Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 160 Infiltration, Imperial Shadow Revealed
Genji Heavy Industries, inside the emergency exit.

"It feels like the average quality of these half-breeds from the Snake Clan is a bit too high..." Lu Mingfei said in a low voice.

Zero suddenly stopped, pulled him close to the wall, and put a finger to his lips.

Lu Mingfei shut up.

A few seconds later, tap tap tap—

The alloy door to the next floor opened wide, revealing the number 36. Three men in trench coats rushed out and leaped down the stairs, leaving a trail of black wind in their wake.

Lu Mingfei and Ling held their breath and concentrated.

The two were very close together, hidden within the range of 'Mingzhao'.

Fortunately, the building's emergency exits are spacious enough.

Even as they passed each other by, it did not raise any alarm.

The surroundings fell silent again.

Zero gestured, indicating that he should not speak yet.

Lu Mingfei nodded.

The two remained silent, cautiously making their way up the wall.

The doors on each floor would occasionally open, and one or more men and women dressed in black trench coats would rush out, with pistols at their waists and weapons on their legs, moving with lightning speed.

Even from a distance, you could hear the clicking sounds of guns being cocked coming from under the empty stairwell.

The internal defenses of Genji Heavy Industries were more robust than anticipated.

The floors above the 20th floor are the internal area of ​​the Snake Clan, the 23rd floor is the office of the two major branches in Kanto and Kansai and the eight major families, and the 26th and 27th floors are the headquarters of the Executive Bureau. In the half minute after the explosion, more than one hundred agents and staff members in uniform and carrying various weapons poured out of these three floors.

It took these elite members of the Snake Clan about 5 seconds to accept the absurd fact that their 'main building' was under attack; another 10 seconds to receive the tactical tasks issued to each of them by Princess Kaguya through their earpieces; and finally, another 15 seconds to pick up their weapons, leave their workstations, and rush into the stairwell.

And in the next thirty seconds.

They will follow instructions and arrive at the designated combat area.

The building shook violently in an instant, like a giant beast awakening, its powerful heartbeat spreading in all directions through countless channels.

Aside from the disorderly yet orderly footsteps, there wasn't even a few words of chatter.

The agent, dressed in a black trench coat, was as silent as a steel forest; if he wore sunglasses, he would look like a horde of terminators.

During this period, under Princess Kaguya's command, armed forces from various floors upstairs were continuously deployed to provide support downwards, in order to eliminate all enemies as quickly as possible.

Two or three minutes later, the building fell silent again.

Lu Mingfei and Ling continued to swim upstream, eventually reaching the 46th floor. They were far from the first floor where a fierce battle was raging. Gunshots, explosions, and footsteps were left far behind them. The silence separated the area from the hustle and bustle downstairs, as if they had become two different worlds.

No one could have imagined that two people had secretly crawled through the pipes an hour in advance, overcoming numerous obstacles to get here.

“You can speak now,” Zero said in a low voice.

"Okay, actually I was just expressing my admiration." Lu Mingfei let out a sigh of relief and scratched his head. "I think these people have very strong combat skills."

The core of the Snake Clan's defense and search objectives remains focused on areas below the 20th floor, or even below the 17th floor. This is the result of Kaguya's thorough calculations, taking into account the invasion time and the enemy's speed of climbing the stairs.

Just now, Princess Kaguya had dispatched some of the Snake Clan members who were guarding the upper floors to support the area downstairs. When they passed by him, Lu Mingfei specifically observed the stats of these people.

Among them, the proportion of A-grade hybrids was extremely high, even close to 30%, while the rest were B-grade hybrids, and there were not a single C-grade hybrids.

This is an extremely exaggerated composition for any hybrid faction.

“Japan is a battlefield. The Snake-Headed Eight Families and the Demon Clan have been fighting here for years, so it’s normal that the hybrids from both sides are good at fighting,” Zero said calmly.

“No, I just feel that these people have strong bloodlines… Oh right, Zero, do you know the origin of the Snake Clan?” Lu Mingfei suddenly asked.

"White King".

Zero spoke calmly, seemingly unaware that the secret she revealed was something the upper echelons of the Snake Clan would likely protect at all costs.

"Uh……"

Lu Mingfei was embarrassed again. He had originally wanted to show off his extensive knowledge to Zero and see what Zero's expression would be when he was stumped.

