Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 55 The Second Day of the Competition

After the preliminary rounds ended, people gradually dispersed. Li Chenglong glanced at his watch; it was already past six in the afternoon, and dinner would be served soon. The leaders of Dawn City and the Dawn Army gathered together to discuss tomorrow's arrangements before dispersing. Li Chenglong held up the list of those who had advanced from both the ability user and non-ability user groups. There were 61 people in the ability user group and 64 in the non-ability user group. Yun Lan was looking at the list with Li Chenglong. After reviewing it, Li Chenglong said with satisfaction, "Today, our base had a total of 37 participants at levels four and five. Except for Zhu Qian, who was eliminated because he encountered a level five user early, everyone else advanced to the next round. Not bad." Yun Lan asked, "I remember that besides you, we have one level six user and six level five users in our base, so there should be 34 level four users. Now, three of us didn't participate, so the number doesn't match up." Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Yun Qian didn't participate either, so you feel like one is missing." Yun Lan then realized.

Li Xue led Cao Yuechan and Han Xiaoling over, saying somewhat discontentedly, "Big brother and sister-in-law, it's fine if you don't participate, but brother, you won't let me participate either. Actually, I also want to test my strength." Yun Lan smiled and said, "I've already talked to your brother about this, but he didn't agree." Li Chenglong pinched Li Xue's cheek: "I'll arrange your reward, so I didn't let you participate. Besides, among the current participants, there's no one who can rival you, not even Wu Gang and Zheng Aiguo, who are several level five individuals." Han Xiaoling also said happily, "I'm a level three awakened one now, but this time the rule is that you must be over 16 years old, so I couldn't participate. Brother, could you organize a competition for our junior group next time? Although there are only about forty of us junior ability users in total."

Li Chenglong then realized he had overlooked this aspect and said with a smile, "It was my oversight this time. I'll definitely set up a junior group competition for you next time." Yun Lan went over and hugged Han Xiaoling, saying with some surprise, "I didn't expect our Xiaoling to be only 12 years old and already a Level 3 Awakener. She's really amazing." Li Chenglong then directly activated the True Dragon Eye: Han Xiaoling, Level 3 B-rank Wind Chasing Leopard Awakener, Constitution 40, Strength 35, Agility 42, Spirit 38. Wind Blade Level 3, Wind Wall Level 3, Speed ​​Level 2, Phoenix Arrow Level 1. Although her attributes are much lower than his own at Level 3, considering that Han Xiaoling is only 11 years old and only a B-rank Awakener, these attributes are already quite good.

Eight-year-old Cao Yuechan said in a slightly childish voice, "I'll be at level three soon, and I'll participate in the competition too." As she spoke, she released a spark of electricity from her fingertips. Li Chenglong patted her head and said, "Okay, you'll definitely be there. It's getting late, Yunlan and I are going to the cafeteria for lunch. Li Xue, you take the two little ones back first." Yunlan said as they walked, "This time, besides the two of us, all 48 members of our special forces team participated in the competition for both superhumans and non-superhumans. Yang Liu just told me that 6 out of the 37 superhumans advanced to tomorrow's competition, and 7 out of the 10 non-superhumans also made it to tomorrow's competition." Li Chenglong expressed his satisfaction: "That's good. You know, most of our special forces team members were civilians before. We've only been established for three months, and our standardized training has only been two months. This level is already very good."

Yun Qian, Shen Menghua, and Chen Xiaoke didn't come home for dinner tonight because they had a lot of work to do at the logistics department, and Qi Guoan and his wife were also planning to eat at the military camp. So, it was just the five of them eating together tonight. Yunlan picked up a piece of fish for Cao Yuechan, having already removed the bones, and then said to Li Chenglong, "Xiao Ke is only 15 years old this year, still a young girl. It seems a bit much for her to be busy in the logistics department all day. It feels too tiring for someone her age." Li Chenglong ladled a spoonful of soup for Han Xiaoling and slowly said, "I've already discussed this with her. She said it was all voluntary, and she enjoys working in logistics. So I didn't say anything more. However, their logistics work has been really tiring lately. Fortunately, we've now separated the army's logistics from the base's logistics. I plan to divide the base's logistics into two parts after we occupy Xing'an District, further subdividing them. This will reduce the workload and improve efficiency." Li Xue immediately raised her hand in agreement: "I agree. I used to help in logistics, and I felt that the current logistics management was too chaotic. It would be better to divide it into smaller parts." The group slowly finished their meal and then went about their own business.

