Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 409: God’s Downfall (1)

Dragon Raja 3

The massive mechanical tremor shook the night sky over the Tama River area. Flocks of birds circled in the sky, daring not to land on the branches. Within a few kilometers, every tree branch vibrated at the same frequency.

Miyamoto Shio stood in knee-deep red water. In front of him, the super tunnel boring machine emitted a high-frequency noise of 170 decibels. The construction workers had to wear noise-canceling headphones, or the deafening sound would destroy their eardrums.

The massive, shell-shaped machine advanced along the tracks, its colossal ultra-hard alloy drill rotating at high speed. The hard rock layers ahead collapsed in stages, and stone debris, as dense as a sandstorm, shot through the tunnel. Following the super tunnel boring machine was a shield machine, which embedded lightweight but hard shields into the tunnel walls to prevent the newly excavated tunnel from collapsing. The tunnel left behind by the boring machine was smooth-walled, with a diameter of six meters, wide enough for a train to pass through.

Thanks to this legendary machine that had once drilled through the English Channel, they had carved out a 1,000-meter tunnel in less than ten days, now nearly reaching Chikimigawa. Ahead, the basalt layer, formed from volcanic magma during the Devonian period, should have been black, but under the light of xenon lamps, the rock appeared a brilliant blood-red. Blood-like water seeped from the rock crevices, flooding the tracks of the boring machine.

Chikimigawa, “The Red Oni River” true to its name, was a red-colored underground stream. The intelligence obtained by Sakurai Masahiko at the cost of his life confirmed it was indeed red. This warm, blood-red river nurtured gods and dragon subspecies that had returned to Japan with it.

“Sonar detection, check how far we are from Chikimigawa,” Shio ordered.

The closer they got to Chikimigawa, the more cautious he became. Every hour of excavation required recalculating the remaining thickness of the rock layers.

Once the tunnel reached Chikimigawa, the passage between the Well of Bones and the human world would be open. What followed the water flow might be an embryo-state dragon.

Even in its embryonic form, it was dangerous. When it came to Chikimigawa from the Japan Trench, it was already in its embryonic state.

Shio touched the hilt of the sword at his waist. He wore the Kiku Ichimonji Zemusou, a blade symbolizing the headman’s trust in him. But this sword couldn’t deal with gods. The real weapon used to slay gods was the 5,000 tons of mercury and thermite incendiary bombs in the Red Well. If the mercury and incendiary bombs failed, then Ryoma Genichirō’s Self-Defense Force would use missiles to destroy the entire Red Well, along with the god inside.

The opening of the Well of Bones was tentatively set for midnight tomorrow. The headman himself would be present to witness the grand godslaying spectacle. Shio had already issued orders to slow down the excavation.

“About 20 meters!” the engineer shouted from ahead. “The noise in the rock layers is intense. The measurement might not be accurate, and we’re preparing to remeasure!”

Shio frowned slightly. The noise in the rock layers could be caused by slight tremors, which suggested that the awakening of the god was accelerating. Their time was running out.

He glanced at his watch. It was 3 AM, 21 hours remained before the planned time. If the boring machine dug at full speed, it would only take a few hours. It was time to stop digging, let the machine cool down, replace necessary parts, and then proceed to open the Well of Bones in one go.

He walked toward the tunnel’s exit and opened the wired intercom. In the depths of this kilometer-long tunnel, there was no wireless signal, so they could only rely on the wired intercom to contact the outside.

“Ryoma-kun, we’re only 20 meters away from the Well of Bones. Excavation will temporarily stop,” he connected to Ryoma Genichirō’s channel.

“Good work, Miyamoto-kun. Everything is normal outside, and this area is under our control, so don’t worry!” Ryoma Genichirō’s low voice came through the intercom.

Ryoma Genichirō was about a kilometer from the Red Well. Dressed in the uniform of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, he stood under dark clouds, silently smoking a cigarette.

There was only one narrow road leading to the Red Well, and Ryoma Genichirō and the 250 Air Self-Defense Force soldiers had control of it, setting up sturdy roadblocks. If anyone tried to approach the Red Well from the air, the Air Self-Defense Force’s Stinger surface-to-air missiles would bring them down. About 35 kilometers away, at the Kisarazu base, a squadron of F-2 fighter jets was ready to support the Red Well at any moment, while Camella radar monitored the entire area.

If the Oni Clan tried to attack the Red Well, they could only attempt to break through the dense forest, but the ninjas of the Fūma clan would be waiting for them deep inside the woods. Today’s ninjas no longer solely relied on ninjatos and shuriken. They were proficient in high-tech traps and laser surveillance devices, which made it easy to detect invaders. They could then follow the intruders, starting with the person at the back, and slit their throats one by one.

The defenses in this wilderness were as strong as iron.

Tomorrow, a grand ceremony would take place here. Ryoma Genichirō was both nervous and excited, but he wouldn’t show it in front of the soldiers. The soldiers knew nothing about what was happening in the Red Well; they just followed orders.

His phone rang. The caller ID was the head of the Kanto Branch, Akechi Asuya. The Execution Bureau, along with the Kanto and Kansai branches, directly took orders from the headman, and Akechi Asuya had also studied at Cassell College.

“Ryoma-sama, the head of the family will arrive at the Red Well in the morning. The Kanto Branch will meet up with you in five minutes to assist with the defense preparations,” Akechi Asuya’s concise voice came through.

Before the call ended, Ryoma Genichirō heard the roar of modified cars. The first to appear was a red Alfa Romeo, speeding towards them at 200 kilometers per hour like an arrow shot from a bow.

The soldiers raised their weapons in unison. The Alfa Romeo’s bright headlights resembled serpent eyes, and they instinctively became alert. As the car neared the roadblock, it slammed on the brakes. Bright sparks flew from the ceramic brake discs, and it skidded to a stop in front of Ryoma Genichirō.

The car door opened, and a chilling young man stepped out.

Akechi Asuya, the head of the Kanto Branch, bowed deeply to Ryoma Genichirō. In terms of position, Akechi Asuya and Ryoma Genichirō were equal, but under the family system, the head of the family was supreme.

Another roar of engines approached, and two more cars came side by side, their fronts almost level. A dark blue Porsche and a golden Nissan GTR sped towards Akechi Asuya. But Akechi Asuya showed no signs of dodging. Instead, he opened the trunk of his car and took out an elegant sword box. The Porsche and GTR zipped past him, the gust of wind ruffling Akechi Asuya’s hair, and they spun to a stop on either side of the Alfa Romeo.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 408: Road of Demons (7)Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 410: God’s Downfall (2) >>