The Mirage Dragon, and the Disappearance of Li Qinghe

The thick fog churned.

Before entering the Mist Forest, Lu Yuan had researched it extensively on Battle Net. The forest's central zone was a permanent fog region where powerful Feral Beasts made their home — few who entered ever came out alive. But if the central zone was merely dangerous, it occupied only one position on a far more lethal scale. When the *entire* Mist Forest was blanketed in fog, it became something else entirely.

During a full fogging event, the Feral Beasts that normally lurked in the central region would spill outward to hunt. Every Gene Warrior caught inside would almost certainly die. And the most fearsome danger of all — legend held that whenever the fog spread across the whole forest, the Mirage Dragon sleeping in its deepest reaches would wake.

The Mirage Dragon purged every living creature that entered its domain. A fogged Mist Forest was a death sentence. This was no longer merely a dangerous area — the entire forest became a killing ground.

"Damn it — it's fogging up!"

The air around Lu Yuan and Amy erupted into violent, churning motion. Their faces changed at the same instant.

Then, from far away, a roar reached him — a sound so immense it seemed to have traveled through countless ages before arriving at his ears. The fog denied him any sight beyond five meters, and yet, inexplicably, far out in the mist's depths he could see a gold-green shape rolling and twisting through the haze. It moved as though governed by laws beyond the ordinary, visible even through fog that should have swallowed it whole. Whatever that was, it was no ordinary Feral Beast.

Long. Immense. Coiling through the grey.

*That looks like it could... that's almost certainly... the Mirage Dragon.*

Both of them froze, their eyes wide with terror.

"Is that — is that the Mirage Dragon?!"

The confident Amy of a moment ago had gone white as chalk. She pressed herself behind Lu Yuan, both hands fisting the back of his clothes, voice barely steady.

"Amy." Lu Yuan kept his voice low. "Do you actually think the Mirage Dragon is real? I thought it was just a legend."

She shot him a look — somehow managing to be cute even terrified out of her mind.

"Who told you it's a *legend*?! My great-grandfather told me — a *Battle Emperor* once entered the Mist Forest during a fogging to investigate the truth. A single giant claw reached out of the mist and swatted him dead. *One hit.* If even a Battle Emperor doesn't dare enter a fogged Mist Forest, then a fogged Mist Forest is a **FORBIDDEN ZONE**, full stop!"

A chill ran through Lu Yuan. *So it's actually real.*

He had no way to fight something like that. Not even remotely close. He quietly filed a note in the back of his mind — *deal with it when I'm actually strong enough* — and moved on.

"We slip away," he murmured, keeping his voice barely above a breath. Even though the Mirage Dragon had to be at a tremendous distance, he wasn't taking chances.

Across the grey expanse, the churning Mirage Dragon stirred. Slowly — impossibly — its massive head swung in their direction. Golden eyes, frigid and imperious, found them through the mist.

**BOOM!!**

A thunderous impact rolled through the forest.

That aura — crushing, overwhelming, absolute — hit Lu Yuan like a wall. His heart hammered against his ribs as if trying to break free. Each breath felt like dragging air through stone.

"We're done, we're so done — the Mirage Dragon's coming out, I'm about to die here for the first time—"

"We are *so* unlucky! The Mist Forest only fogs up once every few years and we walk straight into it?!"

Before Amy could say another word, the fog surged.

The next instant, it swallowed them whole.

Agony tore through Lu Yuan's entire body — like being ground to paste.

His consciousness went dark.

*...Huu.*

When awareness returned, Lu Yuan bolted upright — and found himself lying in his room.

He was soaked through with sweat. The pain from before felt as though it had been seared into his soul; the memory of it remained razor-sharp.

*The pain of death. My first time. That kind of feeling — it's carved into my bones.*

*Probably because of how badly I died.*

*Crushed to death by solidified fog. The Mirage Dragon truly does not mess around.*

He was still somewhat dazed. He lay there a moment, trying to get his bearings.

*...So I just died out of the Land of Origin for the first time.*

He checked the Light Gate in his mind — and found it had gone dim, hairline cracks spreading across its surface.

He'd need to wait for those cracks to repair and the Gate's light to restore before he could re-enter the Land of Origin. No telling how long that would take.

He lay back. Exhaled long and slow. His mind felt wrung out. He yawned and shook his head, decided not to dwell on it.

The only thing that truly stung was losing everything from that run. All of it had dropped on death.

*My heart.*

Then he sensed it — a ripple in Spirit Power.

His expression shifted. He moved to the window.

Outside, the city's neon lights glittered in the deep of the night — a sprawling sea of vivid color reaching into the distance. But past the bright commercial district, the glow grew sparse, fading to nothing but weak, dim streetlamps flickering in the dark. The Slum District.

He focused his senses. That Spirit Power signature was moving — fast, racing away at every passing second. Whoever it was moved far faster than him; by the time he'd registered it clearly, the trail had already slipped out of his reach.

*That came from their building. From Qinghe's room?*

His face went cold.

Just then — was it his imagination? — the Evolution Cube orbiting his Gene Chain gave a faint, brief tremor.

He paused. Stared at it. Then he set it aside — nothing to be done about that right now.

He moved.

At the border between the commercial district and the Slum District, Lu Yuan appeared.

*I really thought I'd never come back here after I left.*

He passed through the dim streets like a shadow. Two thugs who had spotted what looked like easy prey walking alone closed in — and then their target simply vanished from where he'd been standing. They stood there, cold sweat beading on their skin.

He reached the building. Li Qinghe's door was locked from inside.

He grabbed the handle and wrenched. The handle snapped off; the lock gave with it.

