Lord of Prayer - Chapter 108 - 92: Sorry, I’m a Cop (Part 2)

Chapter 108: Chapter 92: Sorry, I’m a Cop (Part 2)

’If it were any other ability, the deterrent effect might not have been so strong. But shadows are everywhere. There’s no escaping them. You have to be constantly on guard. Who knows which shadow might be hiding a pair of venomous eyes…’

’But on second thought, there was nothing to be afraid of. With the Star Mango in hand, all I had to do was go back, whip up an Advancement Secret Ceremony, and I could ascend straight to Tier Two. By then, we’d all be Tier Two. Who would be afraid of whom?’

’If worse comes to worst, I can just hole up at the Star Association and become a Ten-Mile Slope Sword God, grinding until my Level is high enough to venture out again.’

“You… You’re from the Star Association?”

On the ground, the Ghost Wolf Steward’s body had been torn to pieces by the Magic Wand, but he was still alive. Seeing Zhou Chen fighting alongside the Star Association Operators, he instantly understood everything.

’He was a mole!’

’A goddamn turncoat!’

The Ghost Wolf was consumed by rage. A ferocious light shot from his bloodshot eyes. He looked as if he wanted to flay Zhou Chen, eat his flesh, and drink his blood.

“Sorry, I’m a cop.”

Zhou Chen spread his hands. “Don’t be angry. We’re all just trying to make a living. I had no choice.”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” The Ghost Wolf Steward raged impotently, his severed limbs flailing wildly. The immense force sent surrounding rubble flying and smashing to pieces, kicking up a cloud of dust.

One of the Operators tossed out a nerve gas grenade. With a HISS, green smoke billowed out. The Ghost Wolf quickly fell into a deep sleep, his limbs growing still, like a dead fish.

Not long after, several Operators rushed into the villa carrying metal boxes. They placed the Ghost Wolf’s head, torso, arms, and legs into separate, specially made alloy cages, and just like that, he was under arrest.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chen ran over to catch up with Erin. She was safe and sound under the protection of two Operators, though the burlap sack slung over her shoulder made for a rather incongruous sight.

“Mr. Zhou Chen, are you all right?” Erin now believed that Zhou Chen was a Star Association Operator.

“I’m fine. Give me the bag. You’ve been through a lot. Let’s pull back for now.”

Zhou Chen took the sack, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and led her away from the now-ruined Blue Diamond Manor, running all the way to a temporary camp a kilometer away.

Although he had no injuries and his Essence was plentiful, he was mentally exhausted and needed to rest. Besides, with reinforcements steadily arriving, he wouldn’t be of much use if he stayed. Retreating was the best choice.

After the two of them got settled, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from within the manor, sending a small mushroom cloud shooting into the sky.

“The Birdman detonated Alchemy Explosives in an attempt to take everyone down with him! Four Operators are critically injured! The Birdman is dead on the scene! Medical team, prepare to treat the wounded!”

Zhou Chen took off his Blindfolded Sunglasses, placed them in his inner pocket, and paused for a moment when he heard the field commander’s roar.

’So the Birdman’s dead…’

’How should he put it? The Birdman had actually been pretty good to him. He’d provided him with a lot of equipment, made things convenient for him, and seemed to trust him. He even invited him, the new guy, to the company’s team-building event… As a person who believed in repaying kindness, Zhou Chen felt it was his duty to observe a moment of silence for the Birdman. For maybe two or three seconds.’

—And then say, good riddance.

’They should do it more often.’

’There wasn’t a single good person among the Abyssal Cultists.’

To this day, Zhou Chen had never forgotten the tragic fate of Li Guangjun and his girlfriend. How desperate and painful must it be to kill the person you love with your own hands?

And the Birdman was the main culprit.

As a Steward of the Eternal Fire, he had surely harmed many others before Li Guangjun. His sins ran deep.

’An anti-human Cultist like that deserved far worse than death. His passing was no loss at all.’

“Mr. Zhou Chen, thank you for saving me.” Just then, Erin, who was covered in dust, stood up, lifted the hem of her skirt, and gave Zhou Chen a ladylike curtsy, instantly making many others in the camp green with envy.

’What kind of dog-shit luck was that? How could he go undercover on one mission and run into a kidnapped beauty? And a rich one, at that…’

’It was enough to make a man sick with jealousy.’

Zhou Chen stood, returned her bow with a smile and a hand over his chest, and asked curiously, “How did you get captured?”

