America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

In "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Freddy Krueger is the absolute protagonist. He drags young people into a nightmare that is indistinguishable from reality and kills them. The high school students in the film can never escape Freddy's dream. Peter is so scared that he dares not sleep.

Not only do you dream about Freddy at night, you also dream about him during the day.

"I'll go make you a pot of coffee."

George got up and went to the kitchen; he had to go to the police station for work in a little while.

For Sheriff George, Freddy was just scaring the children, but since his daughter was among them, he gradually became involved with the children as well.

"I'll go make you breakfast."

Li Qun also got up and went into the kitchen.

In the living room, Peter, who was hiding under the blanket, moved next to Gwen and quietly asked her what kind of nightmare she had just had, and whether she had dreamed about the horrible killer Freddy.

“Peter, are you cold?” Gwen asked Peter, who was wrapped in a blanket.

"Liqun told me something."

"This is an ancient sacred covenant passed down from China."

“As long as a person is completely wrapped in a blanket, the blanket will form a protective barrier, and no evil forces outside the blanket can erode or harm the person inside,” Peter explained to Gwen in a low voice.

"Ok."

"But Freddy is a devil born in North America, and the sacred covenant of the East cannot bind him."

Taking advantage of Peter's distraction, Gwen ripped the blanket off Peter and covered herself with it.

“I’m protected now,” Gwen said to Peter with a smile.

George Stacy and Lillian heard Peter's shouts and Gwen's laughter from the kitchen.

A very lively morning.

Chapter 35 Welcome to Fisk Tower

Today, Li Qun, Peter, and Gwen are going to Manhattan.

The final match of the street fighting tournament will be held on the top floor of the Fisker Tower in Manhattan.

Wall Street, Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the still-existing Twin World Trade Centers were all located in Manhattan.

The crossroads of the world, the center of the world—these are the titles that Manhattan holds.

This is the heart of New York City, the center of the American economy, and the place with the highest concentration of skyscrapers in the world.

After breakfast, as the espresso began to take effect, Li Qun and his group left Gwen's house and headed towards Manhattan.

"I really don't want to take the subway."

"How about we take a taxi?"

On her walk to the subway station, Gwen looked at the traffic and asked Li Qun and Peter for their opinions.

“The three of us don’t even have enough cash for a taxi fare,” Peter shook his head.

“You can pay by card,” Gwen said.

"Is the New York subway really that bad?" Li Qun asked.

“Liqun, how many times have you ridden the New York subway?” Gwen asked Liqun.

"I haven't ridden in it yet," Li Qun replied.

"I really envy you for having a brain that has never ridden the New York subway."

"How do you get to other places if you don't take the subway?" Gwen asked again.

"My uncle was driving."

"I knew it."

“Alright, today we’ll show you around the New York subway.” Gwen said to Li Qun with a smile.

“Peter, are you ready?” Gwen asked.

“I think we need to buy a New York travel guide, otherwise we’ll get lost on the subway,” Peter said, sounding a little scared.

"That's true."

Upon reaching the subway station entrance, the three of them felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They bought two New York travel guides from different publishers at a nearby newsstand to compare them.

Entering the subway station is like entering a staircase hell. Just going down the stairs can make you dizzy, not to mention the terrible smells underneath.

Li Qun tightened his breathing; the complex smell on the subway platform nearly suffocated him. It was an indescribable odor, like something out of the Cthulhu Mythos.

"Are you alright, Liqun?"

Gwen noticed that something was wrong with Li Qun's expression.

"It will be over soon."

After waiting for seven or eight minutes, the subway arrived at the station. Following the rule of letting people off first and then boarding, the trio got on the subway.

The subway smelled bad too.

Compared to the smell of toilets in subway stations, the smell of people is more noticeable in subway cars.

Black people, white people, Indians.

Body odor, perfume, curry smell.

"I feel like New York isn't very friendly to me."

