After watching Li Quan and Ma Yue disappear down the mountain path, the remaining team members exchanged determined glances. Led by Wang Jianjun, they turned and stepped through the shimmering boundary into the Nibelungen.
The contrast was jarring. Outside, frigid winds had howled across ice-crusted slopes. Inside, warmth embraced them like a welcoming hearth. Brilliant sunshine streamed down from a perfect azure sky, illuminating a world that seemed lifted from paradise itself. The sweet songs of countless birds filled the air, harmonizing with the gentle whisper of a warm breeze that carried the fragrance of flowers.
Wang Jianjun paused just past the threshold, his tactical mind cataloging every detail. Wildflowers carpeted the rolling grassland—whites and yellows mixed with blooms he couldn't identify, all swaying in synchronized waves with each gust of wind. The entire Nibelungen appeared to exist on a high mountain plateau, isolated from the frozen wilderness they'd left behind.
"This reminds me of something," Chen Moqing murmured, holstering his weapon for a moment. "That ancient poem—'The Peach Blossom Spring' by Tao Yuanming. They say it was actually describing a Nibelungen."
Wang Jianjun nodded slowly. The theory made sense. If the legendary fisherman from Wuling had accidentally stumbled into a dragon's domain, that would explain why he could never find it again no matter how hard he searched. Nibelungen entrances were notoriously unstable, shifting locations like phantoms.
"Commander Wang, over there!" Xia Jidong pointed ahead.
About fifty meters distant, a figure knelt on the grass. As they approached, Wang Jianjun recognized Ye Sheng's distinctive silhouette. The agent cradled someone in his arms—Jiude Aki, her head resting against his shoulder, eyes closed.
"Ye Sheng!" Wang Jianjun called out, breaking into a run.
Ye Sheng's head snapped up, his expression shifting from worried concentration to surprised relief. "Commander Wang? How did you get inside? I thought you'd have pulled back to report the Nibelungen's discovery."
The unspoken concern was obvious. Entering a Nibelungen was always easier than leaving—the entrances shifted like living things. Getting trapped inside would prevent them from completing their primary mission.
"Don't worry." Wang Jianjun reached Ye Sheng's side and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I sent Li Quan and Ma Yue down the mountain before we came in. They'll get word to headquarters about this place."
"Commander Wang, I..." Ye Sheng's voice roughened with emotion. "Thank you."
"We're a team," Wang Jianjun cut him off gently but firmly. "There's nothing to thank me for. We don't leave anyone behind."
He crouched down to get a better look at the unconscious woman. "What happened to Aki?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Ye Sheng shifted his grip to support her weight more securely. "When I first entered the Nibelungen, I found her already lying on the ground like this. She hasn't woken up since."
"Let me examine her." Qian Feng stepped forward, already pulling medical supplies from his tactical pack.
Seeing the question in Ye Sheng's eyes, Wang Jianjun explained, "Qian Feng's our team medic. Best sniper in the unit, but he's also qualified in field medicine."
"Thank you." Ye Sheng carefully laid Aki down on the soft grass, giving Qian Feng room to work.
The medic moved with practiced efficiency. He gently pulled back Aki's eyelids one at a time, shining a penlight directly into each pupil and watching for the reactive dilation. After making satisfied grunts, he produced a stethoscope from his pack and pressed it to various points on her chest, listening intently to her heartbeat and breathing. Finally, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, eyes distant as he counted her pulse against his watch.
The whole examination took less than three minutes. When Qian Feng sat back on his heels, his expression was calm. "She's fine—just unconscious. No signs of trauma, poison, or neurological damage. Her vitals are all within normal range. Whatever knocked her out wasn't violent or lethal."
The tension visibly drained from Ye Sheng's shoulders. "Thank god."
"We should stay put until she wakes up," Wang Jianjun decided, surveying their surroundings. The area seemed safe enough—open grassland with good sightlines in all directions. "Set up a perimeter watch. Two-person rotations."
