Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 15: Zero (5)

Dragon Raja 3

The doctor had wanted him to experience this terrifying supernatural power, but the experience was far too harrowing—he felt as though he had just returned from hell. As the air was still dissolving, Bondarev noticed a transparent figure flash past his side. It was just a fleeting moment, a fraction of a second, but Bondarev, who had undergone strict KGB training, was absolutely certain it was a person—a transparent person! Under normal circumstances, this person would have been undetectable, but they became visible in Anton’s domain. Anton’s ability had frozen even the shape of the wind, leaving the shadow of the transparent person in the gelled air.

“Intruder!” Bondarev shouted. He immediately put on his infrared night vision goggles. In the infrared vision, a blurry shadow darted into the engineering elevator. The seemingly unmanned elevator began to ascend with a rumbling sound. The doctor also reacted; he and Bondarev simultaneously lunged, sliding across the ice to the base of the elevator, and raised their guns to shoot. The bullets struck the metal panel beneath the elevator, causing sparks to scatter.

“That’s a titanium-aluminum alloy bulletproof plate!” the doctor said.

“Damn! Where did he come from?”

“He came in with you,” the doctor said. “The engineering tunnel you used has been abandoned. After we discovered the dragon’s lair, we dug a new, more convenient passage, directly leading to the underground research lab of the port. No one could enter from that passage; it’s equipped with the most advanced infrared warning system. But the original engineering tunnel doesn’t have any alarm equipment. The mechanical password doors should have been enough, but you managed to break through both doors.”

Bondarev shivered violently. He had also put on his infrared night vision goggles in the tunnel to ensure he wasn’t being followed, but he hadn’t seen any shadow. If this transparent man had indeed followed him in, the only explanation was that the intruder had been clinging tightly to Bondarev’s back, like Bondarev’s own shadow. When Bondarev turned, he turned too; when Bondarev entered the elevator, so did he. He would never enter the infrared field of view. At any point, he could have easily slit Bondarev’s throat!

A deafening explosion came from above—apparently, the intruder had triggered the laser mines.

“Though they’re small mines, their power is enough to sever the tracks of an armored vehicle. In a confined space, they’re even more effective,” Bondarev said.

The doctor nodded in approval—Bondarev was indeed a KGB elite, strictly adhering to the KGB doctrine of never leaving an escape route for those who come after.

A few minutes later, the two of them charged into the smoke-filled engineering tunnel, weapons in hand. All the laser mines had exploded, their crisscrossing blasts capable of blowing an elephant to pieces. Yet they found no blood or bodies, and there was no one in the infrared field of view either. The intruder had triggered the mines but had still managed to escape.

“That cannot be human,” the doctor said.

“There’s a hybrid in this port,” Bondarev said, “someone who’s been waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate the lair, and today they finally succeeded! We must immediately seal the port—no one is allowed to leave. There’s no communication equipment here; all radio transmissions are monitored. If we enforce a complete lockdown, no information will leak!”

The doctor pulled out a remote and pressed the red button. Sirens blared, and warning lights bathed the ice field in a blood-red glow. Searchlights shot out blinding white beams, and the entire port awoke like a giant beast.

The alarm startled Renata, and then came a loud rumbling in the hallway. Iron bars dropped outside the doors and windows of each room. The security system was locking down the entire floor, with every exit and entrance secured, requiring an encrypted key to open. She was trapped inside Room Zero. Upstairs, there were hurried, clattering footsteps—fierce nurses abandoning their drinks and cards to rush out of the office. Within minutes, they would discover Renata’s intrusion into the restricted area. No child who entered here ever came to a good end, and Renata was so panicked that she wanted to cry.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll help you. After all, we’re friends,” Zero smiled.

“What should I do?” Renata asked.

She was already terrified—Zero was strapped to an iron chair in a restraint jacket, barely able to move a finger. How could he possibly help? But Zero’s eyes were convincing—he didn’t look like he was joking; he smiled earnestly. This self-proclaimed madman had a commanding presence when he was serious.

“It will require a bit of a price.”

“Okay,” Renata nodded. She was willing to pay whatever price necessary if it meant she could return to her room.

“Come closer to me,” Zero said.

Renata stepped closer to the chair.

“Unfasten my wrist strap,” Zero added.

