Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

"Chisei, what's wrong?" Tachibana Masamune noticed the change in his aura. He had watched Minamoto no Chisei grow up, and was all too familiar with the meaning behind every subtle movement and expression. At this moment, Minamoto no Chisei was radiating a cold and sharp killing intent. Although the Spider Cutter was not yet drawn, in the heart of this Amaterasu no Mikoto, the blade had already been raised.

Genji didn't answer immediately, but instead tilted his head slightly, looking up into the unknown darkness. "Something's happened. I smell blood, very fresh, drifting down from above."

Chapter 659 Complete Lockdown

The words had barely left his mouth—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A deafening gunshot suddenly rang out from above, amplified and reverberated through the elevator shaft, sounding like muffled thunder exploding in your ears! The entire elevator car shook violently, the lights flickered, giving the illusion that it might lose control and plummet at any moment.

However, neither Genjiro nor Tachibana Masamune showed the slightest hint of panic that an ordinary person would have. Genjiro simply tightened his grip on the knife, his eyes growing even sharper. Tachibana Masamune's expression darkened, a shrewd and cold light flashing in his eyes.

"What kind of rat is this, so bold as to sneak into the core area of ​​Genji Heavy Industries?" Tachibana Masamune sneered, but his movements were not slow at all. He pulled out a large-caliber retro-style revolver from the lining of his wide kimono and skillfully checked the magazine. "And it even dared to make the first move?"

"The main gangs and leaders loyal to the Fierce Ghost Clan should have been mostly eliminated or suppressed by us recently. Except for the King General and the Dragon King, the dangerous figures on the wanted list have basically all been captured." Genjiro frowned and analyzed at high speed, "At this time, someone still dares to directly invade the headquarters with a clear target. The other party must have made careful preparations and has some ulterior motive."

“Don’t worry about the elevator itself,” Masamune Tachibana said calmly, expressing his confidence in the building’s security design. “When it was designed, all kinds of extreme situations were taken into account. Not to mention just a handgun shot, even a more powerful explosive would hardly be able to directly threaten the core structure of the VIP elevator. After being attacked, it will automatically switch to a safe operating mode, the speed will be reduced, but the safety will be higher. At most, we will be able to reach the top floor in one minute.”

As Masamune Tachibana said, although the elevator was impacted, it did not stop, but its operating speed was significantly reduced, changing from the previous super-high speed to the speed of a normal elevator, and it continued to rise steadily. This was the safety mode after the safety plan was activated.

“I’m not worried about the elevator,” Genji said coldly, his gaze fixed on the constantly changing floor numbers. “What I’m worried about is that the person who fired the shot might be in the mural hall!”

Tachibana Masamune's expression finally changed. The items stored in the mural hall were far more important than the ordinary files in the warehouse below. They involved the family's most core and oldest secrets. Without further hesitation, he immediately took out his phone from his pocket and pressed a special shortcut key.

Princess Kaguya!

"Headmaster Tachibana Masamune, Princess Kaguya is at your command," came the respectful and clear female voice of the AI ​​butler from the phone.

"The building is immediately placed into 'full lockdown mode'! No one is allowed to enter or exit. All ventilation ducts and sewer entrances are closed. Rooftop snipers are in position. All exterior walls and entrances are sealed off! Execute immediately!"

"Orderer: Tachibana Masamune. Executor: Princess Kaguya. Order confirmed valid, authorization granted. Genji Heavy Industries Building will be fully sealed off within 30 seconds."

Almost at the same second the order was given, the Genji Heavy Industries building, which had been brightly lit and resembled a crystal tower, began to dim from floor to floor, leaving only the eerie green emergency lights outlining the building's shape. The heavy clicks of automatic locks echoed from every fire exit, safety door, and emergency exit.

The entire building is invisibly divided into isolated restricted areas. Anyone who wants to move between different areas must break through the sturdy access control or walls, which will be detected immediately by the omnipresent Kaguya system.

At the edge of the building's rooftop, squads of fully armed snipers appeared silently, their cold gun barrels pointed downwards, completely sealing off any possibility of escaping by rappelling or breaking through the glass curtain wall.

This is an ultimate security measure that has been practiced countless times, and its level of security far exceeds outsiders' imagination. Although some routine security measures were relaxed tonight due to tomorrow's police search, the activation of this ultimate system still instantly transformed Genji Heavy Industries into an impenetrable steel fortress.

“Once we enter a complete lockdown, no matter where the rats came from, they won’t be able to escape,” Tachibana Masamune said, putting away his phone.

