Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 33: Journey to the End of the World (33)

Dragon Raja 4

A heavy transport plane equipped with four propeller engines soared across the polar night sky. Inside the cabin sat a diverse group of people—some whispering, some silently smoking, and most quietly preparing their gear. Elite operatives from the Execution Bureau stationed around the world had all received a summons from EVA, instructing them to drop whatever they were doing and head to a designated location. Customs worldwide had opened express channels for them, airlines had reserved seats, and every minute of travel was carefully calculated. The last time they had been called together like this was during the Tokyo incident three years ago.

The night sky above was filled with heavy clouds, but through their gaps, the brilliant auroras could be glimpsed. Occasionally, massive arcs of lightning, hundreds of kilometers long, streaked across the dark clouds, while below, towering icebergs stood in the crimson sea.

In the cockpit, Caesar sat in a suit and scarf, hand on the controls. He was dressed as if heading to a gala, but his demeanor behind the controls was calm and professional.

An alarm went off, indicating the plane had been locked onto by radar and could be targeted by missiles at any moment. Caesar, however, remained calm, tilting the plane’s wings slightly. Moments later, three delta-wing fighter jets flew overhead, similarly tipping their wings. Reconnaissance aircraft from various countries had been dispatched to the Arctic Circle, with military ports illuminating their lights, icebreakers guiding large warships out to sea. Radio communications were heavily disrupted, and everyone used wing movements to signal their friendly intentions.

Humanity didn’t yet know what was happening in the Arctic. A terrifying polar storm had swept across the Arctic Ocean, accompanied by strong magnetic disturbances. The prevailing theory was that someone had violated international treaties by conducting a nuclear test in the Arctic, but no one had witnessed any flashes. Soon after, the crimson waters began to spread outward from the North Pole, filled with countless red tide algae and unidentifiable biological fragments. Scientists were in disagreement—some said Earth’s magnetic field was about to reverse for the first time in millions of years, while others speculated that an alien spacecraft had crashed into the Arctic Ocean. But no one could explain the horrific red tide, which posed a biological disaster far worse than the pollution caused by atomic or hydrogen bombs. It could potentially trigger a second ice age or even a second Cambrian Explosion.

Several reconnaissance planes that had ventured into the Arctic Circle were attacked. Two of them had fighter escorts, and one was a prototype high-altitude hypersonic reconnaissance plane, which no missile on Earth could catch. Yet, they were all destroyed, with the best pilots unable to escape. During the attacks, they couldn’t even identify their assailants; radar only indicated that the attackers had taken off from the floating ice.

World leaders were accusing one another over hotline calls, ordering their armed forces into a state of readiness. Intercontinental ballistic missiles were on standby, but they didn’t even know whom or what to target.

“The people of Sodom were still hungover moments before the fire rained down from the sky,” Caesar said, gazing at the distant clouds shimmering like scales.

“Violent delights have violent ends,” EVA responded, quoting Shakespeare.

“Any news from Lu Mingfei?”

“His plane was attacked by a swarm of drones. We’ve temporarily lost contact with him.”

“It wouldn’t be him if nothing went wrong at a crucial moment,” Caesar muttered. “Though I do wish he were sitting next to me right now.”

“Got a problem with me sitting next to you?” The burly man in the co-pilot seat grumbled, cigar in mouth, busy battling dragons on his phone.

“You seem awfully confident in him. Most people would be worried about his safety,” EVA said.

“That guy has a 300% luck factor. He should dodge every fatal attack perfectly, and I could use his luck to help me find the entrance!”

The transport plane banked and began to circle. They had already passed the North Pole but found nothing—just clouds, lightning, auroras, and jagged ice fields as far as the eye could see. The creatures in the hatchery were about to awaken, and the hatchery had become an informational black hole, separated from the outside by an invisible boundary. Dozens of aircraft patrolled near the North Pole, while hundreds of the college’s elite forces were standing by. Henkel had even convinced a certain government to move their aircraft carrier fleet toward the Arctic Circle, equipped with dozens of advanced fighters—enough to threaten a Dragon King. But first, they had to find the hidden door.

At the main battlefield of fate, Chu Zihang was the only one present, leaving Caesar anxious.

From afar, Chu Zihang spotted road markers—reflective signs someone had placed in advance, waiting for them on the desolate Arctic ice field.

At the end of the markers was a brightly lit ship. The maddened cheers and laughter made it feel like hell, while the icy wasteland behind them felt strangely warm by comparison.

