The five of us were taken into separate interrogation rooms. I had no idea what was going on with the others. Since I couldn't speak English, I was deemed the most harmless. Agent Martinez and He Yiyang came to handle me personally, clearly hoping I might be the weak link. After placing a cup of coffee in front of me, He Yiyang rattled off a string of English, and Martinez translated:
"We don't want to waste time. We know everything about you and Sun Desheng. I don't need to recite your personnel records from the Bureau of Folk Affairs Investigation, do I?"
He paused, slid the coffee cup a little closer, then continued, "You and Sun Desheng are different. He's a senior official in the Bureau. But you, Mr. Shen, you're just a low-level field investigator. Let's make a deal. Tell us why your group came to Las Vegas and why you murdered Father Anthony, and in return, we—under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security—will grant you political asylum in the United States. You'll receive lawful American citizenship and a respectable job. Believe me, we have agencies here just like your bureau."
As he spoke, I mentally replayed every cop show I'd ever watched—especially those scenes of police interrogating suspects. They all seemed to follow a certain pattern. Once Martinez finished, both he and He Yiyang smiled, waiting for my reaction.
I picked up the coffee cup, took a sip to steady myself, and said, "So, uh... I have the right to request a lawyer, right? Could you please find me the cheapest one? Preferably free. Oh, and I'd like you to contact the Chinese embassy for me. I believe I currently hold a diplomatic post there, which should mean I qualify for... what's it called... diplomatic immunity? If so, the earlier you tell me, the more legal fees I'll save."
The two agents' faces fell immediately. I sighed and added, "It's not that I don't want to talk—truth is, I honestly don't even understand what's going on myself…"
No lawyer ever arrived. Instead, Xiao Jintong stormed in first, representing the Chinese Embassy. Even from inside the interrogation room, I could hear him furiously berating the police. Given his sensitive diplomatic status, no one dared touch him.
I don't know if it was his outburst that got results, but half an hour later, not just me, Meng Qiqi, and Sun Fatty, but even Huang Ran and Li Qimu were released.
With a sour expression, Martinez explained the reason: during the search of Meng Qiqi's Mini Cooper, the state troopers found the onboard dashcam footage. The recording had clearly captured the entire sequence of Father Anthony's death, proving we had absolutely nothing to do with the incident. With no grounds for detainment, the police and Homeland Security were forced to let us go.
Once we were free again, Xiao Jintong told Sun Fatty that the chapel had now been sealed off. Until the case was solved, it would remain closed to the public.
We piled into Xiao's car—except for Huang Ran, who had to take a cab back to the hotel since there simply wasn't any space for him—and drove off. On the way, Sun Fatty suggested that Li Qimu return to the police station and retrieve his grandfather's belongings from the chapel.
To our surprise, Li Qimu shook his head. "No need," he said confidently. "I don't believe those cops will find my grandfather's relics. They were sealed with protective wards—no ordinary person could uncover them."
He looked quite certain as he said this. Sun Fatty didn't press further.
When we got back to the hotel, Huang Ran was already waiting for us in the lobby. He came rushing over, but Sun Fatty stopped him with a wave. "Old Huang, not to be blunt, but the Heaven's Principle Scroll is out of reach. It's been seized by the police as evidence. Rather than chasing Li Qimu, you'd be better off negotiating directly with the cops or Homeland Security if you want that scroll back."
But Huang Ran wasn't so easily discouraged. He looked at Sun Fatty, then at Li Qimu, and said with his usual sly grin, "Once I saw you all again, I gave up on getting the scroll. Like I said—I'm just here to put on a show for the old men at the Commission. If I came to the States and didn't make a move, they'd be gossiping behind my back."
Since he insisted on tagging along, Sun Fatty didn't stop him. Maybe he figured that in our current situation, having someone like Huang Ran around wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
We grabbed a quick meal in the hotel. Just as we were heading back to our rooms to figure out what to do next, those two persistent Homeland Security agents showed up again.
He Yiyang pulled out a piece of paper, and Martinez translated, "We regret to inform you that due to your connection to this afternoon's homicide, although no concrete evidence ties you directly to the murder, to prevent further incidents, the Las Vegas District Court has issued a restrictive order: 'Mr. Sun Desheng, Mr. Shen La, Mr. Huang Ran, Mr. Li Qimu, and Ms. Meng Qiqi are hereby prohibited from leaving the premises of Caesar's Palace Hotel for the next 72 hours. Violation of this order will be deemed a threat to U.S. public safety, will result in immediate deportation, and designation as persona non grata, permanently banned from reentering the United States.'"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jintong sprang from his chair and roared at the two agents, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? You have no authority to enforce this! Your so-called restriction order has no legal basis. The Chinese Embassy will lodge a formal protest!"
"That's unfortunate," Martinez shrugged. "If your government chooses to protest, then we at Homeland Security will have no choice but to disclose the real identities of certain individuals involved, to justify the necessity of this order. I'm afraid that would force certain institutions in both mainland China and Taiwan to step out of the shadows. Believe me—that kind of catastrophic fallout isn't something we want to see. All you need to do is stay in the hotel for three days. After that, the restriction will be lifted, and you'll all be free."
