World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 120 Betrayal is not the end
As soon as Lin An opened the door, he saw a row of bodyguards in black standing neatly on the outside.

Unsurprisingly.

They didn't exchange any words with Lin An, but silently formed a circle around him and escorted him down to the hotel corridor.

Simon and Mishi were also waiting there.

The explosion occurred underground, and the MGM Grand Hotel was extremely well-insulated and earthquake-resistant, so they probably couldn't hear it. But the subsequent ambulances, police cars, and overwhelming news coverage were a different story.

The men in black made way, revealing Lin An, who was surrounded in the center and receiving the treatment befitting a president.

"Lin, why did you come down from the top floor?" Mi Xi looked at the unusually large number of men in black and asked suspiciously, "Did you...did you see what happened downstairs?"

"Where is Barry?" Simon asked, unusually in sync with her.

"It's nothing serious, just that he married two different women." Lin An waved his hand. "As for Barry, well, he's currently in a Schrödinger's cat state of death."

Their expressions instantly became as fascinating as a musical performance at the Bodø/Glimt.

"drop."

Before Lin An could continue his nonsense, a man in black received a message, whispered a few words, and everyone surrounded him again, signaling Simon and Mishi to leave Lin An's vicinity and take him back to his original hotel room.

The surveillance cameras became active again. Lin An leaned back on the leather sofa, turned on the TV, and listened to the local news while scrolling through the headlines on his phone.

Local news reporters stood downstairs at the MGM Grand casino, rattling off a rapid-fire account of the situation.

The mysterious explosion was also reported in all major newspapers in Las Meadows.

"A sudden explosion occurred in the MGM casino lobby? Shocking video has been released..."

"The number of victims killed in the Las Meadows casino bombing has now been confirmed, with a total of 7 dead and 265 injured who have been rushed to hospitals. Countless others were also affected. The death toll continues to rise..."

"According to an insider, he was wandering around the casino lobby when he suddenly heard a loud bang, followed by the entire lobby floor collapsing. A creature resembling a human rushed out of the hole, crashed through the ceiling, and disappeared..."

"Witnesses claim that this could very well be humanity's first encounter with UFOs and a conspiracy involving extraterrestrials..."

This incident was different from the past, with thousands of witnesses. Although Lin An tried to avoid the crowd, there were simply too many people in the casino, and it is estimated that a stampede or similar event led to civilian deaths.

Even for foundations, it takes considerable effort to resolve the situation.

Just as Lin An was thinking this, the interface refreshed, and all the news about the explosion disappeared into thin air. All sorts of news appeared, with large blocks of color attracting his attention.

Was it deleted?
Lin An switched the location to Las Meadows, and the layout returned to normal.

This indicates that either the government intervened, or the foundation and the Dawn Society joined forces to restrict the spread of the event and control all news media outside the local area.

The speed is quite fast.

Next, we'll leave it to the all-powerful logistics department.

The explosion occurred in the city of Las Meadows, a place teeming with all sorts of people, numerous conglomerates, and constant infighting among major corporations, with foreign powers also involved. As long as the money is right, it's not hard to find a scapegoat.

Before long, people will once again flock to the MGM Grand Casino from all directions, vying to sit at the glittering gambling tables. This extravagant, decadent, and world-class resort will remain as it always has, and the explosion will gradually become just another anecdote to be talked about.

You can move the casino out of Las Meadows, but you can't move Las Meadows out of the casino.

Having confirmed the direction of public opinion, Lin An took out the Dawn Association's communication device from the safe.

"Hey, Knight?"

“Mr. Lin,” came the voice of the Dawn Association representative from the other end, “Please rest assured, the matter has been resolved. Please wait in your room for further arrangements.”

“You said the same thing to my captain last time, and then you disappeared for five days and five nights.”

"I only hope that you can replenish your strength properly after the big battle before throwing yourself into new work. Since you are so enthusiastic about cooperating, we'll be right at your doorstep."

"Ah this..."

Lin An didn't need to open the door himself; the hotel door opened automatically as soon as the room key was turned.

The person outside was not a member of the Dawn Society, but Barry.

You're alive!

Just as Lin An was about to activate the communication device to inform the captain and Mishi that Barry's "Schrödinger" death state had been lifted, he remembered that they had been damaged in the battle and had to give up. He glanced at the culprit who had caused all the incident.

Barry was still covered in dust and blood. When he saw Lin An, his gloomy expression suddenly brightened, and he looked relieved. He wanted to stretch out his arms to hug him, but the latter rolled his eyes and dodged away.

"Brother, you're not still a spy for the Dawn Association, are you?"

“I am your partner, Lin.” Barry smiled. “The Dawn Society wants us to compile this operation into a formal report and submit it to them.”

"Okay, go ahead and write it." Lin An pointed at the computer and jumped back onto the sofa. "Tonight, I'm just a hired hand."

Barry obediently opened the document, and the sound of typing on the keyboard filled the air. After a while, he felt Lin An lean his head closer.

As Lin An read the report in black and white, he nodded repeatedly.

It was almost exactly as I had guessed.

"Is there anything you'd like to change?" Barry, disliking the young man's sarcastic silence, broke the silence himself. "For example, could you expand on how you single-handedly saved Rasmedos from dire straits and changed the voting results?"

"Okay, add it."

Barry dragged the above paragraph into ChatGPT, and a magnificent 5,000-word effusive praise was born.

