Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 178 The Battle of Xingtai (Part 2)

Li Chenglong laughed loudly: "You mere invader dares to spout such nonsense. Don't think that just because you're only level 10, you can do whatever you want on Earth. If you can immediately disarm and kneel down to surrender, I can let you die a quick death. If you kneel down and kowtow a hundred times, I can even let you become a watchdog in our Dawn City."

The fishman seemed not to understand Li Chenglong's words for a moment, and was listening intently to something. In less than 30 seconds, he became furious and said a series of words that Li Chenglong couldn't understand, but seeing his expression, Li Chenglong knew that the fishman was enraged.

He summoned a long harpoon, his body radiating a blue light. Several level 6 zombies nearby were instantly incinerated by this light, not even losing their crystals. Seeing that he was using his full power, Li Chenglong also became serious. His psionic form suddenly erupted from his body, and the two clashed. As the two fought, the zombies and zombie beasts around them retreated, fearing the impact of such a massive energy wave. Meanwhile, the human army, having already tacitly agreed, had long since moved away from this area of ​​the battlefield.

In battles between experts, the goal is often to determine the victor quickly. The murloc unleashed its full power and abilities from the start, while Li Chenglong, in addition to activating his psionic form, also activated his level two Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline. Although this was somewhat disrespectful to Yunlan, who had just given birth, Li Chenglong had scanned the murloc's attributes and abilities with his True Dragon Eye. This murloc was far stronger than any level 10 behemoth. Even three of the level 10 golden leopards he had fought earlier probably couldn't defeat this murloc. Furthermore, since the murloc had already used its full strength, Li Chenglong had to respond with equal force.

To minimize the time needed to affect Yunlan, Li Chenglong needed to finish the battle quickly. In his psionic form, both ordinary sword strikes and skills were significantly more powerful than in his normal state. However, the fishman seemed to possess similar abilities, and coupled with his armor, its defensive capabilities were astonishing. Li Chenglong's two consecutive slashes only managed to leave marks on the armor, but failed to penetrate it.

The two fought for a full three minutes, still evenly matched. After reaching level 9, Li Chenglong's psionic form could only be maintained for a maximum of five minutes; he needed to find a way to break through. His main priority now was to break through the merman's armor or find a weak point. "A weak point, a weak point," Li Chenglong thought to himself as he fought.

Suddenly, after a fierce exchange with the merman, he discovered that the helmet and armor of the merman's suit of armor were not securely connected, and this was very likely the weak point. However, the neck is one of the weakest points in the human body, and it will always be a priority to protect in every battle. Breaking through there will definitely not be easy. Li Chenglong glanced at the special forces team not far away, gave Zhao Liying and Wang Shuang a look, and the two nodded in understanding, then concealed themselves.

"Heaven-Splitting Dragon-Phoenix Slash!" Li Chenglong unleashed his full power, the dragon and phoenix sword energy slashing straight at the merman. "Raging Wave Shockwave!" The merman also unleashed a shockwave to meet the sword energy. Taking advantage of this opening, Li Chenglong swiftly used Galaxy Explosion, and the merman, caught off guard while desperately parrying the sword energy, was struck head-on by the dazzling ball of light. He was seen covering his eyes and gradually retreating, and Li Chenglong seized the opportunity to teleport behind the merman, instantly immobilizing him.

However, the merman's strength was astonishing. If Li Chenglong hadn't already used his Level 3 Dragon-Phoenix Blood, he really wouldn't have been able to subdue him. At this moment, Zhao Liying and Wang Shuang had already quietly arrived. "Shadow Kill!" "Shadowless Strike!" The two women, one in front and one behind, slashed at the merman's neck. The moment they arrived, Li Chenglong broke free from the merman's body, using spatial teleportation to prepare for the final blow.

After the two women landed their blow, they quickly scattered. A gash had appeared on the merman's neck, from which a bluish-green liquid seeped. The merman clutched his neck, trembling, and said, "You called for reinforcements, not a true warrior!" Li Chenglong didn't reply: "Heaven-Splitting Blood-Burning Slash!" A crimson dragon-phoenix sword aura flashed out, slashing towards the merman's head. At that moment, he also deactivated his psionic form: "Why bother with warrior etiquette with an alien invader like you?"

