America: Daily Intelligence Starting with the Homeless

Chapter 13: An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Friend, Demonstrating Leadership

As security guard Tom spoke, his voice softened considerably: "Actually... Emily is my distant niece. She just graduated from nursing school last year and wanted to come and help out at the shelter. Lately, she's been working herself to the bone and has developed dark circles under her eyes."

After saying that, he picked up the roll of tape and posted the notices elsewhere. After taking a few steps, he turned back and shouted, "If you find it, I'll treat you to hot cocoa, the kind with two swirls of cream."

Lin Ximeng waved his hand, watching Tom's figure disappear into the alley, thinking to himself: It has indeed been a while since I've had hot cocoa. I didn't think much of it before, but since someone is treating me today, I'm definitely going to drink it.

Leaving the shelter, following the information in the intelligence report: "Abandoned phone booth next to Magros Avenue," Simon Lin turned into a narrow alley.

The alley was filled with old mattresses and broken sofas, and the air was thick with the smell of mildew and the greasy odor of fast food containers.

Walking all the way to the end, I finally saw a rusty phone booth with most of the glass broken. Inside was a cardboard box with "Walmart" printed on it, lined with a faded red sweater. It looked perfect as a cat bed.

As soon as Simon approached, a shadow darted out of the cardboard box with a "meow," its tricolored fur shimmering in the sunlight, the small patch of fur missing from its left ear particularly noticeable—it was the stray cat that security guard Tom had mentioned.

Lin Ximeng's eyes lit up, and he immediately stared at its left hind paw: a shimmering silver bracelet was wrapped around its ankle, swaying back and forth with the cat's movements, and still had some yarn stuck to it.

"Come here, sweetie."

Lin Ximeng tiptoed down and slowly squatted down, intending to reach out and grab the cat when it wasn't looking.

But the cat was very wary. He had only reached halfway when the cat jumped onto the old washing machine next to him with a "whoosh," its tail held high and baring its teeth at him, while the chain around its ankle swung even more enthusiastically.

He tried to go around to the other side of the washing machine, but the cat nimbly jumped back into the cardboard box, its paws gripping the edge, tilting its head to look at him as if in provocation.

Lin Ximeng was a little helpless. He hadn't had this much trouble dealing with the red-haired man last time. This cat was even more troublesome than a street thug.

He patted his pocket and suddenly remembered the half-eaten ham he had left over from this morning. He quickly took it out, tore it into small pieces, and placed them next to the cardboard box: "Here, eat this. It's better than the hard bread in your bunk."

The cat stared at the ham and sniffed it, making a "gurgling" sound in its throat, but it didn't get down immediately. Instead, it moved closer, and the chain on its left hind paw rubbed against the cardboard box wall, making a slight sound.

Lin Ximeng held his breath and slowly took two steps back—he knew the cat was very wary, and if he pressed it too hard, it would run away.

Sure enough, seeing him step back, the cat hesitated for a moment, then finally jumped down, picked up a small piece of ham, and hid back in the cardboard box, its paws still trying to pull the rest of the ham back into its nest.

Lin Ximeng looked at the bracelet that was showing when it ate, thinking to himself: at least it didn't run far. Once it finished eating the ham and relaxed its guard, he would find a chance to take the bracelet off.

Lin Ximeng was leaning against the phone booth, staring at the cat in the cardboard box, when a series of loud, boisterous voices suddenly drifted from the alley entrance, mixed with the clinking of beer cans:

"If that Asian kid lets me get away with this again, I'll tear his bag to shreds! I wasn't careful with that punch last time; if we really fought, he might not be a match for me!"

The voice sounded very familiar—Lin Simon turned around and, sure enough, saw the red-haired man with the earring squatting next to the trash can, his red-haired head nestled between the gray-haired man and two old white men, clutching a dented beer can in his hand, spitting everywhere.

The older white man in the ripped green jacket quickly chimed in, "Exactly! Do you think the three of us are afraid of just one guy? Next time we see him, we'll just rob all his cans."

