The Nibelungen Plan—in this world, it was designed by Cassell College's Vice Principal, the Nightwatcher, Nicholas Flamel. It combined alchemical technology with biotechnology, using serum purified from dragon blood to awaken the dragon blood within hybrids.
Generally speaking, excessively increasing the dragon bloodline within one's body was extremely dangerous. It would throw the balance between dragon blood and human blood out of equilibrium, causing the dragon's bloodthirsty killing instincts to overwhelm human rationality. The end result was a monster that had lost all human will—a Deadman.
But the breakthrough of the Nibelungen Plan was that Flamel could artificially implant alchemical matrices into the human body. Using alchemy to suppress the dragon blood, a hybrid could break through the critical blood limit without losing their sanity. This way, the College could artificially create "super hybrids" capable of rivaling high-tier dragons.
One could imagine the sensation this plan caused when it was first proposed.
If it could be implemented without restriction—mass-producing super hybrids—then the threat of dragon awakening might no longer be a concern.
But the College soon discovered that the costs of this plan were enormous. Mass-producing super hybrids was simply impossible. Serum production was limited, and the highly difficult work of implanting alchemical matrices could only be performed by Flamel himself. At most, they could only complete one.
At this moment, Wa Zhu and the other Chinese hybrids weren't yet aware of the flaws that would later be discovered in the Nibelungen Plan. The project was still in its "sensation phase."
They simply judged that if the rumors were true, the threat level of Western powers would increase dramatically.
"Hmph. Ever since the Thirteen Factories opened in Guangzhou, countless precious relics have flowed out of China." Wa Zhu's little face darkened. "The Western Secret Party has always acted heavy-handedly. If the rumors are true, the presence of their Cassell China Branch is becoming more and more overbearing."
The Secret Party, as the "dragon-slaying faction" and "hawks" among hybrid groups, had established Executive Branches worldwide. In the name of dragon slaying, they wielded widespread influence across the globe.
The age of dragons had passed, but dragons hadn't all died—they had cocooned themselves in slumber, awaiting future awakening. The Secret Party's Executive Branch aimed to kill dragons once and for all.
And objectively speaking, they had indeed seized vast resources and benefits through "globalizing dragon slaying."
In comparison, China's hybrid clans—though possessing ancient lineages—were conservative in their ways. They were regional organizations that only concerned themselves with dragon slaying and hybrid interests within China proper.
"The Wa Zhu speaks truly. We should prepare early." Zhou Yuxuan agreed.
They decided to increase their level of attention toward Shirou Emiya.
"Zhou Yuxuan, when the time comes, you'll be responsible for meeting that kid from the East. For now, contact those people from the Daoist sects—bring in the masters from the Pill Cauldron Sect, Talisman Sect, and Divination Sect. Use the pretext that... I've recently gained some insights and wish to hold a discourse gathering with fellow practitioners."
"Understood."
Zhou Yuxuan's figure vanished from the hall.
Wa Zhu gazed at the cold moonlight outside the hall as it was gradually obscured by heavy clouds. Golden light flickered in her pupils, like rotating golden petals. "A storm is coming."
A cool breeze drifted through, stirring the girl's long trailing dress.
As the hem lifted, there were no legs beneath—only a curved, scale-covered appendage, like a serpent's tail.
That night. A certain city in southeastern China.
The city was divided into two parts by an invisible boundary. One part was the old district where major commercial areas were concentrated—also known as the CBD.
Mirror-faced skyscrapers with excellent reflective surfaces stood in rows. Under the night lights, they transformed into crystalline spires radiating an air of extravagance. The well-dressed people walking about were like devout followers of the cult of money.
At the other end of the city was the new district—a residential area newly developed from the suburbs. Everywhere were affordable housing units at reasonable prices. The roads were muddy and transportation inconvenient, yet the atmosphere was full of everyday life, worlds apart from the glittering CBD.
A little boy in a sharp little suit and bow tie stood alone on the rooftop of one of these affordable housing buildings.
The soundproofing in these cheap buildings wasn't very good—or perhaps his hearing was simply exceptional. Even from the rooftop, the boy could still hear the sounds from the floor below: his older brother Lu Mingfei, staying at their uncle and aunt's home, being ordered around to do chores.
The boy's eyes were half-lidded, a faint gloom surfacing on his face. His displeasure wasn't directed at the uncle and aunt, but at the chubby kid who had inexplicably taken his name—Lu Mingfei's cousin, "Lu Mingze."
Dark clouds quietly obscured the moon.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes snapped wide open. He looked toward the sky, words tumbling out filled with disbelief:
"Hm? The script... who changed it?!"
"A large-scale timeline deviation? A magus? An immortal? Holy Grail War... Chaldea...?"
What kind of chaotic future was this??
Shirou Emiya had no idea that tonight, his few words had caused many people to lose sleep, run themselves ragged, and even alter the future.
Anyway, he slept like a baby.
The next day, a well-rested Shirou began his preparations before departing for the mission.
Though calling it "preparations" was generous—there wasn't really much to worry about. With the original body's cold weapon combat skills, he did what he always did before missions: packed up some reinforced longswords and short swords, a black bow, and a bundle of arrows. (These reinforced weapons couldn't be detected by metal detectors, making security checks easy. He could even buy replacements at local stores once he arrived at the mission site.)
He sheathed the blades, sorted and bundled them with rubber bands, secured them with clips, and packed everything into a black case shaped like a cello case.
As for hot weapons preparation—that was usually his partner Old Tang's job.
Next came the mission itself.
According to the employer's requirements, they needed to arrive the day before the mission officially began to find the contact personnel.
Shirou had thought this was some kind of special treatment. But Old Tang had sworn up and down that he was overthinking it—just playing games together wasn't nearly enough to get special favors from Wa Zhu.
Old Tang had warned him: large-scale ruin exploration missions like this were always difficult. Those ancient ruins were prone to hauntings and deaths. Bounty hunters like them were the vanguard troops sent to the front—cannon fodder to scout for traps and pile up bodies.
With just that level of connection to Wa Zhu, special treatment was out of the question.
At most, if they survived to the end of the mission, they'd get slightly better rewards than the other teams.
Seeing that the experienced Old Tang had put it that way, Shirou stopped worrying.
Old Tang's luck had always been excellent. He automatically avoided danger during explorations, and partnering with him meant never worrying about accidents. Shirou just needed to memorize the routes inside the ruins so he wouldn't get lost following the directionally-challenged Old Tang.
Right now, Old Tang—who was all the way in North America—should have already departed early. Shirou was mulling this over as he closed the case, when his brow suddenly furrowed.
Wait. What if before the mission even started... Old Tang had already gotten lost trying to find the rendezvous point?
That evening, Shirou looked at the prominent banner standing outside the enclosed venue: "The Xth Jingchu Cultural Academic Symposium." Yep, this was the rendezvous point. But he didn't see any familiar faces.
He opened his phone and scrolled to Old Tang in his contacts.
"I'm here. Where are you?"
After a while, the other side finally responded: "HELP ME BRO, holy shit I'm about to get silenced! Coordinates xxx...!"
"Huh?"
[End of Chapter 5]