Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 3 Lu Mingfei LV1, the devil with 10 favorability points

"elder brother."

"elder brother……"

"So noisy, whose brat is this..." Lu Mingfei opened his eyes groggily, and when he saw the scene in front of him, his heart suddenly stopped.

"Holy crap, where am I?!"

What lay before me was no longer the familiar, cramped bedroom, but a spacious hall.

The walls were riddled with holes, and the pitch-black sky let in gusts of white, biting cold.

"Hey, where are you sleeping...?"

Before them stretched a long corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. The moonlight, like flowing mercury, shone on the floor. Heavy 'clattering' sounds echoed from the darkness, as if someone were striking iron castanets.

A tremendous fear welled up in Lu Mingfei's heart, and his whole body felt cold.

"Could it be that the crazy ideas from the forum actually worked...?"

The cold wind seemed to be tearing his soul to shreds.

"Brother." Someone called softly in the darkness.

The sound wasn't loud, but it wasn't swallowed up by the howling blizzard; instead, it was incredibly clear.

Lu Mingfei turned around abruptly, only to find himself in a dark, boundless corridor, littered with signs of ruin, and completely deserted.

Is it an auditory hallucination?

He does have a younger brother, but he's a round warrior and can't make this kind of coquettish voice... Ouch! Damn it, this is clearly a boy's voice, why am I thinking of coquettishness?

Lu Mingfei touched his arm, and goosebumps rose on the stiff skin.

I hope I won't get corrupted by experience points... Please don't! I like Chen Wenwen! ...Sweetie!

'Da da da……'

A series of light, unhurried footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by a soft call.

"elder brother."

Lu Mingfei's pupils suddenly contracted. It wasn't his imagination; the person was still shouting and getting closer! His intuition told him that it was best to get away as soon as possible.

But...where to hide?

Lu Mingfei looked around. The area was empty, with no cover whatsoever, unless he climbed out through a hole in the wall.

"If I go outside, I'll freeze to death, won't I?" The thought popped into Lu Mingfei's mind.

While he hesitated, the man suddenly quickened his pace, as if crossing the boundary of space, and instantly stood in front of Lu Mingfei.

This is a little boy dressed in an exquisite suit, with a white silk handkerchief peeking out of his pocket. He wears square-toed leather shoes and has a pair of light-colored golden eyes, as if he's wearing colored contact lenses. On his head is a...

Yellow exclamation mark! ?

call--

Lu Mingfei felt a sense of relief for no apparent reason.

Even if the boy's attire is so out of place with his surroundings, resembling a stunningly beautiful woman encountered by Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West in the wilderness, it's obvious to anyone with a brain that something is definitely wrong.

But why did that monk dare to put his hands together, reveal a mysterious smile, and approach him to ask, "Where are you from, benefactor? Want to add me on QQ to expand our social circle?" Well, what can you do? His disciple was ruthless enough; having powerful connections gives you confidence!

Intelligence panel! Activate!
Lu Mingfei roared inwardly, "My stats aren't bad either!"

Let me see what kind of monster you are! How dare you summon me here!

Focusing his attention on the exclamation mark, information about this person (ghost) immediately unfolded before his eyes.

【Name: Lu Mingze/askryg+.#@^&*N/A】

Age: N/A

【Combat strength: 0】

【Favourability: 10】

Wealth Index: N/A

[...new information detected]

[Powers: Spirit (8%), Air (0.01%), Water (4.7%), Earth (1.3%), Fire (1.2%)]

[Special Status: Spiritual body, 70% incomplete, life force deprived, locked by Gungnir, sealed by Solomon, Kunlun Mirror Mantra, Shurangama Mantra, Word Spirit Binding, Flag Array Suppression, Silver Mercury Secret Array Suppression, Ganges Water Enters the Body...]

"Brother?" The boy suddenly tilted his head.

[Intelligence gathering interrupted due to the influence of an unknown force]

Lu Mingfei:! ! !

Was I...interrupted?
The sound of wind and snow outside had stopped sometime ago. A huge moon slowly rose, and the moonlight poured in like a tide, casting the shadows of the two people on the dusty floor.

'Snap—Snap—Snap—'

The rhythm still echoed deep within the dark corridor.

The entire hall was bathed in the cool, clear moonlight, creating a profound silence that one dared not break.

The boy's slightly tilted head had been straightened, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

He didn't speak, silently watching Lu Mingfei, the moonlight flowing across his youthful face, casting a radiant glow.

Lu Mingfei didn't say anything either, he didn't dare to speak, he didn't even dare to breathe heavily, his head drooping, his toes digging into the ground through his cotton slippers.

If we were to compile a list of the most embarrassing things in the world, being caught spying would definitely be on the list.

