Ascending meant deactivating Unstained Land.
That also meant the three underwater would be completely unprotected, aside from the pistol in Mans' hand. Even though it was a special Department of Equipment model designed for underwater combat, Mans knew it would be nothing more than a tickle to the gargantuan creature swimming toward them.
It was enormous.
Bone spikes covered its body, black scales layered like armor. It was terrifying, yet carried a sinister, exotic beauty. It moved through the water as swiftly as a fish-but when Mans met those gas-lamp-like golden eyes and felt the cold dread grip his heart, he knew it was no fish.
It was a dragon.
A giant dragon.
Combining their location with the nearly overwhelming pressure bearing down on them, Mans reached a conclusion almost instantly.
"Norton," Mans said, watching the massive creature close in as they ascended. His voice came out hoarse, bitter. "Dragon King Norton. Our deduction was wrong. He has already awakened."
Silence fell.
At this distance, spirit powers were useless. Professor Mans, Ye Sheng, and Aki had no offensive spirit abilities. They were facing the King of Bronze and Fire underwater, without weapons, without defense. The only thing that could barely count as protection was Unstained Land-but activating it would halt Mans' ascent and leave him behind to die.
No way forward.
No way back.
"Keep ascending," Morin's calm voice came through the channel. "It's coming."
"Ascend!" Ye Sheng grabbed Aki with one hand and yanked Professor Mans by the collar with the other, swimming upward. "Believe in him!"
"It's too late..." Mans sighed softly.
At the dragon's speed, it would reach them in six seconds. Given its size and momentum, Mans doubted his spirit power could withstand even a single strike. Still, he ascended with the others, preparing to activate Unstained Land the instant the dragon arrived-blocking it, even briefly, to give Ye Sheng and Aki a chance.
The dragon closed in.
Strange patterns flickered across its scales. Mans could even sense mockery and fury in its eyes. A Dragon King-level existence truly possessed intelligence. In those eyes, they were lambs led to slaughter-lambs foolish enough to trespass into its bedchamber.
"All weapons ready!" Selma's vision blurred, but her voice remained steady and decisive.
Life-monitoring devices were embedded in their diving suits. The moment their signals vanished, every weapon aboard the Giant Whale would fire on the target below.
Closer.
Closer still.
Mans inhaled sharply, about to release Unstained Land.
Everyone in the control room held their breath.
In the Principal's office, the white-haired old man froze, the pocketknife in his hand stopping mid-motion.
Then-
"The target... is retreating?!" Selma's voice shattered the silence.
"It's not retreating. It's... been beaten back!" Mans' voice trembled with disbelief.
Such emotion had no place in a veteran professor-but he couldn't suppress it. Anyone who saw what just happened would react the same. The massive Dragon King, charging through the water at fifty knots, had stopped dead in its tracks.
Instantly.
A strange sensation rose in Mans' mind.
The same one he'd felt when the Bronze City had come alive.
Only this time, the subject wasn't bronze.
It was water.
Before, an entire city had awakened.
Now, every drop of water in the river had come alive.
All of it moved as one.
An unseen force linked the water together, granting it awareness, coordination-allowing it to confront the underwater behemoth as a single entity.
The dragon was massive.
But so what?
A hundred tons was just the water in a ten-by-ten-by-one pool. Ten thousand tons was only a ten-by-ten-by-ten cube. This river alone carried over fifty thousand cubic meters per second.
The once-invincible dragon was trapped like a small lizard in a water prison, then forced backward.
Only after being pushed far away did it regain control.
Even across dozens of meters, Mans felt he could see the shock and disbelief in those glowing golden eyes.
"While I can't see what wonders are happening underwater," Morin's calm voice sounded again, "I think it's better to return to the ship before admiring the scenery. What do you think?"
"Ascend! Ascend!" Mans snapped back to reality.
He surged upward with all four limbs, complaining mid-ascent that Ye Sheng and Aki were too slow. In the end, he simply grabbed one in each hand and shot upward at full speed.
"What was that?" Ye Sheng asked.
With Mans doing the work, he finally had the spare attention to observe-mainly because his stamina was completely drained. Between maintaining communication and the frantic escape, he had burned through nearly everything. Being conscious at all spoke to his elite physical condition.
"With power like that," Mans said, glancing back as he climbed, "I'm starting to believe what that person said earlier."
The dragon noticed their acceleration and grew furious. It spread its wings and lunged like an arrow released from a bow.
Midway through, the sensation returned.
The water came alive again.
The dragon was pinned effortlessly in place.
"King of Oceans and Water..." Mans muttered. "Are the Dragon Tribes really helping outsiders now, because of their civil war?"
They broke the surface moments later.
