Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

Just after 11 a.m., people began to move toward the entrance of the shelter at 545 Skid Row.

By 11:30, when the meals were officially served, the line had stretched all the way to the corner, with at least a hundred people in it.

Those who took the lead early on were neither white nor black, but several elderly Asian women wearing masks.

They looked to be quite old. After successfully receiving the first few relief meals, they stuffed the plastic lunchboxes into their shopping baskets and strode briskly toward the next resource point.

MaJack and Jimmy were coming from the opposite direction when they witnessed this bizarre scene.

The latter was like a child who failed an exam and only knew how to complain: "Jack, what did I tell you? The early bird catches the worm. When it comes to action, the old ladies in Chinatown can beat you to a pulp."

Chinatown? Ma Jie was shocked. This was embarrassing on an international scale?

Sure enough, Jimmy immediately followed up with a question: "I really don't understand why these people, with families and children, would still compete with homeless people for food?"

"Culture." Ma Jie reacted quickly: "In China, there is a folk custom where merchants give out free eggs on the street in order to pray for the blessing of the God of Wealth. The elderly believe that receiving eggs will bring good luck to their families, and it has nothing to do with whether they are hungry or not."

"Well, the world is full of wonders." Jimmy didn't quite understand, but he was deeply impressed.

Seeing the growing number of people in the group, Ma Jieke said helplessly, "Buddy, it looks like we'll have to outsmart them. Did you ever take any acting courses when you were in school?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come closer."

After agreeing on their strategy, the two exchanged a wicked glance, and Jimmy immediately began imitating a drug addict on the slums.

With its head drooping and its back bent, it walked towards the relief food truck, stopping every three steps. From a distance, it looked no different from a zombie.

Just as it was about to reach the staff, it fell to the ground with a thud, making strange, gurgling noises from its throat.

His acting was so bad that any waiter in a Hollywood restaurant could easily beat him.

Even so, an older white man with a name tag around his neck, presumably the person in charge, quickly came over, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

After all, such large-scale resource points are sponsored by financial backers and use the relief of homeless people to offset taxes.

To put it bluntly, how much can you afford to eat? In the United States, there's nothing cheaper than food.

A mere glimpse of capital from under one's fingernails is enough to feed all the homeless in California.

"Hey kid, you can't lie here."

He patted Jimmy's face, but the latter remembered what Ma Jack had told him beforehand: never open his eyes.

"Sir, let me handle this." Just as the old white man was hesitating about whether to call an ambulance, Ma Jie squeezed over, pretended to check his breathing, and then opened his eyelids with his hand, saying with a sigh of relief, "It's just low blood sugar, nothing serious. Just eat some carbohydrates and calories, and you'll feel better right away."

"Do you know him?"

"Of course, this is a poor street, everyone is a brother."

Ma Jieke displayed a fearless spirit of "I am for everyone, and everyone is for me".

"Alright." The white man didn't even think about it, only wanting to shirk responsibility: "If you can help me carry him away, that would be a huge help. Of course, I won't let you do it for free."

As he spoke, he took out his crocodile skin wallet from his suit pocket, generously pulled out $10, and stuffed it into Jack Ma's hand.

Ma Jie accepted the reward, but instead of reacting as he expected, he stared longingly at the food truck.

"Sir, $10 isn't enough to fill the stomachs of two young men."

"Hey, look at my memory."

The white man understood immediately, returned to the food truck, grabbed the relief meals and stuffed them into plastic bags, filling five or six bags in a row.

Seeing this, Ma Jie grabbed it and shouted, "Thank you, sir!"

"I love you! Yay! Yay! Yay! Good!"

After saying that, he hoisted Jimmy onto his shoulder, grabbed the loot that had triggered the critical hit, and quickly fled the jungle.

Under the protection of the Governor of California, the Governor of Los Angeles and the Poor Street Inspector General, Ma Jie felt no psychological pressure after his initial victory.

Turning a corner, Jimmy jumped down excitedly, grinning from ear to ear: "Hahaha, you're amazing, Jack! I was so nervous just now."

"Just a little trick." With a casual flick of his hair, the two found a relatively clean patch of grass, sat down, and started spinning.

Just as Jimmy had predicted, the main dish was a tender beef wrap wrapped in hamburger paper.

After opening it and taking a bite, the crust was already a bit soggy, but the filling inside was alright, sweet and spicy, and you could tell it was beef, not soy protein.

It's probably leftovers from supermarkets and restaurants; it's definitely above average quality for a relief meal.

In the past few days, Ma Jieke has eaten croissants that are hard enough to crack walnuts, salty cheese that can make your stomach acid come out with just one bite, and canned sardines that were once part of the Normandy landings of the US military.

Hunting in the wilderness in America is not as idyllic as depicted in online videos. Homeless people often have to venture deep into several wilderness areas to find something edible, and waiting in line for an hour is considered a short time.

After finishing the beef wrap, the other vegetable salad was a bit lacking.

The broccoli looked wilted, the cabbage had unmelted ice crystals clinging to it, and the salad dressing smelled rather sour.

It doesn't have the fruity acidity of normal fermentation; instead, it tastes distinctly like spoiled fruit.

This would be an absolute lifesaver for people with constipation, but Ma Jieke has been having good digestion lately, so he's not going to make things harder for himself.

The last contestant was boxed fresh milk from Sam's Club.

Wow, it's smooth on the palate and goes down easily. I'm not playing word games with you; it really is "fresh" milk.

I glanced at the production date, and it was just yesterday!

Was this a business accident, or a divine intervention?

Never mind, let's drink to our hearts' content first. I finished a whole 1L carton of milk and took out a second Tender Beef Wrap.

Go ahead and consume as many carbs as you want; after this meal, who knows where your next meal will come from?

Jimmy's appetite was a bit small, after all, he was quite big. He only ate one egg and half a carton of milk before he couldn't eat anymore.

Ma Jie showed no mercy, devouring three of them in one go before patting his belly with satisfaction.

I opened another carton of milk and sipped it slowly; after a full meal, you always need to have a little something to eat.

As for the rest, he casually gave it to an old black man who was limping and begging on the ground.

Don't refrain from doing good deeds just because they are small; it's always better than letting them rot in a bag.

"Jack, what are your plans next?"

After eating and drinking his fill, Jimmy wiped his mouth with a tissue and asked...

Ma Jieke sat on the lawn, watching the bustling street: "I'll just have to figure out how to make money. What other plans do I have?"

After saying that, he took out his constantly vibrating phone, which displayed a message that the main quest had been completed and asked him to select a skill as soon as possible.