I, Lord of Prayer

"052?"

Zhou Chen was slightly taken aback. What did this number mean?

If I'm not mistaken, many of the goods in the warehouse are likely smuggled goods brought from the West Wind – this is the Wei Group's estate, which offers ample security, and given that the estate owner is a devout follower of the Eternal Flame, hiding the goods here is an excellent choice.

If it's smuggled goods, the serial number can have many different meanings.

—Cargo No. 52? Prohibited Item 052? From Restricted Area No. 052?

The sealing ritual set up above is of a very high level, which is enough to highlight the importance of the goods. The West Wind Smuggling Group has always had strict standards for protecting its goods. Unless the seal is forcibly torn apart by external force, it can only be opened by using the corresponding alchemical key.

As for the alchemy key... who knows where it is.

It's worth mentioning that most of the boxes in the warehouse were not sealed with any secret sealing devices, or rather, they were once sealed but were broken by the Eternal Flame. The remaining ones were high-level seals that left them helpless, such as the box marked "052".

"Jiang Che, I saw a box here. It should be smuggled goods from Xifeng. It says 052 on it. Do you know what's inside?" Zhou Chen asked, knowing that Jiang Che must have seen the complete list of smuggled goods.

Jiang Che, who was always responsive, did not answer, perhaps because he was directing the battle and couldn't spare the attention.

He wasted no more time, found a sturdy burlap sack in a corner of the warehouse, and began a thorough cleaning.

"Destroyer K-50, Watcher Z-30... So many weapons? Zephyr has quite the connections, managing to get his hands on these latest models, and all of them are enchanted bullets."

"Extremely pure source material crystals? Wow, did they raid a high-level mine? We have to take them all..."

"Gargoyle crystals, star sapphires, spiritual platinum, amethyst coral, lava heart... these all seem like pretty good alchemy materials. I'll take them..."

"Huh? Two kidneys? What species are they... Holy crap, human kidneys, organ smuggling?"

"A record that captures the beautiful songs of the sirens? I've never heard a siren sing before, I'll take it back and listen..."

"This set of alchemical scalpels is pretty good. Even though I don't need it, I can sell it for money..."

"A lifelike doll? It's so realistic! It's not a real person, but it's even better than a real person. I remember there's a forbidden area where alchemical lifelike dolls are a specialty, and the sex industry there is highly developed, with beast girls and elves. Old Yang would definitely like it..."

After picking and choosing, Zhou Chen's sack was filled with quite a few things, but to be honest, the quality of them wasn't very high. The truly valuable items had already been taken by the Eternal Flame, so he could only pick up the trash that others didn't want.

Even so, this wave has been quite profitable. Once I go back and sell or trade everything, it won't be long before I can gather the materials needed for the advancement ritual.

Just as he was basking in the joy of opening the box, a hideous black shadow moved silently across the ground, its eerie silhouette, bared and clawed, reflected in the cold, incandescent light.

Zhou Chen paused, sensing something, and decisively turned around, drew his gun, and fired a gold bullet at the ground.

Peng!

The ground was splattered with gravel and dust, and a hole was punched in it by the bullet.

The menacing black shadow flashed and lurked into the shadow of the cargo.

"gentleman?"

Zhou Chen's expression turned serious. He quickly moved to the light, warily scanning all the shadowy areas around him, including his own. 💙♞ 6➈𝔰𝐡𝕌乂.co爪🐙☟

He wasn't a gentleman; he should be chasing after Li Xiaoxiao. So what was this thing? Its abilities were similar to a gentleman's, and the outline he had just seen resembled a monster... With a slight thought, layers of black metal multiplied and spread rapidly across his body like flowing water, instantly enveloping him in full-coverage armor.

  

What followed was a long silence and standoff.

The warehouse was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zhou Chen slowed his breathing, listening to his own heartbeat. In the long silence, he couldn't help but wonder if the dark figure had already left.

He knew that continuing the stalemate was not a solution, so he tried to relax his body a little, and then...

collapse!

