Lord of Prayer

Chapter 54: Chapter 48: No Martial Virtue

——Werewolf.

It was an enduring monstrous figure in Western literature, often associated with Vampires and portrayed as their sworn enemies. Back in the Old Era, Werewolves and Vampires were among the most popular topics in Western occult culture, spawning countless classic works—including some beautiful love stories.

In reality, however, Werewolves and Vampires were both bona fide Abyssal Creatures—bloodthirsty, brutal, and regarded humans as nothing more than food.

They were also walking sources of contamination. A scratch or bite, if not treated promptly, could lead to an Abyssal viral infection, causing the victim to mutate into an Abyssal Creature.

Just then, a grim howl reverberated through the night sky, chilling to the bone.

Zhou Chen’s expression shifted. He turned, walked back into the warehouse, and picked up the rocket launcher and Grenade Launcher from the floor. He glanced at the smugglers he’d knocked out and tied up, feeling genuinely grateful for the weapons they had brought him.

With an automatic rifle and a Grenade Launcher slung over his back, the Vibrating Hammer in his left hand, and a rocket launcher on his right shoulder, he walked to the warehouse wall. His leg muscles tensed, and he leaped into the air, landing steadily on the edge of the roof.

After setting down his gear, Zhou Chen jumped back down and went into the warehouse to scavenge. He ended up finding one rocket, nine grenade rounds, and nine High-Explosive Bombs.

He took the ammunition he’d gathered and leaped back onto the roof, where he hoisted the rocket launcher onto his shoulder and aimed into the distance.

He stilled his breath and waited for the Werewolves to appear.

Before long, two enormous figures appeared in his line of sight.

They were two giant, bipedal wolves, standing around two and a half meters tall. Covered in thick, gray-black fur, their powerfully built bodies rippled with solid muscle. Their eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty crimson light, and viscous saliva dripped from their massive, Tusk-filled maws onto the ground. Their long, sharp claws were like blades—they were brutal killing machines, plain and simple.

Perhaps because they had only recently transformed, the two Werewolves seemed somewhat disoriented. They staggered as they walked, furiously sniffing the air for the scent of the living.

Zhou Chen took aim and pulled the trigger. A rocket shot out, trailing a long plume of fire as it streaked across the distance and slammed squarely into one of the Werewolves.

BOOM!!!

A brilliant ball of fire erupted skyward with a deafening roar, sending thick smoke billowing into the air.

’Please tell me it’s not unharmed in all that smoke…’

Zhou Chen muttered as he swiftly reloaded a second rocket. He took a quick aim and pulled the trigger again.

Another explosion erupted. Severed limbs could be glimpsed flying out from the flames. The shockwave blasted countless bits of dirt and concrete into the air. Swept up by the heatwave and searing winds, the debris shot skyward before reaching its peak and raining down in a dense torrent—a downpour of fire mixed with rubble and flesh.

A Werewolf’s body might be able to withstand a barrage of 7.62mm bullets, but it stood no chance against the bombardment of a high-impact weapon like a rocket launcher.

Especially since Zhou Chen had coated the rocket with a layer of Cyan Flame. When the rocket detonated, the Cyan Flame would explode along with it, creating a wide area-of-effect attack.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough rockets. Otherwise, Zhou Chen would have fired several more in a saturation bombardment to blast both Werewolves to smithereens.

He raised the Grenade Launcher and peered warily into the distance, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Through the dissipating smoke, a pair of vicious, crimson eyes materialized, burning with venomous hatred as they stared at him from across the distance.

’It’s still alive…’ Zhou Chen pulled the trigger of the Grenade Launcher and unleashed a furious barrage.

The Werewolf was clutching a mangled, charred mass of flesh and blood—what seemed to be the body of the other Werewolf, though it had been so ravaged by the explosion that its original shape was unrecognizable.

Undoubtedly, the Werewolf had used its companion’s body to shield itself from the blast. But it was still gravely wounded. The entire right side of its body, including its arm, had been blown clean off. It was covered in severe burns and had also been hit by the Cyan Flame, forcing it to endure both physical and spiritual agony.