I didn't expect the other party to know.

But it makes sense, given their intelligence sources; it's reasonable that they would know such a level of secrecy, especially since Angers was the one who told him the news.

A sense of inexplicable resentment welled up inside me.

"Do you know why the White King's bloodline is on average stronger?" Lu Mingfei asked again without thinking.

Zero glanced at him.

"totally no idea."

"..."

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but cover his face.

You're exasperated. You know about the White King's bloodline, so how could you not know why this group's bloodline is stronger?

He regretted saying those words as soon as they left his mouth, but Zero seemed to be trying to satisfy some psychological need by deliberately saying he didn't know, and even adding "completely"... But it didn't satisfy him at all! It was so lifeless! And it made him look so silly!
"Tell me about it," Zero said.

“...It’s mainly a matter of mindset.” Lu Mingfei sighed.

I could clearly sense that "testing you" feeling, and I couldn't help but complain in my heart again.

However, with the die already cast, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a try, even though he himself wasn't entirely sure.

"The White King is a dragon king who controls the spiritual element. It can control the minds of others, while its own mind is eternally clear. Therefore, the White King's bloodline can more easily cross the 'critical bloodline limit'..."

“No.” Zero shook his head.

"Ah?" Lu Mingfei was stunned.

“Not all White King bloodlines can cross the critical bloodline limit. With each generation of hybrids, the purity of the White King's bloodline decreases, gradually falling back to within the critical bloodline limit. Ordinary hybrids don't have this talent; only one in ten million can do it. Such people become super hybrids, and outsiders call them emperors,” Zero said.

"A super hybrid... the Emperor..."

Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered that he seemed to have seen this statement before—in the information panel of Genji, or rather Kazama Ruri.

At the time, he thought it was just a simple symbol of status, representing Kazama Ruri's emperor-like position within the Oni Clan.

Unexpectedly, it specifically refers to a particular mixed-race group?
Lu Mingfei suddenly realized something: "So, Yuan Zhinü's brother, the director of the Executive Bureau, Yuan Zhisheng, could he also be an Emperor?"

“If you insist on using this quantifier, then Genjiro must be an emperor,” Zero said.

"Tsk."

Lu Mingfei took a slight breath.

"Two geniuses, one in a million, have suddenly appeared."

He understood; Zero was telling him that the biggest enemy in this infiltration operation might be a king.

No... it's not possible!
It is certain, not absolute.

After that demon ninja caused all that trouble, the entire Genji Heavy Industries went on high alert. Under such circumstances, it would be an insult to the other party's intelligence if Genji, as the 'Emperor', did not come to oversee things.

"The proportion of dragon blood in the royal body will be very high. Not only that, the 'quality' of their dragon blood will also be very high, so they will be very difficult enemies to deal with."

Zero said, "And there's a high probability that it possesses highly dangerous Words of Power."

Lu Mingfei nodded.

Hybrids are simply monsters with human and dragon blood flowing through their veins. Generally speaking, the higher the proportion of dragon blood, the stronger the hybrid's bloodline. However, this is on the condition that the bloodline cannot exceed a critical limit. Otherwise, the dragon blood will begin to erode the human part of the hybrid and eventually evolve into a dragon.

There is never a clear boundary to this critical blood limit. It's not that having more than 30%, 40%, or 50% dragon blood is necessarily dangerous, nor is having 10% dragon blood necessarily safe.
Analysis is usually based on behavioral patterns.

In other words, the standards are not fixed and vary from person to person.

For example, the critical bloodline limit that the 'Emperors' nominally crossed is actually only the 'line' that most hybrids cross, not their own critical bloodline limit. Therefore, while they gain near-dragon power, they can still maintain human rationality.

On the other hand, a higher proportion of bloodlines does not necessarily mean that mixed-race individuals are stronger.

Because dragon blood, like human blood, is not always useful.

Dragon blood also contains a large amount of so-called 'junk genes', which cannot enhance the power of words, strengthen the physique, or improve spiritual vision. They simply exist as a medium for reproduction... Oh, and incidentally, they can also increase the risk of becoming a Deadpool.

