Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 26 Surprise Attack on the Opponent

As soon as Li Chenglong and Yang Liu arrived at the office compound, the entire 140-strong company was already in formation. Li Chenglong said, "I believe you've already heard from your company commander that we're launching a blitzkrieg. The enemy's headquarters is 37 kilometers away. We need to reach the target location within an hour, capture over 200 militants within half an hour, and rescue those they've imprisoned. Are you all ready?" The men shouted in unison, "Ready!" Li Chenglong nodded without saying much, and got into the SUV. Yang Liu, acting as the guide, sat in the passenger seat. Just as Li Chenglong was about to depart, Li Xue rushed over and said, "Brother, I'll go with you. Sister Yunqian said I should do a rough inventory of the supplies on the spot." She then sat in the back of the SUV. Li Chenglong stepped on the gas, and the car drove out of the office compound, followed closely by three other military vehicles.

After getting into the car, Li Xue noticed a spirited female soldier in the passenger seat and asked in surprise, "Who is this?" Li Chenglong briefly introduced Yang Liu to Li Xue. Yang Liu was also very surprised to hear that this girl was Li Chenglong's sister and a Level 4 Awakened: "I didn't expect your Dawn Base to have three Level 4 Ability Users, and I just sensed the energy fluctuations of several Level 3 Ability Users. Our logistics unit and our reconnaissance company only have five Ability Users in total, the highest being only Level 3. We are completely powerless against those thugs."

Li Xue blinked and deliberately said, "I'm far inferior to my brother and sister-in-law. Don't underestimate them just because they're only level 4. They can kill other level 4 opponents like chickens." Li Chenglong quickly stopped Li Xue, "Don't underestimate others' strength. You'll suffer a great loss sooner or later." Yang Liu didn't pay attention to Li Xue's later words, but when she saw the dragon-shaped ring on Li Chenglong's left hand holding the steering wheel, she seemed to have discovered a new continent: "Battalion Commander Li, are you married?" Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Not yet, but it's almost time. She's the person I love most." Yang Liu paused, "It's not that beautiful female officer who walked out when Captain Yang Hu and I came over just now, is it?" Li Xue smiled and said, "You think she's beautiful too? To be honest, I think my sister-in-law is the most beautiful in the whole base." The two girls, Yang Liu and Li Xue, chatted more and more familiarly, leaving Li Chenglong standing aside.

Due to the poor road conditions, it took an hour to reach the outskirts of the group's camp. Li Chenglong first sent out several scouts to investigate. Twenty-five minutes later, the five scouts returned and reported: "Ahead is a village called Xipo Village. Besides the more than one hundred thugs, there are at least three or four hundred civilians. There are three main entrances to the village, each guarded by more than a dozen people, including some ability users." Li Chenglong nodded and scanned the area with his True Eye: "There are two level four ability users, one fire-type and one speed-type. There are four level three ability users, twelve level two ability users, and twenty-one level one ability users." Li Chenglong couldn't help but feel a little surprised. His own Dawn Base also frequently went out to hunt zombies and mutated beasts, but they didn't level up this quickly. How could this group level up so fast?

It was already noon. Li Chenglong summoned Wu Gang and Qian Guangming: "It's exactly 12 o'clock now. I see smoke rising from the village chimneys. Wu Gang, take a unit and immediately flank to the right to take care of their gatekeepers. Qian Guangming, take 50 men to the left and quickly deal with their gatekeepers as well. With your skills, dealing with those low-level ability users is a piece of cake. Tell the brothers to be quick. Take advantage of their lunch break and take them down. The remaining few dozen men will be led by Li Xue to attack them from the front, but just harass and distract them. I'll handle the two level four ability users. While you're attacking, I'll rush straight to their base and take care of their leader. Alright, now set your watches. We'll launch the attack simultaneously in 15 minutes."

After speaking, Wu Gang and Qian Guangming each led several dozen men away. The village was relatively small, and given their well-trained nature, they could reach their target location in 10 minutes. Li Chenglong instructed Li Xue and a few others on how to fight the main force, leaving Yang Liu with Li Xue. Then, he accelerated at full speed, sneaking in from a corner where no one was paying attention. Li Chenglong quickly advanced according to the direction sensed by his True Eye, reaching the center of the village in less than five minutes. Presumably because it was lunchtime, there were only two guards in the large house. Li Chenglong crept up to the side of the house, throwing a powerful punch that sliced ​​one guard in two. With a flying kick, a loud thud was heard as the guard's head was kicked into the shape of a watermelon falling from the fifth floor. Li Chenglong lightly jumped to the second-floor window and leaned down to listen.

