Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 231 First Battle Victory

Seeing his level 8 zombie being easily killed, a zombie standing at the rear of the vanguard said to the three level 8 zombies, "All three of you, come at me together." The three zombies nodded and then charged out. The zombies around them spontaneously made way for the three level 8 zombies to leave.

When Li Chenglong saw three more zombies appear, he immediately told Wu Gang their information: "Two are male zombies. The tall, fat one is level 8 strength-type, and the short, thin one is level 8 water-type. The last one is a female zombie who is level 8 wind-type and fire-type. They have the same abilities as you, and their attributes are not low either. Tell everyone to be careful."

After listening, Wu Gang made a plan: "Hao Dahai, you're an 8th-level fire-type ability user, and the short, skinny zombie is an 8th-level water-type, so you handle that one. Qian Guangming, you and that tall, fat guy are both 8th-level strength-type, so you can take care of that one. As for the female zombie, she's dual-type, so I'll handle her." Wan Dahai and Qian Guangming nodded, preparing to go out and fight, but Wang Yousheng said at this moment, "Leave that female zombie to me. I'm also a water-type speed-type dual-ability user, and my strength has reached 8th level, so I'm perfect for dealing with her." Wu Gang said seriously, "Brother Wang, you have to be careful. That female zombie is not simple." Wang Yousheng also replied seriously, "Yes, I will also go all out."

The three men stepped out of their positions and walked forward, slowly releasing their supernatural abilities as they went. Three zombies also emerged from the zombie horde and approached them. The three charged at their opponents, their crystal swords gleaming bright white after being infused with their powers, slashing at the zombies. The soldiers on the front lines stared intently ahead, afraid to miss a single moment of this intense battle.

Hao Dahai, as one of the second batch of fire-type ability users to reach level 8, possessed rich combat experience and a large reserve of abilities. Furthermore, the short, skinny zombie was wielding a dagger, causing it to retreat repeatedly under Hao Dahai's attacks. Later, the short zombie distanced itself from Hao Dahai and began exchanging skills. In a skill-based exchange, Hao Dahai was not at all intimidated. After a series of attacks, the short zombie gradually ran out of energy and was burned to ashes by Hao Dahai.

Li Chenglong nodded and said to Wu Gang beside him, "It seems that although these level 8 zombies have gained intelligence, it is still not very high. They only know some simple combat and superpower release techniques. They act in a rather mechanical way and fight rather rigidly. They definitely can't withstand us veterans who have been through many battles."

As soon as Li Chenglong finished speaking, Qian Guangming, now gigantic, forcefully removed his opponent's arm, then delivered a powerful punch, smashing the zombie's head directly into its stomach. Fearing the zombie wasn't completely dead, Qian Guangming followed up with several kicks, crushing its head into a pulp, nearly causing some soldiers on the front lines to vomit.

The two defeated their opponent, took the crystal, and retreated. Wang Yousheng's side, however, was engaged in a fierce battle. He was an 8th-level water-type speed-type dual-ability user, while the female zombie was an 8th-level wind-type and fire-type user. Because Wang Yousheng had only recently leveled up, he initially struggled against the female zombie and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. However, as Li Chenglong had just said, 8th-level zombies weren't very intelligent. As the fight progressed, Wang Yousheng discovered his opponent's weakness and used a mutually destructive tactic to kill her.

As soon as the battle ended, he quickly took out a bottle of crystal recovery potion from his tactical backpack, drank half of it, and his injuries were visibly healing. He picked up the crystals on the ground and immediately began to retreat. After the three of them returned to their position, they were warmly welcomed by the soldiers. Li Chenglong went over and praised them, saying, "You all did a great job. With your outstanding performance, I believe the soldiers will have even more confidence."

As Li Chenglong had said, after witnessing their comrades successively slay four level 8 zombies, the soldiers were now in high spirits and couldn't wait to start fighting. The zombie army, however, fell into a long silence. Suddenly, a low roar came from behind the zombies, and the vanguard broke through, with hundreds upon hundreds of heavily armored zombie cavalry riding heavily armored zombie horses charging forward. After the cavalry had set off, the remaining zombie troops followed suit.

Wu Gang shouted, "The zombie cavalry is here! Prepare to engage!" Li Chenglong also spoke through his headset, "Rocket Force, fire all ten thousand cannons! I want them to die 60-70 percent before they even get halfway there!" Upon receiving the order, the three top leaders of the Rocket Force, Zhou Jihai, Liu Zhigang, and Lu Ming, immediately ordered the waiting soldiers to open fire. Instantly, more than twenty cannons of different calibers and six crystal beam cannons fired into the distance. The shells landed accurately among the zombie army, and countless low-level zombies were blown to pieces.

