Starting from Douluo Continent, I've become a god through daily check-ins.

Chapter 299 A Tough Opponent (Bonus Chapter at Dawn)

Zero and Goro's dormitory lights went out, and they drifted off to sleep. Directly opposite their dormitory was Ichigo and Ikuno's room. Ikuno stood in front of the light switch, turned around, and said to Ichigo, who was sitting on her bed still playing with her new doll, "Lights out."

"Ah, wait a minute." Ichigo placed the doll on her lap, reached down to take the hair clip, and carefully placed it on the small shelf on the wall. Then, hugging the doll, she lay on the bed and said to Ikuno, "It's ready now."

"Goodnight." Ikuno said goodnight to Ichigo and then turned off the light.

In the girls' dormitory, the only room still lit was Ling Er's. Ling Er sat by the window, holding the mirror Ling had given her, staring intently at her reflection. Suddenly, something seemed to be on the glass. Ling Er put down the mirror and looked outside; it was raining. Gazing at the night sky veiled by the rain, Ling Er fell into deep thought.

……

In the conference room, everyone had changed into their combat uniforms and were listening to Seventh Sister and Hatch's combat briefing. Hatch, with his hands behind his back, said to the children, "A Gutenberg-class Klaxosaur has been discovered two kilometers from here in the bureau."

Seventh Sister said, "Although the movement speed is very slow, we are expected to still reach the Great Eco-Fortress. We must prevent a loss like the last one no matter what."

"Yes," the children answered.

Seventh Sister added, "Also, this time we're some distance from the target, so we have more fuel than usual. All aircraft, remember to check."

While listening to Seventh Sister speak, Zero glanced at Ichigo beside her. Noticing Zero's action, Ichigo also turned around to look, but Zero quickly turned her head away, acting as if nothing had happened.

……

Five mechs were deployed simultaneously, while a light rain fell from the sky outside. A thick fog rolled in, reducing visibility to a very low level.

Looking ahead, she exclaimed, "Look! What huge thunderclouds!"

"Thunderclouds?"

Not far in front of the five mechs, there was an outrageously large thundercloud. Blue lightning flashed within it, but some faint blue specks could also be seen. Below the thundercloud, several blue pipes followed its trajectory. All attention was focused on this thundercloud, and as the distance closed, the five mechs stopped. The cloud gradually dissipated, revealing a colossal object in its entirety.

"Target confirmed," Hatch's voice came through the communicator.

The appearance of this behemoth is now clear: it is a Klaxosaur that resembles a mushroom cloud! The Klaxosaur's huge head looks like a brain, with clearly visible blue lines inside.

"It feels disgusting," Mirai said.

"All aircraft, prepare for attack!" Hatch said.

With a wide, excited gaze, he said, "Understood! Celosia is coming!"

Before the words were even finished, Qingxiang's claws were already poised, charging towards the Klaxosaur. The tubes beneath the Klaxosaur swiftly rose, thrusting all at Qingxiang in a single, powerful attack. Qingxiang nimbly dodged the attacks, weaving through the Klaxosaur's relentless thrusts, leaping high just before it reached the dragon, its target seemingly the energy storage area beneath. However, before the attack could land, Qingxiang was seized by the Klaxosaur, pulled into the air, the tubes taut, binding her tightly. Several large black spheres fell from the Klaxosaur's body. Qingxiang quickly broke free, landing on the ground. The black spheres from the Klaxosaur followed, exploding behind her.

"An explosion?" Ichigo asked in surprise.

Zero Two noticed that there was a huge vent on the top of the dragon's head, and after the attack, a large amount of gas was released from that vent.

"This is...this is bad," Goro said in shock.

Qingxiang got up from the ground, looked back at the Klaxosaur, and discovered that the Klaxosaur's core was actually in the same spot as before. She exclaimed, "What? So the core was there!"

Qingxiang assumed her stance and charged towards the Klaxosaur's core again. "Got it!"

"Idiot, stop!" Goro shouted. However, Aoko had already rushed over, and there was no way to stop her at this point.

The celosia's claws pierced through the outer layer of black substance, attacking directly inside. However, at the core was a pale blue oval protective shield, which the celosia's weapon had no effect on.

The Klaxosaurs began to retaliate, unleashing a torrent of black matter that carried Aoandon away. Trapped within this black substance, Aoandon clearly found herself unable to move. Seeing this, Goro and Ichigo knew the situation was dire and quickly moved to help Aoandon.

The lark used its body to push the celosia argenteus out, but it was then caught by the black substance. The surface of the black substance flickered with blue electricity, tightly controlling the lark.

"Ichigo, Goro!" Zero shouted.

"I can't move!" Ichigo said.

"Everyone, run!" Goro shouted.

A large amount of black substance emerged from the Klaxosaur's body, with white light spots flashing at the center of these black substances. The next moment, a powerful explosion erupted around the Klaxosaur! From a distance, it looked like a missile had detonated, and a large amount of smoke burst out.

Jing Chen and the mysterious man stood in the air not far from the battlefield, watching the battle. Judging from the situation alone, the Klaxosaur's attack was tantamount to suicide. However, Jing Chen and the mysterious man could naturally see that the Klaxosaur's attack was not suicidal at all. Jing Chen had already seen through the true nature of this Klaxosaur long before it was discovered in the Thirteen Cities.

This Klaxosaur, in essence, lacks a physical form. Its outer black layer is impervious to all physical attacks, and the protective shield within its body is so formidable that, aside from the Strelitzia, no other mech's weapons can penetrate it. This was already a battle with virtually no chance of victory, especially now that Lark has been captured.

"Jing Chen, what do you think of this battle?" the mysterious man asked.

Jing Chen smiled. "This battle was never going to be won. The odds of winning are one percent; the remaining ninety-nine percent are losses."

"Yes, that's true." The mysterious man nodded, acknowledging Jing Chen's idea.

Jing Chen said, "You also noticed the body structure of this dragon. That black substance ignores physics, but the protective shield inside is incredibly hard. The only way to break through this shield is with Strelitzia's gun. However, that black substance is extremely agile. Before Strelitzia can even get close, it will suffer the same fate as the Lark. The only other option is to break through from the inside."

The mysterious man nodded, and Jing Chen continued his analysis: "First, let's rule out the first battle plan. The Strelitzia flower can't get close, so its role in this battle is negligible. Therefore, the only option left is the second one. However, this method is extremely dangerous; a slight misstep could result in mutual destruction. The energy stored within this dragon's body can destroy everything within a hundred miles."

"So, you just watch them die?" the mysterious man asked.

Jing Chen said, "You'll have your chance to make a move. But this time, I'll also make my move."

"Could it be that you...?" the mysterious man exclaimed in surprise.

Jing Chen's lips curled up slightly. "That's right. Although my strength hasn't recovered much, killing a piece of trash is still a piece of cake."

(End of this chapter)