A voice came from inside the house: "Qiu Wudao, haven't you gone too far? Not only did you rob military vehicles, but you also killed so many soldiers." Another hoarse voice said, "What, Wang Bing, are you scared? Don't forget, you're the one who discovered that military convoy. If you say anything like that again, Baldy will beat you to death when he gets back." Another person hurriedly said, "I thought I could get the army to stop and take us away from this place, but I didn't expect that Baldy would start fighting right away. He not only killed so many people, but he's also been killing the original inhabitants of this village recently." The hoarse man said, "Killing a few people is nothing. Now that we have power, we can kill whoever we want. Don't be ungrateful." Wang Bing suddenly said, "I've had enough. You've killed people, but I haven't. I only kill zombies. I'm leaving this place." Qiu Wudao was furious: "You dare! Looks like you're asking for a beating. I'll beat you up."

The sounds of two people wrestling came from inside the room. Li Chenglong was somewhat surprised; he had intended to secretly eliminate them, but they had started fighting first. Just then, a signal flare went off, exploding into the sky. Li Chenglong knew this was the signal to begin the fight and kicked open the second-floor window. The two men inside were still brawling, but the one named Wang Bing, being only a speed-type ability user, was countered by Qiu Wudao, a fire-elemental ability user, and was already bruised and battered. The two fought fiercely, unleashing their abilities back and forth, when suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and Qiu Wudao was sent flying by a shard of windowpane.

Li Chenglong slowly walked through the hole and first looked at Wang Bing, saying, "Don't move, or you'll die." Wang Bing was startled by the newcomer, but sensing the astonishing aura emanating from Li Chenglong, he stopped talking and obediently ran to a corner, standing there motionless. Qiu Wudao crawled out of the rubble and shouted, "You fucking court death! Let me show you the power of a level four fire-type ability user!" As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Wudao was engulfed in flames, the flames soaring into the sky and burning a hole in the roof of the two-story building. Li Chenglong activated his Eye of Truth and saw: Qiu Wudao, level four fire-type ability user, constitution 70, strength 65, agility 60, spirit 80. Li Chenglong was unconcerned and turned to look at Wang Bing: "How many people has he killed?" Wang Bing stammered, "I don't know. Anyway, a lot."

"Hahaha, why are you asking about that good-for-nothing? He doesn't dare kill a single person. Let me tell you, I killed 78 people after I got out of Lunan Prison. Yesterday I killed more than 20 soldiers. How about that, hahaha, ah!" Before Qiu Wudao could finish speaking, a scream rang out. Li Chenglong had already drawn his Dragon Emperor Sword and chopped off Qiu Wudao's arm with one strike, blood gushing out. Qiu Wudao was shocked and furious. He tried to condense a fireball with his remaining right hand, but Li Chenglong chopped off his right arm as well. Then, Li Chenglong kicked Qiu Wudao's leg, bending it into a V-shape. At this moment, Qiu Wudao's aura had completely vanished, and he hurriedly begged for mercy: "Sir, please spare my dog's life! I'll never dare to do it again, never dare to do it again!" But Li Chenglong ignored him and turned to take a dagger from his tactical backpack, throwing it to Wang Bing: "Kill him, then tell me what happened here."

Wang Bing's pupils contracted, and he picked up the dagger, but dared not step forward. Li Chenglong added, "In this apocalypse, you're still so indecisive. I'm not asking you to kill ordinary people; he's a notorious villain. If you can't even do this, then I'm sorry, you're not suited to survive in the apocalypse, and I can only ask you to go." Hearing Li Chenglong's words, Wang Bing seemed to have made up his mind, picked up the dagger, and walked up to Qiu Wudao. Knowing that he was going to die today, Qiu Wudao cursed, "You two bastards, when Baldy comes back, I will definitely tear you to pieces, hahaha! Wang Bing, let me tell you, your sister wasn't bitten by a zombie when she went out with us that time; it was Baldy and I who played with her so much, hahaha! You never thought it was us, you never would have guessed it was us. She was so tender and delicious, hahaha!" Enraged upon hearing this, Wang Bing channeled his supernatural power into the dagger, shouted, and stabbed Qiu Wudao's head repeatedly, turning Qiu Wudao into a bloody mess.

Wang Bing shouted as he stabbed, "You bastards! You only have one sister, give her back her life! Die, die, all of you die!" Li Chenglong watched this scene quietly, sensing a ruthless streak in this man, and that he wasn't inherently bad. His level was also a high four; if properly nurtured, he could become a great general. So he activated his True Eye: Wang Bing, a level four speed-type ability user, with physique 67, strength 60, agility 79, and spirit 70—decent attributes. Li Chenglong, seeing Wang Bing's tears fall, also wept, comforting him, "I also have a sister, and I've witnessed others lose their sisters. I know how you feel if your sister is gone in this apocalypse, and I know how much you love your sister. But the dead cannot be brought back to life, and you haven't finished avenging your family, have you?" Wang Bing stood up and knelt before Li Chenglong, saying, "Brother, I know I can't beat Baldy, but I feel you can. If you help me kill him, I, Wang Bing, swear to serve you like a slave for the rest of my life, never betraying you."

