Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

"However, Mr. Masamune, the tea just now was poured directly with boiling water and they drank it right away. Didn't they feel it was too hot? I saw Lu Mingfei drinking it quite smoothly." Fuma Kotaro himself was skilled in martial arts and had extremely strong control over his body, so he was naturally not afraid of that temperature. However, he noticed that even Lu Mingfei, who seemed the most nonchalant, showed no abnormality, which surprised him a bit.

Tachibana Masamune pondered for a moment, then smiled knowingly: "Perhaps it's the special training at the academy headquarters? Or perhaps young people are physically strong and have high endurance? Or maybe we underestimated these outstanding young people. A little bit of tea is nothing to worry about."

The two said no more and their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Inside the terrace of Xingshen Temple.

After the door closed, the atmosphere on the terrace didn't immediately shift to a serious meeting. Genji didn't rush to spread out all the documents; instead, he walked to a corner of the terrace where a small refrigerator stood. He opened the door, took out a silver ice bucket filled halfway with ice and several bottles of mineral water.

He placed the ice bucket on one corner of the Tai Chi stone table, then looked up at Caesar's group. "The tea we just drank was quite hot. Don't you all feel the heat? Would you like some ice water to cool it down?"

Lu Mingfei was pondering the note at his feet and Inuyama He's mysterious actions when he heard this, he shook his head: "Ah? Oh, it's alright, the temperature is just right, thank you for your kindness."

Caesar looked at the bucket of ice, but his thoughts wandered elsewhere. After a moment's thought, he turned to Sakura Yabuki, who was standing to his side, "Miss Sakura, if it's possible, could you please bring us a bottle of champagne, chilled? Since we have an ice bucket, it'll keep the temperature just right."

Sakura Yabuki glanced at Genjiro, who nodded. Soon, a bottle of French champagne with an exquisite label was placed in an ice bucket; the golden liquid looked especially enticing against the ice.

Caesar skillfully opened the bottle, and with a soft "pop" and rising delicate bubbles, he poured a small half-glass for everyone, including the silent Chu Zihang and the indifferent Frilian.

"At this height, overlooking Tokyo Bay, discussing important matters, it just feels incomplete without champagne," Caesar said, raising his glass and swirling it gently. "It also serves as a formal celebration of the start of our collaboration with everyone in the Japanese branch."

His words subtly set the tone: it was about cooperation, not simply a superior-subordinate or request-for-help relationship.

Genjiro also raised his glass, saying, "Welcome to Japan."

The chilled champagne diluted the slight astringency of the tea and made the atmosphere more relaxed. Everyone then began to get down to business over the champagne.

“Based on the intelligence shared by the Academy headquarters and the results of our independent investigation,” Genji put down his wine glass, his expression turning serious. He took a tablet from Sakura, operated it a few times, and a detailed maritime map of the Sea of ​​Japan and surrounding waters was projected onto the open space in the center of the stone table. “The core objective of this mission is to investigate a former Soviet icebreaker, the Lenin, which mysteriously sank in 1992.”

The finger traced across the virtual map, eventually drawing a striking red circle in the deep blue area near the Japan Trench. "The last distress signal sent by the Lenin before it sank came from this coordinate point. It's about 120 nautical miles from the Japanese coastline."

The red circle on the map stands out against a deep blue background, next to a chilling depth number. It represents not just the ocean, but one of the deepest trenches on Earth, fraught with unknowns and dangers.

Lu Mingfei stared at the red circle, but his mind was elsewhere. When Genji mentioned the Lenin earlier, he didn't feel anything, but the term "former Soviet Union," combined with Caesar's earlier statement that Tachibana Masamune had Russian ancestry and had lived in the Soviet Union, stirred up some vague associations in his mind.

He couldn't help but interrupt Genjiro's explanation, asking with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty, "Um, is Mr. Tachibana Masamune German?"

