Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 490: Divine Punishment (3)

Dragon Raja 3

“It’s different from the F-22. This one prioritizes super maneuverability, which is why its aerodynamic design looks like this,” Zero said, already familiar with the plane. She walked over to the control console and efficiently unlocked the prototype, checking various parameters as she went. “In terms of overall performance, this plane isn’t top-tier among the fifth-generation fighters currently in development. It’s also incomplete—no fire-control radar installed, the fuel tank is too small, the IFPC system isn’t operational… but at least all the weapons are mounted, and the thrust-vectoring nozzles match the intel. Overall, it’s functional. It meets the requirements for super maneuverability, and that’s all that’s needed to fight flying dragons. Super maneuverability is enough.”

“Isn’t this the only prototype in the world that only one person can fly?” Finger shrugged.

“Yes, that’s him—Lieutenant Colonel Tojo Ayumu, the most skilled test pilot in Japan’s Defense Ministry,” Zero said, glancing at the man below. “That’s why I brought him here. I need the knowledge in his head.”

“You’re well-prepared. It seems the resurrection of the White Empress was expected by your side. You’ve got all the countermeasures ready,” Finger remarked.

“Wrong. The resurrection of that thing was unexpected by all of us. Anyone in their right mind would never allow it to happen. It’s a gateway to hell in itself. But even for things we deem impossible, we prepare contingency plans,” Zero said, suddenly turning and pointing her gun at Finger’s forehead. “This gun is loaded with bullets made from the Philosopher’s Stone. No matter your bloodline level, the result of being hit by this will be the same. You know too much, but I don’t want to kill you. I need a promise from you. We will never reveal each other’s secrets. We keep our secrets, and everything stays balanced.”

“That’s not safe enough. How about we each reveal our biggest secret to the other? That way, you’ll have leverage over me, and I’ll have leverage over you. Neither of us will dare make a move,” Finger raised an eyebrow at the gun pointed at him. Despite the situation, he managed to exude a certain charm.

“Your secret can’t be bigger than mine. If you want to exchange secrets, go ahead and share yours first,” Zero remained unfazed.

“Alright, fine! A man’s gotta lead by example,” Finger said seriously. “Honestly, even though you’re very pretty, you’re not my type. I prefer someone more… substantial. I like a bit of meat on the bones.”

Zero was stunned for a moment.

“Hey! I’ve just told you my deepest secret! This is a major issue about my romantic preferences. I’ve laid it all out on the table. Isn’t that honest enough?” Finger exclaimed, feigning shock.

“Alright then, I’ll share something similar. I don’t like your muscles either. I prefer more delicate, intelligent men,” Zero said with no expression.

“I know who you like,” Finger winked. “But don’t worry. I’ll never tell.”

He reached out and gently touched Zero’s smooth hair. “It’s a deal then. This is a promise from a man to a woman. By the way, my ancestors were from a great family, and in families like ours, a man’s promise to a woman is even more important than loyalty to a nation or a cause.”

Zero was silent for a long time before nodding. “I’ve heard my ancestors were from a great family too. In my country, friends are rare. From now on, you are my friend. But unfortunately, I can’t take you with me. This prototype only has one seat. In a few minutes, the soldiers will arrest you.”

“A one-seater plane, only one person in the world can fly it—what exactly is your plan? Are you holding Tojo Ayumu’s family hostage to force him into the sky to fight that thing?” Finger scratched his head.

“He can’t do it. To fight that thing, flying skills aren’t enough. You also have to have the courage to stare it in the eyes,” Zero said, lifting Tojo Ayumu by the collar and looking deeply into his eyes.

Tojo Ayumu’s mind went blank. The girl’s fiery golden pupils blazed like the sun, and in that moment, he seemed to be in the cockpit of the Shinshin prototype, operating it at high speed, over and over again.

In Zero’s mind, the prototype plane as understood by Tojo Ayumu transformed into tens of thousands of cross-sectional diagrams. This information surged into her brain at an astonishing speed, just like years ago when, driven by her will to survive, she had lunged at that “DShK 1938” machine gun. In the moment she touched the grip, all the components of the gun had been translated into information within her mind, allowing her to “see through” it in mere seconds.

The DShK 1938 had only a few hundred parts, but the Shinshin prototype had millions. Yet this posed no problem for Zero. She had already mastered the Yanling known as “Mirror Eyes.” What she “saw through” was only the information relevant to piloting, and combined with the intelligence she had just obtained from the control console, the prototype had been fully analyzed.

