The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 234

The dense barrage of bullets struck the water zombie's bone armor, sending up a series of sparks, but it did nothing to stop its advance.

Just then, three Awakened Ones dressed in black combat suits attacked from the flank.

The leading strength-type awakened being's arm muscles bulged, and he swung his alloy battle axe, slamming it down hard on the knee joint of the leading water ghoul, shattering the bone armor in the process.

The awakened one following behind pressed his hands to the ground, and the scorching lava devoured the lower limbs of the other two water ghouls.

The remaining two water ghouls were interfered with by an unknown energy, and suddenly their movements froze. Then, the tank's main gun, which had adjusted its firing angle in time, blasted them into pieces.

"Attention all units, an elite water ghoul has broken through the defenses and is attacking the command post. Awakened individuals are needed to intercept it."

"Received by Xunfeng, I'll handle it."

Li Feng picked up the communicator and spoke.

Then, with a casual air, he drew the long sword from his waist.

With a flash, his figure appeared, and where the sword passed, a thin black line was drawn through the air.

The next second, the air fluctuated violently.

A relatively small, light green water ghost suddenly appeared in mid-air.

Wow~

It didn't have time to make a sound.

Suddenly, countless lines of blood burst forth from his body.

It shattered into countless fragments and fell to the ground.

Chapter 273 Clues to the Red Tarantula's Bloodline

Compared to Li Feng's clean and efficient killing of the infiltrated water zombies.

Han Ning was more curious about where the Sword of Judgment got so many heavy weapons made of human technology.

Moreover, I've been in this other world for several months now.

I've heard that the military has already fought many battles against water ghouls, black snakes, and various other monsters.

Where can we find such a sufficient supply of artillery shells?

"The fact that they can fire so much ammunition so lavishly suggests that they may have rebuilt the production line..."

Han Ning wondered to himself.

"Swift Bee is my code name. Please wait a moment, Chief Han. This battle will be over soon."

Li Feng sheathed his sword and smiled at Han Ning beside him.

"Please go ahead." Han Ning returned to Xuebing's side, not wanting to disturb them.

The cold wind blowing from afar carried a mixture of gunpowder smoke and the pungent smell of blood.

The combined forces of the Sword of Judgment and the Highland Outpost are carrying out the final clearing.

The explosions from the 155mm howitzers gradually subsided.

The whistling sound of rockets still occasionally swept overhead, slamming into the small group of water zombies that stubbornly resisted.

The battlefield situation changed from fire coverage to three-person Awakened squads advancing in a triangular formation.

"Sector 7 has been cleared; no surviving enemies were found."

"Remnants of a black snake swarm have been discovered in the eastern canyon, and they are guiding artillery fire... Over."

Information from various combat zones continued to be broadcast over the communication channels.

Tactical firepower strikes against groups of humans.

Even water ghosts would find it difficult to resist.

Colonel Li Feng had returned to Han Ning's side sometime earlier, the ancient longsword in his hand already sheathed, a trace of lingering coldness still remaining on the edge of the scabbard.

"Modern firepower tears through the enemy's defenses, and the Awakened Squad carries out precise elimination and sweeping operations to deal with these endless monsters. This is currently the most effective tactic."

He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also explaining to Han Ning.

"Unfortunately, the cost is too high."

Han Ning nodded slightly, but his gaze was directed to the deeper part of the battlefield, to the area that was originally occupied by the old water corpse priest and his elite guards.

At this moment, only a scene of devastation remained, with the wreckage of several tanks still burning and numerous fragmented corpses of water ghouls and black snakes scattered around.

"That old guy is cunning. When he saw that things were not going well, he took his core guard and ran away before the defense line was completely breached."

"We don't have time to risk pursuing them right now, so let's leave it alone for the time being."

Li Feng explained.

At this moment, Gu Cheng, along with Deputy Leader Qian, Wang Jianshe, and others, strode over from the command post.

"The battle is finally over."

He pulled off his gloves, which were covered in blood and dust, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"We were so grateful for the firepower support from the Sword of Judgment; otherwise, our high ground outpost would have truly become history."

He walked up to Han Ning and Li Feng, solemnly saluted Li Feng, and nodded to Han Ning:

"Chief Han, thank you again for your previous assistance."

