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

Chapter 264 White Emperor City!
Old Tang slowly opened his eyes and saw a blurry white expanse.

Is this heaven? My still-sluggish brain managed to squeeze out a thought.

Then a face came into his view, appearing close by. In the hazy light, the other person seemed to be enveloped in a divine light, so perfect that there was no flaw to be found...

Is someone this good-looking in Heaven a god? But why does this god look somewhat familiar?
"Are you awake?"

The 'god' spoke, 'The surgery was a success; you are no longer human.'

Old Tang was taken aback: "Shouldn't it generally become a beautiful girl?"

"I never expected you, Lao Tang, to have such a tender, girlish heart."

"God" casually remarked, "It seems that being your brother is dangerous."

"Bullshit, I'm a straight man!"

Old Tang suddenly became full of energy and struggled to sit up. The "brain fog" he had just woken up had passed, and he finally recognized who the "god" in front of him was.

So Lu Mingfei sat back down in the seat next to the hospital bed. Old Tang noticed that he was engrossed in reading a book with the title "March Advanced Organic Chemistry - Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structures" on the cover. As for the content...

Old Tang glanced at it. He could recognize each word and letter, but when they were put together, they became a completely incomprehensible gibberish. Just one glance gave him the feeling of "Who am I? Where am I? Why am I suffering like this?"

Whether a man is straight or not is another matter.

Lu Mingfei turned the page noncommittally. At present, all his subjects except chemistry have been promoted to the second level. With his "filling in the gaps" style of learning, he will naturally focus on chemistry next.

I wonder what new affixes will be added after the chemistry upgrade... Logically, their strength shouldn't be bad, considering there have been many precedents. Among the affixes, the only one that seems to be weak is [Foreign Languages].

"Let's address the issue of you not being human first."

Although Lu Mingfei and Lao Tang were like brothers, their relationship wasn't really to the point where Lu Mingfei would stay in the ward to take care of Lao Tang. It would be more like that if it were Chu Zihang lying in bed... In short, he was staying here entirely because of Ye Sheng's request.

Ye Sheng finally rallied his spirits and began arranging the aftermath. Lu Mingfei was not yet aware of the specifics of Ye Sheng's plans for the aftermath, but he was very clear about Lao Tang's situation, as he had been assigned as the "executor" of this part.

The main reason is that without Lu Mingfei, it would be difficult to find any measures that could be considered "safe" for someone who is very likely to be the King of Bronze and Fire. Therefore, he felt obligated to take on this task.

The waiting time was incredibly boring, so Lu Mingfei decided to continue with the next stage of his studies. This would have been unthinkable in the past; he'd be lucky not to sleep during his breaks! But now…

Learning is really useful.jpg
"Where am I not human?" Old Tang said with a dark face.

"In terms of physical condition, you are still within the realm of human beings."

Lu Mingfei temporarily closed the book on advanced organic chemistry, scratched his head, and said, "I interrupted your awakening process... but that's the problem, this interruption is only temporary."

Once it begins, the process is irreversible. You've already passed the 'beginning' stage, unless I can permanently restrict your awakening.

"Can't the Riddler just get out of Gotham?" Old Tang muttered listlessly. "I'm awake right now, aren't I?"

"I'm referring to 'you,' but I can't quite say I'm referring to you."

Lu Mingfei stared into his eyes, a gaze that was calm yet sharp, as if piercing straight into his heart, revealing another hidden presence within.

Somewhat absurdly, Lu Mingfei also saw himself reflected in those pupils, making him feel as if he were looking in a mirror, and that his words seemed to be spoken to "himself".

"You must have seen quite a bit from the previous operations, right? And the External Cooperation Division should have given you some basic training afterward... so I won't waste time repeating what everyone already knows."

Lu Mingfei said, "After you fainted, a being that appeared to be a dragon appeared. He called you 'the Great King of Bronze and Fire'."

Old Tang's heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to argue, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Of course he knew who the King of Bronze and Fire was. How could someone like that be related to him? Such a powerful figure! Even if he had lost his memory, he should still be at the top of society, right? How could he have ended up like him, a tomb raider who didn't even get into university!

The problem is that as Lu Mingfei spoke, the fragments of memories that flooded his mind couldn't be faked: the raging fire, the bronze city, and...

“Const... Constantine,” he murmured the name.

“Constantine?” Lu Mingfei was taken aback, then cautiously asked.

"Um, why don't you think about it more carefully? Could it be that you're still not fully awake after just waking up? I remember that guy called you Norton!"

For a moment, Lu Mingfei was somewhat worried. Had the mighty King of Bronze and Fire lost his mind? Judging from Old Tang's past behavior, it seemed quite possible…

"Constantine is my brother!"

Old Tang rolled his eyes, his tone rising before quickly falling again, "I think... it really is Norton."

"I can understand how you feel when you've lived for so many years and suddenly feel like you've been expelled from the human race," Lu Mingfei patted his shoulder and comforted him.

"Really? Are you one too?" Old Tang's eyes lit up.

"Get lost! I am a perfectly legitimate human being with parents!"

Lu Mingfei's face darkened. "Don't look at me like that, you bastard, thinking, 'We're all in the same boat, so I can relax a lot because we're all suffering together!'"

"Sigh, are we still brothers?" Old Tang sighed.

“I am your father!” Lu Mingfei sneered.

"roll roll roll!"

Old Tang waved his hand dismissively, "Trying to take advantage of me! I'm in a bit of a mess right now..."

He covered his face with his hands, rubbed it vigorously, and asked in a muffled voice, "So what's the situation now? When can we go to the lab for slide analysis? Can I apply for an appendectomy? I heard that's not used there..."

"What do you mean by 'cutting'? Old Tang, you have a very deep misunderstanding of the operating principles of our International Cooperation Division!"

Lu Mingfei shook his head. "We're currently operating on a cooperation-first model! To tell you the truth, a pure-blooded dragon had already partnered with us before you, and she's currently receiving her full benefits and working normally at the company we arranged for her..."

"I always said socialism is the future of humanity!" Old Tang's eyes lit up. "Then I can do it too, right?"

“You can, but the other ‘you’ probably can’t,” Lu Mingfei said, his words somewhat awkward.

Yu Ji's situation is different from Lao Tang's. Yu Ji was able to join so smoothly because she was originally a human who was transformed into a dragon, and she spent the entire two thousand years in slumber. There was no such thing as rebirth or reincarnation and any memories.

If Old Tang is indeed Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire, then he faces a huge problem—once he awakens, he will not only regain his strength, but also his memories!
Old Tang is just a personality with more than 20 years of memories. In the torrent of memories spanning thousands or tens of thousands of years... without prior preparation, he would probably be swept away and disappear in no time.

If it really is Norton, then there's basically no chance of any cooperation.

Therefore, it can only be Old Tang!

Lu Mingfei explained the reason to Lao Tang.

"We are still figuring out how to do it, but until then we must keep you in an unawakened state."

Lu Mingfei asked, "However, now that your awakening has begun in part, do you have any useful memories besides Constantine from earlier?"

Old Tang thought about it carefully for a moment and nodded.

"Have."

"What is it?"

"It's a place, or more precisely, a city, the Bronze City. Its name is..."

Old Tang paused.

"White Emperor City!"

(End of this chapter)