Red Dragon

Bai Yi hung up the phone with a solemn expression. The player had clearly provoked a dragon, and that was bad news—though he wasn't yet sure what kind of dragon it was.

"Mr. Bai Yi? What happened?" Stis asked carefully, his concern evident.

"It's nothing. Go ahead and discuss the military merit system with Sabo. He knows what to do." A faint shimmer appeared in Bai Yi's hand as he accessed his spatial ring.

A series of neatly arranged potions and special equipment materialized, including the Clown's Dagger and Necklace. In any exchange system, there had to be some high-end equipment on display to motivate the participants—regardless of their ability to afford it.

"Understood." Stis nodded, stepping back but glancing at Bai Yi's back as he did.

Just then, Bai Yi's phone rang again. It was Sifu. It seemed Dongwu City was staying on top of its surveillance.

"Mr. Bai Yi, we've detected a high-level energy reaction 25 kilometers outside the East City Gate. The energy level is confirmed to be upper gold-tier."

Bai Yi's frown deepened. "That's the middle-level golden dragon, isn't it?"

"I see. Keep the missiles on standby, and inform the Wucheng Army to keep the city defense artillery ready at all times. I'll go investigate."

With a wave, Bai Yi summoned the contract power within him.

"Roar~"

The unmistakable roar of a giant dragon echoed through the air as Bai Yi's mental power lifted him off the ground, carried by the giant dragon's wings as it sped toward the source of the disturbance.

The dragon's wings activated, propelling them to Mach 5 in an instant. The sonic boom shattered nearby windows, but the inner city, full of extraordinary individuals, remained mostly unharmed.

A calm presence beside him helped ease Bai Yi's tension. The city lords of border cities were all formidable warriors, and the city lord of Dongwu City—whose energy reserves were still running strong—had no fear of anyone other than legends.

In just 15 seconds, Bai Yi had closed the 25-kilometer gap. Through the haze, a massive figure loomed in the distance.

A dragon, three hundred meters long with a wingspan of four hundred meters, appeared, its dark red scales glinting in the sun. It was gathering a deadly breath in its throat, its gaze fixed on the nearby jungle.

An adult red dragon.

Bai Yi raised a hand. The worker bees within his grasp dispersed and reassembled, forming a massive Barrett sniper rifle.

The Bone Dragon slowed its descent, and Bai Yi—seated on the White Plague—took aim.

A deep sense of impending danger flooded the air. The red dragon's scarlet eyes flicked toward them, narrowing in fury as it sensed the threat from the bone dragon and the insignificant human on its back.

With a roar, it bellowed in dragon tongue: "If you dare to lay eyes on the treasure of the great Tina Anderson, you will be reduced to ashes by my flames!"

The dragon's fiery breath surged forward.

"Breath," Bai Yi instructed calmly.

The mechanical dragon's thrusters engaged as it soared upwards at an incredible speed, narrowly avoiding the dragon's attack.

Without missing a beat, Bai Yi squeezed the trigger. The Barrett shot forward with a deafening crack.

Boom!

The explosion sent spiritual debris tumbling from Bai Yi's shoulders, and the recoil sent a shockwave through the bone dragon.

The red dragon, momentarily surprised, stopped its breath, wings crossing to shield its head.

The Barrett's bullet tore through the red dragon's wings, though much of its energy was absorbed by the scales. The bullet's force diminished before reaching the dragon's body, but the impact was still enough to stagger it, sending the beast plummeting briefly toward the ground.

As the dragon struggled, the undead breath from Bai Yi's mechanical dragon poured out, knocking the red dragon further down.

Bai Yi adjusted the settings on the mechanical dragon's control panel. Suddenly, dozens of new weapons and ammunition were released from beneath the dragon's scales—shells, bullets, and alchemical poisons rained down on the red dragon.

The barrage exploded around them, and Bai Yi's mental power intensified, directing a torrent of alchemical poisons at the red dragon with deadly precision.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Bone Dragon streaked through the jungle, dodging the fiery chaos behind it.

Fengchen and Bi'anhuakai, nearly at their wit's end, watched in awe as the battlefield erupted in flames. They couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the sky. Truly, Bai Yi was the son of destiny.

As the last of the explosions faded, Bai Yi's expression remained impassive. He felt a lingering, ominous sense of threat. Despite the overwhelming attack, the red dragon, a middle-tier golden dragon, hadn't been defeated.

"How did you manage to provoke this red dragon?" Bai Yi's voice was calm, though his gaze was intense.

The two players, still catching their breath, exchanged a glance. Fengchen spoke first: "A wizard told us there was a secret treasure hidden here. We came to explore, and... well, it escalated quickly."

Bai Yi's expression darkened, a hint of recognition in his eyes. This situation felt all too familiar—players were being manipulated by Night Rose, the shadowy faction of the game. In version 3.0, it had led to chaos for the Dawn Federation, with players unknowingly aiding in the destruction of their own world.

"Players are being used as pawns," Bai Yi muttered under his breath. "We have to be cautious. Night Rose is involved."

The ground trembled beneath them as the red dragon slowly rose from the dust, its eyes glowing with barely contained fury.

"I see," Bai Yi said, his gaze never leaving the dragon.

The red dragon, Tina Anderson, stood tall, unscathed by the bombardment. "Talk? There is nothing to discuss. You are mere undead and reptiles, unworthy of conversation. You will pay the price for your insolence."

With a deafening roar, the red dragon's wings beat fiercely, sending shockwaves through the air as it charged toward Bai Yi.

The scorching flames in its mouth ignited, aimed directly at the mechanical dragon.

Bai Yi's expression remained unchanged as the thrusters on his mechanical dragon flared once more, but the dragon's speed wasn't enough to outpace Tina's fury.

A magic scroll appeared in Bai Yi's hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a hexagram magic circle formed in the air.

The Bone Dragon darted away as a hail of icy arrows rained down. The red dragon, though unscathed by the low-tier spells, flapped its wings, breaking through the ice storm and closing the gap.

Suddenly, Bai Yi pulled out a missile from his inventory and aimed it at the red dragon.

The missile surged forward, propelled by the full force of Bai Yi's mental power.

The red dragon, sensing the threat, unleashed its fiery breath in a desperate attempt to stop the missile.

But the missile exploded in mid-air, a violent shockwave rippling through the sky, shaking the dragon's massive form.

Within moments, a second barrage of missiles streaked through the sky from Dongwu City, slamming into the battlefield with explosive force.

A mushroom cloud rose into the sky, leaving Bai Yi's two players gaping in disbelief.

"Is this how alchemists fight?" Fengchen whispered, his voice filled with awe.

Bai Yi simply smiled, his focus unwavering. This was only the beginning.