Dewen paused for a long time, and seeing that no one had any further questions, he continued to outline the combat plan.
"On that day, the Sky Comet Dragon will be equipped with two giant airships. Its flight speed will be reduced to match that of giant airships with activated boosters. Then, the airship formation will gather to launch a concentrated attack on the wing cannon parts. The main firepower will come from the ice-elemental rounds of the long-range Hunter team members."
"Is the Sky Comet Dragon's wing cannon part weak to ice?" Zuda inquired.
"Yes, the ice element has strong destructive power against the wing cannon parts," Dewen replied.
Li Fan was somewhat surprised by Dewen's answer. He had been present when the Dragon Lore Institute submitted the Blazing Shell for testing by Sickle, and all elemental bullet effects had been mediocre.
Could it be that only the ice element formed a hard residue on the shell's surface?
Li Fan thought of ice forming on airplane wings, which would affect the aircraft's aerodynamic profile, alter airflow, lead to insufficient lift, prevent climbing, and in severe cases, cause a crash.
No, although Huīhuī's flight posture was very fixed, it didn't mean it couldn't adjust its movements. Moreover, the shell's surface had a heat barrier, and the dragon's fire was being sprayed. Even if a large amount of ice condensed on the surface, it wouldn't last long.
Besides, Dewen's description was straightforward: it had strong destructive power.
With a sense of doubt, Li Fan opened the document titled "Silver Winged Fierce Star."
It contained detailed data on the Sky Comet Dragon's carapace elemental absorption, but as far as Li Fan understood, much of the key data was fabricated.
"What is the effective shooting range?" Zuda asked.
"200 meters," Dewen answered.
200 meters? Weren't the tests conducted at 100 meters, and even Level 3 piercing rounds couldn't penetrate?
Li Fan became more and more confused as he listened.
"200 meters... In that case, deploying a large number of long-range Hunter teams is very necessary. It will require many high-level Hunters, right?" Zuda asked.
"Yes, my requirement is at least 120 five-star Hunters, with heavy bowguns as their primary weapon," Dewen stated.
After Dewen finished speaking, the entire room fell silent again.
"The Hunter Guild can at most help mobilize 60. We are powerless to assist with the rest," Zuda informed him.
"We anticipated this. We are preparing to open recruitment to all villages and towns," Dewen responded.
"Before the expedition, are you confident you can recruit 60 five-star Hunters whose primary weapon is the heavy bowgun?" Zuda expressed his concern.
"If you have a sufficient understanding of the Hunter community, you wouldn't have such doubts," Dewen said with firm eyes.
"Alright, please continue with the deployment," Zuda said, not probing further.
"If the wing cannons are damaged, the Sky Comet Dragon's high-altitude flight capability will be severely restricted, and it will likely be forced to land. The battlefield will shift from air to ground, and the combat plan will enter its second phase. However, this ground is its habitat, the Sky-Piercing Tower, and most Hunters will still be unable to reach its height. Currently, the Dragon Lore Institute only has one modified small airship capable of reaching it. To avoid losing track of the Sky Comet Dragon, a small number of elite Hunters will be dispatched to fight at the summit of the Sky-Piercing Tower." Dewen began to describe the second phase of the plan.
"We do have elite Hunters; Guxing and Pazhizhi, who are participating in this joint hunt, are among them. However, according to the investigation data, the circular area at the summit of the Sky-Piercing Tower has no cover and is completely unsuitable for Hunters to engage in ground combat," Zuda questioned.
"To explain this in detail, it is related to the Sky Comet Dragon's ecology. Vice Director Sickle of the Research Institute can provide an explanation," Dewen said. Sickle then stepped onto his chair and stood up.
"This is our research team's chest model, made through ecological observation of the Sky Comet Dragon, meow!" With Todd's help, a metal cube with an intake grille was placed on the table. Sickle adjusted his academic cap and picked up a wooden pointer to begin his explanation.
