Chapter 319: Saturation Strike

In "Xiong Bing Lian", as the team members descend without parachutes, armor pieces chase after them from the sky one by one.

This scene obviously borrows from the segment in "The Avengers" where Iron Man is thrown down by Loki and pierces armor in mid‑air.

The problem is that "The Avengers" didn't release until 2012, but this would be 2008, and looking at it, the scene is just too cool.

Of course, the shot of Sun Wukong being dragged by Lena, landing on the deck on all fours, is indeed a bit of parody, but at least it's stronger than the previous "shit‑pee‑fart" bits, and the audience still finds it relatively fun.

Next, Zhang Yuqi's Liang Bing (Mo Gan Na) appears; she wears a white uniform dress, and her swaying walk dazzles Ge Xiao Lun, Liu Chuang, and Zhao Xin into stunned silence.

Because in the finale of the first part, Liang Bing and her faction did not take part.

Thus in the original animation, although scenes of her roaming around like an early‑stage MLM guru were filmed, they were all cut by Jiang Heng during post‑production.

Only the shot of her sneaking onto the carrier "Giant Hero" was kept; even though it lasted only a few seconds, it left a very deep impression on the audience—her figure was simply too great!

The plot continues, and the long‑awaited alien battle segment finally appears.

The Taotie Legion attacks Tianhe City; traffic is paralyzed, several buildings are destroyed, crowds scatter in panic, and every on‑site viewer is stunned.

Because in the history of Chinese‑language cinema, no mainland city has ever been bombed the way Hollywood blockbusters do.

Occasionally a Chinese city is bombed, but the location shooting still has to go to Hong Kong Island.

There was even a film whose project was rejected by the state broadcaster because its script had aliens landing on Earth and bombing Shanghai! In "Xiong Bing Lian", the reason the Tianhe City bombing appears is first that the city name isn't a real one, leaving the specific counterpart to the audience's imagination; second, it's thanks to the Naval Television Drama Art Center.

The result is naturally a shocking scene that astonishes countless viewers.

Military fans like Zhou Qiao become even more ecstatic.

He whispers, "Fighting aliens in urban warfare? Just thinking about it is thrilling!"

But the problem is, they have to get to the battlefield first.

The squad arrives at a military airfield, and each member boards a military helicopter to fly to Tianhe City.

On the big screen, nine helicopters that look flashier than the Z‑10 fighter‑helicopter take off simultaneously, prompting the audience to gasp in low voices.

Especially Zhou Qiao, whose excitement is almost frantic.

"I knew it—Director Jiang wouldn't let me down, wouldn't let me down. This is just too cool!"

The other viewers murmur, "That helicopter looks really cool—so is it domestic?"

"Where on earth does our country have that now!"

"American?"

"Even the current US models aren't this cool; it just looks powerful!"

"It gives that modern military blockbuster vibe—I finally feel it!"

As the audience gets excited, the #1 helicopter carrying Lena is instantly destroyed by the Taotie Legion, prompting a gasp from both the on‑screen hero and the viewers.

"What the heck, no way?"

"The goddess comes up and gets hit right away—Director Jiang, you're something!"

"Lena's going to be okay, right?"

"The aliens haven't even shown a proper face, and they already take down a helicopter?"

While the audience whispers, a mech‑shaped Taotie about ten‑plus meters tall appears, grabs a helicopter's tail rotor, flings the aircraft away, then fires a laser blast that blows it up.

Having already been baptized by the two "Pacific Rim" films, the audience has a certain immunity to giant mechs.

But in "Pacific Rim", mechs fight monsters; casually destroying a helicopter on screen is still a first for them.

It's also in 3D mode, which looks incredibly thrilling! Then, in a subsequent segment, the Xiong Bing Lian squad is ambushed from all sides; their first time on the battlefield, they are instantly stunned.

In the original animation, the director perhaps wanted to focus on the male lead Ge Xiao Lun, portraying his state during his first battle to show his journey from cowardice to heroism.

If described in text, there might be no problem.

