pertwk Chapter 6 Joining the Camp, Watching the Show
Chapter 6 Joining the Camp, Watching the Show
"Alright, alright," Max said, seeing that everyone had sold out of their canisters and Lin Simon had received his sleeping bag, and started to shoo everyone away.
"Hurry up and leave once you've counted all the money. If I'm a step later, the back row of the male model show will be filled with old ladies holding teddy bears."
Lin Ximeng and the other two were pushed out the door by her, and they saw her quickly close the door, humming an unknown tune as she strode away.
Max had only walked about ten meters when she suddenly turned back and loudly said to Simon Lin:
"By the way, welcome to Los Angeles. I hope you can find a draft-free place to sleep soundly tonight."
After saying that, without waiting for Lin Ximeng's response, she turned and disappeared around the street corner, probably because she was really afraid of missing the male model's appearance.
"Tch, why should she worry about it?" Gloria curled her lip towards the direction of the roller shutter.
"The environment at our campsite is much better than those cheap rental apartments."
She turned to look at Simon Lin, her tone filled with obvious expectation: "Seriously, our place is the best homeless encampment in Los Angeles. You'll join, right?"
After witnessing Simon Lin's muscles and strength, Gloria was very much looking forward to Simon Lin becoming a part of their team.
For homeless people on the street, nothing makes them feel safer than a fist the size of a sandbag.
Lin Ximeng asked, "Are there many people in your camp? Is it so crowded that there's not even room to turn over?"
He had previously seen several corners on the street where homeless people huddled together, with more than a dozen people squeezed together, and even their breathing smelled of crowding.
"Squeezed? No way!" Gloria immediately waved her hand. "We live under Bridge No. 39. Even with you, it's spacious enough and we can keep out the wind and rain."
Riley nodded vigorously beside him, adding, "And the people in our camp are very generous, often sharing the food and supplies they get from the welfare station. It's just... it's just that there's been a bit of trouble lately."
He was halfway through his sentence when Gloria nudged him with her elbow, and he scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.
"trouble?"
Lin Ximeng caught the key words, and seeing Riley's hesitant expression and the desire for him to join in their eyes, he understood a thing or two.
It's nothing more than some friction between homeless people on the street. I have an intelligence system, so I don't need to worry about these things at all.
For me, the most important thing is to find a good campsite to join so that I can get a good rest every day.
He had observed Riley and Gloria. Although they were both homeless, compared to ordinary people, their clothes were only a bit old, but their mental state was much better than those who had previously shared donuts with him.
This suggests that their camp must have been quite good.
"Understood. We'll discuss the details later," Lin Ximeng said confidently.
"Take me to your camp first."
"Great! Simon, come with me!" Riley cheered and immediately led the way for Simon Lin.
Lin Ximeng followed the two men, walked through several streets, and turned a corner piled with discarded tires before finally seeing the No. 39 bridge.
The archway was more spacious than I had imagined, with five tents scattered around, yet still plenty of room to spare.
Near the bridge pillar, along the wall, there are quite a few everyday tools neatly arranged.
There were also several brooms among them, and the cleanliness of the surrounding ground indicated that the campsite was regularly cleaned.
"How was it? Better than you expected, right?"
Gloria parked her shopping cart at the edge of the underpass. "We spread cardboard we found on the ground and then put old blankets on top. It's much more comfortable than sleeping on the street. Last time it rained heavily, the homeless people on the next street were huddled in the open air, but we can roast some marshmallows here."
She pointed proudly to the side of the broom, where a mini barbecue grill sat—clearly a luxury in the lives of homeless people.
"I see five tents here. Besides the two of you, where are the others?"
Lin Ximeng was satisfied with the current state of the camp. The next step was to find out about the composition of the camp's personnel.
After all, as far as he knew, there were quite a few homeless people in Los Angeles who were enthusiasts of enhancement drugs, and their bodies were covered with needle marks.
Riley and Gloria looked perfectly normal, and Simon Lin certainly didn't want his other three roommates to be covered in that unbearable odor.
"If he's not here, he's probably out collecting cans," Riley said, looking around.
