After the meeting concluded, all three parties returned to their respective territories to begin preparations. Anjou didn't immediately contact Gustave—a decision born from pragmatic caution rather than doubt. Yes, Gustave had defeated Ladon with apparent ease, even seeming to hold power in reserve. But Ladon had been a second-generation dragon. The King of Sky and Wind represented an entirely different magnitude of threat. Anjou needed to be certain before committing his ace.
Before approaching Gustave, Anjou sent notifications to Cassel College's school board and the Secret Party leadership. Not requests. Not consultations. Notifications. When it came to Li Wuyue—the Dragon King who'd haunted him for a century—Anjou would tolerate no challenges to his authority. Cassel College and the Secret Party would act according to his will. There was no room for debate.
Word of the King of Sky and Wind's appearance spread rapidly through the upper echelons of every major mixed-blood organization. Like sharks scenting blood in the water, every power that received the intelligence wanted a piece of the prize. A Dragon King's corpse represented resources beyond imagining—enough power, wealth, and alchemical materials to shift the balance between factions for generations.
They approached China first, attempting to negotiate for a larger share. China's response was admirably blunt: sixty percent was non-negotiable. Want more? Defeat China and take it. The sheer audacity of that challenge—backed by the implicit threat of China's military and hybrid forces—silenced most complaints. Those interested parties quickly redirected their attention toward Anjou.
But Anjou proved equally unmovable. With iron-fisted efficiency, he organized a formal alliance structure and systematically excluded every organization that hadn't been part of the initial agreement. The rejected factions were left seething, particularly the Japanese hybrid families.
The Japanese mixed-bloods were especially frantic. After intense lobbying and barely-veiled threats, they secured permission to send a single team led by Yuan Zhisheng—and only because the Japanese families had reluctantly accepted status as a Cassel College branch after their previous disasters. The irony was delicious: they'd despised becoming subordinate to Cassel College, yet now that subordination was their only ticket to participate in the greatest dragon-slaying operation in modern history.
Back at Cassel College itself, Anjou began selecting the student representatives who would accompany the expedition. Just as he'd done during the Ladon operation, he wanted young talent present—both for the experience and to send a message about the next generation's capabilities.
That afternoon, Chu Zihang received a summons to the principal's office.
He opened his dormitory door to find Finger emerging from the adjacent room, his trademark disheveled appearance somehow both annoying and endearing.
"Junior brother! Where are you headed?" Finger's grin was as shameless as ever.
Chu Zihang felt the familiar headache forming. Despite Finger's genuine dedication to training and improvement, his personality remained aggressively irritating. "The principal wants to see me."
"Perfect timing!" Finger immediately draped an arm across Chu Zihang's shoulders with practiced familiarity. "He called for me too. We'll go together!"
Chu Zihang's automatic response was to push Finger's arm away—a ritual they'd repeated countless times. But he hesitated, remembering yesterday's video call with his mother. For reasons beyond Chu Zihang's comprehension, Su Xiaoyan had developed a genuine fondness for Finger, praising his "good heart" and "friendly nature." For his mother's sake, Chu Zihang allowed the arm to remain.
"Wait." Finger's eyes widened comically. "You didn't push me away. Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever?"
The moment of sentiment evaporated. Chu Zihang decisively shoved Finger's arm off his shoulder.
"There we go!" Finger laughed, completely unbothered. "That's the junior brother I know!"
Insufferable. The man was truly insufferable.
As they walked toward the administrative building, Finger leaned in conspiratorially, voice dropping to a whisper. "Junior brother, I've got a feeling about why the principal summoned us. Remember that dragon discovery in Kunlun? I think the dragon-slaying operation is about to begin."
Chu Zihang's expression didn't change, but his attention sharpened. "How do you know that?"
News of the King of Sky and Wind had spread through the upper leadership of every major hybrid organization, but it remained strictly classified. Students like Chu Zihang were entirely in the dark.
