"However, it's just speculation. Without seeing the full picture, a guess is just a guess. If Meng Qinghuan handles Yunhe's affairs, bringing Mo Ziye along for the next mission would be too dangerous," Bai Cha sighed, pressing a metal button behind her right ear. Instantly, a mechanical arm extended, forming an earpiece that settled into Bai Cha's ear.
"Speak," was the curt, no-nonsense reply.
[“Street 32, Point F. Reconnaissance mission encountered issues. Holding position.”]
[“Street 56, Point C. Combat mission encountered issues. Six A-class entities detected. Only two personnel here. Requesting backup!”]
How many!?
Bai Cha's heart leaped, nearly escaping her throat.
Under normal circumstances, a single A-class evil dragon was already a significant challenge for a normal Dragon Knight. Three A-class dragons constituted a high-alert mission. Six had previously been classified as SSS-class, and there had never been a recorded instance of more than six.
Clearly, this was another riot of evil dragons.
What was more critical was that Street 56, Point C, was within the city!
Bai Cha pressed the button on her earpiece, responding calmly, "32, hold position. 56, transmit location. Hang on for a moment."
[“Received!”]
[“Received!”]
Having done this, Bai Cha took a deep breath. A gust of wind whipped her short bangs into disarray, revealing her pupils, which were already tinged with crimson. The dark mist around her intensified. With a mere push of her toes, she shot forward dozens of feet, her instantaneous acceleration twice that of the most advanced thrusters.
Generally speaking, there were only about ten S-class Dragon Knights worldwide who could contract Ancestral Dragons, and one had already died. While A-class dragons were more numerous than S-class, there were still only a few hundred such Dragon Knights globally. C-class were relegated to support roles, and the rest were all B-class Dragon Knights. They worked together in groups, unleashing power far exceeding their individual limits.
However, this was contingent on the opponent not being vastly superior. The number of embryos in laboratories or dragons suitable for contracting was limited, which was why Dragon Knights were rare. Evil dragons, on the other hand, appeared relentlessly, and no one knew how many more enemies awaited them.
Shadows were different from Dragon Knights. While their Dragon Knights were few, they had mastered gene super-transformation surgery, implanting genes from various creatures and forcibly stimulating and enhancing human potential.
But even that had its limits. Even if they were stronger than ordinary Dragon Knights, they couldn't handle so many A-class evil dragons at once. Su Qing and Li Rong had clearly made a grave mistake.
These two, skilled in music and with seamless coordination, had originally responded to news of three B-class dragons in the area, intending to encircle and eliminate them. However, as the battle progressed, their mission to eliminate enemies had suddenly become one of being encircled themselves. They were truly unlucky.
In the sky, the six evil dragons cooperated with surprising tacit understanding. They circled the two figures in mid-air, showing no haste.
"Tch, these dragons are intelligent now? They even know how to set up a decoy," Su Qing muttered, his long hair somewhat disheveled. His crimson robe was stained with patches of lighter and darker shades, either his own blood or that of his enemies. His hand, holding a jade flute, trembled, and his lips were cracked from dryness.
"Scram!" Su Qing roared, sending a punch imbued with faint red spiritual energy to forcefully smash a dragon away. He himself retreated several meters, looking disheveled.
"Roar—" With a dragon's cry, a green flying dragon flapped its enormous wings. Its blood-red maw, wide enough to swallow a person whole, lunged at Su Qing.
"A Qing!"
"Zheng Zheng—"
The resonant chords of a guqin echoed. Blue melodies, played from the strings, transformed into azure light blades that forcefully repelled the green dragon. Li Rong was also heavily injured, his right hand bleeding profusely from his five fingers.
They were truly unlucky this time. Their exclusive weapons were undergoing repairs. Because they had considered this mission easy, they had casually taken spare ones. If they had their personal weapons, they wouldn't be in such a dire state.
They couldn't retreat. They had to maneuver among the dragons. Behind them lay the city and the fortress. If they retreated, humanity's technology would be crushed in an instant.
"A Rong, how long has it been?" Su Qing moved to Li Rong's side, embracing his waist and surging upward tens of meters, just managing to dodge the energy blasts from two dragons. A cold sweat broke out on his brow.
Li Rong shook his head. He was already at his physical limit. His stamina and strength were inferior to Su Qing's. Six dragons were enough to wear them down to death. His vision was already starting to blur.
"Let's do it again, A Qing," Li Rong sighed, picking up his guqin again. "Our strength is no longer enough to repel them. Let's contain them for now."
Li Rong, clad in a moon-white robe, was covered in bloodstains, both light and dark. Yet, this couldn't conceal his refined demeanor. He was like a noble gentleman from ancient times, as graceful as orchids and jade trees.
"Are you... alright?" Su Qing looked at Li Rong's pale face with concern. He knew this person, who had grown up with him, better than anyone. Li Rong was clearly at his limit. "You rest for a while. I'll distract them."
"You can't do it alone. Let's die together," Li Rong said with a soft smile, gently patting the hand around his waist. "Besides, whenever everyone is in danger, Miss always rushes over. She'll definitely come this time too."
"...Alright." Su Qing no longer tried to persuade him. He knew Li Rong's stubbornness. Once he was determined, no one could stop him. Thus, he could only join him in this reckless endeavor.
"Scattered Geese Falling on the Sand!"
"Cold River Snow!"
The sharp guqin melodies and the desolate flute sounds echoed through heaven and earth. The dragons that had just taken flight were as if struck by a heavy blow, forcing them to the ground in a dizzying fall. Immediately after, a layer of frost covered them.
