Three hours earlier, in Las Vegas, at the very center of the city, on the top floor of its largest and most dazzling casino hotel—the Empire Star.
When the elevator doors opened, the young man with a cold, solemn expression hurried through the corridor and pushed the door open.
Behind the door, at the highest point of the entire city, all was silent, with only the monotonous ticking of the life-support machines echoing in the air.
Beyond the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the traffic-choked city was laid out in every detail, like blood coursing through veins, flowing just before one's eyes. Yet behind the curtains, on the propped-up hospital bed amid countless cables, there was only a dying old man.
The young man's steps unconsciously slowed. He paused, straightened his collar, then walked forward and bowed his head: "Father, I'm back."
The old man stared blankly out the window, then suddenly asked, "William, where is he now?"
