Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"The shells are loaded. Awaiting further instructions."

The observer determined that Nidhogg was within range through the aerial view, while the others were looking down, fiddling with their makeshift launchers.

This is the most powerful weapon that humans can use in an EMP-like environment; its destructive power far exceeds that of supernatural abilities below Grade A.

Gu Cheng nodded, her gaze calm and focused as she looked at the black dragon.

What were the results of revealing weaknesses?

A moment later, a clear male voice came through the communication: "Nidhogg has three vital points. One of them is the heart, which is hidden in the lower left chest cavity and is covered by sturdy scales."

"Secondly, it is located on the neck, surrounded by a keratin layer with a hardness comparable to that of the scales."

"The third place is the entire dragon head, which is the hardest part of Nidhogg's body, with only a small amount of soft tissue growing in the lower jaw."

The ideal outcome would be for all the shells to hit their mark, successfully piercing the Destroyer Dragon's jaw and then setting off fireworks inside its brain.

It sounds easy, but in practice it's incredibly difficult.

Nidhogg is a massive creature, so firing into the air would have a high hit rate, but they currently lack high-precision aiming equipment, making it extremely difficult to accurately hit their weak points.

While she was thinking, Su Wanxi walked up behind Gu Cheng, patted her on the shoulder, and whispered, "I can adjust part of the trajectory."

Su Wanxi used to be able to force bullets to shoot horizontally by weakening gravity, and now that she has advanced to S level, she can naturally do even more with the gravity that exists between all things.

"Smooth down my fiancée's hair," Su Wanxi said gently.

"Give the orders, my Commander."

At the same time, another version of Gu Cheng in her mind was also quietly encouraging her.

"It's up to you, Gu Cheng~"

The girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the strong smell of blood fill her nostrils.

There's nothing to worry about. She's done everything she could; the rest is up to fate.

"Fire."

As soon as she finished speaking, several streaks of fire suddenly ignited behind Gu Cheng, and a deafening roar echoed across the land, drowning out the waves.

Her collar and hair rustled in the wind as Gu Cheng looked up and watched the shells streak their tails as they soared into the sky, the burst of light like the breaking of dawn.

Su Wanxi pursed her pink lips and furrowed her brows slightly. She was using Nidhogg's jaw as a gravimetric point to guide each shell toward its target.

Before the people below could even catch their breath, they saw a series of flames erupt in the sky. The volley of fire hit the black dragon's most vulnerable jaw without missing a single shot.

Gu Cheng's expression remained unchanged as she continued to feel the electrical friction in the clouds. She knew that Nidhogg wouldn't die so easily, so she didn't have high expectations from the beginning.

Even minor injuries are enough to prove that their firearms can pose a threat to Nidhogg.

This will at least ensure that morale remains high.

As the commander-in-chief, Gu Cheng dared not show the slightest wavering, even though the emotion called despair was constantly growing in his heart.

As the smoke cleared, the dark dragon scales were neatly arranged on its neck, and there was not a single scratch on the spot where the shell had exploded.

"Zhao Xinfeng, cut off this part of the view." Gu Cheng gave the order decisively, and switched to the public channel at the same time.

"The paper angel closest to the battlefield was destroyed by the black dragon and is temporarily unable to transmit messages."

The explosion occurred far away and was obscured by dark clouds, so fewer than five people knew the true situation.

The moment Gu Cheng said she couldn't send a message, Su Wanxi understood her lover's meaning and ordered the air to be heated.

"Execute the second phase of the plan; the rest of you prepare for the next round of shelling."

Feeling the ticklish bombardment, Nidhogg opened his eyes, his scarlet pupils raging and ferocious.

It was in the most critical period of incubation, but unexpectedly, these ants dared to disturb it.

Nidhogg angrily exhaled a breath of dragon fire, and its claws, imbued with a destructive aura, sank down from the cumulus clouds and swung straight at the isolated island.

A massive shadow loomed overhead, and the survivors on the ground even had the illusion that the sharp dragon claw could crush the entire floating island.

