Dragons begin with courage

"A B-rank mission..." A cheerful female voice came from behind the weapon rack on the other side of the training room. Susie came out, carrying two heavy-looking black alloy briefcases. "It's been quite a while since the guild leader has taken on such a 'low-difficulty' mission." She put the briefcases on the ground, looked at Lu Mingfei, and smiled gently with a hint of teasing. "I envy you, Junior Brother Lu. These days, anything that can get the guild leader to personally handle has to be at least an A-rank or higher dangerous guy. This time, it's purely to 'broaden the horizons' of the newcomer, so I deliberately chose a relatively safe B-rank. Your senior brother is still taking good care of you."

After a week of cramming, Lu Mingfei had a vague understanding of Kassel's hierarchical system.

Dragons are roughly divided into five generations—fifth-generation, fourth-generation, third-generation, second-generation, and first-generation—based on bloodline purity and power, from lowest to highest. Correspondingly, the academy's evaluation of missions and individuals also largely follows a D to S rating system. He himself was rated "S-rank," theoretically equivalent to the bloodline potential of a first-generation dragon king—a rating in itself sufficient to incite panic and endless speculation.

The origins of the world and how the most powerful Black King, Nidhogg, was born remain the greatest mystery.

The four kings directly derived from them were defined as the first generation, followed by the second generation, and so on, with further dilution of the bloodline resulting in the third, fourth, and so on. The closer the bloodline was to the source, the more terrifying the power. Of course, human understanding of dragons remained shrouded in mystery, with textbooks in Kassel filled with "speculation," "possibility," and "unknown." One professor even joked, "There are two dark clouds in the sky of dragon studies—the birth and fall of the Black Emperor. The deeper we delve into our research, the darker the sky of dragon blood becomes."

Kassel's ranking does not refer to bloodline but to a comprehensive evaluation. A B-level bloodline can be evaluated as A-level or even S-level through learning, training and completing tasks. Bloodline is just a starting point, not the end point.

Generally speaking, an A-level rank means being qualified to accept A-level missions from the Execution Department and being able to complete B-level missions independently. However, Chu Zihang is rated as a super A-level tiger of the Execution Department and is even assessed as an ace of the Execution Department capable of hunting down the next generation of species on his own.

Therefore, Susie's statement that Chu Zihang chose a B-level mission for Lu Mingfei's safety was indeed correct. However, in reality, a B-level mission is already considered a very dangerous mission within the Execution Department.

Click, click.

Susie skillfully unlocked the suitcase and lifted the lid. Lu Mingfei peeked inside and gasped – he'd only ever seen this kind of thing in spy movies! The suitcase was lined with black shockproof fleece, neatly holding various weapons and equipment he couldn't name, but who were clearly extraordinary: sleek pistols, gleaming daggers, oddly shaped magazines, and spheres resembling grenades but with textured surfaces…

Susie glanced around, picked out a silver-gray, compact, toy-like handgun, checked it, cocked it with a "click," and then casually tossed it to Lu Mingfei.

"Here you go! This 'Hummingbird' is for you. Although you're not theoretically supposed to do anything this time, anything can happen in the wilderness, so take it for self-defense."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly caught it; it felt heavy in his hand, and the metal was cool to the touch. Before he could examine it closely, Susie handed him a military knife that was entirely black with a blade that shimmered with a dark blue sheen: "Take this with you too, keep it close at hand."

"Wait, senior sister, this gun..." Lu Mingfei looked at the "toy" in his hand, which was no bigger than his palm, and couldn't associate it with "self-defense" and "power".

Susie noticed his doubt and chuckled, "I know you're quite strong; I still remember that kick. But the most important thing for the Execution Department's missions is experience, not strength. [Completing the mission alive] is an ironclad rule. Staying alive comes first; completing the mission is secondary. Learn how to survive first before we talk about anything else."

"And don't look at it like an ordinary firearm. This is one of the 'masterpieces' of those lunatics in the Equipment Department, the alchemical pistol codenamed 'Hummingbird.' It uses specially made high-explosive alchemical bullets, internally compressed with trace amounts of active dragon blood crystals and anti-magic metal. Let's put it this way," she winked, "it can blast through the side armor of a main battle tank with a single shot at close range, or... blow the head off a fourth-generation or even third-generation wyvern. As for that knife, 'Armor Breaker Type III,' it's mixed with dragon tooth powder and shape memory alloy; cutting through the scales of a third-generation species is like cutting through hardened leather. So, whatever you do, whatever you do, don't point them at yourself or your teammates!"

A pistol more powerful than a Barrett? A dagger that can easily slice through dragon scales? Looking at the two unassuming pieces of equipment in his hands, Lu Mingfei once again deeply felt the power that the word "alchemy" represented, a power that subverted the common sense of physics.

"This is one way to borrow the power of dragons," Susie said, her smile fading and her tone becoming serious. "Without relying on alchemical equipment, incantations, or our own bloodline advantages, humans are as fragile as paper in the face of true dragons. There's a saying that circulates widely in the academy: 'Only dragons can kill dragons.' We hybrids are killers who walk on the edge of the line."

She paused, seemingly trying to ease the overly serious atmosphere, and then pulled something out of the box that almost made Lu Mingfei's eyes pop out—a short metal rod about thirty centimeters long, completely black, with a red button at one end.

"Oh, right, here, take this too. Play with it... no, keep it as a backup." Susie shoved the short stick into Lu Mingfei's hand. "'Memory Erasure Device (Portable),' standard issue for the Executive Department's field operations. If an ordinary person unfortunately witnesses a supernatural battle, or sees something they shouldn't, shine this on them and flash it at a specific frequency to effectively interfere with the formation of short-term memories, supplemented by subsequent processing. Simple, environmentally friendly, and efficient."

Lu Mingfei held the familiar black stick, his fingers stiff. The theme song of "Men in Black" instantly echoed in his mind, and he seemed to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones dressed in black suits, carrying similar objects and flashing around.

"...Okay," he muttered to himself, feeling his worldview being refreshed once again, "So this isn't the Harry Potter set, it's the Men in Black headquarters."

Susie was amused by him and patted him on the shoulder: "Relax, Junior Brother Lu. You're a newcomer. Your main task this time is to follow, observe, listen, and get in touch with real dragons. Put knowledge into practice. Listen to the Chairman and us. Remember, safety first."

Just then, the locker room door opened. Chu Zihang had changed into a smart black special operations uniform, with the executive department's standard trench coat over it, and the Murasame jacket hanging comfortably at his waist. He glanced at the equipment in Lu Mingfei's hands, nodded slightly, and indicated his approval.