San Francisco in 1975

Chapter 8 San Francisco in 1975

Since Evelyn claimed she could make the Snake arcade game, and Ethan had obtained the materials list she provided, the next morning, Ethan drove the Ford F-150 he had borrowed from his Uncle Thomas across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was ordered to be built by the great American Emperor Joshua Norton in 1869 but was not actually completed until 1937, and arrived in San Francisco, the area most suitable for purchasing electronic materials.

After coming off Dowry Avenue and driving south along Highway 101 for about three miles, Ethan saw a series of underground tracks laid on the asphalt road. He sped up to catch up, and finally a cable car slowly making its way up the steep hilly road came into view.

The sight of the orange car prompted Ethan to honk his horn. After the horn sounded, the cable car driver immediately shook the bell beside him, making a jingling sound in response.

"Good morning!"

Ethan shouted through the car window.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to San Francisco."

The driver smiled and waved.

These words made Ethan laugh out loud. After waving goodbye, he stepped on the gas and sped away.

The cable cars in San Francisco are famous throughout the United States, and have been providing convenient transportation for the city's residents since their appearance in the 19th century.

Although the 1906 earthquake destroyed most of the cable car tracks, and the development of automobiles meant that the city's residents no longer relied on the tracks, the cable car culture had such a profound impact on the city that, after careful consideration, San Francisco retained a few lines, which were not fully restored until the 1980s.

In my previous life, I had only heard of Ethan but never seen him. But now, it's quite interesting that tourists can hang outside the car, just like the road transport in India.

Having satisfied his curiosity, Ethan turned the car around and drove to Market Street in San Francisco.

This is a major axis in San Francisco, lined with shops and office buildings. After Ethan browsed the house numbers and found number 1355, a huge storefront appeared before him—

San Francisco Electronic Supply.

Ethan walked right in because of the conspicuous name, and was greeted warmly by a burly young white man.

"Hello sir, welcome to San Francisco Electronics Supply Company. How can I help you?"

"Of course, I'm here to buy some things."

Ethan pulled out a list and handed it to the other person.

After discovering that Evelyn's list was somewhat satirical, Ethan took it upon himself to sift through it and make a new copy.

As for those things that he filtered out?

Okay, he'll definitely still buy the things; Evelyn has written the list herself and is carrying it in his arms.

After taking the form from Ethan, the young white man glanced at it and said with a smile, "Okay, sir, please wait a moment, I'll go find the materials for you right away."

As he spoke, the man in white had already turned around.

Ethan was very happy with the quick action.

Looking around, the small storefront displayed a wide variety of electronic accessories.

Although Ethan didn't recognize them, he could sense the professionalism of the place.

Just when Ethan thought his shopping trip would be easy and pleasant, the white man who had just left returned.

Holding up Ethan's list, he said apologetically, "Sorry, sir, I have a few questions."

"Go on," Ethan said, turning his gaze away.

The white man asked, "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, your list includes potassium chlorate and acetone, right?"

"..."

Ethan didn't understand what the other person meant, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "I guess so."

I need your accurate answer.

The white man appeared very serious.

"Uh... if it says so above, then it should be."

Ethan carefully recalled the list Evelyn had written for him, then nodded affirmatively.

His answer, however, made the white man feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

He placed his right hand on his waist and said seriously, "Sir, do you know what potassium chlorate and acetone are used for? Potassium chlorate is a very dangerous chemical, toxic, corrosive, and explosive! And while acetone is an organic solvent, it can not only be used to make smokeless gunpowder, but also to synthesize and purify methamphetamine!"

"So... if you don't explain this clearly, I'll have to call 911..."

'???'

When the white man looked at Ethan with a suspicious gaze, his right hand already reaching for his lower back, the unmistakable implication made one sentence pop into Ethan's mind—

"Free America, gunfights every day"

To avoid getting shot at close range, and more importantly, to prevent his hard-won good life from slipping away, Ethan quickly said, "Hey, hey, hey! Bro! Calm down! I don't understand what you mean! I bought all this stuff just to make circuit boards!"

