Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 479: Sakura’s Wrath (1)

Dragon Raja 3

A massive fear exploded in Lu Mingfei’s heart, and he couldn’t stop himself from trembling.

Looking at the location on Line, Erii wasn’t on her way to the airport at all. She was in the mountains near the Tama River… she was in that well! She hadn’t escaped this cursed city; that car had taken her to the final stage.

Stage? Why did he think of it as a stage? It was as if this was a story written in a script long ago, happening step by step.

Lu Mingfei felt as though his head was splitting apart from pain, strange fragments of thoughts filling his mind like an explosion. He kept thinking about a “script,” as if somewhere in the world there was a script that had written out everyone’s fate.

When had he read this script of fate, and under what circumstances? He didn’t know, but he remembered that the script had been changed—Erii’s ending had been altered! She wasn’t supposed to be in this scene! She was supposed to safely board the plane and fly to Korea!

Lu Mingfei couldn’t explain exactly what he was afraid of. What if Erii went to the Red Well? There were many possibilities—perhaps Chisei needed her Yanling, so she was called there temporarily; maybe the situation at the Red Well had already been resolved, and she was meeting up with Chisei to pop champagne and celebrate defeating God; or maybe it was just a mistake with Line’s satellite location, and she had already safely boarded the plane. But he was just terrified, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Something’s wrong! Something is terribly wrong! This is an irreversible mistake!

He grabbed onto the liquor cabinet and staggered toward the door. The entire cabinet toppled over, and the expensive wines and sakes shattered against the wall, filling the air with the fragrance of alcohol. Everyone looked at Lu Mingfei in astonishment, not understanding what had gotten into him.

Lu Mingfei stood frozen, staring at his blood-covered hands. The sharp glass shards from the broken bottles had slashed his hands and arms, leaving him covered in wounds. A few seconds later, the burning pain reached his brain, the alcohol seeping into his cuts, intensifying the agony.

So this was who he truly was—just an ordinary guy. Even glass shards from a bottle could cut him up and make his face contort in pain. He wasn’t Caesar, he wasn’t Chu Zihang, and he wasn’t Chisei. If it were any of them, these kinds of injuries would be nothing more than a reason to wrap a bandage around their hands—maybe not even enough to make them switch hands when holding a sword. What good would it do for him to rush out? The Red Well was at least twenty kilometers away from Shinjuku, and there certainly wasn’t a helicopter waiting on the roof for him. Even if he did make it to the Red Well, what could he do? In gaming terms, the Red Well was an arena for high-level players—full of emperors, oni, and half-evolved beings battling to the death. At his newbie level, he’d be obliterated just by getting close.

Unless he made a deal with Lu Mingze. But he only had half a life left, two deals left. After two more trades, he would lose his life to Lu Mingze.

The first time he made a deal with Lu Mingze, it was for Nono. He had no regrets—though Caesar got all the credit for the heroic rescue, Lu Mingfei just couldn’t stand by and watch Nono die, even if she was someone else’s girlfriend or bride.

There are some people like that—just having them around is enough. Whether or not they belong to you doesn’t matter. As long as they’re there, nothing else matters.

The second trade was for Chu Zihang. That guy was handsome, skilled, and a bit of a busybody, but he was also fiercely loyal, the type of person who’d risk his life to help you kidnap a bride. When someone is willing to risk their life for you, how could you not give up a quarter of your own life in return? Not doing so would make you feel ashamed to even show your face in the world of hybrids.

So, no regrets about that trade for Chu Zihang either.

Other than Nono and Chu Zihang, who else in this world was worth sacrificing a quarter of his life for? Finger? Forget it. That guy was the type who would say, “I don’t need to outrun the bear; I just need to outrun my companions.” When disaster strikes, the question isn’t whether to save him, but whether you can even find him. Caesar? Forget that too. The Gattuso family’s young master had lived a life of luxury—yachts, sailboats, private planes, fine wines, sports cars, and rare cigars. He had experienced all the things most people strive for their entire lives, all before turning twenty. According to his father’s well-planned life trajectory, Caesar would probably end up dabbling in spiritual enlightenment. Lu Mingfei figured it would be better to live a few more years for himself, maybe leave behind a descendant for the Lu family, rather than saving this overly accomplished young master.

