Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

"Hi, friend, welcome to America."

Those few words spelled out their location quite clearly.

Upon hearing Old Sam’s voice, Kuangliu first looked at his wristwatch, then glanced at the clock on the small cabin’s wall, giving a slight nod.

Calculating the time difference wasn’t difficult, and judging by Old Sam’s features, Kuangliu had harbored some suspicions from the start.

"So, where are we now?"

Hearing Kuangliu’s question, Old Sam shrugged, picked out a relatively clean cup, poured Kuangliu a cup of coffee, and then began to speak.

"Casino City Las Vegas. Of course, that was its pre-apocalyptic name. Now, we prefer to call it Sin City."

"Oh? Sin City? That’s an interesting name. I remember Las Vegas used to be called that before."

Old Sam shrugged and said in a mysterious tone, "It certainly was, but it’s never been more sinful than it is now! The apocalypse just ended, and all the zombies have been wiped out. Even the mutant beasts can’t stir up much trouble anymore. Living in Las Vegas now is sheer torment. The local bosses are constantly fighting over territory, so robberies and killings are rampant. Who knows when things will ever return to normal?"

Old Sam sighed, sipping his coffee.

Hearing Old Sam’s words, Kuangliu simply nodded.

Old Sam, at his level, would naturally be unaware of the imminent opening of the Demon Realm’s Gate. This was a decision made by the higher-ups in every country. After all, revealing such a truth would inevitably lead to unrest, and unrest itself is a terrifying disaster!

Kuangliu had no intention or need to tell Old Sam the truth, so he asked outright, "Then, doesn’t Las Vegas have an army?"

"Army? Of course, it does! They’re the ones behind all the robberies and killings!"

Old Sam vented, holding nothing back as he complained to Kuangliu.

"I just heard you say you’re military personnel from Cathay. I don’t know how your military operates, but I really can’t stay in Las Vegas anymore."

"In this damned place, the army doesn’t do a thing!"

"Initially, the Washington Special District sent people to take over Las Vegas. Back then, Las Vegas was somewhat normal. Life was tough, sure, but at least it was livable. But then..." Old Sam trailed off, taking another sip of coffee. He looked quite nervous.

"They all died... I don’t know why, but the entire fully-armed unit, a few thousand strong, died in their camp."

Hearing this, Kuangliu furrowed his brow.

The Cathay military has encountered similar situations!

As the saying goes, ’the strong use their power to break the law.’ For professionists above the Third-level, the effectiveness of firearms was drastically reduced. With firearms practically useless and everyone being a professionist, who would fear whom?

In the past, when an assembly site was being established in a provincial capital in Cathay, some individuals resisted military control and instigated a riot, slaughtering the dispatched troops. It was only when I stepped in that the incident was quelled.

Thinking of this, Kuangliu asked again, "Doesn’t the American army intervene?"

"They did. They sent more people, and then they all died too! Died right in their camp, with no visible injuries or signs of a struggle! This time, the military didn’t send a large force just to die. They sent a Special Ops Team, less than a hundred people, but they don’t do anything around here. Then, their leader got bribed by Mama-san Annie from the East District... These damn shit-eating incompetents! All the taxes I used to pay, completely wasted!"

Old Sam complained angrily, gulping down his coffee.

This information gave Kuangliu much to consider.

Cathay and America had different systems, and their survivors likely had different mindsets.

But one thing was absolutely certain: the military, as the current absolute ruler of a country and wielder of its strongest force, would never allow such a large territory to become a lawless enclave!

In his view, the American military must have some sort of plan.

However, this had little to do with him!

Right now, the only thing he needed to focus on was contacting the Cathay military and finding a way back to Cathay.

The American military’s top brass definitely had ways to contact Cathay. Given his strength and status, borrowing such a method would be a very simple matter.

While Kuangliu and Old Sam were shooting the breeze, the bathroom door pushed open.

Then, Wen Yu walked out naked, holding a freshly cleaned Cyclops and Star.

"So, where are we?"

"America. Las Vegas."

"Nice. I finally get a free trip abroad."

Seeing Wen Yu’s "couldn’t care less" expression, Kuangliu couldn’t help but shake his head and walk into the bathroom.

When Kuangliu finished washing up, Wen Yu was attempting small talk with Old Sam.

Their languages weren’t mutually intelligible, but for Wen Yu, a Peak Level 5 professionist, learning a foreign language wasn’t too difficult. In a short amount of time, he could already manage simple conversations in English.

Unfortunately, Old Sam had no intention of being Wen Yu’s English teacher. His eyes were fixed on Cyclops in Wen Yu’s arms, and he positioned his body to block the doorway.

Outside, Old Sam’s German Shepherd was quietly sunbathing. Cyclops, however, was constantly trying to lunge at the dog, only to be firmly held back by Wen Yu.

This damn dog, as lecherous as ever!

When Kuangliu emerged, Wen Yu was forcefully yanking Cyclops back into his arms by one leg.

Seeing this, Kuangliu almost burst out laughing.

Composing himself, Kuangliu said to Old Sam, "Is your place big enough? We’d both like to stay the night. And this," Kuangliu continued, "is for the accommodation."

With that, Kuangliu tossed Old Sam a Third-level magic crystal.

Old Sam’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

"Oh, and one more thing. Tomorrow, could you guide us to the Las Vegas Assembly Site? We’ll compensate you separately for that."

"No problem!"

The magic crystal had already dazzled Old Sam.

Then, a few more magic crystals traced a graceful arc through the air, landing squarely in Old Sam’s hand.

Wen Yu gave Old Sam an awkward laugh.

"This is compensation for my battle pet’s rude behavior earlier. Is it enough?"

Old Sam carefully counted the magic crystals in his hand. His eyes gleaming, he nodded.

"It’s enough, more than enough! Thank you, sir!"

Third-level magic crystals were indeed quite valuable in Sin City.

Then, Wen Yu produced five more Third-level magic crystals, an embarrassed look on his face as he said, "Um, about that..."