Chapter 82: Dragon Flame [Double Edition—Subscribe Now!]

Lu Chen was no stranger to such tactics by now. For instance, in his previous life, whenever a major scandal in the Lighthouse Nation became impossible to cover up, they would immediately make an official announcement about the discovery of aliens. Alternatively, they would sensationalize a balloon drifting across the national border, even deploying fighter jets to shoot it down with missiles. With such distractions, who would care if a train derailed or if there was a massive toxic chemical spill?

The Empire understood this strategy all too well. When it became clear that the truth could no longer be concealed and the Empire's image was tarnished, they didn't bother to defend themselves. Instead, they immediately released an even more sensational piece of news.

Lu Chen opened the news website of "Empire Entertainment Weekly." There was only a simple video posted—no title, no accompanying text. Just a blurry video less than five minutes long.

He clicked play.

In the corner of the screen was the logo of the Scavenger Alliance and the shooting date, though the date itself was pixelated. The video began in what appeared to be a massive planetary system, with a solid planet exploding, meteorite fragments scattering through the star system. Amid the chaos, a rare interstellar Beetle-class ship—red shell with black spots—loomed indistinctly. It was impossible to tell if it was a Star Beast ship, a modified vessel, or some combination of both. In any case, it looked battered and dilapidated.

This shabby Beetle ship was staggering through the asteroid belt, careening wildly. It was being pursued by three Imperial Sea Wolf-class patrol ships.

Lu Chen found this odd. Judging by the Beetle ship's speed, it could barely support a level thirty engine—looked more like a refugee ship. But why would the Empire deploy three Sea Wolf-class patrol ships to hunt down such a wreck? They didn't even fire on it, clearly intending to capture it alive.

The video soon gave the answer.

Amazingly, the Beetle ship forcefully engaged its warp engine right within the asteroid belt, tearing open a spatial vortex and vanishing in an instant.

To buy time for the warp drive to activate without interference from the pursuing patrol ships, a dark figure leaped from the ship's roof, diving towards the three patrol ships. The shadow was roughly human-sized, with a pair of wings spanning just over three meters. The footage was too blurry for Lu Chen to discern what sort of miniature Star Beast it was.

Then, suddenly, the shadow opened its jaws and spat forth a stream of fiery red-gold flame, instantly melting through an Imperial patrol ship.

"A dragon...?"

Lu Chen was stunned.

He forcibly downloaded the video, analyzing it frame by frame, yet found no signs of forgery. Could it be that everything Prince Tali had said was true?

Goliya rubbed her eyes and leaned in, lips pursed. "Are you kidding? There's no such thing as a dragon that small."

Aili offered her analysis: "For a creature of that size to breathe a beast-flame capable of burning through a Sea Wolf-class patrol ship, only the legendary Fire Dragon or Vermilion Bird could manage such a feat."

The other two patrol ships immediately executed emergency maneuvers, putting distance between themselves and the black dragon. Four combat armors were deployed, launching a barrage of stun gases, darts, and net bombs at the black dragon.

With two ships and four armors, they fought desperately, eventually subduing the black dragon and dragging it into the hull.

But then, the black dragon, having only feigned unconsciousness, suddenly unleashed a torrent of searing dragonfire within the hold, incinerating the patrol ship from the inside out.

Fortunately, reinforcements arrived just then: a full Imperial capital fleet, identical in configuration to the one Lu Chen had encountered on the True Spirit Continent—one Seal-class destroyer, four Sea Wolf-class patrol ships, two frigates, and a supply ship, all rumbling in to capture the dragon. Trailing behind was even an eighty-level Imperial special operations ship.

Even so, capturing the black dragon alive was a near-impossible task. The dragon seemed impervious to blades and bullets, immune to all drugs and net restraints, and resistant to both beast-taming and magical control. Its dragonfire could melt Imperial mystic gold—subduing it was as hard as reaching the heavens.

With no other choice, the fleet resorted to a war of attrition—keeping their distance, they pelted the dragon with small-scale, high-frequency artillery barrages, slowly wearing it down.

The video fast-forwarded at this point, showing that it took the full might of an Imperial capital fleet—enough to destroy an entire star system—two whole hours to finally capture the black dragon.

The video ended.

By this time, the footage had already gone viral across all major social media platforms in the universe, including the Adventurers' Forum. It was like a depth charge detonating in the void, sending shockwaves through every corner of public discourse.

Dragons still existed in the Milky Way!

Who cared about the Empire's scandals now?

Legend had it that dragons were the fastest and most powerful spirit beasts at absorbing spiritual energy, the apex of the spirit beast hierarchy, known as the King of All Spirits. The earliest dragons of the primordial era were lost to history, but many subspecies soon emerged.

