Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 137: Unbeatable Loneliness is a Disease (3)

Dragon Raja 4

Lu Mingfei pulled over and led Nono into a boutique store. Back when his hometown was still developing, international brands rarely opened standalone stores, leading to the rise of so-called “boutique stores” that carried a mix of prestigious labels. At Shilan Middle School, there were always rumors of students whose families took them shopping at these stores, where price tags weren’t even glanced at.

Lu Mingfei grabbed some clothes from the rack and tossed them to Nono. “Your clothes are soaked through. Change into something new, and then I’ll take you to eat. We won’t make it out on empty stomachs.”

Nono stared, wide-eyed. “Why not suggest a hot shower too? We’re still in the Nibelungen! Odin and his minions could catch up to us at any moment!”

“Senior sister, did I seem pretty impressive back there?” Lu Mingfei picked out some men’s clothes for himself. “Aren’t you feeling confident enough to trust me now?”

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her toward the changing room. “Let’s hurry.”

Nono stood in front of the mirror, examining the reflection of the brave yet graceful girl staring back at her. Lu Mingfei had chosen a black and red dress for her. The top looked like a small formal dress, while the asymmetrical hem gave it a more avant-garde feel, paired with high-top sneakers and fingerless gloves. Though she grumbled that these were clothes she wore as a kid, she couldn’t help but twirl around, posing in different angles. After all, everyone loves their eighteen-year-old self. She was no exception. In the Nibelungen, it didn’t matter what she wore—no one was around to critique her.

She pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the fitting room. Lu Mingfei was holding two cups of coffee, having swapped into a summer suit himself. He wasn’t the chic Student Union president, nor the pitiful boy he used to be. In fact, he looked a bit…handsome.

“Where’d you get the coffee?” Nono took a sip, feeling the warmth chase away the chill in her body.

“There’s a vending machine outside.” Lu Mingfei quickly downed his cup and handed Nono an umbrella. “Senior sister, help me hold the umbrella while I change the tire.”

Lu Mingfei might have been the fastest mechanic Nono had ever seen, changing the Maybach’s tire in just five minutes. He flipped over the damaged tire, showing Nono a deep gash. “That thing hiding under the car slashed our tire. This is a run-flat tire, so it didn’t blow out, but the pressure’s been dropping.”

Lu Mingfei took the umbrella from Nono and helped her into the passenger seat. He checked the time and said, “There’s a great restaurant in the old town. Let’s go eat there.”

Nono pointed to the sky. “The enemy could catch up to us at any moment, and you’re thinking about a fancy meal? Even in the real world, the chefs would be off work by now.”

The ravens circling the CBD overhead looked like a black vortex, or perhaps a giant eye watching their every move.

“No matter how far we run, they’ll always be watching us,” Lu Mingfei said. “We’ll move at our own pace. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Well, I am pretty hungry.” Nono nodded. “But I thought you were going to take me for street food.”

The Maybach left the CBD, cruising along the tree-lined Lotus River Road for a few minutes before Nono saw a small red-brick villa. It sat facing the river, with its back to a hill, surrounded by towering trees that had been there for decades. A lone light hung outside the villa, illuminating an old elmwood door beneath it. Lu Mingfei parked in front, retrieved the black case from the trunk, and opened the umbrella to escort Nono out like a perfect gentleman.

As they walked through the door, Nono noticed a simple, understated wooden sign beside it: Aspasia. That must be the restaurant’s name.

The chandelier lit up as they entered, revealing a bright, spacious room. Nono was surprised to find such an elegant, understated restaurant hidden in this city, coexisting with the gaudy gates of Shilan Middle School. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined the walls, offering views of the river to the left and the hills to the right. The old elmwood floors were polished to a gleam. The tables, also made of elm, were covered with linen cloths and set with pure silver utensils. In the center of the room stood the bow of an old wooden ship, reaching up toward the ceiling, repurposed as a wine cabinet by a clever designer.

Lu Mingfei pulled out a chair for Nono under the chandelier and then headed to the ship-shaped wine cabinet, where he grabbed a bottle of 1989 Château Haut-Brion. He poured them each a glass and urged Nono to start drinking while he hurried off to the kitchen. Nono watched him dash back and forth, still skeptical.

A short while later, Lu Mingfei returned with two plates of seared foie gras, perfectly golden on both sides and garnished with black pepper and a tomato-based sauce.

