American homeless people, surviving in the city

The next morning, Lin Qi was woken up by a message notification on his phone.

Last night's party was quite enjoyable. Lynch had a wonderful time enjoying such a lively meal, which he hadn't had in a long time, and he was also given quite a bit of alcohol.

Before his time travel, Lin Qi wasn't a big drinker and wasn't used to the taste of either baijiu or red wine. He would only drink beer when he had meals with his brothers and skewers.

But given the atmosphere last night, he couldn't resist Charlotte's enthusiasm and drank a few glasses of whiskey.

The amber-colored liquor has notes of oak and caramel. Although it's not as spicy as baijiu, you can still feel a warm sensation as you swallow it.

Although he was still not quite used to it, he felt... it wasn't so bad.

Fortunately, his body was relatively tolerant of alcohol and his physical condition was also quite good. Therefore, although he had drunk quite a lot, Lin Qi did not experience a hangover headache after waking up. He was just slightly groggy from sleeping.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he slowly sat up in the tent and turned on his phone screen:

9:16 am.

The message pop-ups on the phone were from two different people.

One of the senders was Chen Yumo:

[Good morning, Brother Lin~ Have you had breakfast yet?]

If possible, subtly suggest eating breakfast, otherwise it's bad for your health.

A new experiment is starting these next couple of days, so I won't have much free time! I'll come visit you when I have some free time~

By the way, my brother asked me to pass on a message to you.

In the past two days, gang activity and violent clashes have become increasingly rampant in the southern part of downtown. The majority of the police force has been deployed there to maintain order, therefore police presence near Third Avenue will be reduced in the near future.

Therefore, if you encounter trouble nearby, the local police may not be able to arrive immediately. Escape as quickly as possible and seek help at my brother's police station!

[P.S.: When you have time, would you like to register for a WhatsApp or Instagram account? I can't send emojis when we're communicating via text message, which is really inconvenient~]

Having connections at the police station is really helpful; they delivered such important information so early in the morning.

While silently thanking the Chen siblings, Lin Qi replied with an "ok".

The other sender was Officer Kyle, and compared to Chen Yumo's conversational message filled with interjections, this message was much cleaner and more concise:

There are no tasks scheduled for today; you are free to arrange your schedule as you wish.

If there's an emergency, I'll contact you by phone.

Okay, looks like today won't be too busy...

Now that he knew there were no crime scene cleanup jobs available for the day, Lynch began planning his day.

There are currently three tasks pending:

First, there are the system's daily tasks, which I haven't claimed yet, so I don't know what the task objectives are.

Secondly, I would like to sell the platinum ring I found at the suicide scene as soon as possible and turn it into money so that I can feel more at ease.

Third, as Kayla requested, get a driver's license as soon as possible.

Only with a driver's license could he receive the car Kayla had promised him, and only then would he be qualified to take on cleanup jobs at crime scenes in the Seattle suburbs and even further afield.

The order in which tasks are completed is irrelevant; as long as there are no work assignments, Lin Qi has a lot of free time every day.

Lin Qi, still somewhat groggy, rubbed his temples as he crawled out of the tent.

Outside, the drizzling cold rain had stopped.

The air was still damp, and a thin layer of frost covered the soil. As he crawled out of the tent, a chill even more biting than the night before instantly enveloped Lin Qi, making him shiver.

"This weather... is getting colder every day..."

It's already late November, and in a few days, Halloween, one of the most important holidays in Europe and America, will arrive.

Walking the streets these past few days, Lin Qi has seen many businesses gradually setting up Halloween decorations. Soon, even residents' homes will be decorated.

The arrival of Halloween also means that the most difficult time of the year is about to begin for Seattle's homeless.

Almost at the same time Lynch emerged from his tent, a commotion also came from Raul's tent.

The tent zipper was pulled open from the inside, but it wasn't Raul who emerged, but old James.

"Where's Raul?" Lynch asked curiously.

"His boss went back to work today, and he went to work early." Old James smiled. "Last night, he saw that I had nowhere to go in the rain, so he offered to let me stay with him in this tent... Hehe, what a good kid."

Lynch also strongly agreed with this.

Holding the $450 he'd earned yesterday, Lynch became much more generous, buying two omelets and coffee at the corner convenience store for breakfast. He gave one to Old James, asking as he did so:

"I've got my hands on something good, a piece of jewelry. Do you know a good place to exchange this for money?"

"Ahem, well, you've come to the right person." Old James coughed, a grin spreading across his face.

"You're smart to think of asking me. I've seen plenty of illegal immigrants who steal or rob something and then excitedly go to legitimate pawnshops and jewelry stores to sell it."

"When the time comes, if he can't produce proof of the origin of the goods or a driver's license or passport to prove his identity, the shopkeeper will immediately recognize him as an illegal immigrant thief and call the police to arrest him."

"However, since you asked me, I do know a good place."

Old James narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly:

"I know of a shady establishment in the residential area where the Sotori Hotel is located, at the other end of this greenbelt camp, in a neighborhood full of detached apartment buildings."

"Although the buyback price there is not high, only 30% of the market price, and the boss Wilbur Finch is a liar old conman, at least he will accept your things, will not call the police, and will not beat you up like gang members in the black market without paying you."

"If you want to go, just say my name when you get there. I'm an old acquaintance of that Wilbur, so I might have some influence with him."

"...Thanks!"

Lin Qi had only asked casually, but he didn't expect that old James actually knew the secret, so he quickly thanked him.

Old James waved his hand dismissively, but his satisfaction was evident in his tone: "It's nothing. I ate your breakfast, so it's only right that I help you out."

Having received guidance from old James, Lynch tucked the platinum ring into his pocket and set off for his destination.

The greenbelt campsite is located between the Sottoli Hotel and Third Avenue, not far from either.

Before long, Lin Qi arrived at the foot of the Sotori Hotel building, where a maze of deep alleys stretched as far as the eye could see.

Fortunately, with a smartphone and navigation software, Lin Qi didn't end up like a group of brave adventurers exploring an underground city, wandering aimlessly through the alleys like headless flies.

Soon, he found a small shop with a storefront smaller than a public toilet, covered in filth.

Next to the small shop was a peeling, faded sign with a few words crookedly printed on it:

[Old Man Wilbur's Pawnshop]

So... this is the shady shop James was talking about?

Sure enough, even the shop's exterior matched my stereotype of a shady shop...

Lin Qi couldn't help but have some doubts, but in order to sell the platinum and diamond ring as soon as possible,

He gritted his teeth and pushed open the rusty iron door of the pawnshop.