Chapter 42: Unexpected Surprise

Just as the coastal regions in China are as developed as the inland areas, similarly, cities in the United States are more numerous and developed along the east and west coasts than in the Midwest. Strictly speaking, Illinois, where Chicago is located, is already considered a Midwestern state. If it weren't for the outlet to Lake Michigan and the Illinois Canal connecting to the Hudson River, Chicago might not even exist as a city.

Heading from the northeast along Lake Michigan towards Chicago, Carter's route is essentially southwest. Therefore, when entering the city, it's natural to enter from the north.

Summer nights tend to come later, so when Carter arrived in Chicago, the city was still brightly lit. The towering skyscrapers and seemingly stable neighborhoods in the north of Chicago, along with the crowds strolling on the streets, left Carter feeling a bit puzzled.

What happened to the reputation of being the most dangerous city? This doesn't seem like it at all!

Ultimately, it's only been a little over a month since Carter reincarnated, and while he's physically in the United States now, his mindset is still influenced by his Chinese background. He hasn't fully integrated into American life and often tends to think with references to his past memories. In his memories, Chicago in the 1920s and 30s was associated with Al Capone, and in the 21st century, it was known as the crime capital of the East. In between, there seemed to be only Michael Jordan.

With both past and recent associations being synonymous with crime, it's natural for Carter to be fearful of Chicago during that time. But if one were to consider the issue from a different perspective, it's not difficult to understand at all.

If Chicago had been a hotspot for crime for over a century, how could it have developed? Economic development requires a stable environment! The golden age of America was only for a few years, and if Chicago missed out on that, it wouldn't be Chicago anymore!

Driving into the city with a hint of confusion, Carter first found a hotel and got his room sorted out. Then he inquired at the hotel front desk:

"Hello, I'm a road traveler visiting Chicago for the first time. What's the current security situation like in Chicago? Would there be any issues going out for dinner at night? Oh, and I have a handgun in my room, this is my carry permit, it seems like Chicago doesn't allow us to carry firearms outside."

"I understand, I'll inform the housekeeping staff, it's no problem to keep firearms in your room if you have a carry permit. The security situation in Chicago is still okay, sir, you can go out with peace of mind. Just avoid the south or west sides of the city, they're a bit more chaotic over there, but they generally don't bother pedestrians."

The front desk lady smiled sweetly, feeling that road travelers like Carter sounded very cool and was happy to chat with him a bit more. Road travelers in modern America were not common, especially someone as young as Carter.

"Well, for your first visit to Chicago, is there anywhere you'd like to go? Do you need me to recommend anything?"

"Of course, if you could recommend some landmark buildings in Chicago and some impressive corporate headquarters, that would be great!"

"For landmark buildings, Sears Tower is definitely one! It's the tallest building in America, and when you're there, you can go to the observation deck on the 103rd floor, where you can see the entire beauty of Chicago. Apart from Sears Tower, the Chicago Stadium is also worth a visit, there seems to be a game tonight, so if you're interested, you can go watch."

The front desk lady blinked her eyes, trying hard to think of well-known places in Chicago. As a Chicagoan, whenever she introduced Chicago to tourists from out of town, she felt a sense of pride for her hometown.

"But when it comes to really impressive companies, I'm not too sure. I'm sorry I couldn't help you with that."

"Having this information is already very helpful to me, thank you!"

After politely thanking and bidding farewell to the front desk lady, Carter left the hotel with Melissa. By this time, it was already dark, but the streets were still bustling with people.

American sidewalks are usually quite narrow, and Carter and Melissa almost filled up the entire sidewalk as they walked side by side. As they constantly shifted positions to make way for other pedestrians, Carter noticed that the security in the north of Chicago was indeed quite good.

Before they even walked 300 meters, they had already seen four parked police cars on the roadside, with a higher density of police presence than in New York. But as for how the situation was in the south of the city, Carter didn't know, nor did he have any intention of finding out.

It was just a bit strange in his mind, what about Boeing? If he remembered correctly, Boeing's headquarters were in Chicago, and the Boeing Tower was quite famous. However, neither from the front desk lady nor from a Chicago map he bought at a newsstand did Carter see any information about Boeing, so he had to give up.

The next morning, Carter wasn't interested in going to Sears Tower anymore. Melissa, who had also visited the Twin Towers, didn't oppose this decision either. After replenishing supplies at the supermarket, Carter drove to the former United Center, now the Chicago Stadium, and then the two left Chicago to continue westward, officially embarking on their journey through the Midwest.

Carter never expected to find the golden egg he had been longing for in Chicago, but he happened to discover it shortly after leaving Chicago! It was in the small town of Decatur near Chicago.

Decatur was similar to Douglas, both being cities formed by unremarkable settlements of free citizens. Perhaps due to its proximity to the port city of Chicago, Decatur's development was significantly better than Douglas'. The roads were smoother and wider, with more traffic.

But overall, that was about it. Just as Carter had no intention of staying here after replenishing supplies in Chicago, as he drove through the city, a strong scent of chocolate wafted into the car. The rich, smooth aroma was tolerable for Carter, who didn't particularly like sweets, but Melissa couldn't stand it.

She kept insisting that Carter stop the car and buy some chocolate. A few pieces of chocolate wouldn't hurt, Carter thought, so he drove towards the strongest scent.

The source of the fragrance was a factory, which was more like a small workshop than a factory. Several simple factory buildings were surrounded by a simple fence, without even a guard at the gate.

After Carter stopped the car, he knocked on the gate beside the fence and walked in confidently, shouting to the young people inside who were boiling cocoa paste:

"Hey! Guys, do you sell chocolate here?"

In Carter's opinion, buying a few pieces of chocolate directly from this small workshop-like factory was no big deal at all. But to his surprise, he was rejected:

"Huh? You want to buy chocolate? But we don't sell chocolate, sorry, you can try the supermarket up ahead."

Now that's interesting! If you don't sell chocolate, then what are you making here?!

"Brother, that's what I don't understand. If you don't sell chocolate, then what are you making here?"