After buying the car, Ethan still had $120,000 in cash. That kind of money made him start thinking about buying a house of his own.
After all, he was beginning to feel like he didn't really belong in this family anymore. He could be dragged out of his own car in the orchard, left stranded, and when he called for help—nobody cared. That indifference chilled him.
Alright, no more pretending. The real reason he wanted to move out was simple: his life here just didn't fit anymore.
Back when Evelyn was still living at home, maybe things didn't feel so awkward. But now that she'd moved out, Ethan felt more than ever that his place in the family had become… uncertain.
So, when he got home that night, he shared his thoughts with Thomas and Linda. To his relief, they both expressed understanding and even support. But they also had their own little selfish wish about where he should move.
Thomas rubbed his hands together and said earnestly: "Ethan, if you really want to buy a house, I personally hope you'll settle down in Palo Alto. Isn't the villa next to Evelyn's on sale? You should buy that one. That way, we can all look out for each other.
You know, I was never in favor of her moving out. It's dangerous for a girl to live alone, especially when we're so close to San Francisco and Oakland. Both areas are really chaotic. I don't know if you've been following the news, but on the fifth of this month there was another shooting here in California—and it was linked to the Manson Family."
At that name, Thomas's expression grew heavy. Ethan had heard a about them too.
The Manson Family was a cult-like group active around San Francisco since the late 1960s, infamous for their brutal crimes.
They once broke into the home of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and killed her, her unborn child, and four friends—one of the victims stabbed more than fifty times.
Another time, they invaded the home of California billionaire Leno LaBianca, torturing and killing him, his wife, and their daughter. When police arrived at the scene, the killers had even left a table knife grotesquely stabbed into the victim's throat and stomach.
And those two cases were only the most famous ones. There were plenty of others—like the time they broke into the home of a female music Prof. at the University of California. That case was even more horrifying.
Because the Manson Family often preyed on young women, during those years any woman living alone was at risk of becoming their target.
Their methods were so cruel that the California police and the FBI eventually dismantled the group in the 1970s. But who could have predicted that, on the fifth of this very month, members of the Manson Family would appear again?
And this time attack on generals are not unheard of. But when such an incident is connected to the Manson Family, ordinary people can't help but fear for their own safety. After all, no one really knows how many of their members are still at large.
As for Ethan…He didn't know whether the Manson Family would strike again. If things went the same way as before, the man would suffer another "accident" this very month—this time in San Francisco, California.
No wonder—he was the first American general in history to be assassinated twice in a row.
Because Ethan was aware of how unsafe the country really was, he agreed to Thomas's request.
"Alright, I'll go take a look tomorrow."
Truthfully, Ethan had already been thinking about living closer to Evelyn. That way, if anything happened, she could find him quickly.
His words made Thomas and Linda both breathe easier and thank him sincerely.
Once the decision was made, the next day Ethan toured the area around Evelyn's place, jotted down the numbers from the "For Sale" signs, and called the agents as soon as he got home.
Both sides were eager to make a deal, so within just two days all the details were finalized.
The 6,600-square-foot villa became Ethan's for $182,000. At first, he thought of taking out a loan. After all, with over two years of tax records, solid income, and excellent credit, banks like Bank of America or Wells Fargo would gladly offer him a mortgage with just a 5% down payment.
But when Ethan learned that, thanks to stagflation, the bank's loan interest rate had climbed to 8.5%, he dropped the idea immediately and decided to borrow the money from Thomas instead.
Ethan was rich, not stupid! At 8.5% interest, only a stupid would take out that loan!
Besides, the family wasn't exactly flush with cash anyway. Borrowing from Thomas just meant filling the gap for a couple of weeks—once the next round of Snake Game dividends came in, Ethan could repay him in full.
Since there was no financial pressure, Ethan wasn't about to let the bank make money off him! After settling these matters, he finally felt relaxed.
Half a year since his time travel—and he already had a car and a house?
Ethan spent the next few days shopping for furniture for his new home. Once the villa was decorated, the calendar flipped to September 16th.
The Western Electronics Exhibition officially opened in San Francisco.
As a shareholder in Chuck Peddle's company, Ethan naturally wanted to join the excitement. But when he arrived at the exhibition, he immediately noticed a problem—he was completely out of sync with the crowd.
He had dressed casually: a black T-shirt and jeans, prioritizing comfort. But the people around him? All in suits and ties. Even in the heat, the most they did was take off their jackets, revealing crisp white shirts underneath.
The contrast left Ethan puzzled. When he asked Chuck Peddle why everyone was dressed so seriously, Chuck explained:
"Ethan, don't you know? This exhibition is organized by IEEE—it's a large-scale academic exchange. Most attendees are IEEE members or researchers in electrical engineering and electronics. Since the focus is on technology and academia, formal dress is expected."
"Oh…"
"So that's it?"
After wandering around for a while, Ethan quickly lost interest. he understood the individual words people were saying, but once strung together into long technical explanations, they may as well have been a foreign language.
Someone was introducing their chip—after listening to the whole discussion, the only thing Ethan grasped was something called semiconductor packaging. Another exhibitor was presenting a new device—Ethan only caught that it was called a charge-coupled something.
As for the rest? Completely over his head.
"Why do I feel like I'm here just to suffer?"
When he asked Chuck, he learned that the MOS 6502 would be introduced on the afternoon of the 18th. The organizers had arranged a small podium and fifteen minutes of presentation time.
Ethan waved goodbye to Chuck and promised to return for the big day—then promptly slipped out.
He had no desire to torture himself further. But before he could figure out where to spend his free time, trouble found him.
When he drove back to his villa, two young men in suits were waiting at the gate.
"Hello, sir, how can I help you?" Ethan rolled down the car window.
The two exchanged glances, then one stepped forward.
"Excuse me, are you Ethan Jones?"
"Yeah." Ethan nodded. "Who's asking?"
Hearing the confirmation, both men smiled faintly. The one who had spoken opened his briefcase, pulled out a business card, and held it up.
"Mr. Jones, we're attorneys from Sidley Austin's California branch. On behalf of our client, Magnavox, we're here to deliver a copy of the court's summons and complaint."
He then retrieved a document pouch from his case and held it up for Ethan to see.
The pouch was transparent, and the bold header of the San Francisco, California court glared back at him.
Ethan's brows knit tightly.
I'm being sued?And the plaintiff is Magnavox?!Fuck! What the hell is this?!
Ethan was left utterly dumbfounded.
Note:
① Sharon Tate was very famous. She had been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and was the wife of Roman Polanski, the director of The Pianist.
② IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The Western Electronics Exhibition is organized by IEEE and is academic in nature, not commercial.
③ Subpoenas in the United States differ from those in our system. Here, the service of a subpoena is treated as a judicial act, while in the U.S. it is considered a private act, usually carried out by the plaintiff's lawyer.
The methods of service can vary widely. For example, the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan has allowed a plaintiff's lawyer to serve subpoenas via Facebook private messages. If the defendant responds, or if the lawyer sends private messages for three consecutive weeks, service is considered complete. In this context, direct, door-to-door delivery of subpoenas is actually quite common in the U.S.