Chapter 191
Lu Lincheng led Lu Mingfei through the command room and into a deeper corridor. The corridor was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. The occasional flashing red warning lights on the wall made the whole atmosphere seem even more solemn.
"What could be more important than this?" Lu Mingfei walked behind, his tone slightly mocking, "Let me see what miraculous weapon you plan to use to save the world."
Lu Lincheng did not look back. His voice was calm and slow: "This is not a weapon, but an answer. Perhaps it is the only answer for you and for mankind."
The two came to a huge enclosed space, in the center of which was a tall tower flashing with strange blue light. The top of the tower was connected to the ceiling, as if connected to a deeper underground. The surface of the tower was engraved with complex runes, and mercury-like liquid flowed in it, emitting a cold light.
"This is..." Lu Mingfei stopped and looked up at the tower in front of him, frowning slightly, "The core of Nibelungen?"
"That's right." Lu Lincheng nodded, a trace of fatigue in his eyes, "This safe haven can exist because of it. The tower not only maintains the energy cycle here, but its true meaning is more than that."
Lu Mingfei said nothing, just looked at Lu Lincheng quietly.
Lu Lincheng walked to the tower and reached out to touch the rune on it. Then a dazzling light curtain lit up at the bottom of the tower, and a three-dimensional image was projected. It was a hologram of a planet, with dense data streams flashing around it.
"This is the big data picture of the earth." Lu Lincheng explained, "Every war, every natural disaster, every unknown flow of wealth can be traced and located here. Through it, we discovered the activity trajectory of the Dragon Monarch, and also discovered-"
He turned to look at Lu Mingfei, his eyes deep: "You."
"Me?" Lu Mingfei raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of amusement in his tone, "So, this tower is also monitoring me?"
"Monitoring is not the purpose." Lu Lincheng's voice became low, "but to find the answer. The abnormality in you has never disappeared. Whether it is your strength or your decision-making, they are in some inexplicable fit with these trajectories. Mingfei, this tower proves one thing-"
He paused, staring at Lu Mingfei: "Your existence is the key to their chess game, but you are also the only one who can break this situation."
Lu Mingfei was stunned. He subconsciously wanted to refute, but found that his words became powerless. He did find many traces that could not be separated from the dragon clan in what happened in those years, and now, it seemed that everything was finally explained.
"So?" He spoke slowly, his voice low and cold, "You want me to use this thing to destroy them?"
"No." Lu Lincheng shook his head. "It is not used to destroy, but to choose - to choose the direction of the future. This tower can help you find the core will of the dragon race, and it can also help you completely control your own destiny."
"That sounds good." Lu Mingfei sneered, "But who can guarantee that my choice won't destroy the world?"
Lu Lincheng's expression was complicated, but unusually calm: "No one can guarantee it, but I believe you, Mingfei, no matter what you choose, it is your right."
Lu Lincheng stopped and pointed to the metal bridge above the mercury pool, with a hint of solemnity in his tone: "Did you see it? This bridge is the core branch of the entire matrix. It is not just a bridge, but also a barrier that separates the existence below from the outside world."
"What's underneath?" Lu Mingfei raised his eyebrows, his tone slightly alert, "Are you saying there's something hidden underneath?"
Lu Lincheng did not give a direct answer, but continued to push the wheelchair, slowly approaching the mercury pool. His eyes fell on the slightly boiling surface of the pool, as if he was looking at some indescribable existence.
"Do you know why this safe haven can become the last bastion of mankind?" Lu Lincheng asked in a low voice. Without waiting for Lu Mingfei to answer, he continued, "It's not only because of technology and wisdom, but also because there is a key here to fight against the dragon clan."
Lu Mingfei narrowed his eyes. He keenly sensed the hint in Lu Lincheng's words: "Dad, you're not going to tell me that the key is hidden under this pool, are you?"