But showing too much on screen becomes tedious and dampens the audience's enthusiasm!

One could say it doesn't quite fit the creative rules of commercial blockbusters.

For example, Jiang Wen's later film "Evil Doesn't Overcome Righteousness" suffers exactly this flaw: the opening characters and dialogue are very smooth and catchy, but the plot falters halfway, and the latter part drags.

The main reason is that the protagonist is too cowardly.

The male lead Li Tianran returns home for revenge, but when confronting the murderers Zhu Qianlong and Genben Ichiro, who killed his master's entire family, he constantly wrestles internally.

Later he becomes a pawn of Lan Qingfeng, always being pushed by others, which reduces audience immersion.

Of course, his having psychological issues is normal, but spending excessive screen time and shots on how the protagonist overcomes his inner fear is a trope of art‑house films.

Imagine if "Wolf Warrior 2" added a scene of the male lead being cowardly—the film would be ruined.

So here, Ge Xiao Lun merely questions the Rose a bit, using multiple details to show his inner anxiety and fear, rather than the tearful animation style.

On the big screen, the ambushed squad re‑engages under the leadership of Cheng Yaowen and Rose, firing a barrage at the "Cross" Taotie Legion warship in the sky, only to be blocked by a light‑screen energy shield.

Rose suggests a teammate cover; she dashes forward using wormhole transport technology, calculating ground and fleet firepower for a bombing run.

Meanwhile, Lena and her teammates restore communications, have everyone return to their positions, then immediately fly to the top of a skyscraper to assume squad command.

"Hurry up—they're about to launch a large‑scale god‑killing operation; we must give our all."

The bewildered Zhao Xin asks, "Big sister, you're not dead?"

Da Tian Tian's Lena declares heroically, "My energy is full; I can't die!"

Zhao Xin gapes, "So you're a charging doll?"

Lena flirts, "Want a hug?"

Cheng Yaowen hurriedly says over the comms, "Stop messing around, Captain!"

The audience inside is already laughing uncontrollably; some whisper, "Lena is too funny!"

"I love this!"

"Just love her this way!"

"Da Tian Tian's performance is superb; I love it!"

"How does she always land these roles!"

"Now we have to stir up another wave!"

Several female characters in "Xiong Bing Lian" are quite likable, but the most popular right now is still Leina, played by Jing Tian.

Optimistic and funny, always able to lift the mood, but after just a few sentences the oppressive atmosphere from a wave of "team annihilation" vanished.

In the seats of the creative team, several female actors secretly envied, thinking Jiang Heng really dotes on Jing Tian, always giving her the most popular roles.

On the big screen, Leina asked, "…Target in sight, one large flagship, think about how to attack?"

Qiangwei: "I'll coordinate the South Sea fleet's firepower and bomb it!"

Leina: "Alright, but the enemy will also launch a massive god‑slaying operation; we have to hold firm!"

After some task allocation, before Xiong Bing Lian could launch, Cheng Yaowen, who was in a helicopter, was hit by an enemy sniper.

"WTF, they just handed over a kill!"

"I'm reporting it, the prince is feeding heads, still waiting for you to magnify it!"

"Zhou Dong, what's up? No schedule? That shouldn't be!"

"The prince's screen time is too short!" Then, from the sky a cross‑shaped massive flagship fired an energy beam four to five meters wide, streaking straight toward Leina standing on the rooftop. The beam's effects were rendered extremely realistic and detailed; no one doubted the terrifying power it contained! Compared with Leina's tiny frame, the beam looked like a mantis versus Sun Wukong's golden staff.

Yet she summoned a shield, rushed a few steps into the beam, and instantly held it. The fire spread outward from the shield's center, and thick smoke formed a fire wall dozens of meters wide, like a gigantic pot lid.

Meanwhile, the flagship kept spitting out energy beams nonstop. The special‑effects showdown rivaled the Sun Wukong versus Red Boy scene in "Journey to the West: Subduing Demons."

Of course, most of the audience had never seen such a scene and were in utter shock, having not been bathed in many effects‑heavy blockbusters before.

