Martial Sovereign of the Turbulent World

Chapter 184: Chapter 182: Great Dream of the True Dragon, the Demon Commander (Part 2)

It was an exceptionally spacious, rectangular hall. Gilt-brass chandeliers hung from the ceiling above a thick, dark-red, sound-dampening carpet. The surrounding walls were studded with sconces styled like candelabras, their frosted glass shades filtering the light to a hazy glow.

Anyone entering the hall would find their gaze inevitably drawn to the far wall, which was completely dominated by an immense metal relief.

It depicted a ferocious black Dragon amidst storm clouds and raging waves, with only a portion of its torso and talons visible. Its eyes, fashioned from dark red gems, stared down silently and coldly.

Beneath the black Dragon relief was the hall’s seat of honor: a grand commander’s chair of purple sandalwood resting on a black marble dais.

At that moment, a man was seated in the commander’s chair, dressed in a high-ranking, apricot-yellow woolen military uniform. His collar was casually open, his hair was jet black, and his face bore a strong resemblance to Luo Chengying.

The long table before him was laden with a variety of foreign liquors and gourmet dishes, both hot and cold. Several women, all slender and stunningly beautiful, were nestled against him.

Luo Chengying’s gaze lingered for a moment on the black Dragon relief before he strode across the vast hall, coming to a halt at the foot of the cold marble steps.

"Father."

The man in the commander’s chair looked at Luo Chengying and nodded slightly.

Just then, a man emerged from a nearby flock of perfumed women, grinning as he greeted Luo Chengying. "Oh, so Chengying is back."

The speaker was a man in his forties, with fair skin and a slightly plump build. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and possessed a somewhat scholarly air.

Any trace of that scholarly elegance, however, was utterly ruined by the drunken flush on his cheeks and the messy lipstick stains on his neck, giving him an air of absurd decadence.

"Uncle Nan."

Luo Chengying replied coolly.

"Chengying, your timing is perfect. Come, have a few drinks with your uncle..."

The man’s gaze was unfocused as he beckoned to Luo Chengying, clearly intoxicated.

Luo Chengying glanced at him but didn’t reply.

This was Nan Xiangcheng, the "knife" dispatched by the Xin Republic Central to "cut down" Wen Zhiqiu.

Many knew that Nan Xiangcheng had long since arrived in Shenghai. Many also knew he was holed up in the Jianghai Defense Command. What they didn’t know was that from the very first day he arrived, Nan Xiangcheng had done nothing but drink, carouse, and dally with women, seemingly in no hurry at all to assume his post at the municipal hall.

"Brother Nan."

At this, Luo Zhengxiong, from his seat of honor, slowly spoke up. "Perhaps that’s enough for today."

Nan Xiangcheng paused, then understanding dawned on him. He nodded with a grin. "Of course, of course. You two, father and son, have things to discuss. I won’t get in your way. I’m off."

True to his word, Nan Xiangcheng left, draping his arms around two beauties in cheongsams and shuffling unsteadily toward the exit.

He looked completely drunk, seemingly unable to even walk steadily, having to rely on the women for support.

But the moment he turned away, a flicker of unnoticed clarity passed through his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses.

After Nan Xiangcheng had gone, Luo Zhengxiong turned to the women around him and instructed coolly, "You may all leave as well. I need to speak with Chengying alone."

The women rose as they were told, all but one, who remained draped over his lap. She swayed her hips and whined coquettishly, "Commander, I don’t want to go!... I want to stay here with you..."

This was Luo Zhengxiong’s eighteenth concubine, married just last year. A former actress who had starred in a few unremarkable films, she had been noticed by Chai Xiong, the Gang Leader of the Woodcutter Gang, and gifted to Luo Zhengxiong. She was, by all accounts, his favorite.

"You really want to stay?"

Seeing her insistence, Luo Zhengxiong looked down at her, his tone serious.

The woman, still on Luo Zhengxiong’s lap, nodded like a kitten, her red lips pouting slightly.

"Very well..."

A slow smile spread across Luo Zhengxiong’s face. "Then you shall stay."

"Thank you, Commander."

Overjoyed, the woman stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on him with a resounding SMOOCH. Her laughter tinkled like silver bells.

Seeing her being so favored, the other concubines were filled with jealousy and resentment. They could only grit their teeth in secret, helpless, as they quietly withdrew.

