Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Master Zhu and Lingdang focused on the flow of "qi" in the room.

They discovered that the "life force" in this room, though faint, seemed slightly stronger than that in the tunnel, and its source appeared to be underground.

Lingdang crouched down, carefully sensing the gaps in the floor.

"Senior brother, something seems a little different down there," Lingdang said uncertainly.

Just then, Fingel let out a low exclamation: "Hey! I've found something!"

Chapter 171 Li Weiguo's Diary

Fingel pulled a hard-covered, dark blue notebook from the bottom corner of a filing cabinet.

This notebook looked newer than the other documents, but it was covered in dust. There was no title on the cover, only a yellowed label with the name "Li Weiguo" and a number.

“It looks like a work notebook,” Fingel said, blowing away the dust and opening it.

The handwriting inside was done with a fountain pen, neat and strong, recording the date and brief entries, records of subway operations and equipment duty.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

The nighttime inspection of the Line 3 traction substation revealed everything was normal. Old Wang, who was on duty, dozed off and needed a reminder.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

The flood season has started early. During an inspection of all drainage pumping stations, pump number 7 in the western section was found to be making abnormal noises and has been reported for repair.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

On the night shift, the dispatch center notified us of unusual noises inside the tunnel. We searched three kilometers to the west but couldn't find the source. Strange.

The notes were mostly filled with such daily, trivial, and ordinary things. But gradually, the content of the notes began to change.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

After midnight, several employees reported hearing whispers. Equipment checks yielded no results. Management ordered the matter to be downplayed.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

The west tunnel is closed. The order came directly from the city government. Safety regulations are practically ignored.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

Xiao Zhang was patrolling the power line last night, near the restricted area. After returning, he developed a high fever, became delirious, and kept shouting "The car is coming!" He was taken to the hospital, but his condition is very bad. What exactly happened?!

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

I heard it too, and it made me very uneasy. I reported it, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

I saw "it"—an old-fashioned car, no driver, and there seemed to be a shadow inside. It vanished in a flash. Was it an illusion?

The handwriting in the notes started to become somewhat messy from here.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

Order: Effective immediately, night patrols will be conducted in pairs, and no one is allowed to approach the western restricted area. High-powered flashlights and voice recorders will be issued. What's the point of this? It feels like they're hiding something.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

Old Liu hasn't come back. His partner, Xiao Li, has gone mad, constantly muttering, "Coins, gambling debts, all gone." We have to do something.

【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】

I secretly left behind the map and the key. If, if I don't come back, I hope someone can find them. The truth shouldn't be buried. We must know what was on that train! Li Weiguo

The notes ended abruptly there. No further entries were made.

More than 20 years ago, abnormalities began to appear in this subway area, and these were deliberately covered up.

Ultimately, it pointed to that ghostly train.

“Car, coin,” Lu Mingfei murmured, “It matches, it matches all of them.”

"Did Li Weiguo die in the end?" Fingel closed his notebook.

"He's probably dead," Chu Zihang said in a low voice. "And he probably didn't make it back."

In the oppressive silence of the office, Fingel, under the pretext of checking the traps by the door, quietly slipped away to the farthest corner of the room, where some discarded cardboard boxes were piled up, creating a blind spot.

With his back to the crowd, he pulled out an unassuming badge from his pocket, made of brass and rotten wood, engraved with a complex alchemical matrix.

A barely perceptible current flashed across my fingertip, activating the badge.

A tiny, eerie blue light shone from the center of the badge, like a firefly awakening in the darkness.

"Hey? Old man? Can you hear me? Over." Fingel lowered his voice, almost whispering, while warily glancing at his teammates on the other side of the room.

Chu Zihang was resting with his eyes closed, Lu Mingfei was studying the enamel mug, and Frilian and the Taoist brother and sister were still looking at the map. No one paid any attention to him.

A crackling noise came from the badge, followed by a slightly lazy and impatient voice echoing deep within his mind, "Tsk, terrible signal. Where have you been this time, you brat? Disturbing my tasting of the new whisky is a serious offense. Over."

"Seriously?! Be serious!" Fingel almost lost his voice, then quickly lowered it again. "We're in! BJ Underground, the Nibelungen Metro! Over."

"Oh? Not bad efficiency. And then? What did you see? Discounted subway tickets? Over." Vice Principal Flamel's voice remained nonchalant, and the crisp sound of ice cubes hitting the glass could even be heard.

Fingel rolled his eyes and reported at lightning speed: "Saw nothing! We just killed a Kassel College senior who had completely turned into a Deadpool. The Word Spirit Weasel has evolved into a Vampire Scythe, and it's as hard as a pure-blooded dragon! We also found an old office and a notebook. There's more to this than you think. It's even related to the college's old 'Nibelungen Project'! Most importantly, all the signs indicate that the 'being' entrenched here is 99% likely to be..."

He took a deep breath, lowering his voice to almost inaudible: "Fenrir, king of the earth and mountains. Over."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line, then the vice principal chuckled cryptically: "Heh. So it really is that big guy? He's quite the homebody. Alright, got it."

Fingel was stunned: "That's it? 'You know'? Old man, this is the Dragon King! The Dragon King! Your precious disciple and your super cash... uh, your S-class elite Lu Mingfei are both here! Aren't you going to show any concern? Like airdropping equipment and supplies or something? Over!"

