Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 260 Fierce Battle Under the Blizzard

At the division headquarters, Li Chenglong was having a meal with a dozen or so military officers, including the division commander and deputy division commander, while discussing how to fight the upcoming battles.

Rocket Regiment Commander Zhou Jihai and Political Commissar Liu Zhigang stated that they brought half of the regiment's Crystal Beam Cannons, a total of nine. Six were deployed to the main battlefield, and the remaining three to positions in the east. Chief of Staff Lu Ming was responsible for remaining in Dawn City to continue training the other Rocket Regiment soldiers.

Qi Guoan, a level 9 earth-type ability user, frowned and said, "According to what Commander Li just said, in such a large area as the Northern Theater Command, only four bases and the surrounding areas are experiencing blizzards. There must be something fishy about this. I feel that it might be caused by some very powerful zombies, or it might be a collaboration between zombies and aliens."

He paused and continued, "You know, we've seen quite a few aliens, including the hostile Dane and Kiel aliens, and the Merar and Hylan aliens who are our friends. Their abilities are all kinds of strange and their technology is very advanced. They might even be able to change the weather."

Zhao Chuanxin, deputy commander of the 3rd Division of the Dawn Army and a level 9 lightning-type ability user, and Ma Qi, political commissar and a level 9 speed-type ability user, nodded in agreement. Chief of Staff Liang Hong, a level 9 water-type ability user, said, "We must be on guard tonight. I've studied the battles of the past few days, and the zombies have been launching sneak attacks every night during the blizzard."

Song Chuyu, the political director of the 3rd Division of the Dawn Army and also a level 9 wind-type ability user, said: "Commander Li, Deputy Commander Yun, I have just followed your instructions and, together with Minister Qin Fangyu of the Logistics and Equipment Department, distributed enough warm clothing and high-calorie convenience food. We are just waiting for the possible battle tonight."

Li Chenglong nodded: "Okay, that way we can carry out our plan." Li Chenglong, Yun Lan, Ding Hai, and Qi Guoan had discussed this plan for a long time. In addition to basically executing the battle plan that Ding Hai and Li Chenglong had decided on at the meeting, this time they would launch a counterattack against the invading zombies. Two X1 ships from the Dawn City Air Force would also conduct close surveillance at high altitude, striving to find the location of the enemy's main camp. If they could also find out the cause of this blizzard, that would be even better.

The reason why Li Chenglong and Yun Lan both came to participate in the battle this time is mainly because the 3rd Division of the Dawn Army is relatively lacking in high combat power, and the level 9 ability users are mostly single-element ability users, while the other two divisions have at least two level 9 dual-element ability users.

However, to guard against potential attacks from the sea monsters to the east of Dawn City and the zombie army to the south, Li Chenglong had to keep the First and Second Divisions behind. Another point was that the Third Division's soldiers were predominantly northerners, including many former soldiers who were familiar with winter combat conditions.

As everyone was chatting, a soldier from the information support unit suddenly came in to report that they had just received a message from the air force that the zombies had launched an attack under the cover of night and in the blizzard. Li Chenglong stood up: "Notify all units of the Dawn Army to move into their designated positions and prepare to fight the invading zombies." Then he and Yunlan went out to tell Deputy Commander Ding Hai the news.

According to the regulations of the Provisional Military Commission of China and the Countermeasures Committee against Zombies in China, each war zone is headed by one commander, one political commissar, and several deputy commanders. The highest military officer at each base, except for the main base, is a deputy commander. However, there are exceptions, such as Li Chenglong, who is currently only a major general.

After receiving Li Chenglong's notification, Ding Hai immediately ordered his troops to take up their combat positions according to the arrangements made at the afternoon's operational meeting. On the main battlefield, 5 kilometers north of Hohhot, would be a reinforced army of Ding Hai's and all of Li Chenglong's combat forces. That afternoon, Ding Hai had made up his mind: if he continued to fight the zombies in a war of attrition and defensive maneuvering, he would definitely lose. He might as well fight Li Chenglong and his men head-on; if he won, he would gain something; if he lost, he could retreat.

The fortification of the position took about an hour. The blizzard finally subsided, and half an hour later, the moon miraculously peeked out from behind the clouds, emitting a pure white moonlight that, reflected off the snow, made the night appear brighter. Li Chenglong glanced at his watch; it was already 11 p.m. He estimated that the zombies would arrive in another half hour.

Ding Hai's troops were mostly equipped with Type 20 crystal rifles manufactured using equipment purchased from Li Chenglong. Only some still carried traditional rifles. After all, there were too many soldiers in their base, and it would take time and enough crystals to completely replace them.