The amount of 'superior genes' can also be regarded as the 'quality' of dragon blood. Quality may be reflected in combat, or in the mental abilities of someone like Potato Chip Girl, or in the arts such as music and painting. In the world of hybrid races, there are many people with high bloodlines who are not good at fighting, but have amazing thinking abilities or are good at art.

However, in most cases, a single mixed-race person will have some imbalance in their physical, mental, and creative abilities, but not to an exaggerated degree. This is why mixed-race people can easily stand out in the world of ordinary people.

Based on these principles, both the Kassel College and the orthodox schools adopt a 'dynamic assessment' approach to bloodline rating.

In other words, the initial bloodline rating of a hybrid can change depending on their subsequent performance. There are examples of people who were considered top-tier (A-level) students when they entered school, but after a few years, it was discovered that they actually had 'junk genes' all over their bodies, and thus dropped to C or D level.

"If the hybrids in the branch offices are this strong, then the hybrids in the main office must be incredibly strong!"

Lu Mingfei muttered to himself, as if he were complaining.

“The average bloodline of Kassel College may not be comparable to that of the Snake Clan,” Zero said calmly. “You should have dealt with those people before.”

"Ok."

Lu Mingfei had interacted with many people, but not many. Whether it was his senior brother Chu Zihang or Principal Angers, they were both top figures at Kassel College. However, the executive officers under Kassel College seemed to be quite different from the Snake Clan... at least that's how it was from the people he had interacted with.

“What we should really pay attention to is the Secret Party. Although the Secret Party is the predecessor of Kassel College, those interest groups based on families have always existed and have absolute control over Kassel College,” Zero said again.

"Furthermore, the idea that bloodline is the sole criterion for victory is unacceptable. An ant may be able to kill an elephant, and the weak may be able to kill the strong. There are many factors that influence the outcome of a battle, and you should know this better than I do."

After saying that, Ling gave Lu Mingfei a meaningful look.

"Uh." Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

Subconsciously, I thought that Zero was the one who defeated Leviathan... After all, it was Mai Shude who fired the shot, and the person in charge was Chip Girl, and Zero, as their comrade, should have known about it.

However... you can almost be considered a royal-level hybrid, right? Although through other means.

They say they don't believe in bloodline-based theories, but is that reasonable?
Lu Mingfei turned his head to the side.

But by this time, Zero had already withdrawn her gaze, her frosty little face devoid of any expression.

"Have you rested enough? Let's keep going up. The fifty-second floor is Kaguya's server room. We need to be careful from here on out," Zero said.

"Ah."

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and weighed the gun, which had been broken into two pieces, behind him.

Yeah.

After a brief exchange, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.

……

Genji Heavy Industries, 15th floor cafeteria private room.

"Su Sang, I really didn't expect this!"

Fuma Kotaro calmed down from his extreme shock.
"But... isn't the Snake Clan an enterprise you invested in?"

The old man sat upright on the tatami mat, his voice growing colder, his eyes sharp as knives. He was, after all, a seasoned underworld patriarch.

"Are your people downstairs? I really don't understand why you would do something that would harm both sides. Or... have you suddenly forgotten where you are?"

The words fell.

Several heads of subordinate agencies immediately stood up from their seats.

As if by magic, they pulled out pistols from inside their tailored suits, one half pointing at Su Enxi and the other half at Jiu De Mai.

For an instant.

This group of people transformed from humble and polite business elites into vicious armed thugs.

Without a doubt, as long as the 'headman' inside the house gives the order, they will really pull the trigger and use the large-caliber bullets in their guns to turn the two beautiful girls into corpses.

"Wind Demon Lord, are you threatening me?"

Su Enxi didn't look at the dark gun barrels at all. She just sat there, but her gaze gave Fuma Kotaro the feeling of looking down at him. The warm yellow light above her head illuminated her face.

"I wouldn't dare," said Fuma Kotaro, neither humble nor arrogant. The surrounding gunmen didn't change their movements at all.

"Do you know that your Snake Clan is the most important investment project for our foundation? Even if a hen doesn't lay eggs, it shouldn't be killed unless absolutely necessary," Su Enxi said with a smile.

"You mean, now is the last resort?" Fuma Kotaro asked directly.

“Of course it’s still far away.” Su Enxi shook her head.

"So you mean the explosion downstairs has nothing to do with you?" Fuma Kotaro frowned.

