Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 519 Return to the Martian Sphere

For the next twenty days, Li Chenglong would typically spend his mornings overseeing training at the superhuman corps, his afternoons lecturing the technical staff, and his evenings holding occasional discussion meetings. He had imparted almost everything he could teach that was suitable for Jinlan City to them.

On August 19 local time, Li Chenglong's space factory's main control computer reported that the Sea Emperor had been completely repaired and, after a series of tests, there were no abnormalities, and it was ready to depart at any time.

He told everyone a couple of days ago that he would be leaving within a week. Although everyone was very reluctant to see him go, they knew that he had more important things to do, so they did not try to persuade him to stay.

Li Chenglong arrived at the main hall of the city lord's mansion and saw Jin Linfei and Jin Mengfei writing something. He walked over and said with a smile, "I just checked, the repairs on the Sea Emperor are complete, and I'll probably set off early tomorrow morning. I gave myself more than four months to carry out the mission, and I've been here for more than 20 days now, so it's time to leave."

The two women exchanged a glance, and Jin Linfei said, "Brother Li, since you have very important matters to attend to, it would be wrong of us to try to keep you any longer. However, you have done so much for Jinlan City, and we must express our gratitude to you. It's noon now, and we're planning to host a thank-you banquet and a farewell banquet for you. Considering that you'll definitely have to get up early tomorrow, how about this afternoon?"

Li Chenglong nodded: "Okay, that would be perfect. I can take this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone I know. You don't need to see me off tomorrow; I can just sneak away."

At 3 PM, the banquet began on time. Although Jinlan City was facing some difficulties, things had improved significantly thanks to Li Chenglong's comprehensive assistance. Furthermore, Li Chenglong's spiritual energy space had just harvested a batch of fruits and vegetables, which he generously provided, alleviating their immediate needs.

The grain and vegetable seeds that Li Chenglong had previously gifted have sprouted and are growing well. Jin Hai estimates that if the harvest goes smoothly, they will be able to get through a comfortable winter.

At the banquet, Li Chenglong chatted happily with everyone and had friendly exchanges with many people. Later, at Jin Hai's suggestion, he also gave a speech in the middle of the banquet hall, which was warmly welcomed by everyone.

The banquet lasted until 6 p.m. Li Chenglong had just returned to his room and was about to rest when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, he found Jin Mengfei standing alone outside.

Jin Mengfei had changed out of her afternoon dress and into sportswear that seemed somewhat incongruous with her status. She stood outside with a glass of water, smiling, and said, "This is some hangover tea I brewed myself. I saw you drank quite a bit this afternoon, Brother Li, and I knew you'd feel unwell later, so I quickly made some."

Li Chenglong welcomed her in, picked up the hangover tea and drank it all in one gulp before smiling and saying, "Thank you, this tea is very good." Actually, although Li Chenglong had drunk quite a bit in the afternoon, he was far from being drunk, but he couldn't refuse someone's kindness.

The two chatted briefly, and Jin Mengfei inquired about Li Chenglong's plans for the next morning. Half an hour later, just as Jin Mengfei was about to leave, she suddenly turned around and said, "Brother Li, I want to go with you tomorrow!"

Li Chenglong was shocked by her words. Before he could say anything, Jin Mengfei sat back on a single sofa and began to say seriously, "Brother Li, don't speak yet, let me finish."

Li Chenglong nodded slightly, sat down on another sofa, and began to listen attentively to her.

Jin Mengfei began to recount her story: "Actually, from the very beginning, I never wanted to be the city lord. My sister alone was enough to lead Jinlan City. Although Jinlan City has two city lords over the years, I have basically only participated in various matters or signed documents. Most of the decisions were made by my sister. In terms of ability, I think I am far inferior to my sister, and I am also very tired of this position as city lord."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The second reason is that I want to go out and see the world, to appreciate the beautiful landscapes and customs of this country, and to explore the mysteries of this planet and even the universe. I had been suppressing these feelings, but now I don't want to suppress them anymore. I feel that only by going with you, Brother Li, can I realize my dream."

Li Chenglong frowned and said seriously, "I'm not going there to play around. I'm going to carry out a very dangerous mission. Even I can't guarantee I'll come back alive, let alone you. That's one aspect. Another aspect is that the place I'm going to is extremely far away. Although people with superpowers have longer lifespans, if you come with me, there's a high probability that you'll never be able to return to this planet, never be able to return to Jinlan City, and never see your sister again."

