America: Starting from collecting corpses, leveling up to godhood

Two hours later, at Los Angeles International Airport, inside a crowded Southwest Airlines cabin.

Chen Ming stared blankly at the fat white man in the front row who had his bare feet propped up on the tray table, then glanced at the African American flight attendant next to him who had just thrown a sea salt and pretzel tortilla at his lap like a deck of cards, and his lips twitched.

He simply couldn't understand the thought process behind these domestic flights in the United States.

In China, even on budget airlines, flight attendants would at least smile and serve passengers inexpensive beef rice and snacks without any beef.

In the United States...

Security checks felt like a precaution against the resurrection of Bin Laden; boarding was as crowded as fighting for a bed in a refugee camp; and the crew's attitude was as if the passengers had just stolen their retirement savings...

"Relax, boss, this flight will only take 45 minutes."

Sofia seemed quite comfortable in the environment, leaning back in her chair with sunglasses on.

"You should be glad the cabin door didn't fly out in mid-air. There were no assigned seats; whoever got a seat got one... That's pure American freedom."

"No, I just want a cabin environment without the smell of marijuana and body odor. Next time I'll just book business class."

……

The plane landed at Harri Reid International Airport.

As Chen Ming stepped out of the boarding gate, he was greeted not by a sign for arrivals, but by rows of slot machines flashing neon lights and emitting a "ding-ding-ding" sound.

"They started taking money from passengers' pockets before they even took their luggage."

Chen Ming shook his head as he watched several old men who had just gotten off the plane eagerly stuffing banknotes into the machine.

"This is how Nevada treats its guests. To be honest, I quite like it. The air smells like money..."

Sofia took an excited deep breath of the dry desert air—and then coughed twice, choking on it.

Half an hour later, Uber dropped the two off in front of a glittering casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Pushing open the revolving door, the desert heatwave was instantly driven away by the cool air.

"The specially blended fragrance, combined with the interior design that downplays the concept of time, makes people unconsciously gamble for a very long time... I really want to hang these capitalists on the streetlights."

Chen Ming glanced at the artificial blue sky and white clouds painted on the dome.

There are no windows here, no clocks on the walls, and overhead are ever-bright, luxurious crystal chandeliers. All around are the sounds of dealers dealing cards and the electronic synthesized sounds of machines.

A bartender dressed in a high-slit bunny girl outfit passed by carrying a tray and even winked at Chen Ming.

"Would you like something to drink, sir? Drinks are free as long as you're playing."

"Two whiskeys on the rocks, please." Sophia expertly slipped a five-dollar bill into the girl's tray as a tip, then nudged Chen Ming with her elbow.

"Stop looking, they're after the money in your bag."

"I was just observing the terrain." Chen Ming looked away and weighed his heavy backpack in his hand.

"How are we supposed to break up tens of thousands of yuan in cash?"

"Break it down into smaller parts, you take half and I take half, then we'll go to the VIP redemption area separately to exchange for chips. This way we can avoid triggering the anti-money laundering system's alarm."

Sofia took the whiskey offered by the woman, tilted her head back and took a big gulp, her eyes fixed on the gambling table in the distance.

"Go play at the baccarat table. It's common to see Asian faces betting cash there. You can easily blend in... Remember to play a couple of rounds, lose a thousand or two, and then stop. Go to the counter and ask for a check. We'll meet by the fountain in the lobby."

After saying that, she picked up the bag containing the divided money and plunged into the sea of ​​gamblers like a shark that had smelled blood.

Chen Ming watched her retreating figure, feeling a strange chill run down his spine.

Hopefully, this woman remembers she's here to launder money, not to give it away...

That's his money!

Turning his gaze away, Chen Ming didn't rush to exchange for chips. Instead, he walked to a deserted slot machine, sat down, activated the system in his mind, and refreshed the daily tasks.

Based on experience, the tasks given by the system will always change according to the environment in which you are located.

Now that he's in the biggest money pit in the US, the tasks the system gives him will definitely become related to casinos, and he might even be able to make another fortune.

[Today's tasks have been refreshed]

[1. The slot machine in front of you is malfunctioning; you're guaranteed to win on the next round.]

[2. At the next table, a white cheater is using tricks to win big at Texas Hold'em. You can choose to expose him to the casino or extort money from him privately (attribute points +1)]

The casino's underground vault will open in two hours and transport millions of dollars in cash to the bank. There will be several gaps in the transfer process, during which you can try to rob the money (attribute points +3, skill points +1)

Chen Ming stared at the third task, his eye twitching involuntarily.

He came all the way to this damn desert to launder money discreetly, not to remake "Ocean's Eleven".

They just blew up Victor's estate. If they rob the casino's armored truck today, the FBI will most likely be driving armored vehicles to Koreatown and flattening his apartment building in a few days...

"Hey buddy, I advise you not to play with this machine."

A fat, white man reeking of alcohol, holding a free cocktail, interrupted Chen Ming's train of thought.

"I've been playing this machine for an hour and a half, and it hasn't hit once. There's definitely something wrong with it!"

"Really... Then I'm even more determined to play. You haven't studied probability, have you? I'm sure I'll win next time."

Chen Ming casually pulled an old twenty-dollar bill from his pocket, stuffed it into the bill slot, and pressed the maximum bet button.

Accompanied by a cheerful electronic synthesized sound, the three large gold coins on the screen instantly aligned in a line.

A prize of $1,500.

The white fat man dropped his plastic wine glass with a "thud" to the ground, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Fuck, fuck! This is my money! I fed it for an hour and a half, and you stole my prize!"

"In casinos, it's all about luck, bro," Chen Ming shrugged and started to bluff.

"The grand prize belongs to the person sitting in this chair who pressed the button... but you can keep playing, can't you?"

"If you keep gambling, your money is just temporarily stored in the machine, but if you give up, you'll really lose it—if you had chosen to persist instead of giving up, wouldn't you be the winner now?"

"...You're right, I shouldn't have stopped just because I lost too much." The fat white man looked as if he had just woken up from a dream.

"Asians really do understand philosophy. I'll go get more money now."

A few minutes after the fat white man left, two casino employees in red vests walked over with big smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations, sir, you're in great luck!" The supervisor handed over a document and a pen.

"Because the prize money exceeds $1200, we need to register your ID and fill out tax forms in accordance with federal law."

"I'm happy to cooperate." Chen Ming readily took the pen.

This was exactly what he wanted—a legitimate check stamped and certified by the IRS was cleaner than any money laundering method.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Ming stuffed the casino check into his inner pocket and headed straight for the high-stakes Texas Hold'em section in the distance.

He's now more interested in the "cheater" mentioned in the system's notification than in the one-off deal of slot machines.

The right way to experience Vegas is to launder money, complete tasks, and earn some extra cash at the same time.