There was a snack bar on the ferry. Those who were hungry and had not brought food could buy some bread and biscuits. Hot coffee and alcoholic drinks were the most popular.
At night, most people rolled up their coats, claimed a row of seats in the public lounge, and lay down to rest.
But those who had driven onto the ferry naturally ran back to curl up inside their cars. At least they did not have to smell other people's socks in the public lounge.
Henry drank the hot coffee he had bought from the snack bar, not because he had become addicted to coffee in this life or wanted a hot drink to warm himself up. Compared to alcohol, coffee had more flavors, making it more useful for training his super taste and sense of smell.
Red wine was second only to coffee as a drink that favored his sense of taste, but the red wine on the ferry was too low-grade, like drinking inferior grape juice. The coffee was not particularly good either, but it was still better than that awful red wine.
As for tea... perhaps the tea available in Alaska was not high-quality, or perhaps there was some other reason. Its flavor was nowhere near as rich as coffee's.
To avoid ruining the little bit of fondness he still had for tea, Henry truly resisted drinking tea beverages that were even worse than inferior red wine.
In short, while savoring coffee's rich, layered taste and giving his taste buds enough stimulation, Henry thought about what he should do next.
Hiding in Alaska for the rest of his life was not impossible. But as a poor nobody who had never even left his country before transmigrating, now that he had come to the great United States of America, would it not be a waste if he did not travel around and see the sights?
Even if this journey had begun against his will.
Still, he had wasted nearly twenty years in the Russians' territory. Super Brain made studying no problem, but his lack of academic credentials was a huge problem.
No matter what, he had no chance of following Superman's development path—working as a reporter while moonlighting as Superman.
It was worth mentioning that although the information he could obtain in Alaska was limited, on this Earth, Henry had only found information about Captain America and mutants so far.
But just from the map, there was no Metropolis, no Central City, and naturally no Gotham City either!
That was truly cause for celebration.
It was one thing that there was no genuine Superman, but with no plague-bringing Flash and no epidemic god Batman, this world's safety level had instantly risen by a huge margin.
In any case, taking the elite white-collar route was impossible. Without qualifications or connections, there was no chance of climbing the social ladder in America.
Even if he just wanted an ordinary blue-collar job, assuming this world's economic trends would resemble those of his world before transmigration, it would be heading toward globalization and becoming the world's factory.
That path meant that America would see a massive relocation of industries overseas. Labor-intensive manufacturing would be hit especially hard, leaving only finance, high-tech industries including the internet, and the design departments of major corporations and conglomerates.
That meant that even if Henry wanted to work in a factory tightening screws, he would still face the risk of unemployment in the short term.
For an immigrant like Henry, especially an alien immigrant, there were truly not many jobs he could find even if he managed to obtain American citizenship.
The service jobs done by society's lowest rung were the typical kind that paid little while coming with endless bullshit. Henry feared that before three days had passed, he would be unable to stop himself from punching an obnoxious customer in the face.
Before transmigrating, he had never even been a simp. He had been single since birth. If anyone dared tell him that the customer is God, he would definitely send that person to meet God!
So jobs like shop clerk, as well as similar professions such as teacher and doctor that involved frequent contact with strangers, had never been options for Henry—neither now nor before transmigrating.
The most reliable option was actually becoming a laboratory guinea pig! Before those scientists decided to kill him, they would definitely keep him well fed and would not let him starve easily.
Joining an official law enforcement agency was not a good choice either. The loyalty tests alone would make it difficult for an alien to gain their trust. He would probably end up being tricked into a lab and turned into a guinea pig anyway.
Did he have no choice but to rob banks?
No wonder America's gang problem was so serious. Too many people came to this land carrying the American dream, only to realize after taking stock that there were not many legitimate industries they could enter. In the end, they could only turn to illegal trades involving sex, gambling, and drugs.
Do not assume gambling was safe just because it was legal in Las Vegas or on Indian reservations. Those who could walk out after winning big money were not ordinary people.
Casinos were not charities. If someone kept winning, they would first investigate whether that person was cheating. If they could not find any evidence, they would politely escort them out and put them on the unwelcome list, never allowing them back.
Making a little pocket money from casinos was fine, but treating them like an ATM would earn someone a vivid lesson from society in no time.
As for Henry's savings, he had gone out on crab boats four times. He earned 80,000 Dao on the first trip, 100,000 Dao on each of the next two, and 50,000 Dao on the last.
After withdrawing it all, deducting the 6% bank fee, then subtracting his living expenses, car purchase, and the money spent handling identity documents, he now had nearly 300,000 Dao in cash on him.
But he could not consider all of that his money yet. He had not paid taxes...
After the great American government took its cut, Henry conservatively estimated that he would have only a little over half left. For the exact figure, he would need to ask an accountant or study tax law himself.
Still, as long as he did not squander it, the remaining money would be enough to support him for a long time. This was a society where a steak cost 5 Dao, a bottle of beer cost 10 Dao, and blue-collar workers earned around 50,000 Dao a year on average.
So long as he stayed away from drugs, did not foolishly throw his money into Wall Street and become a retail investor getting fleeced, and did not dream of living in a mansion, driving a sports car, and sleeping with beautiful women, his funds would be enough for him to live freely in Los Angeles.
Then, when crab season came around, he could return to Alaska and make a few more trips on the boats to replenish his funds.
That kind of life actually did not sound too bad... my ass!
When people had no interests or goals, they became more and more useless. It was true that Henry had been slacking off before transmigrating, but at least he went to work during the day, then played video games, watched anime and TV shows he liked after returning home at night, and occasionally went out to see a movie.
What entertainment from the America of the 1990s was he familiar with from before transmigrating?
The personal computer trend started by Steve Jobs's Apple had only just emerged. The internet was probably still confined to university campuses and had not yet spread to the public. At most, he could use BBS forums.
As for game consoles, the strongest contenders of this era should have been Nintendo's Game Boy and Super Famicom.
But for someone used to AAA games and animated films, sixteen-bit console games were fine for a little nostalgia, but they truly could not satisfy his needs.
Whether he treated this industry as work or merely entertainment—especially the former—it all came back to his lack of education and experience.
So had he unconsciously chosen Los Angeles's Hollywood as his first stop in America because he also felt that the film and television industry might be the key to breaking the deadlock?
He did not hope to make much of himself, but he at least had to try something he had never done before transmigrating. For example, standing on a Hollywood film set and shouting, "I'll take on ten!"
Mm, just thinking about it felt pretty damn exciting.
Before you continue