This question was a bit abrupt. Yuan Zhisheng, interrupted, paused, then looked at Lu Mingfei with a puzzled expression: "Why do you ask that? Mr. Masamune has Russian ancestry, which isn't exactly a secret within the family, although he rarely mentions it. But what does that have to do with Germany?"

Lu Mingfei couldn't quite explain it either. He scratched his head and said, "Uh, it's just a feeling, a very strange feeling, like, like I've seen him somewhere in a past life? No, it's not that I've seen him before, it's just that he looks a bit like me. Hmm, I can't really explain it, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

He did have an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, but the feeling was too elusive to grasp any concrete image or memory. It was only Tachibana Masamune's deep-set eyes and straight nose that vaguely touched a nerve in him.

Genjiro gave Lu Mingfei a deep look, trying to read something from his face. "Mr. Masamune is indeed not a pure Japanese, but he deeply loves Japanese culture and has been dedicated to integrating into and protecting this land and the people living on it for many years. His past may be somewhat complicated, but his loyalty and contributions to his family are beyond question."

These words were both an explanation and a subtle warning, telling Lu Mingfei not to investigate too much.

Lu Mingfei said "Oh" and wisely stopped asking questions.

Genjiro steered the conversation back on track, pointing to a daunting arc marked with extremely deep water next to the red circle on the map: "Next, I want to focus on introducing the area near where the Lenin sank, which is also the main natural challenge we must face in this operation: the Japan Trench."

Chapter 377 The Dragon Embryo at 8,500 Meters Below

Yuan Zhisheng's finger lingered on the deep red marker on the nautical map, his fingertip seemingly imbued with the chill of the deep sea abyss.

"The Lenin sank directly above the Japan Trench. And the deepest part of the Japan Trench is called the Tuscaloa Deep," the figure he uttered carried immense weight, "a depth of 8,513 meters."

Chu Zihang continued, "Before the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench was confirmed, the Tuscalola Deep was once considered the deepest point on this planet."

“That’s right,” Yuan Zhisheng affirmed Chu Zihang’s addition, his gaze sweeping over everyone. “According to our latest ocean current retrospective model and debris spread simulation, there is a greater than 90% chance that the Lenin, or rather the cargo it carried, is now quietly lying at the bottom of the Tuscaloura Deep. To confirm this, we used sonar in a special frequency band to scan.”

He paused, choosing his words carefully to describe the unsettling discovery: “We didn’t detect the clear echoes from the expected metallic structure of the shipwreck, but we caught a signal, a regular, strong, and increasingly powerful signal, a heartbeat. It was coming from the deepest part of the Tuscalola Deep.”

The terrace was quiet for a moment, with only the faint sounds of the distant city noise and the wind rustling through the dry landscape garden.

“Over 8,500 meters,” Frilian, who had been listening quietly, spoke, looking at Genjiro. “Based on my knowledge of general biological laws, the water pressure, low temperature, darkness, and barrenness at that depth are not environments where ordinary life can survive. Even the most resilient abyssal creatures on Earth cannot reach that depth and pressure threshold. Excluding all known low-probability natural phenomena, that leaves us with…”

"It refers only to extraordinary beings. Dragons, or ancient life forms of equal status."

Her interruption caused a glimmer of light to flash in Genji's eyes once again. This mysterious girl not only had keen observation skills, but also exceptionally clear and direct thinking.

"A dragon's heartbeat?" Caesar leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping the edge of the stone table, making a soft, rhythmic sound. "A dragon embryo forgotten in the depths of the ocean?"

“Yes,” Yuan Zhisheng gave an affirmative answer, his expression grave. “Moreover, based on the increasing trend of the heartbeat signal, this embryo is not in a dormant state; it is in the process of hatching. We know very little about the incubation cycle of dragons, especially in this case where it was specially sealed and then placed in an extreme environment. No one knows exactly when it will completely hatch and emerge from its shell. It could be months, years, or even, if the next sonar monitoring shows a sudden change in heartbeat, it could be within days or weeks.”