Nobody argued. While waiting, they took the opportunity to shed their heavy cold-weather gear. The temperature inside the Nibelungen hovered at a comfortable warmth, somewhere around twenty-five degrees Celsius—perfect spring weather. The contrast with the sub-zero conditions outside was almost surreal.
Two hours crawled by. Wang Jianjun had just finished his turn on watch when Aki Sakakotsu stirred, her eyelids fluttering.
"Aki! Aki, can you hear me?" Ye Sheng was instantly at her side, voice soft with relief and concern.
Her eyes opened slowly, focusing with difficulty. When she finally recognized Ye Sheng's face hovering above her, confusion and worry warred across her expression. "Ye Sheng? How did you get in here?"
"I followed you," he said simply. "We all did."
"All of you?" Aki pushed herself upright, accepting Ye Sheng's steadying hand. She blinked in surprise when she spotted Wang Jianjun and the others arranged in a defensive semicircle around them. The reality sank in—they'd entered a Nibelungen, with all its attendant dangers, just to find her.
"Everyone... thank you." Aki struggled to her feet and delivered a formal, deep bow—the kind reserved for debts that couldn't be repaid with words.
Wang Jianjun stepped forward and gently caught her shoulders, raising her upright. "You're welcome, Aki. But you're also our teammate now. This is what teammates do."
Something shifted in Aki's expression—a warmth that went beyond gratitude. Back on the transport plane, Wang Jianjun had made a promise to everyone: regardless of which organization they represented, for the duration of this mission they were one unit. He'd told them to trust each other completely, to protect each other's backs without hesitation. Now he'd proven those weren't empty words. They really were comrades, bound by something deeper than organizational allegiance.
A genuine smile broke across Aki's face, bright enough to rival the impossible sunshine overhead.
"Since you're awake, let's get some food in you," Wang Jianjun said, shifting into practical mode. "Once everyone's eaten, we'll begin exploring this Nibelungen properly."
"Commander Wang, shouldn't we try to leave first?" Aki's tactical training reasserted itself. "We need to report this location to headquarters."
"The entrance we used has already shifted." Wang Jianjun's tone was matter-of-fact, not defeatist. "We checked while you were unconscious. But like I said, Li Quan and Ma Yue made it out before the shift. They'll get word to the right people."
Aki did a quick headcount, finally registering that the eight-person team had been reduced to six. Li Quan and Ma Yue were indeed absent. "I understand, Commander Wang." She snapped to attention and delivered a crisp salute.
"At ease." Wang Jianjun returned the salute, then his expression grew more serious. "Now, I need you to tell me everything you remember. When we found you, you were unconscious on the ground. What happened before that?"
Aki's brow furrowed as she reached for the memories. "It's... fragmented. I remember hearing your order over the radio—everyone was supposed to pull back and regroup at the assembly point. I acknowledged the command and started moving in that direction. But somewhere along the way, I must have crossed into the Nibelungen without realizing it."
"And then?" Wang Jianjun prompted.
"There was a smell." Her eyes grew distant, focusing on the recollection. "A floral scent—very distinctive, unlike anything I'd encountered before. It was sweet but complex, and underneath the flowers there was something else. It reminded me of... apple cider? Like the kind my roommate at Cassel College used to share with me. We'd drink it while studying for exams."
She shook her head, frustrated by the gaps. "That's all I remember clearly. The next thing I knew, I was waking up with all of you standing around me."
"Flower scent and apple cider," Wang Jianjun repeated, filing away the information. "Interesting."
Qian Feng spoke up from his position checking their gear. "I didn't smell anything unusual when we entered. Just grass and wildflowers—normal outdoor scents."
"Neither did I," Chen Moqing confirmed. The others shook their heads in agreement.
"So it was either localized to Aki's entry point, or it dissipated quickly," Wang Jianjun mused. He made a mental note to include the detail in their eventual report. Strange scents that could knock trained agents unconscious definitely qualified as critical intelligence.
