The sweltering summer afternoon, with all the clamor of the streets, clung stickily to the windows of the red sports car.
Inside the sealed cabin, the temperature was cool and steady, shutting out the cicadas and the noise of the crowds. Luo Qiusheng leaned back in the leather seat, one hand resting on the window ledge as his fingertips tapped lightly against the glass. A trace of absent-minded contemplation lingered in his eyes.
Lu Mingfei's story was unfolding as it always did, steadily following the path fate had laid out.
Before he'd left, his aunt's shrill, nitpicking reminders had still been echoing faintly in his ears, forcing the embarrassed boy to clutch his pocket change and head out to buy a brand-new toilet seat.
Luo Qiusheng's gaze darkened slightly as his thoughts drifted toward the undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.
Just moments ago, the emergency communications channel at Kassel College had abruptly lit up. Two top-priority mission orders had been issued at the same time—one concerning Lu Mingfei, an arrangement in his fate that could not be changed, and the other targeting Chu Zihang, a routine assignment for the College in response to a high-risk dragon-related incident.
His fingers paused for a moment, and a suspicion quietly took root in his heart.
The signs of Jormungandr's impending awakening had already spread beneath the city. The revival of the twin kings of Bronze and Fire would inevitably trigger Eva's crisis alerts, so issuing both missions made perfect sense.
And yet he alone had received no orders.
The car's onboard terminal was pristine, without a single pop-up. Eva's mechanical voice had never sounded. It was as if the super AI that held the world's entire trove of dragon-slaying records and monitored every Hybrid's movements had completely forgotten this special presence of his.
A faint, meaningful chill flickered through Luo Qiusheng's eyes.
He'd long known that Eva was no perfectly neutral machine.
This super artificial intelligence, woven into Kassel College's century-long history, was a creation of the College's successive leaders and dragon-slaying scholars—built by their hands, modified layer by layer, and kept firmly under their control.
To use a tool built by people who governed the order of dragon slaying while hiding their own agendas to uncover secrets they had deliberately concealed was a colossal joke.
Perhaps they had deliberately blocked him out. Or perhaps his latent, special constitution and anomalous bloodline rendered Eva's monitoring system naturally ineffective.
Whatever the reason, it meant Kassel's shadow had already silently fallen over him.
The silence inside the car lasted half an hour. Luo Qiusheng had intended to close his eyes and rest while he waited for the story to advance, but the sudden disturbances outside kept interrupting his thoughts.
The street teemed with all kinds of people, and all manner of characters lurked amid the neon lights and bustle. Several heavily made-up, scantily clad women repeatedly approached the car window. Their nails were painted a vivid red, and they tapped lightly on the glass with a deliberate, flirtatious rhythm.
"Hey, handsome, are you alone? Want an older sister to keep you company?"
Her alluring voice came through the window, laden with deliberate seduction.
Luo Qiusheng didn't even raise his eyelids. His tone was flat, yet utterly detached, each word cool and crisp. "I'm into men, thanks."
That simple sentence shut down any further advances.
The woman outside stiffened. She glared resentfully at the window, then swayed away in the end.
Luo Qiusheng felt nothing but cool contempt for these gold-digging women who chased money and clung to the powerful. Their bootlicking façades pursued nothing but glitz and profit—shallow and pathetic, unworthy of his attention.
But before the clamor had completely faded, it was replaced by several clear, childish voices.
A few elementary school students passing by after class had been drawn to the flashy black sports car. They gathered around it, their little faces full of envy, carefully peering in as they clung to the window's edge. Their eyes were pure and guileless, untouched by the worldly hunger for gain.
Only then did Luo Qiusheng look up. His cold features softened at once, and he lowered the window.
A cool breeze swept into the cabin, dispelling the restlessness. He had never cared for the pursuit of worldly fame and fortune, but he had always been partial to the unspoiled vitality of children, before the world could wear it away.
"Big brother! Your sports car is so cool!"