He pushed the door open.

The room was empty. The blanket lay on the bed, crumpled and half-thrown aside. The window stood open; cool night air drifted through. No one there.

He scanned the room. His expression hardened. He looked out the window toward the dim, lamplit Slum District beyond.

*Gone. Whoever it was is long gone — and they were powerful.*

*With Qinghe's position, and how carefully she's always kept herself in this district, she shouldn't have provoked a Gene Warrior. So why?*

*Who took her? What for?*

His fists tightened at his sides.

*Is someone targeting her?*

He stepped back into the hall. He had to think. *Aside from Franming, I don't even know who else is connected to her.* He regretted not having learned more about her circle before. There might have been a lead to follow right now.

He turned and ran.

Daming Martial Arts Gym.

He hammered on the shutter.

From inside, an enraged shout.

"WHO IS IT?! I'm TRYING TO SLEEP! Who bangs on Daming Martial Arts Gym in the middle of the night — you got a DEATH WISH?!"

**BANG!** The roll-up shutter clattered open. A stocky, muscular figure filled the doorway, face furious — until Xiaohu saw who it was. The fury evaporated instantly. A grin broke through.

"Hey, it's Lu Yuan! Haven't seen you in over half a month — what are you doing out here at this hour?... Whoa. You look terrible, man."

Lu Yuan managed a dry laugh. "I'm fine. Xiaohu, is Brother Ming around?"

"Brother Ming?" Xiaohu scratched his head. "He hasn't been at the gym lately. No idea where he's gone."

"When's he coming back?"

"I honestly don't know. I've been calling him for days and nobody picks up. Who knows what he's up to." He studied Lu Yuan's face, worry creeping in. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Lu Yuan turned to leave, then stopped. "Do you know someone named Li Qinghe?"

Xiaohu blinked. "Li Qinghe? Never heard of her. Who is she?"

"Nothing, never mind." Lu Yuan shook his head. "Sorry for bothering you. If Brother Ming gets back, give me a call."

He turned and walked away. Xiaohu stood in the doorway staring after him, scratching the back of his head.

"...Something's really off with him. Who's Li Qinghe?"

Lu Yuan walked the streets, neon light washing over him, mind running at full speed.

*The Slum District is enormous. How do I even begin to find her?*

The city's lights spread in every direction — vivid, restless — and then at the far edge, they thinned and faded to weak, flickering streetlamps. That dim stretch. He looked at it, jaw tight.

Then, ahead on the road — a familiar silhouette.

Slender. A loudly patterned Hawaiian shirt. Board shorts.

He narrowed his eyes and walked over.

The figure stopped. Turned.

Lu Yuan recognized the sunglasses immediately — Xue Wang, wearing them even at this hour. Given the state of his thoughts, Lu Yuan simply didn't have the bandwidth to comment on it.

"Old Xue."

Xue Wang startled slightly. "Lu Yuan? It's almost two in the morning — what are you doing out here? Weren't you supposed to be in the Land of Origin?"

"I died out."

"...You died *out* of the Land of Origin? With your strength?"

A beat of genuine surprise. Then a rueful smile. "What happened?"

"Bad luck. Hit the Mist Forest during a fogging."

"Ah." A pause. "That is rough. Though — wait, didn't you already move out of the Slum District? Why are you back?"

"Something came up."

Xue Wang studied Lu Yuan's expression and raised an eyebrow. "If something's going on, talk to me. I'm not going to brag, but I'm at least a Second-rank Battle Master. Stronger than you, maybe just a little. I might be able to help."

Lu Yuan hesitated. Then, quietly: "My sister was taken by a Gene Warrior into this area. I've already lost the trail."

"Your sister?"

Xue Wang paused. Something unreadable passed across his face.

"Li Qinghe?" Lu Yuan added.

"...Li Qinghe? Don't know her." Xue Wang's brow furrowed slowly. "The Slum District is big. Finding a specific person in there — that's not easy."

Lu Yuan nodded. And then a thought lit up in his mind.

*The Wild Dog Gang. If I could use their network to search for her...*

He glanced at Xue Wang. "That person from the Wild Dog Gang—"

Xue Wang went still for a moment. The unreadable look deepened, held a beat longer than usual.

"I'm going to go see someone," Lu Yuan said, shifting tracks. "Alone."

"Let me come with you."

Lu Yuan smiled — brief and stiff. "Thanks, but no."

He turned and walked away.

Xue Wang watched him go.

Night Watchman secret safehouse.

A figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room.

Li Qinghe crossed to the sofa and sat, one leg crossed over the other, and drew out a cigarette. She lit it and took a long drag.

Smoke curled from her lips. Her eyes were half-lidded, distant, thinking.

Then the door flew open.

Franming burst in barely containing his excitement. Seeing the urgency written across his face, Li Qinghe's brow furrowed slightly.

"My Lord! We've found Xue Ren's location!"

Li Qinghe's eyes sharpened. *He's come out?*

"Where?"

Franming's words came out in a rush. "South City — a private residence on Blackwood Street. The Night Watchmen of Xili City and the Red Maple Guards have been working with us to track Ellis, Lucius, and Xue Ren. We've finally found a trace of Xue Ren!"

Li Qinghe exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "Is that so. Finding even one of them is progress." She stood. "Let's go have a look."

"I'll come with you."

She looked at him. "I'll go alone. He's not a good man — it's too dangerous for you."

A flicker of reluctance crossed Franming's face, but he dipped his head. "Understood, My Lord."

Li Qinghe regarded him a moment. Something close to dry amusement crossed her expression. "I see — so you've figured out who I am."

Franming escorted her to the door. Together, they left the room.