American homeless people, surviving in the city

Seeing the other party's reaction, Lin Qi understood that the [Bluster] skill had taken effect.

He immediately realized that this was a good opportunity for him to turn the tables.

Although he had no experience as a homeless person, Lynch had worked as a corporate slave and knew how to interact with new colleagues at work.

First, you can't appear too docile, otherwise your colleagues will find all sorts of excuses to dump work on you.

Secondly, you can't be too tough or domineering. Unless you really have connections, you'll be ostracized in the company, and you'll easily lose your job because of it.

The best way to get along with new colleagues is to first demonstrate your abilities and assertive attitude, then switch to a gentler approach. Use the difference in how they feel about being treated differently to create a psychological gap, thereby gaining their genuine recognition and respect.

This simple social psychology principle still applies in the current situation.

Lin Qi naturally had no background, not even the memories of this body, and had nothing but this tent and a set of clothes.

Therefore, seeing the obviously nervous young man with curly hair, he immediately strode forward and warmly shook the man's awkward hand that wasn't holding a wrench:

"Hey, handsome, I'm Lynch, the new guy who moved here. Want to get to know each other?"

The curly-haired young man didn't react at all until Lin Qi repeated it again when he saw that the other man didn't respond. Only then did he seem to suddenly wake up and come to his senses.

"Oh, hello, my name is Raul, Raul Garcia..."

Then, as if remembering something, his eyes slowly widened, and an expression of excitement gradually appeared on his face:

"Oh, Lynch! What a cool name. Are you German? But you don't look German... Oh, I know, you're not Lynch, you're Linqi. I can tell you have that mysterious martial arts master vibe..."

Lin Qi hadn't expected this aggressive young man to be such a chatterbox, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, the curly-haired young man, Raul, didn't intend to let him speak, and continued talking on his own:

"I can tell you're a newbie homeless guy, right? But you must have been someone special before. What kind of gang did you work for before? Were you an assassin? I get the feeling you're an assassin, or maybe you were a bodyguard for celebrities and politicians? Oh, I get it, I get it, people in your line of work have to keep it a secret, right? It's okay, I'm sure with your skills, you could definitely make a name for yourself on the streets..."

Lin Qi didn't know what he was imagining, but he naturally didn't intend to deny it. He knew that Raul had at least initially accepted him due to the combined effects of the skill and his own little tricks, which was why he was talking so casually.

Taking advantage of Raul's pause to catch his breath, he interrupted, somewhat amused and exasperated:

"Alright, Raul, how long have you been living in this park?"

Even though Lin Qi interrupted him midway, Raul showed no displeasure. He enthusiastically changed the subject while casually putting the large wrench back into his pocket, a small gesture that reassured Lin Qi considerably.

Raul: "I've been here for almost a year now. You picked a good place; it's relatively safe. You know, I'm Mexican. I couldn't make it back home, so I risked coming here to try my luck. I have relatives here who own a car repair shop, but I didn't expect that guy to be such a miser; the salary he pays me isn't even enough for my apartment. Fortunately, I've been here for almost a year without any major incidents..."

It turned out to be a Mexican.

Lynch nodded, not surprised by Raul's predicament.

This curly-haired man claimed to be Mexican, but frankly, he was an illegal immigrant. Illegal immigrants in the United States cannot do any normal work; they can only do the dirtiest and most tiring jobs, and they get the least money. They are lucky if they are not deported back to their home country.

Adding to the problem was having a boss who exploited his employees, making it incredibly difficult for him to survive in America. It was no surprise that he ended up homeless.

Lin Qi: "Your relative is so stingy, and you still work for him?"

Raul looked helpless: "Boss, I can tell you're not an illegal immigrant; you've never done the kind of hard labor we do. The jobs we can find basically only pay this little, and even so, people keep coming to apply."

"There was no other way. Life was just too difficult back home. Everyone wanted to survive, so they had to come here. Back in the day..."

Seeing that Raul was starting to reminisce about the past again, Lynch had no choice but to change the subject:

"An elderly person recommended this place to camp. Is it safer here than on Third Avenue?"

"That's much safer, of course. The Third Avenue area is mainly filled with black markets in the alleys, which are suitable for trading all kinds of contraband. There are also bus stops, food distribution centers, and drinking water taps nearby, making it very convenient to do anything."

"But precisely because of this, a large number of homeless people gather there, leading to frequent violent incidents. Not to mention those drug-addicted dogs, you know the Razor Gang, right? Their extortion alone is enough to give you a hard time."

"The Razor Claws?" Lynch caught a word that interested him.

"Oh my god, you've been around here and you don't even know the Razor Gang? I bet you're a real newbie. Even if you're really good, you still need to be careful not to mess with these local thugs..."

Raul's eyes widened dramatically, then he lowered his voice, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and quickly began to explain in a low voice:

"You know what gangs are, right? It's hard for us homeless people to escape their control. They usually use a few adjacent blocks as their base and collect protection money—whether you're begging, rummaging through trash cans, stealing, or even just finding something good, if they find out, they'll take 50% of what you collect."

"Fifty percent?!" Lin Qi exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah..." Raul sighed, "It's outrageous, isn't it? But that's the street. Even if you're right next to a police patrol car, they'll still ask you for money. The police in this area must have all been bribed; they don't care about the lives of people like us..."

"So, people like us who are able-bodied and can support ourselves have all moved out and set up small camps in various remote places. Those who remain there are usually people who are deeply addicted to the enhancers and can't live without the nearby black market, and the elderly who are too weak to go far."

"It's pretty good here, isn't it? It's a bit cold, there's flooding when it rains, and the noise of cars at night keeps me awake, but at least it's safe. Even the police rarely come here... As long as you don't attract too much attention, it's still safe."

"As long as it's safe..." Faced with this situation, Lynch had nothing to say. At least, through Raul's explanation, he had gained some basic understanding of the street life in the area.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of in the vicinity?"

"You've come to the right person..."

Seeing Lynch continue to press for answers, Raul was about to say something enthusiastically when suddenly his gaze passed over Lynch's shoulder and fell upon something behind him, causing his expression to change drastically:

"Holy crap, how did it just happen like that..."

As he spoke, he hurriedly bent down, trying to hide himself behind the bushes.

Meanwhile, Lynch's reaction was far less professional.

Seeing that Raul's reaction was not right, his first reaction was to turn around and check the situation. As he turned around, his eyes met those of a group of burly men with gloomy expressions.