pjbooks Chapter 113 Los Angeles: The Rise of the Dark Knight
Chapter 113 Los Angeles: The Rise of the Dark Knight
Chapter 113 Los Angeles: The Rise of the Dark Knight
Driven by a strong desire to explore, Ma Jie ventured deep into the Fifth Street.
This is the busiest section of SkidRow's three main blocks, and also the area with the most homeless people.
The roadside was lined with all sorts of tents, stretching as far as the eye could see.
There are many beggars on the street, brazenly weaving through traffic lights and knocking on car windows, waiting for kind people to give them alms.
Several gang members sat on a broken sofa in the corner, sunbathing while waiting for drug addicts who had received their relief funds to come and buy their goods.
When they saw Ma Jieke pass by, one of the black gang leaders came up to greet him politely.
The Qiaobang and the gang have different divisions of labor, so there is no conflict of interest between them.
When people are out on the street, everyone is trying to make money, and the best situation is for them to keep to themselves and not interfere with each other.
Of course, peaceful coexistence must be based on strength.
If it weren't for those previous fierce battles, who the hell would mourn you? A homeless leader, does he even deserve to sit at the same table with us?
In present-day Los Angeles, or even in America as a whole, there are almost no major gangs left; the era of the Mafia is long gone.
Instead, there are countless small groups, ranging from three to five people to dozens of people.
A bunch of greenhorns can just grab a few guns and declare themselves king.
After all, this isn't Mexico or Colombia, where everything is still dominated by politicians and tycoons.
After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries with this guy, bumping fists, and saying goodbye, we parted ways.
I continued cycling through the streets and soon arrived at a city square.
From a distance, I could see many passersby who looked like tourists, taking pictures with their phones and occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.
Ma Jie rode up to them and curiously pushed through the crowd to take a look.
Good heavens! Two naked women covered in body paint are lying on a bench, striking all sorts of alluring poses.
There was also a prominent sign next to it: Free to watch, 5 yuan for a photo.
The key point is that quite a few people went up to take photos with the animals, mostly older men who were there to satisfy their curiosity.
Holy crap: What kind of brand new gameplay is this?
However, in the eyes of a considerable number of people, this is art. You're overthinking it; that's your heart.
After enjoying the view for a while, Ma Jie turned to another group of people.
This time it was a bit more normal; it was a magician performing close-up magic, using playing cards and various magic props to completely fool passersby.
Finally, he took off his top hat to ask for money, and Ma Jie generously tossed him two coins.
Not far away, some people were creating chalk drawings on the ground, some were quickly drawing cartoon portraits for tourists, and others were dressed up as clowns, skillfully performing juggling tricks.
The most unusual one was a guy who looked quite颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being decadent, dispirited, or颓废) and claimed to be a wandering poet who could write impromptu poems for people in need.
I stood by and watched for a while, and found that what he wrote was not bad, but only slightly better than AI-generated content.
Just as Ma Jieke was confused, a burst of cheerful music immediately drew his attention.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the same Gypsy girl named Mia from before, along with her silly younger brother Daniel who used a paint bucket as a drum set.
The girl was still dressed in the same bohemian style performance outfit as before.
A brightly colored printed headscarf was wrapped around her fluffy, wavy orange hair, and a gold coin hair chain jingled with her movements.
The skirt is sewn with sequins and bells, creating a crisp rhythm and dazzling sparkle with every kick and spin.
It's impossible for such a performance to be bad; just watching the little girls dance is pleasing to the eye enough.
Onlookers took out their phones to take pictures, and the guitar case used to receive tips was already piled high with coins and banknotes.
After the song ended, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead and bowed to thank the kind people who were still giving her tips.
"Business is good, Mia." Someone walked up to her and greeted her, then smiled at her brother, who looked very happy.
"Brother Jack, you're here." Mia said with a smile when she saw Jack Ma coming over. "I haven't properly thanked you for helping me out last time. Let me treat you to something to drink after the performance."
"Hey, let bygones be bygones, don't keep bringing it up." Ma Jie said nonchalantly, but at the same time, he was puzzled: "What's with these street performers? Did you hire them all?"
"That's right." Mia nodded smugly. "It's the weekend today, so I planned a group performance. The advantage of doing this is that it can quickly attract a large audience, which is much better than each of us acting alone."
Wow... That's a clever idea. From the audience's perspective, that's definitely the case.
If you see a street performer performing on the roadside, you might not be very interested, but if there is not only a singer, but also dance, magic, and juggling, the appeal will increase exponentially.
Even if you're not interested in any of this, you'll still stop to watch the excitement.
It's okay if you stop. People like to gather in groups, so naturally more and more people will gather, eventually forming a stable flow pool in this area.
