Manbo Qian had a lively personality.
Uchiha Hikari also made an effort to get to know her, seizing the chance to probe for information about Cassell College.
So, by the time the several-hour flight ended, the two seemed quite friendly.
During the trip, while grabbing a meal mid-flight, Uchiha Hikari subtly placed a mark on Manbo Qian. With her black contact lenses, her Sharingan was perfectly concealed, leaving no one the wiser.
After landing, Manbo Qian took a taxi from the airport and invited Uchiha Hikari to join her, dropping her off at a nearby hotel.
"Well, see you later, little sister Fengshi~"
Manbo Qian waved. "My family lives in BJ, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. If you want to go sightseeing in the next few days and don't know the way, feel free to call me. If I'm free, I can come hang out with you."
"Really? Thanks in advance, Big Sis Wan!"
Uchiha Hikari smiled and waved goodbye, watching the taxi drive off.
Then, she turned and entered the hotel, booked a room at the front desk, and bought a map, studying it as she walked.
The capital in 2009 was still a very unfamiliar place to her. With similar-sounding place names jumbled together and the subway lines not as developed as in later years, navigating as a tourist would've been a headache.
Luckily, she didn't need to know too much.
She just had to familiarize herself with the area near the end of Line 1, around "Apple Garden," where Fenrir was located—
That area used to be an industrial zone under Shougang Steel, but since 2005, most operations had gradually moved to Hebei, leaving only a few administrative departments and some family housing complexes behind. She figured Xia Mi's house from the original story was likely in one of those complexes, and her "parents" were probably Shougang workers.
"Speaking of which, Xia Mi's probably attending that preparatory class right now, huh?"
A Dragon King could alter others' memories, true, but the "preparatory class" was a secret branch of Cassell College for screening hybrids. Without completing it fully, it'd be hard to slip past Cassell and Norma's checks.
If that was the case…
She might run into her on this trip.
"I'll scout the area tomorrow, get a feel for the terrain and surveillance setup… The plan is peaceful contact, but I'd better be ready for a fight just in case."
"Later, I'll go shopping and get a bus card…"
Uchiha Hikari studied the map on her phone, roughly sketching out a plan.
The things she needed to buy weren't weapons or gear—those were already in her universal capsules and scrolls.
Instead…
"This, this, and that—fifty packs of each, please."
In a supermarket near the hotel, Uchiha Hikari pointed at a row of potato chips, speaking to the clerk nearby.
The clerk: "?"
"Little miss, uh… potato chips have expiration dates. If you buy too many and can't finish them, they'll go bad."
"No worries, I've got a big family."
After buying two to three hundred packs of potato chips in one go, Uchiha Hikari moved on to children's toys.
Things like teddy bears, remote-controlled cars, shiny plastic balls…
These, of course, were for Fenrir.
As the twin of the King of Earth and Mountains, Fenrir had been confined in Nibelungen since awakening, with a mental capacity akin to a five- or six-year-old child. The food and toys he had were all brought in by Xia Mi. And in his mind, potato chips were "the best food in the world."
So…
Using these to trade for some dragon blood and scales from the silly kid shouldn't be a problem.
If possible, she'd also like to collect a sample of Xia Mi's blood.
After all, Fenrir's condition seemed a bit off. It wasn't clear if it was due to his mind not fully maturing after waking or some issue with his bloodline. If a suppressant made from his blood ended up lowering intelligence as a side effect, that wouldn't be ideal…
…
The next morning, Uchiha Hikari took a ride to Apple Garden, getting familiar with the surroundings.
She also walked to the "Gaijing Station" labeled 101, slipping inside for a look.
As expected, as an "ordinary person," even walking along the subway tunnel to the abandoned "Black Stone Station," she couldn't spot any trace of Nibelungen.
Instead, she stumbled upon what looked like a military base, with a ring of rundown Soviet-style white walls visible through iron bars and some old military planes parked inside.
Before the base's patrols could spot her, Uchiha Hikari slipped back out.
"No choice…"
"Guess I'll have to use that tedious, annoying method."
—Using a bus card, she'd need to enter every station on Line 1 and the loop line once within a day, swiping the card each time. Eventually, the card would turn gold, unlocking the hidden Station 100.
After resting up for the night, Uchiha Hikari began the process.
And then…
"…I know that dragon's a silly kid, but I really want to punch him."
If WeChat step counts existed, Uchiha Hikari figured her activity today would've ranked in the national top ten.
But when she held the now-golden card and stood on the Apple Garden platform, the scenery around her visibly warped, as if she'd jumped from 2009 to 1979. The walls turned old and crumbling, covered in cobwebs, and the tiles beneath her feet became moss-stained dark green. A faint "clank, clank" echoed from the tunnel's end, like a train approaching.
"So this is what Nibelungen looks like…"
A few minutes later, a pitch-black train pulled up to the platform, its doors opening to a dark interior.
Uchiha Hikari stepped in without hesitation, picked a seat, and closed her eyes to rest.
—According to the original story, this subway train was designed to protect people entering Nibelungen. Venturing into the tunnel without it could lead to dangerous encounters.
Of course…
"Danger" was only relative to ordinary humans. For Uchiha Hikari, it'd just be a warm-up to pass the time.
The doors closed.
The train started moving again.
Uchiha Hikari sat calmly in her seat until the train reached the final stop. She hopped off, stepping onto coal slag and gravel, and walked deeper into the tunnel.
And then…
She came upon a vast, empty cavern, with two golden "gas lamps" hanging high in the air.
Uchiha Hikari let out a soft breath and waved a hand. "Yo, hello."
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