Dragon Raja 2; Chapter 96: Falling in the Courtyard (5)

Dragon Raja 2

“We have 6 seconds left. Within my domain, I can stretch time by about 50 times, which means 300 seconds,” Anjou said.

“‘Time Zero’ has always been a mystery, but I guess it doesn’t actually slow down the flow of time but instead changes our perception of time,” Chu Zihang said. “We’re actually just moving faster.”

“Correct, but it doesn’t work on ordinary humans—it can’t speed them up,” Anjou added.

“We need a rescue plan immediately, or everyone on this ride will die,” Anjou glanced at his watch, but its hands seemed stuck in place as if magnetized. “Ordinary timers are useless in the ‘Time Zero’ domain. I estimate we have 250 seconds left.”

Chu Zihang and Xia Mi both nodded.

“Hey, I mean, this is impossible, right?” Lu Mingfei shivered. “How about we climb down now and save ourselves?”

After all, everyone here was an elite among Hybrids, people equivalent to the most respected masters in the world of martial arts novels, with lives that were too valuable to risk. For the great cause of dragon slaying, shouldn’t they be encouraging each other, saying, “We must live on” or “Our lives are crucial for the future of the world,” and then all jump to save themselves?

The three of them looked at Lu Mingfei simultaneously. “We’re not at the point of giving up yet,” Chu Zihang said plainly.

Lu Mingfei shrank back, retreating from the simultaneous show of righteous spirit. There was a moment of silence. Lu Mingfei looked left and right, facing three pairs of fast-moving eyes, knowing that their minds were filled with countless thoughts—so active it was like a pot of boiling porridge. Only his mind was completely blank. A rescue plan? Ridiculous. How heavy was a roller coaster train? At least dozens of tons, speeding down a vertical track at 250 kilometers per hour, with only half the track left. The only possibility was if a “Super Stallion” heavy-lift helicopter just happened to fly by and lift the entire roller coaster. But looking at the blue sky and white clouds, the only thing flying was that wax-statue-like pigeon. Among the four of them, both Anjou’s and Chu Zihang’s Yanling abilities had been exposed, so perhaps Xia Mi’s ability was “Yanling: Transform into a Super Stallion”…

The roller coaster climbed dozens of meters higher, slowed fiftyfold by the Yanling power, crawling like a snail up a grapevine.

Chu Zihang suddenly looked up. “This roller coaster has a fin-type magnetic braking system!”

Xia Mi was startled. “You mean we can brake?”

“Hey, if we brake now, aren’t we just stuck in mid-air?” Lu Mingfei said.

“We won’t stay suspended in mid-air,” Chu Zihang said. “The fin-type magnetic brake is a unique feature of ‘grade roller coasters’; there are only three coasters in the world equipped with this system. Roller coasters themselves have no power; they rely on electromagnetic acceleration for their initial speed, climbing the track and converting kinetic energy to potential energy, which gradually slows the ride.”

Anjou’s eyes lit up. “When it reaches the top of the track, the speed approaches zero!”

Chu Zihang nodded. “The track of ‘The Serpent of the Atrium’ is like an arch bridge. The roller coaster’s kinetic energy is just enough to take it over the highest point of the arch. After that, it enters the descent, converting potential energy back into kinetic energy, increasing its speed again. Finally, it enters the electromagnetic deceleration tunnel and returns to the ground.”

“But we no longer have a descent track… After we pass the highest point, we will become an iron dragon plummeting straight from the sky!” Lu Mingfei said, and suddenly high school physics came flooding back.

“But we have the fin-type magnetic brake! Initially, it was designed as a joke for the passengers. As the roller coaster approaches the highest point, its speed is already low. A small brake makes it lose enough momentum to not clear the top, causing it to reverse along the upward track back into the acceleration tunnel,” Chu Zihang explained.

“Wait, how do you even know this? Aren’t you the one who likes ‘Winnie the Pooh and His Friends,’ trembling at the thought of a roller coaster?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“I was nervous, so I looked up the information on my phone while waiting in line…”

“Well done, tech geek! You’ve proved yourself once again!”

“Yes,” Anjou nodded. “It’s a joke; passengers see the roller coaster reverse and often think there’s a malfunction, screaming in terror. Before they finish screaming, the roller coaster has already safely returned to the acceleration tunnel. Some people felt reborn after experiencing it and were moved to tears, even converted to a religion.”

“The fin-type brake is meant to make us religious?” Lu Mingfei’s mind was in chaos. “Religion can only save souls… Are we already giving up on saving our bodies?”

“No,” Xia Mi said. “The fin-type brake will send us back to the acceleration tunnel, so we won’t need the descent track.”

Lu Mingfei suddenly understood, then felt a bit self-conscious. It seemed that everyone else understood as soon as Chu Zihang said “fin-type brake,” while the high school physics lesson was only for his benefit.

“But the fin-type brake can only stop the roller coaster when its speed is near zero,” Anjou said. “We have to trigger it just as we approach the highest point.”

“That’s not an issue,” Chu Zihang said. “In the domain of ‘Time Zero,’ time has been stretched, allowing us to precisely control the moment.”

“How do we activate the fin-type brake?” Xia Mi asked loudly.

“The roller coaster itself has a transformer at the rear, which steps up the low voltage from the track to high voltage to drive the fin-type brake. But the control switch is undoubtedly in the control room below,” Anjou said. “We don’t have time to get down there.”

“Why do you guys seem so familiar with roller coasters?” Lu Mingfei exclaimed in awe.

“As a roller coaster enthusiast, I’ve done my research,” Anjou hesitated for a moment, “I just can’t easily come here to experience it myself, so today I said I’d bring you to see it… it’s like how fathers often use ‘accompanying their kids’ as an excuse to have ice cream.”

“Open the cover at the back, I should be able to pull out the ignition line and ignite the fin-type brake in mid-air.” Chu Zihang said. “My specialty is alchemical machinery.”

“Wow! Science guys are so cool!” Xia Mi’s eyes sparkled.

“Hurry up, then!” Lu Mingfei widened his eyes, “Save the fangirling for later!”

Chu Zihang inserted Anjou’s folding knife into the casing, slicing the metal open. The transformer was exposed, and Chu Zihang effortlessly pulled out two wires from it.

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