"And another thing," Li Chenglong continued, "you're your sister's only close relative. Although the Jin family is a large clan with many collateral branches, you are absolutely her only truly close relative. If you were to leave, can you imagine how heartbroken and devastated she would be?"

Seeing Li Chenglong say this, Jin Mengfei shook her lips, as if she had made a decision, and said, "Actually, my sister is no longer the person you know. In the past six years, she has changed a lot. Her governing ability has become stronger, and she has become very skilled in using various methods. In the past two years, she has been intentionally or unintentionally ostracizing me. And just last month, she told me that she wanted to marry me off to the lord of a neighboring city in order to achieve the purpose of a political marriage."

She continued, "And I've already discussed this with my sister. Her opinion is that as long as you agree, I can do whatever I want with her."

Li Chenglong stroked his chin. He had indeed heard some things about the rift that had developed between the two sisters from Jin Hai. Jin Hai had even suggested that he try to mediate if he had the chance. However, because he was too busy and the two sisters had concealed it well in public, he had forgotten about it.

With tears in her eyes, Jin Mengfei said, "In the past two years, we have argued from time to time. When I get involved in managing some things, she complains that I'm meddling too much. When I don't manage anything, she complains that I'm idle all day. Moreover, she doesn't allow me to go out freely, but she often shows up in front of everyone in the city to make her presence known."

After Jin Mengfei finished speaking, Li Chenglong remained silent for a long time. After a while, he said, "You stay in my room first. I'll go find your sister and then we'll make a decision."

After Jin Mengfei waited anxiously for an hour, Li Chenglong returned. His first words were: "Okay, you'll come with me, but you have to listen to me on what you can and cannot do. And after we leave, you must promise that no matter where you go, you will not easily reveal to others where you are from."

Jin Mengfei nodded repeatedly, saying excitedly, "I know, I will definitely do it!"

Just now, Li Chenglong went to Jin Linfei's place. After Jin Linfei dismissed her servants and guards, since it was just the two of them, she revealed another side of herself. She asked with a smile, "Do you already know about my sister?"

Li Chenglong had met all sorts of people, so he wasn't too surprised by her change. Instead of answering, he asked, "So what she said is all true?"

Jin Mengfei stood up, looked out the window and said, "Most of it is true, right? In the current environment, Jinlan City needs a strong leader and absolute concentration of power, so we don't need two city lords, not even my own sister. But she is my sister after all, so I don't want to kill her. It would be best if she could marry the city lord of another city and make some contributions to Jinlan City, but it would be even better if she could disappear completely."

She turned to Li Chenglong: "Brother Li, you are really amazing. Not only are you extremely strong, but you also have outstanding abilities in various aspects. If you could stay in Jinlan City, I would gladly offer you the position of city lord. But that is obviously impossible, so I can only continue to be myself."

She let out a long breath and continued, "But don't worry, we will definitely carry forward what you have taught us. Our Jinlan City will definitely become the number one city in this kingdom, and we will never allow special forces to invade an inch of our land again."

Only now did Li Chenglong truly realize her awareness; in some ways, she was a better city lord than he was. Before leaving, Li Chenglong placed five storage capsules on the table, filled with various supplies, and one filled with Flame Fruit. He left Jin Linfei's house without looking back, saying as he went, "I will take her with me. I hope you make good use of these things."

The next morning, Li Chenglong took Jin Mengfei and used spatial teleportation to arrive at a place dozens of kilometers away from Jinlan City. Then he took out the Sea Emperor and flew away from the planet. After that, he used dimensional travel to leave the current parallel world.

After ten minutes of dimensional travel, the Poseidon finally arrived in normal space. The Poseidon's AI immediately transmitted various data. According to the coordinates, this was the outer edge of the Martian sphere, but already beyond the black curtain of darkness.

Moreover, according to the AI, today is November 28th on the Earth's Gregorian calendar. This means that although Li Chenglong has been in another universe for more than 20 days, only 10 days have passed in his own universe.

In order to save time, Li Chenglong immediately steered the Sea Emperor away from the sun. There was not much time left, and he had to seize every minute and second.