Lord of Prayer - Chapter 78 - 70: Source of Pollution at Sea

Chapter 78: Chapter 70: Source of Pollution at Sea

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[“The home invasion and murder case that occurred at 7 PM last night in the Bao Li District has been solved. The perpetrator, a Mr. Wang, has been arrested by the Star Association and sentenced to death…”]

[“The explosion at the port was caused by Illegal Ascenders. If you see any of the following Illegal Ascenders, please contact the Star Association after ensuring your own safety…”]

[“The suicide case of Financial Bureau Director Qin Zewan is under accelerated investigation. Twenty-one individuals, including the deputy director, have been apprehended so far. More details to follow…”]

[“Yesterday, after a six-year hiatus, a world-renowned singer released a teaser trailer for their new album on social media, announcing that the album will be released in one month. Related topics have been trending on social media…”]

[“…And that’s all for tonight’s evening news. Thank you for listening. This is your reporter, Yu Wenbo.”]

The night was pitch-black.

The downpour began without warning.

Fierce winds howled over the ocean, and rain poured down in sheets amid relentless waves. Flashes of lightning occasionally tore through the dark clouds, offering fleeting glimpses of the terrifying seascape. Before the awesome power of nature, everything seemed insignificant.

And yet, on the face of the turbulent sea, a large-tonnage ocean freighter from Southern Shipping was cutting through the storm.

Massive waves with astonishing force crashed against the hull but couldn’t move it an inch. The vessel was as steady as a mountain, not swaying in the slightest—apart from its sheer tonnage, this behemoth of a freighter was equipped with eighteen giant Alchemy Matrices, enough to ensure smooth sailing even on the roughest of seas.

In the ship’s dining hall, which felt as steady as solid ground, the crew listened to the news on TV as they hurriedly finished their dinner.

“This rain is so weird. We just set sail and we run into this crap. What bad luck,” a new crewman grumbled while eating a chicken leg.

“Heh, calm down. We run into this kind of thing all the time. Last time we were on a run to South America, we even ran into a Sea Monster. You know, a giant octopus dozens of meters long. When one of its tentacles slammed down, it was like an earthquake…” The middle-aged crewman sitting across from him gestured with his hands.

“And then what?” the new crewman asked, his eyes wide with curiosity. He had just become a sailor and was fascinated by these kinds of strange and wonderful stories.

“And then we activated the Counterattack Array and blew that octopus to bits. Technology and Alchemy, cannons and strong liquor… now those are the good things in life.”

The middle-aged crewman clicked his tongue, reminiscing. He looked like he was about to drool. “Octopus legs are delicious, whether you pan-fry or grill ’em. You get tired of it if you eat too much, though. When we made landfall later, we sold the leftovers and made a nice chunk of change.”

“Huh?” The new crewman was in disbelief. ’Shouldn’t the ocean be the Sea Monsters’ home turf?’

“Kid, what era do you think this is? Southern Shipping is a world-class shipping company. Every single contract is a deal worth over a billion. You think we wouldn’t be equipped with heavy firepower? From high-tech gear to Alchemy Equipment, this ship has it all. We even have three Tier Two Ascenders on board. In a pinch, this thing can even act as a warship…” The middle-aged crewman boasted, rattling off the freighter’s merits.

In reality, he didn’t even need to boast. As one of the world’s top shipping groups, even the smallest fishing boat under Southern Shipping Group’s banner would be equipped with a Defense Array that countless captains would envy. Best of all, the price was extremely low; you just had to join the Southern Shipping Group to enjoy such a benefit.

“Brother Du, what else have you run into over the years?” the young crewman asked eagerly, spitting out a clean-picked chicken bone.

“Oh, plenty. Ever heard of the Leviathan? You know the Kraken, right? Female Sirens that lure sailors with their songs, Atlanteans living at the bottom of the sea, Ghost Ships from mysterious legends all over the world… I’ve seen ’em all.” At this, Brother Du’s face beamed with pride, and he puffed out his chest.

For any seafarer, such experiences were a rare honor.

“Th-That many?” The young crewman’s jaw dropped.

“Restricted Areas don’t just appear on land, kid,” Brother Du said slowly, lighting a cigarette.

“The ocean is way bigger than the land, so it has more Restricted Areas. The Endless Sea is the most famous one out here, and then there’s Atlantis… I don’t know what Restricted Areas really are, but I’m sure the appearance of those Extraordinary Creatures has something to do with them.”

“So have you ever run into anything really dangerous?” the young crewman pressed.

“Every unexpected situation out here can be a fatal one. But if you want to talk about the most dangerous…” Brother Du exhaled a plume of smoke, his face growing grim with lingering fear. “That would have to be what happened three years ago.”

Even after all these years, he would still jolt awake from nightmares, dreaming he was back in that horrifying, bloody night.

“Back then, we’d taken a contract to ship goods to Europe… and, well, you probably know this, but we folks in the shipping business tend to smuggle a little something on the side to make some extra cash. That time, we took a private job to transport a batch of goods for someone along the way.

“During the initial inspection, there was nothing wrong with the items. But just as we were about to reach our destination, something happened.”

Brother Du took a deep drag from his cigarette and cursed:

“Fuck, there was an activated Forbidden Object in that shipment! It nearly killed everyone on the whole damn ship!

“I only found out later that it was Forbidden Object C-155: Miss Mary!”