Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 114: Fun at the Mental Hospital (3)

Dragon Raja 4

Now that this subject had gone mad, whose fault was it—the bloodline’s or the Nibelungen project’s? Instead of reflecting on the cause, they were in a hurry to erase this unstable factor. The image of the college had become blurry in Nono’s mind. What were those self-righteous members of the School Board really thinking? How many unspeakable records were hidden beneath the meeting tables?

“Did the Tokyo incident affect him that much?” Nono asked softly.

“It was a tragedy. Many, many people died. The survivors were all mentally shaken. Even Caesar went to talk to Dr. Fujiyama,” Finger said nonchalantly.

“How come it didn’t affect you? You even wrote a novel about it. Aren’t you afraid of nightmares when you look back?”

“Us old-timers have learned to carry the burden. Young folks can’t compare. Even the principal came out fine—he can sit among piles of corpses and rivers of blood and calmly finish a fine cigar.”

“Why show me this now?”

“Because we’re out of options! But don’t worry, junior sister. Even if Lu goes mad, it just means the rest of us are sane.”

The situation was becoming clearer. The so-called “A+ Dragon Slayer Chu Zihang” was likely just a figment of Lu Mingfei’s imagination, pieced together from the stories of three different people. The real Chu Zihang had been dead for years.

Nono stayed silent, drinking more and more, her face growing paler, like a lone assassin stewing in her own rage.

Suddenly, the TV in the next room switched to the news:

“Recently, heavy rains have caused significant disruption for local residents, leading to panic in some areas. Food and bottled water have been emptied from supermarkets. The city government issued a special notice this morning, reassuring citizens that there is no risk of flooding based on geographic and hydrological data. Citizens are urged to remain calm. Half of the highways passing through the city have been closed, but entry and exit routes remain open. The city government will ensure the supply of food and goods. From today, schools, factories, and businesses will be on break, and all government agencies will be on standby to address issues caused by the rain.”

“Damn, business is going to tank again these days!” Lu Mingfei’s uncle sighed.

“With all your shady business dealings, who cares! Always messing around with those strange girls to give foot massages to those old men!” Auntie yelled from the kitchen.

“I still feel like something’s off,” Nono said, her eyes hollow. “The first time I saw him, he was sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning against a door, like a dog…”

“Most people would kick a stray dog away when they see one, but you didn’t. Not only did you pick it up, pat it, and buy it dog food, you even gave it a name. Junior Sister, you’ve got a big heart,” Finger teased.

“You care about him, too.”

“That’s how men are. When you’re broke, you drink someone’s soda, and one day you might end up paying with your life. I accept my debts. Do you accept yours?” Finger raised his eyebrows.

Nono pondered for a moment. “Such a cliché, but it sounds pretty good.”

Finger grinned, revealing his gums. “A line from The Flame Dragon Slayer. He says it in Chapter 16. Applause, please.”

“But how could that stray dog be the same ‘Brother Lu’ that Su Xiaoqian and Chen Wenwen see him as? Are they blind? It doesn’t make sense!”

Finger sighed. “Junior Sister, you still don’t want to admit that Lu’s gone mad, do you? You’re just looking for reasons to convince yourself.”

Nono slammed the empty can on the table. “What should I admit then? Admit that he’s really lost it? That we should send him back to the college to stand trial? He might die! Or get sent to a sanatorium.”

She hadn’t slept all night. Her face was pale, her voice hoarse, and her eyes bloodshot. She grabbed another can of beer, about to open it, but Finger caught her wrist.

“We’ve done enough for him. We can’t keep this up. If we do, we’ll get dragged down, too. Maybe it’s time we contact the college ourselves?” Finger said, trying to sound reasonable. “At worst, we’ll write a confession. You can apologize to Caesar, and I’ll kneel in front of the Execution Bureau. Caesar’s a School Board member now, and for your sake, he’ll take care of Lu Mingfei. Don’t worry, Lu’s life is tough, like mine—he’s not going to die.”

Nono stared blankly at Finger, hardly believing what she was hearing. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one supporting Lu Mingfei the most? Isn’t that how it always goes in the movies? When the whole world turns against you, the one guy you’ve always underestimated would stick by your side. Now even the underdog was ready to bail—was this really the end of the line?

