Lord of the Desert

Chapter 454 Vulcan
April twenty-fourth.

Three hundred miles northeast of Erbai City.

dusk.

The clouds swallowed the sun and evolved into a dazzling orange light.

At the top of the cliff, Hong Fan took off his boots, stepped on the bare rock, picked up the boulder, lowered his body, bent his hips, and exerted force again, then lifted it up with one hand.

This was a huge stone that was more than one person tall and weighed more than ten tons, but he did not feel any effort in moving it.

Over the past month, Hong Fan's body functions have become more and more outstanding, and his strength and speed have exceeded those of warriors at the same level by 30%. In particular, his true energy has increased day by day and has reached twice that of an average warrior (excluding the upper and lower dantian).

In terms of the increase ratio, although it is not as good as Feng Tianqing, it has surpassed Xiao Zhenxie and Xiao Kefei.

You know it without asking, and this is not something that can be brought about by the difference in realms from one sutra to another.

At the end of June last year, when Hong Fan first awakened his "solidified" power, he discovered that his bloodline was transforming into a dragon, and Dai Wangchen's death had obviously accelerated this process.

【Dai Wangchen...】

Thinking of the name, the image of the twisted giant statue that had died of exhaustion sitting on the city wall came to his mind again, making him feel melancholy.

But no matter what, progress is always a good thing, especially in the current troubled times, it can solve his and Erbaicheng's urgent problems.

It was in this nameless wild valley, today, that Hong Fan mastered the Vulcan Cannon.

Six rounds per second, full-degree-of-freedom barrel, muzzle velocity of 800 meters per second, maximum range of 2,000 meters...

In just three seconds, eighteen thunders connected into a line, and flames exploded at eighteen different locations between three hundred and five hundred meters away - in terms of battlefield killing efficiency alone, this killing method surpassed most Yuanci warriors.

Hong Fan had many original ideas along the way.

But the Vulcan cannon is different from those momentary inspirations.

It has been his long-cherished wish to replicate the hot weapons of the previous life and create high-powered continuous-fire artillery. Starting from the sand shotgun in the Hunran Realm, to the sniper sand and cannon, and then to the current Vulcan cannon, it took him three years to finally achieve his goal. It was like reaching the finish line of a long-distance race, and he felt both satisfied and lost.

The sand flow dissipated.

Hong Fan sat cross-legged on the ground with his knees supported, and saw the gray sunlight draped over the mountains like a curtain.

The birds' singing is suddenly and melodiously.

Looking closer, I saw rhododendrons blooming at the edge of the woods, dazzling scarlet, hot as burning, and silent as death.

Only then did he realize that it was already daybreak.

······
After the war, bodies were cremated in Erbai City as usual, but there was not enough firewood, so two sheds were temporarily demolished to make up for it.

After a month of siege, the fighting power of both sides has increased and decreased.

As a new batch of insect eggs hatched, the number of real insects, which had dropped to 6,000 after the fifth war, suddenly increased back to 20,000.

A total of 53,000 humans were killed or seriously injured, and there were only 30,000 "soldiers" who could still go up to the city. Most of these 30,000 had not received much military training - many of them were lucky enough to survive this month and were forced to become veterans.

In the five major wars, the casualty ratio became increasingly biased in favor of the Zerg.

On April 25, Hong Fan returned early in the morning and saw a thick fog on You Lake.

The fog moved wetly in the wind, like a white elephant heading to its own grave.

There are many signs that death is approaching.

Rumor has it that every day someone violates the ban and crosses the lake, and is either arrested and drafted into the death squad, or killed by the bites of flying insects that attack the boats.

The pier looks more dead, but the curfew is being relaxed.

The brothel's business is particularly good.

At dusk and night, Hong Fan often heard the wails of drunken people, which were absurd and desperate, and varied from crying to laughing.

On April 26, 50,000 newly armed militiamen had received their weapons and were assembled and on standby.

April 27th.

The night dew has not yet evaporated in the morning sun.

