Chapter 4 – Sin City

Volume 4: When the Demon Tide Rises

"Hi, friend. Welcome to America."

That short sentence settled their location.

Kuangliu looked at his wristwatch, then at the clock on the cabin wall, and nodded slightly.

The time difference was easy enough to work out. Old Sam's appearance had already given him a suspicion.

"Where exactly are we?"

Old Sam shrugged. He picked out a relatively clean cup, poured Kuangliu some coffee, and answered.

"Las Vegas, the gambling capital. That's what we called it before the Apocalypse. These days, we prefer Sin City."

"Sin City? Interesting. I remember it had that name before."

Old Sam shrugged again, sounding mysterious.

"Sure it did. But it was never this sinful. The Apocalypse has only just ended. The Zombies are all cleared out, and even the Mutant Beasts can't cause much trouble anymore. But living in Las Vegas is torture. Every Boss wants the whole city. Their people fight over territory every day. Robbery, murder-it never stops. Who knows when things will get back to the way they were?"

He sighed over his coffee.

Kuangliu nodded.

Someone at Old Sam's level naturally knew nothing about the imminent opening of the Demon Realm Gate. The High Command of every country had made that decision. The truth would inevitably cause unrest, and unrest was a catastrophe in itself.

Kuangliu saw no need or reason to tell him.

"Isn't there any Military presence in Las Vegas?"

"Of course there is! They're doing some of the robbing and killing!"

Anger filled Old Sam's voice as he launched into a tirade.

"You said you're soldiers from Huaxia. I don't know how your Military works, but Las Vegas is unlivable now."

"The Military doesn't do a damn thing in this dump!"

"Washington, D.C. sent people to take over a while back. Things were fairly normal then. Life was hard, but at least we could get by. But…"

He took a sip of coffee, looking nervous.

"They all died. Nobody knows why. Thousands of fully armed troops, dead in their camp."

Kuangliu frowned.

Huaxia's Military had experienced similar things.

Powerful people defied the law. Against Class Holders of Level 3 and above, Guns had become almost useless. Once firearms lost their advantage, everyone was a Class Holder. Who was afraid of whom?

When the Military established a Settlement in one of Huaxia's provincial capitals, some people had refused its control. They rioted and slaughtered the troops sent there. Kuangliu had gone in person to put the incident down.

"Didn't the American Military intervene?"

"They did. Sent more people. All dead again, right in their camp. Not a wound, not a sign of fighting! After that, they stopped sending large forces to die and sent a special operations team instead. Fewer than a hundred people. They got here and did nothing. Then Queen Annie of the eastern district bought their Boss off… Fucking useless shit-eaters. All those taxes I paid!"

Old Sam vented furiously, gulping coffee.

Kuangliu was thinking.

Huaxia and America had different systems, and their Survivors thought differently too.

But one thing had to be the same. The Military held supreme national authority and the greatest force. It would never willingly leave a large territory beyond its control.

The American Military must have something planned.

That had little to do with Kuangliu, though.

His only concern was contacting Huaxia's Military and finding a way home.

The American High Command would certainly have a means of reaching Huaxia. With his strength and identity, borrowing it should be easy.

While they chatted, the bathroom door opened.

A naked Wen Yu emerged carrying the freshly washed One-Eye and Xing.

"Well? Where are we?"

"America. Las Vegas."

"Nice. Finally got myself a free trip abroad."

Kuangliu shook his head at Wen Yu's obvious indifference to where they were, then headed into the bathroom.

…

By the time Kuangliu finished washing, Wen Yu and Old Sam were chatting intermittently.

There was a language barrier, but for a Level 5 Peak Class Holder, learning a foreign language wasn't particularly difficult. In that short time, Wen Yu had already become capable of simple exchanges in English.

Unfortunately, Old Sam had no intention of serving as his teacher. His eyes remained fixed on One-Eye in Wen Yu's arms, and he had planted himself in the doorway.

Outside, the shepherd lay quietly in the sun. One-Eye kept trying to lunge toward her, but Wen Yu held him fast.

The damned dog hadn't changed one bit.

As Kuangliu came out, Wen Yu was hauling One-Eye back into his arms by a leg.

Kuangliu nearly burst out laughing.

Once he composed himself, he addressed Old Sam.

"Do you have enough room for us to stay the night? We'll pay, of course."

He tossed over a Level 3 Magic Crystal.

Old Sam's eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly.

"And we'd like you to guide us to Las Vegas Settlement tomorrow. Separate payment for that."

"No problem."

The Magic Crystal had already gone to Old Sam's head.

Then several more crystals traced a neat arc through the air and landed in his hands.

Wen Yu gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Compensation for my War Pet's… bad behavior earlier. Is that enough?"

Old Sam counted them carefully, his eyes shining.

"Enough, enough! Thank you, my lord!"

Level 3 Magic Crystals were worth a good deal in Sin City.

Then Wen Yu took out another five Level 3 Magic Crystals, looking awkward.

"Well…"