Lu Mingfei Development Program

Chapter 407 Contract
Lu Mingfei was silent for a moment, and continued to cut the lamb chops on his plate with his knife and fork: "Go on."

Renata nodded and continued. On Christmas Eve, the icebreaker Lenin arrived on time with supplies, and this time, a young KGB major named Bondarev came with the Lenin.

Although it was later proved that Major Bondarev's identity was completely forged, everyone in Black Swan Port believed in his identity at that time.

After all, in a port where outsiders can be seen only once a year, who would doubt a kind officer who brings cigarettes to the soldiers, beautiful clothes to the nurses, and toys to the children in the port?
Herzog also had complete faith in Major Bondarev, especially after he showed him "sincerity".

Most people in the port are still immersed in the joy of the approaching Christmas, but they have no idea that the great Soviet Union that made them proud is about to disintegrate, and the future of everyone here is unknown.

Herzog, the only one among the port's top brass who was informed of the news, reached an agreement with the major - they did not want the things in the port to disappear. The power contained in this port was enough to change the world, and it should not disappear.

The two hit it off and decided to take the secrets and achievements here and planned the destruction of Black Swan Port. Of course, the soldiers, nurses and children here must stay here forever.

Herzog generously organized a grand Christmas party. Everyone in the port received Christmas gifts. The soldiers received cigarettes and wine, the nurses received stockings, and the children received new clothes.

Renata took great care of her new clothes. The white shirt with embroidered lace and the tweed skirt were normal outfits for girls in the outside world, but they were her most beautiful clothes.

It was not only Herzog and Bondarev who knew that the port was going to be destroyed, but Renata, the least conspicuous of all the children, also knew about it. The child in Room Zero told her this and made her plan to escape.

But for a thirteen-year-old girl who had lived in isolation, what could she do even if she knew the port was going to be destroyed?
But she still has Zero, this mysterious boy who never appears with other children. He told her the escape plan step by step. She doesn't need to think, just do what he says.

The Christmas party came as scheduled, and Renata had prepared everything. In order to avoid Herzog's suspicion, she had to go to the Christmas party, but she couldn't stay too long, because the other party planned to blow up the port when the party was at its hottest.

Renata didn't want to take much with her, except for the new clothes she was wearing and a stuffed bear named Zorro, which was her birthday present and was brought here from Moscow by Herzog on an icebreaker.

Now the person who gave her the gift wants to kill her, but the little bear is innocent. Every night, she can only fall asleep by hugging Zorro.

Renata arrived at the Christmas party, and she was as unsociable as usual. Herzog also appeared at the party, and he naturally raised his glass to everyone, wishing them a happy night.

But only Renata knew that behind his seemingly kind face, there was a chill even colder than the wind and snow outside the port.

After finishing his speech, Herzog went back to work. Renata knew that he was going to start his destruction plan. It was time for her to move, too. Zero told her that she had to return to the place he had booked before the appointed time.

But Renata waited a long time for the time to come. She anxiously looked at the wall clock to confirm the time, but was horrified to find that the clock had been tampered with and had stopped, and all the exits of the venue were locked.

What frightened her even more were the people in the venue.

The soldiers hugged the nurses, not caring about the children kissing them wantonly. The children did not ask anything, because they were also imitating the adults' behavior. The whole hall was very hot, with an unusual atmosphere flowing, and both adults and children had flushed faces.

Herzog also tinkered with the heating.

Renata, who was alone, was found by someone. The boy sitting next to her asked her why she didn't dance. He pulled her onto the dance floor, as if he wanted her to blend into the weird atmosphere.

This unusual situation made Renata's mind go blank. She remembered what Zero had said to her before, that if she was late, he would abandon her and leave alone.

The sudden appearance of Zero surprised Renata, but she was not surprised at the same time. Although he had been staying in Room Zero, as if he had been forgotten by the world, only Renata herself knew that he could walk out of Room Zero and wander freely in Black Swan Harbor, like a ghost of Black Swan Harbor.

Renata had never seen Zero dressed so beautifully, in a navy blue woolen coat, like a noble young man returning from hunting. He entered the dance floor in a high-profile manner and beat away the boys who forced her.

Then, on a sudden impulse, he invited Renata to dance with him.

His dancing was so skillful that he didn't look like a child at all. The soldiers applauded him unwillingly and the nurses winked at him, not noticing that this child looked a little strange.

Renata asked him why he knew how to dance, and Zero replied that he learned it from books... Now that I think about it, maybe it was at that time that Renata fell in love with dancing, because she always had to keep up with his dance steps.

Zero showed Renata the way out, and then disappeared again, just like he did every time he took her to roam Black Swan Harbor.

The escape plan officially began. Renata took her teddy bear and found Zero in Room 0. The latter looked a little dull, not like Zero who had just shined at the party.

The wind on the snowy plain was very cold, and Renata drove the sled across the snowy plain. She left Black Swan Harbor as she wished, and soon she would be able to return to Moscow to see her parents, who would surely be surprised by the beautiful appearance of their daughter.

During their escape, an interesting incident occurred. Renata learned later that Herzog was shot from behind by Bondarev on the same snowy plain.

Everything about Bondarev was fake, including his "sincerity". He never thought from the beginning that he would give Herzog half of what was in Black Swan Harbor. He took away Herzog's most proud work, three test-tube babies based on royal blood.

