newbobooks Chapter 173 Returning to Dawn City
Chapter 173 Returning to Dawn City
On the morning of February 24th, Li Chenglong and 20 special forces soldiers left Qianyun Base, preparing to return to Shuguang City. General Sun Tianlong and several officers personally came to see them off. This military conference was very fruitful, not only deepening cooperation among several major bases within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei military region and forging a strategic alliance, but also allowing Li Chenglong to witness the strength of other military regions.
Putting aside other matters, although the Northeast Military Region didn't stay here for very long—they left midway due to the zombie outbreak—the strength they displayed was remarkable. Among the people from several bases, there were four Level 8s and over a dozen Level 7s. General Sun also told Li Chenglong before leaving that they would gradually relocate to Jinghai City in March.
Liu Fang chatted with Yang Liu and the others while driving, while Li Chenglong rested in the passenger seat. Last night, he had been commissioned by General Sun Tianlong to draft a set of rules for fighting zombies. Although awakened individuals had much stronger constitutions than normal people and could go several days without rest, maintaining peak physical condition was a principle for Li Chenglong. Thanks to their previous experience, the return journey was quite smooth. By noon, they had already covered half the distance, making it easy to return before dinner.
After a quick lunch and refueling the cars, the group resumed their journey home. Han Xiaoling said excitedly, "Brother, your flying ability seems really strong. Can you take me for a spin in the sky next time?" Li Chenglong replied with a smile, "Sure, the flying ability gained at level 9 is quite good. Combined with space travel, my combat power has increased considerably."
At this moment, Zhao Liying asked a rather serious question: "Captain Li, I heard that both Awakened and Superhumans are classified by potential, and the level of potential determines their future level. Also, becoming a Superhuman or Awakened increases lifespan. Miss Erica told me this when I was studying in the central computer room."
Li Chenglong nodded: "That's right. As far as we know, there are 6 levels of potential, from SS to D. The most common strength and speed types are D-level potential. Pure fire, water, and wood types are C-level potential. If it's a dual ability, like Wu Gang, Zheng Aiguo, and Wang Yousheng, it's B-level potential. If it's a triple ability, it's A-level. That's the general classification of ability users."
He paused and continued, "Awakened beings are not quite the same as those with superpowers. The potential of awakened beings is usually directly marked. For example, Han Xiaoling is a B-level Wind Chaser Leopard, Zhao Liying is an A-level Nine-Tailed Fox, and Li Xue is also an A-level Mermaid Awakened being. However, there are some differences among awakened beings, namely the 12 main meridians. As far as I know, only Yun Lan, Miss Erica, and I have opened these 12 main meridians."
The women nodded in understanding. Li Chenglong continued, "As for the issue of increased lifespan, it is indeed true, but the extent of the increase depends on multiple factors such as individual potential and level. Moreover, for better combat, both Awakened and Superhumans spend 70 to 80 percent of their lives in their most vigorous stage, around the age of 30. However, this applies to relatively young people. If someone becomes a Superhuman at the age of 50 or 60, they can only return to the state of a 40-year-old at most."
Everyone suddenly realized why so many people they knew had become younger after becoming superhumans. Even Yunlan's mother, with her increased level, now looked to be around 35 years old. Zhao Liying even felt like she had returned to her twenties. Li Chenglong joked, "Becoming an Awakened One also has the advantage of changing one's appearance, making them more handsome or beautiful. Xiaoling, you can go and act in TV dramas after peace is restored." Zhao Liying smiled and said, "Sure, sure! Xiaoling will definitely be even more beautiful when she grows up. I can take her to act in movies and TV dramas."
Li Chenglong added, "Miss Erica said that their planet's high priest was already 600 years old when she died. If she hadn't died fighting against the alien invasion, her lifespan would probably have been even longer. Because she didn't show any signs of aging at the time. Generally, superhumans and awakened beings begin to age when they have about 10% of their life left."
