Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

In a double hospital room, Angers sat by the bed, on which lay the energetic Finger.

"When did he fall into a coma?" Angers asked.

"Everything was going smoothly until he suddenly shouted 'Brother!' Ronald Tang turned around and glanced at us. The pressure from the Golden Eye was so intense that I couldn't even lift my head." What Fingel said was different from what he wrote in the summary report. "I activated my Word of Power to avoid being forced to the ground. He knelt down at that time, but then the lights went out and I lost my sight."

"Did Ronaldo exhibit any unusual behavior before he called him 'brother'?" Angers asked again.

“No, if that guy was faking it, then everyone around us could be a dragon.” Fingel recalled some details about Old Tang, including his late-night conversation with Lu Mingfei that day. “Is he really the other one?”

“It’s not clear yet,” Angers said calmly. “We must keep our conversation a secret from everyone.”

“Of course,” Fingel nodded.

This hospital is owned by Kassel College, and professional medical staff usually conduct anti-eavesdropping checks before selecting wards.

Less than half a minute later, Ye Sheng pushed open the door to the ward, looking travel-worn.

What he saw was a harmonious and warm time between teachers and students, with Angers peeling an apple with his famous alchemical folding knife, while Finger lay on the bed waiting expectantly.

"Principal." Ye Sheng knocked on the door politely.

"It's Ye Sheng, thank you for your hard work." Angers said like a kind elder, "Your performance in this operation was outstanding."

"No, I basically didn't do anything," Ye Sheng said with a hint of shame.

“Don’t be ashamed. Cleaning up the mess and winning the victory are the commander’s job. This accident is not your fault. Even if you had provided timely support, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome,” Angers earnestly advised him.

Ye Sheng's eyes lit up. "Has the vice principal found any clues?"

“No, but we have been able to assess it as the ‘Awakening of the Dragon King’ because signs of elemental turbulence were discovered in Bronze City, almost simultaneously with the Panhandle Plateau incident.” Angers stood up.

"So, it's the King of Bronze and Fire?" Ye Sheng's expression turned grim; he was a witness to that upheaval.

Strangely, after that incident, the Executive Department conducted multiple underwater explorations but found no trace of dragons surviving or reviving. After salvaging a pile of scrap metal, the Academy lowered its priority for exploring Bronze City by one level.

“We speculate that the first Dragon King, one of the four thrones recorded in the Ice Sea Fragment, influenced Lu Mingfei through some kind of mark when he first awakened, and this time it may be an assassination attempt,” Angers said.

"Then we..." Ye Sheng took a deep breath, digesting the massive amount of information the principal had just delivered.

“The branch is already taking action. I’m here to bring back the survivors of the Panhandle Plateau incident to the academy for hypnosis assistance to help them recall what happened.” Angers had finished peeling the apple and handed it to Fingel, the spiral peel falling intact onto the tray.

Angers wiped the apple juice off the folding knife with a handkerchief, then put it away and tucked it into the leather sheath inside his shirt sleeve.

"I am applying to join the Three Gorges Project," Ye Sheng said firmly.

“I agree.” Angers immediately and decisively agreed, his eyes filled with relief. “Many hybrids who encounter dragons will be haunted by the shadow of dragon might for the rest of their lives. It seems that Lu Mingfei at the bottom of the reservoir has had a great influence on you.”

“Yes,” Ye Sheng admitted. “I think he was the one who led us to victory in the war.”

“I think so too.” Angers patted him on the shoulder.

……

The CC1000 branch line train sped along towards the mountaintop campus.

Inside the Victorian-style carriage, Angers and Finger sat facing each other, while Constantine lay unconscious on a medical stretcher beside them.

The morning sun was intense and bright, and droplets of hot steam could be seen in the transparent light—that was hot, freshly brewed black tea.

"Am I really going to be hypnotized when I go back?" Fingel asked.

“In extreme cases, the brain can deceive you.” Angers gently shook the teacup on the table. “In a way, we have never seen the real world. Our senses come from nerve signals from the retina, cochlea, skin, olfactory cells, taste cells, and so on. When the brain judges these signals as harmful, it sometimes distorts some of the information.”

"Brain in a vat?" Fingel had actually read this kind of philosophy book and realized what Angers meant by the concept.

Chapter 70 Hypnosis

“Yes, Brain in a vat,” Angers said. “Hilary Putnam proposed the idea that a person’s brain is cut off from their body and placed in a vat containing a nutrient solution to keep the brain alive. The brain’s nerve endings are connected to a computer, which sends information to the brain according to a program to maintain the illusion that everything is completely normal. To the person, it seems that people, objects, and the sky still exist, and their own movements and bodily sensations can also be input.”

