Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 73: The Requisitioned Bride (9)

Dragon Raja 4

“Lu Mingfei! What the heck are you running for?” the P.E. teacher bellowed.

Everyone pointed at Nono’s retreating figure, and it seemed that the boy in white noticed her running toward him. He shifted his gaze toward her.

Nono finally saw the boy’s face, and she froze as a chilling sensation exploded in her head. The boy wore a mask and tattered burial robes, and his pupils glowed a blinding shade of gold.

His burial robes fluttered in the wind, and under his gaze from above, Nono felt as if she were pinned in place, unable to move a finger.

Damn it! Something’s wrong! How did such a strange and illogical thing appear? She was trapped in this dream! Everyone was watching Nono, and although the music continued to play, no one was doing the exercises anymore. Their faces seemed to be covered with smiling masks.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei was shaking Nono, pinching her face. She had her arms crossed and her eyes closed, shivering uncontrollably.

At first, everything seemed fine. Lu Mingfei told his story while Nono sat with her eyes closed, occasionally muttering or even chuckling. But then something went wrong—her eye muscles began to twitch, and her eyeballs darted around under her eyelids as if she were gripped by intense fear but unable to open her eyes.

“Senior Sister! Senior Sister!” Lu Mingfei shouted.

He had thought waking her up wouldn’t be difficult, but now he couldn’t do it. Nono was trapped in some kind of bizarre nightmare.

There was no time to hesitate. Lu Mingfei stood up and shouted, “Someone! Help! Somebody, come!”

After shouting for what felt like an eternity, he saw a light approaching. It was a broad-shouldered, strong black woman. She stopped abruptly when she saw Lu Mingfei, turned off her flashlight, and the sound of crackling electricity followed in the darkness. She was clearly a night guard, trained in tactical operations somewhere. She had extinguished the flashlight to conceal herself, and the crackling sound came from her electric baton.

But none of that mattered to a hybrid like Lu Mingfei. He had night vision, and even though the alcohol lamp’s flame was small, it was enough.

“I don’t want to hurt you! Is there a doctor around here?” Lu Mingfei called, trying to stop the woman’s futile actions.

The guard clearly didn’t trust this strange man who had appeared out of nowhere. She gripped her baton and flashlight, circling Lu Mingfei like a leopard poised to strike.

But suddenly, two hands appeared from behind her and tickled her waist, making her laugh involuntarily. The moment her tension broke, a swift hand chop to the neck knocked her unconscious. There was another person here, a stealthy infiltrator who had followed the guard inside. Lu Mingfei, with his heightened senses, hadn’t even noticed him! The female guard had combat skills on par with special forces, yet she had been subdued without a fight.

Without a second thought, Lu Mingfei let go of Nono, bit open the restraint on his wrist, and slipped the blade into his palm.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his signature combo attacks. Nono had said she needed protection while unconscious, so whoever this intruder was, they needed to be neutralized! But he didn’t want to draw blood, so he used the back of the blade. Still, the opponent was fast and nimble, countering his attacks with powerful punches, each one like a cannon blast. To Lu Mingfei’s shock, his carefully crafted combo was broken apart! Only a hybrid could pull off such a feat. There was no room for mercy now—his twin blades flipped, and two cold arcs of steel cut through the darkness like butterfly wings!

The opponent’s speed and reflexes matched Lu Mingfei’s. He switched from punches to palm strikes, aiming for Lu Mingfei’s wrist while saying in a deep voice, “Wait! I am the Fiery Dragon Sl—”

In such a high-speed fight, the outcome could be decided in an instant. Seizing the moment when the opponent spoke, Lu Mingfei landed a side kick squarely to his face.

“Oh, it’s you, you damn dog?” Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered the long-winded name.

“I-I am the Fiery Dragon Slayer… Finger von Frings… How… How could you be such a lousy teammate?” The opponent clutched his nose, which was gushing blood, and plopped down onto the floor.

At that moment, Nono opened her eyes, rolled over, and vomited out red liquid. Thankfully, it wasn’t blood—just the wine she had drunk earlier. She had managed to free herself from the dream, and Lu Mingfei let out a long sigh of relief as his heart, which had been in his throat, finally returned to its place.

