My absurd experiences in North America over the years

(The previous chapter has been slightly expanded; readers who read it early yesterday can go and catch up.)

Thompson's hometown is a small town called St. Clair, more than 200 kilometers west of Nashville, which was difficult to find on Google Maps in 2007.

It's not that there are no signs, but the route is a bit complicated for strangers.

Li Fu drove for nearly five hours, turning from the interstate highway to the county road, and then from the county road onto an unpainted dirt road.

The scenery on both sides changed from the glass curtain walls of the city to the endless pastures, and then from the pastures to the endless cornfields.

The corn harvest is over this season, leaving only withered yellow stalks that rustle in the October wind.

The town of St. Clair is not very big.

There is only one main street, two rows of houses side by side, a church, a gas station, and a post office.

What remains are scattered residential houses.

They don't live as crampedly as people in rural China; some families are as far apart as 100 meters.

The church's white spire, the tallest building in town, gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun.

At the end of the main street is a red brick building with a sign that reads "St. Clair Police Department." Yes, the local police force is also called a police station.

Although a small town usually has only one elected sheriff in charge.

The so-called security force consists of only two people: a sheriff and a deputy sheriff.

There were only two cars parked in the parking lot in front of the police station.

One was a police car, and the other was a pickup truck, with several bundles of hay piled in the truck bed.

Li Fu parked his car in the open space next to the church and called Thompson.

The phone rang three times before the call was successfully connected.

"I've arrived in town, and I'm at the church entrance now."

Thompson's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't slept for days. "What brings you here, Mr. Li?"

"I came to take a look," Li Fu said in a relaxed tone.

"I'm coming to pick you up now!" Thompson hung up the phone.

He appeared before Li Fu in no time.

The once energetic young man now wears a wrinkled plaid shirt, his hair is messy, and his eyes are bloodshot.

He looked as if something had hollowed him out.

Li Fu frowned, almost not recognizing him.

What kind of upheaval has occurred?

The Thompson family's house was in a small alley behind the main street; it was a white wooden bungalow with a withered geranium hanging on the porch.

The yard wasn't very big. An old Ford pickup truck was parked in the yard, with several rust spots on the hood.

Li Fu was carrying several boxes of nutritional supplements and two bottles of whiskey when he suddenly felt that the gifts he had brought were not quite appropriate.

"This way, Mr. Li," Thompson said, still maintaining his professional demeanor and manners.

"Don't call me 'President Li,' just call me Li," Li Fu waved his hand, indicating that a private visit didn't need to be so formal.

Their living room was large, with a brown velvet sofa and cushions piled up crookedly.

On the coffee table were several photos and an open notebook. In one of the photos, a teenage blonde girl stood at the church entrance with a sweet smile, wearing a white dress.

Thompson's parents were also home. His father sat at the kitchen table with his head down, a cup of untouched coffee in front of him.

The mother sat on the sofa, her eyes red and swollen, clutching a wad of tissues in her hand, the tissues already soaked.

When guests came to their home, they simply greeted them briefly.

Li Fu sat down on the sofa.

Thompson sat next to him, hands on his knees, head down and silent, looking very downcast.

"What exactly happened?" Li Fu asked in a low voice.

"My sister is missing, and we haven't found her yet," Thompson said in a hoarse voice.

Li Fu glanced at the photo on the table; he already had a vague idea. "How long have they been missing?"

"It's been almost four days," Thompson's voice seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his throat. "Last Sunday afternoon, she said she went to a classmate's house to do her homework, but she didn't come back that night. I asked her classmate, and my sister didn't go at all."

Li Fu's gaze fell on the photograph on the coffee table.

The girl smiled brightly, revealing two slightly crooked canine teeth, looking innocent and carefree.

"What did the police say?"

Thompson looked up at him, his lips twitching into an expression more painful than tears.

"The police think it's normal for teenage girls to run away from home, so they told us to look for it ourselves first, and that they would notify us if they had any news."

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Thompson's mother cried again, her voice low and whimpering like a wounded animal.

