Chapter 41: Star of Chicago

"Of course, we're sleeping together. We only have one tent, are you planning to sleep outside? Watch out for wolves~"

Two bottles of beer, mostly consumed by Carter. Accidentally purchasing strong beer, Carter, feeling a bit tipsy after two bottles, responded to Melissa's words with a strange question. Then, Carter stumbled back to the trunk of the car, carrying two large sleeping bags:

"Here, one for each of us. Let's get some sleep early, we still have a long way to go tomorrow. I'll go in and sleep first!"

After saying that, Carter ignored Melissa's slightly stunned and somewhat resentful expression, and crawled into the sleeping bag on his own, paying no attention to Melissa's wounded pride as she stared at the lake, feeling melancholic looking at the freckles on her face reflected in the water for nearly half the night.

The climate in the northeastern United States often feels damp and cold. But in the summer, this type of weather is ideal; you don't need a fan or air conditioning to easily fall asleep.

With the fatigue from driving during the day, the slight intoxication from the strong beer, and the comfortable temperature all contributing, Carter slept soundly. He didn't realize that his actions last night, giving one sleeping bag to Melissa and then crawling into the tent with the other, deeply hurt the young girl's pride, leaving her to stew with resentment and stare at the lake for the better part of the night.

The next morning, Carter went to the lakeside to freshen up. Lake Erie is relatively small among the Great Lakes, but it's still quite vast. Standing by the lake feels similar to standing by the sea. What's even better is that it's freshwater! This means the lake water can be used directly for washing, unlike seawater which leaves you feeling sticky after washing.

After freshening up, Carter, feeling refreshed, crawled back into the tent and tapped Melissa, who was sleeping soundly:

"Wake up! It's time to get up! Today, we're going to Chicago, and once we're there, we can rest properly for a night. We need to stock up on snacks too!"

"Mmm, let me sleep a bit more, stop bothering me!"

Melissa, without giving Carter any face, turned over wrapped in her sleeping bag, muttering a response. If his sister didn't want to wake up, Carter didn't have a good way to force her. Thinking about the fact that it's only a little over 500 kilometers from here to Chicago, less than 600 kilometers in total, half a day is enough time for the two of them to get there. They could afford to start a bit later!

After some self-reflection, Carter shook his head with a smile and left the tent. He went back to the car, took out a folding chair, along with two slices of bread, and grabbed a box of milk, leisurely enjoying his breakfast while contemplating information about Chicago.

Like New York and Los Angeles, Chicago is one of America's largest metropolitan areas. Situated on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, Chicago naturally has excellent waterway terminals, allowing freighters departing from Chicago to sail directly into the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes. Its advantageous geographical location has naturally nurtured Chicago into a world-renowned supercity.

Unlike other cities, Chicago's reputation has evolved negatively over time. It's been referred to as the crime capital of the East, the birthplace of the Chicago Typewriter, and the real-life inspiration for Gotham City in "Batman". Calling New York Gotham is just a joke; Chicago is the real Gotham!

Thinking of Chicago, two superstars naturally came to Carter's mind, regarded as the stars of Chicago. The first one is, of course, Michael Jordan. But in 1979, when Carter was around, Jordan was probably still playing NCAA in college, or maybe even playing in high school, so he could be temporarily ignored.

The second one, however, has a much bigger background. Carter sometimes wonders if it weren't for Jordan, this star of Chicago's title would probably belong to this person. He's known as the Godfather of the American Mafia—Al Capone! Please note, this is the Godfather of the American Mafia, not some New York family.

Being just the Godfather of the Mafia would be one thing, but what makes this man legendary is that he was the first mob boss in the world to be brought down by tax evasion. The infamous Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stomped on this Chicago boss's face, earning him a fearsome reputation!

Legend has it that at the time, the FBI was staunchly convinced that this guy was involved in over 700 murders, but they just couldn't pin it on him. Just when the FBI and Al Capone were at an impasse, someone from the IRS happened to visit the FBI and stumbled upon a serious problem—they realized this guy had never paid taxes!

What the heck? In America, even God has to pay taxes! So, the IRS sent undercover agents to gather evidence and armed law enforcement officers to arrest him.

Not only did they solve the cases that the FBI couldn't, but what happened next was even more legendary. This unrivaled mob boss was ultimately convicted not of murder, arson, or robbery, but of tax evasion.

Now, Jordan hasn't emerged yet, and Americans love their hero worship. Who knows if there are some edgy teenagers in Chicago who look up to this guy as their role model, imagining the future crime rate hanging high in Chicago, Carter starts to feel uneasy.

On one hand, there's the temptation of a big city and a natural seaport. Even though there's not much money in his pocket right now, it doesn't hurt to do some research in advance, just like he discovered KFC on the road this time. Nestled in Douglas, that small place, apart from Microsoft and such, it's hard for Carter to think of other investment targets at the same golden egg level.

With Chicago being so large in scale and having such an advantageous environment, the possibility of birthing another golden egg is also very high!

On the other hand, there's concern about safety. Apart from producing mob bosses in the past and having a high crime rate in the future, Chicago happens to be a Democratic city. Gun control in Democratic cities is generally much stricter than in Republican ones. Perhaps it's because this Capone guy caused too much trouble in the past, leading Chicago to be extremely sensitive now, with gun control laws particularly strict.

Carter's Georgia gun permit is enough to take him to most places in the United States, but not Chicago! They just don't recognize its legality. Not only Georgia's gun permits, but also those from states like Florida, they don't recognize them either. If you have a permit, you can keep your gun in a box, and it's okay to pass through their territory, but you can't take it out! Taking it out is breaking the law!

This is really annoying. On one hand, your public safety is questionable, and on the other hand, you don't let me defend myself. Carter didn't think much about it before, but now that he's thinking about it, the more he thinks, the more afraid he becomes.

Investing is one thing; no one complains about having too much money. But with the backing of Quantum Fund and Magellan Fund, two very profitable funds, money is always in short supply. With money, Carter has to learn to cherish his life.

But unfortunately, Melissa slept until noon with her brain still feeling fuzzy and her eyes a bit black. It wasn't until around 1 PM that Melissa finally woke up, and now Carter had no choice but to go to Chicago.

Because after Chicago, they'd basically be out of the bustling northeastern region of the United States and into the barren Midwest. The density of cities along the way would decrease significantly, and the difficulty of resupplying would increase sharply.

Looking at Melissa, who was still a bit groggy and had dark circles under her eyes, Carter couldn't help but wonder:

"How on earth did you stay up all night without a phone or short videos?!"