Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 54: Patient Zero (4)

Dragon Raja 4

At the same time, fireworks shot into the sky, and tourists cheered, thinking the blackout was part of the carnival parade.

“They’re here! They’re here! Shoot! Shoot!” Porquinho seemed to realize something and shouted.

A gust of wind suddenly swept down the long street, lifting the fallen leaves and sending sparks from the charcoal fire into the air, with blurry figures darting about at high speed.

Porquinho tried to draw his gun, but it was immediately disarmed. The person who took his gun shoved the burning cigar back into his mouth and covered his mouth to keep him from screaming.

The singer screamed in terror, the musicians fired wildly, and the samba dancers tripped over each other’s high heels in panic. Gunfire, shouting, moaning, howling, and the sound of blades slicing through the air filled the scene.

Moments later, the chaos ended. In the glow of the barbecue grill, only Porquinho and Lu Mingfei stood face to face, with Lu Mingfei holding the chef’s meat fork.

He bit off a piece of meat, chewed it for a moment, and then spat out the scraps before shoving the fork back into the chef’s hand. “You’re good with knives, but your grilling skills need work.”

The chef, wide-eyed, raised the fork toward the sky. He wasn’t making a declaration—his shoulder had already been dislocated. Around him, legs lay tangled, feathers flew, and the samba dancers huddled in a corner, trembling and covering their chests. Lu Mingfei hadn’t been so gentle with the musicians; they lay scattered, with dislocated bones and fractures as mere starters.

Porquinho was the only one who had seen the entire process. When the flashbang exploded, the samba girls instinctively covered their eyes, and Lu Mingfei had slipped out like a fish, escaping from the prison of legs and skirts. The flamingo girl, who had only been a decoration, suddenly pulled out a small handgun, either to defend herself or to show loyalty to Porquinho. Lu Mingfei yanked the ribbon around her neck, tied her hands above her head, lifted her by the waist, and hung her on the hook used for hanging flower balls—all in just two seconds.

The chef swung his carving knife and meat fork, slashing in a cross pattern, sealing off the space around him with a mix of offense and defense. He was Porquinho’s best knife fighter and a hybrid himself, able to kill without leaving blood on his blade because his strikes were so fast that the blood was immediately carried away by the air currents around the blade. But this time, he was up against a combat machine trained by the Secret Party with vast resources. Lu Mingfei’s right hand darted through the crisscrossing blades, gripping the chef’s shoulder. Using a small grappling technique, he twisted the chef’s shoulder, elbow, and wrist, causing the knife to fall into Lu Mingfei’s hand. He then turned the knife on the musicians. From what Porquinho knew of combat, Lu Mingfei had used at least four martial arts styles in less than a minute, including Muay Thai, Tan Tui, Baji Quan, and Wing Chun’s Eight Slashing Knives. All these chaotic techniques had been seamlessly integrated in his hands, with no flaws in their execution, making him look like he was performing a graceful ghostly dance.

Thousands of flower petals fell like rain, scattering over Lu Mingfei’s suit. Before the flowers had finished falling, the battle was already over. The flamingo girl was still hanging on a metal hook, screaming desperately.

Years had passed, and there had been personnel changes in the Student Union. The current president could drown opponents with his chatter, but he was still a qualified “suit thug.” The battle on the long street had also ended. Under the cover of darkness, the college’s assault team had descended onto the street with ropes, swiftly seizing guns and apprehending targets. Some tried to escape, but their route had been calculated. Those who ran into the back alley were immediately pinned down by the ambush. Lu Mingfei watched the red dots on his phone screen go out one by one, until the word “Clear” flashed on the display.

The fight lasted barely a minute. The gunmen hired at great expense by Porquinho were wiped out, and the assault team had already begun cleaning up the battlefield. Porquinho looked up at the sky, knowing that the massive, all-seeing “Eye” formed by satellites in space was silently observing the battlefield.

He had been away from the college for too long and had forgotten its true power. It was a colossal entity, still and silent, but when it moved to crush you, there was no escape.

“Ahhhhh!” The singer covered her ears and sobbed, her voice hoarse. The wings on her back had fallen off, and she had kicked off one of her high heels. Her tear-streaked face, lightly made-up, was filled with sorrow. A slit in her long dress revealed her slender, shapely thigh and garter belt.

Lu Mingfei took a step forward and kicked away the hidden stiletto knife in her hand. “Save it! Your looks wouldn’t even make the top ten in the Student Union… But then again, you probably don’t even know what the Student Union is.”

He turned to Porquinho, saying, “I told you from the start, you’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have. And you haven’t even asked who that person is.”

“Who is it?” Porquinho asked expressionlessly.

