Raymond

"What big event?" Luo Qiusheng didn't look up, still flipping through the ancient book in his hands.

Qilan leaned in close to Luo Qiusheng's ear and chuckled, "They say it's a trip to Siberia, but it's actually a mission issued by the college. You have to pay for the travel expenses yourself, but if you participate in Execution Department tasks along the way, all fees are waived, and you might even make a profit."

Luo Qiusheng paused after hearing Qilan's words, then picked up the phone issued by Kassel College to check the college forum.

Scrolling down, he found the event Qilan mentioned, though it wasn't until a year later.

"This thing requires booking in advance?"

"Yeah, it's freezing there. Even though we're all Hybrids, people still need time to prepare."

At the mention of Siberia, Luo Qiusheng immediately thought of Black Swan Bay. Siberia, experimental bases—wasn't that the Black Swan Bay where Zero came from?

His fingers tightened on the book.

He looked up at Qilan. "What are the team rules?"

"Free grouping, three people per team max. The professors won't force assignments. I heard there are faint traces of dragon aura in the depths of the ruins, and the school suspects there are remains of low-level dragons. Students are allowed to collect dragon bone fragments for alchemy and weapon forging." Qilan scratched his head. "I was planning to drag you along, but seeing your reaction, do you want to go too?"

This task—this event—didn't seem to be mentioned in the original story.

But a year from now, he'd be a third-year student, right?

"Is there a deadline for registration?" Luo Qiusheng asked.

Qilan looked at his phone and replied, "A year, I guess. Not many third-years sign up anyway. Those who came back said it's no place for humans, and the casualty rate is apparently quite high."

A flash of realization crossed Luo Qiusheng's eyes. Could Zero following him around during the day be because she had her eye on this practical mission a year from now?

Black Swan Bay buried all her painful past, but it also held the dragon materials left behind from Herzog's experiments. She would inevitably have to return to find clues. Since he also needed dragon bones, their goals aligned, making her tailing him quite logical.

"I already have a team in mind. You should find someone else to pair up with," Luo Qiusheng replied coolly, his mind already mapping out a plan.

Qilan didn't press him further. He hugged his chocolate and left the room. The dormitory fell silent, save for the thickening night outside the window. In the distance, the Kassel Clock Tower struck eight times, the deep tolling echoing across the campus.

Luo Qiusheng walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the moonlight, and let out a long sigh. "Have you ever been lonely?"

The next day, Luo Qiusheng left the dormitory early. After bidding farewell to Principal Hilbert von Ange, he strolled out of Kassel College. While waiting for the train, he caught a glimpse of a man nearby who looked familiar; it seemed he had been following him the entire way.

The Secret Party's little tricks? Or has that guy already noticed me?

After boarding the train, getting off, and then boarding a plane, that person stuck to him like a piece of adhesive plaster. Luo Qiusheng found it amusing that every time he looked at the man, the guy would suddenly start doing something else.

Pretending to sell newspapers, selling jianbing guozi, feigning a request for directions, acting like a lost tourist...

But the more Luo Qiusheng watched him, the more familiar he seemed. When he got off at the Beijing subway station, Luo Qiusheng caught him red-handed.

"Finn von Frings? How long do you plan on following me?"

Finn von Frings swatted away Luo Qiusheng's hand, attempting a final defense. "Oh, what a coincidence! You're here in China for a trip too?"

Luo Qiusheng made up an excuse. "I'm here to visit relatives. Besides, even if I were on a trip, that's something to do after graduation, right? The college isn't on break or holiday."

Finn: "???"

Kid, how do you manage to spout such utter nonsense with a straight face?

The Secret Party had shown him Luo Qiusheng's file—an orphan with no family. Where would he have relatives?

"Oh, mother of god. Well, Junior, I'll just have to squeeze at a table with you then."

What followed was Finn's one-man show. He completely let himself go, while Luo Qiusheng acted like a weary mother, leading the way.

"Speaking of which, where did you get these relatives?" Finn's sudden question was something Luo Qiusheng hadn't expected.

It didn't feel like something he would say. Luo Qiusheng gave Finn a strange look. "Don't think I don't know you were sent by the Secret Party to monitor me. I won't stop you, nor will I block you, and I don't need you to make things convenient for me, but could you be a bit more polite?"

Could the butterfly effect have caused the main plot of the Dragon Tribe to deviate from its established course? Whether Fenrir would still be under the Beijing subway station, or if Jormungandr would enroll at this juncture—these were all unknowns.

Finn gave a carefree laugh. "Visiting relatives? Could it be you've taken a fancy to some young lady?"

"Tell your senior about it, I'll give you some pointers!"

Luo Qiusheng swatted away the hand Finn suddenly draped over his shoulder. "Get lost. I don't swing that way."

"A young lady... well, there is one, but she belongs to Chu Zihang. I need to find a way to snatch her back."

"Hehehe~ Need your senior's help?" Finn smirked. "I get it, I get it. She's Chu Zihang's, definitely not yours."

Luo Qiusheng's face darkened. He looked at the infuriating Finn and calculated their combat power in his mind.

Luo Qiusheng, stay calm. This is the man who can snap an elevated bridge in half with one strike.

Luo Qiusheng, you possess the dragon bone of Constantine. Your power is practically that of a First Generation. Why fear a Hybrid? Just finish him!

It felt like two little figures were arguing in his head—an angel and a devil.

"You... I, sigh~"

Finn continued to stir the pot. "Eh? Junior, what's wrong?"

"Just let it all be destroyed..."

At an authentic Beijing roast duck restaurant, while the manager served the dishes, Luo Qiusheng checked the map on his phone.

At the same time, he added the contact for Raymond, an operative with the codename B007 and the handle "Deep Sea Cod."

Back when Luo Qiusheng had first landed in Beijing, Hilbert von Ange had already sent over Raymond's friend request.

Finger, sitting across from him, was so immersed in the gourmet food that he paid no mind to Luo Qiusheng; in the time it took to wash his hands, Luo Qiusheng had already vanished from the restaurant and walked to a subway station entrance.

After noting the location, he left decisively. He had already added Raymond's friend, and his first message wasn't a greeting, but the location sent directly—this was the professional instinct cultivated from years of skirting the edges of danger.

Perhaps he lacked the strength of the main protagonist group, but he was a qualified field agent.

Following the coordinates, it didn't take long for him to find the man, who was wearing a hat and sitting under a tree, acting suspiciously as he looked left and right while slowly sipping his coffee.

Luo Qiusheng stepped forward.