Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 115 The Resurrectable Dragon! A Delivery Mission That Must Be Delivered (Requesting a long chapter of 10,000 words, including a bonus chapter)
Logistics aircraft hangar!

Roar! ! !
A deafening roar came from afar without warning...

The savagery and madness from the ancient wilderness seemed to freeze everyone's souls!
Everyone's brains were sending out signals—danger, run!

Qin Longlong shuddered, goosebumps instantly erupting all over his body, and the tools in his hands fell to the ground with a clatter.

This is not fear, but a shudder that originates from the depths of one's genes after one's level of life has been absolutely suppressed.

"What is it?"

"what happened?"

"I don't know, but I can guess it's a big one!"
-

Dozens of kilometers away.

The round, chubby cat-shaped vehicle led the way through the snowstorm, chugging through the thick snow to clear a path for the military off-road convoy loaded with supplies behind it.

The convoy is steadily advancing toward the D-7 assembly point.

The journey was surprisingly smooth. Since leaving that area, the frequency of attacks by wild beasts dropped drastically, or even disappeared completely.

Zhao Chong, however, was not happy.

He gripped the walkie-talkie, pressing down hard with his thumb, but all he heard was a hissing static. He tried again and again, but could not get through to headquarters.

"Why can't we get in touch with them?"

"Captain, don't worry," the pilot grinned. "Headquarters will be fine!"

"Drive well!"

Zhao Chong continued to call headquarters, but the military signal booster radio did not respond at all. He frowned and put down the walkie-talkie with a slightly frustrated expression.

"Have the wild beasts stopped attacking us lately?"

"Captain, I guess the special meritorious soldier in our back compartment is 'sound asleep,' and since no one's directing the wild beasts to rescue him, those mischievous creatures have naturally quieted down."

The soldier's words made some sense. Just as Zhao Chong was about to instruct Xiao Zhou and the others not to smash the prisoners' heads too hard, a deep, terrifying roar came from behind him without warning.

Even from a great distance, everyone felt a tremor that went straight to their souls.

In the face of such a roar, even the fiercest tigers of the modern world become less than docile, not even comparable to cats.

Many soldiers in the convoy instinctively gripped their weapons; the power contained in that roar made everyone's heart skip a beat.

The air froze instantly, and the ease that had just appeared on the soldiers' faces vanished.

"What the hell is that?!"

One of the soldiers cursed under his breath.

Zhao Chong picked up the walkie-talkie again, calling headquarters in vain, his face growing increasingly grim.

With headquarters out of contact and unknown, terrifying forces lurking to the side and rear, he felt as if he and his entire squadron had plunged headlong into the deepest darkness.

"The sound is coming from headquarters, right? Have they been attacked?"

Some soldiers asked with concern.

"Don't worry, everyone. Don't scare yourselves. Nothing could really happen to headquarters. They haven't even used their most precious treasures to help these otherworldly bastards yet. Focus on your journey! They'll definitely be fine!"

Before Zhao Chong could finish speaking, a piercing scream tore through the wind and snow.

The sound was extremely penetrating, like someone was stabbing your eardrums with an awl, and everyone in the car covered their ears in pain.

The sound was like the cry of an eagle, yet mixed with the majesty of a lion.

"From the sky!" the soldier shouted from the vehicle lookout post.

Everyone looked up sharply and saw two huge black shadows flash by under the gray, snowy sky, so fast that only afterimages remained.

Then, they spiraled down, breaking through the clouds and revealing their ferocious full appearance.

The eagle-like head and gleaming claws, the lion-like body and strong thighs and claws, and the pair of eagle wings that spread out to be twenty meters wide and exude a steely luster!
"Fuck me!"

"Griffins! Two of them!"

"All personnel on high alert! Prepare air defenses!"

Zhao Chong's roar instantly echoed throughout the entire convoy via the vehicle's loudspeaker.

As the enemy approached, the vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun roared first, its scorching ammunition belts tearing through the wind and snow, spraying wildly at the dark figures in the sky.

"Da da da--!"

Dense flames crisscrossed, forming a net, but the blizzard with visibility less than 100 meters hampered their work, making their attacks less accurate.

