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

Chapter 272 Lu Mingfei's academic performance is not ideal.
"Are you serious about these three bags of buns the size of a human head?"

Old Tang tilted his head and examined the three bulging transparent plastic bags that Lu Mingfei had placed on the table. The heat and steam filled the tiny gaps with water vapor.

"Old Tang, it would be great if you could learn this kind of analogy from our class." Lu Mingfei sat down, looking nothing like someone who had just gone for a morning run of several kilometers.

After reaching Fitness Level 4, his physical recovery and amplification both reached the second level. During his morning runs, he was no longer stuck at his aerobic limit and feeling like he was dying, but rather in a state of "effortless ease".

"Really? I also think I was born to study Chinese! If I had grown up in China, I might have become a legendary academic genius!"

Upon hearing this, even Old Tang's signature droopy eyebrows, which had been somewhat downturned, lifted up.

"No, what I mean is, if you and I were in the same class, I wouldn't be the only one who's a weight."

"Does 'Bangtuo' mean... Libra?" Old Tang tried to understand.

"No, because my grades used to be very bad, I was at the bottom of the class, so my homeroom teacher always said that I was like a weight that dragged down the average score."

"I'm heartbroken!" Old Tang clutched his chest.

"So you actually had really good grades when you were studying in the US?" Lu Mingfei was studying the knot in the plastic bag when he heard this, and he raised his eyebrows and glanced at him with some surprise.

"Hahaha……"

Old Tang chuckled dryly and changed the subject, "Let's discuss what kind of filling the steamed buns have. By the way, why haven't you opened them yet?"

"Because I only just realized that the plastic bag was tied in a knot that's impossible to untie! As for the filling, just look at what's on top. Sesame seeds mean it's a sugar bun, nothing means it's a meat bun, and carrots probably mean it's a preserved plum bun..."

Lu Mingfei chose to give up on continuing to struggle with this unusual deadlock and simply tore the plastic bag open.

"But I was lucky, the owner set up his stall at just past four in the morning, and I just happened to run into him..."

At his current speed, it wouldn't take him long to finish this less than ten-kilometer morning run. Mai Shude's conversation with him, from the moment she appeared until the moment she left, also took place during the run, so there was no delay at all.

According to his usual schedule, he should go home and study for more than an hour before going out to find food at six o'clock. However, he is currently in the period of "temporary schedule", which greatly increases his freedom. It doesn't matter if he changes it a little, as long as it does not interfere with his studies.

If this had happened at the very beginning of the schedule, Lu Mingfei figured he would have seized the rare opportunity to rest and slack off, but now…

Why is this happening? He was clearly going to rebel... Lu Mingfei, grabbing a piping hot beef bun, felt a faint sadness, as if the familiar self he once knew was becoming more and more distant.

Wait a minute, if you look at it this way, isn't it a good thing that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? After experiencing good times, who wants to live as badly as before? Besides, it's not like I won't have opportunities to play games and slack off in the future; it's just that I'll have to wait until I achieve my goal of "becoming the strongest and most awesome man in the world"!

Lu Mingfei took a bite, feeling the soft dough wrapping around the beef, its aroma spreading in his mouth. A slight thought crossed his mind—if before he couldn't see any possibility of achieving this goal, now…

It seems like there's still a chance?
I think I'm super strong!

"A stall owner who sets up shop at four in the morning?"

Old Tang was taken aback, and pondered for a moment, "Could it be because this is a hospital?"

"Do not."

Chu Zihang pushed open the door and entered. His hair was still a little wet. His black combat uniform accentuated his athletic physique. He was carrying two fully packed bags that looked quite impressive. His gaze fell on Lu Mingfei.

"Wow, so handsome!" Old Tang's eyes lit up.

“Me?” Lu Mingfei frowned.

"While you are indeed very handsome, this is still a bit too narcissistic and shameless, bro!"

"Go away, I didn't tell you."

Lu Mingfei waved his hand, too lazy to bother with Old Tang, who was completely out of sync with him, and looked at Chu Zihang, "Because of me?"

“That’s right. Because we noticed that you have a habit of getting up at four in the morning to exercise, Senior Brother Ye Sheng specially arranged breakfast for you.”

Chu Zihang slightly raised the two large suitcases in his hands to indicate, "I just met with him, but he has other things to take care of and can't come over. These are your combat uniforms. Try them on after you finish eating and see if they fit."

"My senior brothers are so considerate."

Lu Mingfei exclaimed, "Speaking of which, that boss's disguise skills are truly top-notch! I even think he's a steamed bun vendor rather than a non-professional pretending to be one!"

"Given Senior Brother Ye Sheng's style..."

Chu Zihang guessed, "They must have paid extra to have the breakfast stall owner stake out the place."

