Dragon Raja: Reboot

Caesar Gattuso leaned against a marble column, leisurely sipping a glass of water.

He watched as those expensive luxury cars drove out of the hotel gate one after another, the last being that mountain bike.

The cyclist was pedaling hard, wiggling his hips, and Caesar couldn't help but laugh.

"Isn't it interesting?" The old man stood silently behind Caesar.

He was the Gattuso family's representative on the school board, and Caesar's uncle.

"To ordinary students at Kassel College, the board of directors are all high-ranking figures. Many people don't even know that there's such a board of directors wielding power behind the scenes. But my refusal made this board meeting a complete failure. It was a waste of your time, you big shots. Watching you leave empty-handed, some of you even wiggling your butts, was quite amusing." Caesar shrugged.

"Caesar, today you have humiliated the family in front of the school board."

The uncle took a deep breath and tried his best to remain calm.

The family introduced Caesar Gattuso to everyone today, hoping that everyone would acknowledge Caesar's existence and agree that he would become a pillar of the "Nibelungan Project," but his willfulness ruined the family's plans.

The "Nibelogen Project" is a super-project devised by the Secret Society to create the legendary "Hybrid Monarch".

Strengthening bloodlines, enabling hybrids to break through their limits and reach the level of Dragon King, or even surpass Dragon King, is the ability possessed by the Secret Party Elders Council.

"Uncle, do you know what? I've been holding back, trying not to say a word. I've been thinking about what your expression would be when I say 'I refuse,' and I'm about to burst out laughing."

Caesar turned his head, glanced at the old man, and smiled.

"You are the most rare genius in the family's hundreds of years. Your bloodline and your talent are both first-rate. You also aspire to be a leader and have always worked hard for it."

The old man walked forward and stood beside Caesar, sighing softly.

"What makes you so harsh? The family loves you and wants to help you. We believe you are fully capable of becoming the leader of the new generation of hybrids. Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei might hinder your path, which is something the family doesn't want to see. You are undoubtedly the most outstanding, and no one should be ranked above you. The family is using its influence to promote 'Nibelungen' to ensure you receive the best training. Why don't you accept it?"

"My bloodline? No, no, Uncle, you've probably forgotten something. I only inherited half of Gattuso's noble bloodline. The other half comes from a lowly surname, a lowly one..."

Caesar paused, his smile vanished, and his words thundered.

"Gulweg!"

"Still reeling from your mother's passing?" The old man shook his head. "It seems there's a deep misunderstanding between us. To the family, your mother's bloodline was indeed not considered noble. Her marriage to your father was not blessed by the family either. However, the bloodline she left you is by no means inferior. On the contrary, you are recognized by the entire family as the most outstanding descendant. Your talent has already proven this."

"A woman of humble origins married a man of noble lineage, had a child, and then died. Her husband's family despised her bloodline but accepted the child who was a mix of her bloodlines."

Caesar shrugged.

"It's like nobody likes pigs because they're dirty, but when a pig dies, people will choose the tenderest pork chop, have it cooked by the best chef, and serve it with matsutake and morel mushrooms on a spotless porcelain plate, presented on a silver tray."

"Caesar, trust the family. Your mother's death has nothing to do with the family. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey, presided over by the Pope himself, with a choir of five hundred and thousands in attendance. The white roses they brought were piled up like a small mountain. Her soul has found peace, and everything about her is over. Are you still clinging to her death and denying your identity as a member of the Gattuso family?"

"A family with dragon blood, who among us would care about a funeral presided over by the Pope? Are you kidding me?" Caesar sneered.

"This is a great honor, such a high-profile funeral. Everyone knows she was the matriarch of the Gattuso family, and the family bestowed this honor upon her in return for her contributions to the family."

The old man said with deep emotion,

"Caesar, you are her contribution to the family. Think about it, that woman, all she left behind in her life was you. If she really has a spirit, wouldn't she want you to achieve world-shaking success? The Nibelungen Project is tailor-made for you by the family, a huge gift. If you refuse, it will also break your mother's heart."

"Uncle, you must be joking."

Caesar smiled, scratched his forehead, and then suddenly looked up. His expression had completely changed. Few people had seen his face like this before. His smile was thin and cold, and his pupils seemed to be filled with ice.

"When she died, she could neither see nor hear," Caesar gently raised his right hand. "All I could do was hold her hand and tell her I was there for her."

His slender hands slowly curled into fists, the knuckles making a slight popping sound as he clenched his fists tightly.

"I didn't dare let go of her hand because I thought how terrible it must have been. You can't see or hear anything. If no one is holding your hand, you feel like you're all alone in the world, all alone in complete darkness. She had no idea about the honors bestowed upon her by her family. At that time, the only connection between the world and her was the warmth that came from my palm."

"And what was my generous and powerful family doing at that time? Where was my father, the business leader? And where were you, my uncle, the family head?"

"What do you expect us to do for someone the doctor has already declared dead, Caesar?" The old man shrugged.

"You are naturally happy to quietly watch the outcome that you have been waiting for unfold."

Caesar gazed at the distant, undulating Gulf of Genoa, where dark clouds rolled and gathered above the waves, their color as heavy as lead.

"How willful! Do you really believe in your heart that your mother's death was caused by your family?" The old man shook his head. "Why would your family harm a noble woman who married into the Gattuso family?"

