He loved cooking all sorts of delicacies to entertain his guests.
Until one day, a visitor from the distant Spirit World knocked on his door.
And so the gourmet turned himself into a delicacy and offered himself for the visitor to enjoy...
Item effect: Targets struck by a bolt temporarily lose 10% of their maximum HP, up to a maximum reduction of 30%. They also enter a state of extreme hunger. Item cost: Each bolt fired consumes a substantial amount of stamina, depending on the circumstances.
Chen Lun was rather surprised by this [Mysterious Object]. Its quality and effects were remarkably good, even comparable to some of the weaker [B-Rank Mysterious Objects].
In a sense, it was a hand crossbow with unlimited ammunition.
Its damage was astonishing, too. The more HP an opponent had, the more effective it became. It was practically the bane of HP tanks!
What did a little stamina drain matter? Chen Lun even wanted to shout those words-
Come on! Suck me dry!
Chen Lun tucked the hand crossbow into his belt, turned, and headed back.
He had gone a little too far while chasing Stuarton, and there were still some survivors at the Red Apple Cathedral to mop up.
To give the players a better gaming experience once they arrived in this world, Chen Lun decided to lower the difficulty for them by personally nerfing the current version's villain faction.
Once again, this fearless willingness to sacrifice himself for the players brought tears to Chen Lun's eyes.
"I wonder how many more goodies are hidden in the cathedral...?"
"Those evil heretics must have been preying on their neighbors and exploiting the common people. I have to confiscate every last bit of their ill-gotten money!"
The more Chen Lun thought about it, the angrier he grew, and the faster he walked.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared around the end of the street.
Inside the Red Apple Cathedral.
The prayer room.
Chen Lun stood quietly beside the woman's corpse.
He sighed softly, bent down, and closed her wide-open eyes.
A small chest sat on a bench behind him.
It contained the valuables Chen Lun had collected after scouring the entire cathedral.
During his search, he had found some flatbread, which had eased his hunger after he ate it.
He had also killed all the remaining church guards and Rotting Hounds, earning a sizable amount of EXP.
In a secluded corner, Chen Lun had even discovered a secret passage leading to the outskirts.
He suspected it connected to the prison from earlier.
With deathly silence all around him, Chen Lun deposited every coin in the brimming chest into his panel.
176 Gold Pounds, 684 Silver Crowns, 3,455 Copper Crowns!
It was a windfall, and Chen Lun accepted it without hesitation.
Bang!!
Chen Lun jerked his head to the side.
A scorching rush of air swept past his ear with a sharp whistle. A hole appeared in the prayer stand ahead, sending splinters flying.
"Don't move! Containment Bureau investigators! Cooperate with our investigation!"
Chen Lun turned slightly and saw two young men in white uniforms standing in the doorway.
Each held an old-fashioned, one-handed flintlock pistol. Smoke still rose from one man's muzzle; he had clearly fired the shot.
Chen Lun narrowed his eyes at the sight, raised both hands, and faced them.
The Containment Bureau...
The Empire's official organization of supernaturals, a force dedicated to containing and suppressing [Mysterious Objects] and unaffiliated supernaturals.
Chen Lun knew them well.
In his previous life, more players had joined this faction than any other.
Although the Containment Bureau was not one of the Seven Orthodox Deity Factions, it had the backing of the Imperial Royal Family.
It wielded immense authority and offered numerous advancement paths and rewards to choose from.
"Just the two of you?"
Chen Lun asked as casually as if he were chatting with two old friends.
"Don't try anything. Our colleagues are guarding the outside, and our team leader is already on his way...
"You may be a supernatural, but we've personally arrested more supernaturals than we can count. Try us if you don't believe me."
One of the investigators spoke coldly.
"But right now, you only have two guns. Are you sure you can hit me?"
"Why are there always arrogant fools like you who dare challenge the Containment Bureau's authority...?"
The two investigators exchanged an almost imperceptible glance and reached an understanding.
They were ready to fire together and take down the man before them.
But a second later, they heard an intense noise that somehow seemed distant.
Stars danced before their eyes, and an indescribable wave of nausea rose within them.
Before they could pull their triggers, a tall figure loomed over them. A moment later, sharp pain tore through their stomachs.
Thump! Thump!
Chen Lun dropped them with two punches and picked up their flintlock pistols.
These firearms were cutting-edge weapons made by the Supernatural Workshop under the Containment Bureau, capable of holding ten lead balls at a time.
Although they were not [Mysterious Objects], they could be issued to ordinary investigators.
Nearly every investigator carried one, making them a formidable deterrent.
If more than three investigators concentrated their fire, even a low-sequence supernatural stood a good chance of going down.
After all, low-sequence supernaturals were still flesh and blood. Under concentrated gunfire, they had almost no chance of surviving.
Five minutes later.
Standing at the cathedral entrance, Chen Lun shook his head slightly at the four investigators lined up on the ground, still clinging to one another in their unconscious state.
Then he carried the woman's corpse outside and placed two Gold Pounds on her closed eyelids.
"This is all I can do."
He raised his hand and fired into the cathedral.
Bang!!
The shot struck an oil jug he had positioned beforehand. Sparks burst out, igniting the pile of straw below.
Fierce flames immediately surged up, gradually engulfing the entire cathedral.
Chen Lun turned and left.
A sea of fire raged behind him.
Boom!!
The cathedral, which had stood for many years, collapsed. The blaze grew even more terrifying, lighting the night like day.
Many residents, startled awake in the middle of the night, hid behind their windows and watched a scene they would not forget for years.
Some were excited, others silent. Some cried out to their gods, while others murmured prayers.
Ralph stood silently not far from the cathedral.
The investigators Chen Lun had knocked unconscious were awake now. They stood behind Ralph with their heads lowered, not daring to speak.
"Team leader, should we pursue him? He might not have gone far..."
"Pursue him?"
Ralph gave a cold laugh, turned around, and took a drag on his cigar.
He blew smoke into the speaking investigator's face, stinging his eyes so badly that he could barely keep them open.
Yet the man did not dare actually close his eyes. He could only endure it as tears streamed down his face.
"With you lot, who acted without authorization?"
His words were followed by a brief silence.
"You should thank her."
Ralph pointed at the woman's corpse on the ground.
The investigators exchanged bewildered looks.
Ralph bent down, picked up the gold coins from the woman's eyelids, and held them in his palm, looking somewhat distracted.
"He probably spared you because he wanted the Containment Bureau to give her a decent burial."
He flicked a finger, sending the coins into one investigator's hand.
"Go. Find the Moon Church and have this woman buried... Find her family while you're at it, and give them some compensation."
Ralph rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Consider it us cleaning up the Red Apple Church's mess."
"...Yes, team leader."
Ralph dropped his cigar, ground it out underfoot, and looked into the distance.
"I miscalculated."
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