Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Ivan immediately got up and ran back. Everyone gathered around the Dragon Blood Detector, which emitted a blinding red light.

"The reading has skyrocketed!" Yamamoto exclaimed in a panic, adjusting the instruments. "I've never seen such a strong reaction before!"

Ivan looked in the direction the detector was pointing, which was the area where he had just sensed the underground pulsation.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly, and sand slid down to a certain point like flowing water.

"Earthquake?" Mark asked nervously.

“No,” Abdul said, his face pale, “it’s the breath of the desert before it awakens.”

The tremors lasted for about a minute before stopping, but the desert was no longer peaceful.

The wind became unpredictable and erratic, and the sand grains formed strange vortices in the air.

In the distance, specks of blue-green light appeared on the sand dunes, like countless eyes watching them from the darkness.

“Phosphorescence?” Lyra’s voice trembled.

Ivan knew what it was: a common defensive mechanism in dragon ruins, activated by a high concentration of dragon blood energy.

"Everyone back to the tents, strengthen the night watch," he ordered. "Abdul, you understand the desert, this phenomenon."

“This is not a natural phenomenon, Captain,” the old guide said, his eyes flashing with fear. “This is the flames of Gene, the desert spirits of ancient legends. My grandfather said that when Gene appears, mortals must leave, or they will be trapped in the world of sand and fire forever.”

Ivan recalled his grandfather's warning that dragon ruins were often accompanied by powerful defense systems, some of which were even alive.

Those bright spots may be a sign that some kind of automatic defense mechanism has been activated.

“Proceed as planned,” Ivan decided, “but remain vigilant. Two people on watch, rotating every hour. If the situation worsens, we are prepared to evacuate.”

The others returned to their tents, while Ivan stood alone at the edge of the camp, observing the distant points of light.

They are now arranged in regular geometric patterns, like signals or warnings.

Ivan took out the pendant hanging around his neck and held it close to a rock he had dug out of the ground. The dragon runes on the pendant began to emit a faint glow.

The resonance phenomenon indicates that the stone has come into contact with dragon's blood.

"I've found you," Ivan murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the depths of the desert.

Tomorrow, they will unveil the first layer of this long-dormant dragon ruins.

Chapter 128 Shadow

The laboratory lights illuminated Percy Gattuso's pale face as he lay on the cold operating table.

The experiment had just ended, and the needles, electrodes, and infusion devices were removed from his body.

"The bloodline purity has increased to 48%, a 2% improvement from last time," a technician in a white coat said, head down, recording the data.

Percy nodded gently. He could feel the blood flowing through his body gradually calming down, and the burning pain was subsiding.

Each bloodline stabilization experiment was like torture, but it was necessary to control the unstable dragon blood in his body and to allow him to continue to exist as the "shadow" of the Gattuso family.

“Lord Frost is waiting for you,” the technician said, handing him a clean white shirt.

Percy slowly sat up, feeling a slight tearing sensation throughout his body.

He put on the shirt, even though every inch of his skin was screaming in protest.

Ten minutes later, he walked into Frost Gattuso's office, showing no signs of discomfort.

Frost stood by the window, his back to him.

Hearing the door open, Frost turned around, a satisfied look appearing on his face, which bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Pompeii Gattuso but was even more hardened.

"How is the experiment going?" Frost asked.

“It went smoothly.” Percy bowed slightly. “What brings you to me?”

Frost walked to the large desk, opened his laptop, and turned to Percy. "Take a look at this."

The screen displayed a dark web interface, a bounty page for a hunter website.

A striking headline jumps into view:

[Bounty: For clues about Fenrir, King of the Earth and Mountains. Reward: $2000 million.]

Percy: "What is this?"

"These bounties were posted three days ago, right after the hearing ended, and they've appeared in large numbers since then," Frost said, tapping the table lightly. "The posters are anonymous, but the bounty is held in escrow by a Swiss bank and is legitimate."

“It could be a prank or a trap,” Percy said cautiously. “The King of the Earth and Mountains has been dormant for thousands of years, and there is no indication that he will awaken in BJ.”

Frost sneered, took a folder from the drawer, and threw it on the table. "Take a look at these."

Parcy opened the folder, which contained a series of photos and reports.

The photo shows a corner of a Beijing subway tunnel, where abnormal cracks have appeared on the wall.

The report documents recent abnormal seismic data and elemental turbulence in the BJ area.

"The three teams the Gattuso family sent to Beijing have all lost contact. The last message came from our A-level agent Alberto, who said the walls were breathing, and then communication was cut off."

