Lord of Prayer - Chapter 204 156: Eternal Life Machine

·

In a hotel room booked with Old Yang’s fake ID, Zhou Chen washed away the traces of battle, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and frowned at his phone.

It was almost noon. ‘Why haven’t I heard back from the Hong City Star Association yet?’

He had reported the Blood Race and revealed the existence of the Crimson Sect last night. Given the Star Association’s efficiency, they should have followed up quickly to inform him of the outcome. After all, he was both the informant and a Star Association Operator; they were obligated to notify him.

Yet, hours had passed with not a peep from the Star Association.

There were no posts about the Blood Race or the Crimson Sect on Hong City’s local forums either. Instead, a post about the fight in Tulip Garden from earlier had been pushed to the top, gaining over ten thousand views and thousands of comments in just half an hour.

As Zhou Chen scrolled through the posts, he suddenly let out a soft “Huh?”

—*Ascender Believed to be Involved in Tulip Garden Battle Dies in Series of Freak Accidents!*

He curiously clicked on the post and watched the surveillance footage the original poster had recorded on their phone.

In the video, Dixie and his companion fled from Tulip Garden. But Dixie seemed cursed with bad luck. First, he tripped over his own feet on flat ground, blinding one of his eyes. Then, he was hit squarely by a large truck. Finally, he was smashed into a pancake by a wrecking ball from a demolition site.

The sequence of events flowed as smoothly as if it had been rehearsed countless times, full of dramatically fatal coincidences. It had a real “Final Destination” feel to it.

The comments below all remarked on how rare it was to see someone so unlucky. They speculated that the dead Ascender must have done something to anger the heavens to be cursed with such misfortune.

Zhou Chen sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Is the misfortune brought by the Cursed Blade really this terrifying?’

He thought for a moment. The last person he’d stabbed with the Cursed Blade was Qin Duoduo, who had been corrupted by the Desire Demon. Right after he stabbed her, Qin Duoduo had inexplicably taken a fall, causing her Energy to leak and attract the Godslaying Weapon… Oh, right, he’d heard the Godslaying Weapon was called Tang Ling now…

The second person he stabbed was Dixie, and that kid’s death was especially gruesome, getting smashed flat into a pancake.

‘Stabbed twice, and both times someone died. So, could it be that the Cursed Blade really is “Destined Death”? Does whoever it stabs run into trouble, just with a delay?’

‘A thirty-minute period of misfortune. Survive it and you live, fail and you die?’

Based on the surveillance footage, it had taken less than five minutes from Dixie’s escape to his death. At that rate, most Ascenders probably wouldn’t survive thirty minutes of misfortune unless they already knew about it and were fully prepared, or found a way to remove the Curse.

“Zhou Chen, I found something interesting in the database,” Old Yang’s voice interjected.

“What is it?”

Old Yang looked at the files and said, “According to the intel in the database, the Abyss Church secretly lurking in Hong City used to be the Eternal Fire. But starting two months ago, the Crimson Sect took over. The Cultists of the Eternal Fire were either killed or forced to flee, likely due to the fallout from the great battle in Jinzhu.

“I looked through some historical records and found that many years ago, Hong City was actually the Crimson Sect’s territory. They were the sole power in the shadows, with other Abyss Churches acting as their underlings. Back then, their relationship with the Eternal Fire was relatively amicable.

“However, a Cultist of the Eternal Fire double-crossed them once, nearly wiping out the entire Crimson Sect. From then on, they became enemies with the Eternal Fire, fighting on sight. The Crimson Sect lost and was driven out of Hong City.

“As for the Blood Race, they first appeared in Hong City over sixty years ago and were involved in many mysterious cases at the time. Later, for some unknown reason, they started fighting the Crimson Sect, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.”

Old Yang paused. “Sixty years ago, the Blood Race and the Crimson Sect went to war. Now, they’re constantly making moves against each other in the shadows, provoking one another, killing each other’s members. The Blood Race has even hired Omega… I think they might be about to go to war again.”

Zhou Chen nodded; he had the same feeling. “Do you think the Star Association knows?”

“They probably do…” Old Yang wasn’t entirely sure. “The local Star Association still hasn’t gotten back to you?”

“No, and I think that’s a huge problem. Even if they’re casting a wide net and plotting some major operation, it’s not normal to have radio silence. At the very least, they should have met with us, especially since we have Jiang Che backing us…”

Zhou Chen sighed softly. “There’s probably a mole.”

The Jinzhu City Star Association had a mole planted by the Eternal Fire. Now, the Hong City Star Association was showing similar signs. Zhou Chen guessed there was a ninety percent chance the mole was working for the Blood Race. After all, they had been in Hong City for over sixty years, giving them plenty of time to infiltrate.

“If there were a mole, all our information should have been leaked. But Omega didn’t seem like they were prepared for us…” Old Yang lit a cigarette. “Either there’s no mole, or the Blood Race knew but didn’t report it—they didn’t tell Omega.”

“Speaking of which, can’t you just get back together with your ex-girlfriend? Then we wouldn’t have to keep guessing,” Zhou Chen suggested.

“It’s not impossible, as long as you’re willing to take a knife for me when the time comes.”

Old Yang exhaled a cloud of smoke melancholically. “I’m not ready to face her. Besides, she’s on a mission. If other Omega mercenaries see her with me, she’ll definitely face trouble when she gets back to her organization.”

“Forget it. I’ll just contact Jiang Che directly and have her connect with the Hong City Star Association.” Zhou Chen dialed Jiang Che’s number and explained the situation in detail.