Genji glanced at the floor display screen; only a dozen or so floors remained before reaching the "Shinto" floor, where the mural hall was located. In safe mode, the elevator steadily ascended, each number it cleared bringing it one step closer to the source of the bloody stench.

Outside the mural hall, in the elevator lobby.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Chu Zihang, we must retreat immediately!" Caesar shouted urgently into the mural hall while changing empty magazines at an astonishing speed, his tone more urgent than ever before. "At most half a minute, no, maybe only twenty seconds, before they reach this floor!"

Upon hearing the shouts, Chu Zihang pressed the shutter button one last time without hesitation, capturing the last fragment of the mural. Without even checking the shot, he immediately stuffed the camera into his waterproof backpack, zipped it up, and rushed towards the elevator to meet Caesar.

Faced with a super hybrid of Genji's caliber, and with the opponent coming prepared while their side was caught off guard, even the proud Caesar and Chu Zihang knew that a direct confrontation was unlikely to succeed. A tactical retreat was the wisest choice at that moment.

"What about Lu Mingfei and Frillian?" Chu Zihang glanced at the floor indicator of the freight elevator beside him as he ran; its ascent was frustratingly slow. Even if the VIP elevator was operating in safe mode, it would definitely arrive before the freight elevator. The two of them could try to escape via other routes, but Lu Mingfei and Frillian would be walking straight into gunfire.

“Let’s leave it as a gift for that super hybrid!” Caesar said quickly. “Anyway, with that tortoise’s brain, he won’t believe that Lu Mingfei and Frilian were responsible for the massacre in the warehouse and here. At most, he’ll be caught, locked up, and interrogated. We need to have some faith in our teammates.”

As he spoke, he quickly surveyed his surroundings, searching for possible evacuation routes.

Chu Zihang frowned slightly, not entirely agreeing with Caesar's confidence. He shook his head: "Frilian might have a way to protect herself, or even cope. But can Lu Mingfei withstand the torture of the Snake Clan?"

Caesar located the ventilation duct's entrance grille and tried to pry it open with Dick's pusher. He paused slightly upon hearing this, then shrugged. "Chu Zihang, perhaps you should consider a different approach. Maybe Frilline can beat Genji? Although that tortoise is a troublesome bastard, from what I've observed, he doesn't seem like the kind of bloodthirsty madman who would immediately kill an unarmed girl and a loser. They should be safe for now, probably."

Before the words were finished, the indicator light above the VIP elevator door emitted a soft "ding," displaying the floor number and steadily stopping at "Shendao."

The heavy, ornate bronze elevator doors began to slowly slide open to both sides.

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and simultaneously exerted their strength, completely prying open the ventilation duct's grille. The dark duct opening, like the throat of a monster, awaited to devour them.

Chapter 660 Earthquake?!

Lu Mingfei was completely stunned. He had just groped his way into the freight elevator, hadn't even had time to feel relieved that he had escaped from the lion's den, or even to share a sigh of relief with Frillie beside him, "Finally out!"

A series of gunshots rang out from the elevator shaft next door, loud and frightening, amplified like muffled thunder in the empty shaft.

Judging from this situation, could it be that the boss and his senior brother have already clashed with the Enforcement Bureau? Oh my god! Lu Mingfei's heart tightened, and he reached into his pocket. Although gunfights were really not his forte—he even frequently got headshots in CS—one still needed something for self-defense, right?

That's how it's portrayed in movies.

The male protagonist gently but firmly places a small, exquisite silver pistol into the female protagonist's trembling hand, his eyes tender yet resolute, and softly says, "Remember how I taught you to shoot? Aim, hold your breath." Then, at the crucial moment, this little pistol fires with a "bang," taking down the ruthless villainous boss. Every woman in a gunfight movie should have a small pistol at her side.

As Lu Mingfei frantically pulled out his heavy Beretta, which Caesar had temporarily assigned to him, he comforted himself: At least I have one too!

Damn it, how come I'm starting to lean towards the image of a weak and delicate woman?

He certainly didn't want the elevator doors to open and he'd be met with a hail of bullets, instantly dying without even a chance to say his last words. Although, of course, probably no one really wanted to hear his rambling final words anyway.

“Lu Mingfei,” Frillian moved closer to him, quietly watching his flustered movements. “Your heart is racing, your breathing is erratic. Are you scared?”

