Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

The name of the Fuma clan leader is truly unique, "Fuma Kotaro." He's worthy of being the head of a ninja clan; otherwise, the name wouldn't be right. But in this day and age, there are still families that make a living from ninjas. Do they wear tights and hang from the beams? Do they hang their heads from the beams and prick their legs with awls, eating only a hundred grains of rice a day? I heard that ancient Japanese ninjas were the equivalent of Chinese eunuchs, so how did their families survive?

"The last one is the head of the Tachibana family, Mr. Tachibana Masamune, who is also the current patriarch of the Snake Eight Families and the leader of the Japanese underworld."

The old man known as the "head of the family" has white hair and wears a gray linen robe. He is neither as sharp as a knife nor as deep as a mountain, but just by standing there, he is the undisputed leader among the crowd. The old man is like a famous sword with its edge hidden, tempered through thousands of hammers but without revealing its power, revealing an approachable calmness.

It seemed as if all the hardships in his life could be overcome with a smile. The old man's smile carried the confidence that he could overcome all the dangers in the world.

"As expected of the ace commissioner of Kassel Academy, these young men are all heroic and have their own strengths." The old man, the head of the family, stepped forward, shook hands with each of the members of Caesar's team, and looked at them with a smile.

Lu Mingfei was the last one. When he was held by the old man's broad and rough hand, he lowered his head deliberately, with a low-key look of a junior meeting a senior. In fact, he did not dare to meet Tachibana Masamune's eyes.

It’s not that he was afraid of meeting the old man’s weathered eyes, but he was afraid of losing control of his emotions. In the past four years, he had killed the other person a thousand times in his mind. He was afraid that as soon as he raised his eyes, murderous intent would emerge uncontrollably from his eyes... The look in his eyes that wanted to kill someone could not be hidden.

Fortunately, Tachibana Masamune didn't notice anything unusual. "Master Miyamoto is preparing for this mission and can't get away right now. You will see him later. As for Master Uesugi..."

"Master Uesugi is ill, and I've already explained this to all the distinguished guests." Sakura bowed deeply. "I'll be waiting outside the hall when the meeting between the master and the distinguished guests officially begins. If you have any important requests, please let me know."

Tachibana Masamune smiled and nodded slightly.

"It's been a long time since I've participated in such a grand meeting. The specific missions of the headquarters and branches will be discussed with you later by Chisheng... the head of the Minamoto family. I just wanted to meet with the outstanding young people of the academy to chat and drink tea." Tachibana Masamune said, "You didn't expect the Japanese mafia boss to be someone like us. If we met in the park or on the street, you would probably think we were just a few insignificant old guys, hahaha."

Lu Mingfei sneered in his heart, thinking, you are so humble, a powerful and magnanimous hero compares himself to a "humble old man" or something. If the streets were full of old men like you, wouldn't the Japanese rule the entire universe?

Chapter 201: Enemies Meet, No Need to Be Jealous

The fire on the Tai Chi round table was shining brightly, and a Kansai iron kettle, dark and heavy, hung on the charcoal stove.

The upper part of the iron kettle is like a round egg, but it is covered with countless blunt thorns. The lower part is carved with a Crow Tengu wearing a red mask. The straight long nose of the Crow Tengu is the spout of the iron kettle. The bright orange flames splash under its wings, as if the Crow Tengu is flapping its wings and flying towards the sun.

A breeze blew gently from the distant Tokyo Bay, carrying a warm breath. The water in the pot bubbled up with a gurgling sound, and the boiling white mist floated in all directions, filling the entire hall with the fragrance of new tea.

"It's a very pleasant angle. The person who built this shrine really knew how to enjoy life." Caesar faced the window of the main hall. The sunlight filtered in through there, lighting up his blue eyes.

This shrine is built high in the sky. From this angle, you can overlook half of Tokyo and see the beach of Tokyo Bay. You can vaguely see a few women in bikinis lying on the beach and sunbathing.

