Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 263 A Pyrrhic Victory Against a Powerful Enemy

Five Dawn City Air Force spaceships received sortie orders and slowly ascended, preparing to use their onboard beam weapons and the crystal bombs they had brought with them to inflict heavy damage on the zombie horde. However, considering the range and the dropping of the crystal bombs, their flight distance could not be too high, and they could only fly up to 5km above the ground.

With the addition of the air force, the human army achieved coordinated land and air operations, which proved remarkably effective. The surging zombies suffered heavy losses under the bombardment of five spaceships and various artillery beam cannons, and the heavily armored zombie cavalry were also wiped out one by one.

Just as everyone was engrossed in the battle, two energy waves suddenly shot towards the spaceships high in the sky. The two X1 spaceships were unable to dodge in time and were directly hit by the energy waves. They immediately plummeted to a distance, billowing smoke, and exploded violently. Li Chenglong quickly ordered the remaining three X2 spaceships to return to Taiyuan Base to await orders.

Li Chenglong looked into the distance and saw two "humans" radiating energy walking towards him. According to the Xun Protector at the time, the higher the level of the zombie, the more human-like it was. At level 10, it was basically identical to a normal human, and ordinary people could not tell the difference at all.

Two level 11 zombies slowly walked towards the human army's position, followed by more than twenty level 10 zombies. Sensing the immense momentum coming from afar, Ding Hai shouted, "Artillery regiment, aim! Bombard them with all your might!" Immediately, the artillery behind the position fired in unison, but the shells stopped 100 meters away from the level 11 zombies and fell to the ground without even exploding.

Li Chenglong let out a long breath and closed the Eye of the True Dragon. After this careful scan, a rare solemn expression appeared on his face. In a one-on-one fight, he could defeat one of these level 11 individuals, but fighting two at once would be difficult, especially since he was currently unable to transform into his armor form due to a lack of energy from the G-Crystal.

His biggest worry was that while he was fighting one of the level 11 opponents, the other level 11 opponent would be left unattended, potentially causing significant losses to the other ability users. It's important to understand that every high-level ability user has grown through countless battles and trials.

However, thinking about it further is pointless; we'll only know for sure once we actually fight. Li Chenglong and Yun Lan, along with other advanced ability users, slowly emerged from the position. Ding Hai also led his team of ability users to join Li Chenglong, and they confronted the two level 11 zombies and the advanced zombies behind them.

A level 10 male zombie with strength attributes stepped forward and said, "We are two of the eight legions under His Majesty the Zombie Emperor. These two are Protector Dui and Protector Li. May I ask which part the human forces opposite belong to?" Qi Guoan stepped forward and said, "We are troops from the Northern and Eastern Theater Commands of the Huaxia Army. This is Deputy Commander Ding of the Northern Theater Command, and this is Commander Li Chenglong of the Dawn Army."

Upon hearing Li Chenglong's name, the two level 11 zombies exchanged a surprised glance. Then, Protector Dui said, "Is this General Li Chenglong, who defeated Protector Xun back then? It's a pleasure to meet you. No wonder you were so powerful last night. But today, the two of us are here to take you down."

After saying that, the two zombies' eyes flashed red and they immediately launched an attack. The other level 10 and level 9 followers also rushed over. Li Chenglong said, "Ding Hai, you and Yun Lan hold off one level 11 for now. I'll take out one quickly first. Be careful."

As he spoke, he quickly drew the Dragon Emperor Sword and charged towards the stronger Protector Li. Yun Lan and Ding Hai, one a level 9 Awakener and the other a level 10 Ability User, were engaged in battle with Protector Dui.

Protector Dui is an 11th-level, three-elemental ability user with a pair of fleshy wings, allowing him to fly. Li Chenglong went all out from the start, unleashing his level two Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline and his already extremely high attributes, gaining the upper hand in less than two minutes. However, Yunlan and Ding Hai were in a much worse situation. In the later stages, a single level difference in strength can result in a difference of more than ten times, and with Yunlan only at level 9, both of them were injured in no time.

Protector Li sent Ding Hai flying with a single strike, then slashed at Yun Lan with all his might. Yun Lan, wielding the Dragon and Phoenix Spears, barely managed to block the attack, but before she could unleash a second move, she was kicked away. Protector Li swung his blade down, and just as Yun Lan was about to be struck, a flash of red light appeared before her. Li Chenglong had used spatial teleportation to appear in front of Yun Lan and knocked Protector Li back with a single sword strike.

Li Chenglong pulled Yunlan up: "Go help Commander Qi and the others eliminate those level 10 and level 9 zombies. Leave these two to me. Crossing two levels is not easy even for the strongest ability user." Yunlan knew she couldn't be blindly confident, so she nodded and said, "You must be careful." After saying that, she quickly retreated and began to work together with her comrades to kill the level 10 zombies.