"So Dragon's Might is based on a similar principle?" Fingel nodded thoughtfully, "directly affecting the neural signals of living beings to produce feelings of fear or even hallucinations?"

"It's not clear yet. The 'spirit' of dragons isn't an abstract, idealistic concept like the soul or psychological phenomena. It can directly influence the elemental forces in the objective world. In the science of dragons—alchemy—spirit is one of the elements." Angers was an excellent educator, and at this moment, the carriage had become a small classroom, even though the only audience was the "F"-class Fingel. "Since it's something that objectively exists, we can obtain empirical evidence through observation and experimentation, thereby describing, understanding, and predicting it!"

“Uh…” Fingel turned his head and realized the harsh reality behind the principal’s impassioned speech, “But in the end, we still have to use the classic technique of hypnosis.”

"Because our science and technology started too late—compared to the dragons' innate strength, alchemy, and ancient civilizations... Fortunately, the academy already has research projects in this area. In their latest report, they completed an external neural network called DishBrain, which consists of approximately 80 to 100 million living brain cells, a size similar to that of a cockroach's brain." Angers took a sip of his red tea and continued, "They placed microelectrodes under the brain cells and applied stimulation using computer-controlled precision currents. They are currently searching for neural signals that simulate the mental suppression of dragons. In time, we may be able to control our own brains, and even ordinary people can face the Dragon King directly."

"In this area, have we really only studied neural tissue the size of a cockroach's brain?" Fingel asked tentatively. "Wouldn't it be faster to study the human brain directly?"

Angers glanced at him. "Last year, the Vatican just published the new Seven Deadly Sins of modern society, and human experimentation is one of the first ones on the list."

Fingel had a wide range of knowledge and was already familiar with these seven points: genetic modification, human experimentation, environmental pollution, social injustice, poverty, greed, and self-degradation.

"I think the sponsors of our school are all incredibly greedy; they probably violated every single one of these rules," Fingel complained.

Angers neither confirmed nor denied this point.

The Secret Society is not a charity. These representatives of mixed-race families sit together, now called the Board of Trustees, but formerly the Council of Elders. They are the true power holders on the dark side of the world, with a lineage as long as the history of the Black King's bloodline. In those dark ages of ignorance and bloodshed, they were known for their ruthless and merciless methods.

Human rights were not a concern back then; as long as they could gain power and weapons, sacrificing people alive was nothing.

Their dragon-slaying was never about protecting humanity or respecting human rights, but rather about vying with dragons for the throne that symbolized power.

“When the dragons are all dead, they will emerge from the shadows of the world and take over the vacant throne,” Angers said. “But this is the most brutal war in history—a life-or-death struggle between species. If you think that way, you are destined to never be able to truly fight against the dragons.”

At that moment, the stretcher made a strange noise, and the boy in the hospital gown lying on it suddenly sat up.

Those who didn't know better might have thought he was provoked by Angers' passionate speech, but in reality, he had just woken up from a nightmare.

Constantine rubbed his eyes blankly, staring at the intense sunlight outside the car window, seemingly still not having recovered.

"You scared me!" Fingel said, but there was no surprise on his face. For a brief moment, he straightened his body slightly in his seat, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

Angers looked at Constantine with a slight smile. "You're awake. Did you have a nightmare?"

Constantine heard the voice and turned his gaze to him, but his empty eyes seemed unfocused. "My brother is dead."

"Which brother, Lu Mingfei?" Fingel asked.

Constantine shook his head and remained silent.

“There are only two, and that’s Ronald Don.” Fingel said this to Angers.

Angers did not respond to Fingel, but instead gently asked Constantine, "What's your name?"

Constantine glanced at Fingel, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Wang Wei."

“Looks like there’s nothing wrong.” Angers got up and went over to untie the restraints on Constantine’s body, which were connected to Constantine’s limbs and the stretcher.

"You're just confirming there's no problem so hastily?" Fingel raised an eyebrow.

“Hypnosis requires the target to be in a relaxed and comfortable environment, so many charlatans create specific lighting conditions and burn incense. The moment the customer enters the room, their mind is affected, and with skillful persuasion, they create the illusion of spiritual communication.” Angers helped Constantine lie down on the sofa in the carriage, explaining to Fingel, “The most powerful charlatans in the world are actually Chinese fortune tellers. They directly deceive people on the street, relying purely on their skills.”

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to go back to the academy for hypnosis?" Fingel asked, puzzled.

“It’ll be too late to go back to the academy,” Angers said. “You should come along later.”

