America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 74 Natural Disasters and Man-Made Calamities

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, with lightning and thunder, and strong winds were blowing. Fortunately, the underpass was big enough to shelter everyone from the wind and rain.

To prevent rainwater from leaking in and the tent from being blown away, Dominic thoughtfully packed up his good friend's tent.

It was time for everyone else to rest and sleep, but Jennifer, whose time zone was different from others, woke up.

After putting on his coat, crossing his legs, and lying on the sofa, he took out his phone and chatted with someone for a while. Then he suggested to the others, "Is there any real man who can drive me to the neighborhood next door? It's not far, only a ten-minute walk!"

"No," the man in the camp firmly refused. "How could anyone want to wander around outside in this awful weather? We're all trying to avoid it, and you still have to go to work in the rain? You're really dedicated!"

"I need to make money! I don't want to spend my whole life on the streets, but it looks like I'll have to rest today," Jennifer said with some regret.

"Perhaps you could use your good looks to pick up a taxi driver? Aren't you good at that?" Simone teased.

"I've already tried that, but taxis are packed in this awful weather, and it takes tens of minutes to get a ride. How could they possibly let me ride for free? Do you think I'd just send them two suggestive photos with a few words? They won't get anything out of it; they'd probably rather watch pay-per-view shows." Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"So why don't you ask your regular customers for help?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"My long-time customers would love to tear me to pieces. I only do one-off deals! How could I possibly have any long-time customers?"

Jennifer snuggled closer and hugged Zhang Allen's arm. "Darling, would you like to take me to the nearest motel? And then do me a favor: after I see the other customers off, we can enjoy some alone time there, sleeping in a warm, soft bed!"

"Going to a motel to meet your customers? Doesn't that mean a threesome?"

Damn it, are they trying to drag me into a honey trap again?

"I'm sorry, Jennifer, I'm exhausted and need to go to bed on time." Zhang Ailun glanced at the thunderstorm outside and decisively refused, "I suggest you take a day off today too."

"Can I sleep with you? I'm afraid of thunder!" Jennifer said, trying to squeeze into Zhang Ailun's double tent with him.

"Sure, my two-person tent is big enough for both of us to lie in." Zhang Ailun agreed after a moment's thought.

"But didn't you just wake up? When I said 'sleep,' I really meant rest!"

"I get sleepy just seeing you. Don't you like me sleeping with you?" Jennifer asked, biting her finger.

If you do it this way, it's really hard for a normal person to handle.

Seeing the two of them struggling to their limits, everyone else found it boring.

"Guys! Look what these two are doing! You either need to hug each other and go inside the tent to do some lovemaking, or you need to separate right now!"

"I'm going to sleep." Dave couldn't stand it anymore and decisively chose to return to his tent shelter in the heavy rain.

"If you really want to do anything, remember to take safety precautions." Simone also got up and left.

"Are you jealous of me? We can come together! I don't mind," Jennifer said.

Simone raised her middle finger. "I don't like fighting over the same thing with other people!"

"She's lying. She really wants to, but there's no room for three people in a two-person tent," Jennifer said earnestly to Zhang Ailun.

"..."

What else can I say?

go to bed.

……

The next morning, Zhang Ailun woke up feeling thirsty and had a slight migraine.

He glanced at the white girl lying on top of him.

And there's Dominic next to him.

I didn't sleep well at all last night.

It wasn't because of physical labor; nothing actually happened between the two or three of them. In the latter half of the night, thunder and rain poured down outside, and the rain was blown into the bridge arch.

It was like a hurricane had passed through; the tents were all tilted to one side. Fortunately, the cans were cleaned up and sold in time during the day, otherwise it's hard to imagine what they would have been like!

He and Dominic worked hard to reinforce the tent, and both caught a bit of a cold from the wind. The three people under the bridge told ghost stories for ages before finally falling asleep.

Zhang Ailun was the last to go to sleep.

