Lord of Prayer - Chapter 210 - 159: Intelligent Husky (Part 2)

Chapter 210: Chapter 159: Intelligent Husky (Part 2)

After giving up on that question, Zhou Chen thought of another one.

’How did I travel through time?’

When he first arrived in the year 174, he had been hit with a sensation a hundred times worse than motion sickness, like being thrashed by turbulent ocean currents… No, to be more precise, ’time turbulence?’

’The Blood Race and the Crimson Sect have emerged in both time periods. Maybe my time travel was their fault… Could it be that a battle between their Tier Five experts reached the edge of the Cosmos, grinding away the Great Dao itself? Did the powerful aura and Energy fluctuations of a Crowned King then resonate between two points in time, tearing a hole in space and time? And was I just the unlucky bastard who got caught in its pull and fell into the Time Tunnel?’

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow. ’The idea seems far-fetched, but it’s not impossible. Stranger things have happened in this World…’

He stroked his chin, musing to himself. ’Regardless of whatever incomprehensible theories are involved, this is most likely related to the Blood Race and the Crimson Sect. I have to find them and figure out why they went to war. Otherwise, I might be trapped in the year 174 forever.’

’The Corrupters at the factory were highly suspicious, as if they were man-made. I can use that as a lead; it might lead to an unexpected discovery… Hmm, to avoid creating a butterfly effect and changing future history, I’d better not get involved with the Star Association…’

’But I do need to find out what the Star Association’s investigation concluded. It would save me a lot of trouble. Ugh… Should I go find Li Xiye? As a victim of the incident, Li Xiye has the right to know the results of the investigation.’

·

「Seven in the morning.」

Li Xiye dragged her exhausted body back to her place.

After a shower, she collapsed onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep. The night had utterly exhausted her. First, she had been running for her life from the Corrupters. Then, she was taken to the Star Association to give a detailed statement and undergo a comprehensive physical examination. She hadn’t slept a wink all night. Now that she was finally safe, her body and mind could hold on no longer.

When she next opened her eyes, it was already one in the afternoon. A pang of hunger from her stomach urged her to stop lazing in bed and go find something to eat.

Yawning, Li Xiye walked out of her bedroom and headed downstairs to find something to eat, only to be greeted by a delicious aroma. The sound of stir-frying was coming from the kitchen.

She was instantly on alert. She lived alone, and her parents rarely came to visit. Someone was clearly in her house!

She slipped off her slippers and padded silently back upstairs. Rummaging through a cabinet in her bedroom, she pulled out a handgun, skillfully chambered a round, and flicked off the safety. She then crept cautiously back downstairs, moving toward the kitchen.

“Save it. Bullets are useless against me.”

The familiar voice made Li Xiye freeze. As she stood there, stunned, she heard the stove click off, followed by the sound of food being plated. A moment later, Zhou Chen walked out holding a plate of scrambled eggs with tomato.

He gave the short-haired girl a sheepish grin. After setting the plate on the table, he pressed his palms together in a gesture of sincere apology. “I’m really sorry for just letting myself in. I haven’t eaten in a long time and I’m completely broke, so I had no choice but to come here and mooch a meal… Oh, and I made you lunch, too.”

This was what frustrated Zhou Chen the most. Who even carried cash these days? You could pay for anything with your phone. But he hadn’t brought his phone with him when he time-traveled, leaving him completely broke.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’even if I had my phone, it’s doubtful my accounts and bank cards from sixty years in the future would even work in this era.’

That was why he had no choice but to come to Li Xiye’s place and mooch a meal.

“Uh… it’s fine. Let’s just eat together.”

Li Xiye was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing. The main reason was that she had already seen Zhou Chen’s abilities. She knew he could use Instant Movement to come and go as he pleased. Plus, he had saved her life, so she didn’t have a bad impression of him.

’Besides,’ she thought, ’if he wanted to do something to me, why wait until now? That night was dark and we were in the middle of nowhere. Wasn’t that the perfect opportunity for him to try something?’