......

When train CC1000 arrived at the platform, a figure was already waiting there: the school board secretary, Pascal Gattuso.

He still maintained his meticulous and capable demeanor as he faced the silver-haired old man, the F-level good-for-nothing, and the A-level freshman who got out of the car.

“I didn’t receive any notification that the board secretary would be coming,” Angers said casually to the blond young man dressed in black.

“The Board of Trustees is very concerned about the Panhandle Plateau incident. I’m here to observe the hypnotic interrogation of those who experienced it firsthand,” Percy stated his purpose, or rather, the purpose of the powerful figures he represented.

“We will send the hypnosis report to the Board of Trustees as soon as possible.” Angers’ smile faded. “Does the Board suspect that the Academy is concealing something?”

Percy revealed a pair of icy blue eyes devoid of emotion. “I am merely an executor. What the esteemed board members consider is not my concern. If you require, I can convey your dissatisfaction.”

“Of course you can sit in on this hypnosis session,” Angers said, showing his understanding side. “Of course I won’t target you.”

"As for the dissatisfaction... I will personally inquire about it."

Chapter 71 Organization

When the Z-8F 100 was about 30 meters above the rooftop, it approached the helipad at a glide angle and gradually decelerated. This is a typical landing method for helicopters on open ground, but the helipad was on the rooftop of a 50-story building, and it was raining heavily!

When the relative height reaches 4 meters, the helicopter's speed has decreased to 20 kilometers per hour, and the rotor blades begin to enter the ground effect range of the rooftop, causing the fuselage to tremble slightly.

However, Zero really got it under control. This behemoth was incredibly stable in her hands. The massive fuselage of the Z-8F 100 hovered on the concrete tarmac before landing, with the tricycle landing gear smoothly touching the ground.

The cabin door opened, and Lu Mingfei was the first to emerge.

The rain clouds were still in the sky, the rain had lessened considerably, but the wind had picked up. Circles of lights illuminated the area around the tarmac, bright floodlights and green boundary lights intertwining.

"Boss, should we keep this guy locked up?" Mai Shude followed Lu Mingfei down the stairs. "The stairwell and private elevator probably won't be big enough to fit him. We'll have to keep him on the roof."

"Old Tang" still lies in the custom-made bronze cage, which is hollow and made of dozens of thin bronze pillars twisted and pieced together, like a crab trap.

Lu Mingfei created this thing mainly to facilitate the movement of "Old Tang," but it has now become useless, so he controlled the bronze cage to open a gap.

Su Enxi threw the thick blanket she had prepared onto "Old Tang".

Finally, Lu Mingfei, Ling, Su Enxi, and Jiu De Mai, who was carrying "Old Tang" wrapped up like a caterpillar, entered the top-floor mansion from the rooftop stairwell.

The stairwell, which can only accommodate one person at a time, seems a bit cramped, but once inside, it opens up into a spacious area.

This is a four-story duplex apartment, decorated in a simple yet elegant style.

All four of them were a bit tired. After throwing "Old Tang" onto a bed in a room, Jiu De Mai and Su En Xi each found a bathroom to take a shower.

Zero led Lu Mingfei to what appeared to be the master bedroom, then opened the walk-in closet hidden behind a huge abstract painting, found him a set of loose pajamas, and left.

Lu Mingfei picked up the clothes and went into the master bedroom's bathroom, which had an oval bathtub by the window and a small wine cabinet next to it.

Lu Mingfei opted for a faster shower.

When he finished showering, put on his pajamas, and came to the large living room on the first floor, Mai Shude and Su Enxi had not yet come out, and Ling was using a hairdryer to dry her light golden hair.

This house has four bedrooms, three living rooms, and five bathrooms, so four people can shower at the same time without having to wait in line.

The living room has a ceiling height of about seven or eight meters. Half of the second floor space is dedicated to the living room ceiling, where a huge chandelier hangs. It is not lit at the moment, only the surrounding hidden ambient lights are on.

Lu Mingfei sat down in one corner of a round-back sofa that could accommodate more than a dozen people.

The living room wall facing the balcony is almost entirely made of huge panoramic glass, and silk curtains hanging from the ceiling block the view outside, but it's easy to imagine that there's not much to see on a rainy day.

It seems that Lu Mingze's team is quite wealthy; such a residence, including renovations, might cost eight figures.

Soon, Su Enxi and Jiu De Mai also emerged from the bath. Su Enxi was wearing a loose T-shirt and beach shorts, while Jiu De Mai was wearing a long silk nightgown.

"Let's go to the second floor," Su Enxi suggested.