"My god, Leina is so cool!"

"Love it, love it, I'm now a fan of sister Jing Tian!"

"Turns out she's not just a goof!"

"Leina is so domineering!"

On the big screen, the still‑hesitant Ge Xiaolun, seeing this, whispered, "Big sister!"

Leina, standing in the heart of the flames with her shield, shouted, "This is what we call military might!"

The Taotie side also realized the previous attack method was useless, withdrew the energy beam, and launched several shells at Leina. At the same time they dispatched a massive swarm of small flyers and ordered, "Red‑Robe Female Captain, full‑scale extermination, formation advance!"

In an instant, the sky was filled with thousands of Taotie army small flyers, all charging straight at Leina.

At this point the others were stunned; Sun Wukong, who had been watching the battle, leapt beside Leina, then vaulted into the sky, instantly spawning thousands of clones, brandishing his golden staff and smashing into the Taotie army's small flyers!

"Whoa, Monkey Brother is going all out!"

"Multiple shadow clones!"

"The monkey's move is pretty fierce, nice!"

Fans who had been waiting to see Sun Wukong's ultimate move were thrilled to the max, thinking the monkey in the film was insanely cool.

When countless Sun Wukong clones collided with the Taotie army's small flyers, the enemy fell from the sky like dumplings dropping down.

The scene was one word: blazing! Two words: super‑blazing! Liu Chuang, wielding a giant axe below, exclaimed in a Northeastern accent, "Ah, my god, this is beyond me!" Zhao Xin surged upward, joined the battle, then collided with a flyer and fell into the water.

At this moment Leina was knocked down by a large Taotie mech warrior's ambush; Leina begged Ge Xiaolun for support, and Ge Xiaolun flew off without hesitation to rescue her.

Simultaneously, Qiangwei, who was crossing the river, was targeted by enemy snipers and artillery, taking several hits in a row.

Leina asked Ge Xiaolun to shield Qiangwei from the shells; Qiangwei replied, "How do I block?"

"Block with your butt!"

"Hahaha!"

"Leina is too funny!"

"I love Da Tian Tian!"

On the big screen, Hu Ge's portrayal of Ge Xiaolun, after initial hesitation and wandering, finally got fired up.

He ran around the battlefield providing support wherever danger loomed—saving Leina, shielding Qiangwei. Policewoman Qilin engaged the enemy sniper in a long‑range duel, got hit, and had to relocate.

After being knocked into the river, Ge Xiaolun flapped his wings and rose, shouting, "Qilin, I'm coming to pick you up, watch the spot, back up, jump!"

Ke Lala's policewoman leapt from the top of a high building onto Ge Xiaolun, turned and fired a shot, taking down the pursuing Taotie warrior.

The whole process was ultra‑smooth, and the audience shouted with delight.

A viewer laughed, "Damn, it's actually a mount!"

"Policewoman riding Gailun, this scene is so beautiful!"

On the screen, Ge Xiaolun delivered the policewoman to the battlefield med‑point, then immediately took to the air to cover Qiangwei's river crossing.

At the same time, from the Taotie army's cross‑shaped battleship, two gigantic mech warriors emerged—one charging at Leina, the other intercepting the charging Qiangwei.

A Taotie warrior's sword sent Qiangwei flying into a concrete wall of a building. Ge Xiaolun, seeing this, reddened with fury and snarled, "How dare you touch my woman, I'll make you turn to ash!"

With that, he surged forward like a human projectile, colliding with the massive Taotie mech warrior. Both crashed inside the building, each wielding a giant sword, continuously slashing at each other.

Fueled by rage, Ge Xiaolun traded blows with the opponent for over a dozen strikes without falling behind, but the skill gap showed; he was eventually kicked away, smashing a huge hole through the building's concrete wall.

The giant Taotie mech warrior prepared to intercept Qiangwei, only for the kicked‑away Ge Xiaolun to return. The two battled high above a bustling street, crashing into the glass curtain walls of the adjacent skyscrapers; the combat was as intense as any "Transformers" film.

