Chapter Four: One of Our Own

The missile did not hit Huang Ze but instead brushed past him, exploding with a thunderous roar on the ground below. This was, of course, not due to the accuracy of the missile nor to Huang Ze’s evasive skills being at their peak; it was, in fact, meant as a warning.

After all, having only just arrived in this new world, the Xia Nation was still acclimating to the circumstances and was not eager to become enemies with the world’s large indigenous intelligent creatures right away.

The dragon was, without question, a legendary being in this world. As an extraordinary lifeform still unfamiliar to the people of Xia, capturing it alive was naturally preferable, if at all possible.

Sure enough, under the intimidation of two missiles, the dragon quickly became obedient. Not only did it steady its agitated limbs, it also voluntarily landed, folded its wings, stood upright like a human, and even raised its forelimbs high in surrender.

Well… even if the species are different, it was clear this was a gesture of capitulation!

However, the fighter jet was moving too fast to land and accept the surrender. Otherwise, capturing a dragon alive would be an achievement worthy of being recorded in the annals of history!

All the pilot could do was report the situation to his superiors and await further instructions.

After about ten more minutes, several armed helicopters arrived. From a distance, an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel used a loudspeaker to address the dragon:

“Mr. Dragon, you have illegally entered our airspace. Please cooperate and submit to an investigation immediately. Do not attempt any unnecessary resistance!

“Rest assured, the Xia Nation is a civilized and reasonable country. As long as you cooperate with the investigation, we will guarantee your safety and legal rights as a dragon… Otherwise, you will bear all consequences!”

The lieutenant colonel spoke in Xia, not caring whether the dragon understood—formalities mattered.

If it weren’t for the regulations prohibiting rash action against extraordinary beings, the military would have already dealt with the dragon.

Huang Ze, of course, was unaware that he had narrowly escaped disaster. Not even a minute after entering the country, domestic anti-aircraft radar had detected and locked onto him.

With a single order, in under three minutes the ground-based missiles would have brought him down—there would have been no need to dispatch fighter jets at all.

Given Huang Ze’s current maneuverability, he stood no chance of evading missiles traveling at several times the speed of sound.

The military’s interest in the dragon stemmed from the fact that, as a famous legendary creature, its flesh and blood were reputed to contain abundant life energy, believed to strengthen the body and prolong life.

If they killed the dragon, it would certainly make for an extraordinary feast.

Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, the moment the dragon saw them, it shouted excitedly as if seeing family:

“Comrade, don’t shoot! I’m one of you!”

“…”

“…”

Heavens! The dragon could speak Xia!

And it claimed to be one of them!

Everyone was dumbfounded—even the local native, Hook, was astonished. Incredible! The Xia Nation had only been in this world for half a year, and they had already tamed a powerful black dragon!

“Mr. Dragon,” the lieutenant colonel called out, not relaxing his vigilance despite Huang Ze’s words, “I’m not sure what you mean by that. Could you explain?”

“I was originally from the Xia Nation! About half a year ago, I don’t know how, I turned into this.” The dragon shouted emotionally, “My name is Huang Ze, I’m twenty-six years old, citizen ID number 4503XXXXXXXXXXX035, home address: 20-1 Xining Road, Jiuxing District, Guicheng, Tian’nan Province. My father, Huang Kangping, is fifty-six this year, self-employed, running a small supermarket with my mother, Pan Xiaolin…”

“Is everything you’re saying true?” The lieutenant colonel was shaken. The dragon spoke rapidly and with substance; it didn’t sound like nonsense.

Because of the barrier and Xia’s strict security, most intelligent beings outside the barrier knew little about the internal affairs of Xia. It would not have been easy to fabricate such information.

“Of course it’s true! Otherwise, how could a dragon possibly speak Xia?” Huang Ze’s eyes turned red with emotion and he choked back tears. “And I risked my life to come this far! You have no idea how much I’m suffering right now!”

“Huang Ze, right? Don’t get too worked up. I’ll get someone to verify your information right away,” the lieutenant colonel comforted him. “If what you say checks out and you’re one of us, we certainly won’t make things difficult for you!”

“Comrade, you have no idea how hard these past six months have been for me!” Huang Ze cried. “Being a dragon is no life for a human! I didn’t inherit any memories from my predecessor, nor did I awaken any special abilities—no experience being a dragon at all… I can’t eat enough, can’t sleep well, don’t even have anyone to talk to. Every day I worry about filling my belly… I’m practically depressed…”

Tears streamed down the dragon’s face, even snot bubbles forming, looking as aggrieved as a one-hundred-and-sixty-ton baby.

“Oh no!” Seeing his state, the lieutenant colonel quickly shouted, “Huang Ze, listen to me! Try to control your emotions—you’re starting to lose coherence due to magical depletion!

“Dragons are magical creatures—they’re not like us Xia people, who live on oxygen. They draw energy by breathing the magical elements in the air.

“But our Xia Nation is a magic-free zone. You’ve been here so long without replenishing any magical elements—of course your body can’t take it!”

“For your own safety, you’d better fly outside the barrier as soon as possible. We’ll talk more there.”

“So that’s why…” Huang Ze finally understood. “No wonder I’ve been feeling so dizzy…”

He followed the lieutenant colonel’s advice and tried to flap his wings and take off, but after several attempts, he failed.

“Comrade, I can’t fly. Could you please get me something to eat first? I haven’t eaten in five days,” Huang Ze pleaded, weak and exhausted.

“That’s no problem.” By now, the lieutenant colonel had confirmation from above that a Huang Ze did indeed exist in Tian’nan Province, and that his ID number and personal details matched.

After the entire nation had been suddenly transported to a brand new world, the Xia government had been on edge. Upon hearing that a citizen of Xia had become a dragon, the leadership took it extremely seriously. The military district commander immediately ordered that this dragon compatriot be taken care of properly!

“Dragons are carnivorous, aren’t they? Do you want beef or pork? Raw or cooked?”

“Beef! Raw!”

“Is two hundred pounds enough?”

“Not even close!” The dragon shook his head vigorously. “Comrade, look at my size—two hundred pounds is nowhere near enough. Could you get me two tons, just to start?”

“…” The lieutenant colonel looked at Huang Ze’s mountain-sized body and, after a moment’s silence, replied helplessly, “Alright, I’ll arrange it immediately.”

A single meal required at least two tons!

With such a terrifying appetite, it was no wonder Huang Ze had been perpetually hungry. Truly, for a creature with such a massive stomach, surviving without some kind of skill or talent would be nearly impossible.