Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

"I'll take care of everything for you. Professor Guderian has seen me and I know the truth. You don't need to do anything. Good luck on your exams, and I wish you great grades and a vibrant campus life."

"Really!" Lu Mingfei thought the older man in front of him was so handsome that he really wanted to go up and give him a hug.

That's right, he was wronged, he's the victim. It's all the professor's fault for not telling him the truth, otherwise he could have taken that old man to his office to leisurely watch "Black Butler".

"Don't worry, everything will go smoothly." Principal Angers smiled as he saw Lu Mingfei off.

He didn't ask many of the questions he had prepared; sometimes, you knew the answer just from a glance or a gesture.

Standing in the garden with its climbing vines, Lu Mingfei stretched. As long as he passed that damned "3E" exam, he could enjoy the wonderful campus life.

He had already inquired about dragon slaying and such; that was something that only happened after graduation. His holiday internship would just involve assisting experienced veterans, and he was still quite confident.

At least until the winter break this year, he only needs to stay at school and attend classes like a normal college student.

As he walked past the bench, a cold-looking girl caught his eye.

The sound of bells, the same sound of bells he had heard on the train, rang out again.

"Brother, shall we play a game? An escape game?" The little boy, Lu Mingze, sat on the bench with the girl. "If you beat the game, I'll give you a gift. You'll definitely love it, and you'll need it soon."

"When playing the game, you can receive your gift in advance. Go for it, brother! I believe you can beat the game without taking any damage. You are my dearest brother."

A cold wind seemed to be blowing in my ears.

It was a frigid night during the polar day, a grand feast about to ignite...

The Arctic winds howl in September.

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Cage

"Hahaha! Hahaha! So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" The howling wind swallowed up Lu Mingze and the girl's figures, leaving only their wild laughter. "Brother, take your gift and I wish you good luck in your martial arts."

Lu Mingfei felt a stick-like object being shoved into his hand, and upon touching it, he knew what it was.

He knew this thing better than anyone else, from its size and shape to the patterns on it; he had touched it countless times in the lonely nights.

That's right, it's his best partner—Kusabumaru! (Did you reward yourself today?)

Suddenly, everything went quiet, but the air felt heavy. His body tensed up, not because he had contracted his muscles, but because his limbs and torso were bound by something. He was like a pupa trapped in a cocoon, lying stiffly, unable to even turn his neck. His face was covered by an iron mesh, and pale light shone on his face.

In such a small, oppressive space, he should have felt afraid, but he didn't, because his companion was right beside him.

With a flash of light, the pale straitjacket and its leather straps were cut open, and more than a dozen wide leather straps were neatly sliced ​​in half.

The smooth blade reflected Lu Mingfei's face, and his eyes were completely different because he could smell a strong stench of blood in the room.

This is not the kind of bloody smell you get from a cut finger or a nosebleed. Someone has died here, or some kind of surgery that required massive bleeding has taken place, because this room looks like an operating room.

A pale chandelier hung overhead, the room was empty, and the faint smell of decay and the strong stench of blood stimulated Lu Mingfei's senses.

To his left were rows of iron shelves piled high with glass medicines. He sat on a cast iron operating table covered in yellow rust.

It's not unusual to have blood in the operating room, but it is strange to have blood splattered on the curtains.

The white linen curtain was stained with black stains, the blood that had changed color after being oxidized by the air.

The straitjacket was covered in blood, and there were scattered syringes on the ground.

The pale, oppressive light reflected in Lu Mingfei's captivating eyes.

The surrounding environment reminded him of a certain horror game: Outlast.

He used to be terrified when he visited that mental hospital full of crazy people, and he would scream in terror, hiding in a closet and refusing to come out.

He suspected he had another nightmare. He often had nightmares in Ashina, but he rarely had them after returning home.

Every time he pulled the knife out of a corpse, he felt another vengeful spirit clinging to him. In that place where dead people were everywhere, he couldn't fall asleep without holding the knife. Even when he did fall asleep, his dreams were filled with wailing ghosts.

A pale, icy hand reaches out from hell, grabs your foot, and tries to drag you down with it. Only when he holds a knife can he cut off all the hands of those vengeful ghosts; otherwise, he will wake up in terror after being dragged into the darkness, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

When he was alone, he rarely got a good night's sleep. Killing someone with a knife is not something one can get used to.

Before he knew about stealth assassination, the blade sliced ​​through the enemy's stomach, and the internal organs and intestines, along with blood, gushed to the ground. When you cut off the opponent's head, the gushing blood was like free tomato-flavored mineral water. The severed head fell to the ground, with its wide-open eyes and the ferocious expression caused by the pain before death. Seeing this would give you nightmares.

But everything here is so real, it doesn't feel like a dream at all.

Ninjas don't dwell on why they got into trouble; they first try to escape before finding the root of the problem.

Lu Mingfei knew he was the only one in the room; he was used to being alone.

He calmly analyzed every available piece of information he found in the room.

The ground was covered in dust, indicating that no one had been here for some time. The bloodstains on the curtains had congealed into clumps, meaning at least several days had passed, but the bloodstains on the straitjacket were fresher. That blood wasn't his; it was unknown whose it was.

The medicine descriptions on the metal shelf were written in strange characters, but there were English labels and numbers attached.

At the very bottom of the metal shelf, he found blood-stained scalpels, tweezers, plastic gloves, and a cap...

That's all the information we have. It seems he's at the experimental base of some mad scientist abroad.