"Yeah, yeah! It looks even better than the ones on TV!"
The children chattered their praise, their eyes sparkling.
One of the bolder boys tilted up his little face and asked earnestly, "Big brother, you're so young. Where did you get the money to buy a sports car? Did your mom and dad give it to you?"
The child's question was direct and innocent, simple yet right to the heart of the matter.
Luo Qiusheng turned his head slightly and glanced at him.
It was an almost casual look, yet the children, who had been chattering moments before, fell silent at once.
His eyes were far too deep, as though they held an endless landscape of rivers and mountains, stretching across years beyond measure. There was also a trace of pressure that ordinary people could not bear, intangible yet heavy on the heart. It wasn't ferocity, but a detachment that transcended the divisions of worldly status and the limits of mortal life—a feeling that instinctively inspired awe in the children.
The surroundings fell silent in an instant. Even the wind seemed to pause.
A moment later, Luo Qiusheng's lips curved in a gentle smile, and he reined in all the pressure he'd concealed. His voice was soft and distant. "Money is an external thing. You bring none with you when you're born, and you take none with you when you die."
The little boy blinked his wide, bewildered eyes and shook his head hard. "I don't get it... The teacher says that if you have money, you can buy lots of tasty food and fun things."
Looking at the child's pure, guileless face, Luo Qiusheng gave a helpless chuckle, and the knot in his heart loosened a little.
"Silly child, no matter how much gold, silver, and money you have, how could those worldly luxuries compare to the precious happiness of a carefree childhood?" He raised a hand and gently ruffled the boy's hair. "It's getting late. Head home together, and don't keep your parents waiting. Be careful on the way."
"Thank you, big brother!"
The children nodded obediently and gave the car a few reluctant glances before joining hands and skipping away until they disappeared at the end of the street.
After watching them go, the warmth in Luo Qiusheng's eyes faded completely, replaced by a faint chill.
He opened the door and stepped out, shutting it briskly behind him.
The expensive sports car sat quietly at the roadside, its black body reflecting the street scene and radiating an invisible presence. The greeters at Sufilade Pizza House immediately fixed their eyes on him, their expressions dazzled and ingratiating.
Most people who arrived here in luxury cars were flashy and boastful. This young man, by contrast, had an exceptional air about him. His casual clothes were simple, yet they could not hide his remarkable bearing. Several employees hurried over, eager to show him the way and curry favor, but Luo Qiusheng politely declined with a slight lift of his hand.
He walked in at an unhurried pace, heading straight into the warmly decorated pizza house.
The air-conditioning swept over him, mingling with the aroma of cheese and roast meat, while the familiar din of laughter and chatter rushed into his ears.
As he crossed the lively dining room and approached the private booth, Luo Qiusheng's perception grew ever clearer—
He was quietly taking Chu Zihang's place in the story.
Chu Zihang of Shilan High School was a legend etched into the memories of every year's students. Top grades, good looks, calm and powerful, disciplined and resilient—he was the universally recognized genius of the whole school, someone countless people looked up to, almost impossible to have never heard of.
But Luo Qiusheng was different.
He was a stranger who had appeared out of nowhere, with no record at all at Shilan High School, no past, no memories of the school. To the group of high school students in the booth, steeped in their sense of superiority, he was a complete outsider.
He lacked the awe-inspiring aura that Chu Zihang naturally commanded, but in its place was a mysterious, uncanny quality that no one could see through.
The laughter, banter, and teasing inside the booth continued. No one knew that an anomaly far beyond Chu Zihang, far beyond everyone's understanding, was already standing outside the door.
Luo Qiusheng raised his hand and gently pushed the booth door open.
As the door swung open, the stagnant, stuffy air inside abruptly began to move. It was like the seal being lifted from an ancient clay jar. The heavy, food-laden air dispersed, and a trace of cool evening breeze slipped through the doorway, brushing the shoulders of everyone inside.
All the noisy laughter and conversation stuttered to a strange halt, then died down.
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