So who else? Chen Wenwen? That was ancient history. Pass! The principal? That old man seemed long past caring about life. Better to let him die and be at peace sooner! Pass! His parents? He didn’t even know until he was eighteen that his mom and dad were S-rank masters, and they hadn’t exactly fulfilled their parental duties over the years. In a critical moment, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for them to save him instead? Uncle and aunt? Well… forgive me for being an unfilial nephew, but in my humble opinion, no Dragon King is going to go out of their way to target you two. A Dragon King’s time is very precious.

And what about the little monster? What about the little monster… Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Lu Mingfei knew that Erii liked him, but to him, that affection seemed like an illusion, something insubstantial. Why would Erii like him? She didn’t even know his real name, let alone his past or the secrets he kept buried inside.

This wasn’t some old wuxia novel where, after spending a week together, a man and a woman inevitably develop romantic feelings. Erii only thought she liked him because she was young, naïve, and had never met any other men. Caesar provided the funding, and Lu Mingze offered the services, packaging Lu Mingfei as a dazzling white knight. Once Erii grew up and met all sorts of boys, she would realize that her supposed “prince” was just a loser riding a donkey.

That’s how girls are, right? When they’re young, they’ll share candy with you, but one day, they grow up, meet a rich and handsome guy, and never come back for the candy you bought them. So, if one day she dresses up beautifully and leaves, don’t wait around with the candy, hoping she’ll return.

Every girl who saw through his true nature had left him, just like Chen Wenwen did back then. Even though, on that night in Aspasia, under the glow of candlelight and the fragrance of red wine, he had once shone brightly, in the end, during that Christmas Eve Mass, Chen Wenwen and Zhao Menghua’s gazes were still locked together, distant but intertwined.

He hadn’t done anything for Erii either. In that dream of the riverside wedding, he hadn’t chosen Erii, so he had refused when she came to pick him up. For the same reason, Erii had no right to expect him to sacrifice a quarter of his life for her.

He sat back down in the puddle of water, blankly telling himself that this was good, this was fair. There was no need to feel guilty—it’s best if no one owes anyone anything… but that damn dream, that damn dream… If he hadn’t let go of Erii’s hand, she wouldn’t have turned into an ugly puppet, wouldn’t have been burned to ashes… In that moment, when the entire world was ablaze, what was he doing? What was he looking at?

In that dream full of ominous hints, at the end of that wedding, everything had become vague and surreal amidst the soaring flames. He had stood there, dazed, staring at the burning puppet, and from those eyes, painted with black ink, dark tears flowed down.

Whale suddenly stood up, bowed deeply to the guests, and said, “It seems the tsunami has stopped, and the Metropolitan Police’s disaster relief should be mobilized soon. I’ll go outside to search for help. While I’m gone, Fujiwara Kansuke will take care of everyone. Please try not to make any noise, no matter what happens outside. Rest assured, you were esteemed guests of Takamagahara before, and tonight, you remain esteemed guests of Takamagahara. We will spare no effort to ensure your safety.”

He was still so polite, but Lu Mingfei could tell that his speech had quickened, as if he was in a hurry to finish.

Whale grabbed a hooded raincoat, threw it over his shoulders, and turned to leave the cellar, closing the door behind him. Lu Mingfei noticed the door handle twist—he had locked the cellar door.

Could the manager have felt the situation was not optimistic and was planning to quietly slip away, leaving the guests and the hosts behind? As Lu Mingfei was still speculating, he suddenly heard the faint cry of a baby and a slithering sound, like something crawling on its belly across the floor!

A Death Servitor! A Death Servitor was approaching the cellar! Lu Mingfei suddenly realized he had made a mistake. Although Death Servitors rely mainly on their sense of smell, they aren’t deaf or blind—sound can also attract them! And he had just knocked over the liquor cabinet!

That madman, Whale, had taken his Beretta and gone to fight the Death Servitors! Damn it! Who did he think he was? He was just an ordinary human!

“I… I’ll go bring a weapon to the manager!” Lu Mingfei pushed aside one of the hosts and snatched a Colt revolver from his hands. After stepping out, he locked the door behind him, just like Whale had done.

The sight before him stunned him. At the end of the corridor, Whale was confronting a Death Servitor, like a bear blocking the path of a giant snake. Whale’s back looked so broad and imposing, like a lone warrior holding off a thousand enemies.

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