America: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 5 - : Civilization Beacon, Dark Forest

"Welcome to my home."

Following Dominic, I arrived at the bridge hole at number 19 on Fifth Street in Los Angeles.

Dominic put his duffel bag on the ground, turned around with his arms open and a smile on his face, and stood on a rock, somewhat proudly declaring his territorial sovereignty.

Allen Zhang looked at this unique bridge hole.

Two blue double tents, the surroundings cleaned neat and tidy, a solar lamp, charging wires connected to the solar panels mounted on the wall, an old sofa placed in the corner, and an oil drum blackened by smoke.

Iron nails embedded in the wall stretched into a line, from which a few pieces of clothing hung. Next to the blue tents were stacked black plastic bags filled with cans.

Honestly, the living conditions here are much better than I imagined!!

Except for the lack of bathing facilities, no heating equipment, and unreliable electricity supply, it's practically a well-renovated, cozy nest, worthy of being the Scavenger's bridge hole home for two and a half years.

Unlocking a new map.

"Aren't you afraid someone will come by and steal them if you just leave your cans here?" asked Allen Zhang, looking at those cans, somewhat puzzled.

When you're out in the wild during the day and no one's home to watch over it, what if someone comes to steal from you?

"Don't worry."

Dominic said, "Indeed, there are many homeless people around here, but they are all familiar faces, and I know each of them. Generally, strangers who come here would be directly driven away. Surviving on the streets isn't too hard, you just need to follow the rules, and you won't have to worry about being troubled by others."

Dominic also pulled out a sign, covered with colorful graffiti that at first glance looked like a funny little yellow duck pattern.

Smiling, he said, "See this? This is the symbol of Lori Louis 19, also a group formed by friends who've lived in the nearby bridge holes for a long time. You get it! As long as everyone knows each other, you don't have to worry about theft, and no one else dares to bully you."

"Sometimes when the shelters don't provide relief services for a long time and life gets tough, other people on the streets will come over and invite you to go shopping with a group in the nearby 24-hour supermarkets and discount stores."

"..."

Are you guys really making Zero-Dollar Purchase sound so noble and elegant?

"If you encounter a group of Black people wearing red or blue clothes on the street, I suggest you don't hesitate and just turn around and leave that place!" Dominic reminded Allen Zhang very seriously.

He also detailed for him about the local Los Angeles gangs and their distribution of power, as well as the rules for wilderness survival.

What the hell, I'm clearly standing under the lighthouse of human civilization, but now it's as if I'm caught in the laws of a dark forest. Is this the legendary West Coast?

Allen Zhang questioned his life.

The local snakes (gangs) in Los Angeles are intricately intertwined, forming numerous and varied alliances, and their number is beyond Allen Zhang's imagination.

He had only learned about them in movies and the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game, but reality is far worse.

This is the West Coast; if you carelessly walk into a gang's turf, linger a few seconds too long, or inadvertently stare at a Black man, they really won't indulge you. A few old Blacks circling you will just greet you with a round of motherf***er, and to make it worse, they may 'open fire'!

Every district in Los Angeles has gang presence, and the number of gangs in District 13 of Los Angeles is the most concentrated, even making it the subject of documentaries.

Very famous African American gangs: The Crips and The Bloods. They are archenemies, one red and one blue, the age-old red vs. blue pairing.

Hispanic (Latino) gangs: 18th Street of California, Florence 13, MS13.

18th Street is the undoubted overlord of Los Angeles gangs, contesting Florence 13 for territory, each dominating half the realm, and too powerful for The Crips and The Bloods to provoke.

MS13, stuck in the middle, can basically only pick up the scraps, making profits through drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking.

Biker (Motorcycle Gang) gangs: Hell's Angels MC Motorcycle Club, Outlaws Motorcycle Country.

The former is a club-like religious organization with strict discipline, founded by a group of World War II veterans, also part of the Harley motorcycle gang, advocating for freedom of riding and promoting good over evil.

But their asses aren't clean at all, their main income comes from arms trafficking, drug trading, and monopolizing entertainment venues for sex. Almost every strip club branch operates a gang enrichment project, cannabis grow houses.