Lin An was so overwhelmed by the display that his scalp tingled. Seeing that he really wanted to copy and paste AI writing, he quickly said, "That's enough, Barry. I want to ask you something."

"Ok."

"Why did you tell the inspection team the route? If they hadn't stopped us in Las Medos, we would have been in San Francisco by now."

"Even if we don't tell you, we still can't get into headquarters." "Why?"

“You’ll have to ask our General Manager, because he’s the one who told me to do this,” Barry explained. “He told me that since we can’t get in anyway, we might as well hand over the route to the Inspectorate as a pledge of loyalty, and then cooperate with them to make a great contribution and become one of them.”

“You mean my ‘great achievement’?” Lin An revealed what Barry called a “sweet smile.” “The moment you pushed me to Hill Kashrie’s wedding, all I wanted to do was kill you.”

"Ahem, it's all just a show to advance the plan." Barry quickly turned back to the report and began furiously typing on the keyboard.

"Well said. Next time, I'll reward you by letting you marry a blonde bombshell."

"Uh……"

"You're blushing like a teapot!"

"Bah."

Barry typed the last punctuation mark, looked away from the screen, and Lin An leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, his tone indifferent.

"Why not just surrender to the inspection team? For a mysterious person like you, they are the most suitable choice."

"Theoretically speaking, that's true, but unfortunately I joined the Foundation first and became a full member of the third squad of the Dietrich City Direct-Action Department."

Barry produced a cigarette from his wrist, lit it, and casually opened the window to let the wind disperse the secondhand smoke.

"So what?" Lin An asked, slightly puzzled. "Did the foundation save your life? Why are you so loyal?"

“Of course they don’t, but you do, Lin; you and the captain both saved me.”

Barry looked at Lin An beside him. The lights of the world's most prosperous city were reflected in his eyes, but he could never reach the deep alienation in them. The eccentric young man narrowed his mysterious and charming black eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite.

“And stories of gambling and betrayal are not stories I want to tell my children in the future.”

That night, he talked a lot about his past with Lin An. Barry did most of the talking, and Lin An listened without responding, but he didn't stop Barry from talking to himself.

Barry said he had been admitted to a good university similar to Lin An's, but he was not satisfied with the bland and tasteless life, so he fell into a dreamlike world of sound, light, electricity and color.

He'd been to all sorts of Las Meadows casinos: Secret Garden, Mirage, Rolling Stones, Big Apple, Pilatev, Venice...

He could recognize the decor of each casino, as well as their rules, characteristics, and game setups.

He once spent $20,000 in one night of revelry, and then made a miraculous comeback with a small amount of capital, earning back $25,000.

However, his two lives failed to merge and eventually broke down completely over time.

First came the IRS, which arrived on the scene; then he was expelled from university; then came the news of his fiancée's pregnancy; and finally, what brought him down was not some thrilling conspiracy, but simply a burglary.

While he was drinking alone, several robbers broke into the room and stole all the cash.

Barry did not insure these assets because they were quick and easy to acquire.

That day, he was still unaware of his own depravity. Instead, he withdrew all the funds from his savings book and bank card and went to Las Meadows, ready to gamble to his heart's content.

As a result, he discovered that factors such as surveillance cameras, card dealing patterns, and scene setups had changed, the dealers' methods were becoming increasingly unpredictable, and there were more and more bookmakers and gamblers smarter than him. His memory had also deteriorated due to years of alcoholism and staying up late.

Unsurprisingly, he lost everything.

Just as several guards broke down the door, dragged him out of the bathtub, and threw him onto the street, Barry received a call from his fiancée.

They say the baby has been born.

The moment Barry saw the baby's bright, blinking eyes, he suddenly understood what he was meant to do with his life.

Children need role models, and he will become that role model.

Barry decided to give up all his old bad habits and restrain his desires in every way. Even if he did not have the virtues, he pretended to have them because he had the responsibility to guide new life.

Barry's transition to a normal life was not easy at first. Using his savings, he changed jobs three times in the following six months. His high school diploma, his experience of being expelled from school, and the six-month period of unemployment that he could not explain caused him to run into obstacles everywhere. Finally, he settled down in a newly established small company.

The IRS still frequently audits his books, and he can't shake the feeling that someone is watching him every day.

but……

"Lin, life in the depths is bearable. For the human spirit is a genius, capable of building mountains from the mounds of happiness."

As the sun rises, all things come back to life.

Lin An squinted, looking towards the direction of Nanzhou. The smoke transformed into a blurry male figure, riddled with holes by the rising sun.

"Not smoking anymore?" He glanced at Barry, who had just stubbed out his cigarette.

"No, not again." Barry gently patted Lin An on the shoulder. "Good morning, thank you for saving my life last night. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lin An stretched.

For some reason, I felt inexplicably happy.

Maybe we should find another unlucky one.

"For example, if your dad ever wants to come to Dietrich, I can help you pick him up from the airport. How about that?"

After saying that, Barry laughed to himself, but then noticed that Lin An didn't join in the commotion. He turned around and saw Lin An pull out his wand from his waist and put on the same smile again.

"No need, Brother Barry. Tetanus, hives, smallpox, malaria, choose the one you like."

"……Eh?"

Thank you to Ershiqi, Kuiqiulv, Fanhao, Jianxueqinghan, Raziel, and Qincaidaoxiaomian for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)