American homeless people, surviving in the city

After hiking across two blocks, Lynch returned to his camp in the greenbelt.

The walk outside didn't take too long, and it was still morning when we returned to the camp.

The weather in Seattle is a bit better today than yesterday, with only a few stingy rays of sunlight piercing through the hazy clouds and sparsely sprinkling onto the ground.

But compared to yesterday, the outdoor light was already quite good, so Lin Qi immediately began to work on his task.

He took off his newly bought secondhand sneakers, and then peeled off his socks, which were dry, smelly, and stiff from his feet. The terrible scene that had been hidden inside the shoes and socks was revealed to him.

Lin Qi's feet were visible; the skin on the insteps and sides had turned an unsightly black, and felt unusually stiff to the touch.

The stiff, dark texture of the skin is not like a healthy callus, which is the result of the skin actively thickening to cope with external friction. Rather, it is because the skin, which should be delicate, is repeatedly stimulated by cold. The surface cells gradually die due to the low temperature, leaving only a layer of unprotected remains. The flesh underneath can no longer be protected and is exposed nakedly to the invasion of pathogens.

Multiple cracks have appeared on this black, hardened skin, and blisters have repeatedly grown in many places. These blisters are then rubbed open during walking, leaving behind only festering, bloody holes.

Lin Qi could only console himself that at least the hygiene of this body was acceptable, preventing these warm, broken areas from becoming a breeding ground for fly larvae.

Otherwise, what if you pulled up the sock and saw a bunch of white disco sticks crawling into the wound...?

Just imagining that scene made Lin Qi feel his sanity dropping.

After checking the condition of his feet, Lin Qi first lit a campfire in the gasoline can and gently warmed his feet to soften the frozen, blackened skin.

Then, alcohol was applied to both feet for disinfection. The tweezers and knife were heated in a fire, cooled, and then disinfected with alcohol.

Finally, the most challenging step for Lynch's will came.

Clean away the rotten flesh!

Based on the idea that a short pain is worse than a long one, Lin Qi gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, inserted the tip of the knife into the oozing pus and blood hole, aiming at the surrounding rotten flesh.

Find the right angle and push upwards with all your might!

A piece of blackened, rotten flesh was lifted by the blade and fell onto the fire-lit ground nearby.

The good news is that the newly purchased scalpel is sharp enough that he won't have to cut himself with a dull knife.

The blood vessels near the wound were already blocked due to inflammation and pus, so not many drops of blood flowed out after the incision.

But the nerves around him were truly severed with that cut, and Lin Qi's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Even so, Lin Qi gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

His eyes were wide open, bloodshot, as he stared intently at the frostbite wound.

Holding tweezers in her left hand and a knife in her right, even though both hands were trembling from the pain, the position and angle of her force were still precise each time she made a cut.

Soon, the rotten flesh around the wounds on his foot was completely cleaned up.

Although the minor surgery only took a few minutes, it felt like several years had passed.

In the past, the cruelest torture he had ever endured—removing plasters from hairy skin—was far less agonizing than this surgery!

Despite being drenched in sweat, Lin Qi couldn't help but smile broadly as he looked at his feet, which had been treated.

Finally, use a small piece of clean gauze soaked in alcohol to carefully wipe away any dirt around the chilblain wounds, then wrap both feet in layers of gauze.

Lynch's simple survival-themed frostbite treatment is now complete.

Next, just keep your feet warm and wait for the wound to heal slowly.

After the surgery, Lin Qi slumped to the ground, leaning against a low tree in front of the tent, stretching his feet out next to a burning gasoline drum to warm them, while panting heavily.

His body was exhausted from forcing himself to stay focused despite the pain. He had no choice but to swallow two painkillers before he gradually felt the stinging pain in his feet lessen and finally regained some strength.

As the pain ceased to torment his mind, Lynch gradually realized a problem:

Is this kind of treatment sufficient to accomplish the system's task for treating chilblains?

Fortunately, before the anxiety of gain or loss could settle, a system notification popped up at that very moment:

[Congratulations, player! You have successfully completed the daily quest: Cleanse Frostbite!]

[Mission complete. Please choose one of the following rewards to claim!]

[Optional:]

[A. Constitution Limit +2 (When you're in dire straits, the only thing you can trust is your own body)]

B. A diesel generator. (If you can find diesel fuel, it will be very useful.)

[C. Survival expert: You are less likely to feel hungry or thirsty. (If you can't increase the rate at which you obtain food, then slow down the rate at which you feel hungry.)]

When Lin Qi saw the mission reward, an overwhelming sense of joy welled up inside him.

The daily missions I applied for in an environment with a "high" survival difficulty level indeed yielded very generous rewards!

Not only has the attribute bonus provided by option A been increased to 2 points,

The rewards for options B and C are also significantly more valuable than before.

Faced with such a generous reward, Lin Qi was momentarily at a loss.

Option B can be eliminated first. Although a diesel generator is very valuable, it can greatly improve one's life if it can generate electricity.

But Lynch simply cannot afford to spend his already meager funds on diesel fuel!

Choosing a diesel generator should only be done after he has a fixed camp and a stable income.

Lynch was most conflicted about options A and C.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to choose option A.

While the hunger-endurance abilities provided by the "Survival Master" skill are very useful, considering that there are already many relief distribution points on the streets of Seattle, according to Old James, it's unlikely that homeless people would die of hunger on the streets solely.

Therefore, this skill is not actually that crucial.

On the contrary, the 2 points of physique provided by option A are enough to pull Lin Qi from a pitiful 3 points of physique level back to the 5 points of physique level that an ordinary person should have!

According to Lynch's experience, physical condition is not only related to one's vitality, but also closely related to one's strength, running speed, endurance and immunity!

These two physical strengths could very well allow him to survive a serious illness or escape a crisis!

Having figured out the pros and cons, Lynch quickly made a decision.

As the rewards panel vanished, accompanied by a crisp sound, Lin Qi's character panel also changed:

[Constitution: 2/3] Up! → [Constitution: 4/5]!

A warm current instantly filled Lin Qi's entire body. As the warm current slowly dissipated, Lin Qi clearly felt that his hands had become stronger, and his body was no longer so thin, but had become more solid.

While not reaching the level of a professional athlete, he has already reached the physical fitness level of a healthy ordinary person.

What surprised Lynch even more was that

As the warm current strengthened Lynch's body, it seemed to also affect the wounds on his feet.

When the warm current dissipated, the stinging pain in my feet also disappeared!

Could it be...?

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Qi quickly took off his shoes and unwrapped the gauze that had been wrapped just a few minutes earlier.

The wounds on his feet that had once looked shocking had almost completely disappeared.

Although it was not completely healed, tender, fresh flesh had already grown out of those blood holes!