Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

At Shilan School, during breaks, students gather in twos and threes in the corridors and classrooms.

They were no longer discussing celebrity gossip or game strategies, but were instead exchanging heated rumors about the astonishing incident that had occurred the previous evening.

"Have you heard? Yesterday after school, at the park, our school was surrounded by a group of thugs with weapons!" a boy said in a low voice, his face showing excitement.

"Really? Who is it? How dare they?"

"Who else could it be? It's Lu Mingfei!"

"Lu Mingfei?! That guy... that guy who's usually so quiet and always walks with his head down?" Upon hearing this name, almost everyone's first reaction was disbelief.

"It's absolutely true! My neighbor's brother's friend was nearby and saw it with his own eyes! Dozens of people surrounded Lu Mingfei and a woman next to him. It was like a scene from a movie!"

"My God... what happened next?"

"And here's the most outrageous part: I heard that Lu Mingfei didn't suffer any losses; in fact, he beat up a large number of those thugs! Then he was arrested!"

"What?! Lu Mingfei beat up the thugs?! And got arrested?! What on earth is going on?!"

This news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up even bigger waves.

"It's true! My aunt works at that patrol station. She secretly told my mom this morning! She said that a student from our school was brought in last night because of a fight that injured a lot of people!"

"Is it really Lu Mingfei? With his skinny frame, who could he possibly fight? There must be some mistake!"

"Who knows! Anyway, the rumors are pretty detailed now! They say he's involved with some gang and got into a fight over territory!"

"Join a gang? Lu Mingfei? Has he watched too many gangster movies and lost his mind? With his cowardly appearance, he dares to join a gang?"

Mocking and incredulous comments rose and fell. It was hard to associate Lu Mingfei's past image of being silent and timid with the words "gangster" and "one man fighting dozens of men."

Just then, someone with sharp eyes spotted Zhao Menghua walking over from the other end of the corridor.

Zhao Menghua looked somewhat unnatural, with the Xu brothers, Yan Yan and Miao Miao, beside him, who also looked nervous.

"Boss Zhao! Boss Zhao is here!" someone shouted immediately, and the crowd surged forward.

Zhao Menghua was also a prominent figure at school. Since Chu Zihang graduated, he had been at the top of the list of students to be punished. He was handsome, had good grades, and came from a wealthy family.

"Boss Zhao, were you there yesterday at the park? Tell us quickly, what exactly happened? Did Lu Mingfei really join a gang? Was he really arrested by the police?"

"Hey Boss Zhao, give us a sneak peek! We're all dying to know!"

"I heard the scene was incredibly heated? Was Lu Mingfei beaten up pretty badly?"

The crowd surrounded Zhao Menghua, their eyes fixed on him, eager to get firsthand information from him.

Zhao Menghua became somewhat irritated and even a little guilty under the questioning.

He did witness the whole thing, and could even be considered one of the indirect triggers, but does he dare to say it? Does he dare to say how Lu Mingfei took down those thugs like chopping vegetables? Does he dare to say he was so scared he almost wet his pants?

he can not.

He also needs to maintain his reputation and image at school.

"What are you all doing here? Don't you have class?" Zhao Menghua forced a stern face, trying to disperse the crowd, but his voice lacked its usual confidence.

"Hey, Boss Zhao, stop keeping us in suspense! Just tell us, is Lu Mingfei really in jail?" someone persisted.

Forced into a corner and unable to reveal the truth, Zhao Menghua could only give a vague and half-truthful answer: "I... I only saw a little bit. It seems that Lu Mingfei somehow offended those people outside and was surrounded... Then the police came... I don't know the specifics."

He deliberately avoided the details of Lu Mingfei's display of power, vaguely steer the focus towards Lu Mingfei causing trouble and arresting people.

"See! I told you Lu Mingfei caused the trouble himself!"

"Tsk tsk, I never would have guessed. He actually dared to mess with those gangsters..."

"Now that's it, I'm in jail, my record is stained, and my life is over."

"He might even get expelled from school!"