Lu Lincheng turned to look at him, his eyes revealing a hint of complexity: "Yes, it is right below, but the 'key' does not mean it is our friend. On the contrary, it may be our biggest enemy."
Lu Mingfei's mouth twitched slightly when he heard this: "It sounds like some kind of terrifying prisoner. Dad, are you going to let me talk to it?"
“If possible, I certainly hope you don’t have any contact with it.” Lu Lincheng sighed, his eyes becoming heavier, “But the fact is, your blood and the parasitic power in you may be the only things that can resonate with it.”
Lu Mingfei sneered and pointed at himself: "So, you want me to be the bait?"
"It's not a bait, it's an interlocutor." Lu Lincheng shook his head, his tone revealing an indescribable emotion, "I know this sounds unfair, but we have no choice. Mingfei, this thing... it's not a dragon, nor is it a human. It existed long before human history, and its knowledge and power may be our only chance of winning."
"What kind of monster did you lock up down there?" Lu Mingfei's voice rose slightly, his eyes showing some anger. "You say it nicely, but why should I believe that it won't destroy this place directly?"
Lu Lincheng did not answer, but raised his hand and pointed at the shadow slowly rising in the center of the mercury pool.
As Lu Lincheng raised his hand, the center of the mercury pool began to surge, and a vague shadow gradually appeared in the dark blue light. It was a humanoid figure, with pale skin that seemed to be infected by mercury, revealing a strange luster.
"It is..." Lu Mingfei asked subconsciously in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the figure in the pool, his tone revealing vigilance and confusion.
The outline of the shadow gradually became clear. It was a nearly perfect face, but it looked cold and empty. The eyes were so deep that they seemed to swallow the light. There was a dark golden spear stuck in the chest. The patterns on the spear were complicated and twisted, as if telling of some forbidden power.
The man was suspended by chains that extended from the bottom of the mercury pool, emitting a chill that made one's heart palpitate. "Lu Mingze..." What Lu Mingfei didn't expect was that the figure was actually Lu Mingze.
The figure in the pool slowly raised his head, and his eyes, as deep as the abyss, met Lu Mingfei's gaze. Different from the immaturity and mischievousness in his memory, Lu Mingze at this moment carried an indescribable majesty and ancient aura, as if he had crossed endless time.
"Brother, you're finally here." The familiar voice rang out in the mercury pool, but with a deeper echo, as if it came from countless different times and spaces at the same time.
Lu Mingfei's breath hitched and he subconsciously took a step back, his eyes revealing astonishment and complex emotions that could not be concealed.
"How could it be him..." Lu Mingfei turned his head and looked at Lu Lincheng and asked.
"We captured him at the border of Russia at a very high price. It was also at that time that he used me as a carrier to influence you." Lu Lincheng said.
Lu Mingfei's pupils shrank slightly. He stared at Lu Lincheng intently, his tone filled with anger and disbelief: "You knew it a long time ago? You knew he was influencing me, but you didn't say anything?!"
Lu Lincheng was silent for a moment, his eyes filled with deep pain and helplessness: "Yes, I know... but I didn't understand it from the beginning. I always thought that we captured a special target, an extremely dangerous existence in the dragon clan, until I found that his consciousness had penetrated into you through me as an intermediary. By then, everything was too late."
“Too late?” Lu Mingfei sneered, his tone full of sarcasm, “So, you do nothing and let him use me to play this game?!”
A trace of struggle flashed across Lu Lincheng's face, and he said in a deep voice: "Ming Fei, it's not that I didn't do anything. From the moment you were born, I have been using every possible method to suppress his influence on you.
But his power is too strong. He is not even like a dragon in the traditional sense. He is an existence beyond all our cognition. His existence makes all defense and resistance seem powerless. "
"Then lock him up," Lu Mingfei pointed at Lu Mingze floating in the mercury pool, his eyes cold, "Why? Do you want to use him? Or are you afraid of him?"
