Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

At the center of the underground space, there is a cylindrical pit with a diameter of several meters, which looks like some kind of old-fashioned nuclear reactor, except that it is not filled with nuclear fuel rods, but is empty, and a low rumbling sound comes from below.

A technician in protective clothing approached the vehicle; he was the head of the engineering team.

"How is the progress?" the king asked.

"In order to avoid attracting the attention of the Snake Clan, our tunneling speed has been limited, but we will be able to reach a section of the underground corridor of the Red Demon River in two days," the person in charge said confidently. "Several capture projects targeting large creatures have entered the acceptance phase."

“Very good.” Wang Jiang nodded, looked at Yuan Zhi Nu who looked bewildered and wary, and waved for the project manager who was waiting for orders to return to his post.

“You’ve always been curious about why I’m so enthusiastic and confident about my plan to resurrect the White King…” He came up behind Genjiro, “The truth is that God has already been successfully revived. He needs time to develop into an infant to restore His authority and power before He can truly awaken.”

“Lu Mingfei and the Secret Service did disrupt my plans to some extent,” Wang continued, “but fate still chose me.”

He spread his arms wide, unable to hide his excitement, “God has awakened ahead of schedule, just when we were driven to the brink of despair! The great Darwin expounded the truth of the survival of the fittest in his ‘On the Origin of Species.’ We were once the weak, struggling in the food chain and inevitably becoming food, but soon the balance of power will be completely reversed, and we will complete a great evolution! Before us, humans and ancient dragons are both weak! We are the new dragon race, and we will share the world!”

Looking at the king's crazed expression, Yuan Zhinv felt a chill rise in her heart.

He knew that the King hadn't spoken to him. The weak Genji was worthless. What the King really needed to persuade was Kazama Ruri, that demon. He had once reached a consensus with the demon in the depths of his nightmares, but the King's control over Kazama Ruri sometimes terrified him. He couldn't tell whether he would wake up again when he switched personalities next time.

Yuan Zhinv glanced around furtively. The base's defenses seemed weak; there were hardly any armed guards, mostly busy engineering crews. She glanced at Wang Jiang's retreating figure, and in a moment of impulsiveness, she suddenly started running, wanting to leap into the deep pit.

But the king reached out and grabbed him, saying with a smile, "You can stay here."

Two men carrying assault rifles approached, took Genjiro from her, and led her to a specially designed room. Through the iron bars, Genjiro watched as the king got into the car, and then the jeep drove out of the gate. The underground space resumed its busy operation, and Genjiro noticed a subtle glint in everyone's eyes.

The best way for a leader to establish authority is to bring victory. Now, the plan of this madman, Wang Jiang, is actually about to succeed. There is no need for strict guards here, because everyone here is his loyal follower!

……

A Finnair plane flying from Oslo to Tokyo landed at Narita Airport. The plane had barely come to a stop when a black van pulled up to the foot of the stairs. While the other passengers remained on board, a girl in a black trench coat was already carrying heavy luggage off the plane and into the van.

There was already a passenger in the van, a young woman with long, jet-black hair and wearing an executive department-issue trench coat, looking capable and understated.

"Alexia, a second-year student, a temporary specialist in the Executive Department," the girl in the black trench coat introduced herself as she boarded the bus.

“Susie, a fourth-year student, an intern executive officer in the executive department.” The dark-haired girl with an Asian face extended her hand.

The two shook hands.

“What’s the situation now?” Alexia asked.

“We were the last team to arrive, and the person in charge of this operation has already deployed all defenses in Tokyo,” Susie said. “You should have seen the operational guidelines that were issued directly by the Board of Trustees.”

“I’ve seen it, but I’m still a little nervous.” Alexia looked out the window. The van was leaving the airport and heading to a private helipad, where they would transfer to an armed helicopter to reach the actual mission location—Blackrock Mansion. “After all, this time we’re facing legends of the dragon-slaying world…”

"Don't worry, we're just the reserve team. The real ones in charge of the operation are legends in the dragon-slaying world," Susie said calmly. "You should have heard of Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji."

"Before Lu Mingfei, they were the most sought-after twin stars in the Execution Department," Alexia sighed. "Senior, do you think they'll fight this time?"

“Alexia,” Susie said in a much gentler tone, “You come from the Stavinger family, so you should understand that the Secret Service has never been a school. We were chosen not only because we are elites, but more importantly, in the Secret Service’s vetting system, we are the hounds of the best. Only in the most important and severe wars will an army like ours be sent out.”

Alexia sat up straight, nodded, and opened her suitcase, revealing a heavy, black firearm. This weapon wasn't listed in any firearms catalog, as it wasn't a mass-produced version.

