America: Starting from collecting corpses, leveling up to godhood

"Save your breath. The streetlights in Vegas are covered with strippers' and call girls' little penises, they don't have time to plaster me with them."

Chen Ming ultimately did not take Sophia to a $50-a-night motel, nor to Caesars Palace, but instead checked into an old casino hotel located away from the Las Vegas Strip.

"Is this what you mean by relaxing?" Sophia asked, disdainfully clutching the smoky sheets.

"This shabby hotel room door even has holes in it..."

"You should be grateful. That chubby lady at the front desk gave you a room key after you paid in cash." Chen Ming skillfully stuffed the backpack containing the money under the bed.

"It's only a ten-minute drive from the airport. If the wind direction changes in Los Angeles, I can easily buy a one-way ticket to Mexico and run away..."

"Ah, so that's the real reason you stayed." Sophia lay on the sofa and started scrolling through her phone.

"That's crazy. What are we going to do for the next two days?"

"If you have nothing to do, you can go down to the lobby and play a couple of rounds of slot machines, or play Texas Hold'em. I'll give you a hundred dollars."

"Only a hundred? You have more in your bag..."

"If you lose all your money, go watch drunk rednecks fight in the street."

……

noon the next day.

"I want a double cheeseburger..." Sofia said listlessly, watching the local news on TV.

"Don't forget, the fast food restaurants here are terrible." Chen Ming sat by the window, flipping through a free used car trading newspaper.

"I don't want to go out."

"Shall I order takeout?"

"Delivery fees plus service charges, plus the minimum 15% tip for the delivery driver, all of this costs twice as much as the burger itself... You'll have to pay for it yourself if you want to order it."

"You miser!" Sophia rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Actually, you don't need to be afraid. There are countless cases in Los Angeles every day. The LAPD will probably forget about you in one night..."

"Police officers also get paid, and they're more proactive than anyone else when it comes to paying taxes at the end of the month."

Chen Ming closed the newspaper, stood up, and stretched.

"Let's get ready and go downstairs."

"Are you really going to run away?" Sophia immediately jumped up.

"Not yet. Let's go to Walmart across the street and buy two anonymous prepaid phones, then we can stop by the casino on the way." Chen Ming put on a baseball cap and sunglasses.

"If everything is back to normal in Los Angeles in two days, we'll go back."

Two days later.

"I told you your paranoia needed to be treated." Sophia, chewing on a lollipop, shoved her phone screen into Chen Ming's face.

"See? Even the LAPD chief is going crazy now?"

Chen Ming took Sophia's phone and glanced at the Fox News pop-up.

"Three robbers wearing SpongeBob SquarePants headgear drove a stolen truck and rammed into a Rolex store in Beverly Hills?"

"Keep reading!"

"Then, while trying to reverse and escape, their truck bed got stuck on a fire hydrant at an intersection because it was too long... After that, the three abandoned the truck and stole a water truck parked on the side of the road, and are currently in a chase with thirty police cars on the interstate at a top speed of twenty miles per hour?"

After Chen Ming finished reading the news, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

As expected of a California wedding car fleet, they effortlessly created a storyline that Hollywood couldn't possibly produce...

"The important thing is that the water trucks were still spraying water along the way, and now the helicopters have all flown over." Sofia was so happy that her mouth twisted into a crook.

"What a vibrant city."

Chen Ming speechlessly tossed his phone back onto the bed.

"These idiots always manage to turn serious crimes into late-night talk shows."

"Anyway, you should be safe for now. Can we go back? This lousy hotel's air conditioning is so noisy, I've been having nightmares all night..."

"Let's pack our things and head to the airport." Chen Ming bent down, pulled out the backpack from under the bed, and dusted it off.

……

Three hours later, in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

The familiar sound of police sirens wailed through the streets, the air thick with the smells of tacos and car exhaust.

Nothing had changed, and nobody cared that a monster who had detonated explosives and killed more than a dozen gunmen lived in an unassuming apartment here a few days ago.

"Cough cough cough... How come I never noticed before that the air in this room is worse than the smoking area in a Vegas casino?" Sophia pushed open the door and was immediately choked by the musty smell that hit her face, causing her to cough.

"Because you used to keep at least six rats here with all sorts of odds and ends."

As Chen Ming spoke, he checked the strands of hair that had been clipped to the bedroom door frame before walking away. After confirming that none had fallen out, he checked the dust on the windowsill before relaxing.

"Stop looking, the thieves here are all poor and dead."

Sofia kicked off her shoes and sat on the sofa.

"By the way, my mailbox is overflowing with your letters."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming grabbed a handful of letters and flipped through them.

A broadband overdue payment notice, a car insurance bill, two supermarket discount coupons...

He threw all the spam into the wastebasket, but kept one pink postcard and stared at it for a long time.

"You know... the California court actually selected me to be a jury."

"You, an outlaw, going to serve as a jury in court?" Sofia laughed and fell back onto the sofa.

"The judge would have a heart attack on the spot if he found out. Are you planning to go?"

"Of course I'm not going."

"Friendly reminder, you'll be fined $1,500 if you don't go!" Sofia said gloatingly.

"...What else can I say?"

Chen Ming expressionlessly stuffed the summons into his pocket.

"At worst, I'll just sit in court and doze off, and get a free lunch sandwich while I'm at it."

"So what's next, Mr. Millionaire?" Sophia asked, using her toes to hold the remote control and change the channel.

"Go to Beverly Hills to look at mansions? Or go shopping at South Shore Plaza?"

"Wash the rice and chop the onion."

Chen Ming walked into the narrow kitchen.

"While you're at it, fix the generator on the food truck so you can set up shop."

"You're such a hopeless miser..."

But just as Chen Ming swung the cleaver, leaving afterimages, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He wiped himself on his apron and then pressed the speakerphone button.

"Chen, how have you been lately?" Michelle's hurried and excited voice came through the phone.

"If you want to order takeout, I only have fried rice, and I don't offer delivery service." Chen Ming continued chopping carrots without looking up.

"I don't need... Listen, I have a fantastic news lead that I need your help with. There are a few minor issues to resolve, but I assure you the whole process will be very safe."

"I got shot in the leg when you said you were going to show off your skills last time," Chen Ming interrupted her mercilessly and prepared to hang up the phone.

"This time I'm not kidding, there's no gunfight or gangsters... Have you heard of Green Trees in West Hollywood? A Michelin-recommended restaurant that specializes in all-organic ingredients."

Sofia, who was on the sofa, suddenly perked up her ears.

"I know that shop... I heard that their black truffle avocado toast costs $65 a serving, and you have to book a reservation a month in advance on the website."