What a rotten day! This awful weather is making it impossible to enjoy any mood at all.

And it turns out that a two-person tent can actually accommodate three people!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

I took out my phone to check the daily news, but found that the signal was very poor. Fortunately, the app was not affected at all.

[Daily News: Thunderstorms have damaged cell towers and power infrastructure, causing widespread power outages in the 5th, 6th, and 7th blocks. Slums and some communities will be without power for 72 hours. Around 4:00 AM, a large-scale stampede and brawl broke out at the bus station and shelters in the 6th block. Homeless people and local gang members engaged in a wave of riots, looting, and arson. 24-hour convenience stores and motels in multiple locations were damaged, resulting in over $40 million in economic losses to the area!]

[Details: Police officers from the Southern Precinct and the Special Operations Bureau's riot squad were deployed at 4:25 AM, supported by three Bell 206 police helicopters, four Chevrolet Impalas, and five Ford Dodges. They successfully suppressed the riot at 5:26 AM, resulting in 12 deaths and 176 injuries. Local news media did not extensively report on the incident, which was only circulated in a limited manner online and on short video platforms like TikTok. —Long press to download the video; source verifiable.]

Holy crap! This is truly the land of freedom in America, where gunfights happen every day!!

So they really did have sex last night?

Zhang Ailun could only be thankful that he hadn't gone out with Jennifer yesterday. No one can guarantee they won't get injured or trampled in a crowd; even Tyson would have to kneel down.

It's possible that one of her clients was in the motel that suffered the misfortune.

[Daily News: The Bali relief food truck was offering California sushi rolls and jam macaroni and jam meals, as well as Japanese ramen sets, on Dalu Street at 9:30 AM. At 9:32 AM, it was looted and vandalized by homeless people in the neighborhood, resulting in injuries to several staff members. All relief activities will be suspended for the next few days.]

The unfortunate Bali relief food truck.

[Daily News: Alexander, a Black man from California who escaped from a mental hospital on 6th Street in Los Angeles, has been spotted near the Green Letter shelter. He was carrying a weapon and stabbed two homeless people during a disturbance last night. He is currently starving and seeking food aid at the shelter. The shelter is short-staffed and needs to hire temporary workers. The mental hospital has unilaterally reported the incident to the police, and the Southern Precinct has dispatched officers to search for him. —Long press and click on the profile picture to download the image and his personal information.]

Green Letter Shelter?

That's not where Reina works.

Damn, these black guys over here are really a handful!

Being a police officer in Los Angeles must be incredibly busy! They work tirelessly and conscientiously every day; they must be getting a lot of overtime pay.

Zhang Ailun pushed aside Jennifer, who was like an octopus, and stepped over Dominic before walking out of the tent.

Looking outside, the sky was still overcast after the rain, the roads were muddy, and garbage bags were scattered everywhere.

Even his Trek butterfly bicycle was blown away by the wind, with half of the wheel stuck in a ditch, looking quite pitiful. This is the power of nature!

What's even more poignant is Sig's shelter, where half of the tent had collapsed.

The other person didn't stay in the tent at all last night because the rain was too heavy and the tent he got from the shelter was too weak to withstand the rain, so he had to make do with Little Lori for the night.

Zhang Ailun immediately took out his phone to ask Reina about the situation. It took her quite a while to reply.

Reina: The shelter is packed with people right now, and there's a power outage. I didn't expect it to rain so hard. But thankfully, there's backup power, and we're already getting ready to open.

Zhang Ailun: Need any help? I received a message that a mental patient escaped from the hospital and stabbed two homeless people in the chaos last night! There was also a large-scale gunfight in the Sixth Street area! The police are searching everywhere for that mental patient. I guess his next step will probably be to find a place to get a meal.

Reina: Oh my god! This can't be real, right? What should we do?

Zhang Ailun: Don't panic, wait for me.

(End of this chapter)