He continued to trace the events back to the last century, to 1992. During a special voyage, the Lenin secretly docked at an unknown port in the permafrost of northern Siberia, a port not marked on any map. Based on scattered clues and subsequent deductions, it received a crucial cargo there: this dinosaur embryo. Subsequently, the port and a considerable area around it were destroyed in a fire of unknown cause but with tremendous destructive power, and almost all traces and personnel that might be related to this handover were completely wiped out.

"The Lenin continued its voyage, its publicly known route passing through the waters near Japan. Then, in this very area," Genjiro emphasized the red circle, "it sent out a final, indistinct distress signal, and then disappeared from all radar and communications. We believe it eventually crashed into the trench below. And that embryo, along with the wreckage, sank into the depths of the Tuscaloura Deep, silently enduring more than twenty years beyond human sight."

Chu Zihang pondered for a moment, then offered his analysis: "If this embryo belongs to a sufficiently ancient or powerful dragon, then the environment of the Tuscaloura Deep might not be a dead end for it, but rather a unique breeding ground. There is a hypothesis in dinosaur ecology that suggests the origin of some dragons is related to extreme hydrothermal environments on the seabed, or even volcanic activity. Extreme pressure, lack of sunlight, and near-freezing water temperatures could provide an excellent protective layer and incubation ground for dragon embryos that require a long incubation period and are easily disturbed."

“Vitality,” Frilian added again, “Dragons have extremely strong vitality, which is one of their most prominent characteristics. As long as you don’t inflict a completely fatal injury in one go and cut off all their life force, they can often recover at an astonishing speed, and may even undergo unexpected mutations or evolutions in desperate situations. The worst thing you can do when dealing with them is to be close to or possibly dead.”

Lu Mingfei listened absentmindedly, his mind wandering into a boundless imagination: a dragon, a real, living dragon, not a special effect in a movie, nor an illustration in an ancient academic book, right now hiding in the seawater beneath Japan, in that dark, oppressive place where you can't see anything, quietly developing.

Will it wriggle gently inside like a chick in an egg? And one day, the eggshell or some other covering will crack open, and a big guy will wobble out, stretching his limbs that have been curled up in the abyss for more than twenty years, and then float up, giving Tokyo Bay, all of Japan, and even the whole world a big surprise?

For example, what if he breathes fire, shouts, or simply thinks the land scenery is nice and decides to climb up and stay there? Just imagining this scene sent chills down Lu Mingfei's spine, and even the champagne in his hand didn't taste so good anymore.

"This is bad," he muttered to himself, unaware that he had said it aloud.

Caesar also considered the seriousness of the problem. "The situation is indeed very dangerous. A dragon embryo that is hatching is lying on the seabed only 120 nautical miles from the Japanese coastline. In that case, why not use the most direct and effective method? For example, mobilize resources and drop a depth charge of sufficient yield, or something more professional, right above that trench, to completely eliminate that thing along with everything around it that might be contaminated. Theoretically, as long as the yield is calculated accurately, it is entirely possible to destroy only the embryo while minimizing the impact on the geological structure of the trench."

The "professional stuff" he was referring to was not conventional weapons.

Genji slowly shook his head. "Kaiser, your idea is very straightforward. We have considered similar quick elimination plans as well. However, the location of the Tuscaloa Deep is too special. It is located on the edge of the violent collision between the Eurasian Plate and the Pacific Plate, and its geological structure is extremely complex and unstable. Even a precise and controlled explosion could very well be the last straw that breaks the camel's back due to the shock wave and energy release it generates."

"The worst-case scenario prediction model shows that a violent underwater explosion could trigger a chain reaction, causing localized or even widespread rock fractures and landslides in the Japan Trench. This could then induce a massive underwater earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami capable of inundating most of Japan's eastern coast. This does not even take into account the potential for decades or even centuries of radioactive or other pollution to the regional marine ecosystem caused by the explosion. In short..."