On the city wall, the soldiers who were huddled beside the brazier with their hands in their pockets saw a big bird circling in the east in the distance, and they became excited and gave instructions.

Some say it was the geese migrating north, others say it was the golden eagles hunting.

From body shape to posture to temperament, the group of people argued until their faces were red and ears were red. Some of the more intense ones took out silver from their inner armor to gamble on the spot. At one time, the total amount of money gathered was over a hundred taels.

In fact, the bird was too far away, and it was impossible for mortal eyes to see it clearly.

But no one cares.

It has been a long time since any animals other than insects have passed by the city of Erbai.

In the time it takes to smoke a pack of cigarettes, the imaginary golden eagle disappeared from sight.

The Zerg swarm launched its sixth attack.

There were only a few heavy artillery pieces left on the city walls that could fire.

At its peak, three of the fourteen innate-level fighters died, four were seriously injured, and only seven were able to enter the city.

The only good news is at the meta-magnetic level.

Last time, Zhe Lei was injured by Zhou Wenyang when he tried to break the city wall, which balanced the weakness of Gu Yixin's combat power and created a two-on-two stalemate.

In this way, Hong Fan was liberated.

He wandered around the city walls, trying his best to look at the lives and deaths of soldiers with a cold eye, considering everything including himself as chips for victory, and maintaining the front line in the most efficient way.

Half an hour flies by.

The swarm of insects blasted the South Gate and the stone slabs behind it.

Hu Zhuang wore three layers of special steel armor, like a reef standing in the city wall. He had to use all his strength when smashing down with his hammer and pickaxe, and every time he was hit, twisted pieces of armor would fly out.

At 9 o'clock, the first group of militiamen were sent to the city, where they were tempered with death through consumption.

The battle is at a stalemate, and the deployment only needs to proceed step by step.

What is needed most at this moment is morale.

So Xiao Chu took three pills with different effects, carried a sword and shield, and went up to the city with Luanjie on his back, and took a hundred guards to suppress the two sections of the city.

As the You hour approached (close to 5 p.m.), the defenders of the 17th city section were defeated and completely stopped by the swarm of insects.

Hong Fan and Xiao Chu, one in the east and one in the west, respectively, rushed back to attack and capture the city. During the brief interval when they were changing weapons, several sections of the city were in danger.

The situation is on the verge of collapse.

"There's no other way. We have to rely on the chaos world..."

Xiao Chu took off his helmet and turned to ask Hong Fan.

The consequences of dragon blood degeneration are far more than just a reduction in combat power.

Her originally pale cheeks now lost all their color, her eyelashes trembled, revealing a hint of weakness.

But without waiting for the other party to reply, the eldest princess gave her answer in a cold and firm tone.

"I can't wait any longer. I have no choice but to rely on this!"

Xiao Chu threw the steel whip down fiercely and reached back to grab the purple gold umbrella, but his wrist was grabbed.

"You said the turning point would have to wait until the Dragon Summoning Festival."

Hong Fan tried to speak in a relaxed tone, but sweat broke out on his forehead.

"There are still four days until the first day of May. You can use this umbrella later."

"Why should I wait? Why should I wait?!"

Xiao Chu frowned and smiled bitterly.

Looking over the city walls, one could see giant insects standing two or three meters tall everywhere, crushing the defenders to the point of suffocation.

Screams were heard one after another.

"I have a new killing method called Fire God, which is even better than the super-class."

Hong Fan took a deep breath, took a few steps forward and stood beside the shattered battlement.

"What did you say?"

Xiao Chu laughed out of anger.

"Hong Fan, what's wrong with you? This is not a battle, this is a war!"

She had seen the Sand Wings and the cannons, both of which were undoubtedly top-notch creations, but the current situation could not be resolved by a single killing method - especially when the one using the killing method was just an innate.

"Please give me another hole to refine the Zhenbao Pill if you have the chance."

Hong Fan didn't explain any more, he just reached into his bosom, took out something and put it into his mouth.

Xiao Chu was thinking about the chaotic world, his mind was in a mess.

She seemed to see that there was nothing in his clenched hands, and what rolled down his throat and swallowed was probably just saliva.

