Chapter 622: Hidden in the City

If Walter knew what he said, he would definitely curse: Hiding? Who hid?

The small hermit hides in the wild, the great hermit hides in the city, Xiao Peng is in Paris, what can I do if you can't find me?

Paris has an interesting point: it has undergone virtually no urban renewal projects, leaving many areas largely unchanged from centuries ago. However, as a global metropolis, this "old city" is completely unsuitable for modern urban development. It also needs its own central business district (CBD).

So the French planned a commercial district outside the city of Paris, which was full of flashy skyscrapers, similar to the scenery seen in first-tier cities in China.

This commercial district, called La Défense, is located outside of Paris in the Hauts-de-Seine department, yet it's governed by the city. It's situated on the central axis of Paris, running from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Walking west along this axis, you'll find La Défense, with its striking contrast between the ancient city on one side and the skyscrapers on the other.

And Xiao Peng lives here now.

The reason he chose to live here was extremely simple: there were fewer rats and pigeons here.

That’s right, pigeons!

In the eyes of many people, pigeons are "angels". To be more precise, they have done the work of "angels": in the Bible, when the flood ended, it was the dove that brought back an olive branch to tell Noah that the flood had receded. Since then, pigeons have become a symbol of peace. In addition, well-trained pigeons can help people deliver messages, so pigeons definitely have a good reputation.

People who travel to Europe will find that there are many pigeons in big cities here and they are not afraid of people. They will sigh that the ecological environment in foreign countries is good and foreigners love animals, and then once again criticize China's shortcomings. There are even celebrities who fly to Europe every once in a while just to feed the pigeons.

But Europeans really don't like pigeons. They don't just dislike them; they hate them to the extreme. Take Dove Chocolate, for example. Why is it called "Dove" and not "Dove"? And why doesn't it use a pigeon in its logo or slogan? (The English word for pigeon is "DOVE"). A big reason is the fear of offending consumers.

In the eyes of the vast majority of Parisians (and that "vast majority" is over 90%), pigeons have another name: "flying rats." They even consider pigeons worse than rats, since at least rats don't urinate or defecate on people's heads. Anyone unaware of the destructive power of Parisian pigeon droppings should park their car under power lines for two hours to experience it, or interview a Parisian sanitation worker about their experience.

Someone joked, "If you haven't seen people evading fares on the subway, seen rats, been hit by pigeon poop, or seen scammers, then you haven't really been to Paris."

Of course, the Chinese who have traveled to Paris will not introduce these things after returning home. They will only introduce the "peaceful and peaceful" side of this place.

Why do pigeons cause such a serious problem here? Pigeons are quite fertile, and in cities they can easily find food and have no natural enemies. Killing pigeons is illegal, so the pigeon population only increases.

Many Parisian parks have prominent signs that say something like, "Please do not feed pigeons. They damage flower beds, spread disease, and leave food scraps for rats." But this is Paris, after all. A place that wouldn't even kill rats wouldn't allow such signs to remain, so they were later removed.

However, they haven't been indifferent to the problem of pigeons. The most common practice is to give them "contraceptive pills," a common practice in places like the UK and the US. France also did this before animal protection groups thwarted it. Consequently, rats and pigeons have become a major problem in Paris's historic district.

But it’s a different story in CBD.

After all, there are many foreign companies here, and "taking into account the feelings and culture of foreigners, not everyone can accept the romance of flying pigeons", so bird scarers are installed on many high-rise buildings in La Defense.

This thing was also installed in the city of Paris, but like those warning signs, it was also removed...

Bird repellent devices are not rare. Almost all airports around the world have them installed, but they are of different types. Some use bird repellent radars, some use bird repellents, sonic cannons, laser bird repellents, and so on.

However, even with the development of science today, there is still no way to repel birds in all airspaces at all times. We can only say that the probability of birds flying in is reduced.

That's pretty good! At least in La Défense, the chance of being hit by pigeon poop while walking is probably only one thousandth of the chance of being hit by pigeon poop in Paris.

Of course, the Paris government's move has also been met with considerable controversy: How can "foreigners" still engage in double standards in Paris? If they're in Paris, they should be treated the same as us.

At this point, the Paris government will resort to its "invincible strategy": You have a problem? Go to the Hauts-de-Seine! We have no say in that!

As for the pigeons...

Xiao Peng used to love pigeons and even raised them as a child. After arriving in France, he was initially excited to see them, but the endless hours of cleaning pigeon droppings from sailboats eventually led to his complete dislike for them. The pigeon infestation in Marseilles wasn't as severe as here, where there were more seagulls. Even those pigeons drove Xiao Peng crazy, and what about Paris, where pigeons roamed the streets?

That's why Xiao Peng chose to live in La Défense.

As for Zhao Wenchuan and the others saying that Xiao Peng was "hiding", this made him feel even more aggrieved.

He just had a buzz cut and wore black-framed glasses, but no one recognized him here. At first, he even suspected that his glasses belonged to a "superman" who could fly into the sky and into the earth. After putting them on, no one recognized him!

The great director Spielberg even complained about this in his movie "Ready Player One". There is a prop called "Clark Kent glasses" in the movie. After wearing them, you can hide your identity without changing your appearance.

In fact, they couldn't recognize Xiao Peng because of the "cross-racial effect". Although Xiao Peng was famous, everyone knew him after seeing him a few times through the media. How many Chinese people can remember a black person's face after just a few glances - unless he is extremely ugly?

What's more, Xiao Peng has shaved his head and wears glasses now? They can't tell him apart even more!

It’s such a great feeling to be left alone!

Xiao Peng, wearing a hoodie and jeans, rode his bicycle to the underground parking lot of the "First Tourist Building in France". Just as the elevator door was about to close, he took two quick steps to reopen the elevator door and entered the elevator.