Lu Lincheng shook his head slowly: "Both. His power is the only key to balancing the dark side of the Dragon Clan, but at the same time, his existence also represents the greatest threat. We cannot control him and can only try to seal him. However, he has been waiting for an opportunity through you."
Lu Mingfei's eyes moved between Lu Lincheng and Lu Mingze, and his complex emotions surged like a storm. He could not deny that since he could remember, Lu Mingze was the only companion in his life and the pillar of support for his countless moments of loneliness and despair.
But now, he was told that all this might be an elaborate lie.
"Brother," Lu Mingze spoke in the mercury pool. His voice was low and gentle, with a strange soothing power. "Don't doubt it. I have never lied to you. The feelings between us are real."
Lu Mingfei narrowed his eyes, a trace of hesitation and struggle flashed across his eyes: "Real? You have been plotting against me from the beginning to the end, and you still dare to say it is real?"
There was a hint of helplessness in Lu Mingze's eyes. He said softly, "Brother, I admit that I used you, but not to hurt you, but to keep you alive. You always thought that I was your protector, but in fact, it was you who protected me. The bond between us was not because of calculation, but because we needed each other."
Lu Mingfei was silent, his eyes fixed on Lu Mingze's face, trying to see a hint of pretense or sincerity in his expression. However, on that pale but perfect face, there was only an elusive complexity.
Lu Lincheng broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of urgency: "Ming Fei, no matter what he said, his purpose is not to help us. The essence of his existence is destruction and reshaping. Only he can define what he calls reality."
"Brother," Lu Mingze smiled slightly. He turned to look at Lu Lincheng with a bit of sarcasm in his eyes. "Do you really think that you can control me by locking me here? If I want, I can break free at any time, but I didn't, because I'm still waiting for brother to make a real choice."
"Choice?" Lu Mingfei's voice was cold. "What do you want me to choose? Destroy this place, destroy you? Or let you go and watch you complete your so-called 'remodeling'?"
"Choose to be yourself," Lu Mingze whispered, his eyes returned to Lu Mingfei, with a hint of sincerity in his voice that was hard to ignore, "You have never been anyone's pawn, not mine, not his, brother, you have always had your own will. Now, put everything aside and follow your heart. It is up to you to decide whether this world is worth saving."
Lu Mingfei was stunned. Countless images flashed through his mind like lightning - the departure of his parents, his loneliness, the time he and Lu Mingze depended on each other, and the wars and chaos that happened because of him.
Is all this really just part of the chess game? Or has he already become an extension of some kind of will?
"Enough!" Lu Mingfei suddenly growled, breaking the silence. He looked up at Lu Lincheng, his eyes icy but firm: "Dad, if you really want me to make a choice, then stop trying to convince me with those hypocritical reasons."
He turned his head and looked directly at Lu Mingze, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "And you, stop trying to pretend to be a savior with those beautiful words, you are no different from them."
After saying that, he walked towards the metal bridge in the center of the mercury pool, and every step seemed to carry a heavy weight. He knew that his decision would not only change his own destiny, but also the direction of the entire world.
Standing in the middle of the bridge, he stopped, took a deep breath, glanced at Lu Mingze in the pool and Lu Lincheng outside the pool, and whispered:
"I will make my choice, but only if - both of you shut up."
"So what is your purpose in bringing me to see him now?"
Lu Lincheng looked at Lu Mingfei standing in the middle of the bridge, took a deep breath, and spoke in a low and slow tone: "I brought you here to let you face the truth. You need to know that the chess game of this world is not as simple as it seems, and you, standing at the center of the chess game, have to make a choice."
He walked slowly to the bridge, his eyes passed through the metal bridge and fell on Lu Mingze who was suspended in the mercury pool. There was a hint of heavy warning in his voice: "Ming Fei, his existence is not just a threat or exploitation. He is a projection of the will of the dragon clan and a shadow that the dragon monarchs cannot get rid of."
(End of this chapter)