"Maruyama Construction built this terrace, and I personally designed and supervised the details. I'm truly honored to receive the praise and appreciation of the Gattuso family heir." Tachibana Masamune smiled. "I don't have much to offer you, so I'll just use the beautiful scenery of Tokyo and the Japanese tea ceremony."

"You are not Japanese, right?" Caesar suddenly turned his head and looked at Tachibana Masamune, with a scrutinizing look in his ice-blue eyes.

"Hmm? Did Gattuso see through it?" Tachibana Masamune's hand brushed across his old face.

He has a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, and the edges and corners of his face are as sharp as if carved by a knife. His appearance is slightly different from the Japanese old men on the street, but not too obvious. On the contrary, he has the iconic black pupils of Asians, and his dress and behavior are no different from those of a pure Japanese old man.

"Because of your accent," Caesar said. "Your pronunciation is punctuated by an involuntary tongue-tickling sound, a characteristic of Slavic languages. Only Russians have such a soft tongue tip. Because of their language system, most Asians can't distinguish between hard and soft palatal sounds, and even if they could, they wouldn't use this accent in their daily lives."

"Yes, I'm only half Japanese, the other half is Russian," said Tachibana Masamune. "I've been in Japan for many years, and deep down I consider myself a Japanese. I never thought I'd be seen through after all these years. You're truly the ace specialist from headquarters."

"Because I happen to have a jerk dad who studied the pronunciation of Slavic languages ​​in order to hook up with a Russian linguistics PhD," Caesar said. "So you probably didn't stay in Japan all your life. You must have lived in Russia for quite a while, as a child. Otherwise, you wouldn't have picked up this pronunciation habit."

"Yes, that's right. This has also been seen through." Tachibana Masamune smiled. "I was born in Russia. No, that was still the Soviet era, the Soviet Republic. I lived there for thirty years, dreaming of becoming an officer when I grew up. That was the dream of all children of that era."

"But you eventually became the leader of the Japanese underworld," said Chu Zihang.

"To be honest, this is all thanks to your care and support." Tachibana Masamune bowed deeply to the heads of the families present.

The heads of each family hurriedly returned the gifts, with expressions of surprise on their faces. It was obvious that no one knew the background of the patriarch, including the most senior one, Fuma Kotaro, and Minamoto no Chisei, who was closest to Tachibana Masamune.

The doubt in Caesar's eyes still did not dissipate, but became even stronger.

The words "Soviet Union" and "officer" reminded him of the former Soviet icebreaker, the Lenin, which is now sinking on the seabed off Japan.

But this was a bit far-fetched. He couldn't assume that just because the other person had lived in Russia, that he was related to the former Soviet shipwreck. After all, many mixed-bloods were born after the Russo-Japanese War during World War II... Caesar was suddenly startled, and he suddenly remembered something Lu Mingfei had said...

The madman who sank the dragon and the Lenin into the Japan Trench... is very likely living on this land, hiding in the city, with a completely new identity.

Caesar looked at Tachibana Masamune again, and he shook his head slightly, once again denying the crazy fantasy in his mind... The probability of this happening was too small. For a madman from outside to become the emperor of the Japanese underworld, it was not something that could be achieved by ambition alone.

"So what about your bloodline?" Caesar was about to drop the topic when a voice suddenly sounded from beside him.

It was Lu Mingfei. He had remained silent since the meeting began, and only now suddenly spoke.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Tachibana Masamune looked at Lu Mingfei.

"Everyone here is from Kassel College and the Eight Clans of Sheqi, and they're all mixed-bloods. I won't be shy about asking, so I'll get straight to the point," Lu Mingfei said, looking at Tachibana Masamune. "Mr. Masamune, you just said that half of your blood is Japanese and half is Russian. So, what about the dragon blood in your body? Did you inherit it from the Japanese mixed-blood, or the Russian mixed-blood?"

