America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 33 The End of the World Happened Like This

After leaving the club, Martin and Bruce went to the parking area together, as they had been drinking with Hart and others and had come out quite late.

The Saijo Street area is not safe in the early morning.

Martin watched the two black men walk by, his hand unconsciously reaching into his clothes to grip the gun. Once they were out of sight, he said, "Why does this feel like Iraq?"

Bruce said, "There are no weapons of mass destruction here."

Black smoke drifted by, and a dilapidated old van drove up and stopped in front of the black bar.

The car door opened, and several men with guns escorted three young black men out.

Martin knew one of them; he had bought beer from him a few nights ago. The other Black men seemed to call him Fred.

Bruce also remembered: "Those guys who robbed the Black Bar?"

Martin said, "It seems so. Looks like they've been caught."

Bruce went to the passenger door of the Ford and gestured for Martin to open it quickly, then said, "Losing hands and feet is normal, and you might even have your fingers chopped off."

Martin, who rarely dealt with Black people, asked, "What are they thinking?"

"Growing up in the worst quagmire, lacking skills, knowledge, and experience, stealing and robbing are already ingrained in my life." Bruce pointed to his head: "Plus, when emotions run high, it's easy to lose control."

Martin opened the car door and asked, "What if I wish someone would have a bunch of Black people?"

Bruce got into the passenger seat and grinned, "You're so wicked!"

After dropping Bruce off, Martin returned home and parked the car in the backyard. The Carter house next door was completely dark.

After a quick wash, Martin lay down on the repaired wooden bed, took out the check from his pocket, and placed it under the bed, reminding himself to cash it tomorrow, as it was neither safe to carry it with him nor to hide it at home.

In Clayton, the poor are the safest.

Vincent kept his promise and paid the full $1.

Martin received a $1.5 bonus from Vincent, and at the same time eliminated a $6000 high-interest loan.

He roughly calculated his income and expenses. His former boss, Max, generously gave him $3000, and he received $1800 for three days of filming "The Man from the City".

Then there's the bartender's hourly wage and tips.

The biggest expenses were guns and cars. We bought a lot of bullets for shooting practice, and after the down payment on the car, we paid off the first installment. There were also miscellaneous expenses, including food expenses for Elena.

Martin hadn't checked his account for a while, but with the newly acquired $10,000, the account balance was definitely over $20,000.

Money gives people courage; with a certain amount of capital as a foundation, one can act boldly and decisively.

Martin suddenly remembered something: he still owed Elena rent.

Living in someone else's house and doing business worth hundreds of millions with them, it seems a bit unreasonable not to pay rent.

…………

In an apartment in Midtown, Scott came out of the bathroom after taking a shower.

Sofia, wearing shorts and a tank top, sat on the sofa, revealing her well-developed thigh muscles and defined abs. Pointing to the water and pills on the coffee table, she said, "I took them."

Scott went over to take a look and found it was painkillers. He immediately shook his head: "I'm not sick, why would I take this?"

Sofia didn't try to dissuade her, but pointed to the open bedroom door: "Let me explain the rules: No one is allowed in any room except the bathroom and this one, understand?"

Scott walked over with a fawning smile: "As long as I'm comfortable, everything else is negotiable."

Sofia tossed me a full-face mask: "Put this on and come with me."

Scott chuckled. "Playing a mystery game again?"

He put the cap on his head and was led into another room by Sofia.

With the crisp sound of the silver bracelet fastening, Sofia shouted sharply, "You're under arrest!"

A black rubber baton was held in her hand.

Soon, Scott let out a scream, regretting that he hadn't taken painkillers.

Resist? Sofia pulled out a pistol and pressed it against his mouth!

For Scott Carter, it was a tragic night, and one he would never forget.

As dawn broke, Scott, with his legs spread apart and holding onto the wall, began to move out.

Sofia sat on the sofa, a silver-white pistol in front of her: "I called a car for you, it's at the apartment entrance."

She picked up a cell phone and tossed it to Scott: "Keep it on 24/7, be available anytime. Do you understand the consequences of not answering the phone?"

Scott wanted to cry, but seeing Sophia pick up the gun, he obediently put away his phone: "I know."

Sophia remembered Vincent, grabbed her bag, and realized she hadn't brought any cash or a checkbook. She stood up and said, "Wait a moment."

She opened a tightly closed room door and went inside.

As the door opened and closed, Scott peeked inside and noticed some boxes.

Sofia quickly came out, grabbed a stack of $20 bills, and tossed them to Scott: "Your service fee."

Scott's expression immediately changed; he suddenly felt less pain and said, "I promise I'll be there whenever you call!"

Sofia waved her hand: "Let's go."

"Goodbye." Scott thought Sofia was far more noble than the free-throwing father-son duo of Jack Davis and Martin Davis.

At least Sofia paid.

…………

Early morning, in the Carter family's yard.

Elena looked at the haphazardly cut barbed wire fence and said, "Damn it! I'm going to smash Scott's nose in!"

Martin pulled off a piece of wire: "I'm free during the day, I'll go buy some more to replace it."

Harris stepped out of the room: "You're just giving Scott money for nothing by buying a new one."

Elena thought for a moment and said, "I'll try to get some wood, it's cheap, then he won't move." She asked Martin, "Did you get the wood for repairing the bed from the churchyard?"

Martin retorted, "Are you going to dig up a graveyard?"

Elena was speechless: "I'm not as twisted as you, you idiot!"

"Can we discuss this later?" Lily came out with her phone: "Scott said he's injured and wants us to pick him up outside the community."

Elena seemed not to hear: "Go back and eat."

Lily hung up the phone immediately, and when she tried to speak again, she realized that Martin's hand was less than 20 centimeters from her head, so she promptly shut up.

Five people sat around the dining table, eating bread slices and fried sausages.

Martin said, "The breakfasts have been quite substantial lately."

Elena raised her hand and shook her chastity ring: "Those idiots from the Methodists and the Wesleyans admire me and always give me extra meat."

Martin drank a glass of milk and said to Elena, "Calculate how much rent I owe."

Elena nodded: "When I have time, I'll find the accounting book and see exactly how much it is."

Lily finally found a chance to interject: "Is the world going to end?"

Martin stared at her: "Don't force me to beat up a minor!"

Lily picked up her cup, took a sip of milk, and countless filthy words welled up inside her, hitting her clenched teeth and making her cheeks bulge.

After breakfast, Martin drove Elena to the Methodist church, contacted Bruce, went to the gun club to practice shooting in the morning, and then called Jerome in the afternoon.

His most respected troupe leader had gathered a lot of information about that film crew from Los Angeles.

(End of this chapter)