Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 174: Labyrinth (11)

Dragon Raja 2

He was carrying Xia Mi on his back through the tunnel, while she held a flashlight to light the way. The track bed was covered in sharp coal slag, which made her slippers quite useless. Though her Yanling was powerful, physical stamina was not her strong suit. She felt soft and delicate on his back, just like an ordinary girl, whereas Caesar’s lace-skirted squad of beautiful girls were also incredibly fit—fit enough to grab assault rifles loaded with bullets and complete an obstacle course. Without that kind of strength, they wouldn’t be capable.

“Is this your roundabout way of asking about my weight?” Xia Mi said with a dark expression. “I’ve been eating a bit more lately, so don’t bring it up!”

Chu Zihang smiled silently, not bothering to respond. He had gotten used to Xia Mi’s way of speaking. When she acted unreasonable, he could simply ignore her, and she wouldn’t be upset.

Suddenly, Xia Mi moved the flashlight beam to the tunnel wall. “We’re almost at a station.”

On the wall, there was red paint that read “102,” with a large arrow pointing forward.

“Station 102, Fushouling. Stay right behind me, don’t stray too far, and be ready to activate your Yanling at any time.” Chu Zihang put Xia Mi down and drew “Murasame,” holding it at the ready.

“Aye aye, sir! I’m always obedient and ready to follow orders,” Xia Mi saluted playfully.

The two moved slowly along the tunnel wall. Strangely enough, after dealing with those Death Servitors and Kamaitachi, the skeletal remains embedded in the walls didn’t wake up again, as if they were intimidated by the intruders’ relentless combat style.

They could see the platform’s outline ahead, with no light except the sound of dripping water. A long concrete platform lay in total darkness, as though it had been abandoned for decades. Everything illuminated by the flashlight beam was dilapidated—peeling wall plaster, rusted metal railings, and large whitewashed pillars supporting the ceiling. Footsteps echoed repeatedly in the vast space.

Xia Mi held on nervously to Chu Zihang’s… belt, since he was bare-chested and there were no sleeves to grab. “It’s even more desolate here than before.”

“It should be very similar to the real Station 102. This station wasn’t built for civilians, so it’s very basic, with no decorations. If you hide at Pingguoyuan Station and don’t get off the train, you can follow it to this point.” Chu Zihang suddenly stopped. “Someone’s been here recently.”

He took a few steps forward, raised the flashlight, and shone it on a dusty incandescent bulb. “This bulb is still warm, meaning it was lit not long ago. Death Servitors or other dead beings wouldn’t need light. There should be other people here.” He squatted and picked up a handful of dust—it was bronze-colored, covered by a piece of dark brown cloth.

“It looks similar to the Death Servitors’ ash.” Xia Mi pinched some and brought it to her nose, unable to smell anything. It was like stone dust, but unusually heavy.

“Hey, look over there!” Xia Mi suddenly jumped up, pointing ahead excitedly.

A small maintenance cart was parked on the spare tracks. This type of inspection cart was quite old, and its structure was simple—just a flat platform propelled manually by a lever.

“A maintenance cart? Haven’t you seen one before?” Chu Zihang didn’t think it was anything special.

“You completely don’t understand my kind intentions!” Xia Mi glared. “This way, you won’t have to carry me anymore. We can ride that cart forward.”

“Fine,” Chu Zihang nodded.

“You reduce your burden without even saying ‘thank you’—” Xia Mi scolded, “Did you actually enjoy carrying me? Didn’t you think I was heavy?”

“Your exact weight should be ninety-eight pounds, not even a hundred. Considering your height, your body fat percentage is around 23%, which is significantly below the normal range. According to Harvard Medical School data, a body fat percentage below 22% may lead to infertility. So, you probably shouldn’t be worrying about losing more weight.” Chu Zihang jumped onto the maintenance cart and looked back at the stunned Xia Mi. “So no, I didn’t find you heavy.”

The maintenance cart sped along the tracks. This ancient thing actually worked quite well. The friction on the rails was low, allowing it to glide a long way with just a little effort, and its speed was quite decent.

Xia Mi initially joined Chu Zihang in pumping the lever, chanting “heave-ho, heave-ho,” but she soon got tired. She switched to gripping the front rail, pretending to be on a ship, calling out phrases like “fifteen degrees to port” or “full rudder.” Watching her antics, Chu Zihang was reminded of when he first met her and thought she resembled a female version of Lu Mingfei—someone with an expansive but nonsensical inner world, whose thoughts bounced around like a rabbit on the loose. For someone like Chu Zihang, whose mind was as straightforward as a bullet’s trajectory, it was impossible to keep up with her.

“So boring, you don’t even play along.” Xia Mi turned and looked at Chu Zihang.

“Sorry,” Chu Zihang replied blandly. His attention was entirely on listening for any sign of approaching enemies, something Caesar was much better at than he was.

“Did anyone play with you when you were little?” Xia Mi leaned against the railing, tilting her head.

Chu Zihang thought for a moment. “On weekends, my mother and stepfather would take me to the amusement park.”

“Such a privileged life,” Xia Mi said disdainfully. “Did you have any friends?”

“No,” Chu Zihang paused. “I’m not very good at playing. If I were as good at it as you, maybe I’d have friends.”

“I don’t have any friends either.” Xia Mi pouted, sitting down and letting her legs dangle over the edge. The wind lifted her bangs, and she smiled again. “Oh, oh! Just like a roller coaster!”

“You like roller coasters?” Chu Zihang asked. “I haven’t thanked you yet for what happened at Six Flags.”

“No big deal, we’re classmates. How are you going to thank me? Take me to an aquarium or a movie?” Xia Mi turned back and winked.

Chu Zihang had no response. On the Ferris wheel, he had already been stumped by a similar question. Xia Mi was like a rabbit constantly hopping in front of him—whether her actions were nonsensical, mocking, or seductive, he couldn’t tell. If they were seductive, then it was truly an irresistible and powerful allure. But some people are always a little slow—slow in everything but drawing their sword. Even after being struck by a girl’s charm, it would take them a while to feel the sting.

Chu Zihang bowed his head and focused on pushing the lever.

“Let’s go! Faster, faster!” Xia Mi waved her hands. “To the Sabaody Archipelago!” She started spouting nonsense from One Piece, mentioning “everyone meeting again at the Sabaody Archipelago after two years of training.” It was the place of reunion. Chu Zihang looked at Xia Mi’s back, recalling that this scene seemed to go on forever, like a classic shonen manga that never ended. He remembered walking under the same tree at Shilan Middle School with this girl, and for a moment, he lost himself in thought.

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