His father didn't move, still looking down at the untouched cup of coffee.

Li Fu was not at all surprised by the police's response.

Americans themselves have a stereotype about the police, otherwise there wouldn't be so many corrupt cops in American TV shows.

They themselves wouldn't tell their children to go to the police if they had problems; instead, they would tell them to stay away from the police.

"Has anything like this ever happened in town before?" Li Fu was worried that someone might be involved in human trafficking behind the scenes.

In that case, it's almost impossible to get it back.

Four days of disappearance is enough time to get the goods to some island.

Thompson was silent for a moment, as if trying to recall.

"It's happened before. It seems like every now and then, sometimes every six months, sometimes every year or two, girls will go missing..."

Li Fu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

Oh no, this is definitely not an ordinary missing person case, and it can't possibly be a runaway.

"Have any been found?" he continued to ask.

Thompson shook his head. "It seems like none of them have been found."

Li Fu leaned back on the sofa without saying a word.

In fact, Epstein had already been accused of sexual assault and organizing sex trafficking in 2005.

However, no one cared at the time, because this scumbag had too many powerful people supporting him, so he remained at large.

In his previous life, Li Fu had read too many reports exposing human trafficking in North America. The number of people who went missing in the United States every year was a staggering figure, and the vast majority of these cases were never solved.

In some corners of this country, the disappearance of a young girl goes unnoticed.

He wanted to tell Thompson to think more positively, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

If he were in Thompson's shoes, and someone advised him to take it easy, he would definitely yell at them.

So he simply patted Thompson on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

What can he say or do?

Human trafficking involves not only gangs, but also cults and certain politicians who collude and act recklessly.

How could he alone change this situation?

Even if Lucy were to help, the eldest daughter of the Forrest family would be powerless in such matters at present.

Unless she reaches Cole's position.

"Mr. Li, could you do me a favor?" Thompson suddenly looked up at Li Fu.

"Go ahead," Li Fu nodded.

If he can help, he certainly won't refuse.

"Could you help me contact a newspaper? I want to publish a missing person notice widely," Thompson said, almost pleadingly.

"No problem, I can contact them for you right now." Li Fu didn't know if this approach would work, but perhaps it was better than nothing.

He's now quite influential in Nashville's small social circles.

After all, they have the backing of the Forrest family.

Thompson's eyes reddened, and he almost cried. "I don't know if this money is enough. Mr. Li, please try your best to contact them! If it's not enough, I'll try to raise more."

He placed a bank card on the table.

Li Fu was very familiar with that bank card; it was from JPMorgan Chase Bank and was a salary card issued to employees by their investment company.

This assistant has been working diligently for nearly a year, and his salary is much higher than that of his peers, so Thompson must have saved some money.

At least fifty or sixty thousand US dollars

However, this amount of money is probably not enough to publish missing person notices on a large scale.

Of course, it's also possible that the "large range" Thompson refers to is not the "large range" he understands.

He genuinely intends to cover the entire surrounding area.

"You don't need to worry about the money," Li Fu stood up and patted Thompson on the shoulder. "I'll go contact them now."

He got up and went into the yard to call The Tennessee newspaper.

The Tennessean is the most popular local newspaper around Nashville. Although it doesn't rank in the top ten in national circulation, it dominates the Tennessee market.

He knew Shepherd, the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

The call was answered quickly. The other party hesitated at first when they heard that the missing person notice would be published on the main page, and could only politely say that the price was too high.

Li Fu instructed Shepherd to submit a direct offer.

Shepherd was reluctant to publish the missing person ad in the main section, as it would affect the newspaper's sales to some extent.

But he couldn't very well refuse Li Fu.

"This April, someone published a full-page black-and-white apology letter in our Friday edition for $11,535.30. If it were in the main section, I estimate it would have cost at least $4..."

This price is quite high, especially considering it's for the first edition.

Shepard's intention was to advise Li Fu not to waste his money, but it was basically useless.

It's not like no one has published it in the newspapers before.

"Thirty thousand it is, how about this, I'll offer one hundred thousand for the next three issues of the newspaper, print three pages for me," Li Fu said directly, not caring about anything else.

