The sun had not completely set, but it was already dark outside. When the white woman stuffed printed paper on Zhang Zian's car window, Zhang Zian thought she was giving out small advertising flyers. He thought to himself that the small advertising flyers were too simple. At least they should have been printed on coated paper … When she walked into the visitor center, he noticed that she looked haggard, her hair was tied up behind her head, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked like she was suffering from a severe lack of sleep.
In foreign countries, if you encountered strangers or things that you didn't want to talk to, such as someone on the street telling you about environmental protection or giving you flyers, you just had to pretend that you didn't understand English. That way, you could politely get away. Zhang Zian was not here to travel. He had a lot of things to do. However, when he saw the woman's depressed look, his heart softened. He responded, "Your daughter? Sorry, I'm a new tourist here. I didn't see your daughter. "
In fact, he hadn't even seen a young girl since he came here. He only saw a group of old mages taking pictures of Jesus Christ.
The white woman had probably been disappointed too many times. Hearing his answer only added more water to the ocean of disappointment. The flame in her eyes, which had been extinguished, was a little weaker.
However, she still handed over a piece of printed paper. "Sir, this is my daughter. If you meet her in the forest …"
Zhang Zian took the paper and looked down.
There was a picture of a young girl printed on the paper. She had a bright smile, and the freckles on her cheeks highlighted her youthful vitality. She had short hair and was wearing a bicycle helmet with a Gopro fixed on the side of the helmet. She looked like a college student who liked outdoor sports.
A few lines were written under the picture. The girl's name was Megan Miller. She had just turned 19 this year. She was studying at a famous school. Because she loved all kinds of outdoor sports and was brave enough to challenge herself, she decided to use a bicycle and a hike this summer from San Francisco through a series of forest parks on the west coast of the United States. Unfortunately, she disappeared about two weeks ago. Finally, a string of phone numbers was given. Anyone who saw her could contact her family or the police.
Zhang Zian frowned slightly. Because of the zombie deer, coyotes, and Leshi dog food, he had done some research before and after he came to the United States. Many people might not know that in the United States, which was regarded as the most technologically advanced and civilized country in the Western world, it was not until ten years ago that someone successfully completed a similar feat. That person had walked across the 1,800-mile mahogany forest on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, and it was done by two men.
He didn't know if this girl named Megan had done a similar investigation, or if she had done it on impulse. He guessed that it was the latter. If she had really done the investigation, she wouldn't have dared to underestimate this vast forest.
It was true that tourists who drove freely could easily cross the West Coast on the highway. Other than car accidents, they would not encounter any danger. They could also choose one or two of the classic hiking routes recommended by the park officials and treat it as a tour. However, real hiking was much more dangerous than this.
Anything could happen in the primeval forest. In addition to ferocious beasts like bears and cougars, rainstorms, flash floods, landslides, mudslides, and criminals with bad intentions could kill you. Even if you accidentally sprained your ankle, you could be trapped in the forest, unable to get out. You wouldn't even be able to call for help.
The sparse population density and purely commercial telecommunications companies in the United States made the cell phone signal coverage in the United States much worse than in China. Not to mention in the primeval forest, there might not be a signal even if you walked to the suburbs. Moreover, the towering mahogany trees that covered the sky could even make satellite phones useless.
After Zhang Zian took the printed paper, he was about to say something when a man in a special uniform walked over and said, "Mrs. Miller, you're making things very difficult for us. The search and rescue of your daughter is over. Although I understand how you feel, please don't disturb other tourists. "
The man's uniform was a gray shirt and dark green trousers. There was an orange shield badge on his shoulder and a light brown cowboy hat on his head. The uniform was quite handsome, but Zhang Zian had never seen it anywhere else.
After carefully observing the man's badge, Zhang Zian suddenly realized that he was a park inspector, or forest inspector, depending on whether he was in the American park system or the American forest system. He was similar to the forest police in China, but his responsibilities were very broad. From collecting tickets to guiding tourists, to searching for missing people and investigating cases, basically everything that happened in the forest park was under their control.
Mrs. Miller seemed to be irritated and shouted, "My daughter is not dead yet! You bunch of idiots ended the search and rescue without permission, and then forced me to agree! Fine! Then I'll do it myself! Don't even think about controlling me! Don't ever think about it! "
The forest inspector looked at Zhang Zian awkwardly, spread out his hands and said, "We didn't say that your daughter is dead. We just think that the location where she went missing is not in this forest. I advise you to look in other forests."
"She is here! I'm sure! "Mrs. Miller roared hysterically.
The forest inspector's face turned cold. "Mrs. Miller, please calm down. If you continue to act like this, I will have to ask you to leave. I will personally escort you out of the county."
It was evident that if Mrs. Miller persisted in her defiance, the inspector would regard her as being unreasonable, and would follow her car until he drove her out of the county line.
Mrs. Miller's eyes were spitting fire, but she didn't dare to do anything. If she was kicked out, her last hope of staying here to find her daughter would be destroyed.
She pursed her lips tightly, and after a while, she said to the inspector meaningfully, "May God forgive you."
The inspector's face was expressionless, but he was also angry at the words that were clearly a blessing but actually a curse.
After Mrs. Miller finished speaking, her body seemed to have lost all strength. She pushed the door open and returned to her car, but she didn't start the engine. She just hugged the steering wheel and buried her face deep into the steering wheel, her shoulders moving up and down from time to time.
"Crazy woman." The inspector snorted, turned back to his seat, and flipped through a newspaper.
Zhang Zian wanted to ask the inspector if there were any suspicious organizations in the area, but judging from the way the inspector looked, it was obvious that he was the kind of person who only worked to earn money, so it was better to avoid trouble. If he asked, it would only make the inspector suspect that he was there to cause trouble, so it was better not to ask.
After thinking about it, he also turned around and left the visitor center. He walked to Mrs. Miller's car and knocked on the window.
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