"Mr. Lu Mingfei." A low voice interrupted Lu Mingfei's question. It was Yuan Zhisheng. He looked at Lu Mingfei with a slight frown and whispered a reminder, "The focus of today's topic shouldn't be discussing our head's background."

"Chisheng..." Tachibana Masamune shook his head slightly at Minamoto Chisheng and smiled. "It's nothing serious. It's rare that the distinguished guests of the academy would be interested in an old fellow like me. I also love chatting with young people. It seems that the blood rushes faster in my veins and my life becomes more lively."

"My father was a Russian-born officer. I've never met him since I was born. I don't know what kind of person he is, except that he's mixed-race. As for my mother, she's a traditional Japanese woman, a descendant of the Tachibana family," Tachibana Masamune said softly, his weathered face etched with long-lost memories in every wrinkle. "But my mother was a member of the Pont family, and her bloodline is very thin, so most of the dragon blood in my body is inherited from my father. That's why I've always felt unworthy of the position of head of the family, because I don't have the excellent bloodline of Chisheng. I regret not being able to inherit the Tachibana family's destiny."

"Dad." Yuan Zhisheng shook his head slightly.

"Head, please don't blame yourself!" Fuma Kotaro said solemnly, "You've devoted your life to this family. Without your leadership, our family wouldn't be as prosperous as it is today. This has nothing to do with bloodline. Your virtue, talent, and abilities are all witnessed by your family!"

Lu Mingfei cast a deep glance at the "genuine" Tachibana Masamune. He'd originally intended to start with the question of bloodline, planting a seed of doubt in everyone's hearts, but he had to admit, this old man was quite capable! Not only had he crafted a convincing narrative about his origins, but he'd also ended with a sentimental refrain to stir up the other family heads' emotions. Pressing the issue any further would have made him, a foreign guest, seem overbearing.

But Lu Mingfei was not upset. He never thought that he could defeat this old guy with just one question. There was still a long way to go. He had already come this far. If he just killed the other party, it would be too merciful!

Lu Mingfei admitted that Tachibana Masamune was a bad guy with deep scheming and conspiracy. If a person was old, bad and scheming, it would be very scary and he could almost rule the world... But a madman was even scarier. A madman who knew the future and still held power was enough to kill the world!

"Everyone, the tea is ready."

The water began to boil, and Tachibana Masamune lifted the iron kettle. His calloused hands, not even needing gloves, touched the red-hot handle. He rinsed the tea bowl with the first stream of boiling water, then poured it away. Using a whisk, he gently stirred the tea powder and the second stream of boiling water. A layer of light green foam rose, and Tachibana Masamune's wide sleeves fluttered like white clouds. The aroma of tea, thoroughly boiled by the scalding water, washed over him like a tidal wave.

Under the table, Lu Mingfei stuffed a small object into the hands of Caesar and Chu Zihang, then whispered to them the etiquette of the Japanese tea ceremony, "The person who makes the tea usually places the tea bowl with the patterned side facing the person who drinks it... The tea drinker uses an old silk gauze as a cushion and rotates the tea bowl clockwise one and a half times, with the pattern facing the person who made the tea as a sign of respect... After drinking the tea, rotate the tea bowl counterclockwise one and a half times, lower your head to admire the pattern on the tea bowl, revealing an appreciative expression or perhaps a few words of praise."

"Turn clockwise and then counterclockwise? Did the Japanese tea ceremony get its inspiration from the carousel?" Caesar complained in a low voice.

"This is a country full of red tape, which is particularly evident in the tea ceremony, so few young people in Japan are keen on the tea ceremony. Tea drinkers don't have to take it seriously, but they must never be disrespectful." Chu Zihang said in a low voice.

Although Caesar complained, he put what Lu Mingfei gave him into his mouth and quickly memorized the process in his mind.

