Dragon Raja; Chapter 113: Big Brother (10)

Dragon Raja

The Frigg rounds had an effect—the figure twisted under the barrage, retreating continuously. The Frigg rounds disintegrated into a cloud of blood-red mist as they neared him, but the mist pushed him back. Caesar and Mai took turns reloading, alternating shots, forcing the figure out of Valhalla. The intense recoil from continuous shooting nearly numbed their wrists, but they gritted their teeth and continued. Every ounce of force on their wrists would create a reaction force on the dragon—they could only press forward, with no room to retreat. They couldn’t allow that dragon to step through the door behind them.

Listening to the battle in Valhalla, Schneider’s eyes suddenly lit up. He shouted into the microphone, “Yes… Yes! Frigg rounds can push him back! Everyone switch to Frigg rounds! Continuous shooting—don’t give him a chance to use his Yanling!”

Hidden in the shadows, the students rose and unleashed a storm of bullets at the figure being forced out of Valhalla, engulfing him in the bloody mist.

“Hey, are we here to swim?” Lu Mingfei said. “I thought we came here to take refuge.”

“We’re definitely here for refuge. Water is the biggest enemy of fire-type Yanlings,” Finger said seriously. “If you’d taken Yanling studies, you’d know that the symbol for Yanling is a pentagram. Earth, water, wind, fire, and spirit—five elements restraining each other. Fire-type Yanlings can penetrate many barriers, but crossing a body of water is very difficult. So if he’s finding you through some kind of fire-type Yanling, then this is the safest place. This is the largest body of water in Cassell College.”

“Senior, you’re treading water in the deep end in just your underwear while talking academically—I can’t really understand how you feel right now.” Lu Mingfei said.

“Keep treading water, and make sure you keep that PPK out of the water—don’t let it get wet. If that guy actually does follow us here, shoot him.”

“But didn’t you say that if he follows us, we should hold our breath and hide in the water?”

“Good point. I should have brought you a plastic bag.”

In the vast indoor pool of Cassell College, Finger, Lu Mingfei, and Lao Tang treaded water with all their might. Lu Mingfei had to be grateful that he had some swimming skills to rely on.

It seemed Finger was right. They had been treading water here for fifteen minutes, and the dragon hadn’t caught up. In all their previous hiding spots, the dragon had found them in under five minutes, like a dog following a scent.

“Oh, let me introduce you. This is my friend, Lao Tang,” Lu Mingfei said. “And this is my senior, Finger.”

“Hello.” Two people, who shouldn’t have been on the same side, shook hands.

“That was Nono just now—she’s the girlfriend of our college’s Student Union president, and my senior,” Lu Mingfei said. “Lao Tang, don’t get the wrong idea.”

He gradually relaxed, feeling like he could say a few things to pass the time. Sitting around doing nothing was unsettling.

“I get it. Stealing a boss’s woman comes with serious consequences—three stabs and six holes, right? You can do it, but you can’t say it. Even though I grew up in America, I’m still Chinese and understand Chinese culture,” Lao Tang said. “I just feel a little regret—why didn’t she come and tread water with us…”

“Just imagining that makes my nose bleed,” Finger said.

“Hey, Lao Tang, why are you even here?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“I told you before that I’m a bounty hunter, right? In our line of work, there’s a website that deals with paranormal cases. It regularly posts job listings; the employers stay anonymous. People of a certain level have the right to view the details of a case and decide whether to take it. If the employer is satisfied with your resume, you’ll receive a job offer. After completing it, the payment is automatically transferred to your account.”

“I never thought you had such a cool job,” Lu Mingfei said.

“I don’t really have any other skills,” Lao Tang said a bit shyly. “I just seem to have a natural resistance to paranormal stuff. For instance, when we go into ancient tombs, other people are affected, but I’m not. Some curses that are rumored to be very potent don’t work on me either. So I’ve managed to reach a fairly high level and can take on big cases like this one, worth five million dollars.”

“Five million?” Finger’s eyes widened.

“But I never imagined it would be such a dangerous mission. They originally said I just needed to come to this college to find something. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come—I’d still be sleeping in New York. The money wasn’t much, but it was enough to take you on a Greyhound trip around America.” Lao Tang said, “You’re a good friend, and I won’t forget it.”

“I want to take a Greyhound trip around America too…” Finger said.

Lao Tang’s expression suddenly changed. “I don’t know why… but I think… he’s coming.”

“No way, right?” Lu Mingfei perked up his rabbit-like ears. “I don’t hear anything, not a single sound…”

Suddenly, he stopped, his face turning pale. Footsteps echoed through the empty sports complex, drawing closer, as if separated by only a wall. A chilling voice called out: “Brother… Brother…”

“A ghost… a ghost is after us!” Lu Mingfei shivered violently. “What do we do now?”

Finger’s face darkened as well. He handed each of them a plastic bag. “Don’t panic—his footsteps are circling the pool, which means he knows we’re nearby, but he can’t pinpoint our location because of the water. It’s not surprising he’d guess we’re here; Valhalla leads directly to the sports complex. Let’s not scare ourselves—showing ourselves now would just get us caught. Everyone take a plastic bag of air and dive in. When you’re desperate, take a few breaths. Just hang on for a few minutes. As long as we’re completely submerged, the fire-type Yanling won’t be able to detect us. He’ll lose track of us and leave. I think he’s got a few screws loose—probably a crazy dragon.”

“Really a dragon? Why does a dragon look like a human?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“Dragons come in nine types. That beautiful girl fighting Caesar might also be a dragon. One last warning—do not get nervous. Nervousness will give us away. Water forms a ‘water-seal boundary,’ covering all traces of you. The Yangtze River is a perfect water-seal boundary—otherwise, the Bronze Ancient City wouldn’t have been hidden for so long. Trust an ex-A-Rank student like me.” With that, Finger pressed both of their heads into the water.

Holding his breath, Lu Mingfei submerged himself, not daring to open his eyes. He was good at swimming but didn’t like to open his eyes underwater, as it made everything look light blue, like he had entered another planet. The water was unheated at night, leaving him shivering.

He had no idea how much time passed—nothing happened. The pool water gradually warmed, as if the heating system had turned on. Lu Mingfei thought that, at this temperature, as long as air wasn’t an issue, he could stay underwater indefinitely. But good times didn’t last long, and soon it became unbearably hot. Perhaps Finger had set the wrong temperature when they came in—it felt like bathwater.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja; Chapter 112: Big Brother (9)Dragon Raja; Chapter 114: Big Brother (11) >>