Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 425: The Boss Lady (5)

Dragon Raja 3

If it had been Uesugi Erii or Zero who had appeared before him at that moment, maybe things would have turned out differently. But it was Nono who walked in, and from then on, everything went downhill.

“Suddenly sending the ‘Princess’ to Lu Mingfei’s side—is it because a crisis is approaching?” Mai was sitting at her desk on the phone, while Enxi was fast asleep on the sofa.

“Yes, Mai, you’re always so sharp. Although I’m not sure what form the crisis will take, in an extreme situation, there must be someone capable of protecting Lu Mingfei,” the boss said calmly. “I just didn’t expect that silly girl to injure her knee before even arriving. After all these years, she’s still so stubborn. If she promises to do something, she’ll do it no matter what.”

“The job of protecting Lu Mingfei can be handled by me and Chips. The princess’s combat abilities can’t even protect herself right now.”

“Don’t worry, her body isn’t as weak as it seems. She’s someone who has risen from the ashes. With your abilities, I’m sure you can protect Lu Mingfei, but you’re like a sword, while that silly girl is like a shield—she’s suited for protection,” the boss smiled. “With her by Lu Mingfei’s side, just like Sakura was by Chisei’s side, as long as she lives, Lu Mingfei will be absolutely safe. The mentality of wanting to protect someone at all costs is completely different from the mentality of wanting to kill someone at all costs. Mai, my beautiful girl, you’re only suited for killing.”

“Do you need me to kill Osho when the time comes?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to kill him. I told you, it will be a war of tens of thousands, and I will personally face him.” The boss hung up the phone.

Mai sat silently in the dawn light, wiping her sword. For the first time, she sensed an underlying uncertainty in the boss’s words. First, he wasn’t sure what form the crisis would take, and second, he referred to it as a “war of tens of thousands.”

The term “tens of thousands” comes from the biblical “Yahweh Sabaoth,” “Lord of Hosts,” one of the titles of God. He is the ruler of heaven and earth, commanding the armies of angels and humans, making His authority unmatched and His punishment irresistible.

So, a “war of tens of thousands” would be a battle where God Himself takes the field. Who in this world is worthy to be His enemy? Perhaps only the demon sealed beneath the deepest depths—was something of that magnitude about to awaken? Her finger twitched slightly, unintentionally cutting her skin on the sharp blade.

At dawn, the furious roars from the well finally quieted down. Chisei stood in the fiery morning glow, silently smoking a cigarette.

Just before dawn, the commotion in the well had reached its peak, as if tens of thousands of frenzied dragons were thrashing about at the bottom, nearly collapsing the well walls, shaking the earth as if in an earthquake. The Tokyo Meteorological Bureau had detected the tremors from the Tama River and repeatedly called the Ganryū Research Institute near Red Well, demanding reports on the situation. Chisei replied simply that it was a “minor earthquake.” A helicopter sent by the Tokyo government had tried to approach Red Well to investigate, but after an F-2 fighter jet escorted it for a minute and warned it not to approach the temporary military control zone, the Tokyo government gave up on the investigation. Though Ryoma Genichirō was dead, his connections in the military remained.

When the tremors were at their most intense, even the ninjas of the Fūma clan had pale faces, but only Chisei remained standing on the enormous well cover, spanning a square kilometer, braving the storm, as if single-handedly suppressing the demons trying to break free from their chains.

Human power is insignificant in the face of these dragon subspecies, which could form entire ecosystems. In the end, it was the thermite bombs buried at the bottom of the well that eradicated them.

These are the most ferocious incendiary bombs in the world, using aluminum powder and iron(III) oxide as fuel. When ignited, they can melt cast iron in an instant. When they explode, it’s like a volcanic eruption, with countless strands of fire shooting up from the bottom of the well to the sky, resembling a field of fiery red spider lilies. A Tokyo journalist captured this scene and posted a photo online, exclaiming that the sunrise had come early. Inside the Red Well, temperatures instantly rose to 3000 degrees Celsius, half the temperature of the sun’s surface. At this heat, the mercury not only vaporized but turned into plasma, and the mercury vapor, highly toxic to dragons, surged from the well’s depths with lightning-like flashes. The explosion completely destroyed the well cover.

Shio’s calculations were correct—mercury combined with thermite bombs was a lethal poison for these dragon subspecies. Their death throes lasted for several more minutes, and the god’s embryo was likely among them.

Had they won? Was the fated thread severed? Perhaps.

He had never considered how he would feel in this moment. It wasn’t sadness or joy, nor any kind of mixed emotion. His heart felt numb, as if he couldn’t feel anything at all—except a little fatigue.

Tomorrow, two more graves would be added to the shrine, leaving only four heads of the eight families. Now, when Chisei thought back, he realized he never truly understood Inuyama Katsu, Shio, or Ryoma Genichirō, and now he would never have the chance. He wondered what Shio’s final thoughts were, watching the last layer of rock crumble as the roaring red water consumed him, with fish and dragons thrashing in the bloody water. What an extreme and terrifying sight it must have been. But according to the ninjas in the woods, there were sounds in the tunnel that resembled laughter. Who would have thought that the bespectacled, frail-looking scholar had such a wild side, laughing in the face of death like a bandit confronting the executioner’s blade?

