Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 140: Crime and Punishment (5)

Dragon Raja 2

The researchers gathered around the table, adjusting the equipment. Caesar led his new group member, Xia Mi, on an inspection, like an emperor arriving at a summer palace with his favorite concubine.

When Caesar received Norma’s notification about the mission in China, the researchers carrying the black boxes were already waiting outside Amber Hall.

“What’s this?” Caesar saw one researcher polishing a delicate brass blowtorch.

The researcher gave him a disdainful look, held the torch horizontally, and pressed a hidden button. A twenty-meter-long jet of intense flame flashed and disappeared. The hot wind struck everyone’s face, making it hard to imagine that this flame came from a small tube just two centimeters in diameter. The other researchers continued their work; playing with fire amidst a crowd was nothing unusual for the Gear Department, also known as the “Madmen’s Happy Camp.” Without that kind of calm, you couldn’t make it in the Gear Department.

“We call it Dragon’s Breath. It currently uses chemical fuel, but we can also fill it with nitroglycerin and mercury. Its flames can be lethal to Third Generations. If you encounter a First Generation…” The researcher paused, “it can also serve as a flashlight.”

“Impressive.” Caesar nodded with a smile.

“A combat helmet with a metal face shield—not only provides strong protection but also enhances bite force during chewing.”

“A simply modified Vertu phone. Not many special features, but it can be thrown as a bomb.”

“Your passport has been treated with chemicals to ensure customs won’t find anything unusual. But if needed, add a small fuse the size of a cigarette butt, and it can be used as a bomb.”

Caesar hesitated for a while in front of this item. “But if I burn my passport, how will I get out of the country?”

“If you want to keep your passport, you could always use the phone bomb or one of the other bombs,” the researcher said impatiently. “There are about forty-five bombs in the full kit; we’ll give you a bomb list.”

“The lighter is also a bomb, right?” Xia Mi picked up a silver lighter, one that suited Caesar’s taste— a heavy Dupont steel lighter.

“Everyone would expect a lighter to be modified into a bomb, but if we did that, we wouldn’t be the Gear Department.” The researcher sneered proudly. “We just added an MP3 function to it! And it has a built-in speaker!”

The researcher used a fingernail to rotate the screw at the bottom and placed the lighter on the table. The silver little gadget began playing Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. It felt fresh and subtle—this silver lighter vibrating slightly while singing One Fine Day.

Xia Mi’s eyes lit up with heart-shaped sparkles. She grabbed the lighter. “Can I take this?”

Caesar shrugged. “Sure, do you want the shoulder-mounted sniper cannon too?”

“No, thanks.” Xia Mi happily played with the lighter, igniting it to produce a seventy-centimeter-long flame. There was no other lighter in the world that burned like this—it was practically a lightsaber!

Caesar watched her rabbit-like figure and the swaying of her long hair. He thought this girl was either wired differently or was one of those mad people fit for the Gear Department.

He walked behind Xia Mi, leaning down close to her ear, teasing her like a child. “Just because I helped Chu Zihang once doesn’t mean I’m his friend. Rivals will always be rivals. Aren’t you worried you’re accepting a gift from an enemy?”

“I’m here as an undercover agent.” Xia Mi put the lighter away and picked up a plate, burying her face in a piece of cake, her mouth covered in strawberry jam. “You don’t know I’m Chu Zihang’s rumored girlfriend?”

“I know, I know.” Caesar could only nod.

“Besides these pieces of equipment, there’s a special item that the School Board insisted be handed directly to you.” A man wearing a black uniform, looking different from the other researchers, walked up behind Caesar. He was also carrying a black box, but unlike the others, he did not put it on the table to open it.

Caesar glanced at him, then smiled at Xia Mi. “Wanna come see something interesting?”

The door to the study closed, and the last black box was opened. Inside was an exquisite crossbow, equipped with a single bolt, which had a massive arrowhead that was not aerodynamically designed. The arrowhead was a prismatic crystal glass.

“It’s just ordinary crystal glass, not some magical gemstone, but try observing it under the light,” the black-uniformed researcher prompted.

A dark red vein stretched through the synthetic quartz crystal, with a crystalline glimmer on its surface.

“The Philosopher’s Stone?” Caesar frowned.

“Not an ordinary Philosopher’s Stone. This one was refined from the bones of the Dragon King Constantine, one of the few pieces we currently have,” the researcher explained.

“The Philosopher’s Stone, from an alchemical standpoint, is pure ‘spiritual’ essence. What difference is there between one refined from a Dragon King’s bones and one refined from any other source? Whether it’s gold from an Egyptian Pharaoh or newly mined gold from an Ethiopian mine, once refined into pure gold, it’s the same.”

“There is a difference. This one is less pure,” the researcher said.

“Less pure?” Caesar was puzzled.

“There are some strange impurities that can’t be removed. But it’s precisely these impurities that make it quite different from a typical Philosopher’s Stone. For instance… it cannot be exposed to oxygen, or everything around it will combust at an explosive speed. That’s why we sealed it in crystal.”

“And those impurities are…?” Caesar stared directly at the researcher.

“Fire element. Pure fire element. Alchemists have never aimed to extract fire elements, as spiritual essence is more useful—it’s the ‘elixir of immortality’ and the ‘philosopher’s stone.’ They never thought the fire element was of much use. It exists in every flame, but it can’t be captured, always dispersing at will. But this time, we captured the fire element and sealed it with the Philosopher’s Stone. Only a Dragon King’s bones can refine such a crystal—it’s not pure, but it carries a power beyond human imagination.” The researcher paused. “It is a ‘concept.’”

“A concept?”

“Its concept is ‘combustion.’ It will release something similar to a domain. As long as there’s flammable material within the domain, it will ‘command’ that material to burn at the fastest possible speed, resulting in an explosion. In theory, this combustion doesn’t consume the stone itself, meaning it’s endless. This is akin to the essence of ‘Yanling.’ Those who unleash a Yanling give orders within their domain, orders that can even alter physical laws. This material is approaching the fundamentals of the world or… something within the domain of gods. Existing science and alchemy can’t fully explain it. Perhaps the one who could explain it was the Flame King himself, but he is already dead.”

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