Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 57: Patient Zero (7)

Dragon Raja 4

The long-dormant speakers in the bell tower crackled to life, followed by a cool female voice: “Sure, I’ve selected New Divide by Linkin Park for you.”

As the powerful intro began, Eva’s voice faded away, and the high-pitched, raspy vocals echoed across the moonlit wasteland:

“I remembered black skies / The lightning all around me; I remembered each flash / As time began to blur; Like a startling sign / That fate had finally found me; And your voice was all I heard / That I get what I deserve…”

Lu Mingfei revved the handlebars, and the motorcycle roared as it shot out of the bell tower, descending from the sky straight toward Porquinho. Porquinho didn’t dodge but instead crossed his arms and leapt straight up like a missile.

In mid-air, Lu Mingfei jumped off the motorcycle seat, while Porquinho reached out with both hands, grabbing the bike. As Lu Mingfei twisted in the air, he fired both guns, and all six bullets hit the motorcycle’s gas tank. Fuel poured out, igniting into flames that rained down on Porquinho. Though the body empowered by the Bronze Throne wasn’t afraid of fire, the flames disrupted Porquinho’s vision. Next, he saw a flash of blades explode before him. Confident in his body’s durability, he was shocked when blood splattered before his eyes in the first instant of contact!

Lu Mingfei’s twin blades cut into him like Dragon fangs sinking into his bones!

What kind of blades could break through the defense of the Bronze Throne? Porquinho was stunned, but he didn’t even have a chance to ask. Lu Mingfei clung to him, relentlessly attacking, mixing in elbow strikes and knee blows with the flashing blades. Blood sprayed as Porquinho’s scales flew off, exposing fresh red muscle fibers. Lu Mingfei rapidly circled Porquinho, repeatedly slashing the existing wounds, deepening them further. Porquinho’s powerful punches struck Lu Mingfei, each punch capable of shattering steel.

A drone hovered in the sky, capturing the fierce battle from above, transmitting the footage to the phones of every member of the task force. That rock song echoed in many of their ears.

Meanwhile, two agents were leisurely driving a stolen milk truck toward the church. By this point, things had escalated beyond their involvement, so they were chatting casually:

“The college secretary even offers a song request service? So, this guy makes dramatic entrances with his own theme music?”

“That’s just his special privilege. They say he really likes rock music, but for some reason, his playlist sounds a bit sad.”

“A handsome guy surrounded by the Student Union dance troupe, with such a strong bloodline—what does he have to be sad about?”

“Isn’t ‘handsome’ a bit of an overstatement? People have seen him picking his toes in the cafeteria.”

“But he looks sharp in a suit. Some people even call him the Dragon of the Execution Bureau.”

“More like a chameleon. No one really knows what he looks like. Do you know why his codename is Patient Zero?”

“They say he developed PTSD after returning from the battle of Tokyo. Letting someone like that, armed to the teeth, roam around—what was the headmaster thinking?”

“I underestimated you. You’re a good hunting dog raised by those old geezers,” Porquinho panted heavily. “But you won’t be able to kill me with just those two little knives!”

“I never intended to kill you. If you don’t spill the intel we want,” Lu Mingfei was also exhausted, “you won’t even get the chance to die!”

Porquinho’s body was covered in tiny wounds, some so deep they exposed bone. Lu Mingfei wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead, quietly trying to pop his dislocated ankle back into place.

Their conversation was just a way to buy time to recover. Both sides had revealed their trump cards, holding nothing back. Porquinho’s fighting spirit surprised Lu Mingfei, and Lu Mingfei’s combat strength exceeded Porquinho’s expectations. Lu Mingfei was indeed a tough opponent, but not yet at the level of a king-slayer. Even if Herzog was just a false king, if Lu Mingfei faced him, the outcome would still be total annihilation. This realization gradually restored Porquinho’s confidence, but oddly enough, he didn’t think Lu Mingfei’s earlier words were just empty threats. They sounded like whispers from a demon in hell, recounting a bloody history.

“The secrets of kings—knowing them will only make you die faster,” Porquinho sneered. “Even Tachibana Masamune wasn’t worthy of a seat in their presence.”

Lu Mingfei was startled. The number of thrones among the dragons was limited, and Herzog had usurped the White Empress’s power. Who were the people that could sit and speak before him?

