American homeless people, surviving in the city

Faced with Lin Qi's somewhat abrupt and even suspicious request upon reflection, the white woman didn't even ask Lin Qi what he needed the shovel for, and handed it over without hesitation.

Lin Qi had never expected the old lady to be so agreeable, so much so that while he felt grateful, he was also somewhat astonished.

He quickly took the shovel with both hands and thanked him repeatedly.

The white woman simply adjusted her reading glasses and revealed a kind smile:

"No need to thank me, child. I know you all have it tough; many of you are forced into homelessness. So, I'm happy to help in any way I can. May God bless you!"

Hearing the old woman's words, Lin Qi was filled with emotion.

Unexpectedly, the priest in the church, who was clearly the person in charge of the religion, was indifferent to his request; the white woman who ran the small shop, who was clearly not involved, helped him without hesitation out of simple kindness.

He thanked him again softly, then took the shovel and left the small shop.

After walking three more blocks, Lynch returned to the greenbelt camp.

The sun was just beginning to set in the west from its zenith, and the camp was very quiet at this time.

It's a great place to bury corpses.

The homeless man who died of illness still lies in the grass, and if you don't get close, you can't even smell him.

Lynch walked around the greenery for a while, finally choosing an auspicious spot for the unfortunate old man. It was a small patch of bare land in the middle of another thicket of bushes, a spot that almost no one would pass through to reach.

Burying him here should allow him to rest in peace, preventing him from being thrown out and eaten by wild dogs or similar animals.

Lynch picked up his shovel and began construction.

But he soon realized that with his current physical strength and energy, it was probably a pipe dream to dig a hole big enough to bury the old man completely.

The idea that a huge pit big enough to bury someone alive can be dug in no time, as depicted in many movies and TV series, is practically impossible.

Digging a pit is a very difficult task. Diggers not only have to contend with the hard, compacted soil surface, the tangled plant roots within the soil, and the large and small, irregularly shaped stones buried in the soil, but also have to constantly turn over the heavy soil and stones and move them out of the pit.

Overall, it is quite physically demanding.

For Lynch, since he was digging in the city, he also had to be careful not to break any cables or fiber optic cables that might be buried under the soil.

If we accidentally break something, who knows which department will be the next to come looking for us...

Despite Lin Qi's unwavering determination, his excavation progress remained extremely slow despite the numerous obstacles he faced.

In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed.

As the sun was about to set, and the horizon was already dyed a brilliant orange-red by the sunset, Lin Qi had only managed to dig a rectangular pit a few decimeters deep.

...Perhaps this is the only way for today.

Even though he hoped the deceased could rest in peace, Lin Qi remained clear-headed. He knew that if he overexerted himself in digging the pit, depleting his already limited energy, any unexpected events could lead to unforeseen consequences.

He must conserve his energy properly and know when to stop.

Since that's the case, this low pit can be used temporarily. Put the body in first, then cover it with some grass and leaves, and it can be considered a grave.

We can continue digging when our strength has recovered.

So Lynch threw the shovel aside and walked toward the bushes where the body was.

Although he had prepared himself mentally, when Lin Qi stood in front of the grass and stared at the corpse, he was still filled with mixed feelings.

There was some sympathy, some sadness, and some fear.

But time waits for no one. If we continue to delay, this scene might lead to misunderstandings when other unfamiliar homeless people return.

So Lin Qi prepared himself mentally, muttering to himself as he used his gauze-wrapped hands to grab the corpse's legs and drag him out of the bushes.

"Please don't blame me, please let him rest in peace..."

He didn't care whether the deceased could understand the mysterious language from the East; he just wanted peace of mind.

But the grass was thick with various plants, and Raul had thrown the body very deep. With the branches of the plants tangled around it, Lynch found it difficult to quickly pull the body out of the grass.

Just as he was using the corpse as a rope, struggling in a tug-of-war with the dense grass,

Footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

Besides Lynch, the only other person living nearby was Raul. Lynch naturally assumed it was Raul who had returned, so he didn't pay any attention and continued his work of dragging the corpse.

So he spent another few dozen seconds finally dragging the body to the edge of the bushes.

The ankles of the corpse, which were being held by both hands, were now protruding from the grass.

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief and freed one hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

But as the blood gradually left the muscles and returned to the brain, Lin Qi suddenly realized something was wrong.

Why has Raul stayed so quietly behind me for so long?

The moment he realized this, a jolt of electricity shot through Lynch's spine, sending a chill down his spine.

Oh no, it's unlikely that any ordinary people would pass by here, and there are no other homeless people camping here either.

Could they be gang members? Or police officers cleaning up the camp? Will I be mistaken for a suspect? Are they going to knee me in the neck...?

Lin Qi's mind raced, and he stiffly turned around.

The bad news is that it wasn't Raul standing behind Lynch.

The good news is that the people behind him weren't gangsters or police officers.

Lin Qi never expected that the person standing behind him would be the female international student he had rescued from the gangsters the day before!

A female international student named Chen Yumo stood quietly behind Lin Qi, her short, black hair swaying slightly in the wind.

There was no fear on her face; instead, her large, dark eyes were filled with curiosity.

On the contrary, Lin Qi remained stiffly in the position of holding the corpse's ankle with one hand and wiping sweat with the other, his face full of embarrassment.

Lin Qi swallowed nervously:

"Uh, when did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I saw you were busy, so I didn't want to bother you." Chen Yumo brushed a strand of hair from her temple and bent down curiously. "What were you doing?"

Lin Qi's mind went blank for a moment. He really didn't know what excuse he could come up with in this situation, so he had no choice but to tell the truth:

"...I'm burying a corpse."

"Oh," Chen Yumo responded obediently, her expression calm and composed.

The expected screaming and escape scene did not occur. Lin Qi touched his nose in confusion, not knowing what to say.

On the contrary, Chen Yumo skillfully took out a pair of medical gloves and a mask from her pocket. After getting dressed, she walked over to Lin Qi and squatted down.

While examining the body, he asked:

"How did he die?"

"...He had been coughing in the tent for the past two days. This morning, when we went to check on him, we found that he had become erect."

Lin Qi spoke the truth, then belatedly realized, "Aren't you afraid? Aren't you afraid of the corpse, or that I'm the murderer?"

"Don't be afraid."

As Chen Yumo answered crisply, she unhesitatingly pried open the corpse's eyelids: "I'm a medical student, and I've had a lot of contact with cadavers at school."

"As for you, there's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"

"You saved me before, I believe you."