The bullets futilely pierced the gray-white void, while the two ghostly black figures nimbly weaved through the hail of bullets at incredible speed.

"So agile!"

"Captain, capture it alive! If we can capture this thing alive, wouldn't that be a special merit award?" Xiao Zhou shouted excitedly into the communication channel while enduring the tinnitus in his ears.

"Grab you my foot!" Zhao Chong roared into the microphone, his voice distorted. "What do you have? Do you have a capture net or a tranquilizer gun? Do you want our brothers to risk their lives to fill this gap? Shoot it down for me! Smash it to pieces!"

"Also, wear headphones, everyone wear the noise-canceling headphones provided by the logistics department!"

The soldiers then quickly put on headphones that could maintain communication and provide noise cancellation.

Only then did I begin to control the weapon again.

This is a backup soundproofing device created by the think tank based on their analysis and speculation about the world.

I thought it would be useless, but it turned out to be very useful this time.

Griffins have a loud roar and can cause great harm to humans.

As the soldiers endured the noise attack, the ear-piercing screams intensified once again when they put on soundproofing gear.

This time, it was no longer a simple shriek, but a sonic attack that could shake internal organs.

The metal plates inside the carriage seemed to be buzzing and resonating, and the soldiers felt as if their chests were being repeatedly pounded by heavy hammers, and their internal organs were out of place.

Even with military-grade noise-canceling headphones on, the pervasive sound waves still made me dizzy and my temples throb.

Fortunately, these attacks have long intervals between them and are not released continuously!

"Damn it, this beast is really weird!"

Why haven't they landed yet?

Griffins are intelligent; they know that enemies on the ground are extremely dangerous. Instead of approaching the ground, they use the cover of wind and snow to circle and howl above the convoy, using wave after wave of sonic attacks to wear down the group's will.

The soldiers attempted to attack, but their bullets missed completely.

This left the soldiers with nowhere to vent their anger.

Zhao Chong stared intently at the griffin in the sky, his teeth clenched.

This couldn't go on. Ammunition was being wasted in vain, and the soldiers' condition was rapidly deteriorating under the strange sonic attacks.

If this drags on any longer, everyone will probably go deaf!
"All hands, cease fire!" he decisively ordered. "Cease fire, conserve ammunition, feign weakness, camouflage yourselves, and wait for them to get close before engaging!"

The order was given, and the gunfire stopped abruptly.

Only the howling of the wind and snow and the menacing cries of the two beasts remained in the world.

The sound gradually weakened after a few minutes.

The atmosphere in the convoy was extremely tense; every soldier hid, their fingers on the trigger, waiting for the fatal moment.

Time passed by, second by second, feeling as long as an eternity.

Perhaps thinking that the iron shell below was powerless to fight back, the two griffins finally couldn't hold back any longer.

It let out an even higher-pitched cry, and with a sudden twitch of its wings, it swooped down like a black meteorite, tearing through the wind and snow with an unparalleled sense of oppression!

It's now!

"Fire!"

Zhao Chong's roar rang out simultaneously with a barrage of gunfire.

This time, it was no longer aimless firing.

All firepower concentrated instantly, forming an impenetrable barrage of death.

The unlucky griffin was riddled with holes on the spot.

However, the most fatal blow came from Dong Zhenxuan, who was already waiting on the roof of the car.

He grinned, a snarling smile on his face, and launched the man-portable air defense missile he was carrying on his shoulder at the fastest speed imaginable.

He was in excellent condition; the moment the griffin entered effective firing range, it locked onto the target.

"Serves you right for showing off!"

Dong Zhenxuan let out a low growl and pressed the launch button.

"Whoosh-!"

A fiery dragon, trailing a white tail, soared against the wind and snow into the sky, crashing precisely into the massive body.

"boom!"

A huge burst of fire exploded in mid-air, and the griffin's screams were completely swallowed up by the explosion.

Broken flesh and burning feathers, like dirty snowflakes, fell in a flurry.

"Pfft!"

Two mutilated corpses crashed heavily onto the snow, splashing up a cloud of snow mixed with blood.