Porquinho had been waiting for this moment of distraction. He suddenly leapt up, snapped the iron flagpole off the church door, and hurled it like a javelin at Lu Mingfei.

He was trying to create an opportunity to escape, as the trams that had been blocking the way were slowly starting to move again. It seemed the tram system had regained control, and it would soon notice the unusual congestion at the base of the mountain. The path to the mountain was opening up for Porquinho. He also noticed that Lu Mingfei’s ankle was dislocated—if he could keep him at bay for a moment, those terrifying dragon-like blades would be useless.

Lu Mingfei swung his blade, cutting through the flagpole, but didn’t pursue immediately. Instead, he dropped to one knee, pulling out the two massive revolvers strapped to his back. He fired alternately, and blood sprayed from Porquinho’s shoulders down to his legs.

But he seemed to feel no pain, burying his head as he sprinted forward at an unprecedented speed, crossing the gleaming tracks. His gaze was fixed on the lights at the mountain’s peak, his spirit almost transcending his body, floating ahead. Lu Mingfei’s last two bullets struck Porquinho’s heels, exposing the pale white of his heel bones, but even this couldn’t stop his run.

“You’re out of bullets! You’re out of bullets! Hahaha! Hahaha!” Porquinho laughed maniacally. “How can a hunting dog catch a free pig?”

Lu Mingfei stood up and silently sighed. In the next instant, a massive burst of blood blossomed from Porquinho’s forehead. A second later, the gunshot followed, ripping through the air.

It was a Frigg bullet, fired from the mountain Porquinho had been looking up at. The bullet’s speed was far greater than the speed of sound, so it hit before the sound of the shot reached them. The caliber of the gun was much larger than that of Victoria’s precision rifle, and its power exceeded Lu Mingfei’s Desert Eagles. With its immense impact and tranquilizer-filled warhead, it was a weapon designed to take Porquinho down in one hit. The tranquilizer surged through his blood like a rushing stream, instantly sapping Porquinho’s will and strength. He staggered as if drunk for a moment before collapsing onto the tracks.

EVA had indeed opened an escape route for him, but also cleared the path for the sniper’s shot. This trap had been set from the start; Lu Mingfei was just buying time.

Lu Mingfei tapped his earpiece, switching to a private channel. “Thanks. I’ll treat you to a late-night snack sometime.”

Under the tin roof of a slum, a platinum-haired girl quietly disassembled her large-caliber sniper rifle. “Okay, I’ll put it on your tab.”

She tossed a stack of dollar bills to a boy who had been keeping watch nearby. “Go home. Forget all about this.”

The boy clutched the money, looking silently at the girl’s retreating figure. Her white dress fluttered like a flower in the wind.

“Why are you crying?” the girl suddenly turned around.

“We all know he was a bad man, but one day he drove a Cadillac here, gave me a hundred dollars, slapped my mom, and told her that if she hit me again, he’d sell her to a brothel.” The boy broke into sobs. “Now he’ll never come back! No one will stop her from hitting me anymore!”

The girl was silent for a moment, then quickly wrote something on a piece of paper, pressing it into the boy’s hand. “Call me if you need help. I promise I won’t kill her.”

Lu Mingfei limped over to Porquinho and kicked his copper-like body. Porquinho glared at him, panting heavily. The alchemical sedatives had completely paralyzed his muscles; he couldn’t even lift a finger. Speaking and breathing were difficult, but thanks to his powerful bloodline, he remained conscious.

Lu Mingfei raised his gun, as if about to smash Porquinho’s head with the handle, but he stopped and instead propped Porquinho up, resting his head on the rails.

Sitting next to Porquinho, Lu Mingfei rummaged through his shorts’ pockets, pulling out a beef jerky stick. He tore open the package, stuck it in his mouth, and gazed at the lights on the mountain.

The radiant golden pupils had dimmed, and the terrifying demonic aura had dissipated. He was back to being that lazy young man, with his dead-fish eyes drooping lifelessly.

Porquinho finally caught his breath. “Aren’t you going to kill me? Just stick your knife in my spine. That’ll do it.”

“Just some tough talk,” Lu Mingfei shrugged. “You didn’t touch Victoria, so you didn’t cross my line.”

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