The second day's competition mainly consisted of skills contests in the morning, with a total of eight events: grenade throwing, shooting, cooking, bricklaying, money counting, running, weightlifting, and carrying heavy objects. However, to ensure fairness, only non-superpowered individuals were allowed to participate. The enthusiasm of the participants was very high, with competitions lasting from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The top three winners in each event were selected and received substantial prizes.

The afternoon competition was the highlight. Since there were not many people left, the entire competition was held at the Linhai University Stadium. More than 10,000 spectators flocked to the venue. Apart from the necessary garrison troops, personnel patrolling the city to maintain order, and the minimum number of office staff from various departments, almost everyone came to watch the competition.

At 2:30 PM, after lunch, everyone arrived at the stadium to watch the match. Key leaders from various departments, including Li Chenglong, Yun Lan, Yun Qian, Li Xue, Ma Tiancheng, and Shen Menghua, were on the rostrum. Chu Kexin also asked Jiang Hui to organize photos to be taken and used for promotional brochures. As Li Chenglong loudly announced the start of the competition via microphone, the 64-to-32 round of the non-superpowered group began. The opponents for the 64-to-32 round were randomly assigned by computer, with four groups playing simultaneously. Each group's match time was set at 8 minutes, with extended time allowed for particularly intense matches.

Yesterday, Li Chenglong reviewed the list. Now, among the non-superpowered contestants who have entered the top 64, none are not military personnel. This is understandable, given the excellent benefits and perks offered by the military; anyone with a bit of ability would want to join. Furthermore, Li Chenglong now insists that the military select only the best, not only to ensure the safety of its personnel but also to guarantee the military's combat effectiveness. Those who have entered the top 64 will already receive considerable resources, and Li Chenglong also announced today that ordinary spectators will receive a small gift. Those who remain at their posts will also receive points as compensation.

A fierce battle was about to erupt, and Li Chenglong took this round quite seriously, watching intently. Shen Menghua, holding Cao Yuechan, was chatting with Li Xue, while Han Xiaoling listened nearby. In truth, regardless of whether they were non-superpowered or superpowered, their fighting was relatively fast. This was also a requirement of the military, because compared to the almost perpetual motion machines of zombies, human stamina was always a major problem. Therefore, Li Chenglong emphasized that the concept of quick and decisive battles must be ingrained in everyone's minds, whether in daily training or in combat with zombies. If the battle dragged on, the disadvantages of humanity would become increasingly magnified.

A little over an hour later, the top 32 non-superpowered individuals were successfully determined. During the intermission, a cultural troupe organized by Chu Kexin, Yun Qian, and others held a performance in the middle of the stadium. The performance included singing, dancing, and even the participation of some minor celebrities. Judging from the cheers of the audience, the performance was quite successful. Twenty minutes later, the battle to narrow down the non-superpowered individuals from 32 to 16 began, with four groups competing each time. The battle lasted eight minutes. From this round onwards, the referees were Level 20 superpowered individuals who had not yet competed. At this stage, the competition was progressing very quickly. High-ranking military officials such as Li Chenglong and Yun Lan watched very attentively, and even the people from the various battalions preparing for the competition cheered them on.

Li Chenglong glanced at the list. Of the 32 non-superpowered individuals, the first battalion had 6, the second battalion 6, the third battalion 5, the fourth battalion 4, and the fifth battalion 11. This was understandable, as the first four battalions were primarily composed of Zheng Yong's Second Company and armed police officers from Linhai, plus a large number of recruited ordinary people. The fifth battalion, however, consisted entirely of soldiers brought out by former Regiment Commander Qi Guoan during his breakout attempt; their backgrounds were fundamentally different. Thirty-odd minutes later, the top 16 were successfully determined. To ensure fairness in tomorrow's competition, all injured individuals would be treated by the medical team led by Li Xue.

After the non-superpowered group matches concluded, the draw for the superpowered group began immediately. Since 61 people advanced from the superpowered group, one person would definitely receive a bye in this draw. As soon as the draw was finished, Zhao Rui laughed excitedly, "Hahaha, I got a bye! My luck is off the charts! Hahaha!" In the superpowered group's 60-to-30 round, three groups would compete simultaneously, with each match lasting 10 minutes. Although the overall time was a bit long, the battles in the superpowered group were more intense and exciting, so the audience felt the time was actually too short. Currently, Dawn City has a total of 34 level-four superpowered individuals, 30 of whom are in the Dawn Army. Yun Qian, Wang Bing, Liu Dongliang, and Chen Anbang are not in the army. Among the level-five superpowered individuals, only Li Xue is not in the army; although she is nominally in the army, she almost never goes.