Unaware of the truth, the crowd immediately followed Zhao Menghua's vague guidance and imagined a scenario where the loser Lu Mingfei overestimated his abilities, angered the gang members, and ended up in jail. Their discussions were filled with schadenfreude and contempt.

Zhao Menghua breathed a slight sigh of relief as he listened to the surrounding discussions, at least he had saved face for the time being. However, when he thought of Lu Mingfei's terrifying performance yesterday, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest.

He even dreamt of Lu Mingfei's terrifying appearance last night, fearing that Lu Mingfei would find out that he was the one who tipped him off, allowing those thugs to find out his location so quickly. Fortunately, Lu Mingfei is now in jail, so he no longer has to live in fear.

He didn't know how long Lu Mingfei would be imprisoned, but he had already asked his father to help him find a new school. He might have to go to school in another city, so he didn't have to worry about Lu Mingfei's retaliation.

But just then, someone exclaimed, "Is that Lu Mingfei?"

Hearing the exclamation, everyone around turned to look.

A figure was walking towards them at a leisurely pace.

The person was wearing a dark gray knit sweater and black slim-fit trousers. Their hair was carefully styled and no longer messy, revealing their face, which had been previously hidden by their hair and their lowered head.

Is this Lu Mingfei?!

Lu Mingfei, who always wore faded old clothes, had a slightly hunched back, and whose eyes were always darting around?

A deathly silence fell over the corridor. Everyone stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

Zhao Menghua's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. The two brothers, Xu Yanyan and Xu Miaomiao, who were next to him were also terrified and subconsciously shrank behind Zhao Menghua.

Shouldn't he still be in the patrol room? How could he have been released so quickly?

In order to keep Lu Mingfei inside a little longer, Zhao Menghua specifically asked the Xu brothers, Xu Miaomiao and Xu Yanyan, to tell him about Lu Mingfei's robbery.

But why was Lu Mingfei released?

Lu Mingfei's gaze calmly swept over familiar and unfamiliar faces, finally settling on Zhao Menghua, whose face was deathly pale, before he walked straight toward Zhao Menghua.

As Lu Mingfei approached, the two brothers, Xu Yanyan and Xu Miaomiao, who were hiding behind Zhao Menghua, trembled even more violently.

"Lu Mingfei...no, Brother Lu, it's not our fault! We didn't betray your location! It was Zhao Menghua! He's the one who told those thugs where you were!"

When the two brothers, Xu Yanyan and Xu Miaomiao, were swept by Lu Mingfei's calm gaze, their psychological defenses collapsed instantly. With sobs in their voices, they rushed to point out Zhao Menghua, their obese bodies trembling like leaves from fear.

An uproar erupted instantly!

All eyes turned from Lu Mingfei to Zhao Menghua, whose face was deathly pale.

Zhao Menghua's face turned from white to green. He pointed at the two Xu brothers, his lips trembling with anger, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Lu Mingfei stopped in front of Zhao Menghua, so close that Zhao Menghua could clearly see the killing intent hidden in Lu Mingfei's calm eyes.

"Lu Mingfei, I admit I was wrong. If you want to take action, then go ahead, but ultimately this whole thing started because of you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten entangled with those thugs!"

Zhao Menghua was also trembling with fear, but he still stubbornly shouted loudly. After speaking, he closed his eyes and waited for Lu Mingfei's fist to fall.

He had his own pride. He could beg for mercy from petty thugs on deserted streets, but his pride would never allow him to kneel down and beg for mercy from Lu Mingfei in front of people who knew him.

However, the fist that Zhao Menghua expected did not fall. He opened his eyes and found that Lu Mingfei had already left. Only then did he realize that his back was completely soaked with cold sweat.

He suddenly collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Lu Mingfei's gaze just now was terrifying; he felt like a little rabbit facing a fierce tiger.

After seeing Lu Mingfei leave, the Xu brothers, Yan Yan and Miao Miao, immediately went forward to help Zhao Menghua up.

"Don't touch me! You two traitors!" Zhao Menghua immediately shook off their hands, stood up, and walked outside in a somewhat disheveled manner.

