Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

After leaving the infirmary, which was filled with the smell of disinfectant, Susie and Chu Zihang walked into the library one after the other.

They sat down in a quiet corner by the window. Susie looked at Chu Zihang, who was sitting upright like a javelin, and broke the silence first.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect something like this to happen today," Susie said apologetically.

"It's nothing. I've already found the document you were looking for." Chu Zihang shook his head, then took out a thick book from his canvas backpack and gently placed it on the table in front of Su Xi.

After last night's battle, he realized the shortcomings and weaknesses in his swordsmanship and couldn't wait to train. However, he would also keep his promises to others.

So he made a point of arriving at the library early today and found the obscure document that Susie had mentioned earlier as soon as it opened. He planned to give it to her when she left the dormitory so that he could practice without any distractions. However, he didn't expect Nono to cause this incident.

Here's the stuff. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now.

After putting down the documents, Chu Zihang stood up decisively and walked out of the library. He was going to practice his swordsmanship to prepare for the next potentially more dangerous mission from the Execution Bureau.

"Sigh..." Susie looked at the documents on the table, then at Chu Zihang's back as he turned and left without hesitation, and was completely stunned.

She instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to say something to persuade him to stay, even if it was just to say a few more words, but the words stuck in her throat.

What could she say? What reason could she give?

She sighed and watched Chu Zihang's figure disappear through the door, then slumped onto the table. This was completely different from the library date she had been looking forward to.

She had already read this document; this was merely a pretext for inviting Chu Zihang out.

She had a pretty good impression of this handsome young man who seemed cold on the surface but was actually warm-hearted, and wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to him. But she didn't expect it to turn out like this, which made her wait for so long in vain.

"I wonder how Nono is doing now..." Susie sighed again as she lay on the table.

Since the date failed, she wanted to go back to the infirmary to see if Nono's counseling was finished. After all, Nono was the first friend she made in Kassel and her roommate with whom she spent every day. She should care about her more, both emotionally and logically.

Just as Susie finished packing her things and was about to get up and leave her seat to go to the infirmary to find Nono, she saw Nono's figure appear in the library like the wind.

Nono began searching through the library, which housed a large collection of precious books about dragons and hybrids.

One of the areas is privately known by students as the Corner of Truth, where records of some of the Executive Bureau's non-top-secret missions and event analysis reports from over the years are kept.

It records major events that are considered unsolved mysteries or accidental disasters by ordinary people, and how many of them are related to out-of-control hybrids, dangerous alchemical items, or dragon activities.

The most famous record is of the Tunguska event. This area is also the most popular among freshmen because the information they see here can completely overturn their previous understanding and give them a sense of truly seeing the world clearly.

At this moment, Nono was searching frantically in this area, her movements conveying a sense of urgency.

Susie quickly walked over as soon as she saw Nono.

"Nono? What brings you here? Is Professor Tomiyama Masafumi's job over? How are you feeling?" Susie asked in a concerned whisper.

Nono didn't even look up, her fingers quickly tracing rows of file numbers, and she said rapidly, "It's over, I'm fine."

Her answer was so brief it was almost perfunctory, her entire attention focused on the file in front of her.

Susie was even more worried when she saw her like this. This did not seem like the state of someone who had just finished psychological counseling. Instead, it seemed like she was being driven by some kind of obsession.

"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help you. It's always faster for two people to search than for one of you alone," Susie leaned closer and asked softly.

Nono paused for a moment, then finally looked up at Susie. Her eyes were complicated, and she hesitated for a moment, but finally lowered her voice and said.

"I'm looking for... reports of plane crashes, especially... records related to the Andes Mountains."

"The Andes Mountains?" Susie paused for a moment, then thought of the snow-capped mountains and coldness that Nono kept muttering while unconscious. Could Nono's spiritual vision be related to a real plane crash? This was too bizarre.

But she didn't ask any more questions, she just nodded: "Okay, I'll help you look for it. Here are the archives from the last fifty years, categorized by year and region. The ones related to the Andes Mountains... should have cross-indexes under the categories of South America and major accidents. It'll be more efficient if we search separately."

Susie was very familiar with the library's archive classifications, and she immediately guided Nono to another area.

The two began searching through the vast sea of ​​files. Time passed by, and neither of them spoke. Only the soft sounds of pages turning and file boxes opening and closing filled the air.

Nono's expression grew increasingly focused and solemn as she flipped through the files that recorded extraordinary events from around the world.

Suddenly, Nono's finger stopped on a slightly worn file box. The label on the file box read: "[Investigation results of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes Mountains in 1972]".

1972! Andes Mountains! Plane crash!

Nono's heart skipped a beat, her breath almost stopped, and with trembling hands, she carefully opened the file box.

Inside were several yellowed reports and some black-and-white photocopies. She picked up one of the reports and began to read it.

The report briefly described the events: Flight 571 veered off course and crashed into a mountain due to pilot error caused by alcohol consumption. Some survivors endured extreme cold and hunger and ultimately survived on the bodies of the victims.

However, a battle ensued among the survivors, and most of them were killed, including an unidentified hybrid who used the Word of Power: Skin Transformation.

According to testimonies from herders in the Andes Mountains, two people of East Asian descent successfully crossed a blizzard and left the Andes, but before the Chilean military could take them over, the two people of East Asian descent mysteriously disappeared, as if they had vanished into thin air.

The executive branch conducted an investigation in Uruguay, but found no entry records or boarding records for the two Asians; they seemed to have appeared out of thin air on the plane.

Ultimately, the Executive Bureau determined that the two missing Easterners were either hybrids or dragons disguised as humans.

