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

The "Wanderer" identity and special skills begin to come into play, breaking down food into energy for storage.

After quickly finishing his meal, Li Ping breathed a sigh of relief. His body was filled with energy, and he felt much stronger.

Now, if I arm wrestle with my younger brother, I might be able to last a couple more seconds.

I took out my old, outdated phone; it was only 11:30.

Li Ping's cell phone had long been confiscated, but his younger brother's beat-up old cell phone was fortunately preserved.

I cached offline maps, so I could use the library when I ran out of power or internet access.

Li Ping closed his eyes again, focusing his attention on the three cards in his mind.

[Xiao Ji: Fresh food and water will be distributed on Fifth Street, with a chance to win a sleeping bag.]

[Undetermined: Transported to Prolock Hospital by ambulance...]

[Very unlucky: A wounded robber is lurking in the slums. He's armed and very wary. If you can force a confession from him, you might get some extra information.]

The prompts are vague, such as "there may be a chance" or "maybe."

The second point is unnecessary to consider; there are plenty of gun owners in America. The third point isn't particularly alarming either.

Only the first condition, "getting a sleeping bag," appealed to him.

Sleeping bags are a valuable commodity for the homeless community on the increasingly cool nights of September.

The cheapest one in the store is $20, and even in a second-hand store it's $10.

But the notification didn't specify a time or exact location, and it didn't even tell me if it had been sent out yet—it was all for nothing.

He was a little irritated and subconsciously tapped the [Little Lucky] card.

A sudden change has occurred!

The touched card suddenly glowed with a warm white light, while the other two cards, [Undetermined] and [Great Misfortune], quickly dimmed and almost disappeared.

"what?"

A thought struck Li Ping, and he focused his mind, choosing the glowing card.

The cards 【Undetermined】 and 【Ominous】 have completely disappeared.

The selected "Small Fortune" card flipped over, revealing new silver lettering:

[The Beidajie Methodist Church distributes supplies at 4 PM. Those who line up before 3:30 PM can receive a sleeping bag. If you say "God bless you" in a trembling but sincere voice to the distributor, Ms. Marina, you may receive additional guidance.]

The image of a street scene and an elderly white woman with a gentle smile, Ms. Marina, still lingers in my mind.

"Damn it, the mute system even has detailed information?!" Li Ping almost cursed out loud.

The previous vague hint was just a preview; the real fortune or misfortune lies here!

However, that vague hint was not entirely without value.

"Brother, what do we do next?"

Li Fan finished eating and lay sprawled out on a piece of cardboard he had found, letting out a long burp.

He's starting to look more and more like a homeless person.

Looking at him like this, Li Ping shook his head. The environment has a huge impact on people.

The panel shows the "Homeless" identity followed by "Current Auspicious/Avoiding Misfortune Identity," indicating that other identities may be available in the future.

He didn't want to beg for food with his younger brother for the rest of his life.

That's for the future. Right now, we have to face reality. Poor Street is a decent starting village.

"Walk,"

Li Ping stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and said, "The jungling isn't over yet."

"You still have to beg for food?"

Li Fan got up. He'd only been homeless for three days, and once he wasn't hungry, his shame returned. "Didn't I just eat?"

Li Ping had thought the same way as Li Fan before, which is why he almost died from a fever.

"That was lunch, now it's time for reserve rations."

Li Ping turned and left, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Being full is just the minimum standard for survival."

There will be no relief at night; we need more water, food that can be stored, and warm clothing…”

Moreover, Li Ping looked at the description of the [Wanderer] special skill.

Just being able to resist hunger isn't enough.

We must take advantage of its efficient conversion properties, consume as much food as possible, nourish this body, and make it stronger.

Donuts, hamburgers, even snacks that have been sitting for who knows how long, can all be fuel if they contain toxins.

"The Empress Dowager has already paid."

Li Ping pulled his younger brother toward the street. "We're just here to collect a little interest."

For the next few hours, the two brothers wandered around a few relatively friendly supply points on the edge of the poor streets.

The food that was hastily swallowed transformed into a continuous and gentle warmth during the journey, nourishing the muscles and dispelling fatigue.

This efficiency far exceeds that of normal digestion.

Clearly, when Li Ping acted in a manner consistent with that of a homeless person, the effect of his special skills was amplified.

The phrase "Your strengths are most effective when you're on the move" reminded him of this note.

