Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 180: Girl with Sandalwood Scent (12)

Dragon Raja 3

“How did you get here?” Caesar thought Lu Mingfei must have had a tough journey.

“Don’t even ask, it was insane! I woke up in a hospital, not sure who fished me out of the water. Thankfully, I have a pretty average face, so no one recognized me. I figured the cops would come to question me, and I’d get arrested, so I knew I had to escape. I stole a doctor’s coat, took a deep breath, and snuck out the front door. No one even tried to stop me,” Lu Mingfei said, smacking his lips. “Still, it scared me half to death.”

“Sounds like it went pretty smoothly to me.”

“Smooth? What are you talking about?” Lu Mingfei sighed. “I got out of the hospital and then remembered I had no money! That doctor’s coat only had a few thousand yen in it. I went to a shop, ate a bowl of ramen with two boiled eggs, and bam—no more money.”

Caesar thought, Well, at least he got ramen and boiled eggs.

“Then I remembered I didn’t even have enough for the train, so I had to sneak into the station. I’ve never done anything like that before, so I was sweating bullets the whole time…”

Didn’t you just steal a doctor’s coat a moment ago? Now you’re claiming you’ve never done anything illegal? Caesar thought to himself.

“I finally managed to get on a train heading to Chizuru Town…”

“You actually found a train to Chizuru Town?” Caesar was impressed. He had considered taking a train too, but seeing only endless roads and unreadable signs, he had given up the idea.

“Oh, that part wasn’t hard. I asked a girl who looked like a student for directions, and she told me. And, as luck would have it, she was also taking the train to Chizuru Town to hang out. When I told her I was looking for an internet café, she used her phone to help me find this place. Once I met her, everything went smoothly—I even hitched a ride with her in a taxi. She was really nice.”

Caesar thought, You’ve been well-fed, had company from a nice girl, and yet you’re calling this an ‘insane’ experience?

“When I got here, I realized something was wrong. A fat guy led me to a cubicle. I tried to log into the college network, but all these weird websites popped up,” Lu Mingfei’s face changed as he spoke. “You’ve seen those weird websites too, right, boss?”

Caesar nodded helplessly. Don’t use the word ‘encountered’ like it’s something so shameful, Caesar thought. We’re men, there’s no need to be discreet about it. We’ve all seen it. As long as no one tells the other guy’s girlfriend, it’s like it never happened. It’s an unspoken code of honor between men, after all.

But then Caesar remembered—Lu Mingfei was a bachelor. There was no leverage over him.

“Then this girl came in to shine my shoes. She didn’t even ask—just knelt down and started. While she was polishing my shoes, she even touched my leg. I was still trying to figure out how to pay for it when the gangsters burst in.” Lu Mingfei’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Oh hey! Isn’t this Miss Makoto? You’re dressed so beautifully!”

He reached past Caesar’s shoulder, extending a hand toward Makoto. “Miss Makoto, do you remember me? I’m the guy from that night.”

“I remember, I remember! You’re the one from that night, right?” Makoto smiled politely, despite the fact that it wasn’t the best time for a reunion, and shook hands with Lu Mingfei.

“Lu Mingfei, my name is Lu Mingfei. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last time since I had to leave in such a hurry. But now we’re properly acquainted,” Lu Mingfei said sincerely.

This guy has an uncanny ability to lie with a straight face, Caesar thought. Clearly, he had just had another qipao-clad girl shine his shoes, yet he instantly recognized Makoto’s uniform and delivered a compliment without a hitch. Meanwhile, when Caesar had first met Makoto, the encounter had been nothing but awkward.

“What should we do now, boss?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“I managed to contact the college briefly, only for a few minutes. They’ve upgraded Norma into a girl named Eva, and she seems even more powerful. She’s the one who cut the power and gave me a map. We need to find an exit point. There are plenty of cars outside. Once we escape, we’ll grab the fastest one and drive out. After that, we just need to find a place to hide. If the Yamata no Orochi think the Secret Party is just a college, they’re making a huge mistake. From what I know, anyone who crosses the Secret Party always regrets it.”

Lu Mingfei was secretly shocked. So, there really was a girl named Eva hidden within the college. The strange things he had experienced were gradually becoming reality.

At the end of the hallway was a circular lobby. The three of them crouched down, hiding in the corner between the wall and the door, peeking through the small window on the door.

The circular lobby was actually an elevator hall for guests going to the Turkish bath and billiard hall, where the bōsōzoku were patrolling with short-barreled shotguns. Only one emergency light illuminated the hall, so it was difficult to tell how many people were there. With his enhanced speed after activating Blood Rage, Caesar could easily take down five or six of them, but if someone hidden in a distant corner shot him, his life would be in danger. He released Kamaitachi, and in an instant, he understood the situation. There were twelve people in the hall, four of them positioned in distant corners. Rushing in would be impossible, but they had to pass through the hall to reach the changing room. Caesar thoughtfully stroked the hilt of his Dictator knife.

“Someone’s coming!” Lu Mingfei whispered.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. With the help of Kamaitachi, Caesar could clearly hear that it was two boys with guns. The silver chains on their wrists clinked against their guns with a soft “clink-clink.”

Caesar raised an eyebrow. “Perfect! We’re pulling back.”

The three of them retreated to the far end of the corridor. Lu Mingfei and Makoto went ahead, while Caesar brought up the rear. The footsteps grew louder as the boys approached, their high-powered flashlights illuminating the corridor in a harsh light. If they stepped into the hallway, Lu Mingfei and Makoto would surely be exposed. Caesar could easily take down the two bōsōzoku barehanded, but any noise would alert the rest of the gang in the lobby, who would come running and open fire.

After running just a few steps, Caesar stopped and lightly clapped his hands. “Sit against the wall!”

Lu Mingfei didn’t immediately understand, but Makoto got it. She grabbed Lu Mingfei, and the two of them sat with their backs to the wall, hands on their heads. In the chaos, all the customers and employees had been dragged out by the bōsōzoku and made to sit outside. Makoto was in her work uniform, and Lu Mingfei, with his disheveled appearance, looked like any other internet café regular. No one would suspect them.