Chapter 2: The System Alarms Sound Again

You can’t go against anyone, but you certainly can’t go against money.

While in the police car, Jiang Xiaoya received a notification from the system that the mission was complete and the points had been awarded. Her expression relaxed significantly, and she began to pour out her grievances to the policewoman in the car.

"Big sister, does your police station provide psychological counseling? My fragile heart has suffered severe trauma."

The policewoman, wearing gloves, patted her on the back to soothe her gently.

Half an hour later, having received two thousand yuan in cash as a reward, the smile on Jiang Xiaoya’s lips was harder to suppress than an AK-47. Before leaving, she stood at the entrance of the police station and blew kisses frantically at the policewoman.

"Officer sister, I’ll come back to see you when I have time! Love you, mwah!"

Policewoman: "..."

Netizens in the livestream: "..."

When an average person discovers human remains, let alone getting sick from the shock, it would usually take them a long time to catch their breath. But she? From start to finish, she maintained a manic, cheeky, and shameless demeanor.

The nickname "Crazy Woman" given by the netizens was truly well-deserved.

However, some netizens were jealous of someone with such pure luck.

【Look at how smug she is. The public security reward money shouldn't count as scavenging income according to the show's rules, right?】

【Can the production team come out and say something? If this income counts as scavenging, can't other contestants find similar shortcuts?】

【Yeah, exactly! This is unfair. The production team should confiscate her reward.】

【You're wrong, brother. She found the items while scavenging. What's wrong with fulfilling her civic duty to report it?】

【Exactly. Just like when some scavengers find antiques and turn them in—is that a problem too?】

The netizens argued incessantly until the production team finally released a statement, declaring that the reward money Jiang Xiaoya received for reporting her find qualified as income for a scavenger.

The logic was simple: the items were in the trash can, anyone could have found them, and Jiang Xiaoya was no exception.

The incident of someone finding human remains in a trash can sparked quite a bit of social discussion, though most people leaned toward it being an accident.

The popularity in the livestream came and went quickly.

Jiang Xiaoya didn't have time to pay attention to that now. With money in her pocket, she wanted a good meal. She checked every trash can she passed along the way, clearly taking the system's grand claim that "scavenging can make you rich" to heart.

It was just unclear whether other contestants had already picked through them or if the industry competition was simply fierce, but the trash cans were all picked cleaner than her own face.

"Forget it, let's just eat first."

Jiang Xiaoya couldn't move her feet when she passed a snack street. She set her sights on a fragrant restaurant, ordered a bowl of lamb rice noodles and a bowl of rice, and waited hungrily.

During this time, a customer in the shop threw a beer bottle onto the side of the road. Before she could even react, an old man or woman would dart out from the side, perform a "monkey snatching the moon" maneuver, and quickly swipe the bottle.

It was truly jaw-dropping.

Good grief, who would have thought the scavenging industry was this competitive these days?

Jiang Xiaoya finished a hearty meal with mixed feelings. Before she could even savor the aftertaste, a system alert rang in her mind.

【Ding! Valuable item detected. Valuable item detected...】

"What?!?"

Jiang Xiaoya looked up abruptly and scanned her surroundings. Her gaze swept over the restaurant's trash cans and finally settled on the large bowl in front of her. Could that bowl of meat she just ate be...

What are you thinking!!! It’s impossible for the system to detect human remains every single time!!!

Jiang Xiaoya comforted herself, her complexion eased slightly, and she managed to keep down what she had just eaten.

To be safe, she took advantage of a bathroom break to peek into their kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief when she confirmed she didn't see the red blood mist she had seen in the trash can when she first discovered the remains.

However, thinking of the system's alert, if the item wasn't in the restaurant, it must be nearby.

Jiang Xiaoya paid the bill, left the restaurant, and began wandering the nearby streets, checking every trash can she passed.

She finally found a soda can in a trash can, but before she could even warm it up, an old woman suddenly darted out from the side, knocked her aside, and snatched the can.

Jiang Xiaoya’s eyes widened in shock, her face filled with unconcealable anger.

Fine. She finally understood why the original owner had starved to death—the culprits were these old women stealing her work!

This wasn't just fierce competition; this was malicious competition!!

Seeing the old woman turn to leave, Jiang Xiaoya followed her with long strides.

The old woman was a bit wary at first, but after calming down and looking at Jiang Xiaoya’s thin, weak frame, she walked away with a look of contempt.

"Young as you are, you don't look for a proper job, but you're here competing with the elderly for trash? Be careful, or the stinky beggars under the bridge will kill you."

Once these words were out, not only Jiang Xiaoya but even the netizens in the livestream got goosebumps.

Jiang Xiaoya clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. Just looking at her expression, one could tell she was cursing quite filthily.

Those in the livestream who "knew" Jiang Xiaoya were aware of her cowardly nature; they knew she definitely wasn't going to confront the old woman.

Sure enough, after watching for a long time, Jiang Xiaoya swallowed her pride and went back to rummaging through trash cans.

The old woman in the distance glanced at her from time to time, her eyes gleaming with greed.

Jiang Xiaoya’s movements suddenly stopped, and she let out an "eh."

The popularity of the livestream had faded, and the few remaining netizens were speechless at Jiang Xiaoya’s behavior.

【Should I say she has no brain, or just no brain? If you can't beat the old woman, go pick somewhere else.】

【She's mentally ill. If you don't steal from her, who are you going to steal from?】

【Is she sick in the head? It’s making me so angry. Even if you want attention, you shouldn't disgust the audience like this.】

【Exactly. Look at the next livestream. Zhou Yuyu is also a contestant, and she works as a street artist. She attracts traffic with her talent, and everyone is convinced. What even is this Jiang Xiaoya?】

【Don't talk about it, my liver hurts from anger. It was bad enough that she starved herself unconscious in the first three days. If she hadn't luckily found those remains and gotten the reward, she probably would have starved to death. How could someone like this have any brains?】

【At this rate, starving to death is only a matter of time.】

【I'm out, I'm out. I'm going to watch Zhou Yuyu paint. It's pleasing to the eye and heart. If I were closer, I'd definitely bring some cardboard from home to support her.】

【...】

The livestream, which already didn't have much popularity, lost more than half of its viewers after this incident.

Of course, the netizens who stayed were purely there to appreciate the aura of stupidity about Jiang Xiaoya—something Zhou Yuyu in the other stream lacked. Even though Zhou Yuyu tried hard to play the role of a simple street artist, her desire to chase clout was too obvious.

Sure enough, the old woman nearby soon heard a commotion. Seeing Jiang Xiaoya pull a black plastic bag out of a trash can and noticing her "surprised" expression, the woman threw her own snake-skin bag aside and flew over, trying to snatch the plastic bag from Jiang Xiaoya’s hands.

Having learned her lesson, Jiang Xiaoya wasn't about to let her succeed easily. She dodged quickly, but the corner of the bag was still grabbed, and she was furious once again.