“Is your leg okay?” Finger asked, crossing his arms and looking up at her.

“With my bloodline, even if my knee were completely destroyed, I could regenerate it. It’s just a bit painful,” Zero replied calmly. “Can you help me open the hangar?”

“Make sure you come back alive, little queen,” Finger said as he grasped the handle to open the hangar door.

“Don’t worry, I’ve signed a contract. I won’t die until that contract is fulfilled.” As the canopy of the cockpit slowly closed, various assistive flight information appeared on the glass. Zero read through it effortlessly, as if she had already spent hundreds of hours inside this cockpit.

Finger slammed down the lever, and the hangar doors opened. Wind and rain poured in, and at that moment, the Shinshin prototype spat out several meters of scorching flame, launching straight out. The stationed troops had no time to react as the black crow-like jet utilized its vector nozzles to reach takeoff speed, vanishing into the storm.

“She’s one hell of a woman. Too bad she’s not into muscle guys like me,” Finger muttered, kneeling with his hands raised. “Spare me, soldiers! I surrender!”

Herzog tore through another F-2 fighter jet’s tail, watching it spiral to the ground. As the pilot ejected, Herzog swiftly swooped by, slicing through both the pilot and the ejector seat with his claws mid-air.

The taste of blood was delightful. Herzog licked his claws, savoring it like one would enjoy aged vodka.

At that moment, he sensed an approaching danger from behind. It was purely an instinctual feeling, a new ability he had gained after becoming the White Empress. He flapped his wings and ascended as fast as possible. Seconds later, the black crow broke through the clouds, rolling as it fired a barrage of bullets toward where he had just been.

Herzog felt a chill. For the first time since evolving into a dragon, he sensed danger. This black crow-like fighter was entirely different from the clumsy F-2s. It was a deadly adversary, calm and bold, closing in at supersonic speed and immediately launching an all-out attack upon revealing itself. Not only were the Canis Major cannons firing, but also the Hellfire rapid-fire guns, Swordfish Mark III tactical missiles, and Vulcan joint attack munitions. The Defense Ministry had high expectations for the Shinshin prototype to handle both air defense and ground assault, so it was loaded with various experimental munitions. At this moment, the Shinshin was fully armed.

Herzog managed to dodge the dangerous flashes. His advantages were not only his speed but also his small size, making him much harder to hit than a fighter jet.

Furious, he roared inwardly. How dare a mere human challenge him? In this world, there were only a handful of beings who could stand and speak in his presence!

He banked sharply, using the clouds for cover, closing in on the Shinshin from below with a bizarre arc—a tactic he had used to easily hunt down multiple F-2 jets. Fighter jet radars primarily scan the front and rear because aerial combat usually involves attacking from behind. The top and bottom are the radar’s blind spots. Herzog, still retaining his human memories, knew enough about human technology to exploit this weakness. But this time, his tactic failed. The Shinshin’s vector nozzles shifted, and just before Herzog reached it, the plane executed a cobra maneuver, altering its flight path so sharply that Herzog was nearly struck by its afterburner flames.

Another full salvo exploded in a brilliant firework display. This time, Herzog didn’t escape unscathed—a faint trickle of blood seeped out from beneath his newly grown scales.

This was the first time he had been wounded since his evolution. If he had been the pure White Empress, this level of attack might not have harmed him, but he was incomplete and still in a juvenile phase among the dragons. Up until now, he had only evaded missiles with high-speed maneuvers, avoiding direct hits.

Now he was serious. The arrogance of a newborn dragon began to fade as he realized his limitations. Back when he was still human, cunning and intrigue had been his greatest weapons. A calm Herzog was far more dangerous than one blinded by arrogance.

The black crow flew at high speed through the clouds, neither approaching nor distancing itself. Clearly, the pilot of the Shinshin knew that defeating Dragon King Herzog with a single prototype was impossible. But she could stall him. As long as the Shinshin remained in the air, Herzog had to devote part of his attention to it. Herzog followed closely, tearing through the clouds and creating wide passages in the storm. He wasn’t preparing to use Yanling. It required time to activate, and in such high-speed combat, both sides could launch deadly attacks in mere seconds. He intended to close in on the Shinshin and crush the infuriating prototype with his powerful body. The idea that a mere human had managed to tangle with him for so long was unbearable. The Shinshin’s pilot seemed to understand this as well, refraining from using the flashy full-attack mode again.