Genjiro's gaze swept over the three students from the academy, finally settling on Caesar's face, and he said, word by word:

“Using that method, it is indeed possible to destroy the embryo. But there is also a considerable probability that it will sink Japan as well. We cannot take that risk; neither our family nor Japan can afford such collateral damage.”

Chapter 378 Underground Waterway

Genjiro's words, "Let's bomb Japan down too," were like a block of ice smashed into Lu Mingfei's stomach, instantly shattering his naive fantasy of using bombs to clean up the land. But immediately afterward, more realistic and pressing issues surfaced.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lu Mingfei felt his brain was a bit slow to catch up. "If we can't blow it up, what do we do? Should a few of us go down ourselves?"

He gestured as if diving, his face filled with disbelief. "That's 8,500 meters! Not 85 meters! Not even 850 meters! Even if we were, well, mixed-race, we're not made of iron! How much water pressure would there be in that kind of place? I reckon we'd be squeezed into a Lu Mingfei brand caviar before we even reached the bottom! Is this a task any human could accomplish?"

The voice rose slightly with surprise and panic, which sounded quite convincing in conveying the core idea that "this is simply impossible."

Chu Zihang also became serious. He always attached great importance to the technical feasibility and risk assessment of missions. "Lu Mingfei is right. The high pressure in the deep sea is a physical limitation that cannot be ignored."

"As far as I know, the vast majority of manned deep-sea submersibles used for scientific research or exploration in the world are designed to operate at depths between 6000 and 7000 meters. Those that can reach 7000 meters are extremely rare, representing the pinnacle of human deep-sea technology. As for 8,500 meters, this exceeds the structural limits of most existing deep-sea submersibles. At that depth, the pressure is more than 800 times that of atmospheric pressure at sea level. Any minor structural flaw or material fatigue could cause the pressure hull to collapse instantly, with devastating consequences."

He looked at Yuan Zhisheng with a sharp gaze: "Even without considering the submersible itself, the crew cabin's life support system, robotic arm, observation equipment, thrusters... all systems must be redesigned to withstand this extreme environment. This is not a problem that can be solved simply by hardening it."

Yuan Zhisheng listened quietly to Lu Mingfei's rant and Chu Zihang's calm analysis. His face showed no displeasure at being questioned; on the contrary, he had already anticipated these reactions. He nodded, acknowledging the difficulty of the mission: "That's why the Dragon Abyss Operation has been jointly rated as SS-level by the academy and the family. This is the highest level of dangerous mission, symbolizing an almost impossible but necessary challenge."

The tone shifted abruptly, "However, the geniuses in the Equipment Department of the Academy Headquarters, together with the family's top research institution, the Rockflow Research Institute, have prepared a solution for you. A legendary deep-sea submersible that surpasses existing deep-sea engineering knowledge and can be described as unique. It was created precisely to break through the blockade of the Abyss. Currently, it is undergoing final system debugging and adaptation adjustments in the Rockflow Research Institute's secret dock."

Having said that, Genjiro didn't offer any further explanation. He stood up and walked to the thick granite wall carved with statues of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. He reached out and tapped a specific sequence of taps on an inconspicuous cloud pattern on the hem of the Amaterasu statue's skirt.

A slight, mechanical sound, like gears meshing, rang out. The two massive granite slabs, which had been one solid piece, silently rotated inward and slowly separated, revealing a dimly lit passage behind them.

Inside the corridor, two rows of sharp-looking men, dressed in identical black combat uniforms, wearing sunglasses, and holding sleek, short assault weapons, stood like statues. Upon seeing Yuan Zhisheng, they bowed in unison, their deep, synchronized voices echoing through the corridor: "Greetings, Young Master!"