Looking back now, that ship was a ghost ship from the very beginning. The passengers were mostly vengeful spirits who desired to reach the divine realm for rebirth, while those steering the ship were utterly unaware. Now that the vengeful spirits are nearing their destination, the crew is about to become their prey.

Sasha pulled out half a pack of Moscow cigarettes and handed them out. Chu Zihang shook his head slightly. They all realized they might be on the brink of saving the world, but no matter how you looked at it, their roles didn’t seem to fit the lead character archetype. Sea Dog Claw muttered a few words about his father, saying he had always deceived him into believing he was serving on a navy ship, which made his father very proud. If he died without any military representatives to deliver the compensation, the lie would be exposed. Orev was busy sealing his notebook—filled with various forms of monstrous serpents—in a waterproof bag, and had also packed a signal generator. He hoped to leave behind a record of what he had witnessed, so future generations would understand how both magnificent and terrifying evolution could be. Sasha was angrily fiddling with the satellite phone, trying to find a signal to transfer his bank account balance to Anna in Moscow, but without success.

Chu Zihang wrote three notes and handed them to Sasha, Sea Dog Claw, and Orev. Each note contained the contact information of the same person: “If any of us survive, find this person and have him bring back a nuclear bomb.”

“Ricardo M. Lu?” Sasha carefully put away the note. “Is he a demolition expert? Or does he sell nuclear weapons?”

“He might be the weapon himself,” Chu Zihang said lightly.

Sasha glanced at him. “You’re wearing a cold-weather suit with your shirt off, but you look like you’re going to a feast.”

“There’s a Japanese saying: ‘一期一会’—every meeting between people is unique and cannot be replicated,” Chu Zihang said, gazing at the towering ship. “We’ve reached the entrance to the banquet hall. How can we not knock?”

“We Russians don’t use so many fancy words, but my commander told me that, aside from sweet words, everything else can be handled by a submachine gun,” Sasha spat out his cigarette butt, loaded his submachine gun, and added, “That guy speaks the truth!”

On the tarmac stood a table with a bottle of Macallan 1926 in the middle. This might be the world’s most expensive whiskey, worth millions of dollars, so rare that no one would actually open it to drink, only keeping it in a safe like a piece of jewelry. The table was set at Macallan’s request, and cheers in various languages surged from below: “Holy, holy! King of a myriad of armies! Holy, holy! King of a myriad of armies! Holy, holy! King of a myriad of armies!”

People were wildly praising an unknown god, drunkenly destroying things. The usually polished wooden deck was now covered in blood. At this point, killing and fighting were just expressions of joy; after all, they were about to become gods of the new era, so why should human laws restrain them?

Macallan had no interest in them; he was waiting for the person who would dine with him. He kept gazing at the edge of the ice field, and only when the white snow vehicle appeared did he reveal a faint smile. In reality, wearing the bird-beak mask, no one could see his expression, but if there were rational people around, they would sense that he was smiling deeply from his heart, as if an old friend had arrived.

The snow vehicle stopped at the edge of the floating ice, Chu Zihang got out, calmly walked to the foredeck, and surveyed the chaotic revelry with visible disgust. The crowd quieted down at his arrival. Their golden pupils flickered with fierce ghostly flames but receded as Chu Zihang advanced slowly. They didn’t know what was happening, but they could feel the serene authority radiating from Chu Zihang’s return. Chu Zihang only focused on Macallan high above. There should still be innocent people on this ship, but he had to concentrate all his attention on the man sitting and drinking, who appeared the most normal on the ship. You should seek his help and join forces with him.

Chu Zihang climbed up the fire escape outside the hull and sat down opposite Macallan, placing his twin blades aside and picking up the glass of wine prepared for him.

The wild singing and drinking on the foredeck began again as soon as Chu Zihang left, with the rhythm resuming immediately. Chu Zihang watched Macallan, his mind racing. The passengers had become so mad, it couldn’t just be due to the joy of reaching their destination, but likely some powerful drug or mind control. Even if he revealed the truth, no one would side with him; he was fighting alone and had to fight until the last moment, as he was the only one still standing firmly on the side of humanity.

Like a solitary and brave senator stubbornly standing in a bloody hall, while the other senators roared about destruction and rebirth, he had to firmly say, “No! This cruel destruction and rebirth are not for you to decide!”

“Reginleif said you once told her that if there really is a Gate to the Divine Kingdom, the area in front of it is a battlefield for humanity,” Macallan said lightly. “Very well said.”