"Pah!" Dong Zhenxuan spat, patted the still-heating launch tube, and grinned: "What era are we living in? Still trying to pull this meatball impact trick on us? Do you really think this thing is a fire poker?"

Zhao Chong's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he patted his head, which had become somewhat dazed from being subjected to sonic attacks for so long.

I exhaled a long breath of white air, feeling that my back was completely soaked.

"Don't go over there yet!" He picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice still steady. "Machine gunner, give it a few more bursts, make sure it's dead!"

Dozens more crisp bursts of heavy machine gun fire ripped the flesh from the corpse.

Only after confirming that both griffins were shattered and completely incapacitated did everyone stop firing.

"Alright, go collect some body specimens," Zhao Chong ordered. "This awful weather saves us the trouble of freezing them."

After the battle, the soldiers took a good rest before resuming their duties.

The griffin's roar was so unpleasant; everyone's ears are still ringing!
"Why does this thing even have a seat?"

Dong Zhenxuan stared in astonishment at the unusual seat above the dead griffin's corpse.

"Is it from an elf?"

"Probably, otherwise there's no way to explain why they would summon a griffin to attack us."

"But why don't they ride them?"

"How would I know?"

"These leathers and materials are so lightweight. Let's collect the seats too, so the research team can analyze them."

Dong Zhenxuan and the others collected the broken griffin chair and then painstakingly dismantled the griffin's remains with entrenching tools and military knives.

"This guy's feathers are incredibly tough; even an arrow probably wouldn't be able to pierce them!"

The behemoth that once soared freely in the sky, bringing death and fear to countless lives, is now just a pile of scattered flesh and blood in the snow.

Dong Zhenxuan and his comrades worked together to properly place the griffin's head. He spat out a mouthful of saliva, "If that blow had broken its wings, it would have been better. A dead griffin is worthless!"

"He has at least made considerable contributions."

Xiao Zhou walked over and looked at a huge wing that was almost intact. The muscle fibers were clearly visible, and it was full of explosive power.

He muttered, "What a pity. Such a big one. If we could capture it alive, it would definitely be a top-class merit."

Instead of looking at the merits of these deaths, he went to the back of the train and gently poked the bound Special Merit Citation soldier with the butt of his rifle.

"This female elf has been unconscious?"

"It seems so!" The soldier's attention had also been drawn outside, and he had just returned.

Xiao Zhou leaned closer, pulled off the female elf's black eye mask, and noticed that her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Without hesitation, he raised the butt of his gun, ready to strike the other man on the back of the neck again.

"Brother Zhou, maybe we should stop now," a soldier beside him said, sounding a little reluctant. "What if we keep hitting him and he gets a concussion?"

"Should we give her a sedative?"

"You're coming?" Xiao Zhou glanced at him and put her hand down. "Who knows if our medicine will be a sedative or arsenic to her? What if it just sends her to her death? Where are we going to get information? It's better to be stupid than to die."

Seeing the soldier's smirk, Xiao Zhou snorted coldly, then kowtowed twice to the prisoner's head.

Seeing the beautiful female elf roll her eyes again, Xiao Zhou finally felt satisfied and put the blindfold on her.

After thinking for a moment, he also put the extra earplugs over the prisoner's ears to prevent the other party from eavesdropping on their conversation.

Stepping outside, I saw a young soldier on guard duty looking at the griffin meat chunks that had been brought in. He licked his chapped lips and whispered, "Brother Zhou, do you think... this stuff is edible?"

One sentence seemed to open the door to a new world.

Xiao Zhou's eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped the young soldier's helmet, making a crisp "bang" sound.

"You're a real genius!"

He no longer cared about any credit, turned around and pressed the button on his individual communicator, excitedly shouting, "Captain! Captain! Major discovery!"

A tired but still steady voice came through the communicator: "Speak."

"Captain, this griffin meat! Look at these wings, they're all tendon meat, absolutely chewy! We've been eating self-heating hot pot for two days, our mouths are practically tasteless, this is wild game delivered right to our doorstep! Let's change things up and boost morale!"

His voice echoed on the public channel, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement.

"Yeah, Captain! Chicken wings! I want chicken wings!"

