Chapter Six: Differences

"It's not, it's not a pyramid scheme—it's the government. Remember, when we first crossed over, there was a classified project they needed me to participate in."

"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Huang Kangping said suspiciously. "How come I never heard of this? When did you become so capable that the government would come looking for you?"

"It's true! Why would I lie to you?" Huang Ze hurriedly replied. "If you don't believe me, I'll have my supervisor talk to you."

"…"

"Hello, Mr. Huang, this is Lieutenant Colonel Liu Weihan from the Rapid Response Unit of the North Longhe Military District. Your son, Huang Ze, is indeed working on a confidential assignment with us. Things were urgent at the time, so we couldn't inform you or discuss it with you beforehand. I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused your family and hope you can understand."

"It's fine, it's fine," Huang Kangping replied quickly. "As long as I've reached him, that's all that matters. Now that you've called, does that mean the job is done? When can my son come home?"

"Well…" The person on the other end hesitated, then said, "I'm sorry, there are still some unresolved issues, and it's not convenient for Comrade Huang Ze to return home at the moment. How about this: if you're really worried, you can come here and visit him. It's the same thing!"

"And you still say this isn't a pyramid scheme!" Huang Kangping burst out in anger. "I've seen this kind of trick so many times: once you lure someone in, you scheme to trick all their family and friends too!"

"My son must have been brainwashed by you, or maybe you're threatening him… I'm warning you, I've already called the police! You'd better let him go, or you can wait for the police to arrest you!"

"Dad, it's not like that!" Huang Ze on the other end was both amused and exasperated. "Things aren't how you think—"

"Shut up! I won't believe anything you say right now—save it until you come home." Unable to help himself, Huang Kangping rubbed his ear. He knew full well his son was raising his voice on purpose, sending a signal that he was under duress, but honestly, that voice was so loud it made his head buzz, even through the phone.

"It's actually a good thing for you to be so vigilant, Mr. Huang," the leader on the other end said with a chuckle. "Telephone scams are indeed getting more and more common nowadays. How about this: I'll contact your local government and have them pay you a visit in person, so they can vouch for us. That way you'll believe us, right?"

"That depends on what kind of official you send. If they're too minor, I won't recognize them," Huang Kangping replied.

"Of course, it'll be one of your local leaders—someone everyone knows."

…

Not long after they hung up, a helicopter delivered two tons of beef. The dragon immediately transformed into a ravenous beast, pouncing on the meat and devouring it hungrily, wolfing down half of it in the blink of an eye.

"How does it taste?" Liu Weihan, watching in awe at the dragon's appetite, asked with a smile.

"Honestly, it's a bit tough." Huang Ze smacked his lips and spoke frankly. "It's very different from the meat outside. You guys aren't trying to fool me with expired or frozen beef, are you?"

"How could that be?" Liu Weihan laughed and explained, "The animals outside the barrier are generally rich in magical elements. Their nutritional value and meat quality far surpass anything domestic. You're used to eating meat from outside, so naturally, local beef won't taste as good."

"So that's it..." Huang Ze found the logic reasonable. "But if that's the case, two tons of beef won't fill me up. Can you get me four or five more tons?"

Liu Weihan was speechless.

…

"No, I feel even dizzier. I can’t fly." Even though he’d finally eaten his fill, the longer delay had worsened Huang Ze’s magical depletion. He felt weak all over, his wings limp and unresponsive.

No wonder this place was called the Forbidden Zone of the Gods. The absence of magic here was a terrible burden on extraordinary beings. Even gods arriving here would probably find their heads spinning.

"Can you think of a way to get me out of here? I really can’t move anymore..."

Liu Weihan shook his head with a wry smile. "Look at your size now—how is any ordinary helicopter going to lift you? We should have sent you back earlier."

"So what do we do?" Huang Ze grew anxious. He’d never imagined that as a dignified dragon, he’d one day face the problem of being stranded.

"Don’t worry, dragons are bona fide supernatural beings. Even in a magicless environment, as long as you don’t use magic, you won’t die right away," Liu Weihan reassured him. "I’ve already contacted experts from the Summer Institute. They’ll be here soon with a rescue plan for you."

"Are they reliable?" Huang Ze suddenly felt uneasy—his instinct for danger telling him something was wrong. He quickly added, "Actually, I think I can still walk a bit. I weigh, what, a hundred sixty or seventy tons? Maybe you could just get a big truck and haul me away..."

"They’re reliable—of course they are!" Liu Weihan ignored Huang Ze's suggestion and continued to comfort him.

"Let me put it this way: once, an angel entered our country. She was small and good at disguising herself, so we didn’t notice her at first. Several days passed before, suffering severe magical depletion, she fainted by the roadside, revealing her true form and was rushed to the hospital."

"At the time, our understanding of advanced beings like angels was limited. Her condition was mainly magical and spiritual in nature, so traditional medicine was almost useless—she was basically declared dead by medical standards."

"Later, the Summer Institute organized an angel research team. Their initial plan was to dissect her for scientific study, but somehow, they managed to save her instead."

"So rest assured—the Summer Institute has plenty of experience rescuing extraordinary beings!"

"An angel?" Huang Ze exclaimed in surprise. "Angels appear in this world that often? I was beaten up by an angel before!"

"Not that frequently," Liu Weihan said. "That was the only angel incursion in our country. We even checked with neighboring countries and tribes—the descent of angels is rare, unless summoned by masses of devout believers or sent on a mission by a deity. It doesn’t happen often."

"A god?" Huang Ze's dragon eyes widened.

He’d heard Hook mention gods before, but hadn’t paid much attention. Now, hearing Liu Weihan’s words, his heart tightened—if angels existed in this world, could ‘gods’ be real too?

"Yes, gods." Liu Weihan seemed surprised. "You really didn’t know?"

"The angel who entered our country was sent by a deity called the God of Light, tasked with gathering intelligence on us."

"So what happened to the angel afterward?"

"Of course we detained her," Liu Weihan replied matter-of-factly. "She gathered so much information—how could we let her go back?"

"What? You even dared to detain an angel? That’s a messenger of a god!" Huang Ze was astonished. He hadn’t expected his homeland to be so bold as to defy the legendary gods.

"Why not?" Liu Weihan laughed. "She broke the law, so she must face justice! They’re just some local deities—people of Summer have never put their faith in such things."