The next second, the giant claw slammed into the ground, tearing the plain apart with several deep channels.

In the critical moment, Mr. Liu stopped time, allowing everyone to be moved to a safe location in advance.

Gu Cheng stared at the dragon claw that was so close at hand, its body crackling with electricity.

The shells have already preheated the air; now, it's time for the thunderstorm to make its appearance.

Chapter 421, Section 429: Flickering Glimmer

Lead-gray clouds obscured the twilight, a pale moon hung high in the sky, and the flapping of enormous dragon wings stirred up waves of air. Thick fog stretched endlessly, and the stars dimmed.

Gu Cheng slowly raised her arm. In the darkness, the blue-purple light illuminated the woman's smooth, snow-white skin. She stood upright with her legs firmly planted, her bright, tea-colored eyes focused yet aloof.

Although Mr. Liu's time-manipulation ability is extremely powerful, its destructive power is somewhat insufficient. Since firearms cannot penetrate the target's defenses, the other two S-class awakened individuals will be the key to victory in the upcoming battle against Nidhogg.

A vibrant life force enveloped her body, each muscle movement exuded a distinct sense of power, and her auditory and visual reflexes were greatly enhanced. With the assistance of many awakened individuals, Su Wanxi was finally able to escape the awkward position of being a "glass cannon."

She first used repulsive force to deflect the dust that rushed towards her, then narrowed her dark eyes and gently aimed her jade finger at the dragon claw. A strange, immense force from beneath her skin instantly tore open Nidhogg's flesh, and deep black blood stained the earth red. The scales that stood firm despite the explosion rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound like leaves rustling.

On the other side, a long-accumulated thunderstorm quietly approached the dragon, and a gale carrying water vapor swept across the battlefield.

With the help of his aerial view, Mr. Liu noticed that the near-shore clouds were blurred by the halo, followed by a violent roar like a cannonball being fired.

The thick, silver serpent plummeted from the sky, part of it striking the dragon's head, while a small portion landed on its back and wings. Electricity surged, and Nidhogg opened its jaws, unleashing a ferocious roar that echoed through the heavens.

"Gu Cheng, gradually increase the amount of mental energy you transmit."

Su Wanxi's voice drifted into her mind. Gu Cheng didn't have a chance to look at the other person again. Her mind was completely immersed in the electromagnetic field. All the charges were at her command, and every fleeting thought could resonate with her.

"One good news, one bad news."

"I can remove Nidhogg's protective armor to facilitate a second attack with artillery and thunder, but I cannot do anything conceptually to tamper with his life."

Gu Chengyan learned from the mental feedback that Nidhogg's status was far above theirs, and in addition, he possessed the destructive authority that was highly related to "erasure," giving him an extremely high degree of immunity to such supernatural abilities.

She couldn't do what she did with Surtur—directly kill him while erasing the biological concepts associated with self-healing.

Upon hearing this, Gu Cheng frowned slightly and was about to summon lightning when a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath her feet.

The black dragon claws transformed into grips, their sharp nails digging deep into the earth. Nidhogg opened its eyes, and in an instant, the plain rose from the dragon's claws, forming small hills. A hurricane swept in, stirring up dust, and the survivors struggled to maintain their footing, as if the entire island was about to be uprooted.

Even in its incubation stage, Nidhogg possesses earth-shattering power... If it were to be successfully born in reality...

Gu Cheng pursed her lips, suppressing the chill in her heart, and gripped the knife hilt tightly with her fingers.

"Boom..."

The second round of shelling began, and with Mr. Liu's time-lapse field amplification, the survivor squad only needed two or three seconds to recover to their previous state.

This time, however, Nidhogg had no time to watch the fireworks. It raised its front paws and gently extinguished the flames, as easily as crushing a small insect. Its wings were fully extended, and the thick clouds were pushed aside by the shockwave.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Cheng took a long stride, forcefully pushed off the ground, and leaped onto the dragon's claws. Seeing this, Su Wanxi followed suit. Under the binding force of the gravitational field, neither of them felt weightless, and no matter how the dragon swung its claws, it could not shake them off.