Produced by the Equipment Department, this weapon boasts a maximum accuracy of three kilometers, features an intelligent aiming system, and is equipped with guided bullets that can withstand strong winds and follow an arc trajectory. Accompanying it are rows of bullets in a weapon case, the last two of which have bullets with heads polished from deep red crystals.

Bullets crafted from the Philosopher's Stone can severely damage the Dragon King's alchemical equipment with a single shot.

Chapter 219 Hartz Mountain Fortress

The Blackstone mansion once again welcomed distinguished guests, and a helicopter slowly landed amidst the strong winds.

The official residence's butler had been waiting on the helipad for a long time. When the previous owner lived here, Kimura Hiroshi had seen all sorts of luxury cars and private helicopters, but when he looked at this helicopter, he couldn't immediately identify its model. The helicopter had undergone extensive modifications, and many parts of the fuselage even... looked like they were designed to carry some kind of air-to-ground weaponry.

To Kimura Hiroshi's even greater surprise, the distinguished guests who arrived by helicopter were actually two young people, a man and a woman. By all accounts, they did not seem like the "friends" the two elderly men had described.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't think much of it. He did his job as a VIP guest, leading the way and introducing the details and history of the official residence to the guests along the way. He had honed this skill during his previous term, and since the host couldn't say anything that might be considered boastful, he did it instead.

Throughout the journey, the young, distinguished guest listened attentively to his story, occasionally offering words of praise or reflection, appearing to be a polite and respectable person.

At Mr. Angers' request, the venue for entertaining distinguished guests was set up in the garden of the official residence.

Upon reaching the garden entrance, Kimura Hiroshi stopped and watched the distinguished guest step into the path leading into the cherry blossom grove. After confirming that the guest had departed, Kimura Hiroshi turned and gave a few instructions to the maidservant waiting nearby, then quickly left.

Ye Sheng and Shu Deya, who entered the cherry blossom grove, had no idea that the impeccably dressed and polite Kimura Hiroshi in front of them was jogging away while taking off his expensive suit to meet with a food supplier he had secretly contacted at the back gate of the Black Stone Mansion. He would later personally carry various expensive and luxurious ingredients back to the cafeteria.

Figures could be vaguely seen in the woods. A table was set up in the clearing, with many luxurious dishes on it. But what attracted the two men's attention more were the two old men: Hilbert Jean Angers in a black suit and Uesugi Kotsugi in a striped kimono—the current nominal principal of Kassel College and the former king of shadows, the most authoritative figure in the Japanese underworld.

“Principal Angers, the current executive officers of the Executive Department, Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya, have come to assist you with all your operations in Japan!” Ye Sheng said.

"You're really energetic," Uesugi Kotsushi said with a smile.

"You must be Uesugi Koshi-senpai. I look forward to working with you from now on," said Shutoku Aki, bowing respectfully.

After exchanging pleasantries, the host and guests took their seats.

Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya exchanged a glance, neither of them touching their chopsticks. The precious dishes on the table were merely decorations for this test. They were the eyes, ears, and brains of the Board of Directors' direct action group, and they had to be careful with their words when facing these two heavyweight figures who seemed to have "betrayed" them.

The board of directors' think tank team has simulated this "meeting," which EVA has compiled, summarized, and supplemented, forming part of their code of conduct during their flight to Japan. The code of conduct for each member of this operation was customized by EVA, and the college secretary positioned Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya as "diplomats."

However, Angers and Uesugi Kotsuki did not seem to consider this a meeting. Ye Sheng did not receive any probing or orders from Principal Angers, but instead, Uesugi Kotsuki pulled out several bottles of shochu and said with a smile, "Young man, do you know how to drink?"

This is Angers' plan.

Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya thought they were talking to the head of the Japanese branch or Lu Mingfei's instigator, but in reality, they were just two "unemployed" old men in front of them.

……

Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Harz Mountains.

This is a forest imbued with magic by myths, legends, and poetry, covering an area of ​​over two thousand square kilometers. The highest peak, Mount Broken, is said to be inhabited by the "Brocken Sorceresses," who fly about riding long-handled brooms and pitchforks, their hair flowing freely. They are known throughout Germany for their mischievousness and acts of kindness. Folk tales tell of how, every year at the end of April, the sorceresses and demons gather on Mount Broken for a wild dance and celebration. The sorceresses, trailing long skirts, dance wildly, while the demons drink, make merry, and let out terrifying laughter.

To biologists, this forest holds a wealth far exceeding its human value—it is a sanctuary for many rare animals, and was once even called the lynx forest. It is one of Germany's most important forest nature reserves.

