Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 32 Insights

After a morning of cycling, Li Chenglong and Han Xiaoling finally arrived at Chongwu County. This county, it's said, wasn't originally called that; it was renamed Chongwu County after producing several martial arts champions. Worried about a zombie horde in the county center, Li Chenglong chose the southern ring road of Chongwu County, a wide national highway, and remarkably, not many abandoned vehicles blocked the way. Li Chenglong noted this down, checked his watch, and realized it was already past noon. He decided to find a place to eat. Whether they were superhumans or awakened individuals, their energy consumption was faster than normal, making them prone to hunger. At the Dawn Base, superhumans received twice the food rations of ordinary people, provided they worked. If they lay around doing nothing, they were treated like normal people. However, under the current incentives at the base, few people were idle anymore.

Li Chenglong found a small, commonly used resting pavilion, parked his motorcycle, took out the lunch he had prepared before setting off that morning from his storage ring, and also took out a table and two chairs, ready to eat. Han Xiaoling was counting the white crystals in her pocket, counting them over and over again, and excitedly said to Li Chenglong, "Brother, I got 20 of those white crystals this morning! Hehe, I'm amazing, right?" Li Chenglong nodded, "Pretty amazing, huh? Okay, wash your hands and come eat." Li Chenglong wasn't just comforting Xiaoling; regardless of her combat ability, her luck was undeniable. Although the crystal drop rate had indeed increased over time, getting 20 white crystals after killing dozens of zombies was still quite lucky.

Lunch consisted of stir-fried cured pork, braised eggplant, and three boxes of rice. The two ate with relish. After lunch, Li Chenglong reviewed the paper map again, confirming their route. Just as they were about to set off, Li Chenglong sensed several energy fluctuations. He paused for a moment to quietly perceive them, sensing that there were likely battles between superhumans and zombies. He then led Han Xiaoling up the slope. They arrived at higher ground and discovered a residential area under attack by hundreds of zombies. Several people were fighting fiercely against the leading high-level zombie. Li Chenglong used his True Dragon Eye to observe; the two leading zombies were level four and level three, while the highest level among the group was only level three. After some thought, he decided to go and rescue the people, not only to save them but also to ensure their base wouldn't be in danger during their later relocation.

Li Chenglong first placed Han Xiaoling in a safe place, then rushed over himself. Meanwhile, in the crowd of Chongwu County, Zhang Dali, a level-three strength-type ability user, was leading several other ability users in fighting off hundreds of zombies. A tall, thin man with a horse-like face anxiously said to another muscular man, about 1.9 meters tall, "Brother Dali, we're a bit outmatched. Should we prepare to retreat?" Zhang Dali was also sweating profusely: "Retreat to where? Do you dare go to the county town? If we retreat now, we can escape, but what about the ordinary people in the neighborhood? What are we supposed to do with them?" The tall, thin man with the horse-like face sighed: "Fine, we really can't retreat now. Forget about the ordinary people, even if we retreat, we'll drown in these zombies."

Several superhumans were still fighting when a loud crash suddenly came from the zombie horde. A massive level-four zombie charged forward, instantly knocking two superhumans away. The remaining zombies swarmed them, tearing the two to pieces. Zhang Dali, filled with shock and rage, used all his superhuman abilities to lift a car and throw it at the level-four zombie, but the zombie caught it and threw it back. A level-one superhuman couldn't dodge in time and was smashed into a pulp. The tall, thin man with a horse-like face cried out, "We're really done for! How could such a powerful zombie appear?" Zhang Dali was also pale, clearly terrified.

Just as the group was in despair, they suddenly saw an explosion behind the zombie horde. The level four zombie, attracted by the blast, turned its head. Li Chenglong had already unleashed two waves of Galactic Explosions, killing no fewer than 200 zombies. Then, he used teleportation three times in quick succession, appearing in front of the level four zombie. Zhang Dali and the others were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Li Chenglong immediately formed claws with his hands, crossed his wrists, and shouted, "Galactic Explosion!" A ball of light appeared in the center of his claws, flashing with a galactic vortex pattern. He then swung it out, and five balls of light slowly grew larger and flew forward rapidly, directly hitting the level four zombie. A massive explosion occurred, turning the level four zombie and a group of nearby zombies into ashes. The remaining zombies, no longer led by the level four zombie, scattered in all directions.