Half an hour later, everyone saw patches of red light appearing in the distance, like a red ocean. Li Chenglong knew that it was the red light emitted by the zombies' eyes against the backdrop of the night. He estimated the distance to be about 10 kilometers and immediately contacted the Rocket Regiment, instructing them to prepare to fire.

Meanwhile, Ding Hai also deployed all his ranged weapons, preparing for a decisive battle against the zombie army. General Chen Guoqiang, Chairman of the Provisional Military Commission of China, also transmitted his orders through the still-developing communication network, telling Ding Hai and Li Chenglong only five words: "Go for it."

Li Chenglong closed the Eye of the True Dragon and said to Yunlan, Qi Guoan and others beside him, "From my observation, there are at least tens of thousands of zombies, and the ordinary zombie soldiers are all level 5 to 6 zombies. Fortunately, the crystal rifle can also damage these soldiers, otherwise it would be really difficult to fight them with just the ability users."

Once the zombies reached the range of the artillery and crystal beam cannons, Li Chenglong and Ding Hai simultaneously ordered their troops to begin shelling. A barrage of shells and beam cannon fire erupted into the distance, creating a sky ablaze with light and deafening explosions. Ding Hai, using a crystal communicator, shouted to the three artillery regiments, "Fire out all the shells, leave not a single one. We're done for now. Let's get through this first."

Li Chenglong had already made arrangements during a previous meeting: the crystal beam cannon would fire at full power first, and when it was overloaded and needed to cool down, the cannon would fire, alternating between the two. He would give the order to stop whenever he wanted.

The reason for this emphasis on artillery is the continuous snowfall, which has resulted in deep snow accumulation on the ground. When Li Chenglong and Yun Lan inspected the positions earlier, they specifically tested the depth; in some places, the snow reached up to Li Chenglong's mid-thigh. This is extremely disadvantageous for human troops, especially for ordinary soldiers. Zombies, however, are completely unaffected by this. Having already reached level 5, they are quite agile in such snowy conditions.

Moreover, even without considering environmental factors, the widespread use of artillery can reduce the sacrifice of many soldiers. Currently, humanity has entered a stalemate with zombies, so reducing unnecessary casualties is crucial.

For half an hour, various artillery pieces fired relentlessly, but the zombies showed no fear, continuing to charge towards the human army's positions in an orderly fashion, instilling fear in even some soldiers who hadn't participated in many battles. As time passed, the zombie army gradually advanced to within one kilometer of the human army's positions, entering the firing range of the crystal rifles.

At Ding Hai and Li Chenglong's command, the positions on the left, center, and right opened fire simultaneously, streaks of fire shooting towards the approaching horde of zombies. The superhumans didn't let up either; those with long-range attack capabilities unleashed their abilities to target the leading zombie units, while those without long-range attacks used energy rifles to fire.

March, a level 9 speed-type ability user, channeled his power into his energy rifle and switched the firing mode to laser mode. A laser beam shot out, heading straight for the zombies. Laser mode focuses on penetration, making it particularly effective against giant zombies with high defense and health. His laser shot pierced the chest of a level 7 strength-type giant zombie. The giant zombie roared in pain and fell straight down, crushing many lower-level zombies.

Meanwhile, Qi Guoan, a level 9 earth-elemental ability user, switched his energy rifle to light sphere mode, firing a dazzling ball of light at a group of ordinary zombies in the distance. Light sphere mode focuses on area-of-effect damage; once it touches a target, it explodes, damaging everything within a 3.5-meter radius. This single attack killed over a dozen level 5 ordinary zombies.

In contrast, the long-range attacks of the superhumans were not as effective. Many of their skills were blocked or defended by some superhuman zombies. Moreover, many superhuman zombies also used their superpowers on the human army's positions. A single attack from some high-level superhuman zombies could cause the deaths of dozens of soldiers.

Seeing this, Li Chenglong ordered everyone to use their energy rifles to aim at the high-level superhuman zombies and fire, while the other superhumans focused on killing the ordinary level five and six zombies. Although the zombie army surged in wave after wave like a tidal wave, thanks to the warriors' valiant fighting, not a single zombie crossed their line.

An hour later, the zombie army showed no signs of retreating, but the soldiers were exhausted, and many of the lower-level ability users had almost depleted their abilities. Li Chenglong said firmly, "We need to lead the high-level ability users in a counter-offensive. Firstly, to find an opportunity to kill some of the level 8 and 9 zombies that pose a serious threat to the position. Secondly, to buy some time for the soldiers and logistics troops so they can quickly repair the fortifications and send in the ammunition from the rear."