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Another older white man in a red jacket, clutching a Bible, nodded, but his eyes darted around, clearly lacking confidence.

Lin Ximeng raised an eyebrow and slowly walked over.

Just as the red-haired man with the earring was about to continue blowing, he caught a glimpse of the man's shoes out of the corner of his eye. The beer can fell to the ground with a "clatter," and the red-haired man instantly bristled as if he had been burned: "W-what are you doing here?"

The gray-haired man was even more audacious; in his frantic attempt to hide behind a trash can, he knocked over a nearby garbage bag, and a foul stench immediately wafted over.

"What are you talking about? It's so lively."

Lin Ximeng stopped in front of them, his gaze sweeping over the beer cans on the ground. "Shall we talk about the last time we picked up cans, or how we're going to 'tear my bag apart' next time?"

The two elderly white men quickly waved their hands, the one in the red jacket even holding up a Bible: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! We were just talking nonsense because we were high on ecstasy, please don't take it to heart."

The gray-haired man, hearing what the man in the red jacket said, became puzzled: "But that doesn't make sense, does it? We haven't earned enough money to buy leaves today, have you two secretly gone to buy leaves?"

Upon hearing this, the two white-haired old men stared blankly at the gray-haired man with an expression as if he were a fool, making the latter feel a little uneasy.

The red-haired man with the earring swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand up straight: "Who, who's bragging? I was just... I was just talking to them about street safety."

Before he could finish speaking, the cat in the cardboard box suddenly meowed, its voice so crisp it startled him.

Lin Ximeng pointed to the cardboard box next to the phone booth: "Perfect timing, I have a job here. You guys help me catch that cat, and I'll pretend I didn't hear that 'bragging' from earlier. Otherwise..."

Upon hearing this, the group immediately deflated.

The red-haired man with the earring nodded immediately: "Catching cats, huh? Easy! I used to catch mice when I was a kid."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed toward the cardboard box, but the cat suddenly jumped out and bumped right into his chest. Its claws also hooked his earring, making him yell out in pain. His red fur became a mess, like a bird's nest.

"Be gentle, don't scare the cat away."

Lin Ximeng shouted.

The gray-haired man and two older white men quickly surrounded him, trying to form a "circle"—but the gray-haired man tripped over his own feet and fell on his butt.

The two older white men got so close that their heads bumped together with a "thud," and they clutched their foreheads and grimaced.

The cat seemed amused, darting among them, its left hind paw chain jingling blindingly. It would occasionally stop and bare its teeth at the red-haired man with the earring, as if mocking him.

"Damn it, this cat's become a spirit!" the red-haired man with the earring shouted angrily, rubbing his ear that had been scratched.

Lin Ximeng had no choice but to take out the remaining half of the ham from his pocket, tear it into small pieces, and scatter them on the ground: "Don't force it, use this to lure it."

The cat smelled the ham and stopped making a fuss. It slowly came closer and, as it lowered its head to eat, its tail swayed gently.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Ximeng circled around behind it, his fingers quickly hooking the bracelet on its ankle, and with a gentle tug—the gleaming silver chain was instantly in his hand, with the letters "E.J" engraved on the inside.

"Done."

Lin Ximeng put the bracelet in his pocket, glanced at the four people squatting on the ground panting, took out four one-dollar bills from the $24 he had just received, and handed them over, "Tip on your hard work, buy a Coke."

The red-haired man with the earring took the money, his eyes lighting up, all his previous arrogance gone: "Th-thank you, brother! Next time you need work, just let us know."

The gray-haired man and the two elderly white men quickly expressed their gratitude.

Lin Ximeng waved and turned to walk towards the shelter. Behind him, the red-haired man with the earring shouted, "Bro, if you need to catch a cat next time, come find us. We live in this neighborhood."

He couldn't help but laugh—these unlucky bastards were much better at bragging than catching cats.

[Activate Skill: Street Command lv.0 (Beginner) - Your personal leadership can help homeless people cooperate better as a team, suitable for group combat, team sports, etc.]