Jormungandr

Though unseen, she made her presence known by her voice.

A cool, clear female voice suddenly rang through the empty underground passage, touched with a playful note of curiosity. "You... how did you know I was here?"

Luo Qiusheng had already realized that Jormungandr was deliberately trying to lure him in. He didn't expose her disguise, merely studying the clownish figure before him with a calm gaze.

The girl wore a mottled clown mask that hid her entire face, leaving only a glimpse of her slender, fair chin. An almost imperceptible draconic pressure lingered around her, low and dangerous.

Luo Qiusheng lowered his eyes and pointed at the cracked ground beneath his feet, his tone tinged with a hint of probing curiosity. "Is something hidden down there?"

"No." Jormungandr's voice came through the mask. "You were the one who came looking for me. Now I'm here."

At that, Luo Qiusheng gave a slight shake of his head, the faintest smile curling his lips. He enunciated every word clearly. "A clumsy disguise meant to muddy the waters. That clown look doesn't suit you."

The moment he said it, the air abruptly went still.

Jormungandr's figure stiffened. She was clearly taken aback for an instant.

But the First Generation's heart was as steady as could be. A moment later, she had put her surprise aside and composed herself completely.

Beneath the mask, a pair of pure, brilliant golden slit pupils slowly lit up. Her scorching dragon eyes fixed on Luo Qiusheng, sharp with insight, as if they would see through his flesh and soul alike.

An undisguised, chilling killing intent swept over him, icy and savage. The pressure of an ancient Dragon King engulfed the entire underground passage, nearly freezing the air around them.

Facing this terrifying First Generation, Luo Qiusheng remained composed and calm, standing straight without the slightest trace of panic or fear.

"I've already accomplished what I came here to do today." Luo Qiusheng spoke evenly, neither servile nor overbearing. "The Kassel Execution Department's specialists have already left. I'm not a weapon the Secret Party uses to slay dragons. Making an enemy of you would be meaningless to me, and I have no interest in it."

Before he had finished speaking, Jormungandr suddenly laughed softly, her lips and teeth shaping a string of obscure, ancient Dragon Script incantations.

The ancient, profound syllables echoed through the passage, carrying the unique pulse of draconic authority. An invisible pressure surged sharply.

Luo Qiusheng's brow furrowed slightly. He couldn't help feeling wryly exasperated.

He had no intention of fighting in the first place.

He had come here only to secretly confirm Fenrir's hiding place, then get acquainted with Jormungandr in her Xia Mi guise, laying the groundwork for a peaceful, unhurried life in hiding later on.

After absorbing Constantine's complete dragon bones, his Spirit Word and physical strength had undergone a dramatic transformation. His power was no longer what it had been.

But precisely because his strength had surged, he needed to be even more cautious.

The Secret Party had always been suspicious and ruthless in its methods. If they caught even the slightest hint of something amiss, the smallest doubt would balloon into endless investigations and entanglements, bringing him countless unnecessary troubles.

The best way to lie low was to leave no loose ends and no evidence, giving the Secret Party no trace to follow and no doubts to investigate.

He was set on avoiding a fight and making peace, wanting only to lie low. But Jormungandr before him was stubborn to the point of obsession.

As the Dragon Script incantation flowed on, the hard concrete beneath their feet cracked inch by inch once more. Fine fissures raced outward, while scorching heat from deep underground slowly rose. The power of destruction was quietly gathering.

Luo Qiusheng clicked his tongue inwardly and made his decision.

There was no need to fight Jormungandr, a First Generation, to the death here. It wouldn't be worth it.

He moved in an instant, turned briskly, and darted out of the subway passage, a gust of wind at his back.

Almost the moment he stepped out of the passage, a deafening roar exploded behind him!

The massive rock layers collapsed with a thunderous crash. Shattered stone and dust billowed into the air, and the entire subway entrance was buried in an instant, sealing every exit from the passage.

On the high platform, the evening breeze stirred the hem of Jormungandr's clothes. She stood motionless in her clown mask.

She watched the boy's unhurried figure disappear into the distance. Her golden pupils narrowed slightly, and the icy killing intent around her faded, leaving only confusion and contemplation.

This human was too strange.

He wasn't afraid of a Dragon King's pressure and had no interest in fighting or slaying dragons. He clearly possessed enough power to rival a high-ranking Dragon Tribe Hybrid, yet he kept retreating from battle and holding back his strength at every turn. He was nothing like the dragon slayers raised by the Secret Party.

Jormungandr lightly tapped the empty air with her fingertip, her thoughts churning as she secretly speculated about Luo Qiusheng's true identity and purpose.

But she had no idea that a hundred meters away, in the shadow of a building, Luo Qiusheng—who should have left for good—hadn't gone far.

He stood with his hands behind his back, hidden in the heavy night. His eyes were clear and deep as he quietly watched the figure on the high platform, a hint of amusement and scrutiny in his gaze.

A knowing smile flickered across Luo Qiusheng's eyes.

Just as he'd thought. Shed of Xia Mi's gentle facade from the original story, Jormungandr revealed her Dragon King nature: suspicious and savage, but pure to the core.

Yielding all the time would only make him seem weak. Showing her his limits and then withdrawing would instead make this First Generation wary, keeping her from testing him lightly.

That confrontation had also given him a clear sense of her temperament.

Now that he had confirmed Fenrir's location and planted a seed of doubt in Jormungandr's mind, he had done more than enough by entering the fray.

The night wind howled, scattering the clouds of dust.

Luo Qiusheng took one last, deep look at the clown figure standing on the high platform, then left without lingering. With a flicker, he vanished into the city's vast, restless crowds, leaving Jormungandr still standing high above, lost in speculation about him.

After landing, the two went straight to the subway station to meet up with Luo Qiusheng, only to find the place cordoned off with warning tape.

"You're here?"

"What happened here?" Chu Zihang asked Luo Qiusheng.

Lu Mingfei stared blankly at the pile of rubble.

"It's all over. One of the twins, the King of Earth and Mountains, caused a lot of damage here. Ah, my fault. I couldn't stop her."

"As long as everyone's okay." After saying that, Chu Zihang turned his gaze toward the station. People were digging through the rubble, and others were crying. Every face was streaked with tears.

Seeing that Chu Zihang was staring too, Luo Qiusheng hurriedly brought their thoughts back to the present. "My mission this time was to rendezvous with Deep Sea Cod. He's most likely already on his way back. For the next few days, take some time off and get some proper rest."

Luo Qiusheng smiled, said goodbye to the two of them, and left.

Chu Zihang was puzzled, but he went home first to see his mother, Su Xiaoyan.

Lu Mingfei, meanwhile, found an internet café at random and started playing StarCraft.

"Say, Mingfei, why haven't you considered going pro with your StarCraft skills?"

"Huh? Oh, forget it. I can't even beat an amateur like Nono..."

Luo Qiusheng said in exasperation, "She was using AI. She was cheating. Did you think this was CrossFire?"

"Come on, let's play a round. I'll show you what it means to be ahead of your time."