Mike was taken aback, looking at the money Wayne handed over as he said:
"Bro, are you trying to get medicine for your Little Wick? But regular pet medicine doesn't cost this much..."
He could see that Wayne had given him at least five hundred dollars.
For homeless people like them, this was absolutely a huge sum of money!
Wayne smiled and said:
"It's fine, cough... You can also buy some food for us. This is all the money I have."
He was currently too weak, and keeping money on him wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Giving all the money to Mike and David would also test their character.
What he needed most right now was a healthy body.
As long as he could recover his health, there would be plenty of opportunities to make money.
Mike nodded, taking the seven hundred dollars from Wayne, and said:
"Alright, bro, you really do need to eat something proper... What kind of medicine do you want?"
Wayne said:
"Two types of fish medicine from Thomas Laboratories."
He then described the specifications of the two fish medicines.
After Mike and David understood, they nodded to Wayne, turned around, left the tent, and headed to the store.
In just over half an hour, the two returned carrying several bottles of medicine and a few paper bags containing meal boxes.
"Bro, the two medicines you wanted are really expensive. Each bottle costs almost fifty dollars. I also bought you some ibuprofen painkillers—a thousand tablets for just $12.99, and it even came with a free sample."
As he spoke, Mike handed the medicine to Wayne, then stuffed a roll of bills into his hand—over five hundred dollars in total.
"This is the change. I also bought you some healthy organic food, along with boxed meals from a nearby food distribution point—hummus with rice."
Wayne took the money and tucked it into his pocket, saying:
"Thanks, bro."
David, standing nearby, asked curiously:
"This is fish medicine—can Little Wick really take it?"
Wayne shook his head, opened the cap of the fish medicine, took two pills, and swallowed them together, saying:
"This is for me."
[You have consumed enhancement medication. Negative status has been further alleviated.]
Seeing the line of text floating before his eyes, Wayne couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Sure enough, the experience from Little Joey was correct.
These two types of pet-grade antibiotics for fish were similar in effect to human antibiotics, with nearly identical drug components and concentrations.
He blinked and said to Mike and David:
"It's a little trick. These two pet-grade antibiotics for fish have the same effect as the prescription drugs a doctor would give after an appointment, and they can also treat colds and pneumonia."
This was a reality in America—many people at the bottom of society were directly consuming pet antibiotics just to survive.
And this was, to some extent, even a secret.
Because the FDA's regulations were becoming increasingly strict, all medical-grade antibiotics now had to be purchased with a veterinarian's prescription.
The paths to survival were gradually narrowing.
Hearing this, Mike and David both showed expressions of disbelief.
Mike murmured:
"Damn it, fucking Wayne! Do you know what this means? This secret could save us, but it could also get us killed!"
His voice dropped instantly as he cautiously glanced outside the tent before turning back to Wayne with a grave expression:
"Brother, trust me, don't tell this secret to anyone else. They'll kill you... the big pharma companies, hospitals, doctors, congressmen, the FDA - they'll unite to kill you."
David beside him nodded equally seriously, a flicker of fear even flashing in his eyes.
Wayne patted both their shoulders reassuringly.
Based on what he understood, while the reality wasn't as brutal as these two described, it was still dangerous enough.
After all, this would cut off one revenue stream for the medical-industrial complex.
If everyone took antibiotics, who would still buy painkillers? Who would still go to hospitals and receive astronomical bills?
Of course, the medical-industrial complex had a righteous-sounding justification for cracking down on such things - antibiotic misuse leading to antimicrobial resistance that endangered public health safety.
"But with this secret, we'll be able to fight most illnesses from now on..." Mike became cheerful again, recognizing that despite the risks, the secret also offered tremendous benefits.
He immediately asked Wayne for two pills to give to his feverish uncle Raymond.
Watching the busy Mike and David, Wayne finally asked:
"Brother, cough... how did you two end up here? You don't look like..."
After settling his uncle Raymond, Mike smiled bitterly and said:
"Not like the other homeless, right? A few years ago I was middle-class, living in California. My house was upstream of the Ohio River, near the forest edge. I connected insurance adjusters with clients, making $25 per hour - not bad money..."
A glimmer appeared in Mike's eyes, as if he had returned to those better days.
"You know, I have a fucking double bachelor's in science and mathematics. I got my Master of Science at Berkeley, industrial engineering major. I even have a logistics certificate. I published eight journal papers with pretty high impact factors."
"Though I didn't end up working in my specialized fields of statistics and building performance research, the insurance client liaison job was decent enough to support me and my uncle."
"Then, just when I thought everything would continue like this - I was even planning to propose to Savannah - the Thomas Fire came."
"It was the largest wildfire in California's history. They only rescued the townhouses in Ventura City. The areas upstream of the Ohio River were almost completely burned down."
"The same day, I lost my job. Without a home office, I couldn't make calls. Then I discovered those damn insurance companies had cut off my insurance one month before the fire. I was responsible for communicating with insurance clients, but nobody communicated with me."
Mike narrated calmly, as if telling someone else's story.
Wayne patted Mike's shoulder and said:
"Brother..."
Mike smiled and said:
"Nothing much, brother. I'm working odd jobs now too. About half the homeless folks have jobs... Once I save enough for rent, pay off my debts, and find a proper job, everything will start over. I'll get back into insurance work."
David shrugged beside him:
"My story's much simpler. I lost my job, couldn't pay student loans, then lost everything. Just like that. My brother wouldn't take me in because he's growing weed - his whole place is filled with it, so he couldn't even offer me a couch... What about you, brother?"
Wayne took a bite from a Mexican taco he'd pulled from a food bag and said:
"At first I was hot, made some good money. You know how it was - I even got married three times... Then my agent wanted me to sleep with some powerful people, old men from Congress. I refused, broke contract, ended up depressed in the hospital..."
"Then my financial advisor handled what money I had left, set me up with an investment scam. When I got out of the hospital, I found I owed massive debts. My house, my cars - all gone."
"My parents kicked me out. They couldn't accept what happened. They blamed me for breaking the contract..."
Mike and David listened to Wayne's story, their expressions shifting from sorrow to sympathy.
"Brother, how much do you actually owe?" Mike hesitantly asked. "Of course, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Wayne shrugged:
"Don't remember exactly, but roughly... several hundred million."
"God almighty!" Mike and David exclaimed simultaneously, embracing Wayne with pitying expressions and patting his back. "Brother, don't be sad. Everything happens according to God's plan."
They'd thought their situations were bad enough, but hearing Wayne's story made them realize his was truly tragic beyond comparison.
While their chances of turning things around were slim, at least they still had hope. Wayne was truly crushed beyond recovery.
[You have gained two Bonds from Wandering Goblins: Can temporarily enhance bonded individuals as guards (10 minutes); EXP +20]
Wayne raised an eyebrow. This bonding option basically meant he had two temporary bodyguards - nothing special.
What really excited him was that his experience points had now reached 106/100!
Then he watched as the EXP on his panel slowly changed to 6/100, with a sparkling +1 appearing behind it.
A free attribute point!
Sweet, fucking sweet!
Add points!
Just then, a sharp voice came from outside the tent:
"Mike, you son of a bitch, get out here! Someone saw you bring a white boy back last night!"
It was the East Side Brothers!