【Are you kidding me? 】

But in the next second, the person in front of him, whose true energy had been empty, suddenly surged like a volcanic eruption, and even the injuries all over his body recovered at a very fast speed.

A huge fire was burning fiercely in Hong Fan’s upper and lower dantian.

Just like thousands of times before, he pulled up the yellow sand smoothly and built the entire structure in a breath.

The memory reappeared in my mind. He charged into the battle array in the desert, he stood alone at the Hongduo Mountain, he beheaded someone in Wuzhengyuan in an instant, he traveled through life and death at Fengyunding...

After four years of coming here and accumulating resources, we can finally let everyone here witness a glimpse of the glory of another world.

"The sand and fire are merciless, so don't blame me!"

The loud voice stopped the clouds.

The sound waves faded away in a moment, followed by thunder that broke the sound barrier.

The air flow spread out, blowing away the sand.

The first bullet was aimed at the eye socket of a soldier insect fifty meters away from the city. It hit, penetrated, and exploded in just an instant.

The flames spread out along with the shock wave, killing all the sub-insects within a few meters.

Six barrels, muzzle velocity of one thousand meters per second, three hundred grams of TNT equivalent, eight hundred meters effective range...

The sand flow in the gun body is rotated at any time, and the rifling is repaired to ensure strength.

Real insects are huge, slow-moving meat targets, and Hong Fan has hardware qualities that far surpass all the sharpshooters in his previous life - within 300 meters, he will not hit the second one if he aims at the third compound eye. Every bullet not only hits one enemy, but also hits the enemy with the best area killing effect.

As soon as the "God of Fire" was activated, Xiao Chu stood there in a daze with his eyes wide open. After a few breaths, he didn't even notice that he had fallen to the ground.

There were six consecutive battles under Erbai City, and for the first time, the situation became one-sided.

With Hongfan as the symmetrical center, a line of lightning and fire spread from near to far to both sides, wiping out the insect tide's front like hot water melting frost.

Xiao Chu stood beside him, staring at the three-meter-tall golden sand statue, which remained motionless and cleansed the battlefield bit by bit...

The bricks of the city walls were shaking, the heat waves were blowing in her face, she felt like she was in a dream, unable to tell reality from fantasy.

One minute, sixty seconds, three hundred and sixty shells, three hundred and sixty real insects, thousands of sub-insects...

The power of a single shot seems to be just so-so, but because it is continuous, its destructive power is equivalent to the simultaneous power of several low-level magnetic elements.

In just three minutes, over a thousand real insects and over ten thousand sub-insects were killed by Hong Fan. Except for the top of the city wall where there was no space for shooting, everything within a hundred meters was wiped out.

The fighting on the city wall was gradually slowing down, but the Vulcan's killing line was still advancing.

All the noise gradually died down.

Lin Luchuan pulled out the steel ruler and kicked away the soldier bug that was paralyzed in front of her;
Wen Changqing stepped on the corner tower, the green-dyed silver threads hanging from his fingertips;

Hu Zhuang rushed out of the city gate with his upper body naked, holding two giant claws that he had ripped off.
The generals of the Shengyu Army on the watchtower looked at each other, not knowing what order to give...

From the Minzhuang to the Xiantian, most people were confused, while the few Yuanci on Youhu Lake who realized the change in the situation could not help but recall the blazing star that once spanned the sky.

The handsome bugs were also stunned.

They have long lives, and many individuals have experienced dozens or even hundreds of conflicts and battles, but they also cannot understand this kind of scene.

[Fire attack, single-shot power is above average, long range and accurate, has lasted for 257 seconds...]

[Optical and spiritual observations confirmed that the attacker was Hong Fan, who is at the Xiantian realm.]

[Or this abnormal individual? ]

[Is the intelligence inaccurate again? ]

[What's going on? I've lost all three signals ahead.]

[The front line is empty, should we send more troops? ]

[It’s hard to describe. It looks like we are delivering...]

In the information space, the swarm's brains summarized the losses, quickly communicated and reached a consensus.

