Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 20 Returning to Qing'an Town

Wu Gang, carrying Li Chenglong and Zheng Aiguo on his motorcycle, sped off. With the convoy clearing the way ahead and the two in a hurry, the two motorcycles moved quickly. Twenty minutes later, they caught up with the last group of retreating superhumans. Hao Dahai saw Li Chenglong slumped weakly on Wu Gang's back, his clothes riddled with holes, blood seeping from his wounds. He hurriedly asked, "Captain, what happened?! Wu Gang, Zheng Aiguo, you two are level three, and you still managed to get the captain like this!" Wu Gang, his eyes brimming with tears, shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Let's get back to the main force! If we don't get back now, the captain will really be done for!" With another seriously wounded member dying on the retreat, the 11-person superhuman team was now down to 9. Five motorcycles sped towards Qing'an Town.

Hao Dahai kept calling on his walkie-talkie along the way; these military walkie-talkies could reach a range of up to 20 kilometers. Finally, after another twenty minutes, he made contact with Zheng Yong. Upon hearing that Li Chenglong was seriously injured, Zheng Yong immediately said he would rush back. Ten minutes later, the two units met, and the medic immediately came to check on Li Chenglong's condition. A minute later, the medic said tremblingly, "Company Commander Zheng, Captain Li is probably not going to make it. His breathing is very weak, his heartbeat is only about 15 beats per minute, his face is pale, his pupils are dilated, and his pulse is weak." Zheng Yong was furious: "Then hurry up and treat him!" The medic said with a sob, "I can't do anything. His internal and external injuries are very serious; I dare not administer any medication." Wu Gang immediately told Zheng Yong that Yun Lan could save Li Chenglong. Zheng Yong immediately ordered Li Chenglong to be carried on a stretcher to a military truck, and the group quickly set off.

On the other hand, the five advance team members that Zheng Yong had sent out during the retreat had already joined the main force. Yun Lan and Li Xue, upon discovering that Zheng Yong's men had arrived, immediately went to the advance team's vehicle to inquire about the situation. Wu Feng, the squad leader of the advance team, said, "The situation is very bad. There are more zombies than we imagined, and we have lost many comrades. To reduce the casualties among us ordinary people, Captain Li led a team of superhumans to resist the zombie army. Company Commander Zheng sent us here so that he could contact you and confirm the route." Yun Lan and Li Xue were increasingly alarmed upon hearing this, and Yun Lan almost burst into tears.

At 11:00 AM, the main force finally arrived in Qing'an Town. Upon arrival, Wang Yousheng immediately arranged for his men to move into the core area of ​​Qing'an Town, specifically the town leadership office building and the adjacent residential compound, according to the plan he had previously devised with Li Chenglong and Zheng Yong. The buildings in this compound were all newly built, with excellent facilities. Since they were intended for the families of leaders and civil servants, each apartment was fully furnished, making it a good place to stay. Crucially, the occupancy rate was low, minimizing potential problems. After moving into the town office building, Wang Yousheng discovered that there wasn't a single living person, only a few scattered zombies. He ordered two combat teams and several ability users to clear out the zombies. The same was done to the residential compound behind it, to thoroughly clean it and prepare it for the survivors to move in later.

At this moment, Yunlan came over and told him about what had happened to Zheng Yong and Li Chenglong. Wang Yousheng also frowned. Yunlan said anxiously, "Li Xue and I are going to meet them, so we'll leave things here to you!" Wang Yousheng replied, "Okay, then you take some garrison troops and ability users with you." Just as the group was talking... The communications officer suddenly burst in, saying, "We have news! We have news! Company Commander Zheng Yong has contacted us. He's met up with Captain Li and the others, and instructed Yunlan to stay in the camp and not wander off. He also told us to prepare a doctor to treat the wounded." Yunlan and Li Xue rushed over and asked, "Did he say anything else? How is Captain Li?" The communications officer replied, "Company Commander Zheng didn't say anything, but his tone was very serious, and he's cut off all communication, so we don't know the specifics." Upon hearing this, Wang Yousheng immediately said, "Go and contact the doctor who came with us. Tell them to send the best doctors to be ready. Yunlan, go and get the X-ray and CT scanners you brought. Also, Director Liu, please tell Yunqian to get those generators ready and connect the wiring. We'll definitely need them later." The men all obeyed and left, while Wang Yousheng, with a serious expression, went out to direct various tasks.

