Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 340: Purifying the Source of Pollution
All eyes fell upon the Golden Dragon. No one cared about what Yang Lei hadn’t finished saying.
"Is that... a Golden Dragon? I’ve never seen a Companion Spirit with such a powerful aura before," someone said in a low voice.
"Yeah, it really is powerful. It has nothing to do with its combat strength—its bloodline is just that high-rank. This Golden Dragon must be at least Mythical Level." The speaker’s face was full of awe.
"Commander, Liu Linfeng of Zone 11 requests to follow General Ning into battle."
"Commander, Yao Yuyi of Zone 11 requests to follow General Ning into battle."
"Commander, Yan Yundi of Zone 11 requests to follow General Ning into battle."
The comms channel in Yang Lei’s command center was flooded with nonstop requests to join the battle. These were all officers from Zone 11, Ning Xuan’s subordinates.
"Commander, Hua Shangnan of the Special Defense Forces requests to follow General Ning into battle."
Hua Shangnan’s voice didn’t come from the comms channel. Instead, he was standing at the entrance of the command center, shouting loudly.
The base’s Vice Commander, Fang Qun, reprimanded loudly, "This is outrageous! If you were needed in battle, the command center would issue the order. There are no orders to deploy, so remain at your posts and await instructions."
"Commander Fang, although General Ning Zhi is at the SS-level, she was promoted not long ago. Her foundation is unstable. If she consumes too much energy, she’s certain to be left with latent injuries. Besides, it’s far too dangerous for her to face so many Mutated Warriors alone! I’m strong enough. I’m willing to go and fight by her side," Hua Shangnan said firmly.
"We want to go too! We’re General Ning’s subordinates. How can we just stand by and watch her walk into danger? Please, Commander Yang, approve our request!" Liu Linfeng said urgently.
"Quiet down," Admiral Yang Lei said, his eyes fixed on the Golden Dragon. "She will be fine. If you go, you’ll only get in her way." Against the backdrop of the Golden Dragon, Ning Xuan’s figure appeared minuscule.
The golden scales on the dragon’s body radiated a dazzling light, its enormous figure blotting out nearly half the sky above the outer quarantine zone.
The dragon’s colossal body coiled and spiraled, stirring up silent currents of air. The surrounding clouds were churned into swirling patterns. The dragon tilted its head back and roared to the heavens, and a bolt of golden thunder instantly exploded forth.
A deafening CRASH echoed out, unleashing a powerful shockwave of sound.
The wind whipped Ning Xuan’s clothes, making them flap loudly. She took off her helmet, and her long black hair slowly cascaded down.
"Why did General Ning take her helmet off? Without proper protection, she’ll get infected! Quick, tell her to put her helmet back on," Vice Commander Fang said anxiously to the communications officer.
"Yes, sir," the comms officer responded. However, after trying, the officer discovered that he couldn’t get a signal through to Ning Xuan.
"Commander Fang, General Ning has already entered the outer perimeter. Personal comms cannot be established," the comms officer reported.
"Everyone, look! The Mutated Warriors have stopped attacking! The rate of damage to the protective barrier has slowed."
"Zhou Tao’s mutated bone blades have disappeared."
"The pair of wings Zhang Han grew from his mutation have also been retracted! Look, their expressions seem to have changed compared to their earlier frenzy." These comments came from the second line of defense, positioned near the outermost zone.
They were very close to the outermost perimeter. If the Mutated Warriors broke through the outermost protective barrier, their second line of defense would face the most direct impact. They were also on constant alert, ready for battle.
Because of this, they had the most direct view of the situation in the outermost zone.
"Admiral Yang, based on the data from the air quality monitors, the pollution index in the outermost zone is dropping. The decrease isn’t very pronounced, but there’s a clear downward trend," the technical officer for environmental monitoring reported to Admiral Yang Lei over the comms, his voice trembling.
A muscle in Yang Lei’s face twitched, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes. "Keep monitoring. Report back immediately."
He stared intently at the monitor. The outermost zone displayed on the screen was exactly where the Golden Dragon was unleashing its thunder.
’I’ve long known that thunder can cleanse the world of filth and evil energies, but I never thought it could also purify sources of pollution. No, that’s not right. Although Spirit Controllers who command Thunder Energy are rare, they’re not nonexistent. Why haven’t I ever heard that thunder could purify pollution sources before?’
’Even if the thunder from the dragon can purify the source of pollution, can Ning Zhi, all by herself, withstand a pollution source like a spatial rift?’
Yang Lei looked up at the huge spatial rift in the sky. The faint light in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep worry.
The Golden Dragon circled Ning Xuan. With a deafening CRACK, another bolt of golden thunder was unleashed. Following that, an endless series of rumbles echoed out as the outermost quarantine zone was plunged into a tempest of thunder and lightning.
Ning Xuan stood at the very center; wherever she walked, the rumbling thunder followed. After more than ten minutes of this, the soldiers who had been completely mutated and had lost their senses actually started to come to.
"What happened to me? Why is my body all tingly? My hand hurts so much... I think my arm is broken."
"My eye hurts... Ah, I can’t see out of this eye!"
"My leg... HISSS... I think it’s broken. Someone help me up."
"Everyone, shut up! The injured, don’t move. The uninjured, look around and give the wounded some basic first aid." Zhang Han was the captain of this squad. Although he didn’t fully understand what had just happened either, he still quickly gave out commands.
Zhang Han surveyed his surroundings. After a moment of recollection, he remembered some of what had happened. He had been leading his squad in defending the outermost perimeter. After a fierce battle, the wounded soldiers in his unit suddenly began to mutate en masse. He realized something was wrong and immediately reported the situation to the command center, hoping for support. However, the soldiers mutated too quickly, and soon he lost consciousness as well.
Zhang Han looked down at his own hands, then reached back to touch his still-sore shoulder blades. The remnants of bone wings that hadn’t fully retracted were still there. This was a sign of complete mutation. It seemed the reason he had lost consciousness was because he had completely mutated as well.
’But the only outcome for complete mutation is death from the collapse of one’s spiritual power. And right now, the spiritual power in my Spiritual Sea, while still somewhat frantic, hasn’t collapsed.’
Just as Zhang Han was puzzling over this, a tingling numbness shot through his body, as if from an electric shock. This tingling current flowed through his bloodstream, purging the mutated genes within.
Zhang Han turned his head just in time to see the Golden Dragon suddenly let out a long cry. The sound was clear and resonant, seeming to reverberate directly inside one’s mind.
