Being carried onto an ambulance at the start? But this is America!

"Oh my God!"

Old Tom was squatting on the ground, opening several cardboard boxes that Li Ping had brought back. When he saw the items inside, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Did you guys go robbing too?"

Although unlike Fletcher and his group's brand-new, unopened trophies, everything in Li Ping and his group's boxes was a high-end brand-name item.

Sony digital cameras, Black & Decker semi-automatic coffee machines, FR beauty devices, WS bread makers, BS noise-canceling headphones, Dy's older vacuum cleaners, Philips high-end shavers...

"Don't worry, old Tom,"

Li Ping quickly explained, afraid that they would misunderstand, "Today we went to Bibo Manor to clean the basement for a female tycoon. These are all the garbage that she explicitly stated she wanted to throw away."

We brought it back with her permission, hoping you, as an expert, could take a look and tell us which parts can still be repaired.

"You two lads, you're really lucky!"

Old Tom adjusted his reading glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and his cloudy eyes shone with the focused light of a skilled craftsman.

"If all of these items could be restored to basic functionality, even if they were sold as secondhand goods..."

He squinted and did some mental calculations for a few seconds, "The total value is probably over five thousand dollars."

"Five thousand?!"

Li Ping was also taken aback. He knew these things were worth some money, but they were secondhand goods after all, and he didn't expect them to be so valuable.

If you know how to repair things and have a sales network, there's definitely potential in scavenging in affluent neighborhoods.

He immediately said, "Old Tom, if you can fix it all, we're willing to pay you a thousand dollars as a reward!"

This investment is definitely worthwhile.

"What? Five thousand dollars!"

Fletcher's voice suddenly rose.

He glanced at the new goods on his cart, which might be worth over a thousand yuan in total and were obtained at great risk, then looked at Li Ping's boxes of junk, and the smugness on his face instantly froze.

They almost lost their lives and even lost a brother to get these things.

Is it really worth five thousand just for someone to clean up and pick up some trash?

I instantly felt unbalanced.

"Don't be too happy yet, children,"

Old Tom waved his hand, both amused and exasperated, trying to cool down his feverish head.

"I'm talking about the ideal scenario where everything can be fixed and a suitable buyer can be found."

To find out the exact problem, I'll have to disassemble it and inspect it carefully. Some faults might be simple and just require replacing a part; others might have a burnt-out motherboard, which would cost more to repair than a new one, making it truly worthless.

"We believe in your craftsmanship, Tom."

Li Ping patted the old man's thin but strong shoulder forcefully.

As he spent more time with him, he realized that this taciturn old homeless man, who was always buried in piles of junk, had extensive experience in bringing electronic devices back to life.

One of the hidden treasures in the camp.

The contrast with Li Ping made Fletcher a little disappointed, but even a small amount of money is still money, so he quickly cheered up and went to sell his wares.

Black people have unique black market channels.

It was getting late, and Old Tom hadn't had dinner yet.

In high spirits, Li Ping went to a nearby pizza shop and spent over fifty dollars to buy three large pizzas loaded with toppings and various snacks.

Part of it was a small token of appreciation for Old Tom's help, and the rest was used to cover my and my brother's dinner.

The lunchbox Marina gave Li Ping wasn't enough.

For genuine homeless people, finding work and receiving free welfare are often mutually exclusive options.

The two brothers made money, but they didn't have time to collect welfare.

Those who work odd jobs like Camilla are basically excluded from accessing quality relief centers that require long queues.

She only rushed back in the evening to change her clothes, ate a couple of bites of cold pizza, and then pushed her cart and disappeared into the night.

I also have to work the night shift at the convenience store.

Una and Jermaine returned a little earlier, looking exhausted and saddened that they hadn't been assigned work for the next day.

Fortunately, it happened to be Saturday, the weekly harvest day for supplies in the poorest area, so I could replenish my inventory by hunting in the wild, which wasn't a complete loss.

In the corner, Zach was rapidly organizing information on his laptop.

He was responsible for collecting and planning the locations, times, and expected supplies for each relief point the following day, and creating tables and optimal route maps.

In exchange, when the other people in the camp go out hunting, they will keep an eye out for and bring back some toiletries, cleaning supplies, or second-hand clothes that he needs.

