Dragon Raja; Chapter 104: Big Brother

Dragon Raja

“An egg…” thought No. 13. “A brass egg.”

Would such a report be worth five million dollars? No. 13 hesitated a bit, feeling it was unrealistic—was the money really that easy to earn?

In the quartz glass chamber, there was just such a container, made of brass, with a dark green patina covering the surface. Vague patterns in Gandhara style were engraved upon it, showing two snakes guarding a giant tree. The outer wall was originally completely sealed, but there was a grayish-silver area at the top, with a dark hole in it, as if it had been corroded away.

It looked very much like an egg.

But there was no doubt that this was his target. The metallic rust smell in the air was suffocating here, and the powerful magnetic field caused a loose screw from his wristwatch to shoot out and stick tightly to the outer wall of the quartz glass chamber, trembling slightly. No wonder this lab was made entirely of glass—there was almost no trace of metal anywhere.

Dozens of pairs of eyes were watching him from behind. If he continued to stare at his target like this, he would surely give himself away sooner or later.

No. 13 thought quickly. “What exactly is this thing? Is it worth five million dollars just for its intelligence?”

Suddenly, he understood. “Right! They don’t care about the shell of this thing—it’s what’s inside that matters!”

“No wonder the instructions said to observe with the naked eye—burn the bridges behind you! Just take a look inside!” No. 13 steeled himself.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he tore open his lab coat, leaped onto the console, and, standing on tiptoe, peered into the opening.

The dark hole was like a well of time.

“Brother, there are many people outside.”

“Perhaps I will die. But, Constantin, do not be afraid.”

“I am not afraid, being with Brother, I am not afraid… But why… why don’t you just eat me? Eat me, and any cage, no matter how strong, Brother could break through.”

“You are good food. But that would be too lonely. For thousands of years, it’s only been you and me together.”

“But death is really sad. It’s like being sealed in a black box, forever and ever, in pitch black… I want to grope in the dark, but I can never get anything out with my outstretched hands…”

“The so-called fate of abandoning the group is to cross the wilderness, raise the battle flag again, and return to the hometown. Death is not terrible, it is just a long sleep. Before I can devour this world, it is better to sleep peacefully than to expect to be alone. We will still wake up.”

“Brother… when you raise the battle flag and devour the world, will you eat me?”

“I will. Then, you will be with me, reigning over the world!”

“Who… is speaking?” No. 13 felt dizzy.

It was as if he were really standing by a well, listening to people speak from within it, and in the darkness at the bottom, someone lifted their head and looked at him.

The well was deep, and he could fall in at any moment.

“Damn it, why is it always this kind of second-rate stage play dialogue?” No. 13 quickly averted his gaze.

He felt like he was under a spell. Ancient things might just carry some kind of evil aura. Fortunately, No. 13 had never cared about superstitions. Still, his heart was pounding.

“Rin, Hyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!” No. 13 recited in clumsy Chinese, pulled out a shotgun, and turned to the stunned researchers outside the reinforced glass screen. “Anyone who’s not afraid of dying, put your hands up!”

Those nine words were something he’d learned from anime—effective for warding off evil, the kind of words that could slay gods and Buddhas alike.

No. 13 let out a long breath. He didn’t know if it was because those words actually worked, or if his own willpower was strong, but the ethereal voices in his mind had vanished.

The Principal hesitated for a moment, then raised both hands. He seemed to be a practical old man. The researchers all had “I can’t believe this” written in their eyes, but they still followed the Principal’s lead and raised their hands.

“Alright then, just add in the report that I looked inside the opening and saw nothing.” No. 13 thought. “Though… it did feel like someone looked back at me.”

But that was obviously impossible. Under the low temperature of liquid nitrogen, even flagellates inside would be frozen to death.

“Just treat it like a high school field study report and make do with it.” No. 13 kicked open the door of the cryogenic chamber.

Suddenly, a researcher lifted the transparent plastic cover on the console and slapped the red button inside.

“‘Dragon’s Lair’ entering lockdown mode! Lockdown mode!” a stern female voice echoed through the air.

The reinforced shell outside the quartz glass chamber behind No. 13 suddenly locked into place, with twelve sealing valves snapping shut at the same moment. At the same time, large amounts of liquid nitrogen began pouring into the quartz chamber.

“Is this an alarm? Do you think I’m robbing a 24-hour convenience store?” No. 13 was infuriated by the sudden turn of events.

He should have pressed the sawed-off shotgun against that researcher’s forehead and blown his head off. But No. 13 had a bit of hemophobia, and every bullet had been soaked thoroughly in the aquarium. Instead, he stepped forward, kicking the guy away and knocking over seven or eight other researchers in the process. Taking advantage of the chaos, No. 13 spun around and sprinted out of the lab.

“Stop him!” shouted the Principal.

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