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The advantage is that it has a short growth cycle and quick returns; it can generally be sold after one month of cultivation, and one planting house can bring in over 40,000 US Dollars a week.

The latter are undisciplined criminals, lawless young white men, mentally ill individuals, often riding around the states on bikes and committing crimes indiscriminately, and killing people at random.

Other gangs: such as the Mafia, Asian Boys, Hua Qing, Bamboo Union, Aryan Brotherhood, small street gangs, and various other large and small groups.

As Dominic mentioned, Lori Louis 19 isn't really a gang in nature, at most it can be considered a mutual aid association of homeless people wandering around bridge number 19 at Fifth Street, which could be called the Beggar Gang.

Such group bonding behavior is quite common; Poison Worms stick together, homeless people stick together, scavengers stick together. Although they are all homeless, they still fall into different circles.

Most of the addict women and beggars in the poor streets are controlled by the Black Gang, forced to pay protection fees and provide sexual services; the streets at night are extremely dangerous. As a homeless person, you can't survive without banding together.

Homeless street groups often have friction over interests, but occasionally they also engage in common tasks, such as supermarket shopping.

It's usually the nearby small gangs taking the lead, persuading homeless organizations and residents of slums to participate, they even take the initiative to give you money, leaflets, baseball bats, encouraging you to actively participate in the task.

If you don't participate, you'll be ostracized; next time, the little blacks won't call you to hang out with them.

You'll have to queue at the back when going to the shelter for food.

Dare to report, just try. Just try and die.

But Lori Louis 19 seldom participates in such tasks because most people can be self-reliant, only when they really cannot make ends meet will they consider Zero-Dollar Purchase.

Dominic also gave Allen Zhang a brief introduction to the homeless friends living at bridge number 19.

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Allen Zhang didn't remember much of what others said, except for an old Black man.

Lori Louis 19 is named after him.

Little Lori is a two-meter-tall Black man, a former star athlete who played as a number 3 forward in football; he used to be in a gang, but due to an accidental injury that damaged his knee and left him limping, his mobility was impaired, and his career was abruptly halted.

The car garage was mortgaged, couldn't pay back the college tuition loan, and was riddled with debt. His credit was ruined, couldn't find a job, and was forced to live on the streets.

Initially, he received six months of unemployment benefits, struggled daily, and later, they simply stopped issuing it to him. No one knows whose pockets that money went into.

Now he survives by picking up trash, carrying a bucket to clean windshields for passing cars and begging, living in a muddled state. The money he makes is spent on drugs, and he relies on relief meals to eat, living like a rotten drunkard.

When the camp under the bridge needs him, they pull him out to show face. After all, his two-meter stature is genuinely intimidating. Who wouldn't be scared?

That old Black man lives in the east side under bridge number 19 next door, considered the golden signboard, with him around, ordinary homeless people really dare not come here.

The nearby gangs give him face too because, as a former star athlete, he has status among Black people, they won't mess with him if he doesn't cause trouble.

Allen Zhang doesn't know much about football, but he has heard that those who are physically unfit all go to play basketball, and those who stay to play football are all physical freaks.

What a shame, if he didn't play football and chose basketball, maybe he could have been another O'Neal!

"So, if I want to live here for a long time, don't want to be harassed, don't want to be chased around by cops, do I have to pay a membership fee to Little Lori every month? Here can I guarantee not to be driven away by the police?"

Allen Zhang voiced his doubts.

"You don't have to worry about that, Allen. This place belongs to a deserted area, normally cops don't come around here, and if anything unexpected happens, friends will come to notify you ahead of time."

"You don't need to pay any fees to live here; everyone comes together voluntarily. But if one of our own is bullied, you're also expected to stand up and help. Keep your hands clean! Otherwise, you'll end up like the others, sleeping on the streets, constantly pushed around and could die at any moment. That's what it means to be a truly disorganized homeless person."

"Actually, we're like entrepreneurs; some people will eventually leave the streets."

"But you'd better not get too close to people on the streets, because they often do things that aren't too good," Dominic said.

Relying on Zero-Dollar Purchase and collecting scraps to start a business, huh?

It's indeed a thoughtful idea.

A temporary low point isn't really anything.

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