Lord of Prayer - Chapter 326 - 220: Sortie

「In the Snow Forest.」

Chengzi hauled a massive metal case she’d brought with her off the SUV, set it down in an open area, and rapped on it twice.

The metal case suddenly swelled and expanded before letting out a crisp CLICK and unfolding like a cardboard box, laying itself flat on the ground.

A veritable luxury Forging platform appeared before them, fully equipped with a workbench, cutters, presses, and all sorts of other equipment. The furnace was even already lit, billowing with steam.

“How convenient,” Zhou Chen remarked with a sigh.

—Forbidden Object C-017: Portable Alchemy Workshop.

This Forbidden Object was essentially a mobile, personal Forging Workshop, enough to make any Alchemist or Blacksmith green with envy. It was the perfect Divine Artifact for home or travel, allowing one to set up shop anywhere, anytime.

In this Sword Forging Competition, Chengzi clearly had a massive advantage. This Forbidden Object was her personal forging tool, which meant she was allowed to bring it into the competition.

In contrast, most contestants were severely limited by weight restrictions and could only bring basic tools. They would have to waste a lot of time gathering resources and crafting from scratch after entering the arena.

By bringing her own Forging Workshop, it was safe to say Chengzi was already winning at the starting line.

What was even more terrifying was that she wasn’t alone.

With four contestants who had all ranked in the top twenty of the preliminaries, their Forging Skills were naturally top-notch. Paired with a ready-made luxury Forging Workshop, all they needed was a little time and enough resources to power up to a terrifying degree.

Chengzi shed her cumbersome pink down jacket, revealing a form-fitting black sweater underneath, ready for action. After the Forging Workshop unfolded, the temperature in the immediate area shifted from frigid to scorching, and the surrounding snow quickly melted into water.

She looked at Zhou Chen. “Zhou Chen, I’m putting you in charge of purification and extraction.”

Zhou Chen nodded. He hadn’t hidden his identity as an Alchemist… or rather, he had entered the competition as an Alchemist from the very beginning.

Many years ago, the half-dead Forging Realm underwent an earth-shattering reformation. The Blacksmith profession became inextricably linked with Alchemy, miraculously rising from the dead when it was on its last breath.

Ever since then, Alchemy had become a mandatory course for every Blacksmith.

—What could they do? Alchemy was just that convenient.

After so many years of development, the forging industry and Alchemy had become highly integrated. It wasn’t uncommon to find Blacksmiths whose alchemy skills surpassed their forging abilities.

Zhou Chen had cultivated just such an image, telling everyone, ’I’m actually an Alchemist, and I have absolutely nothing to do with that Hammer of Forging that appeared back in Jinzhu, ’kay? If you want the Hammer of Forging, go look for Hermes, ’kay?

Therefore, as an Alchemist who was not yet certified but possessed the skills of a registered professional, the job of purification and extraction naturally fell to him.

Once the four of them divided up the tasks, they sprang into action.

First, they built a Life Detection Device with an effective range of five kilometers to locate other nearby contestants.

Then, they spent an hour building the frame of an attack helicopter. Every inch of it was made from a special alchemical steel that could withstand a direct hit from an RPG.

Due to the unique nature of the competition’s terrain, Zhou Chen also took blizzards into account as a major factor, reinforcing the helicopter’s stability in high winds. If they were unlucky enough to get caught in a blizzard, they wouldn’t be tossed around like a fly in a washing machine, completely helpless.

Another two hours passed. The team finished manufacturing all the internal and external structures. As welding torches flared with electric sparks, the splicing and assembly work began.

Installing the engine, connecting the cables, mounting the radar, loading the Weapon System…

Half an hour later, a twenty-meter-long silver helicopter rolled off the assembly line, brand new.

“Two 30mm autocannons with 1,500 rounds of ammo, thirty-two high-explosive grenades, sixteen Hellfire missiles, and two machine guns… This is enough firepower for us to run wild across the entire arena.

With a coordinated air-ground assault at this stage of the game, basically no one can stop us.”

Zhou Chen licked his lips, an excited smile spreading across his face.

Saturating the field with firepower.

’What a beautiful phrase!’

“So, here’s the question: who’s on air, and who’s on ground?”

Ding Yuan looked around at the others and was the first to speak up. “I learned to fly a helicopter with my uncle in Hawaii, and I got my pilot’s license later. Let me be the pilot.”

“I’ve also learned to fly helicopters,” Li Yiliang added. “I can be the co-pilot and provide support.”

“Uh, part of the Weapon System needs to be manually operated to achieve maximum fire coverage.”

Chengzi scratched her head and gave Zhou Chen an innocent look. “…But I’m a terrible driver.”

The implication was clear: since his driving was good, he was the only one who could be the ground unit.

Zhou Chen: “…”

’So the three of you get to go play around in a helicopter, while I’m stuck driving the car, is that it?’

“If you want to get a feel for it, you can take it for a spin first,” Chengzi said seriously, noticing his displeasure. “But when it’s time for action, you’re the most reliable choice for the driver. You’re a skilled driver, and you have your own Displacement Skills.”

“I can’t provide covering fire if I’m driving alone,” Zhou Chen said.

“That’s simple. I’ll just help you modify the Weapon System.”

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment before sighing in resignation. “Fine. But you have to help me modify the car into a Batmobile.”

’If I can’t fly the helicopter, I’ll drive the Batmobile!’

Two hours later, after a flurry of activity from the team, the SUV had been transformed into an armored Bat Chariot, its colors blending seamlessly with the snowy landscape.