Chapter 109 Divine Retribution Descends! In the Name of the Nation, We Face the Gods!

Chapter 109 Divine Retribution Descends! In the Name of the Nation, We Face the Gods!

The piercing alarm shattered the tranquility of the command center.

The huge world map on the wall was covered by a jumble of signals like snowflakes, finally settling into an image from the country's highest air defense early warning system.

A colossal object, defying any definition by any known aircraft, is hurtling toward the continent from the depths of the Pacific Ocean at an astonishing speed.

It is completely black.

Its appearance is that of a dormant ancient dragon, and it is also a deep-sea behemoth that combines biological and mechanical elements.

It was surrounded by a thick, impenetrable black mist that churned constantly. Any radar waves and optical detection signals that came into contact with that black mist were swallowed up and disappeared without a trace.

"Target unidentified! Flight principle uncalculated! Speed ​​has exceeded Mach 20!"

"The intensity of the energy reaction is increasing exponentially! It... it's absorbing free energy from the atmosphere!"

"We are expected to arrive over Beijing in seventeen minutes!"

Chaos reigned in the command center, with screams from technicians echoing throughout. Everyone was terrified by the enormous machine on the screen that exuded an aura of ominous destruction.

"Qingqing!"

Lu Zhanting supported Su Wanqing, and a surge of pure internal energy flowed into her body, forcibly stabilizing her turbulent blood and qi.

Su Wanqing leaned against him, staring intently at the monster on the screen called "Candle Dragon".

She could clearly sense that the core of that thing was Yan Qihuang himself.

He has become one with the immense negative energy recovered from the "Great Cataclysmic Array".

“Conventional weapons might be ineffective against it.” Su Wanqing wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her voice hoarse from weakness, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"That layer of black mist is his protective evil energy, formed from the despair and pain of tens of millions of people, which can devour and decompose most physical attacks."

Upon hearing this, the people in the command room, who had just begun to build up a little confidence, turned ashen-faced once again.

"What's the panic!"

A thunderous roar instantly silenced all the noise.

Lu Zhanting handed Su Wanqing over to Professor Chen for support, and then walked to the center of the command platform.

His face was cold and stern, his eyes like an unyielding glacier, as he surveyed the entire scene.

The panic of that moment had vanished, replaced by absolute calm and an iron will.

"Everyone to your positions!"

"Connect to the Supreme Command, I request activation of the 'Sky Shield' Level 1 contingency plan!"

"Order the Aerospace Forces, First, Third, and Seventh Fighter Divisions, to immediately scramble all aircraft, carrying 'armor-piercing' air-to-air missiles, and establish the first line of defense over the Bohai Bay!"

"Order the Rocket Force to put its 'Changying' series air defense brigades on Level 1 combat readiness, lift all security restrictions, lock onto the target airspace, and authorize indiscriminate saturation attacks!"

"Order the Beijing Garrison Command to move all ground-based air defense units forward to the Fifth Ring Road to construct a third line of defense!"

"Order the National Security Bureau Zero Division to immediately execute 'Fortify the Wall' plan. Clear all non-combat personnel within the Fifth Ring Road within thirty minutes!"

A series of clear and calm commands came from Lu Zhanting's mouth.

He was like an extremely sophisticated war machine, mobilizing the entire nation's violent apparatus in the shortest possible time.

A multi-layered, three-dimensional strangulation network was constructed around the capital.

Under his direction, the previously chaotic command center began to operate efficiently and systematically, like a series of tightly wound gears.

After giving the order, Lu Zhanting quickly walked back to Su Wanqing's side, squatted down, and took her hand.

"Qingqing, I need you. Tell me, how can I break through that tortoise shell?"

Looking at him, Su Wanqing felt a great sense of security welling up inside her.

She took out a small jade bottle from her pocket, inside which was the last and purest drop of "Purifying Dew".

"Give it to Professor Chen, and dilute and atomize it as quickly as possible to make it into a special warhead." She spoke very fast. "Its purifying power can neutralize evil energy, but only for a moment. You must seize that momentary opening to launch a real attack."

"good!"

Lu Zhanting took the jade bottle and immediately handed it to Professor Chen beside him.

"Fifteen minutes! I need the first batch of finished products delivered to the front lines!"

"I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!" Professor Chen, accompanied by two assistants, carrying the small jade bottle as if it held the hopes of the entire world, rushed towards the top-secret laboratory at the back.

After doing all this, Su Wanqing sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes.

“I’ll help you find its weakness.” Her voice became somewhat ethereal, as if from another dimension. “Its evil shield isn’t solid; the energy flows, so there are bound to be weak points. I will find them.”

Lu Zhanting nodded emphatically and walked back to the command post.

"Connect the first line of defense! I need to speak directly with the pilot!"

Above the Bohai Bay, above the clouds.

