Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 253: Divine Hall of Murals (7)

Dragon Raja 3

Chu Zihang leaned in to take a picture of the fragment. “It looks rich in detail, containing a lot of information. Once we develop a high-resolution image, we might be able to determine the original mural’s content.”

“That’s too tedious,” Caesar said as he pulled out his Dictator knife from behind his waist, inserting it into the seam behind the canvas to cut away the adhesive little by little. “If that person stole such a large piece, why don’t we just take this fragment with us? Analyzing the original will give us more information, right?”

Chu Zihang paused for a moment, then nodded. The Gattuso family’s style was always bold and direct—sometimes overly aggressive, but occasionally that approach worked well.

“Let’s finish photographing the remaining murals quickly. Once Lu Mingfei gets up here, we’ll leave. Forget about Kaguya for now; today’s findings are worth much more than blowing up Kaguya’s core,” Caesar said, tearing open the lining of his coat and carefully stashing the fragment inside.

After a few seconds of silence, Caesar patted Chu Zihang on the shoulder. “Director, handle the lighting yourself. Hurry up—someone’s coming.”

“What did you hear?” Chu Zihang asked, immediately alert.

“The elevator. Not the freight one we came up in, but the VIP elevator next to it. It was originally stopped on this floor, and now it’s descending. Someone’s calling for it from the lower floors. And the only ones who use the VIP elevator are… those humanoid dragons, right?” Caesar let out a soft whistle.

“They might not come up here,” Chu Zihang said.

“Don’t count on that. The police will be here tomorrow to search for evidence of criminal activity, and tonight they’re scrambling to move the archives. All the movers are from the Execution Bureau, which means the files are important. So of course, the humanoid dragon and Tachibana are inspecting the scene themselves. After checking downstairs, won’t they also come upstairs?” Caesar ran toward the elevators. “When they step out and see the bodies everywhere, and us stealing things, no explanation will save us. Finish taking pictures of the murals! I’ll buy you some time!”

The VIP elevator had intricately carved bronze doors. Caesar turned on his mini flashlight, held it in his mouth, and wedged his fingers into the door seam, prying the doors open with brute force. A gust of cold wind blew up and down—the elevator shaft outside loomed deep and dark. The shaft was enormous, signaling the scale of the building. Ordinary buildings have elevator shafts for three or four elevators, covering no more than twenty square meters, but the Genji Heavy Industries shaft housed over ten elevators, spanning more than a hundred square meters. Dozens of high-strength steel columns and crossbeams crisscrossed the shaft. This was a high-speed system, with metal cars traveling at five meters per second, speeding past with a futuristic hum.

The VIP elevator had stopped at the ground floor and was likely picking up passengers. The shaft’s acoustics were excellent, and with Caesar’s hearing, he could faintly make out the voices of Tachibana and Chisei chatting below.

The VIP elevator began to ascend, and the display above the door flashed with the word “神道” (Shinto), confirming Caesar’s suspicion—the highest leaders of Snake Hachiya were on their way up. The mural floor was about thirty to forty floors up, with five-meter ceilings, so it would take about 30 to 40 seconds for the elevator to arrive. Meanwhile, the freight elevator next to it also began rising. Lu Mingfei had just finished moving fifty boxes of files and was heading up to meet them. The freight elevator’s speed was only a fraction of the VIP one, which meant Chisei and Tachibana would arrive first.

“Bullshit! The timing couldn’t be worse! Sharing a shaft with a humanoid dragon—he’d probably piss himself if he knew that!” Caesar looked up at the top of the elevator shaft, where he could see the pulley system for the steel cables.

“No choice but to try.” He leaned halfway into the shaft, gripping his gun, and aimed at the gears, firing.

Every shot hit its mark, but even the Desert Eagle’s power wasn’t enough to destroy the gears. The bullets ricocheted, producing bright sparks in the shaft.

Caesar didn’t intend to cause the elevator to plummet, killing the humanoid dragon and Tachibana. He only wanted to trigger the elevator’s safety system and force it to stop. High-rise buildings like this one had multiple failsafes; as soon as the system detected any instability, it would brake the elevator automatically. Inside the cabin, even Chisei wouldn’t be able to restart it. He’d have to pry open the doors and climb the stairs—dozens of floors, plenty to keep him busy.

Sparks flew as the braking mechanism engaged, grinding against the brake pads.

Chisei suddenly fell silent, placing his hand on the hilt of Kumogiri.

“What’s wrong?” Tachibana asked, startled. He had practically raised Chisei, and could sense his mood from his every movement. At that moment, Chisei exuded a cold, murderous aura. Though Kumogiri was still in its sheath, in Chisei’s mind, the blade had already been drawn.

Chisei looked up, his expression blank. “Something’s wrong. I smell blood—a strong scent drifting down from above.”

No sooner had he spoken than deafening gunfire erupted from above. It was the sound of a large-caliber handgun, echoing and amplifying in the enclosed elevator shaft. The elevator shook violently, as though it might fall at any moment. But neither Chisei nor Tachibana showed any hint of fear.

Tachibana pulled out his large-caliber revolver from his kimono. “What kind of rat managed to sneak into Genji Heavy Industries? And they even made the first move.”

“The gangs loyal to the Oni Clan should’ve been suppressed by now. The only ones who’ve escaped are Osho and the Dragon King. Who would dare infiltrate our headquarters?” Chisei frowned. “If they dared to break in, they must’ve come well-prepared.”

“Don’t worry, the elevator’s safety measures were considered during the design. Even a handgun or grenade wouldn’t be able to affect the operation of the VIP elevator. After it’s attacked, it switches to safety mode, and we’ll reach the top floor in less than a minute,” Tachibana reassured.

The VIP elevator continued to ascend, but it had slowed down, transforming from a high-speed elevator to a regular one, operating in safety mode.

“I’m not worried about the elevator. I’m worried that the person shooting might be in the mural hall!” Chisei said coldly.

Tachibana’s expression changed instantly. He pulled out his phone and made a call, “Kaguya-hime, initiate full lockdown of the building. No one is allowed in or out. Seal the ventilation and sewage systems, and deploy the snipers!”

“Order received from Tachibana, executed by Kaguya-hime. Order confirmed and initiated. The building will enter full lockdown within 30 seconds,” Kaguya-hime replied respectfully.

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