Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 28: The King’s Judgement (2)

Dragon Raja 3

Agata trembled violently, pressing tightly against Renata and licking her palms frantically, begging for help. Its pups surrounded Renata, whimpering softly. They had all been affected by the hallucinogen, viewing Renata as Agata’s mother—their grandmother. Renata had ordered them not to make a sound, so they dared not, but fear made them want to scatter. They anxiously pawed at the snow.

Renata climbed onto the body of a dead sled dog and took off its collar, feeling the micro-transmitter inside. She understood—all the sled dogs were fitted with these transmitters, and they were clearly visible on the Su-27s’ radar screens. No living creature from Black Swan Bay had the right to leave without authorization, whether human or dog. Therefore, the Su-27s hadn’t been targeting her; the pilots hadn’t even noticed her. They just assumed it was a group of sled dogs that had escaped from Black Swan Bay that needed to be shot. The most sensible thing for her to do now would be to quietly distance herself from the dogs and order them not to follow. That way, she would be safe. But she didn’t think of this sensible solution. Instead, she ran to the sled dogs and began untying their harnesses.

“Run, Agata! Run!” She hugged Agata’s neck and kissed the foolish dog’s forehead.

She didn’t have time to think about the moral implications of what she was doing—having grown up in Black Swan Bay, no one had taught her about morals. She simply saw these foolish dogs as companions in their shared escape.

“White Stork, there’s a person besides the dogs!” called Swallow, the wingman, as he spotted a small figure.

Zero had repeatedly instructed her to stay hidden under the ice ridge and not move—moving would end her concealment.

“This is a military zone; it doesn’t matter who it is—eliminate them!” White Stork responded.

The sled dogs scattered, and the wingman chased after them, hunting them down and reducing each to a pool of blood. White Stork skimmed low overhead, trying to confirm the target’s identity. It was clearly a child. The squadron leader’s heart trembled, even though he knew how strict military orders were—he had a daughter, and his heart couldn’t bear to shoot a child. So, during his first dive, he instinctively diverted his aim. A line of bullet holes sprayed snow a meter high right by Renata’s feet.

Renata didn’t dare move. About a hundred meters away lay Zero in his sleeping bag. She wanted to run over and press herself against him—maybe that would make her feel a little safer, even if it was just a fleeting moment of safety… She wasn’t hoping that Zero would suddenly get up and do something; she understood now that Zero could only act freely in a dreamlike space, and Black Snake was no longer by her side.

If two zebras hid in a forest and one was discovered by a hunter, would it run to the other for protection? Such an action would be meaningless and would only endanger its fellow zebra. Yet, under deadly gunfire, who could resist that impulse?

Renata didn’t move.

“On this journey, we will not abandon or betray each other, until the end of death,” she said softly.

It was the first vow of her life, and she was determined to keep it.

“White Stork, finish it quickly. If we don’t kill her, we’ll all face a court-martial!” Swallow called.

“Alright, shut up! I’ll do it!” The squadron leader made up his mind.

He aimed the gun at the small figure, and a storm of bullets shot into the snow, grazing Renata’s body. They tore through her winter clothing and her pretty white dress, cutting into her skin, just barely missing a fatal hit. She was too small a target, and the squadron leader missed once. Not wanting to waste any more time, he switched the weapon to cluster rockets—a somewhat more merciful way to kill.

Renata’s face was covered in blood. A bullet had grazed the bridge of her nose, leaving a scar a palm’s length long, at least a centimeter deep—a scar that any plastic surgeon would say could not be healed. Her face, which had not yet had the chance to brighten some boy’s eyes, was forever ruined. Blood seeped into her eyes.

So unwilling… Is this really how I die? After everything I went through, still unable to go home and see my mom and dad…

“Is this how it ends? Is this the life Renata Evgenievnay Chicherina dreamed of?” A voice roared in her mind.

“No, this isn’t the life I wanted,” she mumbled in response.

Something exploded inside her, as if a thousand suns were burning—an incredible power and ferocity coursed through her veins. She stumbled toward the DShK 1938, a weapon capable of taking down a fighter jet!

Zero had left it there for a reason—it must be useful! She had to follow his plan until the very end! She had to escape this hell!

Renata Evgenievnay Chicherina, who had never known love or happiness in her life, could not die here.

With her slender arms, she raised the machine gun, aiming at the Su-27 coming down at her. She had never learned how to operate a weapon like this, but as soon as she grabbed the handle, it felt like her eyes could see through every detail of it. The DShK 1938 transformed into countless cross-sectional diagrams in her mind. In an instant, this heavy piece of metal broke down into thousands of parts—analyzing each component, every dimension, and every connection.

Her brain operated like an overclocked computer—her head pounded, but it felt as though she had entered a new world. Information was no longer a secret but completely deconstructed before her—analyze, analyze, analyze… Analysis complete! The weapon was reassembled in her mind.

She understood the weapon as a samurai understands his sword.

The squadron leader suddenly felt a murderous intent aimed straight at his forehead, as if a sharp blade was pointed between his brows! He pressed the launch button, firing a high-explosive rocket from the cluster. At the same time, Renata pulled the trigger of the DShK 1938!

But no flames erupted from the barrel; the trigger was locked, and a bullet was jammed in the mechanism. Renata realized she could no longer change the outcome. She could have shot down the rocket, but the gun was too old—it had jammed. The rocket passed by Renata’s shoulder, exploding behind her. The high temperature and the massive shockwave tore and burned her clothes and skin. She was thrown far away by the blast; shrapnel pierced her organs, cut away part of her skull, and burned her beautiful long hair. Blood spread beneath her, forming an ever-growing red pool.

She thought of her parents. Silent tears flowed, only to freeze quickly. With her last bit of consciousness, she hugged Zorro tightly, the stuffed bear protected by her body from the flames of the explosion.

Series Navigation

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