Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 253 Word Power - Time Zero
Time is a very broad term. Some people believe that time does not exist in itself, but rather that the feeling created by the passing of all things is defined as time.

How long is three seconds?
……

Turn the clock back three seconds.

"sound……?"

Inside the castle, in the meeting room.

Upon hearing Lu Mingfei's words, Angers was taken aback. His gaze, shrouded in cigar smoke, suddenly sharpened, and a strong sense of crisis surged within him.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to him. As a top dragon slayer who had fought on the battlefield for a hundred years, this instinctive prediction when facing a great terror had long been ingrained in his bones!
Beowulf's expression changed almost simultaneously with Angers's. His ears, covered in a layer of keratin and scales, twitched slightly as he caught the faint whistling sound coming from a great distance. The other three elders were a beat slower, followed by the school board members: Charlotte, the monk school board member, Elizabeth...

To stand on the stage representing a large mixed-race family, one's bloodline is by no means inferior to that of humans. The five senses of those present have already been enhanced by the dragon bloodline, and the slight differences in timing are nothing more than experience and judgment.

Attack!

Everyone's expression changed, and they abruptly stood up from their seats.

boom--

Lu Mingfei, who was the first to realize that something was wrong, was already standing by the window. He raised his hand and pushed open the narrow window in front of him. The whistling and tearing sounds became more distinct, and four dark figures appeared on the horizon.

Immediately following this was a frantic cacophony of buzzing and alarms erupting inside the castle.

"Missile lock detected!"

"Missile lock detected!"

They're really coming?
Lu Mingfei couldn't help but glance back at Angers. Bulletproof vests are bulletproof, but you can't keep firing. Who said that just now? Were they testing the quality of the bulletproof vests?
And at that very moment, the tearing sounds slowed and became mournful, like stretched harp strings. An invisible realm suddenly expanded.

'Word of Power: Time Zero'.

The caster constructs a field centered on themselves, within which time flows more slowly (at least relative to others), while the caster can still move at a normal speed, resulting in a speed increase of several times or even dozens of times, hence they are often described as 'ghostly'.

This is very likely one of the most difficult-to-understand words of power in the sequence list.

According to the theory of "Word Spirit Studies", all Word Spirit is achieved by controlling elements, but there is no "time element" among the four basic elements of "wind, water, earth, and fire". The Rhine once published an article in which a North American mixed-race scholar attempted to explain the zero time by combining modern scientific theories.

Time is the continuity of matter, representing the movement of matter.

Therefore, he believed that Time Zero could accelerate or decelerate itself or all surrounding elements as a whole, achieving the effect of seemingly manipulating time. However, if combined with modern physics, it would create a new contradiction: the releaser is not affected by the established physical rules within the domain. Therefore, many hybrid scholars believe that the special nature of Time Zero may involve some kind of rule, belonging to the most special batch of inexplicable words of power.

Angers!

Beowulf was the first to notice the anomaly. He had worked with Angers many times in the last century. When he sensed that strange fluctuation in the domain and the silent expansion of his 'spirit', he instinctively entered a second blood-boosting state. The dragon scales that usually lay dormant under his skin emerged, forming a passive biological armor. This was a technique that the two had gradually developed and explored after their falling out over the Kassel College incident.

As a pillar of the Senate, he had to consider the threatening nature of Angers' existence.

"This is……"

Charlotte's eyes widened as the fluctuations in her domain also stimulated her 'Yellow Queen'. In an instant, exquisite and beautiful armor covered her entire body, including her face, enveloping her in ancient and profound powerful alchemical armor.

"Time zero." The monks, board members, and elders also spoke up. Then, the other board members each emitted flashes or fluctuations of alchemical patterns, and more or less, defensive effects appeared on their bodies. For a moment, the meeting room seemed to be set ablaze, with strange sounds mixed together.

Clearly, the Secret Society's leadership had already taken various protective measures in advance regarding the elemental fluctuation model at time zero, including the fact that Elizabeth's vital parts also flashed with light.
It may not be possible to prevent an assassination attempt, but at least there should be a chance to gain a moment's respite.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward. With their knowledge and intelligence, the school board members realized what had happened: Angers had released the 'Word of Power: Time Zero', but had pardoned them.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, please don't make that face. My domain won't last long," Angers said calmly.