The dragons were also surprised. The dying struggle of these two humans had unexpectedly unleashed such powerful energy, pinning them to the ground and rendering them immobile.
As the guqin played, blood from Li Rong's fingers splattered onto the strings. His fingertips felt as if pierced by countless steel needles. Li Rong's face grew paler and paler. Su Qing, seeing this, played with even greater intensity.
"Disperse!"
Suddenly, a clear, stern voice, like a thunderclap from clear skies, pierced through the layers of clouds and into the ears of the two individuals. Surprise and joy bloomed in their eyes. Both immediately revitalized, their movements unceasing as they rapidly retreated to opposite sides.
While Su Qing and Li Rong were surprised, the dragons pinned to the ground were terrified. That single shout, enveloped in dense demonic energy, spread out. The inherent pressure from a higher order chilled their minds.
Ink-black chains, like shooting stars, streaked through the clouds, piercing the six giant dragons and pinning them firmly to the ground.
"Lucifer, take them down."
With a command from Bai Cha, she grabbed a chain, entangled the six giant dragons, and hurled them violently into the sky. Accelerating again, she left a sonic boom in her wake, burning with black flames as she exploded amidst the dragons.
Lucifer, who had intended to join the fray, froze for a moment and frowned slightly. With a helpless sigh, he flew forward to carry Su Qing and Li Rong to safety.
Weren't the Dragon Knights' dragons the main force in war? Why did his master always charge ahead herself, leaving him behind?
Was it a lack of trust? Or a lack of familiarity?
She was also unwilling to fuse with him. Even if it meant only using eighty percent of her power, she refused to fuse, despite full fusion granting a hundred percent. Yet Bai Cha had never agreed.
Though he was a demon dragon, wasn't this level of vigilance a bit excessive? As long as she didn't fall into depravity, he was quite loyal.
Lucifer felt a pang of discomfort but said nothing. He carried the two to the side, protected them, and watched his master unleash devastation in the sky, feeling somewhat dejected.
By now, two dragons had had their wings broken and lay on the ground, their strength depleted to struggle. Much of their scales had been blown off, and they likely wouldn't survive long.
The other dragons fared no better. One dragon's upper jaw was shattered, and another was blasted into the air by a burst of flames. Lucifer's eyes twitched at the sight.
Bai Cha was like a human bomb. Wherever she went, explosions followed. She no longer used guns or daggers. What were troublesome scales and dragon bones to ordinary people were mere punches to Bai Cha.
Bai Cha's combat experience was immense. Even before her resonance dragon, she was a world-class powerhouse, making a huge impression at the last World Competition.
Now, with her senses sharp, any sneak attack from behind was met with a chain whip. Those in front fared even worse, either blasted or smashed away. In about ten minutes, Bai Cha finally returned to the group.
"Boss!"
Seeing Bai Cha return, Su Qing, cradling the unconscious Li Rong, called out with relief.
Bai Cha said nothing. She went forward to examine Li Rong's injuries and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Overexertion, a bit weak. Well done, your performance this time exceeded expectations. This mission should be rated SSS," Bai Cha said, contentedly stroking Su Qing's head. "You can collect your reward when we get back."
"Really! That's great!" Su Qing hugged Li Rong, filled with joy.
"Yes, you two head back to the academy first," Bai Cha nodded.
Jun Yao called itself a Dragon Knight Academy, but it was more of a powerhouse academy. Anyone with sufficient strength who met the Dragon Knight assessment standards could enroll. Therefore, Jun Yao also had a dedicated large courtyard for the Shadow faction.
Bai Cha watched Su Qing and Li Rong leave before finally relaxing. Just as she was about to depart, Lucifer stopped her.
Bai Cha looked confused, then saw Lucifer squat down, roll up her trouser leg, and begin to treat the wound on her calf. Bai Cha then realized that she had been accidentally scratched by a dragon during the fight. It was only a few finger-length wounds, so she hadn't paid it any mind.
"It's just a scratch, no need to be so careful," Bai Cha said somewhat helplessly, watching Lucifer bandage her wound.
Hearing Bai Cha's words, Lucifer's hand trembled imperceptibly. He glanced at Bai Cha with a strange expression and continued to wrap her calf with bandages.
"Just a scratch?" Those three claw marks were a centimeter wide, and the deepest one was two fingers deep. "Just a scratch?" Was she serious?
"32, report situation."
Seeing that Lucifer was almost finished, Bai Cha began to address the next emergent situation.
[“Reporting. This is a surveillance mission. Abnormal dragon activity detected in Zone 32. Observations suggest an internal conflict among a group of A-class evil dragons. Several evil dragons escaped in another direction, but we couldn't pursue them. However, that A-class dragon is gone!”]
"Gone!?" Bai Cha's voice suddenly rose by three octaves. A bad premonition struck her. "Wait, tell me the exact location where it disappeared."
[“It’s at the resort in the Olympic athletes' resting area. Some athletes from other countries have already arrived here. We dared not cause a stir. Currently, the dragon is not agitated, and detectors cannot detect any evil energy.”]
Bai Cha: "..."
Damn it, just as she feared.
She couldn't blame those people. The speed of A-class dragons was too fast. If they escaped with all their might, even an A-class Dragon Knight couldn't stop them. The problem was why they chose such a sensitive location?
The Olympics—this involved the image of the entire nation. If anything went wrong, she wouldn't have to do this job anymore. Even if she completed all her missions perfectly, if she messed this one up, she wouldn't have the face to show up before that influential figure.
"Tsk." Bai Cha pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache forming. "Forget it... I can't blame you. Give me the location, and you guys head back."
[“Yes!”]