Once the hall doors closed, only the three of them remained in the vast space.

Luo Zhengxiong stroked the woman’s fine hair and said softly, "Shall we play a little game?"

"Chengying is still here. You’re so naughty, Commander!"

The woman feigned annoyance, but her eyes were already dancing. "How does the Commander want to play?"

"You sit here like a good girl. Don’t get up until I say so."

With that, Luo Zhengxiong pressed the woman down into the commander’s chair. He then rose and walked swiftly from the main seat to the foot of the black marble steps, where he found a spot and stood still.

The woman sat alone in the grand chair, finding it novel and amusing at first, as if she had become an empress from an opera.

But soon, she noticed Luo Zhengxiong, now at the foot of the steps, suddenly adopting a subservient posture, standing with his hands clasped respectfully. Beside him, Luo Chengying also bowed his head low.

Their strange behavior made the woman uneasy. She was just about to speak.

CLICK—

A soft sound suddenly came from behind her.

The woman instinctively turned. She saw the eyes of the massive black Dragon relief behind her begin to glow with an eerie red light. The entire black Dragon seemed to be slowly ’coming to life.’

Immediately after, the deep, immense rumble of machinery sounded from deep within the wall. The entire metal relief wall, along with the structure of unknown thickness behind it, began to slowly rise.

A vast, deep, and dark passage was revealed behind the wall.

HUFF... WHEEZE... HUFF... WHEEZE...

From the depths of the darkness came an incredibly coarse breathing sound, accompanied by heavy footsteps that drew nearer... thudding against one’s chest and eardrums with every step.

A thick, hot gust of wind, reeking of blood and rot, blew out from the passage...

The woman stared into the deep, dark passage, a sense of panic inexplicably rising within her.

She looked back and saw that Luo Zhengxiong’s posture at the foot of the steps had become even more humble. As for Luo Chengying, who had kept his head bowed the entire time... his whole body was now trembling violently.

The bizarre scene before her finally terrified the woman. Her voice trembled. "C-Commander, I... I don’t want to play anymore."

"Sit still and don’t move!"

At the foot of the steps, Luo Zhengxiong abruptly looked up.

All trace of his earlier affection was gone, replaced by a savagery and ferocity the woman had never seen before.

Luo Zhengxiong glared viciously at the woman, his voice cold as ice. "You dare stand up, and I’ll put a bullet in your head right now, believe it!"

The woman froze in the chair as if doused with ice water. Terrified, she could do nothing but sit there obediently.

The footsteps from the passage grew closer.

THUD... THUD...

Slow, heavy. Each step sent a faint tremor through the floor. The stench of the hot, foul wind grew stronger, gradually filling the entire hall with a nearly nauseating odor.

Below the dais, Luo Zhengxiong bent even lower. Luo Chengying’s entire body... was trembling even more violently.

Finally, a dense shadow—so vast it seemed to warp the light, its shape indescribable—slowly ’flowed’ out from the darkness of the passage.

The already hazy light in the hall dimmed even further.

"Chen... ying..."

A voice spoke.

It was as if countless rusty gears were grinding together, enmeshed in sticky flesh and blood—a low, hoarse sound.

Luo Chengying, who had been trembling with his head bowed, finally, slowly, raised his head.

Luo Chengying’s arrogant, handsome face was now twisted and contorted, torn apart by fear, awe, loathing, and bewilderment.

He forced a smile and responded in a low, trembling voice, "Dad..."

The woman sat dazedly in the commander’s chair, her head tilted back as she stared blankly at the terrifying black shadow, now right before her—a presence that seemed deeper than darkness itself.

Her mind was a complete blank; she was clearly scared beyond the capacity for thought.

The next moment—

WHOOSH!

Two enormous claws—covered in fine, bluish-black scales, with gnarled, protruding knuckles and long, hook-like nails—shot out from the shadow.

One from the left, one from the right, they seized the woman’s pale, slender thighs. RRRIIIPPP—

As if tearing a thin sheet of paper, they easily ripped the woman in two.

Warm blood sprayed out, splattering wantonly across the faces and bodies of ’Luo Zhengxiong’ and Luo Chengying below.

The former grew even more reverent, even prostrating himself completely on the floor.

The latter, meanwhile, seemed to break down completely. The blood on his face mingled with snot and tears, his expression something between a sob and a laugh...