"Cough cough cough... You understand, Angers, this isn't directed at you." The monk school director held the prayer beads tightly in his hand without letting up.

"An attack!" The middle-aged school board member, belatedly realizing the danger as he looked out the window at the raging flames, shouted angrily, "This is Europe! Our home base!"

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Charlotte said, her expression quite displeased.

"The Russian-made Kalibr II cruise missile is a subsonic missile with a speed of approximately Mach 0.9. It will hit us in about 3 seconds at this distance."

Elizabeth stood by the window, a fleeting glint of pale gold in her eyes, and reported the missile information, revealing that the Laurent family also had deep expertise in the military industry.

"Of course, I'm referring to real time."

She did not explain why the alchemical creations on her body would react to 'time zero'. At this moment, everyone had gained the right to accelerate within the domain. The only things that slowed down were the distant missiles outside the window and all the inanimate objects inside the room, such as teacups and cigars. Angers' meaning was already obvious.

“Three seconds is no problem. In my field, I can extend the time by about 50 times, which is 150 seconds. We still have two minutes left,” Angers said.

"That's quite generous, it's only Mach 0.9. Luckily it's not an intercontinental ballistic missile or a supersonic missile."

"After all, reconnaissance satellites monitor the heat source of intercontinental ballistic missile launches in real time. If an intercontinental ballistic missile is launched without prior notification or whose trajectory parameters do not match the notification, and is detected by the satellite, then if it is not handled properly, it could be a third world war lasting 1 to 20 hours."

"And the launch location of intercontinental ballistic missiles can be locked..."

Frost interrupted, "Alright, let's not talk about that now. Since we still have plenty of time, Principal Angers, please hold on a little longer and let's continue with the vote we just finished."

He calmly sat back down in his seat.

Upon hearing this, the other board members also returned to their seats. Surprisingly, they did not seem particularly worried about the four missiles speeding towards them outside the window.

Instead, more eyes were drawn to Angers, who was casually smoking a cigar. This was the first time the principal had revealed his trump card—a fifty-fold acceleration that would last at least three seconds…

No, it's group acceleration!
If used by a single person, the battery life will definitely be even longer!
Damn it, wasn't it said that time zero would put an enormous burden on the releaser's body?

"I'd like to ask, does the fact that these cruise missiles are being launched toward Portofino mean that... the elders in your family have realized something is wrong? After all, this is Italy, Gattuso family territory. These missiles must have been launched from inside, right?" The middle-aged school board member calmed down and immediately pointed out the blind spot.

“That’s why a quick vote is needed. This time it’s a cruise missile, next time it could be an intercontinental ballistic missile. I need your help, at least in the military sphere, to prevent the aftermath from escalating and causing too much trouble,” Frost said. “This is a war, and they’ve already declared war.”

“I have no objection.” With missiles hovering outside the window, the middle-aged school board member, having previously hesitated, immediately raised his hand in agreement. “I agree,” Charlotte said.

"Agreed," Beowulf and Angers raised their hands.

"Agreed..." The others exchanged glances and raised their hands, including those who had originally intended to wait and see.

The progress was even smoother than Lu Mingfei and Angers had originally anticipated.

No one was willing to compromise at this juncture, or continue to suspect Frost of being ruthless in his pursuit of power, arguing that his ulterior motives would bring devastating chaos to the Secret Service, and then saying that everything needed more evidence and it was best to proceed cautiously…

Several missiles brought everyone to a perfect consensus.

In this light, it seems that the older members of the Gattuso family made a terrible mistake.

Of course... there are bound to be people who suspect that Frost orchestrated this himself, but now that the three most influential old guys have made their decision, it seems that the rest of us can only put aside those conspiracy theories for the time being.

Only one minute had passed, which corresponds to a little over one second in the outside world.

"Unanimously approved... Alright, then it's settled."

Frost glanced around. "No need to worry. Portofino has a complete fire defense system that will automatically connect to the headquarters' super AI Norma. After the attack ends, please perform your duties."