“Yes!” Lu Mingfei gripped the cold pistol, his hand trembling slightly. He weaved between the stacks of file boxes, trying to find a relatively secluded corner, and also to shield Frillie further inside.

“They’re shooting next door, lady! We might get riddled with bullets the moment we open the door! Aren’t you scared?” he couldn’t help but ask, looking at Frillie’s almost expressionless face.

"You have time, I have magic, what's there to be afraid of?"

“You’re right! Cover! Quick, hide behind these boxes!” Without saying another word, Lu Mingfei grabbed Frilian’s hand and shoved her into the gaps between the stacked file boxes he had just discovered.

He certainly didn't want the elevator doors to open only to be met with a hail of bullets, killing him instantly without even a last word. Although probably no one would actually want to hear his rambling final words, it would be such a shame if Frillie got hurt.

Just then, the elevator jolted violently!

It wasn't the shock of a gunshot, but rather the entire elevator car shook violently. The overhead lights flickered a few times, emitting a buzzing electrical sound, before snapping off completely. Pitch blackness enveloped everything, with only a few red and green indicator lights on the elevator control panel stubbornly flashing their faint glow.

"Damn, boss, is this a gunfight or an artillery battle?" Lu Mingfei muttered in fear, clutching a file box tightly in the darkness to steady himself. "The shock even turned off the power."

He felt Frilian move a little closer to him and could smell her faint fragrance, which calmed his wildly beating heart a little. At least he wasn't facing this sudden situation alone.

Something's not right. Caesar and his crew are well-equipped, but they shouldn't have brought heavy weapons like rocket launchers. Even if they did, there's no reason they could have blown the whole building up like that. This doesn't feel like riding an elevator; it feels like being on a pirate ship at an amusement park, being tossed around and feeling nauseous.

Unfortunately, before leaving for work tonight, Lu Mingfei had drunk a few cups of cheap sake to warm himself up. Now, after being shaken like this, he felt a soreness in his throat and felt like he might vomit at any moment.

"The tremors did not originate from a localized explosion," Frillie analyzed. "It was likely an earthquake."

"Earthquake?!" Lu Mingfei's voice changed.

He knew Japan was a country prone to earthquakes, and minor tremors were nothing to worry about. But the shaking he was experiencing right now, the groaning of the entire building as if it were about to collapse... this earthquake was definitely not small! It was close to magnitude 7 or higher! Minor tremors are nothing to worry about, but major earthquakes can kill people!

The thought had barely crossed my mind when an even more terrifying feeling of weightlessness suddenly descended upon me!

The freight elevator has completely gone out of control!

A sharp, piercing metallic scraping sound came from all directions; it was the brake pads futilely scraping against the tracks, scattering dazzling orange-red sparks that momentarily illuminated the dark walls of the elevator shaft. The scene was brief and terrifying, like a flash of hell.

The earthquake's intensity exceeded the building's design specifications by Maruyama Construction, the company that built it, causing the braking system to fail. The heavy freight elevator car plummeted into the depths of the ground with perfect gravitational acceleration.

"Aaaaaah!" Lu Mingfei's scream mingled with the sounds of the overturned file box and scattered items. The feeling of weightlessness made his internal organs feel like they were about to shift, and extreme fear gripped his heart.

"Lu Mingfei, hold on tight. I'll try to dampen the shock."

"How do I reduce it?!" Lu Mingfei grabbed whatever might be a handrail while tumbling, feeling like his soul was about to fly out of his mouth.

He caught a glimpse of Frilian standing steadily in the middle of the swaying, falling elevator, her slender palm outstretched, pointing towards the bottom of the elevator.

The magic circle unfolded and rotated with her palm as the center.

“An anti-gravity field, offsetting some of the acceleration,” Frillian explained succinctly. “The effect is limited. Prepare for the impact.”

Limited?! Lu Mingfei was on the verge of tears. He felt that the speed of the fall had indeed slowed down a little bit? The completely out-of-control feeling of free fall was supported by a gentle yet resilient force, but the elevator was still descending, and the whistling wind and metallic screams in his ears had not stopped.

"Frilian! Hang in there!" Lu Mingfei didn't know what he could do, so he could only grip the handrail tightly and shout at the petite figure radiating soft light, "Don't force yourself if you can't hold on! Let's think of something together!"

His mind was a mess. Should he do what they do in the movies and jump up before the elevator crashes? But that's a lie, isn't it? Besides, Frilian is still casting a spell.

"If you are scared, you can close your eyes."

"This isn't about whether to close your eyes or not!" Lu Mingfei's wail echoed in the elevator shaft.