After the dust settled, Li Chenglong stored the yellow crystal dropped by the level four zombie and several orange crystals nearby into his ring before slowly approaching Zhang Dali and the others. The tall, thin man with a horse-like face immediately raised his fire axe in a defensive stance, but Zhang Dali stopped him immediately: "If this person wanted to harm us, he could have simply not saved us. And even if he did, with his skills, even I wouldn't be a match for him." After saying that, Zhang Dali stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Zhang Dali, instructor of Rongwei Martial Arts School, and this is my colleague, Chu He." Li Chenglong returned the greeting according to the rules of the martial arts world, saying: "Li Chenglong from Qing'an Town." The group was greatly surprised to hear that Li Chenglong had come from Qing'an Town, which was at least 100 kilometers away. He had actually traveled that far alone in this apocalyptic world.

Zhang Dali smiled and said, "You just saved us. To express our gratitude, how about we go inside for a meal?" Li Chenglong thought that while a meal wasn't necessary, he could at least find out about the surrounding area, so he agreed. Li Chenglong then called out Han Xiaoling, who was hiding, and the two of them went to the residential area ahead. Zhang Dali led them into the area, reminding them before leaving to have Chu He collect the crystals dropped by the zombies and reinforce the gate. Li Chenglong carefully observed the people in the area; their nutritional status was relatively good, and their clothing was clean, which was quite rare in the apocalypse.

They went to the living room of an apartment on the first floor of the building behind. Zhang Dali invited them to sit down and then brought out a small pile of food for them. "I'm sorry, this is the kind of convenience food we eat every day, but please help yourselves. If it weren't for you, we would definitely be dead." Zhang Dali said as he poured a cup of hot water for Li Chenglong and Li Chenglong. Li Chenglong didn't look at the food and asked directly, "I want to ask Brother Zhang about this county. It would be even better if you could tell us some news about the area around Linhai City." Zhang Dali thought for a moment before slowly explaining.

According to Zhang Dali, Chongwu County was hit by a large number of zombie virus spheres. Initially, the number of zombies was enormous, resulting in heavy losses for the entire county. A group that had formed a team at the county office and gathered a considerable number of members was almost entirely wiped out during the subsequent zombie outbreak. Zhang Dali, along with Chu He and a few others, barely managed to escape. Leveraging his level-two ability user skills, he established himself in the community, attracting many more to join him, gradually forming a team of several hundred people. After listening to Zhang Dali's account, Li Chenglong continued, "Brother Zhang, I overheard you saying there was something terrifying in the center of the county town. What exactly is it?" Zhang Dali remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, "That's the zombie king that routed us back then. Our team leader was level four at the time, and the zombie king killed him instantly. If you're still heading towards Linhai City, be sure to avoid the county government building; the farther away, the better. As for your question about the area around Linhai City, I don't really know, but I heard some people passing by say that there seems to be a base built about 30 kilometers outside Linhai City."

Li Chenglong nodded. Although he was curious about the base near Linhai, he knew he wouldn't get any information from Zhang Dali, so he gave up. He winked at Han Xiaoling, who immediately understood and said, "Brother, it's getting late, we should set off." Li Chenglong immediately stood up, checked his watch, and said to Zhang Dali, "Brother Zhang, it's getting late, we'll be leaving now. Farewell." Zhang Dali said regretfully, "I was hoping to have a good chat with you, but since you're in such a hurry, I won't keep you any longer. Would you like to take some food with you for the journey?" Li Chenglong immediately declined, "We won't take anything, but I just want to say that this place isn't safe, and staying here for long isn't a good idea." Zhang Dali nodded, "We'll try to check out that base near Linhai in a few days."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Li Chenglong rode off on his bicycle with Han Xiaoling on the back. After Li Chenglong left, Chu He ran over to Zhang Dali and said, "Brother Zhang, that Brother Li is so powerful. If you could persuade him to stay, our fighting strength would increase significantly." Zhang Dali smiled wryly and said, "I'd like to, but a golden carp isn't meant to stay in a pond. He's not the same kind of person as us." He then went back into the house, leaving Chu He still pondering.

