boyutpedia Chapter 9 We Helped You Get a Spot
Chapter 9 We Helped You Get a Spot
Just as Lin Ximeng stuffed the fifth aluminum can into the bag, he heard dragging footsteps behind him, mixed with the sounds of laughing and joking conversation.
"I saw them when I passed by this morning. There were quite a few cans in this alley, and I thought the three of us brothers could collect them together..."
The speaker was a man with a hoarse voice, speaking in a somewhat nonchalant tone.
Lin Ximeng straightened up and turned around, immediately recognizing the two men walking in front of him—
These were the two white old men in jackets who tried to rob Riley of the can yesterday. The one on the left had a hole in the sleeve of his green jacket, revealing a pilling sweater underneath, while the one on the right, in a red jacket, was clutching a torn Bible.
Between the two was a new face with short, bright red hair, three or four silver earrings, black smoky eye makeup, and about 1.75 meters tall. He had slightly muscular shoulders and walked with a swaying gait, looking rather nonchalant.
The red-haired man with the earring saw Lin Simon first, glanced at the jar on the ground, and immediately raised an eyebrow. "Hey, who are you? This is the jar I saw first. Who gave you permission to pick it up?"
The two elderly white men looked up, and as soon as their gazes fell on Lin Simon's face, their smiles froze instantly. They tightened their grip on the Bible and subconsciously took a half-inch back.
The pain from being pinned against the wall and beaten by Lin Ximeng yesterday hasn't subsided yet, and seeing this face now makes their teeth ache.
"What's wrong?" The red-haired man with the earring sensed something was amiss. He glanced at the two white-haired old men who had suddenly become timid, then turned his gaze back to Lin Simon, looking him up and down before letting out a sneer.
"He's just an Asian, what can he do to us?"
Lin Ximeng simply looked at the two elderly white men and asked in a flat tone, "Is this person your friend?"
The two elderly white men shook their heads almost simultaneously, their movements as fast as if they had been scalded.
The guy in the green jacket on the left quickly waved his hand: "No, no! We don't know him. We just bumped into him on the street."
The man in the red jacket clutching the Bible on the right nodded in agreement, his voice trembling slightly: "Yes! We're not familiar with each other! We didn't mean to steal the jar; we were just passing by."
"Hey! What do you mean?" The red-haired man with the earring exploded instantly, turning to glare at the two white old men. "Who said we were going to buy some tobacco together and get high? Now you're telling me we're not close? Fine, we'll collect the cans, exchange them for money, and I'll smoke the tobacco myself, not giving you a single puff!"
After berating the two elderly white men, he turned to Lin Ximeng, chin held high, his tone full of provocation: "Where are you from? Judging by your appearance, you're not from Xia Country, are you? I've heard that people from Xia Country all know martial arts?"
He cracked his knuckles as he flexed his wrists. "I've been practicing boxing lately, how about we have a spar?"
Lin Simon raised an eyebrow and straightened up from beside the vending machine.
He wasn't one to resort to violence, after all, he was going to grab chicken legs from the welfare food stall later, and the homeless man was too dirty; it would be troublesome to find a place to wash his hands after beating him.
But since this person is actively looking for a fight, there's no reason to let them get away with it.
Lin Simon stretched out his palm and beckoned to the red-haired man with the earring, "I'm in a hurry."
"Protect your face." The red-haired man with the earring was furious and clenched his fist, swinging it at Lin Simon's face.
His punches were fast and ruthless, with a touch of street brawling, but in Lin Ximeng's eyes, they were a bit too slow.
[Instantaneous Explosive Power lv.0 (Beginner) - In emergencies, your adrenaline will surge faster than the average person, allowing you to react to crises more quickly than others.]
Lin Simon easily dodged the other's fist, and with lightning speed, his right hand grabbed the red-haired man with the earring and twisted it to the side.
With a soft "snap," the red-haired man with the earring screamed in agony, "Ah! My hand, my hand...is my hand broken?"
