters any difficulties, let me know in advance. Sometimes he likes to solve problems on his own, which... isn't good."

She had intended to use the word "dangerous," but ultimately changed it.

"Okay," Thompson nodded immediately.

Lucy didn't say anything more. She pushed open the car door and walked back to the elevator. The sound of her high heels echoed in the empty parking lot for two or three seconds before being cut off by the sound of the elevator doors closing.

Thompson waited until she entered the elevator, then took the ID from the dashboard, stuffed it into the inside pocket of his jacket, started the car, and drove away from the parking lot.

The following afternoon, at Nashville International Airport.

Chen Long changed into a clean dark blue jacket and cut his hair shorter, making him look much more energetic than he did at the grocery store.

He stood at the entrance of the departure hall, carrying an old travel bag, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd as if to make sure no one was following him.

Thompson stood beside him, holding a printed boarding pass and the brand-new set of documents in his hand.

There were no problems with security checks, and they arrived in Los Angeles smoothly, then went through departure procedures at the international airport.

This is the real test.

However, customs didn't find any problems. The documents were all genuine, and since the visa was obtained with legal documents, there were naturally no issues.

In fact, U.S. customs often can't even handle high-quality counterfeit documents, let alone something like this.

The production and sale of fake documents once became a huge chain of profits.

A genuine passport can be obtained as long as you're willing to pay; government, police, and immigration officials all make money through this method.

Some even obtained their identities by using the names of the dead.

"This is the best I can do for you," Thompson said, handing Chen Long his luggage. "Once you get there, don't contact anyone here. All traces of you in New York will disappear; there won't be any official records."

Chen Long took a deep breath. "Mr. Thompson, please thank President Li for me. Also, tell him that he has made quite a few enemies in New York. Be careful, especially with the Kushner family. They have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds in New York and New Jersey."

Thompson looked at him, nodded slightly, and said nothing.

Chen Long turned and walked towards the security checkpoint.

He didn't look back while queuing, and his movements were very natural when going through security. He put his travel bag on the conveyor belt, took off his coat, and walked through the metal detector gate.

He passed through security smoothly, picked up his travel bag again, and headed towards the boarding gate.

Thompson stood there, watching him disappear into the crowd at the boarding gate through the glass.

He stood there for a while to make sure there were no mistakes before turning around and leaving, preparing to report Chen Long's departure to Li Fu.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Chen Long, who seemed to have suddenly remembered something and told him to hurry to the security checkpoint because he had something to hand over.

Thompson immediately turned around and headed towards the security checkpoint.

Chen Long waved to him from a distance, then tossed him a manila envelope, saying, "Give this to General Manager Li for me."

He didn't shout it out, but instead lip-synced it.

Thompson took the file bag. There were no words on it, but it contained a thick stack of documents, roughly estimated to be at least a dozen pages.

Chen Long breathed a sigh of relief after watching Thompson receive the documents, then waved vigorously and strode towards the boarding gate.

The following evening, Li Fu opened the file folder in his hotel room in Manhattan.

The documents inside looked like notes that had been hastily organized, with messy but legible handwriting, and the page numbers were somewhat disordered. Some were written on blank A4 paper, while others were sticky notes with blurry headings.

The top page contains a brief explanation, with handwriting that is noticeably neater than the pages that follow, suggesting it was added later. Below it is a signature with initials – CL.

"Mr. Li, this is something I've pieced together from various places over the years. I don't know if you'll find it useful, but I think you should take a look. I hope it can help you someday."

Li Fu turned the page, and the first page was a hastily drawn hand-drawn map of a body of water near New York Harbor, marked with several coordinates and an arrow pointing to a small dot on the distant horizon.

There was no place name marked, but a date was written at the end of the arrow, the handwriting bolder than the annotation next to it.

The second page contained a collection of scattered names, some with only surnames, others with full names. He recognized a few, and vaguely remembered seeing some of them in the news.

The third page contains a handwritten description, the handwriting even more illegible, as if hastily jotted down.

"They load the supplies onto ships in Brooklyn, sail at night, and dare not dock along the way. The supplies are handed over to other ships at sea, and the destination is not fixed. Sometimes it is a private island, and sometimes it is a yacht."

Li Fu stopped when he turned to the fourth page.

There were only a few lines of text on that page, written on a yellowed sticky note. The glue on the edge of the note had dried, as if it had been torn off somewhere.

"There's an island that's often mentioned, but nobody dares to confirm what it is. But if we can find the line down to New York Harbor and follow it, we should be able to find the island's approximate location."

Li Fu picked up the page and looked at it under the light.

He had seen that island in his past life—in news reports in 2024, in countless articles, and in declassified court documents.

He was almost certain that Chen Long was referring to that island.

He realized these might be important clues about Raleigh Island, so he put the page back, closed the entire file folder, and locked it in his desk drawer.

Manhattan unfolded outside the window in the night, brightly lit. He stood by the window, lit a cigarette, and watched the Hudson River shimmer with a dark blue light in the distance.

Greater New York remains vibrant.

And that line is gradually emerging from the water.

This was indeed an unexpected bonus.