At this moment, only three words can express Lu Mingfei's ultimate rant about this ridiculous life. It's not the kind of angry and defiant roar like "Fuck you," but three more direct, more instinctive, and filled with despair:

"Help—me—!"

...

Inside the VIP elevator.

Masamune Tachibana's back slammed hard against the cold elevator wall with a dull thud. He groaned, a sharp pain shooting through his forehead, and warm liquid trickling down his cheek. Given his mixed-race reflexes, he shouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

But the moment the shockwave hit, he gripped his revolver tightly with both hands, focused intently on the elevator doors that were about to open, his muscles tense and his attention highly concentrated. He was completely unaware that the entire elevator car would sway violently like a pirate ship.

It was definitely swaying, not just shaking. The amplitude was estimated to be over a meter! This skyscraper, known for its sturdiness, was now swaying from side to side, like a giant tree in a storm, along with everything inside.

In most people's minds, skyscrapers always stand quietly on the ground, motionless, symbolizing the stability and power of modern technology.

But this is just an illusion. Skyscrapers are built with steel frames, and steel, in addition to being strong, is also flexible. When subjected to huge external forces, such as strong winds or earthquakes, it will naturally bend, absorb the force, and then spring back.

Given the height of the Genji Heavy Industries building, even in windy weather, the top floor would sway slightly by tens of centimeters. However, this amplitude is negligible relative to the total height of the building, and ordinary people neither feel it nor would they specifically use precision instruments to observe it, so it is usually ignored.

But in this high-intensity earthquake, at the moment the seismic waves passed, the entire Shinjuku district, and even the entire forest of skyscrapers in Tokyo, were probably swaying in unison, like strings being plucked by an invisible giant hand, or like a cedar forest raging in a gale, emitting a low, resonant sound.

Genjiro reacted instantly to the shockwave. He plunged the Spider Cutter deep into the special alloy plate of the elevator wall with a backhand motion; the blade emitted a slight hum, firmly stabilizing his body. At the same time, his other hand flashed out and caught Tachibana Masamune, who was staggering and crashing into the wall.

After shaking violently several times, the elevator finally came to a stop, but not smoothly. The steel cables were still tugging futilely above, creaking and groaning, but the car was stuck in the bent and deformed tracks, completely immobile.

VIP elevators have safety standards far exceeding those of freight elevators, and theoretically, they are designed to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake without disintegrating. However, withstanding such an earthquake does not guarantee normal operation. The intense seismic waves caused slight, almost imperceptible but potentially fatal, bending and misalignment in the elevator shaft structure. No matter how ingenious Maruyama Construction's design was, it was impossible for the elevator to travel smoothly through a shaft that was no longer straight.

The phone in his pocket vibrated; it was a text message notification. Genji was still supporting Tachibana Masamune with one hand, while quickly pulling out his phone with the other, glancing at the screen in the light of the elevator's emergency lights.

This is an emergency disaster alert text message from the city hall:

[Earthquake Alert] A shallow earthquake occurred near Tokyo Bay 15 seconds ago, with an initial magnitude of 6.5. The seismic waves are expected to reach Saitama Prefecture in 15 seconds and Yokohama and the Kansai region in 30 seconds. Residents are advised to remain calm, be aware of safety, and follow evacuation guidelines.

"Damn it, of all times for an earthquake!" Tachibana Masamune pulled out his phone and saw the same message. His voice was hoarse from the pain and anxiety. He pressed his handkerchief hard against the wound on his forehead, but blood continued to seep out.

Chapter 661 Genjiro: Dad, I'll be right back.

The problem has become exceptionally difficult. The building remains completely sealed off under Princess Kaguya's control.

This means that if the intruders are still in the mural gallery, they cannot escape for the time being, which is good news. But the bad news is that if the lockdown is not lifted, hundreds or even thousands of ordinary employees in the building cannot evacuate according to the emergency plan! The executive officers are all battle-hardened daredevils who may be able to remain quite calm during an earthquake, but what about those ordinary clerks, technicians, and cleaners who work overtime until late at night?

As if to confirm Yuan Zhisheng's worries, hurried, dense, and beginning to sound chaotic footsteps could be faintly heard outside the elevator.

People on the floor are evacuating according to the "Earthquake Emergency Evacuation Plan." The department head directs the section chiefs, the section chiefs direct the department heads, and the department heads direct the ordinary staff. In theory, everything should be orderly, with people moving along designated safe routes to different safety exits.