<h4>Chapter 197 Everything was preordained.</h4>


    William was genuinely interested in the job at the 13th Bureau. Just the sight of all those fascinating and peculiar devices made him eager to delve into them and study their intricacies.


    If he came across aspletelycking potential, Wes might not keep him on board.


    Isn''t it just circting the energy within the body?


    If Alice could do something like this, he shouldn''t overy his act.


    "Not bad! Keep it up and cycle the energy inside you multiple times daily," Zoey''s method of training someone to be a Soulmancer was rather straightforward.


    William nodded, "Understood."


    Wes felt like aplete novice.


    Zoey merely thought his performance was ''not bad''...


    Just ''not bad''?


    If this was considered ''not bad,'' where did that ce him?


    Compared to William and Zoey, who seemed like prodigies, Wes began to doubt his own proficiency level. He even questioned if he could still be considered normal.


    The gap was enormous!


    "After another month of training, you should be ready for formal work." Zoey was fairly satisfied with William''s performance.


    "Will I get paid during this month?" This was William''s primary concern.


    If he just wanted to earn money, there were many ways to do so. But the feeling of earning without actually working, especially from Zoey, was unparalleled.


    Wes said, "We pay the sries on thest day of every month. Provide us with your bank ount number."


    William responded, "I don''t have a bank card."


    Wes, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Should I get someone from the 13th Bureau to set one up for you, or do you want to handle it yourself? Who doesn''t have a bank card these days?"


    "Let someone from the 13th Bureau take care of it," William truly had no idea how to set up a bank ount. He didn''t want to bother L further, but he also didn''t want to seem ignorant.


    The 13th Bureau was a unique department. They issued exclusive bank cards to their employees. The internal employee cards, used for receiving sries, were simr to regr credit cards. Regr staff had a credit limit of $100,000. As the Director, Zoey''s card had a limit of $1 million. In emergencies, with just a phone call, she could ess up to $100 million.


    These funds were avable for urgent operational needs. Once used, as long as the expenses were reported and verified for work purposes, the 13th Bureau''s finance department would replenish the credit limit.


    After settling everything, Wes received a phone call. William overheard him mentioning an issue in Maplewood Town, and shortly after, both Zoey and Wes departed.


    William was familiar with Maplewood Town. In fact, he had lived there for several years in the past. Maplewood Town was the hometown of James Taylor.


    If he wasn''t mistaken, the Taylor family retreated to Maplewood Town after going into seclusion.


    William wasn''t particrly concerned about this.


    He felt he and the Taylor family were even,they owed nothing to each other. If the Taylor family were to do anything out of line, Zoey would likely handle it directly.


    Considering Zoey''s capabilities, William wasn''t worried at all.


    There were probably very few in the world who could harm Zoey.


    He decided to first locate Caleb. Although they weren''t very close, William had settled a debt on Caleb''s behalf, so he felt the need to warn him.


    William had visited Caleb''s house before. However, when he went there again, he discovered that the house had new owners.


    Clearly, Caleb had sold his home to settle his debts.


    For William, finding someone was never a challenge. He simply closed his eyes for a moment and sensed Caleb''s presence.


    Surprisingly, Caleb was in Las Vegas! Even more astonishing, William sensed an acquaintance nearby.


    In the blink of an eye, William found himself in Las Vegas. The bustling gambling city made him feel uneasy, with an atmosphere of restlessness everywhere.


    Entering a casino, William quickly grasped the rules. He exchanged money for chips and in no time won over a hundred thousand dors. He then took a seat next to Caleb.


    Caleb looked disheveled with bloodshot eyes and greasy hair, appearing as if he hadn''t slept in days. Nichs, seated beside him, was equally on edge, clenching his fists in frustration. The number of chips in front of both of them had dwindled significantly.


    Unnoticed by Caleb, William sat next to him, while Caleb remained intently focused on the card table.


    "Caleb!" William kicked the leg of Caleb''s chair.


    Caleb turned and gave William a fleeting nce before immediately refocusing on the card game. Breathing heavily, he inquired, "How''s your luck going?"


    William remarked, "Not too bad." After saying that, he pushed all his chips forward to bet on the yer.


    He noticed that both Caleb and Nichs had ced their bets on the banker.


    This round should have been in favor of the banker, but the moment William threw out his chips, the cards for the yer changed.


    "Banker has 7 points, yer has 8 points. yer wins."


    "Damn it! You''ve got to be kidding me!"


    Caleb and Nichs were both livid, cursing up a storm. They had each lost several tens of thousands of dors in that round.


    Nichs had noticed William too, but he didn''t acknowledge him. After winning the lottery and having a falling out with William, Nichs''s newfound wealth had plunged him into a life of luxury and vice. He sought thepany of the rich kids of his generation. However, those kids took him for a fool. As a result, he got involved with Caleb in several card games, which eventually led them to Las Vegas.


    They had agreed when they arrived that they would leave as soon as they won a hundred thousand dors. But Nichs had ended up lending more than a million dors to Caleb and lost over a million himself. Their current stack of chips was dwindling.


    "Caleb, what are we betting on this round?" Nichs was desperate. All he wanted was to win back his initial investment and call it a day, returning to his newvish lifestyle.


    Staring at the trend graph on theputer screen and analyzing it, Caleb rubbed his hands together and said, "We keep betting on the banker. It''s been four consecutive wins for the yer already. This round, we go all in on the banker! How much money do you have left?"


    "Eighty thousand dors," Nichs gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath. "If we go all in and lose, we won''t even have enough for the trip back."


    Looking at his chips, Caleb whispered, "It''s been four rounds in favor of the yer. If we don''t take the risk, even if we win with a small bet, it won''t cover our losses. Trust me on this one!"


    Nichs clenched his fist, gritting his teeth fiercely. He left himself a stake of $10,000, then, with a determined heart, bet all his chips on the banker.


    William, observing this, chuckled and casually ced a minimal bet on the yer.


    Regardless of what should have urred before, the moment William ced that chip, the oue seemed predetermined.


    "Banker has nine points!"


    "Holy crap! Nine points and still not winning?!" Caleb and Nichs stood up immediately, waiting anxiously for the yer''s cards to be revealed.


    The dealer on the yer''s side slowly checked the cards and finally, with a long exhale,id them out.


    The croupier announced impassively, "Banker 9 points, yer 10 points. yer wins!"


    Then, all the chips Caleb and Nichs had ced on the table were collected by the dealer.


    William won a hundred dors.


    Both Caleb and Nichs seemed to lose all their strength in an instant, slumping back into their chairs, stunned for a long time.


    Five consecutive wins for the yer?


    "Lend me money! Quick! I need two million dors. I want to bet again!" Caleb hurriedly signaled to the nearby staff, hoping to get more chips. He firmly believed his luck was about to turn, seeing this as the beginning of hiseback!