pjbooks Chapter 11 Main Quest and Soul Mentor
Chapter 11 Main Quest and Soul Mentor
With the help of their good neighbor Jimmy, the two quickly set up their tent.
Lying in this simple, makeshift shelter, Mark Jie couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn't exactly in a great mood, but at least he felt much more at ease.
Soon, he dreamed that he had achieved the so-called American Dream.
Luxury cars and yachts, mansions and beautiful women, playing golf and equestrian training when you have nothing to do, taking a private jet to Las Vegas, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in one hand at the card table, and then turning around and leaving without even blinking an eye.
"Jack, Jack..."
In a daze, I heard someone calling me. I opened my eyes, which were a little sticky, and saw Jimmy leaning in like a cuckoo in a vintage alarm clock.
I couldn't be bothered with him, so I changed my sleeping position and continued dreaming. I'm already down on my luck on the streets, what's the point of time management? I might as well slow down calorie consumption by lying around like a corpse.
"Hey bro, give me some face, okay? I've always been the record holder for the latest wake-up time in this camp. You can't just steal my title as the King of Lazy Sleepers on your first day here."
The King of Lazy Sleepers? What's so great about that? Will the California government give me a bonus for it?
Seeing that he still showed no intention of getting up, Jimmy shrugged helplessly.
"Okay, actually I just came to ask you if you want to have breakfast with me. According to reliable sources, the McDonald's food truck will arrive at the shelter at 545 Slums Street around 11:30 today to distribute beef patties, vegetable salads, and boxed milk provided by Sam's Club to the homeless."
He touched his empty stomach and thought about the only $4 left in his pocket.
Ma Jieke, like a carp... The bear rolled over and sat up on the makeshift moisture-proof mat made of corrugated cardboard, covered with a piece of tattered cloth he had picked up from the camp.
It's a bit miserable, but it's still better than hiding in a bridge hole like a savage. We can upgrade and renovate it slowly when we have some income.
After smelling the short-sleeved shirt that was hanging on my head with a homemade wire hanger, I made sure I could wear it for another day before putting it on.
Stepping out of the tent, the campsite was unusually quiet, a stark contrast to the chaotic scene of the previous night.
At this hour, they've probably all gone out to find food. You can't rely on photosynthesis to maintain your vital signs, can you?
June in Los Angeles is not hot; the sunshine on your face is even quite pleasant.
Leaving the camp and walking along the asphalt-smelling bike path, Majek greeted all the carbon-based creatures he encountered with enthusiasm.
"Good morning, sir. How was your day?"
Good morning, ma'am. You look radiant.
Good morning, little one. I wish you success in your studies.
Good morning, little sparrow. I hope you won't get eaten today.
The reason is that a new day has arrived, and the daily tasks have been refreshed again.
[Main Quest: Greet 30 different strangers, current progress 11/30] Reward Value: ★
[Side Quest: Earn $100 within 24 hours, expires after 24 hours] Settlement Value: ★★☆
[Challenge Mission: Drive across Highway 1 at a speed of at least 240 mph] Value: ★★★★★
After observing for the past few days, Ma Jieke has basically figured out the game mechanics.
Simply put, the tasks refresh every 24 hours, and the content is completely random, but it will not remove ongoing non-time-limited tasks.
The main quests have a guaranteed minimum reward system, so you're unlikely to get stuck if you're determined to complete them.
The side quests are quite challenging; so far, MaJack has never completed one.
As for the challenge missions, just take them with a grain of salt; they don't meet any prerequisites.
You want me to drive across Highway 1? Then where is my car? There's a limit to being funny, you know.
"Jack, it's almost noon, are you still jet-lagged?"
Seeing him constantly greeting strangers with "good morning," Jimmy felt extremely embarrassed and just kept rummaging through the trash cans on the street. Occasionally, he would pick up a lone aluminum can and happily stuff it into his woven bag.
"Dude, you need to learn to carry a big bag with you, just like me. Who goes into the jungle without buying equipment?"
Glancing at his so-called equipment, Ma Jie asked curiously, "How much money can you make in a day by collecting these cans?"
"Hard to say." Jimmy pursed his lips. "There used to be quite a lot. Max led us to take over several streets. I remember the day we made the most, more than $2000, because besides the cans, I also found a professional baseball card. That was my luckiest day."
"But then," he sighed, "a traitor appeared in the camp and betrayed Max's itinerary. In order to rescue her, we were forced to move out of the poor streets. But the Blood Gang didn't get away with it either. Before they could even get comfortable, they were scattered by the newly formed AKA Hellfire."
"I've seen the organization you mentioned; it seems to be entirely composed of Black people?"
"That's right." Jimmy grimaced helplessly. "That group has a gang background, and they even have guns. Maybe drugs aren't selling well now, so they've switched to scrap metal recycling. Who knows? Anyway, the days of freely entering different neighborhoods to open treasure chests like before are over."
"There are two missing homeless men in the camp. It is said that they were killed by those blacks because they broke the rules and took things that they shouldn't have taken."
"That's an exaggeration?" Upon hearing this, Ma Jie frowned. "Losing just a few jars doesn't warrant killing someone, does it?"
"You don't understand, I'll tell you when we get back."
As Jimmy spoke, he walked over to a middle-aged couple who were having a picnic with their child on the lawn by the roadside. The couple kindly let him take all the empty drink bottles and handed him a clean hot dog sausage.
"You eat, Jack, I'm not that hungry yet."
"Thanks, brother. I won't stand on ceremony then." Smelling the aroma of the sausage, Ma Jie took it and stuffed it into his mouth. The oil and meaty fragrance instantly filled his entire mouth.
"Where were we? Oh right, AKA Hellfire." He slung the woven bag over his shoulder and rubbed his slightly stuffy nose. "You think they're just collecting cans? Skid Row has no shortage of addicts. Those drug addicts get their welfare money and the first thing they do is buy marijuana. Controlling that area is like opening up a seller's market—a fixed amount of money, a fixed supply, a fixed consumer base. Do you understand what I mean?"
Holy crap! This is neoliberal capitalism! These days, even to be a thug, you need to be educated. If you don't understand economics, you can't survive just by fighting and killing.
Throughout their conversation, Ma Jie learned a lot of street survival skills from Jimmy, and he was only a few points away from completing the main quest.
A dozen minutes later, the two walked to the nearest subway station. Ma Jie was about to take the initiative to buy tickets to repay the young man for his generous teaching.
Jimmy threw his luggage over first, then deftly flipped over the ticket machine with one hand.
Passersby gave him unfriendly looks and moved away with disgust, as if they were afraid of being infected with the disease called "poverty".
But the kid didn't care at all, and grinned at the bewildered MaJack: "Come on, bro, don't feel guilty, old Biden has already paid for us."