“But this is a reservoir, and we’re using… naval warfare weapons?” Lu Mingfei felt like cursing the Gear Department. What if the torpedo just sank to the bottom and exploded?
“That’s nothing. The Gear Department has done much crazier things,” Manstein said calmly. “The water depth of the Three Gorges Reservoir is now 170 meters. The last underwater earthquake caused a subsidence of around 200 meters near Bronze City, reaching a depth of nearly 400 meters. The Storm torpedo is more than sufficient. Even if it explodes at the bottom, it’ll just trigger an underwater landslide.”
“What do you mean by ‘just that’? Where does that casual tone even come from?” Lu Mingfei thought to himself.
But he didn’t say it out loud. Everyone around him had expressions of calm acceptance, as if a potential underwater landslide was just an everyday occurrence.
Living among madmen meant you had to adapt to the logic of madmen.
“There is only one Storm torpedo, only one chance for success. The underwater team will lure the Dragon King out of Bronze City. Once he’s within sonar range, we launch the torpedo. This is the power of science, and dragons have not yet adapted to it. For centuries, humanity has armed itself with the power of science, and finally, we can balance it with alchemy and Yanling,” Manstein explained. “Now let’s review the assignment list. Captain Manstein and First Mate Grayson will be responsible for steering. Second Mate Gunnar will manage sonar and torpedoes. Third Mate Parsi Gattuso will handle the cargo hold. Chief Engineer Kumagai Naoki will oversee the engines and fuel supply. Underwater operations: Group A, Caesar and Zero; Group B, Chen Motong and Lu Mingfei. Does everyone understand their roles?”
“Understood!” everyone replied in unison.
Lu Mingfei was assigned to the underwater team due to his surprisingly good performance during diving training. He grew up in the suburbs, swimming and diving for clams in a nearby pond. If he’d known the diving tests were for a mission, he might’ve held back, but instead, he had put his all into diving nearly a hundred meters before surfacing.
Fortunately, Caesar was there. Caesar was not only a hero on land but also in water—he had reportedly been researching marine biology at the Great Barrier Reef while piloting his family’s yacht since he was fourteen. He ranked first in diving, followed by Zero, who Lu Mingfei had seen diving without an oxygen tank, moving effortlessly like a fish. Her face was expressionless, as if to say, “Oxygen is unnecessary for a half-fish like me.” Nono ranked third, while Lu Mingfei was fourth. Group B was the backup team, meant to dive only if Group A failed. Lu Mingfei was convinced of Caesar and Zero’s abilities—if those two couldn’t handle it, then the mission was destined to fail.
Thinking this way made him feel a bit more at ease.
“But I have a problem,” Zero said, raising her hand. “I can’t dive today.”
Lu Mingfei felt his head buzz as an ominous sense of impending disaster washed over him.
“What kind of problem could you have? Don’t worry; you’ll be fine! You’ll definitely be fine!” Lu Mingfei said nervously, almost blurting it out.
“Are you… unwell?” Manstein asked, looking Zero up and down. “You seem to be in good shape.”
“Yeah!” Lu Mingfei immediately chimed in. “You look like you’re in great shape!”
“I have my period, so I can’t dive,” Zero said with a chilling calmness.
Lu Mingfei stood frozen.
Oh, no! Could it be? He’d been so attentive to Zero’s well-being these past days, caring for her like she was a delicate sapling. Every time Zero came out of the water, Lu Mingfei would rush to hand her a towel. He’d always make sure she drank the hot beet soup meant to ward off the cold. If she wore a skirt, he’d kindly remind her not to catch a chill. If she coughed, he’d immediately produce medicine. Everyone assumed Lu Mingfei was pursuing the Russian beauty, and he didn’t bother correcting them.
For three months, Zero hadn’t missed a single training session. It was hard to deny that Lu Mingfei’s efforts had contributed to that.
But hearing those three words, “my period,” from Zero’s mouth, Lu Mingfei realized he truly didn’t understand women.
“Did you say… ‘period’?” Lu Mingfei asked cautiously. “You know what that means in Chinese, right?”
“It refers to a woman’s menstrual cycle,” Zero answered.
“Did I hear that right? You look like you’re 14, do you even have a menstrual cycle? You might as well say you’re going on maternity leave…”
“It’s true; I do have a menstrual cycle. Besides, I’m already 18.” Zero’s cold, hard voice shattered Lu Mingfei’s petrified state.
“Basic rights for females still need to be respected. Group B will substitute,” Manstein said.
“No problem.” Nono nodded.
“Uh?” Lu Mingfei turned abruptly, staring at Nono. “Are you… also in that time of the month?”
Nono slapped Lu Mingfei on the forehead, her face darkening. “Mind your business! I’m not in that period!”
“If you’re so scared, I can go with Caesar instead.” Nono withdrew her hand, speaking nonchalantly.
Lu Mingfei hesitated. The words “Sure, go ahead” were on the tip of his tongue, but somehow he swallowed them back. He lowered his head, scratching it without saying anything.
“No, Nono can’t dive with Caesar,” Manstein said. “First of all, the rules of the Execution Bureau state that dive partners can’t have personal relationships. Secondly, you’ve done hundreds of practice dives with Lu Mingfei, and changing to Caesar last minute would affect coordination.”
“But do you think he’ll be any good like this?” Nono gestured at Lu Mingfei.
“I think he seems to be in pretty good shape,” Zero said.
“Can you not retaliate so quickly?” Lu Mingfei thought.
“I also think he’s in pretty good shape,” Manstein said. “In fact, Mingfei’s performance during training has been good—very proactive. Everyone has their fears during their first mission, but he’s an S-Rank, and this shouldn’t be an issue for him.”
“Whether you join me or not, I’m fine either way,” Nono patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. “I can go alone too. It’s just about setting up the explosives to lure the Dragon King out.”