Facing the grenades tearing through the air, it let out a piercing shriek. Its powerful, digitigrade legs slammed against the scorched earth, and the entire creature shot forward. Dodging the incoming rounds, it moved with the speed of an arrow, closing the distance to Zhou Chen in a flash.

Even grievously wounded, its speed was still incredible.

Werewolves were brutal Abyssal Creatures known for their Power and speed. The distance of several hundred meters shrank to mere dozens after just a few leaps. Finally, it launched itself into the air, pouncing toward the rooftop for the kill.

It was met head-on by the swing of a Vibrating Hammer.

In that instant, the sickening thud was like a clap of Thunderbolt, rolling outwards in all directions.

Like a shattered watermelon, the Werewolf’s head exploded in a spray of red. Brain matter flew through the air as its body plummeted to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust on impact.

’Felt pretty solid.’

Zhou Chen shook out his tingling hand and set down the Vibrating Hammer. He loaded High-Explosive Bombs into the Grenade Launcher, aimed at the heavily armed smugglers in the distance, and opened fire.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

An untold number of smugglers, unable to react in time, were instantly engulfed by the High-Explosive Bombs and blasted into a bloody paste that splattered across the ground.

Suddenly, a deafening shriek tore through the air as a massive detonation erupted, unleashing a raging firestorm that spread in all directions.

It seemed the smugglers had been carrying some kind of high-yield Alchemy Bomb. Before they had a chance to use it, it was set off by the High-Explosive Bombs, triggering a chain reaction. This created an even more terrifying pyrotechnic spectacle, and everything was buried in the sweeping Fiery Fire and the deafening roar.

Once most of the enemies were dead, Zhou Chen tossed aside the Grenade Launcher and rushed forward, rifle in hand.

In the raging Fiery Fire, only a few charcoal-like corpses remained; most of the smugglers hadn’t even left a complete body behind. He scanned the sea of flames and spotted a few items that had survived the blast.

A helmet, a pair of gloves, and a Tachi.

All of them were pieces of Alchemy Equipment.

But now, their surfaces were covered in noticeable cracks. They had clearly been damaged in the explosion. Even if they weren’t completely ruined, they were likely unusable.

A look of pained regret filled Zhou Chen’s eyes. He let out a soft sigh, then asked, “Anyone still alive in the factory?”

“One left. The manager. He wasn’t carrying any equipment, just a box…”

Jiang Che paused, then said in a low voice, “Pull back. Retreat now. I have a very bad feeling. I doubt there’s anything good inside that box.”

“Got it.”

Zhou Chen didn’t even think to argue. If his experienced superior said to retreat, then he would retreat. The suppression squad would be here soon anyway; it wasn’t like his opponent could stir up much more trouble.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Just as he turned to leave, a hate-filled voice ground out from behind him.

It was the manager.

He was slowly approaching, cradling a wooden box. In the very center of the box, an unusual Alchemy Matrix was inscribed, looking like some kind of seal.

Zhou Chen’s eyelids twitched and his scalp prickled. The keen intuition of an Ascender told him that whatever jumped out of that box after it was opened, it definitely wouldn’t be a jack-in-the-box or a Screaming Chicken.

It would be something extremely dangerous, extremely terrifying, and extremely evil.

The manager’s expression was as twisted as a demon’s. His eyes were bloodshot and brimming with hatred, and he was in a state of dementia born from pure Anger.

“After killing so many of my men and destroying half a lifetime of our work, you think you can just walk away…?”

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT.

Without giving him a chance to finish, Zhou Chen opened fire, riddling the man’s body with bullets. Brain matter flew as a torrent of blood sprayed from his wounds.

Unable to even finish his final words, the manager’s eyes widened as he died filled with hatred. His corpse collapsed to the ground, still clutching the box.

——Even in death, he never managed to open it.

Zhou Chen wiped the cold sweat from his brow. ’Judging by that manager’s suicidal desperation, that box probably held a Forbidden Object, an Abyssal Cursed Object, or some other weapon of mass destruction.’

’Good thing I don’t have any martial honor. I didn’t even give him a chance to monologue.’

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