[Street Brawl lv.0 (Beginner) - You have learned to use the chaotic street terrain and debris to give yourself a combat advantage]
Before he could finish shouting, Lin Ximeng used his left elbow to brace against his ribs and smashed a glass bottle over his head.
The red-haired man with the earring stopped screaming abruptly, his face turned deathly pale, and his body went limp as if he had no bones.
Lin Simon released his grip, and the red-haired man with the earring collapsed to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
He didn't even land a single proper punch before he was completely defeated.
The two elderly white men turned pale with fright and wanted to run away immediately.
"Trying to run?" Lin Simon's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "Leaving without cleaning up the mess?"
The two elderly white men quickly nodded and said, "We, we'll drag him away right away, we promise he won't stay here and get in your way."
Lin Ximeng was speechless. Who would care what would happen to this red-haired guy?
"I'm not talking about him," Lin Simon said, pointing to the dozen or so cans scattered on the ground, then to his own bag.
"These are the cans. Pick up all the cans on the ground and put them in my bag. If you don't pick them up, do you think they'll just magically appear in my bag?"
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll pick them up right away."
The two elderly white men, as if granted a pardon, quickly squatted down and frantically picked up the cans.
The old man in the red jacket carefully pried out the dented Coke can that was stuck in the crack of the steps, as if afraid of breaking even a little bit.
Lin Simon only let the two elderly white men leave after they had picked up all the cans on the ground.
"Alright, get lost."
Two elderly white men quickly helped the unconscious red-haired man with the earring, each supporting one of his arms, and they staggered toward the street corner without even daring to look back.
Only after their figures disappeared around the corner did Lin Ximeng carry the bag full of jars and continue walking towards the welfare meal station.
Before long, we arrived at the meal distribution point.
A "Love Kitchen" mobile food truck was parked on the side of the road with a yellow canopy.
"It looks like the food will taste pretty good today."
The air was filled with the aroma of smoked chicken legs, and there were at least a hundred people in line. Even stray dogs were squatting by the roadside waiting to pick up bones.
Lin Ximeng stood at the end of the line carrying a bag full of aluminum cans. The people in front of him moved slower than snails. After waiting for more than ten minutes, the line had only moved forward three steps.
"At this rate, by the time we get the chicken legs, the shelter doctor will probably be off work."
Just as Lin Ximeng was wondering whether he should find another place to settle down, he heard an arrogant shout coming from the front of the line.
"Hey! Over here, come over here quickly."
A man in a vest with short, silver-gray hair waved, pushed past the old lady in front of him, and squeezed into the middle of the line.
"I've saved this spot for you guys, hurry up, or the chicken legs will be gone!"
Lin Ximeng looked up and almost burst out laughing.
The gray-haired man was joined by the trio he had just dealt with—
The red-haired man with the earring had his wrist hanging down unnaturally, supported by two elderly white men on either side of him, their expressions more unpleasant than tears.
As soon as the three of them stood still, the red-haired man with the earring caught sight of Lin Simon at the back of the line. His eyes widened instantly, and he turned around to run away. However, he didn't notice the white-haired old man behind him and bumped into the two of them with a "thud." His nose turned red on the spot, and he was in so much pain that tears almost fell from his eyes.
"Oh, what a coincidence?" Lin Simon waved, and seeing that it was an acquaintance, greeted him naturally, "Have you eaten?"
The gray-haired man paid no attention to Lin Simon, glanced at the red-haired man covering his nose, and asked, "Hey, who was that guy you guys were talking about on the phone? Don't worry, after I've eaten, I'll help you teach him a lesson..."
Before he could finish speaking, the red-haired man with the earring suddenly lunged forward and covered his mouth, shaking his head with a series of "mmm" sounds.
Two elderly white men quickly stepped forward, smiling at Lin Simon while pulling the gray-haired man aside: "Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! This, this seat was actually reserved for you, sir."
"Oh." Lin Simon raised an eyebrow, glanced at the redhead covering his nose, and said, "Are you sure this is my spot? Aren't you hungry?"
"Not hungry, not hungry at all."
The red-haired man with the earring quickly waved his hand, his voice still nasal, but as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled.