* Approaching *
"Look, this girl..."
After nearly a day of fermentation, the suspected kidnapping video, which took place in a Las Vegas casino, has spread exponentially on major online platforms.
Given that the victim was clearly a young Asian woman, the attention paid by the Asian community in the United States was the largest and fastest. This community is not small, but it is not big. For various reasons, Asian people have also increased their cohesion in recent years after experiencing long-term discrimination and neglect.
Almost all Asian-Americans are retweeting messages identifying victims at high frequency. After several rounds of circulation, they spread to all Asian-American networks overnight.
Unfortunately, no one could confirm the girl's identity within 18 hours of the video's release.
However, the dissemination was not in vain, and consular officials in charge of the matter at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles quickly discovered the video by chance.
The person in charge reacted quickly. After contacting the local police, they basically confirmed that the kidnapped girl in the video was indeed Lu Jia, the female college student they were looking for.
The local police had limited information and were puzzled by this video that had attracted great attention. However, according to the information provided by the consulate, this girl was the female college student they had reported before. Combined with the situation in this video, it was obvious that she was in a very critical situation.
In view of the concern and pressure from the embassy and consulate, the local police in the United States immediately announced that the disappearance of Lu Jia, a Chinese college student, was officially opened.
Although the white male who kidnapped Luka could not be identified, the facial information captured from the video was processed to see basic facial features, and immediately broadcast as a wanted photo through public news channels.
Even though most Americans will say,'Oh my God,' and not take it to heart, so far it's all going the way the people behind it want it to go.
Also because of the push behind the scenes, this video was quickly moved to major social media in China by some video carriers, and soon attracted the attention of some self-media accounts.
The news was then reprinted by the official media.
Zhang Xiaoxi and Zhou Xiuli had been waiting for news at home for the past few hours. Although they already had a bad feeling in their hearts, they still had a slight hope.
Could it be because Lu Jia had gone crazy?
Or maybe Lu Jia's phone was malfunctioning?
Wait, wait, wait...
However, he didn't expect to see such a video in the end.
Zhou Xiuli almost fainted when she saw Lu Jia struggling on a strange man's shoulder in the video.
*
" What?!"
Sid and Sandy's eyes widened in surprise. They approached with gossipy faces and asked carefully," What do you mean by that?"
Phoenix's face showed obvious hesitation, as if he was questioning whether he should tell the whole story.
After a long time, as if he had made up his mind, his deep blue eyes drooped and he slowly took out from his pocket the document which Luca had shown him.
"I was an FBI agent."
"During the mission, I was framed by a spy because I found out a secret that I shouldn't know."
Lu Jia was stunned. She looked at the other party blankly. Suddenly, she felt that this phrase sounded so familiar.
Aah!
Lu Jia suddenly remembered that this was what she had said!
The last time she asked him if that was the case, Phoenix had complained that she had watched too many movies without nutrition. Why did she turn around and use her guess to lie?
" Clara is indeed my girlfriend. This video happened before she realized the seriousness of the matter. In fact, she has always been very angry at me for involving her in this matter."
... what?!
Lu Jia frowned at him in disbelief and even couldn't help but laugh ridiculously.
However, when he turned around and wanted to explain to Sid and Sandy, for some reason, these two people looked very excited. Their eyes suddenly lit up.
"So what's the secret you've uncovered, man? We swear we won't tell anyone. Maybe, maybe we can cover for you…"
“……”
Lu Jia was speechless. She suddenly felt like she was seeing her stupid self when she first met Phoenix.
- Don't have anything to do with Caspar Phoenix. It's unfortunate.
This was a painful experience, but Lu Jia couldn't say it out loud because she was too deeply involved.
Actually, she should have expected Sid and Sandy's reaction.
In the United States, there are many people who do not believe in vaccines, science, or even science. Many people think that they are not good at brains, but in fact, this is not the case. Because of the reasons that have happened in history, credibility has disappeared. Sid and Sandy happen to come from the conservative South. Texas, its predecessor, the Republic of Texas (Lone Star Republic), was originally an independent sovereign country recognized by the international community. They were educated like this from their elders.
" For your safety, I can't tell you."
Here we go... Again.
Lu Jia almost couldn't help but roll her eyes, but she couldn't expose him. She had no choice but to shift her gaze to the TV in the dining room.
However, just as her gaze stopped on the TV screen, Lu Jia stopped. She reached out and grabbed Phoenix's arm beside her, attracting everyone's attention.
The slightly blurred photo of Phoenix was placed on the screen to the right of the news anchor, focusing on the scene when he carried Lu Jia on his shoulder and looked at the camera.
"Recently, a video on Social networks has attracted widespread attention..."
"If you have any clues, please contact the police as soon as possible."
Lu Jia swallowed subconsciously. When she turned around, she met Sid and Sandy's eyes.
" This is crazy... So you guys are clearly a couple, but you were framed by bad guys. You took your videos out of context and deliberately spread them online?"
