Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 169: Labyrinth (6)

Dragon Raja 2

A falling stone struck his shoulder, and it was far more terrifying than any enemy. It seemed the tunnel couldn’t withstand the erosion of water and was collapsing—more and more debris fell.

Chu Zihang thrust “Murasame” into the roof of the train, pulled hard to the side, then made a vertical cut, creating an opening just big enough for a person. He slipped inside like a fish entering a coral cave, landing lightly on the floor and grabbing the overhead rail. More and more rocks fell onto the roof, each one producing a heart-stopping noise. But none of these sounds could drown out Chu Zihang’s heartbeat, pounding like a drum.

Imagine being in an empty elevator, reading a newspaper as it descended, then suddenly lowering the newspaper and realizing the elevator was full of people, all silently standing there. Your heartbeat would become like Chu Zihang’s…

Or, perhaps, it would stop entirely!

The train was packed with people. They stood in absolute darkness, no one speaking, no one moving, each one holding onto the overhead rail, like a group of office workers on an early morning commute. Chu Zihang stood among them, even holding his breath—there was no sign of breathing from these “people.”

The dead? Or perhaps those shadows hungry for fresh flesh, back again, along with the Maybach.

Chu Zihang took out a piece of gum, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. “Although I know you won’t understand, all these years… I’ve always wanted to meet you again.”

Suddenly, the spherical domain around him became clear—a transparent domain, flickering with unstable dark red arcs of light. Almost at the same moment, the silent “passengers” rushed towards Chu Zihang from all directions like the tide swallowing a reef. Their ghastly pale hands were raised high, faintly glowing, with no lines in their palms. The domain shattered, and blazing flames shot out like the explosion of a napalm bomb. Any black shadow that got close to Chu Zihang was instantly burned to ashes, leaving only bronze-colored bones.

Yanling: King’s Blaze, the “King’s Wrath” from the bloodline of the King of Bronze and Fire.

Chu Zihang truly was a natural-born killer. Since language wasn’t his strong suit, he often delivered uninspiring speeches before a fight—always followed by a dramatic turnaround.

The bronze bones still lunged towards Chu Zihang. He swung Murasame, leaving a streak of light, slicing them at the waist. A skull fell into his hand and melted at the extreme temperature. Chu Zihang had no mercy for lifeless things. The Execution Bureau was a violent department, run by a violent professor, and he was that professor’s student.

“Blood Rage” had already activated the moment he boarded the train. Dragon blood burned fiercely!

The blast wave lifted the entire roof off the train, and falling debris rained down on Chu Zihang. The rocks bounced, shaking off dust, revealing frail bones hidden within. Some were bird-like, others insect-like—some frantically scuttled around the carriage, while others bit into Chu Zihang. But it had no effect; they were incinerated by the intense heat the moment they made contact. The “King’s Blaze” domain ignited again, glowing like embers.

Shadows leaped out from the carriages in front and behind, while the ceiling rained down rocks that hatched into strange ancient creatures—enemies were everywhere.

Chu Zihang tore off his shirt and the hooded fleece that made him look a bit juvenile. “King’s Blaze” ignited the clothing, and Chu Zihang swung it like a fiery windmill, burning any enemy it touched into molten ashes.

Yet these creatures seemed utterly fearless, continuing to pounce without end. Chu Zihang threw his clothes, and the power of King’s Blaze on them exploded in the front and rear carriages, pulverizing the bronze bones into dust.

Chu Zihang’s bare upper body shone with a molten gold brilliance. He charged into the enemy group, the crimson blade slicing through the bones, the cut surfaces glowing like molten metal.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp whistling wind. You’d probably only hear such an ear-piercing wind in the center of a tornado, where the air, moving at extreme speed, becomes as hard as solid matter, and a “block” of moving air can shatter bones. Chu Zihang had never been in the center of a tornado, but he vaguely remembered hearing such wind before.

Yes! He remembered—Yanling: Wind King’s Eyes! Xia Mi’s Yanling.

A figure rushed towards him, and everything in her path was blown away—not just blown away, but ripped apart in mid-air, bronze bones shattered and falling like rain. She crashed into him, her back pressed against his. Chu Zihang felt warmth from behind him.

“Maximize your Yanling domain!” Xia Mi shouted.

“King’s Blaze” and “Wind King’s Eyes” both reached their limits. The intense heat and fierce flames, driven by the powerful wind, formed a rare natural phenomenon—a “fire tornado.” In the center of the hurricane, a flickering serpent of fire twisted skyward. Thousands of degrees of heat condensed, then the fire serpent shattered, diving into the gaps of the tornado. The fire tornado swept through the entire tunnel, incinerating everything combustible. Chu Zihang forcefully pressed Xia Mi’s head down, covering her, as the shockwave, rebounding from the tunnel ahead, passed over them, almost bursting their lungs.

All fell silent. A few seconds later, Xia Mi poked her head out from under Chu Zihang, looking around nervously.

“Damn, we’re actually alive!” Xia Mi panted heavily.

“What are you doing here?” Chu Zihang leaned against the wreckage of the train. The intense explosion of flames had also destroyed the connection between the carriages. The head car had left, and they were left behind.

Xia Mi scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed, mumbling like a mosquito, “Why didn’t you reply to my message last night?”

Chu Zihang was stunned. He didn’t think he had any obligation to reply to every message. Xia Mi had simply reminded him, he received the reminder, and that was fine. Tomorrow, he would naturally show up at Xia Mi’s house for lunch.

“I just got the urge before bed… so I checked your location…” Xia Mi murmured.

“How can you track my location?” Chu Zihang was stunned again.

“I secretly subscribed to a location tracking service from the phone company when I played with your phone last time!” Xia Mi said loudly, her face darkening. “Alright, alright! It’s really embarrassing, okay? I’ve admitted it, so what now? I saw that you were at Oriental Plaza, but it should have been closed at that time. Then I remembered what you told me about the subway legend… I couldn’t reach you by phone and got worried!”

Chu Zihang was silent for a long time, then shook his head and smiled silently. He had heard about that phone service; it allowed someone else to see which cell tower your phone was connected to. Usually, it was housewives who subscribed to it… to monitor their husbands. He didn’t even really want to smile, but with such an awkward topic, if he didn’t want to continue, what else could he do but smile?