$100,000 for a clear conscience is worth it.

Upon hearing Li Fu's voice from inside the house, Thompson's eyes reddened, and the tough man couldn't help but shed tears.

Li Fu originally planned to make the round trip in one day.

But with such a big incident, he couldn't just leave like that.

For the next three days, in addition to helping Thompson search the surrounding area, I would sometimes sit in the yard, chat with Thompson's mother, and listen to her talk about her daughter's childhood.

Traditional white families place great importance on family ties, which is somewhat similar to the situation in China.

On a side note, the Marine Corps recruits almost entirely from respectable, traditional white families.

They are currently the only American army that can still fight.

They are also the most resolute force in safeguarding the national interests of the United States, remaining steadfast in their commitment despite facing exclusion from all sides.

The Marine Corps is also stationed at the White House to protect the president's safety.

Regardless of whether a president comes from the Democratic or Republican Party, the only force they are certain will not be controlled by the other side or cause unrest is the Marine Corps.

It is no exaggeration to say that traditional white families form the foundation of America.

If one day even they lose faith in America, or if Black people begin to make up the majority, or if the Democratic Party's banner of freedom stands firm, then the concept of family will completely disappear.

Then this country is not far from collapsing.

That night, Li Fu did not stay at Thompson's house; instead, he went to the only motel in town.

There will be bus drivers and tourists from other places here.

He can learn some information about the surrounding area.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to gain.

On the third night, the town was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.

Li Fu packed his things quickly, preparing to leave tomorrow.

This is all he can do for now.

The Tennessean caused some commotion after publishing a series of missing person notices on its main page.

Many people know that a little girl named Odovia Thompson went missing in the town of St. Clair.

However, most of those who provide clues are only after a supposed reward, and those clues are all fabricated.

However, the incident alerted the state police department.

The authorities called the local sheriff, urging them to solve the case as soon as possible.

Of course, that's all.

Li Fu lay in bed, truly unable to understand why some people born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s had such a strong romanticized view of Americans, believing that this place was truly paradise on earth.

In fact, for ordinary people, life abroad is much worse than in China.

If someone goes missing in the country, at least a case will be filed and an investigation will be launched.

All forms of human trafficking will be severely punished.

It's truly outrageous that a small town with missing persons has been neglected for years.

This is comparable to a governor declaring righteously during a snowstorm that only socialist countries would provide aid, and only the strong deserve to live.

Such remarks would be unthinkable in China.

Even those who fail to provide adequate disaster relief will be held accountable.

Li Fu was thinking about all sorts of things and couldn't fall asleep, so he went to the courtyard on the first floor of the motel.

The yard was small, with only a few wrought iron tables and chairs and a crooked oak tree.

He rarely lit a cigarette, but he sat under the tree and looked at the starry sky.

The town has no light pollution, and the Milky Way is so clear it looks like a luminous river flowing from one end of the sky to the other.

Before we knew it, it was already past midnight.

The hotel owner is probably already asleep.

Just then, the sound of an engine came from the dirt road in the distance, and a dark SUV drove out of the darkness. Its headlights were dim, like a wild beast gliding silently in the night.

Li Fu didn't pay any attention; in a country built on the wheels of cars, the sound of vehicles was perfectly normal.

The SUV stopped about 100 meters from the motel, and several figures emerged from the vehicle, but they were indistinct and could not be clearly seen.

They were talking in fits and starts, their voices very soft.

However, in the extremely quiet night, some of it still blew over with the wind.

Li Fu has excellent eyesight and hearing, which is one of the basic requirements for being selected for the special forces.

He vaguely heard words such as sacrifice, priest, glory, and benefit.

"Damn, is it a cult?"

Cults are far too common in America.

In a religious country, the management of religion is a complete mess, giving rise to countless evil sects.

Some are even large enough to influence local elections.

Li Fu silently crossed the iron railings of the motel and approached the group under the cover of darkness.

There is no doubt that the disappearance of Thompson's sister Odovia is related to these people.