I'm in the Dragon Clan, bound to the Naruto Counterattack System

The gentle morning sunlight streamed into the room, casting stripes on Aki Shude's slightly chubby face, like a kitten's whiskers.

The girl's sleeping face held a smile, her thick eyelashes fluttering as if the sunlight had disturbed a beautiful dream.

Shude Aki curled up in the down comforter, her arms and legs wrapped around it, her fair waist peeking out from between her pink pajamas.

"Ring ring!" The phone alarm went off.

Shokuya gave a soft hum, her voice gentle and nasal, and reached out to turn off the alarm clock.

The girl's phone screen saver was a photo of her and Ye Sheng, taken at the end of their first underwater mission. Both of them had wet hair, and Ye Sheng was making a peace sign at the camera with his signature mischievous grin. Aki also made a peace sign, but her eyes darted away, as if she didn't dare to face the camera.

The girl stared at the screensaver for a while, seemingly still lost in her previous dream.

A moment later, Shudeya put her phone on the bed, knelt down and stretched, her soft hair cascading over her shoulders. Sunlight streamed in through the window, subtly outlining the curves of her body beneath her pajamas.

Aki tied her hair up, put on the hotel slippers, and glanced at the boy's face in the screensaver, a hint of loneliness flashing in her eyes.

But the girl immediately rubbed her face, cheered herself up, and ran into the bathroom to wash up.

When Cheng arrived downstairs at the hotel, he found that Jiu Deya and Ahmed had already come down and were chatting. Judging from Jiu Deya's smile, the two were having a very pleasant conversation.

"Ye Sheng, Junior Brother Cheng, you two are down here. Uncle Ahmed was just telling me stories from his youth," Jiu Deyaji said, gesturing to Cheng Sui and Ye Sheng.

Ahmed leaned against the car door, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, and laughed as he recounted events from his time at Kassel College, making Aki laugh repeatedly.

"At that time, Professor Manstein was in his thirties, but he was already showing signs of balding. My friend and I bet that Professor Manstein would definitely go bald before graduation, but I didn't expect that the last few hairs on Professor Manstein's head would be so stubborn. I didn't see the bald Professor Manstein when I graduated. I wonder how he is now."

"The old man is still the same, but those few stubborn hairs you mentioned didn't last this long. Professor Manstein's forehead is so shiny that you can see it from a distance every time, and everyone knows that Professor Manstein has arrived, so they all wisely keep their distance from this disciplinary committee member." Cheng Sui walked to the front of the car and continued Ahmed's words.

Ye Sheng followed behind Cheng, laughing as he said, "Be careful, or I might secretly tell Professor Manstein and have him make you write a self-criticism."

Cheng Sui shrugged: "I might have been scared before, but now that I have the principal as my backer, having connections means I can do whatever I want."

When Ahmed heard Cheng Sui mention Angers, his eyes flickered slightly, and the cigarette dangling from his lips moved.

Cheng noticed Ahmed's actions, but didn't say anything, opened the car door and got in.

"Alright, let's get in the car first. The sooner we get in the water, the sooner we'll finish." Ahmed clapped his hands and got into the driver's seat.

Aki sat in the passenger seat, while Ye Sheng and Cheng Sui sat in the back.

Ahmed turned the key, and the engine of the somewhat dilapidated jeep started running.

Ahmed drove his jeep and rubbed the handlebars: "This car was bought by my wife and me when we first got married, to make it easier for her to get to work. She likes red star flowers, so every time I drive to pick her up, I bring a bouquet of star flowers. She will happily hug me, and then we will drive along the Nile River and watch the sunset on our way home every day."

"There's an Egyptian legend that couples who watch the Nile sunset together will receive the blessing of Ramses II, and will stay together with their partner for life. Back then, we all believed this blessing was true, and we were all incredibly looking forward to the future."

"You and your wife are both people who love life very much," Aki said with a smile, her eyes involuntarily glancing at Ye Sheng's expression through the rearview mirror.

Ye Sheng was watching the girl's back as the sunlight crossed the Nile and shone on the boy's angular face, his dark eyes filled with a gentle tenderness.

As if electrocuted, Aki looked away, coughed, straightened her hair, and felt a slight flush on her cheeks.

"We had agreed that once the baby was born, we would sell this old Jeep and move the whole family to the United States. We would buy a farm in California and live happily ever after..." Ahmed paused, his voice becoming hoarse. "But then the baby was born prematurely. She held my hand and asked me to take good care of the baby. That's how she returned to Anubis's embrace."

"Please accept my condolences. She will bless you and your child in the other world." Aki lowered her eyes. She was a sentimental girl, and the fact that their beautiful love story ended in tragedy saddened her.

"I used to look forward to tomorrow because of her, but now my tomorrow doesn't include her."

"But what about the fruit of your love, isn't there?" Ye Sheng said from the back row.

"That's right, I promised her I would take good care of this child, at all costs." Ahmed gripped the handlebars tightly.

Cheng Sui looked out the car window at the winding Nile River and noticed Ahmed's grip on the handlebars: "So, uncle, what illness does your child have? Is it serious? Maybe Kassel College can help you with it."

Ahmed glanced at Cheng Sui's expressionless face through the rearview mirror and smiled helplessly: "Leukemia. I asked the school before, and they don't know what to do about this disease right now. I'm looking for a hematopoietic stem cell match for my child, but it's so hard to find one."

Cheng Sui nodded noncommittally and did not say anything more.

The jeep followed the Nile River, then turned onto a side road, crossed the desolate desert, and finally stopped in front of the Abu Simbel temples.

Cheng got out of the car and shielded his eyes from the glaring sunlight. The first thing he saw was the four huge sculptures standing at the entrance of the Great Temple, with a small temple next to them.

"The Abu Simbel temples refer to these two temples, one large and one small. The larger temple was built by Ramses II for himself, while the smaller one, also known as the Temple of Hathor, was built for his wife. The place we are going to explore is beneath the larger temple."

Ahmed looked at the two temples and exclaimed, "The power of love is truly amazing! It can actually make a dragon king fall in love with a human. If a dragon king is like this, what about a human?"

Ahmed led Cheng Sui and the others to the temple entrance: "Just walk straight ahead and you'll see the equipment and quest locations. I won't go in. I wish you all the best."

Ye Sheng nodded and led the way into the temple. The entrance to the temple was pitch black and dark, like the open throat of a giant beast, swallowing all the light.

Ahmed watched the three figures gradually disappear into the darkness, his expression shifting.