Retreat and observe first.

There were more than a thousand artillery pits on the vast land within 300 meters in front of Erbai City, many of which were still emitting smoke, and the charred and smelly fragments of insect corpses were everywhere.

The effect of the Dragon Soul Fruit has ended and the bombardment has stopped.

During these few minutes, Hong Fan's whole body was shrouded in high fever. He was injured and healed, and then injured again. He was tortured by the severe pain. His willpower was almost dried up. He just managed to keep the sand body from dispersing.

Within a radius of dozens of miles, the handsome insects who had been paying attention to the battlefield in various ways thought that he was exhausted, so they turned the insect tide and launched a counterattack.

It may be a test or it may be due to luck.

But Hong Fan had anticipated this.

Although the restorative effect of the Dragon Soul Fruit had disappeared, his meridians and dantian were still filled with the last bit of true energy.

Amidst the wild laughter, the Vulcan Cannon was fired again, until the handsome insects, who had lost more than a hundred real insects, gave up completely.

Out of the iron silence, a surge of cheers broke out.

"Blazing Star!"

"Wan Sheng!"

Thousands of voices came from thousands of people, who threw away their weapons, shoulder pads, and helmets, and after their throats became hoarse, they shed thousands of tears of surviving the disaster.

The gentle breeze blows away the high fever.

Xiao Chu looked at the black waves that were retreating in a hurry, and felt as if his whole body was floating and light, and he couldn't stop the moisture in the corners of his eyes.

"Hong Fan, is this true?"

She asked softly, but heard no response. She turned around and found that the outer layer of the majestic and strong golden sand armor had peeled off, revealing liquid dark red.

It turned out that the high heat that continued to stimulate the accumulation of blazing fire essence had already melted the gravel into magma.

"call……"

Hong Fan panted softly, and moved slightly to shake off the sand, revealing his horrible, charred body.

The clothes had been burned long ago.

His entire body from waist to arms was carbonized, and not a single bit of flesh and blood could be seen.

"How far have they withdrawn?"

Hong Fan asked hoarsely, unable to stand but unwilling to fall.

But willpower cannot replace failing muscles.

Xiao Chu walked quickly closer, took the fallen man into his arms, and held him tightly despite the high heat on his skin.

"The insect swarm has retreated three miles. We have won this battle!"

She spoke with tears in her eyes.

Tears dripped down Hong Fan's cheeks.

Crisp and cool.

He focused his sight and saw a pair of golden eyes hidden between black eyelashes with transparent crystals embedded in them, reflecting the sunlight.

An iron hairpin held her long hair in place, the ends of which had been singed yellow by the high temperature; the neck guard broke and fell off, revealing the light blue collar of her inner garment.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a purple-gold umbrella abandoned on the ground.

"Are you ok?"

Xiao Chu tried to soften his voice.

"Let your hair down..."

Hong Fan's lips were cracked and the words he uttered were like sparks from charcoal.

"what happened?"

Xiao Chu was stunned.

"Let me see the wind."

Hong Fan murmured.

She was startled when she heard this, and then she realized that the person in her arms had severe burns all over his body - since his nerve endings were burned, he naturally no longer had any sense of touch.

"Um……"

Xiao Chu nodded repeatedly, raised her hand to pull out the hairpin, and shook it to let her long hair fly in the wind.

The blood and rust all retreated obediently at this moment.

She looked at the soft curves of Qingzhang Mountain in the distance and suddenly smiled shyly.

"What did your Highness say?"

Hong Fan's ears were buzzing and his head was becoming more and more dizzy.

"nothing."

Xiao Chu looked at the young man in his arms who looked helpless for the first time, and thought of the resentment he had felt when he failed to recruit him several times, and his cheeks flushed.

"I said you are a national hero, you should not be treated lightly."

She coaxed gently, no longer calling herself "this palace".

The sunset is approaching at this time.

Thousands of lights flash across the sky, and the setting sun is like a mouth, blowing on the world.

In the woman's arms, Hong Fan had fallen into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)