"On the outside of the Sky Comet Dragon's chest, there is a physiological structure similar to an intake grille, which is extremely unusual among monsters, meow. Through continuous observation by the research team, it has been confirmed that this structure's purpose is to draw in surrounding air into the chest cavity for compression, and then inject Dragon element energy to form a gaseous energy called Dragon Qi."
Sickle then pushed down the lever behind the metal cube.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~*
The V-shaped intake grille on the metal cube opened, and it began to draw in air rhythmically.
"This model is rather rudimentary, meow. It cannot yet simulate the Dragon Qi conversion process." Sickle said with some regret.
"Then what about the core organ that generates Dragon Qi internally?" Zuda, as the head of the Ancient Dragon Observation Post, was very interested in the latest ecological discoveries about ancient dragons.
"Judging from the Sky Comet Dragon's streamlined body shape, the organ that generates Dragon Qi energy should not be very large, meow. It is very likely a similar energy core to the Ancient Dragon Jewel. Coupled with the red light flashes that occur when the intake grille draws in air, the research team has tentatively named it the Crimson Dragon Qi Orb."
As Sickle spoke, he climbed onto the table to continue his explanation.
"The Sky Comet Dragon periodically draws in a large amount of air, compresses it, and stores it in its chest cavity to generate Dragon Qi energy, meow. After fighting with the airship formation and sustaining damage to its wing cannons, the Sky Comet Dragon, feeling threatened to its life, will prioritize replenishing the two substances that synthesize Dragon Qi to their limit upon landing."
*Clang! Clang!*...
The surface of the silver metal cube suddenly began to bulge outwards irregularly.
"When the compressed air reaches a certain level, let's put something in it, meow." Sickle took out a small cloth bag and scattered a small amount of orange powder towards the metal cube.
"Then ignite it, meow... Boom! It will cause a huge explosion!" Sickle said excitedly. Unfortunately, the metal cube model beside him did not explode. Instead, with a series of *puff puff* sounds of escaping gas, it deflated.
Li Fan had not expected the Dragon Lore Institute to deduce the possibility of the Sky Comet Dragon's chest exploding through ecological observation.
"I understand. The battle will shift from air to ground, and the Sky Comet Dragon will inevitably go to the summit of its habitat, the Sky-Piercing Tower. If the hunt is interrupted due to altitude issues, the Sky Comet Dragon, feeling a sense of crisis, will have ample time to accumulate Dragon Qi. The narrow combat area at the summit will render sending more Hunters meaningless, not to mention the limited transport capacity that can reach that altitude. And when it draws in and compresses air, it's an excellent attack opportunity... What substance do you plan to use to cause an explosion within the Sky Comet Dragon's chest?" Zuda quickly understood the purpose of the Dragon Lore Institute's deployment.
"Ideally, it would be the dust of the Inferno Dragon, meow, mixed with a highly adhesive viscous substance. Unfortunately, the Dragon Lore Institute does not have it in stock," Sickle said helplessly.
"The Guild can provide the Inferno Dragon's dust. I will notify headquarters to expedite its allocation. However, the quantity is very limited, and the Observation Post itself is reluctant to use it for research. I hope the research team will treat it seriously during the mixing experiments," Zuda informed him.
"Thank you so much, Director Zuda! The research team will definitely treat it seriously, meow!" Sickle bowed in gratitude.
Li Fan felt that as the combat deployment research progressed, the atmosphere gradually eased.
"Dewen, if the deployed combat and plan execution go smoothly, what will be the next step?" Zuda asked.
"Destroy the Sky-Piercing Tower, its habitat. This way, with its wing cannons damaged and insufficient Dragon Qi to maintain long-distance flight, the Sky Comet Dragon will have to land in the Remnants Ridge. I would like to hand over the ground combat joint deployment to the Guild, as you have more experience in this area than the Dragon Lore Institute," Dewen said as he stood up.