Yang Liu muttered to herself, "Several hundred years old, wouldn't that make them monsters?" "However, both Awakened and Superhumans have one problem," Li Chenglong added, "that is, they have relatively poor fertility. In their long lives, they may have one or two children, but if both parents are Superhumans or Awakened, then their children are also very likely to be Superhumans or Awakened from birth."
Liu Fang joked, "Then I'll make it clear when I go on blind dates that the other person must be a superhuman, and their potential shouldn't be too low, hahaha." A burst of cheerful laughter filled the car.
At 6:30 PM, Li Chenglong's convoy discreetly entered through the north gate and went straight to the Shuguang Building. Except for Han Xiaoling, everyone else had gone back to their dormitories for dinner and rest. To avoid disrupting everyone's work and life, Li Chenglong took Han Xiaoling upstairs through the side entrance of the Shuguang Building. He told Han Xiaoling to go home first, while he went to Ma Tiancheng's office and the logistics department's office to inquire about their situation. After learning that nothing had happened, he headed home.
It's worth mentioning that Ma Tiancheng's second daughter, Ma Yuanyuan, experienced a significant improvement in her mental state after multiple sessions of psychotherapy with Zhao Liying. Later, at Li Chenglong's suggestion, she was placed in the Logistics Department to help with some tasks. Li Chenglong encountered her there again, and Yun Qian praised her abilities highly. After all, she graduated from a top university and had several years of business experience. Together with another assistant, Xiao Ya, she helped Yun Qian manage the Logistics Department very effectively.
Upon Li Chenglong's return, the first thing he did was check on Yunlan. With a month to go before her due date, Yunlan's belly was already quite large. Qin Fangyu had recently taken leave from the Joint Logistics Support Department to focus on taking care of Yunlan. Hearing of Li Chenglong's return today, Qi Guoan, who had just finished a zombie-clearing mission, also rushed back from the military camp. He had recently leveled up to level 7, significantly increasing his strength.
As soon as Yunlan saw Li Chenglong enter, she rushed from the sofa to his side and hugged him tightly. Qin Fangyu, who came out of the kitchen with dishes, saw this and quickly said, "Slow down, you're almost giving birth, don't you know your limits?" Li Chenglong kissed Yunlan's forehead and helped her sit up. After chatting for a while, Li Chenglong also discussed the recent zombie situation with Qi Guoan.
Qi Guoan said, "This time, I went out with the Fifth Regiment for 15 days and gained a lot. However, we recently discovered that most of the zombies have reached level 3, and many are starting to evolve towards level 4. This is a big problem." But he continued, "Fortunately, the replacement rate of the Type 20 assault rifle is getting higher and higher, and our Dawn Army's combat effectiveness has also improved significantly. Otherwise, I don't know how much sacrifice we would have had to make."
Qin Fangyu called everyone to wash their hands and eat, but Han Xiaoling and Chen Xiaoke were not there. Li Chenglong asked and learned that they and Zhao Liying were in the central computer room learning some knowledge from Alice, and they wouldn't be eating dinner with everyone. There was still food left in the kitchen. Erica said, "It's already late February, and I estimate that the frequency of both giant beasts and zombie hordes will increase. Some bases with few people and weak defenses probably won't be able to hold out."
Li Xue also stated that recently, the leaders of several nearby small bases had contacted Dawn City and held preliminary meetings with Zheng Yong and Ma Tianlong. However, they did not agree to let those small bases join, saying they would wait for Li Chenglong's return before making a decision. Li Chenglong calculated that Dawn City currently has nearly 9 people, and to ensure that every resident lives comfortably, the population cannot be too large. The upgraded Dawn City can only accommodate a maximum of 15 people.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "We can prevent them from entering Dawn City, but they can live in Linhai City, which is to the right of Dawn City. We can also protect them. I'll discuss it with Zheng Yong and the others tomorrow." After dinner, Li Chenglong went out for a while to discuss the matter with Ma Tiancheng. With the zombies behaving strangely, it was better to do things sooner rather than later.