America: Starting from collecting corpses, leveling up to godhood

Chen Ming glanced at the numbers and nodded.

It's definitely lower than the normal price, but compared to last time, this Russian guy has learned his lesson.

After receiving the money, Chen Ming reached into his pocket and pulled out a string of heavy medals, which he then threw onto the glass counter.

"Take a look at these too."

"Ha, Purple Heart medals... There are more of these in the US than McDonald's coupons. You can buy one for twenty dollars with free shipping on eBay."

"This one is also... a common one."

Yuri shook his head, just about to give Chen Ming a hundred or so dollars to get rid of him, when his eyes suddenly stopped on a uniquely shaped cross-shaped medal.

The medal is bronze in color, with an eagle spreading its wings above grasping a laurel wreath, and the words "FOR VALOR" inscribed on the cross below.

He quickly pulled a magnifying glass from the drawer, held it up to the surface of the medal, and examined it closely, his breathing becoming heavier.

"What, is this piece very valuable?"

Chen Ming noticed Yuri's unusual behavior.

Yuri hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but after thinking of his buddy who had been beaten black and blue, he finally told the truth.

"This is the Army Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor in prestige. It is awarded to those who demonstrate extraordinary heroism in extremely dangerous combat... Usually, nine out of ten people who receive this are already lying in Arlington Cemetery."

"Some wealthy people who specialize in collecting World War II military equipment are willing to pay high prices for these numbered original items in order to enhance their family's prestige or to satisfy their collecting obsession."

"Two thousand dollars, give it to me."

Two thousand US dollars.

Upon hearing this number, Chen Ming became wary.

Given the ruthlessness of this Russian, anything he's willing to pay two thousand for is likely worth at least five thousand in reality...

So Chen Ming didn't reply, but just kept tapping his fingers on the glass counter.

He's gambling.

The fact that this greedy Russian was willing to break himself and pay such a high price for this medal means there is at least a profit margin of more than double.

"I'm not selling it anymore."

Chen Ming suddenly reached out and grabbed Yuri's hairy hand before it could touch the medal.

"Since this item brings honor to the dead in Arlington Cemetery, I imagine the auction houses in Beverly Hills will offer a more respectable price... Perhaps Sotheby's would be interested?"

"Damn it! Going to one of those places where they check your underwear will get you arrested!"

Yuri panicked and leaned almost half his body out of the bulletproof glass.

"Believe me, they'll ask you about its origin, they'll check who the medal number corresponds to, and once they discover it's a deceased veteran's possession, the bureaucrats from the Department of Veterans Affairs will pounce like sharks smelling blood... At that point, forget about money, you won't even have a chance for bail!"

"I don't care."

Chen Ming expressionlessly put the medal back in his pocket and made a move to leave.

"I have plenty of ways to clean it up. Even if I melt it down and sell it as gold, I won't let you treat it as a two-thousand-dollar piece of scrap metal."

"Three thousand!"

Yuri gritted his teeth and roared out a number, his face contorted with pain as the muscles around his eyes trembled violently.

Chen Ming paused for a moment, but still did not turn around.

"Three thousand five hundred, damn it... that's my bottom line!"

"four thousand!"

Chen Ming finally stopped, turned around, and held up four fingers.

"And I want your shotgun, consider it a freebie."

The air froze for two seconds.

Yuri stared intently at Chen Ming, his gaze shifting from anger to helplessness, and finally to a mixture of admiration and disgust for one's own kind.

"Deal... You vampire, you're smarter than a Jew."

He cursed as he opened the safe, counted out a thick wad of musty-smelling banknotes, and slammed them onto the counter along with a Remington M870 with its barrel shortened.

"Take your money and gun and get out of here. Don't expect me to give you a discount in the future."

Chen Ming didn't stand on ceremony and quickly counted the banknotes with one hand.

Franklin's solemn portrait is so moving at this moment.

With the $4,000, plus the previous $750, this trip not only covered the deficit from the funeral for the veteran and his son, but also netted a profit of over $2,000.

Chen Ming placed the medal on the tray, watching it gleam with a bronze luster under the light.

Good people actually got their reward this time...

When Chen Ming walked out of the pawnshop, he had a paper bag containing money and a gun in his arms.

The nights in MacArthur Park are not peaceful.

In the distance, the faint sound of police sirens could be heard. A large group of homeless people, wrapped in newspapers, huddled on benches, resembling piles of abandoned garbage. The air was filled with the smell of dust and a faint odor of marijuana.

Back in the driver's seat of the Corolla, Chen Ming didn't rush to start the car. Instead, he summoned the system and refreshed today's mission.

[Today's tasks have been refreshed]

[1. On the third bench by the artificial lake in MacArthur Park, there was a shrunken Marlboro cigarette case. Inside was $40 that some addict had hastily stuffed in to avoid a police check.]

2. Right behind you, hidden in a floor compartment beneath the counter of the "Lucky Yuri" shop, lies Yuri's hidden stash of cash—eight thousand dollars. You can try to obtain it. (Attribute points +1 upon completion)

[3. Four kilometers away on Wilshire Avenue, a group of Armenian gangsters have parked their car on the side of the road, preparing to rob a jewelry store in half an hour. Some jewelry may be left behind in the chaos; take it. (Upon completion, attribute points +3, skill points +1)]

Chen Ming's gaze swept quickly over the three options.

The first task doesn't offer much reward, but it's free money, so why not give it a try?

Although the second mission offered a substantial sum of cash, Yuri, the Russian, was not someone to be trifled with—after all, he was a gun seller, and Chen Ming didn't want to actually become a robber.

As for the third task...

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ming suddenly had a bold idea.

The mission only stated that it was complete once the jewelry was obtained... What if you called the police beforehand?

After the police stop the robbers, I can openly try to steal some jewelry; maybe that will count as completing my mission?

Chen Ming quickly made up his mind—since he had the police as his henchmen, he wasn't at much risk.

But before that, there's an "appetizer" to eat.

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, and forty dollars is enough to fill up a tank of gas.

Chen Ming got out of the car and walked quickly to the bench by the artificial lake.

Without much searching, he spotted the pack of Marlboro cigarettes at a glance.

I picked it up and squeezed it open. Sure enough, there were two crumpled twenty-dollar bills inside, but a piece of blackened chewing gum was stuck to the bills.

"Damn it..."

Chen Ming cursed, forced himself to suppress his disgust, pulled out the money, and rubbed it on the grass.