Dragons begin with courage

A stronger gust of river wind swirled up from the abyss-like bottom of the Three Gorges, whipping Jiu Dema's long hair wildly. The icy water vapor, mixed with the unique fishy smell of the deep water, rushed towards them, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

The plan was disrupted. Moreover, it was by a completely unexpected force of astonishing power that, in an almost casual manner, completely threw the chessboard into disarray.

A brief silence fell on the other end of the headset, broken only by suppressed breathing and the faint tapping of fingers rapidly typing on a keyboard. A few seconds later, Su Enxi's voice rang out again, the surprise now gone, replaced by deep worry and a calm composure born of rapid calculation:

"This is troublesome... a huge problem. The boss's entire 'inciting Norton's rage' plan was based on the premise that the 'egg' must safely arrive at Kassel College and be activated within what they considered a 'safe' area. Now that the 'egg' is missing, Norton's awakening state and subsequent behavior will be completely uncontrollable. All our prepared backup plans, all the plot guidance... have all gone wrong."

She took a deep breath, lowering her voice even further, as if talking to herself, or perhaps confirming some terrible suspicion with Mai Shutoku:

"To be able to simultaneously snatch food from the jaws of death deep within the Bronze City and rescue people, and even seemingly use high-level time manipulation abilities... Long Legs, do you have a list in mind? When did such a person emerge among the hybrids? Or rather... is this not even within the realm of 'human'? What exactly is their purpose? Stealing the 'egg' to hatch Constantine? Or... is there a more terrifying scheme at play?"

Mai Shude didn't answer immediately. She simply stood silently on the edge of the cliff, her black figure seemingly blending into the endless night and the sound of the river. The distant Moniach had completely disappeared behind the mist, leaving only the rolling river and the still-whistling wind.

After a long silence, she finally spoke into the microphone, her voice as soft as a sigh, yet carrying a steely chill:

"I don't know. But one thing is certain—"

"The chessboard has been overturned. The new player has already made his move."

"And we haven't even seen which color of pieces he has."

Thick fog shrouded the river, and the night was as dark as ink. An unexpected turn of events had already occurred. Beneath the undercurrents, more shadows began to stir, and more eyes were drawn to this ancient body of water, and... that elusive "egg" of the Dragon King.

Kassel College Library, Central Control Room.

The last signal transmitted back to the screen froze on a blurry image of the Moniach entering the designated lock, before falling completely silent. All support had been provided; now, all that remained was to await fate's judgment on those underwater. An anxious and helpless silence filled the air, broken only by the occasional low hum of the instruments.

In front of a terminal in the corner of the control room, Lu Mingfei was absentmindedly playing a game of StarCraft with the "computer." His opponent was not an ordinary AI, but the academy's central intelligent system, EVA. As for why the interface displayed "EVA" instead of the usual "Norma," Lu Mingfei himself couldn't explain it. It was as if this subsystem with a more human-like name was activated specifically for his current "entertainment."

The battle seemed to be at a stalemate; Lu Mingfei's Zerg army had formed an encirclement and was about to overwhelm EVA's last remaining human base. Just as he was preparing to launch a final assault—

The screen suddenly changed!

The pre-set terrain and units were instantly erased and covered by some irresistible force. The final wave of "offensive" did not come from any known unit type. It was a dragon, a black dragon so enormous it exceeded the screen's capacity, seemingly descended directly from ancient mythology! It slowly glided across the virtual starry sky, the shadows cast by its outstretched wings swallowing all pixel light, its incredibly realistic scales forming delicate, chilling patterns. It lowered its head, and what it breathed was not the flames of the game, but a blazing white light stream closer to the concept of "destruction," silently annihilating Lu Mingfei's meticulously cultivated army wherever it passed.

The screen didn't go black, simply because the dragon's body itself was the deepest darkness, filling the entire field of vision.

"What...what is this?!" Lu Mingfei's fingers froze on the keyboard as he blurted out. There's no such ultimate boss in interstellar space.

"Nidhogg, the Black King." EVA's calm electronic female voice rang out, unusually tinged with a deep, epic resonance, "The embodiment of despair, dwelling in the roots of the World Tree. You lost, Lu Mingfei. Let's play again next time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the game interface receded like a tide. The central main screen suddenly lit up, displaying the face of an old man.

His silver hair was meticulously combed back, and the years had etched deep lines on his face, like ancient tree bark or wind-eroded rock, yet each line appeared strong and powerful. His silver-gray eyes, untouched by age, instead shone with the youthful sharpness of a lion. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his posture upright as a pine tree, and the bright red rose in his breast pocket was the only bright spot in this black-and-white sketch, radiating a contradictory yet harmonious charm—extreme old age and extreme vitality achieved an eerie unity in him.

No introduction was needed; the instantaneous solemnity in the control room, the natural reverence in the professors' eyes, and the students' instinctively straightened backs all silently proclaimed the old man's identity—

Hilbert Jean Angers, the principal of the College of Kassel, a living legend in the world of mixed races.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. He had finally met the person behind the name that existed only in Professor Guderian's account and at the end of that letter of recommendation. The only key figure who might have a direct connection to his mysterious parents. Questions welled up in his throat, but were temporarily suppressed by the scene before him.

"We've just received confirmation," Angers' voice came through the loudspeaker, steady and clear, carrying a comforting power, "The Moniach has safely docked at the Three Gorges Dam's second-level lock. We have successfully recovered important data. And—" He paused slightly, his silver-gray eyes seeming to pierce through the screen and look at everyone, "Commissioner Ye Sheng and Commissioner Jiu Deyaji have both been rescued safely."

"Thank you all for your hard work tonight," the principal nodded slightly, "I hereby announce that this emergency support mission has been successfully completed."

"Long live--!!!"

After a brief silence, a wave of ecstatic cheers exploded through the control room! The professors hugged and patted each other on the back in a frenzy, while the students jumped and cheered, releasing their long-suppressed anxiety and worry in the purest form of excitement.

The Lionheart faction was in an uproar.

"Junior Brother Lu! Amazing! Your Word of Power is incredible!"

"Junior brother! What exactly is your Word of Power sequence? Is it even higher than the Guild Master's 'Junyan' sequence number?!"

"Lu Mingfei! Well done! You're the MVP tonight!"