Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

“My abilities lean towards the realms of perception and the mind, which can help us avoid some electronic detection and mental traps, and also maintain contact within a certain range,” Frillian continued. “I am more familiar with the underground structure of Tokyo, especially the Shinjuku area, than your maps suggest. There is an old backup passage under Takamagahara that can bypass the main surveillance and lead directly to the nearby sewer network.”

The information she provided was invaluable, directly addressing two of their concerns regarding infiltration routes and stealth.

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance. There was no lengthy questioning or bargaining. At this juncture, excessive suspicion and internal strife would only increase the risk.

“Welcome to the team, Frilian,” Caesar said, extending his hand with a genuine smile. “One more person means one more strength.”

He acknowledged her abilities.

Chu Zihang nodded slightly: "I'll explain the specific route and the non-physical traps to watch out for on the way."

Trust is not blind, but a rational choice based on shared circumstances, past performance, and current interests. The four of them are now in the same boat, with a common goal—to infiltrate Genji Heavy Industries, uncover the truth, and retaliate against the Snake Clan.

“Okay,” Frilian nodded without further ado. She walked to the equipment box, but instead of taking any heavy weapons, she took a monocular with night vision, several small sensors she had prepared herself, and a seemingly ordinary but ingenious compass-like item, which she neatly put away.

Then, she looked at Lu Mingfei, her tone slightly softer than when she spoke to Caesar and the others, with a hint of reminder: "Stay close, don't fall behind. Some parts of the sewers aren't friendly to people with bad sense of direction."

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but retort, "Who, who's directionally challenged! My sense of direction is perfect!", but a slight smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. This familiar, slightly teasing interaction eased his tense nerves a little. He knew that Frilian was using her own way to help him relax.

Caesar watched the unspoken understanding flowing between them, a flicker of understanding and a faint, complex emotion crossing his eyes. He thought of Nono. But he quickly composed himself and focused on his current task.

"Check the equipment, make final confirmation," he said in a deep voice. "Frilian, lead the way."

Frillie walked to a wall inside the private room decorated with ukiyo-e prints, and randomly pressed her fingers on a particular pattern on the wooden wall panel, tapping out a specific rhythm.

A slight mechanical sound rang out, and a wall panel quietly slid open, revealing a dark, downward-pointing opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. A damp, chilly atmosphere mixed with a faint musty smell wafted out.

“This passage is an emergency backup staircase built back then, leading directly to an abandoned storage room next to the underground wine cellar, avoiding the main monitoring area,” Frillie explained, bending down and crawling in first with light movements. “Come down, watch out for the steps.”

Lu Mingfei followed behind her without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Chu Zihang followed closely behind, with Caesar bringing up the rear. After entering, he turned around and, following Frilian's instructions, triggered the mechanism from the inside, restoring the hidden door to its original state.

Chapter 644 Charge! Charge! Charge! Charge! (Part 1)

Chu Zihang turned on his powerful flashlight, and the cold white beam pierced the darkness and silence of the second basement level of Takatenhara.

At the end of the beam of light, a painting embedded in a mottled wall was illuminated—a dusty statue of the Virgin Mary.

Despite its age, the pigments have long since oxidized and changed color, blurring the details of the Virgin Mary's benevolent face and intricate robes. Yet, deep within the painting, a subtle, resplendent reddish-gold hue, undiminished by time, still lingers. These are traces of gold powder mixed into the pigments, testifying to its former grandeur and sacredness.

"There's something like this here?" Lu Mingfei murmured in surprise. He then realized that the seemingly glamorous and bustling male escort nightclub hid such a secret underground space. Of the four elevators, only the bulky freight elevators used for transporting drinks and supplies could reach this place.

“This looks like an old house that’s been around for a long time!” he exclaimed. “The style of this place is nothing like typical Japanese architecture.”

"Before World War II, this was a Catholic church," Chu Zihang explained.

He moved the beam of his flashlight, illuminating in turn the dusty remnants of a pipe organ piled in the corner, the enamel-peeled pulpit, and the huge wooden cross, as tall as two or three people, leaning against the wall, with an old, faded ochre robe hanging on it.

"After the Meiji Restoration, a large number of Western missionaries flocked to Japan, and Catholicism spread widely for a time. This church was once an important stronghold for believers in Tokyo, with dozens of priests stationed there, holding regular worship services and Masses, and it was said to be quite prosperous."