Just as noon approached, a military truck sped into the town office compound. Several people inside, hearing the screech of brakes, rushed out. Dozens of soldiers jumped out, but Li Chenglong and his men were nowhere to be seen. Yun Lan immediately stopped a soldier and asked, "Where are the others? Where's Captain Li?" The soldier quickly replied, "The others are behind, but because Captain Li is seriously injured, he can't handle too much jolting, so the journey is slow. They should arrive in about 20 minutes." Upon hearing that Li Chenglong was seriously injured, Yun Lan immediately wanted to rush out, and Li Xue burst into tears. At this moment, someone stepped forward and stopped Yun Lan. It was the superhuman Hao Dahai: "Instructor Yun, you can't go out now. Although I don't know the specifics, Wu Gang and Zheng Aiguo both said that only you can save him, so you must stay here." Hearing this, Yun Lan stopped and stood with Li Xue outside the courtyard gate, staring intently at the road.

Upon hearing that Li Chenglong was seriously injured, the garrison troops and the survivor team all stopped what they were doing and spontaneously lined both sides of the road in front of the town office compound to welcome their hero home. Twenty minutes later, another military vehicle finally appeared at the intersection and slowly drove towards them. The military vehicle drove directly to the town office compound, and as soon as the door opened, Wu Gang and Zheng Aiguo jumped down with a stretcher. Everyone saw that Li Chenglong's clothes were completely torn, and his fair body was covered with wounds. Although he had been bandaged, the bandages were soaked with blood, and Li Chenglong's face was extremely pale. If you didn't look closely, you couldn't even see the rise and fall of his chest. "Brother! What happened to you!" Li Xue cried and rushed over, climbing onto Li Chenglong. Zheng Yong immediately stepped forward and helped Li Xue up: "Saving lives is the priority now, don't waste time here." Wu Gang said to Yun Lan: "Instructor Yun Lan, what are you standing there for? Come and come with us. Captain Wang, please call the doctor quickly, and Company Commander Zheng, please maintain order."

Two men carried the stretcher, guided by Wang Yousheng, to a clean room. After placing Li Chenglong on the bed, a doctor who had been prepared beforehand immediately examined him. Two minutes later, Professor Zhang Huimin, the vice president of Jinghai First People's Hospital and also the top surgeon in Jinghai City, said, "After our examination, Captain Li's injuries are too severe. Even going to a major hospital in Beijing wouldn't help, let alone here. I'm truly sorry." He then left with several doctors. Wu Gang and Zheng Aiguo, already knowing that current medicine couldn't cure Captain Li, quickly said, "Long Ling said she can save him. We can only leave this to them. Let's go out." They then left with the others, guarding the door. Only Li Chenglong, Yun Lan, and Li Xue remained in the room.

A dragon-shaped energy emerged from Li Chenglong's body. Seeing Li Xue still there, it said, "Please go out too, lock the door, and don't let anyone in for five hours." Li Xue glanced at Yun Lan, and only left after seeing Yun Lan nod. The dragon-shaped energy transformed into a phantom image of a young boy, saying, "Little Phoenix, come out. This time, we have to rely on you." As soon as the words fell, a phoenix cry rang out, and a little girl emerged from Yun Lan's body. The little girl said, "Are you really going to do this? Don't you understand the consequences?" The dragon spirit said calmly, "Of course I understand the consequences, but it was that person who hurt him..." At first, Yun Lan could understand what they were saying, but later she couldn't understand their language at all. She only saw that the two seemed to be arguing fiercely about something.