The two most famous types were: the Eastern dragon, serpentine with legs and wings, adept at conjuring clouds and rain, usually auspicious but destructive when enraged, masters of large-scale stellar attacks; and the Western dragon, fire-breathing, often demonic, skilled at pinpoint assaults with dragonfire, assassins among beasts.

The miniature black dragon in the video was clearly a Western dragon.

By the time the Empire era dawned ten thousand years ago, the spiritual energy in the Milky Way was a mere fraction of that in the primitive times. Dragon extinction was inevitable. Dragons, too proud to adapt, refused to shrink their bodies to suit the age of declining spiritual energy, and ultimately starved to death.

Another classic legend held that cultivators seeking immortality had to consume a dragon’s core to survive the tribulation of heavenly lightning. Thus, from ancient times, human cultivators had been obsessed with hunting dragons, risking everything to seek them out.

During both the Frontier and Empire eras, dragon-hunting was always the prime objective of interstellar exploration. In the end, it became a kind of faith.

Some sought to breed dragons.

The Imperial Academy of Sciences had once used spirit gene cloning to cultivate a few dragons, but the current spiritual energy in the Milky Way simply could not support their enormous bodies and dense spiritual flesh. Even with potent spirit-gathering arrays, the energy was impure. Lab-grown dragons, even when raised with the richest resources in the densest arrays, were severely stunted—merely zoo attractions.

Not just the Imperial Academy, but the Federal All-Spirits Institute and various underground labs had all tried similar experiments, yet to this day, they had not succeeded in breeding a healthy dragon, not even a single adult.

However, many hybrid descendants of dragons and other spirit beasts persisted to the present—such as the flood dragon, certain snakes, and most spirit beasts with “dragon” in their names. Some of these descendants could even merge with humans, becoming humanoid.

For example, more than twelve centuries ago, the earliest Federal Uprising Army was led by a tribe of dragonkin descendants. But even in the New Federation, dragonkin bloodlines grew exceedingly rare, diluted through the generations.

Now, a petite, adorable black dragon had suddenly appeared in the galaxy. There was only one possibility—

A dragonkin atavism!

Everyone knew the Empire was shifting public attention, but this new focus was simply explosive.

All the major websites were in an uproar. Many servers crashed under the surge.

On He-Flash Net, all sorts of analytical videos appeared, with varied opinions but general consensus on the video's authenticity. Some even claimed the video had been for sale on the Darknet over ten days before. Lu Chen guessed that Prince Tali must have watched it there, which was why he invited Lu Chen to fish for dragons on Mistsea Star, hoping to catch dragon bait first.

No wonder even the Guernica Beastmaster Regiment had come to Mistsea Star, tracking his every move.

Though the shooting date had been pixelated, Lu Chen quickly decoded it, discovering the event had occurred half a month ago—almost simultaneous with the escape of the giant beast from the Brick Asteroid Belt and the Horn’s earning of twenty-five thousand points.

"Could the Horn’s incident also be related to the black dragon?"

Lu Chen opened the Adventurers’ Forum, searching for more information.

He suddenly noticed someone had reposted a video just released by "Federation Free Stars," only half an hour after the Empire’s own video. Apparently, it was also about the black dragon.

Within a single hour, the three great traffic giants of the galaxy all appeared on stage, taking turns in a turn-based game of grabbing headlines and public attention.

The Milky Way's news scene was in utter chaos.

Watching the Adventurers’ Association and the Empire take turns wasn’t enough—the New Federation had to join the fray as well! On such a lively day, even the Guernica Beastmaster Regiment posted on the forum to add to the fun. If the New Federation stayed hidden, wouldn’t that be a loss of face? Who didn’t have a few short videos in their wristbands these days? Post away!

Lu Chen had thought he would be the protagonist today...

He clicked on the video posted by "Federation Free Stars." It too was somewhat blurry, as if secretly recorded.

At the center of the frame was a rocky planet shrouded in night—towers, iron walls, a global spiritual-magnetic array, and countless low-flying patrol ships. It looked like a planet converted into a prison.

Though the insignia on the tower was pixelated, Lu Chen recognized it instantly as the typical style of an Imperial independent prison. Such a prison meant the entire planet held but a single inmate—one who could not be killed, or could not die, so dangerous that only an entire planetary defense system could hold them.

Suddenly, a rumble shook the ground, steel-shod earth trembling. The high-pressure spiritual-magnetic array flared as the iron wall split open. The crack widened rapidly. A near-crimson flame erupted from below like a volcanic blast, tearing through the crust and soaring skyward.

Amid the firestorm, a black dragon-like silhouette streaked across the night sky, spewing molten flame like lava. The tower, the sword-spirit warden, hundreds of guards, and the patrol ships above were all incinerated.

It appeared to be a dragon because its wingspan was just over three meters—suggesting a body about human-sized. Amid blaring alarms, the black dragon seized a patrol ship, folded its wings, and slipped inside, flying off.