Erin recalled the scene. “It was a banquet hosted by the eldest son of the Smith Clan. I was attacked while washing my hands in the restroom. I managed to escape using the various Artifacts my father gave me, but my kidnapper was very strong and caught me soon after.

“As a last resort, I used a Life Amber to seal myself. I was hoping someone would hear my cries for help and come rescue me, but in the end, no one came…

“Later, I was put into a large box, and I heard those people say they were going to take me to Yingzhou.

“After that, I fell into a deep sleep and didn’t wake up until just now, when I heard the explosion and a horrible-sounding whistle.

“Oh, right. Life Amber is a very Advanced Alchemy Tool. It can freeze the user’s body at a single moment, putting them into a deep sleep so they don’t have to worry about being thirsty or hungry. The amber is also incredibly hard—even a Tier Four Ascender would find it difficult to break through. It can only be undone by the user.”

’Taking Erin to Yingzhou? This doesn’t seem like a simple kidnapping. The conspiracy here runs deep… The whistle must have been the sound of the Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle. To think I woke her up by accident… The Sealing Secret Ceremony was probably shattered by the explosion…’

Zhou Chen nodded. “Don’t worry, you’ll be home soon. As for your kidnappers, we already have a few leads.”

“Zhou Chen, come take a look at this.”

Suddenly, the field commander called out to him.

Puzzled, Zhou Chen walked over and looked at the screen. His pupils contracted.

It was a feed from the camera built into an Operator’s armor. The image being transmitted seemed to be of a Holy Hall.

The hall was a sinister black and red. A pitch-black Fiery Fire burned in an altar, making the place look every bit like the sacrificial site of some evil Cult.

’Zhou Chen realized what it was—this was where the Eternal Fire held its ceremonies!’

Before the altar blazing with Chaos Fire, a figure knelt on the ground, frantically muttering incomprehensible Abyss Curses in a devout prayer to the King of Chaos.

The Operators had apparently arrived a little too late. They tried to open fire to stop Li Xiaoxiao, but the bullets and grenades all froze three meters from her body, suspended in midair as if time had stopped.

As the final, obscure, and wicked syllable fell, Li Xiaoxiao’s eyes snapped open. They were completely black, without a trace of white. Her entire aura underwent an earth-shattering Transformation, as if some evil entity had descended into her body.

Her body floated into the air. She raised a palm, and a terrifying shockwave swept out, blasting away the suspended bullets. The Operators were also affected, sent flying by the impact.

The video feed shook violently, but it quickly stabilized.

“Tell Zhou Chen.” Li Xiaoxiao’s voice had become layered and distorted, sounding incredibly wicked and strange.

“—Tell him he betrayed our trust! I will offer his blood in sacrifice to the King of Chaos! I will use his skull as a goblet for fine wine! I will feed his flesh to the wild dogs! And I will use his Soul to light the ever-burning Curse Lamp!”

“Zhou Chen! I curse you to a miserable death!!”

The venomous intent behind the Curse was so thick it practically seeped out of the screen.

’Zhou Chen’s eye twitched. ’So, Li Xiaoxiao knows I’m the traitor now, too…’

“Everyone, give it your all and take her down! When you get back, dinner and a night at the club are on me—the whole package!” he shouted frantically.

He didn’t need to say a thing; the Operators had already charged Li Xiaoxiao. However, her current state was anything but normal—she was unnaturally strong.

With just a point of her finger, a torrent of dark fire surged forth, making it impossible for the Operators to draw any closer.

KRAK.

A crisp, cracking sound echoed through the air. Space itself seemed to groan under an unbearable weight, shattering like a mirror as sinister, twisting Abyss Curses propped open a Space Gate.

Li Xiaoxiao stepped into the Space Gate, turning her head for one last look in the Operators’ direction, as if looking through them to see the figure she hated to the very bone.

The next second, she vanished. The Abyss Curses holding the Space Gate open crumbled, and the fractured space repaired itself in an instant. The sea of dark fire in the hall gradually subsided and went out.

On the screen, the final image froze and replayed on a loop.

Li Xiaoxiao, her eyes black and her aura wicked, moved her lips without a sound, as if to say:

“Just you wait—”

’It’s over!’

’Zhou Chen’s vision went black; he nearly had a stroke. He’d made another mortal enemy!’

’Is this the price a traitor has to pay?!’