America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 228 Embarrassing Things

The van door opened, and White returned first, saying, "I've heard something that hasn't been reported by the media: Martin Davis got into a gunfight in the neighborhood."

"A gunfight?" Alex became interested.

White continued, "Several black traffickers broke into the Carter's house at night, but Martin shot them away. One of the ringleaders was even beaten in the buttocks by Martin and is currently serving time in a state prison. He won't be out for more than ten years."

Alex's interest waned; this wasn't the news he wanted.

White added, "Then there's Martin's father, the mother who ran off with his ex-girlfriend. That guy's a complete scumbag, maybe we can use him."

Alex asked, "Do you know where he is?"

White said helplessly, "I heard they went to Australia or New Zealand."

Someone knocked on the car window from the outside, and Albert returned.

He recounted the information he had gathered from several people, and it was actually quite similar to what White had said.

Alex frowned more and more as he listened, and couldn't help but say, "Martin Davis is the epitome of someone who crawled out of the mud, a real-life version of the American Dream."

What the neighbors said was not much different from what was publicly reported in the newspapers.

The only thing that wasn't reported in detail was the gun dealer and that bastard father.

But once these stories are published, Martin Davis's resume becomes even more legendary, and he becomes even more illustrious.

White said, "Could we start with Martin's father?"

Alex countered, "Are you going to Australia or New Zealand to find them?"

White fell silent.

Albert then said, "Boss, if all else fails, shall we just publish these news articles?"

"Publishing this useless stuff?" Alex shook his head, raising his voice. "Don't you have any professional ethics? We are journalists, and we have an obligation to expose the facts hidden behind the scenes. This is a right given to us by the public!"

After discussing the lofty spiritual aspects, he turned to the practical: "You all know very well how much the newspaper rewards us once news like this breaks!"

White and Albert simply ignored what had just happened.

What followed was what tempted them: the newspaper was exceptionally generous with its news rewards, seemingly indifferent to, or even secretly encouraging, its subordinates to obtain news by any means necessary.

Alex added, "Martin Davis's ex-girlfriend and her family are key. Find them." He glanced at the date on the newspaper: "If there are still no new discoveries in two days, go back to Washington and use our special skills."

White, who was good at this, said, "All the award recipients are staying at the DC Hilton Hotel. We've done this several times before, and there are a lot of informants there."

"Since 9/11, they've been unstoppable," Alex said softly. "There's no news the World News can't get."

…………

Washington, D.C., National Airport.

Martin and Bruce walked out of the exit and met the people who had come to pick them up. They got into the car that had arrived.

The car crossed the Potomac River and soon turned onto Pennsylvania Avenue.

Through the car window, Martin saw the Washington Monument, shaped like an obelisk, and the domed Capitol Building.

The Secret Service agent who came to greet you at the White House said, "Mr. Davis, your itinerary is as follows: upon arrival at the hotel, there will be a media interview, after which you will be free to do as you please. At 9:00 a.m. on Independence Day, I will pick you up to go to the White House to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. The awarding of medals is part of the celebrations."

"Thank you." Martin nodded slightly. "May I know your name and contact information?"

The special agents handed him a card: "Jonathan."

Martin was quite polite, offering his business card: "Give me a call anytime you're in Los Angeles."

Jonathan accepted it: "Thank you."

Upon arriving at the Hilton Hotel, as the car drove through a corridor, Bruce pointed to a spot: "That's where Reagan was assassinated."

Martin said in a low voice, "The fans can be terrifying when they go crazy."

What was that guy from the Beetle called again? He couldn't quite remember, I think he was killed by his own fans?

Upon entering the hotel, Kate, a female reporter from the Washington News, who was officially assigned to the hotel, was already waiting in the lobby lounge.

The interview was nothing special; Kate asked all the standard questions, while Martin did the commercial hype, praising the LAPD and Los Angeles, and then the authorities and so on.

Jonathan stayed by his side until the interview ended.

As Kate prepared to leave, she said before departing, "Could we exchange contact information?"

"No problem." Martin was also willing to have more contact with the media and multiple channels to voice his opinions.

The two exchanged contact information, and Kate even made a special call to Martin.

The hotel had already prepared a suite, and Martin and Bruce went upstairs together.

Bruce glanced around the room and said, "The conditions are not bad."

Martin asked, "Have Duke and Murphy arrived yet?"

Bruce glanced at his phone: "They've arrived. We'll check in after they confirm our room number."

He had already observed the room before entering, sending out the room number and a few rooms suitable for the two people: "This is Washington, D.C., and the Russians generally won't cause trouble."

Martin casually joked, "I'm just worried they've been drinking."