"Really?"

The white man remained cautious. "Can you tell me the process of making a circuit board?"

"How would I know about this?" Ethan was bewildered.

"I don't know!"

However, his words were very straightforward. Having lived in America for many years, he understood that this was not the time to joke!

"This order was given to me by someone else! I don't recognize any of the materials on it! If I really intended to make explosives or drugs, would I drive here alone to buy these things?"

Ethan waved his right hand, pointing behind him.

"Fxxk! Dude! I drive a Ford F-150! That car costs at least four thousand dollars! And mine is the top-of-the-line model! Six thousand dollars! That's a normal person's annual salary! Do you think any lunatic would drive one of these to buy dangerous goods? Isn't that just giving the police a lead to catch him?! Ugh!!!"

Ethan's roar softened the white man's expression considerably.

He raised his hands, turned to the side to indicate that he wasn't concealing any guns on his waist, then extended his right hand apologetically, saying, "Sorry, brother, I startled you. Ever since these protests and demonstrations started happening again and again, we guys who sell chemicals have been extra careful, afraid that some dangerous goods might be bought by malicious individuals."

"After all, they might be happy after blowing it up, but we who sell things to them are in trouble. The city hall here will also try to make us lose money."

Seeing that the other party didn't have a gun, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

She glared at him fiercely, her eyebrows rising like sharp swords.

The white man, who understood what Ethan meant, readily lifted his shirt to prove it again.

When the empty counter appeared, Ethan angrily cursed "Damn!" and then kicked it hard.

His outburst did not elicit any resistance from the other party. After angrily shaking his head, Ethan, knowing that the other party had done nothing wrong, also extended his right hand and forcefully bumped it against the other party.

Then, panting heavily, he leaned against a nearby shelf and complained, "Dude! You know what?! You almost scared me to death!"

"There's nothing I can do; this is San Francisco, after all." The white man let out a sigh of relief and shrugged. "After seeing your order, I was almost scared to death!"

"I thought some fanatic from some unknown faction had walked into the store!"

Although Ethan had just been startled by the young white man, he had to admit that what the guy said was indeed true.

San Francisco at that time was indeed very chaotic.

Since America's unwarranted intervention in the war with Vietnam, anti-war sentiment within the country has grown stronger, and San Francisco, the city of freedom, has become a focal point for people to gather.

In the first five years of the 1970s alone, there were several demonstrations, each with more than 100,000 participants, with the largest number reaching 150,000.

The most outrageous thing was that after the public found that their demands were not being met, the subsequent rallies turned from normal marches and protests into mass disturbances, blocking traffic, occupying buildings, and interfering with communication facilities with radios. In the end, large-scale conflicts even broke out. If you had to describe it, it was not much different from Capitol Hill.

Moreover, since Harvey Milk, the first American to use magic and to publicly run for office as an LGBT person, was also from San Francisco, he had made himself the focus of public opinion since 1973. Therefore, San Francisco in that era was also a paradise for LGBT people to hold marches and demonstrations.

Given the combined effects of various debuffs, it's understandable that the chemical sellers are being cautious, but...

Even if Ethan can understand, it doesn't mean he can accept it!

He was lucky this time; the boss didn't have a gun on his waist.

But what if he encounters a short-tempered person next time? Wouldn't he end up shooting himself in the back and committing suicide?

If that were the case, we would really be losing a lot of money!

Thinking about this, Ethan was still a little angry.

Looking at the guy who was just as shaken as he was, he said rudely, "Brother! With your level of vigilance, you shouldn't be opening a shop! You should be joining Fubo Le!"

"I believe it! If Forbes had someone as talented as you, Ted Bundy would have been caught long ago!"