The Genji brothers and Uesugi Erie in the parallel world come from this, and the three Uesugi sisters in the new world come from Izanami's imitation of the old world.

What Renata didn't know at the time was that while her escape plan was underway, a plan called Swan's Death was also underway.

Black Swan Port was a top secret project among the top secret projects of the Soviet Union. Even the KGB, which claimed to know everything, only knew its code name. Because everyone knew that once the dragon gene was known to the outside world, a bloody storm would occur. And the death of the swan was to wipe out everything in this port in the event of an emergency.

Bright flames engulfed Black Swan Harbor, and before Renata had time to mourn for the children she had lived with for years, fighter jets whizzing through the sky and bullets falling past her brought her back to reality.

Renata suddenly discovered that the sled dogs that carried her away had locators in their collars.

She untied the sled dogs and let them escape on their own, which was also to buy time for herself. At that time, she didn't know that doing so would be morally condemned, and no one in Black Swan Port taught her to love animals.

Renata only found out later that the sled dogs, which she had regarded as a tool for escape, had already regarded her as the most important person. She was stunned for a long time after knowing this. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why she was most reluctant to recall this Christmas Eve.

The first round of shooting from the fighter jets ended with Renata miraculously surviving. Realizing that her escape plan might not go smoothly, she decided to fight back.

Among the supplies that Zero had asked her to carry was a DShK machine gun, and Renata was a little confused as she carried it. What was the use of such a heavy thing that took her so much effort? But now she understood.

However, even Zero had his share of miscalculations. He probably never imagined that this machine gun, which might have been so powerful half a century ago, would jam.

Deshka failed to play its due role, but the fighter plane was still able to launch. Renata was blown away, shrapnel pierced her body, and the flames burned her beautiful blonde hair. She wanted to return to Moscow beautifully, but she could not go back.

Tears flowed out and then froze quickly. Renata, who was waiting to die silently, saw Zero stand up and walk towards her. But what was the use? Zero had made a contract with her that could only be separated by death.

This was the first oath in her life, and she kept it. But the price was her death.

Renata murmured this sentence, and Zero was stunned for a long time, sneering and saying that she had indeed never been deceived, and that oaths were the most unreliable things in the world. Now that she had become tattered and useless to him, there was no need for him to keep his oath...

However, Zero still hugged her and handed her a tin box with a withered yellow flower in it. Zero once told Renata that friends should exchange gifts with each other, but besides Zorro, she only had this withered flower.

There are very few flowers that can bloom in the Arctic Circle, and the flowering period is short. Renata found this small flower, put it in a white iron box, and hid it in Zorro's stomach. This way she could escape the nurses' inspection and she could carry the small flower with her all the time.

Renata reluctantly gave the flower to Zero, but when Zero gave her a gift, he said he had nothing to give her. Just when Renata was about to get upset, she heard Zero say that he would give her freedom as a gift.

Zero was unhappy to see the tattered Renata because the girl had not received the gift he sent, and he did not want to abandon her because it would make him look like a bad guy. So, he and Renata signed a new contract.

Renata felt like she was laid flat on the ice, but she had never felt so warm before. She heard Zero renewing the contract with her, just like an emperor who had been lost for several epochs, found the concubine he should have favored, and announced his ownership of her to the world.

And in Renata's heart, the words of his contract were also echoing: We will not abandon each other or betray each other along the way, until...

……

"...until the end of death." Lu Mingfei covered his forehead with his hands. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hair and could not be seen clearly.

He was naturally familiar with this sentence. He had signed the same contract with Uesugi Eriya before in Takamagahara. He didn't think much about it at that time, but just felt that there seemed to be a dying girl like Eriya who said this sentence in front of him.

The vague memory seemed to become clearer and clearer, and the unclear girl's face became clearer and clearer. It was Renata. Although her height and figure were not much different from now, her face was much younger, and there were still some freckles on her face that had not faded.

There were many things he still couldn't remember, but he remembered about Renata, including the fact that she later used his code name, Zero, as her own name.

It seems that Renata is not the only one who remembers the escape at the end of the world.

"…Herzog, who escaped, went to Japan and discovered Bondarev's plan." Renata was still talking about the old world.

"That's enough." Lu Mingfei interrupted her. He already knew what happened to Herzog in the parallel world. However, in the old world, he successfully seized the throne of Izanami, although he still died in the end.

Actually, he obviously wanted to know about Herzog, but what Renata talked about most was her and Zero.

"I..." Lu Mingfei looked at Renata, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Renata's beautiful face was extremely calm, like a female tsar sitting quietly, without any immaturity in the story she told. When she told the story, her face was calm throughout the whole process, and when she described the process of concluding the contract, her face was still calm, and when she saw Lu Mingfei's expression change, her face was still calm...

It seemed that it was just as she had just said. Everything that happened in the old world, including the escape on the snowy plain, was meaningless to her.

Lu Mingfei seemed to realize something and sat up straight subconsciously, then his elbow touched a paper bag hanging behind his chair. He brought this with him. When Chen Motong dragged him shopping, he suddenly saw this thing and felt that it was inexplicably pleasing to the eye, so he bought it.

He glanced at Renata, turned around, took the bag off and held it in his hand. He took out the beautifully packaged box inside and opened it in front of Renata.

Inside the box is a teddy bear doll.

(End of this chapter)