When Nono saw the report that two Easterners had disappeared, she felt a chill run down her spine. She immediately realized that the two Easterners referred to her and Lu Mingfei.

But when she saw this message, Nono really felt a sense of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.

Although she firmly believed that Lu Mingfei was real, for a moment she also doubted whether Lu Mingfei was a hallucination in her spiritual vision. Now she could prove that Lu Mingfei was real and that he had come back with her.

At the same time, Nono finally understood why the plane had crashed. Those two pilots had been drinking while flying the plane and had informed air traffic control in advance that they had already flown over Curicó before starting to descend.

But they were actually 80 kilometers away from Curicó at the time, which ultimately led to them plunging into the very center of the Andes Mountains.

Nuonuo was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder. It was because of these two irresponsible pilots that they suffered for so long and even left behind a wrong message before they died.

Then Nono started looking at the photos again. The photos showed the wreckage of Flight 571, where Lu Mingfei and she had been hiding to survive. There were also photos of corpses and bloodstains all over the ground, all done by Lu Mingfei.

Even now, the photos are still shocking, and the last photo is of a cowboy wearing a cowboy hat. This cowboy is the one who saved her and Lu Mingfei.

When Nono saw this photo, she suddenly had a thought: if Lu Mingfei also came back, and he couldn't find her, would he go back to the Andes Mountains?

Thinking about this, Nono became excited. The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She slammed the file box shut and then said to Susie next to her.

"Susie! I need to go to Chile! Please ask for a few days off for me!"

Susie was startled by Nono's sudden decision and quickly grabbed her arm, whispering, "Nono! Calm down! What are you going to Chile for? Just because of these files?"

She glanced at the file box labeled "1972 plane crash" and couldn't understand how it could make Nono want to fly to South America immediately.

"I have to go!" Nono said firmly.

"He might be there! If he comes back, if he can't find me, he'll definitely go there to wait for me! That's the last place we left together!"

"Him? You mean... Lu Mingfei?" Susie remembered the name Nuonuo had uttered while she was unconscious.

An absurd yet seemingly explainable idea formed in her mind: Could it be that Nono's clairvoyance was not merely seeing, but some kind of personal experience?

Moreover, the boy named Lu Mingfei is a real person, and he experienced the plane crash together with Lu Mingfei.

This is insane! A spiritual vision that transcends time and space? This is completely beyond Susie's understanding of Word of Power and Dragon Clan knowledge.

"Nono, this is too risky! Putting aside whether your guess is right or wrong, Chile is so big, and the Andes Mountains are even more vast. Where are you going to find him? And you just..." Susie tried to dissuade her.

She worried that Nono's impulsive decision was influenced by her spiritual vision and newly awakened power of words, and that her mental state was still unstable.

"I know this sounds crazy, Susie." Nono grabbed Susie's hand with a strong grip, but her eyes were unusually clear and determined.

"Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I'll go! I can't let him wait there alone!"

The image of Lu Mingfei carrying her on his back, trudging through the blizzard, flashed through her mind. That loser, who looked cowardly, was more stubborn than anyone else. If he really went back, back to that starting point filled with painful memories, only to find her not there, he would definitely be waiting for her there.

Just like on the snowy mountain, he could have walked on his own, but he never gave up on her.

"Nono..." Susie looked at the burning anxiety and worry in her friend's eyes, and the words of dissuasion stuck in her throat. She had never seen Nono care so much about someone, so reckless.

"Okay, I'll ask for leave for you, but I want to go with you." Susie sighed, knowing she couldn't stop her, but she was really worried about Nuonuo going so far alone now.

"What?" Nono was stunned when she heard Susie's words. She didn't expect Susie to suggest going with her.

"I've never seen a snow-capped mountain before, so now's a good time to go see one," Susie said casually, pushing Nono out of the library.

"Alright, hurry up and pack your things. I'll go ask for leave for you. Look at you, you ran out without even putting on your shoes properly. How can I be at ease?"

Nono looked down at her bare feet, then at Susie, and said, "Thank you, Susie."

"Stop being so mushy, let's go!" Susie felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, and gently pushed her away, but couldn't help but smile.

"Remember to bring me a thick coat; I've never been to such a cold place before."

Without further delay, the two quickly got to work.

Nono rushed back to her dormitory like a gust of wind, quickly changed into clothes and boots that were easy to move in, and haphazardly stuffed a few warm clothes, her passport, wallet and some necessities into her backpack.

Her movements were so fast they almost left afterimages. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a mixture of trepidation about the unknown journey and excitement at the possibility of finding Lu Mingfei.

Susie first contacted Professor Mans, using the excuse that Nono needed to go out for a walk to clear her head and adjust her state, and that Susie would accompany her to ensure her safety, to ask for leave for the two of them.

Professor Mans didn't ask too many questions, only telling them to stay in touch and be careful, and then granted them a week's leave.

Next, Susie quickly checked flight information, found the earliest flight from Chicago to Santiago, Chile, and asked Norma, the super AI at Kassel College, to book the tickets for them.

She even took the opportunity to check the recent weather conditions and precautions for that general area of ​​the Andes Mountains.

By the time Nono had finished packing, Susie had already arranged everything.

"The fastest flight takes off in three hours. We don't have much time left. Let's go. I'll drive." Susie had already gotten into the driver's seat of Nono's red BMW. She didn't trust Nono to drive now.

The red BMW sped along the highway like a flame, chasing after the plane bound for the Andes Mountains, a place filled with terrifying memories, yet also promising a reunion.