I, Lord of Prayer

"Miss, you should know that this gun can't penetrate my armor, right?"

Faced with the threat of the K-50 Destroyer, Zhou Chen remained calm and composed, answering in fluent English. (Google search for more information)

He looked at the opened "052" cargo box, then at the princess holding a shotgun, with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a pure white crinoline dress with gold trim and ivory white lace gloves on her arms. The clues in his mind gradually connected.

This is not an actress who ran away from a movie set, but a genuine noblewoman.

What convinced him of this was the aristocratic air about the other person. Only by receiving aristocratic education from childhood and growing up in a corresponding environment can one cultivate such an air over time. It is something that is very difficult to imitate.

Combined with the serial number, the other party's clothing and language, the true meaning of "052" becomes obvious.

Restricted Area No. 052

—Restricted Area No. 052 is located on the island of Great Britain, formerly known as England. It was reopened three years ago, and its interior has formed a supernatural kingdom similar to that of the Victorian era.

After the restricted area was reopened, the Kingdom of Laien witnessed the power of modern society over three months and ultimately chose to integrate into the times.

When the kingdom's detailed information was made public, countless fantasy fans around the world went wild.

Because there really are dragons there.

Yes, a giant dragon with large wings and scales that can breathe fire and fly.

There's even a dragon girl.

It's said that to attract tourists, they've even organized a dragon-riding competition, which might even be included in the Olympic Games in a couple of years...

  

Amidst his racing thoughts, Zhou Chen saw the blonde princess cautiously retreat, one hand quietly reaching into the cargo box containing weapons, as if to pull out some great treasure.

"Calm down, miss. This is Jinzhu City. My name is Zhou Chen, an agent of the Jinzhu City Stars Association," Zhou Chen reassured her.

"Jinzhu City? What kind of place is that?" The blonde princess had never heard of this place.

"Far from your hometown in the East."

The blonde princess's expression froze, her breathing became slightly erratic, but she quickly regained her composure, gripping her weapon tightly and trying to remain calm. Her beautiful sapphire eyes were filled with wariness: "Are you an operator from the Star Alliance?"

"Yes, my number is..." Zhou Chen said, "I guess you're from Forbidden Zone 052, the Kingdom of Laien, right?"

At the same time, he frantically called out to Jiang Che on the communication channel.

The hurried tone made Jiang Che take a moment out of his busy schedule to glance at his first-person perspective, and his eyebrows immediately rose slightly.

"So that's how it is..."

In an instant, she seemed to have figured out a lot of things, and said:

"Her name is Eileen Elizabeth, seventeen years old, the youngest daughter of Duke Elizabeth of the Kingdom of Leon. She disappeared at a banquet two months ago. Many people speculated that she was kidnapped by the kingdom's radicals, but Duke Elizabeth never received any threats or ransom demands. I never expected her to be in this shipment. Ah, so that's what 'Flower of Leon' on the list means..."

"The Duke's youngest daughter?" Zhou Chen was astonished. A duke was already a very high title, so this was definitely a noble lady!

"So protect her as much as possible, it will be of great benefit to you," Jiang Che said.

The Kingdom of Leon is an extraordinary nation with great power. Saving the daughter of a reformist grand duke would bring far more benefits than just a little. If handled properly, it might even push the Kingdom of Leon to integrate further into the Star Council.

At this moment, Eileen was looking at Zhou Chen warily: "How did you know I'm from the Kingdom of Laien?"

"Look at your clothes, your demeanor, your language, and the number written on that box."

Zhou Chen pointed to each of them one by one and explained, "My superior told me that your name is Eileen Elizabeth, you are seventeen years old, the youngest daughter of Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and that you were kidnapped two months ago, is that right?"

"...Who is your boss?"

"You know Jiang Che?"

"I don't recognize you... Please take off your helmet, I want to confirm again," Eileen said.

"Put the gun down first."

Eileen hesitated for a moment, then released her finger from the trigger, moving the muzzle diagonally downwards so she could fire quickly in case of an emergency: "Is this okay?"

Zhou Chen took three steps back to ensure he had enough time to react if Eileen fired.

With a thought, he deactivated the alloy armor, revealing his appearance to Eileen.

It wasn't one of the people who kidnapped me, but they might be accomplices... Eastern appearance, could I really be in the East...? Eileen didn't completely believe it, but she couldn't help feeling flustered. If it were true, she was way too far from home.

