Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Yoko's eyes were dark brown. Frilian had temporarily changed the color of her irises with magic, but it couldn't be maintained permanently. She wore a special pair of contact lenses with extremely fine alchemical patterns on the surface, which could both change the color and allow her magical vision to function normally.

"One last reminder," Morishita said, handing her a small bag. "These contain Yoko's belongings: her research notes, a scalpel she always used, and a photo of her with Scorpion. Take these out if necessary; they can increase credibility."

Frilian took it and put it in her backpack.

"What's the situation with Miho Yamazaki?"

“She’s stable.” Morishita led her to the resuscitation pod. “Her body temperature has returned to 34 degrees Celsius, her vital signs are normal, and her brain waves are starting to show signs of activity. But it will take time for her to regain consciousness; it could be a few days or a few weeks.”

Yamazaki was asleep next to the resuscitation pod, with deep dark circles under his eyes. He had barely slept for the past three days.

“Tell him that his mother will wake up,” Frillie said.

"Wouldn't it be better if you told him yourself?"

“No,” Frilian shook her head. “Yoko shouldn’t know Yamazaki Miho’s son.”

She took one last look at the woman in the resuscitation pod, then turned and walked toward the exit.

"Good luck," Morishita said behind her. "If things go wrong, remember to run. The clinic will always welcome you back."

Frillie nodded and pushed open the door.

Chapter 498 I'm Looking for the Scorpion - Frillie

Behind Kabukicho in Shinjuku, there is an inconspicuous alley. There is no sign at the entrance of the alley, only a spray-painted scorpion pattern with its tail raised and its stinger dripping red blood.

Scorpion's Nest. Ostensibly an underground fighting arena, it is actually a training base and intelligence exchange point for the Demon Clan's field operations department. Only hybrids or those with an insider's introduction can enter.

Frillie stood at the alley entrance, her magical senses scanning the area. Fifteen meters underground, there was a vast space, fifty meters long and wide, with a ceiling eight meters high. Currently, there were thirty-seven life forms inside, five of whom reacted strongly, reaching at least Rank B.

One of them stands out. B+ grade, violently unstable, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. It must be the Scorpion.

Frillie took a deep breath and stepped into the alley. At the end of the alley was a rusty iron gate. Two burly men stood guard at the door, both wearing masks with scorpion patterns.

"Stop," said the person on the left. "Private area, no entry without permission."

"I've come to find someone," Frilian said in Yoko's voice. After three days of practice, her voice had been adjusted to match Yoko's recording, calm with a hint of indifference.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Poisonous scorpion."

The two guards exchanged a glance.

"Boss Scorpion isn't seeing guests today," said the man on the right. "Did you make an appointment?"

“No,” Frilian said, “but tell him that Yoko is back.”

Upon hearing the name Ye Zi, both of them visibly stiffened.

"What, what did you say?"

“I said, Yoko is back,” Frilian repeated. “If you don’t want to be blamed by him, you’d better inform him now.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, the guard on the left pressed his earpiece and whispered a few words.

A few seconds later, a deep, hoarse male voice came through the headset. It was so loud that even Frillian could vaguely hear it: "Let her in. But if she's playing me, you know what will happen."

The iron gate slid open, revealing a staircase leading downwards.

Frillie went down the stairs. The stairs were long, and the further down she went, the louder the noise became: shouts, cheers, the clanging of metal, and the muffled thuds of flesh hitting flesh.

The underground space was larger than she had perceived. In the center was an octagonal fighting cage, ten meters in diameter, surrounded by tiered seating, which was now full of people. Inside the cage, two hybrids were fighting, unarmed, purely hand-to-hand combat, but every strike carried the power enhanced by dragon blood, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh was sickening.

The air was thick with the smells of sweat, blood, and the sweet, fishy odor characteristic of stimulants.

Frillie's appearance didn't attract much attention; strangers were normal in this kind of place. She walked along the edge to an observation room at the back, where the scorpions were located.

