Chapter Eight: The Rules

“Section Chief Ma, is dragon blood really that corrosive?”
Liu Weihan, standing nearby, was equally astonished. “I thought dragon blood was supposed to be extremely nourishing for humans, but with this, it seems impossible to drink it.”
“That’s a rumor circulating online, Colonel Liu, you mustn’t believe it,” Researcher Ma replied sternly. “Dragon blood is infused with violent magical energies, and for humans, it is pure poison. Drinking it indiscriminately can be fatal!”
“So it’s true!”
Liu Weihan’s anger flared. “How can such false information spread so widely online? What are the authorities doing? If this keeps up, it’s only a matter of time before people die because of it!”
“There’s not much that can be done,” Ma said resignedly. “The authorities have repeatedly debunked these rumors, but ordinary people refuse to believe. As legendary creatures, dragons have a deeply entrenched reputation; people stubbornly believe eating dragon meat or drinking dragon blood will prolong life.”
“When you tell them that dragon blood and meat are toxic, they refuse to believe it, no matter how much evidence you present. Instead, they suspect the authorities are concocting stories to keep the good stuff for themselves.”
“So that’s the reason…”
“It’s probably also because there’s never been a dragon to come forward and speak for itself,” Liu Weihan mused. “After all, we’ve only been here for half a year and have had little interaction with dragons. Although the Air Force has encountered dragons abroad and had some conflicts, we’ve never managed to capture or kill one.”
“Come to think of it, Mr. Huang, you’re the first living dragon to appear in our country!”
“Really?”
Huang Ze was quite surprised. “Our Air Force is so powerful, and yet we haven’t managed to take down a single dragon?”
“I am a dragon myself, so I know firsthand what dragons are like. With their massive bodies, they’re clumsy and slow in the air—not just compared to fighter jets, even armed helicopters could easily outmaneuver them. A few anti-air missiles would teach them a lesson!”
“It’s not as simple as you imagine, Mr. Huang,” Ma explained. “Within our borders, we are indeed on home ground, and the environment naturally suppresses native creatures like yourself…”
“I am not a native creature, I am a citizen of the Summer Nation!”
Huang Ze couldn’t help but interrupt, emphasizing his point.
“Sorry, my mistake,” Ma quickly apologized.

Researcher Ma hurriedly apologized and continued, “Within our own territory, our current weapons can easily overpower dragons, but it’s a different story abroad.”
“Outside our borders, our technological products are severely weakened. The performance of our weapons drops to less than a tenth of their original capability—the more advanced and powerful, the greater the reduction.”
“In fact, we once tested a five-megaton nuclear bomb over international waters, but its actual destructive power barely reached fifty kilotons. The energy was drastically diminished.”
Fifty kilotons… That’s still impressive!
Huang Ze was speechless; he doubted any creature could withstand that.
“Moreover, abroad, dragons can freely wield magic, and our weakened missiles struggle to inflict significant damage. While we can still exploit our speed advantage, killing or capturing a dragon alive is essentially impossible.”
“I see…”
Huang Ze pondered. It seemed that in this world, magic and technology couldn’t coexist—whoever was on home ground held the advantage.
“This issue of dragon blood toxicity, I think it’s best for the authorities to clarify as soon as possible. Now that Mr. Huang has returned home, we have a living example. Surely everyone will believe it now,” Liu Weihan said. “If we delay, trouble may arise. Our special investigation department has already noticed that some criminals, both local and foreign, are desperately trying to acquire dragon blood abroad. What’s even more incredible is that some dragons have been lured by their high offers and are considering selling their blood.”
“What? Are you serious?”
Huang Ze’s dragon eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that selling blood to humans—a notion so absurd—was not unique to him. Clearly, this world had many dragons with open minds and a strong sense of economic opportunity.
“It’s true. Our intelligence agents are tracking the situation. The seller is a red dragon, and since it’s their first contact, both sides are haggling over the price,” Liu Weihan smiled. “The red dragon must know that Summer Nation citizens are wealthy, so it started at one hundred pounds of gold per liter of dragon blood. The buyers thought it was too expensive and kept bargaining. Now it’s been lowered to sixty pounds.”
“…”
Huang Ze was speechless, his heart pounding. He hadn’t expected dragon blood to be so valuable—one liter could fetch dozens of pounds of gold!
If that was the case, it wasn’t just that he had gold at home; he himself was a gold mine!
No, he couldn’t let other dragons reap such benefits!
His dragon instincts, shaped by a genetic obsession with wealth, grew restless. He quickly said,
“Brother Liu, could you help me contact those buyers? Since the red dragon is selling, I’m willing to sell as well. Better to keep the wealth among us—let them buy from me. That way, we can prevent our gold from flowing abroad, and as fellow countrymen, I’ll even give them a discount!”
“…”
Liu Weihan hesitated for a moment before replying, “Sorry, Mr. Huang, I can’t help you with that.”

“Why not?”
“Because, according to the latest regulations, trading dragon blood is illegal,” Liu Weihan explained. “Dragon blood can’t be absorbed directly by humans, but as the essence of a supernatural being, its value for research and development is extremely high. It is a strategic resource, strictly controlled by the state. If it flows freely into private hands, it could easily spark trouble and unrest, undermining social stability.”
“So, I’m sorry, but our nation will crack down hard on the private trade of dragon blood. I hope you understand and cooperate.”
“I see…”
Huang Ze was a little disappointed, but his sense of the greater good and patriotic passion prevailed—otherwise, he wouldn’t have longed to return home.
Since the country has these concerns and plans for the future, he would certainly cooperate.
“But Mr. Huang, don’t feel too disappointed. While private trade is forbidden, official procurement is allowed. The four liters we just collected—and any future extractions—will be paid to you at market rates in gold,” Liu Weihan said with a smile. “We know dragons are obsessed with gold by nature. The state will never shortchange patriotic dragons like you. For all research and use involving your body or abilities, compensation will be given as appropriate—and always paid in gold.”
“Really?”
Huang Ze, still a bit dazed, perked up immediately upon hearing this.
“Yes,” Liu Weihan replied confidently. “Leadership specifically asked me to convey this promise to you. It’s more reliable than gold itself.”
“They even said that as long as you abide by the law, work diligently, and remain loyal to the country and the people… it’s not impossible to let you live permanently in the central bank’s gold vault.”
“Oh, and you might not know this: the latest gold reserves in our central bank have exceeded ten thousand tons, and they’re still growing.”
“So much?”
Huang Ze’s dragon eyes grew wide; he felt his blood boil, and the hereditary imprint deep in his veins seemed ready to erupt.
Ten thousand tons of gold—what a concept! Even the greediest and richest dragon gods might not possess such wealth!