Fifteen minutes later, Long Ling seemed to have convinced Xiao Feng and turned to Yun Lan, saying, "We've reached an agreement. Li Chenglong is currently unconscious. If you can promise us one thing on his behalf, we'll start saving him immediately." Yun Lan quickly replied, "What is it? As long as it's something Long Ge and I can do, we'll agree. However, Long Ge is an upright person and might not agree to some things, but I will definitely do it for him." Xiao Feng nodded, "Don't worry, we definitely won't let you do anything bad, but this matter is extremely difficult, so you need to think it through." Yun Lan looked at Li Chenglong and said without hesitation, "Long Ge and I agree." Long Ling added, "There's one more thing you must consider carefully. To save Li Chenglong, you'll have to exhaust all your abilities. You might not only lose all your superpowers afterward, but you'll also age three times faster than an ordinary person." After saying this, Long Ling and Xiao Feng walked to the side. Yun Lan held Li Chenglong's bloodied hands in both of hers, staring at his pale face for a few seconds, "My life was saved by Long Ge, so I agree to this condition as well."

Long Ling burst into laughter, saying, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Actually, the latter part was something I made up, just to see if you were truly willing to give everything to sincerely save him. If you resist during the healing process, all our efforts will be wasted, and Li Chenglong's life will be in danger. I've already sealed that matter and some information in Li Chenglong's spiritual sea. As your strength increases, those things will gradually unseal. This is what you promised us, and you must keep your word. Alright, let's not delay any longer. Yun Lan, you first get on the bed and help him sit up so he leans against you. Then, hold his right hand firmly with your left hand, and relax your mind and body. We'll take care of the rest." Yun Lan immediately did as she was told. Long Ling and Xiao Feng exchanged a glance, nodded, and then transformed into two phantoms, returning to Li Chenglong and Yun Lan's bodies. Immediately, golden and red light emanated from the two of them, and two golden and red vortexes appeared in the sky above the town office compound.

The guards outside the door suddenly felt a strong energy disperse and then vanish instantly, followed by a very warm energy entering the room. Li Chenglong was still leaning against Yunlan, but in their clasped hands, two energies were gradually merging and flowing within their bodies. Long Ling said, "Lie down side by side, but don't let go of each other's hands." Yunlan helped Li Chenglong lie down first, then lay down beside him. At that moment, Xiao Feng released a burst of energy, and Yunlan immediately fell into a deep sleep. Long Ling and Xiao Feng transformed back into a dragon and a phoenix, circling back and forth about a meter above Li Chenglong and Yunlan.

Over a thousand survivors and several hundred garrison soldiers had all come outside. They saw two vortexes in the sky, each with a dragon and phoenix soaring within, and a faint light entering Li Chenglong's room. Seeing this, everyone silently prayed for Li Chenglong. Five hours later, because it was still winter, darkness fell early, but illuminated by the light of the dragons and phoenixes in the sky, the area was still as bright as day. Everyone also noticed that the light from the dragons and phoenixes was constantly intensifying.

Inside Li Chenglong's room, his wounds had completely healed, and color returned to his face. His heartbeat had also returned to normal. However, the dragon and phoenix figures above their heads were very dim, almost disappearing. Long Ling said, "You won't blame me, will you, Xiao Feng? We haven't even been on Blue Star for a month, and we're already ending up here." Xiao Feng smiled sweetly, "How could I? Besides, we're not finished yet. As long as Sister Yun Lan and Brother Li Chenglong can live, we're practically alive." Long Ling said, "Okay, let's do one last procedure." After saying that, the two of them sent a message to Li Chenglong and Yun Lan's mental seas respectively. Then, the dragon and phoenix outside rushed directly into Li Chenglong's room and entered Li Chenglong and Yun Lan's bodies respectively. Li Chenglong and Yun Lan's bodies were immediately surrounded by light, followed by twelve soft crackling sounds. Long Ling and Xiao Feng's figures were now one in light and one in shadow, about to disappear, when they simultaneously transformed into a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy and girl, embracing each other. "This is really nice," Long Ling laughed. Xiao Feng said with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that this is where we have to go." A second before disappearing, Long Ling said, "No, we will be reborn, believe me." Xiao Feng nodded, "Then see you then. It's a promise!" Then Long Ling and Xiao Feng transformed into two faint streams of light, and then a dragon ring and a phoenix ring appeared on Li Chenglong's left ring finger and Yun Lan's right ring finger, respectively.