mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 34: His prestige among the homeless increased.
Chapter 34: His prestige among the homeless increased.
Lin Ximeng's fist hovered in mid-air as he asked, "Do you know who it is?"
The red-haired man with the earring hurriedly explained, "It's the Black Penguins—the biggest homeless group in 7th Street right now. They think you people under Bridge 39 are disobedient, so they hired a black boxer to teach you a lesson."
"Oh, that's it."
Simon Lin had already obtained information about the "black boxer" from the "Daily Intelligence" section, and Moe and Matthews had also mentioned some of it to him in 7th Street, so he wasn't too surprised to hear it now.
Instead, she looked at the red-haired man with the earring with curiosity. Why was this guy, whom she had beaten up, thinking of helping her?
After the red-haired man with the earring finished speaking, he looked up to observe Simon Lin's reaction. Seeing that the other man showed no surprise, he immediately became anxious: "It's true, I'm not lying to you. That black man is a tough guy! I heard he even killed someone in the boxing ring before being suspended and forced to retire."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ximeng didn't panic as the red-haired man with the earring had expected. Instead, he calmly asked, "So why did you specifically come all this way to tell me this? You don't want to get another beating, do you?"
"Of course not..." The red-haired man with the earring looked somewhat embarrassed and helpless.
"I'm also from 7th Street. I and the two old men in jackets and the gray-haired guy were originally part of the 'Red Dance' homeless group. We usually made a living by collecting cans and scrap."
He paused, his tone tinged with resentment, "But things aren't going well lately. The 'Black Penguin' group is expanding its territory like crazy in 7th Street. Other disobedient groups in the area are either driven out or swallowed up. We 'Red Dance' can barely collect a few cans a day now."
"I had no other choice but to come to you." He rubbed his hands together, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Yesterday I heard Isadora say that you're incredibly capable, and that you're from Bridge 39, with someone like Chris by your side. It seems like you could put up a fight against the 'Black Penguin'."
"You know Isidora?" Simon Lin raised an eyebrow.
The red-haired man with the earring immediately nodded: "Of course I know her. She's a well-known pharmaceutical dealer in our area. Homeless people buy things from her when they need gauze, disinfectant alcohol, or even some medicine."
Lin Ximeng nodded after listening, and thought to himself: It seems that his actions have given Isidora some confidence.
This guy has already started operating his business aggressively in the poor neighborhood!
This is creating a public opinion advantage for our No. 39 bridge.
That's great! Our prestige among the homeless can be boosted.
However, Lin Ximeng also knew in his heart that the red-haired man with the earring in front of him actually didn't have much confidence in himself and Camp 39. He was just desperate and regarded this as a glimmer of hope.
Lin Ximeng suddenly smirked and retorted, "Aren't you worried? What if I deal with the Black Penguin, then turn around and swallow up your 'Red Dance,' making you all work for me?"
The red-haired man with the earring didn't hesitate, answering naturally, "That's still better than being exploited by the black penguins!"
He then poured out his grievances to Simon Lin, saying that the black penguins took a 70% cut of the income from collecting cans, and the money he received wasn't even enough to buy a bottle of butter, let alone survive.
The red-haired man with the earring looked up at Simon Lin and said with certainty, "You asked us to catch cats before and were even willing to give us a dollar. I think you're a hundred times better than those scumbags from the Black Penguin gang."
As Lin Ximeng listened, he nodded to himself: Sure enough, the homeless people didn't mind working for others at all.
As long as you can help everyone make money and don't be too greedy and selfish, some people will be willing to work with you.
They can draw up promises and then distribute them; someone will always be there to bestow a golden robe upon you.
Having asked enough questions, Lin Ximeng finally asked, "What's your name?"
"Donal," the red-haired man with the earring quickly replied, then hurriedly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, wrote down a number, and handed it over.
"This is my phone number. Call me anytime if you need anything."
Lin Ximeng took the note and nodded: "Okay, I got your message. You did a good job this time, keep it up."
Upon hearing this, Donal's eyes lit up instantly. He covered his nose, which was still bleeding, and turned away with light steps.
After dealing with this minor incident, Lin Ximeng continued towards the destination where the PIT interception was scheduled to occur, as indicated in the [Daily Intelligence].
After turning a few street corners, Lin Ximeng spotted his target.
A chubby boy, wearing makeshift boxing gear, was being beaten so badly by a burly man with a big beard that he was wincing in pain.
Lin Ximeng was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that this was actually the fat boy's way of making money.
The chubby boy had all his belongings laid out on the ground next to him: a worn-out sleeping bag, a cardboard sign with crooked handwriting that read "$5 per round, 10 minutes of beatings, professional punching bag," a half-empty bottle of cheap beer, and a cloth bag full of empty cans.
Good lad, you've got a knack for making money!
Lin Ximeng stood aside and watched for a while, and soon realized that this chubby boy was quite capable:
When getting beaten, he always manages to cleverly twist his body, using his thick layer of fat to cushion the impact. He may appear to be grimacing from the blows, but in reality, he avoids vital organs and doesn't suffer any serious injuries.
"He's still a nimble chubby kid who's turned getting beaten up into a skill," Lin Ximeng muttered to himself.
By this time, the beating was over. The chubby boy's client, the burly man with the big beard, didn't immediately turn and leave. Instead, he took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, squatted down, and was about to wipe the blood from the chubby boy's nose when he said in an unusually gentle tone, "Look at you, you must be in a lot of pain. I know a gym nearby with a free shower. Do you want to come with me to wash up?"
The chubby boy seemed a little frightened and shrank back.
The burly man with the big beard leaned closer, lowering his voice even further: "I think you have a pretty good physique. If you're willing to give me a massage, I'll give you $20, which is more than you'd earn getting beaten up here for 10 minutes."
The chubby boy shook his head decisively: "No, buddy. I still have business to do here, so I won't go with you."
After the burly man with the big beard left dejectedly, Lin Ximeng walked over.
At this moment, the chubby boy was bending over to organize his belongings, and then picked up the half-empty bottle of beer and took a big gulp.
"Can you do me a favor?" Lin Ximeng asked.
The chubby boy looked up at Lin Simon, then let out a loud burp as he put down the bottle: "Forget about massages and stuff, look at this brand."
He pointed to the cardboard on the ground, "I only make money by taking beatings, I don't do anything else."
Lin Ximeng shrugged: "Don't worry, I'm Asian, not like you white people, I don't have that kind of hobby."
"I'm only half white," the chubby boy said, clearly not wanting to be misunderstood.
Then, seeing Lin Simon's signature black eyes and black hair, he relaxed a bit: "So, what do you need my help with?"
Simon Lin smiled and said directly, "Let's do it in two steps. First, I'll buy this bag of jars next to you for $5."
Upon hearing this, the chubby boy turned his head, glanced at the cloth bag full of bottles and cans at his feet, and quickly calculated in his mind: This bag only contains a few dozen plastic bottles and cans, I can make a profit of $5 without losing money.
He immediately grinned and nodded: "No problem. What's the second step?"
Simon Lin pointed across the street to a spot where several motorcycles were parked: "Look over there. If anyone goes there to steal a car, I'd like your help to catch the thief. The reward is extra—how about $20?"
The chubby boy looked in the direction Lin Ximeng pointed, and sure enough, there were several motorcycles scattered on the open space across the street, some of which looked expensive.
"That's a strange request," the chubby boy said, scratching his head. "But I agree, as long as you treat me to a meal at that all-you-can-eat burger place next door."