The camp is a simple yet effective mutual aid system based on survival needs.

Li Ping also got a copy of Tomorrow's Guide from Zack.

He glanced at it and was surprised by the dense markings—there were dozens of distribution points tomorrow!

From churches and charity kitchens to community centers and food trucks, they are found throughout poor streets and the surrounding area.

Saturday was indeed a shopping extravaganza for the homeless.

By this time, Old Tom had already cleared an absolutely clean area on his workbench and laid out a soft blanket.

He zoomed in on the LED light, put on a magnifying glass, and, like a doctor about to perform a delicate operation, began to deal with the high-end junk.

"See that, child?"

As he used his skillful tools to disassemble the BB coffee machine, he explained the process to Li Fan, who was watching curiously from the side.

"The lives of these rich people... This machine just has a slightly worn-out seal, which is causing insufficient pressure."

Replace it with a food-grade silicone ring, then thoroughly clean the internal limescale with citric acid, and recalibrate the grinding scale... and it'll be like new.

He shook his head, his tone devoid of jealousy, only displaying the bewilderment of a technologist facing such a waste.

"It's such a minor problem, just throw it away. Fix it, put it on a second-hand platform or a specialized equipment store, and you can easily sell it for seven or eight hundred dollars."

Li Fan only vaguely understood what he was hearing; he was more interested in the three tablets.

He was charging them with the shared batteries in the camp, which were powered by solar panels.

Fortunately, two of them only had cracked outer screens, while the touch screen and inner screen were intact; the other had a slightly distorted screen, but it could still be lit.

Old Tom glanced at them and judged, "These are all models that were popular a couple of years ago. If they were just like this now, three of them together could sell for seven or eight hundred and someone would still want them. But if you want to replace the screen with an original one..."

He clicked his tongue. "The cost is too high, it's not worth it. Let's just release it like this, since it's free anyway."

After dealing with the coffee machine, I moved on to the beauty device. The charging port was loose, and the vibration function was intermittent.

Old Tom frowned, carefully testing the circuit with a multimeter, muttering to himself.

"This is a bit troublesome. It might be that the internal solder joints have come loose, or the motor drive is broken. We'll have to take it slowly."

Just as the group was engrossed in studying the high-grade trash, they heard footsteps approaching.

Roland is back.

She spotted Li Ping immediately as he handed her tools, walked straight over, took off her cowboy hat, and her grey-blue eyes, under the light, held a scrutinizing and curious look.

"Bro, I heard from White that you've saved up the eight hundred dollars for your driver's license? How did you manage that?"

Her tone was direct, with the inquisitiveness characteristic of a lawyer.

For the homeless people in the camp, $800 in disposable cash is not a small amount.

With Camilla's workaholic and stingy nature, she might not be able to save this much even after a month of hard work.

"Don't worry, Bro, we didn't do any extra business."

Li Ping smiled; he had already prepared his explanation.

The story of finding the wallet was too bizarre; he needed a more credible explanation: "We've got internet access now. My brother and I used to save up some pocket money and New Year's money, which we converted into US dollars. That's enough for emergencies."

This is partly true and partly false. They do have some meager savings, but not enough for a thousand dollars, and his domestic SIM card has long been lost, so theoretically it's impossible to operate the system.

"High school students all have a secret stash of money for emergencies..."

Roland murmured repeatedly, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes.

Here? There are only endless bills and unpaid debts.

"Haha, and it seems like we haven't used up all our luck yet today!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ping pointed to the three large boxes, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.

"Old Tom said that if all this junk could be repaired and sold, it might even cover most of the cost of applying for that SIJS green card!"

Upon learning that this was the reward Marina had given them for getting the job for Flora, Roland's tone carried a rare hint of bitterness.

Roland's tone carried a rare hint of bitterness.

"It seems you are quite favored by Ms. Marina and Ms. Lancaster. Very good, very good indeed."

She gave a light whistle and looked at Li Ping, "Well then, Bro, it seems I need to start seriously preparing your application materials for juvenile court."

Looking at her face, so close to his, a face that blended both heroic spirit and refined elegance, Li Ping felt that thought flash through his mind again.

Such a handsome face, yet he only likes girls... What a waste!