Dragons begin with courage

Lu Mingfei then noticed that the piercing alarm was still blaring. Students were pouring into the library from all directions, all dressed in school uniforms, boys and girls alike. Their usual nonchalance had vanished, replaced by a tense, almost alarmed seriousness. The flow of people was swift and orderly, demonstrating Kassel College's extremely high level of discipline in an emergency.

"What... does this alarm mean?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

Nono's expression also turned serious. She quickly explained, "This is the academy's highest-level emergency alert—'The Bronze Bell.' It means that a major incident has occurred that exceeds our normal response capabilities and is assessed as S-level. We need to immediately summon all students with A-level or higher bloodlines on campus for emergency assessment and mission deployment."

"S-rank..." Lu Mingfei gasped, his heart sinking. He had only been on the edge of this bloody world for about ten days, how could he have stumbled upon a high-level disaster rehearsal? "Could it be... the First Generation Species?!"

Nono didn't answer directly, but her taut jawline and the fleeting heaviness in her eyes gave the implicit answer.

They were among the last to arrive. The spacious central hall on the first floor of the library had been cleared out and was being used as a temporary command center. Two distinct groups stood side by side: on one side were the student council members, dressed in pristine white with an air of arrogance, surrounding the dazzling blond hair and cold expression of Caesar Gattuso; on the other side were the solemn, silent, and sharp-eyed elites of the Lionheart Society, led by Chu Zihang, who wore a Murasame pendant and had eyes as icy as a frozen lake.

When Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo appeared, two highly noticeable gazes shot towards them almost simultaneously—one filled with scrutiny and cold fighting spirit, the other calm and undisturbed yet containing hidden concern.

Lu Mingfei nodded hastily to Nuonuo, and without any hesitation, strode towards the Lionheart Society's black camp. His choice had already been made public that night at Amber House.

Nono watched his retreating figure as he walked towards Chu Zihang without hesitation, her red lips pursed almost imperceptibly, then she turned around and walked towards the student council, standing a little behind Caesar.

Just as everyone had assembled and a heavy silence enveloped the hall, a slow, heavy series of footsteps, accompanied by metallic scraping and hissing sounds, approached.

Professor Schneider, the head of the executive department, dragged his oxygen tank cart to the front of the group. His cold gaze swept over every elite student in the room, and every word seemed to be carved from frozen ground:

"Gentlemen, we've run into a huge problem."

"At this very moment, Senior Specialist Ye Sheng and Assistant Specialist Jiu Deya—" Schneider's voice was hoarse yet clear, striking the silent air, "are trapped deep within a dragon ruin that has just been triggered. We just obtained crucial information from them, but the ruin's defenses have been activated, and all known exits have been completely sealed off."

"Their oxygen is decreasing every second."

"We need your minds, your knowledge, your hybrid power—right now, immediately, to find a way for them to survive!"

Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji?!

Lu Mingfei's pupils constricted sharply. Those two names instantly triggered memories—China, the Regent Hotel, that bizarre interview. The sweet-smiling Japanese girl, Aki Sakura, and the calm and capable Ye Sheng… They were actually specialists in the executive department? And right now, their lives were hanging by a thread?

S-Class Incident... Remnants of the First Generation... An Acquaintance Trapped...

Lu Mingze's words echoed in my ears like a ghost:

"You'll need it soon."

Lu Mingfei's hand unconsciously tightened. His palm was empty, yet it felt as if he had grasped the invisible key called "Black Sheep Wall".

However, the anticipated excitement of "divine intervention to turn the tide" did not materialize. Instead, a chilling doubt quickly spread.

What a coincidence!

Lu Mingze had just made a bizarre appearance, leaving behind this enigmatic "secret manual," and in the blink of an eye, a life-or-death crisis requiring a "map" to resolve erupted. It was as if a meticulously crafted script had been laid out—an inescapable predicament was set up on your inevitable path, and then, in the center of the trap, a beautifully packaged, unique antidote was placed.

"Type this in, and it can save lives. Will you save them or not?"

Lu Mingfei stood slightly behind and to the side of Chu Zihang, the black robes of the Lionheart Society seemingly absorbing some of the noise. He barely heard the heated arguments around him, his entire mind focused on scrutinizing that phrase.

Was that "thing" that called itself Lu Mingze truly giving him the power of words, or... bait for something far more dangerous? Would using it, while resolving his current predicament, also open a Pandora's box that could never be closed?

"—The Palace of Norton, the Lord of Bronze and Fire! This is a screenshot of a live image transmitted from within. We need clues, any clues!" Professor Schneider's hoarse voice drowned out the discussion, and a huge image covered with strange bronze patterns was projected onto the central screen. "Concentrate, try to 'read' it! Develop clairvoyance!"

"Their oxygen reserves can only last for a maximum of eighteen minutes!" An executive technician stared at the screen, his voice strained.

"No... the patterns are too ancient and complex, the interference is too strong, my 'spiritual vision' cannot form an effective interpretation." A senior student rubbed his temples and shook his head, his face pale.

"Commissioner Ye Sheng's 'snake' is still maintaining final communication, but the signal is extremely unstable!"

"Maintaining the 'snake' form will drastically deplete his energy and oxygen! It's a vicious cycle!"

"The entire Bronze City is a living, giant machine! Its structure is constantly changing, and we lack the most crucial element—a global map!"

"A map! What we need most right now is a map!"

Inside the library, the temperature seemed to rise with anxiety. Some people were sweating profusely, while others were rapidly chanting dragon script in a low voice, trying to activate their abilities. An invisible mental pressure permeated the air. Various sensory and analytical incantations were quietly cast, only to be utterly defeated before the ancient creation of the Dragon King.

Caesar's icy blue pupils swept across the light screen, then turned to the red-haired girl beside him: "Nono, where's your 'profile'?"

Nono kept her eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. Her "profiling" was an extremely special talent, allowing her to work like the most meticulous detective, deducing and reconstructing scenes from subtle traces, and even understanding people's hearts. At this moment, she was fully immersing her senses in the picture, trying to "hear" the rhythm of the structure and "see" the logic of the mechanism from the cold bronze patterns.

A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes, slowly shook her head, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "The information is too limited, too 'dead.' With only a static screenshot, I can't deduce the structural diagram of the entire dynamic mechanical city." Her voice carried a rare hint of frustration.