"Concerned? I'm very concerned," the vice-principal said slowly. "I'm concerned about whether my wine cellar will be emptied by the expenses reimbursed for this operation. As for the two of you? You're both incredibly resilient, especially you, Fingel. You're as tough as a cockroach; even the Dragon King couldn't kill you by stomping on you twice. Don't worry, when you're about to kick the bucket, remember to shout 'Long live the Principal!' at the badge, and maybe I can remotely perform a ritual for you, deducting the cost from your salary in your next life. Over."

"I..." Fingel nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. This old man was indeed unreliable!

“Oh, right,” the vice-principal suddenly became slightly serious for a fraction of a second, “since it might be Fenrir, pay attention to the flow of ‘force.’ That guy may be a bit dim-witted, but he’s an absolute authority on this. Don’t get buried alive in a landslide; I’m too lazy to dig you out. Over.”

After saying that, without giving Fingel a chance to refute or bargain, the communication was abruptly cut off.

The eerie blue light on the badge faded, and it returned to being that tattered copper lump.

Fingel stood frozen in place, holding the badge, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

Finally, he shoved the badge back into his pocket, muttering under his breath, "Damn it! You old bastard!"

He took a few deep breaths, composed himself, turned around and walked out from behind the cardboard box, his usual smile returning to his face, as if he had just gone to relieve himself.

"How's it going? Is everything alright at the entrance?" Lu Mingfei asked, looking up.

“No problem!” Fingel gave a thumbs-up and smiled brightly. “Are you rested enough? If you are, let’s go! The sooner we finish the work, the better, we might even make it for a midnight snack!”

Chapter 172 The Dealer: Let's Play Three Kingdoms Kill

Under the dim green light, time inside the carriage seemed to freeze into viscous amber.

Clang, clang, the train travels endlessly through the dark tunnel, turning this small carriage into a mobile prison isolated from the world.

Zhao Menghua huddled in the cold corner of the seat, clutching the ten dark, patterned coins tightly in his hand.

They were cold and heavy, like ten concentrated, desperate hearts.

Across from him, the Italian Luca's bloodshot eyes still gleamed like a hungry wolf's, glancing occasionally at the pocket where Luca kept his coins, making no attempt to conceal his greed and madness.

The European man known as "Professor" was completely immersed in his own world, silently moving his lips as he stared out at the eternal darkness, as if making a confession that would never be answered.

Gao Mi and Wan Boqian sat near Zhao Menghua, their expressions grave and their guard high. Their gazes occasionally swept over the seemingly lurking, shadowy croupier in the connecting area between the carriages.

It remained in that posture, its scale-covered claws gently rubbing together, and the two red lights beneath its hood steadily radiating a chilling malice, like the embodiment of the rules themselves.

silence.

A suffocating silence.

The only noises were the train running and the occasional nervous tapping of Luca's fingernails on the table.

I don't know how much time passed; maybe an hour, maybe a whole day. In a place like this, time loses its meaning.

Suddenly, the deadbeat dealer in the shadows moved!

It didn't take a step, but glided silently like a ghost to the open space in the center of the carriage.

Everyone tensed up, and their eyes instantly focused on that direction.

Its scaly claws slowly rose, pointing towards the dusty table.

Then, from somewhere, perhaps under its cloak, it took out a square, brightly colored cardboard box and placed it on the table with a "thud".

The dust was shaken up slightly.

Zhao Menghua stared wide-eyed at the box in disbelief.

The box was so new that it stood out starkly from its surroundings. The cover featured silhouettes of three distinctly Chinese figures, next to three large, eye-catching characters—

Three Kingdoms! Kill!

"What the hell?!" Zhao Menghua almost thought he was hallucinating from fear and pressure. "Three Kingdoms Kill?! How could there be Three Kingdoms Kill in this godforsaken place?!"

It feels like a medieval knight stumbled into a dragon's lair, only to have the dragon pull out a deck of cards and ask him if he wanted to play Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). It's utterly absurd!

Gao Mi and Wan Boqian were also stunned; this was completely beyond their expectations.

Luca stopped tapping on the table, a hint of doubt flashing in his cloudy eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger greed.

I don't care what I play, as long as I can win chips!

The "professor" remained completely unresponsive to the outside world.

The Deadpool dealer used its sharp claws to lightly tap the box of Three Kingdoms Kill, and then pointed to all the "people" in the carriage, including itself.

Zhao Menghua, Gao Mi, Wan Boqian, Luca, and even that "professor" who seemed to be out of his mind.

Finally, it pointed to the empty spaces around the table.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

"It wants to play Three Kingdoms Kill with us?" Zhao Menghua's voice was extremely dry.

“It seems this is one of the ‘games’ it has chosen.” Gao Mi pushed up her glasses, her sharp gaze analyzing behind the lenses. “It sets the rules for the Nibelungen, so it’s not surprising that it brings up anything. Perhaps it can glimpse the games that are familiar to us in our subconscious?”

"Using Three Kingdoms Kill to decide life and death?" Wan Boqian found it utterly absurd and laughable, yet she couldn't laugh because the cold, oppressive aura emanating from the Deadpool dealer was a stark reminder of the consequences of losing the game.