Although his Chinese wasn't as smooth as Director Hugo's, it was much better than that of Ma Xiaolin, the Ma boss. After Martinez finished, the first to explode was Meng Qiqi.
"Hold on! Why am I being dragged into this?" she shouted. "I'm just a part-time tour guide! I don't know anything about what they're doing. Please, I have to be back in my office at the Louvre in Paris by eight tomorrow morning! If I don't show up, my boss will kill me!"
Martinez spread his hands and said, "Ms. Meng Qiqi, I sympathize with your situation. But the law is the law. No one is above it."
There was no escaping this mess. Furious, Meng Qiqi glared at Sun Fatty and didn't even bother hiding her displeasure in front of the agents. "Call Gao Fatty right now! Your nonsense has disrupted my real job. I'm raising my fee—and what I want, I'll let him know later. And tell him to follow my terms from now on. No more random bargaining!"
After soothing the still-fuming Xiao Jintong, Sun Fatty turned to Meng Qiqi with a big grin and said, "Why don't you just quit your job in France and join the Bureau? I can get you a position. Not to brag, but you'd be the first-ever female investigator in the Bureau's history. You're about to make headlines."
"In history? The Bureau's only existed under that name for a little over thirty years," Huang Ran added with a smirk, then turned to the agents and said something in English.
Whatever Huang Ran said, it wiped the smile right off Sun Fatty's face. He cut in, wearing a stiff grin, "Old Huang, I didn't realize the Religious Affairs Commission and the FBI were so chummy. You've helped them on a few cases too, huh? Not saying anything earlier sure got us locked up in that little black room for nothing."
Huang Ran pursed his lips and was about to respond when Martinez spoke slowly, "The FBI? We're separate departments. If you were an FBI agent, I could have contacted HQ and asked them to petition the court to exempt you from the restriction. But unfortunately, with your current status, I can't find a legal excuse to help you."
Martinez's words left Huang Ran awkwardly smiling. Before he could respond with some pleasantries, the Asian agent He Yiyang rattled off another burst of English. Martinez translated:
"I hope you all understand the seriousness of this incident. The restriction order is now in full effect. From this moment on, if anyone listed in the order is found outside the premises of Caesar's Palace Hotel, they will be immediately deported on the next available flight—and labeled persona non grata, permanently banned from entering U.S. territory."
Martinez gave a perfect American smile and added, "We hope this unfortunate incident won't affect your impression of Las Vegas. And best of luck during your stay at Caesar's Palace."
With that, he and He Yiyang turned and left the room, the door closing behind them.
The room fell silent. Huang Ran and Sun Fatty exchanged a glance but said nothing. Meng Qiqi, still clearly frustrated, looked like she wanted to punch someone—but in the end, there was nothing she could do. It was Sun Fatty who finally broke the silence, plopping down next to Li Qimu with a grin.
"Brother Qimu, this is your turf. Since we can't go outside, why don't you show me around inside? Let's play a few rounds—test our luck…"
Before he could finish, Huang Ran had already leaned in, glaring at Sun Fatty, "I'm coming too!"
Caesar's Palace is one of the most iconic casinos in Las Vegas, its interior dripping with opulence and golden luxury. Among our group, Miss Meng Qiqi was too annoyed to join us and stayed in her room. As for Xiao Jintong, given his sensitive diplomatic status, showing up in a casino would be a PR disaster.
So it ended up being just me, Deputy Director Sun, and Huang Ran escorting Li Qimu into the casino.
The moment Li Qimu stepped inside, it was as if a fish had returned to water. He weaved through the halls effortlessly—but oddly, never exchanged chips or placed any bets. Sun Fatty noticed the pattern and exchanged a thousand dollars' worth of chips to hand to him. It didn't take long before the two were laughing and joking like old friends, shoulder to shoulder at a blackjack table.
As for Huang Ran, he stood at a distance, watching Li Qimu closely with a smile. He exchanged just five dollars' worth of chips, which he toyed with in his hand, clearly uninterested in actually gambling. I stayed behind him. Even though my pocket held the $10,000 "travel stipend" from Sun Fatty and Gao Liang, I lived on a modest government salary. If I lost it all here and let it slip when I got home, my grandfather would beat me half to death.
The pile of chips beside Sun Fatty and Li Qimu kept growing. Every move Sun Fatty made seemed to pay off nicely. Watching them play, I suddenly recalled the horrific scene at the church that afternoon. Standing beside Huang Ran, I knew this was my chance.
"Old Huang," I asked, "what do you think happened in front of that church earlier? Broad daylight—didn't seem like a haunting."
Huang Ran gave me a smile. He blinked a few times, then said, "I didn't go inside the church, so I have no idea what kind of trap might've been hidden in there. But for something like that to happen in a church—it really shouldn't be some evil spirit…"
I asked again, "If it wasn't an evil spirit, then what was it?"
Huang Ran made a face and said, "No idea."