Playing the American Government Like a Fiddle

In the heart of Sonora Desert in Arizona, a sprawling expanse of land scorching under the relentless sun, lay one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, covering an area of about 120,000 square miles. Beneath the sun-baked surface, a gargantuan national secret laboratory sprawled, hidden from prying eyes.

Just like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster, the lab was guarded with military precision, checkpoints every few paces, vigilant sentries at every turn. Surveillance and security systems blanketed the entire facility, and the bleach-white walls, coupled with the shadowless lighting, gave the place a sterility that could send shivers down the spine of any first-time visitor.

Armed guards patrolled the halls, and researchers clad in protective gear bustled about. This ultra-secret research facility harbored numerous critical projects and housed enigmatic items recovered by the American government, the true nature of which eluded even the brightest minds.

In a sealed room, a single transparent container sat conspicuously. Around it, high-tech robotic arms whirred into action, while outside, a group of biologists engaged in a heated discussion with a military officer.

"How is the research on this dragon scale progressing? The President and the Secretary are both awaiting the results," the officer inquired, standing ramrod straight.

"The research is progressing smoothly, but it will take time to yield results. Given that we only have this single scale, we dare not employ overly aggressive techniques for fear of damaging it... But it truly is astonishing! The scale's genetic structure, its hardness, its flexibility—it's beyond belief. Had you not told me it was a part of a living creature, I would have suspected it to be some sort of synthetic metal!" one of the biologists exclaimed, his face alight with fervor.

"...This is definitely not something from any ordinary creature on Earth!"

The officer rolled his eyes internally, muttering to himself that this was rather obvious seeing as the scale originated from a dragon. However, the biologist's words sent a shiver down his spine; they had scientifically proven the existence of a mythological creature wholly alien to Earth's fauna.

"Can we decipher the secrets hidden within the dragon's genetic code?" the officer asked impatiently.

The biologist's face twisted in embarrassment as he rubbed his hands together, "Well, you must understand, even the human genome is not fully decoded, despite the plethora of material available for research. It's impossible to crack the genome from a mere scale; it's an insignificant part of the dragon's entire genetic makeup. Plus... it's quite mystifying that the dragon's genes seem to be protected by some mysterious force. We can observe, but we can't interfere."

"Magic..." the officer articulated the word slowly, thinking of the incomprehensible power shielding the dragon's very biological structure.

Suddenly, the golden dragon scale sealed within the laboratory shimmered, and a cryptic rune materialized upon it.

"What's happening?!" both the scientists and the officer gasped in unison, clamoring for an explanation.

Panic ensued. The observer responsible for studying the scale announced in haste, "...Sir, we don't know what just happened. A peculiar symbol appeared on the scale. Other than a wavelength fluctuation, no other changes were detected!"

The observer's fingers danced across the keyboard, and the image of the mysterious rune that had briefly illuminated the dragon scale was enlarged and displayed on the screen. The scholars and the officer exchanged bewildered glances at the symbol that confounded them all.

"Perhaps... we need to consult some occult experts or symbologists?" suggested the same officer, hoping for a breakthrough.

...

Drake's consciousness descended upon the dragon scale, offering him a peculiar vantage point to observe his surroundings. He had heard the exchange between the biologists and the military man and scoffed at their bewilderment. Dragons were magical creatures, not to be equated with ordinary life forms. Even the Tyren civilization, capable of interdimensional travel, had only managed to create a perfect dragon body after slaughtering countless ancient dragons, including a Dragon God. They harnessed the essence of divinity itself to preserve the dragon's magical abilities.

The idea that Earth's civilization could unlock the source of a dragon's magical powers was laughable. If humans possessed such capability, they would have colonized other dimensions long ago!

Truth be told, Drake had intentionally left behind that dragon scale. If a national government chanced upon the existence of such a mystical being and had the means to do so, they would surely scour the scene. The conspicuously placed scale would not escape any diligent search party.

As Drake anticipated, the American government secured the scale and brought it to their research facility for analysis. And upon it, Drake had cast a common spell from the world of Saint Soren—the "Surveillance Ward."

This low-level spell, deemed of little use in Saint Soren, allowed the caster to access sounds and images from the vicinity of the enchanted medium. Essentially, it was equivalent to a magical security camera—a particularly conspicuous one. Any mage could detect the magic emanations from such a device.

In Saint Soren, this spell was used merely to monitor workers or to overtly surveil one's own territory, signaling to others not to cause trouble. Its lack of subtlety made it useless for espionage, but on Earth, where no mages existed and magic was an unknown entity, Drake exploited this gap in understanding. He had effortlessly infiltrated the heavily guarded secrets of the world's most powerful nation—a testament to the disparities between civilizations.

'AI mentioned that when its ship crashed, several energy sources were scattered across the Earth. Ignoring those that might have fallen in the wild and remained undiscovered, if any were found by national governments, they would certainly be kept for research in their most secretive labs.'

'Dragon biology is a mystery of the highest order, so I deliberately left behind a scale with a "Surveillance Ward" spell. Just as expected, the American government has taken it into their most clandestine laboratory.'

Drake's tone was laced with mockery, relishing the sense of having played the mightiest country on Earth for a fool.

Many humans were wise, but none had had close encounters with dragonkind, and thus they could not fathom the depth of a dragon's intellect. These humans, for all their pondering, could never guess that Drake, the dragon, possessed the soul of a man, one filled with cunning and deceit.

Drake wielded the power of the unknown over humanity.

From his scale's perspective—like peering through a camera lens—Drake surveyed the environment. With his current strength, neither a covert entry nor a forceful intrusion was feasible. However, the coordinates of the laboratory were now etched into his memory for a future time when his power was great enough to storm the facility and search for the items he required. In fact, Drake was rather hopeful his scale might travel to other secretive labs, granting him access to more of America's confidential intelligence.

The laboratories' security measures were undoubtedly stringent, known to only a few within the American government itself. Yet, the secrets of Earth's dominant superpower had been so easily exposed to Drake through a simple trick!