Dragons begin with courage

Manstein put away his phone and looked around the command center.

This place is now the gathering place for the most elite forces of Kassel College this generation: Cesare Gattuso, student council president, A-level; student council officer Chen Motong, A-level; freshman Zero, a mysterious Russian freshman, whose bloodline level is A-level but not as high as Lu Mingfei's, but who scored full marks in all aspects such as practical combat and exams; Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya, two A-level specialists who experienced the life-and-death ordeal a month ago.

There were also many more figures dressed in black combat uniforms—senior specialists from the executive department, technical support staff from the equipment department, and even two kendo masters on loan from the Japanese branch. Everyone stood ramrod straight, their expressions solemn, awaiting orders.

"You've rehearsed this countless times over the past two months, but tonight you'll know all the details." Manstein typed on the keyboard, and red route markers appeared on the screen. "Listen carefully, and remember—this is not a drill. Any mistake could lead to total annihilation. Each team must coordinate strictly according to the plan to ensure the mission's success."

He turned to the crowd, his gaze sweeping over every face, young or no longer young: "Congratulations, everyone, and thank you for your courage. This is an S-rank mission, and the target is directly related to Norton, the Bronze and Fire King, one of the Four Sovereigns. You were selected here simply because you are the strongest."

"But I must remind you all—" Manstein's voice suddenly turned serious, "Based on the experiences of Ye Sheng and Commissioner Jiudeya, and subsequent sonar detection, we have confirmed the presence of at least one dragon-like guardian within Bronze City. Its energy readings far exceed those of ordinary second-generation species, approaching the range of first-generation species. If you encounter it, absolutely do not engage it in direct combat. Your mission is to lure it to area C7—"

"The Equipment Department has prepared the most powerful alchemical weapon for that Dragon Guardian, the super-alchemical 'Storm' torpedo, which is theoretically capable of inflicting fatal damage on even the first-generation species! It is the protagonist tonight. And you are the actors who guide this drama to its climax."

The cabin was completely silent as everyone listened intently. Over the past two months, everyone had simulated the mission, and the equipment department had prepared their most powerful trump card for this S-class mission.

"The underwater operation is divided into three groups: Group A, Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya Ji—you are familiar with the route, you will lead the group; Group B, Caesar and Zero; Group C, Chen Motong and Pacino." Manstein looked at the six people and said, "Your task is to scout out the situation inside Bronze City and guide that dragon guard to area C7. Understand?"

"Understood!" the six responded in unison.

The six men had already changed into specially made gold diving suits from the equipment department and took turns flipping over the side of the ship into the water.

Thump, thump—

The moment I entered the water, the world was swallowed by a dark green chaos. The beams of the spotlights struggled to penetrate the murky river, illuminating less than five meters ahead. Floating debris tumbled in the beams of light like fragments of ghosts. The water was bone-chillingly cold; even with the thermostatic layer of the diving suit, I could still feel the chill that penetrated to my very bones.

They descended in a formation they had practiced countless times, with Ye Sheng and Jiu Deya in the middle, leading the way.

The depth gauge numbers jumped rapidly: 10 meters, 20 meters, 50 meters...

The pressure gradually increased, and their eardrums began to ache. Everyone adjusted their breathing to balance the pressure, following the methods used during training.

Just as a certain critical depth was reached, an unusual sensation descended without warning.

It wasn't a change in sight or sound, but a shift in texture. It was as if you had pierced through a viscous, invisible membrane, and the water temperature rose strangely, while the water pressure suddenly decreased, like leaping from the deep sea into a warm, self-consistent "bubble".

"Nibelungen... spatial folding confirmed." Nono's voice rang out in the communication channel, calm yet with a hint of inquisitive excitement. "The 'appearance' of the Bronze City is indeed not a geological phenomenon. It is... 'breathing,' or rather, periodically connecting with our world."

Then, the darkness ahead was broken.

It wasn't a gradual brightening, but rather like a stage curtain being suddenly pulled back—one second it was endless chaos, the next second, a wall, a wall so huge it was beyond imagination, stood before everyone without warning.

She paused, then added, "In 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' it says, 'At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place.' Perhaps the place Tao Yuanming mistakenly entered was the entrance to some Nibelungen.

This association sent a chill down everyone's spine. What kind of scene would scholars from 1,600 years ago have witnessed?

A colossal bronze wall.

Under the spotlight, the wall gleamed with an ancient and somber bluish-green hue. Mottled rust covered the surface like cotton wool, and aquatic plants unlike anything seen before grew in the foamy rust. The slender tendrils swayed slowly with the invisible water flow, like the whiskers of a giant beast.

Even though they were mentally prepared and had heard Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji's descriptions, when they saw this creation belonging to the dragon race with their own eyes, everyone still felt that instinctive tremor from the depths of their blood.

"Coordinates confirmed, 'Living Spirit' location locked." Ye Sheng's voice came through, steady to the point of being cold. He removed the vacuum tube fixed to his waist and used a special needle to draw a blood sample—carefully preserved blood from the "Key".

Crimson drops of blood dripped into the mouth of the slightly protruding, seemingly smiling, pained human face on the bronze wall.

The human face "came to life," its bronze lips slowly opening, not into a hole, but into a swirling, dark vortex that devoured all light. A powerful suction force came, and the six people, powerless to resist, were instantly drawn in.

The world spun around.

When they opened their eyes again, the six of them had already entered the Bronze City. In front of them was a bronze passageway, with countless bronze sculptures standing on both sides of the passageway, holding ivory tablets. However, they were not human figures, but bronze statues with snake heads and human bodies. Long, slender snake necks, all cobra-like snake heads, extended from the collars of their robes and armor.

[Environmental scan complete. Atmospheric composition: Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21%, Inert gases 1%. Trace amounts of bronze oxide suspended particles, harmless. It is recommended to shut down the air recirculation system and use ambient air.]

Norma's synthesized female voice brought a touch of comfort from the technological world. The group did as instructed and shut off their oxygen valves. Their helmets retracted and folded back with a soft mechanical hum, like spacesuits from a science fiction movie.

Caesar took a deep breath of the air in the Bronze City—cold, with a heavy smell of metallic corrosion and dust, but definitely breathable. "The environment matches the prediction."

"The signal from the recycled metal communication cable is stable." Ye Sheng checked the thin, yet incredibly strong, alchemical wire behind him. "Our communication with the ship is intact."

Manstein's voice came through the diving suit: "How's the situation?"