In fact, this poor, run-down place is never short of visitors.
The reason is simple: it's so famous that a large number of video bloggers come here to film.
If you are a wealthy person living in the suburbs, or a tourist from another country, even if you are just curious, you can't help but come and take photos.
Moreover, its location in the city center makes it easily accessible from all directions.
Once you clarify these points, you'll find the reason for the surge in the number of jars.
Behind every can is a flow of people; the more people there are, the more cans there will be—it's a very simple principle.
Originally, I just wanted to take over the Clean Clothes Faction, but I never expected that I would expand its base as well.
"Well done." Ma Jie grinned at her. "From now on, I'll put you in charge of all the street performances. You'll be in charge of everything: when to hold the performances separately, when to hold them together, where to hold them, and when to hold them."
"Really?" Mia blinked her big, watery eyes. "But I've never been a manager before. I'm afraid I won't do a good job."
"What's with the modesty? I think you can do a good job." Mia gave her an encouraging look and nodded solemnly.
As for the profit sharing, it's actually not easy to calculate; it's almost entirely based on voluntary contributions.
But as long as the numbers don't differ too much from the expected figures, they're all within Jack Ma's acceptable range.
In his view, these street performers are all golden goose eggs, capable of both making money and attracting crowds.
If possible in the future, we could even expand into new businesses, such as renting bicycles to tourists or setting up stalls to sell small souvenirs.
"Living off the land where you live, and living off the water where you live"—that's roughly the path to development.
After chatting for a while, Mia went back to perform at the urging of the audience, while Maje rode his bicycle around the square, waiting to complete the main quest.
Once the mileage reaches the task milestone, three options will pop up as usual.
Two life skills and one general skill: driving.
Naturally, I chose [Car Driving], which is a safety net option. When there aren't many other choices, choosing this one is definitely the right choice.
I was getting a bit tired from riding, so I just randomly picked a chain convenience store, went in and bought a drip coffee, an egg sandwich, and a bag of sausages, tore open the packaging and tossed it to Bruce.
A man and his dog sat comfortably on a bench by the door, enjoying afternoon tea and a leisurely time.
Before they could even finish their sandwich, they heard a scream coming from the square across the street.
"Robbery! Someone's robbing me! My bag! Oh my god! Stop him!"
The distress signal came from a blonde woman in business attire. About ten meters away from her, a dark figure was moving quickly through the crowd into the distance.
Normally, only a fool would bother with this, but Ma Jie glanced at the side quest waiting to be completed, and then thought that this was on his own turf.
This is like a rat dropping into the chicken soup I just made!
Well, you've run into me today, so you must have forgotten to check the calendar before you left home.
Without a word, he hopped on his mountain bike and gave chase, with Bruce close behind, skillfully dodging the traffic.
"Hey kid, stop right there! I'm talking to you. If you run again, I'll shoot."
Ma Jieke pedaled his bicycle behind him, chasing after him while verbally threatening him, trying to intimidate him.
Bruce was much faster than him, barking as he charged forward.
Just as it was about to catch up, it suddenly accelerated and pounced, biting the other's buttocks.
"Haha, good dog." This hurt the black guy so much that he let out a yelp.
Just when Ma Jie thought he was about to subdue him, a motorcycle suddenly rushed up.
When the driver saw his companion being chased and bitten by a dog, he immediately got out of the car to help, grabbed a sharp metal knife, and brutally slashed at Bruce.
But the little guy was very clever; he had already sensed the danger and twisted his body to narrowly avoid it, barking incessantly with his back arched.
But fearing the weapons in the enemy's hands, they dared not advance any further.
The injured man was rescued by his accomplices and, despite the pain, jumped onto the back of the motorcycle.
Just then, another motorcycle came chugging up from behind. The rider was a tall, burly black man who looked incredibly intimidating.
Ma Jieke's heart skipped a beat. Damn it, have we run into a professional gang?
Instead of helping them, this guy reached out and tried to snatch the bag from the owner.
"You fucking asking for it, huh? Get lost!"
The robber brandished his knife, nearly slashing his arm, then left with a vicious threat before speeding away on his motorcycle.
The latter hesitated for a moment, but still decided to chase after them.
This scene left Ma Jie completely dumbfounded. Where did this Dark Knight come from? Is he really that brave?
Unfortunately, all I have is a bicycle, and even if I pedal until sparks fly, it still can't catch up.
"Hey bro, don't go yet, give me a ride."
In a moment of desperation, without waiting for his consent, she locked the bicycle to the side of the road, grabbed Bruce, and jumped onto the bike.
The black man, bursting with a sense of justice, also witnessed the chase scene. Naturally, he didn't say anything and stepped on the gas, driving off.