As it folded its wings, its silhouette was unmistakably human—a slender youth, or perhaps a short-haired girl.

The second video not only confirmed the authenticity of the first, but also shamed the supposedly impregnable Imperial prison.

Goliya was rather calm, tipping back her drink and gripping her waist as she sighed, "Looks like the Pangu Corridor is about to see a new Age of Exploration... Maybe we could settle on some planet, set traps, and harvest newcomers."

As expected of her... Lu Chen shrugged. "I thought you’d suggest we go dragon hunting ourselves."

Aili reminded him, "Captain, there’s no need to hunt for dragons. If the Shadow Whale really is dragon bait, the dragon will come to you... You two are destined to meet."

She looked excited as she spoke, starlight flickering in her icy blue eyes.

Lu Chen was at a loss. "What are you so excited about? That black dragon is way stronger than all of us combined. If it really shows up, do I even have a chance?"

Goliya clapped him on the shoulder, saying confidently, "That depends—are you the Chosen One, or is he? Maybe you’re stronger than the Dragon Emperor himself." —A mysterious endorsement from the Mother of Destiny.

Aili, meanwhile, was more optimistic. "I think, as captain, you’re already a liberator with a legendary reputation. And this atavistic black dragon is surely an oppressed soul. When you meet, you might not clash—you could become friends!"

"I hope so," Lu Chen replied. He wasn't afraid the black dragon would hurt him, only worried that being chased by it would disrupt his adventures.

The web was still boiling with excitement, but Lu Chen was growing weary. No matter how hot the news, he didn’t want to follow the hype anymore.

There were still two days left before reaching the Thousand Isles Sea.

"You all keep the ship running. I’m going to take a bath."

Lu Chen closed the videos and news sites, calmed himself with a cup of tea, and went to soak. Normally he just showered, but today, feeling drained, he lay back in the tub for a leisurely soak.

Alone, one can't help but reflect on life.

He thought back over the past month's adventures. Every time he set out seeking a peaceful, quiet journey, it always ended in upheaval. Now, he was slowly getting used to it.

What kind of happiness do people really need? Are there things you disliked before, but grew to enjoy after gaining wealth, fame, or status? Is that forgetting your true self, or discovering a new world?

Before long, he dozed off, head resting on the edge of the tub.

Until his wristband suddenly vibrated!

He'd received a message—a letter from his close friend Wang Qunyu on Rust Star!

He’d only been away for a little over a month, but seeing his friend’s name gave him a strange sense of nostalgia.

The email had been sent a day ago, taking a full day to reach Lu Chen’s wristband.

Inside was a single video.

Lu Chen had already clicked on too many videos today.

In it, Wang Qunyu and a female classmate stood in his family’s farmland, waving at the camera. The girl, named Tong Lala, was Wang's goddess, though she had once confessed her feelings to Lu Chen. Yet Lu Chen’s heart belonged to the stars and the sea—he had no interest in romance. Besides, he didn’t find Tong Lala all that attractive, and her behavior struck him as insincere—exactly the type he disliked.

Wang Qunyu, having won the girl, was unfazed, grinning at the camera: "Lu Chen, you’d better hurry back, or Lala—who likes you—will marry me. Hey, I don’t want to wear horns, but you’ve been gone so long; a girl can’t wait forever, right? If you come back too late and we’re already married, well, sorry—I’ll just have to introduce my beautiful mother to you."

With that, the camera panned to Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang, now slimmed down and with fairer skin, had acquired a mature, alluring charm.

"Nonsense! You’ll scare Lu Chen away talking like that—will he even dare come home?" She swatted Wang Qunyu on the head, nearly giving him a concussion.

Then she turned to the camera and spoke to Lu Chen: "Xiao Lu, I’ve seen the news about you on Mistsea Star. You’ve won so many medals and points, but you’re also too famous. The universe is dangerous, and fame isn’t always a good thing. If you ever run into trouble, come back to Rust Star, hide your identity, and bring those two girls from your ship with you—just live a good life. I only hope you stay safe and happy."

Lu Chen was genuinely moved. In his darkest times, to have friends and their mothers supporting him was a rare blessing.

He smiled at the camera, ready to record a reply.

"Lala, wishing you and Qunyu a happy marriage. I already have two beautiful wives—don’t worry about me..."

...

Meanwhile.

At the end of the Aurora Route.

Imperial Cubic Fortress, Achilles.

This was the administrative center overseeing hundreds of Imperial military bases and mining zones along the Aurora Route—the headquarters of Imperial Home Fleet 109, the Izumo Fleet.

Inside the general’s residence.

A stack of giant printed photographs of Lu Chen and the Original Star Dome Adventure Team appeared in the emergency strategy meeting room.

(End of chapter)