Su Wanxi once again manipulated gravity to strangle the dragon from the inside out. Looking over, she saw that the Tang sword in Gu Cheng's right hand was constantly hissing, emitting a clear and cold vibration. Blue and purple lightning flowed along the spine of the blade. For a moment, Su Wanxi even thought that the other party was not holding a sword, but rather a bolt of lightning that was enough to pierce through space.

"Su Wanxi, its healing speed is too fast."

With the added advantage of Eagle Vision, Gu Cheng could see into the distance at a glance, and the flesh that was originally scattered in a shattered state had been completely repaired.

This means that the thunderstorm just now did not cause serious damage to Nidhogg, and the Despair Dragon's vitality is far beyond expectations.

Or perhaps the scars they inflicted were too shallow and too small. Nidhogg's body was as massive as a mountain, and such a wound was like an adult getting a cut on their finger with a knife; a band-aid would heal it in half a day.

"Our firepower is far from enough; we must find a way to attack its weaknesses."

Su Wanxi looked at Gu Cheng, who was so close to her and whose body was surrounded by electricity, but instead of reaching out, she used her ability to gently help him up.

"Also, we need to be faster."

No one can guarantee that Nidhogg, in his madness, won't sink the entire island in the next second.

Gu Cheng nodded, then plunged the tip of his blade into the scales beneath his feet. In an instant, lightning flashed, accompanied by a foul stench of burning protein, and half of the Tang sword sank into the dragon's body.

"...Let's bleed it out first."

......

Meanwhile, in the reality outside the world-destroying rift, several small nuclear submarines were waiting underwater, and a middle-aged man in military uniform with neatly styled hair sat in the command center.

He sat upright with a serious expression, his eyes constantly focused on the various parameters displayed by the detector.

Six hours have passed since we lost contact with the ground. This is Chinese territorial waters, and the buoy antenna could not be easily damaged, but the radio signal could not penetrate the sea surface.

Every single second, that strange black mist prevented them from re-establishing contact with the fleet.

The man rubbed his temples, his arm hanging down on the armrest of the chair, his index finger tapping lightly on the seat through a thin glove.

There is a very high probability that it will not be able to surface after this sinking.

This was the last instruction given to him by his superiors before he left: if the mission of the Awakened Ones failed, they would all perish in the deep sea, without exception.

The man pursed his lips, overwhelmed with mixed emotions at the thought that he would meet his death in this technological marvel that embodied the essence of several generations of Chinese people.

A few minutes later, he took out a color photograph from the pocket of his military uniform. It showed a dignified and gentle young lady holding the hand of a little boy who was less than the height of his chair.

They stood on the edge of the field, with waves of wheat swaying in the wind behind them. The full ears of rice shimmered with a warm hue in the sunlight, and dappled sunlight reflected off the women's off-white skirts and their slender waists, as delicate as willow branches.

The man swallowed hard, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitching slightly before finally settling into a bitter smile.

After a long while, he stuffed the photo back into his pocket, his expression returning to its resolute state, as if the expression he had just shown was merely an illusion.

Chapter 422, Section 430: As Small as Dust

At night, the air was damp and cold. The silvery moon was shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds, and the gray fog rose and fell, concealing the dark and cold scales within.

Gu Cheng gripped the long knife tightly, her brown hair tied back shimmering with tiny glints of light. She breathed softly, and the dampness condensed on her eyelashes, forming glistening droplets.

The thunderstorm continued, with dazzling lightning streaking across the sky, carrying intense energy as it bombarded the black dragon.

Nidhogg roared and flapped its wings, tearing the already ravaged island apart under its claws. Waves surged and the tides engulfed the plains, while a low rumble of thunder seemed to announce the coming of the end.

Su Wanxi gazed at the black dragon in the distance, which was almost unable to lift its head after being struck by lightning. She quickened her pace, and Gu Cheng followed behind her, making sure that her leg swing frequency was the same as hers.

This move can reduce Su Wanxi's mental energy consumption, so that she does not need to be distracted to analyze the attraction force on Gu Cheng.