Finger closed his eyes and sniffed the wine, saying, “A 2000 Clos de la Roche, truly worthy of Burgundy’s legend! The subtle floral scent makes me feel like I’m standing in front of a blooming rose wall, and the rich fruitiness explodes like fresh red berries on my taste buds. Ah! I’m a little butterfly, fluttering among the flowers…”

“Enough, enough, Lu Mingfei already pulled that act!” Nono sighed, holding her forehead. “You two really are like two peas in a pod. Breaking into a women’s convent at night, and you even do it as a team?”

Finger patted his chest, “My buddy’s in trouble; of course I had to come. I’m his great big brother—how could I not show up!”

“Your northeastern dialect is getting really authentic—did you learn it in Cuba?”

“I like watching Douyin and Kuaishou videos when I’m bored.”

“Get to the point! How did you find this place? Did you run out of ideas for your novels? Do you need tips before your next update?”

“Does Junior Sister read my work?” Finger’s face lit up with excitement.

“Can you even call that drivel work?” Nono snorted.

“I’m not one to brag, but this romantic drama between you two—the future matriarch of the Gattuso family meeting with the Student Union president late at night, drinking and having fun in the cellar, cuddling passionately—it’s all material. With my writing skills, I’d guarantee a thrilling, emotionally stirring tale, just as scandalous as The Erotic History of the Roman Empire! Wouldn’t you call that a piece of work?”

“Should I kill you first to silence you?” Nono smashed a bottle. “Now speak seriously!”

“Alright!” Finger turned and pointed at Lu Mingfei, “The Sakura Blessed by the Gods! You, my friend, are in deep trouble!”

“Talk normally, and stop shouting those weird nicknames you made up. Why are you here? Can you cure my mental illness?”

Finger was taken aback, “What mental illness? You think just because you’ve gone crazy, I’d travel all this way to visit? Ridiculous! Am I your dad? I have tons of girlfriends in Cuba to take care of! I’m here because serious trouble has come up! Did you steal the dragon skeleton from its cross in the ice cellar when you escaped the college? And did you go to Chicago to kill the principal? These are unforgivable betrayals! Especially stealing those bones—what are you going to do with them? Roast them? Or auction them off for dollars and pounds? Why would you even steal that thing?”

The news was so shocking that Lu Mingfei and Nono exchanged glances, thinking they must have heard wrong.

Especially the part about Anjou being assassinated—Anjou, in their minds, was an immortal man. If he ever died, it would be in a grand battle, taking Nidhogg down with him.

“Have a drink first, and explain slowly. What happened to the headmaster? What does the dragon skeleton have to do with me? And how did you find this place?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“Twenty-four hours ago, a few guys from the Execution Bureau came looking for me in Havana, guns blazing, saying they had some questions about you. I figured I couldn’t talk my way out of this one, so I knew you were in serious trouble. They were suspicious of me too, since we’re close friends. So I pried for information, and they said you stole the dragon skeleton, attempted to assassinate the headmaster, and might be an awakening Dragon King. I told them I didn’t believe you could do something so insane, but the higher-ups at the college were convinced, so I couldn’t defend you. Then I knelt down and begged.”

“That’s definitely your style,” Nono gave a thumbs up. “But how did you find me here?”

“They were overjoyed when I offered to help them catch you, since I know you so well—I’d be a great hunting dog, right? Woof woof woof! They brought me to Malta, rented a hydrofoil boat, and staked out near Iris Island, convinced you’d come here looking for Nono. I offered to pilot the boat, and I’m pretty good at it. While they were all on the deck keeping watch, I made a sharp turn and tossed them into the sea. They didn’t have the experience for it—on a hydrofoil boat, you have to tie yourself to the boat with ropes.”

Nono nodded, but Lu Mingfei shook his head, “But you don’t know how to pilot a boat. You’ve said before that you’re afraid of water.”

“Can’t you look at me with a little more optimism? What if I learned it in Cuba?” Finger grumbled.

Lu Mingfei still shook his head. “A hydrofoil boat costs over a million dollars. Where would you even learn to pilot one in Cuba?”

Finger stared wide-eyed. “Rich people’s sports—how does a broke guy like you know so much?”

“The Student Union has a sailing club. I bought them a new boat last year, and they took me out on it a couple of times.”

“Damn! I hate that rich person tone of voice! I’m warning you—stop bragging or I’ll start showing off photos of my girlfriends!”

“Stop arguing, you two! You’re giving me a headache!” Nono smashed another bottle. “Lu Mingfei, how did you find this place?”

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment. “It was the Principle who gave me the address.”