He paused, the beam of light sweeping across the charred marks on the wall: "At the end of World War II, Tokyo suffered a massive bombing raid. The church's exquisite reliefs, arches, and stained-glass windows were almost entirely destroyed, leaving only the relatively sturdy main structure to survive. After the war, the manager, recognizing its prime location, rented the place and invested heavily in transforming it into the Takamagahara Nightclub. The dance floor on the first floor where we are now was originally where a giant pipe organ and choir were housed; the booths were benches where worshippers listened to sermons. And this floor…"

He shone his flashlight around the room, explaining, "It was originally a confessional, a scripture reading room, and a rest area for clergy. During the war, it was temporarily used as an air-raid shelter, and to this day, it remains a backup civil defense shelter in official records, though the shopkeeper has turned it into a storage room for miscellaneous items."

Where the beam of light swept across, there was only the dust of history and the remnants of time. Faintly, one could almost hear the deep prayers of the priests of yesteryear, the solemn sounds of the organ, and the devout hymns of the believers echoing here.

Who could have imagined that a hundred years later, the same space would be filled with deafening electronic music, intoxicating aromas of alcohol, ambiguous banter, and glamorous performances by male prostitutes?

Chu Zihang didn't dwell too much on the sighs of history; he quickly focused his beam of light on a corner of the hall. There, an ancient manhole, covered in a thick layer of dust, lay quietly embedded in the ground. The manhole cover was made of heavy cast iron, the German casting markings on the edge long since blurred, and the rusty surface told of its history of at least a hundred years.

“The sewer entrance is right here,” Frillie said.

Chu Zihang and Caesar exchanged a glance. They stepped forward, grabbed the rusty protrusions on the edge of the manhole cover, and pulled simultaneously. The heavy cast iron cover creaked as it scraped against the ground, slowly being moved aside. A cool breeze blew out from the dark opening below, accompanied by the sound of flowing water.

"Frilian, how did you know the sewer entrance was right here!" Lu Mingfei was pleasantly surprised. This meant that they could enter and leave Takamagahara undetected, greatly reducing the risk of exposure.

“I found it by chance,” Frilian said, securing the makeshift descent device with ropes. “I looked up an old map of the Shinjuku sewers. There are only a dozen or so sewer entrances in Shinjuku, and most of them are heavily guarded. This manhole is an exception.”

Lu Mingfei's joy froze slightly.

They were incredibly "lucky." Lucky enough to run into an advertising van from Takamagahara while being chased by the yakuza; lucky enough that the manager of the host club not only took them in but also treated Frillie with great respect; lucky enough that beneath the building where they hid, there happened to be a forgotten passage leading directly to the heart of their target's territory…

Is all of this really just a "coincidence" and "luck"?

Or perhaps, some unseen hand is subtly manipulating the pieces, leading these four little mice step by step towards the entrance to the labyrinth known as Genji Heavy Industries? That hand might be hidden in the shadows, beyond the reach of sight, watching them frantically and futilely run along the predetermined path.

Lu Mingfei shook his head, trying to shake off the unsettling thought. If the mastermind was a specific person, no matter how powerful, Lu Mingfei believed that with Caesar and Chu Zihang's abilities, plus his own and Frilian's, they would always find a way to find the culprit and beat them senseless.

But what if it's not human intervention, but something more ethereal, something called fate or a script?

Lu Mingfei disliked the word "fate" from the bottom of his heart. In most of the stories he had read, the protagonist chosen by fate was always constantly gaining, yet constantly losing.

He recalled a mecha anime he had followed in junior high school. The protagonist, Kira Yamato, was propelled by the gears of fate, boarding a powerful mecha and growing from a rookie to the strongest hero in the universe, saving the world, marrying the perfect heroine who possessed wealth, beauty, and power, and reaching the pinnacle of life.

But Lu Mingfei always felt that the somewhat timid, sensitive boy with ordinary troubles and genuine emotions had actually died the moment he boarded the mecha. What survived were only the shining labels of "the strongest Coordinator" and "savior." He gained the whole world, but lost his complete, flawed self.

Strangely enough, Lu Mingfei himself possessed very little, yet he didn't particularly yearn for the future of the world.

What he feared even more was that all of this humble yet real—his daily banter with Fingel, his occasional encounters with Zero, and the unspoken, quiet understanding he shared with Frilian—would be lost because of an irresistible fate.

As he was feeling uneasy, a cool hand gently touched his wrist.

It was Frilian. She finished checking the descent ropes and stood beside him. She didn't speak, only glanced at him with calm eyes. Like a clear spring, her gaze extinguished the inexplicable flames of anxiety burning within him.

It's as if it's saying: Don't overthink it, watch your step.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and nodded. Yes, what's the use of thinking about this now? We have to take it one step at a time, navigating each pitfall one by one… hopefully, there won't be any pitfalls.

