America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“We didn’t steal it; they submitted it to us, and we were in charge of coordinating everything,” Blake replied.

“If you were the intruder, what would you do?” Blake asked John.

“That depends on the determination and goals of the actors,” John said.

"Security work is indeed very difficult; there are always areas that cannot be prevented."

“The hierarchy is quite clear; the security capabilities of smaller countries are not as strong as those of larger ones,” John chuckled.

“The world has always been unequal, and I have tried my best to ensure fairness,” Blake said.

“Look here, these delegations from small countries applied to bring their own security teams, which is a loophole.”

"Spies are very likely to infiltrate the security teams of these small countries and instigate disputes between two or even more countries."

“There’s nothing we can do about it; it’s mainly because they don’t trust America,” Blake shook his head.

"A millennium summit convened for world peace, but representatives from around the world lack mutual trust..."

"I don't think the United Nations should have convened this meeting at all."

“John, what are you thinking about?” Blake asked.

John Wick remained silent for a moment.

"My idea is still too crazy, it's better not to say it out loud."

“Blake, are you worried about something unexpected happening?” John asked.

“Of course I’m worried. This time, representatives from more than 180 countries and regions have come to New York,” Blake replied.

“Nobody’s that stupid. Creating an accident is like making enemies of the whole world, unless someone doesn’t want to live on Earth anymore,” John said.

“What about aliens? We have to be wary of aliens, right?” Blake said.

"Are there really aliens?" John asked Blake.

"This is just a hypothetical scenario, like setting up aliens as a hypothetical enemy during military exercises," Blake said.

"Okay. We'll use aliens as the hypothetical enemy. Imagine aliens infiltrating Earth using human technology to carry out their invasion plan and disrupt the meeting, then..."

"...That's all I can think of."

John took a sip of coffee, and Blake thanked him, then put the blueprints and documents away and placed them in his briefcase for safekeeping.

"Do I need to start work?" John asked Blake, who was about to leave.

“I actually wanted to ask you if you need an assistant to help you with chores at home,” Blake said.

"assistant?"

“Help you with housework, help you take care of Helen, a female assistant,” Blake said.

"I don't need it now."

“Next time you come over, give me a work suit,” John said to Blake.

I don't know your size.

I'm writing this to you.

"Don't you have a spare?" Blake asked curiously.

“A man’s wardrobe shouldn’t contain only one suit,” John said earnestly to Blake.

……

……

"George, you're a living saint, what can I say about you?"

"Isn't the best solution to avoid scandal and demonstrate New York's humanitarian concern?"

“I think you’re too kind to these homeless people,” the chief said to George Stacy.

“This isn’t something that can be solved by just thinking about it; we only have one month to get it done,” George told the chief.

"Have you been bribed by the mayor?" the bureau chief asked.

“The communities are willing to cooperate, so why can’t we implement it properly?”

“Okay, George. If you can get everyone else to follow your plan, I’m not going to do anything about it. I’m just going to eat donuts in my office. Now, get out of my office.”

George Stacy walked out of the chief's office and glanced at the New York crime rate graph on the wall. The overall crime rate in New York had dropped by 60% over the past decade, which was also the decade he had worked on, but his work had gone on for more than just that decade.

"Colleagues, we need to have a short meeting. The chief said he fully supports this plan. We need to treat the homeless well, at least for the next two months..."

In order to make New York look good before the Millennium Summit, funds were allocated to various departments of New York City, with the homeless being a key project, as George had predicted.

After thinking at home for a month, George came up with a brilliant plan...

Three days later, a notice from the New York Police Department was published in major New York newspapers, offering a $100 reward to anyone who called to report the exact location of a homeless person, after the homeless person was taken into custody.

A brand new television program airs in the early morning, with the network following the NYPD to show how they help the homeless.

Police received a call and officers went to the location to locate the homeless person. After some negotiation, they took the person away and transported them to a shelter in a police car. At the shelter, after registering their identity information, staff cleaned and tidied the homeless person, changed their clothes, arranged a bed, provided food, and introduced job opportunities to those who were able to work…

As long as the money is in place, every aspect of New York's image-building projects is working at full efficiency, and the city's appearance is changing every day.

