Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 96: Genji Heavy Industries (8)

Dragon Raja 3

‘Boss, your family has treasures like this?’ Lu Mingfei’s perception of the rich and powerful was being redefined. Compared to this, luxury cars and yachts were insignificant. Such a unique artifact was the kind of item any museum in the world would consider its greatest treasure, yet someone bought it just for their own amusement.

‘Bought it along with the Apollo Lunar Module,’ Caesar shrugged. ‘My father is a playboy and likes to collect all kinds of odd junk.’

‘Playboys are supposed to collect luxury watches, cars, and women, but it seems like your dad is really into science.’

‘Playboys collect everything with one ultimate goal: to attract women. Some women like luxury cars and watches, while others are into science. So sometimes he had to pose as a science nerd to get close to those women. He once set his sights on a female doctor at the UN Space Agency, so he needed to buy something interesting to get her to come over for dinner.’

‘Did he succeed?’ Lu Mingfei asked curiously.

‘I think so. In any case, they made quite a commotion inside the Trieste. I locked the hatch from the outside, and they were stuck in there for 48 hours before the fire department came to rescue them. As a son, that was the best I could do for him. If nothing happened in that much time, he’d really be unworthy of the title “Gattuso’s number one stallion.”’ Caesar sneered. ‘We might still find the female doctor’s stockings inside.’

‘We didn’t find anything. We checked it immediately upon arrival in Tokyo,’ Miyamoto Shio said.

‘If you did find them, you could keep them. I doubt that would count as part of the collection,’ Lu Mingfei said. ‘And speaking of collections, that area is even richer…’

‘Stop, stop! Boss! We must maintain some dignity! Having a charming, rakish dad isn’t a bad thing, but let’s not be arrogant about it.’ Lu Mingfei hurriedly put an end to this conversation that was heading down a slippery slope. ‘Let’s get back to talking about the submersible.’

Miyamoto Shio clapped his hands, and a beam of light shone upward, illuminating the massive shadow. After being forgotten for half a century, this legendary piece of diving history re-emerged in the world, with a gleaming new paint job. The odd-looking submarine had been painted white, with a large red dot in the middle.

‘This paint job looks familiar…’ Lu Mingfei muttered.

It was hard not to recognize it—the Trieste had been painted like a giant Japanese flag.

‘Whoa, it’s really ugly,’ Caesar said, caught off guard.

‘That was your father’s request. He said he was happy to donate the submersible for use by the College, but it had to be painted like the Japanese flag. He said the rising sun was a good omen, and it was his way of wishing his son’s journey to Japan a successful one,’ Miyamoto Shio explained.

‘I knew back when I locked him in there that he’d find a way to get back at me,’ Caesar said.

‘This thing looks like an antique. Is it really safe to challenge the abyss with it?’ Lu Mingfei asked hesitantly.

‘It’s safe to say that only this can do the job,’ Caesar replied. ‘Though my dad originally bought it to impress the female doctor, it’s indeed one of the miracles of human technology.’

‘But this thing is older than my dad. I admit it was a legend back in the day, but just because a martial artist could break stones with their bare hands when they were young doesn’t mean they won’t have a herniated disc in their old age. Does anyone maintain this antique?’ Lu Mingfei asked.

‘It’s been kept in a diving museum that my family funded, with professionals maintaining it every year,’ Caesar said. ‘They even give it a new paint job annually.’

‘A new paint job?’ Lu Mingfei was taken aback.

“In the year when China and Italy established diplomatic relations, they painted the Trieste with the Chinese flag. The year Picasso died, the museum had his famous work, ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,’ replicated on the hull of the Trieste. Then, in 2006, during Madonna’s world tour, it was painted gold and taken around the world, with Madonna herself emerging from it covered in gold body paint to perform the opening song,” Caesar recalled. “It was also used in a Michael Jackson concert, but I can’t remember the details.”

“So basically, it’s been completely turned into a prop over the past half-century, right? Your family maintains it like an artwork or an antique, right? Polishing it, repainting it, taking it around the world for exhibitions—it hasn’t even been in the water!” Lu Mingfei said.

“The Gear Department made modifications,” Miyamoto Shio replied. “From the operation manual, it seems they put in quite an effort this time. Not only did they install several new systems, but they also reinforced the interior hull with memory metal. Director Arkadura repeatedly assured us that the ‘quality is guaranteed.’”

“But they’re the ones who specialize in explosives! How is their guarantee supposed to mean anything? Senior, what do you think?” Lu Mingfei turned to Chu Zihang for help, hoping he’d say something reasonable to calm these two maniacs down. Taking an old museum relic to challenge the abyss? And after modifications from the Gear Department? That was like asking for death!

“Good roast.” Chu Zihang nodded slightly.

“What do you mean?” Lu Mingfei blinked.

“I mean your roast of Caesar was good,” Chu Zihang replied.

“Come on, Senior, you look like you’re ready to heroically sacrifice yourself after paying your party dues!”

“When do we dive?” Caesar asked.

“Tomorrow night. We’ve obtained a restriction order from the Maritime Bureau in the name of scientific research, which will ban all civilian vessels from passing through the nearby waters tomorrow night. However, the restriction order is only valid for 12 hours, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In other words, we have only a 12-hour window to complete the mission,” Chisei explained.

“So soon? That’s a really tight schedule,” Caesar said.

“The submersible isn’t complicated to operate—one day should be enough for you to master it. Here is the operation manual,” Chisei said, handing the thick manual to Caesar. “We’ll prepare everything else. The time frame is not generous, but it should be enough.”

“I mean, I had reservations at a few specialty restaurants, some sights I wanted to see, and a list of souvenirs to buy. I have several pages of a shopping list.”

“I also want to go to Akihabara,” Lu Mingfei added.

“You just looked terrified, and you still want to go to Akihabara?” Chu Zihang asked.

“One cannot claim to be an otaku without visiting Akihabara at least once. If I’m about to face a life-or-death situation, I should make the most of my time, right? If I could, I’d have my tombstone planted in the streets of Akihabara, so the girls passing by could take photos with it.”
Chisei looked at the roaring white waves in the massive drainage pipe in silence… These idiots were dancing circles around him again! Carrying out a mission with these fools was like a knight riding a donkey into battle. Even if you raise your sword and roar, ready to die for your country, you can never be sure you’ll charge into enemy lines—because the donkey beneath you might start frolicking and gallop you straight off into the horizon at any moment.

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