Chapter 45: Serendipity in a Small Town

If it were in China, Carter would definitely allow the police to search his car. But in the United States, this kind of thing is absolutely not to be agreed to! American police officers are not like Chinese police officers. They don't have anything to do with being public servants or the people's good friends.

Especially from the questioning just now, Carter clearly felt that this police officer had some ill intentions.

Is street racing the same as speeding? It seems like it, but they're completely different.

Speeding, at most, results in a fine and possibly a suspended license. In the United States, suspending a driver's license is rare. After all, in many places, a car is people's legs. If you revoke their driver's license, it's like cutting off their legs. Can they still carry on with their lives?

But street racing is different. It can lead to jail time. In Carlos's sheriff's office, Carter spent extra money to learn about these little tips for dealing with police harassment during his travels.

So, Carter directly refused in a cold tone:

"I do not consent to your search of my car. However, if you insist on searching, I won't stop you. But I want to make it clear that I refuse your search, and whatever you find will be considered illegal evidence!"

Carter was sure there were no prohibited items in his car, and he wasn't into anything shady. The only thing that might cause misunderstandings was a firearm, but he didn't bring one. In theory, he shouldn't be afraid of the police searching his car.

But Carter was worried that this cop might pull a fast one during the search. Like secretly planting something, don't think American cops can't do that sort of thing.

In the American justice system, it's legal for police to coerce confessions. Even if Carter admitted to something under coercion, the officer could dismiss it as a coerced statement.

Carter was just warning the cop that even if he tried something sneaky, it would still be illegal evidence. Don't think you can gain an advantage from me!

Sure enough, hearing Carter's words, the state trooper realized he couldn't intimidate this young man. Quickly changing his tone, as if chatting casually with a friend, he said:

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm just doing my job. Are you sure you haven't smoked any weed? It's rare for young people not to touch that stuff these days. Even we officers occasionally indulge in a smoke when we're tired from work. Ah, that feeling..."

Carter silently watched the state trooper's enthusiastic yet awkward performance. The United States did suffer from a drug epidemic in the seventies and eighties, but it wasn't the future fantasy land where everything was legalized. Instead, at this time, the United States was at the forefront of the war on drugs.

Since the establishment of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1971, the United States had been combating drug abuse not only domestically but also internationally. Perhaps there was a DEA plane full of agents flying overhead right now. Using such crude tricks, did you really think you could trick me?

"I'm very sure. Also, Officer, did you just admit to smoking weed? Are you sure?"

Carter couldn't do anything to the cop with just words. As mentioned before, in the American justice system, police coercion is legal. Even if Carter told the cop he admitted to smoking, the cop could dismiss it as a coerced statement.

Carter was just poking fun at him. After all, words are cheap.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. Here's your speeding ticket. Take care of it."

Seeing Carter's refusal to budge, resembling a porcupine that refused to be touched and seemed to poke himself, the state trooper had to give up his plan to squeeze some money out of him. Although he knew Carter wouldn't do anything because of this statement, this young man who could afford to drive a sports car around recklessly could definitely afford a lawyer, or rather, his family could.

Once those annoying lawyers got involved, he couldn't handle it. After all, in today's America, smoking a bit of weed wasn't even considered drug use. Even when a certain someone stepped into office, if asked if he ever smoked, he didn't have the nerve to deny it. He just casually mentioned that he hadn't inhaled, so it didn't count as real smoking.

The America of the seventies and eighties was really messed up. On one hand, the DEA was aggressively fighting drugs, even going after drug lords in Mexico and Colombia, and on the other hand, domestic drug use was increasing.

Only America could have such a bizarre scene!

Carter didn't care about the state of America's war on drugs. After getting rid of the troublemaking state trooper, Carter took out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the side of the road to smoke. After over an hour of speeding, Carter was satisfied. Passion is indeed passionate, and although Carter enjoyed watching extreme sports videos in his previous life, actually indulging in extreme activities all the time wasn't his cup of tea.

As he watched the state trooper's car drive away from his vehicle, Carter turned his gaze to the other side of the car. He had parked on the side of the road in a small city, and after finishing his cigarette, feeling a bit thirsty, Carter got out of the car and decided to find a supermarket in town to buy a bottle of water to quench his thirst, and perhaps take a leak. Driving so fast made him need to go.

This small town near Seattle wasn't very big, and it seemed to have fewer people than Douglas. There were too many small towns like this in America, and Carter didn't mind. He found the sign of a supermarket from a distance and headed straight for it. But as he walked, Carter suddenly couldn't move forward because he spotted a strange sign on the roadside, a sign with a logo made up of seven black lines of varying thicknesses. At first glance, the dense lines were like the rotating cylinders of some barbershop in his previous life, making Carter a little dizzy. But when he saw the words on that logo clearly, Carter wasn't dizzy, but rather stunned.

He was extremely familiar with Microsoft's English. In his university's computer proficiency exams, he had to use Office software with such prefixes. He had talked about Microsoft every day, and now he encountered it like this? Weren't they supposed to be in Silicon Valley? How did they end up in such a place?

Just as Carter stared at the first-generation Microsoft logo, feeling dizzy, there was also someone in the small house of Microsoft who was looking at Carter. Seeing Carter standing in front of his company's door, that person hesitantly walked out and shouted at Carter:

"Hey, buddy? Are you lost? Is there anything I can help you with, I mean, I'm willing to help you, if you need it."

The man looked a bit chubby, not the kind of meat mountain that American junk food would produce, but rather like the big guys in GTA, like Michael De Santa. He wore round half-frame glasses on his nose, very much like the impression of a fat gamer who liked to play games and drink cola in Carter's mind.

Originally, he looked very similar, but when he heard the guy speak, especially when his increasingly unconfident and low voice came out, it wasn't just similar, it was exactly like the image of the generally introverted deadbeat gamer. With a bit of amusement, Carter was also a bit skeptical. Although this guy looked cute and funny, he didn't look like the future big shot Gates brother, did he? Another case of mistaken identity?

Thinking about the big blunder he made when he found Washington, Carter couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful. After all, these foreigners' talent for naming things was really beyond words. There were at least a dozen Orange Counties and eight or nine Lee Counties in the whole of America.

If even the limited number of administrative divisions could have so many duplicates, it wasn't impossible for a company to have the same name, right?