"Entrusting the final battle against the Sky Comet Dragon to the Guild... that's really not like your style. Alright, on behalf of the Guild, I approve this combat deployment." Zuda finished speaking, and a researcher began distributing written contracts.
Representatives from various villages took out their uniquely shaped seals and authenticated the contracts.
With the general direction agreed upon, everyone then discussed issues such as resource allocation and personnel deployment. During this time, everyone spoke openly and without reservation.
Li Fan realized that there seemed to be a tacit understanding in the Monster Hunter world: when disaster strikes, even if they belong to different factions, everyone will do their best to contribute all their strength to jointly face the crisis. However, the more this was the case, the stranger the Dragon Lore Institute's behavior of providing fabricated test data became.
"How do you plan to recruit the elite Hunter members for the summit operation?" Guxing asked.
Vegaša replied, "The initial plan is for villages or the Guild to nominate candidates."
"Will there be no members from the Dragon Lore Institute involved? After all, you developed the explosive device," Guxing pressed.
"I will go, meow, as technical support for the explosive device," Sickle raised his paw.
"I have no ill intentions towards the research team, but I believe that at least one agile Dragon Lore Institute Hunter should be present at the summit of the Sky-Piercing Tower to ensure the explosive device is used effectively," Guxing stated.
"Guxing is right. If only he and Pazhizhi can directly participate in combat at the summit, the pressure will be too great," Zuda also agreed with this point.
"The Dragon Lore Institute is an academic institution. The former chief Hunter disappeared after retirement. Where am I supposed to find top-tier Hunters for you?" Vegaša said with displeasure.
"Expanding the recruitment scope is certainly possible. Set the standard as high-level Hunters from the Dragon Lore Institute," Zuda suggested.
"Alright..." Vegaša sighed helplessly. High-level Hunters would essentially be sent to their deaths. However, it was indeed unreasonable to expect two seven-star Hunters to simultaneously handle combat and use the detonation device correctly at the opportune moment.
With various details gradually finalized, the joint combat deployment meeting concluded, and tense preparations immediately began. The number of people moving around the Dragon Lore Institute headquarters quickly increased.
The team, seeing that it was already overcrowded, decided to continue staying on the Flame Wing. Late at night, Eudora rested her hands on the hull, looking at the brightly lit headquarters below, and sighed, "Li Fan, I'm starting to want to participate in the summit operation."
"There's no need to take such risks. Perhaps top Hunters will be recruited soon," Li Fan advised.
"Aren't you also preparing? Have you changed your mind so quickly?"
"My previous preparation was mainly because I believed Huīhuī could be captured, and I thought the team could help. Now it seems that even without our involvement, they can complete the hunt for Huīhuī. If you really want to participate, the ground combat in the Remnants Ridge would also be good," Li Fan said with a hint of disappointment.
"Alright, then what do you plan to do next?"
"Brother Lei has recovered quite a bit. It's time to find a secluded place for mutation, though this process is rather complicated."
"Did you obtain Elder Dragon Bones?" Eudora asked in surprise.
"Yes, to set up a trap to lure Huīhuī, a massive amount of Starstone is needed. I saw the market was good, so I exchanged a mineral vein for Guild points. Then, I used the points to redeem 184 Level 3 Elder Dragon Bone fragments. It was the most economical path." Li Fan had only learned through in-depth research that Elder Dragon Bones are divided into complete ones and fragments. Complete ones can be used for crafting equipment, while fragments are generally used for research. Furthermore, they are classified into five grades based on their surface weathering. The grading standards were beyond Li Fan's expectations. Elder Dragon Bones are not more valuable the older they are; the newer ones are more valuable. Bones with very poor grades are directly demoted and classified as Ancient Dragon Bones.