“It’s me. You’ve offended me,” Lu Mingfei replied just as emotionlessly. “Anyone associated with Tachibana Masamune has offended me, and I… I hold grudges.”

He had thought those words were cool enough to make Porquinho tremble, or at least change his expression, but Porquinho only disdainfully spat out some cigar ash. “There are plenty of evil people in this world. Can you punish every single one? If you have a grudge against Tachibana Masamune, go settle it with him! What’s the point of acting tough here? I only know Tachibana as a client. He treated me to good wine, had an old woman play the zither for me. What’s any of that got to do with you?”

Lu Mingfei, who had held the upper hand, found himself at a loss for words and could only nod. “Can we go back to negotiating now? We’re the same kind, so you won’t be left without a way out.”

Porquinho smiled silently. “Don’t give me that. I know the college’s rules. You people never negotiate. You think you’re the ones holding the sword, the ones who make the rules. You’re always righteous, always punishing…!” He suddenly roared, “What’s this ‘same kind’ nonsense? What Blood Sorrow? You’re only one of them when you’re useful. The moment you lose your value, you’re just a criminal, trash!”

“Come on! It’s you who doesn’t want to negotiate. We were having a good talk, but you wanted a fight, so I had no choice but to go along with it,” Lu Mingfei said, scratching his head awkwardly.

“The one with the advantage always has room to negotiate, but the other side might already be backed up against a cliff,” Porquinho replied, quieting down as he slowly stood up straight.

“Looking to go all out?” Lu Mingfei shook his head. “I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty skilled when it comes to going all out…”

He stared intently at the ampoule in Porquinho’s hand. The liquid inside was black, yet it shimmered with a rainbow-like glow. That subtle iridescence felt eerily familiar.

Porquinho crushed the ampoule and swallowed the liquid. Moments later, his pupils lit up, and a low chant rose from deep within his throat. The power of dragon language formed a flaming domain around him. With a loud bang, his back swelled grotesquely, twisted muscles bulging like the roots of ancient trees. Then came a series of deafening pops as his chest, legs, and arms swelled. His suit and shirt were blown to pieces, and his trousers tore into shreds. He howled in agony, growing visibly taller at an alarming rate, transforming from a scrawny, wretched figure into a hulking, muscular giant. His hardened skin gleamed with a dark golden metallic sheen.

“Bronze Throne,” the pinnacle of body-strengthening Yanling, temporarily enhanced his body to the level of a pure-blooded dragon, with strength powerful enough to tear through steel.

Lu Mingfei silently watched him complete his transformation and sighed, “So, you’re Hercules?”

“You knew from the start, didn’t you?” Porquinho sneered. “You’ve been testing me the whole time. You’ve been acting from the beginning!”

Lu Mingfei nodded. “It wasn’t hard to guess. Tachibana Masamune insisted on sending a private jet to pick up Hercules because Hercules didn’t have a passport and couldn’t get through customs.”

“That’s right! I’m the one without a passport! When you people kicked me out of the college, you didn’t even leave me my memories!” Porquinho roared.

“But I thought about helping you. I have a pardon order in my bag. If you sign it, you’ll be transferred to a rehabilitation center on a small island in the Pacific,” Lu Mingfei said. “It’s not too late, even now.”

Porquinho was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s too late. It was too late from the beginning!”

He spread his arms wide, looking up at the sky. His towering, imposing body resembled a bronze cross. “People like us are destined to be alone from birth. We shouldn’t have any illusions. All that talk about sticking together for warmth is a lie. The real rule for us is survival of the fittest. Our final trump card is always our bloodline and strength!”

“Attention all units! Attention all units! Porquinho’s bloodline is still rising,” came EVA’s voice through the earpiece. “Mission rating has been upgraded to ‘A+!'”

“All operatives! Firepower suppression on target!” EVA ordered, bypassing the team leader.

The assault team had already taken up advantageous firing positions around the old palace. Dozens of guns fired simultaneously. Porquinho didn’t dodge or avoid the bullets, tensing his muscles like a bronze mountain. Bullets hitting him turned into dark red steam. To avoid civilian casualties, the team was equipped with Frigg bullets, which had powerful sedative effects, but the anesthetic couldn’t penetrate Porquinho’s sealed pores. Porquinho likely anticipated this, which is why he had chosen a busy urban area for the confrontation.

He walked forward slowly through the hail of bullets, ignoring everyone else, his eyes fixed solely on Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei kicked over a grill, scattering hot coals onto Porquinho’s body, which sent up wisps of smoke. Porquinho roared in fury and suddenly accelerated, raising his arms as a shield and charging straight at Lu Mingfei. Those who possessed the Bronze Throne didn’t need complex combat skills; their bodies were their warhammers.

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