"There's no need for Lao Gu to be so polite about helping each other among allies."

Li Feng smiled and waved his hand, then looked at Han Ning.

"Chief Han, the situation here has stabilized for the time being. Now we can talk about what you mentioned yesterday."

The group walked through the still-smoke-filled battlefield and arrived at a temporary command post built against a crack in the mountain.

The guards at the entrance bowed silently and let Li Feng pass.

It was much warmer inside the command center than outside, and a portable generator hummed, powering some of the electronic equipment inside.

A simple yet clear large-scale war zone map hung on the wall, covered with densely packed symbols.

Li Feng led Han Ning and Gu Cheng into a small room partitioned off with thick canvas.

It was relatively quiet here, with only a metal folding table and a few chairs, on which were spread several more detailed partial maps.

The three sat down, and the canvas blocked out most of the noise from the outside room.

"Colonel Li, I've come to ask you about a monster."

Han Ning got straight to the point.

"This monster isn't very big, it's probably... a smaller version of a large manta ray, with dark red or grayish-blue scales covering its body. It probably lives in deep water. Have any of you seen it or heard of it?"

Based on the images transmitted by the will of nature, he roughly described the appearance of the target creature.

"This kind of monster... seems quite rare."

Upon hearing this, Li Feng's brows gradually furrowed.

"But I also feel a sense of familiarity, why is that..."

He repeated the monster's appearance to himself in a low voice, lost in thought.

Gu Cheng did not interrupt.

After a dozen seconds, Li Feng's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped, and his eyes showed a look of realization:

“I remember now. The captain of the fourth squad of the Sword of Judgment, codenamed ‘Anvil,’ was ordered about half a year ago to assist a remnant of the Navy that was withdrawing from the outer perimeter, and was responsible for a section of the outer perimeter guard.”

“He mentioned it once during a conversation, saying that those navy people were acting mysteriously, as if they had encountered something outside. He also said that he had glimpsed a monster in a transport container during a mission, and its color and shape were somewhat similar to your description.”

His tone was uncertain:

"I thought the anvil looked strange, so I asked it a question, but the other party was tight-lipped. They only said it was for scientific research purposes and didn't say anything about its specific use or where it came from."

"After the mission ended, the two sides parted ways and never crossed paths again, so I know very little about them."

Han Ning's gaze sharpened slightly: "The remnants of the navy? Where are they operating now?"

"They have joined up with the main force and are currently stationed on the southeastern edge of the mountains. The naval system is relatively independent and does not have much direct contact with our Sword of Judgment."

"Why did Chief Han suddenly ask about this? Is this kind of monster very important to you?"

"Our researchers obtained a method for making a potion from the remains of the fish-men, which may require the blood of that monster."

Han Ning said, half-jokingly.

Popota is indeed a creature that came from the Fishman Ruins, so what he said wasn't exactly a lie.

“I need them, preferably alive, or even just recently deceased but still intact corpses. The Sword of Judgment has more channels and better information. Could you ask Colonel Li to help me find out more, or try to contact that naval unit? I'm willing to pay a reward—crystals, supplies, or even my personal assistance—we're all negotiable.”

Li Feng did not agree immediately, and his fingers began to tap lightly on the table again, clearly weighing his options.

After a moment, he spoke:

"I'm not familiar with the Navy... Their secrecy level is usually very high. I can only try to ask through Army channels in the name of the Sword of Judgment, but I can't guarantee there will be any results, and I might not even get any response."

"Just do your best." Han Ning nodded. "Whether it succeeds or not, I will remember your kindness."

"Alright, I'll give it a try later." Li Feng readily agreed. "Chief Han, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Chapter 274 Alliance

Upon hearing this, Han Ning pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to Gu Cheng, his expression sincere:

"Chief Gu, the gift you gave me... is truly invaluable. I will remember this favor."

Gu Cheng waved his hand, his tone equally sincere:

"Chief Han, you flatter me. Compared to the lives of so many of my brothers that you saved, that thing is nothing."

Han Ning nodded, then dropped the formalities and asked the core question:

"To be honest, I do have another question for you both: is it still possible to obtain those high-energy fragments?"

These words caused the atmosphere inside the tent to become somewhat strange.

Li Feng and Gu Cheng exchanged a glance, a mixture of curiosity and surprise in their eyes.