Chapter Forty-Five
“Angry?”
The black dragon shook its head slightly and said, “Isn’t your script quite rigorous and logical? I admire it, I couldn’t possibly be angry.”
Gao Ying couldn’t tell if the black dragon was speaking sincerely or being sarcastic. She watched it cautiously for a while before timidly asking, “...Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?” The black dragon yawned lazily. “It’s just taking a few missiles—what’s the big deal? It’s much more believable than that nonsense about a romance between a human and a dragon.”
“A black dragon, madly in love with a human woman, willing to die and live again for her... Such a melodramatic plot! Don’t ask me to act it; just imagining it makes me want to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with my claws.”
The black dragon complained sincerely, “Compared to that, your idea is clearly more reasonable. It’s much easier for me to play along, so don’t worry. I’ll cooperate fully and play the role of the domesticated dragon well.”
“That’s wonderful, Mr. Huang! You’re so understanding—thank you for your support!” Gao Ying jumped up excitedly and rushed forward, wanting to hug the black dragon.
Unfortunately, the dragon’s body was far too massive for her. She collided as if with a wall, bounced back, and fell to the ground.
But Gao Ying wasn’t discouraged at all. Instead, she couldn’t help but smile foolishly—she seemed to have found the right way to tame the black dragon.
…………
The research team worked with remarkable efficiency. After Gao Ying reported back, they assembled the crew that afternoon to film the scene where the native black dragon accidentally entered Xia’s territory and was shot down by missiles.
Of course, the plot was simple, with hardly any dialogue or dramatic scenes. The dragon only needed to pretend to be dazed and fly into the territory, then get hit by a few missiles and successfully crash, playing dead on the ground.
“Mr. Huang... Are you alright?”
As soon as filming wrapped, Ding Xuewen and the others hurried over.
Originally, the director’s team planned to strap explosives to the black dragon and use missiles with dummy warheads to create a realistic explosion effect.
But the black dragon firmly opposed this. It believed that the domestication of the dragon was a long-term, important image project, and many would scrutinize it in the future. Authenticity was paramount; nothing could be faked.
So it suggested using real missiles for the scene.
…………
Everyone was stunned by the black dragon’s pursuit of perfection, and they knew it had a valid point. The domesticated dragon persona was vital for Xia; any slip could lead to disastrous consequences.
So they accepted the dragon’s suggestion and used two genuine Thunderbolt-12 missiles, staging the scene for real.
While everyone was touched by the dragon’s dedication and worried about its safety, only Gao Ying sensed something odd—Mr. Huang, the black dragon, seemed to have a masochistic streak...
“I’m fine!” The black dragon, dusty and battered, climbed up from the ground and said carelessly, “What’s this? Why are you all doubting me again? Haven’t you always had confidence in me?”
The two missiles, fired from fighter jets, struck the dragon’s back from above. Not only did they knock off several glued-on scales, but the force also tore open its wounds, leaving it bloodied and looking truly devastated—a perfect effect for the scene.
Yet despite such serious injuries, the black dragon seemed completely unfazed, proudly declaring,
“Even though my body is heavily suppressed within Xia, you really think two anti-air missiles with less than a hundred kilograms of warhead could kill or cripple me? You’re underestimating me—I didn’t charge hundreds of thousands of degrees of electricity for nothing!”
“So, what’s the next scene?” The black dragon shifted the topic, curiosity in its voice. “Will I be taken back to the base for research and examination?”
“...Yes.” Ding Xuewen, seeing the dragon was indeed unharmed, relaxed and smiled. “According to standard procedure, Mr. Huang, you’ll be brought to the institute for scientific research.”
“And then?” the black dragon asked. “If it’s just research, it’s hard to see how I’d become loyal to Xia, right?”
“Exactly.” Ding Xuewen nodded. “Rest assured, Mr. Huang, we’re not naïve enough to think some scientific experiments would overturn a dragon’s worldview and make it truly devoted.”
“This should be a long, subtle process—after the dragon gets to know every aspect of Xia, its heart will gradually accumulate change. Eventually, the quantitative shift becomes qualitative, awakening its mind so it decides to defy fate and become the first revolutionary dragon in history.”
“…Alright, sounds good. Let’s follow your plan.” Hearing this, the black dragon realized they understood the stakes, not the work of amateur screenwriters, but a meticulous, logical strategy.
“Revolutionary dragon... that name has real impact.”
…………
Filming continued. The black dragon closed its eyes, feigning death, waiting for the military to transport it back to the base for a week of research and inspection.
From this day forward, its primary identity was no longer Huang Ze of Xia, but the native black dragon, Dius...
And Huang Ze had a vague intuition: the identity of revolutionary dragon would become more than just a role he played—it would merge with his life and accompany him forever...
………
7:20 p.m. the next day, CCTV News.
“According to our reports, at 4:35 yesterday afternoon, a black dragon accidentally entered our airspace.”
“The local border forces responded swiftly, dispatching fighter jets to intercept. After repeated warnings failed, they regretfully had to fire missiles and shoot it down…”
A twenty-second video played: two J-20 fighters decisively fired missiles, felling the giant dragon.
The news quickly went viral online.
…………
On a popular internet forum:
“Amazing, my country! Even a dragon got shot down!”
“My god, it’s huge—must weigh two hundred tons!”
“Wonder how they’ll handle the dragon. Hope it’s fair, maybe every household gets a share.”
“Dream on! Just one dragon divided among over a billion people—there wouldn’t even be enough soup…”
“Too bad it happened at the border, too far away. Otherwise, maybe I could collect some dragon blood or meat.”
“...Don’t you all think this black dragon is pitiful? It didn’t resist at all, just got taken down by missiles.”
“For real. I’m a member of the Dragon Protection Association—seeing the dragon slaughtered like this, my heart aches…”