"My boss asked me to tell you that your parents have been very worried about you while you were missing. If you trust me, I can take you to a safe place and help you get home."

Zhou Chen revealed a sincere and solemn expression, his emotions perfectly conveyed.

"Even if you don't believe me, I'll stay here to protect you until my colleagues arrive. But it's very dangerous here; we're conducting a raid, so you'd better leave as soon as possible," he added.

Eileen remained silent, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. After a long period of contemplation, she lowered her gun and chose to believe.

Because she had no other choice.

Besides, she couldn't beat Zhou Chen. If he wanted to do something, he wouldn't need to chat with her for so long. ♔✌ 69รħuЖ.Ⓒㄖ𝔪 💢🍮

Zhou Chen smiled and nodded: "We'll leave after we get our things."

He walked to the side and picked up the sack on the ground.

"Take something? Take what?" Eileen asked, puzzled.

"This is a warehouse. If we go into the enemy's warehouse, is there any reason for us to leave empty-handed?"

Zhou Chen picked up a piece of source crystal and converted it. In no time, it was full of source. Then, he skillfully opened several crates and stuffed all the useful items into sacks.

"..."

Eileen's expression was somewhat strange. The aristocratic etiquette she had received since childhood told her that stealing was not a good thing, but her survival instinct and emotional intelligence made her choose to keep quiet.

"By the way, you're also an Ascended One, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to withstand the Destroyer's recoil," Zhou Chen asked as he opened the box.

"Yes."

"Why don't you take some too? I can't carry all this stuff by myself... Don't feel guilty, these things were all stolen by them. Rather than leaving them here to benefit them, you might as well take them to enrich yourself." Zhou Chen's words were reasonable and well-founded. "This is the warehouse of the Eternal Flame, you should know that, right, the Church of the Abyss."

"The Abyss Church..." Eileen clearly knew of the existence of the Abyss Church, revealing a hint of fear—in the period after the 052 restricted area was unsealed, the Abyss Church had committed horrific crimes in the Kingdom of Laien, causing countless people to turn pale at the mere mention of it.

As for whether or not to go together... she shook her head. If her parents found out she had done something wrong, she would definitely be punished when she got back.

Zhou Chen didn't make any more suggestions and continued searching on his own, quickly filling the sack to the brim.

It's time to go for a stroll.

He shouldered the sack, called to Eileen, and the two left the crevice. However, when they arrived at the library, the scene outside made Zhou Chen frown.

What came into view was countless viscous dark substances on the bookshelves, on the chandeliers, and on the ceiling. The entire room seemed to have been invaded by an unknown creature, shrouded in a layer of darkness, and even more dark liquid flowed out from the cracks in the walls, as if to submerge the place.

"Attention all—"

Jiang Che's stern warning rang out from the communication channel:

"The gentleman has used an unknown forbidden substance, expanding the influence of the Shadow Demon Pool. His true form is fighting Li Xiaoxiao on the first floor. All units must proceed immediately to stop the Shadow Demon Pool from spreading further and capture Li Xiaoxiao alive!"

Damn, on the first floor, at the speed at which the Shadow Demon Pool is spreading, the entire first floor is probably covered... How do I get out... Zhou Chen's mind raced, and he quickly pulled out a mechanical backpack made of steel from the sack.

This is an external source material conversion device, which, for extraordinary individuals, is equivalent to adding an extra, massive external fuel tank.

He filled the conversion device to the brim with high-purity source crystals, carried it on his back, and began to handcraft alchemical bombs.

One, two, three...

With the external source material conversion device, there was no need to worry about not having enough source material. He quickly conjured four alchemical bombs containing concentrated azure flames.

The meticulously crafted bombs were shrunk in size, but their power was almost doubled, each filled with intensely compressed, soul-burning flames.

"Do you like setting off fireworks?" Zhou Chen asked, looking at Eileen, who stood beside him like a well-behaved lady.

"Huh?" Eileen looked blank, hesitated for a moment, and said, "When I was little, I envied those kids who could set off fireworks, but my parents never let me touch such dangerous things, and I've had even less of a chance since I grew up..."

"Now you have a chance."

Without a word, Zhou Chen shoved two alchemical bombs into her arms: "We're going to meet a really, really bad person later. When I throw one out, you throw one out too, all of them. Understand?"

"..."

Eileen knew it was a special time, so she had no choice but to accept it.