"It sounds like they're dealing with a fugitive suspect," Old Tang commented.

"Ha, brother, we're treated much better than fugitives now, so let's put it another way: we're now called key protected individuals!"

Lu Mingfei gestured for Chu Zihang to sit down and start eating, "So what else did Senior Brother Ye Sheng say just now?"

"It will be very difficult to keep this completely secret any longer."

Chu Zihang chose a dried plum bun, sat down, and started munching. He wasn't wearing this combat uniform to show off, but rather to test in advance how it would affect daily operations and their quality.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback: "Because it involves too many people? But I remember you mentioned before that there are similar hypnosis techniques that can modify memories..."

"No, what I mean by secrecy is not that this matter will be known to ordinary people."

Chu Zihang shook his head slightly, his face still expressionless, but a rare hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes. "It means that this matter can hardly be kept secret from us, the parties involved."

"Senior brother, do you mean other hybrid factions?"

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized, but then a new question arose: "But surely those foreign forces can't get involved in this matter, can they?"

Even though Lu Mingfei's academic performance was not ideal before, he had heard of the Three Gorges Dam as a key project. The importance of such a facility is self-evident. The straight-line distance between Baidi City, where they were going, and the Three Gorges Dam was only 170 kilometers, and the waterway was a little longer, within 200 kilometers.

It may seem like a long distance, but for the first generation of beings, one of the four monarchs, the Bronze and Fire King, this distance is definitely within reach!

In terms of design, the Three Gorges Dam can basically be regarded as a concrete mountain, the kind that lies flat. Even if a nuclear bomb were to be used to bomb it, it might not necessarily collapse. However, the first generation of beings theoretically has a power far exceeding that of a nuclear bomb, a world-destroying level power, and it is absolutely impossible to leave it unattended.

Therefore, even if foreign mixed-race forces knew about this, they would not be allowed to participate. To put it bluntly, this is essentially a matter of life and death. How could they let a potential enemy in? What if the enemy stirred things up and sabotaged the operation? Nobody can afford to gamble, so a clean sweep is the only option!
Lu Mingfei felt that if even he could think of it, then others certainly couldn't either.

"It's impossible abroad; even Principal Angers was rejected."

Chu Zihang recounted the information he had received from Ye Sheng, "But there are also those within the country."

"From within China?"

"No force is monolithic. The most basic distinction is between hawks and doves, and the same applies to the mixed-race forces in China."

Chu Zihang paused, "Have you ever heard of the Five Clans Woman?"

"Five-attribute aluminum?"

Lu Mingfei thought for a moment, "This terminology isn't very common. Does it refer to the five major properties of aluminum? Or did you mishear, senior? Is it actually five-series aluminum? I know that; it's a category in the internationally accepted aluminum alloy naming system, referring to aluminum-magnesium alloys with magnesium as the main alloying element!" Chu Zihang: "..."

“Although I’m not entirely sure either, we were just talking about hybrid races, it’s impossible for us to suddenly jump to the metal world, right?” Old Tang lowered his voice. “It feels like it’s related to history!”

"I'm a science student, not good at humanities!" Lu Mingfei declared righteously.

"The women of the Five Surnames" specifically refers to female members of the "Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families" aristocratic families during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, namely Li, Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang. These families formed a closed aristocratic class through bloodline monopoly and cultural privileges, and their social status was even higher than that of the royal family. This status was maintained until it gradually disappeared after the Song Dynasty.

Chu Zihang explained, "And this phenomenon has always existed within the hybrid factions."

"Because if a mixed-race person marries an ordinary person, it will mostly lead to a decrease in the bloodline level of their offspring, so they usually intermarry with each other?" Lu Mingfei understood immediately.

“That’s right. Moreover, the power of mixed-race people is naturally closed off. And unlike the bloodlines of the ‘Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families,’ they truly have bloodlines, making it difficult for them to be impersonated or replaced.”

Chu Zihang said, "That's why most of the mixed-race families in China have survived to this day."

"They want to replace him?" Lu Mingfei's mind flashed through various novels about the ways that scions of powerful families would try to take advantage of others.

"The families that have survived to this day are all intelligent. After all, it concerns the first generation of the race and the Three Gorges Dam. Those with ability are like peaches, while those without ability are like bombs. Moreover, with Teacher Zhang Shanfeng and the director of the Anomaly Investigation Bureau present, no unreasonable request can be approved."

Chu Zihang shook his head slightly, "Therefore, they selected a fully compliant person as the recommended candidate for the operations officer. You can understand it as..."

"Benefit from the situation?" Lu Mingfei understood.

"It's also a ticket to sharing the profits afterward."

