American homeless people, surviving in the city

Chapter 173 Reuniting with an Old Friend

Lynch saw that Raul and old James were sitting side by side on the roadside next to the green belt, with several cans next to them, and the two looked like they were drinking beer.

...Raul? Old James? What are these two doing here at this hour?

Shouldn't they all be doing their own "work" at this hour? How come they all have time to drink here? Are they living such leisurely lives these days?

Or has something happened during this time? Has Raul lost his job again?

Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, Lin Qi was still very happy to see his two old friends again.

Soon, Lin Qi found a parking space, parked the car, and tiptoed toward where the two were.

Before long, he had gotten close enough to be not far from the two of them. Raul and old James, perhaps engrossed in drinking beer and chatting, did not notice Lynch's approach.

Looking at his two old friends, Lin Qi suddenly had a joking idea. So, he tiptoed forward, intending to sneak up on them and give them a fright.

But as he got closer, he gradually realized that the expressions on their faces were not as relaxed as he had expected.

Both men looked dejected. Raul hung his head, clutching a crumpled beer can in one hand, sighing incessantly. Old James stared blankly at the passing traffic, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes vacant.

As Lynch continued to approach, he gradually became able to hear their conversation more clearly.

The first thing you could hear was Raul's worried voice: "...Another day has passed, and we still haven't heard from the boss..."

"It's been so many days, I hope nothing bad has happened to the boss?"

Old James didn't answer immediately. He just bit down hard on the cigarette butt in his mouth, savored it a few times, took a deep breath, and said firmly, "...Don't talk nonsense. I think that kid's got a tough life. Maybe he just encountered some unexpected event, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"From the first time I saw him, I could tell that the kid had a determined look in his eyes... He's not one to get into trouble easily."

"Sigh, I know, our boss isn't someone who falls so easily." Raul nodded in agreement, but ultimately sighed helplessly again, "But this has been going on for far too long..."

"Should we try looking for him somewhere? But I've been at work all day and don't know where he usually goes..."

'

Hearing their conversation, Lin Qi felt a warmth in his heart. It turned out that the two hadn't been there for no reason, but had been waiting for him to return. This feeling of being cared for touched him deeply.

Lin Qi took a deep breath, no longer concealing his steps, and strode forward.

Hearing footsteps approaching nearby, Raul and old James instinctively turned their heads to look in Lynch's direction.

Then, Lin Qi watched as the expressions of the two men changed from initial stunned and bewildered to doubt and disbelief, and finally to excitement and ecstasy.

Seeing their expressions, Lin Qi couldn't help but smile. He raised his hand and greeted them softly, "Hey, you two, long time no see. Drinking so early?"

"Lynch!"

"Boss!"

Raul jumped up on the spot, rushed to Lynch, and gave him a big bear hug: "Boss! You're finally back! We were so worried about you! I knew it, I knew you wouldn't die out there so easily!"

Old James also stood up shakily. He looked at Lynch, a kind smile appearing on his wrinkled, dark face, and tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

He wasn't as agitated as Raul, but his voice trembled with emotion: "...Good, it's good that you're back...it's good that you're back...Oh God, thank God, I've been dreaming about you getting into trouble so many times lately..."

"Didn't you just tell Raul that you believed I wouldn't get into trouble?" Lin Qi was also a little touched by the two of them, so he quickly teased them and changed the subject.

Provoked by Lynch's words, old James also lost face and laughed and scolded, "You rascal, you talk back to me as soon as you get back! I knew I shouldn't have been nagging you every day."

However, after the commotion subsided, old James took a deep breath, finally letting out a long sigh of relief, and exclaimed again, "Ah, it's good that you're back..."

Raul held Lynch tightly in his arms. Lynch's left arm wound ached a little from Raul's bear hug, but he didn't push him away. Instead, he quietly enjoyed this genuine care.

He knew that if something really happened to him in America, these two people would probably be the most worried about him.

Although they didn't spend that much time together, this friendship, which blossomed on the streets, has already taken deep root.

After embracing for several dozen seconds, Raul finally released Lynch. The short, Mexican-American man, who didn't even know if he was an adult, had a flushed face full of excitement. He gripped Lynch's hand tightly and shouted, "Boss! Boss! What have you been doing these past few days without telling us?! We were worried sick!"

Hearing the familiar clamor of Raul, Lynch's smile never stopped. So he sat down by the roadside, casually opened a can of beer, and began to recount in detail his experiences over the past few days—mainly that night.

Car accident, escape, cabin, imprisoned people, cult members, high-speed chase, falling into water, and eventual rescue...

Lynch concealed the existence of the system and some details of his cooperation with the Razor Gang, revealing the rest of the story in its entirety.

Raul listened in stunned silence, like a child listening to a fairy tale, occasionally letting out gasps and exclamations of surprise; while old James listened in silence, his face expressionless, except that every time he heard that Lynch was in danger and his life was hanging by a thread, his lips would tighten even more.

After hearing Lynch recount his experiences over the past few days, Raul's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape.

"...Boss, you mean you survived by saving the daughter of one of Seattle's richest men and got a huge sum of money, a car, and a house?"

Before Lynch could answer, Raul shook his head vigorously: "...I don't believe it, I absolutely don't believe it! The first half of your story is quite exciting, but the second half is like a dream, as unrealistic as the Bible stories my mom told me when I was little! There are no saviors in reality, only gangsters, drug dealers, and gunfights!"

"..." Lynch still felt sympathy for Raul's past experiences, but it wasn't right to keep making him question things.

So he simply stood up and gestured for the two of them to follow.

Soon, led by Lin Qi, the three of them walked together to Lin Qi's Range Rover.

"Boss, you're saying this is your car?"

Looking at the high-end SUV with its glossy black metallic sheen, clearly worth a fortune, Raul still refused to believe it: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Even if you saved someone, who's rich enough to send a luxury car like that?"

Lin Qi didn't answer, but just smiled slightly, then took out his car keys and pressed the button.

The Range Rover immediately emitted an unlocking sound.