Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 73: Bald Wool
Everything in the world is connected, and the truth is often hidden in countless details. That is why Kirk trusts his intuition.
"Aha! I know that place." Kirk snapped his fingers, and first-hand information came out in a rush. "There's a craft brewery there, and there's also an Ainsley Italian restaurant at the end of the street. They specialize in Tuscan cuisine, which is a perfect Italian family restaurant."
The young man in front of him was slightly stunned, and a smile slowly rose on his lips. "So, the real expert is here. It seems that Ivy League is not that far away after all."
Kirk shrugged lightly and said mysteriously, "Social investigation naturally requires a thorough investigation of society."
"Haha." The young man laughed out loud again, but then he waved his hands to apologize, "Please forgive me, my laughter is really too loud."
"You know, in a black family, everyone has a louder voice. My mother has reminded me countless times that I shouldn't laugh so wantonly in social situations. It's impolite. It's different outside than at home. I need to learn to control myself."
Kirk looked down at the wet, dirty alley floor beneath their feet. "I guess we're not in a museum either."
The young man nodded repeatedly to show his agreement, with a smile in his eyes, and then he stretched out his right hand, but immediately realized that there were some oil stains on his fingers, so he took it back, wiped it on his apron, and stretched it out again with ease.
"Nice to meet you, Wallace."
"Kirk."
Kirk took the young man's right hand in a friendly manner and gave it a firm shake.
After finishing the handshake, Wallace pointed behind him and said, "I should get back to work. We need to start preparing for dinner now and enter dinner time."
Kirk nodded in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and called out to the other party, "Wallace."
As he spoke, he took out his cell phone and asked, "Have you seen these people? "
It was clear that Wallace had a lot of question marks on his head. He took the phone slowly and took a look. "Wait, you're not doing a social survey, are you?"
Kirk's mouth curled up, but he didn't say anything. He pointed at his phone with his chin, and then swiped through the photos one by one. "Have you seen them?"
"Of course. In the Times. These are the victims of a serial killer, right?" Wallace did not try to hide his surprise. "But why did you...?"
Kirk could explain his identity, but the whole story was too complicated and he was too lazy to explain it, so he just showed the fake police badge on his waist.
Wallace looked enlightened, "So, not Ivy?"
Kirk raised his eyebrows slightly, "Who says that Ivy League and police badges can't coexist?"
Wallace was slightly stunned, then laughed heartily again, "Sorry, my bad."
After that, Wallace didn't say anything more. He lowered his head and carefully examined the photos in Kirk's mobile phone. He looked at them very seriously, observing them one by one, but in the end, an apologetic smile appeared on his face.
"I saw it in the newspaper before, but I didn't read it carefully. I wanted to take a closer look, but..."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."
Kirk spread his hands, "At least we tried."
With another nod, Kirk said goodbye to Wallace and turned back to the comic book store.
It is difficult to tell at the moment whether this can be considered a gain.
Li Xiaochen was still leaning against the door, looking at Kirk with a helpless smile on his face, and laughed mercilessly.
Just then, Nate came out and looked at the two people with confusion:?
Kirk and Li Xiaochen exchanged glances and laughed in tacit understanding again.
Li Xiaochen didn't respond, but took the comic book from Nate, "Only three today?"
Nate nodded, "I've been looking for the seventh volume of 'Slam Dunk', but unfortunately I can't find it in New York, and I haven't received any response when I posted it online."
Li Xiaochen quickly checked out the three comic books. "Volume 7? Okay, I'll ask for you over the phone. But, I remember you have the complete collection, right?"
"Well, I had it originally, but I accidentally lost it when I moved," Nate said lightly.
Kirk glanced at Nate—
The reason why they moved in the first place was to get away from the house where the tragedy happened.
Li Xiaochen didn't notice and quickly put the three comics into a brown paper bag and handed it to Nate, then saw Kirk take out his wallet.
Li Xiaochen took the credit card and said, "Nate, Kirk is settling the bill today, aren't you going to buy a few more books?"
Nate shook his head. "You have to pull the wool slowly. If you are too greedy at once, you might end up pulling it bald."
"Cough cough," Kirk almost choked on his own saliva.
This time, it was Li Xiaochen and Nate's turn to exchange glances, and then they both burst into laughter.
After paying the bill, the two Hull brothers waved goodbye to Li Xiaochen, left Chinatown, and walked towards the apartment in the sunset glow.
New York in April still bears traces of winter. It gets dark very early. Before half past five, the last ray of sunset glow on the horizon has already dimmed. The neon lights of this city that never sleeps light up one after another, like a light shield that blocks the thick night outside the city.
Then, they wandered between the hustle and bustle of the city and the tranquility of the night. The roars came and went, and the world fell into a mysterious chaos.
In contemporary urban life, people gradually get used to wrapping themselves in shells, including but not limited to subways, cars, apartments, and office buildings. Steel, concrete, and electronic data wrap up the soul layer by layer, and finally become an invisible shackle.
On the surface, people’s contact with the world is becoming more and more extensive; but in fact, people are becoming out of touch with the real world, slowly falling into a virtual world constructed by a digital bubble, no longer able to touch the reality, and before they realize it, they have already escaped into nothingness.
Kirk was once like this; but now, a time travel is like an opportunity for a fresh start, and he sees the real world again.
That feeling is like traveling.
Leaving behind the life you are familiar with, coming to a completely unfamiliar environment, breaking free from the shackles and restraints, and finding the long-lost self, the real self.
So, Kirk likes such moments, using his own legs to explore and adventure, breathing fresh air, feeling the city's pulse of life hidden under the hustle and bustle and neon lights, slowing down the pace and slowing down time, allowing the reality of life to become clearer again bit by bit.
Nate, same thing—
Faintly, Nate could sense that Kirk did it on purpose, deliberately taking him to the supermarket and the comic book store, deliberately taking him to feel the reality. The chaotic thoughts in his mind settled down, and he regained his calm and rationality. His irritable and anxious mood also relaxed a little.
Perhaps , this was Kirk's way of expressing his concern, because he noticed what had just happened and Nate's depression, so he pulled him to the supermarket. All the laughter and random chats were a form of companionship.
However, some things and some problems are not that simple. The troubled thoughts are like a tangled ball of wool. The more you try to find the end of the wool, the more tangled it becomes. Before you know it, the wool fills your entire head and it almost explodes. Your temples begin to throb violently.
The mood that had just calmed down a little did not stay calm for long. A crack appeared in my mind and the emotions started to madly penetrate into my head again, boiling over again.
Then, the scenes in the city became noisy and restless again, and the noise buzzed on the eardrums and could not be shaken off.
Amidst the noise and roar, Kirk's calm voice reached my ears, "Is emotional injury so painful? Can't comics heal it?"
Nate's thoughts were interrupted, and his head was full of question marks, "What?"
