Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 381: An Old Friend From the Arctic (7)

Dragon Raja 3

As the spoon spun faster and faster, the hearts of Caesar and Chu Zihang also began to race. Just when it seemed like the spoon would fly from Ruri’s fingers, he suddenly twisted his wrist and firmly grasped the spoon in his palm, gently placing it on the table.

“C-can I continue eating now?” Finger asked, trembling with fear.

Caesar froze for a few seconds before feeling the urge to flip the table in frustration. Compared to the high-class, prestigious teams of the Yamata no Orochi family or the Oni Clan, their side finally got reinforcements—and it turned out to be a pig.

“Of course, would you like some soy sauce?” Ruri smiled as he placed a porcelain bottle of soy sauce in front of Finger.

“Uh… do you have any garlic crisps?” Finger asked cautiously.

Caesar rested his hand on his forehead in silence, while Chu Zihang quietly placed a jar of garlic crisps in front of Finger. Moments later, the sound of someone slurping noodles and gulping down soup echoed around the room. Indeed, soy sauce and garlic crisps are the perfect companions to ramen. With these two additions, Finger’s appetite was fully restored, and the noise of him devouring the food made the ramen seem incredibly delicious. Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but grab a piece of tempura shrimp, only to have it slapped out of his hand by Caesar.

“Show some professionalism, and pay attention!” Caesar whispered.

“Alright, let Mr. Heracles continue eating, and we can move on to the main topic,” Ruri laughed.

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance. The veins on their hands slowly receded. Thanks to the distraction from the foodie, the tense atmosphere had quietly melted away.

“The king of the host world, working as a waiter? How long have you been here?” Caesar stared into Ruri’s eyes.

“I’ve been helping out in the kitchen; this is my third day. I’m a great actor. With a simple change of hairstyle and makeup, I can turn myself into a completely different person,” Ruri said. “Neither Mr. Whale nor the others have recognized me.”

“You’re spying on us?”

“No, I’m just trying to make it easier to contact you. My brother knows I’m back, and he’s trying to send me back to hell. With this face that looks like the patriarch of a family, if I openly moved around in the Shinjuku district, wouldn’t gang members bow to me?” Ruri laughed. “That wouldn’t be good.”

“If you could find Finger, the Oni Clan must have realized long ago that the Principal had infiltrated people into Japan, right?” Chu Zihang asked.

“Yes, but we have no way of knowing how many people Principal Anjou has sent to infiltrate Japan,” Ruri replied. “The reason I invited Mr. Finger to this shop was to show that your Principal has also been preparing to take action against the Yamata no Orochi family. He has sensed some instability within their ranks.”

“Tachibana?” Caesar asked.

“We’ll soon know the truth,” Ruri glanced at his watch. “Three hours ago, Osho made a move. That viper is coming out of its hole, and this is our chance to work together.”

Three hours ago, in the parking lot beneath Genji Heavy Industries.

The elite of the Execution Bureau had blocked every exit. Tachibana stood by the door, waiting, droplets of water hanging from his long white eyebrows.

A convoy pulled into the parking lot, led by Chisei’s black Hummer. Following closely behind were a row of black Mercedes, surrounding a black van.

Tachibana threw aside the subordinate holding an umbrella for him and rushed to the side of the van in his wooden clogs. Chisei, holding Erii in his arms, jumped down, and someone immediately held an umbrella over his head.

“Fool! Who do you think you should be covering?” Chisei growled.

The umbrella was quickly moved away from Chisei and instead layered over Erii, shielding her completely. The girl lay curled up, fast asleep in Chisei’s arms, peaceful like a little princess.

“Did you find her at Matsuyama Station?” Tachibana urgently checked her pulse.

“Yes,” Chisei nodded. “The call was made by Lu Mingfei. That was his voice.”

Fifteen minutes after Lu Mingfei made the call, Matsuyama Station in Shikoku was surrounded. While Chisei remotely commanded the local gangs to surround the station, he personally led the convoy there.

It made no sense that the college would so easily return Erii, but Chisei had no doubt. In the phone call, Lu Mingfei had sounded relieved, as if saying, “It’s all good now, I’m giving your sister back to you.” It was what they call a “man’s trust.”

The last train bound for Meitsujimachi pulled into the station. Chisei leaped over the ticket gate, and the train doors opened in unison. A girl carrying a giant teddy bear stepped onto the platform and met Chisei’s gaze through the pouring rain. The hem of her deep purple dress fluttered in the strong wind.

For a moment, Chisei was dazed. He suddenly realized that Erii had grown up, standing there so graceful and poised. She was now able to leave him, go out into the world with others, no longer needing his protection. At this moment, she was returning from the outside world, drenched in rain and exhaustion, but her eyes were clear and bright. That journey must have been beautiful. No matter how tired or sorrowful she was, she had no regrets. She had no intention of apologizing or saying, “Brother, I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

After a long silence, Chisei gave a slight bow and said, “You’re back.”

Erii showed him the note she had written long ago. It read, “XXXXX.” 【I’m back.】

Both of them smiled, and then Erii’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the platform. She was far more weakened than Lu Mingfei had imagined—her condition was worse than expected. She had only managed to hold on this long because of her wish to travel far away with Sakura.

Tachibana felt around Erii’s body, and when he reached her ankle, his expression changed. Her ankle was covered in tiny scales. The dragonization process had become quite evident. The dragon blood was both ravaging her body and stimulating her physical functions, and her body temperature was alarmingly high.

“She needs a blood cleanse immediately, along with local serum injections,” Tachibana said. “If we wait another 24 hours, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

“Notify the medical team to prepare!” he turned and ordered.

Just then, his phone rang unexpectedly—a call from an unknown number. This startled Tachibana. His phone number was strictly confidential; no stranger had ever called him before.

He hesitated, unwilling to answer such a strange call, but the phone kept ringing, as if the caller was determined to speak with him, indifferent to how long it took.

Tachibana pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear, but he remained silent.

Amid the sound of rain, a deep male voice spoke: “Dear Major Bondarev, greetings. This is a call from an old acquaintance, from within the Arctic Circle, more than thirty years ago.” The voice was aged and resonant, carrying a deep echo, like the sound of an ancient pipe organ weeping. “Say something, let me hear your voice again, my old friend. We once shared the glory of the Soviet Union, toasting like comrades with red-label vodka, with ten-thousand-year-old ice floating in our glasses.”

Tachibana’s expression changed. This high-ranking, calculating old man suddenly seemed younger. His long eyebrows lifted, and a sly, fox-like cunning appeared once again in the corners of his eyes and between his brows.

He had transformed back into Major Bondarev of the KGB.

This expression disappeared in a flash. Tachibana covered the phone’s microphone and said to Chisei, “There’s something I need to handle personally. You take Erii to the medical team for the blood cleanse. I’ll be there shortly.”

Chisei, carrying Erii, rushed towards the door. He stopped at the entrance and looked back. Tachibana stood in the storm, far from everyone else. His posture was upright, like a samurai who had just received orders and was preparing to march into battle.

Series Navigation

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