……

"Report: A homeless man, approximately six feet tall, is fleeing towards the Brooklyn Bridge. He is refusing to negotiate and appears to have a mental disorder."

"The other person jumped into the river..."

Old Man and Liqun were watching a new program on the sofa in the early hours of the morning. The program showed a homeless man whose face was covered by a beard and hair swimming in the East River in New York.

The absurd experiences of homeless people in real life have surpassed the imagination of TV writers; the homeless in New York are all incredibly extreme.

"Dad, I think I've seen this person before."

"Where did you see that? Do you want to earn that hundred dollars?" the old man asked.

"It wasn't recently, it was more than a month ago, the night I went to see a play. I didn't realize he was as strong as he appears on TV that night."

"The one you're talking about, the one where the two homeless men fought over territory?"

"Looking back now, it didn't seem like we were fighting for territory," Li Qun said.

Chapter 8 Who am I?

During lunchtime, Liqun came over from his father's shop to help out at the restaurant.

A brand-new restaurant hygiene rating standard was posted in the most conspicuous place in the restaurant, and my uncle also got an 'A'.

My uncle's restaurant has always had an 'A' rating for hygiene, and he would never accept a rating other than 'A'.

Restaurants that were originally rated 'A' only needed to be inspected once a year, but because of the Millennium Summit, all restaurants in New York were subject to surprise inspections by health inspectors. Many restaurants were forced to close down for rectification due to the poor hygiene conditions found during the surprise inspections.

In addition to restaurants being subjected to surprise hygiene inspections, street-front shops that were illegally occupying the road were also dealt with seriously. Police officers confiscated goods sold illegally on the road, and shop owners had to pay fines of several hundred to several thousand yuan.

Fines are paid and confiscated items are not returned; shop owners can see their belongings being distributed to homeless people at shelters.

"Liqun, what happened to your face?"

Aunt noticed a bruise on Li Qun's cheek.

"You got hit by a stick by accident, it's okay."

"Did you hit this yourself?" Aunt looked into Li Qun's eyes.

"Correct."

"I don't know what to say to you. If others find out, they'll think we're abusing you," said Auntie.

"Auntie, could I borrow your cosmetics for a moment?"

"I'll cover it up for you in a bit."

After finishing her work at noon, Liqun took a thermos to deliver lunch to her father, who was leisurely listening to vinyl records in the shop.

Outside the store, a long-haired, long-bearded man wearing a baseball cap stared blankly at the items inside the old man's store.

Li Qun glanced curiously at the hairy man outside the store, then pushed open the door and went inside.

The man in the baseball cap glanced at Li Qun and followed him into the store.

Li Qun didn't think the tall man was a homeless person; the man didn't have any unpleasant odor on him.

"Look around, but don't touch," the old man said to the man in the baseball cap.

The old man unfolded the insulated box on the counter, and the man's gaze was fixed on the old man and the food on the counter through the gaps in his hair.

"Would you like something to eat?" the old man asked kindly.

"Can I eat this?"

"Of course," Dad smiled.

"Liqun, go and get a set of bowls and chopsticks."

Li Qun touched his ear, and the little flying stick and golden cudgel quietly hid behind his father. Only after ensuring his father's safety did Li Qun go upstairs to get the bowls and chopsticks.

"sit."

"I think I know you," the man said to his father very seriously.

The man in the baseball cap took off his cap, but half of his face was covered by his hair and the other half by his beard. The old man leaned closer and took a closer look, wondering when he had seen this man before.

However, it seems I've seen him recently.

recent……

It was on a TV program in the early hours of last night.

My dad recalled that he was taller than described on TV, around six feet three inches, which is about 1.9 meters in metric units. His shoulder width and limb proportions also matched.

This is the homeless man who was on TV last night.

"Let's eat first," Dad said with a smile.

Li Qun took the bowl and chopsticks and went downstairs. Everything was normal; her father hadn't been robbed.

The man picked up the bowl and chopsticks, his technique was a little clumsy at first, but he quickly became proficient.

The old man ate less, but the strange man ate all the food, leaving not a drop of soup.