The four of them climbed down the old iron ladder fixed to the well wall one by one. The beam of their flashlights illuminated the brick wall, which was covered with slippery moss.

Hanging from the arched walls overhead were wisps of dark green, hair-like aquatic plants that swayed eerily in the flashlight beam. If you weren't careful, these cold, slippery ghostly hands would brush against your cheeks.

"Rusting sound".

In the shadows of the corner, a black shadow about a foot long slowly crawled across, its scales making a soft rustling sound as they scraped against the bricks. Chu Zihang immediately moved the beam of his flashlight over. Startled by the bright light, the creature suddenly accelerated and darted into the dark green water plants beside it with a "plop," letting out a few barks like a puppy's whimper before disappearing.

"Ah!" Lu Mingfei cried out in fright, his foot slipped, and he was about to fall into the dark ditch next to him.

An arm reached out just in time from the side, firmly supporting his back. It was Caesar. On the other side, Frilian's hand also supported his arm at the same time.

“It’s a newt, a type of salamander native to North America,” Chu Zihang said, his flashlight beam focused on the still slightly swaying aquatic plants. “They feed on the eggs of aquatic animals and are often released into sewer systems as scavengers to control the populations of other organisms. They are harmless.”

"Holy crap! That scared me to death!" Lu Mingfei exclaimed, still shaken, patting his chest. "How could there be something like this in this godforsaken place? It looks like a mini Godzilla!"

Chapter 645 Charge! Charge! Charge! (Part 2)

“The sewers of every city are independent and complex ecosystems,” Chu Zihang explained, gesturing for them to continue forward, like a walking encyclopedia. “They have water, organic matter, and relatively stable temperatures, but lack sunlight. Species adapted to the darkness will multiply rapidly, eventually forming a unique biosphere. The sewer ecosystems vary greatly from city to city, depending on factors such as rainfall, temperature, and water quality. What you need to be careful of here are the bloodworms and other microorganisms that are difficult to see with the naked eye, as they may be parasitic. As for these scary-looking behemoths…”

He glanced at the seaweed and said, "There's probably no danger. Even the snakes are usually non-venomous."

Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine. He tightened his collar, feeling a cold sensation on the back of his neck, as if something was breathing on it. "The Iron Dome Temple is much better, that high-end stuff. Clean, bright, like a sci-fi base."

“Every city’s sewer system was built in phases and batches,” Chu Zihang explained, referring to the simple map and compass in his hand. “We are currently in the main sewer system of Shinjuku Ward a hundred years ago. About ten years ago, Tokyo underwent a large-scale sewer system upgrade, connecting the old pipes with the newly built main pipes of the Iron Dome. Excess rainwater and sewage are collected through various pipes and eventually enter the Iron Dome for purification before being discharged into the sea. So, as long as we keep following this pipe, we will eventually enter the main pipe area.”

How much further do we have to go?

"About 600 meters later, we'll pass directly beneath Shinjuku Subway Station. There, there'll be a large water turbine, which serves as the connection point and primary purification device between the old system and the Iron Dome. Once we pass through the tunnel containing the water turbine, we'll officially enter the jurisdiction of the Iron Dome," Chu Zihang reported the precise data.

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but complain, "Senior brother, are you some kind of pangolin or groundhog? How do you know so much about the sewers? You even know exactly what's in each meter?"

"I did my homework beforehand, searching for relevant information and some publicly available municipal blueprints online," Chu Zihang answered frankly, adding, "I also used translation software to learn a few Japanese phrases that I might use at work."

He switched to Japanese and said a few words: "ありがとうございます (thank you for your patronage). またのお合しをお抡しております (I look forward to seeing you again). お Wineはもう小しいかがでしょうか (Would you like some more wine?) お Sad しみなら、灄てもいいんですよ (If you’re sad, it’s okay to cry).”

Lu Mingfei was stunned. After a long while, he managed to stammer out, "Senior brother, I'm truly impressed! Your dedication to your work and your pursuit of excellence are simply outrageous! Are you really planning to make being a gigolo, such a promising profession, your lifelong career?"

The long sewers swallowed up light and courage. In this oppressive environment, the only way to move forward was to constantly complain and daydream, so that one could feel that one was still a living, breathing human being with body temperature, capable of fear and sharp wit, rather than a creature crawling in the dark underground.

Small eddies began to appear on the water ahead. A muffled rumbling sound came from overhead, growing clearer and clearer; it must be a subway train passing through the tunnel.

At the end of the flashlight beam, a new scene appeared. The pipe widened, exceeding three meters in diameter, and the water flow changed from gentle to rapid, with white waves surging in the narrow channel.