Li Chenglong helped Wang Bing up: "I don't need you to be my slave. I just hope you can truly grow into a man. Rest for a bit; I have some questions for you later. As for the bald guy you mentioned, even if you didn't tell me, I would still kill him." At this moment, Wu Gang, Qian Guangming, Li Xue, Yang Liu, and several others went upstairs. Wu Gang saluted and reported: "Reporting to Battalion Commander Li, the First Company has successfully captured all the members of this criminal gang and released all the imprisoned soldiers and some ordinary civilians. We even shared some of the food we carried with them." Li Chenglong nodded: "You did a great job. You ended the battle in 15 minutes, which I didn't expect, considering they still have quite a few superhumans."

Wu Gang laughed and said, "We have Xue'er to thank for how quickly we did it. She took down two level-three ability users all by herself, and Qian Guangming and I each took down one. Some others surrendered as soon as they saw us." Li Chenglong said, "Take the prisoners to the village square and let the soldiers and villagers identify them. Execute anyone who has killed anyone on the spot, and lock up anyone who hasn't." Li Chenglong thought for a moment and then said, "Li Xue, quickly go and inventory the military supplies and have someone help pack them up. Then, Qian Guangming, you take half the soldiers to escort these supplies back to Dawn Base. This is a very important matter, so be careful. Also, bring the original logistics personnel along."

Li Chenglong issued several orders in succession, and Wu Gang, Li Xue, Yang Liu, and Qian Guangming all left to attend to their own affairs. He looked at Wang Bing sitting on the sofa, then at the corpse on the ground, and said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go see the people in the village. I also want to ask you a few questions."

As Wang Bing walked, he said, "My sister and I are both villagers in Xipo Village. I came home from university on New Year's Day. My sister is in high school and will be taking the college entrance exam in June. Then suddenly, a zombie crisis broke out. My father turned into a zombie and was killed by the villagers. My mother lives with us. That group of people came 10 days ago. It is said that they are mainly prisoners from Lunan Prison, as well as some people who gathered on the road. There are more than a hundred of them in total. As soon as they arrived, they occupied our village and forced us to hand over food. Later, with my strength as a level four ability user, I was able to give the villagers a little place to survive. Later, I found a few military vehicles and thought we could ask the soldiers for protection. But that guy nicknamed Baldy directly organized people to rob the military vehicles and killed many people."

After listening carefully, Li Chenglong asked, "I have a big question: how did you, Qiu Wudao, and Baldy all level up so quickly? Our base's soldiers go out hunting zombies every day, and we only have about ten at level three." Wang Bing thought for a moment and said, "Baldy was already level three when he came. He's really cruel. He always sends his underlings to fight monsters, and then he collects the experience himself. He also gives all the crystals to himself and his buddy Qiu Wudao. With one or two hundred people supporting just the two of them, they naturally level up quickly. I'm at level four now because of a certain fruit."

"A kind of fruit?" Li Chenglong asked in surprise. Wang Bing continued, "Yes, a kind of fruit. Because Baldy's group came in large numbers and almost robbed us of all our food, we had to go out to find food. Once, I went out and found a small tree that looked like an apple tree with two fruits on it, but it didn't look like apples. I was so hungry at the time that I ate them both, and then I fainted. When I woke up, I found that I had reached level four." Li Chenglong was surprised to find such a magical thing and quickly said, "I'll go see that tree sometime. It can even bear fruit in winter; it must be extraordinary." Wang Bing continued, "Back then, Baldy and Qiu Wudao questioned me about why I leveled up so quickly. I said I used the crystals I had been saving, and they didn't suspect anything because that's what they did too. They just warned me not to hoard crystals anymore." Li Chenglong nodded and asked, "Where did that Baldy go now? I didn't see him earlier." Wang Bing replied, "They went to a food processing plant here. It's said that there's a lot of food stored there. So he took his men there."

The two chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the village square. Qian Guangming had already gathered half the men, assigned two drivers to each of the logistics unit's military vehicles, and was preparing to depart with over 30 survivors from the logistics unit. Li Chenglong said to Li Xue, "A dozen military vehicles and so many supplies are very important to us. You should go back with them." Although Li Xue was somewhat dissatisfied, she knew the matter was of great importance, so she followed Qian Guangming and the others.

At this moment, Wu Gang, along with the other half of his soldiers, brought forward over 40 heinous criminals identified by villagers and survivors. In front of all the villagers, they were executed by firing squad, to the delight of the crowd. Li Chenglong said to Wang Bing, "Those people were eating just now, let's eat too. Take out all the food that Baldy stored away and cook a good meal to treat these villagers." Wang Bing nodded and immediately went to carry it out. Li Chenglong then said to Wu Gang, "Send out a few scouts, keep in touch via walkie-talkie, and also set up a defensive position. When Baldy returns, we'll take them down directly." Wu Gang, upon hearing this, also began to make arrangements. Half an hour later, all the villagers arrived at the village square to receive food, and the soldiers of the company also quickly ate a meal, preparing for the afternoon's operations.