Yunlan nodded: "Okay, let's do it that way." Li Chenglong took out a signal gun and fired three signal flares. After seeing the signal flares, Ding Hai said to the more than two hundred level 8 or above ability users behind him who were already prepared: "Commander Li's side is ready, let's go together."

As he spoke, he took out an energy lightsaber, channeling his supernatural power into the hilt. Suddenly, an 80-centimeter-long blue lightsaber appeared. Many other superhumans behind him also activated their own lightsabers, though their colors varied—red, yellow, green, and so on. These were 100 lightsabers that Li Chenglong had given them to the Hohhot base the previous night. Only superhumans of level 8 or higher could wield these energy lightsabers; they were incredibly sharp and could inflict different levels of damage depending on the user.

For example, when a wind-type ability user uses a lightsaber, the lightsaber will inflict wind-type damage; when a fire-type ability user uses a lightsaber, the lightsaber will inflict fire-type damage.

Li Chenglong drew the Dragon Emperor Sword, mobilized his spiritual energy, and said to the advanced superhumans behind him who were already prepared, "Comrades, follow me and let's pave the way to victory!" With that, he jumped out of the battle line first, with Yun Lan, Qi Guoan, and the others following closely behind, charging towards the horde of zombies.

As a Level 10 SS-rank Awakened, Li Chenglong charged into the zombie horde with the Dragon Emperor Sword as if it were nothing. A single strike could kill over a dozen Level 5 and 6 zombies, and even Level 8 zombies couldn't withstand his blows. The soldiers witnessed a golden figure weaving through the zombie horde at incredible speed, illuminated by both flares and moonlight, leaving countless zombies in its wake.

Yunlan and Ding Hai were equally impressive, killing dozens of level 7 and 8 zombies in just a few minutes. Seeing the zombie horde continuing to surge forward like a tide, Li Chenglong jumped to Yunlan's side and said, "Yunlan, let's go together." Yunlan nodded in understanding and grasped Li Chenglong's right hand with her left.

The two quickly gathered their spiritual energy. A fire phoenix gradually appeared in Yun Lan's right fist, while a golden dragon materialized in Li Chenglong's left fist. Once their energy was fully gathered, they simultaneously unleashed their full power towards the charging zombie horde: "Dragon and Phoenix Heaven-Shaking Fist!" The golden dragon and fire phoenix flew out from their left and right fists respectively, swirling and dancing among the zombies. Wherever the golden dragon and fire phoenix reached, whether level 5 or level 8 zombies, they were instantly reduced to ashes.

However, after using this move, Yunlan's spiritual energy was somewhat depleted, and she began to pant heavily. She immediately took out three Flame Fruits from her spiritual energy space and ate them before returning to the battle. Many other ability users also took out their own Flame Fruits and ate them.

To support the Northern Theater Command, Li Chenglong and Yun Lan took out all 20,000 Flame Fruits they had stored and distributed them to the ability users of the Dawn Army and the Hohhot Base according to their levels. Currently, Li Chenglong has 15 Flame Trees in his spiritual energy space, and Yun Lan has 10. Each tree can produce 350 to 400 fruits per month.

The fierce battle lasted for twenty minutes. Li Chenglong fired two more signal flares, signaling the superhumans to retreat. However, as soon as the superhumans began to retreat, the zombies started surging in again.

Seeing that the surviving superhumans had all evacuated, Li Chenglong placed his left hand on his stomach, stretched his right arm across his chest, and swung it from left to right, shouting, "Radiant Dragon Armor, combine!" Instantly, the Aizamlai metal belt inlaid with G-crystals appeared from his waist. The G-crystals emitted a dazzling golden light, enveloping Li Chenglong, and then a huge dragon roar was heard. Li Chenglong transformed into his armor form.

Ding Hai and the others, who had already retreated to their own positions, all looked at Li Chenglong in astonishment after his transformation. Ding Hai clenched his right fist: "Such strong combat energy! It's at least 20 times stronger than what I sensed from Yun Lan during the exchange competition."

The Obsidian Dragon Armor slowly rose into the air. Li Chenglong placed his fists on either side of the G-crystal in front of his chest, beginning to gather energy. As the energy concentrated, the Obsidian Dragon Armor flickered. Yun Lan shouted, "All soldiers, prepare to withstand the shockwave! Do not look directly at the explosion!" Ding Hai, who had received Qi Guoan's message, also hurriedly ordered his soldiers to lock themselves inside the trenches, forbidding anyone from coming out.

Li Chenglong finally finished gathering his energy and shouted, "Ultimate Energy Annihilation Cannon!" A huge golden energy burst out at an extremely fast speed, hitting several targets. With Li Chenglong's control, the energy wave gradually swept away the zombies in its path, like sweeping the floor.