He couldn't even see the exclamation mark above the boy's head again, just like when you try to peek at your deskmate's homework answers, they simply close their notebook, put it in their bag, and lock the zipper.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." Lu Mingfei's hard-won heroic spirit vanished instantly, and he couldn't help but groan inwardly.

Who is this?

During the day, he tested the operating rules of the intelligence panel. It was as ruthless as the cheat ability of a serious anime protagonist. As long as it was within his field of vision, no one could stop his investigation, and no one would notice it afterward!
Before I could even enjoy myself for a day, I ran into a ghost!
What's the deal with this panel?
The series of N/A results rendered his painstakingly compiled "Complete Guide to the Basic Circumstances of Residents of Binhai City" useless.

It was as if the little devil was laughing loudly, "You're stupid, aren't you? I don't use your human tricks at all!"
You think the minimum combat power is 5?

Hey, I got a zero!

Wealth and age are irrelevant! Add a spoonful of power you can't understand at all, and three rows of special statuses stacked thicker than a murder mystery book, full of online game style!
The most bizarre thing is that this devil even gave himself a name, 'Lu Mingze'!
...Lu Mingfei was so scared he almost laughed out loud.

Wait, Devil Bro, didn't you even try to avoid using taboo words when you chose your name?

How could he not know Lu Mingze? After all, he was his cousin who used to share a room with him. When they were young, he might have been half as good-looking as this devil, but now he is 160cm tall and weighs 160kg. He is also going through puberty and has a face full of acne. The difference in appearance between the two is more than that of Lu Mingfei!
Well--

"Let me think... Being able to detect the acquisition of the intelligence panel and interrupt it... With such supernatural power, one might be able to influence the panel's content. Lu Mingze is probably using an alias; his real name has been changed to that string of gibberish..."

"A combat power of 0 is most likely a ruse, after all, there's some incredibly powerful authority behind it. The 'special state' feels like it's been subjected to a bunch of seals, a combined Eastern and Western all-star seal lineup spanning eight systems. I doubt this guy's condition is even that good..."

"So the 10 favorability rating is definitely a setup by him! He wants to gain my sympathy!"

That’s right!

In that instant, Lu Mingfei thought of many things and felt smarter than ever before.

"Brother, are you feeling unwell? You're breathing very loudly."

The boy spoke softly, a faint, strange smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, oh... no, I'm sorry."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly apologized, then suddenly jolted awake and looked up to meet the boy's concerned gaze.

"Uh, is it possible that you've mistaken me for someone else, and that I'm not actually your brother?"

Lu Mingfei said dryly, "What the hell am I saying!"
"How could that be? Your name is Lu Mingfei, and mine is Lu Mingze. We're brothers by nature." The boy gazed into the distance, his voice calm.

"……Oh."

Calm down! Lu Mingfei! Calm down! Don't panic, think carefully about what to say.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and forced himself to think seriously again.

Since this devil is pretending to have a 10% favorability rating, he'll definitely go along with me on purpose to make me believe he really has no ill intentions towards me. So I'll take advantage of that! First, I need to get rid of him, at least leave this awful place!
Set a trap for him, set a trap for him... Damn it, how do I set a trap?! Lu Mingfei felt like his brain was about to break.

"Brother, I'm very happy today," the boy said softly.

Lu Mingfei's thoughts were interrupted, and he subconsciously asked, "Why?"

"Because it seems you don't want to pretend to be stupid anymore, even if it's just a little bit, I'm very happy."

The boy who called himself Lu Mingze smiled slightly, his smile delicate and radiant in the moonlight.

Lu Mingfei suddenly froze.

He saw two lines of tears silently streaming down the boy's cheeks.

The boy's words made him feel inexplicably uneasy, as if a thousand years of sorrow had suddenly burst forth like a gushing, icy torrent of water, overwhelming him and almost drowning him. His heart was rising and falling in a salty ocean.

"you……"

"Happy birthday, brother," Lu Mingze said.

He pulled a cake from behind his back, with two small candles sticking out of it, emitting a ghostly green glow. He blew out one of the candles and handed it to him.

"for you."

“But today isn’t my birthday, I told you you’ve mistaken me for someone else…” Lu Mingfei murmured.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the cake, as if he were completely unaware that the candlelight on it was often used in literature to describe the color of hell.

Come to think of it, he seems to have never eaten a birthday cake of his own in his entire life.

Who would remember his birthday? His uncles and aunts? Don't be ridiculous. His parents? They've long since disappeared. The last time I ate a birthday cake related to him was at the literature club, but that was a cake made for all the classmates celebrating their birthdays over the entire summer.

