The city at deep night was like a muted symphony. In a small apartment, a middle-aged man stood by the window, the cigarette tip between his fingers flickering in the dark. He dialed a number, and a faint static sound came from the receiver.
"Principal, this Lu Mingfei you asked me to observe seems to have awakened. His behavior these past two days has been very abnormal. Not only has he started exercising, but he hasn't even approached the girl he's liked for a year." The middle-aged man's deep voice resonated. "There's another unusual situation: a girl from Russia transferred to Lu Mingfei's class. She's likely here for Lu Mingfei, and their relationship is progressing very quickly. They've only known each other for two days, but they're already at the point where they go to school and come home together."
"Is that so? I understand." Angers' calm voice came from the other end of the line. "As for that Russian girl, you don't need to pay too much attention to her. I already know who she is."
"Okay, Principal." The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment. "Do I need to make contact with Lu Mingfei?"
"You can make contact. Since he has awakened, it's necessary to let him know about dragons," the Principal said indifferently. "There's no need to avoid that Russian girl; she is also a Mixed-blood and will enter Kassel College with Lu Mingfei later. Just consider it an early admission training for them."
"Understood." After hanging up the phone, the middle-aged man lay on the sofa, pondering for a moment, and decided to contact Lu Mingfei tomorrow. Now that Lu Mingfei had just awakened, the sooner the contact, the better; otherwise, it would be troublesome if anything happened.
Lu Mingfei cupped a handful of cold water and splashed it on his face, trying to wash away the images swirling in his mind. Yesterday, Zero's remark, "She has the aura of a main wife," was like a bomb, shattering his calm thoughts. Water droplets dripped down his chin, and the young man in the mirror had a bewildered look in his eyes.
He had spent so much time with Zero in his previous life and never noticed that Zero seemed to be interested in him. No, it couldn't be said that Zero was interested in him, could it? Maybe she just said it casually? He couldn't possibly ask her directly, could he? What if Zero just said it casually; it would make him seem too narcissistic.
Lu Mingfei felt that he had never had any improper thoughts about Zero. He admitted that he had liked Chen Wenwen, liked Chen Motong, and might have even had feelings for Erii, but he had never had any feelings for Zero. She looked so small; he had never had any strange fetishes. Lu Mingfei shook his head and haphazardly wiped the water from his face with a towel.
As he walked out of his house, Lu Mingfei found Zero already waiting at their usual spot. In the morning light, her platinum-blonde hair glowed with a soft halo, and the hem of her school uniform skirt was gently lifted by the breeze. Seeing Lu Mingfei, she simply nodded.
Lu Mingfei quickened his pace, waving his hand in greeting, "Good morning."
Zero nodded, also replying, "Good morning."
The two walked together, neither of them speaking first. If it weren't for yesterday's incident, it would have been fine; Zero was naturally a person of few words, but he was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he only told Zero to go eat breakfast.
Just as Lu Mingfei and Zero were eating breakfast, a middle-aged man walked over and sat opposite them. They didn't pay much attention, as there were many people eating breakfast, and it was normal for someone to sit down if there weren't enough seats. However, the middle-aged man looked at them and suddenly said, "Lu Mingfei, Zero, would you mind changing places to talk? Let's talk about the differences between you and others. Don't worry, I mean no harm."
Lu Mingfei and Zero looked up at the middle-aged man. Neither of them was particularly shocked; they had long expected someone to contact them, but they hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
"Sure, I also want to know why I'm different from others." Lu Mingfei quickly finished the bun in his hand, stood up, and followed the middle-aged man out of the breakfast shop with Zero.
The three walked into a coffee shop and found a secluded corner. A waiter came to ask what they needed. The middle-aged man looked at Zero and Lu Mingfei and said with a chuckle, "What would you like to drink? Don't be shy, it's on me."
"A hot cocoa."
"A black tea latte."
Lu Mingfei and Zero didn't stand on ceremony and each ordered a drink. The middle-aged man also ordered a black coffee for himself. "Hello, let me introduce myself first. My name is Xie Yuanqing, a C-level specialist in the Execution Department of Kassel College."
The corner of the coffee shop was quiet, secluded from the outside world. Xie Yuanqing—the middle-aged man who claimed to be a specialist from the Execution Department of Kassel College—pushed two confidentiality agreements in front of them.
"I know you're eager to understand the reasons behind all this," he said, tapping the agreement with his finger, "but you'll have to sign this first."
Lu Mingfei glanced at the agreement's content and signed his name without hesitation. Zero's movements were equally swift and decisive. Xie Yuanqing visibly relaxed, his tense shoulders dropping. Their cooperation saved him a lot of trouble.
"Do you... believe that dragons exist in this world?" Xie Yuanqing's expression also began to turn serious as he questioned Lu Mingfei and Zero.
"I do."
"I do."
Their answers surprised Xie Yuanqing, and his serious expression crumbled. "You... you just believe it?" Xie Yuanqing was a little astonished. He had prepared himself to comfort them, but they weren't even surprised; their expressions were unusually calm.
"Why wouldn't we believe it? You made us sign a confidentiality agreement and then asked us so seriously if we believed it." Lu Mingfei pointed to his eyes. "Moreover, some changes in our bodies, such as increased physical strength, a sharper mind, and eyes that change color, all indicate that there are strange occurrences in this world that we don't know about. So, dragons aren't an impossible thing."
Xie Yuanqing smiled, "That makes it easier to explain. You should know that some colleges have specialized research topics, and our Kassel College is one such college. And our research topic is... dragons!"
"So what? What does that have to do with you approaching us?" Lu Mingfei deliberately asked, "Do you think we're dragons?"
"No, dragons are powerful creatures with extraordinary abilities and immense vitality. We are Mixed-bloods, a life form that possesses both human and dragon bloodlines." Xie Yuanqing continued, "The fact that you can activate Golden Pupils and your physical strength has increased is all due to this dragon bloodline."
"Mixed-blood? You mean we have dragon blood?" Lu Mingfei touched the top of his head, looked back at his backside, and even checked Zero's head and behind her, until Zero's icy gaze fell upon him, making him laugh awkwardly. He then continued, "We don't have horns or tails, so how could we be little dragon people?"
"If you really grew tails, that would be a big problem; that's a sign of becoming a Death Servant. Death Servants are beings without reason, only knowing slaughter and the pursuit of dragon blood." Xie Yuanqing waved his hand. "This is another thing to talk about: a higher proportion of dragon blood is not necessarily better. Once the dragon blood percentage exceeds a critical threshold, one might gradually lose control, become interested in slaughter and dragon blood, and eventually turn into a Death Servant. And our college's goal is... to slay dragons!"