Renata instinctively wanted to back away. She wasn’t foolish—if Zero were harmless, the nurses wouldn’t have strapped him in a restraint jacket and locked him in here. Opening the wrist strap would mean freeing his hands. Nobody knew if what would emerge was still the boy who wanted to be her friend, or perhaps a monster.

“How can I help you if I’m bound?” Zero kept smiling, but his voice suddenly changed—slow and solemn, full of majesty. “Woman, do you see the throne? Why do you not bow down?”

His pupils turned a deep, dark gold, illuminating the entire room. His breath mixed with heavy nasal sounds, like a god speaking from his throne in the clouds. With just one look, Renata found herself unable to look away. She was submerged—drowning in cold water, undergoing a baptism. The one holding her up, preventing her from sinking, was Zero, as imposing as a father or an older brother. She knelt beside the chair and obediently unfastened Zero’s wrist strap.

“I like obedient girls,” Zero’s voice was icy, devoid of any emotion.

He flexed his stiff wrists, then grabbed Renata’s shoulders, lifting the petite girl up and forcing her to straddle his legs. He tore open her nightgown. Her delicate, yet-to-develop body was white like goat’s milk, and any touch seemed like a desecration. But Zero’s hands cruelly squeezed her flesh, leaving purple bruises all over. Renata’s mind went blank. She didn’t understand what was happening. In an instant, Zero had changed. Moments ago, they had been friends; now Zero had transformed into a beast that wanted to devour her. Could all those pitiful looks have been just a way to lure her into a trap?

Zero paused his assault on her, rubbing his wrist strap against the iron corner of the chair. The strap was fraying, and so was his wrist. He wiped the blood onto Renata’s small chest as if painting some kind of bloody totem on her body. The warning lights dyed Renata’s skin a dangerous and tempting red, her blood-smeared, pale body beautiful in a dazzling yet grotesque way.

“Is this what’s called ‘rape’?” Renata had heard the word before, but she always thought it belonged to the adult world, something far away from her. Zero pulled off his mask and bit down hard on Renata’s lips, drawing blood. Renata didn’t know if Zero wanted to rape her or devour her. In extreme fear, she started to cry loudly.

“Restrain Zero!” The head nurse’s roar was deafening.

The head nurse jammed an electric baton into Zero’s mouth, while a stout nurse took the opportunity to pull Renata away from him. Several other strong nurses pounced on Zero, pressing him firmly onto the chair. Zero let out a hoarse scream, struggling with all his might, his blood staining the restraint jacket red.

“Sedative! Give him a high dose of sedative!” the head nurse shouted.

One nurse raised her leg, her booted foot stepping on Zero’s wrist, and held a high-pressure air syringe, using it like a chisel to forcefully inject it into Zero’s upper arm. The high-pressure air automatically pushed the sedative in, and the effect took hold instantly. Zero’s struggling grew weaker, and after half a minute, he lay still like a corpse, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The head nurse slapped Renata hard across the face. “Look at what you’ve done! A girl like you, who no one likes, deserves to be eaten by the devil!”

Renata’s gaze was vacant, not yet recovered from the fear of what had just happened.

“Should we give her a shot of sedative too? Almost getting raped by a madman can’t feel good,” a nurse suggested.

The head nurse glanced disdainfully at Renata’s bloodstained body. “Maybe she likes the feeling of being raped, huh? The little girls are starting to develop, aren’t they? They’ll start wanting men too! Leave her be—getting raped is her own fault! I bet she’s just pretending to be pitiful!”

“The doctor is on his way,” another nurse came running in, shouting. “The other children are in their rooms, and there’s nothing unusual.”

“Chain Zero up, take 38 back to her room, and lock her in. Everyone, keep an eye on every room—no unnecessary movements! This entire floor is now under lockdown!” The head nurse removed her white coat and straightened her uniform skirt. “I’m going to report to the doctor!” The forty-something woman swayed her hips, her heels clicking sharply as she left.

Renata watched as the nurses brought in a thick iron chain, tightly binding Zero’s arms and legs, fastening it with pliers. A nurse led Renata, almost naked, out of the room. Just before she left, she felt a warmth on her back, as if someone were watching her, bidding her farewell. Instinctively, she turned her head, and for a fleeting moment, she saw Zero—his expression still blank—suddenly blink. Only Renata saw this little movement. His eyes were still just as lively and mischievous.

His lips moved, mouthing the words: “Good night.”