World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 108 The City That Never Sleeps in Ecstasy
It's only a 5-hour drive to San Francisco.

It was already night, but the number of cars coming and going was unusually high, because there was a fork in the road that led to the legendary gambling city of Las Meadows.

Mishi patiently followed the flow of traffic at a steady speed. After passing a certain point, she noticed that the car in front of her slowed down rapidly.

She peeked out, using the RV's height advantage to look into the distance. At the very end of the convoy, police cars were flashing their glaring lights.

"There seems to be a car accident ahead, and there's a traffic jam."

"Of all times..." Simon frowned slightly.

The difficult traffic slowed down the mileage reduction, and the handling of the "accident" was unusually slow. A full hour and a half passed before the RV finally reached the police car that was blocking its way.

Once they get past this hurdle, they should be able to reach the St. Anilov headquarters by tomorrow morning.

"Bang Bang".

A police officer knocked on the car window, and after Missy opened it, he cleared his throat and said, "Madam, please cooperate with our work. Open the trunk; we need to check if you have any contraband in your car."

It turned out it wasn't a car accident, but a roadside inspection; no wonder it took so long.

“We are a special investigation team, currently carrying out a mission.” Mishi showed his identification to the police officer. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

"Oh, so it's the special investigation team."

The policeman suddenly realized what was happening and gestured to the others.

The police cars cleared the way, and the road was no longer congested, but they showed no intention of letting the group go. Instead, they drove all the police cars over and surrounded the RV.

"We have received orders from above that a special investigation team is about to complete the handover of classified items near the city of Lasmedos, and we are to cooperate in carrying out the mission."

After saying this, the policeman called his superior and showed the group the official document. The bright red seal and anti-counterfeiting certificate clearly demonstrated its authority.

"Handover...?" Not only Mi Xi, but everyone was taken aback.

"We don't know the specifics either, we're just following orders." The sheriff said a few words into the walkie-talkie, and Simon's phone rang simultaneously.

He opened the email, his expression slightly grim, and several people crowded around to read its contents.

Captain Simon Lloyd,
Hello, you must have had a long journey.

Headquarters has received reports of the increasingly out-of-control atrocities committed by MI-Alpha-002 [Ghost], as well as the continuous failures in the control operations in Dietrich. Therefore, we believe that it is now necessary to make some personnel adjustments.

Following the meeting, the inspection team decided to transfer the long-term mission of transporting MI-Alpha-001 [Thunderbird] to the direct confrontation department of the Nevada branch, allowing them to complete the final transportation work.

Please remain in Las Meadows, where the local branch will arrange accommodations until a plane dispatched from headquarters will take you back to Michigan.

Please check your email for the arrival time of your flight.

Three to five business days later, the points earned from this mission will be credited to your and your team members' Black Cards without any changes, totaling 200 points per person, plus a $3 travel allowance.

Please remember the boundary between that world and ours—

"Humanity First".

Thank you for your contributions to St. Anilov and world peace.
San Francisco Inspectorate.

The transportation task was handed over to the local authorities...

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Mish continued to stall the police, while Simon activated the Dawn Society's communicator and sent a signal to the two knights.

“They shouldn’t have been able to find your location, but…” the knight replied, “The Dawn Association anticipated that this trip wouldn’t be smooth sailing, so they deliberately chose the route through Rasmedos City. This city is one of the few international cities in the West that is not entirely under the jurisdiction of the Inspectorate.”

"What should we do next?" Simon asked.

"Headquarters still needs a vote to decide the fate of [Thunderbird]. Until then, the inspection team will temporarily detain it at a secret location in Rasmedos. The Dawn Association will handle this matter. Please remain where you are and await further instructions."

Before he could finish speaking, the sheriff, who was chatting with Mishi, received a new order.

"Hmm? The special investigation team can't spare any personnel for reception? We should contact... I understand." He put down the walkie-talkie and spread his hands. "The plan has changed somewhat. But anyway, please get out of the car first."

The group reluctantly stepped out of the RV. The sheriff, who had just received a call from the Dawn Society faction, was telling them about the latest developments.

Lin An wasn't interested in his nonsense. He watched as the car imprisoning Thunderbird was surrounded by layers of police cars, waiting for a new driver to arrive.

Brother Lei, you have to hang in there!

After losing the [Mysterious Encyclopedia], Lin An had no idea how Thunderbird was doing.

The last time I observed it through the glass, Thunderbird's "check-in system" seemed to be dormant, just like its useless system. The appearance of the colorful wooden carving hadn't changed since it left the central region.

Even at the source level, without any power to resist, one can be killed by a mythical-level being with high radiation levels. Lin An had experienced this firsthand in his last battle with Efron Ruben.

Moreover, the Canaanite family certainly has a lineage.

A few minutes later, a "rat-a-tat-tat" sound came, and a helicopter quickly approached and lowered its ladder.

"You all hurry up and get on," the knight said.

The helicopter was probably a Dawn Society escort; they took the group away first to prevent the branch from completely blocking their movements.