"Think about it." Finger ticked off points on his fingers. "Last time that foreign contractor came—the one who killed Ladon—I was standing right there when he talked with the principal. You were there too, remember? The principal said he needed to confirm specific intelligence about the dragon in Kunlun. That was nearly two weeks ago. Plenty of time to gather information."
He glanced around to ensure privacy before continuing. "Plus, have you noticed the Equipment Department lunatics have been even more unhinged than usual lately? And I've heard the Executive Department is recalling all their elite operatives from field assignments worldwide. That's not routine rotation—that's mobilization for something big."
Finger's expression grew serious, the joking mask dropping for a moment. "This is obviously preparation for a major dragon-slaying operation. And whatever's in Kunlun must be extraordinarily important to warrant this level of response."
Chu Zihang stopped walking, studying Finger's face for signs of his usual nonsense. But the information broker was deadly serious.
"Even if you don't trust me as a person," Finger said quietly, "trust my information network. When have I ever been wrong about intelligence?"
He hadn't. Finger's reputation as the "Paparazzi King" wasn't just campus gossip—his information was consistently accurate and comprehensive. If he said mobilization was happening, mobilization was happening.
"If it's dragon-slaying, Gustave will handle it." Chu Zihang resumed walking, his tone matter-of-fact. "We'll just observe."
"Yeah... I guess so?" Finger followed, though his expression suggested he wasn't entirely convinced it would be that simple.
They arrived at the administrative building to find two familiar faces already waiting: Caesar Gattuso and Chen Motong.
"Chu Zihang." Caesar spoke without preamble, his aristocratic bearing evident even in casual dress. "Did the principal summon you as well?"
"Yes." Chu Zihang's response was characteristically brief.
"Then we'll go up together." Caesar gestured toward the entrance.
Despite the ongoing rivalry between the Student Union and Lionheart Society—which had intensified recently—the two presidents maintained cordial relations. Not friendship, exactly. More like the mutual respect of worthy opponents. Professional courtesy between classmates.
Of the four students heading to the principal's office, Chen Motong was the only one who knew exactly why Anjou had summoned them. She'd been the one to relay Gustave's intelligence about Kunlun to China. Her uncle Chen Yingfeng had subsequently briefed her on the planned assault against the King of Sky and Wind.
Caesar, by contrast, knew nothing despite being confirmed as heir to the Gattuso family. No one had deemed him important enough to brief on dragon-slaying operations. The realization that Chen Motong—younger and ostensibly less powerful—had better intelligence access than him was quietly infuriating.
The four students rode the elevator in comfortable silence, arriving at the principal's floor within minutes. Chu Zihang knocked, and the door opened immediately.
Stroev stood in the doorway—the former Lionheart Society president who'd passed the position to Chu Zihang. He'd apparently received his summons earlier than the others.
"Senior brother." Chu Zihang nodded respectfully.
"Junior brother." Stroev returned the acknowledgment, stepping aside to let them enter.
Anjou sat behind his desk, surrounded by the comfortable clutter that characterized his office—ancient texts, alchemical implements, half-empty bottles of fine whiskey. He looked up as they filed in, his expression unreadable.
"Good, everyone's here. Find seats wherever you'd like."
The students arranged themselves around the office—some in chairs, others leaning against bookshelves or walls. When they'd settled, Anjou's demeanor shifted subtly. The affable professor vanished, replaced by something harder. More dangerous.
"I'll be brief. Five days from now, Cassel College will join forces with the Secret Party, the European and North American hybrid families, the Chinese government, and the Chinese mixed-blood community. Together, we will launch a coordinated assault."
The room went absolutely still. Except for Chen Motong, who'd known this was coming, every student was struck silent by the implications. What kind of dragon required that level of unified response? The entire global hybrid community working together was unprecedented.
Anjou didn't drag out the revelation. "The target of this operation is the King of Sky and Wind. In complete form."
The words landed like physical blows.