Just before emerging, Ye Sheng looked back. The dragon remained pinned below, its golden eyes casting light like search beams across the distance. Its mouth opened in a silent roar, sending an ancient sound through the current that filled Ye Sheng with sorrow and rage.
Splash.
They surfaced.
Mans, Ye Sheng, and Aki were hauled aboard the Giant Whale. The long black box and the brass jar followed.
"Prepare to attack!" Mans shook water from his body, killing intent written across his face. "Prepare to attack. It's our turn!"
"I suggest you leave immediately," a voice said.
"Why?" Mans turned calmly.
After what happened underwater, he found it difficult to instinctively reach for a gun. That-and the fact guns were useless.
"That was a Dragon Servant. Second Generation. Norton's son, grandson-something like that," the water-man said evenly. "Even so, I can only suppress him briefly. Your ship's weapons pose no threat. What you should do is retrieve what you've found."
"The egg of Dragon King Norton."
"Why are you helping us?" Mans asked.
"It seems your dragon history is lacking," the water-man chuckled. "Simple. You want to slay dragons. I want to kill them too. A win-win. Of course, you take the risks-unless you're willing to give those items to me."
Heh.
"Until we meet again. You should go."
Before Mans could ask more, the figure collapsed into water, splashing onto the deck and vanishing into the rain.
"Captain, what now?" someone asked.
"Captain, the Principal is on the line!" Selma ran over, handing Mans the phone.
"Principal?" Mans raised it to his ear.
"Lady Luck's skirt doesn't stay lifted for the same person forever," the voice said calmly. "It's time to withdraw. Old friend, I've brewed coffee in my office, waiting for you."
"I'm afraid it'll be cold by the time I arrive," Mans joked.
"Heh." The line went dead.
Mans lowered the phone and looked around.
"All hands-withdraw."
The order echoed through the control room.
Moments later, confirmation arrived: the ship had passed the Three Gorges locks. The dragon couldn't catch up.
Cheers erupted.
This was a massive victory.
No casualties.
Against the legendary King of Bronze and Fire-through living bronze, Dragon Servants, and countless dead ends-everyone had survived. In an operation where nine out of ten paths led to death, they had walked away intact.
Lady Luck had lifted her skirt for them this time.
And naturally, thoughts turned to Morin and Luming.
If luck had favored anyone, it was those two.
Without either, success would have been impossible.
Luming instinctively shrank back. He was used to attention-but usually blame, disdain, ridicule. Not this. Not admiration.
Warmth spread through his chest.
He straightened unconsciously.
Then he noticed Morin waving.
After confirming it was really for him, Luming had no choice but to step forward. He kept his expression stiff, but to others, he looked calm and composed-as if this was familiar territory.
"Good job." Morin pulled him onto the command platform and patted his shoulder.
"Boss, you did way more than I did," Luming whispered.
Standing there, under everyone's gaze, he knew the truth. He had essentially cheated.
The Boss had relied on pure strength.
Applause broke out.
Professor Schneider, already off the platform, clapped gently alongside the faculty. He gave the credit freely.
They deserved it.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
The screen shifted.
An old man appeared-serene, composed. Silver-white hair combed immaculately. Time had etched his skin like ancient bark, yet the lines were sharp. Silver-gray eyes gleamed beneath heavy lids. A black suit wrapped his upright frame, a red rose pinned to the breast pocket.
Age seemed irrelevant to him.
He felt like a young lion.
"So cool!" Luming blurted. "What a top-tier old guy!"
"Top-tier," Morin agreed, privately thinking he'd make the perfect Colonel Sanders.
The room fell silent.
"Principal Anjou," Professor Schneider said.
"The Giant Whale has safely passed the second-level locks of the Three Gorges," Anjou said with a smile. "Thank you for your hard work. There were no casualties, and we've acquired valuable data and items."
Cheers erupted again.
The tension finally lifted. Professors embraced. Students high-fived. Relief and joy spread unchecked.
"I must also solemnly thank two people," Anjou continued. "Morin. Luming. No one can deny your contributions. Without Luming's solution to the Bronze City model, the Field Division would have been trapped. Without Morin, they wouldn't have escaped at all. Brilliant decoding. Impeccable command."
"This operation exceeded textbook standards," he added. "Unfortunately, it can't be written into textbooks-for reasons you understand. Confidentiality."
"But that doesn't stop us from applauding our two heroes online."
The applause surged once more.
"And now, some good news. In Chinese terms-a double blessing." Anjou raised two papers. "Both of you have passed the 3E exam. Student Luming is our first S-rank in forty years."
"And Student Morin..."
He waved the second sheet.
"Is unprecedented. The first student in history to advance directly from A-rank to S-rank."
"Congratulations to you both."