Lu Mingfei was in charge of cutting the cake, and when it was his turn after everyone had cut it, all that was left was the greasy buttercream decoration on top. Ah, that summer was so hot.

He took the cake, blew out the other candle, and took a small bite.

In an instant, an indescribable warmth flowed into his body, not from the creamy frosting on the sweet cake, but from a tangible warmth that dispelled the chill.

"Of course I know today isn't your birthday," Lu Mingze said with a smile. "But since you've rediscovered a bit of your former self, it deserves to be treated with the same solemnity as a birthday. This is your second birthday."

"I hope you'll have many more birthdays in the future, countless birthdays, and ideally every day would be a birthday..."

Lu Mingfei quickly finished the cake in his hand and licked the remaining cream off his lips.

He had never eaten such a delicious cake. The cream was sweet but not greasy, the soft cake base melted in his mouth, and it was also warm and comforting. Most importantly, it was a cake for him, a cake that belonged only to him.

How wonderful! If someone could celebrate his birthday every day, even if he were a devil, he'd be a good devil!

"Did you bring me cake every day back then?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"No problem at all," Lu Mingze said readily. "Oh, by the way, I just heard a 'ding' sound, did you hear it, brother?"

"A ding? When?"

"When you were eating the cake, did you trigger something?" Lu Mingze asked.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat when he saw the boy's feigned confusion. Oh no!

Oops... How could I forget he's a devil! Oh no, I ate the devil's food!

He quickly opened his own panel.

[Name: Lu Mingfei]

[Level: LV1]

[Experience value: 0/10]

【Combat strength: 10】

Wealth Index: 3.2

[Bloodline: S (Activated)]

[Comment: Welcome to the real world... Wait a minute? You leveled up without killing a single monster? Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, is that you?]

Lu Mingfei: ...?
I leveled up... My combat power is now 10, and I've gained a new attribute... So the stats do change after leveling up? What is bloodline...?

He looked up abruptly and met the boy's ambiguous smile.

"What you just gave me to eat..." Lu Mingfei felt a sudden dryness in his mouth.

Lu Mingze placed his hand on his chest and recited a difficult passage in a chanting manner: "During the meal, he took bread and blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' He also took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which shall be poured out for you and for all people.'"

"Uh, you mean... this cake is made from your... your body?" Lu Mingfei stammered.

He couldn't understand this Western-style, mystical talk, but he could guess the general meaning from the scattered words.

"Otherwise, look at this frozen wasteland, even black grass can't survive here."

Lu Mingze said quietly.

"But you, brother... I solved your biggest upgrade problem, don't you want to thank me?"

"..."

Lu Mingfei sized up the boy's physique, calculating in his mind how much fat he would have to scrape off to make that cream cake. What he had actually wanted to say was that the upgrade beads even came in a cake shape, and he wondered if he could get another pound.

But now I suddenly don't want to eat, and I feel a little nauseous. After a long while, I asked:
"How would you like to thank me?"

His eyes gradually hardened with suspicion. It was a pay-later model! The devil had revealed his true colors. Was the next step the exchange of souls?

"Just give me a hug."

Lu Mingze opened his arms, a faint, angelic smile on his face.

"..." Lu Mingfei remained silent for a long time.

Lu Mingze's eyelids gradually drooped, he gently lowered his arm, and sighed:
"Still unwilling? It's okay, it's too cold here. I'll take you back first. Sweet dreams, brother."

As soon as the words were spoken, the 'slapping' sounds from the depths of darkness grew louder and more violent, like a raging dragon about to be unleashed.

The entire hall began to shake and tremble; the walls were cracking, and the supporting columns were collapsing, as if the whole world was about to be destroyed...

At the same time, a suction force came from behind Lu Mingfei, and on the other side of the scene, like ripples on water, was a familiar small room, less than ten square meters.

This was originally a storage room for my uncle and aunt. After my cousin went to high school, he said he didn't want to sleep in the same room as Lu Mingfei, so it was converted into a bedroom.

Once you take this step, you can return to the familiar world.

Lu Mingfei turned his head.

The boy was still standing there quietly, his shadow growing longer and longer behind him, like an abandoned child.

Is that all? Is it enough to just refuse? Looking at him like this, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a pang of pity... How could you be such a devil?

"I can't stand you. Oh well, thanks for the cake."

Lu Mingfei stepped forward and gently hugged Lu Mingze, whose face showed disbelief, shock, and anticipation.

In an instant, it felt as if lightning had struck Lu Mingfei's brain.

Images flashed menacingly... On countless nights of bitter wind and rain, raindrops fell from the leaves on the cold stone flowerbeds overhead.

He and the boy, or rather Lu Mingze, sat in the darkness, embracing each other tightly.

(End of this chapter)