Su Enxi laughed: "Although your Sheqi Bajia's projects have made me question my life over the years, I still understand the principle that giving up will only lead to complete financial ruin... But you guys, hehe."

She picked up another piece of tuna belly and ate it with a calm expression, while Mai's bright pink lips behind her sunglasses kept opening and closing. The most precious part of the bluefin tuna is the Otoro belly, which only accounts for 5% of the fish's body.

"Of course, whatever you like."

After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

Su Enxi clearly exuded an aura of complete control, yet also seemed utterly at ease.

Fuma Kotaro's eyes flickered with uncertainty.

After a long while, before the gunmen could maintain their aiming posture, the old man finally raised his hands above his head and gently clasped them together.

"We misunderstood, Susan, I'm very sorry." Fuma Kotaro lowered his head.

All gun barrels were lowered, and the precarious situation collapsed in an instant. Several heads of organizations bowed deeply, pushed open the wooden door, and left.

Only the two heads of the household and two distinguished guests remained in the Japanese-style private room.

The faint sound of shaking could still be heard from downstairs.

The guests were still drinking and eating fish.

A fleeting darkness crossed Kotaro Fuma's aged eyes.

In fact, from the very beginning, the real killer in this room wasn't those pistols, but himself.

The Fuma clan is known for training ninjas.

He has even inherited the name of the 'King of Ninjas' from history. Although he is now old, how could he be an ordinary person?
At his level, he could kill with a chopstick or a wine glass, far more powerful than a bullet. But just now, for a moment, he felt himself locked on, unable to pick up any weapon. He even had a vague feeling that if he really gave the order, it wouldn't be Su Sang who died, but everyone else in the room.

The terrifying killing intent seemed to be a blade born to cut through everything.

Is that the girl wearing sunglasses?

...He is the King of Ninjas, but what level is the other party at?
"Su Sang, you are truly a man of few words. I can hardly see through you anymore."

Fuma Kotaro sat down again and sighed.

It's truly frustrating. In reality, no matter what, he absolutely could not kill Su Sang here. Otherwise, the entire family would be plunged into utter ruin, far worse than the collapse of the Genji Heavy Industries building. Perhaps the other party also saw through this...

"I'm not the kind of person who keeps a low profile."

Su Enxi's gaze remained calm, showing no remorse for her previous offense.

"What do you mean?" Fuma Kotaro was stunned.

"hehe."

Su Enxi smiled and answered irrelevantly, "I know things haven't been peaceful in Tokyo lately, so I brought my own bodyguards. But you'd better deal with those intruders downstairs quickly, or I'll think you're settling scores."

"..."

Fuma Kotaro clearly sensed that the other person's previous words had a hidden meaning.

However, he understood what Su Sang meant, and his snow-white eyebrows twitched involuntarily, his face even turning a little dark.

"Do you think the explosion was caused by the Snake Clan?"

"if not?"

Su Enxi remained calm and composed. "Could it be me?"

"To be honest, I don't really care about your little business. And although there's nothing wrong with your accounts, the stupidity you exude is really suffocating. So I wouldn't be surprised if you do something else stupid."

Fuma Kotaro was stunned again and looked at Sakurai Nanami.

Sakurai Nanami shook her head calmly.

"I don't understand what you mean," said Fuma Kotaro truthfully.

"It doesn't matter whether you understand or not. You only need to know one thing: regardless of whether you caused this farce or not, I just hope you resolve it as soon as possible... and of course, don't let those people rush in front of me."

Su Enxi smiled and said, "Actually, I really want to help you out, including that 160 billion yen operating model, it's just too outdated."

……

Genji Heavy Industries, 52nd floor, emergency exit.

The silver-white alloy door was tightly closed, with a green indicator light shining from the top.

"There was another round of personnel changes downstairs just now, but unfortunately there's been no movement on this floor."

Lu Mingfei said regretfully, "Otherwise, I might have been able to sneak in directly."

“They’ve done their best. Let’s go through the ventilation ducts.” Zero shook his head.

Before setting off, she exchanged glances with Su Enxi, activated the power of 'Mirror Eye', and obtained a complete action plan and various contingency plans from her. She was not surprised by the current situation and could even analyze the current state of the entire building simultaneously.

From beginning to end, everything that happened was within the calculations of 'Tianyan'.

"Hold me," Zero suddenly said.

"what?"

