Chapter Fifty: The News

Fortunately, the plot is straightforward, and filming shouldn’t be too difficult. I suppose my main task each day will still be recharging… At that thought, Black Dragon couldn’t help but feel a touch of anticipation.

Here, “recharging” wasn’t a metaphor for learning or self-improvement, but simply meant replenishing energy—electricity, in the most literal sense.

Since returning home, Black Dragon’s body had managed to store some four to five hundred thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity, albeit sporadically. Yet, given that it had just come back, there were many matters requiring its attention, and it had never had a chance to determine exactly how much electricity its body could contain.

Huang Ze estimated that storing a million kilowatt-hours shouldn’t be an issue.

“One kilowatt-hour is about the same as eight hundred and fifty grams of TNT. So a million kilowatt-hours would be eight hundred and fifty tons!”

Black Dragon felt a surge of pride. “Good heavens, I’m truly formidable!”

“But… if a seventh-tier lifeform is this strong, then just how powerful are eighth or ninth-tier lifeforms?”

“What, then, is the primary energy source within their bodies? Surely bioenergy alone couldn’t sustain such massive beings?”

Black Dragon fell into contemplation.

After all, an eighth-tier lifeform’s energy reactions equated to a terrifying ten thousand tons of TNT, and a ninth-tier lifeform surpassed a million tons!

If they relied solely on bioenergy, that would mean an eighth-tier lifeform would need to eat over ten thousand tons of food at a time, and a ninth-tier one would require more than a million tons!

Such a staggering scale—never mind the resource-poor worlds beyond these borders, not even a nation like Xia could possibly support such a creature. A ninth-tier lifeform could very well devour an entire country into ruin!

“Sigh… I suppose I can’t get too arrogant. Compared to them, I’m just a novice.”

Black Dragon reflected. He also knew that the material world imposed severe limits on higher lifeforms; in the wild beyond, there were virtually no eighth or ninth-tier entities.

Unless one ventured into the stars or deep beneath the earth, he—a fully grown Black Dragon with an unlocked electric-energy upgrade—could almost roam this world unchallenged.

Yet Huang Ze possessed some foresight. As a citizen of Xia, he was well aware that he’d inevitably have to deal with powerful beings from the Divine Nation, the Abyss, or even Hell. To protect his homeland, to safeguard this great civilization, he must keep getting stronger.

“Sigh… I’ll have to discuss with Academician Ding and the others whether it’s feasible to install a nuclear reactor in my stomach…”

The thought flashed through Black Dragon’s mind; it wasn’t a fanciful whim, but a genuine consideration.

He was never quite at ease with this dragon body—the power of a dragon’s bloodline ultimately originated from the divine, specifically the Dragon God Hypernion.

Ever since the last technological upgrade—no, since the bloodline evolution, when the Dragon God brazenly demanded a bribe—Huang Ze had felt a vague unease. It always seemed as though this power wasn’t truly his own, that the core technology, the essential code, was in someone else’s hands. If relations soured one day, the other party could simply lock him out at the bloodline level, and he’d be utterly powerless.

So Huang Ze planned to gradually diminish the power of the dragon’s blood, replacing it as much as possible with nuclear or electric energy. Ideally, he would evolve into a pure energy lifeform, breaking free from the shackles of his bloodline once and for all.

…

Li Mao was a reporter for the Southern Capital Daily.

If any news story had captured the public’s attention these past two days, it was certainly the Black Dragon.

Two days ago, CCTV had broadcast the story of the Black Dragon entering the country and being shot down by missiles, which quickly set off a nationwide sensation.

Dragons, as extraordinary creatures, were inherently legendary and made for captivating headlines. Moreover, the authorities had adopted a proactive attitude: rather than suppressing the news or keeping it under wraps, they’d promptly released video footage of the dragon’s arrival and subsequent shootdown, following up with continuous coverage. They even partnered with CCTV to launch a live program called “Close Encounters with the Dragon,” thoroughly stoking public interest.

Today, the authorities held a press conference specifically to address popular questions and curiosities.

As the paper’s top reporter, Li Mao was naturally assigned to cover the event.

…

“Mr. Liu, can you tell us about the current health of the Black Dragon?” a CCTV reporter, having secured the chance to ask a question, spoke up eagerly at the press conference.

“The Black Dragon’s condition is steadily improving. It’s now out of danger and has regained consciousness,” answered spokesman Liu Weihan.

“Mr. Liu, how does our country plan to handle the dragon? Will it be dissected for research?” another reporter followed up.

“There are currently no such plans,” Liu Weihan replied. “Xia is a responsible and civilized nation. We respect all sentient beings in this world and guarantee that we will not conduct dissection or research on them against their will, as that would be a grave disrespect to life itself.”

“The Black Dragon is, after all, an intelligent lifeform. Even though it trespassed into our airspace without permission, gravely violating our sovereignty and breaking national defense laws, we will still respect its rights as a dragon and will not jeopardize its physical integrity by subjecting it to dissection or harmful research,” Liu Weihan continued.

“Mr. Liu, what punishment will the Black Dragon ultimately face? Will it be sentenced?” another reporter asked.

“That will depend on the dragon’s attitude toward admitting its guilt,” said Liu Weihan with a smile. “At present, our main approach is to focus on criticism and education. After all, our domestic environment is far from suitable for dragons, and keeping it here forcibly to serve a sentence would pose serious threats to its physical and mental health.”

“Therefore, out of a sense of responsibility, after conducting some basic research and public education, we will consider releasing the Black Dragon back into the wild.”

“What?” All the reporters present were in an uproar. This was a dragon—one of the most powerful creatures in nature. To simply let it go after it landed on their doorstep—wasn’t that a waste?

“Mr. Liu, dragons are reputed to be immensely valuable, and they’re known for holding grudges. Is it not too hasty to release it so easily?” Li Mao couldn’t help but speak up excitedly.

“My journalist friend, the notion that every part of a dragon is a treasure is not only wholly mistaken, but also deeply disrespectful to dragons as a species,” Liu Weihan said, looking stern. “I’m sure you all saw last night’s ‘Close Encounters with the Dragon’ program, which used extensive experiments to clearly demonstrate that dragon flesh and blood are highly toxic.”

“I hope everyone will adhere to journalistic ethics and refrain from spreading misleading ideas about dragons being a source of treasure or that eating their flesh and drinking their blood can grant longevity.”

“But many netizens believe that the footage aired on the program was faked or staged…” Li Mao pressed on.

“Whether it was fake or not, I trust everyone can judge for themselves. Please do not view your own country through the lens of conspiracy theories,” Liu Weihan responded, his expression grave.