Mai toyed with the bullet in her hand.
It had been given to her by her old boss.
Her current heartless boss only knew how to spend her money, relentlessly squeeze her dry, force her to work 24/7 on call like a slave to the 007 life.
If she were capable of beating her current boss—
Mai would have revolted long ago.
She loaded the bullet into the magazine.
This was the first bullet—and also the last.
One after another, she pressed more bullets into the magazine, though these were all ordinary rounds.
Click!
The magazine snapped into place. Mai felt the weight of the gun in her hand and nodded with satisfaction.
As a strong hybrid with professional ninja training, she could tell by weight how many and what kind of bullets were loaded in the gun.
That allowed her to maximize the power of this bullet.
If possible, she didn't want to use it.
---
It was a rainy day.
Thunder rumbled, and rain poured down in sheets.
Pedestrians hurried through the streets, cars sped by, splashing through puddles. The whole atmosphere was tense and heavy.
Inside the Regent Hotel—
Ren Asakura leaned boredly against the window, gazing out at the cityscape.
It was raining, so playing outside was a no-go.
Still, with the logistics support team around, he could get back to having fun once the rain stopped.
"Maybe I should just make the rain stop right now!"
Ren raised a hand, pointing his finger toward the sky—
Then let it drop again.
All around, the rhythmic sound of rain filled the room.
Ren didn't disperse the clouds after all.
"Rainy days are kinda nice too," he murmured.
"Like those fights in Kamen Rider—battles in the rain are always the most cinematic... or Ultraman at sunset, or some rainy wuxia duel, with flashing blades and dramatic tension. So damn cool."
A sudden impulse struck Ren Asakura.
Entering the Nibelungen in the middle of a storm? The wind, the rain, the mood? Absolutely perfect.
He had come here to travel—and if he happened to kidnap a dragon while at it?
Why not. Just like that. Simple and easy.
And when inspiration struck, danger followed.
No time to waste—it had to happen during this rainy atmosphere.
Ren jumped up from his chair and ran straight toward Lu Mingfei's room.
Lu Mingfei was in the middle of a game—
Right at the critical moment, Ren Asakura picked him up without warning.
Lu Mingfei was completely baffled.
"What's going on? Has the Dragon King started attacking the world?!"
Ren had a bright, carefree smile on his face.
"Come on, let's go explore the subway labyrinth."
Lu Mingfei, of course, knew what that meant.
The subway labyrinth—that was the Nibelungen of the King of Earth and Mountains.
"Now?"
Lu Mingfei looked puzzled.
Ren Asakura nodded seriously.
"That's right!"
Lu Mingfei glanced at his computer screen. Even though he was about to head off to battle a Dragon King, he wasn't flustered at all.
"Can I finish my game first?"
Ren looked at the screen.
"Sure. I'll go get the others."
With that, Ren set Lu Mingfei down and dashed over to Mai's room next door.
...
...
The sudden turn of events caught Mai off guard.
On a rainy day like this, they should've been staying obediently at the hotel. The logistics team would have served them food and drink with care.
But of all times, Ren Asakura chose this one to stir things up.
"Let's go! The rainy atmosphere is perfect. Since we can't go sightseeing anyway, let's kill time by tying up the Dragon King while we're at it!"
Ren Asakura shouted boldly.
Mai wanted to object—many of her supplies hadn't even arrived yet. Things like Ancient Dragon Blood, alchemical blades...
"Objection overruled!"
Ren Asakura cut her off immediately.
Mai could only quietly lower her hand and curse her black-hearted boss in her mind.
Lu Mingfei gave his full support to Ren Asakura.
"Boss is the best! Boss is invincible! Boss forever rules!"
Old Tang and Constantine didn't object either.
"Alright then, let's go!"
Ren Asakura strode forward, and the others followed behind.
Mai quickly called out as she watched everyone turn to leave.
"Wait! What about the plan?! We should at least have a rough plan, right?!"
Ren Asakura frowned in confusion and replied:
"Plan? Why do we need a plan? Just charge in. Don't hesitate, just do it. Bulldoze through them. If you really want a plan—fine, here it is: everyone charges with me."
Lu Mingfei raised his hand and shouted in support.
"Let's gooo!"
Mai was already at a loss for words.
She had long understood the danger of the Nibelungen through information from her previous employer.
It was seriously dangerous.
This was a realm known as the land of the dead—a world that didn't exist in this dimension.
Once you went in, there was no coming back.
Even dying might be considered a luxury.
There was no stopping them. As the babysitter, Mai could only watch these overgrown boys recklessly charge ahead like a bunch of mischievous brats.
...
Through the curtain of rain—
Mai stood at the entrance of the Beijing subway station.
People bustled all around.
She looked at the document in her hand—this was the spot where seismic frequency readings had detected the entrance to the Nibelungen.
"It should be somewhere nearby. Getting into the Nibelungen isn't easy. Each one is different. The Bronze City we entered last time was a Nibelungen. We'll need a key… or we'll have to understand its rules..."
Lu Mingfei scratched his ear. Having seen the future, he naturally understood this Nibelungen well.
What he didn't know was whether Jörmungandr was inside the Nibelungen this time.
Jörmungandr was a beautiful and intelligent woman.
Scary smart—and extremely adept at disguise. She often infiltrated human society and held her own identity within it.
Tricking her would be impossible.
If they ran into her, there'd be no choice but to fight.
Still—don't be scared. Just charge.
Brute force might not always be the best solution, but it was always the most effective.
Ren Asakura crossed his arms proudly.
"Relax. As long as I'm here, there's nowhere in the world I can't go. If there's no door, I'll make one."
He snapped his fingers.
Somehow, a green mist began to spread around them.
The lively crowds, the noise of footsteps—gradually faded away.
The Nibelungen—the true domain of dragons—was a world outside reality, constructed through alchemy.
And now… its door was open.
"Let's move out!"
Ren Asakura strode forward. The path led to another subway station.
A long-abandoned, forgotten one.
And also, the destination of their journey—
The Dragon's Nest of the King of Earth and Mountains.
The others quickly followed in Ren Asakura's footsteps.
Darkness. Mist.
When their vision cleared once more—
They found themselves in a completely different place.
A silent platform.
The path behind them had already disappeared the moment they arrived.
Thin mist curled through the air, adding an extra layer of mystery.
°°°
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