Chapter 121

Su Lin leaned against a Shi Zhu, glanced at the half-breeds bustling in and out of the teleportation gate below, and twisted open the crystal bottle's cap.

Tap-tap-tap

Footsteps came from behind; Su Lin turned his head and saw Lao Lu.

"So, you invited all the representatives of the human factions?" Su Lin asked, stressing the word "invited."

Su Lin hadn't expected Lao Lu back so soon—he'd just said he was going out to build goodwill and invite the human faction representatives, and it had been barely an hour.

"Yes, most of them—not all. Dawn City will be completed in a few days, then opened to everyone as a demonstration city," Lao Lu said. "What's more direct than seeing it with your own eyes?"

"Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, healthcare, entertainment."

"All next-generation tech—probably skipping ahead five hundred years."

He planned to build a future metropolis on this floating island, and with access to even partial power, expanding the island a hundredfold was no problem.

"Why not bring your family over for the New Year?" Lao Lu said.

"How do I explain to my parents that their son, just six months out of college, got a job conquering the world?" Su Lin waved his hand. "Take it slow. There's no rush now. Did you know Lu Mingfei keeps messaging the group chat, begging me to stab you in the back?"

"I don't know about that. Though my body is temporarily under my control, that group chat isn't bound to me. Hmm—could the one who should be asleep or merely an observer still control the group chat? Your group chat's got something strange going on," Lao Lu said with interest. He suddenly glanced at the crystal bottle in Su Lin's hand—its contents were red. He sniffed. "What's this? Strawberry drink?"

"Yeah, want some?" Su Lin shook the bottle. "I like the tech components inside."

"No thanks. I'm off to make neural-signal gaming helmets," Lao Lu declined. "Come play Sao with me tonight."

"Oh, by the way, go wake up Xia Mi first—we'll team up."

"OK, OK." Su Lin made an OK sign with his fingers. Watching Lao Lu's retreating back, he couldn't help but grin.

Swish

Lao Lu turned back, staring at Su Lin. "You—"

Su Lin's expression was calm, only a smile lingering at his lips. He lowered the crystal bottle from his mouth and asked, "What else?"

"Nothing," Lao Lu shook his head and vanished around the corner.

Was it an illusion? A bad feeling kept creeping in.

Su Lin probably couldn't do it—the contract was in black and white. He couldn't even exploit a loophole. Helping me conquer the world is mandatory. I know the remaining pact between him and Lu Mingze.

Then it must be Lu Mingze. That brat.

Su Lin glanced at Lao Lu's departing figure, then turned his gaze back to the bottle in his hand.

【Divine Power Dye: Flame God】 Price: 399 points. For deities only. After ingestion, grants the ability to disguise one's divine power as Flame-type divine power, with flame traits, without altering the user's fundamental divinity or essence. PS: Even without divine power, you can drink it—it's just concentrated strawberry juice. (He told me to fake the crime scene as a love triangle to teach X-God a lesson for cheating—but he doesn't know I'm the original spouse. —God of Assassins, Luo Xiwei)

Su Lin suppressed his grin, nearly stretching to his ears, opened the cap, and downed the entire bottle.

Lao Lu, I'm a man of integrity. I haven't broken the contract, nor do I plan to betray you. Brother, I'm walking this path with you to the end.

I just want

to offer pure love to this beautiful Dragon Clan world.

Clatter—

The crystal bottle fell to the ground.

Su Lin clutched his throat; a burning sensation surged through his body.

His divinity and divine power were being rewritten!

'Why didn't the description mention this?!'

'Stupid mistake!'

Meanwhile, within Genji Weight

Hui Liyi woke up drowsily from sleep. At last night's banquet, everyone had been joyful—her brother had, for the first time ever, not scolded her for running away.

After returning home, Yuan Zhisheng told her he was her real brother; the old man dressed as a ramen chef beside him was her biological father, named Shangshan Yue; the man who looked just like Yuan Zhisheng, named Genji Weight, was her second brother.

She remembered the uncle, auntie, father, and mother she'd seen at the restaurant—Sakura's family. Suddenly, she thought: if Sakura were here now, she could introduce him to her family.

She watched them celebrate. Yuan Zhisheng, unlike his usual calm and composed self, laughed heartily, drinking sake freely. Though Hui Liyi didn't understand what had happened, she felt it was good—she had gained two new family members.

Later, Yuan Zhisheng explained everything to Hui Liyi at the banquet.

'Juzheng Sect is evil. If you see him, kill him directly,' Hui Liyi thought. She picked up a necklace from the cabinet beside her bed, intending to write on its back: 'Sakura and Hui Liyi's Necklace.'

The necklace had been bought for her by Lu Mingfei in Ginza.

A black gemstone was fixed to the silver chain by two thin yellow metal rods crossing in a cross shape.

