Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 127 When the Glass Cannon Reaches Its Ultimate Limit! (4.2K)

The afternoon sun, like molten gold, filtered through the horizontal windows and into the spacious indoor basketball court, landing on the tiny dust particles that floated slowly in the air, as if coated with a layer of gold leaf.

An orange-brown basketball crashed violently into the slanting beam of light, moving so fast it almost left an afterimage, stirring up countless golden dust particles.

The basketball soared high and then fell, hitting the backboard before passing through the center of the rim with perfect precision, lightly brushing the net, and landing in the hand that had been waiting in its path.

"call……"

Lu Mingfei let out a soft breath, turned around, and the basketball in his hand bounced up and down.

The setting sun outlined the contours of his profile, and sweat rolled down his jawline, dripping onto the floor and splashing into small puddles.

There were no spectators or noise, only the dull echo of the basketball hitting the floor.

In that instant when your heartbeat and breathing are in sync—

"squeak!"

A short, sharp screech suddenly pierced through everything; it was the sound of the sole of the shoe rubbing against the ground when force was suddenly exerted.

Lu Mingfei moved; he dribbled past his opponent!
He was facing only Chu Zihang, but the pressure he faced was no less than that of a complete basketball team.

Just as he was about to close in, Lu Mingfei made a lightning-fast lateral movement, attempting a strong breakthrough from the right. But Chu Zihang moved laterally almost simultaneously, anticipating his move and blocking his path!
Their shoulders collided heavily, producing a dull thud. The force traveled through their bodies, and Lu Mingfei groaned, taking a slight step back. However, he didn't lose his balance; instead, he used the momentum to turn and change direction, leaping into the air.

With a flick of his wrist, the basketball was switched to his left hand during his turn and leap, and he flicked it towards the basket.

With the aid of "Accurate Hit", within a ten-meter range, as long as the ball is not disturbed, he will definitely hit it!

But Chu Zihang had anticipated this move. The instant Lu Mingfei switched hands and jumped, he had already lifted himself up as easily as a spring, his right arm outstretched, his fingertips whistling as he met the spinning, rising orange-brown sphere.

The two jumped up almost at the same time, but Chu Zihang's jump was obviously easier and higher than Lu Mingfei's!
"Snapped!"

The palm of the hand deflected the basketball, which should have hit the target, off course.

The two landed one after the other.

Chu Zihang's breathing remained steady, though his chest rose and fell slightly, and he didn't even sweat much.

"Drink of water?"

he asked softly.

Lu Mingfei nodded with difficulty, panting heavily, his chest heaving, and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

His physical strength had almost reached its limit, but he could still maintain a basic standing position without much trouble.

After confirming this, Chu Zihang turned and walked to the side of the court, picked up two unopened bottles of water, rubbed his index finger and thumb lightly on the bottle openings, and then walked back.

The whole process took only about ten seconds, but when he arrived in front of Lu Mingfei again... Lu Mingfei, who was just out of breath and unable to speak, had already recovered to the point where he was only breathing slightly rapidly!

"Senior brother, are all hybrids this physically gifted after awakening their powers?"

Lu Mingfei took the water from Chu Zihang with some emotion, but when he was about to turn it on, he found that it had already been turned on beforehand, which warmed his heart.

Although he's a romantically unlucky guy, there's a reason why so many suitors have fallen for him. Despite his aloof and expressionless demeanor, he's incredibly meticulous in his actions.

I wonder which steel-plated peach blossom will be able to enjoy such good fortune in the future!
With that thought in mind, he uncapped the bottle and gulped it down. The cool sensation finally soothed his parched throat.

"..."

Chu Zihang also took a sip of water, but only a small amount. He waited silently for Lu Mingfei to chug down half the bottle of water before putting it down and speaking.

"After awakening, the physical attributes of hybrids will indeed be improved to varying degrees and in all aspects, based on their bloodline level."

This enhancement can be further amplified through scientific training, and some hybrid species' incantations can also cause permanent physical amplification, though the focus may differ.

"No wonder!"

Lu Mingfei nodded knowingly, "I feel that my physical fitness has improved a lot in the past nine days, but it's still nothing compared to you, Senior Brother! I'm almost exhausted, while you're not even out of breath..."

These words came from the bottom of my heart.

In the days leading up to this, Lu Mingfei hadn't played any "one-on-one" games with Chu Zihang; he had mostly been practicing various basketball moves.

By now, he had mastered almost all the basketball skills available. With Coach Zhang's "practical instruction" scheduled for the evening, Lu Mingfei felt a bit apprehensive. So, he decided to play one-on-one with Chu Zihang to experience firsthand the difference in physical abilities between him and the mixed-race individual.

