America: Starting from collecting corpses, leveling up to godhood

"Are there any free gifts included?"

Old Sam grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"You've come to the right person. Quite a few guys who tried to do what you did have fallen victim to this... Don't go to a legitimate pawnshop."

"Go to MacArthur Park and find 'Lucky Yuri.' It's run by a Russian, but he's tight-lipped and only cares about money."

Thanks.

After saying goodbye to Old Sam and the fishy-smelling cold storage, Chen Ming quickly returned to his car.

"Congratulations."

Sofia sat in the passenger seat and whistled.

"You gave away your 'first time' today, for a whopping three thousand dollars... How does it feel?"

"Does it hurt so much you want to cry, or does it feel so good it makes your scalp tingle?"

"It's smoother than I expected."

Chen Ming fastened his seatbelt, recalling all the details of the day.

Excluding the series of unexpected events caused by the interception, the whole process was actually not dangerous at all, just like doing normal secondhand sales.

But the fact that this kind of business can be done so naturally, like buying vegetables from the countryside and selling them to the next buyer, is quite unsettling in itself...

"My palms were sweating a bit before I came, since I'd never done this before, but once I carried the bag inside and saw them haggling over a few dozen yuan, I calmed down."

"It's just a business deal, nothing serious."

"Hahaha!"

Sofia let out a strange laugh.

"I knew you were a born bad seed, unlike other nerdy Asians."

She took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Honestly, Chen, you're really suited for this line of work. You can deal with all sorts of weird and wonderful people, and you're even willing to double-cross them... The key is that you're incredibly lucky—nothing is more important than that."

"In a few more days, I'm afraid I won't have much left to teach you."

"However, as a senior colleague, I do have one suggestion."

Sofia fanned the air in front of her nose.

"Once you have enough money, hurry up and buy a new car."

"The smell just now was so strong it felt like it had made its home in my nostrils. If you want to keep this up for a long time, you'll need a full-size pickup truck or van or something, and completely separate the cab from the cargo area..."

"Or we could buy two gas masks and put them in the car, otherwise if we pull off two more heists, we might get suffocated on the road."

"I'll consider it."

Chen Ming rolled the car window down further, trying to let the evening breeze disperse the smell inside the car, but all that came in was exhaust fumes and the smell of dry dust.

The Corolla drove away from the industrial area and headed towards Westlake along Wilshire Avenue.

The closer you get to MacArthur Park, the more surreal the road conditions become.

The streetlights flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, the sidewalks were covered with dense blue tents and garbage, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of urine, marijuana and burning plastic.

Chen Ming even saw a homeless man wearing only his underwear shouting at a fire hydrant, as if he were fighting some unseen monster.

"The beacon of the free world... it's blinding."

To avoid a deep pothole on the road that could have shattered the suspension, Chen Ming had to jerk the steering wheel sharply.

If there were potholes like this on any major city's main road, the municipal hotline would have been overwhelmed with calls long ago.

But in Los Angeles, this pit is probably older than Chen Ming.

After making a few turns, Chen Ming's Corolla stopped in front of a store whose decor resembled a prison.

The sign flashes with the words "LUCKY YURI PAWN SHOP," and below it is a smaller line that reads "We Buy Gold and Guns."

The style of selling gold and guns together is very "American"—it wouldn't be surprising if the owner of a pawnshop in such a place pulled out a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.

"Sophia, wait for me in the car. Call me if you need anything."

Chen Ming turned off the engine and tucked the velvet bag into his coat.

Although the old, beat-up car isn't worth much, there are plenty of guys in this area who can't even afford dinner, so someone has to keep an eye on it.

Chen Ming walked towards the pawnshop, pushed open the heavy security door, and found that the interior was not as spacious as he had imagined.

The space, spanning several dozen square meters, was divided in two by a glass counter, and the shelves were piled high with all sorts of gadgets.

Guitar, electric drill, laptop... and even an X-ray machine that looks like it was just stolen from a dental clinic.

The machine is new, but the wires have been cut terribly.

Behind the counter sat a burly, bald white man, wiping a large-caliber shotgun.

"If you want to buy something, look for it yourself. Except for guns, which require a background check, you can take anything else you want."

"I'm here to sell things."

Chen Ming walked to the counter and knocked on the bulletproof glass, which was at least three centimeters thick—a thickness comparable to that of a bank.

"Old Sam introduced me."

Upon hearing the name, Yuri stopped cleaning his gun and gestured with his chin toward the stainless steel tray under the counter.

"Let it in."

Chen Ming poured the contents of the velvet bag into it.

A gold tooth, a ring that had been cut off, and a watch with a shattered crystal...

Yuri expressionlessly placed the gold tooth on the electronic scale, completely unconcerned about the bloodstains still on it.

"The purity is not good; it's only 14K."

Yuri's voice was deep and had a heavy Russian accent, as if he had a mouthful of vodka in his throat.

"The ring is too badly damaged... Did you use garden shears to cut it like that?"

"The watch is a nice piece, a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, but unfortunately it's an older quartz model. The crystal is broken, and the movement is probably damp as well..."

Yuri turned the calculator screen toward Chen Ming.

"Pack everything up, 800 yuan, cash."

"After we leave, I won't know you, and you won't know me."

Chen Ming quickly made a mental calculation.

The price is practically halved and then drastically reduced, but if you go through the proper channels to repair or sell it, just explaining the origin will take him a lot of effort, and he'll also have to pay a hefty tax...

"One thousand," Chen Ming tried to bargain.

"Eight hundred and fifty, not a penny more."

"If you don't like it, you can take this bloody stuff to a Mexican pawn shop a few blocks away and see if they give you money or slit a hole in the back of your head."

Chen Ming stared at the other person for two seconds, and finally nodded.

"make a deal."

Yuri opened the drawer, counted out a stack of crumpled old banknotes, and threw them into the tray.

Chen Ming picked it up and counted it.

The banknotes felt greasy and smelled musty.

In this country that claims to have the most developed financial system, most transactions still have to be conducted in this most primitive and backward way.

But it was precisely this backwardness that gave Chen Ming room to survive.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Chen Ming put the money in his pocket, and the sheer amount of cash gave him a long-lost sense of security.

Adding to the previous three thousand, his earnings from robbery and selling "samples" that day had exceeded four thousand US dollars...

That's outrageously profitable, almost equivalent to the cost of 15 minutes of emergency room treatment.

All it takes is a little courage, a little luck, and a little flexibility in adjusting one's moral bottom line.

"By the way, if you have any good electronic products, such as the latest iPhone or MacBook, you can bring them too, as long as they are not locked with an Apple ID."

"I'll keep an eye on it."

Chen Ming pushed open the door, but before he could take two steps, several black men suddenly blocked his way.