What the hell is the "kill line" when you're in America?

By the time Jerome returned, it was completely dark.

He took off his dusty work jacket and twisted his shoulders.

"Hey buddy, how's it going today?" He greeted Li Ang with a smile.

"I hope Anna didn't cause you any trouble?"

"No, she's very well-behaved," Li Ang replied.

Anna had already fallen asleep on the small table.

Jerome went over and carefully carried his daughter to the bed, covering her with a blanket.

"Something happened at the construction site, so I got back late." Jerome sighed and sat down opposite Leon.

He pulled a wad of crumpled banknotes from his pocket, counted out a few, and handed them to Li Ang.

"Take it."

Jerome did feel somewhat guilty; in order to make a living, there were many things he had to do even if he didn't want to.

"Here's the money for today's meal. Take it."

Li Ang did not answer.

"I don't need it."

Jerome paused for a moment, then realized something.

"You...you found work?"

Li Ang nodded.

[Mission: The Devil Is One Step Ahead (Completed)]

[Judgment: Your elixir has already planted the first seed of desire on this demonic land.]

[Gain +3 freely distributable attribute points and +50 magic points]

The mission is complete.

Derek has already distributed the goods.

This was faster than he had expected.

It seems that the allure of the "Ecstasy Pill" far exceeded his imagination.

"Dude? Are you listening?" Jerome's voice pulled Leon back to reality.

"Um."

"I heard some things today," Jerome whispered in Leon's ear. "They seem to be recruiting a lot lately, like they're planning something big."

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know." Jerome shook his head.

I'll go ask around again tomorrow.

Li Ang looked at him; this man was indeed working very hard for his daughter.

He took out two thousand dollars from the money he had received from Buck during the day and pushed it in front of Jerome.

"Take it."

"Dude, this...this is too much!" Jerome was startled by the wad of cash.

"Anna needs money for treatment," Li Ang said emotionlessly. "You also need money to gather information."

"You deserve it."

Jerome looked at the stack of money, then at his sleeping daughter on the bed, his eyes reddening.

He didn't refuse again and carefully put the money away.

"Thank you, Li."

"By the way, what's your phone number?" Li Ang asked.

Jerome paused, somewhat shocked as he watched Li Ang take out his phone, but he handed over the most recent number to Li Ang.

"I should go." Li Ang stood up.

"It's not safe outside, or..."

"I've found a place to stay," Li Ang interrupted him.

He opened the car door, glanced back at the sleeping Anna, and left.

......

He walked along the streets of Block 12, surrounded by the familiar post-apocalyptic landscape.

He opened the system panel.

[Host: Li Ang]

[Attributes: Spirit 15, Constitution 14, Strength 14, Agility 14]

[Skill: Photographic Memory]

[Freely Allocable Attribute Points: 5]

[Magic Points: 95]

Five free attribute points, ninety-five magic points.

This is quite a gain.

Without hesitation, Li Ang distributed the five attribute points equally.

[Increased successfully. Current stats: Spirit: 16, Constitution: 15, Strength: 15, Agility: 15]

This time it was more intense than ever before.

He could feel his five senses becoming more acute, and the power within his body becoming increasingly abundant.

This feeling of becoming stronger gave him a sense of peace.

He needs to find a place to settle down, a place that truly belongs to him.

He didn't want to live under someone else's roof anymore.

Li Ang took out his phone and opened the map.

He had heard Mike mention at the gym during the day that there were some cheap apartments between the 13th and 14th blocks.

Perhaps we can try our luck.

He walked toward the location marked on the map.

The further away you are from 12th Street, the cleaner the surroundings become.

The roadside tents have disappeared, replaced by some shops and apartment buildings that look relatively normal.

Li Ang stopped in front of an apartment building with a sign that read "FOR RENT".

He went inside.

An elderly white man wearing glasses was sitting at the front desk reading a newspaper.

[Criterion for elimination: Medium (physically healthy, but with potential debt risk)]

"Rent a room?" The old man raised his eyelids and sized up Li Ang.

"How much is a single room per month?"

"1200." The old man said succinctly, "One month's deposit and three months' rent in advance. You'll need to provide proof of identity and proof of income."

This is yet another piece of proof.

Li Ang frowned.

"Cash, six months' payment upfront, is that alright?" Li Ang pulled a large wad of banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the table.

The old man's eyes lit up.

He put down the newspaper, picked up the stack of money, and began counting it skillfully.

"Young man, what kind of work do you do?" the old man asked indirectly while counting the money.

"A cleaner," Li Ang replied casually.

"A cleaner?" The old man clearly didn't believe it, but his smile deepened.

"Good job, good job."

He put the money in the drawer, took out a key from a bunch of keys, and handed it to Li Ang.

"Third floor, 307," the old man said. "Remember, no parties in the room, no pets, no..."

Li Ang took the key and, before he could finish speaking, turned and headed towards the stairs.

The saying "Money makes the world go round" applies everywhere.

The room contained only a bed, a table, and a separate bathroom.

It's fairly clean.

Li Ang closed the door and threw himself onto the bed.

Finally, I have a place of my own.

He lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep at all.

In my mind, the abandoned logistics warehouse, the Golden Rust Gang, and that key number "42" kept swirling around.

There must be something important hidden there.

He has to go and see.

But we can't force our way in.

Jerome's information was insufficient; he needed more precise intelligence.

In Li Ang's mind, Derek had been in contact with the Golden Rust Gang.

Then he must know something.

Li Ang sat up in bed, put on his coat, and went out the door.

He's going to find Derek.

The Pike Place Market was still noisy under the cover of night, but trading in some corners was even more active than during the day.

Li Ang pulled down his hood, put on a mask, and skillfully walked through the crowd toward that familiar alley.

As soon as I went in, I saw Derek talking to two people.

The two men bowed and scraped, their faces plastered with fawning smiles, took a few small paper packets from Derek, stuffed them into their pockets, and hurried away.

Derek, a hint of smugness on his face, was about to count the banknotes in his hand.

"Business is good."

Derek turned around.

"Oh my God! It's you!" Derek rushed up and excitedly grabbed Leon's arm.

"You've finally arrived! I thought you weren't going to let me be your agent anymore!"

Li Ang withdrew his arm without making a sound.

"Looks like you did a good job."

"Of course!" Derek patted his chest. "You have no idea how popular your goods are!"

"Those guys went crazy after they tasted it! They said the stuff they used to eat was no different from dog shit!"

Derek rubbed his hands together, looking at Li Ang with anticipation.

"Where's the cargo? How much did you bring this time?"

Li Ang didn't answer, but instead asked, "Didn't the Golden Rust Gang cause you any trouble?"

Derek's expression changed when the Golden Rust Gang was mentioned.

"They...they don't know yet." Derek said somewhat guiltily, "I sell them secretly, and I only use trusted, long-time customers."

"However, this can't be kept secret for long." Derek's expression turned greedy again. "So, we have to get it secretly; they can't do anything about it!"

"How much do you know about the Golden Rust Gang?" Li Ang suddenly asked.

"The Rust Gang?" Derek paused, not understanding why he suddenly asked this.

"I... I'm just a lowly henchman selling their goods, what would I know?" Derek said vaguely. "I only know they're not easy to mess with, nobody knows what the boss's name is, usually it's a guy named Victor who's in charge."

"Victor?" Leon's eyes flickered.