Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 8: A Dark Rainy Night (8)

Dragon Raja 2

One could never quite figure out the inner world of this man. Even now, he was babbling, almost excited.

They had been speeding for more than ten minutes, and with the current speed, they had traveled over forty kilometers. The shadows hadn’t caught up, and the silvery lights were no longer visible.

Chu Zihang’s heart rate slowly returned to normal. Surely no one could keep up with a speeding Maybach, right? They must have left those shadows forty kilometers behind.

“Where are we headed now?” Chu Zihang asked.

“No idea. They’re still around because the rain hasn’t stopped. We need to find an exit.” The man kept his foot on the accelerator. Chu Zihang could tell that the man’s tension had not eased at all.

The rain hasn’t stopped? What did that mean? And what did it have to do with those shadows? Chu Zihang’s head throbbed with pain.

A “slow down” sign flashed past, indicating that a toll station was one kilometer ahead. Bright lights emerged from the darkness. The man let out a long breath, visibly relieved.

“We should be back to normal. Once we pass the toll station, you get out and look for a passing car, hitch a ride, and have your dad pay them a little. It’ll be fine.” The man held a few bills in his hand, ready to pay the toll, and reached over to pull the sword out from the car door.

“Where are you going?” Chu Zihang asked.

“They’ll be after me,” the man said. “Don’t worry. Your old man is capable, and this car—nine million for a Maybach—isn’t just for show. I can outrun them.”

Still showing off the car at a time like this? Chu Zihang looked at him, speechless.

“I’m just messing with you, don’t take it seriously,” the man smiled. “But really, there’s nothing to worry about. I still need to go to your parent-teacher meeting. Trust me… son.”

The Maybach didn’t slow down, and the toll station drew closer and closer. The bright white light felt warm, like the glow of an oil lamp under the eaves of an inn, beckoning to travelers in the mist, promising safety. Both Chu Zihang and the man looked eagerly ahead.

The car suddenly decelerated, the brake pads screeching.

“No… something’s not right!” the man said hoarsely.

Chu Zihang also realized something was off. The light ahead brought more than warmth; there was also a sense of majesty and grandeur, like a pilgrim approaching a shrine.

Yes! That longing to get closer wasn’t like seeing a lighthouse at sea, but a devout approach to a divine temple—a desire to draw close, a yearning for the light of the gods.

But Chu Zihang didn’t believe in gods, any gods… not before he saw that light.

They came to a stop, but the light moved toward them—those strands of white light that spread through the darkness and rain.

Chu Zihang heard the sound of a horse’s whinny, but he thought it was an illusion. If the beast in the storm was indeed a horse, what kind of horse was it? It seemed as though it could touch the sky.

“Listen to your dad, stay neither too far nor too close to me,” the man turned to look at Chu Zihang. “Just like when I took you to fly a kite when you were little.”

A kite never strays too far from the one flying it because they’re connected by the kite string. The moment it strays is when the string breaks.

Chu Zihang nodded.

“Buckle up!” The man floored the gas pedal.

The Maybach launched forward at maximum acceleration, charging straight into the white light. Water vapor split apart, and Chu Zihang suddenly saw it clearly—standing in that white light was…

His entire worldview collapsed. Everything he believed in was shattered—this world was nothing like he imagined!

In the white light stood an enormous, mountain-like horse. It was clad in heavy, ornate armor, its white fur shimmering like crystal. Eight muscular legs stood like the stabilizing struts of a wheeled crane. Its dark gold hooves clawed at the ground, leaving deep gouges in the hard pavement. A mask covered its face, and each time it let out a thunderous neigh, electric sparks erupted from the metallic nostrils.

On its back sat a massive dark figure, wearing dark golden armor that shimmered faintly as rain fell upon it. In his hand, he held a curved lance, the curve resembling the trajectory of a meteor across the sky. A single golden eye on the iron-masked face shone like a beacon, illuminating the surroundings.

In Norse mythology, the chief god of the Asgardians, Odin!

Chu Zihang had read about him in a book. Now he was here, just as in the legends—riding the eight-legged steed Sleipnir, wielding the spear Gungnir made from the branches of the World Tree, dressed in dark golden armor, draped in a dark blue cloak, and with a single eye!

He should only have existed in words and murals!

The Maybach roared, crashing into Sleipnir. The horse neighed, its four front hooves lifting into the air. All the rain gathered, forming a wall in front of Odin, crashing into the front of the Maybach. Chu Zihang couldn’t see anything ahead anymore—it felt like they were facing a waterfall. The enormous kinetic energy of the Maybach was dissipated within just a few meters. The car alarms blared, airbags deployed, barely saving Chu Zihang’s neck from breaking instantly.

The torrent pushed the Maybach back. Sleipnir knelt slowly, and Odin drove Gungnir into the wet asphalt, using the divine horse as his throne. Shadows emerged from behind Odin, like priests preparing for a mass. They surrounded them—identical black robes, pale faces, and empty golden eyes, all glowing.

The Maybach was completely surrounded. It seemed that the gods’ tactics were similar to those of humans.

“Get out of the car.” The man said in a low voice.

Chu Zihang moved his legs mechanically, following the man out of the car, standing side by side with him in the bright light of the headlights. The man held the long sword in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Chu Zihang.

“Don’t be afraid. The first time I saw this, I was scared too, but fear is useless. I didn’t want you to see any of this, but now that you have, don’t miss this chance. Open your eyes wide.”

Chu Zihang gripped the man’s hand tightly. He had never felt the man so tall, so unshakable, like a mountain. Rain fell from the sky and covered the ground, with nothing but endless darkness beyond the rain. Underfoot was the wide elevated road, with transparent curtains of rain all around, as if every drop of rain in the world had gathered in this space, layer upon layer without any gap.

Series Navigation

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