"Forget it, Uncle, don't try to persuade me. You've watched me grow up since I was a child. You know very well what kind of person I am. Once I've made up my mind, I won't change it easily."

The old man sighed softly:

"Caesar, the family chose you because of your confidence. But you must understand that confidence isn't everything. The Black King and the White King have already vanished into history. After humanity kills all the Dragon Kings, the era of the dragons will be completely over. At that time, hybrids will become the most superior race in the world. We are far superior to ordinary people, possessing the power of words, alchemy, and science. And our enemies are all dead. The world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure, the overall structure, and the world order) will be rewritten, just like the Age of Exploration, just like the Industrial Revolution. History will undergo a transformation; that will be the era of hybrids!"

And you must become their leader!

"This will not be easy. Chu Zihang or Lu Mingfei may both have the strength to compete with you, but the power of your family will help you. You will become... the emperor!"

The old man's voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a subtle allure.

It's as if the serpent in the Garden of Eden said to Adam and Eve, "Eat from the tree, and you will be as good as God."

Caesar looked down at the glass in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

"Caesar, think it over. If you agree, the family will convene the next board meeting and put the Nibelungen Project back on the agenda. This project will cultivate a leader who will end the dragon race. After that, he will become the leader of the entire world. This is an opportunity that many people dream of. Now the family is offering it to you; please accept it."

The uncle patiently guided him,

"You must understand that the school board is not controlled by the family. In order to fight against the soon-to-awaken Dragon Kings, the launch of the Nibelungen Project is only a matter of time. If you are not the candidate, then it will be Chu Zihang or Lu Mingfei. Once they become candidates, you will fall behind them in the competition. Opportunity will not wait for one person for a long time."

"Like this glass?" Caesar held up the glass in his hand.

"A cup?" The uncle frowned.

"Uncle, what exactly is this 'family' you're talking about?" Caesar asked the old man, unusually serious.

"A family is a group bound together by blood, composed of people who carry the blood of the Gattuso family. All of us together are the Gattuso family; if we are separated, the family disappears. The family loves every member and expects every member to reciprocate with equal love."

"But in my eyes, the concept of family is nothing more than a figment of some people's imaginations. It's used to establish their own power; the blood of a family flows with the lust for power. If I accept gifts from my family, I'll be like this cup."

Caesar swirled the glass, the clear water inside bobbing.

"What's in that cup is the lust for power. My family bestowed that lust upon me, so that I could wield it. But one day..."

Caesar tilted his head back and drank the water in his glass dry.

"Once the water in the cup is gone, the cup loses its meaning, and at that point, it will be discarded."

He threw the glass on the ground with a loud "bang," scattering pinkish-white glass shards everywhere.

"Caesar, you're overthinking things." After a moment of silence, the old man sighed.

"Isn't that how it is?" Caesar sneered. "I will take power in place of the family? You only need puppets, just like you need my mother. You want to use her bloodline and reproductive ability. In your eyes, she is just a womb suitable for producing superior offspring! Once this womb gives birth to the child, it's like a cup that has been emptied of water. It has no meaning anymore and can be thrown out and smashed at any time."

"The family loves every one of its children!" the old man said sternly.

"The family just uses each of its children!" Caesar retorted with the same coldness.

After a long silence, the old man let out a long sigh.

"It takes only a moment to build hatred, but a long time to build love. Caesar, you are still too young. One day, you will understand what 'family love' means. I have come with a letter from your father. I had hoped to give it to you when we celebrated the Nibelung Project."

The old man took out an envelope from his pocket, the seal of which was stamped with Gattuso's family crest in red wax.

"The family and your father know about the person you love, but unfortunately, like your father Gulweg, her bloodline does not meet the family's requirements. In principle, bloodline is the absolute standard for the family to select brides, but the family does not want a repeat of your mother's tragic fate, and your father is willing to change the rules for you."

The old man paused for a moment, then said, "The family will make an exception and approve your marriage to Chen Motong. Your marriage will be blessed by the family."

Caesar lowered his head, pondered for a long time, then suddenly smiled and turned to look at the old man.

"You think this offer shows your generosity enough, right?"

"But I've lost my patience. Take your proposal and your family with you," Caesar bit his tongue, spitting out a single, vicious word with the force of a wad of phlegm. "Get out!"

The old man watched silently as Caesar walked towards the end of the arcade, stepping on shards of glass, until he heard calm footsteps behind him.

"Angers?" The old man turned his head.

"It seems your conversation with Caesar didn't go very well," Principal Angers said, raising an eyebrow.

"Young people always like to rebel. But they will gradually grow up and understand the truth," the old man said calmly.

"I'm here to inform you that the 'SS' level document the Board of Trustees requested has been retrieved by our specialist in China. That specialist's name is Chu Zihang."

Angers said casually,

"He demonstrated exceptional abilities far exceeding those of other colleges during this operation, earning him the unanimous praise of the professors in the Executive Department. The item will soon be returned to the main campus."

"This is good news." The old man nodded.

"I must remind you that in order to prepare for the awakening of the Dragon Kings, we must cultivate a new generation of leaders. The Nibelungen Project is only a matter of time. Although Caesar has been listed as the first candidate at the suggestion of the Gattuso family, the Academy will not wait for him if he insists on refusing. Chu Zihang is also a candidate who can compete with him."

Angers smiled.

The old man's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Caesar will definitely agree!"