He was the team leader sent by headquarters to the branch office for a mission, roughly equivalent to a head of the head office visiting the branch office for an inspection. Both of his team members were more familiar with the situation here than he was. Lu Mingfei seemed to have a good understanding of Japanese culture, and Chu Zihang, needless to say, exuded the aura of a pedantic Japanese old man. As the team leader, he couldn't lose his composure or dignity when faced with the opposing leader's moves. He couldn't let the branch office think the head office had sent a bunch of unsophisticated people!

Caesar calmly took the tea bowl and the ancient silk gauze pad handed to him by Tachibana Masamune. He bent down, calmly took the tea bowl with both hands, padded it with the ancient silk gauze, and rotated it clockwise in his palms precisely 540 degrees, then faced the bamboo sparrow pattern on the bottom of the bowl towards Tachibana Masamune, as if saying, "It's just Japanese tea ceremony. I'm not really interested in it, but there's no need to be surprised that a knowledgeable nobleman has studied this aspect."

The same thing happened to Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei. Amidst the astonishment of the other family heads, the three of them downed the scalding hot tea in one gulp. Then, turning the cups counterclockwise, they turned the bamboo sparrow pattern toward themselves, admiring it with their heads bowed, muttering praises like, "Excellent technique, beautiful tea paired with a beautiful bowl." Their meticulous process was as if they were emotionless tea-drinking machines.

"You and I truly share the same ideals. There aren't many young people who love and understand the Japanese tea ceremony so well. If we can all be so compatible in tea ceremony, I'm sure the cooperation between the Japan branch and headquarters will be a natural outcome," said Masamune Tachibana with emotion. "I hope this mission goes smoothly and that you all enjoy your time in Japan."

Tachibana Masamune said goodbye and left with Fuma Kotaro and Inuyama He. Lu Mingfei followed the old man in white linen clothes with his hidden eyes... but suddenly his attention was attracted by something next to the entrance of the hall. He gradually frowned and couldn't take his eyes off.

After leaving Keishinji Temple, Tachibana Masamune and Fuma Kotaro came to a quiet Japanese-style room, and Inuyama He left without saying a word.

"They do look like a few children, but they seem different from the children I've seen before." Fuma Kotaro said in a low voice.

"They're excellent children, but more than that, they each have their own unique characteristics," said Tachibana Masamune. "Caesar is the heir to the Gattuso family, but more than that, he possesses a natural leadership temperament. That child's eyes conceal the confidence of an emperor. Chu Zihang is even more rare. Although he is taciturn and doesn't show off his aura, for some reason, I can vaguely sense several intertwined kingly auras from him. His bloodline is not as uncontrollable as described in the archives. Instead, it is as stable as a true ancient dragon. As for Lu Mingfei... I don't understand him."

"There is actually someone that you, Mr. Masamune, can't understand?" Fuma Kotaro was surprised.

"I'm not omnipotent. There are many talented people hidden in this department. At least we know that Ange is very optimistic about this young man. His vision is never wrong. And I always feel that this young man..." Tachibana Masamune paused and shook his head, "Nothing, maybe it's just my illusion."

He pondered the young man's subtle gazes on him several times, and always felt that there was something hidden in the young man's eyes, as if he was trying hard not to let it jump out. He couldn't see what it was, but he felt that the pair of dark pupils made him shudder... It was ridiculous to think about it carefully. He had lived a lifetime and was now the supreme figure in the Japanese underworld. How could the supreme underworld figure be frightened by the eyes of a child?

"It's truly remarkable! Their aura rivals that of our young master. This is the first time I've seen such young people. None of them were born in Japan, yet they even understand tea ceremony etiquette," Fuma Kotaro lamented. "But they took the boiling water you just boiled, Mr. Masamune, and drank it all... Even a ninja wouldn't dare drink like that."

After Tachibana Masamune left, Caesar and Chu Zihang spat out a few ice cubes from their mouths.

This is why they are more heat-resistant than ninjas. Lu Mingfei had stuffed ice cubes into their mouths in advance, so they wouldn't get burned when drinking hot tea after their mouths were chilled.