Like her toys and game consoles, Hui Liyi usually wrote names on the backs of her belongings to mark ownership.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find a place to write.

Hui Liyi sighed and put down the necklace.

She was a girl with strong possessiveness.

After finishing this, Hui Liyi changed into her usual clothes, opened her door, and stepped out. Yuan Zhisheng had said last night she could go anywhere now, no longer bound to her old life. But today, Hui Liyi didn't feel like going out—she just wanted to wander around Genji Weight.

She had just walked down the long corridor and pulled open the shoji door to the Sennin Temple terrace. Because of days of light rain, today's view lacked its usual serene, painterly beauty.

Hui Liyi glanced inside. Many people sat there—many she didn't recognize.

She looked around curiously and realized some were the people she'd seen last night: Sakura's principal, Sakura's younger brother, Sakura's parents, Sakura's… Lu Mingfei's classmate?

Seeing those girls, she pulled the shoji door shut and walked back to her room.

"You're jealous," Nuonuo said flatly. She didn't even need to profile her—Hui Liyi's displeasure was written all over her face. "You still remember last night."

"I don't care," Nuonuo said.

"Me neither," Su Xiaoqiang said. "Who'd fight over that idiot?"

'Don't lie to yourself, Miss,' Nuonuo thought. 'Loosen your clenched fists first.'

"Cough, cough." Yuan Zhisheng cleared his throat, cutting through the murmurs. "Let's continue."

Hui Liyi returned to her room, sat on the bed, and stared out the window at the steady drizzle. Water droplets clung to the glass, occasionally merging into tiny streams that slid down.

She felt bored, picked up her PSP, thought for a moment, then tossed it aside. She played with a teddy bear for a while, then picked up the necklace again, holding it up to look at it.

「sakura」

「What is sakura？」 A magnetic male voice rang out.

Hui Liyi glanced warily left and right, but found no one there.

「Who？」 Hui Liyi asked softly.

「I am right before your eyes. 」 The male voice spoke again.

This time Hui Liyi was certain—confused, she looked at the black gemstone necklace in her hand, where tiny red lights glowed like sparks from a bonfire.

「You still haven't told me what sakura is. 」

The necklace turned crimson, its voice calm yet commanding, echoing through the room.

Hui Liyi suddenly felt as if she had seen this necklace somewhere before.

For the vast majority of people in this world, these past months had been utterly surreal: anime characters blowing up toilets, deities descending upon the earth, then what seemed like two gods engaging in a world-shaking battle over Tokyo and in space.

Countless rock spears larger than mountains clashed violently with creations of light; many thought the world was ending, yet that divine duel left not a single scratch on the world—as if the gods had preemptively secured protections.

This gave the anxious populace a slight sigh of relief: it seemed that although these two deities fought, they still cared for mortal lives.

While world leaders scrambled desperately for information, all global channels were hijacked again.

This time, a group calling themselves dragon-blooded hybrids hijacked global channels for three full hours, beginning with a primer on dragon history and origins, then presenting evidence from both history and reality.

They demonstrated their supernatural ability called Word of Power, revealed their real-world identities—including CEOs of major corporations, executives, and high-ranking officials from various nations, even historical figures active in the early 20th century.

At this moment, ordinary people's entire historical and worldview shattered: they had been living all along in a world where dragons existed, and dragon-blooded hybrids had woven themselves throughout human history, guiding or inciting conflict—humanity's true history was a tale interwoven with dragons.

In the long history of Earth's birth, before humans became its masters, dragons—godlike beings—ruled the planet and were humanity's masters.

Humans stole divine power and gave birth to beings called hybrids, who, during the dragons' chaos, launched a rebellion, overthrowing dragon rule; thus, the age of humanity began.

But dragons were nearly immortal; over the past several thousand years, hybrids had signed the Abrahamic Blood Pact, establishing bloodline ranks, restricting interference in the human world, and making dragon-slaying their primary goal to prevent dragons from rebirth through eggs.

In prophecy, when the supreme one at the apex of the dragon race awakened, the world would face its end.

「This prophecy has been broken! 」 said Rayaqi Dakin on television, a military strategist active in the last century: 「The Supreme One has already awakened—the end has not come! He will lead humanity, hybrids, and dragons to establish a new world of equality! 」

「The Supreme One is benevolent and loving; he is weary of millennia of strife and slaughter, and pities all suffering life—thus he dispatched his divine servant, who governs light and hope, to bless all beings. 」

「When the Supreme One lost his memories, he took human form and endured the loves, hates, sorrows, and partings of mortal life, empathizing with all beings. 」

「Do not fear he has come to enslave—for neither humans nor hybrids have any value as slaves. 」

Pop—

Yuan Zhisheng turned off the TV, tossed down the remote, and let out a bitter laugh: 「Heh. It's been looping since last night—like brainwashing. 」

「Thank him for leaving us the freedom to use the internet—even if he can't control it, at least we can speak. 」 Angre said: 「Though the internet is full of surrenderists. 」

「And thank him for specifically mentioning the economic system will remain unchanged—otherwise we couldn't even afford trolls. 」 Fenger held up his notebook: 「Honestly, I'd consider surrendering too—after all, he's my good junior brother. Given our relationship, if I switched sides, I'd at least be second-in-command. 」

After he spoke, the conference room fell silent—even Xiao Yan and others stared at him in surprise.