Percy flipped through the documents, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"What is the opinion of the tenured professors at Kassel College?" he asked.

Frost took a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass, and said, "They believe there's a 90% chance that the King of Earth and Mountains is awakening. The elemental turbulence is a sign of the Dragon King's awakening."

Percy paused for a moment, then asked, "Should I go to Beijing to investigate?"

“No,” Frost sipped his drink. “Someone else will handle this. I called you here to discuss Caesar.”

Cesare Gattuso, heir to the Gattuso family, is also one of the reasons for his existence as Percy Gattuso.

"What's wrong with young master Caesar?" Percy asked in a calm tone.

“He just accepted the mission to China, voluntarily,” Frost chuckled briefly. “He thinks it’s his own free will.”

Percy understood the implication: "Was it arranged by the family?"

“From the day he chose Nuonuo as his girlfriend on the first day of freshman orientation, every step was planned. His rebellion against his father, his joining the student council, and even his curiosity about Lu Mingfei were all the result of our careful guidance.”

“Young Master Caesar doesn’t like being manipulated,” Percy said softly.

“He doesn’t need to know,” Frost said coldly, “just like he doesn’t know his mother.”

Frost stopped mid-sentence.

Percy knew about that taboo topic, Caesar's mother, one of the deepest secrets of the Gattuso family.

"Getting back to the point. Caesar must secure a spot in the Nibelungen Plan. You are his shadow; make sure that."

The Nibelungen Project, a top-secret human enhancement project at Kassel College, is said to be able to elevate the abilities of hybrids to a level close to that of pure-blooded dragons.

Percy knew what this plan meant for Caesar, and also for the Gattuso family.

“The competition will be fierce,” Parcy said, “especially with Chu Zihang.”

Actually, the strongest opponent was Lu Mingfei, but Percy didn't say that.

"That Chu Tianjiao's son?" Frost scoffed. "He's just the descendant of a nouveau riche. No matter how good his bloodline is, it can't change his origins. Caesar is different. He's the heir to the Gattuso family. He must become the strongest."

Percy lowered his head. "I will make sure that young master Caesar is qualified."

“Very good,” Frost nodded in satisfaction. “There’s one more thing. Don’t tell Caesar about BJ for now. Let him find out for himself; that will motivate him more.”

Percy hesitated for a moment, "If it really is the King of the Earth and Mountains awakening."

"That would be even better. Nothing would be a better way to hone a successor than by confronting the Dragon King."

“I understand,” Percy said. “Any other instructions?”

Frost scrutinized him and asked, "Has your bloodline stabilized recently?"

Percy knew what was behind the question.

His bloodline is more unstable and closer to danger than that of ordinary mixed-race individuals. This is why he needs to undergo those painful bloodline stabilization experiments regularly.

"Within control."

“Don’t let Caesar know the truth about you,” Frost warned. “His trust in you is very important.”

Percy nodded.

He knew that in Caesar's eyes he was a loyal friend and assistant, not a spy planted by his family.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now,” Percy said with a slight bow.

Frost waved his hand in agreement.

As Percy walked to the door, Frost spoke again: "Percy, remember your place. You are the shadow of the Gattuso family; the shadow exists to highlight the light."

“I will always remember.”

As Percy walked out of Frost's office, he felt the side effects of the experiment starting to kick in again.

Tiny black spots appeared at the edge of my vision, and a buzzing sound came to my ears.

These are all signs of unstable bloodlines.

He quickened his pace back to his room, locking the door before allowing himself to show a trace of pain.

He stood in front of the mirror and unbuttoned his shirt.

His pale skin was covered with light blue vein patterns, traces of high concentrations of dragon blood flowing through his body.

“The shadow exists to highlight the light,” he repeated Frost’s words in a low voice.

Chapter 129 Economy Class

Lu Mingfei stood in front of the main gate of Kassel College, dragging his suitcase, as the sky was just beginning to lighten.

A cool morning breeze crept into his collar, causing him to instinctively shrink his neck.

He glanced at his watch; it was 4:30 a.m.

"Why do we always have to gather at such an inhuman time for every mission?" Lu Mingfei yawned, squeezing out a few sleepy tears from the corner of his eye.

“Because the old guys in the Executive Department think that dawn is when the enemy is least alert,” Fingel’s voice came from behind, accompanied by the noise of suitcase wheels scraping the ground, “although I seriously suspect they just want to see us suffer.”

Lu Mingfei turned around and saw Fingel dragging a suitcase in one hand and eating a greasy hamburger in the other.