Soon, Duke and Murphy went upstairs and checked into a room not far away across the street.

These two are good at observing and identifying trackers.

Martin was quite satisfied with them; it was in Atlanta that they discovered Pratt following behind.

As Duke went to open the door with his room key, Murphy, who was lagging behind, raised his phone and took a picture of the photos of the hotel staff members responsible for this floor on the notice board.

In hotels like this, each floor is managed by a designated staff member.

Inside the room, Martin had just finished packing his luggage and came to the master bedroom balcony.

You can see the White House from here.

Bruce came over and said, "They're all set over there."

…………

Atlanta, Northville.

Lily, who had just transferred to a private middle school, walked out of the school gate alone and walked along the sidewalk. The clown keychain on her backpack swayed back and forth with her long legs.

It was a bit hot, so she went into an ice cream shop and ordered nonfat ice cream.

Lily sat at an empty table, holding an ice cream.

Before we even started eating, a very stylish man in his twenties with a kind face sat down across from us.

Albert tentatively said, "Hello, I'm Martin's friend."

Lily took a bite of her ice cream and said habitually, "What idiot and jerk would have a friend like you?"

Hearing the little girl start cursing at Martin, Albert felt he had found the right person; the little girl's attitude towards Martin was terrible.

He added, "Martin is a celebrity, and I work in the media industry."

Lily realized that this was a reporter, and her mind started working, but her face became even more innocent and adorable.

Albert added, "I came here mainly to learn about Martin's background and write a comprehensive news report. Martin will soon be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Lily recalled the video she'd seen, where Martin foolishly went to save innocent bystanders, and said, "That idiot, what can he do besides do stupid things?"

Albert asked, "You two don't get along? Has he done anything bad to you?"

Lily didn't answer, but blinked her innocent eyes and asked, "Which newspaper are you a reporter for? You're not a bad person, are you?"

Albert glanced at the pretty, seemingly harmless high school girl, then pulled out his work ID and showed it to her: "World News."

Lily hadn't seen this newspaper before, but the name sounded unusual: "A world-class newspaper?"

"Yes! Distributed in many places around the world!" Albert didn't mention his relationship with The Sun, and asked provocatively, "Did Martin bully you?"

Lily subconsciously touched the top of her head; it seemed like Martin had been punched quite a few times since he broke his leg.

But she could tell that the reporter's question was a bit off, and said, "It's not exactly bullying, it's just that he stayed at my house and lived off me. My family used to be very poor, and we didn't have enough food. We had to fight for our meals."

Albert was quite disappointed and continued to probe: "Nothing else? He spends a lot of time in your house, which is quite small, and girls have many private matters to consider. Won't a lot of embarrassing things happen?"

Lily thought to herself, "It's happened many times, but I won't tell you."

She was absolutely certain this wasn't a good person: "Something embarrassing? Like, there was one time..."

"What?" Albert asked.

Lily wasn't Martin, so it would take her a while to make this up: "There are some hooligans in the neighborhood who always like to bully girls. Once they bullied me, and Martin saw it, beat them up, and made them call me 'Big Sister.' As a result, every time those hooligans see me, they obediently stop and call me 'Big Sister.' I feel quite embarrassed."

Albert remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was disappointed once again. He continued to try and get information out of Lily, but didn't get anything useful.

Martin filmed here for more than two months, and many patches were added.

Everyone should just tell the truth. There's no need to make up nice things about him. The normal, sordid things that happened in the slums in the past will make his image more complete.

Those who truly understand what he has done, such as Elena and Bruce, will not speak to the media.

A few minutes later, Albert was utterly disappointed. The stupid things Lily said, if actually reported, would only become proof of Martin Davis's struggle to escape the quagmire.

The same is true for the Clayton community, and it's also true for Lily Carter...

Albert felt that White wouldn't gain anything from the House of the Wild Things.

"Thank you," Albert said amicably and left.

He crossed the street, got into a car diagonally opposite, and shook his head at Alex: "It's no use."

"White didn't get anything either," Alex said.

Albert suggested, "Boss, how about we change the target?"

Alex objected: "Don't you think that's a bit abnormal? Stars like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, who rose from humble beginnings, all have a lot of scandals. Why is Martin Davis all about escaping poverty these past few years? Does that make sense?"

Once he sets his mind on something, he won't easily change it, just like how he treats certain politicians, the families of 9/11 victims, and veterans wounded in the Afghan War.

There was no grudge or enmity between us; it was just for the news.

Alex didn't hesitate any longer: "Call White and tell him to go back to the hotel immediately. We're going to Washington."

On the other side, Lily waited for a while, then immediately took out her phone and sent Martin a text message.

There will be another chapter later.

(End of this chapter)