Before the inspection team could react, Lin An and the others climbed the ladder as instructed, entered the helicopter, and it closed the cabin door, leaving the interception site cleanly and efficiently.

Before leaving, Lin An saw a car driving in the wrong direction heading towards the police car.

The two factions are fighting fiercely.

Normally, Lin An might have found it quite amusing, but since the system shut down, he wished for peace and tranquility so he could safely get through the next five days.

Why is the inspection team so reluctant to let Thunderbird enter headquarters?
Could this trigger a chain reaction?
"If it's just about researching and testing data, there's no need to go to such lengths," Lin An wondered.

Just as they fastened their seatbelts in the cabin, the Dawn Association gave them another order, instructing them to remain inside the hotel where they would be staying and await further instructions.

The wind howled, and Lin An looked out the window.

Initially, there was only a vast, black desert, darker than the night sky.

Until a few scattered particles of light flashed like fish scales on a black sea, suddenly, a dazzling burst of light erupted, first indistinct in shape, then taking on a mushroom shape, and the city appeared.

The dazzling lights of the city center converge into a long, shimmering avenue, focusing on the giant hotels at one end and the towering Egyptian temples at the top of the smooth, black glass pyramids, with spotlights shooting powerful beams of light up to 10 miles into the vast night sky.

In the middle of the avenue stands the MGM Grand Casino, shimmering with a vibrant green light; its main building occupies an area the size of four football fields.

Next to it was the Mirage Casino, with its orange-yellow artificial volcano spewing flames into the air; below that were the Sword of King Arthur Castle, Caesars Palace, the Grand Casino, the Venetian Resort, the Statue of Liberty, and the Eiffel Tower—the dazzling light made Lin An blink repeatedly.

This city of ecstasy is like a magical oasis of color and light in the desert, or a neon jewel carpet that springs up from the ground.

The helicopter landed on the platform of a large hotel. The moment Lin An stepped out of the cabin, a joyful voice came from the mirage across the river.

"Uuuuuuu——!"

He couldn't help but look into the distance. In the center of the man-made tropical lagoon, a huge volcano was erupting, its dazzling light shooting high into the sky, eliciting applause and cheers from a group of tourists that seemed to pierce the heavens.

"You'll stay here." The co-pilot jumped down and led the way.

Following the elevator, the group arrived at their hotel room. The man gave them a room key and then left.

Lin An put down his luggage and looked around the spacious place.

Directly in front is a round living room with a black leather sofa, a fluffy white carpet, and a portable widescreen TV.

Behind the living room is the bedroom, with a bed in the center that is about the size of a motel bedroom. To the right is a huge floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks Las Meadows Boulevard, and to the left is a corridor that leads to a marble bathroom with a black and gold jacuzzi.

However, Lin An couldn't enjoy the luxurious atmosphere at all. A faint sound came from behind him. He looked at the miniature surveillance cameras in the corner. Every time he moved, the cameras rotated 360 degrees with him, magnifying every muscle tremor and every bead of sweat 20 times, like a swarm of black maggots looking for prey.

The foundation has a number of surveillance cameras in its facilities, but they have never been installed in the staff dormitories, let alone the shower rooms and bedrooms.

Lying in bed, Lin An turned on his computer and entered the online classroom.

"Lin, it's been a long time." The old professor who was organizing the teaching materials greeted him.

"Hello, Professor."

"Hehe, it looks very bright over there." The professor pushed up his thick glasses, observing the background on both sides of Lin An's face. "This kind of decoration... are you at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Meadows?"

Lin An was stunned, not expecting the professor to recognize him.

"Professor, have you been here before?"

“That was a few years ago,” the professor said nostalgically. “You had a senior who was very good at her studies, until she became interested in mysterious things like mysticism and probability. After finishing the second semester of her third year of undergraduate studies, she suddenly dropped out.”

“She’s the same age as me,” Lin An said.

“You absolutely must not follow her example, or you won’t even get your diploma,” the professor said. “I was really worried about her future, so I went to great lengths to get her contact information and arranged to meet with her to talk. But to my surprise, the place she invited me to stay was the MGM Grand Hotel.”

"this place?"

“That’s right. I only found out after talking to her that she might be related to the ‘diamond theft case’ that caused such a stir at the university at the time.”

Lin An raised an eyebrow and continued listening to the professor reminisce about the past.

"It was a strange diamond, discovered in the Aegean Sea region. The exact location of its discovery is yet to be verified. In the 17th century, it was sold by Canaanite merchants to Louis XIV, the king of the Pigeon Kingdom. The Sun King once lent it to his mistress, Madame de Montespan, to preside over the Black Mass."

"A century later, King Louis XVI gave the diamond to Marie Antoinette, who then lent it to her friend Princess Lamballe. Both women were executed during the French Revolution. Subsequently, all those who possessed the diamond suffered misfortune or died young."

"The gem later passed to Lord Henry Hope, a banker from the Lion Kingdom, whose descendants donated it to the University of Ann Arbor. He recounted the aforementioned history and claimed that all who possessed the diamond would suffer misfortune."

"Does the professor believe in this legend?" Lin An asked.

