Chu Zihang remained silent for a long time. He used to think that his experiences were too bizarre, and if he spoke about them, he would be considered crazy. So he never told anyone, but every night, he would recall the scene of the pouring rain.
But now that he's at Cassell Academy and his understanding of the dragon race has deepened, he suspects that on that day, he saw the Dragon King.
Perhaps out of fear of the unknown consequences of revealing secrets, or perhaps because a fire burns within him, longing to personally decapitate the gods, he also wouldn't tell anyone.
But... are we friends?
Am I friends with Lu Chen now?
"If you don't want to talk about it, Brother Chu, that's okay," Lu Chen said, grabbing another chicken leg, seeing Chu Zihang's dilemma and deciding not to probe further.
Just by seeing Chu Zihang's eyes earlier, he understood. This young man had experienced something, an ordeal that made him feel powerless.
It was so sad yet filled with courage.
People like this either end up consumed by the flames of revenge and plummet into hell, or they ultimately wield their blades to sever the heads of their enemies.
Chu Zihang remained silent.
"Do you want to become stronger?" Lu Chen asked again.
This time, Chu Zihang reacted, his eyes lit with fire, nodding.
"Isn't having Inferno enough for you?"
"Not enough."
"I see."
Lu Chen nodded, then added, "You can go to the Lionheart Society's secret library. There will be things there that can help you. With your current prestige, no one will probably gossip."
The Lionheart Society's secret library had always been accessible only to the president, but since Lu Chen was a hands-off manager, Chu Zihang was the de facto administrator.
"What's there?" Chu Zihang's golden pupils lit up involuntarily.
"Techniques that can make you stronger..." Lu Chen's expression became serious. "But I have to warn you, don't use that kind of technique unless absolutely necessary. I'm giving this to you to provide more life insurance when you're on solo missions."
"It seems to be some kind of forbidden technique," Chu Zihang said expressionlessly.
Lu Chen nodded, biting into his chicken leg. "It seems you've already used it."
"Not yet. For now, I don't need it," Lu Chen lied. He had already attempted to refine his Divine Blood, and the reason he hadn't started refining his dragon bloodline was because its purity was very low.
Just like what Luthecia had told him before, someone with low bloodline purity would still be considered low even if they became a Deadman. There wouldn't be much improvement in refining the dragon bloodline without the boost from the Divine Blood.
"Lu, you're very strong, indeed, you don't need it."
"Strong? I've just not encountered someone stronger yet. Strength, you see, is always something you only appreciate when you meet a stronger tyrant," Lu Chen shook his head.
Chu Zihang nodded. Their conversations were always like this.
Lu Chen wasn't much of a talker to begin with, but when they were together, he seemed to talk more. But sometimes, you didn't need to say much to understand each other's meaning.
Like tonight, he knew Lu Chen actually wanted to thank him for his hard work for the Lionheart Society and invited him to have supper, but he didn't directly say it. He got the message.
"Junior Brother, your talent is truly remarkable."
Feng'er sat on the stool, leaning forward, watching as Lu Chen gripped the PSN controller, smoothly controlling the character on the screen, Kyo Kusanagi.
Recently, Feng'er had recommended another game to Lu Chen, King of Fighters '97. This kind of fighting game, with its intense hand-to-hand combat and a touch of extraordinary effects, immediately captivated Lu Chen.
Compared to games like Call of Duty where you wield hot weapons, he preferred this kind.
Lu Chen's fingers moved swiftly, executing the 212 Shiki: Kototsuki You, followed by the 88 Shiki, and finally, the climax, the DM: Orochinagi, gracefully defeating the opponent, Mai Shiranui, whose seductive defeat echoed through the speakers.
After the match, his ranking in the points race had risen significantly again, entering the top one hundred, much to Feng'er's amazement.
He bought the game, so naturally, he played it, but while fighting against the computer was okay, the ranked matches were filled with skilled players, some aggressively so, and some downright sneaky. At higher levels, the sneaky tactics prevailed, and it was frustratingly unfair.
This made him lose interest in playing after a while.
Lu Chen, on the other hand, quite enjoyed playing ranked matches. He found fighting against the computer too dull.
His extraordinary reflexes always allowed him to exploit the opponent's weaknesses, making the sneaky tactics useless against him.
Actually, what Feng'er said wasn't entirely accurate. At least, after reaching a high ranking, the opponents he faced displayed some "masterly demeanor". The number of players using sneaky tactics decreased, and the matches became more exciting.
"Wow, Brother, don't underestimate him. He's pretty strong and interesting. I wonder what kind of monster is at the top of the leaderboard."
Lu Chen had just finished the last match.
He opened the ranking, looked at the name of the first-ranked player, "Eri の PSN", and was surprised. She seemed to be a Japanese girl. It was unexpected. Shouldn't girls be playing dress-up games instead of playing hardcore fighting games like this?
He started another match, but the matchmaking was slow. He went to the bathroom, but as he was washing his hands, he heard Feng'er's roar.
"Junior Brother! Junior Brother! You've reached it, you've reached the top!"
Feng'er yelled excitedly, and Lu Chen hurriedly dried his hands and looked at the screen. The name of the opponent in the match was the same as the one he had just criticized as the top player, "Eri の PSN."
Since there weren't many people in the top one hundred in the points race, and even fewer online, the system could only "match nearby." It wasn't surprising to match with someone with a much higher score.
Lu Chen rubbed his hands together, ready to witness the top-tier player in King of Fighters.
In the first match, he played it safe and chose Ryo Sakazaki, a well-rounded character with strong moves, long range, quick recovery, and low vulnerability. Facing the "top player," he felt a sense of awe and didn't play recklessly. He steadily chipped away at the opponent's health, taking advantage of his superior mid-range combat skills.
As Mary's health gradually dropped to the "kill line," Lu Chen prepared to use his super move to finish her off. But Mary seized the opportunity during his super move startup, closed the distance, and executed a stylish throw combo, resulting in a KO.
Lu Chen was stunned; he had been careless.
"Junior Brother, you're still not stable enough. Why rush? Just continue chipping away at their health," Feng'er said, inciting him from the sidelines.
Lu Chen's competitive spirit kicked in, thinking that the top player must have something to offer.
In the second match, he chose Iori Yagami and easily depleted Mary's remaining health. The opponent then switched to Leona, a risky move. In the end, he won by a small margin, with only a quarter of his health left. It had to be said that Iori was very much to his liking. Almost omnipotent, with near-perfect move judgement, and Leona wasn't difficult to deal with, as long as she didn't cause any trouble with her D+V combos.