"So, if we're lucky, we can just watch the first round?"
"Yeah. But if luck's not on our side, the armed forces over there are no joke. Everyone, get ready. The main point's the second stop. Not far from there is a rich man's private garden, and that place won't be easy to handle."
For the first phase of the Zhuangyan Temple cauldron-seizing plan, Yang Yang had gone over everything in detail, even splitting it into Plan A and Plan B. Jing Shu liked teammates like this—people who didn't overthink things. She'd just do whatever they told her. But judging from Yang Yang's arrangement, things didn't look optimistic. He was clearly prepared for a forceful approach.
So that meant he didn't have much faith in the monk? Jing Shu glanced over at the calm-looking monk, her mind wandering. She wasn't particularly eager about this Zhuangyan Temple trip, but if there was a good harvest at the end of it, she wouldn't complain.
When the assignment finally reached the priest, everyone turned their eyes toward him. What were they supposed to assign him? What could he even do?
The priest made a few gestures, then said slowly, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lead us not into danger, but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom and the glory are yours, forever and ever. Amen."
"…Huh???"
Ling Ling muttered, "I guess he's just gonna stay behind and pray for us."
Right. So, basically, they'd go in and fight while the priest stayed behind to cheer them on, shouting hallelujah or whatever.
Two days flew by. Wrapped in a thick coat, Jing Shu went out alone to scout the area. Unfortunately, she didn't find much of value, though she did take care of a few stalkers. The gap between rich and poor in America was enormous. The rich were drowning in luxury, while the poor had nothing left but crime.
This area she was in clearly wasn't a rich one. Nowadays, America was dangerously unsafe. The wealthy had their own estates and private guards.
Crime here was insane, especially among the Black population. Jing Shu hadn't slept well for two nights—there were constant gunshots followed by screams, and plenty of people had fled to churches seeking shelter.
That's when the nuns became the face of righteousness, saving those people one after another. The priest seemed like he never slept. He'd baptize each suffering soul with verses from the Bible, either taking them in or praying for them before sending them away.
His church was like heaven in New York—the only place that didn't discriminate against anyone, whether Black or White. As long as someone was in distress, he'd take them in with compassion.
Not only that, he even gave them food. The church itself was like a manor, and Jing Shu had no idea how many people were living there. With food being so scarce in America now, she couldn't figure out how the priest managed to feed everyone. But every day, someone came to deliver supplies. So what was his profit angle in all this?
She couldn't tell why the priest, as their teammate, was doing all this. But something about it felt off.
In New York, the most common things now were robberies, murders, and human trafficking. Basically, wherever there was profit, people did it. The government had killed off plenty of criminals, but the chaos never stopped. The poor had no way to live except by stealing.
That's why everyone had to carry weapons, even in busy city centers. Otherwise, those hungry, predatory eyes—mostly from desperate men—would size you up, wondering which market to sell you to later.
Not exactly a pleasant experience. Worst of all, she didn't find anything worthwhile. On top of that, Xiao Dou had caused her even more trouble these past two days!
The two black American eggs she'd bought from the black market actually hatched under Xiao Dou's care.
When the chicks first chirped, Jing Shu was completely dumbfounded. What the hell? Xiao Dou actually hatched chicks? And in this freezing cold weather? The two American chicks were clearly different from Chinese breeds. Their feathers were pitch black, and their tails were shaped like fans, almost like peacocks. They were also much bigger, with huge, bumpy combs that looked like lumps of flesh.
So… could this mean they'd get to eat a new kind of chicken later?
No, wait! What was she thinking? This wasn't about eating chickens! She was here on a deadly mission abroad! Bringing along one battle chicken was already weird enough, and now she had to drag along two little chick freeloaders too?
This whole setup looked completely wrong.
Should she just roast one? Or stew one with mushrooms? Jing Shu eyed the two black chicks dangerously. Xiao Dou flapped her wings and hid them protectively under her feathers, all motherly, even though the eggs hadn't been hers to begin with.
"Fine. You raised them, you take care of them. I'm not getting involved," Jing Shu said to Xiao Dou.
On the third morning, the priest led twenty-eight nuns to the Hudson Valley area of New York, heading for Zhuangyan Temple. Jing Shu's squad went along too. Of everyone in the group, she had the most luggage—and three chickens in tow.
Thankfully, no one seemed to care. Even the nuns kept their eyes straight ahead, silent and serious. The atmosphere was so tense that even Xiao Dou, usually so noisy, didn't dare cluck.
Before the apocalypse, Zhuangyan Temple had been built by Chinese immigrants. It was both a tourist site and a research center for scholars studying Buddhism and comparative religion. It was also the largest temple in North America, home to an extensive Buddhist library.
Now, after the apocalypse, it had become one of the many refuges. But few Americans had chosen such a remote spot. Rumor had it there was a secret armed force operating here, along with local monks and other religious groups.
The monk they were here to bet against was a chubby middle-aged man with burn scars on his bald head. The monk from Jing Shu's team didn't have any.
Jing Shu had expected a bloody contest, or maybe something like a recitation duel, or a battle of Buddhist domains—something fitting for monks, at least.
But the reality turned out completely different.
The priest and his twenty-eight nuns sat neatly in the courtyard, while the head monk and his followers took their seats opposite them. A crowd of onlookers—mostly Black locals—gathered around, shouting and cheering. The whole scene looked nothing like the Shaolin monks Jing Shu had seen on TV swinging staffs in fierce combat.
Honestly, it felt kind of cheap.
But the content of the bet wasn't cheap at all. In fact, it went far beyond Jing Shu's expectations.
After bowing to each other, both monks stripped off their upper robes, leaving only thin pants.
"Huh??? What's with taking their clothes off right away? Are they gonna fight hand-to-hand? Doesn't look like it…"
Just then, a young monk came out carrying a tray, holding the item that was the key to this gamble.