"The fish that swim in the water in this world taste excellent, so the fish that fly in the sky must taste just as good!"

"Captain, shall we make something to try when it's mealtime?"

"Although the feathers and skin of a griffin are very tough, its meat is about the same as cut beef."

Zhao Chong paused for a moment, then coldly interrupted everyone's fantasies: "A bunch of foodies, without a biologist's toxicity analysis, who can guarantee that this thing isn't poisonous?"

"Oh, that's a pity!"

"Yes!"

"I still want to have hot pot!"

"The poisonous ones are even better! Mushrooms taste delicious!"

Xiao Zhou's mind raced; upon hearing the word "mushroom," he swallowed hard.

"If it's toxic, it means it has research value! Taking it back to the scientists in the rear would be a great achievement! Besides, we just fired so much ammunition, the crates are all empty, so we can use them to store meat without wasting any space!"

These well-reasoned and supported arguments left Zhao Chong speechless.

He was considering not only the food and drink, but also the morale of the team and the efficiency of resource utilization.

A few seconds later, he finally relented.

"Alright, stop yelling."

Zhao Chong's voice echoed throughout the convoy via the loudspeaker: "On my orders, collect all the meat, cut it into pieces, and put it into the empty ammunition boxes."

He paused, then added something that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"After packing, put the boxes and spare fuel together. If we encounter necromancy in this godforsaken place, we can't let them come back to life halfway!"

"okay!"

The soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, their fatigue and tension from the battle vanishing instantly. Grabbing their weapons, they charged towards the corpses of the two griffins like wolves that hadn't eaten for ten days.

The blade flashed, and the sounds of cutting echoed.

Soon, pieces of processed griffin meat were neatly stacked into ammunition boxes, and a strange aroma of meat filled the air.

The convoy, carrying new spoils, started up again and slowly drove into the endless depths of the snowstorm.
-

Dozens of kilometers away, in the command center, not long after the roar was uttered, everyone began adjusting equipment and observing the situation.

At this moment, the atmosphere here is frozen and cold.

Commander Man stood with his hands behind his back, staring at a corner of the electronic sand table.

There, the drones that were supposed to be monitoring volcanic geological activity were transmitting images that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the command center.

The crater erupted without warning, spewing out viscous lava like a fountain of blood.

Immediately afterwards, a colossal creature slowly crawled out of the boiling sea of ​​lava.

Its body is made of flowing lava and charred rock, and its outline is vaguely similar to that of a Western dragon.

However, the opponent's wings were ridiculously small, and its hind limbs were also rather incomplete.

Like a premature, deformed product that is underdeveloped, it is simply unable to support flight.

Even so, its enormous body, which is over two hundred meters long, still radiates a heat that is enough to incinerate everything.

"Is this Deathwing with broken wings?"

A young staff officer subconsciously uttered a name from a game.

"Is this thing alive? A pure lava creation? That doesn't make any sense at all!"

"It must be magic, otherwise physics cannot explain this condensed state of rock and magma."

"The methods used in other worlds are indeed sinister."

Before the murmurs had subsided, a communications officer, his voice trembling, abruptly stood up.

"Report! The target's direction has been confirmed as our base; the enemy is moving in a straight line towards us! Speed... 15 kilometers per hour!"

"Attacked us? Interesting."

As Brigade Commander Man looked at the monster on the screen, which the soldiers called "Deathwing," a cold interest appeared on his face. "Let's wake up the brothers in the Rocket Force."

He tapped the giant beast on the screen.

"What a load of bull, Deathwing. To me, he's just a bigger target."

"The same goes for the aircraft. Zoom in, take detailed photos, and see what weaknesses the other side has."

The drone began to descend and then began collecting data indiscriminately.

With a body surface temperature of 600 degrees Celsius, it was determined that the entire body was composed of magma.

It's probably not some kind of underground creature, but a magical creature, or a creature created by magic.

Just as the drone was conducting reconnaissance, the magma dragon on the screen suddenly raised its head, and a blinding red light shone from its throat.

The next second, a scorching torrent tore through the wind and snow, precisely engulfing the drone hovering a thousand meters in the air.