"Then let's depart as soon as possible. I heard that the headquarters' airspace will be even more crowded in a couple of days. If we take the Flame Wing away, it will free up space, which can be considered a contribution," Eudora said. Then, remembering a detail from the meeting, she asked with concern, "Can 60 five-star Hunters whose primary weapon is the heavy bowgun really be recruited in such a short time? After all, in Lantai Village, there's only Guild Branch Master Halun, who is a five-star Hunter, and his primary weapon is the lance."
Li Fan looked up at the star-studded night sky and replied, "Here, it certainly can."
Three days later, at dawn, a small Dragon Lore Institute airship hovered over Lantai Village. After the recruitment contracts were scattered like snowflakes, the airship set off again at high speed towards the next surrounding village. Two male villagers picked up the contracts on the ground, looked at them for a moment, and then couldn't help but exchange smiles.
"Our Lantai Village doesn't even have a Guild representative, so where would we find five-star Hunters?"
"I'd say it's quite impressive that this airship even found Lantai Village."
Amidst the chatter, a middle-aged man carrying a fish creel appeared on the village dirt road. He picked up a contract, looked at it for a moment, his expression changed slightly. He unloaded the fish creel from his back and carried it back home. His wife saw him return home, holding the contract and lost in thought, and sighed softly. After a long period of contemplation, the man got up and went inside, dragging a large red chest from under the bed. He broke the lock with his bare hands, opened the chest lid, and revealed a disassembled heavy bowgun. A five-star Hunter badge was embedded in the disassembled stock, shining brightly. The man picked up the parts and began to assemble them with practiced skill, as if he had done this action countless times, etched into his memory. Outside the door, sunlight streamed in, casting the wife's silhouette onto the chest.
"You're going?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was protected by someone before."
At the same time, in a forest not marked on any map, Li Fan was using a Hunter's knife to carefully cut away the purple necrotic flesh from Brother Lei's back.
"Brother Lei! I'm wearing earplugs! If you're in pain, just roar! It's okay!" Li Fan shouted. Brother Lei, lying on his side, flicked his tail, hitting the ground, as if to express that this was a minor matter and to proceed. Monsters naturally have a higher pain tolerance than humans, so Li Fan didn't hold back and increased the force. The large patches of purple necrotic flesh on Brother Lei's back were not due to poor wound care after his previous severe injuries, but because the muscle tissue beneath the charged shell had been soaked in Little Fool's venom. Li Fan's goal was to interfere with the un-necrotized charged shell, causing it to die artificially. This way, the occasional bursts of electricity-elemental energy would be completely cut off. He had originally prepared measures to prevent the venom from spreading, but after Brother Lei understood the reason, he said it would take too much time and that direct soaking would suffice.
Half an hour later, after the last piece of purple necrotic flesh was removed, Li Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead and washed the Hunter's knife.
"Brother Lei, you're the most... Huh? He's fainted... I guess I can't pour recovery medicine on the wound, I've experienced that feeling before. Well, let's move on to the next step." Li Fan muttered, then brought over a bucket of foaming lubricant.
"Eudora Dilu, let's start scrubbing. Remember to stay away from the wound," Li Fan said, then grabbed a stool and went to Brother Lei's claws, prying open two of his toes. A small brush was inserted into the gap.
*Scrub! Scrub!*
A series of dense friction sounds echoed. The team scrubbed for over an hour before the characteristic finally disappeared. Li Fan called for the Flame Wing to descend, and the first activation training began. Because he had consumed Elder Dragon Bone fragments and was in good condition, Brother Lei could generate significantly more Dragon element energy, and it was more pure. The attracted Elder Dragon Swarm, not knowing it was a "black factory" due to the warning pheromones being washed away, swarmed forward.
*Roar! Roar! Roar!*
*Boom!* A powerful blast wave erupted from Brother Lei, and the Super Flash state was achieved again. At this point, most of the swarm that had not been activated into Super Flash Elder Dragon Swarm began to retreat. Although the electric shocks were gone, they provided no benefit for bidirectional activation. Thus, the "black factory" markings among the Elder Dragon Swarm reappeared.
