American homeless people, surviving in the city

Old James's words were cold and objective.

Indeed, Lynch's current situation is worse than that of the average illegal immigrant.

In America, it is very difficult to prove that you are an American.

But ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) won't waste time proving whether you're an illegal immigrant!

The lack of a proper identity will make it extremely difficult for Lynch to navigate American society. Simply surviving will be a challenge, let alone climbing any higher.

As he spoke, even James himself couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.

He knew very well just how difficult the situation was for a young man who had just fallen on hard times.

He might even have to watch this young man perish in vain on this cannibalistic land!

While inwardly lamenting how American society was devouring the future of young people like a meat grinder, old James slowly raised his eyelids to observe Lynch's reaction after hearing what he had just heard.

But when he saw Lin Qi's face clearly, he was taken aback.

That young face couldn't be said to be completely devoid of confusion and unease, but it also showed no signs of tension or despair.

Lynch looked calmly into the eyes of old James:

"That's true. In my spare time these past two days, I have indeed thought about my current situation. Although I don't know much about the various systems in American society due to memory loss, I can roughly sense that my current situation is quite difficult."

"But in any case, if I do nothing, I will get nothing."

Lin Qi's voice was firm: "So, please continue to help me analyze what I should do next!"

Faced with Lynch's plea, James nodded: "Good lad! Let me try to think of something for you."

"Thank you for your help!"

Lynch waited quietly for old James's analysis.

However, an awkward silence slowly spread between the two of them.

Old James stared at the pedestrians on Third Avenue for a long time with his mouth slightly open and his brows furrowed, but he did not speak again.

Lynch: "?"

Although I know my situation is terrible, the way you look, having thought about it for so long but unable to come up with an answer, is even more discouraging than your analysis just now...

Although he was internally complaining, Lin Qi didn't interrupt old James's thoughts and just waited quietly.

After a long pause, old James struggled to gather his thoughts and slowly began to speak:

"To be honest, I can't think of any way you could get rid of your homelessness and reintegrate into society."

"Hmm, and then?" Lin Qi wasn't surprised at all by his opening line.

"And then..." Old James continued, still marveling at Lynch's mental fortitude:

"In that case, I don't think you need to set your goals so high. Why not take a step back for now, focus on adapting to homeless life while accumulating funds and connections, and then think about reintegrating into society later? What do you think?"

Is being a normal person in American society already considered a very high goal?

Although he felt a pang of regret, Lynch understood that old James was telling the truth, so he reluctantly replied:

"Hmm...maybe this is the only way?"

"In that case, let me tell you about the difficulties you will encounter as a homeless person and how to solve them."

When this topic came up, old James became very talkative and his speech became much more fluent. Clearly, he was far more familiar with the lives of the homeless than with thinking about how to reintegrate into society.

He held out three fingers:

"As a homeless person, you will mainly face three problems: disease, poverty, and gangs."

"Hunger is not often the key factor that causes the deaths of homeless people."

"You may already be experiencing the three problems I mentioned above."

Lin Qi nodded. Indeed, in the half-day since he transmigrated, he had experienced all three of these points.

If he hadn't earned $150 from completing the system task, he probably would have spent the night in hunger and cold; and without a warm tent and sleeping bag for shelter, the frostbite on his hands and feet would likely have gotten much worse.

If poverty and disease can cause such problems, then gangs are even more vulnerable.

The encounter with "war elephant" Sanjar yesterday, and the experience of Dongda student Chen Yumo, are enough to illustrate how gangs have become a malignant tumor on the streets.

Although Sanjar didn't pose a threat to Lynch for the time being because of the demeanor he created with his bluff, and even invited him to join the Razor Shields, Lynch had no liking for a gang that would use women to commit violence.

Seeing this, James nodded in satisfaction:

"All homeless people suffer from these three things, so it seems I don't need to emphasize their harm to you anymore."

"I only want to remind you of one thing: there is one thing that could simultaneously make you sick, lose your savings, and easily attract gang attention. No matter how miserable your life is, you must not touch this thing."

"You mean, the enhancer?" Lynch quickly caught up with old James's train of thought.

Old James let out a satisfied "humph" through his nostrils:

"Yes, enhancers are a more deadly killer of homeless people than Seattle winters. If a homeless person didn't use enhancers, I dare say he could live at least three more springs."

"But alas, people are now under constant pressure from the heavy burden of life, and yet tonics are so rampant on the streets. It's easier for people to buy tonics than to buy antibiotics. Even children in schools can't escape the clutches of drug dealers."

"It's a tragedy."

Lin Qi empathized deeply and replied resolutely, "Of course I understand. Even if I die, I will never touch even the slightest bit of those damned things!"

"You'd better keep that in mind."

Old James' eyes showed a hint of weariness. He coughed twice, then laughed.

"As long as you maintain this determination and avoid provoking gangs, your safety will be much easier to guarantee."

"After all, there are many food and supplies distribution points in Seattle. Even if you do nothing and just rely on receiving relief meals, it is unlikely to fill you up, but it is also unlikely to starve to death."

"At the same time, Washington state, where Seattle is located, is a completely blue state, and ICE operations there will be subject to many restrictions. You don't need to worry too much about being suddenly arrested by ICE and put in jail or deported."

"To be honest, you don't even know where you're going to be deported to... I really don't know how to describe your situation."

Lin Qi scratched his head and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Old James continued, "Anyway, all you have left to do is one thing: save up a little money to prepare for Seattle's deadly winter."

"Only by surviving the coming winter will you have a chance to shed your homeless status and reintegrate into society!"

"Otherwise, a frozen corpse has no right to talk about ideals!"

"You made the right decision to buy the tent with the money you had left yesterday."

"Given Seattle's current climate, the daytime weather isn't fatal, but temperatures plummet at night."

"Many homeless people suffer from rapid hypothermia in their sleep and die unconscious at night due to their weakened state."

"In addition, the freezing rain that often falls in Seattle at night is also extremely deadly."

"Seattle winter temperatures don't always drop below zero, but the low temperatures hovering around zero mean that it often rains extremely cold rain."

"Once exposed to such cold rain, with nowhere to change into dry clothes and regain body temperature... you can probably guess what the outcome would be, right?"

"Furthermore, due to the extremely poor infrastructure in Seattle, many areas are unable to drain rainwater quickly, which can even lead to widespread flooding within the city."

"Therefore, when it rains, remember to stay away from low-lying areas."

"Be careful of the rain in Seattle!"

Lynch understood. Old James didn't need to explain further; even with his wilderness survival knowledge, he was already aware of this.

When you are alone and stranded in the wilderness, you must try your best to avoid getting your clothes wet.

Otherwise, if a fire cannot be lit in a short time to dry the body and clothes, the survivors will only face death.

Seeing that Lynch had taken all his advice to heart, old James smiled with satisfaction:

"Very good. As long as you pay attention to the issues mentioned above, your chances of survival will be much higher than others."

"The fact that you have no past is a good thing in a way. On the bright side, at least you won't have a pre-contractor who requires you to pay $2000 a month in child support, nor a child who has taken out student loans and needs you to help pay off 60 years of debt..."

Lynch was speechless.