Lu Mingfei sat down across from Nono, spread a napkin over his lap, and raised his wine glass to his nose, inhaling deeply. “What a pity about the wine. No time to let it breathe.”

As he lifted his head, he found himself staring down the barrel of a Skorpion submachine gun.

Nono held the gun in one hand, a wine glass in the other. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you? I’m not talking about this restaurant. I mean… this world.”

“How did you figure it out?” Lu Mingfei didn’t seem surprised. “Let’s eat while we talk. The foie gras won’t taste as good if it cools down.”

Nono glanced at him, then set her glass down, cutting a piece of foie gras with her knife and bringing it to her mouth. She picked up the glass again.

“Let’s not even mention your ‘possessed’ mode or the rocket launcher that seemed to fall from the sky. When you grabbed clothes from the rack, you picked out the perfect size for me without even looking. How did you know my dress size? I know cars, too. How could you tell the exact tire pressure just by sitting in the car? Do you have the sensitivity of the Princess and the Pea? And then there’s that mysterious relative living in the industrial zone. You know everything about this world, and every move you make has been practiced over and over—flawless precision. Except for this foie gras… you overcooked it.” Nono spoke slowly. “Who are you, really? And where is this place? You better give me an explanation I can believe, or I’ll really pull the trigger.”

“If I told you that this isn’t the real world, but a shared dream that you and I are having, would you believe me? I’ve been here many times, and so have you, but every time the dream ends, you forget, while I still remember.” Lu Mingfei met her gaze without hesitation, his tone sincere. “Put the gun down and keep eating. Ask me anything, and I’ll tell you.”

“You overcooked it,” Nono repeated, still holding the gun. “Your words sound like the ramblings of a madman, but for some reason, I believe you. Keep talking.”

“This dream will end at midnight, and at exactly midnight, one of us will die. That’s why I’ve been rushing everything.”

“Let me guess—I’m the one who’s going to die, right? How many times have I died in front of you?”

“Many times. The number isn’t important. But I’ll figure out a way to get us out of this dream. You have to trust me.”

“So instead of thinking of a way to save me, you brought me here for a candlelit dinner? Were you planning to confess, thinking that since it’s a dream, you could be reckless?”

Lu Mingfei blushed. “Well, sort of… but also not. Senior Sister, your ability is reading people. You already know all of this without me saying anything… there’s no need for a confession.”

“We’ve experienced this many times together, but I never remember afterward… How many times have you confessed to me?”

“I wouldn’t dare! In every version of the dream, it’s you who does most of the talking,” Lu Mingfei said, half-pleading.

“Then what’s with all the ceremony? If you wanted to save time, wouldn’t street food have been better?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Mingfei answered, “In the last dream, we were completely out of options. I took another version of you to watch an old movie. Partway through, she said she was hungry and wished she could have a proper meal with some red wine. But the clock struck before I could find any food for her. I asked her what she wanted, and she said she craved a nice meal with red wine.”

“You just said ‘her,’ like she’s different from me. She’s dead, and I’m about to die. To you, it’s like we’re just NPCs in your game, right?”

Lu Mingfei was speechless. In γ Spring, Nono was just as sharp, and with only a few questions, she’d already pieced together the truth.

Nono took a sip of her wine. “You’re a big deal in the world of hybrids, and I’m just some random girl. Why am I the one who always dies?”

“Senior Sister, your role as a random girl doesn’t seem quite right. And I’m not some big shot. I’m just a high-ranking operative in the Execution Bureau.”

“I’ve left the world of hybrids behind. Status doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. But you’re different. You could change the world.”

“You have a scar shaped like an eye beneath your collarbone,” Lu Mingfei said. “If you don’t believe me, look for yourself.”

Nono pulled back her collar, her face subtly changing. “Damn! If it weren’t for the circumstances, I’d think you were some kind of pervert.”

“That’s the mark of Gungnir. Once Gungnir plants a mark on someone, it will inevitably claim their life. I need to find a way to remove the mark or stop Gungnir from being fired. But you know it’s a causal weapon, so it’s not easy. Still, don’t worry. Someone told me there’s a way. I can keep entering this dream over and over until I find it, no matter how well it’s hidden. I’ll find a way to save you.” Lu Mingfei’s voice was steady. “Trust me.”

Nono stared deeply into his eyes, for a long moment. Then, she lowered the gun and raised her glass toward him. Lu Mingfei hesitated briefly, then clinked his glass against hers.

They set their glasses down and devoured the food like two starving souls who hadn’t had the chance to reincarnate yet.

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