“…Why do you run into so much trouble even when you’re on vacation?” Jiang Che’s sigh came through the phone.

“I don’t know!” Zhou Chen replied indignantly. He wanted to know too.

He was here on vacation! He was here to see a lingerie show, not to randomly work overtime and chop people up!

“I understand the situation. I’ll contact the Hong City Star Association now. You two be careful.” Jiang Che was decisive, hanging up immediately.

“Are we still going to visit the Li Group?” Old Yang asked.

“Let’s wait. We’ll go when Jiang Che says it’s safe.”

·

「Rainbow City Center.」

The Woolworth Building, constructed sixty years ago, was one of the most prominent landmarks in the entire city. The entire skyscraper was the private property of Charles Edward, a billionaire ranked among the top one hundred wealthiest people in the world.

However, this billionaire was nothing more than a dog on the Blood Race’s leash.

Steve, the agent for the Rainbow City Blood Race, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was dressed in a suit and held a wine glass filled with a viscous red liquid. He gazed at the scorching sun high in the blue sky, his eyes hiding a deep sense of longing and desire.

A special barrier had been placed on the windows to block the sunlight.

Even a High Level Blood Race member would be burned by the sun’s rays. Prolonged exposure to sunlight would inevitably burn them to ash.

The Blood Race possessed powerful Recovery Ability and long lifespans, but this gift of immortality, envied by countless races, came with an eternal Curse—

They could not live under the sun.

After staring at the sun for a long time, Steve gently swirled the blood in his glass and slowly drank the sweet, crimson liquid.

Behind him, the door opened, and Miss A, now in casual clothes, walked in.

“We ran into a small problem. Those two are very strong. We lost three members, including one of our new-generation prospects,” she said, getting straight to the point.

“The Blood Race will provide compensation and rescind the assassination contract,” Steve’s female Secretary said on his behalf.

“Rescind the contract?” Miss A was taken aback.

“Yes. This was the conclusion reached by the Blood Race’s upper echelons after a meeting. We cannot be too conspicuous right now. We need to gather all our strength to deal with the Crimson Sect. After their crushing defeat sixty years ago, they’ve come prepared this time. It will be a fierce battle.”

Steve turned around and motioned for Miss A to sit. He casually set down his wine glass and sat on the office sofa, looking at her with a grim expression. “Miss A, I trust you are well aware of this mission’s importance. Otherwise, the Blood Race wouldn’t have spent so much to hire Omega.”

“Of course I am.”

Miss A sat elegantly on the sofa and chuckled. “The importance of the thing you’ve been fighting over for the last sixty years is self-evident.

“The Eternal Life Machine. That’s the name, correct?”

Steve nodded. “The Eternal Life Machine is of monumental significance to us, the Blood Race. If we can obtain it, the entire history of our race will change, and Omega will become our eternal ally.”

“I am very clear on that point.” Miss A smiled. If they could truly form an alliance with the Blood Race, Omega would instantly become the largest mercenary corps in the world!

‘But is something as incredible as eternal life really so easy to achieve?’

“When does the experiment begin? We’re down three people, so the battle plan needs to be readjusted,” she asked immediately.

“Right now.”

Steve’s answer took Miss A completely by surprise.

He added with a smile, “The main event only begins after the Eternal Life Machine is running stably. The Crimson Sect wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to snatch a piece of junk.

“As our ally, Miss A, you can be given the special privilege of witnessing the activation of the Eternal Life Machine with me.”

“In that case, I’d be honored to accept,” Miss A replied with a slight smile.

·

In a sterile, white, high-tech laboratory, rows of precision scientific instruments were arranged in a circle. Every machine here was worth tens of millions of US Dollars, representing the world’s most cutting-edge equipment.

An elderly scientist was directing his students to connect all the wires, making the final preparations for the experiment.

Numerous cables extended from the various instruments, all connecting to a special, vertical, cylindrical machine. Thirteen slender tuning forks formed a circle above it, while on the floor beneath was an incredibly complex Alchemy Matrix, densely packed with all sorts of patterns, lines, symbols, Spells, and formulas.

Behind a protective barrier, the corners of Steve’s mouth turned up. “This is the Eternal Life Machine.”

The hope for the rise of his Blood Race.

It had also drawn the covetous gaze of the Crimson Sect.

Miss A raised an eyebrow. ‘This thing is the Eternal Life Machine? It doesn’t look like it at all. It looks more like something from a high school science fair.’

After a fifteen-minute wait, the final adjustments were complete.

After evacuating all non-essential personnel, the elderly scientist stood in an isolation room, looking at the massive machine through the glass. As the countdown began, he placed his aged hand on the activation button.

·

「An old mansion.」

A spacious room was so filled with experimental equipment that it felt cramped.

As his student, Howard, pulled the power switch, the lights on the instruments began to flicker on like stars.

Gazing at the Eternal Life Machine, topped with thirteen slender tuning forks, Howard couldn’t contain his excitement. His voice trembled.

“Professor, let’s activate it!”

Professor Charles, a man who had weathered the vicissitudes of life, was just as agitated and excited. Whether he could change human history and have his name immortalized depended on this very moment.

His hands, like withered branches, trembled uncontrollably as they gripped the pull-down switch of a special device.

“Ten… nine… eight… seven…”

“Five… four… three… two…”

“One!”

As the countdown finished, the scientist in the old mansion and the scientist in the high-end laboratory activated the Eternal Life Machine at the exact same time.

Amidst a dazzling shower of sparks from the machine, a tremendous burst of Energy erupted!