"His-"

The screen instantly turned into a snowy display.

A deathly silence fell over the command post. Brigade Commander Man's pupils dilated slightly: "This thing has such a long attack range and such great power?"

"Where are the backup aircraft? Where are the Wing Loong drones? Take off with missiles and attack it directly!"

One operations staff officer suggested, "Brigade Commander, how about we deploy Z-10 attack helicopters? They have better wind resistance and can perform low-altitude penetration!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Brigade Commander Man nodded decisively: "Order the 10th Wing Loong Squadron and the entire Wing Loong Squadron to take off!"

He added emphatically.

"No matter the cost, nail it down halfway!"

……

The hangar's sheet metal ceiling hummed, and the tools fixed to the wall rattled and clanged.

The engineers, including Qin Longlong, looked bewildered and fearful.

"What's going on? There's an earthquake?"

"Don't just stand there! Get moving!" Battalion Commander Zhou Xun, who was in charge of the airport, jogged over.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded with sandpaper, “Get moving! Get everyone moving! Prepare the ammunition and get the planes off!”

He snatched the communicator and roared into it: "Ammunition team! Attach all the grenades, and the rockets too, don't attach the wrong ones! Oh, and attach all the ultrasonic jammers too, so they don't get shot down by birds on the way!"

Seeing the battalion commander's reaction, no one dared to ask another question.

Everyone felt an invisible pressure gripping their throats, leaving them no choice but to speed up their actions.

The tremors from the ground became clearer, no longer a muffled rumble, but a series of heavy footsteps like mountains.

thump...

thump...

Each strike felt like it was landing directly on everyone's heart, causing their chests to resonate.

Technicians like Qin Longlong, facing this unknown terror for the first time, turned pale, and their hands, which were pushing the missile, trembled involuntarily.

"Kid, steady your hand."

A ground crew member next to him, his face smeared with grease, grinned to reveal a set of yellowed teeth stained by cigarette smoke, but his voice was as steady as a rock: “This thing’s all off the lock. If you slip, we’ll both be flying away.”

A sarcastic remark with a touch of dark humor eased Qin Longlong's tense nerves slightly. He smiled awkwardly, but gripped the cart even tighter.

The soldiers moved so fast it was as if they were racing against death.

Two dark green WZ-10 attack helicopters were towed out of the hangar by a tractor.

Ground crew swarmed forward, like skilled worker ants, attaching one deadly "iron lump" after another to the wings.

The rotors began to spin, and the swirling air currents whipped up snowflakes that stung people's faces.

Just then, an even heavier sound of machinery operating came from outside the hangar.

Everyone instinctively looked over and saw a huge missile launcher vehicle drive out.

Then the missile launcher slowly erected its launch pad, and a colossal object pointed straight at the sky.

Dongfeng-21.

Heavy weapons used to deal with enemies.

Upon seeing this thing being pulled out, everyone, whether new recruits or veterans, technicians or logistics personnel, instinctively held their breath.

The silent oppressive feeling was even stronger than the footsteps coming from afar.

"Battalion Commander..." Qin Longlong finally mustered up his courage and approached Zhou Xun, "What...what is it that requires such a large-scale operation?"

Zhou Xun stared intently at the first Z-10 attack helicopter slowly taking off before he managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth.

"It's a dragon."

"A dragon?" A young soldier next to him stared wide-eyed in astonishment. "A dragon on our side?"

“No.” Zhou Xun exhaled a puff of white breath. “The intelligence says it’s similar to the winged lizard in Western mythology, a wingless dragon.”

"Hold……"

The young soldier cursed, but there was little fear in his eyes; instead, there was a mixture of excitement and fervor.

"So today we can see for ourselves whether our Dongfeng Express is more powerful, or whether the dragon's scales are tougher?"

"Nonsense!" The veteran who had previously mocked Qin Longlong spat out. "Dongfeng Express, mission accomplished! With a terminal speed of Mach 10, it can pierce through not only flesh and blood, but even a steel mountain!"

"That's right, no matter how strong the Demon Dragon is, it can't be stronger than a tungsten alloy bullet!"