Lu Jia couldn't deny it for a moment. She could only admit that she had a dog boyfriend for no reason.
Sid rubbed his hands excitedly." Wow, I like this kind of exciting stuff!"
But perhaps Sandy, who was sitting at the side, seemed to have calmed down a little after seeing the wanted message. She looked at Lu Jia and Phoenix with concern and finally grabbed Sid's hand and said," We believe that you are innocent. We can borrow a car for you in our name. At worst, we can say that the car was stolen. As for other things..."
"Come on, my little melon! Obviously, they are innocent!" Sid spread his hands in disappointment.
Sandy also felt that Phoenix didn't look like a bad person." Maybe... maybe Clara can shoot a video and post it online to clarify things. I have a friend who is a beauty blogger on YouTube. Such a popular event should be willing to help you repost it."
"Thank you. Thank you very much."
Lu Jia had mixed feelings. She turned to look at Phoenix. Perhaps it was because he had a righteous and handsome face that it was hard to believe that he was a bad person.
Not only that, he could make others willingly help him in a few words. Perhaps this was Phoenix's unique personality charm.
However, Lu Jia still regretted that she had such a big connection with him and even helped him lie.
She really didn't like lying.
However, Sandy's suggestion moved Lu Jia very much, because she wanted to take this opportunity to tell her family and friends that she was safe, so that they wouldn't worry too much.
Especially since this video had obviously spread rapidly in the United States, it was only a matter of time before Zhang Xiaoxi and Zhou Xiuli, who were on the other side of the world, saw it.
" Then I'll trouble you to adjust your phone to flight mode first. After shooting the video, wait four hours before connecting to the network and sending the video to others. Otherwise, they will immediately locate us."
*
An hour later, Lu Jia and Phoenix got into the car that Sid rented for them and said goodbye to the warm and sincere Texas couple.
Lu Jia stuck her head out. Although she knew that she might never see them again, she still expressed her gratitude to them.
No matter what they thought, this couple really helped them a lot.
"Goodbye!"
Lu Jia turned her head reluctantly and watched as the couple who were leaning against each other and had huge differences became smaller and smaller in her vision. Finally, she turned her head and couldn't help but sigh.
The next destination was Los Angeles. Lu Jia walked around and returned to the place where she came to the United States on the first day.
Thinking that they would arrive at Los Angeles Airport today, Lu Jia was nervous and excited, and she was also slightly vigilant.
Although Lu Jia felt that Phoenix wouldn't lie to her again. After all, she was physically weak and was no different from a burden, it wasn't like he hadn't done such things before.
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Lu Jia turned on the radio station awkwardly. The stereo of this car was much better than the one before. Familiar music slowly flowed…
“Some people lie but they're looking for magic
Others are quietly going insane
I feel alive when I’m close to the madness……”①
Lu Jia, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked out of the window at the rapidly receding scenery. She turned to Phoenix beside her with mixed emotions." We're about to part ways. Can't you tell me what happened to you?"
Phoenix held the steering wheel in both hands and kept his eyes straight ahead. An hour later, after driving all the way down the highway to California, he seemed a little more relaxed.
" In fact, Lu, the truth of the matter isn't much different from what you guessed."
Lu Jia frowned. She couldn't believe it." But you laughed at my guess earlier."
Phoenix drove very fast and continued to drive expressionlessly. From Lu Jia's angle, the sunlight outside the car window shone on his side face, and the edges of his outline were covered in a faint halo. One could even see the fine fur on his face, especially his eyebrows and eyelashes.
" But it wasn't a single person who framed me. It was an entire organization."
“……？”
The car drove faster and faster, speeding along the highway. The car quickly changed lanes left and right, overtaking many cars. Lu Jia's body swayed along with the shaking of the car. She leaned back because of the strong push on her back. She couldn't help but reach out and firmly grasp the handle inside the car. For a moment, her heart was beating like a drum.
"Why…why did they do this?"
"My cousin Noah Wolwitz. Have you heard of him?"
Lu Jia tried her best to search for relevant information in her brain at such a rapid speed, but to be honest, this person was very famous. Even ordinary people on the other side of the world had heard of this name.
Noah wolwitz is the founder and former CEO of NoFa, the world's largest Social networks platform.
But NoFa and Wolwitz's rise was more than ten years ago. Lu Jia's recent impression of him was…
By the way, I heard that since NoFa's share price reached 100 US dollars, Wolwitz regularly sold his shares every week. Now it's 300 US dollars. Not only that, he started flying to China ten years ago to live permanently. Last year, he completely settled in Shanghai with his wife Rong Yi.
"I've heard of him…Wait, he's your cousin?"
Phoenix ignored Lu Jia's surprise and continued to speak slowly," My cousin Noah is a smart person who annoys me. As the founder of NoFa, he has increased his voice and voting power in the company through various means, firmly controlling the future decision-making power of the company, including appointing his successor."
