Dragon Raja; Chapter 44: The Dictator (6)

Dragon Raja

“Alright, alright, enough. 2500 bucks, right? I don’t have it now. How about I pay you after I get my scholarship?” Lu Mingfei said. “Also, what’s this about a 497-dollar treat? I don’t remember treating you to anything that expensive.”

“Later payment is fine. As for the 497-dollar meal,” Finger picked up the goose leg bone and knocked it on the plate’s edge, “half of it is in your stomach, and half is in mine.”

“Isn’t that a school supper service?” Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded.

“But they charge you! Did you think eating with silver utensils was free? If it were free, they’d give you a plastic fork at most!”

“But we didn’t pay anything. Explain that, senior!”

“We charged it to your student card.”

“Student card?” Lu Mingfei was confused.

“Your student card also acts as a Citibank-guaranteed credit card. As an ‘S-Rank noble,’ your credit limit is 100,000 dollars. Treating your useless senior, who has a credit limit of just 80 bucks left, to a 497-dollar meal—don’t you think that makes you look generous?”

“So… I’m already in debt now?” Lu Mingfei felt his heart breaking.

“Debt isn’t that scary,” Finger consoled him. “My financial situation is in the negative by more than 30,000, yet I’m still living quite well.”

Lu Mingfei covered his face. He was utterly hopeless in the face of his senior’s shamelessness.

At midnight, in the library’s underground level, a red light blinked at a steady rhythm—an indicator of the normal operation of the security system.

It was quiet, with only the occasional sound of high-speed hard drive rotations. The massive central server was installed here, stretching from the first to the sixth basement level. If exposed above ground, the size of the central server would be equivalent to that of a small building. This area was under the highest level of security, with retinal, voice, and fingerprint recognition systems all active. The outer walls were made of alloy plates capable of withstanding explosives, and infrared lasers scanned every inch of space, allowing no gaps bigger than what a mouse could pass through.

Footsteps echoed, coming closer. The sound was like iron-soled boots hitting the floor. The frequency of the red blinking lights increased, rising in tandem with the approaching footsteps. The security system couldn’t recognize the identity of the person from the footsteps, and the danger index gradually climbed, nearing the threshold for triggering the alarm.

The footsteps stopped at the entrance. Ignoring the retinal, voice, and fingerprint identification systems, the individual swiped an unmarked black card through the slot.

Instantly, the alert value dropped sharply, the infrared laser scanners powered down, hundreds of cameras shut off, and the warning lights of the security system turned green. With faint clicks, nine metal doors leading to the central server were simultaneously unlocked.

On the top floor of the library, Professor Manstein and Professor Guderian exchanged silent glances. Manstein looked down at his watch and was suddenly taken aback. His watch was a monitoring terminal that showed the security system had entered a dormant state. The security system, which operated year-round, had never entered a dormant state before.

“Execution Bureau, Norma’s security system has gone into hibernation. Send some people to the library,” Manstein said as he made a call and hurried toward the elevator.

Guderian put down the sealed container of the Ice Sea Scrolls and squeezed into the elevator just as the doors closed.

When the elevator reached the first floor of the library, Manstein walked out and looked around. It was late at night, and the first floor was silent.

Cassell College’s library was an elegant, antique-style building. The first floor featured a grand hall nearly ten meters high, as magnificent as the Sistine Chapel. Exquisite marble columns supported graceful arches, and the ceiling had stained glass windows that allowed a view of the stars. The main hall was paved with polished granite tiles that reflected people’s images, while an intricately carved cherry wood door at the end of the hallway was locked.

There was a knock at the door. Manstein went over and opened it. Standing outside was a tall, lean German man, standing in the shadows, dressed in a pure black suit and dragging a small cart.

“Professor von Schneider, you’ve come in person,” Manstein said.

“Mance went to China, so I have to take care of things myself.” Professor von Schneider waved in greeting. “I also noticed that Norma’s security system went into dormancy.”

He entered the library, stepping into the light. His face was covered with a black mask, and an air hose extended to a steel cylinder on the cart. His neck was covered in dark red scars. His breathing was low and raspy, like a broken bellows, and his iron-gray eyes gave a cold sweep.

Both professors simultaneously looked away. No one in the college liked making eye contact with von Schneider, the head of the Execution Bureau—it was like staring at the tip of a knife from just centimeters away.

“The monitoring system detected no signs of intruders.” Schneider glanced around before turning to Manstein. “It’s late, and you two are the only ones here. Any unusual occurrences?”

“Nothing unusual. Tomorrow is the 3E exam, and maybe some students tried to break into Norma’s system to get the exam questions or something,” Manstein said with a forced smile. He tried to lighten the mood; the Execution Bureau always seemed to hold a lofty position within Cassell College. As the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he was in charge of students and didn’t want to interact with the Execution Bureau unnecessarily. But in front of Schneider, he had to maintain a certain degree of respect.

“Students trying to steal exam questions has nothing to do with the Execution Bureau. We’re only concerned with pureblood dragons.” Schneider completely ignored Manstein’s smile. “Norma’s security system is impenetrable. It’s designed to be an eternal deadlock.”

“If a dragon broke into the library, wouldn’t their target be something other than the server room?” Guderian said.

“We don’t know. Dragons can’t be understood, but vigilance is never wrong.” Schneider raised his voice, “Norma, why did the security system go into dormancy?”

The crystal chandelier above the hall suddenly lit up, its bright light dispelling the darkness and chill. The luxurious library hall came into view, with rows of intricately carved cherrywood bookshelves holding hundreds of thousands of reference books. Different sections were labeled with brass plaques, and long cherrywood tables were adorned with identical green-shaded lamps, which also lit up, leaving no shadow in the hall—empty of people.

“Professor von Schneider, Professor Manstein, Professor Guderian, this is a routine purge. Garbage data is being cleared, so I paused the security system, opened the data shield, and am sending out the trash.” The calm female voice echoed from above. “In short, I opened the door and am taking out the trash.”

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