Li Chenglong had already decided not to go to Linhai City today, but instead to check out the base near Linhai City. After all, the base would definitely be safer, and it was very close to Linhai City, making it easy to gather intelligence. On the way, Han Xiaoling asked, "Brother, why do you keep calling me 'Brother Zhang'? You saved them, not the other way around." Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Calling me 'Brother' more often saves me from climbing half a mile. It also makes us closer and easier to ask questions. But if the other party is your enemy, then you don't need to be polite. Remember, never be too merciful to your enemies; in the apocalypse, being too merciful harms both yourself and others." Han Xiaoling nodded, seemingly understanding.

During their journey, Han Xiaoling occasionally unleashed wind blades to kill stray zombies. A short while later, Li Chenglong heard Han Xiaoling say, "Brother, I feel a current flowing through my body, like you said, it's time to level up." Li Chenglong immediately found a quiet place so Han Xiaoling could focus on leveling up. Soon after, several vortexes appeared around Han Xiaoling, swirling up leaves and small stones. Han Xiaoling's aura suddenly surged and then subsided, the vortexes dissipating. Li Chenglong hadn't really observed Han Xiaoling much before, but this time he directly used True Dragon's Eye: Han Xiaoling, Level 2, B-rank Wind Chaser Leopard Spirit Awakener, Constitution 30, Strength 28, Agility 35, Spirit 32. Wind Blade Level 2, Wind Wall Level 2, Speed ​​Level 1. Li Chenglong exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaoling, I didn't expect you to be an Awakener!"

Han Xiaoling looked at herself and asked, "What is an Awakened? Is it powerful?" Li Chenglong told her about the characteristics and precautions of Awakened, and reminded her not to forget to eat 10 crystals every day. After listening, Han Xiaoling digested the information for a while, then activated her Speed ​​skill for a bit before slowly approaching Li Chenglong. She said, "This new Speed ​​skill is amazing! I feel like I can run faster than a motorcycle at full speed, but I can't run for long before I run out of energy." Li Chenglong smiled slightly and told Xiaoling to quickly get on the motorcycle, promising to reach the base next to Linhai City that night.

The two cycled for another afternoon, with Li Chenglong taking notes as he went. Along the way, they encountered a group claiming to be a supply search team from the Tianqi Base. After some questioning, Li Chenglong learned that the base next to Linhai City was indeed called Tianqi Base. Following their directions, Li Chenglong arrived at his destination in less than 20 minutes. Upon closer inspection, Li Chenglong could see the base in its entirety. Tianqi Base was established centered around a university town. Actually, Zhang Dali's intelligence was incorrect; this wasn't 20 kilometers from Linhai City. This was already within Linhai City's territory, and even if it was from the city center, it wasn't 20 kilometers away—at most 15 kilometers.

Li Chenglong slowly approached the base gate on his motorcycle. Before he even got close, someone on the watchtower shouted for him to stop. Several people came out, and the leader said, "Is this your first time here? You want to enter our Apocalypse Base? Do you know the rules for entering the city?" Li Chenglong said calmly, "I heard from others that the Apocalypse Base provides protection, water, and food, so I brought my sister here with great difficulty. That's why I don't know the rules." The leader snorted, "Alright, considering you've come from so far, I'll be merciful and tell you: the entrance fee is 5 white crystals per person. If you have high-grade crystals, you're even more welcome. You'll pay one white crystal per day in the base. If you don't pay, you'll be expelled. But there's work to do in the base, so don't worry about not earning crystals, although it's very hard work. Also, I've taken a liking to this motorcycle; I'll confiscate it too."

Han Xiaoling had been itching to use her powers to teach the man a lesson, but Li Chenglong stopped her with a look. Li Chenglong feigned a pitiful expression and said, "Could you please not take the carriage? We'll give you the spirit stones." The man immediately objected, "If you won't give them, then take it from me! Men, get him!" Li Chenglong quickly said, "Alright, alright, the carriage is yours, and we'll hand over the spirit stones too." He then offered him another 10 white spirit stones. The man's expression softened, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you. Come on in." Li Chenglong hurriedly pulled the about-to-explode Han Xiaoling inside.