“Thanks for understanding.”

“Don’t worry about it. You saved my life.”

Li Xiye said, picking up her chopsticks to try a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, you’re a really good cook! Way better than me. One time, I tried to make scrambled eggs with tomato and meant to add light soy sauce but used dark soy sauce by mistake. It came out this really dark color, and it tasted absolutely awful.”

“…Everyone has things they aren’t good at,” Zhou Chen replied diplomatically.

As they ate, he made some small talk. “I saw the backyard is full of plants, and there’s a motorcycle in the garage. Are those your hobbies?”

“Yep. I like to garden, work on cars, ride my motorcycle, play video games, that sort of thing.”

The short-haired, sporty girl was surprisingly talkative, and she and Zhou Chen were soon deep in conversation.

Zhou Chen learned from her that she was a member of the Li Clan and lived in this large villa by herself. Her parents were high-ranking executives in the family business and were always incredibly busy. For as long as she could remember, they rarely had time for her.

This led to her developing a rather unconventional personality from a young age. When other girls were playing with Barbie dolls, she was in the workshop with her grandfather, learning to assemble parts. When other girls were playing house, she was learning from her grandfather how to provide postpartum care for sows. When other girls were jumping rope, she was with her grandfather, learning about horticulture.

By middle school, while her peers were fawning over celebrities and binging dramas, she was in a factory with a wrench in her hand, fixing cars. Her companions were motor oil and spare parts, though she occasionally grew some flowers and plants to cultivate a gentler side.

Now, as a high school student, she had become fascinated with Mysticism and the Extraordinary Realm. She spent her days digging up related lore and stories, and had even formed a “Mysticism Club” with like-minded classmates. They often went exploring at places rumored to be sites of urban legends.

Unfortunately, if you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned. This time, things went horribly wrong. They stumbled into the real Extraordinary World, which resulted in the deaths of four of her friends.

Just then, a husky padded over to Zhou Chen and barked twice. It then sat down, wagging its tail with its tongue lolling out, apparently waiting to be fed.

“This must be your husky,” Zhou Chen said. “He seems very docile. Doesn’t look like the type to tear up the house, which is rare for a husky.”

Li Xiye looked at her husky, a little surprised. “He seems to have really taken a liking to you.”

“Oh, I fed him a piece of meat earlier.”

Li Xiye irritably gave the husky a light smack. “You ungrateful mutt! I’ve raised you for this long, and he wins you over with a single piece of meat!”

The husky let out a couple of pitiful whines but continued to stare intently at Zhou Chen, wagging its tail and waiting for another handout.

“Don’t feed him. He’s been eating way too much lately and he’s almost overweight. He won’t even go for a run when I take him…” The more she spoke, the more irritated Li Xiye became. She started poking the husky’s forehead. “Do you have any dignity as a husky left? What happened to your sled dog genes? I let you out to run around and you refuse to go! If you’re not going to do that, at least tear the house apart! It’s not like we can’t afford to replace things. But no, you have to be cooped up at home all day playing video games…”

Zhou Chen was gleefully enjoying the show while he ate, when suddenly something felt off.

’Playing video games at home?’

He shot a stunned look at the husky, then back at Li Xiye, figuring she must have misspoken.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced you.”

Li Xiye smiled, patting the dog’s head. “This is my husky, Gouzi. He’s a test subject from the Animal Intelligence Development Project. His Intelligence is the same as a normal person’s. He uses special equipment to play video games and drive. In a lot of competitive games, he’s at the King rank, and he’s even made it into the top ten on the ladder. He’s been driving for three years, so he’s a veteran driver. He even goes street racing with me every night. It’s just a shame he refuses to get any exercise himself.”

“By the way, he passed all his driving license exams on the first try. He only practiced for the practical tests for three days, and he got a perfect score on the exam.”

Zhou Chen: “…”

He recalled that several of his college roommates had failed their driving tests multiple times. One of them had even failed the practical exam four times…

’Literally worse than a dog.’