........

The sun was blazing hotter around 2 p.m., baking the street into a blinding heatwave.

Li Ping frowned and took a bite of the donut he had just received.

The icing was so thick and sticky that he quickly gulped down a mouthful of cheap, unsweetened black coffee.

The bitter liquid washed over, barely neutralizing the cloying sweetness.

I walked around a few young Black men on the street corner, their eyes unfocused as they swayed to a silent beat.

"These donuts are awful, they're so cloyingly sweet."

He muttered under his breath, but still stuffed the rest of the donuts into his mouth.

【The Wanderer】is characterized by high-efficiency operation, and can clearly feel high-calorie substances being rapidly broken down, absorbed, and replenishing the body.

Since it digests quickly, you have to keep adding fuel to the fire.

After more than two hours of hunting, they visited several distribution points.

A very fruitful haul: in addition to twelve donuts and several bottled water, I also got tissues, paper cups, small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes, and several individually wrapped bars of soap.

There was even a spot where they were given broccoli and eggplant, but the two brothers didn't even have a pot to cook in.

The efficiency is still too low.

Li Ping observed the elderly homeless people pushing their carts, their movements clearly purposeful. They had access to information and knew when and where things were being distributed.

He and Li Fan could only try their luck, like headless flies.

I tried asking, and some homeless people would deliberately give me the wrong directions. What a bunch of bastards.

"I need to find a reliable camp to restore communications," Li Ping thought to himself.

When you're homeless, it's important to join a small group where you can support each other.

Once you've established yourself, earn some US dollars, get a SIM card, restore your signal, and with the ability to avoid trouble, it won't be difficult to make money by doing illegal work or other things.

Finding two more foreign girls wouldn't be bad either.

"Hehe, bro,"

Li Fan followed behind him, carrying two bulging plastic bags, his face full of the joy of getting something for free.

"There are so many places to get free supplies here, so why are there still so many people who have nowhere to live and are sleeping on the streets?"

Li Ping paused, his gaze sweeping over the dirty tents and huddled figures along the street.

Why?

He laughed and said, "Because the men in America are kind."

In big cities, food is the least expensive expense to make a living.

For the average middle class, more than 30% of their monthly income goes to taxes, and there are also deductions for expensive medical insurance and heavy student loans.

And the exorbitant rents that make up the bulk of the cost in big cities.

Unexpected bills (taxes, car repairs, medical bills, even library overdue fines) could at any time become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

The moment of execution could slip away at any time.

Savings money? That's a luxury.

Once you lose your job, fall seriously ill, or experience a family crisis, the speed at which you fall behind is beyond imagination.

These homeless people sleeping on the streets of poor neighborhoods are just a small fraction of all homeless people.

Many more homeless people live in nearly broken-down cars, do odd jobs illegally, and have no time to receive welfare.

To turn your life around, simply being well-fed is far from enough.

As for why there are so many charities in poor neighborhoods?

Large companies and wealthy individuals can get tax deductions for charitable donations; food nearing its expiration date needs to be disposed of; and providing something for the homeless to do (by queuing) helps improve public security data.

In fact, homeless people are an indispensable part of certain policies and business chains.

No?

Then create some; it's all business.

The gentlemen on Capitol Hill need this goodwill to maintain appearances, and capital needs it to regulate its image and taxes.

California alone has hundreds of thousands of homeless people, which is simply unbelievable in the world's richest country.

How did it come about?

Upon closer examination, it might embarrass many people.

Of course, it cannot be denied that there are always some people who are truly doing good deeds out of faith.

"Let's go to the Wesleyan Church on Beida Street."

It was almost time, so Li Ping looked at the map on his phone and led the way.

It was not only to verify the effectiveness of the auspicious and inauspicious advice, but also for the sleeping bag on the card.

I don't want to sleep on the floor tonight.

The church is located on the northeast edge of the poor street, and it took nearly half an hour to walk there.

Li Ping was exhausted, sweat beading on his forehead, and panting heavily.

Looking back at his younger brother, Li Fan was carrying two large bags and still walking briskly, even having the leisure to look around. The difference in their physical strength was obvious.

Li Ping could only sigh inwardly: They have the same parents, but one focused on intelligence, while the other focused entirely on strength.

Fortunately, he's got a cheat code, so suppressing his brother is just around the corner.