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

What exactly is the purpose?

Li Ang looked at the man on the ground, his pupils dilated and the whites of his eyes bloodshot.

This man is beyond saving; there's nothing he can do to save him.

In the world of cultivation, he might have some way to prolong his life.

Above the man's head, the word "endangered" on the light screen was slowly dimming.

This is a sign of life being cut off.

He stood there, silently watching the words disappear completely.

The whole process took no more than a dozen breaths.

A life was lost just like that.

Li Ang showed no emotional fluctuation.

He had seen too many scenes like this in the cultivation world.

The cultivator failed to transcend the tribulation and vanished into nothingness.

The sect was destroyed, and the entire family was wiped out.

He was numb to sights a thousand times more horrific than this.

But at this moment, a sense of sadness inexplicably welled up in his heart.

That wasn't pity for the stranger, but a clear understanding of one's own situation.

What difference is there between his current state and that of the man who collapsed and died in the garbage dump?

He had no status, no money, and no spiritual cultivation.

They couldn't even get a meal.

Moreover, his own survival is now in question.

He dared not eat those "relief meals".

But how long can I survive without eating?

Li Ang did not linger in the alley.

He turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

As he stepped out of the alley, the sunlight was so bright that he squinted.

The streets remained bustling with people.

The people lining up to receive relief meals had satisfied smiles on their faces.

A steaming bowl of soup in my hand, bread stuffed into my mouth.

They chewed very slowly and carefully.

It's like savoring some ultimate human delicacy.

Li Ang watched this scene and felt nothing but irony.

Are they unaware that they are slowly dying?

The corpse in the alley also had the same bread crumbs left at the corners of its mouth.

Perhaps before long, one of these people will also fall in some dark corner.

Or rather, they know, but they no longer care.

Being able to eat a hot meal is better than anything else.

Li Ang suddenly remembered a saying from the cultivation world.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening."

When applied to people, it becomes a different interpretation.

"If I eat one meal in the morning, I can die content in the evening."

Living had exhausted all their strength, so they had no time to think about death.

Li Ang continued walking forward.

He needed to find a safe place to stay and carefully consider his current situation.

The purpose of those "priests" is still unclear.

We still don't know exactly what's in the relief meals.

Taking rash action will only alert the enemy.

Moreover, he's barely able to protect himself right now, so what makes him capable of investigating?

Just as he was pondering these questions, a rusty old RV came into view.

The RV was parked on a secluded street corner, its body covered in exaggerated graffiti.

A piece of the car window was broken and was barely patched up with a plastic bag and tape.

Li Ang hadn't planned to look at it much.

But the next second, a familiar figure emerged from the RV.

He had a rosacea nose, wore a baggy T-shirt, and his pants were still hanging down to his buttocks.

It's Jerome.

"Anna, the soup is thicker than yesterday's, drink more."

His voice carried a subtle gentleness.

He was a completely different person from the fierce and menacing man who collected protection money last night.

Li Ang stopped in his tracks.

He could clearly see the light curtain above Jerome's head.

[Cutting Point: Low (due to long-term physical labor, resulting in continuous loss of vitality)]

Low?

Not endangered?

He didn't eat a single bite of the two relief meals he got for twenty dollars last night; he gave them all to the people in the car.

If this continues, it's no wonder he's dying.

However, his kill threshold remained "low" and did not fall to "near danger".

This is very interesting.

Li Ang recalled the system's previous explanation that social value also affects the kill threshold.

Jerome may be penniless, but he is meaningful to someone.

That person's presence held back his killing intent.

"Hey you!"

Jerome suddenly spotted Leon standing on the street corner and called out to him.

What are you doing here?

Li Ang walked over.

"Just passing by."

"Just passing by?" Jerome looked him up and down. "Shouldn't you be in the shelter? What are you doing out here?"

"Let it get some fresh air."

Jerome scratched his head, a conflicted look on his face.

He glanced at the half-full bowl of thick soup in his hand, then at Li Ang.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

Li Ang shook his head.

"Why not eat it? That stuff may not be very good, but at least it can fill your stomach."

I'm not hungry.

Jerome clearly didn't believe it.

He stared at Li Ang's face for a long time, looking at his sunken cheeks and pale lips.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jerome frowned. "It's free, it doesn't cost you any money."

"I told you, I'm not hungry."

Li Ang's tone was flat, and he offered no further explanation.

Jerome shrugged and didn't press the matter further.

"Do as you please, starving to death is your own business."

He turned to go back to the RV, but stopped after taking two steps.

"How long do you plan to stand here?"

"have no idea."

"Then come in and sit for a while." Jerome gestured with his chin toward the RV. "It's cold outside, don't just stand there."

Li Ang was somewhat surprised.

This person, who was collecting protection money at the entrance of the shelter, actually invited him inside.

"Aren't you afraid I'm some kind of bad guy?" Li Ang asked.

Jerome grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Dude, look at this beat-up car. What do you think I have left that's worth your attention?"

Li Ang did not refuse again and bent down to get into the RV.

The interior space was smaller than I had imagined.

A dilapidated bed took up most of the space, and a thin girl sat on it.

She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pale face, sunken eyes, and wrapped in an old blanket.

Holding the bowl of hot soup in her hands, she was sipping it little by little.

Upon seeing Li Ang enter, the girl timidly shrank back.

"Don't be afraid, Anna," Jerome quickly reassured her. "This is Daddy's... friend."

When he said the word "friend," Li Ang paused for a moment.

Perhaps it's because I haven't heard this word in a long time.

[Target: Anna]

[Kill threshold: Low (malnourished, but with a strong will to survive)]

Li Ang's gaze swept over the light screen above Anna's head, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

This kid's kill threshold is actually the same as Jerome's, "low".

Given her physical condition, she should have fallen to the point of being "endangered".

But she didn't.

"Are you raising the child alone?" Li Ang asked.

Jerome sighed and plopped down on the edge of the bed.

"Her mother passed away last year."

"He left last year...?"

"Hmm." Jerome's tone was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"After one injection, he never got up again."

Li Ang did not respond.

Jerome took out the remaining bread from the two relief meals, tore it into small pieces, and handed it to Anna.

"Eat up, the bread is softer today than yesterday."

Anna took the bread and took a small bite.

Seeing this scene, Li Ang began to make some plans.

"Aren't you going to eat this?" he asked Jerome.

"I'm not hungry," Jerome waved his hand.

"Are you not hungry, or are you just reluctant to part with it?"

Jerome paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Dude, you're pretty knowledgeable."

He patted his stomach.

"I'm in such good shape that I won't starve if I skip a meal, but she can't."

Li Ang remained silent for a moment.

"How long have you been eating these relief meals?"

"How long?" Jerome thought for a moment, "About a month or so."

"Did it start when those priests began distributing food to this area?"

"Yes, they're really nice people. They give us things every morning and evening," Jerome said, a grateful look on his face. "They're the ones who set up the shelters; otherwise, we'd all be starving on the streets by now."

Li Ang remained silent.

He remembered the bread crumbs at the corner of the corpse's mouth in the alley.

The man ate the relief meal and then died.

Why is Jerome still alive?

Unless... he has never actually eaten it.

He gave all the food to the girl.

The amount ingested was insufficient to cause fatal harm in a short period of time.

That makes sense.

But this is only temporary.

At this rate, Anna will eventually follow in their footsteps.