The observation room was a one-way window, so it was impossible to see inside from the outside. Four guards stood at the door, all of whom were more elite than those outside.

"Miss Yoko?" a guard asked, his tone clearly suspicious.

"it's me."

"Please wait a moment, Boss Scorpion is here."

Before he could finish speaking, the door to the observation room was suddenly pulled open.

A man walked out.

Frillie's first impression was: scars.

Scorpion's face, neck, and bare arms were covered with scars of all sizes. The newest one ran from his left eyebrow to his chin, the stitches still clearly visible. He was about thirty years old, with short, shaved black hair, and eyes as sharp as knives, his dark golden pupils gleaming dangerously in the dim light.

He was very tall, at least 185 cm, wearing a simple black vest and tactical pants. His muscles were well-defined but not exaggerated, the kind of physique that had been honed through countless battles.

His right hand, from wrist to fingertips, was covered with a layer of dark red keratin—not a glove, but a mutation of his own skin. The nails on his five fingers were sharp and curved, like real scorpion stings.

Word of Power: Scorpion Venom. B+ Rank. Its ability is to secrete highly venomous fluids, which can be transmitted through contact or blood. The right hand is a result of long-term use of Word of Power, leading to dragonification.

Scorpion stared at Frillie, his gaze shifting from initial shock to suspicion, and finally to cold scrutiny.

He remained silent for a full ten seconds.

The air around us seemed to freeze. The shouts from the stands and the sounds of fighting in the fighting cages all sounded distant and unreal.

"Night Child?" Scorpion finally spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper.

“It’s me,” Frilian said calmly. “Long time no see, Scorpion.”

This is how Yoko refers to Scorpion, calling him simply "Scorpion" without his surname, which is proof of their close relationship.

Scorpion stepped forward, so close he could feel the heat and smell of sweat emanating from him. He reached out, not to embrace her, but to use his dragon-transformed right hand to pinch Frilian's chin, forcing her to look up.

“Prove it,” he said, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion, “Prove that you are her.”

Frillie did not resist; she simply looked into his eyes.

"How do you want me to prove it? A DNA test? Or ask me something only we know?"

“Tell me one thing,” Scorpion’s fingers tightened, his nails almost piercing the skin. “Tell me something that Ye Zi knows, but no one else could possibly know.”

Frillie's mind raced. The information Morishita had given her contained many private memories between Yoko and Scorpion. But she had to choose the one least likely to be known by outsiders.

She had an idea.

“Our first date was in Yokohama’s Chinatown,” Frillie said. “You treated me to xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and I burned my tongue. I laughed at you for being silly, and you got angry and ignored me all day.”

The scorpion's expression remained unchanged.

"Later that night, you drove me home. When we were downstairs at my apartment building, you suddenly said, 'I'm sorry, I have a bad temper.' That was the first time you apologized."

"anything else?"

“You wore a red shirt that day, which didn’t suit you at all. I said you looked like a gigolo, and you never wore it again.”

Scorpion's fingers trembled slightly.

“And another thing,” Frilian continued, “you have a scorpion tattoo on the back of your right shoulder, which I designed. You didn’t make a sound when I got it done, but I know it hurt because you were holding my hand, holding it very tightly.”

Silence fell; the guards around held their breath.

Then, Scorpion released his grip. He took a step back, his eyes still fixed on Frillie, but the coldness within them began to melt, replaced by complex, painful emotions.

"Where did you go?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. "They said you died in Hokkaido and your body was cremated. I... I went to the scene and saw your ashes."

“That was a double,” Frillian said, following the script. “The organization wanted to kill me because I discovered a secret I shouldn’t have. My mentor arranged for me to fake my death and hide.”

"What secret?"

“The truth about God,” Frillian said in a low voice, “and the deal between the organization’s higher-ups and the Snake Clan.”

