American homeless people, surviving in the city

Since this mission involves recruiting companions, the rewards obtained are also somewhat related to companions and allies.

But after a quick comparison of the three reward options, Lin Qi immediately understood which one he should choose.

While raising the lower limit of sanity could theoretically guarantee that Lin Qi would not fall into complete madness, the current living environment was not extreme, so Lin Qi was not worried about his sanity.

The fitness tracker was even more ridiculous; Lin Qi didn't even know which family member he could report his whereabouts to.

Therefore, he didn't even need to think carefully before choosing the last ability without hesitation.

[Elementary Barefoot Medicine]!

Practical first aid knowledge is already invaluable, and the ability to assess injuries is the icing on the cake.

After gaining this ability, Lin Qi subconsciously looked at Tang En, who was lying on the hospital bed next to him.

As he looked, a stream of data appeared out of nowhere in Lin Qi's field of vision. The stream of light shifted and finally solidified above Tang En, becoming a small line of text:

The injured person has received appropriate medical treatment. Survival probability: 35.7%, improving...

Moreover, this recovery probability is actually increasing little by little over time, reaching 36% in just a few seconds!

Lin Qi was slightly taken aback. He had thought that this so-called ability to assess injuries was just to give him some medical knowledge, which allowed him to assess injuries by observing a person's breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, pulse, and other vital signs.

Unexpectedly, this ability could directly display the survival probability of the injured as a percentage!

That $1000 was well spent!

Seeing that Tang En's survival probability, though not high at the moment, was steadily increasing after receiving treatment, Lin Qi felt much more at ease.

Faced with Gleason and Irwin's gratitude, he felt relieved and waved his hand dismissively:

"I already said... it's just an investment. But if I run into any problems, I'll definitely come to you for help, so be prepared—"

"Most importantly, you all better survive until I get into trouble! Understand?"

"Understood, Mr. Lynch!...No, Boss Lynch!"

The two relaxed considerably, and Gleeson even changed how he addressed Lynch, just like Raul had.

"...Don't call me that, it sounds really weird!"

After exchanging a few lighthearted jokes, Lin Qi took out his phone to check the time, then looked up at the two of them:

"It's getting late. Now that everything is arranged, I should probably leave. Will you continue to guard this place?"

"Of course," Gleeson nodded calmly, "We'll stay here with Ton the whole time."

"I'll buy you some food later and bring it over. Then I'll head back to the greenbelt camp." Lin Qi waved his hand. "Call me if you need anything."

"I understand. Thank you for being there this time. I won't bother you again unless it's absolutely necessary."

The two exchanged contact information, and then Lynch and Raul walked out of the small, cramped, and illegal clinic.

After hastily buying some hamburgers and fries nearby for dinner, and also getting one for each of the three programmers, Lynch and his companion headed towards the small campsite in the greenbelt.

Seattle was now completely dark.

Although it didn't rain tonight, the damp wind made Lin Qi feel even colder than yesterday.

The night sky was pitch black, with hardly any stars in sight. Only a lonely, cold moon hung in the dark expanse, emitting a dim light.

Shops on the street have been decorated with all sorts of ghost and pumpkin-shaped ornaments, reminding passersby that Halloween, the most important holiday at the end of November, is approaching.

Lin Qi wasn't thinking about Halloween at all; he was reflecting on what he had seen and heard that day.

The lavish headquarters of the gang, the Visario, the driver's license, the patients in the shady clinic, and the doctor's words... the huge contrast between what he saw and heard had a tremendous impact on Lynch's previous outlook on life, and his chaotic thoughts left him with little interest in speaking.

For some reason, Raul, unusually, kept quiet, and the two walked most of the way in silence under the cover of night.

As they walked, Lin Qi finally spoke first:

"Raul."

"Boss, what's wrong?" Raul's voice was very soft, completely lacking his usual chattering enthusiasm.

Lynch was still lost in his thoughts and didn't notice Raul's change. He simply continued to ask:

"You've been living on the streets of America for quite a while now, haven't you? What do you think happens to us homeless people after we die?"

"Huh?" Raul didn't quite understand Lynch's question.

Lin Qi realized that his question seemed a bit vague, so he quickly added an explanation:

"What I mean is, in my hometown... I've always thought that people should be buried after they die, that lying in the ground after they die is like wiping away everything from their life. I haven't thought about why... but it just feels very reassuring."

"I always thought that Americans were like that too. I often saw facilities like cemeteries behind churches in American TV shows... I thought everyone was the same."

"But in the past two days, I've seen many different scenes on the streets."

"When I saw that you threw Old Tom into the bushes after he died, I just felt sorry for him, but I didn't think much of it."

"But today, when I met Tang En, and those people who, even with serious illnesses, could only be at the mercy of that doctor in the shady clinic, I suddenly realized that perhaps that is the fate of the vast majority of people on the streets."

"What would have happened to Tang En if I hadn't intervened today? What would have become of these people on the street after they died?"

Raul's eyebrows drooped, and he sighed softly:

"What else can we do? It's all the same – we'll all die anyway."

"People like Tang En, who still have a few friends, might be taken to some church or charity. But they won't get a proper burial. Those organizations will collect a batch of homeless corpses, cremate them together, and then put them in a small jar."

"The bodies of those who died violently on the roadside without friends might be taken by the county medical examiner's office or taken by other homeless people... but in the end they will all be sold to companies that specialize in the corpse economy and become biological consumables—it's just that the people who get the money are different."

"If it gets even worse... I've heard that those who die from overdoses of steroids are sold off by other addicts to black market dealers who specialize in collecting such corpses."

"Because, it is said, that such deceased individuals ingested too many enhancers before their death, leaving a significant amount of enhancer components in their bones... those black market dealers will extract the enhancers from their corpses and sell them to drug addicts."

"This is the cycle of life and death on the streets."

As he spoke, Raul chuckled helplessly, "As for what you said about being buried in peace... that's too much of a luxury for people like us."

"This... is too cruel." Lin Qi couldn't help but shake his head.

"Cruel...?" Raul was stunned when he heard Lynch's exclamation.

A few seconds later, he pondered the word for a long time, then smiled and sighed, "I haven't used this word in a long time, so long that I may have forgotten what cruelty really feels like."

Lynch finally realized that Raul's mood seemed a bit off as well. He blinked and tentatively asked:

"What's wrong with you? This way of talking isn't like you at all. What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood because of seeing Tang En?"

"It wasn't there originally... but..."

Raul nodded frankly, picking up the trash from the street as he carefully considered his words:

"Well, I only started to feel a little uneasy when I saw that you actually spent a thousand dollars on Tang En."

"What? You're not jealous, are you? I'm warning you, I'm straight." Lin Qi joked.

"That's not what I meant!" Raul glared at him, then his tone softened. "I... don't know how to explain it."

"Okay, let me ask you first, what made you decide to give Tang En that thousand dollars?"