This is a strange room. There are curtains, but no windows. Behind the curtains is a hard, solid steel plate, like a cage used to imprison some terrible monster.

In any case, we can only learn more information by going out.

Although this iron gate looks very thick, every door has gaps.

A gap indicates a weakness, and the blade of the Kusabi Maru is able to extend out from that weakness.

The door may be sturdy, but the padlock on the outside may not be.

The wolf hung the scabbard of the Kusabi Maru at its waist, the blade humming slightly, as if cheering and jumping for joy. It was unclear whether it was because it had returned to its master's side or because it was howling for the warm blood it was about to bathe in.

...

The blizzard arrived as expected, and not a ray of light could be seen in the sky. Black Swan Harbor closed its main gate and boarded up all the doors and windows to prevent the blizzard from affecting the Christmas party atmosphere.

The girls chased and played in the corridor, while the boys shouted their names outside the building entrance.

Renata glanced at Zorro in her arms, her eyes as cold as the snow outside the window.

She tried to clench her fist, but her thin arms didn't feel reassuringly strong.

Half-naked girls, their chests covered by dresses, ran past the doorway. Their skin was as white and tender as milk, and their youthful bodies were captivatingly attractive.

The girls chased the boys out of the floor after they had changed their clothes, because they needed to change clothes and put on makeup.

The head nurse opened the suitcase in the warehouse. The doctor was supposed to come too, but no one knew where he was.

Beautiful clothes are displayed in the boxes, and each girl can choose one.

There were black evening gowns, sundresses dyed like flowers, and semi-transparent dresses with white lace trim. The adults' high heels and stockings were also brought out.

"Khorkina, who are you trying to seduce? Yakov or Sergei?" Zhulova screamed, chasing after Khorkina. "If I were a boy, I'd like you too!"

Number 21, Khorkina, is recognized as the most beautiful girl in the orphanage. She is a head taller than Renata, and also has light blonde hair, but it is longer than Renata's and is braided into a long braid. She is a year older than Renata and already looks like a big girl.

Her curvaceous figure stood out even in a white robe with a number on it; a cleavage was clearly visible at the neckline; and her delicate features made her look like a princess.

"Who added thick padding to her underwear? Who learned to perm their hair? It's our Zhuwa, Zhuwa!" Khorkina said as she ran and dodged.

They were all wearing only underwear and stockings. Because they weren't used to wearing heels, they ran unsteadily. The boy downstairs heard what they were saying and whistled provocatively.

The ball is about to begin.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Escaping from the Bed

Renata didn't care about the banquet at all; her new clothes were hanging by her bedside. She only wanted to find one person; everything else was irrelevant to her.

She was just too petite, so petite that she looked like she might fall down the steps. Her skin was pale, so pale it was almost transparent, so pale it was cold. Even Khorkina's skin wasn't as fair and tender as hers.

She walked to the doorway and had to look up to see the top of it.

She was the only girl still wearing a white robe, and to avoid attracting attention, she brought over the new clothes from in front of the bed.

It was a white shirt with embroidered trim, a camel-colored woolen skirt with fur trim, a cylindrical leather hat, and camel-colored fur boots.

Fur boots are not high heels, so they are much more comfortable to walk in.

"Long time no see," Renata said softly.

She carefully placed the teddy bear on the bed, took off her white robe, and changed her clothes like other girls.

She stared blankly into the bear's eyes; it was a gift from the doctor.

The doctor really likes Renata.

The doctor felt that in the frigid Arctic, at least one vibrant little flower should be preserved. He said that when he was in a bad mood, seeing the little flower bloom would make him much happier.

After hesitating for a moment, she hugged the little teddy bear and went outside.

Many officers and nurses gathered in front of the building. The officers had changed into woolen military uniforms, and the nurses were wearing woolen skirts and knee-high high-heeled boots, and had changed into light makeup.

Renata glanced towards the end of the corridor. The deep corridor was quiet; no one would run to the end because there were no lights there, only darkness.

There was a closed door in the darkness, numbered zero. Renata's number was 38. Every child here had their own number, and the nurses usually called them by their numbers. Only the doctor remembered everyone's name.

Today is Christmas dinner, and everyone is free to attend the party, dance and kiss their crush, and then go to some secluded corner after the party.

Even the children have been given this privilege because they have grown up and no longer need to be cared for by nurses like before.

The nurses had no time to deal with those trivial matters, as officers' hands were around their slender waists.

But suddenly, a loud metallic clanging sound came from the end of the corridor.

Everyone turned their attention to it. The sound was like a giant hammer striking a molten bronze bell. In the darkness, crimson sparks seemed like molten iron flowing out from that terrifying crevice.

"That's room zero! What's going on?! What happened?!"

"Where's the doctor?! We must notify the doctor!"

"Quick, get the gun and bullets!"

The joyful atmosphere before the dinner party vanished instantly. The children ran out of the building under the nurses' guidance. Renata watched the sparks fly and was the last to leave the floor.

The officers kept their guns pointed at Zero's door, keeping a safe distance and not daring to approach.

The nurses hid behind them, and someone tried to make a call to the doctor's communication channel, but received no response.

Everyone held their breath. The crashing sound stopped again, and the corridor fell silent once more.

It was a sturdy iron lock with three lock cylinders. Even with a hacksaw, it would take at least half an hour to break the metal lock cylinders. Someone was swallowing hard, their finger pressed tightly against the trigger, afraid that the monster in the dark would open its bloody maw.

Lu Mingfei stopped what he was doing.