At six in the evening, the first billboard appeared.
"Welcome to Fantasy World!"
A showgirl dressed in feathers smiled at Li Jie from the giant billboard. Beside her, neon tubing spelled out a number: 87 miles to Vegas.
Then the billboards grew more numerous, more densely packed-magic shows, top steakhouses, all-you-can-eat buffets, wedding chapels, and, of course, casinos, casinos, and more casinos.
Li Jie switched on the radio. Every station played different music. My Way, Viva Las Vegas, then a news broadcast: "...police are searching for a man suspected of running a scam at a downtown hotel..."
As the sky darkened, he saw the light.
At first, it was only a faint glow on the horizon, like the first hint of dawn, except it was eight at night. As he drew closer, the glow grew brighter, finally breaking into millions of colored stars. Neon signs, LED screens, searchlights, headlights-all merged into an artificial galaxy. Las Vegas rose out of the desert like an excessively lavish, extravagant mirage.
He rolled down the window and let the dry desert air rush in. Only fourteen hours of driving separated the damp Pacific coast from Nevada's arid heat. He pulled his used minivan into a motel parking lot. The neon tubes in its sign flickered on and off, and the last letter of "Silver Star" was missing.
After getting a key from the front desk, he grabbed a quick bite and headed to the casino he had visited last time.
*No kid cries every day, and no gambler loses forever. After spending so much time with Nygma, I've gotten a lot smarter myself. I'm good at logical analysis now. Casinos probably let hesitant newcomers making small bets win a few rounds first. All I have to do is use my newbie buff to win