Lord of Prayer

Zhou Chen had certainly heard the name "Dupe." He was a Grand Councilor of the Star Association’s Asian Region, a man of immense prestige and exceptional standing. His influence in the Eastern Continent and Yingzhou was enormous, so much so that his brilliance even overshadowed the other Grand Councilors in the Asian Region, and he seemed poised to become "Asia’s Number One."

The Asian Restricted Area Exploration Pact from six years ago. The civilian floating car and housing subsidy policies from five years ago. The international coastline defense strategy from two years ago. The proposal to redevelop Restricted Area 0079 for civilian recreation from half a year ago...

Since he took office, over seventy percent of the guidelines and policies Dupe proposed were still in effect. The interests of countless organizations and factions were inextricably linked to them. A single one of his decisions could bankrupt innumerable companies or make just as many prosper. It didn’t take a genius to imagine how terrifying his Energy was. A single stomp of his foot would make all of Asia tremble.

And yet, this Grand Councilor of the Asian Region—a man of immense power, high standing, and impeccable reputation—had secretly committed countless dark and sordid deeds.

The 9/21 Mass Shooting, the assassination of an Asian councilor candidate, the 7/11 Corruption and Embezzlement Case, the Dingcheng Chemical Plant pollution incident on the Eastern Continent, the "Lolita Island" sex scandal, the Leaking Scandal...

The document recorded one horrifying case after another. The evidence was meticulously detailed, exposing a side of Dupe no one had ever seen.

If these documents ever got out, they would undoubtedly cause a massive upheaval in the Asian Region!

’Holy crap, this is terrifying...’ In his shock, Zhou Chen hurriedly stowed the documents and the USB drive. He scanned the hospital room guiltily, like a thief. Fortunately, there were no security cameras. If anyone knew he possessed these files, it would surely be a death sentence!

"The Prophet sure is good to you, even giving you an assist. Why don’t you just become his godson?" Li Xiye quipped sarcastically. It didn’t take much to guess that Zhou Chen was supposed to give these files to Jiang Che.

Although Jiang Che had never named her enemy, it wasn’t hard to guess. Especially with the "Prophet" delivering the dossier, who else could it be but Grand Councilor Dupe?

"What are you talking about, an ’assist’? The Prophet certainly has his own plans."

Zhou Chen coughed and said with a straight face, "Ahem... This is part of the plan!"

Li Xiye scoffed. "Is that so? If you say it’s not an assist, then do you dare swear you have no other feelings for Jiang Che? Can you say that your help is based purely on ’friendship,’ with no other emotions involved? You can’t. Because you do have feelings for her. And not just for her... You can’t possibly think I don’t know what goes on in that head of yours, can you, Zhou Chen."

DONG!

It was as if an invisible gavel had come crashing down upon his very Soul. In that instant, sweat trickled down Zhou Chen’s forehead.

Li Xiye slowly sat up in bed, her eyes fixed on Zhou Chen, who was clearly flustered but forcing a calm expression. "I know all about your lustful thoughts. What pisses me off is that you’re all lust and no nerve. We’ve been living together for so long, and you don’t even dare come into my room at night... Can’t you muster a tenth of the guts you had when you defied fate itself for Erin? Where have your courage and determination gone?"

This was a sore point for Li Xiye. Even with Erin in the house, setting up a Sound Insulation Barrier wasn’t difficult. They were one step away from closing the deal, yet Zhou Chen kept dragging his feet. True, his Clone had been stirring up trouble in North Carolina recently, which drained his energy, but he hadn’t shown any initiative before that, either.

When Zhou Chen didn’t reply, Li Xiye suddenly reached out, yanked him forward, and forcefully pushed him down onto the hospital bed. She climbed on top, straddling him, and leaned down to stare at him in silence.

"Xi... Xiye..." Zhou Chen’s face was a mask of panic. "This is a hospital!"

"I know. I’m not crazy enough to do it with you here. I just want to tell you..."

Li Xiye pressed her full weight onto Zhou Chen, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear, "You should let go of your moral scruples. You need to be bolder."

"W-What do you mean?" Zhou Chen asked, his voice raspy. The intimate contact made him feel like he was about to explode. His heart raced erratically, his face flushed beet red, and his mind went completely blank. He couldn’t think. His rationality was plummeting.

Li Xiye murmured like a Demon, "It means if you want something, you take it. Don’t be so hesitant and timid. That’s what’s truly repulsive."

