Dragons begin with courage

"Wow, the headquarters of the Men in Black."

The moment the door opened, Lu Mingfei aptly described the scene he saw.

As the two massive, matte black and gold doors, each weighing several tons, slid silently inward, Lu Mingfei instinctively held his breath and muttered to himself. The scene before him completely overturned his impression of the unassuming, wedge-shaped building from the outside.

He was standing on a suspended, arched walkway surrounded by transparent reinforced glass. The bottom was unfathomable, and the top was endless. From the outside, it looked like a closed metal cube, but above it was a "man-made dome" with flowing aurora-like colors, simulated by countless tiny light sources, deep and mysterious.

At the heart of the entire space is a colossal cylindrical "pillar of light" that runs vertically through the space. It is composed of countless flowing, fine, dust-like pale golden light spots. These light spots are not scattered randomly, but rather move slowly along some mysterious trajectory, constantly combining and separating, vaguely forming a massive, three-dimensional alchemical machine that is difficult to decipher, exuding an ancient and vast aura.

Surrounding this "Dragon-patterned pillar of light" are layers upon layers of spiraling metal platforms and passageways. On these platforms lie scenes beyond imagination.

On the left, a massive holographic projection screen displayed a waterfall of energy anomaly data from around the world, mission briefings, and analysis maps of dragon activity, with complex 3D star maps and geological profiles interwoven and shifting. Personnel dressed in white research robes or black combat suits moved among them, conversing in hushed tones, their fingers rapidly swiping across virtual interfaces in the air.

On the right, it resembles a surreal combination of a museum and an armory. Within transparent display cases constrained by a special force field, various indescribable "dragon materials" float: a palm-sized, menacing scale with edges shimmering with a dark red, lava-like sheen; a huge, dark golden blood vessel, still slightly pulsating, encased in a deep blue crystal; several indigo plasma spheres, crackling and constricted within a spherical electric field; and even a complete, scaled-down dragon skeleton specimen, precisely guided by silver energy threads, suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating.

Lu Mingfei's gaze even caught something more "fresh"—on a platform in the distance, several people in full protective gear were busily working around a massive corpse covered in bluish-gray scales. It was the third-generation sub-dragon that Chu Zihang had beheaded a few days earlier in the Gobi Desert. The cold dissection instruments gleamed under special lights, clearly efficiently dissecting and sampling the powerful creature, transforming it into a usable "resource," while completely eliminating any possibility of resurgence or contamination.

The cold, technological blue light intertwines with the fiery or dim energy emanating from the materials themselves, casting ever-changing shadows. The air is filled with a mixture of ozone, advanced coolant, a faint smell of blood, and an indescribable, sweet-smelling pressure belonging to apex predators, all contributing to the unique, advanced yet primal atmosphere of the "Black Cellar."

Lu Mingfei was dazzled by what he saw, his mouth involuntarily agape. This place didn't resemble a department of an academy; it was more like an upgraded fantasy version of the headquarters of a "Men in Black" organization hidden on the other side of the world, specializing in dealing with supernatural matters.

"This is the true face of Kassel College," Chu Zihang explained to Lu Mingfei. "The Execution Department, 'The Black Vault.' If you stay at Kassel College, you'll be coming here very often."

Lu Mingfei nodded blankly, still not fully recovered from the shock.

Lu Mingfei followed Chu Zihang onto the automatically gliding transparent tunnel, venturing deeper into this fantastical space. Along the way, many people in uniform cast glances their way—curious, scrutinizing, and appraising. Clearly, the name "S-Class Freshman Lu Mingfei," along with his performance during "A Day of Freedom" and the emergency rescue, had already spread throughout this core circle.

Finally, they entered a relatively quiet side hall. The style here was minimalist, with sound-absorbing dark gray walls and only a few sleek, silver terminal pillars that looked like they came straight out of a science fiction movie, each with a card slot and identification area on top.

"Execution Department Mission Settlement Terminal." Chu Zihang gestured to one of the terminals. "After completing an Execution Department mission, come here to register and collect your reward. Use your student ID."

"Oh, okay." Lu Mingfei hurriedly took out his black student ID, feeling fortunate that Chu Zihang was leading the way. Otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to do in this maze-like and surreal place.

He affixed his student ID to the designated slot. Blue light scanned the card, followed by a finer beam that swept across his pupils and palm.

The screen lit up instantly, and Norma's signature, calm, and precise synthesized female voice rang out:

[Identity confirmed: Lu Mingfei, S-level student.]

[Initial Combat Mission (Eradication of Third-Generation Wyverns and Deadpool Clearance in the Gobi Desert) Completion Assessment: Excellent. Individual contributions have been calculated.]

[Reward Settlement List:]

Independent kill of D-rank Deadpool x1: 1 contribution point

Participate in killing and assisting in the complete recovery of the third-generation wyvern corpse x1: 200 contribution points

Complete a Level B team mission (no casualties): 200 contribution points

Total: 401 contribution points

[Your contribution points have been credited to your account in real time.]

"One point?!" Lu Mingfei stared at the first line of numbers, his eye twitching. The monster he had narrowly escaped with his life, fighting it hand-to-hand, was only worth one point? Meanwhile, by following Chu Zihang and participating in the mission against the third-generation species, he had directly earned 400 points!

He instantly understood. This wasn't "participation" at all; Chu Zihang had single-handedly crushed the mission, and he had simply been carried through the high-level dungeon, winning the rewards without lifting a finger.

With my senior brother carrying me, I've truly latched onto the strongest patron.

Chu Zihang explained, "Contribution points are like hard currency within Kassel College, somewhat like academic credits."

"Contribution points can be used to buy many things within Kassel College. They're needed to redeem access to special courses, borrow high-end equipment, apply for research materials, and purchase dragon materials or alchemy items. Contribution points can be exchanged for money, but money cannot be exchanged for contribution points."

"You can exchange it for money?!" Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "What's the exchange rate?"

"One to a thousand," Chu Zihang said calmly.

"US dollars?!"

"nature."

Hiss!! One thousand US dollars! That four hundred contribution points is equivalent to four hundred thousand US dollars! A B-level character earns four hundred thousand US dollars?! So easy!

But the next second, the menacing dragon shadow in the Gobi Desert night, Deadpool's putrid blood, the feel of a blade piercing bone... all these images suddenly flashed before his eyes. This $40 was the reward for risking his life against a monster far beyond human capabilities, the price of walking on the edge of death. Considering Caesar's family background, $40 was probably just the price of an option on one of his supercars in his garage... trading one's life for this little bit of money didn't seem so "worth it."