The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 85: Object of Prayer

Along the way, Lumian relied on his sharp eyes and quick reflexes, continuously avoiding several waiters carrying food out or returning used dishes.

Before long, he approached the kitchen and saw a chaotic scene inside: unwashed dishes were haphazardly piled in the sink, stacked in layers, all greasy. Two dishwashers stood there, constantly cleaning.

Several stoves emitted yellowish flames, making the area significantly hotter than outside. Everyone was sweating and busy. Three chefs, dressed in white aprons, were preparing different dishes. They occasionally poured the food into plates, tasted the sauce or a small piece of food with their fingers, and after wiping their hands casually on their aprons, started cooking the next dish. Waiters, upon the chefs' approval, would carry the respective plates out. Their thumbs often touched the food and soup, but they seemed oblivious, not caring at all. Several kitchen assistants surrounded the chefs, chopping vegetables, handling fish, cleaning other ingredients, disposing of waste, or delivering condiments and other items, busy to the point of exhaustion. Yet, no matter how hard they worked, the kitchen still appeared messy. The floor around the stoves and the area near the sink were littered with vegetable leaves, fish scales, and fruit peels, all covered in grease. The kitchen echoed mainly with the chefs' and assistants' shouts and curses, creating a lively atmosphere.

If Lumian closed his eyes and relied solely on his ears, he might think he was in the midst of a chaotic battlefield.

Taking advantage of this situation, he easily avoided the busy people and approached a cabinet storing various ingredients. Then, using the barriers, handles, gray-white gas pipes, and water pipes, he climbed up to the ceiling and entered the ventilation duct located there.

The intense smell of oil and smoke immediately assaulted Lumian's nose, nearly causing the keen-sensed man to faint.

Thanks to the "Mendicant Monk" ability to endure extreme environments, Lumian forced himself to continue crawling along the ventilation duct. After just a dozen seconds, he poked his head out from above a bathroom on the second floor.

After confirming no one was inside, Lumian nimbly jumped down, quickly moving to the door, and covertly looked down the hallway in both directions.

It was very quiet here, with only two gang enforcers guarding the staircase exit. Their attention was entirely focused on the entrance from the first floor, completely neglecting the situation behind them.

Lumian sighed in relief, identified his destination, and crouched down, sneaking into the adjacent room.

The door there was tightly locked, but it posed no challenge to Lumian. He fiddled with it using a half-length wire he carried with him, and soon pushed the wooden door open.

Just as Jenna had described, the en suite bathroom attached to "Hammer" Ait's room had no protruding windowsill outside, only a decorative ledge that barely allowed a person to stand sideways.

Even for a "Hunter," it would be quite difficult to jump from this windowsill to that ledge and stand steadily. Fortunately, Lumian was still a "Dancer" with exaggerated flexibility that didn't seem human.

After a brief observation, he leaped, accurately landing his right foot on the ledge, but his left side lost balance slightly, tilting towards the direction of falling.

At the critical moment, Lumian's body shook like a spring, rebounding towards the bathroom and, in the process, grabbed the window frame with his right hand.

He steadied himself, crouched sideways, and only exposed half his head, quietly peeking inside.

The bathroom door was not closed, and gang enforcers occasionally patrolled by.