"Of course not. Our university has a large collection of legendary artifacts. If all those legends were true, this place might be the first place in the entire United States to be destroyed, hahaha."

The professor smiled dismissively.

"Not only that, I recently received a new batch of donations. Come back soon, Lin, we need to write a paper about them in the fourth week."

"Okay..." Lin An pouted, "What's the connection between that senior and that diamond from earlier?"

"She claimed to have joined the MGM Grand Casino's bookmakers and become a patrol member roaming the casino, specializing in dealing with 'big players' who either cheat, have incredible luck, or have a lot of money. She made a fortune every day and didn't want to come back to study."

The professor sighed in exasperation.

"I suspect that she took the ominous diamond, but I have no evidence and I don't dare to offend MGM Grand Casino, so I have to give up."

"Is the professor still in contact with her?"

“No.” Someone pushed open the lecture hall door, and the professor ended his chat with Lin An. “Her name is Evancia Ivi Samaras. If you meet someone like her in Lasmedos, you might as well say hello to her.”

After finishing her online class, Lin An fell asleep on her soft bed.

The constant surveillance around him made it hard for him to fall asleep; even in his dreams, he saw pairs of eyes blinking incessantly.

The next day, he called room service and, while doing so, contacted the Knight to ask if he could turn off the surveillance cameras.

“I’m sorry, this is not something the Dawn Association can decide; they belong to the owners of the Grand Hotel,” the knight said. “Monitoring you is the bare minimum they require.”

The MGM Grand Hotel and the Dawn Association appear to have only a cooperative relationship.

Having lost the system, Lin An didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he lay in his room like a corpse for another day.

But there was no word from the Dawn Association, the Inspectorate, or headquarters; it was as if he had been left alone in a room filled with electronic eyes.

The buzzing and shaking of the surveillance camera made Lin An feel uncomfortable all over.

"Bang bang bang."

There was a knock on the door.

Lin An peered through the peephole and saw Mishi and Barry's faces appear.

"The room is so uncomfortable." As soon as the door opened, Mishi's complaint came through. "Let's go to the casino downstairs, Lin."

"Can we leave the room?"

“It’s possible, but someone will be following us the whole time.” Mishi pointed to several men in black hiding in the shadows. “At least it’s better than staying in the room, right?”

Being well-behaved was not in Lin An's nature, so he hid the staff in his clothes and the group headed for the stairs.

"Ding dong."

The elevator on the first floor slid open to both sides, and the colorful sounds immediately stimulated Lin An's adrenaline. His senses were so overwhelmed by the electric lights and neon that he couldn't tell which way was which.

The lobby is decorated in a Polynesian style and is divided into different game areas. It is decorated with various natural and artificial plants, and a misty spray creates a smoky and enchanting scene.
A massive crowd surged forth, with drunken, outlandishly dressed revelers packed together.

Women in short leather skirts and bras, men in open-fronted shirts and glittering jewelry, gangsters in striped suits strutting around, tourists from the Midwest, cowboys from the West, Wall Street traders, avant-garde singers from San Francisco…

Next to the bar, a group of Japanese men, their faces flushed from alcohol, were shouting in their native language, which no one around them could understand.

Lin An had rarely seen such chaos. He slowed down with his companions, visiting all sorts of arcade games, gambling areas, and card rooms, his ears ringing from the noise.

In the middle of the hall, there was a row of card tables, with tables for blackjack, dice, roulette, and playing cards mixed together. Each table was crowded with people, and there wasn't a single empty chair in sight.

A conspicuous gambler caught Lin An's attention.

She had golden curly hair, a tall figure, beautiful and long legs, and dreamy smoky eyes. She wore a tiger-skin triangular backless top, her ample breasts almost bursting out, and her sun-tanned skin peeking out from the top of her tight leather pants.

The woman placed her hand on another man's thigh, and no matter what he said, she laughed uncontrollably.

Noticing Lin An's gaze, she turned her head and lightly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Lin An quickly moved away from her gambling table, but after only a few steps, he almost bumped into other people.

How was your New Year?

A waitress, carrying a tray of whiskey, said with a smile.

"It's alright..." Lin An answered subconsciously.

The waitress warmly handed him a glass of wine, waited a while, and then left with a look of disappointment.

After she left, Barry's voice rang out from the side: "She's trying to figure out if you're from the Middle Kingdom."

"what?"

"It may be hard to believe, but the people in the casinos have a very simple view of the world. People from the Central Plains, Greeks, and Persians spend lavishly here, especially from the land of hibiscus, cherry blossoms, and the island of dragons, where those who gamble large sums of money are all dark-skinned."

"My teachers taught me from a young age that I must be mortal enemies with pornography, gambling, and drugs," Lin An said.

"Life is often a gamble; the key is how you use the cards that fate deals you."

Barry took the whiskey from Lin An, took a small sip, unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

"The 'Blackjack' table over there is empty. Want to try your luck?"

Thank you to Pan-fried Silver Cod and Ginger Boy for the monthly tickets, and thank you to everyone for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.
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(End of this chapter)