A tooth-grinding scraping sound rang out, sparks flew, and Zhou Chen felt a tremendous impact on his shoulder, causing him to involuntarily lurch forward, roll on the ground to dissipate the force, and then suddenly turn around, aiming his flintlock pistol at his back.

There was nothing there.

He turned his head to look at the armor on his shoulder, which had four claw marks and four strips of metal wire that had been scraped off.

"Not a gentleman, but some kind of monster with abilities similar to a gentleman... an abyssal creature kept by a gentleman?"

Zhou Chen had an idea. He stretched out his hand and placed his palm on a metal cargo box. In the blink of an eye, the huge cargo box was broken into countless fragments. Under the action of the transformation matrix, these fragments were transformed into various substances, reconstructed, and quickly fused into a basketball-sized alchemical bomb.

He casually tossed it aside, summoning an alloy round shield to protect himself with a double layer of protection, followed by a loud explosion.

boom!

The flames engulfed the entire crevice, and the primal, soul-burning flames concentrated to their extreme within the bomb erupted like a volcano. Pale fire waves surged and swept through, penetrating every nook and cranny of the warehouse.

Once the source mass capacity returns to normal levels, Zhou Chen will be able to pull off some fancy tricks.

For example, this time, the alchemy was used to condense the massive blue flames to the extreme, and then a high explosive was detonated at once. The result was that the surrounding area was subjected to the passionate baptism of the soul-burning flames.

The effect is even more pronounced in such sealed spaces.

As for the lost source material... can't we still use extremely pure source material crystals to restore it?

In the distance, in the shadows cast by the mountain of cargo containers, a hideous figure suddenly appeared, writhing violently in agony from the burning flames of the soul.

Zhou Chen finally saw what it was. It was a wolf-like creature, but it was more robust than a wolf, with sharper claws and teeth. Its body was covered with short, jet-black fur, and its eye sockets were dark, as if inlaid with two black gems. Its body appeared semi-ethereal in the darkness.

The Shadow Wolf, a creature of the abyss that roams the shadows.

They were also henchmen kept by gentlemen.

"How did it find me? Did the gentleman leave a shadowy aura on me as a mark?" Zhou Chen's thoughts flashed through his mind, and he raised his gun to fire.

Although the Shadow Wolf was in great pain from the flames, it did not lose its fighting ability. Its body suddenly became ethereal and dark, like a ghost. The alchemical bullet passed through its body as if it were passing through air, without causing any damage, and finally carved a crater in the cargo box behind it.

The azure flames clinging to the alchemical bullets ignited within the Shadow Wolf's body, intensifying the burning sensation. 🐼💚 6➈ᔕᝐ�᝕�ᝓ�.᝕�σᝐ� 🍫😲

"Entering the ethereal state grants a certain degree of immunity to physical attacks?" Zhou Chen clicked his tongue. Fortunately, his ability was special, allowing him to still inflict damage on the Shadow Wolf in its ethereal state.

At this moment, the Shadow Wolf charged forward on all fours like a madman.

Its form is sometimes illusory and sometimes real, like a holographic image affected by interference, making it difficult to maintain a blurred state for long.

Beneath the armored mask, Zhou Chen calmly blew the terrifying bronze whistle. The short, rapid sound of the whistle spread out, causing the Shadow Wolf to freeze in mid-air, its entire body stiff.

Seizing the opportunity, he raised his gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

boom!

The moment the Shadow Wolf materialized, enchanted bullets whistled through the air, and the wolf's head exploded like a watermelon. Its massive body continued to lunge forward a distance due to inertia before crashing heavily to the ground, oozing foul-smelling black blood.

Before Zhou Chen could catch his breath, his spiritual senses stirred again, and he saw two ferocious black shadows darting towards him from the warehouse entrance at an extremely fast speed.

besides?!

Like fish leaping out of the water, two ethereal shadow wolves burst from the ground, soaring out and instantly arriving.

Zhou Chen quickly retreated, creating distance. Immediately afterward, the two Shadow Wolves vanished into thin air, while a chilling cold rose from behind him.

Shadows flitting about!