Seeing their commander dead, the other zombies and zombie beasts scattered, but Li Chenglong couldn't miss this opportunity and quickly ordered everyone to give chase. Seeing the alien species beginning to crumble, Commander Shangguan Feng of Black Gold City also ordered his soldiers to press forward, determined to annihilate them all.

Although Li Chenglong had only been on the battlefield for about 20 minutes and had only fought the fishman for 5 minutes, the consumption of energy was enormous. This fishman was far superior to a simple level 10 zombie or giant beast. It had high attributes, many skills, rich combat experience, and superb combat skills. It was the strongest enemy Li Chenglong had ever encountered in a long time.

He retreated to the Dawn Army's temporary position to rest. Just then, a messenger arrived with news that Regiment Commanders Qi Guoan and Zheng Aiguo, in coordination with General Sun Tianlong's troops, had launched a major battle against the zombies between Jinghai City and Linhai City. The fighting was still ongoing, but overall, our side held the advantage. Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Very good. Please send a message to the two regimental commanders, saying that our Xingtai campaign has entered its final stage and we have achieved a major victory. This will also boost their morale." "Yes, sir!" The messenger saluted and immediately contacted his men.

These were soldiers from the Dawn Army's information support unit. Together with the Dawn Army's joint logistics support unit, they provided an impregnable rear and information support for every battle. These were also two units that Li Chenglong and Zheng Yong were focusing on developing, and they received high praise from Generals Sun Tianlong and Feng Tian. After resting for half an hour, Li Chenglong threw himself back into the battle. His presence in the fight would help end the battle faster and reduce casualties.

At 2 PM on March 5th, except for a few zombies and zombie beasts that escaped, all other alien species were eliminated by the combined forces of the Dawn Army and Black Gold City. The commanders and key officers of both armies met and had a cordial conversation. General Shangguan Feng even praised the Dawn Army as the number one army in China. This time, the Dawn Army, with two regiments totaling 3000 soldiers, played a crucial role in the decisive battle of Xingtai, killing one level 10 fishman, six level 8 zombies, 22 level 7 zombies, and countless other alien species.

The Provisional Military Commission and Provisional Government of China also sent congratulatory telegrams immediately, congratulating them on their major victory. From then on, there were no more large-scale zombie outbreaks in southern Beihe Province, northern Nanhe Province, and southeastern Heijin Province. After meeting, Li Chenglong and Shangguan Feng had a simple meal, exchanged pleasantries, discussed the subsequent battle plans and arrangements, and then distributed the spoils of war.

At 4 PM, due to the shorter distance, the troops from Black Gold City set off first, preparing to return to the city to rest and regroup for the next battle. Li Chenglong's Dawn Army, however, had indeed marched a long way on this westward expedition, covering nearly 500 km. The soldiers were exhausted from the day's march, and returning overnight was impractical. Li Chenglong decided that the army would rest for the night, set off again the next morning, and return to Dawn City the following evening.

During dinner that evening, soldiers from the information support unit came to report that Wei Lanxin's 6th Regiment, along with Xu Qingming's troops, had launched a pincer attack from the north and south as planned and achieved good results. Li Chenglong happily told everyone, "Today, we have received reports of victories from the north, west, and south. Adding to the victory against the sea monster we achieved a few days ago, that makes it a great victory on four fronts."

Everyone had tried to persuade Li Chenglong that now that the battle was over, he should go back and reunite with Yunlan and their unborn child, but he refused. Li Chenglong said, "The battle is over anyway, there's no need to rush. I brought everyone here, so of course I have to personally lead everyone back." Han Xiaoling said, "But you should at least make a phone call first. We've achieved such a great victory; a phone call is necessary." Li Chenglong replied with a smile, "I already made the call. Yunlan even let me hear the baby's laughter. Apparently, the baby only cried when he was born, and now he rarely cries."

Wang Shuang said, "I've heard that babies tend to cry when they're too cold or too hot, when they're sleeping in the wrong position, or when no one is around to comfort them, or when they're hungry or need a diaper change. Team Leader Yun said the baby hasn't cried much, so it must be because he's being taken good care of him." Zhao Liying asked curiously, "Sister Wang, how do you know so much? Don't you have children?" Wang Shuang replied somewhat sadly, "I actually had children and a wonderful family, but unfortunately, with the apocalypse, everything was gone."

