The Chef Rules the Last Days
Chapter 358 - 357: The Devil’s Crystal Stone

Chapter 358: Chapter 357: The Devil’s Crystal Stone

At the moment their group appeared in the hall, all sounds vanished, every trace of conversation disappeared without a trace.

Jianxiong, standing with a wine glass in the hall, felt a surge of relief upon seeing the newcomers.

All around were men and women in uniform black attire, and seated at the head was the Empress whom Su Mo had met once before.

The last time, in the Demon Cage, she hadn’t observed the woman carefully, but now, if one disregarded the eerie tattoos on her face, she appeared to be a well-preserved woman nearing forty.

By Su Mo’s side, Jiang Yulian was visibly excited because the woman seated on the throne was holding a child in her arms, Jiang Zhuoyang.

Su Mo discretely grasped her hand.

Jiang Yulian forced herself to look away and calm down.

"Esteemed Angel Envoys, your abilities have truly opened my eyes," the Empress spoke from her seat, gesturing to the attendants beside her. Two individuals clad in black robes, playing the role of maids, approached Su Mo and the others with trays in hand.

Atop the trays were several goblets filled with some kind of wine.

Everyone automatically took a glass, though no one dared to drink first.

"Drink this wine, inscribe our divine mark upon yourselves, and you shall become one of the greatest followers within the Temple."

All around, cheers erupted, as inscribing the symbol on their chests seemed to be an act of great honor to them.

What should we do?" Su Mo softly tugged on Lu Chen’s sleeve, as the fervent and maniacal stares and shouts from nearby were practically piercing through her.

There were many people in the hall, each one’s superpower level not low. Lu Chen quickly assessed the situation and finally, holding Su Mo’s hand firmly, said in an even tone, "Agree for now."

"We’re really going to get a tattoo on our chests?" Zhao Changsheng almost cursed out loud but thanks to Li Qian’s quick intervention, he was held back in time, preventing an undesirable end had the Heretics overheard them.

Li Qian, watching a few individuals retrieve the tools, whispered in a barely audible voice, "We can use Ling Ye to stall."

Thinking of Ling Ye, who was probably still lying in the laboratory here, Su Mo felt a twinge of discomfort.

Lu Chen, looking down at the wine glass in his hand, suddenly drank it in one gulp and smashed the glass onto the ground.

A loud "crash" filled the air as the glass shattered, quieting the crowd around them. A security detail immediately shielded the Empress.

The previously fervent and maniacal gazes now held a hint of vigilance and intent to kill.

Once quiet settled, Lu Chen found an opportunity to speak. He stood tall, radiating a commanding presence, and with a serious tone in his dancing phoenix eyes, said, "I believe we can wait."

"You refuse the grace of God?" the Empress waved off the person in front of her, her face expressionless, but the murderous intent in her eyes was clear to all.

"We would be pleased to," Lu Chen faced the Empress with his thin lips curled into a cold, sharp arc, "but there’s an issue with the subject. We have not yet completed the will of God."

"What do you mean?" the Empress’s interest was piqued. She stood up from her lofty seat, holding the child and stepping down the stairs toward him.

Several attendants were beside her, adjusting her expansive robes.

Su Mo, for the first time, watched Lu Chen seriously play-act and talk nonsense. She quickly caught on to his intentions from his words and followed up, "We’ve had the subject with us for quite some time, and he’s been in a deep sleep the whole while. Hasn’t the Empress noticed?"

The Empress really didn’t know this piece of news; after all, the moment the test subject was brought over, it was transported to a newly assigned laboratory.

She gently rocked the infant in her hands and then turned to give an order, "Go bring the two doctors here."

Her willingness to issue the command allowed Su Mo to breathe a sigh of relief, at least there was a way to stall for time.

The two people who had wracked their brains all night in the laboratory without being able to wake Ling Ye were horrified when they heard that the Empress was calling for them, and cold sweat broke out instantly.

"Don’t panic, we’ll just say what we used to say."

"Okay."

Following that, the two of them, one in front and one behind, followed the person ahead into the hall.

To Su Mo and the others’ surprise, these two doctors were... really exceptionally young.

The two, dressed in white lab coats, knelt down before the Empress with sincere devotion on their faces.

"What is the status of the test subject?" the Empress glanced at them, her robes swirling as she reseated herself on the throne with the child in her arms.

"The divine didn’t awaken him, and we are powerless," the two doctors prostrated on the ground, their faces almost touching the floor, terribly abject.

"We have tried all methods, whether injecting medicine or physical strikes; besides his wounds healing quickly, he shows no reaction. We request the Empress to allow the divine to awaken him, otherwise, we will not be able to continue the experiment."

Upon hearing the words ’physical strikes’, Su Mo’s eyes lowered, hiding a flicker of outrage and anger.

Li Qian spoke up at the right moment, "We have received the divine’s will and know how to awaken the test subject. We are willing to invoke the divine’s command to awaken him and offer all our loyalty through inscription."

His words were beautifully said, displaying sincerity and resolve.

The heretics, who had been on their guard, each revealed smiles again and repeatedly praised their understanding of righteousness.

The Empress, seated above, didn’t show particular delight but cast a scrutinizing gaze over the few of them. She raised her hand, and silence fell across the room.

"Tell me, how can the test subject be awakened to open the new world for us?"

"The Crystal Stone forged from countless zombies devouring each other is the key to opening the gate."

"Such demons..." the Empress’s eyes held a trace of deep thought.

A young, slender man clad in black stepped forward, his somewhat shrill voice saying, "I’ve seen such a demon at Emma Village. I don’t know if it’s still there, but the demon’s lethality was too strong. We lost quite a few to it."

Reminded by them, the Empress instantly recalled and turned her gaze back to Lu Chen, "Since you are so earnest, then follow them and bring the Crystal Stone back for the doctor. You may depart!"

Everyone rushed outside, seemingly to prepare for the departure, and the Empress atop the dais also entered through a door with the child in her arms.

Jiang Yulian stood staring at her receding figure, subconsciously moving to follow but was held back by Su Mo, "Aunt Jiang, hold on, it’s not the time yet."

"I understand."

Jiang Yulian suppressed the eager thoughts rising within her, sadly lowered her head, and followed Su Mo.