With that, she released her arms, got up, grabbed Zhou Chen by the collar, and flung him back onto his chair.

"I’m a bit tired. I’m going to get some sleep." Not caring whether Zhou Chen understood, Li Xiye pulled the covers over herself and was out in an instant.

The battle in North Carolina had taken a huge toll on her. Killing an enemy above your own tier was no easy feat. Only because she was so powerful was she still standing; anyone else would likely be lying in an emergency room right now, not moving around freely.

After a long while, the dazed Zhou Chen finally calmed down. He gazed at the sleeping Li Xiye with a complicated expression on his face.

Her whispers seemed to possess Magic Power, echoing endlessly in his mind: *If you want something, you take it. Don’t be so hesitant and timid...*

·

·

「One day later. Jinzhu. Jiang Che’s office at the Star Association.」

Zhou Chen pushed the door open and was met with Jiang Che’s gaze—a look so calm it was unsettling.

"I never would have guessed you were so capable. Slacking off at work while simultaneously stirring up a storm in North Carolina... No wonder you’ve been slacking off even more than usual this month. You’ve been a total deadbeat."

As Zhou Chen’s direct superior, Jiang Che had obviously been briefed on the entire situation.

"Er, about that... It was a secret mission from the ’Prophet.’ I didn’t have a choice."

Zhou Chen gave a dry laugh, deftly shifting the blame. "Don’t be angry yet," he said hurriedly. "I have something good for you... There aren’t any listening devices in here, are there?"

"No."

"Hmm... maybe you should turn off your computer first? I’m worried the walls have ears... Or maybe we should scan for any unknown listening devices?" Zhou Chen said cautiously.

Jiang Che raised an eyebrow. "What’s with all the secrecy?"

She took a retractable metal ballpoint pen from the inside of her suit jacket. CLICK. CLICK. She pressed it twice, and the pen suddenly emitted a pale blue halo, which expanded into a dome that enveloped them both.

Reassured, Zhou Chen took the documents and the USB drive from his Storage Waist Bag and handed them both to Jiang Che.

Jiang Che casually flipped open the document. In the next instant, she froze solid. Her eternally placid expression finally cracked, as if she were looking at something unbelievable.

After a long moment, her hand trembling slightly with emotion, she turned to the next page.

Zhou Chen waited silently at her side, only speaking after she had finished reading the entire document. "I’ve already looked at the contents of the USB drive. It’s all criminal records and evidence."

Jiang Che closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she closed the document and looked up at Zhou Chen, her gaze filled with a complex mix of emotions. "You’re just giving me something this important? Just like that?"

"What else would I do with it?" Zhou Chen chuckled. "It’s not like I have any use for it."

Jiang Che fell silent. ’Useless? If used correctly, this leverage could yield rewards beyond imagination!’

"I told you I’d help you," Zhou Chen said, patting her on the shoulder. This seemed to be the first time they had ever had physical contact.

During a previous idle chat, Jiang Che had mentioned that she disliked physical contact with anyone, male or female. But now, she didn’t show much aversion. Perhaps she was too shocked to react, or perhaps there was another reason. Regardless, Zhou Chen had made a breakthrough.

Jiang Che stared down at the documents and the USB drive, lost in thought. After a long moment, she put them away, looked at Zhou Chen intently, and thanked him with sincere gravity. "Thank you. I will make good use of this."

"Just let me know if you need any more help."

"I will."

"I’ll get back to work, then. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

·

「Evening.」

When Zhou Chen returned home, a fully recovered Li Xiye was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, binge-watching a TV series. She glanced at him. "Did you deliver it?"

"Mhm."

"How much did your affection level go up?"

Zhou Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "This isn’t a game, how would I know...? Hey, speaking of which, do you think Zone 009 has an affection system?"

"I’ll have to check the strategy guides later. It probably does..."

"Tch. If I’d known, I would have delayed my Advancement and gone to Zone 009 with you. I bet it’s a lot of fun." Li Xiye looked regretful. She really wanted to experience Zone 009; a gamified reality sounded fascinating. Unfortunately, the Restricted Area prohibited Ascenders of Tier Three and above from entering.

"Right, speaking of Advancement..."

Li Xiye leaned against Zhou Chen. "Do you remember our bet?"

"I lost. According to the terms of our bet, you get to make one request that I cannot refuse."

She moved to straddle his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and asking with a curious look on her face:

"So, what do you want me to do?"