Chapter 18

As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, the morning light spread across the sea, dispelling the darkness of the night. The gentle golden glow dotted the sea surface, painting the sky with a golden outline, making Monica Beach look magnificent, like a world from a fairy tale.

Early risers began to jog along the path built on the beach, or leisurely stroll, and occasionally a few unconventional young people played volleyball on the beach in the morning, or simply went for a swim in the sea.

Jin Xuntao, who had also woken up early, did not go out to exercise. After all, there was still a little one at home who hadn't woken up. To ensure that the little one would see him when she woke up, Jin Xuntao had to stay at home.

After all, if the little one woke up and didn't see him, it would be a very troublesome situation. Although the little one was actually over two years old, she was currently in the body of a seven-month-old infant and had not completely outgrown the childish behavior and temperament. This stage was particularly clingy.

The daughter was still sound asleep, possibly because she had played a lot the night before, so the little one was sleeping very soundly.

Jin Xuntao made himself a cup of milk, fried a few eggs and sausages, and made a simple sandwich with bread slices. Then he went to the backyard, moved a recliner to the side of the garden path by the beach, and lay down, enjoying his breakfast while watching the people exercising in the morning.

Annie, who had also woken up early in New York, saw everything Jin Xuntao was doing through a hidden camera linked to her computer.

"Hmph! Quite good at enjoying life, aren't you?"

Looking at the young man in the picture, who was lying in the recliner, enjoying his breakfast and the peaceful morning, Annie pouted and then got up to wash up.

Many of the people exercising in the morning were well-built and attractive, of various ages, but most had great figures, which made Jin Xuntao sigh that living in this place was truly worth it.

Of course, Jin Xuntao was just looking to enjoy the view; he had no other thoughts in mind. Although he had come to this time and space, he had not yet recovered from the shock of his wife's death. Therefore, it was impossible for him to immediately start a new relationship.

Moreover, even if he wanted to find a woman, he had to consider the presence of his daughter.

So, for Jin Xuntao, enjoying the view was the most he could do.

As the morning exercisers gradually decreased, it was already 8 a.m. People had likely returned home to get ready for work or school.

So, Jin Xuntao tidied up, moved the recliner back to the backyard, and returned to the house with an empty milk cup and an empty plate from his breakfast.

Just then, his daughter woke up, so Jin Xuntao immediately started the busy routine of brushing her teeth, changing her clothes and diaper, and giving her a bath while preparing breakfast.

The daughter was easy to take care of; as long as she was fed and hydrated, she was generally quiet and well-behaved.

The little one, now awake, looked around the new home with sleepy eyes, curious about everything, pointing and babbling.

After helping the daughter brush her teeth, making her milk, and preparing her congee, Jin Xuntao placed her in the baby chair, and she began to eat her breakfast on her own.

Taking advantage of this break, Jin Xuntao started to organize the luggage he had brought from the move, putting the clothes and other items into the bedroom closet.

Jin Xuntao didn't have many clothes, just a few, all bought over the past six months, usually for work. During this time, he had been focused on earning money and working, so he hadn't had the time to buy new clothes or dress up.

Most of his clothes were jeans, T-shirts, and canvas shoes, all cheap, durable, and practical.

On the other hand, the daughter had many clothes, and with the ones bought the night before, she had dozens of outfits, enough to change into.

Since children grow quickly, it was necessary to prepare more clothes, which Jin Xuntao, with his experience, knew well.

Finally, after organizing everything, Jin Xuntao took out a box from a black leather travel bag, holding it with a puzzled expression, and opened it to take a look.

It was a box made of sandalwood, intricately carved with Chinese-style patterns, clearly a typical Chinese item.

Inside the box was half of a high-quality dragon-shaped jade pendant, but the other half was missing.

This box and the dragon-shaped jade pendant were left by the person who caused Jin Xuntao and his daughter's death and resurrection, and then transported them to this parallel universe in America, a self-proclaimed "Namekian" elementary school student.

According to the information left in his mind, this jade pendant might be useful in the future.

So, Jin Xuntao had kept it with him all along.

However, he still didn't know what the jade pendant was for. He had tried it countless times, but it didn't have any magical functions like opening a portal to another dimension or revealing any special techniques.

In short, it was just a very ordinary jade pendant, with excellent quality and exquisite craftsmanship, but nothing extraordinary.

The only thing special about it was that the dragon-shaped jade pendant had a large "Jin" character carved on it, and nothing else.

After playing with it for a while, Jin Xuntao put the jade pendant around his neck and stored the box in the closet.

Since he didn't know what the jade pendant was, he decided to wear it just in case something unexpected happened in the future.

After tidying up, Jin Xuntao left the bedroom and sat on the sofa in the living room, turning on the wall-mounted plasma TV with the remote control.

The daughter had drunk half of her milk and eaten half of her congee, so it would take her some time to finish her breakfast. Jin Xuntao decided to watch TV.

At the same time, he took out his laptop and turned it on, placing it on the coffee table in front of him.

Now that he no longer had to work two jobs, he had plenty of time.

Since the path of pirating novels was feasible, Jin Xuntao didn't want to waste time. He planned to continue his great pirating endeavor, trying to pirate more novels before finding a school to enroll his daughter, and then give them to Dave to publish, creating a more stable income for himself and his daughter.

The TV was showing the morning news from an American news network, with a segment about the police cracking down on gang crime.

Several fully armed, muscular FBI agents forcefully broke down the door of a row house and rushed in. Soon, a skinny African American man was escorted out by several FBI agents.

As the camera panned around, Jin Xuntao could see many local residents watching, mostly African Americans. When they saw the criminal, they became very agitated.

Some were cursing the FBI, some were throwing mineral water bottles, and others were shouting, making the scene very lively.

Watching this news segment, Jin Xuntao found it very interesting, as if he were watching a movie.

The little one, who was struggling with her congee, glanced at the TV and then lost interest, clearly finding it strange why anyone would find this interesting.

Jin Xuntao, however, still found it quite amusing.

Although the local residents were making a lot of noise, it was all in vain. The criminal was eventually taken to the police car, and the FBI agents ignored them.

Fortunately, the local residents knew their limits. They would throw mineral water bottles, make obscene gestures, and shout insults, but they wouldn't take more aggressive actions.

So, the FBI agents didn't pay much attention to them.

If the residents dared to try to rescue the criminal or block the FBI from taking him to the car, the FBI would not be so lenient.

The local African American residents were well aware of these limits, knowing what they could and couldn't do.

To outsiders, it might seem like these people were very bold, even cursing the FBI, but in reality, it wasn't like that at all.

Jin Xuntao had been in this time and space for over half a year and understood some of the underlying dynamics.

"Hehe, all talk, looking tough on the surface but not really. If you were so tough, why didn't you go out and stop those special agents?"

Jin Xuntao chuckled, watching the TV and muttering to himself.

Soon, a field reporter appeared on the TV screen, a professional-looking woman in a business suit. As she appeared and began her report, Jin Xuntao learned that the man whose door was broken down by the special agents was suspected of murder and organizing drug trafficking.

Jin Xuntao then changed the channel a few times, and most of the programs were about crime and gang issues. One news segment even showed a Chinese international student speeding, who, when signaled to stop by the police, not only refused to comply but also fled, leading to a high-speed chase.

In the end, the reckless individual was cornered at a highway exit by a dozen police cars and two helicopters, and was apprehended by American police with dozens of guns pointed at him.

This live news report left Jin Xuntao in awe.

"Wow, this guy is bold! Doesn't he fear the police shooting him?"

Jin Xuntao was filled with 'admiration' for his fellow Chinese student in this parallel universe.

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End of the page.