"But that's not necessarily true. We have a roommate who prefers to earn money by begging."
After saying that, he added, "But don't worry, nobody here has the habit of using enhancement agents."
Through the process of getting to know him, Riley also came to understand some of Simon Lin's concerns.
Lin Ximeng nodded, relieved. Begging seemed like a proper job for a homeless person. He had thought they were all just idle people collecting bottles.
"By the way, Simon, there's something you need to be careful about," Riley said, his expression turning serious.
"This area is considered one of the poorest streets in Los Angeles."
"Generally speaking, Los Angeles police officers ignore our area, which means we are free and largely unrestrained."
"However, we must never provoke the gangs."
Riley continued:
"There's a 'Tumor Gang' in this area, and a small branch of the Blood Gang as well."
"They are different from us homeless people. They organize women to engage in prostitution, buy and sell marijuana, and smuggle illegal immigrants. They have no bottom line when it comes to making money."
"Most of these gangs have guns and have a history of killing people."
After Riley's explanation, Simon Lin had a general understanding.
These dilapidated streets of Los Angeles are home to at least dozens of gangs, large and small, the most notorious and dangerous of which are the Tumor Gang and the Blood Gang.
Although both can be considered homeless, the homeless are at best sheep, while gangs are wolves with green eyes.
Normally, if there's no conflict, it's fine, but if some clueless homeless person provokes a gang, the other side won't hesitate to fight.
Gloria added, "And then there's that group of homeless people on 7th Street. They recently tried to rob our underpass, and I heard they're connected to the Tumor Gang."
"We have a big, fit guy at our camp named Chris. He used to keep the homeless people in check in the other neighborhoods, but lately..."
Before Gloria could finish speaking, she heard a quarrel coming from a tent behind her.
Lin Ximeng looked in the direction of the sound and saw the zipper of the black tent on the left suddenly ripped open with a "rip".
A white woman with long blonde hair and bangs emerged, carrying a canvas bag with the opening open, presumably containing some clothes and daily necessities.
The woman was wearing a white tank top. Although her face looked a little haggard, her cheeks were still rosy and she was not bad-looking. However, her expression was cold, and she was clearly in a bad mood.
Immediately afterwards, a white man wearing a gym vest chased after them out of the tent.
The white man is over 1.9 meters tall, and his most obvious features are his massive and exaggerated chest and biceps, clearly indicating that he is a fitness enthusiast.
The white-clad man was wearing a mask, and his eyes showed signs of fatigue and drowsiness.
"This is Chris, and his girlfriend Isidora."
Riley briefly explained to Simon Lin, but before he could even say hello, he heard the two of them start arguing.
"Can you stop fooling yourself?"
The woman named Isidora slung her canvas bag over her shoulder, her voice full of impatience. "Those guys from Seventh Street were spying again yesterday. You can't even lift a can of food, and you say you can protect the camp?"
"I just haven't been in good shape lately!" Chris clenched his fists, his arm muscles tensing but lacking their usual explosiveness. "Give me a few more days, and I'll regain my strength—"
"Come on, Chris," Isidora rolled her eyes. "This camp is a piece of meat right now, with the Tumor Gang and the Seventh Street gang eyeing it. I don't want to be forced to sleep outdoors with you."
Lin Ximeng and the others stood there stunned. Riley muttered under his breath, "Weren't they eating pizza together yesterday...?"
Gloria frowned, about to offer some advice, when she saw Isidora shake off Chris and head out of the camp. But as she passed the three of them, Isidora's gaze suddenly fell on Simon Lin.
"New here?" Isidora looked Simon Lin up and down. "If you ever need to forge an identity or get some emergency medicine, come to me. I can give you a discount. They know how to contact me."
After saying that, she turned and glanced back at Chris, but ultimately said nothing more and left.
"Isidora..." Chris, who had looked tall and mighty, turned pale and listless as he watched his girlfriend's departing figure.
"How exciting, we just arrived and already ran into a couple breaking up?"
Lin Simon instinctively smelled the gossip and turned to look at Riley and Gloria, who were indeed already gossiping.