Lord of Prayer

The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a dimly lit and eerie corridor before Zhou Chen.

’So I’ve really run into something strange...’ The corner of Zhou Chen’s eye twitched. He didn’t hastily step out of the elevator, instead choosing to observe cautiously.

The corridor walls were covered in vintage, vertically striped wallpaper, lit by round, orange lamps overhead. The red carpet on the floor looked quite old, covered in dust, stains, and debris, its former luster gone. It bore the clear, natural marks of foot traffic. The rooms on both sides featured uniform, European-style wooden doors with room numbers like "401" and "402" continuing onward. The overall style was steeped in vintage nostalgia.

At first glance, it looked no different from a normal hotel. But what was strange was that the corridor seemed to stretch on infinitely. The doors on either side extended endlessly into the distance, so far that even with his vision, Zhou Chen couldn’t see the end.

This alone was enough to prove that the "4th floor" was incredibly bizarre.

’The fourth floor of the Happiness Sea Hotel is the employee break area. You can only get there through a dedicated passageway; it’s impossible to reach by elevator... This isn’t the fourth floor of the Happiness Sea Hotel. It’s a Room in the Crack hidden within the hotel. I wonder if it has anything to do with the murderer...’

As the thought flashed through his mind, Zhou Chen immediately made a wish to divine whether his next actions would be dangerous.

[Wish Value -1000]

[Action Danger Level: Mild]

’Mild danger...’ Zhou Chen relaxed slightly, but he still didn’t leave the elevator. He pressed the button to hold the doors open, then summoned the Emotional Outburst Gloves and put them on. He materialized his "Cautious" Emotion Avatar and controlled it to step out of the elevator and knock on the door of room "401," while he himself hid in a blind spot to the side of the elevator car.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

After the knock, a faint noise came from inside. A few seconds later, a man wearing glasses opened the door.

The man scrutinized the "Cautious" Avatar and asked uncertainly, "And you are?"

The "Cautious" Avatar sized him up, quickly gathering details.

’Severe myopia. Receding hairline. Greasy hair, unwashed for at least three days. The dark circles under his eyes are heavy, which means he often stays up late. His neck is craned forward, a sign of poor sitting posture. Putting these details together, he probably works in the IT industry, spends a lot of time in front of a computer, and frequently works overtime.’

Aside from that, the man with glasses had no strange, ominous, or corrupting aura about him. He was a normal person.

However, in such an abnormal environment, being a normal person was, in itself, abnormal.

Zhou Chen then made another wish. ’Make my words authoritative. Make me easier to trust.’

[Wish Value -100]

[Acquired Temporary Buff: Trust Aura]

"I’m an officer with the Feng City Police Department. We’re conducting a routine identification check. Please show me your ID."

Aided by the "Trust Aura," the man with glasses didn’t think twice. He stepped away from the doorway and went back into his room to find his ID.

The "Cautious" Avatar took the opportunity to peer into the room, and what it saw was a baffling scene.

The room’s interior had nothing in common with a luxury hotel. Instead, it resembled an ordinary studio apartment—the space was cramped, but it had a simple kitchen and bathroom.

In one corner of the apartment, a bookcase stood against the wall. One side was filled with novels and books, while the other held various model figurines—some were robots, others were highly revealing. The bottom shelf held Yingzhou pornographic comics with seductive lettering on the covers, sitting right out in the open.

Next to the bookcase was the man’s computer. The tower sat on his desk, glowing with dazzling RGB lights. Its specs were so high-end that it could have been the down payment for a Floating car. The screen was blank. Beside that was the man’s bed, the bedding in disarray and piled high with what looked like cheap clothes.

On the kitchen stove, an electric kettle was making a GURGLE GURGLE sound as it let off scalding steam. Beside it sat an opened instant noodle cup, indicating that the man had just been preparing to make noodles.

Most concerning of all, the view outside the apartment window was a hazy, chaotic mess where nothing could be seen. Yet, the man with glasses seemed completely unaware, as if this was perfectly normal.

"Here."

The man had found his ID and handed it over.

The "Cautious" Avatar didn’t take it, instead reading it from a distance.

[Name: Bai Qinyong]

[Gender: Male]

[Date of Birth: October 23, Year 200]

[Address: 12 Jinchuan Road, Luo City]

’Born in year 200 of the New Calendar, so he should be 35 this year. But he doesn’t look like he’s 35...’ After a moment’s thought, Zhou Chen asked directly, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five," the man answered truthfully.

’Twenty-five...’ Hearing that number, Zhou Chen felt an inexplicable chill.

’A ten-year difference from his actual age...’

Ten years ago. That would be the year 225 of the New Calendar.

That was the very year that Lin Ya’s family, along with several other families who were followers of the Life Church, were murdered.

And this man’s age and awareness were also stuck ten years in the past.

Zhou Chen had every reason to suspect that this man was the ghost of someone who had died long ago!

"Okay, noted. Sorry to have bothered you."

The "Cautious" Avatar’s expression remained neutral. It nodded, indicating that the man could close the door. The man didn’t linger and shut the door with a THUD.

Immediately after, the "Cautious" Avatar knocked on the door to room 402.

A moment later, a woman wearing heavy, gaudy makeup opened the door.

She wore a skimpy black slip dress and had a decent figure, but her makeup was so thick that the signs of over-application were obvious at a glance.

"Who are you?" the woman asked warily.

"I’m... an officer with the Luo City Police Department. Routine identification check. Please show me your ID."

Zhou Chen had changed his story at the critical moment, but the woman didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. She turned and went back into her room to find her ID.

He took the opportunity to look inside. This room, too, was not a hotel room. Its layout was completely different from the man’s apartment; it had no kitchen or bathroom and seemed to be just the woman’s bedroom. It was set up with a lot of livestreaming equipment. Clothes were piled mountain-high on the bed, and the floor was an absolute, trash-strewn mess. The area within the camera’s frame, however, was neat and spotless.

Outside the window was the same hazy chaos, and the computer screen flickered with noisy static, displaying no image. Yet the streamer picked up her microphone and began interacting with her audience in a sweet voice:

"Just a moment, everyone. The police are doing a room check. Ranran will be right back."

Soon, the streamer found her ID in a drawer, came to the door, and held it out. Just as before, the "Cautious" Avatar didn’t take it.

[Name: Jia Ran]

[Gender: Female]

[Date of Birth: July 14, Year 194]

[Address: 77 Qinghe Road, Mi City]

"How old are you?" the Emotion Avatar asked.

The streamer hesitated, but under the influence of the "Trust Aura," she still gave her true age:

"Thirty-two."

The Emotion Avatar then nodded to indicate the check was complete, and the streamer hurriedly shut the door.

’Thirty-two... Her perception is also stuck in the year 225 of the New Calendar...’

Without a doubt, the man with the glasses and the streamer were both ghosts who had been dead for ten years!

The "Cautious" Avatar gazed down the corridor. The rooms on both sides stretched into the distance, seemingly without end.

Like rows upon rows of tombstones.

"..."

In the silence, the Emotion Avatar abruptly dissipated. Zhou Chen frantically mashed the elevator’s close-door button.

’Okay, this is getting scary. Time to bounce!’