Two shadow wolves leaped out from the shadows behind him, opening their blood-red mouths to bite Zhou Chen.

bang.

The steel clanged, sparks flew, and a Shadow Wolf's tooth was snapped off by the hard metal armor, leaving deep teeth marks.

Pale, soul-burning flames erupted from his body, causing the two demonic wolves to instinctively loosen their grip and retreat back into the darkness.

Zhou Chen rushed to the sack, quickly pulled out a box from it, took out two high-purity source crystals and held them in his hands. He then activated the conversion matrix, converting all the source essence contained in the pure crystals into his own source essence.

The blue bar was fully replenished, and there was even some source crystal remaining.

At the same time, two Shadow Wolves attacked from the left and right.

Zhou Chen kicked the sack away and summoned an alloy round shield to defend against the demonic wolves on the left.

With a flick of his right hand, which was holding the flintlock pistol, a huge ball of white fire roared out, leaving a dazzling pale trail of flame in the air before crashing down on the demon wolf to his right.

Let's solve one of them first!

The demonic wolf on the right entered a dark, ethereal state, intending to become immune to the fireballs, but the pale fireballs still crashed into it solidly.

"Awooo..." The Shadow Wolf seemed to have been hit hard, letting out a miserable howl. It stopped moving and fell face-first to the ground, rolling around in great pain.

Just as Zhou Chen was about to shoot its head off, a sharp tearing sound came from the alloy round shield, accompanied by a metallic wail and sparks flying. It had been ripped open by the sharp claws of another Shadow Wolf!

The Shadow Wolf slammed its claws down, the terrifying force sending him flying, crashing solidly into the warehouse wall.

boom.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the wall, revealing human-shaped dents, and dust fell in rustling motions.

It doesn't hurt... Zhou Chen slid to the ground, moved his body a bit, and didn't feel any pain at all. All the impact was cushioned by the armor.

At that moment, the two Shadow Wolves vanished again, disappearing into the shadows.

We have to force them out... Zhou Chen pressed his palm against the metal cargo box, preparing for a second explosion.

Within seconds, a huge alchemical bomb took shape in his hand.

Boom!

A surge of white fire erupted, blasting the two Shadow Wolves out of their shadowy state.

It was at this moment that several chandeliers on the ceiling above were impacted by the explosion, making a hissing sound and flickering light.

Finally, with a snap, it went out.

The warehouse was plunged into darkness in an instant.

"Damn it!" Zhou Chen cursed inwardly as he quickly conjured up a flare and lit it.

Then, he saw two hideous heads that had appeared before him at some unknown time, almost within arm's reach, and his breath caught in his throat.

The next second, a circle of pale fire suddenly exploded, rolling outwards, with flames flying wildly, forcibly forcing back the two demonic wolves.

A piercing whistle rang out, and the Shadow Wolves froze, like puppets unable to move.

bang bang.

Zhou Chen fired two shots, but the two Shadow Wolves quickly regained their mobility. They tilted their heads, and the bullets grazed their heads, leaving only a bloody bullet wound.

The other, which was uninjured, simply entered a state of ethereal transformation.

A sharp gust of wind rushed towards him, and a beast's claw swept across, shattering the flintlock pistol in Zhou Chen's hand and sending him flying once again.

In mid-air, Zhou Chen spun around to adjust his body posture, his feet landing steadily on the wall. He coordinated the power of all his muscles, using the wall as a springboard to push off suddenly, like a long-awaited bullet shooting out at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see, creating a whistling gust of wind.

The metal on the right arm of the armor rapidly deformed, transforming into a sharp longsword which he gripped tightly in his hand.

The target: the injured Xiu Gou.

A pale flame ignited from the blade, and a chilling whistle sounded again, briefly bringing the situation under control.

With a whoosh, the longsword drew an arc in the air, severing the head of the Shadow Wolf at extremely high speed.

The bad news is, they didn't kill them.

Black, foul-smelling blood gushed out as if it were free, and half of the Shadow Wolf's head fell off, with only a few bits of skin and flesh remaining to connect it.

With a loud thud, it fell heavily to the ground, struggled a few times, and then died.

