When Lu Mingfei returned to the dorm, Fingel had already finished a bucket of extra-spicy chicken wings, and the dorm was filled with the smell of chili. The culprit was currently licking his fingers and counting money.
“This is outrageous, Senior Brother, you’re actually diligent enough to count money by hand,” Lu Mingfei said in surprise.
Stacks of banknotes bundled with white paper strips were neatly placed in Fingel’s suitcase. The floor beneath the suitcase was polished to a shine, and the dome light overhead cast a gentle glow, generously illuminating the banknotes, which appeared to be well over five figures.
“Money, it’s all money, Mingfei! I can finally pay off my debts completely and become a creditworthy person!” Fingel said excitedly without turning his head, his fingers caressing the surface of the banknotes as if he were cherishing a supermodel’s skin.
“Listen, what a beautiful sound.”
Lu Mingfei squatted beside Fingel and helped him count the money. “That’s amazing, Senior Brother!”
“You should have come back earlier. Too bad I’ve already counted half. Do you want me to unbundle them and recount?” Fingel showed no pity for his hard work, even enjoying it.
“Professor Manstein called me away. A few words weren’t enough to get rid of him,” Lu Mingfei said.
Fingel instantly tensed up. “Were you caught cheating?”
“Senior Brother, you’re looking down on me,” Lu Mingfei said, feeling indignant.
“Then did you commit any other offenses?” Fingel rolled his eyes. He hadn’t taken Lu Mingfei out to mess around these past few days.
“I was summoned to the Disciplinary Committee.”
“Isn’t that great? You and Professor Manstein share similar interests. It should have been resolved in no time. Why did it take so long? Was Professor Guderian there too?” Fingel couldn’t think of any other possibilities.
“Professor Manstein is the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, and he’s a bit old-fashioned,” Lu Mingfei rubbed his temple. “So I still have to meet certain conditions.”
“It’s fine, I won’t blame you if you report me,” Fingel slowed his hand movements, having heard about the conditions for joining the Disciplinary Committee. “More lice, less worry. I don’t mind those two.”
“Senior Brother, you’re truly righteous! But I wasn’t talking about you,” Lu Mingfei fretted. He regretted not reporting his Senior Brother earlier. It turned out his Senior Brother had a heart as big as Caesar’s.
“I reported Senior Brother Ye Sheng for developing feelings for his diving partner.”
The air suddenly fell silent. The rustling sound of Fingel flipping through banknotes disappeared, leaving only dust motes floating in the air. In the alternating light and shadow, Lu Mingfei saw Fingel’s somber expression.
“...You did nothing wrong. Don’t feel burdened,” Fingel’s large hand patted Lu Mingfei’s shoulder. “In the Execution Department, this is the lightest punishment, but it’s also the only rule that should never be broken.”
He suddenly stood up. “There’s still money to collect. I’m going out for a bit.”
Lu Mingfei was startled, looking at Fingel’s back in the moonlight. He suddenly felt that his Senior Brother was incredibly unfamiliar.
Had he really stayed in school for eight years just because he hadn’t accumulated enough credits?
He got up and closed the door, preventing the wind from the window from blowing the banknotes out.
When he turned around again, he saw Lu Mingze, who had appeared like a ghost.
“...Whew,” Lu Mingfei took two deep breaths. “Can you please give me a heads-up before you appear? You’re always appearing and disappearing like a ghost, it’s really scary.”
“Even if you’re my long-lost brother, you shouldn’t do that.”
He gripped the doorknob, giving himself enough strength to remain standing.
“You changed fate,” Lu Mingze’s opening line was a grand, chuunibyo-esque statement.
Lu Mingfei was speechless. After several interactions, he knew Lu Mingze’s riddle-like nature. Since Lu Mingze’s appearance, he had never spoken to him normally.
“Hmm, I see.”
“I didn’t lie to you,” Lu Mingze gestured for Lu Mingfei to look out the window. There, in the dark underwater, two figures floated, supporting each other, attempting to break through the blockade of the bronze mechanism.
“The string of fate vibrated, and the World Tree’s branches grew, which is why I came to see you,” Lu Mingze looked up at Lu Mingfei:
“Ye Sheng and Shuhtome Yaji were supposed to die in a few days. That was the script I had calculated, and for that, I even prepared a temporary Rune for you.”
“Temporary Rune?” Lu Mingfei was a little surprised.
He hadn’t taken a Rune class yet, but he had heard from Fingel that every hybrid had their own Rune. Since he was rated S-class, his Rune must be very powerful.
“That was a spell specifically prepared for you,” Lu Mingze said directly.
Lu Mingfei’s gaze shifted to the window, where the scene changed again, and then he froze.
The spell he entered took effect, and a straight white line appeared on the 3D map on the screen. Everyone looked back, as if through the window, they saw him in the dorm.
“What is this?” Lu Mingfei lowered his voice, as if he were truly in that place. In the silence, he could only whisper his question to Lu Mingze.
“Black Sheep Wall, your moment of glory that I prepared for you,” Lu Mingze said. “Your spell pointed the way forward for the people underwater, solving the only puzzle.”
“A StarCraft cheat code? You’re not mistaken? This thing is my Rune?” Lu Mingfei felt a chill. This thing seemed a bit too casual as a Rune.
“It is your Rune, but you have more than one Rune. As long as you want, all Runes under heaven are yours, but you don’t want them,” Lu Mingze’s gaze fell directly on Lu Mingfei:
“For thousands of years, you have never made good use of that power, to the extent that your own bones and blood have forgotten how to chant.”
“Although I have a thick skin, I’d still be shy if you praised me like that,” Lu Mingfei imagined himself casually summoning Runes, with enemies all around, unleashing Runes like they were free, completely like a mage.
“Hybrids can’t possess multiple Runes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t, Brother. You are very strong, strong enough to overturn the entire world,” Lu Mingze’s Golden Eyes flickered with a faint light.
“Then I’m really awesome,” Lu Mingfei nodded. Suddenly he reacted: “Wait, do you mean I don’t have any Rune right now?”
“Yes.”
“If you can make a StarCraft cheat code into a Rune for me, can I get a Rune by using other cheat codes?”
“It’s different,” Lu Mingze shook his head. “My method is different from yours. What you need to rely on is yourself.”
He raised his hand and poked Lu Mingfei’s chest.
“All the blood in your body gathers here, erupting, absorbing, erupting, then absorbing again. This is your heart, the Dragon’s Heart.”
“So?”
“Activate it, then accept it.”
“Will you help me?” Lu Mingfei asked.
Lu Mingze was slightly lost in thought. How long had it been since he heard such words?
“I will help you.”
Lu Mingfei looked down at Lu Mingze, and found that the other was also looking at him. The emotions that surfaced in both their eyes were surprisingly consistent—unconcealed surprise.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The other party actually spoke like this. He had to seize this opportunity today and get this matter done!