To avoid revealing that he was feeling extremely uncomfortable due to the strong body odor of others, Li Qun took off his coat and tied a knot with the sleeve over his nose.

Li Qun and Peter were checking out a New York travel guide and listening carefully to the station announcements. When they were two minutes away from arriving at their destination subway station, Li Qun pulled Peter and Gwen to the train door and rushed out as soon as it opened.

It was another hellish stair climb at the subway station, and when he came out, he saw someone secretly standing by the wall marking their urine.

"We're saved..."

"……not yet!!"

“The Fisk Building is over there,” Peter pointed in a direction.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."

The streets and buildings of Manhattan are neat squares on a map. Even when you unfold a newspaper-sized New York travel guide, you still have to carefully count the dense and orderly streets.

"Is this the Fisk Tower?" Peter looked up at the Fisk Tower, but couldn't see the top at all.

People were queuing at the entrance of the building, and huge posters of the two fighters competing for the championship in a street fighting tournament were hung on both sides of the entrance.

Karate prodigy Miyagi has made it to the finals. His opponent is a young white man who practices freestyle fighting, which means that his opponent has no fixed moves or routines.

"Tickets".

Gwen, Peter, and Li Qun handed over their tickets, and the ticket inspector in the black suit punched the last hole in the tickets with the ticket machine.

"A free buffet is provided upstairs. All food and drinks are free, but you can't bring your own food and drinks in. Do you understand?"

After passing through the ticket inspector, two security personnel checked the belongings of the spectators. Li Qun and his group didn't have any bags, so they were only checked with a metal detector before being allowed to pass.

"Is it that strict?"

After entering the lobby of the Fisker Building, Peter cautiously complained to Gwen and Li Qun about the security check at the entrance.

I feel fine.

“No one can bring weapons in,” Li Qun told Peter.

When they arrived at the elevator, there were five elevators lined up. The elevator that took them to the top floor was the one in the middle.

Li Qun was surprised to find that the elevators in the Fisker Building still preserved an ancient profession: elevator operator.

The elevator operator sits next to the elevator buttons and no one other than him is allowed to touch the buttons. To go to a certain floor, you must press the floor button through the elevator operator.

The Fisker Building is very stylishly decorated, and the staff inside are also very particular about their attire and behavior, revealing something extraordinary in every aspect.

"Are we really here to watch a street boxing match?" Gwen asked in a low voice.

"Otherwise, what are we here for?"

“Go and pay homage to China,” Gwen replied softly.

“This place isn’t high enough,” Li Qun whispered to Gwen.

"is it?"

"arrive."

"bite!!"

The elevator doors opened, and the expressions of the more than twenty people inside relaxed.

The elevators in the Fisker Building are unusually large, more like freight elevators than passenger elevators, and their load-bearing capacity is many times that of regular elevators.

The top floor of the Fisker Tower is a duplex structure that has been transformed into a sky garden with a swimming pool.

"Is this the world of the upper class?" Peter exclaimed.

"That's why tickets cost a hundred dollars," Stan Lee said casually, raising his glass of red wine as he walked toward the trio.

Stan Lee owned a car, and people with cars are the freest people in New York.

"Stan Lee, you look really handsome today," Gwen complimented the old man's attire, saying it was very classy.

"Hmph~!" Stan Lee hummed softly.

"The competition doesn't start for another two hours, so we can grab something to eat first."

Stan Lee took the three children to the self-service barbecue area and had the chefs hired by the competition organizers grill Texas Crazy Grilled Steaks for them on the spot.

Half an hour before the start of the competition, the organizers began to create a lively atmosphere for the final.

"Welcome, generous Mr. Wilson Fisk!!"

"This is the fifth year that Mr. Wilson has sponsored the street fighting tournament!"

"Let's give Mr. Wilson a warm round of applause!!"

The towering 2.3-meter-tall Wilson Fisk appeared in the sight of Li Qun, Peter, and Gwen.

Wilson Fisker's massive size made Li Qun realize why the elevator resembled a freight elevator.