The good news is, it's dead.

Before Zhou Chen even landed, another Shadow Wolf opened its massive jaws, roared, and pounced, creating a hurricane-like attack, like a dump truck crashing through the air.

With a snap, its massive jaws snapped shut, clamping down on him and chewing him like a chew toy. The terrifying force of its bite caused sparks to fly from the armor, producing an unpleasant metallic scraping sound.

Zhou Chen remained calm, and pale flames ignited as summoned, burning fiercely in the wolf's mouth.

I've seen people court death, but I've never seen anyone court death like this. Eating a fire-type and spirit-type ascendant plus an alchemy apprentice? Isn't this just asking for mouth ulcers?

*Thud thud thud...* Countless metal spikes suddenly rose from the armor, like a startled pufferfish, instantly piercing the Shadow Wolf's mouth with gaping holes, causing it to howl in pain and release its grip.

Zhou Chen fell to the ground, then sprang to his feet with a somersault, revealing his armor riddled with dents and bite marks.

The Shadow Wolf escaped to a distance by weaving through the shadows, its head riddled with countless bloody holes, black blood flowing down and quickly pooling on the ground, a truly gruesome sight.

The man and the wolf stared at each other from a distance, like cowboys in a life-or-death duel in the West, or fierce wild beasts fighting on the prairie.

In the silence, the Shadow Wolf made the first move, unleashing a terrifying speed as it attacked.

Zhou Chen gripped his longsword tightly and sped off.

The next instant, the Shadow Wolf disappeared in front of him, using Shadow Travel to appear behind Zhou Chen in a very insidious manner, leaping and pouncing to kill him.

The moment he lost sight of his target, Zhou Chen turned around as if he were already prepared, and seeing the pounced wolf, he slid in...

boom!

!

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silent battle, tearing apart the stillness.

In mid-air, the demon wolf was struck as if by a heavy blow, its body riddled with bullet holes and bloody wounds, and it was blasted away by the enormous impact.

What's going on?!

Zhou Chen, who was halfway through his slide tackle, turned his head in astonishment and looked in the direction of the gunshot, then froze.

The box marked "052" was inexplicably opened.

In front of the cargo crates containing weapons stood a blonde, blue-eyed... princess?

She had bright and beautiful features, a snow-white neck adorned with jewels, and wore a gorgeous gold and white dress with ivory lace gloves trimmed with gold on her arms—clothing that seemed to belong to Western nobility.

However, her blonde hair was somewhat messy, and the hem of her long dress was torn and stained with mud and dirt, which ruined the elegant beauty of the outfit.

The princess was holding a K-30 Destroyer, a weapon known for its destructive power, in a standard gun-holding posture, with smoke still rising from the muzzle.

Just now, she blasted the Shadow Wolf away with a single shot... Under the visor, Zhou Chen opened his mouth, only to see the blonde princess skillfully pull the pin off a grenade and throw it at the distant wolf, while her Destroyer shotgun quickly opened fire to suppress the enemy.

The Shadow Wolf was splattered with blood, its skin torn open by the powerful enchanted bullets. It lay on the ground, unable to get up for a moment. Then, a grenade exploded in front of it, sending it flying. Half of its leg was blown off, leaving it covered in blood.

Zhou Chen conjured a can of thermite and threw it out. The blonde princess understood immediately and shot the can off the wolf as it landed on her.

Flames rose violently.

Within seconds, the Shadow Wolf's entire body was engulfed in flames. As the flames grew stronger, it stopped struggling, and its body gradually dissolved.

When thermite is ignited, it releases a large amount of light and heat, with a maximum temperature of around 2500 degrees Celsius, which is terrifying. It can easily melt large amounts of metal and burn through steel plates that are several centimeters or more than ten centimeters thick.

Most importantly, even a tiny bit of it can penetrate flesh and bone, causing either death or serious injury. Even abyssal creatures cannot withstand this level of burning.

Kaka.

Zhou Chen heard the sound of a bullet being chambered.

The blonde princess pointed her gun at him, her expression serious with a hint of tension.

"Who are you?"