The tungsten alloy warheads of Dongfeng conventional weapons can penetrate 3 meters of steel plates, and their ground-attack warheads can easily destroy tens of meters of ground. This is far beyond the capabilities of weapons like the Eagle, which have impressive specifications on paper.

The crowd's confidence soared with the appearance of the powerful weapon, and the tense atmosphere in the air was replaced by a fervent fighting spirit.

They firmly believed that in the face of absolute power, any evil or heretical forces would be annihilated.

However, they are unaware that the new weapon will soon be facing something far more complex than flesh and blood.

……

Within the headquarters.

On the huge tactical screen, a blinding infrared signal was approaching at an alarming speed.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, the Wing Loong UAV has arrived at the designated airspace, multiple communications have been established, and infrared image transmission is stable!"

"All Z-10 attack helicopter units report that they have entered attack positions and are awaiting orders!"

"Dongfeng missiles are ready and can be launched at any time!"

Commander Man's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the screen.

The staff and technicians behind him didn't dare to breathe loudly; the only sounds in the room were the tapping of keyboards and the reporting of data.

Just as they were about to issue the attack order, the door to the command post was suddenly pushed open, and Wang Hu rushed in pushing a wheelchair. Sitting in the wheelchair was Deng Dakang, who had a pale face.

Su Mingjin glanced at Deng Dakang behind her, paused for a moment, and then had Wang Hu push him to the modern world for treatment.

"President Su, wait a minute, I just fainted, and there's still information I haven't finished giving you!"

Deng Dakang said weakly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the big screen, and he immediately fell silent.

"Uh, let's attack first! We can only confirm after we attack!"

Commander Man's attention lingered between Deng Dakang and the screen.

Two thousand meters above the ground, the drone, like a ruthless falcon, continuously transmits real-time data from the target back to the drone.

"Target distance... sixteen kilometers!"

"Fifteen kilometers!"

"Entered the designated firing range!"

A staff officer suddenly stood up, his voice trembling with excitement: "Brigade Commander!"

"emission."

"emission!"

The order was passed on.

On the distant launch site, with a deafening roar, the missile carrying everyone's hopes, trailing a long plume of flame, tore through the sky and pierced the heavens.

The multi-pulse scramjet engine pushes its speed to its limit within tens of seconds.

Mach 5!

Mach 7!

Mach 9!

On the command center's screen, the green dot representing the missile and the red dot representing the dragon were rapidly approaching each other at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Everyone stood up, staring intently at the two points that were about to collide.

Time, at this moment, seems to be infinitely stretched.

Finally, the two points of light overlapped.

The screen was instantly covered in crimson, and all signals were interrupted for a second.

"boom--!!!"

Even from the base dozens of kilometers away, one could almost feel a slight tremor coming from the ground beneath their feet.

The Wing Loong drone gained altitude at the moment of the explosion, aiming its camera at the target area.

When the video came back, the command center erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Medium! In the middle!"

"It's blown up! It's blown in two!"

On the screen, the two-hundred-meter-long demonic dragon's massive body had broken in the middle, with lava everywhere, indicating that it was probably completely dead.

Commander Man's tense body finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

Many of his staff members behind him had already begun to hug and celebrate with each other.

However, Deng Dakang stared intently at the screen, his face even more grim than before.

"He's still alive..." he muttered to himself. "Quick, zoom in and switch to thermal imaging!"

The technician immediately carried out the order.

As the image zoomed in and became clearer, the cheers in the command center gradually subsided.

Everyone witnessed a horrifying scene.

Countless burning boulders and scorching lava fell from the sky like rain, melting and evaporating the thick snow below, revealing the scorched earth.

On the screen, countless shattered rocks and molten lava, as if drawn by some invisible force, began to tumble and writhe, frantically converging towards the fracture.

Such a sight violates all known laws of physics.

"It's...it's healing!" a technician exclaimed in astonishment.

Inside the command post, there was a deathly silence.

Just moments ago, everyone was still basking in the joy of victory, but now they felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

A young technician, his lips trembling, uttered the question everyone wanted to ask.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Deathly silence, a chilling, bone-deep silence.