The film reaches this point, and the main storyline is basically finished; what remains are the tactical details of defeating the Taotie army.

Though the mix of elements is a bit heavy and some comedic bits feel slightly forced to certain viewers, overall it's a competent commercial effects blockbuster.

Moreover, this is the world's second 3D movie! Many viewers were dazzled by the 3D effects and special‑effect shots, caring little about the plot. On the big screen, a Taotie mech warrior muttered, "This thing is too tough to beat, I don't even want to deal with it!" "What monster, I won't believe I can't kill you!"

Ge Xiaolun forced himself up and said, "Being called a monster by aliens!"

He was then knocked down, an iron claw grabbed his head and dragged him away, promptly snapping his neck.

But Ge Xiaolun quickly rose, "Today I'll fight you to the bitter end!"

"Oh, so this is the so‑called invincible body?"

A Taotie warrior thrust a sword into Ge Xiaolun's abdomen, launching the "Villain Dies from Too Much Talk" subplot, "It's not indestructible; with a blazing‑flame‑grade blade you can destroy the divine river gene inside you!"

Ge Xiaolun stepped back half a pace, sorrowfully shouting, "Qiangwei!"

Taotie warrior: "I am one of the few warriors in the Dark River star system blessed by my god Karl; dying under my sword…"

They panted heavily, stalled for time, saying: "No, let me say a couple of lines— is the rose beautiful? So beautiful!"

At that moment, Liu Chuang rushed to support, muttering: "Anyone who dares to move my brother, I'll kill them!"

Ge Xiaolun: "It's really beautiful; if you dare to move her, I'll make you see… that… the power of the galaxy!"

Then they suddenly exerted force, trying to seize the giant sword from the opponent's hand; embarrassingly, they couldn't budge it.

Ge Xiaolun hardened their resolve, shouting loudly: "Grandpa, I have no ability, but I'm tough enough!"

At that moment, Liu Chuang appeared, shouting from afar: "And I have the Nova War God!"

The Taotie warrior hesitated for a moment, was disarmed of the giant sword by Ge Xiaolun, then kicked several times, and was kicked away by Ge Xiaolun.

Seeing the Taotie warrior approach from afar, Liu Chuang leapt high into the air, executing a 'guillotine' move, easily slicing the enemy in half.

"Oh no, it seems we accidentally took down a boss over here, but Xiaolun is seriously injured. Monkey Brother, can we hold air superiority?" Liu Chuang reported while asking.

Houzi shouted, "The sky is mine!" and immediately engaged in a melee with another giant Taotie mecha, still following the same flashy pattern.

But the truly decisive main battlefield was not these two places; it was Qiangwei, who needed to pass through the wormhole to breach the starlight barrier, then use transport technology to let the fleet pass through the wormhole and saturate-fire the alien warships protected by the barrier. Only thus could the invading Taotie army be completely eliminated.

Leina shot a ball of light energy, lighting up the starlight barrier for Qiangwei. Qiangwei easily passed through, then immediately hailed the fleet.

"Giant Canyon, Giant Hero, target within range, request saturation fire! Request saturation fire!"

The camera then cut to the anchorage of the aircraft carrier fleet. In the command room, the communications officer said: "Spacetime Qiangwei has entered the Taotie flagship's inner firepower zone; permission granted for saturation fire, permission granted for saturation fire! All units, take note: open fire immediately, open fire immediately!"

Afterwards, more than ten various warships surrounding the aircraft carrier fleet on the sea opened fire simultaneously.

On the big screen, one could see warships firing at full throttle, missiles with flames trailing from their tails, both panoramic views and close-ups.

Countless missiles passed through the wormhole created by Qiangwei, striking the main ship that had originally been protected by the starlight barrier.

The whole scene was more intense and explosive than any known Haolaiwu military blockbuster.

The audience in the venue were almost dumbfounded, with many even tearing up.

Although knowing the plot is fake, I still felt that getting to see China's aircraft carrier fleet carry out saturation fire was worth it!

(End of chapter)