Dragon Raja 5; Chapter 182: Leviathan’s Song (19)

Dragon Raja 5

“How many years has it been since I last received a call from you? Twenty years? Thirty years?” Vatutin whispered. “I can’t remember. I’m too old. I’m starting to forget things.”

“Over twenty years ago. The last call was the day you left the Kremlin. When I called you, I was standing on Red Square, watching them lower the hammer and sickle flag.” The man on the other end of the line sighed, but his voice was still cheerful. “That was a great ending.”

“You told me at the time that that was our last call, and when you hung up, our cooperation was completely over.”

“I shouldn’t have called you again, but someone insisted on bringing up the past. Luckily, you’re a tight-lipped friend. If you’d said anything to those kids, we might have had to bomb an area five kilometers around you.”

“I don’t have any intention of keeping a secret for you, but the past is like a body lying in a coffin. There’s no need to wake it up again.”

“Is it for that girl? An old widower with no children wants to protect a little girl who’s like his adopted daughter. I’ve seen this kind of drama a lot, but it’s still very touching.”

“She has grown up and doesn’t need my protection. She can protect herself.”

“But that girl is truly suspicious. A princess suddenly appeared, approached you, gained your trust, and then asked you about the inside story of Project Delta. She feels like a ghost escaped from Black Swan Harbor. Although the age difference is a bit off,” the man on the other end of the line said, “If she knew you were the head of Project Delta, and that you personally signed the documents sending those children to northern Siberia, would she still consider you her adoptive father? Maybe she’s here for revenge.”

“It doesn’t matter. Look at the blood between your fingernails. People like you and me deserve revenge.”

“Why don’t you make some excuses for yourself?” The person on the other end of the phone sighed. “For example, you are also fighting for the great federation. You need super soldiers with dragon blood. Only they can fight against capitalism. You sacrifice a few children, but you will save the lives of millions of people.”

“War should never have anything to do with children.” Vatutin said each word with emphasis. “Listen, everything in the past ends with me! I will pay for all the sins!”

“Vatutin, you really are… an admirable executioner.” The man on the phone sighed. “Okay, as you said, everything in the past ends with you.”

Vatutin let out a long sigh. “Thank you.”

“The secrets of God cannot be known to humans. It will be bad for you,” the man on the phone said. “Goodbye, Vatutin.”

“See you in hell.” Vatutin hung up the phone.

The sound of leaves rustling in the wind was like a group of hibernating snakes crawling out of their caves. The killers hiding in the fallen leaves stood up, and dark red laser aiming beams shot into the wooden house from all directions.

“Goodbye, Renata,” Vatutin said softly.

His eyes cast towards the top of the stove, where there was a lonely picture frame. The photo showed a huge bear-like old man in the snow, holding up a girl with deep eyes and putting her on his shoulders.

    ***

The silver Rolls-Royce was driving on the slightly undulating cobblestone road. The wind picked up at night, and the leaves that had been safely hanging on the trees began to fall down one after another, like a colorful snowstorm. Zero had to turn on the wipers to scrape away the leaves that fell on the windshield.

Lu Mingfei observed the desolate city through the car window. The buildings on both sides of the main road were still bright and beautiful, but after driving into the side roads, it felt dilapidated. There were not many cars on the road, and the solemn cast iron street lights flickered.

The country called “the Soviet Union” has been gone for over two decades, and while people were once hopeful about change, the country hasn’t changed for the better. Yet, the empire’s former glory can still be seen through it, with Byzantine architecture from the Tsarist era juxtaposed with Soviet-style buildings, as if Catherine the Great and Stalin were standing side by side.

“Don’t be discouraged. Besides General Vatutin, I have other connections. As long as the place is within Russia, I can always find a way to get you there.” Zero looked straight ahead, turning the steering wheel casually. Her driving was clearly masculine.

“I’m not depressed,” Lu Mingfei came back to his senses, “I was distracted for a while. This city is so beautiful.”

“Actually, I don’t like it here very much. It’s too cold. I like warmer places.” Zero said, “But if you like, we can get off the car and take a walk.”

“ah?”

Before Lu Mingfei could finish his “Ah”, the Rolls-Royce started to slow down. It was clearly a place where street parking was prohibited, but Zero parked this luxurious old-fashioned car directly on the side of the road.

An old policeman appeared out of nowhere, shouting something in Russian, probably meaning “No parking here.” Zero silenced him with a single gesture. She pressed a large-denomination bill under the windshield wiper and walked away.

When the old policeman walked to the car and took the banknote, Zero and Lu Mingfei had already walked very far away. He took off his police hat and saluted from a distance. His movements were elegant and exaggerated, making him look like a clown in the Tsar’s palace.

The small street where they parked was relatively popular, with lights on in most of the windows on both sides of the street, but the temperature was very low at night and there were no pedestrians in sight.

Zero walked in front, Lu Mingfei slightly behind. Zero seemed a little worried, and Lu Mingfei understood. He was also a little angry at Vatutin’s sudden change of expression and his hurtful words, but that was not the occasion for him to say anything.

Neither of them spoke, the only sound was the faint sound of fallen leaves cracking under their feet.

“General Vatutin has helped me a lot. Without him, the Romanov family’s business in Russia wouldn’t exist. He even helped me rediscover my last name. Although genetic analysis can prove my blood relationship with Elizabeth I, it’s impossible to obtain certification as a ‘descendant of the Romanov family’ without connections in the government. The government can’t give every tsar’s daughter a palace. I’ve become accustomed to asking him for help.” Zero paused. “Maybe I’m just too childish.”

Lu Mingfei nodded. “No wonder he was the first person you asked. What is that ‘δ Project’?”

Lu Mingfei didn’t actually fully understand the conversation between Zero and Vatutin, but he realized that the “δ Plan” was related to the place he was going.

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