Page 24

"Let me introduce myself." Song Zhou smiled gently. "I'm the head of the China Division of the Anomalous Personnel Affairs Regulatory Agency. We detected the disturbance on your end this morning, so I came to take a look."

The Anomalous Personnel Affairs Regulatory Agency had detected this disturbance quite some time ago, but they had never been able to pinpoint it. Only today had they traced it to its source.

Lu Ao frowned slightly. This morning, while fishing, he had lost control and turned back into a lizard. That was probably what the other man meant.

Lu Ao stared at Song Zhou, his expression unreadable.

Song Zhou asked good-naturedly, "Could we go inside and discuss this? There seem to be quite a lot of mosquitoes?"

Bullshit. No matter how many mosquitoes there were, not a single one dared come within three meters of Song Zhou.

Lu Ao's excellent eyesight had made that abundantly clear. After a pause, he still said, "Wait a moment."

He got out of the car and unlocked the gate, pushing both doors open. He gestured for Song Zhou to drive in first, then drove in himself.

The house Lu Ao lived in now had been built by his parents over a decade ago.

Many people in their village did the same. Whether or not they could afford a home in the city, they had to build one back in their hometown.

Partly for appearances, and partly to secure a residential plot.

Song Zhou looked over the small courtyard.

It was a typical rural home: a compact two-story building with white tiled exterior walls, a courtyard on the first floor, a balcony on the second, and security bars over every window.

The basic structure of the house was no different from the others.

Yet the moment one stepped inside, the difference was unmistakable.

The house was quiet and serene.

Other than Lu Ao and the ingredients in the kitchen, there was not a second kind of animal anywhere.

The plants in one corner of the yard and on the rooftop were exceptionally lush. Even the weeds brimmed with vitality, vibrant green and practically dripping with life.

Song Zhou observed the place without betraying anything, then withdrew his gaze.

Lu Ao opened the living room door and gestured for Song Zhou to enter.

Lu Ao's home was also clean and tidy, without the slightest trace of a bachelor's messiness.

Song Zhou sat on the sofa while Lu Ao fetched a thermos and cups to make him tea. Everything about the hospitality was perfectly ordinary.

The two sat down.

Lu Ao asked directly, "Does your Anomalous Personnel Affairs Regulatory Agency have any identification documents?"

"Hm?" Song Zhou looked up. "What?"

"Proof of identity." Lu Ao frowned. "It can't be that whatever you say goes, can it?"

Song Zhou found that interesting. This was the first time he had encountered someone who asked that.

He thought for a moment. "Would this count?"

As he spoke, he tapped the hot tea Lu Ao had just served him.

The hot tea instantly turned into ice, swelling over the rim of the cup. Even from far away, Lu Ao could feel the chill.

Lu Ao frowned slightly as he stared at the cup before him.

Song Zhou lightly tapped the cup again. The ice that had been giving off cold vapor instantly turned back into hot water, steaming white. The ice became hot water and fell into the cup, sending faint ripples across the surface.

Lu Ao's pupils contracted slightly.

He pressed his lips together and asked no more questions.

There was no point asking. The other man's strength was enough to crush him.

Song Zhou withdrew his hand and said, "I came to find you because you've fused with Dragon Bloodline. You're no longer considered human, so I'm here to register you."

Lu Ao shifted his gaze to Song Zhou's face and seized on the second key point. "Dragon?"

Song Zhou nodded. "Yes, a Dragon. You're very fortunate. You've become the only Dragon in our plane."

Lu Ao's heart thudded wildly in his chest. "Wasn't it a lizard?"

"What?" Song Zhou thought he had misheard. Obvious surprise appeared on his face. "A lizard?"

"Nothing. You mean I became a Dragon?"

Song Zhou realized what he meant and found it somewhat amusing. "Yes. You fused with a Young Dragon. You're a Dragon now."

"What happened to my original body?"

"It was 'eaten.'" Seeing his pale face, Song Zhou explained, "Not eaten in the literal sense. Your Dragon body absorbed the genes of your human body, and the two combined. The human part is now merely one part of you."

Lu Ao understood. "Will there be any aftereffects?"

"Unknown for now."

Lu Ao looked at him.

Song Zhou spread his hands. "You're the only example. In all the time I've been conscious, this is the first time I've heard of a human being compatible with a Dragon. We originally thought Dragons had already gone extinct in this plane."

Lu Ao was not familiar with him and had no intention of asking more. He changed the subject. "Other than registering with your Anomalous Personnel Affairs Regulatory Agency, what else do I need to do?"

"Nothing for now. Just register." Song Zhou said, "We're a very broad organization. If you run into trouble, you can come to us."

"Alternative police?"

"More or less. You can think of us as a semi-official organization. Coming to us when something happens will be much more convenient than seeking out other people, though some matters require a fee."

Song Zhou took out his phone. "We can add each other on WeChat and exchange numbers."

Lu Ao's expression nearly cracked. He felt a strange sense of dissonance. They were discussing something so mysterious, yet their method of contact was so mundane.

As he sat there in a daze, Song Zhou gently took his phone, added himself on WeChat, saved his own number in Lu Ao's phone, then called himself.

"All right." Song Zhou returned the phone to him. "I'll send you a website. It's the official forum of our Anomalous Personnel Affairs Regulatory Agency. Browse it more often, and you'll soon understand what we do."

Lu Ao's mind was a mess. He nodded instinctively.

Song Zhou flipped his hand again and somehow produced a small syringe. "May I draw a little of your blood? We need to run a simple test."

Lu Ao looked at him, his eyes full of suspicion.

Song Zhou smiled. "With ordinary anomalous individuals, we just draw it directly. But you are, after all, the only Dragon. Would you rather do it yourself?"

Lu Ao did not move. Song Zhou added, "My strength should be far greater than yours."

Lu Ao did not doubt that.