Twelve hours later, the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, 7,000 miles away.
It took off from Japan at 4:00 pm. After a 12-hour flight, it should be 4:00 am the next day.
But in the airport lobby, Qin Zhibo saw that the current Los Angeles time was 12:00 noon on the day of departure from Japan.
In other words, after a 12-hour flight, Qin Zhibo went back 4 hours in time compared to when he set off.
Of course, this is not due to confusion in time perception, but because Los Angeles and Japan are in different time zones, and Los Angeles is 16 hours behind Japan.
On the plane, Qin Zhibo took a nap on the blanket for a few hours, so he was not too sleepy yet and could go straight to business.
As the second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles has fully reached the urban construction level of a modern metropolis.
The constant flow of traffic and the towering tall buildings made Qin Zhibo vaguely feel that this place was more prosperous than Tokyo, Japan.
Finding a public phone booth near the airport, Qin Zhibo got in, took out a small notebook, and dialed the number he wrote down last time.
beep--
beep--
beep--
After three rings, the phone was picked up and a man's voice came.
"Hello"
"Hello?"
Qin Zhibo took a deep breath before answering: "Is it Mr. Mark Allen?"
"Yes, It's me"
"I have news about Taira Ie, or Jin Cheng Xiaodu. If you want to know, come to the Red Mango Dessert Shop on Figueroa Street and we will meet there."
".Who are you"
Qin Zhibo didn't give him a chance to continue asking, but hung up the phone directly.
From Mark Allen's reaction, Qin Zhibo had already judged that he knew the Taira Ie or Jincheng Xiaodu he mentioned.
Otherwise, he should directly ask "What" who expressed doubts about the incident.
As for the chosen meeting place, Qin Zhibo chose it through the electronic map on the navigator. The system's navigator function is still valid in the United States.
The location where Mark Allen mails the package is on North Spring Street in the north of Los Angeles, which is slightly farther from Figueroa Street in the city center than where he is currently.
If Mark Allen is currently active in the Beiquan Street area, he can guarantee that he will arrive early.
Of course, this is not very necessary, because Qin Zhibo has an investigator's vision. Even if he finally arrives at the agreed location, he can still tell who "Mark Allen" is among the guests.
The geographical location in the city center also ensures that the other party will not do anything outrageous.
Red Mango Dessert Shop is a shop that Qin Zhibo randomly found on the electronic map.
Coming out of the phone booth, Qin Zhibo went to the roadside and took a taxi.
“Figueroa Street, Red Mango Dessert Shop”
"OK!"
The black driver in the car probably mistook Qin Zhibo, a mixed-race man with an Asian face, as a tourist, and kept introducing some good tourist attractions nearby along the way.
Qin Zhibo did not refuse the service, and just enjoyed the city scenery of Los Angeles along the way. The taxi drove for 27 minutes and finally reached the destination.
Qin Zhibo knew in advance that the taxi had entered Figueroa Street through the electronic map in his brain, asked the driver to stop at the intersection, and took out the US dollars that he had already exchanged and handed it over.
"Thank you"
The black driver in front took the fare from Qin Zhibo. When he took a look at the dollars and cents, his enthusiastic black face immediately dropped.
Qin Zhibo was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had read the wrong number, and then checked the money he took out with the money on the meter.
That's right.
Seeing the black people waving their philistine fingers, Qin Zhibo remembered that the United States has a tipping culture. Whether you take a taxi, eat or stay in a hotel, you have to spend more.
"Oh!"
Qin Zhibo took out another two dollars from his wallet and put it in the black driver's hand. Only then did the driver's face become enthusiastic again, showing his white teeth.
“have a nice day!”
After getting off the taxi, Qin Zhibo carried his suitcase and walked to the agreed-upon Red Mango dessert shop.
Standing in the distance, Qin Zhibo opened his telescope and looked at the entrance of the dessert shop, where there were several large parasols and several sets of plastic tables and chairs.
There were some guests, but Qin Zhibo scanned the names above these people and found that Mark Allen was not there.
Not here yet?
Qin Zhibo was not in a hurry to go over, so he wandered across the street, always paying attention to the movements of the dessert shop.
Ten minutes later, a taxi stopped at the entrance of the dessert shop, which immediately attracted Qin Zhibo's attention.
A foreign man wearing a white casual shirt and jeans got out of the taxi.
Qin Zhibo saw his name on his crisp, neat haircut with occasional white hair, which was none other than Mark Allen.
Mark Allen, 59 years old, scientist, social credit 5900
After Allen got off the car, he went straight to the dessert shop. After scanning the customers at the entrance of the dessert shop in confusion, he immediately raised his head and looked around.
What a keen intuition
Qin Zhibo, who was holding the newspaper, checked again that no one else was following him, put away the newspaper and walked towards the dessert shop.
When he came to the front of the dessert shop, Mark Allen, who was looking around blankly, noticed Qin Zhibo in a brown trench coat at a glance.
Although in Japan, a brown trench coat is a standard accessory for a tough guy image, on the streets of Los Angeles, it is somewhat incompatible with the surrounding street scene.
"It's you?"
Allen asked Qin Zhibo tentatively.
Qin Zhibo didn't pay attention immediately, went straight to the plastic chair and sat down, then stretched out his hand to indicate the position opposite, and looked at Allen who was a little confused.
"Please come and sit."
Allen narrowed his eyes slightly and sat opposite Qin Zhibo with hesitant steps.
"you"
Before Allen could say anything, the waiter in the store came out with a small ledger.
The two of them each ordered a glass of juice, sent the waiter away, and the conversation officially began.
"You said you know the news about Xiaodu, what's going on?"
Allen's tone was a little urgent, but Qin Zhibo did not answer his question directly.
"May I ask what your relationship is with Miss Jincheng Xiaodu?"
When he mentioned this, Allen's eyes instantly dropped, and there was some hesitation between his brows.
But after a few seconds of silence, Allen finally answered.
"He is my daughter."
"Okay, can you tell my daughter how she is doing?"
Looking at this old man who was over fifty years old, Qin Zhibo said solemnly: "Your daughter is dead."
Hearing the death sentence from Qin Zhibo, Allen's eyes widened in disbelief, and his old body stiffened on the plastic chair.
After a long time, he finally came to his senses and asked: "How did my daughter Xiaodu die?"
Allen's tone was a bit strong, but Qin Zhibo did not give in at all.
"I can tell you about your daughter, but accordingly."
"You also have to tell me about the disease that turns her into a 'mermaid'."