Inside the command center, the thunderous cheers seemed like a hallucination from the last century.

No one celebrated anymore, no one hugged anymore. Everyone stared blankly at the unbelievable scene on the screen, as if they had been choked.

Even though many warriors had imagined the horror of supernatural beings, nothing was more terrifying than seeing them with their own eyes.

“Commander Man…” Deng Dakang’s voice was hoarse. He struggled to sit up straight in his wheelchair, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently. “I…I saw it in my hallucinations…it can…it can reassemble itself, but don’t worry, everyone, they have weaknesses!”

Commander Man turned around abruptly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Deng Dakang, a glint of light in them: "Professor Deng, what is the weakness?"

"Wait a minute, let it heal completely on its own before we talk about it. This thing isn't dangerous."

Commander Man's lips moved, and the word of doubt was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it back.

Amidst the smoke and steam, the broken body was rapidly coalescing, the wounds beginning to fill, and a new, even more grotesque outline was re-formed in the firelight.

It seemed to be thoroughly enraged by the attack, and the magma on its body burned even more intensely, emitting a deep roar.

The sound waves even interfered with the drone's signal, causing a slight distortion in the image.

Inside the command center, a sense of despair spread like a virus.

"Professor Deng, what is the weakness?"

"Commander Man, look, you're getting impatient again! Please have the drones measure its length first! And the geological team, please analyze the rate of geothermal dissipation!"

He was extremely weak, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

Commander Man was taken aback. Although he was puzzled, he instinctively shouted, "Do as he says! Quickly!"

The command was executed immediately.

"Drone visual analysis...compared to pre-attack data...its length has decreased!" The drone observer's voice suddenly rose, tinged with an incredulous surprise.

Commander Man rushed up behind him in one stride: "How much is missing?"

"Report! Precise comparison shows it's shortened by approximately two meters!"

Almost at the same time, in another corner, the staff officer in charge of geological analysis also suddenly stood up, his face flushed with excitement.

"Commander! The geothermal overflow in the target area is slowing down significantly! No, it's being absorbed! The reorganization process just now consumed a massive amount of geothermal energy! The high temperature of the ground beneath its feet has almost been absorbed by it!"

The two reports, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through the gloom in everyone's minds.

Inside the command center, a deathly silence descended once more, but this time, it was not out of fear, but out of extreme shock and ecstasy.

"Ha..." Commander Man paused for half a second, then let out a short, beast-like laugh, "Haha! Energy absorption and recombination? So this guy was just a showpiece! I thought it was free to revive! Turns out it also follows the laws of energy!"

A smile finally appeared on his tense face.

"Commander Man is right. It is indeed not immortal! This thing is just a huge energy aggregate! It is formed by magical particles gathering magma and rocks."

"By destroying its body, we can deplete its energy on a large scale!"

Deng Dakang revealed the secret in one sentence, followed by a series of breathless gasps.

The hallucinations he had experienced earlier had severely damaged Deng Dakang's physical strength.

"Well done, Professor Deng!" Commander Man slammed his fist on the control panel, making the cups vibrate. "Communications officer!"

"To!"

"Get the attack force ready! Don't wait, drop the rockets, open fire, fire freely! Don't give it a chance to breathe!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the squadron of armed helicopters that had been circling on the flanks pounced like a pack of wolves.

One rocket after another, trailing long, thin flames, formed a storm of steel, crashing down on the newly rebuilt Lava Dragon, which was about to show off its power.

“Boom boom boom boom—!”

This time, it wasn't a devastating, one-hit kill.

Instead, it was a relentless barrage of attacks that were so intense they were almost suffocating.

The dragon's massive body was struck, causing lava to splatter everywhere.

Large chunks of burning rock were blasted into countless pieces, only to be torn into even smaller powder by subsequent explosions in mid-air.

It roared in impotent rage, but didn't even have a chance to raise its claws, and could only passively endure this baptism of fury from human industrial civilization.

On the screen, its size is gathering, reviving, being attacked, and then shrinking continuously at a visible speed.

"Report! The target's body length has decreased by five meters!"

"Report! The rate of geothermal absorption is not keeping up with the rate of consumption! It's weakening!"