“You want me to hand Lu Mingfei over to Caesar?” Nono glared at Finger, trembling with anger.

But she didn’t even know why she was angry. Finger had just said what she was supposed to say.

It should’ve been her saying that it was over, that they should contact the college. She should’ve been the one to admit that Lu Mingfei had mental issues, but that she’d ask Caesar to take care of him. Then Finger would cry, saying, “No, don’t! Junior Sister, how can you be so heartless? Lu will die if we send him back!” And then Nono would reply, “Stop being childish! Dragging this out helps no one!”

She was already exhausted. She even missed the breeze on the island of golden irises…

But when her lines came from Finger’s mouth, she was suddenly furious, so angry that her chest ached. A terrifying image flashed in her mind—Lu Mingfei, tied to a metal bed at the college, with everyone closing in on him, interrogating him. They all held chains and whips, their shadows looming over him. His eyes were filled with terror, but he didn’t know who to call for help.

Finger shrugged. “We’re all adults here. Let’s not make childish mistakes. The idea of saving the world with a ‘hero complex’ only happens in novels. I write novels, and even I don’t believe it.”

Nono suddenly stood up, grabbed Finger by the collar, her expression twisted in rage. “Listen! Even if he’s a dog, he’s my dog! If anyone wants to lay a hand on him, they’ll have to go through me first!”

She climbed out of the window and disappeared into the rain, using the secret path Lu Mingfei had often taken. She left in such a hurry, just like Lu Mingfei had the night before, running along the rocky shore.

“A dog, and you’re fighting for naming rights,” Finger said, cracking open another beer. “But compared to us stray wolves wandering the world, it must be nice to be a dog that someone claims.”

The laptop screen lit up, showing EVA’s large head resting on her hand. “Who’s the stray wolf wandering the world? I’d like to meet them.”

Finger quickly looked around, then lunged toward the keyboard to type. “Lady EVA, what are you doing online? I didn’t even log in!”

EVA: “I needed to contact you urgently and overheard your conversation by accident. Stray wolf wandering the world? Is there something I’ve neglected to take care of?”

Finger: “I’m sorry! I apologize! Let’s get to the urgent stuff—what’s going on?”

EVA: “There’s a problem in your area. That storm is abnormal, like an elemental disturbance. It might turn the city into an isolated island.”

Finger: “Maybe there really is a Nibelungen hidden in this city. Lu isn’t crazy; we’re the idiots for not noticing.”

EVA: “A Nibelungen that can influence reality exceeds my understanding. Be careful. I’ll send reinforcements.”

Lu Mingfei slowly opened his eyes, and the moment he realized where he was, his hair stood on end.

He was once again standing in the middle of an endless downpour. At the end of the elevated highway stood Odin, with his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, exhaling lightning that turned into dazzling fragments suspended in the air like raindrops. Behind Lu Mingfei, Nono stood, her dual blades slashing through a wave of black blood. It was a still-life painting of a brutal night battle in the rain, with only two people able to move freely: Lu Mingfei and, in the distance, the little devil with an umbrella. The little devil walked toward him, kicking aside the obstructing Einherjar like they were life-sized tin soldiers, as if this was merely a chess game being played out.

Lu Mingze stopped in front of Lu Mingfei. “Relax, let’s talk about the rules before the game starts.”

“Why did you bring me back?” Lu Mingfei was nearly on the verge of losing his temper. “Didn’t I just manage to escape from here?”

There was no doubt that this was the abandoned gamma world line—the night he and Nono had encountered Odin. If things continued along this path, Nono would be killed by Gungnir.

It was all too confusing—reality, the Nibelungen, and the world lines named after Greek letters. Even Lu Mingfei was beginning to distrust his own mind.

“I had to figure out a way to help you save Senior Sister, didn’t I? But saving her is really hard. It’s like crossing a rickety bridge while facing an army. One wrong move, and it’s game over.” The little devil smiled. “I thought about it long and hard, and we need to practice. That’s the only way to figure out the logic behind Gungnir and this Nibelungen. Anyway, since you’ve got nothing better to do in the hospital, I turned this scrapped world line into a game where you can reload saves over and over. Play through this level a few hundred times, and maybe you’ll find a way to beat it. Remember that old game Heaven and Earth Tribulation?”

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