Not far ahead, a colossal structure lies across the center of the pipeline: a massive water turbine composed of blades cast from high-quality steel.

It draws in and lifts the massive influx of water, sending it to a higher-level purification system. The water surges against the blades, producing a thunderous roar, and the entire pipe vibrates slightly. Each blade is over two meters long with sharp edges, rotating slowly under the propulsion of the turbulent water, easily cutting off any floating debris that gets caught in it.

"How do we get across?" Lu Mingfei looked up at the roaring steel behemoth, feeling a slight cramp in his calves. This thing looked far more terrifying than a mud salamander.

“The turbine doesn’t run at high speed continuously. It has intermittent periods of shutdown for maintenance, or it automatically adjusts its speed according to the water flow load,” Chu Zihang said, his eyes fixed on the rotating blades. “Once it comes to a complete stop, we’ll quickly pass through the duct between the blades. We have to be fast, because once it restarts, the suction and shear forces it generates will be enough to pull us away…”

"Mix it into the meat filling for spaghetti bolognese," Lu Mingfei added, his face pale. "But when will it stop?"

“It’s already starting to slow down,” Frilian said softly, her senses sharper than any instrument.

Sure enough, the deafening roar gradually subsided, and the high-speed rotating blades slowed down noticeably. With tremendous inertia, they continued to rotate for several more minutes before finally coming to a stop and remaining still in the turbulent water.

"Now! Quickly!" Caesar shouted, and rushed towards the iron ladder used for maintenance on the side of the water turbine.

The four men, as nimble as monkeys, quickly climbed the slippery iron ladder to the platform where the turbine was located, and then rushed without hesitation to the culvert between the blades, which was only for maintenance personnel to pass through.

The inner walls of the duct were smooth and cold, with massive steel blades radiating a chill on both sides. Walking through it felt like running on the air intake of a jet engine, surrounded by deadly traps capable of tearing a person apart.

In this extreme environment, the strong will to survive unleashed his potential, and Lu Mingfei felt that he had never run the 100-meter dash so fast or with such focus in his entire life.

They used both their hands and feet to cross the tunnel and slide down from the other side.

Even if it's not the first time you've seen it, looking up at the magnificent Iron Dome Temple's main drainage system, which resembles an underground temple, still evokes a sense of awe.

This is undoubtedly an engineering marvel. Fully automated cleaning nets filter layer by layer, huge robotic arms silently scoop up and remove the settled sludge, and intelligent maintenance robots glide quietly along pre-set tracks on the pipe walls. Although there are maintenance ladders and walkways on the pipe walls, according to design standards, this massive underground purification system will not require human intervention for twenty years.

The sizzling sound of electric welding came from deep inside the pipe.

“Did you hear that?” Caesar lowered his voice. “That’s the direction of the underground dock entrance to the Ganryu Research Institute. The welding sound means someone is working overnight to repair the equipment. I can hear at least twenty people over there right now. And they’re fully armed men. From now on, keep the noise down to a minimum. The pipes here will make the sound travel very far, very far.”

"I, I'll try my best." Lu Mingfei felt his throat was dry and wanted to talk to relieve his tension, "but I can't control myself. When I get nervous, I want to ramble on. It's like I'll suffocate here if I don't talk."

“Use these.” Caesar took out several individually wrapped lollipops from the inside pocket of his trench coat, gave one to Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang, and also handed one to Frilian.

Frillie shook her head slightly, indicating that she didn't need it.

Caesar didn't force him. He peeled off a green one and put it in his mouth, saying vaguely, "Holding it in your mouth can help you control the urge to suddenly shout out, and it can also replenish some sugar to keep you awake."

Lu Mingfei took an orange one, quickly peeled it open, and popped it into his mouth. The sweetness melted in his mouth, relaxing his tense nerves a little. "Boss, can I trade you the mint one? It'll wake me up."

"You're too late," Caesar said, already crunching a small piece of candy. "And from now on, think it, don't say it aloud. Someone's coming!"

As he finished speaking, footsteps echoed from the maintenance walkway above, the sound growing louder as they approached.

The four men immediately clung to the shadows of the pipe wall like geckos, holding their breath and peering upwards through the gaps in the iron grille.

A figure dressed in a black uniform with a transparent raincoat came into view. Even through the raincoat, one could see his large, calloused hands resting on the holster at his waist.

He was carrying a Colt King Cobra large-caliber revolver. This weapon was expensive, had tremendous recoil, and was extremely powerful, usually favored only by assassins or seasoned bounty hunters who sought a one-shot kill.

The black-clad guards' suede shoes clattered over the iron grille above their heads, the sound of their footsteps fading into the distance and disappearing at the other end of the pipe.