Gen Chisheng looked at the little movements of the few people, was surprised at their cleverness and felt that probably only these guys could come up with such a countermeasure, holding ice cubes in their mouths to deal with Mr. Masamune's tea ceremony... It was really crazy!

But Lu Mingfei was the only one who did not move for a long time. He stared at the wall at the entrance of the hall, his eyes fixed on it and his brows furrowed, as if there was something there that particularly concerned him.

Chapter 202: "Thousands of Battles", Deep in the Abyss

Yuan Zhisheng followed Lu Mingfei's gaze and saw an unparalleled Ukiyo-e painting on the wall at the entrance of the hall.

General Ukiyo-e often depicts people's daily life, scenery and opera, or records the extremely flashy battles between gods and demons. The illustrators use rich colors to make the picture books colorful and full of beautiful flowers and things.

But the painting before him was different. It was both extremely monotonous and shocking. The entire massive painting, stretching from the floor to the dome of the hall, was densely packed with only one thing...

Knife!

Blades of unrivalled sharpness, blades of murderous intent! Covering the sky like a tightly packed formation, the sharp aura of countless hundreds or thousands of ancient blades seemed to pierce through the painting. Just one glance and you could almost smell the bloody stench emanating from those lethal weapons, stinging the viewer's eyes and causing their skin to ache... and Lu Mingfei's gaze was fixed firmly on one of them.

"I didn't expect you to know so much about Japanese tea ceremony and be interested in kendo as well?" Yuan Zhisheng came to Lu Mingfei's side. "You're still so young. Even young people born and raised in Japan rarely show an interest in these outdated traditional cultures."

Lu Mingfei came back to his senses and suppressed his shocked expression: "I learned Japanese kendo when I was in China, but only the most basic part. I don't know if it was authentic. I learned it with my senior brother." Lu Mingfei pointed at Chu Zihang.

"It just so happens that I've also received training in kendo, so we can discuss this together sometime." Yuan Zhisheng's gaze once again turned to the huge ukiyo-e painting covered in ancient swords, and he said softly, "That's 'Thousands of Battles'."

"'Thousands of Feet and Ten Thousand Battles'?" Lu Mingfei whispered the name of the huge Ukiyo-e.

"Yes, 'Qianren' represents the large number of famous swords, and 'Wanzhan' means that these famous swords have participated in at least ten thousand real wars." Yuan Zhisheng said, looking at the different swords.

"This giant ukiyo-e painting contains a total of 437 famous swords, from the end of the Heian period to the modern era. Almost all the swords that can be named are included in this picture. Each of the famous swords here has more or less added alchemical techniques. Of course, those famous swords that have been damaged are not included." said Yuan Zhisheng.

"This picture was created by Mr. Inuyama Ka, the head of the Inuyama family, at the request of his old friend Master Yamamoto Takato. Master Yamamoto Takato is one of the best surviving masters of Ukiyo-e. In order to paint this huge record of swords, he observed famous swords day and night, listened to the bloody stories behind each sword, and only put pen to paper after feeling the sharpness of the blade. This huge "Thousands of Battles" took Master Takato three years of his time and countless efforts." Gen Chisheng quietly narrated the origin of Ukiyo-e.

"In other words, Master Gao Yuan has personally seen the famous swords in the painting 'Thousands of Feet and Ten Thousand Battles'?" Lu Mingfei asked, "Every single one?"

"Every one." Yuan Zhisheng nodded.

"How did he do that? Did he rob all the kendo museums in Japan?" Lu Mingfei was shocked.

"No, because almost all of these famous swords are in the hands of the eight families of Snake," said Minamoto Chisei. "Some are stored in the family's kendo museum, some in the armory, and some in the personal collection of the Inuyama family. Mr. Inuyama Ka is the most dedicated kendo patriarch of the family, and the Inuyama family has achieved the highest attainments in kendo. Besides the Inuyama family's original business, his greatest hobby is collecting famous swords."

