Lord of Prayer - Chapter 67 - 60: C-027 Blindfolded Sunglasses
Chapter 67: Chapter 60: C-027 Blindfolded Sunglasses
Hush money.
Even with all the Birdman had seen, he never imagined that one day he’d be openly blackmailed for hush money.
But he wasn’t angry. On the contrary, he was surprised—and delighted.
He hadn’t expected Zhou Chen to see through his intentions so quickly, and he certainly hadn’t expected Zhou Chen to be so bold as to demand something from him.
’This is… fantastic!’
’Eternal Fire is in desperate need of talent like this!’
The Birdman was extremely satisfied. Waving his subordinates away, he said with a small smile,
“Mr. Killing Maniac, do you know who you’re extorting? To be honest, I don’t even know how many years it’s been since I’ve heard the term ’hush money.’ Normally, I just make sure the person in the know can never speak again.”
“You won’t kill me.”
Zhou Chen stated with certainty, “You need me, and the organization behind you needs me. While I don’t know exactly what you want me to do… infiltrating the Star Association has to be part of it, right?”
At this, his tone took on a hint of dissatisfaction. “I’ve done so much for you. We’re already in the same boat. You still don’t trust me? Don’t you even have that much magnanimity?”
“Allow me to correct you. I, personally, have already been trusting you for a while now, unilaterally.”
The Birdman spread his hands helplessly. “But what can I do? Some people are just too suspicious and insist on testing you again and again.”
“And now?” Zhou Chen asked.
“Er… I don’t know. You figured it out too fast. I haven’t had a chance to report it yet.”
The Birdman gave an awkward shrug. “How about you wait a bit? I’ll report it up the chain. It’s not like I have what you want on me anyway. It has to come from above.”
Zhou Chen mulled it over for a moment, then nodded.
The Birdman took out his phone and made a call. The voice on the other end was encrypted, a series of electronic tones. Soon after, he hung up and said with a smile, “They approve of your performance. But I have some bad news for you.”
He paused for a long time before continuing.
“The Canaan Blue is gone.”
A flicker of disappointment went through Zhou Chen, but he was already mentally prepared. Getting even one piece of Canaan Blue had been beyond his expectations. That stuff was priceless, something countless Ascenders couldn’t obtain even if they bankrupted themselves.
“But there’s also good news,” the Birdman said, his tone shifting.
“What is it?”
“We have a ’Star Mango’ on hand.” The Birdman revealed a mysterious smile. “You probably don’t know what that is, do you?”
’So it really was in your hands…’ Zhou Chen thought, shaking his head and playing dumb. “I don’t.”
“Hmm… Are you familiar with Restricted Areas?” the Birdman asked.
“I am.”
“Then I’ll keep it short.” The Birdman began to explain. “The Star Mango is a national treasure from Zone 149. Consuming it directly can completely restore one’s Soul, but that’s too wasteful. The best method is to use it as an aid in an Advancement ceremony with an Alchemy Secret Ceremony.
The effect of the ceremony is a smooth, safe, and side-effect-free Advancement of one Tier, up to a limit of Tier Four. It also has the effect of repairing the Soul.
That’s why the Holy See considers it a national treasure. It can allow a Tier Three Ascender to advance to Tier Four without any side effects. Countless people are green with envy over it…
Ahem, by the way, a Star Mango isn’t a mango. It’s a ball of light about the size of a lychee.”
After hearing the Birdman’s explanation, Zhou Chen was a little stunned. He had never heard that the Star Mango also had the effect of stabilizing Advancement. He quickly asked on the communication channel.
“Your clearance wasn’t high enough back then. I couldn’t possibly show you all the intelligence,” Jiang Che replied calmly.
“Fine.”
Zhou Chen didn’t press the issue, instead looking at the Birdman with a detached expression. “The Star Mango is so precious. You’re willing to give it to me?”
“You have great potential and many people have high hopes for you. This is a necessary investment…”
It seemed his little “recreation” had taken a lot out of him. The Birdman let out a long yawn as he spoke, then smiled.
“Of course, that will be after you formally join us. It’ll be your initiation gift.”
Zhou Chen sneered. “So after all that, you still don’t trust me.”
“There’s nothing to be done about it.” The Birdman feigned helplessness. “Go back and wait for your mission. Don’t worry, it’ll be soon.”
“Fine.” Zhou Chen nodded, then rubbed his hands together. “So, what about the hush money?”
“Didn’t I just say I’d give you the Star Mango…?”
“Do you think I’m some gullible three-year-old?” Zhou Chen’s tone was clearly displeased. “I know you have plenty of good stuff on you.”
“Sigh…”
The Birdman sighed as if resigned to his fate. “A Forbidden Object. How about that?”
Zhou Chen was stunned. He had only been trying to extort some benefits, but the Birdman was offering a Forbidden Object straight up?
’Holy crap, that’s not just generous, that’s a huge move!’
“What is it?” he asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.
The Birdman said with a look of great regret, “The C-027 Blindfolded Sunglasses. I’ve had my eye on this for a long time and only got my hands on it two days ago, but it conflicts with my Abilities, so I can’t use it.
If you want it, I’ll give it to you as hush money. Just stop pestering me.”
“Deal.” Zhou Chen nodded without hesitation.
He had read the compendium of Forbidden Objects and memorized all the B, C, and D-Level items listed inside. The moment he heard the name, he knew he absolutely couldn’t let this one go.
“Go upstairs and wait. I’ll send someone to get it.”
Twenty minutes later, one of the Birdman’s subordinates arrived on the fourth floor of the club, took out an ordinary glasses case from his pocket, and respectfully handed it to Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen opened the case. Inside lay a pair of all-black sunglasses, looking no different from an ordinary pair.
“This is one of those Forbidden Objects that doesn’t require containment to be used. Do you know its effects and side effects?” the Birdman asked, flicking the ash from his cigar.
“I do.”
“Then I won’t explain. It’s getting late. You should go. Remember not to expose yourself.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
Zhou Chen put the glasses case in his inner jacket pocket and turned to leave.
·
·
「Back at the Star Association.」
The first thing Zhou Chen did was go to the secret mission team. He multitasked, dictating the shipping routes the Birdman had mentioned during his negotiation with Snow White for the staff to record.
At the same time, he took a pencil and quickly sketched all the victims he had seen on a drawing board.
During his time in the research department, he had received sketch training; it was one of the basic courses.
Soon, the desk was covered with clear, detailed, and lifelike black-and-white portraits. The staff entered the images into the system, searched the database for each one, and eventually found matches for all of them, displaying the files on the large screen.
Without exception, all of them were missing persons.
They had been missing for as long as three years or as little as a few months, all from Jinzhu City and the surrounding areas.
Zhou Chen even saw a female student from Jinzhu University. If he remembered correctly, she was the music major from the roster named “Yue’Er.”
The case file showed that after her disappearance, her parents had been frantic. They reported it to the police immediately and used every connection and bit of Power they had to find her, but to this day, they had found nothing. They spent their days awash in tears.
Her mother was so grief-stricken that she had a mental breakdown and nearly committed suicide. She was saved in time but was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Her father’s hair had turned completely white, making him look as if he had aged a dozen years.
And that same grief permeated every family that had lost a child or a loved one.
Looking at the tear-streaked, grief-stricken faces in the case files, Zhou Chen felt his heart ache. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, unable to look any longer.