Lu Mingfei's expression stiffened for a moment.

"Hold me," Zero repeated.

Following the direction Ling looked up, Lu Mingfei finally understood her intention.

After the last intrusion, the Snake Clan installed two-centimeter-thick wire mesh on all the ventilation ducts of the upper floors. Compared to the well-established alloy doors, it was naturally extremely weak, but it was not something that could be opened casually, and it was necessary to keep quiet.

“Or I can hug you,” Zero said.

“…” Lu Mingfei decisively squatted down.

Zero was still wearing that black, form-fitting combat suit, making her look like a female Spider-Man.

But perhaps due to his physical condition, or perhaps due to the material of the clothing, Lu Mingfei did not feel any distinct warmth when he got close to the other person.

The same thing happened when I was climbing the pipes and going upstairs.

Sometimes, unexpected situations arise ahead, and Zero suddenly stops in place, causing their bodies to press very close together. They might even brush against each other if they don't react in time, but it feels like they've pressed against a block of ice, even though the ice is soft...

"Your heart is beating faster," Zero calmly stated a fact.

"……OK."

"From the front or the back?"

"casual."

Lu Mingfei picked Ling up from the side. He didn't dare to hold her calves too tightly for too long. The black combat suit was too tight, clearly outlining the rounded shape of her calves, which were visibly soft.

So embarrassing...

He lifted Zero with both hands, slowly shifting his grip to her ankles, and lifted her overhead in a "pushing up from the ground" motion. With their combined height and arms outstretched, they easily reached the ventilation duct opening at the top.

Unsurprisingly, the girl was very light and had excellent balance; she seemed like a natural-born ballet dancer.

A barely perceptible rustling sound came from above, followed by a 'click'.

Zero put on a white silk glove and twisted through the two-centimeter-thick barbed wire with his bare hands.

"Okay," Zero said.

Lu Mingfei's hands suddenly felt lighter, and Ling had already flipped into the ventilation duct opening.

Zero bent down and reached out her hand to him.

Lu Mingfei was about to jump up.

But then Zero withdrew his hand again.

"...?"

Zero took off his gloves and extended them back to him.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, jumped up and reached for Zero's hand. It was soft, steady and strong, and with one lift he was brought into the ventilation duct.

“The gloves are slippery,” Zero explained.

“Okay,” Lu Mingfei said.

The two began the final step of their infiltration.

Mai walked this road and saw Tachibana Masamune coming out of the machine room.

Zero left a deep impression.

But at this moment, the corridor beneath my feet was quiet, as if there was no one there.

"Wait a minute."

Zero made a silent gesture.

Lu Mingfei nodded.

Quietly activate the Word of Power: Bloodline Binding.

Whether there is anyone there or not can be found out with a simple search.

Countless thin lines of varying shades of red surged through his heart once again.

Connected to every corner of the Genji Heavy Industries building.

The Genji Heavy Industries building has 66 floors in total. The 52nd floor is already quite high; the floors above are only used for storing classified documents, files, and special archives. From here, you can almost overlook the entire city of Tokyo, but unfortunately, they are currently inside a ventilation duct with walls on all four sides. Although it is spacious, the field of vision is extremely narrow.

Most of the fine lines began to extend downwards.

Ninety-nine percent of the mixed-race individuals are located underneath.

There's one more...

A particularly thick red thread is in front?

No, it's not a zero line.

The line, like a willow branch that has lost its wind support, was falling rapidly...

In an instant, it went from an almost horizontal position to directly below!
"Get out of the way!"

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and he pushed Zero forward without hesitation.

He then followed his instincts and quickly turned to the side, pressing himself vertically against the edge of the ventilation duct.

next moment,
A gleaming arc of light slashed through the brick wall and metal casing, piercing in silently.

Half of the ancient-looking blade was exposed.

[Alchemy Tool: Knee Pill]

[Forger: Minamoto no Manaka]

[Brief description: This is an ancient sword made of ordinary material, which was reborn by being bathed in dragon blood. It once killed a powerful spider-like dragon subspecies and is also known as the Spider Cutter.]

Inscription on the blade: "The evil spirits lurk in the Spider Mountain at night."

[Comment: Man desires to slay the dragon, while the dragon desires to slay man; the dynamics of attack and defense are different.]

(End of this chapter)