Lu Mingfei was not surprised by this, but it was beyond Caesar and Chu Zihang's expectations. The head of the Inuyama family, who was as kind as the old grandfather next door and had the words "I am a good guy" written on his face, was actually the one with the highest attainments in kendo among the eight Sheqi families?

It's like Gattuso Pompey, who has a playboy face, is actually an honest man who doesn't know how to pick up girls, and Finkel, who looks like a useless dog, says that he is actually an extremely reliable and strong man like a beast... The contrast is too unbelievable!

"That sword... is it also one of the ones collected by your Sheqi Eight Clans?" Lu Mingfei suddenly pointed at the famous sword ranked 24th in "Thousands of Battles".

Caesar and Chu Zihang also looked in the direction of Lu Mingfei's finger. The moment they saw the knife, they were both stunned. They had actually seen that famous knife before?

When Yuan Zhisheng's eyes met the famous sword that Lu Mingfei pointed at, a trace of unnaturalness flashed across his face. "That sword... was originally the beloved sword of the Inuyama family master."

"Originally?" Lu Mingfei caught a word.

"Yes, originally." Minamoto nods. "The famous Kanze Masamune, forged by the renowned swordsmith Masamune during the late Kamakura period. It's of exceptional quality and craftsmanship, having been used to slay over a hundred people. It was also once the most prized sword of Inuyama Kazue, but it was unfortunately stolen."

"Stolen?"

"There's a traitor in the family..." Yuan Zhisheng suddenly stopped talking. "Sorry, this involves family secrets and cannot be disclosed. Today's focus is on the handover of missions. Let's get back to the icebreaker that sank in the Japan Trench in 1992."

Traitor... Lu Mingfei withdrew his gaze from Mingwu Guanshi Zhengzong, and at the same time, he also suppressed the doubts and shock in his mind.

Caesar and Chu Zihang looked at each other in rare tacit understanding. Chu Zihang shook his head calmly, and Caesar gave up the idea of ​​continuing to delve into the matter.

Gen Chisheng spread out a huge nautical chart in front of everyone and marked a red circle somewhere. "This is a chart of the Sea of ​​Japan. This is where the Lenin last sent out her distress signal. It's 120 nautical miles from the Sea of ​​Japan coastline. When our search and rescue team arrived, the Lenin was nowhere to be found. This area is also the deepest part of the Japan Trench, exceeding 8,000 meters in depth. So the search and rescue team gave up the idea of ​​salvaging the ship and returned empty-handed."

At over 8,000 meters, it's almost as if you were to turn Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, upside down beneath the ocean surface to barely reach the bottom of the trench. Climbing a peak above ground is already beyond human reach, let alone exploring the depths of the unknown ocean.

"I've looked up relevant information. The location where the Lenin sank is nearly devoid of shipping routes, yet the sea there is quite safe, with no reefs, whirlpools, or icebergs." Chu Zihang suddenly spoke, bringing up his area of ​​expertise as a science and engineering man. "The Lenin was built to conquer the Arctic waters. It's been called a 'monster capable of confronting icebergs head-on,' meaning it wouldn't go silent even if it crashed into an iceberg. Its size could even withstand deep-sea torpedoes."

"But this steel beast crashed in safe waters, leaving no time for rescue," said Yuan Zhisheng. "The Japan Maritime Safety Administration has listed this incident as the biggest unsolved maritime accident in the past 50 years."

"That sounds really weird!" Although Caesar didn't have as much knowledge as Chu Zihang, he was not reluctant to express his ideas.

"Yes. Some time ago, I contacted an alumnus who works in Russian intelligence. He's searched through all the files and still can't find out why the Lenin left the Northern Fleet that day, or why it sailed to the Sea of ​​Japan. He said that even after twenty years, this icebreaker is still a taboo within the KGB and even the military. No one knows the ins and outs of the incident, and no one involved has been found. The Russian top brass announced that this matter would be permanently banned, and no one is allowed to mention it, as if the incident is related to something unclean. They feel that discussing the incident twenty years ago again will attract ghosts."