「If that's your logic, then I and Chu Zihang should lead the charge and raise the Bai Qi. 」 Caesar lifted his head: 「He'd probably make both of us Grand Marshals. 」

「What do you think, Chu Zihang? 」

Chu Zihang remained silent, still lost in thought—he'd been like this all day.

Fenger nodded: "Makes sense. I'll send him a text later to ask about the benefits."

「Su Lin's past actions have gathered plenty of followers for their side. 」 Kleen changed the subject: 「What's the UN's stance? 」

「Of course they'll resist to the end—symbolically. 」 Han Gao sneered: 「The one who's coming aims to abolish every existing upper class, seize their power—those at the top of the Jin Zita won't agree, whether ordinary or hybrid—they won't give up easily. 」

「But they've left themselves an escape route. 」

「Naturally. After all, the opponent's power speaks for itself. Their cooperation stems only from the fact that we too have a deity. 」 Du Deng walked to the glass wall, gazing out at the floating island in the sky, nearly half the size of Tokyo.

The island expands daily; satellite images show a city already built upon it.

The enemy appeared so brazenly, showing not the slightest regard for them—as if whatever they did posed no threat whatsoever.

「All nuclear warheads on Earth are aimed at Tokyo; space-based weapons have reached orbit above Tokyo. 」 Pompey swirled a glass of whiskey: 「Heheh. Maybe they want to kill us all together. 」

「Those are just placebos. 」 Angre glanced at Zhongli, who was sipping tea—somehow, he felt a strange sense of peace.

Everyone knew human technology was useless against these monsters—but it made them feel better.

「Should we accept their proposal? 」 said the representative of the Cadmus hybrid family: 「Staking all of humanity's fate. 」

「We have no other choice. 」 Angre said: 「The world cannot return to the age of dragon rule. 」

Whether the opponent truly came to lead humanity no longer mattered—each faction harbored its own motives, united only by shared interest: to break the coming rule.

「Do we have any chance of winning? 」 asked the hybrid from the Saint George family, her voice low.

Logically, they too had a Supreme One, gathered all elite hybrid warriors from the pro-war faction, plus three mysterious allies suspected to be deities—victory was not impossible.

「There's still a chance—just not much. 」 Lu Mingze smiled, glancing at the documents in his hand: 「I need some time—after all, half of my brother's soul belongs to me. 」

「How was Her Majesty's mood after she returned last night? 」

「That's my sister. 」 Yuan Zhisheng frowned, but remembering her connection to Lu Mingfei, he sighed: 「She wasn't in good spirits. 」

「Alright, gentlemen. 」 Board Director Charlotte said: 「As planned, in a few days we get our only chance—66 percent of our elite squads have mastered Blood Surge. 」

「Today, just rest and prepare. 」

「From now on, all missions are officially changed. 」 Angre stood, scanning the room: 「Escort our Supreme One to Lu Mingfei's side—and awaken Lu Mingfei. 」

He paused, glanced at Zhongli, then looked away and continued: 「Or seal him! 」

As soon as Angre finished speaking, he looked around—the others wore puzzled expressions.

「Whose phone or alarm? I haven't finished speaking—please turn it off. 」

「Sounds like it's coming from outside. 」 Lu Mingze sensed it: 「The whole city's playing this music—probably Su Lin listening to a song out loud. 」

Everyone looked uneasy—did the God of Light really blast music through speakers?

「Wait…」 Yuan Zhisheng suddenly realized: 「Wasn't that the background music from the last bombing? ！」

「Aralaster. 」 Hui Liyi whispered: 「I've made my decision. 」

"Have you decided?" said the voice from the necklace.

"Once you decide, there is no turning back."

"Yes," Hui Liyi said firmly. "I will bring Sakura back!"

"Then."

A ball of flame appeared out of nowhere, enveloping Hui Liyi.

"Make a pact with me."

These past two days, I checked the new Dragon Raja by Jiang Nan—it's insane. The latest Dragon Raja setting has become xianxia. Forget Yaolao, a Dou Zun fighting a Dragon King; even a Dou Di might get crushed? Alchemy can create worldlines, restart worldlines, separate cause and effect, manifest conceptual weaponry. The Dragon Raja world definitely has a multiverse of worldlines. Hahahahaha. 6. Some readers say I've overhyped Dragon Raja. I silently looked at the setting. Did I undershoot?