Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

Old Tang originally intended to be all sweet talk, but the first one

The "fa" sound comes out of your mouth,

The "ke" sound got stuck in his throat.

"Brother, I'm leaving now." The voice gradually faded, reminding him of the child's departing figure. He suddenly felt a pang of reluctance and didn't hang up the phone.

The phone call went unanswered, utterly silent. An indescribable loneliness washed over him, like the cold sweat that soaked his back every night when he awoke from that burning city.

Chapter Ninety-Eight The Intruder

"Potato Chips, I've spotted him." Mai Shude lay prone on a distant hilltop, peering through tactical binoculars. She wore an earpiece, her long, black hair tied in a ponytail, and her black bodysuit accentuated her refined curves.

Next to her was a silver metal box with a small antenna on top that flashed a small red light once per second. This was a signal jammer that could emit sound waves at the opposite frequency to neutralize the radar's sonar.

"He's wearing a black overcoat and running around aimlessly," Mai Shude said into her earpiece. "I'm about to detonate the bomb. Charge in immediately."

"What does he look like? Is he cold?" a languid female voice asked.

“No, his hair is wet and messy, like a drowned rat.” Mai Shude observed carefully, “Is this really the Dragon King Norton? It’s not that I doubt the boss’s judgment, but he looks no different from a homeless person sleeping on the ground in the New York slums.”

"Phoenix".

"what?"

“Every five hundred years or so, the phoenix will gather various fragrant branches or leaves, stack them up, set them on fire, and then burn itself. A newborn bird will emerge from the ashes left behind.”

"Of course I know. The boss mentioned that word, Phoenix. There are similar myths about phoenixes all over the world. There's the phoenix in Europe, the firebird in Russia, the sunbird in Egypt, the yar in the Americas, and the anka in Arabia. All these birds have the characteristic of dying and being reborn. They are burned in flames and then reborn. So what are you trying to say?"

"There is a saying that a small worm will grow out of the bones of a dead phoenix, and this worm will eventually grow into a new phoenix."

"So he's that insect?"

"Maybe he'll grow feathers and long legs soon."

...

Old Tang walked out of the dormitory and wandered aimlessly around.

He just didn't want to be alone, didn't want to be in an empty room. Maybe he should have gone out with Fingel earlier. His hair wasn't even dried, and running out like this was really a bit messy.

Scattered groups of people, carrying textbooks and wearing dark green school uniforms, walked along the red cobblestone path in the maple forest. The sun cast its red glow through the gaps in the yellowing leaves.

It was almost evening, and Lu Mingfei might have already arrived at the college. They were about to drive out, play music and sing along the mountain road, and then go to an Italian restaurant for pasta.

This was a happy thing, and he should have been happy, but he couldn't smile. Someone walked past him, glancing at him briefly, seemingly wondering why there was such a strange person in the academy. But no one stopped; they turned around and left immediately.

Everyone has their own things to do, except him.

The bell rang after class.

A group of students poured out of the teaching building, chatting and laughing, like a tidal wave that engulfed him and parted a path for him.

He wanted to find Fingel, but he had no idea how to get there. He didn't know the way, didn't know the names of the buildings, and no one would guide him.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang, and the square was filled with a cacophony of ringing sounds—music, buzzing, the tinkling of old-fashioned telephones, and notification tones from unknown numbers. Hundreds and thousands of ringtones sounded at the same time, like a band suddenly starting to play.

After a moment of surprise, the students started reaching into their phones. Pink cartoon pendants, plain black phone cases with gold foil stamping, and all sorts of brands, both familiar and unfamiliar, were pulled out of their bags or pockets.

"...Please look towards the school gate. When guests arrive, the host should be prepared." Hundreds of calls automatically switched to speakerphone, and the processed, deep voices merged together.

Everyone's expression changed, and they all turned to look at the school gate. The iron-carved gate was closed, and the sunlight shone in, casting distorted and twisted shadows.

Silence fell, and they held their breath.

The deafening roar caused people to lose their hearing for a moment. Amidst blinding sparks and thick black smoke, the iron gate twisted and was thrown into the air by the shockwave of the explosion. The earth seemed to turn upside down as the huge iron gate began to fall in the opposite direction, falling to a height of more than 20 meters in the air before being pulled back by gravity.

The alarms blared throughout the campus, all the alarm lights flashed bright red and emitted piercing sirens, completely shattering the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Red alert status is activated instantly.

With the roar of motorcycles, a dozen smoke grenades were thrown in, and choking smoke spread rapidly.

The intruders, dressed in black combat suits, sped away, guns in hand, firing simultaneously and shattering all the surveillance cameras in their line of sight.

"This is... the beginning of war!" The person on the phone sneered coldly.

Old Tang had a splitting headache, and he suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable anger. Someone had intruded into his domain and disregarded his authority.

But what authority did he have? He knew nothing, he was just an orphan who didn't know who his biological parents were. His adoptive parents treated him like a toy to vent their anger, so he dropped out of school early and left that wretched place to live alone.

He's a rat in the sewer, a cockroach in the kitchen swill bucket; even if he dies, no one will pity him.

He clutched his head and crouched down. A voice told him to kill the intruders and pour lava into the mouths of these lowly people. The voice was so cold and unfamiliar to him.

He was terrified; that wasn't him.

He was just a homeless man who had lived for 20 years!

Just a poor soul with nowhere to go...that's all...

