Chapter 54: Emergency Mission

"Tell me, what's the deal with this mission?" Lu Chen was currently seated in a helicopter, conversing with the specialist opposite him through his headset.

He had been notified late in the evening and had endured a fifteen-hour flight on the academy's specialized plane, all the way to Africa, and was now on a helicopter.

However, the explanation of the mission from Norma was straightforward; it simply stated that there was a special survey taking place in Namakwaland, South Africa, and he was being brought over just in case.

At that moment, Lu Chen was taken aback. He had thought he was being called to slay dragons, but now it seemed like he was being asked to supervise?

Was there even anything to slay? It seemed entirely uncertain.

For specifics, he could only ask the specialist, Melanie, who had come to pick him up.

"The reason for this is as follows: satellite monitoring recently detected unusual weather phenomena in a certain part of the Namakwaland desert, with a blooming flower field..." Lu Chen raised his hand, interrupting, "Excuse me for interrupting, but did you just say desert? A desert with a flower field?"

"Namakwaland is the only biodiverse arid region on Earth. It transforms into what appears like spring every August and September, with flower fields everywhere," Melanie explained, realizing that their ace specialist might not be well-versed in geography.

"But it's been almost a month now," Lu Chen looked out the window, observing the season of decay.

"That's the problem. This is an abnormal weather phenomenon. If it was just a delay of a month, it might have been attributed to recent global warming and other changes, but the flower field has persisted until now. There must be some kind of abnormal force influencing that area."

"Dragons?" Lu Chen's interest was piqued.

"It's too early to determine, but it's highly likely. After all, only they have the supernatural power to influence such a large area. The flower field extends over twenty kilometers."

"Could it be a three-generation species?" Melanie continued, "Based on the historical records of the secret party and the extent of this abnormal phenomenon, we speculate that there may be a noble three-generation species slumbering under that land."

Melanie's choice of words was not an exaggeration. Through their research on dragons, three-generation species were considered upper-class, often appointed as nobles in ancient China, possessing both power and authority. They were not comparable to the "cannon fodder" of four or five-generation species.

"Fascinating," Lu Chen tapped the hilt of his Red Maple.

"And there's more interesting news. This matter is also related to a previous mission, dating back to just a few days before you enrolled."

Seeing Lu Chen's inquisitive gaze, Melanie continued, "Previously, not far from this area, a bronze coffin was unearthed, which the academy deemed to be a high-risk dragon relic. The secret party ordered its destruction, but the execution team encountered some trouble during the mission."

"That bronze coffin was bought by a local warlord. Negotiations with him broke down, and we faced violent expulsion. However, after receiving supplies from the academy, the execution team naturally emerged victorious."

Lu Chen nodded. It seemed to be the modus operandi of the execution team; when diplomacy failed, they resorted to force, and their adversaries usually couldn't match up to these half-blooded killers.

"It is said that the specialists stormed into the warlord's home and used aqua regia to destroy the bronze coffin. The mission reports from the specialists were unanimous, and photos of the destruction were also archived."

Lu Chen raised his hand, asking, "There's a question, though. Isn't the Academy usually inclined to recover and research dragon relics? Why destroy it this time?"

"Because dragon bronze coffins often hold special significance; they may be the cocooning grounds for their metamorphosis, leaving behind... in layman's terms, spiritual imprints. They can undergo metamorphosis after death through predetermined means, making it difficult to kill pure-blooded dragons of three generations or more unless their bodies and spirits are both destroyed simultaneously, such as with the Philosopher's Stone."

Melanie continued, "Moreover, the Academy has already recovered several such bronze coffins for research. Collecting more has little significance, especially considering the logistical challenges of transportation and customs clearance. So, usually, we opt for destruction to prevent dragons from cocooning..."

She chuckled, "At least it reduces their backup options."

"But I've heard that some coffins conceal various instruments of torture to seal dragons permanently inside."

Lu Chen wasn't entirely clueless; he remembered some of the knowledge he'd been taught.

"That's true in some cases, but the one we found this time was empty, clean inside, and even designed quite comfortably, so it was just destroyed as usual."

Melanie shrugged.

"Alright, I get it. Carry on. Since it's already been destroyed, any further issues?" Lu Chen dispelled his doubts, but he knew that the fact he was called in again, coupled with the abnormality in Namakwaland, meant there was more to the story.

"The problem arose a few days ago when we noticed the anomaly in Namakwaland. We immediately thought of the previous mission, so the specialists involved in that mission were recalled to the Academy for further confirmation. In the process, we discovered a problem."

"What problem?"

"Those specialists were hypnotized."

"Linguistic manipulation?"

"You should know that Professor Tomiyama's linguistic manipulation is a form of hypnosis, usually used to brainwash ordinary people caught up in dragon events, and also to provide psychological counseling for our Academy personnel."

"That kind of counseling sounds like something I'd rather avoid."

Lu Chen joked.

"It's not as scary as you imagine. Most of the specialists who developed problems due to prolonged missions or even depression felt much better after receiving counseling from Professor Tomiyama and said their lives became more enjoyable."

Melanie explained, waving her hand.

"That sounds even scarier."

Lu Chen maintained his viewpoint.

"Anyway, continue. Afterward, the specialists, under Professor Tomiyama's guidance, reconstructed the truth of the previous mission. They did indeed win the skirmish, stormed into the warlord's home, and destroyed the bronze coffin. However, the problem was that the bronze coffin was a fake or a substitute, not a genuine dragon relic. If they had been clear-headed, they could have discerned it, but at the time, they were under the influence of a strange force, hypnotized."

"Why would that warlord have so many coffins in his home? Was he planning to use them himself?"

Lu Chen wondered, finding the rich man's interests rather peculiar.

"That warlord was originally an antiquities enthusiast, especially fond of various coffins. He believed that by observing coffins from ancient civilizations, he could gain a deeper understanding of their ancient cultures, as many civilizations attach great importance to burial practices, especially yours, China."

"But that's in the past. I heard nowadays, people in the country joke that they can't afford to die and mostly opt for cremation."

Lu Chen quipped, influenced by his time spent with Fingal.

"Cremation is also quite environmentally friendly and solves the problem of occupying arable land."

Melanie joined in the banter but then returned to the topic, "This was a failure on our part, the execution department. We knew that the warlord was a... 'coffin enthusiast,' but we didn't realize that something like this could happen. Looking back, the mission report only had photos of the destruction, and there were no photos of the object before destruction. We trusted the specialists' written reports too much."

Lu Chen shook his head, "Can't blame those specialists; nobody expected to be collectively hypnotized."

He was just a bit curious; with the meticulous and stern nature of his mentor, she should have noticed something fishy during the review of the mission report, or at least questioned why there were no photos of the object before destruction.

Could it be that she was drunk that day? Could her health even tolerate alcohol?