For most of the year, the area is a desolate wasteland ravaged by fierce winds and shrouded in mist.

Hidden beneath this dense forest and hilly terrain, a formidable underground fortress has been operating for many years. The Secret Service acquired this massive military fortress from the legacy of the Third Reich, renovating and expanding it to the standards of an ice cellar. After a series of changes, the fortress is now nominally under the Secret Service's control, but in reality, it is solely controlled and operated by the Gattuso family.

In order to cope with some unknown apocalyptic disaster or war prophesied by the dragon race, the Secret Party built five super-large underground spaces around the world to preserve all of human civilization. If Kassel College is the "Hall of Heroes", then these underground spaces correspond to the "Noah's Ark".

This fortress in the Harz Mountains was once a candidate for "Noah's Ark," but since the first atomic bomb had not yet been detonated on Earth when the Third Reich built the fortress, let alone the later hydrogen bomb, the fortress did not have the ability to withstand a nuclear attack and was therefore excluded from the candidate list.

Even so, this is enough to demonstrate the sheer scale of this fortress. The configuration of "Noah's Ark" required the storage of vast quantities of plants and animals, embryos, pollen, seeds, as well as human history, culture, and scientific data, along with knowledge of alchemy and the power of words. The inventory would need to include complete sets of machinery, food, and drinking water. Most importantly, it would also require a nuclear reactor capable of operating for 500 years.

Now, under the Gattuso family's management, the Hearts Mountain Fortress is comparable in size to an ice cellar. However, compared to the ice cellar's function as a large warehouse, the Hearts Mountain Fortress is more like the ultimate luxury version of Genji Heavy Industries' ξ-layer medical laboratory.

After the Nibelungen incident on Highway 0, Nono received an extremely long leave of rest and recuperation. It was during this time that her father, the current head of the Chen family, approached her and asked her to return to the Chen family to handle some matters. Under Lu Mingfei's instructions, she returned to the Chen family with technical support from Su Enxi and a personality named EVA from the academy secretary Norma.

Around the time of the Japanese branch's rebellion, Chen's father took her away from the Chen family and brought her to this fortress in the Harz Mountains in Germany for a so-called "physical examination."

Chapter 220 Ghost

Upon arriving at the Hartz Mountain Fortress, Nono encountered the biggest surprise: EVA's abilities were restricted there. Both Norma and EVA are essentially supercomputers hidden underground at Kassel College. Nono's birth was almost simultaneous with the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, named "ENIAC." Over the following decades, the college continuously enhanced her with newer technologies until she was transformed into a super network capable of monitoring the world.

However, in extremely rare cases, there are indeed regions in the cyber world that even Norma cannot fully monitor, such as the territory of Japan protected by Princess Kaguya in a hostile state. The Hatz Mountain Fortress, which is not monitored by Norma, may very well also harbor a super artificial intelligence of the same magnitude as Norma.

This is understandable, given that the Gattuso family controls this place. It is said that their family research institute is already comparable to the Ministry of Equipment in terms of technical strength, and they have more abundant research and development funds. It is not surprising that they created artificial intelligence or even a mirror machine of Norma to serve the Gattuso family.

After arriving here, Nono never saw her father again. She was put up in a luxurious suite of more than 200 square meters. Every now and then, different doctors would ask her to come for some physical examinations. Everyone was very polite to her, but she didn't like this respect at all and felt a little disgusted.

They do not respect her personal will; their respect is directed towards Caesar or some powerful figure in the Gattuso family who gives her orders. If one day a truly powerful figure orders her death, these doctors will not hesitate to take action...

At 11 p.m., the power was cut off and the lights were turned off in the living area on time. Nono opened her eyes in the dark.

The fortress's various areas are connected by a complex network of corridors, whose ceilings are covered not only with lights and various pipes, but also with numerous surveillance cameras. Under such a density of surveillance, perhaps not even a fly could escape. But Nono, after observing, discovered something strangely eerie—some of the fortress's surveillance cameras were turned off between lights out and midnight.

To be precise, there is a one-hour gap in the surveillance footage between her living area and the freight elevator.

She suspected it was a trap or entrapment by the staff inside the Hatz Hill Fortress, but none of the staff showed any clues in the profile. Even when she "casually" mentioned to the waiter pushing the food cart that there was an electrical noise in the corridor at night, a team of engineers from the fortress inspected the circuits, lighting facilities and surveillance that same day.

If the shutdown of the surveillance was done intentionally, the identity and motives of the person responsible are puzzling.

