Dragon Raja 5; Chapter 219: For Your Majesty (34)

Dragon Raja 5

“That depends on your definition of ‘interesting,'” Zero said coldly. “But it still doesn’t explain how you were able to track us down.”

“I didn’t track him. I tracked you, Her Highness Zero Razumovskaya Romanova.” Mr. Bunin smiled. “I was looking forward to meeting you and Mr. Lu, but I also hoped Mr. Lu could prove that he’s the interesting person I thought he was. So I chatted with him and gave him some hints. As I hoped, he’s the kind of diamond that shines on its own, and even the darkness can’t dim his brilliance.”

He suddenly seemed like a different person. He was no longer the businessman, your second uncle from the Northeast, or the alcohol putty soaked in Maotai, but an elegant nobleman, a loyal and brave knight, or even a prince of the Golden Horde.

He stood up, knelt on one knee in front of Zero, and kissed the back of her hand. “How can I help you, Princess?”

Zero couldn’t refuse the knight’s kiss of the hand. Everyone put down their cutlery, stood up, and bowed slightly to show their respect for the Romanov family. Only Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang were at a loss.

Zero was silent for a moment, then handed Mr. Bunin the note he had prepared long ago. On it were the mysterious coordinates. “We want to go to this place, but it’s in a restricted military zone. Can you help us?”

Mr. Bunin glanced at the coordinates, took the tablet computer handed to him by the maid, and looked it up. He looked surprised and said, “These coordinates will be destroyed by a nuclear explosion soon!”

Zero and Lu Mingfei looked at each other in shock.

“The nuclear test bases during the Soviet era were mainly located in northern Siberia and Novaya Zemlya, where the land is barren and sparsely populated, making it easy to maintain secrecy and minimizing costs. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet Red Army troops secretly entered northern Siberia, building bases, towns, and railways there. The best university students responded to the call of the Republic, becoming unsung heroes and rushing to Siberia. These facilities are not visible on civilian maps, but during the heyday of the Soviet Union, jet trains with speeds of 200 kilometers per hour came and went across the vast Siberian snowfields like lightning. Young people rode giant hovercrafts and ground-effect vehicles from one town to another. If they were on a hovercraft, they could even sing in the wind and snow. It was an era of burning youth. I haven’t experienced this myself, though. I only know about it from the Ministry of Defense archives. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Siberian facilities were abandoned, some simply buried, others left to rust in the open air. However, these facilities still hold great military value. Studying them could yield cutting-edge Soviet-era military technology, even unfinished weapons. With Russia’s current strength, such a task would be nearly impossible. However, intelligence indicates that an increasing number of international expeditions are entering northern Siberia, either for commercial purposes or in service of a major power. We don’t want the secrets of the past to fall into their hands, so the best way…” Mr. Bunin opened his hands. “Bang!”

“Use a nuclear explosion to bury everything.” Zero understood.

“To be precise, it’s a series of nuclear explosions. We’ll be testing our most advanced RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental missile in northern Siberia. It’ll be launched from a submarine over the Pacific Ocean, enter outer space, and then, as it flies over northern Siberia, drop 15 independently targetable nuclear warheads. This will trigger 15 small nuclear explosions and 15 mushroom clouds, precisely destroying Soviet-era military heritage. It won’t generate much radioactive fallout, the cost is very low, and we’ll also be able to test the RS-28’s performance. My company has been awarded this project. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for launching intercontinental missiles, and my people are responsible for clearing the area and locking onto targets. Frankly, I’d also like to take this opportunity to dig for treasure at the ruins. I’m a businessman, and you Chinese say there’s no gain without gain.” Mr. Bunin spread his hands. “I may have said too much. Consider this my gift to my new friend. You’ve probably heard that I always give new friends a big gift.”

Zero thought for a moment, “Can we go there?”

Mr. Bunin shook his head. “Unfortunately, that would violate the agreement between us and the Ministry of National Defense. That area is already a military restricted area. People inside can leave, but people outside cannot enter.”

“What a shame,” Zero said coldly.

Just when Lu Mingfei thought Zero would just say goodbye and leave, Zero picked up a full glass of Maotai and said, “I’m honored to attend your dinner, Mr. Bunin. Let’s start our dinner tonight with this glass!”

Mr. Bunin was surprised at first, then laughed out loud, “Very good, I like beginnings, not endings.”

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the old man and the young man who began to drink heavily and chat in Russian, which he could not understand. Zero’s performance was actually much more enthusiastic than when she met General Vatutin.

A slender maid came over to refill their Maotai bottles, then gracefully withdrew with the tray. Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but stare at her back for a few seconds. She also had long, seaweed-like hair and looked a little familiar. Her swaying waist seemed a bit too coquettish in this old-style aristocratic restaurant.

But his attention was quickly drawn back, because the enthusiastic little sister Sonya came over with a glass of wine, followed by the slightly shy little brother Valoya.

The dinner then turned into a cocktail reception, and Lu Mingfei was surrounded by young nobles from Moscow, all shaking hands and hugging to welcome his new friend. They pulled Lu Mingfei onto the adjacent dance floor, where boys and girls performed traditional Russian dances and tangos. Alcohol had taken over their restraints, and they smiled happily, twirling hand in hand like young men and women dancing around a bonfire in the snow. In the restaurant, Zero and Mr. Bunin finished their drinks, while Chu Zihang ate his dumplings, bored. Four maids gathered behind him, constantly changing plates to ensure he always had warm dumplings.     

Lu Mingfei was a little tired and rested against a pillar beside the dance floor. The song and dance seemed to last all night long, making people feel at ease and happy. Youth was the most beautiful thing, as if it could resist all the haze in the world. He was still young, but he didn’t know how much time he had left.

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