Genjiro's face remained expressionless, offering only a very slight nod in response. He continued walking straight through the passageway formed by the men in black, with Ryoma Genichiro following closely behind.

The sheer presence, the grandeur, the chilling silence and discipline—all of this made Lu Mingfei think to himself, "Good heavens, this underworld young master's aura is off the charts. It's almost as if everyone's got a scabbard tucked into their waistband, ready to shout 'Banzai' and commit seppuku at the crucial moment."

Caesar unleashed the Word of Power: Kamaitachi. An invisible wind demon spread outwards, and instantly, countless clear or muffled heartbeats, breathing sounds, the rustling of clothes, and even the distant low hum of machinery and the sound of airflow surged into his senses like a tide.

The passageway wasn't just the one in front of them; sounds of human activity emanated from all directions, forming a dense network of life. The weasels flew along the side paths, and the information they relayed indicated that the passageway system here was astonishingly complex, crisscrossing and interconnected in all directions, like a deep underground steel spider web connecting many unknown corners of this building.

Noticing Caesar's focused listening, Ryoma Genichiro, walking beside him, explained in a low voice, "This network of secret passages provides quick access to most of the building's important areas and underground facilities. This idea of ​​constructing hidden routes has a long history in Japan. As early as the Sengoku period, local daimyo would build complex secret passages and mezzanines in their castle towers to guard against ninja assassinations, internal rebellions, or to preserve emergency escape routes. Here, it's just that more modern materials and technologies have been used to further develop and expand upon it."

The group walked in silence for a while. The passage wasn't straight; there were turns and forks in the road. Finally, Genji stopped in front of a smooth, unremarkable metal wall. He quickly pressed a few keys somewhere on the wall, and a hidden numeric keypad emitted a faint blue light. He entered a long password, and the metal wall silently slid open to the side, revealing an internal elevator behind it.

"Everyone, please," Genjiro said, stepping aside to gesture for everyone to enter.

The elevator doors closed, and it began its smooth and rapid descent. The car was quiet, but soon, a sound different from the mechanical operation could be faintly heard. At first, it was subtle, but as it descended, it became clearer—the sound of water. Not the babbling of a stream, but a deep, resonant, and powerful roar, like a giant beast panting in an abyss, or like the ceaseless waves crashing against the rocks.

Lu Mingfei even felt an extremely slight, regular vibration coming from the elevator car beneath his feet, as if they were sinking into a turbulent underground ocean.

The elevator has stopped.

The moment the door opened, a rush of damp air, carrying a faint smell of rust and engine oil, was followed by a deafening roar of water, like a thousand war drums beating simultaneously!

The sudden, open view before them caused even the well-traveled Caesar and the usually composed Chu Zihang to show a hint of surprise in their eyes. Lu Mingfei muttered to himself, "My God."

This was no ordinary basement. They stood on a massive observation platform jutting out from the rock face. Ahead lay a gigantic circular tunnel, its diameter estimated to be over fifteen meters!

Chapter 379 Shio Miyamoto

The lower half of the tunnel was completely filled with a turbulent, dark green current. The raging torrents surged forward at an astonishing speed, violently pounding against the tunnel walls and emitting a deafening roar. At the tunnel ceiling, rows of high-powered xenon lamps stretched forward along the curved ceiling like a string of glittering pearls, illuminating the churning water and rising steam.

But further away, the lights gradually dimmed, eventually disappearing into the bottomless darkness of the tunnel, like a giant dragon of light leading to the earth's core. A massive automated detection system moved slowly along tracks on the tunnel walls, while various sensors at the top continuously scanned the water flow data.

The scale of this project far exceeded expectations. Lu Mingfei felt that even if several locomotives drove side by side into this tunnel, there would still be plenty of room. This wasn't just an underground facility; it was clearly a river of steel rushing deep underground!