These words made Scorpion's eyes suddenly sharpen. He glanced at the guards around him and gestured: "All of you, step back. Turn off the surveillance; I need to speak with her alone."

The guards nodded and quickly cleared the area. Even the matches in the fighting cages were paused, and the spectators were asked to leave. A few minutes later, only the two of them remained in the entire underground space.

Scorpion led Frillie into the observation room and closed the door. The room contained a sofa, a coffee table, and various weapons hanging on the walls. Scorpion poured himself a glass of whiskey, without ice, and drank it down in one gulp.

“Go on,” he said, sitting down and crossing his arms. “Start from the beginning.”

Chapter 499 Frilian: Long Time No See, Scorpion (Part 1)

Frilian sat opposite him and began to tell the story she had prepared.

“Three years ago, I was involved in a project about gods in the Seventh Experiment Department, where I was responsible for analyzing samples extracted from the periphery of the burial site of gods. But I discovered that those samples were not from ancient remains, but from living people.”

"Live?" Scorpion frowned.

“The organization was secretly capturing highly pure hybrids, extracting their bone marrow and cerebrospinal fluid in an attempt to clone fragments of God’s genes,” Frillie said. “My mentor, Miho Yamazaki, discovered this and reported it to her superiors, resulting in her being sentenced to permanent cryopreservation for ‘disobeying orders.’”

Scorpion clenched his fist: "Miho-senpai, she..."

“I tried to save her, but I was discovered. The organization wanted to silence me, but my mentor arranged for a body double beforehand so I could fake my death and escape.” Frillian lowered her eyes, making a sad expression. “For the past three years, I’ve been hiding, changing identities, changing cities, and not daring to contact anyone.”

"Then why did you come back now?" Scorpion stared at her. "Since you escaped, why did you come back to die?"

“Because I heard that my mentor was transferred.” Frilian raised her head, her eyes hardening. “Moreover, I discovered something even more terrifying. The Snake Clan is preparing to open the gates of the Divine Burial Ground, and the organization’s higher-ups intend to reap the benefits.”

She recounted the information she had obtained from Tachibana Masamune, after altering it.

Operation Deep Sea. The Trieste. Three Class A hybrids were sacrificed.

As Scorpion listened, his face grew increasingly grim.

"Where did you get this intelligence?"

“I have my own channels,” Frilian said, “but most importantly, I know the organization plans to launch a surprise attack after the Snake Clan opens the door and seize what’s inside. And the field operations department, including your third team, will be sent as the vanguard, as cannon fodder.”

"Impossible," Scorpion categorically denied. "The higher-ups wouldn't do that."

“Why not?” Frilian interrupted him. “Scorpion, you know the organization better than I do. In the eyes of those old men, we combatants are nothing but expendable resources. If they could exchange a team of B-rank soldiers for the power of a god, they wouldn’t even blink an eye.”

Scorpion fell silent. He knew Frilline was right. The higher-ups of the Demon Clan, those ancient monsters who had lived for hundreds of years, had long regarded their subordinates as tools. Three years ago, when Ye Zi died, he applied for an investigation, only to be rejected with a single sentence: "Just a traitor, not worth wasting resources on."

If he hadn't insisted on conducting a private investigation, he probably wouldn't have even seen the body of that double.

"So you've come back now to warn me?" Scorpion asked.

“It’s a warning, but also a plea for help,” Frillian said. “I want to save my mentor, but I can’t do it alone. I need to get back into the organization; I need authority; I need power.”

Scorpion sneered: "Do you think the organization would welcome back a researcher who has been a defector for three years? Even if I believe you are Yoko, what about the others? Raven? Kato? They would arrest you, interrogate you, and then execute you."

“That’s why I came to you,” Frilian said, looking him straight in the eye. “You’re the field corps commander, so you have the authority to recommend new recruits. You could say I’m the medical specialist you recruited from outside, specializing in battlefield first aid and toxin analysis, which is exactly my area of ​​expertise.”