Hearing her words, everyone felt a little somber. Liu Fang quickly changed the subject: "Captain Li, have you decided on a name for the child? Choosing a name is a big deal; it affects the child's entire life." Li Chenglong nodded: "Yes, after our discussion, we unanimously decided to name the child Li Yunhao, hoping he will grow up to be a steady, reliable, broad-minded, united, gentle yet strong person. As for his nickname, let's call him Haohao." Yang Liu nodded: "That's a good name. With Captain Li and Captain Yun's guidance, the child will definitely thrive."

After chatting for a while, the conversation turned to today's battle. Li Chenglong said, "I'm quite satisfied with today. Zhao Liying and Wang Shuang were very cooperative and worked together perfectly to help me kill that level 10 murloc." Zhao Liying was a little embarrassed, "Captain Li, you're joking. This is all thanks to our training. Even if Wang Shuang and I hadn't played, you could have defeated him." Wang Shuang replied that it was all her duty. As a member of the special forces, she had to be able to make judgments and the right choices based on the changing situation at any time.

Tonight's dinner was also specially arranged by Li Chenglong. Although it took a long time to prepare, all the soldiers had Dawn Rice and alien beast meat to eat, as well as some fresh vegetables and fruits. However, there was a little less fruit, which might not be enough for everyone. Many veteran soldiers gave up the fruit and gave it to the new soldiers or the wounded.

During this time, Hao Dahai and Zhao Gang delivered battle reports from the two regiments. The Third Regiment had eliminated over 36,000 alien creatures today, with 305 casualties; the Fourth Regiment had eliminated over 33,000 alien creatures today, with 322 casualties. Adding to yesterday's losses, both regiments had suffered casualties of one-third, a significant loss. Li Chenglong instructed the two men to handle the matter according to the Dawn Army's regulations, recording the names of the martyrs one by one, and to discuss and compensate the families of the martyrs based on their military merits. He also stressed the importance of completing the follow-up work.

No one from the special forces team was killed today, only Jiang Dali was injured. Wang Shuang also reached level 7 in today's battle, further enhancing the team's combat effectiveness. Li Chenglong also set higher expectations for the team: they should be tasked with eliminating more advanced alien species in the future. The special forces team is fully capable of doing this, thus minimizing the casualties among ordinary soldiers.

Early the next morning, the two combat regiments set off back to Dawn City. En route, they encountered a small, scattered group of zombies, which Zhao Gang dispatched a battalion to wipe out within minutes. At 5 PM, the group arrived in Dawn City on time. The city's defense troops stood in two rows, welcoming the heroes home and the martyrs back to safety.

Li Chenglong ordered the two regiments to return to rest, while he led the special forces back to Shuguang City. Yun Lan and other Shuguang City officials were already waiting at the city gates. Seeing the baby in Yun Lan's arms, Li Chenglong quickly went over and took him. The baby, who had been sleeping soundly, immediately began to cry. Wang Shuang immediately said, "Captain Li, that's not how you hold a baby. You have to hold it like this." She then took the baby and comforted him for a few dozen seconds until the child stopped crying and started smiling. The special forces members surrounded the baby, looking at his adorable little face, and couldn't help but smile.

Li Chenglong walked up to the group, first shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with Zheng Yong, Ma Tiancheng, Yun Qian, and others. Then, seeing Li Chenglong dressed in loose clothing, she hugged her tightly. Yun Lan smiled and said, "Welcome home, baby's father." The two hugged for a full minute before separating. The special forces members, led by Yang Liu, also left. Wang Shuang slowly handed the child to Qin Fangyu and then left as well.

Zheng Yong said, "Let's not talk about business today. You should go home and spend time with your family. Tomorrow morning, I'd like to hold a meeting between Dawn City and the Dawn Army. Wu Gang, Zheng Aiguo, Qi Guoan, and Wei Lanxin's troops will be returning soon, so we can use this time to rest and discuss our future actions." Li Chenglong nodded, "That's a good idea. There are still quite a few issues to resolve. Tomorrow is a bit too rushed. Let's postpone it until the day after tomorrow. How about a meeting between the main political and military leaders?" Zheng Yong and Ma Tiancheng immediately agreed.

After discussing these matters, Liu Chenglong, following the method Wang Shuang had taught him, carried the child and slowly went upstairs with Yun Lan and the others.