On the platform, a middle-aged man, dressed in a thick white dustproof lab coat and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, exuding a refined yet meticulous air, was already waiting. Upon seeing everyone, he bowed deeply, "Welcome to the Ganryu Research Institute, specialists from headquarters. I am Miyamoto Shio, the head of the Miyamoto family, and also the director of this research institute."

“Director Miyamoto,” Genji nodded in acknowledgment.

It was only then that Lu Mingfei and his group truly realized that they were already beneath the foundations of Genji Heavy Industries, and possibly even deeper.

Looking out, you see not only the main tunnel in front of you, but also a vast space illuminated by a high-intensity lighting system. There are also many more crisscrossing secondary pipelines, huge valve groups, filtration and separation devices as tall as buildings, rail transport vehicles shuttling back and forth, and countless technicians and workers wearing various work clothes and safety helmets, busily moving around.

The roar of various large machines, the clanging of metal, and the shouts of commands intertwined with the eternal roar of the water.

"Good heavens," Lu Mingfei murmured, "This place is big enough to house several train stations. Did you hollow out the entire underground area of ​​Shinjuku?"

Upon hearing this, Shigeo Miyamoto adjusted his glasses, a proud look often seen on his face when a technical supervisor introduced his masterpiece: "Commissioner Lu is joking. However, this place can indeed be considered part of the arteries of Tokyo. What you are seeing now is one of the core trunk lines of Tokyo's deep drainage system—the Iron Dome."

He pointed to the ceaselessly flowing underground river beneath his feet: "Tokyo is located on the coast with abundant rainfall. During typhoon season, torrential rains are concentrated, and combined with the runoff from the surrounding mountains, it has historically suffered from severe flooding. To address this, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government planned and constructed this world-leading mega-underground drainage system. It includes several main tunnels like this, multiple underground water storage pits with astonishing volumes, and powerful pumping turbine units. At the peak of heavy rainfall, the system can temporarily divert the massive amounts of floodwater that cannot be drained from the city's surface into underground storage, and then accelerate its discharge into the deep sea outside Tokyo Bay through turbines, effectively preventing urban flooding. The main structure of the entire system is constructed using high-strength special corrosion-resistant steel, making it exceptionally sturdy, hence the name Iron Dome. And our family's Maruyama Construction Company is one of the main contractors for this grand project."

Caesar surveyed the vast underground space, listening to the deafening roar of water. He stroked his chin, clicked his tongue, and a knowing and amused glint flashed in his eyes: "Such a massive, secretive underground network that connects directly to the ocean. Besides municipal drainage, it must also have unparalleled advantages in the transportation and circulation of special materials, right?"

He didn't spell it out, but the meaning was clear: this was a natural, massive smuggling route.

Yuan Zhisheng did not deny this, but simply nodded calmly: "This is also one of the reasons why the family actively participated in the bidding and invested huge resources to ensure the construction. The Iron Dome Temple is not only a project that benefits the people, but it also provides extremely high efficiency and secrecy for the family's special logistics needs."

Frillie, who had been standing quietly at the edge of the platform, tilted her head slightly, gazing at the xenon lights illuminating the rushing water on the tunnel dome above her, and then at the depths of the tunnel disappearing into darkness. The roar of the massive water flow did not bother her much; her emerald green eyes reflected the shimmering water and the cold color of the steel.

It wasn't the man-made wonder itself that she saw, through this surging artificial underground river, a grander, more primal force of nature. A silent and magnificent masterpiece of water and time, shaping the canyon, eroding the rock strata, and traversing the continent.

Genji's gaze inadvertently swept over Frilian's serene profile. She stood there, incongruous with the surrounding noisy, magnificent environment, full of the power of human industry, yet strangely integrated, like an observer from a distant era.

Watching her calmly gaze at the flowing water, Genji suddenly thought of another figure who often stared quietly into space—Uesugi Erii. The girl he kept hidden deep within his heart, the one he had to protect with utmost care. Both possessed a tranquility far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world, and both had unfathomable inner worlds.