Chapter Eleven: The Cost of Meals

"How is that childish?" Liu Weihan replied with some displeasure. "I admit my idea is a bit fanciful, but from a technical standpoint, there are indeed aspects that are achievable!"

"Besides, don't you think that such a cybernetic dragon would be truly powerful in every sense of the word? Even those lofty deities might not be a match for it."

"It would indeed be formidable," Researcher Ma sighed with longing, "Imagine it—a nuclear-powered dragon forged entirely of metal, streaking through the sky at thousands or even tens of thousands of Mach under the control of a warp engine. Its breath, a purgatory blaze of millions of degrees, and a glare that unleashes gamma rays at the frequency of quintillions of hertz... Forget gods—even the Creator Himself would be hard-pressed to withstand it."

Clearly, Researcher Ma was not without imagination himself, though he remained more rational. "But is such a cybernetic dragon really possible? At present, we haven’t even mastered controlled nuclear fusion. How could we have the capability to carry out such modifications on a dragon?"

"Let’s put it another way—even if we could, would Mr. Huang Ze really be willing to undergo such transformation?"

"Why wouldn’t he?" Liu Weihan asked, baffled. "Wouldn’t he want to become even more powerful?"

"That’s not so certain," Researcher Ma shook his head, recalling the black dragon’s behavior. "Mr. Huang Ze isn’t a true dragon. His temperament is rather laid-back. Compared to the pursuit of power, he probably cares more about his next meal. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed back to his homeland without a second thought."

"I can tell—more than being a dragon, Mr. Huang Ze probably wishes to be human again."

"I don’t believe that. A cybernetic dragon is the ultimate dream of every man! I’m sure Mr. Huang Ze would be interested," Liu Weihan insisted. "And even if he’s not, we can always nurture that interest in him over time..."

...

“Whew! Whew!”

The unmanned truck glided slowly along the highway, crossing the border. Almost at the same moment, the sleeping dragon shuddered violently, like a drowning man suddenly breaking the surface, gasping so fiercely that cyclones swirled around him, his thunderous breaths audible hundreds of meters away.

The dragon was oblivious, only slowly returning to his senses after a while. As he opened his eyes, he realized he had been sent back overseas.

"It really does feel much better!" Huang Ze stretched, greedily drawing in the magical elements in the air.

Colonel Liu hadn’t lied to him—indeed, the environment beyond the border was far more suitable for a dragon’s existence. There were no magical elements within the country, a place utterly inhospitable for dragons—staying there was even more unbearable than a fish out of water.

"Hey... why are you all so far away from me?" Huang Ze looked around, finally noticing that all the staff were clad in full protective suits, standing two or three hundred meters away, studying him warily.

"Mr... Huang... we... really have... no choice..."

"Out... here... your... dragon’s aura... is too... strong. We don’t... dare get too... close to you..." Liu Weihan’s voice came through the truck’s speakers, halting and broken, as if the signal was being disrupted by something.

"Seriously? Isn’t that a bit much?" Huang Ze was taken aback. They didn’t dare approach him even in protective suits—was his dragon’s aura really that dangerous?

And it could even interfere with electromagnetic signals!

"It’s true, Mr. Huang," Liu Weihan explained. "It seems you don’t have a clear sense of your own power."

"Let me put it this way: with your current dragon’s aura, the energy you radiate per minute is about 200 roentgens, far exceeding the safe threshold for human exposure..."

"So even with protective suits, we can’t afford to get too close. I hope you’ll understand."

"I see..." Huang Ze fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "Saying that should really be my line. After all, it’s my inability to control my aura that’s causing trouble for everyone."

"Please, Mr. Huang, you’re being too courteous," Liu Weihan replied with a smile. "The fact that you risked everything and returned home is already the greatest trust and recognition you could show to our country and our work."

He wasn’t merely flattering—if it were anyone else transforming into a dragon, they might, out of paranoia or self-interest, lose all trust in their homeland and refuse to return.

Liu Weihan went on, "Besides, being able to communicate up close and amicably with a dragon is a dream for so many. So even if it’s troublesome, we’re actually quite happy deep down."

"I’m glad to hear that," Huang Ze breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since before returning home, he’d been sensitive and anxious, fearing that people would see him as a freak and shun him.

Six months of hardship as a dragon hadn’t diminished Huang Ze’s humanity; rather, it deepened his sense of belonging and identification with humans. He yearned for acceptance and trust above all, especially from his compatriots, and constantly hoped to become human again.

"Colonel Liu, I’m hungry again," the dragon said lazily, sprawled atop the truck, thoughts turning once more to food. "Can you get me something to eat?"

"Of course, no problem," Liu Weihan replied with a hearty laugh. "We’ve already prepared four tons of beef for you—enough to keep you satisfied!"

"That’s wonderful!" Tears of happiness welled up at the corners of Huang Ze’s mouth. In the half-year since he’d become a dragon, he’d never once eaten his fill!

...

Four tons of beef vanished without a trace, leaving Huang Ze rubbing his belly, more content and at peace than ever before.

Of course, he also felt a bit embarrassed.

"Um... Brother Liu, about my food expenses—how should we handle that?" Huang Ze asked. "My appetite is massive. I can’t let you foot the bill—it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of the country. So, could you keep a record of all the costs, and we’ll settle up later?"

Even at twenty or thirty yuan per half kilo, four tons of beef would be around two hundred thousand yuan—not a trivial sum.

And that was just one meal. The ongoing food expenses would be even greater—conservatively, they’d amount to hundreds of millions a year!

Such a huge outlay—if he pretended not to notice and let the country pay, it would be most unbecoming... or rather, most unbecoming of a dragon.

"That’s nothing you need to worry about," Liu Weihan said with a smile. "As a powerful dragon who hasn’t forgotten his homeland and trusts his country, naturally, you won’t be shortchanged. From now on, the state will cover all your food expenses!"

"I can’t accept that!" Huang Ze replied firmly, his sense of duty strong. "I have money of my own—how could I spend the taxpayers’ money? The country already promised to buy my dragon’s blood at market price—that’s an enormous expense. I can’t take advantage of the state any further!"