Li Chenglong pointed his sword at the two level 11 zombies and said, "Come on, let me have a good look at you. Deputy Commander Ding, you go and help eliminate those followers." Ding Hai shouted, "Be careful, they're too powerful." After saying that, he and his men also engaged in battle with the zombies.

As if by unspoken agreement, both zombies and humans scattered while fighting, leaving ample space for Li Chenglong and the two level 11 zombies. Li Chenglong took off his military uniform, neatly folded it, and stored it in his psionic space. He then took out the Flame Fruit Wine, drank it all in one gulp, and casually tossed the bottle away.

The two level 11 zombies watched as Li Chenglong's hair gradually turned silver and grew longer. His left eye had turned completely gold, and starting from it, numerous golden patterns emerged, completely covering his left face. Although Li Chenglong had previously lost his psionic form, his appearance would still change when he unleashed his maximum power. The powerful energy emanating from him terrified everyone present, including the two level 11 zombies.

Protector Li narrowed his eyes: "No wonder you were able to defeat Protector Xun, you are indeed terrifyingly strong. But today, the two of us will attack together, let's see if you can win." As he spoke, he and Protector Dui simultaneously unleashed their full power and attacked Li Chenglong.

Li Chenglong's battle plan was also very clear: prioritize killing the relatively weaker Protector Li, so that he could quickly turn the unfavorable situation of 1 vs 2 into a 1 vs 1 one-on-one challenge, which would make things much easier for him.

Ignoring the attacks of Protector Dui at the start, he launched a fierce offensive against Protector Li with all his might. Under the state of the highest level of Dragon and Phoenix Blood and the strongest energy burst, Li Chenglong's various attributes were greatly improved, achieving attribute suppression. Coupled with the superb combat skills he had cultivated in the past two years, he soon forced Protector Li to retreat step by step.

However, he himself was not having an easy time either, because the two protectors cooperated very well. Sometimes, in order to be able to attack the enemy, Li Chenglong had to endure some of the protectors' attacks. Now, his white shirt had been cut in several places by the protectors' knife, and blood was seeping out.

A flash of crimson light enveloped Li Chenglong as he used spatial teleportation to swiftly appear behind Protector Li: "Heaven-Splitting Blood-Burning Slash!" His full-force strike cleaved through Protector Li's armor, and deep crimson blood gushed from his back. "Dragon Fist Burst!" Li Chenglong unleashed another powerful attack, his left fist piercing through Protector Li's chest. A golden dragon emerged from Protector Li's body, soaring into the sky.

Then Li Chenglong used spatial teleportation again, arriving in front of the still-alive Protector Li. He beheaded him with a sword and followed up with a powerful kick, crushing him into a pulp. However, Protector Dui was not idle at this moment. Taking advantage of the instant Li Chenglong stomped down, he pierced Li Chenglong's right chest with his sword and then kicked him twice with all his might, sending him flying.

Li Chenglong flew forty or fifty meters before finally stopping. A large amount of blood was gushing from his right chest, and he felt difficulty breathing, clearly indicating that his lung had been punctured. Li Chenglong gasped for breath and said, "Luckily, I dodged just now, otherwise if I had been stabbed in the left chest, I would have been finished."

However, due to the large wound on his right chest, which was still bleeding profusely, Li Chenglong could barely lift his right arm. Yun Lan was engaged in a fierce battle with a powerful level 10 zombie in her psionic form, and had just killed her opponent with a single spear thrust when she sensed that Li Chenglong's aura in the distance had suddenly diminished.

She opened her Phoenix Eye and saw that Li Chenglong was in very poor condition. Most seriously, he had a large wound on his right chest that was bleeding profusely. At that moment, two level 8 wood-type ability users also noticed the commander's abnormality and rushed over, releasing their abilities to provide emergency treatment for Li Chenglong.

However, their movements could not escape the eyes of Protector Dui. Just a second after releasing his healing power, Protector Dui suddenly appeared behind the two level 8 wood-type ability users, slicing them in two with a single strike. Yun Lan roared, unleashing his level 3 Dragon-Phoenix Blood, releasing his full spiritual energy, and charging towards Protector Dui.

"Dragon and Phoenix Slaying Evil Thrust!" Yun Lan transformed into a beam of light and pierced towards Protector Dui. However, because she had already exhausted a lot of energy in the previous battle, and the level difference was obvious, this all-out attack did not cause much damage to Protector Dui. Instead, it exposed her own weakness.

Protector Dui forcefully parried Yunlan's full-force attack, and taking advantage of her inability to unleash a second move, he stabbed Yunlan in the stomach. Yunlan immediately coughed up blood, and was then kicked away by Protector Dui to a distance.