Dozens of the most advanced J-20 fighter jets, arranged in a sharp attack formation, are like raptors patrolling the sky.

"This is 'Sharp Sword One,' this is Zhou Hai. All units, report the situation!" came the calm voice of the lead pilot over the channel.

"Sharp Sword II is operating normally!"

"Sharp Sword III is operating normally!"

At that moment, a huge red warning appeared simultaneously on the radars of all the fighter jets.

At the horizon, where the sea meets the sky, a massive shadow was breaking through the clouds and rapidly approaching them.

"Oh My God……"

Even the most elite pilots couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when they saw the "Candle Dragon" with their own eyes.

That thing is too big.

It was so large that it blocked out half the sky.

The jet-black hull was covered with dark red lines that undulated like veins, resembling a living behemoth.

It didn't spew any flames, yet it glided through the air at speeds that defied the laws of physics, silently bringing only a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Headquarters, 'Sharp Sword' calling! Target in visual contact! Repeat, target in visual contact! Requesting fire!" Zhou Hai's voice was distorted by shock.

"Attack as planned!" Lu Zhanting's calm and steady voice came through the headset.

"Understood!" Zhou Haiqiang suppressed the turmoil in his heart and issued the order, "All units, 'swarm' tactics, free attack!"

At a command, dozens of fighter jets instantly dispersed, rushing towards "Candle Dragon" from all directions and at different altitudes.

White trails streaked across the sky.

One by one, armor-piercing missiles detached from their racks, whistling through the air as they shot towards the massive black fog.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Those missiles that were powerful enough to pierce an aircraft carrier's deck vanished the moment they entered the black fog.

There was no explosion.

There was no fire.

It vanished into thin air without making a sound.

"Attack invalid! Repeat, attack invalid!" Zhou Hai's shout was filled with disbelief.

"Avoid! Avoid immediately!" Lu Zhanting's roar exploded in the channel.

But it was too late.

The "Candle Dragon" seemed to be angered by the harassment of these flies.

Thousands of tiny holes suddenly appeared on its huge, smooth hull.

"Buzz—"

From those holes, countless black "flying insects" poured out.

They were only the size of a palm, resembling metal dragonflies, but incredibly fast, leaving trails of black afterimages in the air as they retaliated against the J-20 fighter group.

A fierce air battle broke out instantly.

"Left side! They're on the left!"

"We can't get rid of them! They're too fast!"

A pilot performed a dangerous Cobra maneuver in his fighter jet, attempting to shake off several "flying insects" chasing him.

But those things seemed to possess their own wisdom, clinging to us like maggots, relentlessly pursuing us.

One of the "flying insects" suddenly accelerated and crashed hard into the cockpit canopy of the fighter jet.

Bang!

A spiderweb-like network of cracks instantly appeared on the high-strength bulletproof glass, which was corroded and melted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The pilot let out a terrified scream.

The next second, several "flying insects" crawled into the cockpit.

Only a short, inhuman roar came from the channel, and then the fighter jet began to spin out of control and crashed into the sea below.

One, two, three...

Within just one minute, the first line of defense suffered heavy losses.

These eagles, representing the nation's highest level of air combat power, appear so vulnerable in the face of these elusive "flying insects."

"All units, retreat immediately! Move towards the second line of defense! Repeat, retreat immediately!" Zhou Hai roared, his eyes bloodshot, as he issued the order.

He himself piloted the fighter jet, turned it around, and launched a desperate charge towards the main body of "Candle Dragon".

"For the motherland!"

He pressed all the launch buttons, firing all the remaining missiles.

Then, he piloted his fighter jet like an arrow, crashing into the black mist.

There was no fire, no explosion.

The hero's final blow was swallowed up by the unfathomable darkness, without causing a ripple.

Inside the command center, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone watched as their team's points of light disappeared on the screen, clenching their fists so tightly that their nails dug deep into their flesh.

"Professor Chen! Is the warhead ready yet?!" Lu Zhanting roared into the communicator.

"Alright! The first batch of 'Dawn' special warheads has been loaded! The Second Fighter Division has been re-equipped and taken off!" Professor Chen's voice was also hoarse.

Just then, Su Wanqing, who had been sitting quietly with her eyes closed, suddenly trembled, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth again.

“Found it.” She weakly opened her eyes. “Below its left wing, between the third and fourth armor sections, there is an energy circulation node. Every twelve seconds, there is a defensive gap of 0.5 seconds. That is one of its ‘breathing holes’.”

Lu Zhanting immediately marked the location Su Wanqing had mentioned on the electronic map.

"Connect 'Thor,' commander of the 2nd Destroyer Division!"

"Thor received!"

"Listen to my command!" Lu Zhanting's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Your mission is not to destroy it, but to verify a coordinate for me! You will make contact with the target in ninety seconds. After contact, turn thirty degrees to the right, circle around to the target's left flank, do not attack, and wait for my command!"