In basketball, "one-on-one" is a one-on-one match between two people, which uses a format of frequent switching between offense and defense. It is a high-intensity duel without other interference to improve skills.

This is much more intense than any previous practice session!

As it turns out, it really can't compare.

Lu Mingfei had anticipated this, so he was not discouraged at all.

Even with the Fitness LV2 attribute [Stamina Boost], which elevates his physical abilities to the level of a "frequently trained athlete," the hybrid has already transcended the category of "ordinary humans" to a certain extent.

Not to mention that Chu Zihang is an A-level, which is extremely rare among hybrids!

"Although I'm nominally an S-rank, I haven't awakened my full potential. Right now, I'm just using my own hard-earned skills to blend in with the wolves like a husky... which is pretty good already," Lu Mingfei thought to himself.

Chu Zihang fell silent upon hearing this.

As Lu Mingfei's opponent in the "bullfight" and the person who has watched Lu Mingfei grow stronger step by step over the past nine days, he knows Lu Mingfei's physical qualities best.

Although the increase in physical fitness and strength is not as exaggerated as that of awakened bloodline, it is definitely not normal!
It only took him nine days to go from being a skinny bony guy to having a physique comparable to a seasoned athlete.

what is this?
"I've kept the process of becoming stronger a secret so you'll know I haven't truly awakened"?

and……

Chu Zihang's calm gaze swept over Lu Mingfei.

In just half a minute, Lu Mingfei, who had been exhausted after the bullfight, had recovered to his energetic self. His breathing and heartbeat were back to normal, and he looked eager to try again in the next bullfight.

This "process" has been repeated no less than a hundred times in the nearly three hours since they started bullfighting today.

Such terrifying stamina recovery efficiency is something even awakened hybrids cannot match!

Chu Zihang even felt that if this process continued indefinitely, it wouldn't be Lu Mingfei who would collapse from exhaustion first, but him...

But he wasn't surprised and didn't say anything.

It's not surprising that someone capable of "frightening away" Odin could do anything. Chu Zihang is an expert at keeping secrets, especially Lu Mingfei's. He would never ask unless Lu Mingfei brought it up himself.

"Senior brother, this seems to be just a hybrid under normal circumstances, right?"

Lu Mingfei didn't notice what Chu Zihang was thinking at all.

Aside from occasionally being attacked by his scathing remarks, the iceberg-like senior brother is mostly just a male and female version of Zero, and you can't tell the difference just by looking at them.

The only difference between Chu Zihang and Zero is that Chu Zihang has a rich inner world, because beneath his expressionless face lies an extremely gossipy inner self, while Zero is a frozen iceberg inside and out.

Lu Mingfei continued explaining the idea that had just popped into his head, gesturing for Chu Zihang to bring him water. "I remember you told me before that activating the Golden Eyes is like activating the normally calm 'Dragon Blood' within the body. In this state, hybrids will become even stronger."

"Yes."

Chu Zihang handed over the water in his hand, watching Lu Mingfei jog to the sidelines to put it away, and said something along the way.

"Moreover, this state consumes a lot of physical strength, far more than normal, and it is basically impossible to maintain for a long time."

"I get it, I get it. It's similar to Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball. Hybrids also have to abide by the law of conservation of energy!"

Lu Mingfei jogged to retrieve the basketball that had rolled off the court and ran back. During this time, he glanced at the dwindling time remaining and then looked at Chu Zihang with some anticipation.

"Um... Senior brother, could you give me a demonstration? I mean, I want to experience how big the difference is between me and a hybrid with golden eyes! Of course, I'll also use my 'Word of Power'..."

Chu Zihang recalled that rainy night, when Lu Mingfei rushed straight towards him at an exaggerated speed.

"it is good."

He agreed, his eyes slightly closed, and when he opened them again, his face, which usually looked like a picture of a model student misplaced on a wanted poster, had changed its demeanor with the light in his eyes that seemed like a torch thrown into an ancient well.

At first glance, he even looked like a different person. His face was as hard as a glacier, and the golden pupils in his eyes had an eerie and sharp beauty. A fierce aura spread silently like a spear, and looking into his eyes was like having an unsafe gun between your brows.

"Putting everything else aside, senior brother, this trick of yours will save you the trouble of wearing colored contact lenses in the future when you need to do cosplay."

Lu Mingfei stared at Chu Zihang's golden eyes, admiring them. Like a silly roe deer cautiously peering into a hunter's gun, curious if there was something tasty inside the dark muzzle… showing absolutely no sense of threat.

Chu Zihang was not at all flustered by the nonsense that "igniting the golden eyes is just to save trouble by not wearing colored contact lenses."

