American homeless people, surviving in the city

The illegal clinic Raul mentioned was located at the end of this alley filled with the smell of cooking oil.

There wasn't even a sign at the clinic entrance, just a greasy iron gate with a crooked red cross spray-painted on it.

The two rushed over, Raul anxiously knocking on the door.

A few seconds later, accompanied by the tooth-grinding creak of the door hinges turning, the iron gate slowly opened, and a bitter medicinal smell mixed with a strong disinfectant smell wafted out, mingling with the smell of barbecue in the alley to create a unique and pungent odor.

The person who opened the door was clearly a doctor; he was fully dressed in a white coat, medical mask, and surgical cap, and looked quite professional.

But his eyes, the only exposed part of his face, were bloodshot, adding to his strange appearance.

"Who are you looking for?" the doctor asked hoarsely.

"We're friends with that guy in the yellow plaid shirt," Raul replied hastily.

The doctor hesitated for a moment, then muttered with some dissatisfaction, "I didn't expect that guy to have so many friends... Come in, the clinic is cramped, don't break my equipment."

With the doctor's permission, the two quickly squeezed inside, and Lin Qi finally saw the entire interior of the place.

The interior and exterior of this illegal clinic are exactly the same, with extremely rudimentary decor.

A dim, yellowish incandescent light bulb hung from the low ceiling, swaying slightly and casting flickering shadows at the feet of everyone in the room. Large patches of paint had peeled off the walls, revealing dried traces of what appeared to be medicine and blood on the exposed cement surface.

Several haphazardly arranged hospital beds were filled with all sorts of patients.

There was a middle-aged man with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his arm, an elderly white woman who kept coughing, and a man in a yellow plaid shirt who was still unconscious—clearly, this was Ton, whom Lynch had not yet met.

Gleeson and Erwin stood guard by the bedside, their faces paler than the filthy sheets.

"We're here!" Raul greeted as he led Lynch through the crowd.

Hearing the two make noise, Gleason simply raised his head, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his lips twitching, but he couldn't muster any expression.

Soon, Lin Qi stood by the hospital bed.

Just by glancing at Tang En, Lynch, a former forensic doctor who actually knew nothing about treating illnesses, could tell that Raul's statement that "Tang En is going to die" was by no means an exaggeration.

Tang En looks to be around the same age as Gleeson and Irwin, around 25 or 6 years old.

But at this moment, he looked nothing like a young man. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes were sunken, his lips were an unnatural bluish-purple, and even his hair was like withered grass, hanging down messily and tangled together.

Even more terrifying, pink foam kept oozing from the corners of Tang En's mouth, leaving a wet stain on the pillow.

As a veteran forensic pathologist, Lynch knew that these were symptoms caused by pulmonary edema or alveolar hemorrhage.

He saw this symptom more often in dead people than in living people.

Seeing the two approach, Gleason spoke softly, his voice hoarse:

"...You've arrived."

"What did the doctor say?" Raul asked anxiously.

"We'll need a lot of medication..." Gleeson murmured, not as if explaining to Raul and Lynch, but more like talking to himself, "Antibiotics, hormones... we've already given them a shot of adrenaline..."

"In short, the doctor said that, in the worst-case scenario, the full treatment could cost $1000."

One thousand dollars.

This number brought a profound silence to the air around the hospital bed.

Raul couldn't help but gasp, lowering his voice, "So... how much do you have?"

Gleeson gave a wry smile: "Less than $200."

Erwin chimed in, his lips pressed tightly together, his voice bitter: "We...we're still trying to figure something out."

"I just called and asked about our old Santana. If we sell it right now, we can get about $500."

"If I sell my laptop, maybe I can raise enough money..."

"If you sell the computer, how will you find jobs in the future?" Raul couldn't help but ask. "I remember you said that you needed to use that laptop to complete the tests given to you by HR before each interview, right?"

Gleeson and Erwin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with despair.

But the two gritted their teeth and said, "No matter what, saving lives is the priority... I still have my phone to reply to emails, and if there's a mission, I can always go to an internet cafe."

Lin Qi stood aside, quietly watching all of this.

The atmosphere in the ward was so despairing, but the camaraderie among the three programmers made him feel somewhat moved.

"If you sell the car, where will you sleep?" Lin Qi suddenly asked.

"Yes, where will you sleep?"

Raul was also worried about their decision. The three of them looked like pampered city people, and without a car, Raul doubted how long they could survive in Seattle!

Gleason paused for a moment, seemingly not having figured out the question yet.

"We..." He hesitated for a moment, "...without the car, we definitely can't continue living in the green belt. We don't have a tent, nor warm clothes or sleeping bags..."

"I've talked to other homeless people before... I might find a place to live in the sewers. I've heard that quite a few people live there."

"Although it's damp and a bit dirty, at least it can keep out the wind and rain."

"Moreover, there aren't often police chasing people away, and there aren't gangs exploiting people there," Erwin added, his tone as calm as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.

Lynch fell silent.

Looking at these three people, he seemed to see himself who had just transmigrated.

Cold, hunger, fear, and the despair of not being able to see the future.

At least Lin Qi had a system back then, which, although not quite suited to urban life, allowed him to survive in this steel jungle.

These three programmers, despite their exceptional skills and simple desire to survive in this city, are being forced to live in the sewers. Even as they support each other through their desperate situation, with no one giving up on them, they still cannot obtain the future they deserve.

A certain emotion is slowly sprouting and growing in my heart.

Lynch subconsciously touched his pocket, where a full $1500 lay quietly.

Just a dozen minutes ago, Lynch was having a headache about how to keep the money, but now, if he uses it to pay for Ton's medical bills, it could become a lifesaver.

It could even be the life-saving money for three people.

But that's a full $1000 after all.

To prepare for the upcoming boxing match, Lynch needs to buy equipment for himself and also needs to eat and rest well to maintain his physical condition... all of which will cost money.

Is it worth spending this huge sum of money, risking not having enough money in the future, just to save someone you barely know...?

Lynch hesitated.

Just then, a system notification suddenly sounded in Lin Qi's mind:

An emergency has been detected! A critically injured animal is near the survivors!

In the wilderness, rescuing a dying creature may consume precious resources, but it could also gain a valuable ally. And in the dangerous natural world, every valuable ally can later provide invaluable assistance to the survivors! Survivors are urged to choose carefully!

[A new task has been released: Make a choice!]

Survivors can complete the mission by recruiting allies or choosing to conserve resources. Recruiting allies will provide rewards; conserving resources will automatically end the mission.