"You're courting death!!" Just as Protector Dui kicked Yun Lan away, he heard an angry shout, followed by a terrifying surge of energy behind him. Protector Dui struggled to turn around and saw that the previously heavily injured Li Chenglong was now radiating golden light, while his right arm had a ring of green markings, seemingly suppressing this immense energy. However, in less than five seconds, the green markings shattered and were swallowed by the golden energy.

A belt slowly emerged from his waist, but the G-crystal in the center was no longer white; it had turned red. "Radiant Dragon Armor, combine!" Li Chenglong shouted, charging towards Protector Dui, completing the combination as he went. The armor was no longer the previous red, blue, and green hues; it was now pure red, with a golden dragon totem on both the front and back.

At this moment, Protector Dui was like a rabbit being watched by a tiger, lacking even the courage to move. He was about to swing his sword to block Li Chenglong's attack when Li Chenglong, in his armored form, appeared beside him in an instant and grabbed him. Then began the brutal moment. Li Chenglong gripped Protector Dui's neck with his left hand and his right fist struck Protector Dui's chest three times per second.

At first, Protector Dui was still speaking tough, but within a few seconds he started begging for mercy, and a few seconds later he couldn't utter a single word. Yun Lan's passive super-powerful self-healing had gradually healed her, and she slowly sat up. She saw Li Chenglong holding Protector Dui's flattened head in his hand, and the area below the neck had completely disappeared.

At this moment, Yunlan felt a surge of energy emanating from her body, and the sounds of golden dragons and fire phoenixes emanated from her. Instantly, her whole body warmed up, and her supernatural abilities were fully restored. However, she couldn't care less about checking on her upgraded self now and ran towards Li Chenglong. Li Chenglong's current state was just like when he first unlocked his psionic form, which was very strange.

Before she could even reach him, Li Chenglong's transformed Yaolong Armor slowly rose into the air once more, emitting red energy and gradually growing larger. Yun Lan was startled and immediately shouted to the people behind her, "Retreat quickly! Retreat to the fortifications and trenches immediately!"

Although somewhat confused, upon hearing Yun Lan's words, everyone quickly broke free from their opponents and retreated with all their might. A minute later, as if he had finished gathering his energy, Li Chenglong slowly raised his right hand and clenched his fist. Instantly, thousands of red rays shot out from the armor in all directions.

The human superhumans had already built earthen walls, water shields, and wind walls as instructed by Yunlan and Dinghai, but the zombies were not prepared at all. They were just trying to escape and get out of the battle area.

The red light exploded upon hitting the ground, each beam acting like a cruise missile, but with far greater power. Despite the various protective barriers erected, the red light nearly pierced through them. The battlefield shook as if a magnitude 9 earthquake had struck, the earth trembling for over a minute.

A few minutes later, the smoke slowly dissipated, and everyone was horrified to find that the battlefield in front of the position had completely disappeared, turning into a crater three or four meters deep, and no one knew how large it was.

Yunlan hurriedly searched for Li Chenglong and found him lying motionless in the crater. Several people rushed over, and Yunlan quickly checked him over. She found that although Li Chenglong was covered in wounds, his breathing was relatively stable, which relieved her somewhat. At this moment, several healing-type ability users stepped forward to provide emergency treatment to Li Chenglong, while the other soldiers, under the command of their officers, began to clean up the battlefield.

Ding Hai and several officers came over and anxiously inquired about Li Chenglong's condition. After learning that he was alright, Ding Hai said admiringly, "In this desolate world, only Li Chenglong can save China."

Because Li Chenglong was seriously injured and needed to return to Dawn City to rest and recuperate, Yunlan decided to let her father, Qi Guoan, handle the various matters that followed, while she, along with Wang Shuang, Wu Ruilan, and others from the special forces team, boarded the X2 spaceship that flew from Taiyuan Base and returned to Dawn City first.

Thanks to Li Chenglong's final, devastating blow, the battlefield required little cleaning; simply collecting the crystals was sufficient. Next came the statistics. At 5 PM, a report was handed to Qi Guoan. The first page clearly detailed the battle's results and the number of crystals collected, followed by a list of fallen soldiers.

In this support mission to the Northern Theater Command, the Dawn Army dispatched a total of 17000 personnel, including 15000 combat soldiers. After two arduous battles, 1822 soldiers were killed in action, 1044 were seriously wounded or disabled, and 318 superhumans were killed, including one level 9 superhuman and 24 level 8 superhumans.

Ding Hai's troops suffered even greater losses. The Hohhot base originally had three armies totaling 10 men, but by the end of the battle, only about 5 remained, a reduction of nearly half. However, the good news is that this battle dealt a decisive blow to the zombies, and it's believed there won't be any fighting for a long time.