Lu Mingfei had already arrived at the classroom door. He had indeed intended to teach Zhao Menghua a lesson, since Zhao Menghua's previous statement had had some impact on him.

However, he remembered that his psychologist had advised him to avoid violence as much as possible. For the sake of his condition, he decided to listen to the doctor, otherwise all the money he had spent would have been wasted.

When he returned to the classroom, his classmates, who had been having a heated discussion, immediately fell silent upon seeing him, and the classroom became completely quiet.

Lu Mingfei didn't care about anything else. He returned to his seat, handed a bank card to Su Xiaoqiang next to him, and said...

"There's 100,000 in this card, and the password is eight eights. Please return it to Uncle Su for me. If you need any help in the future, just let me know."

"So fast?" Su Xiaoqiang looked at the bank card in her hand in disbelief. She did not expect that Lu Mingfei could get 100,000 yuan in one night and completely change his appearance.

Lu Mingfei is changing every single day.

Lu Mingfei did not explain the source of the money, and Su Xiaoqiang wisely did not ask any further questions. She carefully put the bank card away.

Soon the bell rang and the teacher walked in. However, the teacher did not start the lesson immediately. Instead, the teacher stared blankly at the drastically changed Lu Mingfei, not even noticing that three students were missing from the class. Obviously, the teacher had also heard the rumors.

However, the teacher didn't remain stunned for long and continued lecturing, but the atmosphere in the classroom was very strange. No one's attention was on the blackboard, but instead they kept glancing at Lu Mingfei, who had suddenly become incredibly mysterious.

This included Chen Wenwen. After being questioned briefly by the police yesterday, she went home. After returning home, she kept thinking about Lu Mingfei. She never expected that Lu Mingfei could actually beat those thugs.

She originally intended to help Lu Mingfei, but it seems she has made things worse. She wants to apologize to Lu Mingfei, but she doesn't know how to approach him now.

Lu Mingfei didn't care about the opinions of those around him. He was now constantly absorbing the knowledge his teacher was explaining, and he had never been so eager for this knowledge.

When the school bell rang, the classroom remained completely silent. No one made a sound until Lu Mingfei began to pack up and leave the classroom. Only then did the others seem to come back to life from their statues.

Lu Mingfei paid no attention to any of this. He took out the gilded business card, then the cell phone he had bought before starting school, and began dialing the number on it.

"Feed..." Yang Boxuan's voice came quickly from the other end of the phone.

"I agree. Send someone to pick me up at the school gate," Lu Mingfei said.

Yang Boxuan on the other end of the phone didn't seem surprised, and simply replied, "Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Mingfei put his phone back in his pocket, slung his old schoolbag—containing textbooks and somewhat mismatched with his respectable clothes—over his shoulder, and went to the school gate.

He stood at the grand entrance of Shilan School, the evening glow casting a long shadow on him.

He was surrounded by a surge of students, but everyone subconsciously kept a distance from him, creating an invisible vacuum.

Various curious yet fearful and inquisitive gazes fell upon him, but he seemed oblivious, simply watching the endless stream of traffic on the street.

Less than ten minutes later, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan silently glided to a stop in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing a driver in a black suit and white gloves with a stern face.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Yang sent me to pick you up." The driver's voice, like his expression, was devoid of warmth.

Lu Mingfei nodded without asking any further questions. Under the strange gazes of those around him, he opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

The car started smoothly and merged into the traffic. About twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a magnificent building with a huge sign that read "Gilded Night Banquet".

"Mr. Lu, we've arrived. Mr. Yang is waiting for you in his office on the top floor." The driver opened the car door for him.

Lu Mingfei got out of the car, straightened his jacket, casually slung the old backpack over one shoulder, and walked towards the dazzling revolving glass door.

His appearance seemed out of place among the guests dressed in evening gowns and suits, or the familiar faces who clearly exuded a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air. He was too young, his clothes were decent but not top-tier designer brands, and he was carrying a student-like backpack.

