American homeless people, surviving in the city

After telling Lynch how homeless people can survive in Seattle, old James went on to talk about how to make money.

However, in his view, making money is actually easier than surviving.

"On the street, it's easy to make a little money, but hard to make a lot of money. However, if you don't take performance-enhancing drugs, don't need to support a family, don't need to pay off loans, and are confident that you can resist all diseases with a strong body, it's not too difficult to live on this little bit of money."

Old James shrugged: "You can make a little money by rummaging through the trash cans, or by wearing clean clothes and walking up to people as they pass by and saying 'God bless you.'"

"Then you can use this money to do whatever you want—oh, and don't forget to save a portion of it and give it to the gang regularly so they won't bother you, and sometimes it can even protect you from those with more ill intentions."

"Are those 'protection fees' collected by the gangs really effective?" Lin Qi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Sometimes they work, but don't expect too much from them." Old James's voice was very calm. "It doesn't mean those gangsters are good people. They just don't want their long-term hostages to be exploited in the short term."

"In short, that's all I can say about making money."

"As long as you can survive on the streets, slowly accumulate funds and build connections, you will eventually get closer to your goal."

After saying that, old James said no more, but simply took out a crumpled cigarette case from his pocket, picked out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Seeing that old James seemed to have nothing more to say, Lynch pressed on relentlessly:

"Isn't there a quick way to make money?"

Old James glanced at him dismissively and let out a hoarse chuckle:

"Little guy, think before you ask questions."

"If you've finished collecting trash and don't know how to sort it, or where to sell it for a better price, it's reasonable for you to ask me."

"What's the point of asking me if I know how to make big money? If I knew such a method, would I have been homeless on the streets for twenty years?"

Seeing that the old man seemed to have indeed not used the incineration technique, Lin Qi shrank back somewhat disappointed.

However, this was within his expectations.

LeBron James's words truly clarified his current situation and foreseeable future.

Seeing that old James was no longer willing to say anything, Lynch stood up and dusted himself off:

"I see."

Old James squinted and nodded:

"Good that you understand, young man. As long as you don't fall into depravity like most people on the streets, I believe that with your abilities, you'll eventually reintegrate into society!"

Lynch nodded, said goodbye to old James, and prepared to carry out his plan.

Through his conversation with LeBron James, he understood what he needed to do next.

That means, while ensuring your own safety, develop as much as possible and accumulate funds and connections!

For the average homeless person, this seemingly simple step is actually incredibly difficult.

In America, it's difficult to earn much money whether you're begging or scavenging.

Compared to states like Oregon and California, the income from begging and scavenging is even lower in Seattle.

There are many reasons.

First, Seattle's rainy climate means there are fewer pedestrians on the streets than in many other cities; in addition, Seattle doesn't have any tourist attractions with huge crowds like Times Square in New York or Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Even Seattle's top tourist attraction, the Space Needle, only sees the same level of foot traffic as many second-tier attractions in other cities.

Therefore, the homeless have no chance to obtain large donations from the large crowds at the scenic spot.

In addition, Washington state, where Seattle is located, has been slow to pass the "bottle deposit system" proposal.

This system requires consumers to pay an additional deposit for plastic bottled or canned beverages when purchasing them. Consumers can retrieve this deposit by returning the bottle to a designated recycling location after finishing the beverage.

However, in many states that have bottle deposit systems, people are often unwilling to go to specific locations to recycle beverage bottles and simply throw them away, which allows homeless scavengers to make money from the deposits.

However, Washington state did not implement this system, which led to a significant reduction in the revenue from scavenging in Seattle.

A typical homeless person might struggle all day and, if lucky, earn at most a few dozen dollars, not including the portion that is taken by the gangs that nominally "control" the streets.

The remaining money is barely enough to cover daily living expenses.

This is the daily life of most homeless people in Seattle—as long as they don't touch supplements and are careful in their actions, they are unlikely to starve to death, but it is also difficult to get enough to eat; they can only struggle around the poverty line every day, barely surviving each day, but seeing no hope.

But for Lin Qi, as long as he has the system, nothing is a problem.

As long as you complete the system tasks, option b of the task rewards will provide you with a continuous stream of funds and items.

The only problem is that Lynch hasn't quite figured out the pattern of how the system issues tasks yet.

For example, even though he has already received a relief meal, the "Get Food" task issued by the system last night has still not been completed.

Judging that even if the can of generic soda had a high sugar content, the calories it contained might still not be enough to meet the body's daily needs, Lin Qi turned around and walked into a small convenience store.

The convenience store owner was Asian and spoke English with a Fujian accent. When he saw that a homeless person had entered the store, the owner became nervous and hid behind the counter through a small window with iron bars, fearing that he might be seriously injured.

Lynch had no intention of robbing anyone; he simply spent a few dollars to buy a bag of Mountain House vanilla sandwich cookies.

This is a standard American sandwich cookie, known for its lethal amount of sugar and extremely long shelf life. Lynch had seen this brand's name in various wilderness survival posts before his expedition. In terms of calories alone, this cookie is a perfectly viable alternative to compressed biscuits.

This is why it became Lynch's target for purchase.

Just as Lin Qi walked out of the convenience store with the bag of cookies, a system notification popped up:

[Congratulations, player! You have successfully completed the mission: Obtain Food!]

[Mission complete. Please choose one of the following rewards to claim!]

[Optional:]

[A. Willpower cap +0.5 (If you persevere, there's always a way!)]

B. A pair of snow boots. (To protect your feet from extreme cold)

[C. Novice Gold Miner: Active skill, usable once a day. Detects the highest-value unclaimed items within a 15m radius of you, along with their detailed information. (Who would venture into the wilderness without a substantial reward?)]

When Lynch saw the first two mission reward options, he felt no emotion.

Willpower is the attribute he needs least; his willpower is already stronger than that of ordinary people, so there is absolutely no need to further strengthen it.

A pair of snow boots, while practical, didn't help Lynch much.

The third reward skill, however, caught Lin Qi's eye.

As an active skill that can be used every day, it is bound to generate value continuously.

Judging from the description of this skill, it perfectly meets Lynch's need to "accumulate wealth as quickly as possible while ensuring safety"!

Lin Qi didn't think for a second and made his choice without hesitation!