Everyone nodded solemnly, clearly realizing that it would be irresponsible to place their safety on Angers alone, while Frost, though not usually likable, was always reassuring due to his meticulous attitude.

The meeting had to be abruptly ended. Time zero hadn't been turned off yet, but the sound effects were getting closer.

"Should we evacuate?" the middle-aged school board member asked.

“This…” Frost turned to look at one end of the long table. Angers’ face was still shrouded in smoke, only his eyes, which were as bright as gold, were visible. He did not speak. Maintaining the 'Time Zero' domain for so many people was a considerable burden for him. The only action he took after the domain was activated was to participate in the vote by raising his hands.

"Withdraw."

Lu Mingfei said, "Your fire defense system doesn't seem to be responding."

Frost's expression changed slightly.

It does seem like there's something wrong. Logically, the flares and interceptors should have been launched by now...

However, as the venue for the board meeting, the castle, which he personally oversaw the construction of, was made of special explosion-proof and impact-resistant materials and contained a defensive alchemical matrix inside, so in principle there was no need to worry about its safety...

“Then let’s retreat,” Beowulf said.

"Okay." Frost decided to abandon any wishful thinking; the other party had come prepared.

Angers nodded slightly, letting Beowulf carry him. 'Time Zero' covered too many people and lasted too long, even the assassin himself would lose the ability to move.

There was still time, and the school board members and elders certainly didn't want to sit there waiting to be bombed.

They left the castle at breakneck speed, intending to follow Frost's directions to the nearby air-raid shelter.

The morning sunlight illuminated several shadows, making them appear larger and more distinct. At a distance of only a few hundred meters, people with good eyesight could even see the oval tips and the newly engraved patterns against the light.

With time zero, there are 30 seconds left before the cruise missile arrives.

……

"boom--"

A deafening roar erupted from all directions, sending up countless waves of dust in the beautiful mountain forest.

Before the 1960s, Portofino was an ordinary fishing village, until one day a film investor with a background in organized crime swam to this land with a keen eye and filmed one film after another.

From then on, the small fishing village was transformed into a holiday paradise, with high-end hotels and restaurants springing up everywhere, attracting countless celebrities and photography enthusiasts. Today, the older residents seem to be seeing again the thrilling scenes from the movies of the last century – from the perspective of the outside world, four flickering flames can be seen piercing straight into the back mountain that had always been considered 'private territory', and the entire forest is shaking like a dilapidated building in an earthquake.

Four Kalibr II cruise missiles, each equipped with a special warhead, crashed into the majestic ancient castle standing in the morning light. The walls emitted a dull groan, deformed, and glowed faintly.

In less than half a second, it was completely pierced, followed by a deafening explosion. The dazzling flames engulfed the entire castle, with flames shooting into the sky dozens of meters high, mixed with countless rocks and steel filings.

The building, which was considered a 'safe house', was instantly reduced to burning ruins.

The proposal is correct. Since the choice has been made to use missiles, it is certainly not going to be all bark and no bite.

The castle is indeed well-defended, but these missiles are equipped with 'earth-penetrating' alchemical warheads.

In the realm of alchemy, the alchemical matrix of a building is usually inseparable from the transformation of the land. In orthodox terms, it is called a 'dragon vein' and often represents the cornerstone of a large alchemical matrix.

However, the 'Earth-burrowing' alchemical warhead was designed specifically to destroy the alchemical matrix.

Combining the principles of 'magical mechanics', it can instantly create extremely powerful penetrating force, high-frequency vibration, and extended destructive force, penetrating the building body and destroying the alchemical matrix engraved on the base.

"The results are quite good. This knowledge of modern alchemy does have some merit. Hmm, it wasn't a waste of money."

Several kilometers away, at the foot of the mountain, gazing at the rising flames, a tall man in hunting attire tossed his short knife aside, followed by several eerie figures.

"It shouldn't... fail me, right?" he muttered to himself.

"It's hard to say. Whether it's 'Time Zero' or 'Moment,' they are indeed perfect assassination spells, but at the same time, they are also perfect protection spells... Never mind, I'll go and see for myself."

The next moment, he and the figure behind him vanished as if from a dream.

Yan Ling Time Zero.

(End of this chapter)