Based on this ratio, the top 30 should all be level four or higher ability users or awakened individuals. Yunlan took out some tangerines and distributed them to everyone, then said to Li Chenglong, "Which level four do you think is the most dangerous right now?" Li Chenglong looked at the list and said, "I think it's Yang Liu, because Yang Liu is a relatively rare wood-attribute ability user. He has very few offensive abilities and can only fight by relying on his high attributes and the skills he learned in the military." Yunlan nodded in agreement.

As time passed, the battles among the ability users continued in round after round, with Wu Gang, Zheng Aiguo, and others all advancing. However, two matches were particularly intense: one was Wang Bing vs. Zhao Liying, and the other was Yang Liu vs. Hu Cheqian, a level three ability user from the First Battalion who possessed both strength and speed. Chen Xiaoke laughed and said, "That name is interesting. Hu Cheqian, meaning 'tiger in front of the cart,' doesn't that mean a tiger blocking the way?" Yun Lan also said, "Yang Liu is really in for a tough time now. Her opponent is dual-elemental, and possesses both speed and strength."

Wang Bing vs. Zhao Liying. Two days ago, Wang Bing told Li Chenglong he was almost at level 5. Li Chenglong initially thought he'd have an easy time, but he ended up fighting Zhao Liying for 12 minutes, almost losing due to a successful phantom attack. In the end, Wang Bing used his speed advantage to launch a surprise attack and push Zhao Liying out of the arena. Zhao Liying's mastery of her abilities and skillful combat techniques drew cheers from everyone present. Yun Lan nodded: "Yang Liu told me these past two days that besides her daily training, Zhao Liying asks Yang Liu to help her with extra training at night. She's very hardworking and diligent, and she's already at level 3. Didn't you say a few days ago that you wanted to divide the 50-person special forces team into 5 combat groups? I feel she's perfectly capable of being a group leader." Li Chenglong didn't speak, but still marked the list.

The match between Yang Liu and Hu Cheqian was arguably the most exciting of the round. Yang Liu was a former reconnaissance soldier, while Hu Cheqian was Wu Gang's favorite and a veteran of Zheng Yong's former Second Company. The two immediately clashed, neither testing the waters nor engaging in prolonged combat, going all out from the start. Yang Liu's green wood-attribute ability clashed fiercely with Hu Cheqian's cyan ability on the field. To limit Hu Cheqian's speed, Yang Liu used his newly learned level four Vine Dungeon skill to cover the entire battle area with thorny vines. These thorns were also poisonous, but since this was just a competition, Yang Liu wouldn't use any deadly poison. Hu Cheqian was thoroughly annoyed by this tactic, but he had no way to remove the vines and could only try to finish the fight quickly using his speed ability. However, Yang Liu quickly healed himself after taking a few hits. While the competition rules didn't allow the use of crystals for healing, using one's own abilities was permitted. After 10 minutes, unable to secure a victory, Hu Cheqian conceded defeat.

On the other side, Zheng Yong was eliminated. He hadn't been a superhuman for long and was only at level three. He encountered Qian Guangming, a level four superhuman, and after fighting for eight minutes, he was sent flying out of the arena by Zhao Gang's giant wave attack. Among elemental superhumans, water and fire are the most common. However, looking at all superhumans, the most common are strength or speed-type superhumans like Qian Guangming and Yang Xuelin.

At 5:30 PM, the competition for superhumans concluded, and the finals were tomorrow. Zheng Yong announced that tomorrow morning's competition would be for non-superhumans to determine the rankings, while the afternoon would feature the superhumans' duels. After the competition, the audience began to leave, and the staff started cleaning up and leveling the battleground, with earth-elemental superhumans even coming to reinforce it. Shen Menghua smiled and said, "Tomorrow's highlight will definitely be the duel between the 31 superhumans. Captain Li, who do you think will take first place?" Li Chenglong looked at the list: "I favor Zheng Aiguo. He's a level 5 dual-elemental superhuman. Compared to the other level 5 participants, he and Wu Gang, with their dual-elemental abilities, have an advantage. Moreover, I feel that Zheng Aiguo's earth-elemental strength is more advantageous within the limited arena."

Soon after, all the special forces members arrived. Now, only Yang Liu remained in the top 31, and several others at the third level felt very disappointed. Li Chenglong encouraged them, especially praising those who performed well.