Lord of Prayer - Chapter 226 - 167: Investigation

Chapter 226: Chapter 167: Investigation

Hong City Cross-River Bridge No. 4.

Built in year 162 of the New Era, it spanned a total of three kilometers and was one of the five major bridges connecting Hong City’s eastern and western districts.

Pale moonlight slipped through gaps in the overcast clouds. Beneath the bridge, the river water surged with a steady, deep, and peaceful current.

Due to its location, traffic on Cross-River Bridge No. 4 had always been light. Late at night, the road was practically deserted, making it a favorite “battleground” for the street racing scene.

The roar of an engine shattered the silent night, sending ripples across the placid river. Bright headlights, eye-catching as burning flames, made the blue convertible supercar the undisputed star of the street.

A young man with dyed-blond hair slammed his foot on the gas, cheering loudly into the raging wind. He absolutely loved the feeling of racing at night. The adrenaline rush from the sheer speed was, to him, a hundred times better than any Hallucinogen.

The feeling was incredible. It was as if speed erased all his worries. There was nothing but the whistling wind and the roaring engine. No thinking required—just pure, unadulterated racing.

Huang Mao had just gotten onto Cross-River Bridge No. 4 when he heard an engine roaring up from behind. He glanced at his rearview mirror and saw a black car approaching at high speed—and it was gaining on him.

“Oh? Wanna race?”

Huang Mao muttered to himself with an arrogant grin. He was in a supercar. What could the other guy possibly have to compete with that?

He floored the gas pedal again. The speedometer needle shot up, and the car launched forward like a blue meteor.

But soon, the arrogant grin on his face faded. The sound of the engine behind him hadn’t faded away; instead, it was getting closer… and closer.

Until it was right alongside him!

The driver’s side window of the black car slowly rolled down. A black-and-white husky sat in the driver’s seat, paws on the steering wheel. The fierce wind ruffled its fur, making it look unusually suave.

The husky turned its head and gave him a devilishly charming, roguish grin. Then, its right leg moved, using an assistive device to slam on the gas. A paw pressed a button, activating some kind of device. Four jets of flame erupted from the rear of the car, multiplying its horsepower, and the vehicle instantly rocketed away.

Nitrous boost!

“…” Huang Mao stared, dumbfounded, at the departing car. His jaw hung open as the wind whipped into his mouth. ’I didn’t take any Hallucinogen tonight!!!’

’Dammit, why is a dog driving a car?!’

’It gave me that weird smile… It was mocking me, wasn’t it? It was definitely mocking me!’

Rage surged through Huang Mao. He, the great “Blue Meteor,” had just been ridiculed by a husky. If word got out, how could he ever show his face in the scene again?

However, just as he was about to gun the engine and give chase, he realized the car was long gone. He couldn’t even see its taillights.

“Fuck!”

A few minutes later, the blue supercar was parked on the side of the road. Huang Mao picked up his phone and sent a message to a group chat for the racing scene:

“I just lost to a husky on Bridge No. 4. It used a nitrous boost, and its car is crazy fast. If anyone knows who it belongs to, please give me their contact info. I want a rematch!”

“Forget it. You can’t beat it,” someone in the group replied almost instantly.

“You’re still new. You haven’t run in Hong City’s core racing circle. That dog belongs to the boss lady. In terms of skill, ten of you put together might not be a match for it.”

“Last month, Lucas, the captain of the Fortress Convoy, raced it and lost by seven seconds.”

“I remember three months ago, the ace driver from Star of Light Speed came all this way just to race it, and he lost too.”

The group chat blew up with discussion. Reading these bombshells, Huang Mao was incredulous. He, the great “Blue Meteor,” couldn’t even outrace a dog?

·

Thanks to the dog’s gleefully reckless driving, they were back at Li Xiye’s house in just over ten minutes.

The garage was huge and cluttered with tools, looking more like a workshop. Parked to the side was a stunning, fiery-red motorcycle. It radiated a high-tech feel, its polished surface gleaming under the lights as if it had just rolled off the factory floor.

“Can I borrow the motorcycle? I need to go somewhere far away to look into something,” Zhou Chen said, looking at Li Xiye.

Li Xiye agreed readily with a nod. She had just won over five million betting on Zhou Chen—and that was after paying back the money she’d borrowed from Fourth Brother. A motorcycle was nothing.

Zhou Chen walked up to the motorcycle and placed a hand on its frame. He sent his Essence permeating through it, observing it in fine detail. Once he understood its internal structure, he activated his Alchemy and Forging Skill.

A faint grinding of steel came from within the bike’s frame as parts shifted, changed, and were reforged. He was modifying what was, to him, an “antique.”

For a creation of steel, its metal shell is its skin. The motorcycle was currently undergoing something like cosmetic surgery. The chassis dissolved into fine, churning particles of steel, which then began a series of operations: restoration, reinforcement, and upgrades.

The bike’s frame became even more stylish, now covered in flame patterns that flowed like clouds. Its overall height increased by several centimeters out of thin air, making it a better fit for Zhou Chen’s physique. The number of exhaust pipes at the rear increased to five. Most critically, Zhou Chen transformed the engine into an Alchemy Creation, then tempered and strengthened it with the Hammer of Forging. It could now unleash a terrifying amount of Energy, many times greater than before.

Li Xiye watched, stunned into silence, as her beloved motorcycle was reshaped to fit Zhou Chen perfectly. It took her a long moment to find her voice. She could sense a certain… Transformation in the bike. Before, it had been a cold, steel machine. Now, it felt like a blazing fire, coiled and ready to strike.