Nono quietly got out of bed. In the darkness, there was a faint light, enough to see. As the surveillance cameras were turned off, the security door to her suite was also unlocked. The access control system only displayed the words "Identity verified successfully" in a ghostly green, as if a ghost was wandering in this fortress inherited from the Third Reich, opening a path for her in a place that Nono couldn't see.

Where this road leads is still unknown, but Nono is not afraid of such an invitation. She has already accepted the ghost's invitation once in Nibelungen, and she will not hesitate this time either.

Walking down the corridor, the freight elevator had thoughtfully stopped on this floor. Nono pressed the button, and the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing an empty room. The freight elevator was several times larger than a normal elevator, large enough to accommodate large experimental equipment or building materials. Standing in the middle of the freight elevator, Nono appeared somewhat tiny.

The elevator doors closed again, and then one of the dozens of floor buttons lit up. Nono was right; it was indeed an invitation. From the moment she stepped into the freight elevator, the inviter had already planned a route within the fortress, which was as vast as a small city.

As the freight elevator descended, it operated at a constant speed with almost no shaking or noise; only the numbers on the floor display jumped regularly and gradually decreased.

Nono had no intention of passively waiting for the inviter to appear. She took out a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol she had been keeping hidden and a specially made alloy dagger from the equipment department, and did a final check, especially checking the bullets in the magazine. The first two were Friga bullets, then 11 mercury-core blunt metal armor-piercing bullets, and the last two were bullets with the Philosopher's Stone as the bullet head given to her by Caesar.

Perhaps out of reverence for Caesar, the men of the Hearts Hill fortress, though effectively placing her under house arrest, did not subject her to any offensive searches, which allowed her to retain her two weapons.

The freight elevator slows down and stops, and the floor display shows the number zero.

The highest level of the Hatz Mountain Fortress is the basement level, and the floors decrease sequentially downwards. Logically, the zero level should represent the ground level, but the freight elevator did indeed pass through the deepest floor and then descend one more floor, stopping at this so-called zero level.

The door slowly opened, and Nono stepped out of the elevator with a gun in her hand. Outside was a long, dark tunnel.

The ground was paved with concrete, just wide enough for one car to pass at a time, with iron railings on both sides. Beyond the railings were rock walls bearing the marks of excavation. A row of suspended lighting fixtures fixed to the rock above provided a meager illumination of the road.

Wearing slippers, Nono simply carried them in her hand after leaving the elevator and stepped barefoot onto the concrete floor. The floor was cleaner and smoother than she had imagined, and she couldn't even feel any large particles, even though the tunnel ceiling was bare rock.

As she continued along the tunnel, she could clearly hear her own breathing and heartbeat for a long time. Unlike most of the functional areas of the Hearts Mountain Fortress, there were no complicated medical instruments or strange alchemical tools here, only silent rocks and hard concrete.

After walking for about ten minutes, just as she was considering turning back and exploring the tunnel again, the overhead lights suddenly went out all at once, plunging the tunnel into absolute darkness and silence.

Even though she had anticipated it, Nono's heart still raced instantly. She didn't have any lighting equipment like a flashlight, nor did she have any Word of Power like the Kamaitachi that could maintain its fighting power in the dark. She could only rely on the combat skills she had learned in practical classes to fight back.

She first crouched down, then rolled over to the iron railing in a semi-prone position, curling up and rolling to the outside through the gap between the railing and the ground.

The tunnel was excavated before the road was paved, so the concrete floor is several tens of centimeters higher than the actual tunnel floor. The guardrail is the boundary of the concrete floor, and a narrow "U"-shaped hiding place is formed between the guardrail, the tunnel floor and the walls.

Just as Nono hid, the lights came on again, but this time the lights were much more powerful than before, so bright that they were almost blinding, as if it were dawn.

Hiding in the shadows, Nono then discovered that there was also a surveillance camera above the light fixture, and it was in operation.

apologize

I apologize for the recent break in updates. I was mainly on a business trip to the client's construction site, which was both tiring and busy, until around the Mid-Autumn Festival. I went back to my hometown for the Mid-Autumn Festival and took two extra days off. I only started updating again after returning to work.

Stable updates are a crucial aspect of the reading experience for online novels, so it's fair to say that this book has a terrible ending, which is indeed my fault.

terribly sorry.

This book is now in its second half, and the countdown to its conclusion is almost over. I'm definitely the one who most wants to see the ending, but I'm hesitant to make any promises. Every time I've made a promise since the beginning of the book, something unexpected always happens.

The main reason for this trip back to my hometown was to discuss my resignation. I plan to find a job closer to home, and I estimate that I'll resign once this book is finished.

Hopefully it will end smoothly.