It felt as if a sharp knife had pierced his skull, and iron spikes had been driven into his temples. Those things were churning wildly in his brain, and a dull knife was slowly cutting his flesh. It hurt so much, it really hurt. Waves of spasms blurred his vision.

"Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!"

The enraged monarch is issuing orders.

"I don't want to! I don't want to!" Old Tang shouted frantically.

He has never killed anyone, not even a chicken.

Ring ring ring...

His phone rang, and he endured the pain to press the answer button with his finger.

"Where are you! I don't see you in the dorm!" It was Lu Mingfei's voice.

The blurry face of that silly boy floated before his eyes. The cherry blossom cake was very sweet. Eating one was fine, but eating too many became cloyingly sweet, and he had to drink water to swallow them.

"Old Tang! Where are you! Are you alright? I'm coming to find you right away!" Lu Mingfei's anxious voice came through the phone.

Amidst the sounds of gunfire and motorcycles, the intruder ignored him and drove past.

He was lucky; these terrorists didn't seem to be after him.

The headache lessened slightly, and the unfamiliar voice gradually faded away.

"I'm fine... I'm here at the gate..." Old Tang patted his chest, panting heavily, and slumped to the ground, looking up at the sky.

Everything was engulfed in thick smoke, but he didn't feel choked at all.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Twins

Kassel is not just about the buildings on the ground; rather, the underground is where the true face of this college lies.

The underground structure here consists of three large sections connected by countless passageways, resembling a large web woven by three giant spiders.

There are many underground buildings, and even a completely replicated natural ecological area that preserves a variety of precious and rare organisms and plants.

"The Three Goddesses" is the name of this floor.

In Norse mythology, the three Fates are Urd, who weaves the thread of life; Belldandy, who pulls the thread; and Skadi, who cuts the thread. The three goddesses represent the future, the present, and the past, respectively.

It is said that virtuous people who do good deeds every day have a very low chance of connecting to the heavens when they make a phone call. At that time, Belldandy will emerge from the mirror and grant you one wish. Whether you want to become a millionaire or open a crystal palace, it will be a piece of cake. You can even wish for the goddess to be by your side.

This is the Skuld district, where a group of researchers in white lab coats are gathered, their eyes shining with admiration.

“Perfect! Place it right here!” Angers commanded.

Four robotic arms moved away, and the brass tank was steadily suspended in the superconducting magnetic field of cryogenic liquid nitrogen, surrounded by a half-meter-thick quartz glass wall. It resembled an embryo in its mother's womb, sleeping peacefully within an oval-shaped quartz glass dome.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Today is destined to be historic!" Principal Angers raised his right hand. "Let me announce that the Dragon King Norton has been successfully captured!"

The researchers were all solemn and serious; some wore white gloves and fastened the straps of their goggles.

"For the first time, we have the opportunity to dissect the egg of an undeveloped dragon king!" Angers pointed to the bronze jar isolated in a sealed glass chamber. "All participants should feel honored. This is the first step in dethroning the gods! Let us witness a miracle in the history of science and make a contribution to humanity!"

Thunderous applause erupted as the dissection of the Dragon King was more exciting for a researcher than dissecting an alien.

"Is the egg still viable?" the researcher asked, raising his hand.

"It's uncertain. The brass jar was cast around 33 AD. It was made by Li Xiong, a minister of the ruler of Sichuan, China at the time. But now we know that Li Xiong was Norton, and Gongsun Shu was just his puppet. This was a coffin he made for himself. He placed the egg deep in the Bronze City to prevent it from being discovered by outsiders. Until today, members of the Executive Department delivered it to us."

"Prepare the 'gray tin solution'!" The principal raised his hand, and the glass cover under the protective glass shield opened, revealing a transparent glass bucket containing a gray, turbid liquid.

"Everyone, focus!" The principal's powerful voice echoed throughout the area. "The egg is about to appear..."

The researchers held their breath, watching as the brass pot was slowly lowered into the solution.

It's like a piece of effervescent candy falling into water; bubbles immediately appear, and white steam rises from the glass bucket.

An egg, a brass egg, appeared before everyone's eyes. A robotic arm took the egg out of the melting tank and placed it in the very center.

It looks like an egg, a large egg, only its metallic exterior reflects a gleam.

The robotic arm then retrieved the remaining parts of the brass can that were not completely corroded.

Its internal cross-sectional structure was clearly visible to everyone, with a large metal egg on one half and an empty cavity on the other.

"What's the purpose of this cavity? Is it for storing nutrients?" some people speculated.

"Then why not thin the outer wall and place the egg and nutrients together in a larger cavity?"

"Perhaps that's the location of another egg," someone suggested.

In an instant, everyone's expression changed.

Angers instructed that the brass pot be placed back into the solution and left to dissolve completely.

A cracked dragon egg appears, with a huge crack; only half of it is intact.

“Something… escaped from inside!” the headmaster whispered. “This is an unprecedented conjecture. On the throne are twins! And one of the dragon kings has already escaped!”

The air suddenly turned cold.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded.

"Intruders! Dragon intruders detected!"

Norma's voice rang out in the dissection room.

"Damn it! It's the King of Bronze and Fire! He's come to retrieve his symbiotic child!" Angers shouted. "I'll go fight him! Don't leave here! It's absolutely safe here until I fall!"

After saying that, he rushed out of the dissection room, not even giving the researchers time to ask questions.