They broke out their field rations—compact, high-calorie meals designed for extended operations. Not gourmet by any stretch, but functional. Aki ate mechanically, clearly still processing her situation. The warm sunshine and peaceful surroundings made it easy to forget they were inside a dragon's pocket dimension.
Once everyone had finished eating and repacked their gear, Wang Jianjun called them together for a briefing.
"Listen up. We're going to divide into two three-person teams for better coverage and mutual support. Chen Moqing, Ye Sheng—you're with me. We'll take point as the primary reconnaissance and combat element. Qian Feng, you'll lead the second team with Xia Jidong and Aki. You're our support and rear security."
He paused, making eye contact with each person to ensure they understood. "Standard tactical spacing—close enough for mutual support, far enough to avoid a single ambush wiping us all out. Qian Feng, keep that rifle ready. If we run into hostiles, your priority is providing covering fire and protecting Aki."
"Understood, Commander," Qian Feng acknowledged.
"Communications check." Wang Jianjun tapped his radio. One by one, each team member confirmed their equipment was functioning. "Good. Remember—this is a Nibelungen. Expect the unexpected. Watch each other's backs."
They set out across the grassland in formation, weapons at low ready. Wang Jianjun took point, his eyes constantly scanning for threats. The warm breeze continued its gentle caress, carrying the sweet perfume of countless flowers. Birds wheeled overhead, their calls echoing in the pristine air. Butterflies danced between the blooms in lazy spirals.
It was, quite literally, paradise.
Which was exactly what made Wang Jianjun's instincts scream warnings.
"This is wrong," he muttered, just loud enough for Chen Moqing to hear.
"Sir?"
"Look around." Wang Jianjun gestured at the idyllic landscape. "According to every record Cassel College has on Nibelungen, these spaces should be filled with Death servitors. Corrupted dragon servants, twisted into monsters. Even low-level Nibelungen maintained by third-generation species are described as dark, oppressive places—ruins and shadows, not sunshine and flowers."
Chen Moqing's expression grew troubled as he processed the implications. "You think this is something different?"
"I know it is." Wang Jianjun kept his voice low, aware that Aki's team was only ten meters behind them. "The size alone is telling. We've been walking for twenty minutes and still haven't seen any kind of boundary or edge. A second-generation species could create a Nibelungen, sure—but nothing this vast. And definitely not one this... alive."
Everything about this place radiated vitality. The grass was almost painfully green, the flowers too vibrant, the sky too perfectly blue. It wasn't just the absence of corruption—it was the presence of overwhelming life force.
Wang Jianjun's combat experience screamed at him to be cautious. His academic training provided the context for why.
"The only dragons capable of maintaining a Nibelungen of this scale and complexity," he said quietly, "are the Dragon Kings themselves."
Chen Moqing's hand tightened on his weapon. "Are you certain?"
"Not yet. But every minute we spend in here makes me more sure." Wang Jianjun's gaze swept the horizon, looking for any sign of structures or anomalies. "We need to proceed as if we're in a First Generation's domain. That means maximum alertness and zero assumptions about what's possible."
Behind them, Aki noticed Wang Jianjun's increased tension. She touched her radio. "Commander Wang, is something wrong?"
Wang Jianjun considered his response carefully. Panic would help no one, but they deserved to know what they might be facing. "Stay sharp, everyone. This Nibelungen is showing characteristics inconsistent with second or third-generation species. We may be dealing with something significantly more dangerous than initially assessed."
The easy atmosphere evaporated like morning dew. Every member of the team shifted into high-alert mode, their training taking over. Fingers rested near triggers. Eyes scanned constantly for movement.
And overhead, the impossible sun continued to shine down on the paradise that might very well be their tomb.
"Keep moving," Wang Jianjun ordered. "We need more information. And we need to find a way out."
The two teams pressed forward into the beautiful, terrifying heart of the Nibelungen, each step taking them deeper into a mystery that might be better left unsolved.