It is indeed a ghost, Lu Mingfei thought...but it is a dragon ghost.

"Do you know the target location of this exploration? The Japan Trench." Yuan Zhisheng asked.

"A trench is actually a crack deep in the seabed, formed when continental plates shift, or rather, an abyss." Chu Zihang once again displayed his strength as a science man. "Geographically speaking, the Japan Trench should be located at the boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Pacific Plate. When the Pacific Plate drifted, it collided with the Eurasian Plate, creating an extremely long and deep crack in the Earth's crust."

Yuan Zhisheng glanced at Chu Zihang in surprise, as if astonished by his profound knowledge. "Yes, the deepest trench in the world is the Mariana Trench, with a depth of over 10,000 meters. This trench and the Mariana Trench are actually one and the same. Several trenches are connected in parallel, extending into an abyss thousands of miles long and wide. The deepest part of the trench you are about to explore is called the 'Tuscarora' Deep. Before the Fitzaz Deep in the Mariana Trench was confirmed as the deepest point in the world, the Tuscarora Deep was once considered the deepest point in the world. It also has another name..."

"Jiyuan!"

"This name sounds very much like the Forbidden Zone of Life on the Discovery Channel," said Caesar.

"It's indeed a forbidden zone for life, but unlike the ones shown on the Discovery Channel, the Abyss is truly taboo. No human has ever set foot there, and everything in it is unknown. Even known deep-sea animals struggle to survive there," Yuan Zhisheng said solemnly. "The academy recently explored that area. It's too deep, so we could only use sonar of a specific frequency. However, we couldn't find a shipwreck in the depths of the Abyss, but we did find a heartbeat. There lies a gigantic creature, its heartbeat detectable even from eight thousand meters below the surface. Steady and intense... What kind of creature could survive such harsh conditions?"

"Dragon." Chu Zihang uttered this taboo noun.

"You mean there's a dragon hiding in the Abyss?" Caesar asked. "Someone stuffed a dragon onto the Lenin and sank it into the Japan Trench?"

"To be precise, it's a dragon embryo. Its increased heartbeat indicates it's hatching," Yuan Zhisheng said. "We can investigate that the Lenin's route passed through an unnamed port in Siberia, where it replenished its cargo, and the embryo must have been loaded onto the ship from there. But that port was later completely burned down. We can't find any information about the embryo's origins or who hid it on the ship. No one knows where this person was going to transport the embryo, but it seems it sank into the Japan Trench along with the Lenin before reaching its destination. Everything is difficult to explain."

"That port..." Lu Mingfei paused mid-sentence, swallowing the words "Black Swan Port" and changing his words. "Siberia is in the Arctic Circle, where fires are less likely to start. That fire was clearly man-made, otherwise it wouldn't be such a coincidence. Someone took the embryos away, and the port lost its meaning, destroyed and obliterated... If the fire wasn't a coincidence, then the shipwreck must be a coincidence, too?"

"What do you mean?" Yuan Zhisheng was stunned.

"Then everything makes sense," Chu Zihang whispered. "Someone used the Lenin to bring the embryo to the top of the Japan Trench, then caused a shipwreck and sank the embryo into the Abyss. The environment there is harsh, difficult, and hidden. No one would deliberately explore the trench over 8,000 meters deep to see if there might be a dragon embryo hidden there. That would be the best place for it to hatch!"

"Isn't it an exaggeration to sink a 10,000-ton icebreaker into the Japan Trench just to place an embryo there?" Caesar frowned.

Yuan Zhisheng was suddenly stunned. It might be an exaggeration to casually sink the embryo into a trench. These people from the headquarters didn't know, but he knew better than anyone that Jiyuan was not an ordinary trench. It was... the place where "God" was buried!

But apart from the Sheqi Eight Clans and the Fierce Ghost Clan, no one knew the location of the God's Burial Ground... The Fierce Ghost Clan? The Fierce Ghost Clan!