"Report! The rate of geothermal spread has slowed down again!!!"

"Ha, the rate of geothermal diffusion has slowed down a lot, and the volcanic eruption has decreased. It seems we don't need to evacuate anymore!?"

Inside the command center, everyone clenched their fists, the fear they had felt earlier completely swept away by a surge of excitement.

It's good that the enemy has weaknesses.

If you're not a god, I'll kill you right now!
Commander Man looked at the demonic dragon on the screen, which was being beaten and howling and whose size was constantly shrinking. He picked up an unlit cigarette and grinned at the communications soldier.

"Tell the artillery units to make sure they have plenty to eat this time."

Everyone stared at the figure on the screen, shrinking continuously amidst the steel storm, as if watching the grandest fireworks display.

Having watched the entire battle unfold, Su Mingjin, seeing that the situation was under control, smiled and said to Deng Dakang, "Professor Deng, I admire you. I was almost scared out of my wits by that thing's imposing presence. How did you see through its weakness at a glance?"

Deng Dakang was leaning against Wang Hu, panting heavily, his face as white as paper.

Wang Hu was concerned, but he waved his hand to indicate that he was fine, without taking his eyes off the screen.

“It…it’s so wrong!” he said weakly, his voice hoarse. “It’s too weak, and too small.”

Su Mingjin and Brigade Commander Man were both stunned.

Is this what you call weak?

Is this considered small?

The mountain-like body, the scorching heat of its breath that could burn iron and metal, and the ability to revive itself repeatedly put immense psychological pressure on the soldiers. If the enemy were to storm the camp, they would likely have no choice but to retreat in a sorry state.

"Professor Deng, what you're saying is a bit Versailles-esque," Commander Man rarely joked, his tense nerves relaxing and making him seem much more lively.

Deng Dakang shook his head, and Wang Hu quickly handed him a portable oxygen cylinder and let him take a few breaths.

The oxygen seemed to give him some strength, and his eyes regained their sharpness.

“I’m not joking.” He looked at Commander Man and said, word by word, “When I was first pulled into the illusion space by that guy who called himself a god, he showed me a lot of information, not just this one thing!”

"The magma dragons released by the opponent were not originally one dragon, but two."

The command center fell silent instantly, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"Those two are the real, complete dragons made of lava. Each one is a size larger than the one we have now, and most importantly, they have wings. Wings that blot out the sky."

Deng Dakang's voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"In my imagination, I saw Dongfeng missiles and various artillery pieces going up against each other. They were just like big firecrackers, making a noise but completely unable to destroy the enemy."

"Even the weapons of truth cannot destroy it!"

"Fortunately, everyone had already bombarded the crater several times beforehand; that was probably the key attack that prevented the enemy's magic cycle ritual from taking shape!"

hiss--

Everyone gasped. If what Professor Deng said was true, then had they just danced a dance on the brink of death?

“So…” Deng Dakang forced a weak smile, “What we are facing now is just a defective product. A deformed child whose ‘birth’ was interrupted by our east wind, resulting in insufficient energy supply, and could only be temporarily sculpted from scraps…”

"Deformed child?" Commander Man chewed on the word, then looked at the increasingly smaller demonic dragon, a look of fear on his face.

If the opponent really had wings, then modern humans wouldn't have been prepared with any weapons before being spewed dragon fire right in their faces!
Their anti-aircraft guns and the like may be very strong, but against a dragon that can revive multiple times, they will definitely suffer heavy losses.

He patted Deng Dakang heavily on the shoulder, almost knocking the already weak professor to the ground.

"Professor Deng, I'm sorry about before. You're really something! After this war is over, I'll treat you to the best Moutai!"

Deng Dakang coughed after being slapped, but after catching his breath, his eyes returned to the topographic map.

"Brigade Commander, General Su... don't just focus on this premature baby."

His finger trembled as he pointed to the map, to the area that was once a green forest.

"These magical energies are actually dead. They don't arise from nothing. Magic can absorb geothermal heat and trigger microscopic energy reactions. But summoning a dragon and persistently maintaining its form has a different source!"

(End of this chapter)