Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the border of Mexico, cars parked on the side of the road. Most of the brands were
Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and other cheap cars.
These people were looking for customers, usually at a short distance, mainly in a town
one or two kilometers away. Some were hired as tour guides.
Godzilla rented a car. It was cheap and only cost ten dollars to take them to the town.
Li Du heard some tourists bargaining with the driver. The lowest offer was 30 dollars.
He guessed that it was only due to his size and temperament that Godzilla could find a
car for 10 dollars.
Only a wall separated the two countries, but the difference was very big and very
obvious.
Nogales had a smooth road that ran in all directions. The roads in Mexico were of rough
dirt. A ride would surely be bumpy.
The distance was not great, but there were many of them and they were heavy, and the
road condition was not good. Li Du thought that it would be unfair to pay only ten dollars
so he gave the driver twenty.
.
When he got out of the car in the town, Li Du smelled a strange mixture of toast and
tacos, intermingling with the earthy smell of dust.
“That’s what Mexico tastes like,” Godzilla grinned.
Since entering Mexican territory, Godzilla has become much more active. Here,
Arizona’s shadow has disappeared, replaced by Mexican style.
Some children in the street were happily playing football, though it was winter. They
were barefoot and shirtless, showing their strong little bodies, and they looked healthy
and happy.
On the street, there were old men begging with children. They were dressed in rags. Li
Du shook his head and took some banknotes out of his pocket. He handed them to the
old man and said, “Go and have some food.”
The streets were lined with vendors in wide-brimmed hats pushing food carts, the heat
rising from them and spicing up the air.
The streets were crowded with tourists.
Li Du exclaimed, “It seems like a lot of people are interested in Mexico.”
Godzilla shook his head. “There are less now. There used to be more.”
Since Osama bin Laden’s attacks, America has tightened its borders to prevent violent
terrorists from infiltrating the country.
Security agents and police would constantly check people’s passports, and scrutinize all
foreigners as if they were terrorists.
Tourists came to enjoy themselves, so of course, their mood would be spoiled when the
police interrogated and examined them. Many people no longer came here to travel,
and the number of tourists greatly declined.
The town had a completely different atmosphere from that of the United States. The
most unique feature was the colorful buildings.
Hans found a wide variety of stalls. When they just sat down, a group of young
Mexicans approached in a hurry and sat beside them.
A handsome Mexican waiter greeted them with a cheerful smile. “Welcome, welcome,
what would you like to eat?”
“Burritos, chipotle corn, spicy grilled chicken, salmon with citrus soy sauce with Mexican
crisps, tomato chutney, salsa, butter-sautéed corn truffles…”
Godzilla ordered a lot of food, then added, “Spicy tomato beer for drinks, signature
cocktails, and an emerald tequila for us.”
“That’s a lot, man,” Hans leaned back in his chair and whistled.
Godzilla said, “My treat.”
“Who whistles to my girlfriend?” An angry voice sounded from behind.
Li Du looked around and saw a group of young people standing up at the table next to
them.
The young men were tattooed and all had the same pattern on the left side of their
necks: a saber in a burning chrysanthemum.
Hans was upset and explained, “Sorry, guys, I was not whistling to anyone…”
“Hey, damn Americans!” the young man’s expression changed when he heard Hans
speak. “I hate Americans the most. I like teaching them a lesson, though.”
The relationship between the United States and Mexico was strained, especially in the
border area. Mexicans were often unfriendly to Americans. Most tourists here were not
from the States but from other countries.
In recent years, the United States has launched a campaign to crack down on human
smuggling. It was called “killing wild dogs”, which has resulted in the saying “people
crossing the US-Mexico border are in danger of dying like wild dogs”.
The Mexicans were very angry about this. They thought the Americans insulted them.
However, America was a powerful country so they could not do anything about the
border. However, they could bully Americans in Mexico.
Li Du saw that the young man was just looking for trouble. Godzilla stood up and said,
“My buddy didn’t whistle to you.”
“Bah, are you American too?” A young man with his arm around the girl spat on the
ground.
A bossy-looking man came out and said, “Don't mess with me. Don’t bully my
customers. I saw that, Nellis. They did not provoke you,”
The young men were afraid of the owner, and when they saw him, they sat down
moodily.
“Damn it,” Hans said helplessly. “If anyone bullies people like that in America, I’ll make
him suffer for it.”
Li Du shook his head and said, “OK, say no more. We are here for dinner.”
The owner came over with their beers and said with a smile, “Don’t mind those guys,
they joined the gang and thought they could rule the world.”
Li D thanked him and said, “It’s just a misunderstanding. Boss, your place is very
beautiful and colorful. It’s very interesting.”
“The mayor is doing an image project, so anyone who wants to decorate their home can
get free paint and paint their house any color,” the landlord explained.
When the owner left, a young man sat down, pretended to pour himself a glass of beer,
and then said, “You are Americans, huh?”
Godzilla put his glass down and stared at the young man.
The man downed his beer and roared, “Do you dare to fight?”
Li Du beckoned Godzilla to loosen his grip. He poured the young man a glass of beer
himself and smiled. “I’m Chinese. He’s German. This guy is Mexican and one of us is
indeed American.”
The young man said, “Well, Americans have a lot of money. You can treat us!”
“Do Americans owe you?” asked Li Du rudely.
The young man, not expecting such an assured reply, blurted out, “What did you say?
Say it again!”
“Do Americans owe you anything? Why does my buddy have to treat you to dinner if
he’s American?” said Li Du.
The youth ruthlessly hit the table, gnashed his teeth and said, “Very good, I haven’t
seen a tough nut like you for a long time. I’m very happy to run into you!”
He stood up and beckoned with his hand. A large crowd of young men stood up as well.
They threw down some money to pay for their meal and went off.
The youth who drank their beer before pointed to Li Du and said, “I see you have a lot of
courage. If you are brave enough to leave this restaurant early, I would like to see how
tough your bones are!”