Chu Zihang explained, "Furthermore, it is, after all, a mixed-race force in the country. It would be impossible not to get involved in such a major event. In the end, they will have to be given a place."

"I understand, I understand."

Lu Mingfei nodded repeatedly, "If you don't let people participate in class activities, aren't you treating them like outsiders? If this continues, people might have to find a way to switch classes!"

"Damn, brother, your analogy is brilliant! I understand now!" Old Tang exclaimed in sudden realization.

"Keep it low-key, it's just that my senior brother explained it so clearly, so I just put it another way."

Lu Mingfei forced down the corners of his mouth and coughed twice. "Ahem, so who is the perfectly compliant operations specialist they chose, senior? Is he impressive?"

"You know him."

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

"There are many mixed-race families with influence, among which several have significant power, namely the Zhou, Liu, Li, and Zhu families..."

Chu Zihang listed them one by one, "And Chen too."

"List?"

In this case, it is usually the last surname to be listed. This is mainly because Lu Mingfei quickly searched his mind and did not find any other surnames among the "hybrids" he "knew".

And there really is one person surnamed Chen...

"Chen Motong?" Lu Mingfei blinked.

"Yes."

"How could it be her!"

"My intuition tells me that the name you just heard should belong to a girl, and my sixth sense tells me that you and this girl seem to have some kind of shady relationship..." Old Tang said quietly from the side.

"I've heard that girls have an advantage in terms of intuition. Shall I give you a hand?" Lu Mingfei's eyes shifted downwards.

"A threat, a blatant threat!" Old Tang took two steps back while holding the steamed buns.

"Nono is a senior I know. Although we have interacted a few times, she already has a boyfriend, and I also have a girlfriend. Don't spread rumors!" Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes and explained.

Old Tang pretended to zip up his mouth, thinking, "Nono, that's her nickname, right? She's already used to calling me by my nickname, yet she's pretending to be innocent! As for having a boyfriend… based on what he's seen and heard in America, boyfriends are just things to be traded, aren't they? Besides, Lu Mingfei isn't innocent either! Three beautiful girlfriends, what's with the pretense of purity? They're more promiscuous than people overseas!"

However, he only muttered to himself, thinking, "I understand, I understand! Although it's not very ethical for my brother to do this, he's still my brother, so I'd better not expose him and save him some face."

This is why he still doesn't know the identity of Nuonuo's boyfriend. If he did, his current guess would be a certainty. After interacting with him for some time, how could he not see the close brotherly relationship between Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang? Helping his brother fight against his mortal enemy by poaching someone else's boyfriend doesn't even raise any moral issues. In Lao Tang's view, it's absolutely reasonable.

Who are the people who went to Baidi City on this mission?

Lu Mingfei vaguely glimpsed Lao Tang's absurdly complex psychological and emotional state, but he only knew the general outline and could not investigate in detail. Seeing that he gave up on the surface, he turned to Chu Zihang for questions.

"It's just you and Nono."

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback again.

“We suspect that the White Emperor City that Lao Tang saw was in Nibelungen, but it is unlikely that the entrance to Nibelungen was located in the ancient White Emperor City, otherwise it would be easy for someone to accidentally enter.”

Chu Zihang explained, "In fact, there had already been some research before, and now, combined with this crucial information as evidence, the real entrance to Baidi City is very likely beneath the existing Baidi City, or even underground. And now, part of the main body of Baidi City has already been submerged, so..."

"Underwater operations?"

"That's right, and it's very likely a deep dive."

Chu Zihang nodded slightly.

"Deep diving is very dangerous. Relying only on oxygen tanks and a diving suit made of nanomaterials, you are subjected to water pressure equivalent to more than ten atmospheres, and maintain contact with a fragile signal cable. Under such high pressure, people are prone to excessive tension. Therefore, the operations department stipulates that there must be no emotional relationship between the operations personnel during underwater operations, otherwise it is extremely easy to cause unpredictable consequences."

Furthermore, we can't let you take Old Tang down with you. Old Tang's current memory is completely unable to recall the details of Baidi City. You know about Nono's 'profiling' ability, which can provide very important help at this time.

Although she doesn't seem to have any magical abilities, she excels in physical fitness and combat training, and won't be a hindrance in normal operations. And if it really comes down to combat…

Chu Zihang paused slightly, "Senior Brother Ye Sheng said that Teacher Zhang Shanfeng felt that having you was enough, and it wouldn't make a difference who else could be replaced, so it would be better to provide help in 'finding the way'."

"Teacher Zhang Shanfeng really thinks highly of me..."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head and suddenly laughed.

No matter how many times, it feels really good to be trusted and to know that you are worthy of being trusted.

"Okay, when do we leave?"

"After breakfast."

Chu Zihang picked a sesame bun.

"immediately."

(End of this chapter)