Li Fan looked at his handheld device and felt a headache. Fortunately, through observation, he had grasped some key points and began to give instructions.
"Brother Lei, the energy flow that can activate Elder Dragon Swarm is very fine. Your external energy flow is too coarse." Brother Lei blinked, swung his front paw horizontally, and the red and black lightning generated at the tip of his claws crackled in the air.
"Still too coarse." Brother Lei pondered for a moment, then channeled his Dragon element energy to the electrified hairs on his back.
*Crack! Crack!*
As he shook his back, fine energy flows, like strands of hair, were stimulated at the ends of the electrified hairs.
"It seems to be a bit too fine... Well, it's the best it can be." After another 40 minutes of scrubbing, during the second activation test, with the fine energy flows emitted from the electrified hairs, about one-third of the swarm was activated into Super Flash Elder Dragon Swarm. Brother Lei was also extremely happy to have a swarm of Elder Dragon Swarm surrounding him for the first time. The characteristic reappeared, but this time it had both affinity and warning.
"This is good. Both die-hard fans and casual fans are present. These residual information traces are the most difficult to discern," Li Fan felt that Brother Lei's greatest advantage was the absence of the Brachydios to compete with him for the ownership of the Elder Dragon Swarm. This way, with even a small amount of positive pheromones, it would be easy to attract the Elder Dragon Swarm. However, the biggest problem at present was that the entire Super Flash process, and even the ecology of the Elder Dragon Swarm, were artificially created. Li Fan felt this was not ideal and devised two improvement plans.
The first was to have Brother Lei undergo field training, leading a limited number of Elder Dragon Swarm activities without the support of the Flame Wing, thus gradually adapting to controlling and utilizing the Elder Dragon Swarm. The second was the research and improved cultivation of the Dragon Slayer Fruit. On the way, Li Fan had flipped through several books on plants. They mentioned that the reason the Dragon Slayer Fruit grows in areas where ancient dragons are active is inseparable from Dragon element energy. If large-scale cultivation could be achieved using the Dragon element reality overflowing from Starstone, the research report could be exchanged for many good things at the Guild. Brother Lei's natural adaptive mutation environment would then be established.
After making the deployment, Li Fan returned to headquarters. Dragon Slayer Fruit could be purchased, but seeds and cultivation materials could only be found in the headquarters' Research Institute. At this point, all the giant combat airships in the airport had completed the installation of their boosters. Should I participate in the ground combat and see how Huīhuī kicks the bucket? Forget it. Li Fan sighed on the Flame Wing and walked onto the sky bridge. After borrowing several books on plant cultivation from the Research Institute, Li Fan used his special researcher badge to enter the laboratory. Hearing that he wanted to breed Dragon Slayer Fruit, the female researcher managing the material warehouse, though curious, helped him retrieve the items. While waiting, he saw Sickle crawling on the largest experimental table, sighing repeatedly. Li Fan walked over.
"It's you! The academic maniac who spends 20 hours a day in the top-secret archives, meow!" The painful experience of being a reluctant companion left a deep impression on Sickle.
"Not at all. The longest day was only 19 hours, meow."
"Uh... I don't remember, meow. I just felt that period of time was very long." As Sickle spoke, his tired eyes were about to close.
"You've set out so many experimental materials. Has the research on the detonation device hit a bottleneck?" Li Fan looked at the table.
"Yes, meow. I've tried many combinations, but the results are not ideal."
"Is it that difficult?" With so many materials laid out, Li Fan felt dizzy just looking at them.
"This silver crystal... what material is it?" Li Fan felt he recognized a very familiar material.
"This one is amazing, meow. The Guild brought it back from the New World and it hasn't been named yet. They've entrusted it to the Dragon Lore Institute for research." Li Fan froze for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the crystal, which was silver-white on the surface and iridescent inside, and exclaimed, "Huīhuī is saved!"
Zhao Lala reminds you: Please remember to collect after reading.