Lord of Prayer

Chapter 601: Chapter 385: Soul-Catching Camera

Erin saw a reflection of her past self in Sasha, so she said earnestly, "This world has never been fair. Bad people aren’t always punished, and good people aren’t always rewarded, but being a good person is absolutely worth it... You’ll understand what that means when you’re older."

"Oh..." Sasha nodded, only half-understanding.

The farce in the distance continued. The young man came to his senses and tried to reason with the woman, but she refused to listen. Her main strategy was to shout and make a scene, acting as if whoever was loudest was in the right. The young man’s face flushed with anger, and he pulled out his phone to call the police.

A short while later, the police arrived. Each party told a different story, but with a witness’s testimony and the surveillance footage the police quickly pulled, the young man was finally cleared. Faced with the ironclad evidence from the video, the woman fell silent. Her attitude, however, remained aggressive. She refused to apologize, even lashing out at the police and eventually getting physical.

The situation thus escalated to assaulting an officer, and she was ultimately forced into a police car.

"They’re taking her away," Sasha said, pointing at the woman who was still swearing as she was forced into the squad car. "Will she go to prison?"

"It’s not that serious. At most, she’ll spend a few days in a detention center," Zhou Chen said.

Sasha thought for a moment. "If she hadn’t hit the policeman, would she not have been arrested?"

"Probably. Things like that, trying to scam people, aren’t against the law if it’s a minor incident. It only becomes a crime when it’s especially serious. That’s why so many people try these kinds of scams. There’s zero cost. If they succeed, they make a fortune. If they fail, there’s no loss—at worst, they just have to say sorry."

Zhou Chen looked as if he’d seen it all before. He ruffled Sasha’s hair, interrupting her thoughts. "Alright now, kids shouldn’t be thinking about these adult matters. You’ll have plenty of time for that when you grow up. For now, you should just be having fun without a care in the world. C’mon, think about where we should go this afternoon."

Kids will be kids. Just like that, Sasha’s attention was diverted. She pulled a Feng City tourist guide from Erin’s bag and began to read it intently as they walked.

After lunch, the three of them arrived at the Feng City Zoo.

Sasha held Erin’s hand, a happy smile plastered on her face the entire time. She’d had practically zero contact with the outside World, so this was her very first outing. It was a rare experience for her, and she was filled with boundless curiosity, finding everything amazing and new.

At the bear exhibit, two massive black bears were fighting. Suddenly, one of them reared up on its hind legs. Its body, over two meters tall, looked like a demonic, black wall, exuding an intense pressure. Sasha was so frightened she scrambled to hide behind Erin, only daring to peek out a moment later.

When they reached the Bird Paradise, Sasha got to pet a bold parrot. Her excitement was plain to see; she’d probably be giddy about it for days.

Inside the aquarium’s tunnel, they were surrounded by dark water. Unidentifiable sea creatures swam slowly overhead, casting enormous shadows. Sasha pressed herself against the transparent glass, letting out an involuntary gasp. Her face was full of wonder as she stared at the magnificent ocean World. Schools of multi-colored fish swam by, and the sheer number of sea creatures was dazzling. It was as if a whole new World had been unveiled before her.

In the dimness, Zhou Chen suddenly felt Erin inch a little closer. The backs of their hands brushed lightly together.

It wasn’t an accident. It was Erin, mustering her courage. So, after a brief, stunned pause, Zhou Chen took her hand.

The gesture made Erin’s whole body tremble, but she quickly relaxed. She adjusted her grip to match his warm palm until, finally, their fingers intertwined. Everything was said in that silent gesture.

In the dim light, Zhou Chen could see Erin’s face had turned bright red, like a ripe apple.

Erin felt her face burning, so hot it felt like it might explode. Her heart hammered against her ribs, racing uncontrollably. Although they had been living together for a long time, this was the first time they had done something so symbolic. It meant that the final, unspoken barrier between them had been broken.

She took a deep, shaky breath to compose herself, tightened her grip on his hand, and savored the sweet, unforgettable moment.

It felt like a dream, as if she were wrapped in an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Soon, they reached the end of the ocean tunnel. Up ahead was the seal exhibit.

Zhou Chen adamantly stated he didn’t want to see the seals, but Sasha insisted on seeing the "cute seals," so they had no choice.

"Zhou Chen, why don’t you like seals?" Sasha asked, leaning over the glass barrier to look down. Several plump seals were basking in the sun. Another was rolling around like a ball before tumbling into the pool with a SPLASH.

"Seals remind me of those jerks in my group chat who are always showing off their gacha pulls," Zhou Chen tutted. He pointed to a seal that was slapping its belly as if laughing. "Look, doesn’t that thing look like it’s shouting, ’I got a five-star! On a single pull, no less!’?"

Sasha tilted her head in confusion. "I don’t get it."

She didn’t dwell on Zhou Chen’s strange comment and went back to curiously watching the seals play.

"Someone’s taking our picture..." Erin suddenly whispered.

"We were already photographed this morning. What’s one more time?" Zhou Chen had given up caring.

"Sister Xiye will find out, you know," Erin reminded him.

Still resigned, Zhou Chen muttered, "It’s bound to happen sooner or later..."

But just then, a vile chill shot up his spine without warning. Zhou Chen’s head snapped toward the source of the Sensing. A man and a woman, looking like a couple, were aiming an old-fashioned camera in their direction.

Knowledge about a certain Forbidden Object, long since committed to memory, flashed through his mind.

’Forbidden Object C-013: Soul-Catching Camera!

Forbidden Object Effect: Captures a portion of the target’s Spirituality. Any damage inflicted upon the photograph—such as burning, drowning, piercing with needles, or cutting with blades—will manifest on the target’s body. Even a High-level Ascender is vulnerable to being harmed.

Side Effects: While in use, a portion of the user’s own Spirituality is absorbed by the camera, causing emotional instability and a tendency to lose control and become corrupted. This can be reversed by refraining from using the camera for a period of time. If used too frequently in a short span, the user’s Soul will be devoured by the camera.

Containment Conditions: None. Anyone can use it.’

’Enemies!’

Zhou Chen made an instant judgment. He materialized the Dream Light and Shadow, hurling it toward the pair. The spearhead pierced the air at high speed, tearing through it with a sonic boom.

But the two seemed to be prepared. They rolled to the side, dodging the Dream Light and Shadow’s attack.

The Soul-Catching Camera in the man’s hands slowly spat out a photograph. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out a dagger and stabbed viciously at the figure in the picture.

The next second, blood burst from Zhou Chen’s chest, right over his heart.

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