However, zombies level 5 and above could withstand artillery fire; shells hit them without causing any damage. This is where the power of the crystal beam cannon became apparent. Six beams flew towards the zombie cavalry, slicing through the heavily armored zombies and their horses like a hot knife through butter. The light was also corrosive; the chopped zombies gradually dissolved into pus, leaving only their armor and crystals behind.

However, while the crystal beam cannon was powerful, it overheated after every 10 shots, requiring a 10-minute rest period. Furthermore, given the impending melee between the Dawn Army and the zombies, it was no longer suitable for continuous firing. After several volleys of artillery fire, Zhou Jihai of the Rocket Force ordered his soldiers to cease firing and conduct repairs and adjustments to the cannon, awaiting further orders from Li Chenglong.

Wu Gang and dozens of level 7 and 8 ability users were firing in bursts with crystal rifles. Each shot eliminated a level 6 or 7 zombie. Although the energy rifles consumed some energy, it was still slightly better than fighting with energy. The other ability users used their most proficient abilities to attack the zombies from a distance. As for the ordinary soldiers, they all skillfully operated Type 20 assault rifles, firing precise bursts.

After several months of testing, Li Chenglong and the Dawn Army discovered that the Type 20 rifle could only inflict damage on level 6 zombies, zombie beasts, and alien beasts. For level 7 and above alien species, the Type 20 rifle struggled and could barely even break through their defenses.

The soldiers of the information support unit were operating drones, each carrying crystal bombs. Every time they flew over a zombie, they would drop the bombs, inflicting massive damage. However, this method quickly became ineffective due to interference from countless zombie birds, preventing the drones from flying smoothly. Seeing this, Zhu Qian, the highest-ranking officer in the information support unit, halted the drone operations.

After the artillery barrage from the Rocket Force, the repeated energy rifle attacks from advanced superhumans, the firing of Type 20 rifles from the Dawn Army soldiers, and the bombardment from the information support unit, the initial wave of heavily armored zombie cavalry had been completely wiped out. The zombies that followed also suffered heavy losses. However, Wu Gang, Hao Dahai, and the others knew that this was just the appetizer; the main course was yet to come.

As expected, after the first wave of attacks, hundreds of high-level zombies unleashed their abilities, sending hundreds of fireballs, torrents, and wind blades hurtling towards Dawn City's position. Wu Gang shouted, "Defend!" Immediately, dozens of earth-elemental ability users rushed to the front, erecting earthen walls in front of Dawn City's position. Many other ability users also unleashed their skills to counteract the zombies' attacks.

Several skills were not blocked and flew towards the position. At this moment, Li Xue stepped forward and shouted, "Ice Shield!" Her whole body emitted blue energy, and ice shields immediately fell on the position, forming an unbreakable defensive line. All the skills that were not blocked disappeared without a trace as soon as they touched the ice wall.

As they exchanged attacks, time flew by. After half an hour of fighting, the zombies seemed to have exhausted their superpowers. Seeing the zombies' attack slow down, Wu Gang shouted, "Everyone with superpowers, eat the Flame Fruits we distributed earlier, unleash another wave of skills, and then we'll charge!"

Upon hearing Wu Gang's command, the superhumans quickly took out Flame Fruits from their tactical backpacks. Some of the more advanced superhumans, having used up more, took out two and quickly popped them into their mouths to restore their powers. Yang Liu also said to the 19 special forces members, "Brothers and sisters, it's our turn. Don't let Captain Li down, don't let the special forces down."

Immediately afterward, hundreds of various skills erupted from the Dawn Army's front lines, flying towards the zombie horde. The higher-level zombies, weakened by their earlier use of supernatural abilities, were now powerless to resist, and countless were killed or wounded by the attacks. Wu Gang drew his crystal battle sword: "Warriors, follow me!" A dozen soldiers sounded the charge in unison, and all the frontline warriors, led by Wu Gang and his men, rushed out of their positions and charged towards the zombie army.

Fiona and Sofina were snapping photos like crazy, while Jiang Hui and his men were doing battlefield reporting. Fiona asked, puzzled, "Dear Li, I just saw some zombies that could use superpowers, while others, even though they were high-level, couldn't. What's going on?"

