Chapter 91: Gamer Skills

A victory screen flashed across the computer monitor.

Old Tang's annoying voice came through the headset.

"Damn, who the hell is this? Such insane skills! Lao Lu, you brought a pro to stomp me? That's just dirty!"

Lu Mingfei chuckled sheepishly.

"I always thought you were all talk. Turns out, as soon as I bring in a real pro, you crumble."

Old Tang's voice came back, full of frustration. "Bullshit! Just wait, I'll grind for a bit—sooner or later I'll be the one wrecking your pro buddy!"

Ren Asakura looked at his match history: 10 wins, 0 losses.

When faced with absolute talent, even top-tier human reflexes and skills didn't cut it.

Ren Asakura had already reached a level beyond what humans could achieve—in both reaction speed and mechanical control.

That was the real reason Old Tang had lost so badly.

"Wanna go a few rounds with me?" Lu Mingfei suggested.

"Oh, come on, Lao Lu! You don't actually think I've gotten worse just because I lost 10 rounds, do you? Watch me crush you—!"

Two matches later...

"Oh my god! Lao Lu, when did you get this good?! No, no, wait—have I gotten worse? Dammit!"

Lu Mingfei took his hands off the keyboard and mouse.

In truth, his skills weren't any worse than a professional's. Back when he played games with Old Tang, he was stuck using a piece-of-junk computer. No mouse—he had to use that awful red dot in the middle of the laptop keyboard.

Now, in a proper internet café, his full skills could finally shine.

"Today's been rough… Getting stomped by both of you!"

Lu Mingfei tried to comfort him.

"There, there—don't cry. Just queue up and keep grinding."

"All right, all right… I'm logging off. I've been humiliated enough for one day."

Lu Mingfei could already imagine the defeated look on Old Tang's face.

But gaming wasn't the real reason they were here.

"Oh right, Old Tang—I almost forgot to tell you. I think I saw your younger brother…"

Silence came through the headset.

Lu Mingfei asked, "You still there, Old Tang?"

"Wait, give me a second… What did you just say? You saw my younger brother? I don't think I have a brother…?"

Even as Old Tang said that, he didn't sound entirely certain.

Somewhere deep in his mind, an image of a young boy flashed.

It was in the colossal Bronze City…

But the image vanished as quickly as it came.

Old Tang had been a wanderer for as long as he could remember. He had no memory of his past. Eventually, he became a bounty hunter to make a living.

He'd met Lu Mingfei through online gaming and had become one of his few true friends.

But in reality, he was none other than the King of Bronze and Fire—Norton, the Dragon King of Authority.

And the younger brother he'd forgotten was Constantine, the Dragon King of Power, still sleeping deep in the Bronze City.

Lu Mingfei pressed on. "I'm serious, Old Tang. I'm sure it was your little brother!"

"Don't mess with me, man. I've got amnesia."

More hazy memories stirred in Old Tang's mind.

"Why not come to China? You're not busy anyway. Come hang out—I'll show you around!"

Lu Mingfei extended an invitation.

Old Tang paused in thought.

"Let me think… Actually, that's not a bad idea. I've got nothing going on. Funny, I was just saying that if you came to the U.S. for school, I'd take you on a hot dog bus tour. Guess you beat me to it. Don't worry—if you ever come to the U.S., I've got your back."

Lu Mingfei chuckled. "Much appreciated!"

"Oh, right—I'll send you a location. Let's meet there. That's where I saw your brother."

The location Lu Mingfei sent was the Three Gorges Hydropower Station.

Ever since Old Tang had awakened, he had always been alone.

Loneliness was a terrifying thing.

A Dragon King could never truly feel warmth among humans.

Only someone like Lu Mingfei—an anomaly among anomalies—could actually get along with a Dragon King.

Old Tang was lonely, and when he heard that he might have a younger brother...

He was overwhelmed. Not even a hint of doubt crossed his mind. Deep down, he felt like it was true.

And since the news came from Lu Mingfei—his friend—Old Tang had no reason to question it.

Besides, China was relatively safe. It wasn't like a country where there's daily gunfights.

Nor was it like certain places where organs were harvested without anesthesia.

Plus, they had amazing food and a ton of beautiful tourist spots.

"I saw the location—Three Gorges Dam, huh? I heard that place is crazy impressive."

Lu Mingfei nodded and gave him a brief intro to the Three Gorges Hydropower Station.

"In any case, I'll be waiting for you there. Old Tang… I hope we'll always be friends."

"Of course, Lao Lu! We'll be friends forever!"

Old Tang said excitedly, completely missing the undertone in Lu Mingfei's words.

Norton's memory spanned over a thousand years.

Old Tang, on the other hand, only had about a decade of memories—fragile as mist, gone with a touch.

But when Norton finally came face-to-face with his brother Constantine…

Those memories might resurface.

And Old Tang—might cease to exist.

But that was inevitable. Even without Lu Mingfei's interference, the Dragon King would one day regain his memories.

They gamed for a while longer.

Eventually, everyone logged off.

As they stepped out of the internet café, Ren Asakura turned to them.

"Mai, book us a few plane tickets to the Three Gorges Dam."

Mai had already resigned herself to being treated like a tool.

But she still asked, "Are we going to meet your online friend?"

Lu Mingfei nodded. "Yeah. But we might also end up slaying a Dragon King."

Their people deserved to know the plan.

If a fight broke out, Mai could very well get caught in the crossfire.

The hand holding Mai's phone suddenly trembled.

"Wait, that's a huge jump in tone! Are you talking about that Dragon King?"

Lu Mingfei nodded seriously.

"The King of Bronze and Fire. Norton and Constantine. Two Dragon Kings. And honestly, fighting both of them might not even be the worst-case scenario. We might also have to deal with a second-generation dragon and a few Dragon King guards. So stay sharp—if it looks bad, just run."

Mai's mouth twitched. "Are you people insane? You're basically going into the Dragon King's lair asking to die."

After all, in the war between humans and dragons, no one had ever truly killed the Twin Kings on the Four Thrones.

And there were the high-level Word Spirits—powerful enough to destroy an entire city.

"Boss… can I quit this job?"

Mai looked genuinely shaken.

Ren Asakura patted her shoulder, completely serious.

"It's fine. You're just the babysitter. If it goes down, just run. If you make it out alive, you'll have bragging rights. It'll all count as valuable experience."

Mai looked like she was on the verge of tears. She had never done anything this dangerous in her life.

°°°

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