The two followed the route Zhou Chen had taken and returned to the basement. Zhou Chen heard deafening noises from upstairs and heard shadowy substances flowing down through the cracks in the building.

"Getting smeared with this stuff isn't a big problem, but whatever you do, don't get trapped in the mud. Unless you have special means to break free, once you're pulled into the Shadow Demon Pool, your soul will be devoured bit by bit."

Zhou Chen's expression was solemn, and he solemnly warned him, based on his own experience.

He still can't forget the fear of being on the verge of death.

Shadow Demon Pool is a derivative ability developed by the Gentleman after becoming a Corruptor. All beings pulled into it will have their souls devoured, and the cold, viscous dark matter will envelop every inch of his skin and every pore.

They flooded into the nasal cavity, occupied the esophagus, and poured into the lungs and stomach...

Like falling into hell, unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to hear a sound, unable to see a ray of light, surrounded by endless darkness, accompanied by the weightless feeling of a slow descent, able to clearly feel the warmth of one's body and life slowly slipping away, only able to wait in despair for death to come...

If the rescue team hadn't arrived in time, he would be a corpse.

The two found a fault line that was not yet contaminated by the dark matter and easily jumped up to the first floor.

The entire ground floor was covered by a deep, dark substance, like a muddy swamp, and the building had been almost completely demolished, leaving nothing to the eye.

The gentleman stood quietly on the Black Sea, leaning on his cane, looking polite and gazing into the distance with a smile.

Black mud monsters, formed from shadow matter, are launching a fierce attack on Li Xiaoxiao. She manipulates abyssal plants to defend herself, with vines twitching and man-eating flowers devouring her... But these monsters are all made of shadow matter, and as long as the Shadow Demon Pool exists, they will be endless.

Gunfire erupted all around, and the operatives were also attacked by the shadow monsters. Their exoskeleton armor protected them from being swallowed by the Shadow Demon Pool, but the endless black mud monsters slowed down their assault.

"Madam, tell me the whereabouts of that thing, and I can take you away from here." The gentleman smiled smugly. "I always keep my word."

Li Xiaoxiao waved her hand, and long, sharp leaves flew out, slicing down several black mud monsters. She coldly asked, "Does Paradise Lost also want to interfere?"

"Such a rare treasure, it would be a real shame to miss it."

The gentleman tapped his cane, and the Shadow Demon Pool suddenly boiled, spewing out a viscous torrent of darkness, with more shadow monsters emerging from the pool.

"Madam, my time is limited. Please make a decision quickly... any later and it will be difficult to leave."

Li Xiaoxiao did not answer, coldly manipulating the plants to fight against the attacking shadow creatures.

Behind a certain wall pillar.

Zhou Chen peeked out furtively, and after making sure no one was paying attention, he shrank back and whispered to Eileen, "Let's do something big when he's not looking."

"Big one?"

"Yes, the big one." Zhou Chen asked, "Have you ever heard the saying? Art is..."

"An explosion?" Eileen had obviously heard that before.

"No—" Zhou Chen grabbed two alchemical bombs and threw them forcefully at the gentleman.

Upon seeing his action, Eileen hurriedly threw out the alchemical bomb as well. Despite her delicate and soft appearance, as an Ascended Being, her actual strength had already surpassed the limits of ordinary people.

"Huh?" The gentleman suddenly turned around and saw four iron balls flying towards him at lightning speed.

Then, in that instant, it was as if a thousand thunderclaps exploded simultaneously in mid-air, violently echoing in everyone's ears, ravaging their eardrums, and terrifying their souls.

A terrifying burst of light, powerful enough to burn a child's eye, erupted forth.

light.

It tore everything apart.

The ground trembled, as if a volcano that had been accumulating power for thousands of years was about to erupt. Blazing white flames surged and roared under the terrifying pressure, turning into a tide that swept in all directions, tearing apart and scattering the viscous dark matter with unstoppable force. The entire Shadow Demon Pool was utterly destroyed under the scorching heat of the Soul-Burning Flames.

It was like a grand fireworks show.

At the epicenter of the explosion, the white flames mercilessly engulfed the gentleman, followed by his piercing and painful screams.

So pleasant to the ear.

Only then did Zhou Chen turn around and look at Eileen, whose golden hair was flying, her face blank, and whose blue eyes reflected the blazing firelight. He then revealed a genuine smile of joy.

"Art is Patrick Star."