Li Chenglong had given up on correcting her way of addressing him, having already done so at least ten times, but she hadn't changed it. Li Chenglong said, "The biggest difference between zombies, zombie beasts, and alien beasts and us is that they have levels, such as level one zombie, level two zombie, etc. When an ordinary zombie levels up, it doesn't gain any special abilities or skills; it just increases its four attributes. But a zombie with special abilities is like a superhuman among us humans; it gains all sorts of special abilities and can unleash all sorts of skills."

Fiona suddenly realized and said, "That means their ordinary zombies are equivalent to our ordinary people, and the super-powered zombies are equivalent to our super-powered individuals." Li Chenglong, while observing the battlefield, said, "Yes, that's the idea. However, their ordinary zombies are also very powerful. As their level increases, their attributes also increase. Our ordinary people can only fight against some level one ordinary zombies. Against level two ordinary zombies, without using any weapons, our ordinary people will have a hard time winning."

The fighting on the front lines was fierce. Although the Dawn Army soldiers were fighting hard, most of them were still ordinary people. Even with superalloy or crystal swords and Type 20 assault rifles, they were sometimes powerless against some level 5 zombies. To minimize casualties, Wu Gang put the superhumans at the forefront, while ordinary soldiers only needed to provide follow-up fire or kill any crippled zombies.

Wu Gang, Hao Dahai, Qian Guangming, Sun Youcai, Wang Yousheng, Yang Liu, Han Xiaoling and more than a dozen other level-eight ability users were naturally at the forefront of the battle. At this point, they didn't care about martial ethics; they often ganged up on a level-eight zombie in pairs, trying to end the battle in the shortest possible time.

While the fierce battle raged on, a new commotion arose from the rear of the zombie army. A male zombie approached respectfully and said, "Guardian Xun, the troops we sent to flank the Dawn Army have reported back that they encountered fierce resistance from the enemy. There are at least 6000 enemy troops, and many of our soldiers have already died, including two level 8 ability warriors. According to the report, it will be extremely difficult to carry out our flank attack."

Before the imposing zombie could speak, another male zombie approached and said, "Guardian Xun, the enemy's offensive is extremely fierce. We have now switched from offense to defense. If this continues, we will not be able to hold on. Please give us your instructions." Guardian Xun said in a deep voice, "Since the flanking attack has failed, it has become very difficult to take down the Dawn Army today. Moreover, the rain is getting heavier and heavier, which is not suitable for our operation. Issue my order to withdraw the troops fifty kilometers away. I will make a decision after consulting with my superiors."

Upon receiving the order from Protector Xun, the male zombie immediately left. Then, Wu Gang and the others heard a low, horn-like sound emanating from the zombie army. All the zombies then quickly retreated, disappearing in no time. He initially wanted to lead his troops in pursuit, but Li Chenglong stopped him: "We can't pursue them. Sometimes it's wise not to chase a cornered enemy, especially since there's a level 11 zombie among them."

Upon hearing Li Chenglong's words, Wu Gang abandoned his pursuit and ordered all units to quickly clean up the battlefield, count the casualties, and provide treatment and rehabilitation to those who needed it.

At 11 a.m., a report was delivered to Li Chenglong. He glanced at it and handed it to Feng Tian and Zheng Yong. The two men read it: In this operation, 3554 zombie beasts and 2888 zombie birds were eliminated, including 422 level 7 mutants and 30 level 8 zombies. A total of 1379 soldiers perished in this operation, including 221 superhumans, 3 level 7 superhumans, and 608 were seriously wounded and unable to return to the battlefield.

Feng Tian sighed and said, "Although we have achieved great results, we have also paid a heavy price. This is war. It is impossible for one side to always have the upper hand, and there is no war without bloodshed and sacrifice. Moreover, we are not fighting between people, but between people and alien species. It is a war concerning the life and death of mankind."

Zheng Yong said, "I have already had someone compile a detailed list of the dead. I will register them properly and handle their affairs in accordance with the relevant regulations of Dawn City after the war ends."

Li Chenglong said, "For the fallen soldiers, due to limited conditions, we can only bury them on the spot. We will move their remains back when we have the opportunity later. All zombie and other alien corpses will be buried in a centralized location. In addition, Zheng Yong, you should immediately send a unit to escort the seriously wounded to the base in southern Huian Province. I have already spoken with their leader a few days ago. We will settle them there for now and take them with us when we go home."

Zheng Yong nodded and went out. Feng Tian said, "I'm going to check on the logistics support unit. The soldiers have been fighting hard all morning and need a good meal. I'll go and make sure they're settled in." With that, he also went out.