Just then, a man in a suit, who looked like a manager, quickly came out from inside, with a warm but cautious smile on his face.

"Are you Mr. Lu? Mr. Yang instructed me to wait for you here. My name is Qiang, and I am the lobby manager here." As he spoke, he bowed slightly, gesturing for Lu Mingfei to follow him.

Lu Mingfei nodded and followed A-Qiang into the interior of the Gilded Banquet.

A-Qiang led Lu Mingfei through the noisy lobby toward a private elevator that required a card to activate.

"General Manager Yang instructed that Mr. Lu, your work is very flexible; you mainly just need to stay in the venue," A-Qiang explained as he swiped his card and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Normally you can relax in the private booth reserved for you. We have our own people to handle the daily affairs in the venue. Unless we encounter a tough problem that they can't solve, or someone who is deliberately trying to cause trouble, we will not need to trouble you to step in. Of course, you can also eat and drink freely in the venue, and all expenses will be charged to Mr. Yang's account."

The elevator ascended smoothly, shutting out the noise from downstairs.

Lu Mingfei listened quietly without offering any opinion. In the end, the so-called "keeping watch" was just being a security guard, and he had saved himself twenty years of detours.

With a ding, the elevator reached the top floor.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a quiet corridor covered with a thick carpet. A-Qiang led Lu Mingfei to a heavy solid wood door and knocked.

"Come in," came Yang Boxuan's voice from inside.

Ah Qiang pushed open the door, gestured for Lu Mingfei to enter, and then respectfully remained outside.

Lu Mingfei stepped inside.

This is an extremely spacious office with a low-key yet luxurious decor, and huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dazzling view of the city at night.

Yang Boxuan was sitting behind a large desk, holding a glass of red wine. When he saw Lu Mingfei come in, he smiled and put down his glass.

"Mr. Lu, welcome to the Gilded Banquet." Yang Boxuan stood up and walked over.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I'm only here to apply for a security guard job, and I won't concern myself with anything else," Lu Mingfei said.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Lu, we are doing legitimate business now and will not cause you any other trouble," Yang Boxuan said with a smile, then took out a labor contract from the table.

Lu Mingfei picked up the contract and looked at it carefully. It was a very ordinary labor contract with nothing suspicious about it. Moreover, the company would pay his social insurance and housing fund contributions on time every month.

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Mingfei finally signed his name on the employment contract.

-----------------

Let's go back to September 13, 2008, in Chicago, on the hill behind Kassel College.

"Lu Mingfei!" Nuonuo suddenly opened her eyes and reached out to grab, but grabbed nothing. She gasped for breath and looked around blankly.

She soon realized that she was still wearing the Kassel College uniform, it was still raining, and her red BMW was parked not far away.

The wet school uniform clung to Nuonuo's body, and a gust of wind made her feel incredibly cold. She curled up and began to shiver.

Isn't this the scene before she left? Has she come back?

Nono subconsciously reached into her pocket, her fingertips touching a familiar hard object—her phone, which had clearly disappeared during the time travel.

She shakily pulled out her phone, the screen lit up, and the time showed: 23:30.

Only half an hour had passed since she remembered driving to the back mountain and falling asleep in a daze?

How could a half-hour dream possibly contain a hellish experience that lasted for dozens of days, every minute and every second of which was etched in my memory? That was definitely not a dream! No dream could be so real.

However, she couldn't think about that now, because she felt even colder than when she was in the blizzard, so cold that she couldn't even move.

"What...what exactly is going on..." Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and her voice was broken and intermittent.

The chill didn't just come from the soaked clothes and the rain around us; it seemed to seep out from the depths of our bones and soul.

When they were in the snow-capped mountains, at least they had that frail boy to lean on and use each other's body heat to fight the cold. But now, she was all alone, enduring the chill that seemed to freeze her soul in this cold, rainy night.

Just as her consciousness was about to be frozen and she felt herself about to turn into an ice sculpture, a strange warm current surged from her chest without warning.

She raised her trembling hand in surprise, and saw a cluster of orange-red flames rising in her palm.