Ethan's sarcasm made the white man chuckle awkwardly, shrugging and saying, "Brother, I've only recently become nervous. Aren't all the media reports about our people preparing to withdraw from Asia? If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be so cautious. After all, everything you want can be transported by rail."

It would have been better if this guy hadn't explained; the more he explained, the angrier Ethan became.

"F***********!"

He never imagined that buying chemicals in North America would lead to him being subjected to the iron fist of freedom from Asia.

What is this?

That's a world-famous painting!

"Never mind, go and prepare my things."

Ethan, who was already too preoccupied with the matter, was no longer bothered to argue.

"Yes, sir."

The white man nodded repeatedly and disappeared again.

In about fifteen minutes, he had prepared everything Ethan wanted.

Because he had caused Ethan trouble, he gave Ethan a discount and helped him load his things into the car.

Before saying goodbye, he handed me his business card with a hint of apology.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I was just too tense."

"My name is Frank. This is my business card. If you need anything next time, just give me a call and I'll bring it to you."

Ethan felt a little better after hearing the somewhat human-like apology.

He reached out and took it, forcing a stiff smile as a gesture of goodwill.

At the same time, he also handed over one of his business cards.

Then he stepped on the gas and sped away.

There was no other way; for him, this godforsaken place was simply unbearable to stay for even a second longer!

Filled with anger, Ethan rushed home only to find that he hadn't bought Evelyn what she wanted.

This fact also caught Evelyn, who was waiting at home for the results, in the act.

At first, Evelyn was a little angry.

But after Ethan explained the situation, the guy burst out laughing.

"Ethan, they thought you bought all this stuff to make explosives? Oh my god! You look so innocent! Not fierce at all! How could they think that?"

Evelyn covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

"Isn't that all your fault?"

Ethan was furious and shouted, "Evelyn, you should have explained yourself to me!"

However, Ethan's attempt to shift the blame only made Evelyn laugh even harder.

"Ethan, do you know what my professor in college once said—'Knowledge is neutral, but whether one becomes an angel or a devil is just a matter of a single thought.'"

"Do you think that if I explain the various effects of these chemical products to you, you can avoid today's problem?"

"cannot."

"When others perceive you as a demon, no amount of sophistry will help."

Evelyn's words stunned Ethan, his eyes gleaming at the girl's profound meaning.

After a while, Ethan, who had lived two lives, also laughed.

"Okay, okay, you're right, the things are innocent, it's people who are evil."

"But I'm more curious, why would your teacher say such things to you?"

"Because all inventions and creations have two sides."

Evelyn was pleased that her brother understood her. She shrugged and said, "Take radium, for example. When Marie Curie discovered it, her biggest goal was to cure cancer, but it ended up being used to make weapons. And take alternating current, for example. Tesla intended to benefit the world, but Edison made the electric chair to discredit him."

"Nobody knows whether the next thing engineers make will be good or bad; we can only pray that the world won't be prejudiced."

"Cool~" Ethan smiled, understanding the meaning behind it as someone from the 21st century.

"Okay, I admit it, you guys have it harder than I do."

Hehehe~

Evelyn liked Ethan's attitude and smiled like a little fox, "It's okay if you didn't buy anything, just consider it as you owing me."

"Now that the materials have arrived, shall we begin?"

"Okay." Ethan naturally wouldn't refuse.

Notes: ① There are dedicated videos on Bilibili by John Khan, who are interested in Joshua Norton. ② San Francisco truly is a protest capital; every little incident sparks a protest there, and it was a focal point for Vietnam War rallies. ③ Regarding Harvey Milk mentioned in the text, there was a Hollywood film, *Milk*, starring Sean Penn. Those interested can watch it; while the film has many romantic subplots, it also depicts how Milk used magic to become a councilman in 1970s San Francisco and aggressively promoted LGBT legalization. ④ Ted Bundy: A serial killer active in the 1970s and 80s, one of the inspirations for *The Silence of the Lambs*.

(End of this chapter)