"A few months ago, he named NoFa's new successor."
"That person…is me."
Lu Jia was shocked, although she still couldn't figure out what the appointment of Phoenix as his successor had to do with him being hunted down.
However, realizing that she was getting closer to Phoenix's secret, Lu Jia still felt frightened and uneasy for no reason.
"Can you slow down? Please…I'm a little scared…"
Phoenix heard this and turned around to look at Lu Jia. Then, she released the accelerator and slowed down.
Lu Jia took a slight breath. She struggled to calm down. Her sharp brain sensed a trace of information from it." Although I don't know the specific reason, you mean that all this was caused by your cousin Noah Walvis?"
Phoenix was silent for a moment, then chuckled." You can understand it that way."
Lu Jia did not continue speaking. Almost at the same time, a map of the southwestern coast of the United States appeared in her mind.
In fact, she had always wondered why Phoenix insisted on sending her to Los Angeles, California. Obviously, fleeing to California would not have any positive effect on the fact that he was captured.
Since the wanted information about him had already spread through the US news, Lu Jia had reason to suspect that he wanted to leave the US.
California is located in the southwest of the United States, west of the sea, and south of the border with neighboring Mexico, their respective location-Los Angeles, only more than 200 kilometers from the Mexican border.
Thinking of this, Lu Jia's breathing suddenly became rapid. She felt that she had predicted Phoenix's future course of action.
So where will he choose to go after leaving the United States?
Given his bad relationship with Noah Wolwitz, his cousin who lives in China, Phoenix probably wouldn't go there, and even if he wanted to, China would never accept him.
Thinking of this, Lu Jia suddenly remembered Snowden, who had appeared in their conversation and had the same experience as Phoenix-the man who revealed the prism incident. His final destination was Russia.
Could Phoenix have followed the example of his predecessors and deliberately taken a detour to Russia?
Of course, these were just her wild guesses. Lu Jia actually hoped that the two of them could leave this damned place smoothly and head to the destination they wanted to reach.
However, the experiences she had encountered in the past few days had already exceeded Lu Jia's imagination. She was really afraid that something unexpected might happen. She always felt that every piece of information she obtained might have a positive effect on her trip back to China.
Lu Jia heaved a sigh of relief. She felt more or less confident and raised her head to look out of the car window.
Phoenix was heading southwest, following the route to Los Angeles on the map.
Their route would take them more than three hours to reach San Bernardino and then all the way west to Los Angeles, a large city on the western coast of the United States.
To be honest, Lu Jia really wanted to open her phone to check the tickets for today's flight to Shanghai. She really didn't want to stay any longer. She just wanted to leave immediately!
However, Lu Jia obviously couldn't do that at this moment. She could only sit in the front passenger seat and wait for time to pass.
"Sleep for a while. Don't worry, I'll call you when we reach Los Angeles."
Lu Jia looked out of the window. The palm trees that could be seen everywhere on the street were rapidly retreating. The fatigue that had not been completely eliminated yesterday gradually surged in. Hearing Phoenix's words, Lu Jia, who was slightly relieved, leaned against the passenger seat. Sleepiness rose to her brain and she could not help but feel drowsy.
We're almost home.
*
Agent Mahoney and Daniel sped overnight to San Diego, a city on the Southern California-Mexico border, only 20 kilometers from Tijuana, Mexico, and a must for Mexico.
Other agents were on their way to capture Caspar Phoenix, but because the bureau didn't trust the newly released profile, they didn't send many agents.
Understandably, most agents in the bureau did not believe that Caspar Phoenix, the youngest outstanding former agent and assistant director in history, would give up his bright future and give up defending himself to flee the country. This was simply incomprehensible to everyone.
Mahoney didn't know what he was thinking, but his intuition told him that this might really be Phoenix's choice.
On the other hand, the CIA obtained a large amount of relevant information the day after the video was widely distributed. Of course, most of the content was meaningless and could not be identified.
For example, an Indian named Jacob commented in the video that this man stole their cruise ship in the West Canyon of Colorado, and he chased it for several hours before being humiliated by them for a thousand dollars.
Others commented that they had just seen the man in a Las Vegas hotel restaurant, but the man was kissing the Asian woman next to him very intimately, not like kidnapping and being kidnapped, and questioned the authenticity of the video content.
There was simply too much information. After all, the video was still a little blurry. With a little modification, Caspar Phoenix could escape from their network.
But even so, CIA agents were not vegetarian. They never intended to hang themselves from a tree. Since it was difficult to sift through all kinds of information, it was better to look for it from their opponents.
So, at this very moment, they managed to intercept an important message from the FBI, which was also looking for Caspar Phoenix. A small number of agents were suddenly changed their mission. They changed their direction from Virginia to reach the border city of San Diego in California as soon as possible.
According to the latest profile, there is a close to 30% chance that the target will travel to San Diego and cross the U.S. border from there to Mexico.
It's highly consistent with the information they collected.
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