He even gave it some serious thought and consideration in his mind, and came to a conclusion—

Compared to Lu Mingfei's previous statement that "with golden eyes, you don't need a light to walk at night," this time, "with golden eyes, you don't need to wear colored contact lenses when cosplaying" has a higher practical value.

Because there are usually streetlights when walking at night now, and wearing colored contact lenses when cosplaying is uncomfortable... wait, why am I actually comparing myself to that?

Whether you're acting as a third wheel or wearing colored contact lenses, it's clearly an "insult" to Golden Eyes!

Chu Zihang looked at Lu Mingfei seriously.

He realized that for Lu Mingfei, neither the Golden Eyes nor the "Dragon Blood" they represented, nor even the Dragon Clan that followed the Dragon Blood, were things worthy of respect; they were no different from ordinary people.

Perhaps, this is the right attitude?
This thought flashed through Chu Zihang's mind.

At Kassel College, dragons are described as "great beings of supreme power and strength." Before this, Chu Zihang had never realized there was anything wrong with this concept... but now, he suddenly felt that something was amiss.

It's understandable to value and respect the enemy, but this description sounds more like worship than complete hostility. Yet, Kassel College is engaged in the business of slaying dragons, and everyone is educated to the point of sacrificing their lives for dragon slaying.

Isn't that... a contradiction?
Unless, there is another purpose!
"Senior brother?"

Lu Mingfei waved his hand in front of Chu Zihang's eyes, his expression slightly strange, clearly lost in thought.

"You're not really thinking about cosplaying, are you? Then I suggest you cosplay Rukawa Kaede! It's easiest to play yourself the first time..."

"let's start."

Chu Zihang kept this question, which was destined to remain unanswered for a short time, to himself.

"it is good!"

Lu Mingfei stopped his trash talk, took two steps back, adjusted his breathing, dribbled the ball a couple of times to find his touch, and then moved forward, attempting to break through!

Chu Zihang moved.

With his golden eyes activated, his movements became twice as fast as before! This made his already precise movements even faster, like a ghost.

But Lu Mingfei was faster than him.

[Explosive Sprint], activated!

His speed, everything about him, both physically and mentally, suddenly increased eightfold!
The world before their eyes was slowed down, everything moved in slow motion. Even Chu Zihang's ghostly speed was now slowed to a pace comparable to an old man practicing Tai Chi in a park, moving slowly and deliberately.

Apart from Lu Mingfei himself.

He was as if he had been "stripped" from this world, possessing a completely independent time and speed.

He easily bypassed Chu Zihang, made a deft three-step layup, sent the basketball into the basket, and then sat down on the ground, canceling the [Explosive Sprint].

"Bang, bang..."

The sound of a basketball hitting the ground came, and Chu Zihang silently calmed the Dragon Blood and extinguished his Golden Eyes.

This move was somewhat difficult, as he had only recently mastered "Bloodlust." But as the training of "Unleashing the Lion's Heart" became more frequent, he could feel something stirring within his body, seemingly unwilling to return to its dormant state.

But it doesn't matter, as long as I can become stronger, that's all that matters.

"I don't recommend you use this move in tonight's live-fire training."

Chu Zihang turned around and looked at Lu Mingfei, who was slumped on the ground, completely exhausted, and said seriously.

“Apart from hybrids who possess speed-based incantations, you can easily defeat them all. But you can’t keep using it forever.”

"I...I know, senior brother. I'm just giving it a try."

Lu Mingfei forced a smile. He hadn't activated [Burst Sprint] for very long this time, so he was still able to speak without fainting, and his condition had already visibly improved during that time.

"This is my trump card! How could I use it so easily? Just keep it in mind."

As he spoke, he even regained the strength to get up from the ground.

After this experience, Lu Mingfei came to the conclusion—

Nowadays, if you use the terms recklessly, there are probably few hybrids who can withstand a single move from you!
Of course, this is the only trick I have.

"This is taking the glass cannon to its absolute limit..."

He muttered to himself and quickly made a decision.

According to Chu Zihang's deduction, his combat training that night would likely involve sparring with his senior brother Ye Sheng.

After all, everyone can see that Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei have a good relationship, so they might not go all out in a real fight, which would be pointless for teaching.

Senior Brother Ye Sheng is the best among the current generation of the Execution Department, and he is more than qualified to be Lu Mingfei's practical opponent.

"We'll definitely need to use the affixes when the time comes. But we don't need to use the burst affixes with side effects; we can keep them as a trump card."

he thought.

"In that case... losing is inevitable. But it shouldn't be a humiliating defeat, right?"

(End of this chapter)