Face to Face

The Regent Hotel.

It was the most luxurious hotel in the city, part of a global five-star chain.

Cao Ya arrived at the entrance, looked up, and could not help remarking:

"Those guys from Cassell College really fucking know how to enjoy themselves!"

"Is that a compliment?"

A girl walked out of the hotel. From bottom to top, she wore running shoes, snug jeans, a little white tank top beneath a short blue shirt with vertical stripes, and a baseball cap.

She was tall and radiant, with smooth red hair hanging down. Sterling-silver four-leaf clovers swayed from her earlobes, their tiny inlaid diamonds dazzling in the light.

Cao Ya could not help making another remark:

"Ah, decadent capitalism."

"???" The girl looked utterly baffled.

Not knowing what to say, she simply put on a frosty expression and spoke coldly:

"Welcome, Cao Ya. Are you here on behalf of the authorities?"

Cao Ya smiled.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? Are we going to talk right here?"

The girl studied Cao Ya for a while.

"All right. Please come in."

She led Cao Ya to the VIP dining lounge on the ninth-floor executive level.

To be honest, this was Cao Ya's first time visiting such an upscale establishment.

He looked around without the slightest fear of embarrassing himself, clicking his tongue in admiration. A luxury hotel really was something else. Cassell College really had money.

He had a pretty good guess that the girl who had come to meet him at the entrance was Nono, Chen Motong, the second girl Lu Mingfei had a crush on. The first was Chen Wenwen.

Cao Ya was not surprised that Cassell College knew he was coming.

Norma was capable of that.

She was Cassell College's supercomputer and had even developed the beginnings of intelligence.

The ninth-floor VIP dining lounge.

Three people were already there. One was a tall, thin young man with a face that could not have looked more Chinese. He wore a fitted dark-green suit with fine silver trim around the collar. His gold buttons and cuffs gleamed, and an emblem embroidered in silver thread adorned his chest. It looked like a school uniform, but Cao Ya had never seen one so exquisitely tailored.

All he could say was that Cassell College was really fucking particular.

Beside the young man stood a girl with a sweet smile. She wore the same uniform, except hers had a skirt, with a rose-red lace scarf tucked into the collar.

The last was a burly old man with graying hair. He was so strong that he hardly looked like an old man at all.

"Your Cassell College... really is fucking particular!" Cao Ya remarked for the third time.

None of the four showed any surprise that Cao Ya knew where they came from.

Norma had already told them about that.

Why else would they have sent Nono down to meet Cao Ya?

The burly old man rose, shook Cao Ya's hand, and introduced himself:

"Hello, Mr. Cao Ya. I'm Professor Goodman of Cassell College."

His Chinese was fluent, every syllable perfectly enunciated, with a hint of a broadcaster's delivery.

He introduced the others as well:

"Nono, whom you can also call Chen Motong, Ye Sheng, and Sake Tokiko."

After greeting them, Cao Ya casually picked a chair and sat down, then said offhandedly:

"Cassell College is stirring things up in our country without even notifying us. That's not very appropriate, is it?"

Just as expected!

The four exchanged glances. According to Norma's analysis, there was more than a ninety percent chance that the authorities had sent someone because of the college's operation in the Three Gorges.

After all, this was not some other country. This was China.

Before Professor Goodman could answer, Cao Ya held up one finger and said calmly:

"One Dragon Raja corpse. Otherwise, this matter won't be settled."

Conducting unauthorized explorations and stirring up trouble in their country, even planning to deploy all kinds of firearms and explosives-this was trampling on the nation's dignity.

If Cassell College had not had a decent reputation,

and if they had not genuinely been after a Dragon King, every last one of these people would have been finished. He thought for a moment, then added:

"That condition is hardly excessive, compared to what you've done."

Professor Goodman's expression immediately soured.

Dragon Raja remains were treasures of Cassell College. He had no authority to negotiate over them.

He had assumed Cao Ya had merely come to squeeze some money out of them. They had encountered that sort of thing plenty of times in other countries.

But Cao Ya was the first to demand a Dragon Raja corpse.

And this was clearly the authorities' idea.

Nono frowned slightly and said coolly:

"We haven't even done anything yet."

At that, Cao Ya nearly burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Nono's expression turned somewhat ugly too.

One look at his expression made it obvious he was mocking them.

Cao Ya's tone remained calm:

"This isn't one of the countries you've visited before. Your operation in the Three Gorges has already violated our sovereignty. We're only asking for one Dragon Raja corpse in compensation because Cassell College enjoys universal praise and really has contributed a great deal to the dragon-slaying cause. Otherwise..."

He gave a cold chuckle.

"Not one of you would make it back to the United States."

All their faces darkened. Cao Ya was making a naked threat, yet they had no choice but to take it seriously.

After all, this was not the United States.

Moreover, through Norma's searches, analyses, and comparisons, they had essentially confirmed that Cao Ya was a Mixed-Blood of exceptionally pure bloodline, perhaps even on par with Lu Mingfei, whom they had specifically come here for.

They were all puzzled as to why the college had never noticed Cao Ya and sent him an admission letter.

But now was not the time to think about that. The problem was how to get through this.

Professor Goodman grew solemn and said in a low voice:

"I can't make that decision."

Cao Ya replied casually:

"Then ask someone who can. Principal Angers of Cassell College-I've heard his name. His strength is passable. He's a decent fellow."

This time, Ye Sheng and Sake Tokiko could not hold back. They snapped:

"Please show the principal the respect he deserves. He's a hero, not someone for you to pass judgment on as you please."

Professor Goodman and Nono also glared at Cao Ya, expressing their displeasure.

Teachers and students alike at Cassell College held their principal, Angers, in the highest regard.

Cao Ya's words had clearly judged Angers from the standpoint of a superior fighter. How could they possibly stomach that?

Was there anyone in this world who dared place himself above Principal Angers?

Not even the Dragon Kings dared!

Angers was a dragon-slaying hero who had killed a Dragon King!

The strongest dragon-slaying warrior in the world today!

Cao Ya smiled. Angers was not weak, and his Word Spirit, Time Zero, was very unusual, but Cao Ya was confident that his own strength still surpassed him.

The defenses of his physical body alone gave him confidence that he could withstand ninety-nine percent of the attacks in this world, Angers's included.

Most importantly, Time Zero was not a Word Spirit of ferocious offense, like Torch Dragon, Rhine, Return to Ruins, or Shiva's Dance. If it really had been one of those destructive-class Word Spirits, Cao Ya would have had to be cautious. His Outer Scenery Grandmaster-level Indestructible Diamond Divine Art probably would not have stopped it.

The terrifying thing about Time Zero was that it could increase the user's speed, effectively slowing time, while simultaneously affecting everyone else within its domain.

Within Time Zero's domain, Angers moved so fast that it was practically teleportation.

But if Cao Ya went all out, Angers's Word Spirit would not be enough to trap him.

Every Word Spirit required its user's own power to sustain its release.

After all, Angers was not a Dragon King.