"Thor understands!"

A few dozen seconds later, the 2nd Fighter Division, equipped with the "Dawn" warhead, appeared on the flank of the "Candle Dragon".

"Candle Dragon" seemed to disregard these new "flies" and maintained its original speed, approaching the mainland.

"Attention all units!" Lu Zhanting's eyes were fixed on the timer, his brain working at breakneck speed, almost burning, frantically calculating lead and trajectory.

"...five, four, three..."

"Coordinate correction, Y-axis raised by 0.2 points! Now!"

"Fire!"

At a command, "Thor" and the dozens of fighter jets he led simultaneously launched the special missile coated with "Purifying Rain".

Dozens of white lights, trailing pale golden flames, formed a sharp sword that pierced the darkness.

Their target was not the hull of the "Candle Dragon," but the seemingly empty airspace that Su Wanqing pointed out.

The missile detonated with a roar the instant it reached its designated coordinates!

Instead of a deafening explosion, a burst of incomparably brilliant and holy white light erupted.

Dozens of small suns lit up in the sky at the same time.

The white light instantly dispelled the black mist around the "Candle Dragon," revealing the ship's hull gleaming with metallic luster below.

The subsequent conventional missiles seized this 0.5-second gap and struck the exact spot that Su Wanqing had pointed out!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This time, it was no longer a silent devouring.

A violent explosion occurred on the hull of the "Candle Dragon," tearing and cracking large sections of armor, from which dark red, blood-like liquid gushed out.

"roar--"

A roar, unlike any human's, filled with pain and rage, came from inside the "Candle Dragon." The sound waves transformed into a tangible impact, shaking several nearby fighter jets to their sides.

"Attack successful! Attack successful!"

A deafening cheer erupted inside the command center!

However, before they could rejoice for long, another change occurred.

The enormous "Candle Dragon" actually stopped in mid-air.

A huge gash appeared on the underside of the ship, like the open mouth of a giant beast.

Countless black dots rained down onto the ground below from that opening.

"What is that?!"

Through the footage transmitted back by drones from the front lines, everyone saw the true nature of those black dots.

They were “people” dressed in tattered clothes, with bluish-black skin, bloodshot eyes, and stiff yet incredibly fast movements!

Living zombies!

Thousands upon thousands of living corpses were thrown by Yan Qihuang like trash directly from a height of ten thousand meters into the suburbs of the capital.

"Order! Ground troops, prepare to engage the enemy!" Lu Zhanting's pupils contracted to their maximum.

The real battle has only just begun.

He turned his head and looked at Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing was also looking at him, her eyes showing no sign of backing down, only a determination to face life and death together.

"I'm going down," Lu Zhanting said.

"I'll stay with you." Su Wanqing stood up.

“No, we need you here.” Lu Zhanting pressed down on her shoulder. “You are our eyes and brain. I will hold the first line of defense.”

Su Wanqing looked at him, nodded, took out a stack of talisman paper covered with golden runes from her bosom, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Distribute these and stick them on weapons and armor; they can neutralize the corpse poison."

Lu Zhanting took the talisman without saying another word, then turned and strode out.

When he walked out of the command center and got into a military off-road vehicle, he had already changed into a black special operations uniform.

In his hand, he held a specially made longsword that gleamed with a cold light, with a talisman given to him by Su Wanqing affixed to its blade.

The outskirts of Beijing, the first line of defense.

Thousands of fully armed soldiers stood ready in their fortifications, a hint of tension and confusion on their faces.

They were about to face an enemy that had never appeared in any military exercise before.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The first wave of zombies crashed down in front of the position like meteorites, creating deep craters in the ground.

They crawled out of the pit unharmed, emitting strange hoarse cries, and charged towards the position.

"Fire!"

With the commander's order, dense tongues of fire erupted, and a metallic storm of bullets instantly covered the area.

However, those undead felt no pain.

Even with his arms and legs broken by bullets, he continued to crawl on the ground, inching towards the defensive line.

The defense line was about to be breached.

A military off-road vehicle, like an angry bull, sped in, executed a beautiful drift, and came to a stop at the very front of the position.

The car door opened.

Lu Zhanting walked down, carrying a knife.

He stared coldly at the surging tide of living corpses.

"All soldiers, listen to my command!"

His voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, resounded throughout the entire position.

"Behind us are our families and our country!"

"Today, even if we fight to the last man, we must not retreat even a single step!"

"Those who offend China, no matter how far away, will be punished!"

After saying that, he charged into the horde of zombies.

The longsword in his hand, enhanced by the runes, glowed with a faint golden light.

Each swing easily severed the zombie's body.

When a living corpse is severed, golden flames will ignite at the wound, burning it completely to ashes.

One person, one knife.

He was like a red-hot blade, slicing fiercely into the cold horde of corpses.