In truth, Chisei was not someone suited to being the patriarch. He had killed a god, the first patriarch in history to achieve such a feat, reaching the pinnacle of his life. Yet the anger and courage that had driven him to this point had faded, leaving him feeling that none of it was all that meaningful.

The only thing that brought him a bit of happiness was that Erii would no longer have to go to the battlefield. He had promised Tachibana he would take care of her.

Fūma Kōtarō approached him from behind: “There’s been a slight issue in Kabukichō. We’ve temporarily lifted the blockade on Takamagahara. A certain special individual has vouched for them, and they wish to negotiate with you directly tonight.”

“A special individual?” Chisei raised his long eyebrows.

“I don’t know her real name, but everyone calls her Miss Su, so I assume her surname is Su.”

“What gives a girl surnamed Su the right to vouch for them?”

“Miss Su is a very special person. To Yamata no Orochi, she could even be considered a benefactor. You’ve only recently taken over as patriarch, so you haven’t had the chance to meet with the finance department, which is why you don’t know her name. Miss Su has invested approximately 20 billion euros in the family’s various industries, meaning we owe her 20 billion euros. She profits alongside us, but she also has the power to plunge half of our businesses into bankruptcy, which would put our children in a difficult situation.”

“With the family’s wealth, can’t we withstand a single investor?”

“She’s a special kind of investor. First, although she profits from her investments in Yamata no Orochi, it’s thanks to her investments that the family has gradually grown over the past two decades. Second, she has tremendous influence on Wall Street. When she handed me the phone, I recognized several stockbrokers from Wall Street who spoke to me on the other end. They said that if Miss Su sold our stocks, they would follow suit, which would eventually cause many of our companies in both the U.S. and Japan to go bankrupt. The family might be able to resist her, but the losses would be enormous.”

“She quietly grabbed us by the throat the moment she invested in us.”

“In the world of finance, Miss Su is a terrifying figure. Her nickname is ‘The Black Swan of Dark Gold,’ a top-level expert in manipulating illegal capital. But she claims she’s just an accountant, and she answers to someone else.”

“If someone like her is just keeping the books, then what level of person must be behind her?” Chisei was slightly shaken. “Why would someone like her protect Caesar’s group?”

“I don’t know. We’ve been investigating Miss Su for almost ten years, but we haven’t found anything. She, the organization she serves, and her large sums of money appeared out of nowhere, like Edmond Dantès returning with a treasure in The Count of Monte Cristo.”

“There are still many people hidden behind the scenes,” Chisei sighed softly. “But this game is exhausting, and I no longer wish to play.”

“We received official notice from Caesar’s group a few minutes ago—they said your brother, Chime, will personally negotiate with you. This is effectively an admission that Chime is under their control.”

“Chime, under someone’s control?” Chisei shook his head. “Impossible. He’s long since become a madman, the most intelligent kind of madman in the world, but also completely unhinged. Caesar’s group can’t control him. Anyone who faces him must be vigilant—you never know when he’ll reveal the face of a demon.”

“Do you still plan to meet him in person for negotiations? We only gave Miss Su 24 hours. After that, we can storm Takamagahara and resolve everything.”

Chisei pondered for a moment and suddenly noticed Sakurai Nanami kneeling with her legs together beneath a cherry blossom tree in the morning light. Beneath the tree was a black body bag, unzipped to reveal Ryoma Genichirō’s face. To be honest, this man had no charm at all—always so silent, like a middle-aged man bent under the weight of life. Yet, his lover was none other than the radiant Sakurai Nanami.

Chisei had heard the rumors about Sakurai Nanami, Fūma Kōtarō, and Ryoma Genichirō, but he had no interest in such vulgar gossip. He only found it somewhat absurd that such foolish things happened among the heads of the families. Now, as he looked at Sakurai Nanami, he couldn’t discern any emotion from her delicate face, but he could feel her sadness.

Chisei’s heart stirred slightly. Perhaps Ryoma Genichirō wasn’t entirely useless in life. There must have been some qualities that attracted Sakurai Nanami. After all, she didn’t become his lover just to spite her elderly godfather. When someone invests so much time and emotion into another person, even if there’s no love, there’s still dependence. And in the beginning, there must have been something that touched Sakurai Nanami’s heart.

At this point, any feelings of spite had long faded, and those in power no longer cared about rumors of scandal. The ninjas of the Fūma clan stood nearby, watching Sakurai Nanami kneel beside Ryoma Genichirō like a widow. They remained expressionless, but their thoughts were likely complex.

So, this is what death is—when it comes, nothing else matters, except the regret of not having had more time to say a few words.

In the end, everyone in this world is just an ordinary person.

“I’ll go negotiate with Chime. Tell him there’s no need for others to be present. We brothers will talk privately,” Chisei suddenly said.

“Yes!” Fūma Kōtarō bowed respectfully, not even glancing at Sakurai Nanami beside him.

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